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Donald Lu
Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs
Assumed office
September 15, 2021
President Joe Biden
Preceded by Alice G. Wells
United States Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan
In office
October 12, 2018 – September 14, 2021
President Donald Trump
Joe Biden
Preceded by Sheila Gwaltney
Succeeded by Lesslie Viguerie
United States Ambassador to Albania
In office
January 13, 2015 – September 19, 2018
President Barack Obama
Donald Trump
Preceded by Alexander Arvizu
Succeeded by Yuri Kim
Personal details
Born1966 (age 57–58)
Huntington Beach, California, U.S.
SpouseAriel Ahart
Education Princeton University ( BA, MPA)

Donald Lu (born 1966) [1] is a United States diplomat serving as Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs since 2021. He previously served as both the United States Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan from 2018 to 2021 and the United States Ambassador to Albania from 2015 to 2018.

He is accused by the then Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan of threatening to overthrow Khan's government through a no-confidence vote and having sent a cryptic message to him through Pakistan's ambassador to the US Asad Majeed. [2] [3] [4] [5] According to an alleged leaked Pakistani diplomatic cable obtained by The Intercept covering a March 7, 2022 meeting between Lu and Majeed, Lu stated that relations between the U.S. and Pakistan were already cooling because of Khan's "aggressively neutral" stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a recent visit of his to Moscow; Lu allegedly related that if there was no change in the Pakistani government's stance on Ukraine, it would likely become "isolated" from the U.S. and Western Europe, but that if Khan was removed in an upcoming no-confidence vote, the rift would be likely to heal quickly. [6] [7] [8]

Early life and education

Lu was born in Huntington Beach, California and is of Chinese heritage. [9] He graduated with an A.B. from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in 1988 after completing a 158-page long senior thesis titled "The Involvement of International Peacekeeping in Providing Humanitarian Assistance." [10] He later received an M.P.A. from the Woodrow Wilson School in 1991. Lu was a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone, West Africa in 1988-1990 helping restore hand-dug water wells, and teach health education and latrine construction. [11]

Diplomatic career

Lu joined the United States Foreign Service in 1990. He served as a political officer in Peshawar, Pakistan from 1992 to 1994; as a consular officer in Tbilisi, Georgia from 1994 to 1996; and as a special assistant to Ambassador Frank Wisner from 1996 to 1997 and then political officer at the embassy in New Delhi, India from 1997 to 2000, covering Kashmir and India-Pakistan relations. He served as special assistant to the ambassador for the Newly Independent States from 2000 to 2001, and then as deputy director in the Office of Central Asian and South Caucasus Affairs from 2001 to 2003.

Lu served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Kyrgyzstan from 2003 to 2006, and in Azerbaijan from 2007 to 2009. He served as the Chargé d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy to Azerbaijan from July 4, 2009, to July 2010, when the office of the United States Ambassador to Azerbaijan was vacant. [11] [12] He was a proponent of the immediate appointment an ambassador. [13] In May 2010, Ambassador Matthew Bryza was nominated to take the post.

Secretary Clinton Is Greeted By Deputy Chief of Mission Lu

In July 2010, Lu was appointed Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in New Delhi, India. He served in this post during President Obama's visit to New Delhi. This post was his second assignment to India. [11]

Ambassador to Albania

Lu with Albanian President Ilir Meta and General Joseph Dunford in 2017

On July 25, 2013, Lu was nominated to be the United States Ambassador to Albania by President Obama. [14] Hearings were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Lu's nomination on September 26, 2013. The committee favorably reported his nomination to the Senate floor on October 31, 2013. His initial nomination expired at the end of the year and was returned to President Obama on January 3, 2014. [15]

President Obama resent his nomination the next day. His nomination was again favorably reported on January 15, 2014. He was confirmed by the Senate on November 20, 2014. [16] He was sworn in on December 17, 2014, and presented his credentials on January 13, 2015. [17] This was his first official post as an Ambassador and not the Deputy Chief of Mission. He departed the post on September 19, 2018. [1]

Before moving to Albania's capital, Tirana, he worked on the Ebola crisis in West Africa as Deputy Coordinator of Ebola response.

Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan

On May 24, 2018, Lu was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the next United States Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held hearings on Lu's nomination on June 28, 2018. The committee favorably reported the nomination to the Senate floor on July 10, 2018. Lu was confirmed by the entire Senate on September 6, 2018. [18] He was sworn in on September 18, 2018, and presented his credentials to Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov on October 12, 2018. [19]

State Department

Lu speaks to State Department employees in 2022

On April 23, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Lu to be the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs. [20] Lu's nomination was examined by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 28, 2021. The committee favorably reported it to the Senate floor on August 4, 2021. He was confirmed via voice vote by the entire Senate on September 13, 2021, and sworn in on September 15, 2021. [21] [22]

Controversies

Further information: Lettergate

In April 2022, Pakistan's then prime minister Imran Khan claimed that prior to a no-confidence motion filed against him by opposition parties, Pakistan's ambassador to the US, Asad Majeed Khan, was warned by Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu that Khan's continuation in office would have repercussions for bilateral ties between the two nations. [23] [24] Although the State Department denied it, Khan reiterated the allegations against Lu during a televised news conference. [25] [26] During the Department Press Briefing on April 8, 2022, Deputy State Department Spokesperson Jalina Porter was also asked about the allegation by Khan that the US encouraged the no-confidence vote, with Khan stating that he had a cable ("letter") to prove it. [27] [28] Foreign Policy highlighted the heightened tensions between Pakistan and the US in their South Asia Brief on April 7, 2022. [29] [30] Pakistan's National Security Council (NSC) announced it was issuing a "strong demarche" to an undisclosed country, presumably the US, over a 'threat letter'—purportedly showing evidence of a foreign conspiracy to oust Khan's PTI-led government—terming it as "blatant interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan". [31] Furthermore, Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director general (DG) major-general Babar Iftikhar commented on the issuance of the demarche during a press conference on April 14, stating that "In this case, it was given for undiplomatic language and is equal to interference." [32] [33] Shireen Mazari, a Pakistani politician who served as the federal minister for human rights under the PTI government, quoted Donald Lu as saying: "If Prime Minister Imran Khan remains in office, then PM Imran Khan will be isolated from the United States and we will take the issue head on; but if the vote of no-confidence succeeds, all will be forgiven". [34]

On 23 May 2022, Imran Khan suggested in an interview with CNN that Lu be fired "for bad manners and sheer arrogance." [35]

On 9 August 2023, The Intercept, an online American nonprofit news organization, published a copy of the previously undisclosed cypher—a secret Pakistani cable document—from March 7, 2022, clearly demonstrating the pressure from the U.S. State Department to remove then Prime Minister Imran Khan. The cypher reveals both the carrots and the sticks that the State Department deployed in its push against Khan, promising warmer relations if Khan was removed, and isolation if he was not. [36]

Awards and honors

Lu was awarded two Meritorious Honor Awards and five Superior Honor Awards. [11]

