Department Of Political Science Application For Travel: Fill & Download for Free

Some in the US might still interview applicants, but there are reasons why interviews are uncommon. Unlike alumni interviews for undergrads, these have to be done on-campus, which means that someone is paying for travel. The US is a big country, and travel can be expensive. Also, there was evidence of bias in the interviews, and they weren’t found to be particularly useful.They are still commonly done in some areas (AFAIK), including clinical psychology; the faculty will be supervising this person treating patients, so there’s significant liability.

Q. What should I study in my college years to become a diplomat?A. So, You Want to Be a Diplomat?Leslie (Les) McBee, Diplomat in Residence (DIR) at Cal from 2005-2007, offers his insights about how to prepare for an international affairs career and life as a diplomat. Les came to Cal from a posting as Consul General for the south of France, Corsica, and Monaco.1. Which majors/degrees are conducive to a career in diplomacy?In seeking to create a Foreign Service that truly reflects the face of America, diversity is our watchword, one which applies to the US population mosaic as well as to academic backgrounds and personal interests. Working overseas often requires harnessing all the component parts of your education in order to get the job done, so a broad basic education will serve you well. Personal flexibility, intellectual suppleness and a sincere interest in others, including the ability to communicate well and listen “between the lines,” are all excellent starting points for this career.2. Which languages should I become proficient in to maximize my efficacy as a diplomat?There is no country that America does not touch and no country that does not touch us in some way. The core function of a diplomat is maintaining, creating and, yes when needed, repairing relationships between America and other countries. A US diplomat must be an effective and productive communicator, and this most often involves mastery of the languages used in host countries. While the Department of State is currently actively seeking to augment the number of diplomats who can function in so-called difficult languages such as Chinese, Urdu, Farsi and Arabic, to name a few, it is essential to have Foreign Service Officers who are effective communicators in all languages. In any case, before beginning a new assignment, language training is given at the Foreign Service Institute so that professional proficiency can be attained.3. Will I have to sacrifice my personal beliefs and opinions if I become a diplomat?The Department of State is the part of the US Government that is responsible for formulating, implementing, and supporting American foreign policy, as well as assisting its citizens in need of help. The Department is not seeking cookie-cutter diplomats. As we live in a democracy, one always has the right to personal beliefs and opinions, and knowing, on public occasions, how to judiciously separate the personal from the professional is an important element in the practice of diplomacy.4. How much travel should I expect in my career as a diplomat?Generally, the majority of lengthy travel is from the United States to one’s next posting. After arrival, you set up house, get to know a new neighborhood, figure out practical shopping, office and school routes (if you have dependents), and essentially settle in as one would anywhere. Part of the initial adjustment period may be devoted to adapting to cultural or social differences that might require, for example, going to an open-air market for most shopping. Travel within your host country is generally one of the great pluses of Foreign Service life as it offers an opportunity for learning about and in-depth exploration of your new temporary home. Generally, postings are of 1 to 3 years’ duration.5. What are the dangers involved in being a diplomat?Much will depend on where you are assigned. In most places, the sort of “big city antenna” that you would normally use in any large American town are appropriate; in other situations you will need to consult closely with your post’s Regional Security Officer. Obviously, if you are serving in a country in which violent activity is a potential or a reality, then security officials at your embassy or consulate will have developed relevant office, residential and travel procedures to help you remain safe. In most new situations, it is usually advisable to be aware of your surroundings and to behave discreetly and not call undo attention to yourself until you know more about cultural traditions and behavior patterns. In all cases, you will receive security consultations before you leave the United States and after you have arrived at post, as a matter of course.6. What sort of preparation do you recommend to someone who will be taking the FSWE? Are there specific books to read or subjects on which to especially focus?Many people compare the Foreign Service Written Examination to the SAT, with a bit of the games Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit thrown in for good measure. While the test is undeniably rigorous, the best possible