Tracy Jacobson has been assigned as the chargé d’affaires in Dhaka until a new U.S. ambassador takes office. This follows the nomination of David M. Hale, who was designated as the successor to Peter Haas, but he will not be coming to Dhaka due to pending hearings in the U.S. Senate. Jacobson will oversee U.S. diplomatic operations in Bangladesh, particularly focusing on reform processes and democratic transitions. This information has been confirmed by diplomatic sources and senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Sources from Dhaka and Washington have confirmed that Tracy Jacobson is expected to take up her duties in Dhaka next week, provided everything proceeds as planned. Before arriving in Dhaka, she met with Bangladesh’s Ambassador to the U.S., Asad Alam Siam, in Washington to gain insight into the situation in Bangladesh.
Diplomatic analysts suggest that Jacobson, an experienced diplomat, has been sent to Dhaka for an interim period, considering the evolving situation in Bangladesh as well as neighboring Myanmar. Her appointment highlights the importance of skilled diplomacy in navigating the region’s current challenges.
Tracy Jacobson, a professional diplomat with a graduate degree from Johns Hopkins University, has served as the U.S. Ambassador to Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kosovo. Additionally, she has worked in various roles at U.S. embassies in Russia, Ethiopia, South Korea, and Latvia. Before retiring from diplomacy in 2017, she held the position of Deputy Executive Secretary at the U.S. National Security Council. In 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden brought her back from retirement to serve as a Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of State. That same year, she was appointed as the Director of the Afghanistan Task Force at the State Department. Subsequently, she was appointed as the Acting U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia for 18 months. Biden later nominated her as the next U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, but her nomination has been delayed after Senate hearings in June of last year.
Exactly 17 years ago, a similar situation occurred during the tenure of two U.S. Ambassadors to Bangladesh, with one acting as the Chargé d’Affaires (CDA) in between their arrivals. Coincidentally, much like in 2007, during the period of an interim government in Bangladesh, the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires is set to take on the duties of Ambassador. Back in April 2006, Patricia Butenis had assumed the role of U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh. However, after 14 months, the U.S. administration unexpectedly appointed her as Deputy Ambassador to Iraq, leading to her hurried departure from Dhaka. Before James F. Moriarty took over as the next U.S. Ambassador in April 2008, Gita Pasi served as the Acting Ambassador for nine months.
