The Foreign Service Journal, November 2019

94 NOVEMBER 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL WHERE WE STAND | BY JULIE NUTTER, PROFESSIONAL POLICY ISSUES DIRECTOR Rejecting Retreat On Sept. 6, the Chicago Coun- cil on Global Affairs released Rejecting Retreat: Americans Support US Engagement in Global Affairs , which exam- ines American attitudes toward foreign affairs. Much of the content of the Chicago Council’s polling has direct relevance to the ecosystem in which American diplomacy works, and cer- tainly to the American Foreign Service Association’s ability to connect with audiences around the country when we tell the story of the U.S. Foreign Service. The Chicago Council’s polling is also especially use- ful because it directly focuses on what Americans think of the U.S. role in the world— and because the council has been asking these questions for the past 45 years. Intentionally or not, this year’s report title evokes the wording of the 2017 State and Foreign Operations subcom- mittee report that called the then-proposed 32 percent cut in the international affairs budget a “doctrine of retreat.” Just as Congress then made a strong statement against American retreat, according to the polling, Americans are rejecting a U.S. retreat from the world now . Here are a few numbers. As in earlier years, nine in 10 Americans want the United States to have a leadership role in the world. Consistent with earlier findings, 66 per- cent want that leadership role to be shared. A full 74 percent think alliances make the United States safer. Seventy- three percent say the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is essential for our security. Support for international trade is still rising. There is robust general support for international trade as being good for the American economy (87 percent) and for American companies (83 percent)—and yet there are high levels of Republican sup- port for tariffs. The report’s authors lightly speculate that the seemingly contradictory out- come “partly reflects support for President Trump’s trade policies”— the inference pos- sibly being that Republicans think that tariffs are a good way to open trade further. Getting below the top lines, the report shows a strong partisan split on the notion that immigration is a critical threat (78 percent of Republicans to 19 percent of Democrats) and the idea that climate is a critical threat (78 percent of Democrats to 23 percent Republicans). Americans support the use of U.S. troops to come to the aid of allies only selec- tively (depending on the country). More Republicans see the rise of China as a critical threat (54 percent of Republicans to 36 percent of Democrats). However, for the first time since the question was asked in 2008, a majority of Americans (54 percent) sees climate change as a critical threat. These findings are encour- aging. Despite some influen- tial voices who would ignore or antagonize our long-stand- ing allies, Americans want the United States to be involved in the world with our allies — not necessarily always with troops, but with cooperation. Keep these numbers in mind when the going gets tough—and these days, we know it can get very tough. You, working around the globe to strengthen America’s rela- tionships, are in sync with the American people. And we here at AFSA want to be in sync with you. AFSA’s active-duty survey closed in early September. While the survey certainly confirmed widespread support for AFSA’s current activities, you told us that AFSA could do better. For example, you told us we could do a better job in focusing on Foreign Service Specialists and Foreign Service personnel in non- State agencies. You told us to reach out to more parts of the diplomatic family–like Diplo- matic Security members. You also told us that you want help to be more avail- able when you might be in trouble. Finally, you told us that we need to communi- cate more about what we are doing on your behalf and we need to sustain forceful advo- cacy on Capitol Hill and with agency management. We hear you loud and clear, and we want to bring more voices into the conver- sations we have with mem- bers. Our resumed structured conversations started off with the Foreign Commercial Ser- vice, and we hope to continue with the U.S. Agency for Inter- national Development, the Foreign Agricultural Service and the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, and then move to State specialists. We will look for ways to expand our bandwidth so we can better respond to your needs. We will continue to tell the Foreign Service story on Capitol Hill and all around the country, and we will fight for our members when the going gets tough—and in current circumstances, we know it will. Thank you for your service. Thank you for the time you took to complete the survey. Finally, thank you for the honest feedback, and keep it coming! n Americans want the United States to be involved in the world with our allies — not necessarily always with troops, but with cooperation.