Donald Steinberg

Last updated

Donald K. Steinberg (born March 25, 1953) is an American diplomat who was the U.S. Ambassador to Angola. [1] He is also the former president and CEO of World Learning. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Steinberg was born in Los Angeles, California on March 25, 1953. [3] He received a master's degrees in journalism from Columbia University and economic development from the University of Toronto, as well as a bachelor's degree in economics from Reed College. [4]

Career

Steinberg worked for more than forty years in government, as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Before he worked at World Learning, he was deputy administrator at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Other jobs for the US government include director of the US Department of State's Joint Policy Council, White House deputy press secretary, and National Security Council senior director for African Affairs. Other positions include being deputy president for policy at the International Crisis Group, a Randolph Jennings senior fellow at the US Institute of Peace, and advisor to the Women's Refugee Commission, the UN Development Fund for Women, the UN Civil Society Advisory Group for Women, Peace and Security, and the Institute for Inclusive Security. [2]

When he arrived as U.S. Ambassador to Angola in 1995, it was his opinion that the people working for the American oil companies “were, in fact, the American ambassadors to Angola in that period. ... The only real relationship was through the oil companies.” [1]

In 1997, Steinberg sent a dissent cable (entitled "Dissent Against U.S. Positions on Landmines at Oslo APL Conference") that criticized a State Department instruction directing ambassadors in the developing world to press other governments to weaken anti-personnel landmine measures in the Ottawa Treaty (which was then under negotiation) by allowing "the United States and presumably other countries to exercise numerous waivers, exempt anti-tank weapons, exclude South Korea, and accept lengthy implementation timeframes." [5] In his cable, Steinberg referred to the U.S. position as "indefensible, filled with contradictions, and inconsistent with true U.S. national security and foreign policy interests" and referred to the devastating effects of mines on civilian populations after the Angolan Civil War, writing, "How can America's global responsibilities and foreign policy interests dictate that we protect weapons so horrible and barbaric that virtually all our closest allies are seeking a global treaty to eliminate them without delay?" [5] The cable was declassified in 2020, and Steinberg wrote an article regarding it in Just Security . [5] He noted that the U.S. government conformed to the "basic precepts" of the Ottawa Convention from the time it came into force in 1999 until the Donald Trump administration reversed course in 2020, allowing the U.S. military to make greater use of such landmines; Steinberg called that move reckless and irresponsible. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Agency for International Development</span> United States government civilian foreign aid agency

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 billion, USAID is one of the largest official aid agencies in the world and accounts for more than half of all U.S. foreign assistance—the highest in the world in absolute dollar terms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of Canada</span>

The foreign relations of Canada are Canada's relations with other governments and nations. Canada is recognized as a middle power for its role in international affairs with a tendency to pursue multilateral solutions. Canada's foreign policy based on international peacekeeping and security is carried out through coalitions and international organizations, and through the work of numerous federal institutions. Canada's peacekeeping role during the 20th century has played a major role in its global image. The strategy of the Canadian government's foreign aid policy reflects an emphasis to meet the Millennium Development Goals, while also providing assistance in response to foreign humanitarian crises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Campaign to Ban Landmines</span> International organization

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is a coalition of non-governmental organizations whose stated objective is a world free of anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions, where mine and cluster munitions survivors see their rights respected and can lead fulfilling lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Negroponte</span> American diplomat

John Dimitri Negroponte is an American diplomat. He is currently a James R. Schlesinger Distinguished Professor at the Miller Center for Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. He is a former J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Professor of International Affairs at the George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs. Prior to this appointment, he served as a research fellow and lecturer in international affairs at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, United States Deputy Secretary of State (2007–2009), and the first ever Director of National Intelligence (2005–2007).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Andrew Green</span> American politician and diplomat

Mark Andrew Green is an American politician and diplomat who is the president, director and CEO of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Before joining the Wilson Center on March 15, 2021, he served as the executive director of the McCain Institute for International Leadership, and prior to that, as the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development. He served in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1993 to 1999, was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007, representing Wisconsin's 8th congressional district, ran unsuccessfully for governor of Wisconsin in 2006, and held the post of United States Ambassador to Tanzania from August 2007 until January 2009. Green served as president of the International Republican Institute from 2014 to 2017 and sits on the board of directors of the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottawa Treaty</span> Anti-personnel landmine ban treaty

The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction of 1997, known informally as the Ottawa Treaty, the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, or often simply the Mine Ban Treaty, aims at eliminating anti-personnel landmines (AP-mines) around the world. To date, there are 164 state parties to the treaty. One state has signed but not ratified the treaty, while 32 UN states, including China, Russia, and the United States have not; making a total of 33 United Nations states not party.

