Despite Nikki Haley’s resignation, this won’t be last we hear of her

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Saadia Akhtar

The 29th United States ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said on Oct. 9 she would resign from her position at the end of the year, according to the New York Times. An ambassador’s job is to represent his or her country in the U.N. General Assembly.

Her resignation came as surprise, as even senior White House officials were unaware. So why leave now?

According to a poll conducted by Quinnipiac University, Haley’s approval rating is 63 percent, 24 percent higher than President Donald Trump’s, not to mention that she is popular among Democrats as well. Her sudden departure could just be her looking out for herself before the Trump administration’s scandals begin to affect her.

Many are speculating that she will run for public office, mainly as president, in the future. However, she has said she will not run in 2020 and her resignation said she had spent 14 years in public service, maybe implying that she needed a break. She said that instead, she will campaign for Trump’s reelection.

Her legacy in the U.N. is an interesting one. Haley was given considerable independence in her job and was able to voice her own opinions without pressure from Trump.

Haley spoke out against Russia many times, like when she accused Russia of enabling the Syrian government in its alleged use of chemical weapons in its civil war, and openly supported sanctions against Russia. She supported the move of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move very popular among Republicans and even some Democrats. This did sour relations with some Middle Eastern countries, as Israel has committed atrocities against the Palestinian people and Jerusalem is considered the capital of Palestine.

Perhaps her most controversial move was withdrawing the U.S. from the United National Human Rights Council in June of this year. Established in 2006, the council is “responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them.”

The council consists of 47 members, elected by the U.N. General Assembly, with each area of the world having a set number of representatives. Haley withdrew the U.S. because she felt the council was not effective and “cheapened” their rights, according to Voice of America News.

She believes it is wrong that countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran are allowed on the council, when those countries themselves have a horrible record of human rights. It does seem counter-intuitive that those countries should be allowed to serve, but many believe that the U.S. leaving the council will not fix any of the problems the council may have.

But most importantly, Haley did as she pleased. She did not care what others thought of her, and despite her resignation, this most definitely will not be the last we see of her.