Jeffrey Hawkins, former US ambassador and researcher at IRIS worries, in a tribune to the "World", the serious attacks committed by Donald Trump against diplomats of the State Department.
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Tribune. In an open letter issued in October, the head of the US diplomats' union implored his colleagues not to resign. "It's not an easy time, but if you can, stay. " The president of theAmerican Foreign Service Association, Eric Rubin, acknowledged in this article on the site that the State Department is one of the main victims of the Trump administration and that working conditions are becoming more and more difficult. But Rubin considered that it was necessary to resist the temptation to slam the door. "America needs air traffic controllers, food inspectors, forest guards, FBI agents, but also career diplomats. "
Perhaps, but American diplomacy has been deeply shaken by the Trump presidency and it will recover with difficulty after his departure. Unlike air traffic controllers, career diplomats are directly concerned by the actions of the Head of State and can not avoid the consequences. Donald Trump seems to wish the disappearance of our diplomatic staff.
The President deliberately and deliberately bypasses the traditional decision-making process in international relations for questionable reasons. The Ukrainian case is a clear example. Instead of going through his (career) ambassador in Kiev, Trump relied on his personal advocate and his (political) ambassador to the European Union (EU) to carry out an occult, and potentially criminal, strategy.
Personal attacks
Career diplomats are sidelined or even subject to personal attacks. Worse still, some were dragged against their will in a shady affair: conditioning the military assistance to Ukraine to the personal interests of the president. Trump wanted Kiev to investigate son Joe Biden, one of his main rivals ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
More generally, the president seems to despise the expertise, and perhaps even the integrity, of career people. There is only one career diplomat among the deputy ministers "Secretaries assistant" which are at the heart of the State Department, and Trump seems to prefer to rely on ambassadors whom he names directly and who are generally Republican donors and businessmen.
