Obama Advisor Susan Rice US Ambassador to UN (Photos)

President-elect Obama has selected Susan Rice, his foreign policy advisor, as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Obama also confirmed Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, Robert Gates as defense secretary, and Eric Holder as attorney general.

Other appointments announced today were Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as homeland security secretary, and former Marine Gen. James Jones as national security adviser.

It’s being reported that Obama has also chosen former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle as health and human services secretary and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as secretary of commerce.

“The strength of our military has to be combined with the wisdom and force of our diplomacy,” Obama said at a press conference this morning. “We are going to be committed to rebuilding and strengthening alliances around the world to advance American interests and American security.”

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With Susan Rice as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, it will send a strong message to leaders around the word, that the United States will strongly opposed genocide. Rice has advocated more muscular action, including military force if necessary, against mass killings like those in Sudan.

Obama also announced that he will restore the post to the cabinet, as it was under Bill Clinton. That sends another message—that the new administration plans to prioritize engagement with the U.N. “The global challenges we face demand global institutions that work,” Obama said, calling the U.N. “an indispensable, if imperfect, forum.”

Rice is known to be a tough advocate of “dramatic action” to halt genocide. She served as an assistant secretary of state under Clinton.

“She’s obviously one of Obama’s closest advisers, so it underscores how much of a priority he’s making the position,” said Nancy Soderberg, a senior U.S. diplomat at the United Nations under Bill Clinton. “If you look at the last eight years, we obviously need to be more engaged at the UN and realistic about what the UN can do.”

If confirmed Rice, 44, would be the second-youngest ambassador to the UN. She earned a doctorate in international relations at Oxford, where she was a Rhodes scholar.

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Susan Rice worked for Bill Clinton’s national security team in 1993 and became assistant secretary of state for African affairs at age 32.

What do you politically-wise readers think of Obama’s choices on appointments thus far?

Images: Wenn

Source: news

Posted by: Monya

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