What do you do?
I am a Foreign Service Officer (FSO), a.k.a., a US diplomat. FSOs are the diplomats and staff of US embassies abroad. I work for the State Department as a political officer, meaning I work directly with foreign governments and civil society to pursue US interests, as defined by Congress and the President. This can include delivering messages to the foreign government (what we call a démarche), transmitting messages back to the United States, etc. It also includes writing reports back to Washington about what’s going on.
There are other kinds of FSOs, though, including those who take care of visas, those who help Americans abroad, those who follow and analyze economic issues, and those who work directly with the public, through educational programs and public diplomacy.
How did you find your way into federal service? Did you always want to join up?
From the time I was young, I wanted to do work that helped others, helped my community, or helped my country. I thought about being a prosecuting attorney, until I worked at a law firm, as a kind of internship. When I met an ambassador while in college, and he explained how he had supported human rights, economic development, and better international relations, I knew that was what I wanted. In my time here, I’ve done a lot of work to promote human rights, democracy, and better relations. I’ve also sought to get information to help policy makers make good decisions. Those goals — helping to create a freer, more democratic, and less violent world — have always driven me. There have been times when the work I had to do didn’t align with that, but at least the overall mission did. I grew up a Boy Scout, and service to my country and my world means everything to me.
To join the Foreign Service, you take a standardized test. Some are job-related (geography, politics, email, management theory), some are writing-related, and, at one point, a “biographical questionnaire,” which asks about your foreign experience, your job skills, etc. If you pass the exam, you go on to a section with some personal narratives. Next are oral exams, then security and medical clearances. Then you are on a list, and you have 18 months to hope you get called up. I applied several times to the Foreign Service, and it took several years for me to get in. In the meantime, I did a lot of jobs, mostly low level. I did a lot of temporary jobs and adjunct teaching.
There are those who get in easier, but overall, that’s the process. I want to add, this career has many blessings, but some extreme drawbacks. I have been called to live in some very difficult places. Many of my tours have been places with poor medical care, poor schools (some have no schools), a lack of necessities, high crime, political violence, etc. I’ve lived under threat of bombing, serving my country as a civilian. It’s not tea parties and soirees.
What does this work mean to you? Why is it important to you, personally?
My goal in life is to make it better for others. I want to work for a more just and a safer world, which in turn, makes things better for the United States. Improving human rights, encouraging democratic reforms, and building friendships with other countries — this is truly fulfilling work, in a way that selling widgets just isn’t, to me. I’ve tried to think of other options, and have considered what else I could do, but this is what I’m trained for, what I can best do. Also, it’s what I’m good at. I have a knack for languages, I’m good at moving, and I’m good with people. I can’t imagine another career.
What should be important about this work to Americans? Why does it matter?
Well, there is the quote from former Defense Secretary James Mattis: “If you don’t fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition ultimately“. We are working to keep governments on board with us, supporting our priorities, and trying to keep conflict down. We also maintain access to markets for American businesses. We’re also out there supporting Americans in trouble. There are so many problems that are better solved by encouraging relationships and affection, rather than blunt force, and we are a large part of that soft approach. We’re the velvet glove to Defense Department’s iron fist. We are necessary to maintain the network of trade, travel, etc., for Americans, but if you want America to succeed in influencing the world, we need a robust foreign service.
What does all of this chaos and dysfunction mean to you? Do you have a sense of how it’s all going to impact your work and your mission?
On the overall mission — they are destroying American power. Our ability to influence the world has long rested on our webs of allies and friends. The current administration is blowing that up. USAID was essential for convincing people around the world that we cared about more than just geopolitics, and that we were a trustworthy friend. That’s a much harder sell in this environment. It’s a bonanza for anti-US messaging.
Personally? The betrayal of the ideals I was taught makes me literally sick to my stomach. I’ve had to call out one day due to gut pain. And watching my friends and neighbors at USAID get slandered and jerked around has been horrifying. And then there’s the uncertainty for my own life — will they come after us?
There are good faith criticisms to be made about how government offices are run, about how long it takes government to both hire and fire people, the arcane rules on procurement that drive up costs and often lower quality. However, the functions of government are too important for a “move fast, break things” mentality. Most of the slowness is due to rules and regulations put in place to protect people, especially the American people. We follow the laws Congress put in place. We serve the American people via the elected officials. The idea we’re out here just doing what we want — laws and elections be dawned — is ludicrous.
GOLIKEHELLMACHINE 