On the left: Amb. Henry Morgenthau Sr. (U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1913-1916), a heroic figure who raised alarm bells – privately and publicly – about the Armenian Genocide and helped launch the Near East Foundation which raised over $2 billion (in current figures) to support victims of Ottoman atrocities. He later devoted much of his professional life to the rights of the Armenian nation. To the right: Current U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy, who has received an “F” rating from the ANCA.
WASHINGTON—After more than three years at her diplomatic post, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, Lynne Tracy, has received a final grade of “F” from the Armenian National Committee of America for her consistently poor performance across a broad array of diplomatic metrics.
“As I have said previously, the ANCA wants every U.S. Ambassador to Armenia to be successful,” said ANCA Chairman Raffi Hamparian. “Sadly, Ambassador Tracy has compounded her silence during the 44-day war with reckless disregard for over 90,000 displaced Artsakh Armenians and Azerbaijan’s ongoing encroachment on sovereign Armenian territory. Three years into her tenure as Ambassador to Armenia, Ambassador Tracy has continued to fail on issue after issue – falling far short of the most basic professional expectations of a competent American Ambassador to Armenia.”
The ANCA first gave Ambassador Tracy an “F” rating in December 2020, based on her poor performance in fifteen different issue areas. In the 18-months since this grade was given, Ambassador Tracy has continued to fail across multiple metrics, among them the lack of meaningful U.S. aid to Artsakh refugees, playing favorites among Armenian political forces, further complicating Armenia’s security and regional relationships, and failing to meaningfully address Azerbaijan’s illegal detention, abuse, and murder of Armenian prisoners of war.
Career U.S. foreign service officers, like Ambassador Tracy, usually serve tours of roughly three years before receiving a new diplomatic assignment. With her time in Armenia already past that mark, the ANCA urges the Biden Administration to reset the U.S.-Armenia relationship on solid footing by nominating a new Ambassador to Yerevan. The ANCA looks forward to working closely with the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee to ensure a competent nominee reflecting U.S. values is confirmed without delay.
ANCA Performance Rating for U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy
FINAL GRADE: F
Ambassador Tracy’s Performance On Bilateral Issues
— Support for development of U.S.-Armenia strategic relations: F
— Support for expanded U.S. Trade and Investment in Armenia: F
— Support for growth of bilateral U.S.-Armenia military relations: F
— Support for U.S. Millennium Challenge grant for Armenia: F
— Support for U.S.-Armenia Double Taxation Treaty: F
— Support for U.S.-Armenia Social Security Agreement: F
— Support for Congressional delegations to Armenia and Artsakh: D
— Support for Senior U.S. Executive Branch visits to Armenia: F
— Selective support for Armenian civil society groups: D
Ambassador Tracy’s Performance On Regional Issues
Response to Azerbaijan’s attack on Armenia and Artsakh: F
Humanitarian aid for victims of Azerbaijani aggression: D
Re-programmed U.S. assistance for COVID-19 pandemic: D
Humanitarian assistance for HALO Trust Artsakh demining: F
Ambassador Tracy’s Performance On Diaspora Issues
Engagement with the Armenian American community: F
Cooperation with Diaspora humanitarian relief efforts: D
Support for the century-long U.S.-Armenian friendship: F