Empty Embassies

What do these twenty countries have in common: Albania, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, Burma,  Cambodia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Germany, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Mauritania, Moldova, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sudan, Syria, and Turkey?

There is no U.S. ambassador in any of them—and there are several others that could be added to that list.

Given the broad agreement in the United States that the world is a dangerous place, and that we are in a consequential competition with China, Russia, Iran, and other hostile powers, it is foolish and dangerous to have empty ambassadorial posts.

There will always be some unexpected vacancies, for example when an ambassador must leave overnight due to his or her own illness or a family emergency. But that’s a rare situation. These vacancies represent a breakdown in the process by which the United States appoints ambassadors.

It should be simple: we know that a sitting ambassador’s term is ending, so the president sends a name up to the Senate as a replacement. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee investigates, holds a hearing and (usually) approves, and (usually) the Senate votes to confirm. The problem is that that system is not working.

Occasionally it is the fault of the White House staff and the president: they dally and do not send up a name. Or, they send up the name of someone so unqualified that he or she cannot be confirmed. But more often, the problem is in the Senate: the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will not act, or one senator (and that’s all it takes) places a hold on the nomination. Often this is done out of pure partisanship, or in order to hold hostage other matters the administration in power wants.

Here is an example: Jen Gavito is a Foreign Service Officer with 26 years experience. I knew her 20 years ago as a colleague at the National Security Council. She has been the top political officer in Jerusalem and Political Counselor in London, and served as well all over the Arab Middle East. She was selected to be ambassador to Libya 32 months ago. And still the Senate has not acted. Last week she pulled out, telling friends and colleagues “I wanted to let you know that I recently asked that President Biden withdraw my nomination as Ambassador to Libya and will retire from the Foreign Service later this month.  After 32 months in limbo it was time to prioritize the changed needs of my family and, especially, our two teenage boys.” Who can blame her? The system failed her—and failed the country.

Libya is a dangerous mess and a real opportunity for even more Russian mischief-making than we have already seen there. The United States needs an ambassador there, as we do in other trouble spots—and as we do in key allied capitals. I had hoped that when President Biden was elected, as a former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee he might call in leaders like Sens. Schumer and McConnell and the chairman and ranking members of the Committee. He would have been in a good position to press for procedural changes that leave so many embassies vacant. He showed zero interest in doing so, from all I’ve seen.

So here we are. Positions go vacant—and the vacancies sometimes for stretch for years. Talented and dedicated career officers (and sometimes talented and dedicated political appointees) spend years in limbo because the Senate will not act.

Next year there will be a new president and new Senate leadership. I’d like to think they will address this problem and deal expeditiously with the new president’s nominees for ambassadorial posts. Up or down, yes or no—fast. I’d like to believe it, but all the evidence suggests we will be in the same or a considerably worse position one year from now. Add this to the list of ways in which Congress is not doing its job.