Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the president to serve as the United States' diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as ambassadors-at-large. Under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, their appointment must be confirmed by the United States Senate;[1] while an ambassador may be appointed during a recess, they can serve only until the end of the next session of Congress, unless subsequently confirmed.[2]
Ambassadors are the highest-ranking diplomats of the U.S. and are usually based at the embassy in the host country. They are under the jurisdiction of the Department of State and answer directly to the secretary of state; however, ambassadors serve "at the pleasure of the President", meaning they can be dismissed at any time. Appointments change regularly for various reasons, such as reassignment or retirement.
An ambassador may be a career Foreign Service Officer (career diplomat – CD) or a political appointee (PA). In most cases, career foreign service officers serve a tour of approximately three years per ambassadorship, whereas political appointees customarily tender their resignations upon the inauguration of a new president.
The State Department publishes a monthly list of ambassadors.[3] A listing by country of past chiefs of mission is maintained by the Office of the Historian of the U.S. Department of State,[4] along with the names and appointment dates of past and present ambassadors-at-large[5] and mission to international organizations.[6]
Current U.S. ambassadors
editNote that the information in this list is subject to change due to regular personnel changes resulting from retirements and reassignments. The State Department posts updated lists of ambassadors approximately monthly, accessible via an interactive menu-based website.[3][7][8]
Ambassadors to international organizations
editAmbassadors to the United Nations
editCurrent ambassadors from the United States to the United Nations:
Other international organizations
editCurrent ambassadors from the United States to other international organizations:
Ambassadors-at-large
editCurrent ambassadors-at-large from the United States with worldwide responsibility:[12][13]
| Portfolio | List | Ambassador | Background | Website | Confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arctic Affairs | List | Michael Sfraga | PA | [57] | September 24, 2024 |
| Counterterrorism | List | Elizabeth H. Richard | CD | [58] | December 19, 2023 |
| Cyberspace and Digital Policy | List | Nathaniel Fick | PA | [59] | September 15, 2022 |
| Global AIDS Combat[s] | List | John Nkengasong | PA | [60] | May 5, 2022 |
| Global Criminal Justice | List | Beth Van Schaack | PA | [61] | March 15, 2022 |
| Global Women's Issues | List | Geeta Rao Gupta | PA | [62] | May 10, 2023 |
| International Religious Freedom | List | Rashad Hussain | PA | [63] | December 16, 2021 |
| Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons | List | Cindy Dyer | PA | [64] | December 20, 2022 |
Other officials with the rank of ambassador
editOfficials who were granted the rank of ambassador in their senate confirmations:
Office of the United States Trade Representative
edit| Position | Ambassador | Background | Website | Confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States Trade Representative | Katherine Tai | PA | [65] | March 17, 2021 |
| Deputy United States Trade Representative (Western Hemisphere, Europe, the Middle East, Labor, and Environment) |
Vacant since November 1, 2023 | (N/A) | [66] | |
| Deputy United States Trade Representative (Asia, Africa, Investment, Services, Textiles, and Industrial Competitiveness) |
Vacant since January 29, 2024 | (N/A) | [67] | |
| Deputy United States Trade Representative (Geneva Office) | Maria Pagan | PA | [68] | March 10, 2022 |
| Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Office of the United States Trade Representative | Doug McKalip | PA | [69] | December 22, 2022 |
| Chief Innovation and Intellectual Property Negotiator, Office of the United States Trade Representative | Vacant since February 24, 2016 | (N/A) | [70] |
U.S. State Department
edit| Position | Ambassador | Background | Website | Confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief of Protocol | Vacant since July 31, 2023 Ethan Rosenzweig, Acting Chief of Protocol |
(N/A) | [71] | |
| Coordinator for International Communications and Information | Stephan A. Lang | CD | [72] | May 14, 2024 |
| Director of the Office of Foreign Missions | Rebecca E. Gonzales | CD | [73] | May 19, 2022 |
| Head of the Office of Sanctions Coordination | Vacant since October 5, 2023 | (N/A) | [74] | |
| Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues | Julie Turner | CD | [75] | July 27, 2023 |
| Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism | Deborah Lipstadt | PA | [76] | March 30, 2022 |
| Special Representative of the President for Nuclear Nonproliferation | Adam M. Scheinman | PA | [77] | March 18, 2021 |
Other chiefs of mission
editSenior diplomatic representatives of the United States hosted in posts other than embassies. Unlike other consulates, these persons report directly to the Secretary of State.
