THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2025 7 Time of Transition BY TOM YAZDGERDI Tom Yazdgerdi is the president of the American Foreign Service Association. PRESIDENT’S VIEWS As of this writing in late November, the transition to a new administration is in full swing. I know this can be a time of anxiety for many of our members, especially with the continued political polarization in our country and the uncertainty that our Foreign Service will continue to be valued and adequately funded as America’s first line of defense. Presidential transitions, of course, are nothing new to the U.S. Foreign Service. Indeed, the Foreign Service has always provided the institutional memory and continuity in foreign policy, serving as a bridge to the next administration and onthe-ground link for policy implementation. This edition of the Journal is focused on the future, starting with the Trump transition and the current environment in which America’s diplomats work. Ambassador Tom Shannon’s thoughtful lead piece, “Liberate the Future,” argues that the highly polarized political culture at home coupled with a rapidly changing world requires a refocus not unlike what our diplomatic forebears faced in the aftermath of World War II, and that this presents members of the Foreign Service with a great responsibility—and opportunity. As Shannon also notes: “We are a disciplined Service. But obedience does not mean obsequiousness.” In other words, our job is to carry out the president’s foreign policy initiatives, but we must continue to have the courage to provide the best analysis and advice that we can to our elected and appointed leaders. If you believe, like Shannon, that we may be on the brink of a “Present at the Creation” moment, then we will need budgets for our foreign affairs agencies that can support such an awesome undertaking. Even if you do not hold that view, we will still need to appropriately fund U.S. diplomatic activities so that we can confront rivals, particularly China, and protect our interests. For perspective, this edition also includes selections from the FSJ Digital Archive as well as firsthand accounts from diplomats who have worked on presidential transitions during the past half a century. Journal editors plumbed the archive to document the Foreign Service approach to presidential elections throughout its first 100 years. And Daniel Evensen, a Foreign Service officer currently with the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST), tapped into ADST’s vast oral history collection to capture diplomatic voices from times of presidential transition. Both collections show that the Foreign Service has always dealt with political transitions by offering nonpartisan, professional advice and support. Evensen notes that a transition can also be an opportunity to provide new initiatives that make the Service more efficient and, I would add, reinforce the link between what we do and the security and prosperity of our country. I remain hopeful because I have seen in my five years on the AFSA Governing Board a bipartisan core of support for the FS in Congress. Senators and representatives from both parties have told me their positive views about what we do and how we do it, especially when they see us in action during their visits to U.S. embassies and consulates overseas. With that in mind, I continue to hope that our career ambassadors get nominated, vetted, and confirmed in a timely fashion. It is now the norm to wait nearly a year from recommendation to nomination to confirmation to attestation. That is a strong disincentive for our best and brightest to throw their hats in the ring for an ambassadorship or to put their lives on hold while the process plays out. Even more importantly, when our government does not provide sufficient diplomatic resources to compete with China overseas and when ambassadorial positions remain vacant for so long, it has a direct impact on our national security. This is also true for the promotion lists that suffer in this long and fraught process. In March, we will once again share your “Notes to the New Administration,” a place for members of the Foreign Service to offer their best advice on key issues that will confront the new president and his national security team. As always, please let me know your thoughts at yazdgerdi@afsa.org or member@afsa.org. Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy new year! n
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODIyMDU=