Samantha Power

Samantha Power
Born	Samantha Jane Power 21 9, 1970
Birthplace	London, England
Nationality	American, Irish
Occupation	Diplomat, journalist, author, academic
Title	Anna Lindh Professor of the Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Known for	U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (2013–2017), USAID Administrator (2021–2025), A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide
Education	Yale University (BA) Harvard University (JD)
Children	2
Awards	Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction (2003), Henry A. Kissinger Prize (2016), Barnard Medal of Distinction (2015)

Samantha Jane Power (born September 21, 1970) is an Irish-American journalist, diplomat, author, and government official whose career has traced a path from war-torn conflict zones to the highest levels of United States foreign policy. She served as the 28th United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 2013 to 2017 under President Barack Obama, and as the 19th Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. Power first gained prominence as a war correspondent covering the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s, and subsequently as a scholar and author. Her 2003 book A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, which examined the United States' foreign policy responses to genocide throughout the twentieth century, won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. Before entering government, she served as the Founding Executive Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and later held the Anna Lindh Professor of Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy chair. A member of the Democratic Party, Power served as a senior adviser to Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign and subsequently held positions on the National Security Council before her ambassadorial appointment. She is considered to have been a key figure in the Obama administration in persuading the president to intervene militarily in Libya. In 2016, Forbes listed her as the 41st-most powerful woman in the world. Following her departure from government in January 2025, Power returned to Harvard with a joint faculty appointment at the Kennedy School and the Law School.

Early Life

Samantha Jane Power was born on September 21, 1970, in London, England. She is of Irish descent and holds both Irish and American citizenship. Power grew up in Ireland before immigrating to the United States as a child. Her upbringing in Ireland and subsequent life in the United States shaped her identity as an Irish-American, a background that would later feature in her public persona and diplomatic career.

Power's formative experiences included a growing awareness of international affairs and human rights. Her interest in conflict and humanitarian crises deepened over time, ultimately leading her to pursue a career in journalism that would take her to some of the most dangerous conflict zones of the 1990s. The experience of witnessing war firsthand, particularly the ethnic cleansing and mass atrocities committed during the breakup of Yugoslavia, had a defining impact on her intellectual and professional trajectory. These experiences informed her later academic work on genocide and her advocacy within the U.S. government for more robust responses to mass atrocities abroad.

Education

Power pursued her undergraduate education at Yale University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. She subsequently attended Harvard Law School, where she obtained a Juris Doctor (JD) degree. Her education at two of the United States' most prestigious institutions provided her with a foundation in both the liberal arts and law, equipping her for a career that would span journalism, academia, and public service. Power's time at Harvard proved particularly consequential, as she would later return to the university in several academic and administrative capacities, including as the founding executive director of a major human rights policy center and as a tenured professor of practice.

Career

Journalism and War Correspondence

Power began her professional career as a journalist and war correspondent. During the 1990s, she covered the Yugoslav Wars, reporting from Bosnia and Herzegovina and other conflict zones in the Balkans. Her firsthand exposure to the atrocities committed during the breakup of Yugoslavia—including ethnic cleansing, mass killings, and the siege of Sarajevo—profoundly influenced her worldview and her subsequent career. The experience of witnessing genocide and mass atrocity crimes up close drove her to examine why the international community, and the United States in particular, repeatedly failed to prevent or halt such events. This question became the central preoccupation of her academic work and, ultimately, her approach to foreign policy as a government official.

Academic Career at Harvard

In 1998, Power became the Founding Executive Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. In this role, she helped establish the center as a hub for research and policy analysis on human rights issues. She later served as the first Anna Lindh Professor of Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy at the Kennedy School, a position she held until 2009.

Power's most significant scholarly contribution during this period was her book A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, published in 2002. The book offered a comprehensive examination of the United States' foreign policy responses to genocide throughout the twentieth century, analyzing cases including the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, the Cambodian genocide, the Rwandan genocide, and the atrocities in Bosnia. Power argued that the United States had consistently failed to act to prevent or stop genocide, not because of ignorance but because of a lack of political will. The book received widespread critical acclaim and won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 2003. It also won the J. Anthony Lukas Prize.

