A ‘Desparate’ Nuland in Africa
Consortium NewsSep 06, 2023
Blinken: Victoria Nuland to Retire in Coming Weeks
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The Facts
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Tuesday that Victoria Nuland, the third-ranking US official known for her staunch support of Ukraine in its conflict against Russia, will resign as Under Secretary of State for political affairs in the coming weeks.
In a statement, Blinken praised Nuland for her "fierce passion" in promoting freedom, democracy, and human rights abroad. He also referred to her efforts in Ukraine, saying they were "indispensable to confronting [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s full-scale invasion."
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Nuland's retirement marks the loss of a courageous advocate of the democratic values that shape US foreign policy. It was Nuland who rightly warned against Moscow's expansionism and played a key role in the US response to Russia's Ukraine invasion. Nuland's plans to retire may indicate that Washington will place more emphasis on US-China relations, but her decades of advocacy for democracy and freedom have left their mark on US foreign policy.
Establishment-critical narrative
Nuland's departure is to be welcomed, as she personified a US foreign policy characterized by arrogance and ideological hubris. As a liberal hawk, she not only promoted interventionism that sowed instability around the world, but was also one of the most aggressive proponents of NATO expansion and the US proxy war against Russia. That she was able to maintain a prominent role in US foreign policy for decades speaks volumes about how little the art of diplomacy is valued in US foreign policy.
