It’s one of the most difficult times in recent years to be a U.S. diplomat. Why should American citizens care?
For a start, while traveling outside the United States, when a family member dies, or Aunt Matilda gets mugged or has a medical emergency in a place with awful medical care, it’s the American Embassy which comes to the rescue.
Likewise, diplomats at our embassies help U.S. businesses sell or buy their services around the globe, and make sure they are justly treated when commercial disputes arise.
Outside the U.S., our diplomats are Americans’ 911 service.
And, even if you don’t plan to travel overseas, it’s important to know that U.S. diplomats are America’s “eyes and ears” abroad.
Using their expertise on local political dynamics, economic conditions, and culture, our diplomats alert Washington about conditions which impact our nation’s safety, security, and prosperity.
As former Defense Secretary James Mattis said to Congress: “If you don’t fund the State Department fully, then you need to buy me more bullets.”
But today’s crisis in U.S. diplomacy is less about money than an institution caught up in the storm of our current national political dysfunction. Here is why that matters.
Like most Washington federal government agencies, the U.S. Department of State’s employees tilt heavily liberal.
According to Federal Election Commission data during the 2019-2020 election cycle, 93% of political contributions from State Department employees went to Democratic party candidates or political action committees.
So, during my long career, I’ve always been very much a political minority among my diplomatic colleagues.
But until recently it didn’t matter, because America’s professional diplomats serve their country, immaterial of which party controls what part of our government.
While U.S. Ambassadors represent the President, our diplomats represent the nation. We all have personal opinions, but in our work we promote our nation’s official policies.
I was picked to be Deputy by one of President Clinton’s political appointed Ambassadors.
When he heard that my personal politics were of the opposite persuasion, he said, “super; we’ll have some great discussions”, and we did.
In today’s world, unfortunately, a number of contravening forces are buffeting U.S. Diplomacy. First, the structural problems.
Through the years and multiple administration changes, the State Department’s organization had become untenable.
Offices were added to represent each administration’s own priorities – often on a single issue or duplicating work already being done – but none were ever abolished.
The Department became like a Christmas tree sagging from too many ornaments. It became lethargic, constipated, and process-focused instead of deft, creative, and action oriented.
U.S. Diplomacy also lost its way on policies and human resources. While every administration emphasized its own priorities, Biden unfortunately took this to a new level by globally promoting highly controversial social policies as “universal values,” topics about which even Americans heatedly disagreed.
Understandably, nations steeped in conservative or religious values highly resented having these topics repeatedly blasted at them through America’s megaphone.
In addition, the Biden administration changed the emphasis on recruiting, promoting, and assigning diplomats from prioritizing “merit” and instead tilted toward “equity.”
While this was an attempt to redress past injustices, it only introduced a new element of unfairness.
Now, unfortunately the incoming Trump administration has added new problems for America’s diplomacy.
The new White House saw U.S. diplomats as a hotbed of “Never Trumpers,” while career diplomats viewed the incoming leadership as a hostile takeover.
Initial moves, including the rash actions of DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), reinforced both sides’ view of the other.
As I pointed out in a previous piece I wrote shortly after leaving the State Department last year, (Tibor Nagy: Surgery? Yes.
Chainsaw? No. How not to reform the U.S. government) in its rush to pursue needed reforms, the new administration employed methods that were hasty, ill conceived, and needlessly cruel.
This has been further compounded by additional actions of the administration.
As I noted above, the State Department was in desperate need of structural reform, and the Administration’s reorganization plan made sense.
But again, the execution was unjust – terminating about 1,300 employees, including 250 diplomats, not based on performance, but on what positions they occupied when their offices were eliminated. It was pure musical chairs!
Great people were pitched out the door, while some not great people remained; certainly not the way to boost morale or confidence.
Then, just in time for Christmas this year, the administration recalled 30 serving career ambassadors, giving them two weeks to move their families back to the U.S.
This is something every President has a right to do, but it was done unwisely.
And looking at the list of recalled envoys, I don’t see a pattern of incompetence or disloyalty; many are great folks I know personally. America has about 200 Ambassadors.
Currently 115 of these positions are empty, awaiting Presidential nominees, including for some very important countries.
Of the 75 people Trump has so far nominated, 92% are political. Again, this is the President’s prerogative – but historically, 30% of ambassadors have been political, with the rest career folks.
Having a vacant ambassadorship with no nominee is almost as bad as having an inept or unqualified Presidential friend, relative, or business partner.
While there is a career person holding down all such vacant positions serving as Charge d’Affaires – usually an experienced and accomplished diplomat – I know from my own experience that an “acting” ambassador just doesn’t have the imprimatur or gravitas of a Senate-confirmed Presidential appointee.
This is true from the viewpoint of the host nation, the American community, and even inside the Embassy.
Hopefully, the President will quickly nominate qualified people to lead these Embassies, and the Senate will quickly confirm them.
The recent reorganization, dubious firings, and ambassadorial recalls, have been a shock to our diplomatic readiness and performance.
How does this impact our military conflict in Iran?
One example relates to the recent Iran War.
The State Department should have been able to respond much quicker and more systematically in helping Americans evacuate from the region – instead, there was a sense of scrambling to get on top of the situation and public messaging was lacking.
This should not recur.
We’re still at the start of this administration.
For America’s well-being, I hope the political leadership and our diplomatic professionals come to a point where each respects the role of the other.
Our foreign policy is in the hands of the President and his designees, the Secretary of State and his Ambassadors.
Our career diplomats need to put aside personal political leanings and loyally serve the administration or make way for others.
Conversely, our political leaders need to appreciate the professional competence that our diplomats bring to making America safer, stronger, and more prosperous through their expertise and skills.
Conducting our nation’s diplomacy through these capable professionals will advance the President’s priorities much more effectively than some of the “drive by” techniques we’ve recently seen. And the state of the world today desperately needs that!
Ambassador Tibor Nagy most recently served as acting Under Secretary of State for Management in the second President Donald Trump administration. He also served as Assistant Secretary of State for Africa in the first Trump administration after serving as Texas Tech’s Vice Provost for International Affairs following a 30-year career as a U.S. Diplomat. Follow him on Twitter @TiborPNagyJr.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Tibor Nagy on the problem with America’s diplomacy | Opinion
Reporting by By Tibor Nagy, special for the Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
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