Thursday, January 19, 2006

The New State Department

Condi's plans for the State Department are shaping up. Austin Bay refers to them as "(1) common sense, (2) critical to any sustained diplomatic effort but (3) especially critical when pursuing a reformationist foreign policy."

What are her changes? Condi intends shift the diplomatic corps away from Europe and the developed world and towards India, China, and the Mideast. In order to get diplomats out of their cushy Parisian offices, she intends to reward and promote those who take difficult positions around the world. She is also planning to restructure some of the management surrounding the State Department like the US Agency for International Development.

Expect to hear a great gnashing of teeth coming from State. This is going to require a lot more work from them. If someone wants to make a political issue of this, expect a speech like "Bush's reorganization of the State Department is abandoning our traditional allies like France and Germany."

No comments: