The result has been a false sense that America's world leadership can be had on the cheap. Like the armed forces, the Foreign Service needs better training, better treatment, and better pay. A recent book from the American Academy of Diplomacy, First Line of Defense, eloquently makes the case for greater attention to diplomacy. It notes the high price in terms of lives lost that the American Foreign Service has paid over the years. It is no disrespect to the American military to note that more Ambassadors have given their lives in terrorist incidents than Generals did in Vietnam.
Diplomacy is a high-risk business on which the security of America relies.
The reporting, analysis, representation, and negotiation which America's representatives abroad carry out are essential ingredients of our global leadership. The American Foreign Service provides the linguistic, cultural, and analytical skills which must inform every United States activity beyond its borders. When diplomacy fails, almost inexorably we are called on to use military resources. The costs of diplomatic failure are high. As the presidential campaign unfolds, the candidates should explicitly recognize that diplomacy is indeed America's first line of defense and forthrightly call for the resources necessary to sustain and enhance it.