'Mr. President-elect, I've often heard you say how all politics is personal. That's how you build relationships of trust and bridge disagreements and find common ground,' she said. 'In my thirty-five years in the Foreign Service across four continents, I put a Cajun spin on it. It's called Gumbo diplomacy. Wherever I was posted around the world, I'd invite people of different backgrounds and beliefs to make a roux, chop onions for the holy trinity, and make homemade gumbo — my way to break down barriers, connect with people, and start to see each other on a human level: a bit of lagniappe as we say in Louisiana,' she added. Her return to public service is something of a triumph. In 2017, when she was a deputy secretary of state, she was terminated by the Trump administration as part of a purge of career officials. In her remarks, she voiced the philosophy of the Biden administration:
'I want to say to you: America is back. Multilateralism is back. Diplomacy is back.'
GREENFIELD - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
National Security Adviser
Biden noted her long tenure of 35 years in the Foreign Service and her Louisiana roots. 'The eldest of eight. Her Dad couldn't read or write, but she says he was the smartest person she knew. First in her family to graduate from high school, then college, with the whole world literally ahead of her, as her Dad and Mom taught her to believe,' he said. And Thomas-Greenfield described her 'gumbo diplomacy' approach to foreign affairs.
Sullivan served as Biden's national security adviser when Biden was vice president. His position does not require Senate confirmation. We need to invest in our people, sharpen our innovative edge, and unite the economic might of democracies around the world to grow the middle class and reduce inequality — and do things like counter the predatory trade practices of our competitors and
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