The Foreign Service Journal, March 2017

22 MARCH 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL No “Grace Period” for Political Appointees O n Jan. 5, The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump’s transition staff issued a blanket edict requiring all politically appointed U.S. ambassadors—without exception—to depart their posts on the day of the inaugu- ration, Jan. 20. News of the order prompted an unusu- ally public discussion of the American practice of awarding key ambassadorships in exchange for political favors. Speaking to NPR on Jan. 6, AFSA Presi- dent Ambassador Barbara Stephenson confirmed that it is normal practice for political appointees to leave at the same time as the president who appointed them. Stephenson added that, when politi- cal ambassadors do leave, there’s always a deputy ready to step in. The person is invariably a career diplomat with at least a decade, and very often two decades or more, of experience. The Post and Courier of Charleston, South Carolina, echoed that sentiment in a Jan. 16 editorial, “Don’t Cry for the Ambas- sadors.”The piece pointed out that “these plum job holders are not professional dip- lomats, andmust rely on Foreign Service officers to run their embassies. Those pros will stay on the job.” The Post and Courier also noted that political appointees are traditionally sig- nificant donors to presidential campaigns and suggested that because Pres. Trump did not have any large donors to his cam- paign (excluding himself), this could be an opportunity tominimize the selection of non-career ambassadors. In its story on the Trump edict, Germa- ny’s international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, spotlighted Ambassador Ed Peck’s column in the January-February Foreign Service Journal (“Why U.S. Ambassadors Should Be Career Professionals”). DWnoted that “some career Foreign Service officers are suggesting Trump make an even bigger break with tradition and curtail the practice of appointing big donors, activists and friends to ambassa- dorial positions at all.” n —Gemma Dvorak, Associate Editor