Human security is a paradigm for understanding global vulnerabilities whose proponents challenges the traditional notion of national security through military security by arguing that the proper referent for security should be at the human rather than national level. Human security reveals a people-centred and multi-disciplinary understanding of security which involves a number of research fields, including development studies, international relations, strategic studies, and human rights. The United Nations Development Programme's 1994 Human Development Report is considered a milestone publication in the field of human security, with its argument that ensuring "freedom from want" and "freedom from fear" for all persons is the best path to tackle the problem of global insecurity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs</span> Bureau within the United States Department of State

The Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES) is a functional bureau within the United States Department of State. The Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs coordinates a suite of portfolios related to oceans, environmental, polar, scientific, fisheries, wildlife, conservation, and natural resource and health affairs that affect U.S. foreign policy interests. The Assistant Secretary reports to the Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armenia–United States relations</span> Bilateral relations

The dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991 brought an end to the Cold War and created the opportunity for bilateral relations of the United States with Armenia and other New Independent States (NIS) as they began a political and economic transformation. The United States recognized the independence of Armenia on December 25, 1991, and opened an embassy in the capital city of Armenia, Yerevan in February 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States–Zambia relations</span> Bilateral relations

The diplomatic relationship between the United States of America and Zambia can be characterized as warm and cooperative. Relations are based on their shared experiences as British colonies, both before, after and during the struggle for independence. Several U.S. administrations cooperated closely with Zambia's first president, Kenneth Kaunda, in hopes of facilitating solutions to the conflicts in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Angola, and Namibia. The United States works closely with the Zambian Government to defeat the HIV/AIDS pandemic that is ravaging Zambia, to promote economic growth and development, and to effect political reform needed to promote responsive and responsible government. The United States is also supporting the government's efforts to root out corruption. Zambia is a beneficiary of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The U.S. Government provides a variety of technical assistance and other support that is managed by the Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development, Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Threshold Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Treasury, Department of Defense, and Peace Corps. The majority of U.S. assistance is provided through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), in support of the fight against HIV/AIDS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolivia–United States relations</span> Bilateral relations

Bolivia–United States relations were established in 1837 with the first ambassadorial visit from the United States to Peru–Bolivian Confederation. The Confederation dissolved in 1839, and bilateral relations did not occur until 1848 when the United States recognized Bolivia as a sovereign state and appointed John Appleton as the Chargé d'Affaires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad–United States relations</span> Bilateral relations

Chad–United States relations are the international relations between Chad and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rwanda–United States relations</span> Bilateral relations

Rwanda–United States relations are bilateral relations between Rwanda and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tunisia–United States relations</span> Bilateral relations

Tunisia – United States relations are bilateral relations between Tunisia and the United States.

Nicolas Bwakira was a Burundian diplomat, international civil servant and pan-africanist. During his long and exemplary career, Bwakira took on senior roles and responsibilities at various institutions, including the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the University of South Africa (UNISA), the African Union, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI). Bwakira fought the good fight as a pan-Africanist and international civil servant in the service of Africa and its people, especially for those in Namibia, Angola, Somalia and, more recently, the Lake Chad Basin. The quest for peace was his lifelong passion. From the time of his posting in Angola in 1976, he developed a special connection with southern African countries, among which Namibia. From 1976 to 1990, Namibian refugees and Namibia’s independence featured prominently in his professional career. In his role as Coordinator for the return of Namibian exiles, he was instrumental in negotiating a total blanket amnesty with the apartheid government as a condition for the return of Namibian exiles. Later, as Director for Africa, he negotiated a total blanket amnesty with the apartheid government, as a pre-condition of the return of South African exiles members of liberation movements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review</span> US master plan for non-military foreign policy

The Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) is a study by the United States Department of State, conducted beginning in 2009 and intended to be done every four years, that analyzes the short-, medium-, and long-term blueprint for the United States' diplomatic and development efforts abroad. It seeks to plan on a longer-term basis than the usual year-to-year, appropriations-based practice, and to integrate diplomacy and development missions. It similarly seeks to correlate the department’s missions with its capacities and identify shortfalls in resourcing. Finally, it is a precursor to core institutional reforms and corrective changes. The first review was completed by the end of 2010. A second review began during 2014 and was released in April 2015. No further reviews have taken place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William K. Lietzau</span>

William K. Lietzau is an American lawyer, former U.S. Marine Corps Judge Advocate, and the current Director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency.


African-Americans in foreign policy in the United States catalogs distinguished African Americans who have and continue to contribute to international development, diplomacy, and defense through their work with the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Information Agency, and the U.S. Congress, and other notable agencies and non-governmental organizations. The creators acknowledge the presence of the interagency contributions to the foreign affairs realm, and welcome additional content to showcase the achievements of African-Americans in other relevant USG agencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development</span> Head of the United States Agency for International Development

The administrator of the United States Agency for International Development is the head of the United States federal government's Agency for International Development (USAID).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dissent Channel</span> Official platform open to U.S. diplomats where they can criticize government policy

The Dissent Channel is a messaging framework open to Foreign Service Officers, and other U.S. citizens employed by the United States Department of State and Agency for International Development (USAID), through which they are invited to express constructive criticism of government policy.

References

  1. 1 2 Zacharia, Janine (September 15, 2009). "U.S. Sees Opportunities in Angola". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  2. 1 2 "AMBASSADOR DONALD STEINBERG". Our Secure Future. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  3. ↑ "Ambassador Donald K. Steinberg" (PDF). ADST. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  4. ↑ "Women's Refugee Commission - Our Board Amb. Donald Steinberg". Women’s Refugee Commission. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Donald Steinberg, When Professionalism Mattered: Dissent Against U.S. Policy on Landmines, Just Security (February 18, 2020).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.