Politico | Linda Thomas-Greenfield headed to crisis-plagued UN as China challenges loom
- Joe Biden’s pick for UN envoy was confirmed by the Senate after facing tough questions over the extent to which she will confront Chinese authoritarianism
- Experts say her experience across Africa will be necessary to advance US relationships and contain China’s growing influence across the UN system
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Ryan Heath on politico.com on February 23, 2021.
The US Senate voted on Tuesday to confirm Linda Thomas-Greenfield as United States ambassador to the United Nations, by a 78-20 tally.
Thomas-Greenfield will arrive at the global body’s New York headquarters surrounded by global problems, including a UN funding shortfall to which the US has itself contributed.
From Day 1, Thomas-Greenfield will confront twin crises – climate change and Covid-19 – and a string of conflicts ranging from a 20-year war in Afghanistan to a 10-year civil war in Syria, from a humanitarian crisis in Yemen to the politically fraught Iran nuclear deal.
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If that weren’t enough, Thomas-Greenfield will assume leadership of the UN Security Council – the global organisation’s top decision-making body – on March 1, before the boxes of her 40th floor apartment overlooking the Hudson River are even unpacked.