Kelly Knight Craft, who is replacing Nikki Haley as the United States ambassador to the United Nations, officially presented her credentials to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on September 12th. In her remarks to the press afterwards, Ambassador Craft declared that she was coming to the UN "as a voice of America's unwavering commitment to democracy, freedom, human rights and whenever possible peaceful resolution of conflicts." She added, " In a world marked by humanitarian crises and geopolitical challenges, strong American leadership is absolutely critical, and I intend to provide it. I will defend America’s values and interests. I will stand by our friends and allies. I will advocate for the poor and the weak.”
Former Ambassador Haley set the bar very high for the position, speaking forcefully about the UN’s shortcomings, the need for significant reform, and particularly regarding its anti-Israel bias. One of her most notable accomplishments was to push through the UN Security Council the toughest multilateral economic sanctions ever imposed on the North Korean regime. Ambassador Craft will surely have big shoes to fill. However, contrary to the demeaning barbs her Democrat detractors threw at Ambassador Craft during her Senate confirmation hearing, Ambassador Craft possesses the requisite qualifications to effectively represent and defend U.S. interests and values at the United Nations and to hold the institution accountable.
During her opening statement to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on the occasion of her confirmation hearing, Ambassador Craft talked about the importance of U.S. leadership to thwart the “bad actors at the UN.” She pointed to Russia and China in particular, citing their “cynical approaches to the United Nations.” She promised that she will miss no opportunity to draw attention to their “malign influence at the UN; to distinguish American leadership from the corrosive, underhanded conduct of those nations; and to reinforce the values—our values—that were central to the UN’s founding.” Ambassador Craft also decried the “unrelenting bias and hostility in UN venues” towards Israel. “The United States will never accept such bias, and if confirmed I commit to seizing every opportunity to shine a light on this conduct, call it what it is, and demand that these outrageous practices finally come to an end,” she said.
Democrats’ claims that Ambassador Craft lacks the experience needed for her new job are specious. Ambassador Craft served previously as the U.S. ambassador to Canada, beginning in October 2017. During that time, she proved her diplomatic skills in playing a critical role in the complex renegotiation of the NAFTA treaty, resulting in what is known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement or USMCA. Ambassador Craft managed successfully to walk a delicate tightrope at a very sensitive juncture in U.S.-Canadian relations. Canada’s ambassador to Washington at the time, David MacNaughton, praised Ambassador Craft, calling her “honest” and noting her calm temperament “in a difficult circumstance.”
Ambassador Craft is no stranger to the halls of the UN. In 2007, President George W. Bush appointed Ambassador Craft as an alternate delegate to the United Nations General Assembly. That was not “a largely ceremonial role” as the Democrats charged in their Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Minority Report. In October 2007, for example, at a UN committee meeting on international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, she directly challenged China on its expressing rhetorical support for international efforts to mitigate space debris on the one hand, while having destroyed a satellite earlier that year on the other. China's destruction of the satellite had created thousands of pieces of large space debris, the majority of which would remain in orbit for more than 100 years. She noted the increased risk to human space flight and space infrastructure as a result of China’s irresponsible action. China was not pleased with the criticism, but Ambassador Craft held her ground. As China tries today to assert much greater influence at the UN at the expense of the U.S., Ambassador Craft’s demonstrated willingness to take on the Chinese will put her in good stead in representing U.S. interests.
Ambassador Craft is also well-suited to represent the U.S. at the UN on Africa-related issues, which is important considering that the Security Council dedicates about two thirds of its meetings to Africa. During her service as an alternate U.S. delegate, Ambassador Craft addressed the General Assembly on U.S. support for the UN’s Africa’s development program, which she linked to helping Africa make progress towards putting into effect good governance practices. She noted how the U.S. government had collaborated with Africa on programs in such areas as power infrastructure, trade development and agriculture, including efforts to reduce food insecurity, as well as in the fight against endemic diseases. On her first day as U.S. ambassador to the UN, Ambassador Craft hit the ground running with a speech to the Security Council on one of the more troubled countries in Africa, the Central African Republic.
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In their Minority Report, the Democrats tried to compare Ambassador Craft’s background unfavorably to several previous U.S. ambassadors to the UN, including Samantha Power who served as Barack Obama’s last UN ambassador. Samantha Power had no practical diplomatic experience when she assumed her duties at the UN and showed her incompetence on numerous occasions. Ambassador Craft brings several years of diplomatic experience to the job.
Democrats also criticized Ambassador Craft for her alleged conflict of interest on the grounds that her husband is the CEO of a major coal company. She responded that “where coal is part of the conversation within climate change at the U.N. I will recuse myself.”
Democrats brought up a statement Ambassador Craft made, during an interview in 2017 with a Canadian news outlet, that there were “good scientists on both sides” of the climate debate. She was right with respect to the immediate urgency of the problem and the best ways to mitigate it. In any case, during her confirmation hearing, Ambassador Craft said without any ambiguity, “Climate change needs to be addressed, as it poses real risks to our planet. Human behavior has contributed to the changing climate. Let there be no doubt: I take this matter seriously, and if confirmed, I will be an advocate for all countries to do their part in addressing climate change.” At the same time, however, she correctly added that the United States should not “imperil American jobs—or our economy as a whole—by assuming an outsized burden on behalf of the rest of the world.” The Paris agreement on climate change, from which the Trump administration decided to withdraw last year, imposed just such an outsized burden on the United States, to the advantage of free-riding countries including China.
Ambassador Craft will have her own style in dealing with her peers at the United Nations, most likely somewhat less confrontational than Nikki Haley. She deserves the benefit of the doubt as she makes her way through the minefield of multilateral diplomacy at the United Nations.
Kelly Knight Craft, who is replacing Nikki Haley as the United States ambassador to the United Nations, officially presented her credentials to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on September 12th. In her remarks to the press afterwards, Ambassador Craft declared that she was coming to the UN "as a voice of America's unwavering commitment to democracy, freedom, human rights and whenever possible peaceful resolution of conflicts." She added, " In a world marked by humanitarian crises and geopolitical challenges, strong American leadership is absolutely critical, and I intend to provide it. I will defend America’s values and interests. I will stand by our friends and allies. I will advocate for the poor and the weak.”
