Kozak is a civil service employee of the U.S. State Department and charter member of the Senior Executive Service.[5] He has been described as a problem solver with practical solutions,who is "not prone to ideological diatribes."[7] He also been called "an outgoing,let's roll-up-our-sleeves kind of guy with a square boxer's body and face"[8] and "pugnacious."[9]
In the 1980s,Kozak was heavily involved in Cuba issues at the State Department,in its American Republic Affairs unit.
In April 1980,as the State Department determined its policies toward the Mariel boatlift of Cuban refugees to the United States,and formulated its statements on possible prosecution of Cuban Americans and hired ships bringing family members from Cuba to the United States,Kozak wrote a memo outlining various options for dealing with migration of Cuban refugees.[11] The memo included points that could be used to justify a decision to prohibit entry.[11] Kozak noted that prosecutions for bringing Cubans to the United States in the past were rare,and that unless the government were prepared to demonstrate its willingness to do so,Cuban Americans would assume there was no serious risk in participating in the boatlift.[11]
In 1980 and 1981,Kozak was part of a State Department team meeting with Cuban officials over migration and other issues.[7]
Between 1982 and 1988,Kozak became a principal deputy assistant secretary of state level official in the Office of the Legal Advisor.[5]
While working as principal deputy legal advisor,Kozak originated an idea to settle a dispute between the U.S. government and the Chilean government over the killing of a former Chilean diplomat in exile in the United States,Orlando Letelier,and his American assistant Ronni Moffit in a 1976 car bombing near Dupont Circle in Washington,D.C.[12] As Chile was unwilling to submit to a determination by a U.S. tribunal,Kozak proposed invoking the arbitration clause of the 1914 Chile-United States peace treaty,and Chile agreed.[12][13]
In 1988,Kozak was a special presidential envoy who "achieved prominence ... when he led an unsuccessful effort to persuade then-Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega to agree to a democratic transfer of power" prior to the U.S. military deposing Noriega in December 1989.[6][10]
In early 1988,Kozak had been sent to Panama repeatedly to try to negotiate on behalf of the U.S. government directly with Panamanian PresidentManuel Noriega,attempting to settle on terms under which Noreiga would step down.[15][16] Kozak argued for a diplomatic arrangement under which indictment against Noriega would be quashed,sanctions would be lifted,and Noriega would step down and leave the country by August 1988.[15]
In March 1989,as acting Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs,Kozak advocated before Congress for funding for diplomatic efforts in Latin America.[17] He also helped Secretary of StateJames Baker implement a bipartisan agreement on Central America designed to help end the conflict in Nicaragua.[10][5]
In 1989,as principal deputy assistant secretary of state for Inter-American Affairs,working with Bernard Aronson,Kozak argued before a House hearing that relations with Cuba should not improve until the Castro regime made concessions to the United States on a variety of concerns.[15]
The next year,Kozak was instrumental in promoting ICITAP as the appropriate organization to train the Panamanian Defense Forces for civil law enforcement work after the overthrow of Manuel Noriega,with mixed results.[18]
U.S. ambassador to El Salvador nomination
In April 1991,Kozak was nominated to be U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador.[6] His appointment,and that of Joseph Sullivan to be ambassador to Nicaragua,were blocked by Republican Senator Jesse Helms and Democratic Senator Chris Dodd,the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Affairs Western Hemisphere subcommittee.[19][8] Their staffs had disapproved of the way in which the State Department had notified the committee of a particular programs,and held Sullivan and Kozak responsible as deputy assistant secretaries at the time.[19] They also disliked the way in which Kozak had helped resolve the Contra situation in Nicaragua.[8]
In September 1994,Kozak accompanied General Colin Powell on a flight to Port-au-Prince,Haiti,less than 36 hours before the planned landing of American troops there,to convince the leader of the ruling military junta that had taken control,Raoul Cedras,to leave power.[21]
U.S. ambassador to Belarus
On April 6,2000,President Bill Clinton announced his intention to nominate Kozak to be U.S. Ambassador to Belarus.[22] President Alexander Lukashenko made Kozak wait several months before arranging for Kozak to present his credentials for official recognition as ambassador.[23]
In 2001,Kozak and Hans Georg Vik,the head of OSCE mission in Minsk,pushed for political opposition parties in Belarus to unite around a single leader,Uladzimir Hancharyk,the leader of the Trade Union Federation.[24] Hancharyk did not gain widespread popular support,and was seen as a "remnant of the old Soviet days of privilege and Party control".[24] Combined with ballot stuffing for the incumbent president,economic priming,and a crackdown on election observers,NGOs,and political activists,the central election commission controlled by President Lukashenko declared him the winner with 75.6 percent of the vote,a result contested as false and fraudulent by international bodies and other countries.[24][25]
Omar Efraín Torrijos Herrera was a dictator,as well as the Commander of the Panamanian National Guard and military leader of Panama from 1968 to his death in 1981. Torrijos was never officially the president of Panama,but instead held titles including "Maximum Leader of the Panamanian Revolution". Torrijos took power in a coup d'état and instituted a number of social reforms.
