By Independent News Roundup
The Trump administration is recalling at least 30 career diplomats from ambassadorial and senior embassy posts as part of a broader effort to reshape U.S. diplomacy in line with President Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy agenda, according to the Associated Press. The reaction, however, is mixed, with the US State Department being described as “besieged,” “battered,” and “paralyzed.” But officially we are being told this is perfectly normal. It isn’t.
This marks a turning point in U.S. diplomacy and represents a new low in US foreign policy. With congressional analysts sounding alarms, and allies quietly cringing, it now appears that the likely chaos is not accidental but strategic,i.e., ‘method in madness’, and that what we are witnessing is but the opening act.
The purge, the paralysis, and the price of “America First”
The move, while beingworldwide, most greatly affects U.S. embassies across Europe and Eurasia, including postings in Montenegro, Armenia, North Macedonia, and Slovakia—many of these posts are currently held by diplomats who were appointed during the Biden administration. Current and former US officials are claiming the recalls reflect a shift toward ensuring senior overseas personnel are aligned with White House and State Department priorities.
That could be argued, however, perhaps another agenda is in place. As one reader who cannot get a tourist visa for his Russian wife, recently shared with me, ‘On a positive note, at least Judy Rising Reinke, the US Ambassador to Montenegro, is being recalled. I’m going to call the embassy in Podgorica today to see whether they can rustle up some sort of visa for my wife, given the changed circumstances.
the incoming replacements will leave friends, foes, and allies alike wincing, as Trump proudly sends forth “NEW”diplomats to display both the polished face—and the unmistakable backside—of the American Eagle
He has two school age children, his children’s ages (11 and 9). Both have US passports, butt heir mother cannot even obtain a tourist visa to the US for the holidays. The US Embassy insists the she only wants to immigrate without applying for an immigrant visa.
More intrigue surrounds Armenia, where Ambassador Christina Quinn’s end-of-year departure coincides with sweeping US-backed reforms under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. With American guidance, Pashinyan has overhauled the military, law enforcement, judiciary, energy sector, and digital infrastructure, while cracking down on opposition and the Armenian Church to consolidate power in his hands and pivot away from Russia, which bears a suspicious similarity to the so called reforms instituted in Ukraine after the 2014 Maidan coup.
Quinn, formerly US ambassador to Ukraine until 2022, oversaw these changes amid a controversial peace push with Azerbaijan. A Washington-brokered treaty. initialled on August 8. facilitates the Zangezur corridor through Armenia’s Syunik region, ostensibly for regional connectivity but granting the US a century-long infrastructure lease. Analysts suggest this aligns with a larger US agenda targeting Iran, rather than benefiting local stakeholders.
The recalls have elicited strong backlash from US diplomats, lawmakers, and international observers, who question the timing and implications for Biden-era appointments. As one insider noted, “Nothing happens in isolation—connecting the dots reveals an Israeli-influenced strategy in the region.” Naturally whoever gets sent here from Washington is a ‘professional’ who will naturally pursue the foreign policy directives of the White House, State Department, and National Security Council.
They will surely cosy up with whatever Trump has in mind, like good Germans following orders—so nothing changes! But in the larger scheme of things, something more insidious is in play, and likely has to do with an Israeli agenda in some regions. The commentary in the media over the recalls have drawn sharp reactions from diplomats, lawmakers and foreign policy observers both inside and outside the United States.
Why the recall of 30 diplomats reveals far more than a staffing shuffle?
The American Foreign Service Association, AFSA, which represents career diplomats, criticized the move as “highly irregular” and warned it sends a “chilling signal” that professional expertise and constitutional oaths are taking a back seat to political loyalty, potentially undermining U.S. credibility abroad, though the AFSA might want to look at their relentless pushing of the “Gay Empire” agenda in more traditionally minded countries for what really undermines US credibility worldwide.
Critics, including some U.S. senators, argue the timing and scale of the recalls risk hollowing out diplomatic posts at a time of global tension and could weaken American influence in regions such as Africa and the Asia-Pacific. Supporters within the administration counter that appointing officials aligned with the White House’s priorities is within presidential prerogative, and that reshaping diplomatic ranks is part of broader efforts to advance the Trump administration’s “America First” agenda.
