Domani Spero at Diplopundit ("Just one obsessive observer, diplomatic watcher, opinionator and noodle newsmaker monitoring the goings on at Foggy Bottom and the worldwide available universe.") explored how this could have happened.
Money quote(s):
"(A) US diplomat was caught in a very public row over her insensitive and thoughtless remark about Tamils during a speech at a local university in Chennai, India."
A fairly experienced individual, but new to formal diplomacy. Foreigners can be a mite tetchy about First World diplomats talking down to them, even if the diplomat didn't mean to do so.
"U.S. diplomats are on 24/7, 365 days a year. Even the lowest ranked, most junior U.S. diplomat is a representative of the United States Government.The press, and host country nationals in fact, will have high expectations even on the newest vice-consul. If there is a lesson to this, it is that no matter how junior a diplomat the individual might be, what he/she says and does reflect on the United States. The press, local or otherwise, will not make allowances that this is a diplomat's first assignment or whether or not he/she had lessons in public affairs and public diplomacy."
All true. It can be a bit heady; it's also quite dangerous (to the junior diplomats more than anyone).
Presumably V/C Chao's supervisor looked at her long experience in education and thought she'd be the ideal person to handle this particular speaking event. We all have to speak in public sooner or later; this is covered at least somewhat during the A-100 orientation that all FSOs attend.
"In a very competitive service, entry level officers often try to set themselves apart from the pack. Most volunteer for additional assignments, others use their portfolio assignments to stand out; in a pack of highly educated, talented newbies, they mostly want to be memorable to their bosses. But it can sometimes backfire.
In the last several years, there has also been a pushed for new officers to be out there. Even "newbies" on their first tours in consular sections are being asked to conduct consular public diplomacy outreach with radio, television and the print media. The State Department culture often presumes that a Foreign Service Officer, a generalist can do just about anything, whether they are trained for it or not. Some officers are indeed talented in dealing with the general public and the media; but others are not so."
First tour officers are worried about their annual performance appraisals; supervisors of those first tour officers are worried about coming up with something to write for each of perhaps as many as a dozen or more such individuals that makes each evaluation individual. So they get special projects or assignments, none of it make-work, that give them an opportunity to shine (or not).
I suspect that this vice consul's supervisor has had lots of occasion to reflect on all the ramifications of that.
"In another life -- in at least one consular section, I have seen a Consul General tasked entry level officers with extremely limited press training to go out and deal with the media in the section's public outreach. And it was not optional. The result was a group of new officers who desperately wanted to excel on something they were set to fail. For those naturally talented or PD-coned, the task was manageable; if you have the knack for it, you can get by by the skin of your teeth. For those who are non-PD coned, or those with no substantial experience dealing with foreign publics--some not always friendly to the United States, it was often like amateur hour. Why would a senior manager do something like this? Rumor had it that the Consul General was trying to impress somebody from his/her home bureau with an "innovative" program for new officers which carry no training cost. It was a shitty program but the junior officers were too afraid to complain or demand appropriate training." (Bold typeface added for emphasis. - CAA.)
All FSOs, but especially new ones, suffer (is the right word?) from varying degrees of Lake Woebegone-ness. That is, none of them can be described as being anything but above average. They can't be average (or below) to get anywhere within spitting distance of being hired into this line of work, no matter what fellowships or other line-cutting opportunities they're gifted with beforehand.
CAA admits to a certain trepidation when it comes to dealing with the media, but has benefited from generally U.S.-friendly interviewers and media outlets, which allowed him to gain experience without tongue-trampling too badly on camera (or in print).
"(E)ntry level officers who are on overseas assignment for the first time ought not deal with the foreign public/media without specific guidance/training from post's Public Affairs Officer. Some sections where bosses are not too addled with the illness known as promotiontitis, the officers get to do murder boards before they show up for public engagements. Despite what the name implies, a murder board does not involve actual murder and gets its origin from the U.S. Army's extensive training system; it simulates the actual presentation where the audience (usually colleagues) engaged in a role play including asking difficult and gotcha questions that the target group is likely to ask. It is a practice session that not only allows newbies to make mistakes in a learning environment; if handled effectively with appropriate feedback, it also help the new officers improve their persuasion, presentation and public speaking skills."
The concept of a "murder board" is also utilized when preparing political appointees for their confirmation hearings. The main drawback is time. Anyone who would be needed to put one of these together almost certainly has other things eating up the limited number of hours in their work day. So preparing media newbies for their first foray into the lion's den has to be made enough of a priority (by management) that it happens. To do otherwise invites media disaster, as we've seen.
8/15
