Readers may be interested in the current state of affairs for the profession of diplomacy in the US. Data collected by the American Foreign Service Association (https://afsa.org/list-ambassadorial-appointments#current-data) indicate that as of October 8, 73 ambassadorial positions remain vacant, 61 are currently filled by career Foreign Service officers, and 60 by non-career persons. Those figures are somewhat misleading, since, of the ambassadorial nominations sent to the Senate by the current president, only six, or 9%, have been of career personnel. Sixty (91%) have been non-career. The remaining 55 career officers holding ambassadorships were nominated and confirmed during prior administrations. Most, if not all, of them will be replaced by the current administration. If the current ratio of nominations holds, the US will eventually be represented at the ambassadorial level by 18 professional diplomats and 177 amateur ones. If the historic 70/30 ratio of career to non-career personnel still held, those figures would be 137 career and 58 non-career ambassadors.
The current issue opens with an article by Robert Hunter on the essential role that an understanding of history plays in making foreign policy. He believes that has been largely lost over the past several decades and replaced by a push for consensus and a careerist mentality that tries to avoid disagreement. Keith McCormick summarizes a recent DACOR conference on Iran and the US. The participants found that Iran’s foreign policy orientation has shifted from an aggressive posture that utilized regional allies to deflect its enemies to a more defensive nationalism. It faces great domestic, as well as international challenges, but the regime does not seem close to collapse. I’ve provided a short article that tries to illustrate the unique role that culturally and linguistically trained diplomats can play in conveying the reality of developments abroad to policy-makers at home, provided their insights are welcomed rather than punished. Finally, Jonathan Rickert recounts his role in providing support for two visits abroad by Senator Ted Kennedy. Supporting Congressional delegations (or Codels), is a responsibility that all American diplomats have at some point. Our occasional Student Corner section includes a prize-winning essay on the war in Vietnam and its longer-term effects on US diplomacy.
As we begin to look ahead to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence next year, we’ve included links to some articles from our archives that explore our foreign affairs history, starting with the turn of this century. We’ve also included a link to a recent article in the Foreign Service Journal describing the legislation that established the Foreign Service in its current form and the challenges it faces from actions of the Trump administration.