Defense

Biden’s Long Foreign-Policy Record Signals How He'll Reverse Trump, Rebuild Old Alliances and Lead the Pandemic Response

How would Joe Biden engage a world upended by Trump? A diplomacy expert explains what Biden's history says about his foreign policy priorities.

Management

When Feeling American Requires Leaving America

For some Black U.S. diplomats, the moment they feel most American is when they are abroad.

Management

Retired Diplomats Urge State Dept. to Address Mistreatment of Minority Foreign Service Officers At the U.S. Border

There are “debilitating effects on the morale of our Black, Hispanic and other minority officers [from] this systemic discrimination,” said the organization. 

Oversight

GovExec Daily: Inspectors General and Oversight In the Trump Administration

Katherine McIntire Peters and Courtney Bublé join the podcast to discuss the president's letter stating that he will remove State Department Inspector General Steve Linick from his job.

Management

How the State Department Could Be Rebuilt After the Trump Administration

The damage at the State Department is worse than you imagine—but also more reparable.

Oversight

Viewpoint: As the Rich Get Richer, the Ambassadors Get Worse

Gordon Sondland embodies an age-old problem—one that the flood of donor money into American politics is only exacerbating.

Management

The Trump Administration Gutted the Staff Overseeing $1 Billion in Aid to Iraq. A Watchdog Is Raising Red Flags.

A new report warns that USAID may not be able to effectively oversee $1.16 billion in foreign aid to Iraq — including to Christian groups Vice President Mike Pence’s office favored — after the administration cut much of its on-the-ground staff.

Management

What’s Driving Apolitical Diplomats to Get Political

Some former State Department officials are so concerned by Trump’s breach of diplomatic protocol that they have begun to advise 2020 Democrats.

Management

How Mike Pence’s Office Meddled in Foreign Aid to Reroute Money to Favored Christian Groups

Officials at USAID warned that favoring Christian groups in Iraq could be unconstitutional and inflame religious tensions. When one colleague lost her job, they said she had been “Penced.”

Management

Allies Defend Kurt Volker, Diplomat Caught Up in Ukrainegate

Former officials say that the characterization of Volker that has emerged in some press reports is untrue.

Workforce

State Department Recognizes Terror Attack Hero as Inaugural Honoree in New Program

"We have to tell these stories," State secretary says of woman who got back to work after her nose was blown off.

Management

Budget Talks Will Break Down if White House Bypasses Congress to Cut Foreign Aid, Pelosi Warns

The Democratic leader stresses that the State Department must be allowed to continue spending money while Congress considers any rescission request, per a GAO legal analysis.

Management

Before Trump Eyed Greenland: Here’s What Happened Last Time The U.S. Bought a Large Chunk Of The Arctic

In 1867, the U.S. bought Alaska from Tsar Alexander II for a tidy sum of $7.2 million. Trump probably wouldn't be able to get that kind of bargain for Greenland.

Oversight

State Dept. IG: Appointees Retaliated Against Career Feds Over Perceived ‘Disloyalty’

Watchdog found multiple instances where career employees were retaliated against, or denied promotions, because of a perception that they were “Obama holdovers.”

Management

Leaks Are Changing How Diplomats Talk

In the era of WikiLeaks, hostile-state cyberwarfare, and leaks such as the Darroch incident, the diplomatic cable’s primacy is being threatened, changing the way foreign policy is being conducted.

Workforce

Presidential Hopeful Vows to Double the Number of Career Diplomats at State

Democratic candidate would create new recruiting pipelines and pay structures to boost workforce.