| Host country | List | Ambassador | Title | Website | Appointed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Curaçao[t]
|
List | Margy Bond | Consul General and Chief of Mission | Curaçao | January 20, 2022 |
 Hong Kong[u]
|
List | Gregory May | Consul General and Chief of Mission | Hong Kong [78] | September 2022 |
 Taiwan
|
List | Sandra Oudkirk | Director (of the nominally independent American Institute in Taiwan) | Taipei [79] | July 15, 2021 |
Special envoys, representatives, and coordinators
editThese diplomatic officials report directly to the Secretary of State. Many oversee a portfolio not restricted to one nation, often an overall goal, and are not usually subject to Senate confirmation.[14][13][15] Unlike the State Department offices and diplomats listed in other sections of this Article, the offices and special envoys/representatives/coordinators listed in this Section are created and staffed by direction of top Federal Executive administrators – primarily U.S. Presidents and Secretaries of State – whose political or organizational management philosophies may not be shared by their successors.[16][17][18] As such, many of these positions may go unfilled upon assumption of office by successor Presidential Administrations, with their offices sometimes merged with or subsumed into other offices, or abolished altogether.
| Portfolio | Title | Officeholder | Website | Appointed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advance the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI+) Persons |
Special Envoy | Jessica Stern | [80] | September 27, 2021 |
| Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights | Special Envoy | Rina Amiri | [81] | January 6, 2022 |
| Afghanistan | Special Representative | Thomas West | [82] | October 20, 2021 |
| Atlantic Cooperation | Senior Coordinator | Jessica Lapenn | [83] | December 30, 2022 |
| Biodiversity and Water Resources | Special Envoy | Vacant since April 28, 2023 | [84] | |
| The Biological Weapons Convention | Special Representative | Kenneth D. Ward | [85] | March 30, 2022 |
| China | Coordinator | Mark Baxter Lambert | [86] | September 29, 2023 |
| City and State Diplomacy | Special Representative | Nina Hachigian | [87] | October 3, 2022 |
| Climate | Special Presidential Envoy | Sue Biniaz (deputy) | [88] | January 20, 2021 |
| Rick Duke (deputy) | ||||
| Commercial and Business Affairs | Special Representative | Sarah Morgenthau | [89] | October 27, 2023 |
| Counterterrorism | Coordinator | Elizabeth H. Richard | [90] | December 29, 2023 |
| Critical and Emerging Technology | Special Envoy | Seth Center (deputy) | [91] | January 3, 2023 |
| Digital Freedom | Special Envoy and Coordinator | Eileen Donahoe | [92] | September 6, 2023 |
| The Diplomatic Security Service for Security Infrastructure | Senior Coordinator | Erin Smart | [93] | July 8, 2024 |
| The DPRK | Special Representative | Sung Y. Kim | [94] | May 21, 2021 |
| Global Anti-Corruption | Coordinator | Richard Nephew | [95] | July 5, 2022 |
| The Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS | Special Envoy | Elizabeth H. Richard | [96] | December 29, 2023 |
| Global Democratic Renewal | Coordinator | Vacant since January 22, 2024 | [97] | |
| The Global Engagement Center | Special Envoy and Coordinator | James Rubin | [98] | December 15, 2022 |
| Global Food Security | Special Envoy | Cary Fowler | [99] | May 5, 2022 |
| Global Partnerships | Special Representative | Dorothy McAuliffe | [100] | June 6, 2022 |
| Global Youth Issues | Special Envoy | Abby Finkenauer | [101] | November 21, 2022 |
| Haiti | Special Envoy | Vacant since September 22, 2021 | [102] | |
| Health Incident Response Task Force | Coordinator | Jonathan M. Moore | [103] | November 15, 2021 |
| Holocaust Issues | Special Envoy | Ellen Germain | [104] | August 23, 2021 |
| The Horn of Africa | Special Envoy | Mike Hammer | [105] | June 1, 2022 |
