DipNote, the "U.S. DEPARTMENT of STATE OFFICIAL BLOG," is looking to re-name itself and, towards that end, has solicited in-house suggestions.
Suggestions are due by tomorrow, Friday, November 30, 2012.
Showing posts with label DipNote. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DipNote. Show all posts
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
re: "Ten Things You Should Know About the State Department and USAID"
Thomas R. Nides, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, at DipNote ("U.S. Department of State Official Blog") had a good piece about things you likely don't know.
Money quote(s):
"Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates used to say that the Department of Defense has as many people in military bands as the State Department has in the Foreign Service."
The other sound bite factoid is that the DoD has more lawyers than the State Department has diplomats. I've never seen anyone even attempt to dispute either statement.
"2. We support American citizens abroad. In the past eight months, we provided emergency assistance to, or helped coordinate travel to safe locations for, American citizens in Japan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Bahrain, and Cote d'Ivoire in the wake of natural disasters or civil unrest. Last year, we assisted in 11,000 international adoptions and worked on over 1,100 new child abduction cases -- resulting in the return of 485 American children."
I was going to follow this up with an excerpt from the State Department's "mission statement" that presents consular activities such as protecting-Americans-abroad as one of the core missions of the Department, but all I can currently find is some blather from the Bureau of Resource Management about "Shape and sustain a peaceful, prosperous, just, and democratic world and foster conditions for stability and progress for the benefit of the American people and people everywhere."
Huh? (Which is to say: OFFS! WTF?)
(Okay: where did the real mission statement go? I've seen it before.... )
At least CA still has a real mission statement:
"The mission of the Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) is to protect the lives and interests of American citizens abroad and to strengthen the security of United States borders through the vigilant adjudication of visas and passports. CA contributes significantly to the USG goal of promoting international exchange and understanding. Our vision is to help American citizens engage the world. The Bureau issues the travel documents that allow Americans to travel the globe and lawful immigrants and visitors to travel to America and provides essential cycle of life services to American citizens overseas."
D/S Nides continued:
"9. We help Americans see the world. In 2010, we issued 14 million passports for Americans to travel abroad. We facilitate the lawful travel of students, tourists and business people, including issuing more than 700,000 visas for foreign students to study in the U.S. last year. And, if a storm could disrupt your vacation plans or if you could get sick from drinking the water, we alert you through our travel warnings."
Yeah. Stuff like that. Facilitate legitimate travel. Provide accurate and timely travel information and cautions. Get some.
"10. We are the face of America overseas. Our diplomats, development experts, and the programs they implement are the source of American leadership around the world. They are the embodiments of our American values abroad. They are a force for good in the world."
Development experts.... Sadly, D/S Nides' statement continues the conflation and assimilation of State and USAID. CAA remains wholly unconvinced that this is all that great a good idea.
That being said, U.S. diplomats serving at our far-flung embassies, consulate, and other missions abroad are often the first, if not the only, representatives of either/both the U.S. government or the American people who most non-Americans abroad will ever encounter in person.
And our powers should only be used for good.
D/S Nides concluded:
"All of this (and more) costs the American taxpayer about one percent of the overall federal budget. That is a small investment that yields a large return by advancing our national security, promoting our economic interests, and reaffirming our country's exceptional role in the world."
It's a truism (or "truthism") that most American citizens have a vast overestimation of just how much of the federal budget goes to either diplomacy or to foreign aid. Even when you throw in what the DoD spends or military aid, it's still a drop in the eye dropper compared to the rest of the "discretionary spending" and "entitlements."
(Oh, and this presumes that there is a budget, something which has not been true for several years now.)
8/26
Money quote(s):
"Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates used to say that the Department of Defense has as many people in military bands as the State Department has in the Foreign Service."
The other sound bite factoid is that the DoD has more lawyers than the State Department has diplomats. I've never seen anyone even attempt to dispute either statement.
"2. We support American citizens abroad. In the past eight months, we provided emergency assistance to, or helped coordinate travel to safe locations for, American citizens in Japan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Bahrain, and Cote d'Ivoire in the wake of natural disasters or civil unrest. Last year, we assisted in 11,000 international adoptions and worked on over 1,100 new child abduction cases -- resulting in the return of 485 American children."
I was going to follow this up with an excerpt from the State Department's "mission statement" that presents consular activities such as protecting-Americans-abroad as one of the core missions of the Department, but all I can currently find is some blather from the Bureau of Resource Management about "Shape and sustain a peaceful, prosperous, just, and democratic world and foster conditions for stability and progress for the benefit of the American people and people everywhere."
Huh? (Which is to say: OFFS! WTF?)
