President-elect Joe Biden announced his nomination of Wendy Sherman for the position of Deputy Secretary of State in his upcoming administration.
Sherman previously served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs in the Obama administration under Secretary of State John Kerry (2013-2017) and was the lead negotiator for the nuclear agreement with Iran. It is noteworthy that Sherman, who will become the second-in-command at the State Department alongside Antony Blinken, is a senior advisor at the Albright Stonebridge Group, the same firm where Linda Thomas-Greenfield worked, whom Biden selected to be the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
Another seasoned diplomat, Victoria Nuland, will be nominated for the position of Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, also previously held by her in the Obama administration, as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.
Both Sherman and Nuland, who had entered academia and think tank circles after leaving the Obama administration, have been outspoken critics of former President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, particularly regarding his appeasement of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Sources indicate that former State Department official Jon Finer will be appointed as Deputy National Security Advisor, and a report will be submitted to the incoming National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Jon Finer, a former journalist, joined the Obama White House as a fellow in 2009 and held various positions throughout Obama’s presidency, including Foreign Policy Speechwriter for Biden and Senior Advisor to then-Deputy National Security Advisor Blinken.