preparation is a good basic education. Many people have found it helpful to be regular readers of “Time” or “Newsweek” or “The Economist,” all of which offer weekly exposure to significant domestic and international events. It's also very useful to have a good knowledge of American history, our intellectual traditions and how our government functions. The State Department website offers suggested readings and courses that some potential test-takers have found helpful.7. Which Foreign Service Officer track leads to becoming a diplomat?There are five traditional career tracks: Consular, Political, Economic, Management, and Public Diplomacy. An individual in any one of these tracks will hold diplomatic titles in the countries in which they serve and, over the course of a successful career, may climb the career ladder to the top rungs, even ultimately becoming competitive for an ambassadorial slot.8. If you have a specific area that you want to work in, is it necessary to have lived in that country prior to applying, or do you receive training once you are assigned?While the Foreign Service enthusiastically welcomes new officers who speak more than one language and are possibly bi-cultural, as a new employee you agree to world-wide service. The Department makes an effort to balance its geographic personnel and expertise needs against the expressed desires of an employee. For almost all assignments, training is available at the Department’s Foreign Service Institute where courses are offered on a vast array of subjects deemed necessary to assist you with having a successful posting.Working for the U.S. Department of StateHow do you become a diplomat?Why Do Diplomats Have Diplomatic Immunity? — ‘The Why’What is a Diplomatic Passport?British MP calls for reform to diplomatic immunity systemThe Diplomat (magazine)Andrew Lee, a Foreign Service Officer, highlights his current position working in the Ops Center, as well as his path to the Foreign Service, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. March 10, 2011.What Major Do You Need to Be a Foreign Diplomat?Foreign diplomats serve as Foreign Service officers in the U.S. State Department. They represent American interests abroad, although their tasks vary by career track. For example, consular officers help U.S. citizens with passport renewals, adoptions and medical emergencies in other countries. Economic officers resolve market issues in other nations so American businesses can compete fairly for foreign trade. And political officers facilitate communications between foreign and American government officials. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited university can be helpful to entering any of these career tracks.QualificationsThe U.S. Department of State does not specify an educational level or foreign language skill for Foreign Service officers. However, most successful diplomat candidates have at least a bachelor’s degree. Popular majors include international relations, business administration, law, journalism and economics. The department also looks at work and life experiences and judges candidates on several dimensions. Contributing qualifications include cultural adaptability, oral and written communication skills, resourcefulness, initiative and the ability to lead and work with others.International RelationsArguably the most relevant major to foreign diplomacy is international studies, which is offered at many colleges and universities. More than revealing the locations and facts of foreign nations, this program of study explains how people, goods, technology, money and ideas relate to one another across the globe. It recognizes that the experiences offered by different cultures are relevant and enlightening. In addition, it demands that its students carefully analyze global issues, often from perspectives outside the American experience. It thus includes subjects from many disciplines, such as anthropology, health, political science, physics and sociology.Foreign LanguageBecause many countries operate in a language other than English, expertise in one or more foreign languages is useful for diplomats. Some obvious choices for foreign language degrees are Spanish and French because of their widespread use in many countries. The Department of State actively looks for candidates who can function in what are considered difficult languages, such as Chinese, Urdu and Arabic. Thus, majors in those languages are especially desirable. Whatever their initial language background, diplomats receive additional language training at the Foreign Service Institute until they reach proficiency.TracksDiplomats specialize in one of five career tracks: consular, political, economic, management and public diplomacy. Each of these tracks suggests one or more suitable majors. For example, business administration can be useful for management officers working in embassies. Because economic officers deal with trade, energy, technology and science, their degrees can come from economics, physical or natural science, or engineering. Political and public diplomacy officers seek to influence and inform foreign governments. Useful majors for them include communications, journalism, education