by Melissa Clegg-Tripp
Netflix’s hit series The Diplomat is three seasons into the fictional tale of US Ambassador to the United Kingdom and (spoiler alert) Second Lady Kate Wyler as she deals with geopolitical dilemmas, high level duplicity, a troubled alliance, a stressed marriage, as well as problematic wardrobe issues and romantic partners. The plot may be farfetched, but how does the series rate when it comes to its portrayal of the Foreign Service experience? Let’s find out.
Early on, our fictional ambassador was set to head off to the US embassy in Kabul when she got word the president wanted to change her assignment. She hopped on a waiting plane and in hours was in London. This scenario flashes red on the reality checker. Presidents nominate individuals, be they career Foreign Service Officers or political appointees (AKA friends or donors to the president) for specific assignments. First, the chosen individual is vetted for suitability to represent the United States. If the person is found suitable, the next step is for the Department of State to quietly ask the prospective host country government if it will accept the individual. Once that has been ironed out, the nomination is made public and then, per the Constitution, the Senate must vote to confirm the nomination. Bottom line: You can’t be confirmed for an ambassadorship in country A only to be switched to country B without going through the whole process again.
What about the splendid house she moves into? The reality checker flashes green on that. Winfield House, as the official residence is called in London, is a lovely estate set in acres of parkland. It is, however, an outlier. Most official US residences cannot begin to rival it. In many countries, the ambassador’s residence is a more modest house or even an apartment.
A staff member asks our fictional ambassador’s husband when he expects the couple’s art collection to arrive. Alas, the husband relays the news they are public servants who do not have the wealth to have amassed an art collection. The reality checker flashes gold on this one. True, sadly many career ambassadors do not have a personal art collection, but there is a remedy for bare walls in their residences or embassies. The “Art in Embassies” program will negotiate loans from museums, private collectors, and artists themselves. Ambassadors can elect to show art just from their home state or a specific genre of American art they like such as impressionism, postmodern, folk art, etc. The program allows outstanding examples of American art to be presented to audiences in our diplomatic missions across the world.
At one point, our fictional ambassador’s private citizen husband asks for an embassy car to take him to an appointment, and he is told he can’t have one. That’s a green flash on the reality checker. The ambassador always gets an official car. Other embassy staff get one for scheduled, official events only. Spouses rarely ride in embassy vehicles unless a couple is representing the United States at an official engagement. In fact, in London and other cities with excellent public transportation, many Foreign Service staff get around that way. In the Netherlands, some ride bikes to work or meetings. There are some exceptions to this general rule. In high threat assignments, official armored vans may take staff as well as spouses to appointments in the interest of safety. In not-so-distant days, when women were not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, the embassy provided cars and drivers to female Foreign Service officers as well as female spouses.
In season two, a Foreign Service officer dies in a bombing, and her body is flown to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for a “dignified transfer ceremony.” The reality checker shows green. Foreign Service Officers have died in the line of duty, whether by violence, accident, or disease, since the country’s founding. Their bodies are usually returned to the United States, and currently over 300 of their names are memorialized at the State Department.
In season three, when the estranged husband of our fictional ambassador learns she is in a relationship with a British spy, he asks if she has — wait for it — filed the relevant paperwork. The reality checker flashes green for this scenario. Foreign Service officers need security clearances to do their jobs. An intimate relationship with a “foreign national” might or might not lead to security concerns regarding potential foreign influence. For this reason, the security system needs information to decide whether the Foreign Service officer should retain access to confidential information. This is a requirement our fictional ambassador blithely disregards.
So, what is the verdict? While the series takes some liberties when it comes to portraying Foreign Service realities, it is fairly grounded. That is more than one can say for the dramatic plot twists, but the series does make for entertaining viewing. If it serves to attract interest in American diplomacy and Foreign Service careers, it deserves a green light just for that.
Melissa Clegg-Tripp is a former member of the Senior Foreign Service and is a board member of American Diplomacy. She had assignments in Europe, South America, Africa, and the Middle East, as well as Washington, DC. She has degrees from Bryn Mawr College, New York University, and the National Defense University.