The Foreign Service Journal, June 2017

28 JUNE 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL The challenge for the State Department is not necessarily to reduce the role of the Department of Defense in foreign affairs, but to strengthen our own voice. Working with the U.S. Military: Let’s Take Full Advantage of Opportunities “ W ar is the continuation of politics by other means.” This famous quote from the 19th- century Prus- sian General Carl von Clausewitz in On War (1832) is well known to officers throughout the U.S. military. My guess is that a smaller percent- age of Foreign Service officers are familiar with it, although it is as relevant for us as it is for those in uniform. Why is it relevant? Because military force is one of several elements of national power that a nation can use to achieve its foreign policy goals. (Others include economics and trade; information and public diplomacy; negotiation and foreign aid.) As we mull over and debate the “militarization of foreign policy,” it may be useful to remember that our best statesmen and diplomats did not shy away from the military but were well- versed in the use of force—and could persuasively articulate when its use was appropriate and when it was not. Ambassador (ret.) Ron Neumann immediately comes to mind as someone who excelled at this. Now president of the American Academy of Diplomacy, Amb. Neumann served as chief of mission in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2007, working closely with the U.S. military on coop- eration between Afghanistan and Pakistan at a particularly sensitive time. He also advocated for change in how the U.S. government conducts foreign policy in fragile states, arguing that the role of ambassadors should be strengthened in conflict states in “Fixing Fragile States” (co-authored with retired Admi- rals Dennis Blair and Eric Olson, and published in the Sept.- Oct. 2014 edition of The National Interest) . In today’s world, where the desire for immediate solutions to complex yet frightening developments (e.g., the spread of the Islamic State group) is so strong, it is not hard to under- stand the temptation to focus on the use of force, despite widespread recognition that force alone will not solve the problem. In my view, the challenge for State is not necessarily to weaken or reduce the role of the Department of Defense, but to strengthen our voice and ensure that our expertise is recognized as equally valid. One of the things we need to do to reach that goal is encourage more officers to develop a deep BY WANDA NESB I TT Wanda Nesbitt is currently dean of the School of Language Studies at the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute. She was the senior vice president of the National Defense University from October 2013 to July 2016. During a 35-year career at State she has served as the U.S. ambassador to Namibia, Côte d’Ivoire and Madagascar. She has also served in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), France and Haiti, and worked in multiple positions in Washington, D.C. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with her husband, military historian James Stejskal. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of the Department of State, the Depart- ment of Defense or the U.S. government. PERSPECTIVES ON DIPLOMACY AND DEFENSE