| Hostage Affairs | Special Presidential Envoy | Roger D. Carstens | [106] | March 2, 2020 |
| International Labor Affairs | Special Representative | Kelly Fay Rodríguez | [107] | December 5, 2022 |
| Iran | Special Envoy | Robert Malley | [108] | January 28, 2021 |
| Israel and the Palestinian Authority | Security Coordinator | Michael R. Fenzel | [109] | November 2021 |
| Lawful Migration | Senior Coordinator | Holly C. Holzer | [110] | August 7, 2023 |
| Libya | Special Envoy | Richard B. Norland | [111] | May 10, 2021 |
| Monitor and Combat Antisemitism | Special Envoy | Deborah Lipstadt | [112] | May 3, 2022 |
| Middle East Humanitarian Issues | Special Envoy | David M. Satterfield | [113] | October 15, 2023 |
| North Korean Human Rights Issues | Special Envoy | Julie Turner | [114] | October 13, 2023 |
| Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs | Special Envoy | Joe Kennedy III | [115] | December 19, 2022 |
| Northern Triangle | Special Envoy | Vacant since July 28, 2023 | [116] | |
| Nuclear Nonproliferation | Special Representative | Adam M. Scheinman | [117] | December 20, 2021 |
| Palestinian Affairs | Special Representative | Hady Amr | [118] | November 22, 2022 |
| The Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment | Special Coordinator | Helaina R. Matza (acting) | [119] | May 31, 2023 |
| Racial Equity and Justice | Special Representative | Desirée Cormier Smith | [120] | June 17, 2022 |
| The Sahel Region of Africa | Special Envoy | Vacant since January 20, 2021 | [121] | |
| Syria Engagement | Special Representative | Vacant since September 17, 2021 | [122] | |
| Tibetan Issues | Special Coordinator | Uzra Zeya | [123] | July 14, 2021 |
| U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia | Coordinator | Maria A. Longi | [124] | October 24, 2022 |
| Ukraine's Economic Recovery | Special Representative | Penny Pritzker | [125] | September 14, 2023 |
| United Nations International Organizations in Nairobi | Permanent Representative | Jennifer Harwood | Nairobi | May 2023 |
| Venezuela | Special Representative | Vacant since January 20, 2021 | [126] | |
| Western Balkans | Special Representative | Gabriel Escobar | [127] | September 7, 2021 |
| Yemen | Special Envoy | Tim Lenderking | [128] | February 4, 2021 |
Nations without exchange of ambassadors
edit- Bhutan: According to the U.S. State Department, "The United States and the Kingdom of Bhutan have not established formal diplomatic relations; however, the two governments have informal and cordial relations."[19] Informal contact with the nation of Bhutan is maintained through the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.[19]
- Iran: On April 7, 1980, the United States broke diplomatic relations with Iran after the 1979 Iranian Revolution.[20] On April 24, 1981, the Swiss government assumed representation of U.S. interests in Tehran, and Algeria assumed representation of Iranian interests in the United States.[21] Currently, Iranian interests in the United States are represented by the government of Pakistan. The U.S. Department of State named Iran a "State Sponsor of Terrorism" on January 19, 1984.[22]
- North Korea: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is not on friendly terms with the United States, and while talks between the two countries are ongoing, there is no exchange of ambassadors. Sweden functions as Protective Power for the United States in Pyongyang and performs limited consular responsibilities for U.S. citizens in North Korea.[23]
- Syria: On February 6, 2012, the United States suspended operations at its embassy in Damascus.[24] On May 5, 2014, the United States recognized the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces as the foreign mission of Syria.[25]
