While our international affairs budgets have declined, the need for diplomacy has not. To the contrary, the need for diplomacy is increasing. As a nation, we are all aware of the primacy of national security. However, our political system increasingly defines national security largely in military terms. National security depends on more than military preparedness.
National security depends heavily on diplomacy.
The world has changed. It is no longer based upon a bi-polar confrontation between two superpowers, and the threat of military confrontation alone is substantially less effective in keeping the peace. We must build our diplomacy as we have so successfully built our military. While such a budgetary shift would have some impact on defense or other domestic programs in the short term, that impact would be far less than the potential impact of shortcomings in our diplomatic capability in future years. This is a matter of national security, and the consideration of these needs must begin now.