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Nikki Haley…Third Woman in Row to Represent U.S. in United Nations | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley addresses the Republican Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)


Washington – Her original name was Nimrata Randhawn, now known as Nikki Haley, was an Indian Sikh, now a Protestant; she was a legal accountant then she moved to the business and trade sector, and finally became a Politician. She used to describe herself a black woman, then she became a brunette, but today she insists that she’s “white”.

In politics, Haley begun her journey as a Democrat before shifting toward the Republican Party; she was one of Clinton’s biggest fans however later she considered her a disaster; and finally, when Donald Trump announced his candidature for the U.S. presidency, she was among the Republicans who opposed this decision, yet, today she accepted her appointment as the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. to defend his politics and administration before the whole world.

In 1996, Ajit Singh Randhawa, a professor at Punjab Agricultural University was accepted at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada where he settled; later, he married Raj Kaur Randhawa, a young lawyer and stood in Canada till he got his PHD in 1969.

In 1970, the family moved to South Carolina on the Southern East cost of the United States, where Ajit joined Voorhees College of black background. The couple has three children including their smallest Nimrata, who they used to callas “Nikky”.

Nimrata (Nikky) was born Nimrata Randhawa in Bamberg, South Carolina, on January 20; at age 12, Nikki began helping with the bookkeeping in Exotica International, her mother’s ladies’ clothing shop. Nikki is a graduate of Orangeburg Preparatory Schools and Clemson University, with a BS degree in accounting.

They say that in her early life, she was a fan of individual initiatives and economic liberty and opposed the government intervention.

In her childhood, her parents registered her in the “Miss Bamberg” contest. The contest traditionally crowned a black queen and a white queen. The judges decided Haley did not fit either category, so the judges disqualified her.

Haley, a mother of two succeeded in the field of trade and business; she has had an ambitious personality, which made her one of the most eminent ladies in Bamberg and encouraged her on working in politics.

In 2004, Haley ran for the South Carolina House of Representatives and become the first Asian-American of Asian Sikh Indian heritage to hold office in South Carolina. She loudly defended the freedom of investment and fiscal reductions on companies. She moved from the Democratic to the Republican Party; she was unopposed for re-election to a second term in 2006 and defeated her Democrat rival with 88%–17%.
A Governor
In 2009, Haley announced that she would run for the Republican nomination for Governor of South Carolina, and easily succeeded in being the first non-white politician to run this state for the first time in 300 years.

Political identity

Two weeks ago, the Washington Post accused Haley of having imponderable racist and ethnic opinions; she frequently criticized black people and accused them of committing crimes – she also attacked Mexican migrants and called to deporting the illegitimate members among them; she also criticized Barak Obama and considered he was lenient in combating terrorism because he is “an undercover Muslim”.

However, Haley faced many accusations of forgetting her Indian origin to fulfill her ambitions in politics; shewas biased to white people and waived her religion.

Haley and Trump

The Haley-Trump relation witnessed myriad of clashes and criticisms. However, with the end of the President-elect campaign, and during an interview on C.N.N., Haley said that she didn’t criticize Trump on the personal level, and that she considers him a friend. Then, he selected her to represent the United States in the United Nations.

Foreign policy

After being appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to U.N., Haley is expected to represent the U.S. worldwide and to defend the policies of the new administration before the highest international platform. But what about her positions in the international affairs?

According to the Washington Post and New York Times, the appointed ambassador banned the North Carolina State from participating in a campaign to oppose U.S. investments in Israel; when appointed as new U.S. Ambassador to U.N., Tel Aviv was the first to applaud the decision. As per Syrian refuges, media reported that Haley has hesitating position toward them.