(Okay: where did the real mission statement go? I've seen it before.... )
At least CA still has a real mission statement:
"The mission of the Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) is to protect the lives and interests of American citizens abroad and to strengthen the security of United States borders through the vigilant adjudication of visas and passports. CA contributes significantly to the USG goal of promoting international exchange and understanding. Our vision is to help American citizens engage the world. The Bureau issues the travel documents that allow Americans to travel the globe and lawful immigrants and visitors to travel to America and provides essential cycle of life services to American citizens overseas."
D/S Nides continued:
"9. We help Americans see the world. In 2010, we issued 14 million passports for Americans to travel abroad. We facilitate the lawful travel of students, tourists and business people, including issuing more than 700,000 visas for foreign students to study in the U.S. last year. And, if a storm could disrupt your vacation plans or if you could get sick from drinking the water, we alert you through our travel warnings."
Yeah. Stuff like that. Facilitate legitimate travel. Provide accurate and timely travel information and cautions. Get some.
"10. We are the face of America overseas. Our diplomats, development experts, and the programs they implement are the source of American leadership around the world. They are the embodiments of our American values abroad. They are a force for good in the world."
Development experts.... Sadly, D/S Nides' statement continues the conflation and assimilation of State and USAID. CAA remains wholly unconvinced that this is all that great a good idea.
That being said, U.S. diplomats serving at our far-flung embassies, consulate, and other missions abroad are often the first, if not the only, representatives of either/both the U.S. government or the American people who most non-Americans abroad will ever encounter in person.
And our powers should only be used for good.
D/S Nides concluded:
"All of this (and more) costs the American taxpayer about one percent of the overall federal budget. That is a small investment that yields a large return by advancing our national security, promoting our economic interests, and reaffirming our country's exceptional role in the world."
It's a truism (or "truthism") that most American citizens have a vast overestimation of just how much of the federal budget goes to either diplomacy or to foreign aid. Even when you throw in what the DoD spends or military aid, it's still a drop in the eye dropper compared to the rest of the "discretionary spending" and "entitlements."
(Oh, and this presumes that there is a budget, something which has not been true for several years now.)
8/26
Saturday, February 5, 2011
re: "You've Been Asked To Assist With an Evacuation. Now What?"
Paul Mayer at DipNote ("U.S. Department of State official blog") tells us what it's like to "answer the call."
Money quote(s):
"What do you do when you when you're a State Department consular officer and you're asked to travel halfway around the world, on very short notice, to assist with a crisis the breadth of which is still unknown?
First, you ask permission. When I was asked on Sunday, January 30 whether I would be willing to fly to assist in the evacuation of U.S. citizens from Egypt, the first person I asked was my wife."
Damn skippy you do!
"After having endured separation when I traveled to Haiti in January 2010, my wife asked if I really wanted to go.
I did. I wanted to go because the duty to assist U.S. citizens in a crisis is one of the State Department's core responsibilities. Colleagues in the Bureau of Consular Affairs and the Operations Center's Crisis Management and Support office work and plan diligently for this sort of thing. They run exercises at embassies and consulates worldwide. They help you get prepared in advance, help you think how many people will need to travel, where they'll need to go, and how long they'll stay. They help us get the airplane tickets and they tell us where we'll be sleeping (even if it's on the floor of the embassy). They have our backs every step of the way."
Read the whole thing.
Money quote(s):
"What do you do when you when you're a State Department consular officer and you're asked to travel halfway around the world, on very short notice, to assist with a crisis the breadth of which is still unknown?
First, you ask permission. When I was asked on Sunday, January 30 whether I would be willing to fly to assist in the evacuation of U.S. citizens from Egypt, the first person I asked was my wife."
Damn skippy you do!
"After having endured separation when I traveled to Haiti in January 2010, my wife asked if I really wanted to go.
I did. I wanted to go because the duty to assist U.S. citizens in a crisis is one of the State Department's core responsibilities. Colleagues in the Bureau of Consular Affairs and the Operations Center's Crisis Management and Support office work and plan diligently for this sort of thing. They run exercises at embassies and consulates worldwide. They help you get prepared in advance, help you think how many people will need to travel, where they'll need to go, and how long they'll stay. They help us get the airplane tickets and they tell us where we'll be sleeping (even if it's on the floor of the embassy). They have our backs every step of the way."
Read the whole thing.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
re: "Are you a blogger interested in foreign affairs? Want a job?"
Matt at Mountain Runner ("on public diplomacy and strategic communication in the 21st century") evaluates the Department's official social media setup.
