The Foreign Service Journal, September 2021

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2021 21 cies have diminished from 41 countries to 32 in the past 10 years, with a global population share of only 14 percent. In the past 12 months, democratic reversals occurred in Myanmar, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka. The United States is withdrawing from Afghanistan, where America’s democracy-building exercise met grave challenges. Venezuela is in dire straits. Poland, Hungary, Brazil, Turkey and India are already, or are becoming, electoral autocracies. Three hundred twenty-three names on the wall at the State Department’s C Street entrance attest to the dan- gers of serving one’s country as a diplomat. War, disease, accidents and state-sanctioned reprisals from foreign governments have cut short the lives of U.S. diplomats. While their bodies may not be cast in silver, the brave men and women of the Foreign Service know they face risks and possibly even death when serving overseas. But as the example of George Ball shows—and as we have seen from the brave “remonstrating officials” of the past few years—dangers can come from one’s own government, as well. Those dangers are greatest in an authoritar- ian system, where the leader purports to know everything and leaves no room for dissent, as Grand Historian Qian learned. Today, as democracy is in retreat in parts of the world, the remonstrat- ing official is needed more than ever. Where there is still space for challeng- ing conventional wisdom or for alterna- tive policy approaches, the diplomat has an ability to raise tough questions and seek the best possible answers. Today’s diplomats and those of the future must remember that loyalty is needed in the service of democracy and good policy, not to please an emperor. n Speaking Out is the Journal ’s opinion forum, a place for lively discussion of issues affecting the U.S. Foreign Service and American diplomacy. The views expressed are those of the author; their publication here does not imply endorsement by the American Foreign Service Association. Responses are welcome; send them to journal@afsa.org . Obama were confident enough to hear dissenting views, understanding that by airing those challenges to the consen- sus, better decisions could be reached. The opportunity to remonstrate and the act of remonstrating are essential for good policy outcomes. After I left gov- ernment service in late 2017, I admired the courage—and loyalty—shown by “remonstrating officials” such as Ambas- sadors Masha Yovanovitch and Bill Taylor, who demonstrated their loyalty to the Constitution. I was particularly moved when talented colleagues I had worked with closely, including George Kent and David Holmes, took huge career and personal risks to honor their oaths and speak truth to power. Democracy and Decision-making Today, there is much discussion about the contest between democracy and authoritarianism. Especially after the events of Jan. 6, 2021, Americans are coming to realize how fragile democracy can be. Authoritarian governments have become more efficient at quashing dis- sent, which can lead to poor decisions for everyone, including authoritarian leaders. A third of the world’s population now lives in countries where democratic governance is declining. According to the University of Gothenburg’s Varieties of Democracy indices, liberal democra-