Veteran US diplomat Wendy Sherman retires

Ms. Sherman, 73, is known as the first woman to hold the role of US Deputy Secretary of State when she was appointed by President Joe Biden in April 2021. She then participated in many important negotiations in the tense relationship with China, especially with Russia to prevent the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman. Photo: Reuters

More notably, she has been involved in top foreign policy in various US presidential administrations. Under President Bill Clinton, she was a counselor at the State Department from 1997 to 2001.

She also served as a special adviser to President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (who recently passed away). In the first role, she was the policy coordinator for North Korea. In the second role, she played a key role in negotiations regarding North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

Ms. Sherman went on to serve under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of State John Kerry as undersecretary of state for political affairs from 2011 to 2015, during the time the United States was under the leadership of President Barack Obama.

She later became the fourth-highest-ranking official in the State Department, where she was the lead negotiator for the Iran nuclear deal. After winning the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden nominated Sherman to serve as deputy secretary of state.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken credited Ms. Sherman with breaking down barriers for women and tackling "some of the toughest foreign policy challenges of our time. Our nation is safer and more secure, and our partnerships are stronger because of her leadership."

In a letter to State Department staff announcing her retirement, Ms. Sherman said her final term in the US Government starting in 2021 was marked by geopolitical change, as the US withdrew troops from Afghanistan, tensions increased with China and the war in Ukraine.

In January 2022, as Russian forces massed near the Ukrainian border, Ms. Sherman was sent to meet with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov in Geneva, but the talks broke down.

Mai Van (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/wendy-sherman-nha-ngoai-giao-cua-nhieu-doi-tong-thong-my-tuyen-bo-nghi-huu-post247548.html