The Foreign Service Journal, November 2012

18 NOVEMBER 2012 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL or decades, the percentage of ambassadors who are politi- cal appointees has remained remarkably stable at a little over 30 percent. Should AFSA push to reduce that number? Or does it still matter in today’s world? Some might argue that the ease and speed of communications and travel have made the work of ambassadors an anachronism that is largely irrelevant in the 21st century, and therefore some- thing people with little experience in government can easily do. But many of us believe that the challenges presented by globalization, and the fact that no other major country has anywhere near such a high proportion of noncareer ambassadors, should suffice to prompt reforms. Either way, this feature of American democracy is a time-honored practice that is not likely to change. To under- stand why, it helps to know a bit of history. Over our country’s first 150 years, there was a slow but steady increase in the number of overseas missions, which fell into two categories: diplomatic and consular. The chief function of the diplo- matic posts was conducting the tradi- tional political work involved in bilateral relations. Consular offices, on the other hand, dealt with commercial and trade Psst! Hey, Buddy, Wanna Buy an Ambassadorship? BY DENN I S J ETT F While speaking out won’t end the practice of pay-to-play ambassadorships, it is still worth doing. Dennis Jett, an FSO from 1972 to 2000, was ambassador to Mozambique and Peru, and deputy chief of mission in Malawi and Liberia, among many other assignments. Now a professor of international affairs at Penn State University, he is the author of Why Peacekeeping Fails (Palgrave, 2001) and regularly writes op-ed pieces for major newspapers. SPEAKING OUT Brian Aggeler issues and the protection of American businessmen, sailors and other citizens. Consuls were expected to sustain themselves by the fees they charged for their services. That often put them in a different social class from the diplo- mats, who usually drew on considerable personal wealth to supplement their meager government salaries. The only real limit to the number of consular posts was the number of cities where a consul could do enough busi- ness to be self-sustaining. The number