and law.How Diplomats Learn Foreign Languages - Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel TipsDiplomat - WikipediaFrench diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord is considered one of the most skilled diplomats of all time.How to Become a Diplomat: Education and Career Road mapLearn how to become a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State. Research the job duties and the education requirements and find out how to start a career in U.S. diplomacy.Video TranscriptBecoming a DiplomatDiplomats, officially known as Foreign Service Officers (FSO) in the U.S., advance the economic, political, social, and cultural interests of their host nations to the diplomatic representatives of other nations. Moreover, diplomats engage in complex negotiations with their international counterparts in an attempt to ensure the continued success and prosperity of their homeland. U.S. diplomats are employed at the 270+ American embassies and consulates around the world. Some assignments might be in developing countries and considered hardship assignments. Working in an environment where individuals may not be competent in the language and might not have familiar amenities could be challenging. However, diplomats may have the opportunity to experience many different types of lifestyles and cultures.The U.S. Department of State offers five different career tracks for diplomats. An individual interested in becoming a diplomat must be a U.S. citizen and be between the ages of 20 and 59. A college degree is not necessary; however, possessing a college diploma and having the ability to speak a foreign language improves an individual's chances of being hired.Step 1: Review the 13 Essential SkillsThe U.S. Department of State seeks diplomat applicants who possess 13 certain skills, personal qualities, and abilities. Applicants must demonstrate composure, cultural adaptability, motivation, initiative, leadership, and strong written and oral communication skills. They must have the ability to analyze situations and absorb complex information from a variety of sources. Foreign Service Officers must also prioritize tasks, be fair and honest, and work well with others.Individuals interested in becoming diplomats may want to contact a U.S. Diplomat in Residence in their region of the U.S. These career diplomats provide guidance to students and professionals about jobs within the U.S. Department of State.Step 2: Select an FSO Career TrackIndividuals interested in becoming diplomats must choose a career track: consular officer, economic officer, management officer, political officer, or public diplomacy officer. Each position focuses on a different aspect of U.S. diplomacy. For example, consular officers facilitate adoptions and help evacuate Americans, while economic officers work with foreign governments on trade, energy, environment, science, and technology policies.On the other hand, management officers are responsible for U.S. Embassy operations, while public diplomacy officers promote understanding and support for American policy through engagement and influence among a country's political, academic, and other local groups.Step 3: Pass Hiring RequirementsAfter selecting a career track, applicants must pass the Foreign Service Officer test. This multi-choice exam is administered online at designated test centers and takes about three hours to complete. It measures your abilities, skills, and knowledge in three sections: English expression, job knowledge, and biographical information. Applicants must also write a 30-minute essay on an assigned topic.Other hiring requirements include submitting a personal narrative, undergoing an oral assessment, obtaining medical and top security clearances, and passing a final review panel.Step 4: Complete TrainingAfter passing your final review and obtaining all clearances, applicants' names are placed on a register that ranks successful candidates sorted by career tracks. Candidates are hired based on the needs of the department. Names stay on the register for 18 months. Applicants may decline their first appointment, but if they decline the second offer, their names will be removed from the list.Applicants who are selected for appointment must complete a 5-week orientation program that introduces them to the function and organization of the U.S. Department of State. The program includes trips to Capitol Hill and a series of case studies and practical exercises. After orientation, individuals are assigned to specialized training based on their career track. New hires can expect to spend from three months to a year in training before their first overseas assignment. All diplomats must complete at least one assignment to a region that is considered a hardship or even dangerous. In return, diplomats in hardship regions receive a 5%-35% pay differential.Navarro Moore, a Foreign Service Officer on the Political Career Track who is currently serving to the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador, discusses his path to the Foreign Service, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. March 10, 2011.The Best International Relations Schools in the WorldForeign Policy