Joseph Raoul Cédras is a Haitian former military officer who was the de facto ruler of Haiti from 1991 to 1994.
The International Republican Institute (IRI) is an American nonprofit organization founded in 1983 and funded and supported by the United States federal government. Most of its board is drawn from the Republican Party. It is committed to advancing freedom and democracy worldwide by helping political parties to become more issue-based and responsive,assisting citizens to participate in government planning,and working to increase the role of marginalized groups in the political process,including women and youth. It was initially known as the National Republican Institute for International Affairs.
Otto Juan Reich is an American diplomat and lobbyist who worked in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan,George H. W. Bush,and George W. Bush. Reich was born in Cuba;his family moved to North Carolina when he was fifteen. He graduated from University of North Carolina in 1966,and after a brief stint in the US Army,received a master's degree from Georgetown University in 1973. After graduating,Reich worked for the state and federal governments in Florida and Washington,D.C.
Roger Francisco Noriega is an American diplomat who served as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs in the George W. Bush administration He is a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
Interstate relations between the United States and Belarus began in 1991 upon the dissolution of the Soviet Union,of which Belarus had been a part. However,the relations have turned sour due to accusations by the United States that Belarus has been violating human rights. Belarus,in turn,has accused the United States of interfering in its internal affairs.
William Rivington Brownfield is a Career Ambassador in the United States Foreign Service and the former Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs as of January 10,2011. He has previously served as U.S. Ambassador to Chile,Venezuela,and Colombia.
In the United States government,the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA) is a part of the U.S. Department of State,charged with implementing U.S. foreign policy and promoting U.S. interests in the Western Hemisphere,as well as advising the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. It is headed by the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs,who is currently Brian A. Nichols.
Everett Ellis Briggs is a United States diplomat.
On 21 September 1976,Orlando Letelier,a leading opponent of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet,was assassinated by car bombing,in Washington,D.C. Letelier,who was living in exile in the United States,was killed along with his work colleague Ronni Karpen Moffitt,who was in the car with her husband Michael. The assassination was carried out by agents of the Chilean secret police (DINA),and was one among many carried out as part of Operation Condor. Declassified U.S. intelligence documents confirm that Pinochet directly ordered the killing.
Willard Leon Beaulac was an American diplomat. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay,Colombia,Cuba,Chile and Argentina.
Panama and the United States cooperate in promoting economic,political,security,and social development through international agencies.
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.
Jonathan Don Farrar was the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Panama from 2012 to 2015. He was previously the Chief of Mission of the United States Interests Section in Havana,Cuba,from July 2008 to September 2011.
Vicki J. Huddleston is a retired U.S. diplomat who served as Ambassador to Mali,and U.S. Ambassador to Madagascar.
Roberta S. Jacobson is an American diplomat who was the United States Ambassador to Mexico from June 2016 to May 2018. She previously served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs from March 30,2012,to May 5,2016. The United States Senate approved her nomination as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico on April 28,2016. In March 2018,Jacobson announced her resignation effective May 5. Foreign Policy reported on January 18,2021 that Jacobson would be in charge of Mexico–United States border affairs at the National Security Council under President Joe Biden.
Lawrence Anthony Pezzullo was an American diplomat and Foreign Service officer. He served as the United States Ambassador to Nicaragua (1979–1981) and to Uruguay (1977–1979). He was also the executive director of Catholic Relief Services from 1983 to 1992.
The Panama Truth Commission was appointed by Panamanian president Mireya Moscoso in 2000 to investigate crimes committed under the military rule of Omar Torrijos and Manuel Noriega.
Carol Zelis Perez is a career Foreign Service Officer,who previously served as the Director General of the Foreign Service. Perez served as the U.S. Ambassador to Chile from October 2016 to January 2019.
The participation of the United States in regime change in Latin America involved US-backed coup d'états which were aimed at replacing left-wing leaders with right-wing leaders,military juntas,or authoritarian regimes. Intervention of an economic and military variety was prevalent during the Cold War. Although originally in line with the Truman Doctrine of containment,United States involvement in regime change would increase after the drafting of NSC 68,which advocated more aggressive actions against potential Soviet allies.
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.
