February 21, 2014 — Secretary of State John Kerry announced last week that he’s creating a new position called Special Representative for the Arctic Region. It’s been referred to as an “Arctic Ambassador” in some reports, but it’s not exactly that, and the reaction of Alaska’s two U.S. senators has been mixed.
Townsend: Liz, both senators have been pressing for an Arctic ambassador to assert the U.S. interests in the region. Shouldn’t this be unbridled good news to the senators?
Ruskin: Well, it was the way Sen. Begich announced it last week on Valentine’s Day. He talked to Kerry on the phone, then issued a press release that used the word “ambassador” a dozen times.
Townsend: But Sen. Murkowski didn’t see it that way?
Ruskin: Not so much. A few hours later, when her press release came out, she pointed out the Secretary of State never used the word “ambassador” in a letter he wrote to both senators. Murkowski questions whether the position would be on par. And she used some harsh language, calling the Obama Administration’s Arctic policy “lackluster” and “a national disgrace.”
Read the full interview and listen to the audio at Alaska Public Media