The Demolition of U.S Diplomacy
Callista Wilson
Mr. Roddy
Global Politics and
Historical Contexts
10 March 2020
According to an opinion piece written by a
former Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns who served under five past presidents,
President Trump's current tendency to place his private interests above the
interests of the nation is damaging relationships
with other countries. In the earlier years after the Cold War, there was a
campaign to investigate disloyalty within the State Department. Through this
campaign, government employees whose actions did not align with national ideals were removed from their positions. Currently, members of the
State Department who work alongside President Trump have reflected his
intentions, for example, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo worked in Ukraine prior to the impeachment to advance investigations into Hunter
Biden, who is the son of the President’s opponent: Joe
Biden.
Although arguing that President Trump's actions have damaged foreign policy might seem heavily based on the
recent events with Ukraine, the amount of spending and recruitment for
diplomacy has significantly declined throughout his time in office, which can also support this argument. According to an article
by Foreign Affairs, “Not coincidentally, applications to join the
Foreign Service have declined precipitously, with fewer people taking the
entrance exam in 2019 than in more than two decades.” It is possible that ambassadors who represent the best interests of relationships
between America and other countries may contradict the President,
which would make embassies become threats to the President's power, and threats
to any justifications he claims for his actions. The article also states that
the influence of the President, and his threat to withhold military aid
from Ukraine had a negative overall
effect because: “Ukrainian administration is all the more exposed to
corruption and democratic backsliding, and all the more vulnerable to Russian
manipulation and aggression.” Therefore the people in countries which are
vulnerable to oppression and invasions from other countries depend on people of
power to act honorably, and uphold their oaths to office, which is exactly which did not happen in this case.
As the world becomes more competitive in terms
of economic growth and military capability, it is essential that people in
power uphold their duties to act in the best interests of those they
represent. Although the President was not convicted, the rippling consequences
of his actions serve as enough proof to classify them as wrong.
Ultimately, the President needs to set an honorable example in terms of foreign
affairs, and it is important that funding and recruitment of ambassadors is
increased. This way, specifically trained diplomats can be relied upon in the future, rather than the interests of the
president alone.
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