John R. Bass
John Rodney Bass II[4] (born 1964) is an American diplomat, who served as the United States Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2017 to 2020. He was the U.S. ambassador to Turkey 2014–2017 and the U.S. ambassador to Georgia 2009–2012.
John Bass | |
---|---|
United States Ambassador to Afghanistan | |
In office December 12, 2017 – January 6, 2020 | |
President | Donald Trump |
Preceded by | Hugo Llorens |
Succeeded by | Ross Wilson (acting) |
United States Ambassador to Turkey | |
In office October 20, 2014[1] – October 15, 2017[2] | |
President | Barack Obama Donald Trump |
Deputy | Philip Kosnett |
Preceded by | Francis J. Ricciardone Jr. |
Succeeded by | David M. Satterfield |
Executive Secretary of the Department of State | |
In office October 8, 2012 – July 18, 2014 | |
President | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Stephen Mull |
Succeeded by | Joseph Macmanus |
United States Ambassador to Georgia | |
In office October 16, 2009 – July 17, 2012 | |
President | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | John F. Tefft |
Succeeded by | Richard Norland |
Personal details | |
Born | 1964 (age 56–57) New York, U.S. |
Spouse(s) | Holly Holzer Bass[3] |
Alma mater | Syracuse University |
Career
Bass is from upstate New York.[1] 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.[3]
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.[3]
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.[3] He speaks Italian and French.[1]
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]
See also
References
- "Ambassador Biography". Embassy of the United States Ankara, Turkey. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
- "Former Ambassadors". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Turkey. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
- "U.S. Ambassador to Turkey: Who Is John R. Bass?". ALLGOV. August 10, 2014.
- "PN962 — Foreign Service". U.S. Congress. April 27, 1988. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
- Tuysuz, Gul; Koran, Laura (October 10, 2017). "Erdogan: Turkey does not recognize US ambassador after visa spat". CNN. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- 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.
- Ambassador John Bass's statement on the suspension of visa services in Turkey on YouTube
- Bowden, John (July 20, 2017). "Trump to nominate Turkey envoy for ambassador to Afghanistan". The Hill. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
- Lardner, Richard. "Senate confirms Huntsman as US ambassador to Russia". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- 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.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to John R. Bass. |
Diplomatic posts | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by John Tefft |
United States Ambassador to Georgia 2009–2012 |
Succeeded by Richard Norland |
Preceded by Francis Ricciardone |
United States Ambassador to Turkey 2014–2017 |
Succeeded by Philip Kosnett (Chargé d'Affaires a.i) |
Preceded by P. Michael McKinley |
United States Ambassador to Afghanistan 2017–2020 |
Succeeded by Ross Wilson (Chargé d'Affaires) |
Political offices | ||
Preceded by Stephen Mull |
Executive Secretary of the Department of State 2012–2014 |
Succeeded by Joseph Macmanus |