How to Be a Diplomat (eBook)

Chapter 1

How an Embassy
or Consulate Works

Many books have been written about diplomacy and diplomats, but I have not found one that clearly explains what diplomats do and how the organization functions. The job can sound glamorous and arcane, but the internal workings and principles are not as mysterious or difficult to master as they may seem at first. Below are all the key points you need to know about the Foreign Service and the work of diplomats.

Embassies vs. Consulates

Embassies are located in capital cities, and consulates are not. There have been rare exceptions to this, like when our U.S. embassy in Israel was located in Tel Aviv before it moved to Jerusalem. We also have some virtual embassies or “embassies in exile” located in other countries. Where there is a significant city that is not the country’s capital, there will sometimes be a U.S. diplomatic presence there, which almost always takes the form of a consulate. In some countries, we have American presence posts, which are typically staffed by one American officer. We also have consular agencies that provide only basic consular services. In every country, the embassy takes the lead on all matters related to policy and public messaging, and the consulates operate as subordinate satellite posts that support the mission and expand its reach to other regions. We also have “missions” to international organizations, such as the U.S. Mission to NATO and the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Missions are like embassies, but they focus on relations with and through a multilateral or supranational organization rather than managing a bilateral relationship with a country.

A few notes on terminology:

We often refer to a U.S. embassy or consulate as the “mission,” and diplomats or spouses employed there are “working for the mission.” Additionally, we refer to any U.S. foreign mission as “post,” and when you are serving there, you are “at post.” Lastly, we refer to the country we are serving in as our “host country.”

Domestic Assignments

Almost every FSO works in the United States for at least one tour in their career and some work stateside for several tours—these are called “domestic” assignments (as opposed to “overseas” assignments). The vast majority of domestic assignments are based in Washington, DC, at the Harry S. Truman building, which we refer to as “Main State” or State Department Headquarters. The State Department outgrew its headquarters long ago and now occupies several other office buildings in the DC area. You could work at any of these buildings, or you could even work remotely in some cases. You could work at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) in Arlington, Virginia, where you can take training courses, be a trainer, or manage aspects of the institute. You could also get assigned to our U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York. Lastly, there are some jobs for consular officers and diplomatic security agents around the United States; and there are more than a dozen “Diplomats in Residence” around the country who are essentially recruiters for the Foreign Service. You can find the diplomat in residence for your region by going to careers.state.gov. Most of the information in this book applies equally to work at embassies, consulates, Main State, or at our mission to the UN. There are certain differences you will figure out on the job, and I try to explain some of them further ahead in the book.

What Are the Main Functions
of an Embassy or Consulate?

Advance U.S. Foreign Policy

All embassies and consulates abroad exist to advance U.S. foreign policy objectives. Some actions advance our interests directly—like negotiating an agreement with a foreign government, while other actions serve our interests indirectly—like making sure the diplomats negotiating the agreement have secure and reliable communications, transportation to their meetings, and a safe place to sleep at night. We all work toward the same goals, and without the services of one section or another, we could not be successful.

Provide Consular Services

The basic function of an embassy or consulate is to provide consular services to American citizens in the surrounding geographic area (called the “consular district”) and issue visas to noncitizens who wish to come to the United States. Consular officers issue birth certificates for U.S. citizens born abroad; issue U.S. passports; notarize documents; and provide some assistance when Americans are arrested or imprisoned, need emergency medical care, need to be evacuated from a country, or are otherwise in distress. The amount of assistance we can provide is often limited to sharing information and connecting people to resources, individuals, and organizations, but the assistance can be extremely valuable in some cases. Consular officers also interview foreigners who apply for U.S. visas and adjudicate some visa renewal applications that do not require in-person interviews. There are many visa classes besides the standard tourism-business visa, including many types of work visas and immigrant visas, student visas, and visas for people to participate in exchange programs. Some consular officers will specialize in immigrant or nonimmigrant visas, fraud prevention, or American citizen services.

Advance U.S. Political and Economic Interests

Like every other country, the United States engages in diplomacy to advance our national interests. In most cases, diplomacy involves working hand-in-hand with other countries to achieve our shared objectives. These objectives include ensuring peace and security around the world; keeping routes for commercial trade open and secure; maintaining stability in the supply and prices of critical commodities; increasing international trade and investment; developing poor regions to increase political and economic stability; and combatting global threats such as terrorism and violent extremism, drug trafficking, transnational crime, climate change, ecological destruction, and threats to global health. While we usually work with other countries cooperatively, we sometimes use threats, sanctions, multilateral actions, and other leverage to compel other countries to change their actions.

We engage in a wide range of activities to advance our foreign policy goals. These include identifying and reporting about problems, opportunities, and potential policy actions; writing policy papers, strategy documents, and briefing materials for higher-level officials; negotiating parameters of agreements; building the relationships that we need to negotiate successfully; and coordinating across agencies within the U.S. government to work toward our goals in a unified effort.

Influence Public Opinion

To get foreign governments to work with us on achieving foreign policy objectives, we often need to convince their publics that our policies are in their interests and that we are a trustworthy partner. We engage in a number of actions to achieve these goals, which include explaining U.S. government positions and actions in a way that people can understand; demonstrating our commitment to advancing our shared interests by amplifying stories of our assistance and support; strengthening our credibility by presenting a positive image of the United States and the American people; and combatting disinformation and propaganda from both foreign governments and extremist groups. Our methods include giving interviews to journalists, publishing statements on social media, engaging in direct conversations with foreign audiences, increasing their access to accurate sources of information, and increasing direct interactions between Americans and people of other countries.

To increase mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and other countries, public diplomacy sections organize a wide range of short-term and long-term exchange programs and manage centers around the world known as American Spaces or American Corners, where people can improve their English skills through classes and discussions, learn about American culture and values, and often interact directly with American guest speakers. To increase access to a wider range of information sources and gain access to higher education and exchange programs, we also sponsor English training programs.

Manage the Operations of the Embassy

None of the abovementioned objectives would be achievable without our Management Section. They take care of our housing, furniture, transportation, mail, shipping our belongings, car registration and insurance, diplomatic accreditation, procurements, human resources, medical services, financial management, facilities maintenance and upgrades, telecommunications, and overall well-being. They make sure we all get paid on time, that we get reimbursed for allowable expenses, that our grantees and contractors get paid, and that we have funding for our daily operations. They maintain good relations with hotels and other businesses so we can accommodate large delegations from the United States on short notice, and they have good relations with airport personnel and other government officials who can facilitate travel, shipments, and customs clearance. There are also many other functions they perform that make the work of diplomacy possible.

Keep Everyone Safe

Much like the Management Section, our diplomatic security colleagues play an essential role in diplomacy. Our Regional Security Office and...