Robert O. Blake Jr.

Robert Orris Blake Jr. (born 1957) is an American career diplomat who served as Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives from 2006 to 2009, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs from 2009 to 2013 and Ambassador to Indonesia from 2014 to 2016.[1]

Robert Blake
United States Ambassador to Indonesia
In office January 30, 2014 – July 18, 2016
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Scot Marciel
Succeeded by	Joseph R. Donovan Jr.
Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs
In office May 26, 2009 – October 18, 2013
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Richard Boucher
Succeeded by	Nisha Biswal
United States Ambassador to the Maldives
In office October 30, 2006 – May 21, 2009
President	George W. Bush Barack Obama
Preceded by	Jeffrey Lunstead
Succeeded by	Patricia Butenis
United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka
In office September 9, 2006 – May 21, 2009
President	George W. Bush Barack Obama
Preceded by	Jeffrey Lunstead
Succeeded by	Patricia Butenis
Personal details
Born	Robert Orris Blake Jr. 1957 (age 62–63)
Parents	Robert O. Blake Sylvia Whitehouse Blake
Relatives	Sheldon Whitehouse (cousin) Charles S. Whitehouse (uncle) Sheldon Whitehouse (diplomat) (grandfather)
Alma mater	Harvard University Johns Hopkins University

Blake is a Senior Director at McLarty Associates where he leads the firm's India and South Asia practice and advises clients in Indonesia for the Southeast Asia and Pacific practice.[2] He is also co-chair of the board of trustees at the U.S.-Indonesia Society (USINDO)[3] and is a board member at the Asia Foundation[4] and the Bhutan Foundation[5]. Blake also serves on the Global Leadership Council for the World Resources Institute[6] and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)[7].

He is the son of Robert O. Blake and grandson of Sheldon Whitehouse, both former U.S. Ambassadors.

Diplomatic career

Blake is seen with E. Saravanapavan at Uthayan Office in Jaffna.

Blake is a career Foreign Service Officer, having entered the Foreign Service in 1985. He has served at the U.S. embassies in Tunisia, Algeria, Nigeria and Egypt. He also has held a number of positions at the State Department in Washington, D.C. Blake served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission in New Delhi, India, from 2003 to 2006 where he was named the worldwide DCM of the Year by the State Department.[2]

Blake in November 2007

Blake arrived in Sri Lanka on September 8, 2006, to take up his duties as Ambassador to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Republic of Maldives. Blake presented his credentials on September 9 to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. In January 2007 he met with President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom to discuss renewable energy in the Maldives. In February 2007, Blake received minor injuries from a mortar blast while exiting a helicopter at a Sri Lankan air base in Batticaloa, where he was to attend a development meeting. Tamil rebels are believed to be responsible for the mortar attack.[8] The Tigers claimed they were not informed by the government that the ambassador was present and were only returning fire from the Sri Lankan Army.

Blake was known to be engaged in the Sri Lankan civil society and practice what came to be known as "Public Diplomacy" which led some to label him as an interferer in internal affairs of the country.[9]

Blake succeeded Richard Boucher when he assumed his duties as the Assistant Secretary for Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs on May 26, 2009[10], for which he was awarded the State Department's Distinguished Service Award[2]. He was replaced by Nisha Desai Biswal on October 23, 2013, after being nominated by President Obama to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia.[11][1]

Personal life

Blake earned a B.A. from Harvard College in 1980 and an M.A. in international relations from Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in 1984. He is married to Sofia Blake. They have three daughters.

References

1. "Robert O. Blake, Jr". U.S. Department of State. U.S. State Department. Archived from the original on 10 June 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
2. "Robert O. Blake, Jr". McLarty Associates.
3. "Trustees". USINDO. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
4. Williams, Nicola. "Board of Trustees". The Asia Foundation. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
5. "Our Team". Bhutan Foundation. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
6. "Global Leadership Council | World Resources Institute". www.wri.org. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
7. "NRDC Annual Report 2017". Issuu. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
8. "Diplomats hurt in S Lanka attack", BBC News, February 27, 2007
9. Robert Blake’s insistence on ‘equal rights’ and interference in Sri Lanka’s Internal Affairs", The Island, May 10, 2011, 7:32 pm
10. Blake, Robert, O. Bureau of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State .
11. "President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts". White House. Retrieved 2 November 2013.

• 1st Interview with Journalist Kevin Jacobs in Sri Lanka January 2007

Sources

• Embassy of the United States in Colombo: Biography of the ambassador

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Jeffrey Lunstead	United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka 2006–2009	Succeeded by Patricia Butenis
	United States Ambassador to the Maldives 2006–2009
Preceded by Scot Marciel	United States Ambassador to Indonesia 2014–2016	Succeeded by Joseph R. Donovan Jr.
Political offices
Preceded by Richard Boucher	Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs 2009–2013	Succeeded by Nisha Biswal