The position of United States permanent representative to the United Nations, popularly known as “U.N. ambassador,” has been held by career diplomats and political leaders, including a future president, a future Supreme Court justice, a general and a mayor.
Kelly Knight Craft, a former United States ambassador to Canada and businesswoman, currently holds the post.
How much do you know about former U.S. U.N. ambassadors? Click on the ambassador that you think answers the question. You’ll get your score at the end. Share it on Facebook and Twitter!
01 The U.N. “has grown continually in importance since the end of the Cold War and yet it has not grown in effectiveness.”
(Hint: This ambassador was instrumental in the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords that ended the war in Bosnia.)
Richard Holbrooke
John Negroponte
John Danforth
02 “We’ve taken down our ‘kick-me’ sign.”
(Hint: She was the first female U.S. ambassador to the U.N.)
Nikki Haley
Jeane Kirkpatrick
Susan Rice
03 “The United Nations is like a spade; it is not self-operating. It is what we make of it, for purposes that we can find in common with our neighbors in the world.”
(Hint: This ambassador ran twice for president — and lost.)
John A. Scali
Andrew Young
Adlai Stevenson
04 “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”
(Hint: This ambassador was a Harvard professor and U.S. senator.)
Thomas Pickering
Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Donald McHenry
05 “The U.N. is like a [baseball] club — a high potential club that hasn’t won as many as it should have.”
(Hint: This ambassador ran for president — and won.)
George H.W. Bush
Arthur Goldberg
William Scranton
06 “It was a blessing to go into the U.N. with body armor every day and defend America.”
(Hint: This ambassador previously served as governor of South Carolina.)
John Negroponte
Nikki Haley
Vernon A. Walters
07 “America has to defend its own interests in the United Nations, because you can be sure no one else will.”
(Hint: Spoken in 2013 by the former White House national security adviser.)
Bill Richardson
Zalmay Khalilzad
John Bolton
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View the question-and-answer results.
01The U.N. “has grown continually in importance since the end of the Cold War and yet it has not grown in effectiveness.”
(Hint: This ambassador was instrumental in the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords that ended the war in Bosnia.)
You Answered: User Answer
Correct Answer: Richard Holbrooke
02“We’ve taken down our ‘kick-me’ sign.”
(Hint: She was the first female U.S. ambassador to the U.N.)
You Answered: User Answer
Correct Answer: Jeane Kirkpatrick
03“The United Nations is like a spade; it is not self-operating. It is what we make of it, for purposes that we can find in common with our neighbors in the world.”
(Hint: This ambassador ran twice for president — and lost.)
You Answered: User Answer
Correct Answer: Adlai Stevenson
04“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”
(Hint: This ambassador was a Harvard professor and U.S. senator.)
You Answered: User Answer
Correct Answer: Daniel Patrick Moynihan
05“The U.N. is like a [baseball] club — a high potential club that hasn’t won as many as it should have.”
(Hint: This ambassador ran for president — and won.)
You Answered: User Answer
Correct Answer: George H.W. Bush
06“It was a blessing to go into the U.N. with body armor every day and defend America.”
(Hint: This ambassador previously served as governor of South Carolina.)
You Answered: User Answer
Correct Answer: Nikki Haley
07“America has to defend its own interests in the United Nations, because you can be sure no one else will.”
(Hint: Spoken in 2013 by the former White House national security adviser.)
You Answered: User Answer
Correct Answer: John Bolton
