If you haven’t already, the time has come to get comfortable with the name Nikki Haley. Despite not getting the media attention of some of the more vocal or controversial figures in politics, Haley’s time at the United Nations has been plenty noteworthy. Among more than a few provocative members of the Trump Administration, Haley has been a budding superstar in her role as Ambassador to the U.N.
Prior to starting at the United Nations, Haley’s foremost foreign policy experience was that she was an Indian-American. Already in her brief time in her new role, Haley has proven to be not just competent, but decisive in her actions and powerful with her words. She is not afraid to oppose the President when she sees fit, even criticizing him during the 2016 election campaign. However, she’s managed to stay within President Trump’s good graces, and rightfully so. But it is not just Republicans that are happy with Haley, she’s received positive reactions from both sides of the aisle.
Ambassador Haley took no time to warm into her new role, jumping head first almost right away. Her first day on the job consisted of putting the world on notice that the United State was now “taking names” of countries who didn’t have our back. In less than 3 months on the job, Haley has already made critical statements against Russia on more than one occasion, and suggesting the possibility of a two-state solution in the Israel/Palestine conflict, statements directly at odds with prior statements from the Trump Administration. In addition, Haley wasted no time in delivering a sharp condemnation of the attack in Syria. But she not only delivered her own criticism, she followed up by rejecting a Bolivian proposal for a close-door meeting regarding the matter – stating that “any country that chooses to defend the atrocities of the Syrian regime will have to do so in full public view, for all the world to hear.”
As former governor of South Carolina, Haley yielded one of the highest approval ratings for governors anywhere in the nation. That approval surfaced in her 2014 re-election race, which she won with nearly 56 percent of the vote. Now, she is in the process of gaining significant experience in a key area as it pertains to her political future. She has legislative experience serving in the South Carolina House of Representatives, governing experience from her time as South Carolina’s Governor, and now will have foreign policy experience to add to her resume. All this to combine with a highly likeable personality and the fact that she is an Indian-American female in a party known for its lack of diversity.
Haley has shown in short order her readiness for the spotlight. She has earned respect throughout the world for her performance as the U.S. Ambassador by demonstrating a calm yet confident strength in representing the United States in the United Nations. It is clear that Nikki Haley is blossoming into a poised political superstar,
The United States and the rest of the world is now getting a chance to realized what many in South Carolina have already known – Nikki Haley is a political superstar. It’s too soon to tell what her political future holds, but it’s safe to say she’s a name we should all get comfortable seeing a lot more of for a long time to come.
Evan Berryhill is a former Capitol Hill staffer and a current law student