Events in Washington last week were gut-wrenching for many, not least for America’s Foreign Service and the two million other public servants of the United States. They were also inspiring and cause for much pride.
At present, the House of Representatives impeachment hearings are largely driven not by senior political figures or high-priced lawyers (yet) but rather by testimony proffered by none other than public servants. These are servants of the American people, from the CIA officer who first reported the possible wrongdoing of President Trump in a July phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, to the most recent public servants to offer testimony, three career Foreign Service officers.
The congressional testimony of these Foreign Service officers may have been, for the majority of Americans, the first time they have seen or heard members of America’s diplomatic service in public. (Full disclosure, I am a retired Foreign Service officer with nearly 27 years of service.) No one should begrudge Americans for that. The State Department has no domestic “bases” as our military forces do. Numbering only about 8,000 officers – about a third more than the crew of a US aircraft carrier – with the majority serving overseas at any one time, they are little noticed in a country as big as the US. Moreover, Foreign Service officers are a small fraction of the men and women serving in our armed forces. So, it is no surprise that few Americans ever hear from or know about their diplomats.
Perhaps, that is as it should be. And, it is why what occurred this past week in the US Congress was so extraordinary. Diplomats – Foreign Service officers – are practiced in the subtle, fine arts of human interaction: building trust, maintaining confidentiality, promoting openness, probing possibilities, eying nuances and finding compromise. These are skills developed most typically over decades of practice, much as a fine hitter in baseball or an accomplished pianist in a symphony. They must practice their craft consistently over a very long time before attaining confidence and achieving excellence. All the while, they must maintain the highest level of integrity and fidelity to their nation and its interests.
What is patently not part of a diplomat’s repertoire or skill-set is taking issues public and having them raked over by antagonists and protagonists alike. Certainly, diplomats are accomplished public speakers and debaters. In fact, those also are essential skills of senior diplomats, for example, in order to explain to the general public or the media the complexities of an issue on which they may be working.
The testimonies last week of Bill Taylor, George Kent and Marie Yovanovitch were altogether different from what diplomats ordinarily do. They were called upon to share what they knew about what appears to be most sordid and potentially illegal acts by their commander-in-chief and those allegedly working at his direction. When Foreign Service officers appear before Congress, it is usually either to appear at a hearing before being confirmed (or sometimes not) to a senior diplomatic post or to testify before one or more committees about aspects of US foreign policy for which they are responsible. So, last week’s appearances were unprecedented.
What Americans saw, however, is what may be the soul of all Foreign Service officers: a commitment to serve their nation. They are extraordinarily intelligent, capable and talented Americans with no other motivation than to protect and advance the interests of their country and to do so with the highest level of professionalism and integrity. They do so in some of the most challenging and inscrutable environments and cultures anywhere. Those who serve in the armed forces and our intelligence agencies will readily recognize their fellow public servants of the Foreign Service. In fact, public servants throughout the US Government will certainly know the Taylors, Kents and Yovanavitches of America. They work alongside them every day. They are their colleagues. They are themselves.
Some have referred to these individuals as “unelected bureaucrats.” First, the US does not send “elected” officials to places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine or any other country. (Members of Congress sometimes visit abroad to learn firsthand about the complexities of the issues on which they may be called to vote.) We send appointed, commissioned diplomats with the proper experience and language skills to do that job. Second, the term “bureaucrats” is nothing less than a pejorative intended to demean and belittle the approximately two million Americans who serve throughout our government, excluding members of the armed services. Millions of state and local government public servants also serve their respective citizens with dedication and commitment.
We properly honor those who serve our country in uniform. Though most are not called upon to risk their lives as do our men and women in the military, public servants of our nation are no less deserving of the respect and gratitude of the American public and most especially of Members of Congress, for whom they work.
What was also striking about the week’s testimonies is the obvious humility of these accomplished men and women who serve their nation. That, too, is in the nature of most diplomats and effective diplomacy. Grandstanding, headline-grabbing, self-promoters do not do well in diplomacy. In fact, they fail miserably at those fine arts of human interaction mentioned above. To be successful, one must be well-practiced in humility, understanding that not all solutions reside in the hands of any one person and new ideas for solving tough problems more often emerge from the input of many and from the lessons of their mistakes.
In trying to explain the week’s proceedings, a couple of biblical verses came to mind. The first comes from the Book of Proverbs, chapter 29, verse 23. “A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.” And the second is from the Book of Matthew, chapter 23, verse 12. “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Last week, Americans had a chance to hear from, exalt and honor humble public servants. They may have to wait, however, for the lowering of the prideful and humbling of the exalted.