The Foreign Service Journal, December 2007

Global anti-Americanism has lethal consequences for our nation and its citizens. Suspicion and misunderstand- ing of what the United States stands for and what we seek in the world do as much damage to our national interests as an attack by a hostile intelligence service or a terrorist group. Diplomats of the 21st century must meet this great challenge directly, using tools and practices that will help them create and sustain partnerships across and within societies on a much deeper and broader level. A successful U.S. diplomacy must be backed by military force. The United States will continue to face situations where armed conflict is inevitable. There will be nations or terrorist groups who will not change their strategies or tactics because of diplomacy, no matter how energetic and creative. If conflict does come, our diplomats need to sup- port our military forces before combat by making it possi- ble — through arrangements with other countries — for our forces to project power. During conflict, our diploma- cy must promote the widest possible coalition to support our efforts and, during the post-conflict phase, our repre- sentatives must be ready to lead the reconciliation and reconstruction of countries and societies. But we should strive for an effective American diplo- macy for the 21st century based on values, integration, alliances and coalitions, and built on America’s unique position of strength, to set an example and encourage oth- ers to join us in pursuing great objectives. What kind of diplomats will our nation need abroad in five to 10 years? What jobs will we ask them to do and how best can they accomplish those missions? Our diplo- mats need to operate in many different environments, on many different tasks. They must be better equipped to work collaboratively, with other parts of our government or the private sector and with our friends and allies. They must be more capable of operating independently, con- nected at all times to the broader network of the embassy and with their colleagues. ... Modernization and reform of the diplomatic profes- sion and its infrastructure have begun. The Embassy of the Future Commission supports this current rebuilding effort, including personnel recruitment and training, and the program to replace outdated facilities with modern, secure embassy buildings. But we must do more. For example, the State Department needs more people so we can deploy and train our diplomats properly without leav- ing long gaps in staffing diplomatic posts abroad. Our diplomats must operate effectively and safely out- side of embassy buildings, new or old, and the State Department must find new and better ways to help our diplomats operate in different venues. To support this more dispersed concept of operations, the State Department must do more to embrace the tools and prac- tices of modern communications and information sharing. Our ambassadors will need greater ability to coordinate the activities of their personnel. The commission’s objec- tive is to create more flexibility in where and how our diplomats pursue America’s interests abroad. Supporting an embassy of the future will require changes in how Americans perceive diplomacy. Ameri- cans sometimes mistakenly see diplomacy as a tool for the weak, always about making concessions or appeasing our foes. In fact, diplomacy is a vital tool of national security. The men and women who pursue America’s diplomatic objectives abroad are as honorable and dedicated in their promotion and defense of America’s interests as our men F O C U S D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 7 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 39 This article is excerpted from the final report of the Embassy of the Future Commission , released on Oct. 15. Footnotes have been deleted. See the box on p. 41 for a list of the commission’s recommendations; Recommendation 7 has been reprinted in full. The entire report, titled “The Embassy of the Future,” can be accessed online at www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/embassy_of_ the_future.pdf. The project was launched in the fall of 2006, as the result of discussions between Henrietta Holsman Fore, under secretary of State for management, and Dr. John Hamre, president and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Former Ambassadors George L. Argyros, Marc Grossman and Felix G. Rohatyn served as co-chairs of the 25-member commission. The project was funded by the Una Chapman Cox Foundation. Building on a long line of distinguished studies on diplomacy and overseas presence, in particular the 1999 report of the Overseas Presence Advisory Panel, the commission’s goal was to create a vision for an embassy of the future that could be real- ized by implementing practical recommendations today. Participants looked at how the diplomat’s job is changing and then at the training, platforms, technology and business prac- tices that tomorrow’s diplomats will need to promote and protect U.S. interests. — Susan Brady Maitra, Senior Editor