Among the many ways in which a U.S. president can influence his image abroad, the appointment of ambassadors is certainly an important signal of his engagement with the world.  Although he has been in office for four months now, President Obama has only recently nominated candidates for some key ambassadorial posts. 

Republican Governor of Utah Jon Huntsman, whose career has brought him to Asia and helped him gain knowledge of the region and fluency in Mandarin Chinese, was recently nominated as U.S. ambassador the People’s Republic of China. Like all nominees, Governor Huntsman must be confirmed by the Senate before becoming an official appointee.

However, it is a rather scrutinized nominating process, especially since there has been a tradition of giving the so-called “cushy posts” to friends, political supporters and heavyweight campaigners. CBS recently reported that the U.S. pick for the United Kingdom post would be “former Citigroup vice-president and Democratic uber-fundraiser Louis Susman,” a lawyer and investment banker who helped raise at least $500,000 for Obama’s presidential campaign and $300,000 for his inauguration. His talent for fundraising has earned him the name “The Vacuum Cleaner” by the Chicago Tribune.

There is a hint of resentment in the British press over this appointment, with the Guardian complaining that Susman would be likely to join a long line of “political appointees more interested in country walks than Iraq or nuclear non-proliferation.”  But this criticism of Susman is quite premature and perhaps unfair, as he will ultimately be judged on his accomplishments as ambassador (if he is confirmed).

Nonetheless, criticism remains of this U.S. tradition of reserving the most prestigious ambassadorial posts for the best of friends and contributors. Indeed, Washington Post columnist Al Kamen lamented  that “30 percent of the 160 or so envoy positions are political picks, while the rest go to career Foreign Service officers.”  Among those mentioned for key posts is Alan Solomont (Spain), a Boston financier who, like Susman, helped raise big money for Obama’s campaign.  David Thorne, another Boston-area professional (head of Adviser Investments), is being suggested as the pick for Italy. This is being rumored as a personal favor of President Obama on behalf of Sen. John Kerry after the latter was passed up by Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State. Thorne and Kerry are long-time friends, having attended college and fought in Vietnam together; Thorne is also the twin brother of Kerry’s late first wife.

What about Deutschland, you may ask? As reported by Germany’s Spiegel International, Phil Murphy, former Goldman Sachs executive and national finance chairman for the Democratic Party, has been all but officially confirmed as Obama’s nominee for the post in Berlin.  A “close confidante [of] former treasury secretary and Wall Street veteran Robert Rubin,” Murphy has extensive professional experience in German affairs and speaks the language as well.  David Kamenetzky, a former colleague at Goldman Sachs, said that Murphy “knows Germany and Europe very well” and that “he is the right man to represent Obama’s America abroad.” Adding to the praise is former U.S. ambassador to Germany under Clinton, John Kornblum, who stated that “Murphy has been involved in German-American relations for many years.”  

An unidentified German source with inside information told Spiegel that “The White House is working on a blanket solution and wants to announce the posts in Brussels, London, Paris and Berlin on a single day, also for symbolic reasons.” This could likely come before President Obama’s visit to Germany and France on June 5-6. So what is the news from la France?

According to numerous French media sources quoting an Obama official “off the record” on May 9, Charles Hammerman Rivkin, President and CEO of entertainment company Wildbrain, Inc and co-head of fundraising in California for the Obama campaign, will soon be nominated as Obama’s pick for U.S. ambassador to Paris. Although he would not officially take office until the fall after Senate confirmation, Rivkin could possibly accompany Obama during his June 6 visit to the D-Day beaches of Normandy. What are his connections to France and Europe? His father, William, was U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg under President Kennedy and then to Senegal under President Johnson.  Charles Rivkin himself speaks French and early in his career did an internship with French car giant Renault.  He is perhaps best known as former head of Jim Henson Company (producer of the Muppets). More biographical information can be found here and here.

Despite criticism by some for what look to be political nominations, at least some of these candidates seem to have the language skills and past experience that could help them as ambassadors. As we approach Obama’s return to Germany and France (as well as his highly anticipated visit to Egypt) in early June, look out for updates on these ambassadorial nominations as news becomes available.

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