Money quote(s):
"State’s DOT, which is more interesting than Defense’s DOTs to discuss, the 8-10 person team engages audiences based beyond America’s borders through Web 2.0 to correct misinformation, clarify policies and perhaps put them into context as officials of the State Department. They are a reactive group, much like the practice of public affairs in general, posting comments and replies on blogs and discussion boards and operating largely if not completely independently of the other Web 2.0 programs at State, like DipNote, America.gov, ExchangesConnect, etc. At only 8-10 people, the team should be much, much larger. Tell me, does any globally engaged organization with the size and mission of the State Department have only eight people to work with newspapers and television? Unlike “true” public affairs officers, the members of State’s Digital Outreach Team remain anonymous as individuals, undermining their effectiveness in a social media regime based on personalized engagement."
(DOT = "Digital Outreach Team." Note: This apparently has nothing to do with "spirit fingers." - CAA)
_____
Hat tip to John Brown's Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review, Version 2.0.
Money quote(s):
"State’s DOT, which is more interesting than Defense’s DOTs to discuss, the 8-10 person team engages audiences based beyond America’s borders through Web 2.0 to correct misinformation, clarify policies and perhaps put them into context as officials of the State Department. They are a reactive group, much like the practice of public affairs in general, posting comments and replies on blogs and discussion boards and operating largely if not completely independently of the other Web 2.0 programs at State, like DipNote, America.gov, ExchangesConnect, etc. At only 8-10 people, the team should be much, much larger. Tell me, does any globally engaged organization with the size and mission of the State Department have only eight people to work with newspapers and television? Unlike “true” public affairs officers, the members of State’s Digital Outreach Team remain anonymous as individuals, undermining their effectiveness in a social media regime based on personalized engagement."
(DOT = "Digital Outreach Team." Note: This apparently has nothing to do with "spirit fingers." - CAA)
_____
Hat tip to John Brown's Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review, Version 2.0.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
re: "Former Spokesman McCormack Moves On, To Boeing"
DS at Diplopundit ("Blogging the Foreign Service: outside looking in, sometimes, inside looking out; monitoring the goings on at Foggy Bottom and elsewhere in the diplomatic universe, so you don't have to.") notes an FSO moving on to something new.
Money quote(s):
"Friday, he showed up at his new gig as VP for communications in Boeing’s Washington office."
&
"I don’t know what other gig he could have gotten in the career ladder if he stayed. Sean McCormack began his career in the Foreign Service in 1995 and initially served at the U.S. embassy in Ankara from 1996-1998. He went on detail assignment at the NSC and the WH. A mid-level officer when he was appointed as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs in 2005, he was last promoted in 2007 to the rank of FS-01."
Reading between the lines at what DS does not say, this career path suggests that A/S McCormack was one of the "baby DAS's" (note: a "DAS" is a deputy assistant secretary).
That is, he was presumably an FSO detailed to the NSC where he caught the eye of then-National Security Advisor (and recent-SecState) Rice, who brought him back to the Department. Thereafter, he may have been given jobs quite senior for a mid-grade FSO to fill, in this case an assistant secretaryship. Some of the "baby DAS's were reputed to have later become "baby ambassadors," getting their own embassies far earlier in their career than would usually be the case.
All that "inside baseball" aside, A/S McCormack seems to have made good jobs of those he was given, all petty professional jealousy aside. And while many critics have a lot to say, for instance, about DipNote, I liken DipNote and the State Department to the metaphorical dancing bear: it's not how well State Dept. blogs, it's that it blogs at all!
Money quote(s):
"Friday, he showed up at his new gig as VP for communications in Boeing’s Washington office."
&
"I don’t know what other gig he could have gotten in the career ladder if he stayed. Sean McCormack began his career in the Foreign Service in 1995 and initially served at the U.S. embassy in Ankara from 1996-1998. He went on detail assignment at the NSC and the WH. A mid-level officer when he was appointed as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs in 2005, he was last promoted in 2007 to the rank of FS-01."
Reading between the lines at what DS does not say, this career path suggests that A/S McCormack was one of the "baby DAS's" (note: a "DAS" is a deputy assistant secretary).
That is, he was presumably an FSO detailed to the NSC where he caught the eye of then-National Security Advisor (and recent-SecState) Rice, who brought him back to the Department. Thereafter, he may have been given jobs quite senior for a mid-grade FSO to fill, in this case an assistant secretaryship. Some of the "baby DAS's were reputed to have later become "baby ambassadors," getting their own embassies far earlier in their career than would usually be the case.
All that "inside baseball" aside, A/S McCormack seems to have made good jobs of those he was given, all petty professional jealousy aside. And while many critics have a lot to say, for instance, about DipNote, I liken DipNote and the State Department to the metaphorical dancing bear: it's not how well State Dept. blogs, it's that it blogs at all!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