“This method is highly irregular,” a spokesperson for AFSA told ABC News.
This is not normal practice. Career diplomats and ambassadors are not typically recalled in this manner. The lack of transparency and process breaks sharply with longstanding norms, The AFSA slammed the recall, saying it sends a “chilling signal” to career foreign service officers that their oaths to the Constitution take a backseat to political loyalty.
Jeanne Shaheen, ranking Democrat on the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, assailed the Republican administration’s removal of the diplomats while about 80 ambassadorial posts remain vacant. So far, and to no great surprise, The State Department refused to give a list of the diplomats being recalled claiming that the move was “a standard process in any administration” but that does not appear to be the case.
The delay by the Trump Administration in filling dozens of senior diplomatic positions—many of which have remained vacant since the previous administration—appears to be driven by strategic considerations rather than administrative oversight. One explanation is Trump’s preference for appointing individuals who demonstrate personal loyalty and alignment with his own policy agenda, rather than relying on professional career Foreign Service officers.
This staffing approach highlights an ongoing tension between Trump’s foreign policy objectives and the traditional role of the U.S. Foreign Service, which has historically emphasized continuity, institutional expertise, and the promotion of U.S. values abroad. Critics argue that this shift risks weakening diplomatic capacity and undermining established legal and normative frameworks governing U.S. foreign relations.
Moreover, such approach, at least from the worldview of Trump and team, is a necessary counterbalance to an entrenched foreign policy bureaucracy, one that is highly-resistant to elected leadership. Those who are being replaced have failed to deliver concrete results, actually making a BIGGER mess by following liberal policies in recent years—a holdover from the Biden administration, and, we could say, Obama.
To further complicate matters, there will be Senate confirmation bottlenecks. It is likely that this strategy is by design, and actually intended to weakenU.S. diplomatic capacity and undermine the traditional role of the Foreign Service as a professional institution, which has claimed over the years to represent American credibility and standing abroad. The decision is likely considered to be a device of subterfuge, so better to consolidate diplomacy in the hands of a few who are most loyal and beholden to Trump and his financial backers.
Many working in the US State Department claim that recent changes have made it harder to carry out their work. According to one survey, roughly 98% of diplomats said morale had dropped, and many were considering leaving the service early It is widely-acknowledged by reports and the media that the staffing decisions by the Trump Administration has left have left US diplomats demoralized.
However, interpretations of why this is happening and what it signifies vary significantly, depending on and perspective. There may definitely be method-in-madness, as the old saying goes, and this is also part of the overall intention to keep the frontline Ambassadors toeing the Trump official line—especially in regions of the world where US foreign policy is taking a change in direction, such as Africa, Asia and Central America.
A report archived on Congress.gov (from a Senate committee print) highlights that past staffing practices, including high vacancy rates and reliance on acting officials, contributed to loss of expertise and weakened U.S. global leadership. It states that forcing out or side-lining experienced career personnel “resulted in a stunning loss of expertise,” harming U.S. national security interests and leading to low morale and weak confidence in senior leadership.
The damming report’s highlights reads less like an audit and more like a medical chart: over the past three and a half years, the State Department has endured a hiring freeze, a botched “reform” process, threats to slash its budget by a third, and vacancies so persistent they deserve tenure. The result is an institution variously described as “besieged,” “demoralized,” “battered,” “beaten,” “mistreated,” “paralyzed,” and now—breaking records—“at a new low.” Not exactly the résumé you want for the face of American diplomacy.
And if recent headlines are any indication—such as President Trump naming Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland, much to Denmark’s displeasure—the sequel promises to be even more entertaining. One suspects the incoming replacements will leave friends, foes, and allies alike wincing, as Trump proudly sends forth “NEW”diplomats to display both the polished face—and the unmistakable backside—of the American Eagle.
It is not as if we did not see it coming –and
what has happened is just for starters, as to why did Trump recall all
these diplomats early. There must be some other agenda in play! The
shakeup risks “giving away U.S. leadership” in coup-prone regions of the
world.
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Seth Ferris, investigative journalist and political scientist, expert on Middle Eastern affairs
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