The Foreign Service Journal, May 2023

14 MAY 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL to trust any foreigners, not even those hired locally to help our missions abroad accomplish their goals. (Meanwhile, our heavily funded armed services have launched their own diplomatic missions abroad.) The “local hires” who succeeded the ones who taught me and supported me are now, wherever possible, banned by DS from entering the buildings where FSOs have their desks. Thus, in many of what were formerly great political and economic reporting posts, it is as if the word “foreign” has been removed from the Foreign Service. There are relatively few FSOs guid- ing our policies or even our information exchanges in the State Department. Most of what formerly were mid- and upper- level FSO jobs at State are now filled by political appointees. What political guid- ance D.C.-based FSOs get now comes directly or indirectly from the National Security Council (NSC), which, from its office in the White House, appears to focus much of its attention on what sub- jects will be in the top stories in tomor- row’s U.S. domestic media. What the overstaffed NSC offers directly or indirectly to our overstretched FSOs abroad is often drafted in a hurry in the White House with little input from the State Department, and is sent out to posts abroad with demands for the posts to respond faster than is reasonable given the posts’ staffing shortages. I admit that I am exaggerating. Not all overseas posts have all the problems I mention above, but these problems are so serious and widespread that it is fair to say that our career Foreign Service is in a terrible state, with its critically low morale only one of its many problems. n In many of what were formerly great political and economic reporting posts, it is as if the word “foreign” has been removed from the Foreign Service.