January 23, 2006: Headlines: COS - Tunisia: Journalism: Diplomacy: Diversity: Washington Post: Al Kamen writes: Condoleezza Rice wants a more diverse Foreign Service
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January 23, 2006: Headlines: COS - Tunisia: Journalism: Diplomacy: Diversity: Washington Post: Al Kamen writes: Condoleezza Rice wants a more diverse Foreign Service
Al Kamen writes: Condoleezza Rice to redeploy diplomats from Europe to world hot spots, increase diversity
"No promotions, she said, without service in dangerous posts and fluency in two foreign languages, especially those spoken by people who may fancy grenade launchers and scream 'Death to America.' She also talked about the need for a more diverse Foreign Service, something that might improve diplomats' feel for foreign cultures. After all, just because you speak the language doesn't mean you can figure out when someone is lying through his teeth. There's a reason Afghan-born American diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad gets generally rave reviews for his work in the Middle East." Washington Post reporter Al Kamen served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tunisia.
Al Kamen writes: Condoleezza Rice to redeploy diplomats from Europe to world hot spots, increase diversity
Diversity Now a Foreign Concept
By Al Kamen
Monday, January 23, 2006; Page A13
[Excerpt]
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice caused a bit of a stir in Foggy Bottom last week when she unveiled plans to redeploy diplomats from Europe to world hot spots.
And no promotions, she said, without service in dangerous posts and fluency in two foreign languages, especially those spoken by people who may fancy grenade launchers and scream "Death to America."
She also talked about the need for a more diverse Foreign Service, something that might improve diplomats' feel for foreign cultures. After all, just because you speak the language doesn't mean you can figure out when someone is lying through his teeth. (There's a reason Afghan-born American diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad gets generally rave reviews for his work in the Middle East.)
Diversity is one area where neither the State Department nor the National Security Council nor the Pentagon, despite decades of talking about it, have claimed much success. The NSC, for example, with about 230 employees, has a total -- by our quick count -- of perhaps nine Latinos, African Americans, Asian Americans and Middle Easterners in mid-level or top positions.
At the State Department, four of six undersecretaries working for Rice are women, but a check of the top 45 or so officials at the assistant secretary level and higher finds fewer than a half-dozen minorities.
And at the Pentagon, although the uniformed folks have made great strides over the years up and down the ladder, minorities in the mid-level or higher civilian policymaking positions are said to be quite scarce, despite oral and written admonitions and pounding on the table by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld , a sponsor of the Voting Rights Act when he was in Congress in the '60s.
"It cannot be that the last three secretaries of state -- the daughter of European immigrants, the son of Jamaican immigrants and a daughter of the American segregated South -- would be more diverse than the Foreign Service with which they work," Rice said.
Alas.
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Story Source: Washington Post
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Tunisia; Journalism; Diplomacy; Diversity
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