58 NOVEMBER 2024 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL We hope that experience has taught them that the successful execution of their goals will depend, at least in part, on the career o cials who serve at the cutting edge of U.S. foreign policy. Yet, we also believe that career diplomats deserve some of the blame for their own diminishment (this is said with utmost respect; one of us is a proud former career diplomat). Career diplomats have done an ine ective job proving to presidents that their skills are superior and su ciently di erentiated from political appointees. e de nition of a profession is “a paid occupation, especially one that involves prolonged training and a formal quali cation.” One must question whether the U.S. Foreign Service rises to this standard. Precious little intellectual capital has been produced from within the institution to advance meaningful professional standards or doctrine. e Foreign Service’s muted response to the State Department’s new Core Curriculum for diplomacy is a case in point. One might have expected the institution to leap at the opportunity to set a high bar for itself. e Foreign Service’s ethos of self-assuredness and habit of eschewing rigorous training not only jeopardizes the quality of U.S. foreign policy but is also politically ine ective. e evidence presented here suggests the in uence of the Foreign Service has been on a steady decline for decades. We are particularly disappointed when Foreign Service luminaries claim that foreign policy is “an art, not a science.” It is not merely anachronistic; it is an invitation for outsiders to join diplomacy’s ranks with little formal training. Most observers would agree that there is a role for both political appointees and highly professionalized career o cials in leading the State Department. We believe that the next president can identify a more reasonable balance between career and political appointees. Ultimately, what matters is the strength of our national security and the United States’ ability to contribute to a more just and stable world. e apparent marginalization of career diplomats is good for neither. n We also believe that career diplomats deserve some of the blame for their own diminishment. Figure 2: Political-Appointee Ambassadors by Administration. AFSA
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