CNN, citing a source in the Democratic Party, who spoke with Kerry about this matter, reports that President Barack Obama will nominate John Kerry to the head of the US Department of State. Former rival of George W. Bush in the presidential election in 2004 must be approved by the US Senate.
The official announcement of candidacy of the head of the US Foreign Ministry, according to sources, could take place soon. At the present moment 69-year-old Kerry is the head of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and is known for being the sparring partner of Obama during his preparations for the presidential debates.
If approved by US lawmakers, Kerry will take the position of the current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Before, her most likely successor was the US representative to the United Nations Susan Rice, but she preferred not to pursue the position, given the fact that she was involved in a scandal with Islamist attacks on the US consulate in Benghazi and the death of the US Ambassador in Libya Chris Stevens. In a letter to the White House she refused the nomination to the post of the Secretary of State. NBC channel reported that she does not believe that the US Senate will approve her candidacy and believes that the processing of such statement could be too “long and controversial.”
The US senators believe that Rice, knowing that the attack was pre-planned, specifically noted that the event was associated with the release of the movie Innocent Muslims, which Muslim believers consider to be offensive. False information, according to the lawmakers, especially from the Republican side, played into the hands of the President Obama in his re-election for the second term.
It is expected that this week Obama will nominate several candidates for several key positions, including the head of the Pentagon and the head of the Ministry of Finance.
According to media reports, former senator from Nebraska, 66-year-old Chuck Hagel, who represented the opposition Republican Party and is, like Kerry, a veteran of the Vietnam War will be the new chief of the Pentagon. There also appeared information that Michael Morell (the acting director of the CIA who took the position after the controversial resignation of David Petraeus, or John Brennan, who worked for a long time in this department, was a resident of Riyadh and now works as an assistant to the US President on the issues of terrorism) can be appointed to the position of the CIA director.
The Day asked the former ambassador to Ukraine Oleh SHAMSHUR to comment on the expected appointment of John Kerry to the position of the US Secretary of State and whether we should expect any changes in the foreign policy of the United States, in particular with regard to Ukraine, during Obama’s second presidential term due to this?
“John Kerry is one of the best candidates to replace Hillary Clinton with regard both to his experience (since 2008 he has been the head of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs) and given his intellectual potential. It is expected that the approval process for Kerry will go smoothly in the Senate.
“He belongs to the circle of old and consistent supporters of President Obama and enjoys his trust. In his role as chairman of the Committee on several occasions he executed sensitive orders from the White House, usually associated with the settlement of disputes with the US partners. The latest example of this ‘quiet diplomacy’ by Kerry is his effort to normalize US relations with Pakistan, which became worse after the raid of Bin Laden’s destruction.
“The main thing that makes him different from Clinton is that he already has no political ambition of the national scale. Obviously, he will also be less prone to publicity. However, just like her, he unlikely will exert decisive influence on the foreign policy regarding the fundamental issues: just like Clinton, Kerry will rather be the executor of the decisions that will be approved by the White House. Time will show how effective those decisions will be.
“What I just said fully applies to policies regarding Ukraine. It is unlikely that it will undergo any major adjustments initiated by the new head of the department at the Foggy Bottom. However, during his time in the Senate Kerry showed interest in Ukrainian issues and as a result, has a fairly good knowledge of the real state of affairs in the country.
“Among his drawbacks, some note his inherent indecisiveness and pride. But he also has remarkable intellectual potential and the ability to build relationships.”
