American diplomacy is taking a new posture under the Trump Administration, with the State Department laying off employees and moving away from traditional foreign policy positions like international aid.
Christopher Hill, a four-time ambassador nominated by three presidents, was ambassador to Iraq April 2009 until August 2010. Prior to Iraq, Hill previously served as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs during which he was also the head of the U.S. delegation in six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear issue. Earlier, he was the U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Korea (2004-05), Poland (2000-04), the Republic of Macedonia (1996-99) and the special envoy to Kosovo (1998-99). Hill was part of the team that negotiated the Bosnia peace settlement. While working on Balkan issues, Hill worked closely with Richard Holbrooke, serving as his deputy at the Dayton Peace Talks in 1995. Holbrooke described Hill as "brilliant, fearless and argumentative”
President Joe Biden announced Hill as his nominee to be the U.S. Ambassador to Serbia on October 14, 2021, and his nomination was sent to the Senate on October 28. Hearings on his nomination were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on December 14, 2021. The committee favorably reported his nomination on January 12, 2022. On March 10, 2022, he was confirmed by the Senate by voice vote.[24] He presented his credentials to President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic on March 31, 2022.
Ambassador Hill is author of Outpost: Life on the Frontlines of American Diplomacy: A Memoir, a monthly columnist for Project Syndicate, and a highly sought public speaker and voice in the media on international affairs.