The Foreign Service Journal, September 2018

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2018 21 Personal diplomacy is not new. It’s what Franklin Roosevelt attempted to do with Stalin toward the end of WorldWar II. And, in regard to Putin, it’s what George W. Bush attempted to do. … But personal diplomacy can only take you so far. It can start a conversation, can break through some initial resistance. But after that you really have to have your diplomats and your other members of your national security team sit and begin to work out the issues and the problems, and look for ways to address them. And that really is going to be the challenge here. —Ambassador (ret.) and former Under Secretary of State TomShannon in a July 17 interviewwith Vice News Tonight. 11, 2001—this time killing nearly 3,000 in a series of similarly coordinated attacks in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania. “Our diplomats are often the first to spot threats to our national security before they arrive on our shores. These intrepid professionals defend our national security, enforce our laws, and protect our fellow citizens overseas. And they are often the first Americans our enemies tar- get. Many Americans remember 9/11 as Contemporary Quote: the first time al-Qaida struck the United States, but the first battle in our struggle against terrorism took place on Aug. 7, 1998, outside our embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. Our diplomats were on the front lines that day, and they con- tinue to serve on the front lines around the world today.” “And the threats continue. In recent years, terrorists have killed American dip- lomats in Libya, Iraq, Sudan and Afghani- stan, while hostile intelligence services actively target our personnel in China, Russia, Cuba and elsewhere. Mr. Speaker, the history of the East Africa bombings 20 years ago shows us that we ignore threats to our diplomats at our own peril. Let us therefore resolve to remember those who gave their lives for our country and dedi- cate ourselves to protecting America’s national security by committing ourselves to a strong, secure and effective Foreign Service.” A Question of Diplomatic Immunity A t a time when following the news is like drinking from a fire hose, the July 16 Helsinki meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to reverberate. The public, let alone diplo- Congressional Record, July 26, 2018