Departments of Foreign Affairs

Diplomatic Machinery

The conduct of relations with other countries has three requirements: (1) an establishment in the home country to formulate policy and instruct personnel sent (2) an establishment abroad from which contacts are made in the foreign country; and (3) personnel to make the system work. Over the centuries these three requisites for diplomacy became increasingly professional and bureaucratic. By the 17^th and 18^th centuries, domestic foreign affairs establishments were fairly well developed. In the 19^th century corps of diplomats increasingly were chosen by competitive examinations. Although ambassadors were often selected on a political basis, they found highly professional staffs waiting for them at their embassies abroad, and they dealt with other skilled staffs when they reported to their home officers.

Answer the questions:

1. What are the three requirements concerning the conduct of relations with other countries?

2. How were the corps of diplomats chosen since the 19^th century?

3. How professional were the ambassadors and the staff of the missions?

Government agencies that deal with foreign affairs are usually called the ministry of foreign or external affairs. In the U.S., foreign affairs are handled by the Department of State. Such a department is headed by the foreign secretary (or, in the U.S., by the secretary of state). In democracies, the foreign secretary is always a political appointee who is selected by the nation’s leader. Drawing on the expertise within the department and its establishments abroad, the secretary advises the head of state on matters of foreign policy, helps formulate and coordinate policy, and administers the agency over which he or she presides. At times, the foreign secretary is also directly involved in negotiations with other nations. A small number of politically appointed undersecretaries and assistant secretaries aid in running the department.

Departments of foreign affairs are usually divided into geographic and functional divisions. The former consists of bureaus for major geographic areas that are then broken down into smaller divisions and, ultimately, into “country desks”. Desk officers are career diplomats who specialize in various aspects of the country to which they are assigned. Instructions to and reports from embassies abroad are handled first by the country desks.

The functional division deals with problems or issues that do not appropriately fall under the domain of any one country: trade, international organization, human rights, intelligence, public information, international law, passports and visas. Coordination of policy between geographic and functional divisions is a continually perplexing problem.

Departments of foreign affairs also have an administrative section that is in charge of running the agency. This section deals with internal matters such as budget allocations, personnel recruitment and management, training and logistics.

In an age of interdependence and total diplomacy, foreign affairs departments must coordinate their activities with the foreign activities of other government agencies. Treasury departments, for example, are increasingly involved in negotiations over trade and money. Agricultural departments are concerned with foreign trade and world food problems.

Defense establishments are involved in supporting foreign governments abroad and training their armed forces. Intelligence agencies provide heads of state with alternate sources of information about other countries. In some cases minister has trouble merely keeping informed of all the activities the nation is engaged in abroad.

Answer the questions:

1. How are the government agencies that deal with foreign affairs called?

2. Who are the U.S. foreign affairs handled by?

3. How is the foreign secretary usually appointed?

4. What does the foreign secretary do?

5. What are the main divisions of the Departments of foreign affairs?

6. What does the functional division deal with?

7. What is the administrative section in charge of?

Дата добавления: 2014-12-27