magazine, in collaboration with the Teaching, Research, and International Policy (TRIP) project at the College of William & Mary, is pleased to present the results of the 2018 Ivory Tower survey. The survey provides a snapshot of how top international relations scholars assess their discipline at a moment when the liberal international order — overseen by a U.S. president with little evident attachment to it — is in unprecedented flux.Responses from 1,541 IR scholars at U.S. colleges and universities determined rankings for their field’s leading Ph.D., terminal master’s, and undergraduate programs. The scholars were asked to list the top five institutions in each category, and the percentages below reflect the portion of respondents who listed that school.The survey is accompanied by two essays that address whether IR is in a state of existential crisis. Can IR help policymakers respond to President Donald Trump and other global challenges that they failed to predict? Francis Gavin, the director of the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, argues that the field of IR’s greatest strength is its adaptability and that other university departments would be wise to take their cues from schools of international affairs. Stephen Walt, a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and columnist for FP, suggests that IR scholars have more work to do to get their own house in order before advising diplomats on how to do the same.Illustration by Peter and Maria Hoey for Foreign PolicyRussian Foreign Ministry Proposes Expelling 35 U.S. Diplomats

I actually haven’t read it yet — so let’s go through it together.Growing a 21st Century Foreign ServiceLet’s start with the obvious: today our State Department is too small.True.For our foreign service officers and specialists, opportunities for training are scarce and nearly 15% of positions abroad have been left unfilled for years. These vacancies increase workloads, damage diplomatic readiness, and contribute to burnout and low morale. And too few diplomats means missed opportunities to make important connections and develop a better understanding of foreign countries.Very true.Today, the United States lacks a presence in nearly 40% of world cities with populations over 3 million, many in the rapidly growing Indo-Pacific region.True, but we should be careful not to extrapolate that the result of this is that we need to invest in diplomatic facilities in these cities. There are approximately 100 cities in the world with populations over 3 million. We have diplomatic presence in most of these. We do not need a diplomatic presence in all of them, especially when multiple other consulates and embassies exist in the country.For example: Ekurhuleni, South Africa is a city greater than 3 million people; however the U.S. would not benefit from placing a consulate there, as we already have posts in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durbin, and Pretoria. Places like Faisalabad, Pakistan, would not hugely benefit from a U.S. consulate. In comparison, places like Giza or Alexandria, Egypt would significantly benefit.The Pentagon is nearly 40 times bigger than the State Department — we employ more people to work in military grocery stores than we do foreign service officers. That has real consequences. Too often, our underinvestment in diplomacy and development causes our leaders to default to military action, instead of treating it as a last resort.True but misleading — there are only around 8500 foreign service officers. That’s less than an Army division. The Pentagon will always be orders of magnitude larger than the State Department because it has a massively different mission that requires it to be.I’ll double the size of the foreign service and open new diplomatic posts in underserved areas to broaden U.S. presence. And to get the most bang for our buck, I’ll prioritize growing core diplomatic functions like political and economic reporting and public diplomacy, and affiliated functions like the foreign commercial and agriculture services.It’s unclear what she means by “core diplomatic functions like political and economic reporting, and public diplomacy, and affiliated functions like the foreign commercial and agriculture services.” There are only five “tracks” for FSOs — Political, Economic, Public Diplomacy, Management, and Consular. She just named 3 of them as “priorities” — and Political/Economic are functionally identical jobs to each other (same reporting and intelligence collection/analysis but with different portfolios). Pol/Econ and PD are already the priorities of the FS. And as for the FCS and FAS, while those officers are technically FSOs it should be made very clear that they do not work for State — any changes to the State Department will have minimal effect on them. (With some exceptions, like Econ/Commercial officers).Achieving that goal means we’ll need to recruit a new generation of foreign service officers while retaining the talented service we currently have.Here’s what I’ll do as president. First, I’ll establish a diplomatic equivalent of the ROTC program at universities across the country. I’ll double the size of the Peace Corps, exposing young