First desi to occupy key foreign policy post.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: As she was sworn into her new position as the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Nisha Desai Biswal displayed poise, confidence, and eagerness to begin working at her newly appointed post.
Biswal spoke about how she “had an opportunity in 2008 to campaign on behalf of President Obama, and to understand his vision of the world, his life story, his experience, and to be able to connect with the way that he has connected with our country and really with the world. And it’s such an honor for me that Secretary Kerry and President [Barack] Obama have placed in me their faith and their trust to take on this very important job.”
Secretary of State John Kerry, who was present at the swearing in to introduce Biswal and take her oath of office, commended her for being a selfless civil servant and a valuable colleague to the Obama Administration.
“[Nisha] takes charge of our efforts now in one of the most complex, dynamic regions of the world,” said Kerry. “Two billion people – that’s what she’s going to be engaged with. They create $2 trillion in economic output every single year. And we are invested in that region’s prosperity for the long haul and in naming Nisha Biswal as the Assistant Secretary today, we show the strength of that commitment. “
Also present at the swearing in ceremony, which took place at the Department of State’s George C. Marshall Conference Center, were Biswal’s husband Subrat, daughters Safya and Kaya, her parents and her in-laws. Also in attendance was Biswal’s long-time friend and colleague Denis McDonough, the current White House Chief of Staff, who Biswal called “a friend, a mentor, and an inspiration.”
“Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work!” she decreed, ready to get rolling as Secretary of State Kerry’s right-hand woman for central and south Asian foreign policy. She is the first person of south Asian descent to occupy the position.
Biswal has made a career out of working in diplomatic capacities regarding south Asia. She was previously with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), where she worked with direct Rajiv Shah, whom she thanked in her acceptance speech. While she was at USAID, she oversaw the distribution of $1.2 billion of assistance funding to 22 different countries from central Asia to the Pacific Islands.
Before that, she was the Majority Clerk for the State Department and Foreign Operations Subcommittee on the Committee on Appropriations in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as the Director of Policy and Advocacy at InterAction, the largest alliance of U.S. based international humanitarian and development non-governmental organizations.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com