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;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.
James Franklin Jeffrey is an American diplomat who served most recently as the United States Special Representative for Syria Engagement and the Special Envoy to the International military intervention against ISIL.
Elliott Abrams is an American politician and lawyer,who has served in foreign policy positions for presidents Ronald Reagan,George W. Bush,and Donald Trump. Abrams is considered to be a neoconservative. He was a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He served as the U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela from 2019 to 2021 and as the U.S. Special Representative for Iran from 2020 to 2021.
John Robert Bolton is an American attorney,diplomat,Republican consultant,and political commentator. He served as the 25th United States ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006,and as the 26th United States national security advisor from 2018 to 2019.
Rex Wayne Tillerson is an American energy executive who served as the 69th United States secretary of state from 2017 to 2018 in the first administration of Donald Trump. From 2006 to 2016,he was chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of ExxonMobil.
Heather Anne Nauert is an American broadcast journalist and former government official who served as Spokesperson for the United States Department of State in the Donald Trump administration from 2017 to 2019. Nauert also served as Acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs from March 2018 to April 2019.
Robert Charles O'Brien Jr. is an American attorney who was the twenty-seventh United States national security advisor from 2019 to 2021. He was the fourth and final person to hold the position during the first presidency of Donald Trump. He is currently the chairman of the American Global Strategies,a consulting and lobbying firm.
The Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism is an office of the Under Secretary for Civilian Security,Democracy,and Human Rights at the United States Department of State. The office "advances U.S. foreign policy on antisemitism" by developing and implementing policies and projects to support efforts to combat antisemitism.
Michael Richard Pompeo is an American retired politician who served in the first administration of Donald Trump as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 2017 to 2018,and as the 70th United States secretary of state from 2018 to 2021. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2017.
John Joseph Sullivan is an American attorney and government official who served as the United States Ambassador to Russia from 2020 to 2022,and who previously served as the 19th United States Deputy Secretary of State from 2017 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party,Sullivan served as Acting United States Secretary of State from April 1,2018,to April 26,2018,following President Donald Trump's dismissal of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on March 13,2018,until Tillerson's official successor,Mike Pompeo,was sworn in. Tillerson did not officially leave office until March 31,2018. Sullivan,however,was delegated all responsibilities of the Secretary of State beginning March 13.
Brett Holden McGurk is an American diplomat,attorney,and academic who served in senior national security positions under presidents George W. Bush,Barack Obama,Donald Trump,and Joe Biden. He served as deputy assistant to President Joe Biden and National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa. He most recently led negotiations between the United States,Israel,Egypt,and Qatar to establish a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Kiron Kanina Skinner is an American political scientist. She was Director of Policy Planning at the United States Department of State in the first Trump administration. Skinner is presently the Taube Professor of International Relations and Politics at the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy,where she teaches graduate courses in national security and public leadership. Prior to that,she was the Taube Professor of International Relations and Politics at Carnegie Mellon University,and the founding director of the Institute for Politics and Strategy and associated centers at the university. She is also the W. Glenn Campbell Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University. After leaving the Department of State,she returned to her position at Carnegie Mellon University until stepping down in 2021.
The Conservative Review is an American website and brand owned and operated by Blaze Media. It was founded in 2014 by a group of conservative political operatives. The site's stated goal is to "cut through the talking points and the smoke and mirrors ... [by employing] two main tools:the Liberty Score and our conservative commentary."
Joseph Yuosang Yun is an American diplomat. He is the former U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Compact Negotiations,appointed in March 2022 by President Joe Biden to negotiate amendments to the Compact of Free Association (CFA),the agreement governing the relationship between the United States and the Freely Associated States (FAS) of the Federated States of Micronesia,the Republic of the Marshall Islands,and Palau.
U.S. foreign policy during the first presidency of Donald Trump was noted for its unpredictability and reneging on prior international commitments,upending diplomatic conventions,embracing political and economic brinkmanship with most adversaries,and stronger relations with traditional allies. Trump's "America First" policy pursued nationalist foreign policy objectives and prioritized bilateral relations over multinational agreements. As president,Trump described himself as a nationalist and a globalist while espousing views that have been characterized as isolationist,non-interventionist,and protectionist,although the "isolationist" label has been disputed,including by Trump himself,and periods of his political career have been described by the alternative term "semi-isolationist." He personally praised some populist,neo-nationalist,illiberal,and authoritarian governments,while antagonizing others,even as administration diplomats nominally continued to pursue pro-democracy ideals abroad.
The Iran Action Group was formed on Thursday,16 August 2018 by United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as a dedicated group to coordinate and run U.S. policy toward Iran. Establishment of the group followed the United States withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,the nuclear accord with Iran.
Morgan Deann Ortagus is an American television commentator,financial analyst,and political advisor,and served as spokesperson for the United States Department of State from 2019 to 2021 during the Trump administration. On January 3,2025,Trump announced that he would appoint her to serve as deputy special presidential envoy for Middle East peace,under United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff,during his second administration.
The 2019 Koreas–United States DMZ Summit was a one-day summit held at the Korean Demilitarized Zone between North Korean chairman Kim Jong Un,U.S. president Donald Trump,and South Korean president Moon Jae-in,following the 2019 G20 Osaka summit. Trump briefly stepped over the border at 3:45 PM (GMT+9) on June 30,marking the first time a sitting U.S. president had set foot on North Korean soil. It was also the second time since the end of the Korean War in 1953 that a North Korean leader entered the South's territory,following the April 2018 inter-Korean summit. Senior White House advisors Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner also attended the summit,with Ivanka Trump and U.S. envoy to South Korea Harry B. Harris Jr. holding a meeting with Kim later broadcast on North Korean television.
In April 2021,more than three hours of audiotape was leaked from a seven-hour interview between economist Saeed Leylaz and Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. The taped conversation was connected to an oral history project,titled "In the Islamic Republic,the military field rules," that documents the work of then-president Hassan Rouhani and his government. The tape was obtained by the London-based news channel Iran International and publicized by The New York Times. Zarif did not dispute the authenticity of the leaked tape,but questioned the motive. Iran International noted that Zarif's claim was "not very credible."
Jamie M. Fly is an American media executive and former president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
