The Foreign Service Journal, December 2008

D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 8 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 11 Tips Galore for the New Team Though it was expected that for- eign policy would have an important place in the recent campaign, it is now generally acknowledged that the topic was given a pass during the long, con- tentious lead-up to Nov. 4. Rarely among American voters’ most urgent concerns, it was decisively sidelined by the current financial crisis. Still, Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass articulated a broad consensus when he told the BBC in mid-October that diplomacy would triumph over other foreign pol- icy options — no matter who wins ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americ- as/7667903.stm ). Indeed, over the past two years a new majority view has formed around the centrality of diplo- macy as a national security tool and the urgent need to rethink and rebuild America’s diplomatic capacity. “We are in a historically new era. The fact that the world is now politi- cally awakened is a totally new reality,” Zbigniew Brzezinski, an early endors- er of President-elect Barack Obama, emphasized in a Sept. 20 interview with Newsweek ( www.newsweek. com/id/159905 ). “As a consequence, traditional power, which was often applied to politically passive societies, is no longer omnipotent. On top of that, for the first time, there are global challenges that transcend national boundaries and don’t fit into tradition- al interstate politics …” The implications of these dynamic changes is the focus of Brzezinski’s new book, America and the World: Conversations on the Future of Ameri- can Foreign Policy (Basic, 2008), co- authored with Brent Scowcroft, Presi- dent George H.W. Bush’s national security adviser. Defense Secretary Robert H. Gates has championed the need for basic change, most famously in his Nov. 26, 2007, Landon Lecture at Kansas State University: “I am here to make the case for strengthening our capacity to use ‘soft’ power and for better integrating it with ‘hard’ power.” Reflecting this sentiment, a re- markable array of reports and recom- mendations has been issued to guide the new team. Though not compre- hensive, the following overview of pro- posals from both individuals and insti- tutions is representative of the depth and variety of the offerings. Diplomacy. “A Foreign Affairs Budget for the Future: Fixing the Crisis in Diplomatic Readiness,” from the Academy of American Diplomacy and the Stimson Center, addresses the weakness in America’s “soft power” infrastructure and makes specific rec- ommendations for fixing it ( www. academyofdiplomacy.org/pro grams/fab_project.html ). Released on Oct. 16, this study built on the find- ings of several recent reports to detail the resources needed to enable the State Department and the Foreign Service to accomplish their missions. (See p. 53 for more details.) The Rand Corporation and the American Academy of Diplomacy have undertaken a related study. “In- tegrating Instruments of Power and Influence: Lessons Learned and Best Practices” contains a set of recommen- dations to deal with the kinds of U.S. military interventions and their after- math that have become prevalent ( www.rand.org/pubs/conf_proce edings/2008/RAND_CF251.pdf ). Released on Oct. 2, the report was prepared by a high-level panel of 67 veteran military, Foreign Service, Civil Service and private-sector leaders and C YBERNOTES T o all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world — our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down — we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security — we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright — tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope. — President-elect Barack Obama’s acceptance speech, Nov. 4 (www.freep.com/article/20081105/NEWS15/81105065/-1/rss07 )