Joshua Keating at Slate ("a daily magazine on the web") reassured the unsettled.
Money quote(s):
"Rex Tillerson’s ongoing reorganization of the State Department, seemingly purposely designed to sideline and scale back the work of career diplomats, is definitely a concerning shift that could have lasting impacts on U.S. diplomacy around the world. But in the absence of leadership, it appears American foreign policy can just kind of run itself for a while. I don’t know how long that can continue before it slips off the rails."
Showing posts with label career diplomat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label career diplomat. Show all posts
Friday, September 15, 2017
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
re: "Quiet in Cairo"
Dr. Jerry Pournelle at Chaos Manor ("The Original Blog *") comments on a recent Wikileaks disclosure.
Money quote(s):
"WikiLeaks continue to show the consequences of empire by bureaucracy. They also have a consequence: it is always difficult to get ones foreign service to be candid with their bosses, and the senior State department career officials to be candid with their political masters. Now that everyone can see there is a real danger that anything they write or say can be part of a Washington Post -- or Fox News -- article for all the world to see, that becomes even more difficult. Few in Washington actually know what is going on overseas, because few in Washington and even fewer of those we send out as diplomatic officers know any history of either the world or the region to which they are sent; now they'll all learn and say less about what they find when they report. Welcome to the candid world. Open diplomacy openly arrived at."
-----
Agree with it, disagree with it; the point is still valid even if some of the criticism seems off-target. Outside of academia itself, it's hard to find a group of people so interested in the world and its history as my FSO colleagues.
Money quote(s):
"WikiLeaks continue to show the consequences of empire by bureaucracy. They also have a consequence: it is always difficult to get ones foreign service to be candid with their bosses, and the senior State department career officials to be candid with their political masters. Now that everyone can see there is a real danger that anything they write or say can be part of a Washington Post -- or Fox News -- article for all the world to see, that becomes even more difficult. Few in Washington actually know what is going on overseas, because few in Washington and even fewer of those we send out as diplomatic officers know any history of either the world or the region to which they are sent; now they'll all learn and say less about what they find when they report. Welcome to the candid world. Open diplomacy openly arrived at."
-----
Agree with it, disagree with it; the point is still valid even if some of the criticism seems off-target. Outside of academia itself, it's hard to find a group of people so interested in the world and its history as my FSO colleagues.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
JO - Support Obama: It's in our interest
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Observer
Support Obama: It's in our interest
Ronald Sanders
Sunday, April 11, 2010
US President Barack Obama is showing that he is worthy of the Nobel Prize for Peace that he received late last year amid criticism that he had done nothing to deserve it.
Read the whole column here.
_____
Responses and previous commentaries at: www.sirronaldsanders.com
Sir Ronald Sanders is a consultant and former Caribbean diplomat.
Jamaica Observer
Support Obama: It's in our interest
Ronald Sanders
Sunday, April 11, 2010
US President Barack Obama is showing that he is worthy of the Nobel Prize for Peace that he received late last year amid criticism that he had done nothing to deserve it.
Read the whole column here.
_____
Responses and previous commentaries at: www.sirronaldsanders.com
Sir Ronald Sanders is a consultant and former Caribbean diplomat.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
WT - EXCLUSIVE: Career diplomats protest Obama appointments. Ambassadorships to be less political.
From my archive of press clippings:
Washington Times
EXCLUSIVE: Career diplomats protest Obama appointments. Ambassadorships to be less political.
By Nicholas Kralev (Contact)
Originally published 04:45 a.m., July 10, 2009, updated 05:58 a.m., July 10, 2009
The White House, unaware of historic norms, had been on track to give more than the usual 30 percent of ambassadorial jobs to political appointees until objections from career diplomats forced it to reconsider, administration officials say.
Read the whole article here.
Washington Times
EXCLUSIVE: Career diplomats protest Obama appointments. Ambassadorships to be less political.
By Nicholas Kralev (Contact)
Originally published 04:45 a.m., July 10, 2009, updated 05:58 a.m., July 10, 2009
The White House, unaware of historic norms, had been on track to give more than the usual 30 percent of ambassadorial jobs to political appointees until objections from career diplomats forced it to reconsider, administration officials say.
Read the whole article here.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
re: "Hot Dog Diplomacy"
Jules Crittenden at Forward Movement ("on politics, crime, science, foreign affairs, and maritime and military matters in the United States, Asia, the Balkans and the Middle East") had some wonderful Independence Day reception suggestions for our embassies abroad.
Money quote(s):
"The notion of idly breaking bread with the representatives of men who are killing their own people, with no sign they intend to stop, in addition to having killed a lot of ours, on a holiday devoted to celebrating freedom.
A great opportunity for revolution-minded Iranian diplomats and their families to defect, I suppose. Only one problem. Could they trust the Obama admin not to throw them back?"
Ouch.
"So what are the chances any Iranian diplomat is going to be allowed to attend an event that is all about throwing off the yoke of tyranny? Unless the mullahs decide it would be fun to make the Americans look bad with a lot of chummy international photo ops while people are being killed in the streets of Tehran?
I recommend the United States embassies and career diplomats that are being compelled to go along with this travesty mullah-proof their Fourth of July events by inviting a lot of girls in American flag bikinis, just to be on the safe side."
For any who are unclear on the concept: BSFW (i.e., barely safe for work).
Money quote(s):
"The notion of idly breaking bread with the representatives of men who are killing their own people, with no sign they intend to stop, in addition to having killed a lot of ours, on a holiday devoted to celebrating freedom.
A great opportunity for revolution-minded Iranian diplomats and their families to defect, I suppose. Only one problem. Could they trust the Obama admin not to throw them back?"
Ouch.
"So what are the chances any Iranian diplomat is going to be allowed to attend an event that is all about throwing off the yoke of tyranny? Unless the mullahs decide it would be fun to make the Americans look bad with a lot of chummy international photo ops while people are being killed in the streets of Tehran?
I recommend the United States embassies and career diplomats that are being compelled to go along with this travesty mullah-proof their Fourth of July events by inviting a lot of girls in American flag bikinis, just to be on the safe side."
For any who are unclear on the concept: BSFW (i.e., barely safe for work).
Monday, May 25, 2009
JG - Fond farewell for Panamanian ambassador
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Gleaner
Fond farewell for Panamanian ambassador
Published: Sunday April 12, 2009
Perhaps counting down the days to his departure, Panamanian Ambassador Ricardo Moreno (left) hobnobs with Brazilian Ambassador Alexander Gueiros (right) and Luz Santamaria. - Photos by Peta-Gaye Clachar/Staff Photographer
You know that you've been a great friend and comrade when the people who know you jostle to throw you a party.
That's how Ambassador of Panama Ricardo Moreno must feel after some of his colleagues threw an informal farewell party for him on Thursday, April 2. Ambassador Moreno explained that because he was not a career diplomat (but rather a political appointee), his term ends when there's a change of government. A new president will be sworn in by July so he will have to leave his post. So, if it seems that this farewell is a little premature, it's because Dominican Republic Ambassador Filomena Navarro wanted to be the first to throw a farewell for her "best friend".
Read the whole article here.
Jamaica Gleaner
Fond farewell for Panamanian ambassador
Published: Sunday April 12, 2009
Perhaps counting down the days to his departure, Panamanian Ambassador Ricardo Moreno (left) hobnobs with Brazilian Ambassador Alexander Gueiros (right) and Luz Santamaria. - Photos by Peta-Gaye Clachar/Staff Photographer
You know that you've been a great friend and comrade when the people who know you jostle to throw you a party.
That's how Ambassador of Panama Ricardo Moreno must feel after some of his colleagues threw an informal farewell party for him on Thursday, April 2. Ambassador Moreno explained that because he was not a career diplomat (but rather a political appointee), his term ends when there's a change of government. A new president will be sworn in by July so he will have to leave his post. So, if it seems that this farewell is a little premature, it's because Dominican Republic Ambassador Filomena Navarro wanted to be the first to throw a farewell for her "best friend".
Read the whole article here.
Monday, April 27, 2009
re: "Where, oh where are the diplomats going to get a break?"
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.") reviewed recent ambassadorial appointments at plum posts.
Money quote(s):
"(P)robably no surprises in the names we’re hearing or that they have political connections with the Obama Administration or Hillary campaigns. It might come as a shock to you that these top diplomatic missions will have political appointees at their helm instead of career diplomats. But don’t be too shocked, this is so totally in line with the practice from both Democratic and Republican administrations in the past."
&
"(T)he "last-tier" embassies? Don't worry, they all go to career diplomats."
Money quote(s):
"(P)robably no surprises in the names we’re hearing or that they have political connections with the Obama Administration or Hillary campaigns. It might come as a shock to you that these top diplomatic missions will have political appointees at their helm instead of career diplomats. But don’t be too shocked, this is so totally in line with the practice from both Democratic and Republican administrations in the past."
&
"(T)he "last-tier" embassies? Don't worry, they all go to career diplomats."
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
re: "Today's Good News (Chas Freeman Bows Out)"
George Smiley at In From the Cold ("Musings on Life, Love, Politics, Military Affairs, the Media, the Intelligence Community and Just About Anything Else that Captures Our Interest") is happy with this decision.
Money quote(s):
"In our view, Mr. Freeman's positions in support of China (and against Israel) were enough to disqualify him for the NIC job. Lest we forget, the council is supposed to provide policymakers with unvarnished and unbiased information. Given his obvious biases, any National Intelligence Estimate coordinated under Freeman's watch would have been suspect, at best.
But there was another (and equally important) reason to reject Ambassador Freeman as the next council chair: his lack of intelligence experience. As a career diplomat, Mr. Freeman is a long-time consumer of intel information, but he has virtually no expertise in the underlying trade craft."
Money quote(s):
"In our view, Mr. Freeman's positions in support of China (and against Israel) were enough to disqualify him for the NIC job. Lest we forget, the council is supposed to provide policymakers with unvarnished and unbiased information. Given his obvious biases, any National Intelligence Estimate coordinated under Freeman's watch would have been suspect, at best.
But there was another (and equally important) reason to reject Ambassador Freeman as the next council chair: his lack of intelligence experience. As a career diplomat, Mr. Freeman is a long-time consumer of intel information, but he has virtually no expertise in the underlying trade craft."
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