Power's research and arguments have not been without criticism. Some scholars in the genocide studies field have taken issue with her underlying assumption that the United States was a bystander to genocide, as opposed to a perpetrator or enabler of it. This critique pointed to instances in which U.S. foreign policy actions arguably contributed to or facilitated conditions leading to mass atrocities, rather than merely failing to intervene.

In 2004, Time magazine named Power one of its Time 100 most influential people in the category of scientists and thinkers.

Following her departure from government in January 2025, Harvard Kennedy School announced in May 2025 that Power would return to the university effective June 1, 2025, with a joint faculty appointment at the Kennedy School and the Law School. She resumed the Anna Lindh Professor of the Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy chair at the Kennedy School.

Political Adviser to Barack Obama

Power served as a senior adviser to Senator Barack Obama during his campaign for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. She was part of his foreign policy advisory team and played a role in shaping the campaign's positions on international affairs, including the Iraq War.

In March 2008, Power resigned from the Obama campaign after she referred to Senator Hillary Clinton as "a monster" during an interview with The Scotsman. The remark generated significant media attention and controversy during the intensely contested Democratic primary. Power apologized for the comment and stepped down from her formal advisory role. However, following Obama's election as president in November 2008, Power was brought back into his orbit, joining the Obama State Department transition team in late November 2008.

National Security Council

From January 2009 to February 2013, Power served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights on the National Security Council. In this capacity, she was one of the key voices within the Obama administration on issues related to human rights, humanitarian intervention, and the prevention of mass atrocities.

In April 2012, President Obama chose Power to chair a newly formed Atrocities Prevention Board, an interagency body established to coordinate the U.S. government's efforts to prevent and respond to mass atrocities around the world. The creation of the board reflected the influence of Power's long-standing advocacy for a more systematic U.S. approach to genocide and atrocity prevention.

Power was considered to have been a key figure within the Obama administration in persuading the president to authorize military intervention in Libya in 2011, during the uprising against the government of Muammar Gaddafi. Along with other senior officials, she advocated for the use of force to prevent what the administration characterized as an imminent massacre of civilians in Benghazi. This advocacy reflected her longstanding position as a proponent of armed intervention by the United States in opposition to atrocities abroad, a stance that both defined her career and drew criticism from those who questioned the outcomes and precedents set by such interventions.

United States Ambassador to the United Nations

In June 2013, President Obama nominated Power to serve as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, succeeding Susan Rice, who had been appointed as National Security Advisor. Power was confirmed by the United States Senate and assumed office on August 5, 2013. She served in this capacity until January 20, 2017, with Rosemary DiCarlo and Michele J. Sison serving as her deputies.

As U.N. Ambassador, Power's office focused on a wide range of issues including United Nations reform, women's rights, LGBT rights, religious freedom and the protection of religious minorities, refugees, human trafficking, human rights, and democracy. Geographically, her portfolio encompassed challenges in the Middle East and North Africa, Sudan, and Myanmar, among other regions.

During her tenure, Power was known for her direct and forceful rhetoric at the Security Council, particularly on issues related to the Syrian civil war and the Russian annexation of Crimea. Her approach reflected the interventionist philosophy that had characterized her academic and policy work, though the complexities of Security Council diplomacy—including the veto power of permanent members—often constrained the scope of U.S. action.

Power's positions on Israel and the Middle East drew commentary from various quarters. Alan Dershowitz wrote in support of her nomination, arguing that she would represent U.S. interests effectively at the United Nations. She also faced scrutiny regarding previous comments about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which she later sought to clarify.

Administrator of USAID

Following the election of President Joe Biden in November 2020, Power was nominated to serve as Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). She was confirmed by the Senate and took office on May 3, 2021, succeeding Mark Green. She served in this role until January 20, 2025.