people to the world and creating a direct employment pipeline to future government service. I’ll grow programs that fund scholarships for critically important languages; and develop or expand similar programs for new skill areas such as data science. And I’ll create new pathways to re-incorporate expertise into our diplomatic corps, including by reducing barriers for returning foreign service officers by fast-tracking reentry for those who return within 5 years; and expanding lateral entry and mid-career hiring authorities and pay.Not sure if Warren realizes, but a “diplomatic equivalent of the ROTC program at universities across the country” would be absolutely unwelcomed by practically the entire department. First, very few FSOs enter fresh out of college. This is an extremely intense field, that demands officers who are experienced generalists and have a background that indicates they are capable of serving in a wide variety of foreign affairs jobs around the world (which they will change every couple of years). The matriculation process to become an FSO is similarly difficult — it is more selective than getting into Harvard, with a sub-1% matriculation rate. Further, the FSO selection process is one of the few purely merit-based hiring practices in the government. You have to pass several series of tests and interviews and your cutting score is placed on a register: each incoming class gets <X> number of offers, and they go down the register from rank #1 until all offers have been accepted. Almost everybody in the foreign service MUST successfully pass the FSOT and FSOA, and it would engender an enormous amount of ill-will and distrust if Warren created a bypass to this screening process specifically to allow young, relatively inexperienced students to get in.The answer to that is not to pipeline in college students, who already have many similar avenues to enter the Foreign Service (Pickering/Rangel/Diplomacy fellowships etc.) The answer to this is to get more college students to take the FSOT/FSOA, so that we have more future FSOs on the registers.Further, Warren seems to have given little thought to the fact that the security clearance process — which partially exists *outside* the Department of State, in this case — is super backlogged and doubling the Foreign Service would be literally unsustainable without fixing this underlying issue first. There are FSOs who can’t even get their existing clearances renewed in time to do their jobs, and we’re talking about doubling the size of the service?We also need to significantly expand the pool of diplomatic talent so that our foreign service reflects the diversity of the country it represents. Today’s foreign service is 79% white and 65% male — and the nature of the recruitment process also limits the number of diplomats from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. That changes in a Warren administration. I’ll direct the State Department to correct the employment records of all employees fired or forced to resign because of their sexual orientation, to make it clear that all are welcome to serve their country. I’ll dedicate recruiting resources to applicants from HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions, women’s colleges, and community colleges. And I’ll double the size of fellowships designed to recruit minority and low-income diplomats.Very true. The Department is changing slowly, but there’s a reason “pale, male, and Yale” is a common reference of FSOs. I further agree that we should be putting recruitment resources into HBCUs. Howard University should be as well represented as Georgetown is, and that’s currently not the case. Everything in this section is welcomed, with one small caveat that doubling the size of fellowships means you also will have to run more A-100 classes per year to compensate (otherwise you’ll lose candidates off the registers). But it’s generally agreed that we need to go back to the Clinton-era Diplomacy 3.0 days of hiring surges, 13+ A-100’s a year, and 90+ officer class sizes.For all its rewards, a life in diplomatic service can be hard — deployments to dangerous places, missed holidays and family events, years spent away from home. We must do more to take care of diplomats and provide growth opportunities over the course of a diplomatic career. My Secretary of State will establish a core professional development curriculum, focused not only on diplomatic tradecraft but also the leadership skills appropriate for each career stage. We will require a broadening professional development experience — a graduate degree, interagency assignment, or cross-cone deployment — before promotion to the senior diplomatic ranks. And I’ll enhance workplace flexibility to retain a diverse workforce, including by expanding parental leave and preferential postings for new parents and improving policies to ease hardships for dual-foreign service households.We already have a core professional development curriculum. It’s nigh-impossible to make the Senior Foreign Service ranks without cross-cone experience, a graduate degree, and interagency assignment doesn’t necessarily help SFS get better at managing FSOs.Improving policies for *tandem* couples (the term is not “dual-foreign service households.”) is critical and long overdue. Expanding parental leave and preferential postings for new parents is cool but raises serious questions about how to ethically integrate this into the FS assignments process — which is driven by a post’s needs, not the department’s top-down goals. Frankly, this is going to create problems. FSO’s already have to schedule family planning to coincide with their assignment schedule: for instance, we opted not to have kids in an assignment to a developing country with healthcare problems, and we bid on follow-on assignments based on where we’d be able to start a family. Instead now, you’re going to have a situation where an FSO who wants a cushy position in EUR bureau, is going to time having kids to give themselves an advantage during bidding season. That’s unfair to single FSOs, who already have some of the most difficult times overseas, are typically younger and more junior, and are often pushed into taking hardship tours at austere posts because that’s already the only way they can get “good” assignments. The foreign service is a lifestyle, and it’s not necessarily one compatible with kids. While we should make things easier for parents, it’s absolutely unacceptable to disadvantage single FSOs even further.I’ll make my decisions with input from those who know best — formalizing procedures for career civil servants and foreign service officers to advise my Secretary of State on talent acquisition, retention, and other management challenges. No more Tillerson redesign that wastes money on fancy consultants to tell us what our civil servants and diplomats already know.I’m sure she will. Clinton had the Sounding Board. Guess how much good that did?Professionalizing our AmbassadorsTrump has perfected the act of selling swanky diplomatic posts to rich buffoons. In the Trump administration, $1 million buys you an appointment to the Bahamas — even if you’re not quite sure what that means. For $2 million, you can become Ambassador to the United Nations. Trump nominated a real estate lawyer accused of sexual harassment as ambassador to Romania. His South Africa nominee is a handbag designer. In all, Donald Trump has appointed political cronies to nearly half the available ambassadorial positions — far more than any president in recent memory. As a result, opportunities for career professionals are severely limited.The practice of auctioning off American diplomacy to the highest bidder must end.This president may think a fat wallet and a big campaign check qualifies someone to represent our country abroad. I don’t. I don’t spend my time at fancy closed-door fundraisers trading favors for money, and I’ll make my ambassadorial appointments based on only one thing: finding the most qualified person for the job.That’s why I’m pledging to put America’s national interests ahead of campaign donations and end the corrupt practice of selling cushy diplomatic posts to wealthy donors — and I call on everyone running for President to do the same. I won’t give ambassadorial posts to wealthy donors or bundlers — period.This is deeply misleading. In a typical administration, career diplomats make up 70% of ambassadors. Political appointees are typically appointed to posts where the ambassadorial role is, in fact, a political one. And there are *plenty* of well qualified political appointees out there, while there are plenty of shitty career diplomats.Ambassador Michael Battle was the US Ambassador to the African Union during my tenure — he was a political appointee,* but widely respected by everyone he worked with. Look at his bio for a second:Michael Battle is an educator, religious leader, and diplomat. Born on July 28, 1950, in St. Louis, Missouri, he was one of twelve children from Jessie Battle Sr., a Pentecostal pastor, and Mary Battle. Michael received his bachelor’s degree from Trinity College (1973), his Master of Divinity degree from Duke University (1976), and his Doctor of Ministry degree from Howard University(1994).Between 1976 and 1996, Dr. Battle held multiple positions in academia and the clergy, including serving as dean and chaplain of the University Chapel at Hampton University, and pastor of the Hampton University Memorial Church. He was also executive secretary and treasurer of the Hampton University Ministers’ Conference, the nation’s largest interdenominational conference among African American clergy. He also served for twenty years as a chaplain in the U.S. Army Reserve, retiring in 1997 with rank of lieutenant colonel.Dr. Battle would serve as vice president of the American Committee on Africa(1994–1998), which included traveling to South Africa as an election observer in its first free election in 1994. From 1996 to 1998, Dr. Battle served as associate vice president for Student Affairs at Virginia State University and vice president at Chicago (Illinois) State University (1998-2003). From 2003 to 2009, Dr. Battle served as president of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia.Battle proved to be an immensely talented leader, especially in multilateral African organizations like UNECA and the African Union. In a properly functioning government, with actual real honest-to-goodness patriots in charge, rather than the clown show that we have under the Trump administration, political appointees look like this. Under the Obama administration, a “controversial” appointee was Caroline Kennedy, a highly educated, well-regarded scion of a family dedicated to civil service. Under the Trump administration, we get unqualified hacks. 