THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2025 33 “The Diplomacy Brief” by Shawn Dorman January-February 2017, Letter from the Editor By all indications, many in the incoming administration will be new to public service. … To help orient the newcomers, we have reached out to the Foreign Service community for this month’s special focus on “Notes to the New Administration.” AFSA President Ambassador Barbara Stephenson opens by introducing herself, the association and the Foreign Service to the new Secretary of State. In “Mr. President, You Have Partners at State to Help Navigate the World’s Shoals,” Foreign Service Officer Keith Mines calls on the new president to have a conversation with the American people about America’s place in the world, reaffirm the leadership role that the United States plays globally and reassure allies of that commitment. Ambassador (ret.) Prudence Bushnell shares valuable leadership lessons learned through handling tragic crises overseas. She advises that leadership is “not about you”; that the best strategies result from asking the best questions; and that you must take care of your people and yourself, and persevere. In “Time to Sharpen a Vital Diplomatic Tool,” development expert Thomas Adams takes a serious look at how to improve the effectiveness of U.S. foreign assistance. He argues for rebuilding USAID’s capacity and consolidating development functions there, while more closely integrating foreign assistance and foreign policy. We went out to the members of the Foreign Service to ask for brief notes on what they want the Trump administration to know about the role of the Foreign Service. We received 38 thoughtful responses and share them all in this issue. Several themes come through loud and clear: Know that we are the professional Foreign Service, your Foreign Service, serving the United States all over the world. We are the face of America abroad, a bridge to the world. We understand the local situations at our posts and offer honest reporting that you need in order to formulate policy. Last, but not least, you have an opportunity to turn away from the practice, unique to the United States, of rewarding campaign donors and bundlers with ambassadorships, and turn to the career Foreign Service for the expertise needed for these positions. In this month’s Speaking Out, Ambassador Edward Peck expands on that particular message, laying out the case against “pay to play” ambassadors and in favor of career diplomats for those critical posts. 2021: DONALD J. TRUMP TO JOE BIDEN “Taking Stock and Looking Ahead” by Eric Rubin October 2020, President’s Views As I write this column, we are two months away from November’s elections. By the time you read it, only a month will remain before we and our fellow citizens make choices that have the potential to affect our lives, and those of our children and grandchildren, for many years to come. I don’t claim to know how the elections will turn out, and I would not even want to try to prognosticate. What I will say is that every one of us, as proud citizens of the United States, must vote. And we must also comply with the Hatch Act that governs political activity of federal employees. This year has been a year unlike any in recent memory. Historians will debate and assess how we as a country and we as a planet coped with the challenges that came our way, challenges that are ongoing. Know that we are the professional Foreign Service, your Foreign Service, serving the United States all over the world. JanuaryFebruary 2017 FSJ.
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