News: Bryza to be nominated officially today

I am told that Matthew Bryza, the long-time diplomat on Caspian Sea matters whose nomination as U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan has been delayed for more than a year, will be officially nominated to the post today by President Barack Obama. As this blog has discussed, Bryza is a controversial figure in the region because of ...

I am told that Matthew Bryza, the long-time diplomat on Caspian Sea matters whose nomination as U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan has been delayed for more than a year, will be officially nominated to the post today by President Barack Obama.

I am told that Matthew Bryza, the long-time diplomat on Caspian Sea matters whose nomination as U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan has been delayed for more than a year, will be officially nominated to the post today by President Barack Obama.

As this blog has discussed, Bryza is a controversial figure in the region because of his close relationship with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, and that is likely to play big in his confirmation hearings in the Senate. He is unusual among American diplomats in the region in that, despite a fairly smooth personality, Bryza tends to be a lightning rod of criticism. Bryza’s allies defend him by noting his 13 years working Caspian issues, starting with a stint as aide-de-camp to then Caspian Sea czar Richard Morningstar (who now is in the equivalent position again). The Armenian lobby, which has sunk several ambassadorial nominations to the region over the years, hasn’t made clear whether it will oppose Bryza’s confirmation.

<p> Steve LeVine is a contributing editor at Foreign Policy, a Schwartz Fellow at the New America Foundation, and author of The Oil and the Glory. </p>

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