America’s ambassadors reflect the place they come from. In the sense that the US takes initiative and fund-raising seriously and rewards it accordingly. This is the most charitable way to describe the fact that the US often sends, to far-flung outposts, people who are not trained diplomats, don’t seem to be necessarily diplomatic, have no culturally specialist knowledge about the country or region to which they’re assigned as envoy.
Quartz recently repeated some of the consternation over Ambassador Colleen Bell in Budapest. It pointed out that Ms Bell is an Emmy award-winning producer (the soap The Bold and the Beautiful has won 40 Daytime Emmys) but though this is great it “hardly requires a particular knowledge of Central European culture, languages, or politics.”
But she raised money for President Obama’s re-election and has received her reward. (Check out Diplopundit’s blog on Ms Bell’s appointment and Senator John McCain’s indignation. He used some choice language, describing her as a “totally unqualified individual” to be posted to a country that’s vital to America’s national security interests.)
But Ms Bell is number five on Quartz’s list of ambassadorial appointments and the money that each raised for the 2012 Obama re-election campaign. Herewith:
Denise Bauer, US ambassador to Belgium: $2,360,300
Matthew Barzun, US ambassador to the United Kingdom: $2,312,509
Colleen Bell, US ambassador to Hungary: $2,101,635
Rob Barber, US ambassador to Iceland: $1,687,219
John Emerson, US ambassador to Germany: $1,562,350
Suzi LeVine, US ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein:$1,515,493
Robert Sherman, US ambassador to Portugal: $1,386,770
Noah Mamet, US ambassador to Argentina: $1,374,003
Jane Hartley, US ambassador to France and Monaco: $1,353,200
Mark Gilbert, US ambassador to New Zealand: $1,232,988
James Costos, US ambassador to Spain and Andorra: $1,124,925
James Brewster, US ambassador to the Dominican Republic:$1,121,027
Kirk Wagar, US ambassador to Singapore: $1,117,000
Bruce Heyman, US ambassador to Canada: $1,012,800
Pam Hamamoto, US ambassador to UN headquarters in Geneva: $1,011,654
Go figure.