- Taiwan: With the normalization of relations with the People's Republic of China in 1979, the United States has not maintained official diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Relations between Taiwan and the United States are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, with headquarters in Taipei and field offices in Washington, D.C., and twelve other U.S. cities. The Taipei Office of the American Institute in Taiwan, a non-profit, public corporation, functions as a de facto embassy, performing most consular functions and staffed by Foreign Service Officers who are formally "on leave".[26]
Notable past ambassadors
editMany well-known individuals have served the United States as ambassadors, or in formerly analogous positions such as envoy, including several who also became President of the United States (indicated in boldface below). Some notable ambassadors have included:
Ambassadors killed in office
editEight United States Ambassadors have been killed in office – six of them by armed attack and the other two in plane crashes.[27]
| Name | Ambassador to | Place | Country | Date of death | Killed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurence Steinhardt | Canada | Ramsayville, Ontario |  Canada
|
March 28, 1950 | plane crash |
| John Gordon Mein | Guatemala | Guatemala City |  Guatemala
|
August 28, 1968 | attack by Rebel Armed Forces |
| Cleo A. Noel Jr. | Sudan | Khartoum |  Sudan
|
March 2, 1973 | attack by Black September Organization |
| Rodger Davies | Cyprus | Nicosia |  Cyprus
|
August 19, 1974 | attack during Greek Cypriot demonstration |
| Francis E. Meloy Jr. | Lebanon | Beirut |  Lebanon
|
June 16, 1976 | attack by Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine |
| Adolph Dubs | Afghanistan | Kabul |  Afghanistan
|
February 14, 1979 | attack by Settam-e-Melli |
| Arnold Lewis Raphel | Pakistan | Bahawalpur |  Pakistan
|
August 17, 1988 | plane crash |
| J. Christopher Stevens | Libya | Benghazi |  Libya
|
September 11, 2012 | attack by Ansar al-Sharia on a U.S. diplomatic mission |
Ambassadors to past countries
editSee also
edit
- Chief of Protocol of the United States
- List of ambassadors to the United States
- List of LGBT ambassadors of the United States
- List of female ambassadors of the United States
- List of ambassadors appointed by Donald Trump
- List of ambassadors appointed by Joe Biden
- United States Foreign Service Career Ambassador
Notes
edit- ^ The U.S. Embassy in Kabul transferred operations to Doha, Qatar, on August 31, 2021, following the fall of Kabul to the Taliban.[9][10] Since December 31, 2021, the U.S. Interests Section at the Embassy of Qatar in Kabul has served as the protecting power for the U.S. in Afghanistan.[11]
- ^ a b One ambassador, resident at Madrid, is accredited to Andorra and Spain.
- ^ a b One ambassador, resident at Luanda, is accredited to Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe.
- ^ a b c d e f g One ambassador, resident at Bridgetown, is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
- ^ In 1989 the military government of Burma changed the name of the nation to Myanmar, but the United States government and other Western governments still refer to the country as Burma in official usage.
- ^ a b One ambassador, resident at Antananarivo, is accredited to Madagascar and Comoros.
- ^ a b c d e One ambassador, resident at Suva, is accredited to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu.
- ^ a b One ambassador, resident at Paris, is accredited to France and Monaco.
- ^ a b One ambassador, resident at Dakar, is accredited to Guinea-Bissau and Senegal.
- ^ a b One ambassador, resident at Rome, is accredited to Italy and San Marino.
- ^ a b One ambassador, resident at Bern, is accredited to Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
- ^ a b One ambassador, resident at Port Louis, is accredited to Mauritius and Seychelles.
- ^ a b One ambassador, resident at Wellington, is accredited to New Zealand and Samoa.
- ^ Hugo F. Rodriguez was confirmed as ambassador by the senate on September 29, 2022, but has been rejected by Nicaragua.
