Edward Wong, Trump Administration Draft Order Calls for Drastic Overhaul of State Department, NYTimes, April 20, 2025.
A draft White House executive order proposes a drastic restructuring of the State Department, including eliminating almost all of its Africa operations and shutting down embassies and consulates across the continent.
The draft also calls for cutting offices at State Department headquarters that address climate change and refugee issues, as well as democracy and human rights concerns.
The purpose of the executive order, which could be signed by President Trump this week, is to impose “a disciplined reorganization” of the State Department and “streamline mission delivery” while cutting “waste, fraud and abuse,” according to a copy of the 16-page draft order obtained by The New York Times. The department is supposed to make the changes by Oct. 1.
Some provisions:
The draft executive order calls for ending the foreign service exam for aspiring diplomats, and it lays out new criteria for hiring, including “alignment with the president’s foreign policy vision.”
The draft says the department must greatly expand its use of artificial intelligence to help draft documents, and to undertake “policy development and review” and “operational planning.”
Without knowing the nature of that exam, I have no idea whether or not it's a useful tool. As for “alignment with the president’s foreign policy vision,” I can see the logic of that, though I've got my doubts about Trump's foreign policy vision. In any event, he's so mercurial that that vision could change between the time a job is applied for and a new employee is on-boarded.
The draft says the department must greatly expand its use of artificial intelligence to help draft documents, and to undertake “policy development and review” and “operational planning.”
Well, OK, given how much I make use of AI in my own work, I can't reasonably object to this. But still, this does give me pause. If I mess up with AI in my own work, the consequences are relatively minor. Sure, I'll make so bad arguments, but no one will die. Peoples' welfare and their very lives are at stake in foreign policy. I have little faith in the ability of Silicon Valley hypemasters to supply competent advice and counsel on this.
One of the most drastic proposed changes would be eliminating the bureau of African affairs, which oversees policy in sub-Saharan Africa. It would be replaced by a much smaller special envoy office for African affairs that would report to the White House National Security Council. The office would focus on a handful of issues, including “coordinated counterterrorism operations” and “strategic extraction and trade of critical natural resources.”
The draft also said all “nonessential” embassies and consulates in sub-Saharan Africa would be closed by Oct. 1. Diplomats would be sent to Africa on “targeted, mission-driven deployments,” the document said.
This is a big mistake. If anything, the African mission should be expanded. Otherwise, we're pushing Africa toward China. You might want to consider the various posts I've gathered under the rubric, Kisangani 2150.
There's more in the article, but that's enough.
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