Personal life

Lu is married to Ariel Ahart, a public health specialist. They have two children. In addition to English, Lu speaks Chinese, West African Krio, Urdu, Hindi, Russian, Georgian, Azerbaijani and Albanian. [11]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Donald Lu (1966–)". history.state.gov. Archived from the original on 2021-09-25. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
  2. ^ "Who is Donald Lu — US diplomat who allegedly 'threatened' Imran Khan?". Hindustan Times. 2022-04-04. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  3. ^ Hussain, Ryan Grim, Murtaza (2023-08-09). "Secret Pakistan Cable Documents U.S. Pressure to Remove Imran Khan". The Intercept. Retrieved 2023-08-10.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link)
  4. ^ "US warned Pakistan of isolation, encouraged it to remove Imran Khan as PM: Report". India Today. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  5. ^ "Purported Text of Secret Cable Shows US Ire at Imran Khan". VOA. 2023-08-09. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  6. ^ Hussain, Ryan Grim, Murtaza (2023-08-09). "Secret Pakistan Cable Documents U.S. Pressure to Remove Imran Khan". The Intercept. Retrieved 2023-08-10.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link)
  7. ^ "US warned Pakistan of isolation, encouraged it to remove Imran Khan as PM: Report". India Today. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  8. ^ "Purported Text of Secret Cable Shows US Ire at Imran Khan". VOA. 2023-08-09. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  9. ^ "Remarks of Ambassador Donald Lu at the Post-Credentials Press Conference". U.S. Embassy in Albania. 13 January 2015. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  10. ^ Lu, Donald (1988). "The Involvement of International Peacekeeping in Providing Humanitarian Assistance". {{ cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= ( help)
  11. ^ a b c d e "Embassy of the United States". Archived from the original on 2010-12-05. Retrieved 2011-01-20.
  12. ^ Bewig, Matt (June 8, 2018). "Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan: Who Is Donald Lu?". www.allgov.com. AllGov.com. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  13. ^ Victoria Dementiyeva (2010-02-02). "Charge d'Affaires Donald Lu: "There is no purpose to prolong the appointment of the new US ambassador to Azerbaijan"". Azeri Press Agency. Archived from the original on 2012-09-17. Retrieved 2011-01-20.
  14. ^ "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts". whitehouse.gov. 2013-07-25. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
  15. ^ "PN721 — Donald Lu — Department of State 113th Congress (2013-2014)". US Congress. 3 January 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  16. ^ "PN1134 - Nomination of Donald Lu for Department of State, 113th Congress (2013-2014)". www.congress.gov. 2014-11-20. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
  17. ^ "Donald Lu". www.state.gov. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  18. ^ "PN2028 — Donald Lu — Department of State". U.S. Congress. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
  19. ^ "New U.S. Ambassador Donald Lu meets with President of Kyrgyzstan". «24.kg» News Agency. October 12, 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-01.
  20. ^ "President Biden Announces Key Administration Nominations in National Security". The White House. April 23, 2021.
  21. ^ "Donald Lu". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
  22. ^ "PN551 - Nomination of Donald Lu for Department of State, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". www.congress.gov. 2021-09-13. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
  23. ^ Syed, Baqir Sajjad (2022-04-02). "Zalmay Khalilzad offers to help better Pak-US ties". Dawn. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  24. ^ Sandhu, Kamaljit Kaur (April 3, 2022). "Pakistan PM Imran Khan claims US diplomat Donald Lu involved in 'conspiracy' to topple his govt and he also did not reject the claims of Imran khan when Indian Journalist asked this question". India Today. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  25. ^ "PTI's official tweet titled Prime Minister Imran Khan's address to Parliamentarians (in Urdu)". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  26. ^ "Lu evades question about Imran's allegations". Dawn. 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  27. ^ "Department Press Briefing – April 8, 2022". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  28. ^ Iqbal, Anwar (2022-04-10). "'Absolutely no truth' in claims of involvement: US". Dawn. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  29. ^ Kugelman, Michael (7 April 2022). "Political Crisis Heightens U.S.-Pakistan Tensions". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  30. ^ "Can US-Pakistan relations be salvaged after Imran Khan's conspiracy allegations?". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  31. ^ Khan, Sanaullah (2022-03-31). "NSC decides to issue strong demarche to unnamed country over 'threat letter'". Dawn. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  32. ^ "NSC statement did not include the word 'conspiracy': DG ISPR". Dawn. 2022-04-14. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  33. ^ "Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Babar Iftikhar press conference". Instagram. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  34. ^ "Shireen Mazari talks about the foreign conspiracy that happened in Pakistan (in Urdu and English)". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  35. ^ "Exclusive: Pakistan's Imran Khan doubles down on unfounded claim that US plotted his downfall". CNN. 2022-05-23.
  36. ^ "Exclusive: Secret Pakistan cable documents U.S. pressure to remove Imran Khan". The Intercept. 2023-08-09.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Donald Lu.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Albania
2015–2018 		Succeeded by
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan
2018–2021 		Succeeded by
Sonata Coulter
Charge d’Affaires
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