The Financial Times reports:
What is unfolding now in Washington is more than a corrective; it is a purge. The Trump administration’s contempt for the foreign service is manifest in its lackadaisical approach to appointments: ten months after it took office, a swath of senior posts remain unfilled, including assistant secretary of state for Europe, and Africa.
Instead, America has moved into the age of the envoy. The current handling of the Russia-Ukraine talks embodies this shift. Joining Steve Witkoff, the real estate developer and Donald Trumpbuddy who has been America’s lead negotiator with Russia, in the latest round of talks is Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and private equity mogul.
But what is unfolding now in Washington is more than a corrective; it is a purge. The Trump administration’s contempt for the foreign service is manifest in its lackadaisical approach to appointments: ten months after it took office, a swath of senior posts remain unfilled, including assistant secretary of state for Europe, and Africa. Instead, America has moved into the age of the envoy. The current handling of the Russia-Ukraine talks embodies this shift. Joining Steve Witkoff, the real estate developer and Donald Trump-buddy who has been America’s lead negotiator with Russia, in the latest round of talks is Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and private equity mogul.
Both were key players in the quest for a lasting Middle East deal. Both, like their boss, are versed in cutting business deals, reinforcing the suspicion of European partners that securing investment opportunities is an American priority. But what of a historical understanding of Russia, asks a western negotiator who has been exasperated by the pro-Russian tone of so many of America’s public positions over the past year? The impact of the late Richard Holbrooke as a presidential envoy in the 1990s and 2000s was rooted in not just his bulldozing ways but his insights from long years as a diplomat.