42% of all Trump political appointees at State have no diplomatic experience — higher than any president of the modern era since FDR.This is one of those ideas that sounds great in theory, but is actually really bad in practice and that few in the department actually want.*EDIT:* As discussed in the comments section, Amb. Battle was neither a donor nor a bundler. For a better example, I should have listed Amb. Don Gips, Ambassador to South Africa, who was an Obama fundraiser/bundler. He had an excellent reputation in South Africa, I was his control officer several times and was greatly impressed each time that I worked with him. Point is, there are lots of great political appointee ambassadors out there doing vital jobs; and I don’t believe Warren’s plan is on the mark here.And I’ll also ensure that some of the most senior positions in the State Department, including at least one Deputy Secretary position and the Director General of the Foreign Service, are always filled by experienced career ambassadors.This, on the other hand, different story. DGHR/DGFS should always be a career position; so should the Deputy Secretary (and we should end the practice of having multiple D’s). I’d go further — so should the important undersecretary positions (P, T, J, and M), the Executive Secretary, and either the A/S or PDAS for each of the geographic bureaus, the A/S’s for INR bureau, DS, and CA. If you have no idea what those positions are — Department of State Organization Chart - United States Department of State will help you out.So, overall, there are upsides and downsides. The biggest thing Warren can do to rebuild State is to end attrition hiring, grow the department back to sufficient headcount, fully fund programs and infrastructure improvements, and improve the quality of life for deployed FSOs. Really, all this takes is money and time. So I’m cautiously optimistic here.Where I’m far more pessimistic is the sweeping structural changes she wants to make to the FS as an institution — making it younger, removing political voices (from an agency explicitly tasked with representing the Executive branch’s positions, including political ones), and generally disrupting the parts of the department that were actually working OK prior to Trump. Statecraft isn’t a social experiment for bright but inexperienced kids to achieve some kind of life validation. It is a difficult, often dangerous career that requires work in some austere locations, immensely long hours (even by millennial/Gen X standards), and the consequences for failure can be life or death. In my first months at my first post, I was:Assaulted by a police officer from the host nation with a stick.Detained at gunpoint by host nation military.Lectured a class of graduate students on a joint USMA/CIA program.Advocated for Americans detained in a prison where the average life expectancy of inmates is measured in single-digit years.My house caught on fire 3 times.An Al-Shabaab bomb maker accidentally blew himself up next door.An intruder attempted to enter my house, and was forced out by our guard staff, who earned an award for his actions.My personal email and others were hacked by the Chinese.Followed by Chinese intelligence agents.Responsible for all aviation safety for flights from the host nation to the US.Serving in a position one full stretch above my paygrade, which was by the way equivalent to that of an Army Captain working in a Major’s position.And more. Our title is FSO “Generalist” for a reason — we are hired based on our life experience, personality, and leadership traits, to be able to perform in any foreign affairs job we’re assigned. There’s a reason that this is one of the most elite and prestigious positions in the federal service — because very few people can do the job at the level required. I’m concerned that Warren’s sweeping structural changes could serve to weaken the very institution it purports to save by diluting the talent pool to the point of making us ineffective. And I’m concerned that she seems to be unaware that many of the things in her plan are already in existence in the foreign service. Perhaps she intends to expand them — or perhaps she’s going to duplicate effort, wasting money. Or perhaps she’ll revise her plan — it’s just a Medium post right now, after all.But overall, I’m cautiously optimistic. The Trump administration has been fundamentally devastating to the department in a way that will take years, even decades to recover from. Tillerson was an incompetent hack who had no credibility, respect, or idea what he was doing. Pompeo is worse — he’s both incompetent, dishonest, AND power-hungry. The two have done the unthinkable: supplanted Condaleeza Rice as the most disliked SECSTATE in modern history. Practically anything Warren does would be a net improvement from them.