Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice again called for the creation of a Civilian Reserve Corps to assist in post-conflict stabilization and reconstruction. Just days before, the State Department announced it would cut diplomatic positions by 10 percent, due in large part to the demands of Iraq. In calling for both an increase and a decrease in diplomatic capability at the same time, Rice's department is acting like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. While it's long past time for the establishment of a reserve corps to help the United States manage post-conflict situations, the call for a decrease in diplomatic positions outside of Iraq is nothing less than obscene. As evidenced by countless polls -- from organizations such as the BBC and the Pew Center -- America's standing in the world is atrophying at an unprecedented rate. In a time of strategic peril, the United States needs more emissaries cultivating strategic partnerships and alliances around the world -- not more diplomats manning a "super embassy" in Iraq, where State Department officials have proven themselves unable to navigate and manage wartime operations. Increasing staff in Baghdad probably won't help the situation there, and it will definitely hurt American standing around the world.
State Department’s Plans to Cut Diplomats is Ill-Conceived
