US President-elect Joe Biden has chosen William Burns as his candidate for head of the CIA, the Central Intelligence Agency. Burns is a veteran diplomat who has served for decades in senior positions in the State Department. He controls the depths of the Middle East and even headed the channel of secret talks with Iran during the Obama administration, which paved the way for the nuclear deal – from which outgoing President Donald Trump retired, to which Biden wants to return, in one form or another.
Burns, who speaks Arabic and Russian, served as U.S. ambassador to Moscow from 2005-2008, and is well acquainted with all of the Putin administration’s exercises. In addition, the Reuters news agency reports that he will be appointed head of another special agency, which will advise Baiden on China: where to cooperate with it, and where to confront it. In 2001, while serving as ambassador to Jordan, Burns was appointed by then-Secretary of State Colin Powell to head the negotiating team between Israel and the PA regarding the implementation of the Mitchell Commission’s recommendations.
“Bill Burns is an exemplary diplomat with decades of experience in maintaining and protecting the security of our citizens and our country in the global arena,” Biden said. If the Senate appointment is approved (which is not likely to be a problem, especially now that Democrats have gained majority control), Burns will replace Gina the Mug, the first woman to serve. In his current role, Burns heads the Carnegie Foundation for International Peace.