The U.S. President Barack Obama has announced to appoint a point man for his policies on Burma, by nominating Derek Mitchell, as Special U.S. Representative and Policy Coordinator for Burma, with the rank of Ambassador.
The creation of this new diplomatic post, being demanded by lawmakers for some time now, was informed to the Congress on Thursday as Mr. Obama sent to the Senate his decision to nominate Derek for this challenging administration position.
A foreign policy advisor to the Mr. Obama campaign, Mr. Mitchell will be charged with giving a fresh impetus to his Burma policy.
Currently the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs at the Department of Defense (DOD), Mr. Mitchell until April 2009, served as senior fellow and director for Asia in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), which he joined in January 2001.
Beginning in January 2008, he concurrently served as director of CSIS’s Southeast Asia Initiative.
Mr. Mitchell was special assistant for Asian and Pacific affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defence from 1997 to 2001, when he received the Office of the Secretary of Defence Award for Exceptional Public Service.
He was the principal author of the Department of Defence 1998 East Asia Strategy Report.
Prior to joining DOD, Mr. Mitchell served as senior program officer for Asia and the former Soviet Union at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs in Washington, DC.
From 1986 to 1988, Mr. Mitchell served as assistant to the senior foreign policy adviser to Senator Edward M Kennedy.
In 1989, Mr. Mitchell worked as an editor and reporter at the China Post (Taiwan).
Mr. Mitchell received an MA in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1991, and a B A from the University of Virginia in 1986.
The appointment was welcomed by the Burmese community here.
“Derek Mr. Mitchell is the excellence choice for the U.S. Special Policy Coordinator on Burma position.
He is smart, intelligent and well respected by the Burmese activists in exile,” said Aung Din of the U.S. Campaign for Burma.
“He knows Burma very well and I believe he is capable to strengthen the US sanction policy on Burma’s regime by coordinating within the US bureaucracy and with European Union, Canada and Australia.
I believe that the Senate will make a quick confirmation for his appointment,” he said.
