The Foreign Service Journal - January/February 2018

18 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2018 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL I try to stay steady. I try to remain calm. But of all the things stuck in my craw these surreal days, the willful and deliberate decimation of the United States Department of State by President Trump and his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is a turn of events that is both bewildering and so obvi- ously dangerous that it begs for reason in an age already plagued by a strik- ing lack of reason. This is an attack on the very health and security of the United States. It undermines our political, cultural, economic and moral power around the globe. Yes our military forces are important; and yes, the aircraft carriers and fleets of tanks and airplanes are impressive. And yes, the courage and dedication of our fighting men and women are impressive. But so, too, is the courage and dedication of our diplomatic corps who wield words and the power of persuasion to further our national interests, along with the aspira- tions of peace and justice. Their budget is but a fraction of our defense budget, but dollar for dol- lar they do more than almost anyone I can think of to make America what it has been, what it is, and what I believe we hope it to be. —Dan Rather, Facebook, Nov. 26, 2017. Contemporary Quote an ambassador are still being ably led by career diplomats acting as chief of mis- sion or chargé d’affaires, but foreign gov- ernments take note when the ambassador post in their capitals remains vacant. As of press time, President Donald Trump has put forward a total of 60 ambassador nominations. Check AFSA’s website, www.afsa.org/ ambassadorlist, for up-to-date informa- tion about nominations and appoint- ments of career and political ambassa- dors. Diversity Visa Program Under Fire O n Oct. 31, 2017, Uzbek national Sayfullo Saipov, a professional truck driver, plowed into a crowd of pedestrians and bicyclists just blocks away from the World Trade Center in New York City, killing eight people in the city’s deadli- est terror attack since 9/11. A note found near the scene, handwritten in Arabic, expressed Saipov’s affinity for the Islamic State group. The following day, President Donald Trump tweeted that Saipov, though a legal permanent resident of the United States, had come to America in 2010 on a “diversity visa,” and called on Congress to abolish that program. The president blamed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who as a U.S. representative in 1990 introduced the House bill that helped create the pro- gram, for making it possible for Saipov to enter the country. Schumer was also part of a bipartisan group that in 2013 had advocated phasing out the program as part of a compre- hensive immigration reform bill, but the House never took the measure up. More obscure than traditional ways of immigrating into the country like family or work ties, the Diversity Visa Lottery benefits up to 50,000 people per year from countries with lower levels of immigra- tion to the United States. Its roots can be traced to the Immigra- tion and Nationality Act of 1965, which eliminated the previous quota system programs, staffing procedures and pro- motion processes, and lays out specific concerns and areas for improvement. The letter requests improved transpar- ency on the “redesign” effort, spending and personnel moves, including regular briefings; a clear justification for the hir- ing freeze and workforce reduction; and expeditious staffing of senior vacancies. It also asks that the State Department’s mis- sion and role in foreign policy be upheld. It concludes: “We remain commit- ted to working with you on next steps to ensure the State Department has all the resources it needs to complete its mission.” Tracking Diplomatic Appointments T he U.S. Senate confirmed a slew of nominees for ambassadorships and senior positions at the Department of State before taking its Thanksgiving break. Nineteen ambassadors were con- firmed in November, of whom 11 were career members of the Foreign Service. The Senate also confirmed nominees for under secretary of State for public affairs and public diplomacy, assistant secretary for diplomatic security, assistant secretary for economic and business affairs, and chief of protocol. As of this writing, 14 ambassador nominees await confirmation, as do nine nominees for senior positions at State and USAID. AFSA’s ambassador tracker indicates that 40 out of 188 positions are currently vacant (excluding countries with whom the United States does not currently exchange ambassadors). Vacant, in this instance, means that no one has been nominated or confirmed for the position of ambassador and the previ- ous incumbent has left post. Embassies and consulates without