Ambassador Kelly Craft served as U.S. Ambassador to Canada from 2017 to 2019, then as the U.S. Ambassador to the UN from 2019 to 2021. She helped negotiate the USMCA out of the remnants of NAFTA. She also helped to negotiate and implement the Abraham Accords, which solidified relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Currently, she owns a business consulting firm in Kentucky.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Harvard Political Review: What made you interested in diplomacy and foreign service?
Kelly Craft: I always enjoy engaging with people, even middle schoolers and high schoolers, and most importantly, listening and learning. During college at the University of Kentucky, I was very fortunate to be able to work in the House of Commons and House of Lords, and that was my first entrance into politics. My mom and dad were engaged in grassroots politics in our state, so of course, that was probably my first foray into watching them have fundraisers and entertain different politicians statewide. Going to London [before Brexit] and working as an intern, I realized that it was a big world. I could see the dependency on the results when you work together. And when you’re traveling, everyone looks up to America, and it just gave me such a sense of patriotism to come back and know that the world out there is looking at the United States of America as a superpower. And I told myself, “You have to come back to the United States of America — even though you’re going to be a student in college — you’ve got to continue to make this country strong.”
HPR: You mentioned your parents were involved in grassroots politics. What experiences did you bring from that to the British Parliament?
KC: I’m going to take you back to my upbringing. I grew up on a farm. It was hard work. My father was a veterinarian and a farmer. The large animal clinic was on our farm, so I learned at a very young age work ethic. For the longest time, my first bicycle was a pony. We were on a farm. We truly saw how life started, and how it would end. And I grew to appreciate farmers. I grew to appreciate people that worked on the farm. My father treated everyone equally. Our home was always open, whether it was to farmers, other veterinarians, CEOs of pharmaceutical companies for animals. We always had room at our table. So that, to me, is diplomacy. It started at home, and we grew. We listened. My mom and dad engaged us in the conversation. We knew not to talk unless we had something really to add. But my brother and myself (my sister was just a toddler) were able to sit and listen to these conversations from all walks of earth, and to see how my father gave respect, and to see how he reciprocates that respect to him, because he listened to what your issue was. They knew he listened. You know when someone’s listening by the questions that they ask. So I give credit to my upbringing because it’s hard work. You have to work at something, and not only that, when you work at something, the reward is like no other, as opposed to being given.
HPR: How much freedom do ambassadors have when negotiating with foreign countries, and how much of it is based on the administration’s agenda?
KC: First of all, I serve at the pleasure of the president. I wasn’t elected to the United Nations. I’m not a UN ambassador with these votes. We’re not elected. The president was elected by 77 million people. He’s elected to set the foreign policy, to set the domestic policy. So when you are appointed, you study; you work hard to understand those policies. Especially since I was in Canada first, for the USMCA, and then after two years, went straight to the United Nations.
You get to know your surroundings, and I did a lot of deep dives on areas that were not on the surface. I wanted to know the heads of states’ families. I wanted to know their birthdays. I wanted to know all about them because you can disarm people immediately when you walk into a room for a negotiation. You don’t just lean near them and ask them for something. Don’t let that be the first time you have ever asked an individual, especially when you are trying to facilitate a dialogue. I knew what the president’s policy was. I knew exactly how I was going to articulate the message. But I wanted to disarm that person first. So that’s when you start asking about: “How’s your daughter enjoying her first year in college? How are you finding your new home or your new embassy, if it’s a new ambassador?” So I felt it important to know as much as I could about that person: their surroundings, their country, and the issues they may place as important — in this particular instance, trade deals. But remember, at the end of the day, I am there to carry the president’s message and to make sure that his policy is implemented.
HPR: What are your thoughts on the current U.S.-Canada relations and the tariff wars?
KC: First of all, I have a real affinity for Canada and serving there because a Canadian welcomed me with open arms. It’s really unfortunate that President Trump, USTR Representative Ambassador Greer, and the whole team have been very patient. They put forth diplomacy. They have been very thoughtful because, remember, we’re updating USMCA. We had an agreement a couple weeks ago. The president was assured that we had an agreement, as was our USTR Representative Ambassador Greer. And at the eleventh hour, the Canadians, Minister Carney, came back with a different agenda. Well, that was not the agenda that we all agreed upon.
It’s really unfortunate because, not only did they come back with an agenda — because President Trump is willing to continue to work on these new, I would say, commands — but Prime Minister Carney has a press release that said our countries are at war. I see that as a little political because he had some important federal elections occurring in Canada, which he won. I think that was more important at that moment than the welfare and the well-being of Canadian farmers, the Canadian fuel industry, and the Canadian auto industry. That’s my personal opinion. I think that we will do what is right by our country America. That is what Ambassador Greer will do. The president’s major focus is on what is right for America at home, manufacturing at home, what is right to make sure that our trade deficit is even because we have to look after our farmers, our industry, whether it’s steel, aluminum, tin, and you’ve got poultry. You have what makes America tick as part of this USMCA agreement. And that’s what you articulate.