- ^ American citizens who travel to North Korea do so at their own risk and in some cases in violation of U.S. and/or UN sanctions.
- ^ a b c One ambassador, resident at Port Moresby, is accredited to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
- ^ The ambassador to the U.K. is known as the "Ambassador to the Court of St. James's".
- ^ The U.S. also does not recognize Moroccan claims to sovereignty over Western Sahara.
- ^ Full title is Ambassador-at-Large, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Senior Bureau Official for Global Health Security and Diplomacy
- ^ While solely accredited to Curaçao, the United States Consul General to Curaçao is responsible for all the countries and special municipalities of the former Netherlands Antilles, including Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius.
- ^ The United States Consul General to Hong Kong, resident in Hong Kong, is concurrently accredited to Macau.
References
edit- ^ U.S. Senate – Powers & Procedure Archived October 10, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Senate.gov; retrieved May 25, 2012.
- ^ Henry B. Hogue. "Recess Appointments: Frequently Asked Questions" (PDF). Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
- ^ a b "List of U.S. Ambassadors". United States Department of State.
- ^ "Chiefs of Mission Listed by Country". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on May 12, 2017. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
- ^ "Ambassadors at Large". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on July 7, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
- ^ "Chiefs of Mission to International Organizations". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on July 6, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
- ^ Burns, William J.; Thomas-Greenfield, Linda (September 23, 2020). "The Transformation of Diplomacy: How to Save the State Department". Foreign Affairs. Vol. 99, no. 6. ISSN 0015-7120.
- ^ "Current list of U.S. Ambassadors". United States Department of State. United States Department of State. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- ^ Jakes, Lara (August 30, 2021). "In a final blow of the 20-year war, U.S. envoys close their embassy and exit Kabul". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ^ U.S. Embassy in Kabul (August 31, 2021). "Security Message: Suspension of Operations". Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ^ Beitsch, Rebecca; Rai, Sarakshi (November 12, 2021). "Qatar to formally represent US interests in Afghanistan". The Hill. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
- ^ "United States Ambassadors at Large". Archived from the original on January 17, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
- ^ a b "Assistant Secretaries and Other Senior Officials". Archived from the original on May 21, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ "Special Envoys, Representatives and Coordinators". American Foreign Service Association. January 7, 2019. Archived from the original on January 18, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- ^ "Alphabetical List of Bureaus and Offices". Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ Torres-Bennett, Aileen (October 31, 2017). "Tillerson Wants to Whittle Down Number of Special Envoys". washdiplomat.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
- ^ Labott, Elise; Gaouette, Nicole; Herb, Jeremy (August 29, 2017). "First on CNN: Tillerson moves to ditch special envoys". CNN. Archived from the original on March 10, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
- ^ Kanowitz, Stephanie (October 31, 2017). "SIDEBAR: Who's In and Who's Out". washdiplomat.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
- ^ a b "Bhutan (08/04)". United States Department of State.
- ^ Goshko, John M.; Walsh, Edward (April 8, 1980). "U.S. Breaks Diplomatic Ties With Iran: Carter Breaks Ties, Orders Ouster of Iranian Diplomats". The Washington Post. p. A1. ProQuest 147221464.
- ^ "Former No. 2 Iran Diplomat To Be Allowed Back in U.S.". The Washington Post. April 25, 1980. p. A27. ProQuest 147210403.
- ^ "Chapter 3 – State Sponsors of Terrorism Overview". State.gov. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
- ^ "The Embassy | SwedenAbroad". swedenabroad.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2013. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ^ "Suspending Embassy Operations in Syria". U.S. State Department. February 6, 2012.
- ^ "U.S. recognizes Syria opposition offices as 'foreign mission'". Reuters. May 5, 2014.
- ^ Roy, Denny (2003). Taiwan: a political history (1. publ. ed.). Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801488054.
- ^ "US Ambassadors Killed in the Line of Duty". Associated Press. September 12, 2012. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
External links
edit
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