Trump’s ‘unprecedented’ recall of diplomat raises concerns about politicization of foreign service

Since the creation of the modern U.S. Foreign Service in 1924, there has never been anything like the recent U.S. decision to recall 30 career diplomats ambassadorial and other high-level embassy positions, says American Foreign Service Association president.

“This is completely unprecedented,” said John Dinkelman, who is also a former foreign service member.

Last week, U.S. State Department officials said the administration was initiating the recall as it prepares to reshape America’s diplomatic posture abroad with a staff seen as fully supportive of President Donald Trump’s “America First” priorities.

Heads of mission in at least 29 countries have been informed that their mandates will end in January. All had taken their posts under the Biden administration.

Dinkelman and other former diplomats suggest it is troubling that these actions could serve to politicize the diplomatic corps and populate it with those who lack the skills to handle sensitive diplomatic issues.

“This recall is nothing short of institutional sabotage and will undermine America’s role in the world,” Dinkelman said.

“For a group of individuals who have dedicated their lives to carrying out the policies of our country’s newly elected leaders, this is an affront.”

Africa hardest hit

The region hardest hit by the recall is Africa, where more than a dozen ambassadors or heads of mission have been recalled from countries including Niger, Uganda, Senegal, Somalia, Ivory Coast, Mauritius, Nigeria, Gabon, Congo, Burundi, Cameroon and Rwanda, The Guardian reported.

Second place is Asia, with ambassadorial changes in six countries: Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Vietnam affected.

In the Middle East, mission heads were recalled from Egypt and Algeria. European mission heads to receive recall orders included Slovakia, Montenegro, Armenia and North Macedonia.

The recall comes as Trump has sought to place loyalists in top positions since the start of his second term after encountering resistance during his first term, Reuters reported.

Political appointees leave their posts when a new administration takes office, but career diplomats, although they serve at the pleasure of the president, are often considered bipartisan and typically serve three to four years in their overseas posts, regardless of a change in government.

Dinkelman says that even though ambassadors and senior leaders serve at the direction of the president, carrying out such removals in such an abrupt manner and without explanation will destabilize the institution, weaken U.S. credibility, and disrupt relations with allies.

He also says it “sends a chilling message to career diplomats: expertise and service matter less than political loyalty.”

Dinkelman says diplomats are hired to provide apolitical advice and input to administration officials as they review policy decisions in various countries.

“You have to toe the line”

Questions will now be asked about the qualifications of replacements for recalled ambassadors, Dinkelman says.

“Do you consider individuals in an increasingly divided Foreign Service Corps simply attributing a certain line of political thinking to someone else who might have been less zealous in their support of the administration?”

He says he believes this recall is either a message from the Trump administration warning the Foreign Service of the “need to toe the line” or that it is a performative policy that suggests there is an obstructionist attitude within the Foreign Service.

A recall erases expertise (former ambassador)

Michael McFaul, who served as U.S. ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014, says the recall is a “horrible idea” and that the administration will be challenged to “conduct MAGA loyalty tests among career diplomats.”

In a single day, Trump wiped out tons of foreign affairs expertise by firing these ambassadors, he said in an email to CBC News.

“These diplomats are extremely knowledgeable about the countries they serve and international affairs in general,” McFaul said. “By firing these experienced diplomats, Trump’s ability to execute his foreign policy has become much more difficult.”

Cameron Hume, who has served as a U.S. ambassador in several positions, told MS NOW that not having professionals or people with some continuity in those positions makes it “very difficult to pass a peace agreement and make sure that everyone does what they said they would do.”

“I think it’s going to be destabilizing for the implementation of these peace agreements on the ground.”

Jeanne Shaheen, a ranking Democrat on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, noted in an article on X that the recall will make America “less secure, less strong and less prosperous.”

In a letter to TrumpShaheen and other Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said the number of U.S. ambassador vacancies will now exceed well over 100, or about half of all such positions worldwide. Before the recall, approximately 80 of these positions were vacant.

This decision could “harm American interests”, say the senators

This void, the senators argue in their letter, would allow America’s adversaries like China, Russia and others to expand their reach and influence to limit or even harm American interests. »

They also noted that without ambassadors in regions such as the Indo-Pacific, Africa, the Balkans and Latin America, it would be more difficult for Washington to counter China’s growing economic reach and what they call “Russia’s malign influence.”

The senators called on Trump to immediately reverse his decision “before more damage is done to America’s standing in the world.”