Michael Ratney
 Michael Ratney    (diplomat) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1961 |
| Alma mater | Boston University, George Washington University |
| Spouse | Karen Hideko Sasahara |
Michael Ratney is a US diplomat. Until 2012, Ratney was Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Media in the State Department’s Bureau of Public Affairs, overseeing a network of global Media Hubs responsible for foreign-language media engagement on behalf of the U.S. government.[1]. He is former United States Special Envoy for Syria, from 2015 until 2017.
Career
Ratney has a B.S. in Mass Communication from Boston University and an M.A. in International Affairs from the George Washington University.[2]
Since joining the Foreign Service in 1990, Ratney served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Doha, Qatar, as well as tours in Mexico City, Baghdad, Beirut, Casablanca, Bridgetown, and Washington, DC., before being Spokesman for the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.[3]
Until 2012, Ratney was Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Media in the State Department’s Bureau of Public Affairs, overseeing a network of global Media Hubs responsible for foreign-language media engagement on behalf of the U.S. government.[4]
From 2012 to 2015, Ratney served as the U.S. Consul General in Jerusalem, "leading a mission of 600 Americans, Israelis, and Palestinians responsible for the U.S. political, economic, and cultural relationship with Palestinians in Jerusalem".[5]
The Trump administration inherited him as Special Envoy for Syria in 2017. Administration officials attacked Ratney behind his back as a “defeatist” who “thinks Syria is lost” and is “not friendly to Israel," the Office of the Inspector General discovered while investigating other issues in the State Department. Ratney was asked to leave the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs in December 2017.[6].
References
- ↑ https://www.state.gov/biographies/michael-ratney/
- ↑ https://diplopundit.net/2015/07/28/state-dept-appoints-senior-diplomat-michael-ratney-as-new-u-s-special-envoy-for-syria/
- ↑ https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/200454.htm
- ↑ https://www.state.gov/biographies/michael-ratney/
- ↑ https://www.state.gov/biographies/michael-ratney/
- ↑ https://www.thedailybeast.com/state-dept-inspector-general-finds-brian-hook-others-retaliated-against-staffer-over-her-iranian-heritage
