Biden chooses Peter Haas as next US ambassador to Bangladesh

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Peter Haas Courtesy

The veteran diplomat and trade policy expert has served in positions across five geographic bureaus of the State Department

US President Joe Biden has chosen Peter D Haas as the next US ambassador to Bangladesh, the White House said in a statement on Friday.

The veteran diplomat and trade policy expert will replace the current envoy, Earl R Miller, who had joined the embassy in Dhaka on November 13, 2018.

According to the White House statement, “Peter Haas [is the president’s] nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to [the] People’s Republic of Bangladesh.”

Haas, a career member of the US Senior Foreign Service who holds the class of Minister-Counselor, currently serves as the acting assistant secretary of state and principal deputy assistant secretary for economic and business affairs for the State Department, the statement noted.

Previously, he was the senior advisor/deputy assistant secretary for trade policy and negotiations for the State Department and prior to that he served as the deputy permanent representative to the US Mission to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France.

Throughout his career, Haas has also served in positions across five geographic bureaus of the State Department, including as the consul general of the US Consulate General in Mumbai, India, said the statement.

He holds a BA in International Studies and German from Illinois Wesleyan University. He attended the London School of Economics as a Marshall Scholar, where he earned MSc (Econ) degrees in both the Politics of the World Economy and Comparative Government. He is the recipient of the James Clement Dunn Award for Excellence and the Cordell Hull Award for Economic Achievement by Senior Officers. His foreign languages are French and German, added the statement.

Along with Haas’s nomination, President Biden had also announced the next ambassador nominees for India, Chile and France.

He nominated Los Angeles Mayor and climate advocate Eric Garcetti to be the US ambassador to India, a country Washington sees as a key partner in its effort to push back against China’s expanding power and influence.

Garcetti, a Biden loyalist who co-chaired the successful Biden-Harris 2020 election campaign, has served as mayor of Los Angeles since 2013.

On the other hand, the president nominated former US envoy to Belgium Denise Campbell Bauer as the next ambassador to France and Bernadette M Meehan, the head of global programs for the Obama Foundation and former spokeswoman for the National Security Council, as the ambassador to Chile.

Biden announces ambassador picks for France, India, Chile and Bangladesh

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U.S. President Joe Biden speaks before signing an executive order in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday, July 9, 2021.

President Joe Biden on Friday revealed the names of four new nominees to serve as U.S. ambassadors to nations including France, India, Bangladesh and Chile, the White House said in a press release.

Biden will nominate Denise Campbell Bauer to be his ambassador to both France and Monaco. Bauer was reportedly a major fundraiser for former President Barack Obama and had served in his administration as U.S. ambassador to Belgium between 2013 and the end of Obama’s final term.

Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, was officially listed in the release as Biden’s intended nominee to become U.S. ambassador to India. Outlets including NBC News had reported as early as May that Garcetti would be nominated to that post.

Peter Haas, a career member of the State Department’s senior foreign service, was tapped to become Biden’s ambassador to Bangladesh. Haas, who speaks French and German, has served as head of the U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai, India.

Biden will also nominate Bernadette Meehan, currently the head of global programs for the Obama Foundation, to be his ambassador to Chile. Meehan has more than a decade of experience as a foreign service officer and had previously served as a spokeswoman for the National Security Council.

The latest crop of nominees reflect Biden’s preference toward selecting officials with ample experience within relevant institutions, unlike his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, who picked many people with limited experience in government to serve key roles.

Biden’s picks for the ambassador roles must be confirmed by the Senate. More than 80 of the president’s nominees have been confirmed by the Senate, according to The Washington Post, while the chamber is currently considering about 160 more.

Peter Haas nominated next US Ambassador to Bangladesh

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US President Joe Biden has named Peter D. Haas as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Bangladesh, says the White House.

The US President has also named three individuals to serve as Ambassadors of the US, including Eric M. Garcetti, a nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, to India.

Haas, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, currently serves as acting Assistant Secretary of State and concurrently as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, for Economic and Business Affairs for the Department of State, said the White House in a statement.

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Previously, Haas was Senior Advisor/Deputy Assistant Secretary for Trade Policy and Negotiations for the State Department and prior to that was the Deputy Permanent Representative to the US Mission to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, France.

Over his career he has served in positions across five geographic bureaus of the State Department including as Consul General of the US Consulate General Mumbai, India.

Haas holds a BA in International Studies and German from Illinois Wesleyan University. He attended the London School of Economics as a Marshall Scholar, where he earned MSc (Econ) degrees in both the Politics of the World Economy and Comparative Government.

He is the recipient of the James Clement Dunn Award for Excellence and the Cordell Hull Award for Economic Achievement by Senior Officers. His foreign languages are French and German.

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