STATE OF DISARRAY: For some reason, the number of Americans aspiring to a career as a diplomat is plunging. According to NBC News, between October 2017 and October 2018, only 8,685 people took the Foreign Service Officer Test – a 22-percent decline from the previous year. The drop in numbers is not a crisis – since only 300 people get in every year. But perhaps the folks at Foggy Bottom won’t be able to be quite as selective if the trend continues.
BUT THERE IS ROOM AT THE TOP: One good way to get into the State Department is to have a lot of money – and donate some of it to the president’s election campaign. Salon.com says that according to academic research from the Duke Law Journal – there is a record number of ambassadors being appointed in this administration with zero background in the foreign service. Less than 59 percent of nominees in this administration are experienced diplomats. The lowest percentage during the past five presidencies was 68 percent. Those appointed recently are also less likely to know the language of the country to which they are posted, than at any time in the past 40 years. But what this crowd lack in language and diplomatic skills, they make up in spare cash. On average, those appointed as a U.S. ambassador under President Trump contributed $96,900 to the president’s election campaign. It pays to know people.
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