The Foreign Service Journal, April 2021

22 APRIL 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 50 Years Ago Education in Diplomacy D iplomacy is the advocacy of interests and the process, often highly political, which aims at the elimination, reduction or postponement of interna- tional conflicts of interests. It involves the protec- tion and promotion of special interests, influencing the decisions of foreign nationals, and reconciling opposing interests through agreement or modus vivendi. Diplomacy deals in its essence with the realities of international conflicts of interest and aims at their minimization. Just as perfect security is not possible, neither is perfect diplomacy pos- sible. The risk of failure is high; successes are almost always hard won. It is essential that both the diplomat and his boss know that batting averages are notably low, home runs infrequent and sacrifice hits often required. This does not mean that the diplomat should be excused from calculating and controlling the risks of failure; on the contrary, that is one of his foremost responsibilities. It means that the objectives of diplomacy should be cast in terms of “obtaining the best results that can be obtained under the circumstances,” rather than in terms of absolutes or of bringing home the coonskins. The adverse conditions in which diplomacy is normally conducted need to be emphasized and appreciated. Normally they are conditions of great uncer- tainty, of lack of time and of incomplete information. The diplomat deals with “events which are not reiterative.” Each situation is unique and carries with it unpredictable consequences. Diplomacy depends for success on the possession of skills which are the surface manifestation of deep accomplishments. Skills normally thought to be illustrative of the diplomatic craft (for example, force and clarity of verbal and written expression, tact and timing of argumentation and representation, persuasiveness and ability to win confidence) are not really skills but rather the cutting edges of accomplishments acquired through education and cultivated and confirmed through experience. —Peter Krogh, former dean of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, excerpted from an article with the same title in the April 1971 FSJ . The average wait time for an SIV visa is about three years. In December more than 1,000 Iraqi and Afghan interpreters petitioned Biden to make the process easier, according to Fox News. “It just sends such an important signal [that] if you stand with us and you stand against extremism, we’ll be there for you. We will honor that commitment,” Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), a former combat veteran who supports the order, told Fox News. “I am, as are many conservatives, in favor of merit-based immigration, and I can’t think of anyone more meritorious than those who have stood and fought with us rather than random lottery systems.” No One Left Behind, a nonprofit char- ity group dedicated to helping resettle the interpreters, said at least 300 translators and family members have been killed because they helped the United States, and that it expects 4,000 new SIV families to settle in the United States this year. Resetting CSET A bipartisan congressional group, headed by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.) and the committee’s top Repub- lican, Rep. Michael McFaul (R-Texas), has introduced the Cyber Diplomacy Act of 2021, which would establish an interna- tional cyberspace policy bureau in the State Department. The Trump administration had noti- fied Congress of its intent to establish a new Bureau of Cyberspace Security and Emerging Technologies in 2019, but the effort stalled in the face of disagreements over the scope of the new entity. Days before leaving office former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed off on its creation. Secretary of State Antony Blinken supports the creation of the CSET Bureau, according to a State Department spokes- person, but “will take a close look at where this bureau should be placed within the department and what its mission and scope of responsibility will be.” At press time, the department had not commented on the congressional initiative. Meanwhile, on Jan. 28, the Govern- ment Accountability Office released a report critical of the new bureau, “Cyber Diplomacy: State Should Use Data and Evidence to Justify Its Proposal for a New Bureau of Cyberspace Security and Emerging Technologies.” n This edition of Talking Points was compiled by Cameron Woodworth, Steve Honley and Shawn Dorman.