At the beginning of his second term, President George W. Bush set forth an ambitious goal. He declared that it was “the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.”
Implicit in embracing that long-term challenge was the necessity for the Administration to deal with a complex set of problems related to the ongoing battle against terrorism, the prolonged and controversial deployment of American military forces in Afghanistan and Iraq and nuclear proliferation concerns, especially vis-a-vis Iran and North Korea.
Secretary Rice presents her vision of “Transformational Diplomacy: Meeting the Challenge of the 21st Century” at Georgetown University in January 2006.
Also demanding U.S. attention were genocide in Darfur and deteriorating conditions in the Middle East, where fighting took place in Lebanon between Israel and the Hezbollah movement and in Gaza between Israelis and Palestinians.
The U.S. and its allies also grappled with the movement of Kosovo toward independence in the face of the opposition of Serbia, from which it would be detached. In Latin America, provocative rhetoric from some government leaders prompted U.S. concern about increased coca production and volatility in the international oil market. Additionally, U.S. engagement with China and Russia brought benefits to both sides and cooperation within NATO was strengthened.
Despite criticism, particularly in regard to the war in Iraq, the U.S. continued to lead the world in humanitarian assistance abroad and was in the forefront of the fight against HIV/AIDS and avian flu. It also pressed for meaningful reform of the United Nations, improvement of the rights and conditions of women and greater aviation security.
American consular and diplomatic security personnel, as well as volunteers from around the world, helped evacuate 15,000 American citizens during the fighting in Lebanon in July 2006.
To pursue President Bush’s long-term goals while dealing with immediate problems, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice elaborated a policy of “transformational diplomacy” to enable the U.S. “to work with our many partners around the world to build and sustain democratic, well-governed states that will respond to the needs of their people and conduct themselves responsibly in the international system.”
Accordingly, she outlined and pursued a plan to transform the State Department over the next generation through “global repositioning” of diplomatic personnel from Europe to critical emerging areas, increased regional focus in operations, greater engagement of foreign publics beyond capital cities, and establishment of “American Presence Posts” staffed by a single officer and “Virtual Presence Posts” through internet connection.Needed skills would be developed through enhanced training, expanded regional expertise, assignments to more challenging posts, experience in running programs, and practice of public diplomacy. Coordination with other federal agencies would also be increased.
One consideration in the application of transformational diplomacy is the tension between the virtual fortification of U.S. embassies because of increased security concerns and the need for embassy personnel to be accessible. This issue is among those addressed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in its study of the “Embassy of the Future.”
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