Current affairs

Meet Uzra Zeya...Another Indian-American who's going to decorate Joe Biden's America!

By alagu, 17 January, 2021
United States, India, Joe Biden, Donald Trump

In yet another massive development signifying how Indian-Americans are roped in to rebuild the United States, US President-elect Joe Biden has on Saturday nominated Uzra Zeya, an Indian American diplomat, as the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights in the US Department of State.

Joe Biden will be swearing-in as the 46th President of the United States on January 20 and he has been preparing to assume the office with a full-fledged and packed agenda of addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and plummeted economy and Biden has also been levied with the challenge of rebuilding the country on all the fronts that were scattered and collapsed by outgoing President Donald Trump. 

Amid receiving an unfriendly and ill-full presidential transition in US history, Biden has been building his administration since he was declared as the next president to ensure that his presidency counts from day one to address the national crises and global challenges. He has been keen on forming the cabinet and administration with diversity and pluralism. From his Vice-President pick to execute crucial roles of his administration, America has been finding healthy grounds for diversity. 

In line with that, Biden has on Saturday nominated Uzra Zeya to be the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights in the US Department of State. Zeya is an Indian-American diplomat who had quit the foreign service in 2018 in protest against the policies of President Donald Trump. Zeya would be decorating the key post in the State Department, which is the powerful executive department of the United States. 

Biden has also nominated Wendy Sherman to be Deputy Secretary of State, Brian Mckeon as Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources, Bonnie Jenkins to be Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, and Victoria Nuland to be the Under Secretary for Political Affairs. Following the nominations, Joe Biden said, "This diverse and accomplished team, led by Secretary of State-designate Tony Blinken, embodies my core belief that America is strongest when it works with our allies". 
 
The President-elect further stated, "Collectively, they have secured some of the most defining national security and diplomatic achievements in recent memory and I'm confident that they will use their diplomatic experience and skill to restore America's global and moral leadership". Commending on Biden's picks to the State Department, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris said that this remarkable team of distinguished diplomats and seasoned leaders reflects the very best of our nation. 

Secretary of State-designate Tony Blinken said, "To meet this moment, we need a Department of State that looks like America, led by diverse women and men who will be unafraid to challenge the status quo. That is this team. America at its best still has a greater capacity than any other country on earth to mobilize others to meet the challenges of our time. These passionate, energetic, deeply experienced nominees will help keep our people and our country safe, secure, and prosperous". 

Uzra Zeya has vast and sound experience in the diplomatic corridor and she had served as the Chief Executive and President for the Alliance for Peacebuilding. She had over two decades of experience in diplomacy in Asia, Europe, Human Rights, and multilateral affairs. Zeya is a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and she joined the Foreign Service in 1990, serving in New Delhi, Muscat, Cairo, Damascus, and Kingston. 

From 2011 to 2012, Zeya was Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of State and helped shape the US response to the Arab spring and worked to deepen US engagement with emerging powers. She also had served as Deputy Executive Secretary to the Secretary of State, Director of the Executive Secretariat Staff, and as UN General Assembly Coordinator. From 2012 to 2014, she served as Acting Assistant Secretary and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. 
 
In 2014, Zeya was appointed as Charge d'Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Paris and till 2017, she oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Embassy, six constituent posts, and 50 offices and agencies engaged in the works related to the US government and in 2018, she quitted from Trump administration against his policies. In September 2018, she quitted from her role in the State Department by alleging that the State Department under the Trump administration was facing racial and gender bias. 

Zeya is a recipient of the Legion d'honneur (Legion of Honor), France's highest civilian honor, a Presidential Rank Award, and 15 Superior Honor and Senior Performance Awards. Two years after, Zeya has now got re-inducted into the State Department for a key role after Joe Biden has nominated her to be the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights. Zeya is fluent in French, Spanish, and Arabic and her parents are immigrants from the Champaran region in Bihar, India. They came to the United States five decades ago and Zeya had visited her home state of Bihar in 2011 when she was working as a minister counselor at the US Embassy in New Delhi. 

 

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