Samantha Power facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Samantha Power
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Power in 2023
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| 19th Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development | |
| In office May 3, 2021 – January 20, 2025 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Mark Green |
| Succeeded by | Jason Gray (acting) |
| 28th United States Ambassador to the United Nations | |
| In office August 5, 2013 – January 20, 2017 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Deputy | Rosemary DiCarlo Michele J. Sison |
| Preceded by | Susan Rice |
| Succeeded by | Nikki Haley |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Samantha Jane Power
September 21, 1970 London, England |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Cass Sunstein
(m. 2008) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Yale University (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
Samantha Jane Power (born September 21, 1970) is an Irish-American journalist, diplomat, and government official. She served as the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from 2021 to 2025. Before that, she was the United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 2013 to 2017. Power is a member of the Democratic Party.
She started her career as a war correspondent, reporting on the Yugoslav Wars. Later, she worked in academics. In 1998, she helped start the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. She also advised Senator Barack Obama before he became president.
Power joined the Obama administration in 2009. She worked on the National Security Council, focusing on human rights. As the UN Ambassador, she worked on issues like women's rights, LGBT rights, religious freedom, refugees, and human rights. She also played a key role in the decision to take military action in Libya in 2011 to protect civilians.
Power won a Pulitzer Prize in 2003 for her book A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide. This book looked at how the U.S. responded to genocide. She has received other awards for her work, including the 2015 Barnard Medal of Distinction. In 2016, Forbes magazine named her one of the most powerful women in the world.
In 2021, Joe Biden chose Power to lead USAID. The US Senate confirmed her nomination on April 28, 2021.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Samantha Power was born in London, England. Her parents were from Ireland. Her mother was a kidney doctor and a field-hockey player. Her father was a dentist and piano player. She grew up in Ireland until she was nine. In 1979, her mother moved with her to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
She went to Lakeside High School in Atlanta, Georgia. She was part of the cross country and basketball teams there. Later, she earned a history degree from Yale University. She also got a law degree from Harvard Law School.
Career Highlights
After college, Power worked as a researcher at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. From 1993 to 1996, she was a war correspondent. She reported on the Yugoslav Wars for several news outlets.
After returning to the U.S., she attended Harvard Law School. Her first book, A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, came from a paper she wrote in law school. This book helped develop the idea of "responsibility to protect," which means countries have a duty to protect people from mass killings. The book won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 2003. Power has always supported the idea of using military force to stop genocide.
In 2004, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people. She also wrote a regular column for Time starting in 2007.
From 2005 to 2006, Power worked for U.S. Senator Barack Obama. She helped him focus on the Darfur conflict. She was a senior foreign policy advisor for Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. She later resigned from the campaign. In 2009, President Obama appointed her to the National Security Council. In 2013, he made her the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
Work in the Obama Administration
After the 2008 presidential election, Samantha Power joined President-elect Obama's team. She helped with the transition for the State Department.
National Security Council Role
In January 2009, President Obama appointed Power to the National Security Council. She served as a Special Assistant to the President. She was also the Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights.
In this role, Power helped keep the U.S. out of the 2009 UN World Conference against Racism. This conference had been criticized for focusing too much on negative views of Israel.
Power supported military action in Libya during the Libyan Civil War. She believed it was important to protect people. She worked with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and UN Ambassador Susan Rice. They convinced Obama to get a UN Security Council resolution. This resolution allowed an international force to protect Libyan civilians.
Power left the National Security Council in February 2013.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
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On June 5, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Samantha Power to be the new United States Ambassador to the United Nations. Many senators supported her nomination. These included Republican senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham. She also had support from other diplomats and Jewish organizations.
Some people, like former UN Ambassador John R. Bolton, criticized her nomination. They pointed to an article she wrote in 2003. However, Power was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 1, 2013. The vote was 87 to 10. She was sworn in a day later.
Key Issues and Views
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Power has been a strong supporter of human rights. She has argued for using military force to stop human rights abuses. Some critics have said that military actions she supported, like in Libya, led to more problems.
Regarding Israel, Power has stated that Israel has a right to defend itself. In 2016, she supported the Obama administration's decision not to stop a resolution against Israeli settlements. She said that Israeli settlement activity harms the chances for peace.
Work as Ambassador
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In September 2013, Power spoke about the use of chemical weapons in Syria. She said that evidence showed the Syrian government was responsible. She criticized the UN Security Council for not stopping the violence in Syria. She said the system designed to deal with such threats was not working.
In 2014, during the crisis in Ukraine, Power urged Russia to remove its military forces from Crimea. She called for an independent international group to help resolve the situation in Ukraine.
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In July 2014, Power spoke about LGBT rights. She noted that while progress had been made in the U.S., many countries still had laws against homosexuality. She highlighted that the situation was getting worse for LGBT individuals in some parts of the world.
In March 2015, Power expressed concern about defense cuts in Europe. She said these cuts were worrying given global challenges like the Ebola crisis and the threat from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). She encouraged European nations to spend more on defense.
Power supported the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen against the Houthis.
In 2016, Power strongly criticized Russia's actions in Syria. She said Russia was supporting "barbarism" by bombing civilians and hospitals. She argued that Russia was tearing down the existing world order.
Honors and Awards
Her book "A Problem from Hell": America in the age of Genocide won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. Barnard College gave Power its highest award, the 2015 Barnard Medal of Distinction. This was for her book and her efforts to prevent genocide. She also received the 2016 Henry A. Kissinger Prize. In 2017, she was awarded the Ulysses Medal by University College Dublin. In 2019, she received the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize. She also gave the commencement speech at Indiana University in 2019.
Post-Obama Administration Career
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In April 2017, Power joined the faculty at Harvard Law School and Harvard Kennedy School. She is involved with the Carr Center and the Belfer Center. She also works on the International Peace and Security Project. She has taught a class with her husband, Cass Sunstein, called "Making Change When Change is Hard."
Power also serves on the selection committee for the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity. She is a board member for the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP). She is also on the Board of Advisors for Let America Vote.
In October 2018, Power commented on the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. She criticized Saudi Arabia's changing explanations for his death.
Biden Administration Role
In January 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Power to lead the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). She was confirmed on April 28, 2021. Vice President Kamala Harris swore her in on May 3. Power led USAID during its efforts to provide foreign aid during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her term as USAID Administrator ended on January 20, 2025.
Personal Life
On July 4, 2008, Samantha Power married law professor Cass Sunstein. They met while working on the Obama campaign. They were married in Ireland. They have two children: a son born in 2009 and a daughter born in 2012. Power is a Catholic.
Books
- "A Problem from Hell": America in the age of Genocide. Basic Books, 2002.
- Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vieira de Mello and the Fight to Save the World. Penguin Books, 2008.
- The Unquiet American: Richard Holbrook in the World (co-edited with Derek Chollet, 2011). PublicAffairs, 2011
- The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir. Dey Street Books, 2019.
See also
In Spanish: Samantha Power para niños
