John_R._Bass

John R. Bass

John R. Bass

American diplomat (born 1964)

For other people named John Bass, see John Bass (disambiguation).

John Rodney Bass II[1] (born 1964) is an American diplomat, who has served as the under secretary of state for management since December 2021. He was the United States ambassador to Afghanistan from 2017 to 2020, the United States ambassador to Turkey from 2014 to 2017 and the United States ambassador to Georgia from 2009 to 2012.[2][3]

Quick Facts Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, President ...

Career

Bass is from upstate New York.[2] He graduated from Syracuse University in 1986 and was a newspaper editor and political campaign consultant before joining the Foreign Service in 1988. Shortly after, he was posted to Belgium, the Netherlands, and Chad.[4]

In 1998, he worked for deputy secretary of state Strobe Talbott, first as a special assistant for Europe and Eurasia including as part of the peace negotiations in the Kosovo War. He was later named as Talbott's chief of staff in 2000, coordinating policy on arms reduction with Russia.[4]

In 2005, Bass was named director of the State Department Operations Center. He was sent to Iraq in 2008 as the leader of a provincial reconstruction team.[4] He speaks Italian and French.[2]

Bass participates with U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo in a meeting with civil society women and students at the Kabul Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan on June 25, 2019.

In October 2012, he was appointed Executive Secretary of the United States Department of State and served as the liaison between the State Department's many bureaus and the leadership offices of the Secretary, the Deputy Secretaries, and the Director of Policy Planning.

In October 2017, after the U.S. decided to suspend non-immigrant visa services within Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the Turkish government would no longer recognize Bass's authority as a U.S. ambassador. The cancellation of visitor visas came after a Turkish court ordered the arrest of an employee of the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul.[5][6]

After the suspension of visa services in Turkey, Bass published a statement on YouTube.[7]

President Donald Trump named him as his choice to become the United States Ambassador to Afghanistan on July 20, 2017.[8] On September 28, 2017, his nomination was confirmed by the Senate.[9] Bass left the position on January 6, 2020.[10]

On July 21, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated him to serve as Under Secretary of State for Management.[11] On December 18, 2021, he was confirmed by the Senate.[12]

Bass was appointed as acting Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs in March 2024, following the resignation of Victoria Nuland.[13]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "PN962 — Foreign Service". U.S. Congress. April 27, 1988. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  2. [2]
    "Ambassador Biography". Embassy of the United States Ankara, Turkey. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  3. [3]
    "Former Ambassadors". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Turkey. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
  4. [4]
    "U.S. Ambassador to Turkey: Who Is John R. Bass?". ALLGOV. August 10, 2014.
  5. [5]
    Tuysuz, Gul; Koran, Laura (October 10, 2017). "Erdogan: Turkey does not recognize US ambassador after visa spat". CNN. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  6. [6]
    Cunningham, Erin; Fahim, Kareen (October 8, 2017). "U.S. and Turkey announce tit-for-tat travel restrictions, a sign of deteriorating alliance". Washington Post. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  7. [7]
    "Ambassador John Bass' statement on the suspension of visa services in Turkey" – via www.youtube.com.
  8. [8]
    Bowden, John (July 20, 2017). "Trump to nominate Turkey envoy for ambassador to Afghanistan". The Hill. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  9. [9]
    Lardner, Richard. "Senate confirms Huntsman as US ambassador to Russia". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  10. [10]
    Jakes, Lara (January 6, 2020). "John Bass, U.S. Envoy to Afghanistan, Steps Down on Cusp of New Peace Deal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  11. [11]
    "President Biden Announces Four Key Foreign Policy Nominations". The White House. 21 July 2021.
  12. [12]
    "PN922 - Nomination of John R. Bass for Department of State, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". US Congress. 18 December 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  13. [13]
    "On the Retirement of Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
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