Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Evan Ryan Nominated to be Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

On July 8, 2013, President Obama nominated Evan Ryan to serve as the new Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.  The Senate Foreign Relations Committee acted on  Ms. Ryan's nomination with unusual dispatch, holding a hearing on July 30th and reporting the nomination favorably out of Committee on August 1, 2013.

In her new post, Ms. Ryan will be the deciding official for import restrictions under the CPIA.  One can only hope that she will receive honest assessments about the issues each MOU raises, particularly where there is an effort (as in the case of China and Italy) to preclude Americans from enjoying access to the exact same artifacts that are widely traded within those same countries.  But, more likely, it will be business as usual.

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