HPR: What do you perceive to be America’s role on the global stage, and how has that changed throughout your career?
KC: I think it’s actually changed for the better. Upon my arrival in Canada, the first discussions were NATO. You need to pay your 2%. You need to pay your fair share of NATO. By the way, President Trump, as Donald Trump, then as candidate Trump, highlighted NATO. He highlighted NATO in an interview with Oprah, in an interview with Larry King. He talked about it in regard to the deal. He’s a businessman. He’s looking after the best interests of workers in this country. So my job was to go in there, and my job was to make certain that I articulated the message: You need to pay your fair share. You need to be a member of NATO and pay your fair share, like all of the other countries minus Spain. Seventy percent of [Canada’s coastline] is Arctic. They are the ones that should be making sure that the bridges and all of the roads are in top condition in that area because let me tell you who’s there right now: China and Russia. And it’s not up to America alone to go in to take care of the Arctic.
Now, President Trump has started demanding, I’m going to use the word demanding, because that’s what you have to do. You use your diplomacy, you use all the tools in the toolbox, and then you start to be very firm. What’s happening with NATO now? Like I said, every one but two countries are at the 2%, and Canada will reach that soon. Now they’ve all agreed upon reaching 5% and the Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutte said, “Without President Trump, we wouldn’t be as strong as we are. He made this happen.”
And if you look at the Abraham Accords, who would have ever thought that countries would have normalization with Israel? And look at Iran. In the 47 years that the Iranians have said “death to America, death to Israel,” President Trump is the first president to ever say “enough is enough.” I see this world as, for Americans, safer. I see us garner more respect. Let me tell you, we’re not looking to be liked. We’re looking to be respected. Look at Venezuela. Look at Delcy Rodríguez. She is actually following President Trump’s wishes in order to bring prosperity, safety to the Venezuelan people. Who would have thought that would happen? Now with Iran, I can fully understand some frustration because President Trump just tried diplomacy and tried diplomacy and tried diplomacy, and every time he would give them 60 days or he would give them two weeks. If they didn’t meet that deadline, he reacted because you have to. You have to react and be firm. He got it to the 20-yard line. He got it 80 yards further than any president in our history. Now we get it to the end zone, if you will, and there is a plan.
HPR: In recent years the U.S. has been withholding funding from the UN and withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement. Do you see that as the U.S. trying to reestablish its boundaries, or is that just a tactic that the U.S. will use to try to encourage more dialogue between countries?
KC: Let’s go back to diplomacy. President Trump has put diplomacy first in negotiating with countries and in certain situations. But when you exhaust all of your diplomacy, then you have to use other tools in the toolbox, and that is sanctions, tariffs, being very firm, threatening to withdraw. Because why would we want to be in an organization such as the United Nations? The United States is their number one contributor, yet if you go into the Security Council, you’ll see how many times they pass resolutions against Israel, or try to help Russia and placate Russia. I’m there as an American. I’m there to help countries of democracy. And you look over trade deals and the Paris Climate Accord. We did that because we don’t need to be there in the Paris Climate Agreement when there are countries there that are producing far more pollution, CO2, than we are. We can do this. We have been doing this. America is the strongest country in the world, and we will continue to do so.
HPR: In 2020, you had some major criticisms on how the UN Human Rights Council has been operating. How has your opinion changed since then, and do you have any suggestions towards reform?
KC: Do you know who’s on the Human Rights Council? If you look and research the countries, they’re the very countries that have the worst abuse. If you look at the way the Chinese treated the Uyghurs, if you look at the way the Iranian regime is treating the Iranian people, look at the countries who are currently or have been members of the Human Rights Council, we do not want any part of that organization, when they are supporting the very people that we are trying to protect — the very countries where we’re trying to prevent their atrocities. No one would wake up until we were there. Germany and the U.S., their ambassador and myself, we decided to stand strong, and we made a dent. At the end of the first administration, we were able to classify that as genocide. That is huge, because you have a population of people that have been abused, and they had no voice. Guess what? America gives those people that voice.
HPR: What advice would you give to students who are interested in pursuing a career in diplomacy and foreign service?
KC: Try to be well-rounded. Make mistakes. Make a lot of mistakes. I make them every day, and that’s where I grow and I learn. Listen. Listen to those people around you. Ask a lot of questions, and be really comfortable being uncomfortable, because I am. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I made a big mistake my first day at the UN. But let me tell you, I never made it again. I wasn’t prepared for a meeting. I didn’t know the answer to something — actually, I thought it was something quite different. But you better believe that didn’t happen again. But I’m so happy it did happen at that time. So, I feel as if you need to work on your basic skills of listening, asking questions, and surrounding yourself with other people, whether it’s faculty, people outside of campus, fellow students, to make certain that they are going to challenge you, not tell you how great you are. Our parents do that. You want them to challenge you. And make sure that you pursue internships. Don’t be afraid to ask. If they say no, you just go to the next person. But if they say no, this is what I would do. I handwrite notes to every single person I meet. I learned something when they would say no. I would just sharpen what I felt was my deficit and go to the next person. Take it as a positive.
