Samantha Power, Adjunct Professor to Law, UCC, has been appointed to as US Ambassador to the UN
- 10 Jun 2013
“If you represent everyone, in some ways you represent no one. You’re un-owned.” — Samantha Power
Samantha Power’s nomination for appointment as US Ambassador to the UN has been widely welcomed by foreign policy scholars, human rights advocates and international lawyers. Widely known as a passionate and rigorous advocate of human rights, Power has the potential to be a truly transformative Ambassador, not only in terms of US Foreign Policy but also for the UN itself.
Power was appointed as an Adjunct Professor of Law in 2008, following the award of an Honorary Doctorate by UCC. She has been a hugely generous supporter of UCC and of the Law School’s programmes particularly in the fields of international law and human rights. Power’s career as an international lawyer and now, potentially, as one of the most powerful diplomats in the world, began in a war zone, working as a free-lance journalist reporting on the conflict in Bosnia in the early 1990s. Her Pulitzer Prize-winning book A Problem From Hell, led to her meeting and subsequent appointment as a foreign policy adviser to the then Senator, Barack Obama, and more recently to her role as a Senior Director of Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights in the Obama Administration.
Speaking at UCC Law Faculty, Power spoke of her ambition to place human rights at the centre of US foreign policy. On her nomination as US Ambassador, Power recalled her Irish roots and emigration to the US, and her desire to promote the core values of democracy through the United Nations. Power’s more recent work on Sergio Vierra de Mello explores in depth the challenges of meeting the aspirations and goals of the United Nations and the importance of transformative figures such as Sergio.
http://www.ucc.ie/law/video/SamanthaPowerAndCassSunsteinQA/qAndAsession.swf
This nomination reflects Powers outstanding reputation as a scholar and public servant. At UCC we are delighted to extend our congratulations on her continued success and wish her well on this next and greatest challenge she has taken on so far. Given Ireland and UCC’s longstanding commitment to international development issues, we look forward to watching Professor Power’s continuing impact for the greater good.