As USAID Administrator, Power oversaw the agency's global development and humanitarian assistance programs. During the COVID-19 pandemic era, she argued publicly for a redefinition of national security that incorporated pandemic preparedness and global health security. In a piece for Time magazine, Power contended that the shared enemy of the coronavirus should spark a broader rethinking of how national security threats are understood and addressed.

After leaving office in January 2025, Power continued to engage with international development policy. She voiced support for legislation introduced by Congressman Brad Sherman and Congressman Gregory Meeks seeking an investigation into deaths resulting from the dismantling of USAID programs under the subsequent administration.

Return to Academia

In May 2025, Harvard Kennedy School announced that Power would return to the university on June 1, 2025, with a joint faculty appointment at the Kennedy School and Harvard Law School. She resumed the Anna Lindh Professor of the Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy position at the Kennedy School. The appointment was met with both support and opposition; the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) launched a campaign opposing Power's return to Harvard, reflecting ongoing disagreements over her foreign policy positions and record.

Following her return to Harvard, Power continued her public engagement on human rights issues. In October 2025, the Kennedy School hosted a fireside chat featuring Power and prominent Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza, who had been sentenced to 25 years in prison by Russian authorities for his opposition activities before being released in a prisoner exchange. Power was also scheduled to deliver the 32nd Annual Hesburgh Lecture in Ethics and Public Policy at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

Personal Life

Samantha Power married Cass Sunstein, a legal scholar and former Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs under President Obama, in 2008. The couple has two children. Power holds both Irish and American citizenship, reflecting her origins in Ireland and her adult life in the United States.

Power is the subject of the 2014 documentary Watchers of the Sky, which profiles several individuals who have contributed to the cause of genocide prevention. The film explores the legacy of Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term "genocide," and examines the work of contemporary figures, including Power, who have sought to translate that legacy into policy and action.

Recognition

Power has received numerous awards and honors over the course of her career. Her most significant literary recognition was the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 2003 for A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide. The book also received the J. Anthony Lukas Prize from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University.

In 2004, Time magazine named Power one of its Time 100 most influential people in the scientists and thinkers category.

In 2015, Power was awarded the Barnard Medal of Distinction from Barnard College. In 2016, she received the Henry A. Kissinger Prize, an award given in recognition of contributions to transatlantic relations and international diplomacy.

Also in 2016, Forbes listed Power as the 41st-most powerful woman in the world, reflecting her influence as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and her broader role in American foreign policy.

Legacy

Samantha Power's career has spanned the fields of journalism, academia, and government, with a consistent focus on human rights, genocide prevention, and the role of the United States in responding to mass atrocities. Her book A Problem from Hell remains one of the most widely read works on the subject of American foreign policy and genocide, and it helped shape public and policy discourse on atrocity prevention in the early twenty-first century.

Within the Obama administration, Power's influence was associated with a more interventionist approach to humanitarian crises, most notably in the case of Libya in 2011. Her advocacy for the Atrocities Prevention Board represented an institutional innovation in how the U.S. government organized its response to mass atrocity risks. At the same time, the outcomes of the Libyan intervention and the broader challenges of the Syrian civil war illustrated the limits and controversies associated with the interventionist framework she championed.

As USAID Administrator, Power oversaw the agency during a period of significant global challenges, including the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, food security crises, and refugee emergencies. Her subsequent advocacy regarding the consequences of dismantling USAID programs reflected her continued engagement with international development policy after leaving office.

Power's career has also been marked by ongoing debates about the role of the United States in global affairs. Her assumption that the United States has primarily been a bystander to genocide, rather than at times a contributor to the conditions that produce it, remains a subject of scholarly discussion. These debates reflect broader questions within the fields of human rights scholarship and foreign policy about the nature of American power and responsibility on the world stage.

Her return to Harvard in 2025, with a joint appointment at the Kennedy School and the Law School, positions her to continue influencing the next generation of scholars and policymakers working on issues of human rights, international law, and global governance.