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Modern Diplomacy in Practice

Abstract

America’s diplomatic service, with nearly 7900 Foreign Service Officers (FSOs), is the largest in the world. Its officers pass through rigorous processes of selection and promotion and are highly regarded around the world. They are sometimes judged to be “good overseas, mediocre in Washington,” as a consequence of professional development that prizes language and regional expertise over strategic preparation, as well as the growing role of the National Security Council (NSC) staff in policy making. FSOs, nonetheless, play important roles in providing the analysis that shapes and influences policy as well as through secondment to the NSC staff. Under the Trump Administration, however, the department has suffered from budget cuts, unfilled leadership positions, and a pattern of politicization that will take many years to remedy.

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Notes

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Acknowledgment

The author wishes to thank the following diplomats and scholars consulted in researching and writing this chapter: Shawn Dorman, Sharon Hardy, Julie Nutte, David O’Neill, Robert Scott, Patricia Scroggs, and Donald Yamamoto.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ambassador in Residence, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Ronald McMullen

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  1. Ronald McMullen
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Correspondence to Ronald McMullen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Robert Hutchings

  2. Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Jeremi Suri

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McMullen, R. (2020). United States. In: Hutchings, R., Suri, J. (eds) Modern Diplomacy in Practice. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26933-3_10

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