Former Utah governor and GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman Jr. has been tapped to lead the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington that promotes “constructive leadership and engagement” in international affairs.
Mr. Huntsman, 53, succeeds former Sen. Chuck Hagel, who stepped down last year to become President Obama’s defense secretary. Brent Scowcroft, who twice served as U.S. national security adviser, has served as chairman in the interim.
“It is an honor to have been chosen as chair of the Atlantic Council at a time when it is poised to play an increasingly important global role,” Mr. Huntsman said.
The council was founded in 1961 as a way to continue cooperation between the United States and Europe in post-war years of the 20th century.
Mr. Huntsman served as governor of Utah from 2005 to 2009 before serving as Mr. Obama’s ambassador to China from 2009 to 2011. He ran for the GOP presidential nomination as a dark-horse candidate in 2012, but dropped out and endorsed Mitt Romney after a disappointing New Hampshire primary.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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