By Nicholas Louis
A Diplomat is a government representative abroad; cross-cultural diplomacy in application. This also includes intercultural competency when acting as a member or employee of a government who represents his or her country in dealings with other nations. This is done by working in an embassy or consulate abroad. They are appointed by a national government to conduct official negotiations and maintain political, economic, and social relations with another country or countries.
Diplomats collect and report information that could affect national interests, often with advice about how the home country government should respond. Once any policy response has been decided in the home country’s capital; diplomats bear major responsibility for implementing it. Diplomats have the job of conveying [in the most persuasive way possible] the views of the home government to other sovereign states to which they are accredited and, in doing so, to try to convince those governments to act in ways that suit home country interests. In this way, diplomats are part of the beginning and the end of each loop in the continuous process through which foreign policy is made.
The home country will usually send instructions to a diplomatic post on what foreign policy goals to pursue. The decisions on tactics, who needs to be influenced, what will best persuade them, who are potential allies and adversaries, and what possible actions to take are for the diplomats overseas to make. In this operation, the intelligence, integrity, cultural competency and energy of individual diplomats are critical. If they are any good at their jobs, they will have developed relationships grounded in trust and mutual understanding with influential members of the country in which they are accredited. They will have worked hard to understand the motives, thought patterns and culture of the other side.
Issue:
Are there misconduct issues among The United States Diplomats? Has this misconduct placed compromise on the State and/or safety of any officer of the State?
Project:
This will be a quantitative collection of data. This inquiry, will exam the outcomes of misconduct.
Proposal Implications:
There should be stricter Oversight of United States Diplomats. This Oversight placed under greater scrutiny in regions of high levels of civil unrest. This scrutiny should apply to regions with high clerical misconduct.
Policy Proposal:
To portray an intrinsic voice when dealing in negotiations. Congressional Oversights Committee should assume the ability to form an intelligence committee.
- Gather accurate and current information of the affairs of state in cooperation with current staff of Diplomat.
- In regards to the conduct abroad: as it reflect on state.
United States and Venezuelan Conflict
Venezuela has announced it is expelling three (3) United States diplomats, whom it accuses of plotting to sabotage the economy. President Nicolas Maduro allegedly has evidence that the trio took part in power-grid sabotage in September and had bribed Venezuelan companies to cut down production (BBC).[1] Mr. Maduro accused the group of diplomats of meeting with right-wing political opponents of his government, financing their activities and encouraging them to sabotage the country’s electrical system and its economy (Shoichet).
Union of South American Nations Response on Venezuela Protests
In Venezuela where this is apparent and the restrictions are made clear; the Latin American diplomats are facing visa restrictions. A division of the opposition has the upper hand with now more attention in the media. There is a clear way to compare and contrast what other countries in the region are doing in regards to the protests. Among the countries in the region within a body called Union of South American Nations (USAN) [Spanish: Unión de Naciones Suramericanas: UNASUR]. The UNASUR Constitutive Treaty was signed on 23 May 2008, at the Third Summit of Heads of State, held in Brasília, Brazil. This organization consists of all the countries of South America and the islands surrounding the continent. Within this organization there is a mixture of government. This is vital in discovering solutions while working on integrated projects. UNASUR reacted quickly after the violence started in Venezuela. The formal dialogue, which lasted six hours, was held in the evening of the 10th and early morning of April 11, 2014, in the Ayacucho Hall of the Palace of Miraflores, the Union of South American Nations, UNASUR, searched for understanding mechanisms allow the converging approach aimed at ending weeks of violent demonstrations in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (UNASUR PRESS).[2] Warning the opposition to engage in contacting democratic institutions can be exploited to avoid falling into an abyss of intolerance and confrontation. If there are political differences that need to be resolved, parties should adhere to it constitutionally.
United States Response to Venezuelan Protests
The United States has an interest in nurturing regional cooperation particularly under the auspices of the Organization of American States (OAS), of which it is a core member. While often disappointing to both the United States and Latin America, the OAS provides the only regional forum in which all of the countries with democratically elected governments participate.
From the very beginning there has been a very different message coming out of the United States. President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and other U. S. Government Officials referred to the protests systematically as “peaceful protests.” U. S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he is working with Colombia and other countries to form a mediation strategy for Venezuela’s political crisis. Mr. Kerry said it would be “very difficult” for the two sides to come to an agreement without assistance (BBC).[3] This assistance is viewed as aggression.
The clear message was sent to the United States from Venezuelan President Maduro when he expelled three United States diplomats from Venezuela; accusing them of plotting with anti-government protesters. Maduro says that the U.S. government invests at least $5 million USD annually to back opposition movements in his country (Prensa Latina News Agency).[4] As a result, this is viewed as a maneuver by the United States to legitimize attempts to destabilize the Venezuelan democracy. Maduro also distinguished that in the United States, the protesters have been described as ‘peaceful,’ while the Venezuelan government is said to be violently repressing them. According to this narrative, the American government is siding with the people of Venezuela; in reality, it is on the side of the 1 percent who wishes to drag our country back to when the 99 percent were shut out of political life and only the few, including American companies benefited from Venezuela’s oil (Prensa Latina News Agency). [5]
Neo-Liberalist Agenda
Between the 1980’s – 1990’s the Neo-Liberal push was very successful. The desire for democratization across Latin America became apparent. Coming out of the Cold War, the United States had not the need for the military support against the communist treat in Latin America or against Dictatorship Regimes. As the democratization occurred, there were governments that emerged that were generally pro United States. One thing that can be noted in this period was that the Latin American left (opposite of the current government) was in disarray. Taking advantage of the disorganization, the Neo-Liberal push became easy to implement. The end of the 1990’s is where it all began to change. Social movements began to organize themselves against the Neo-Liberalist agenda. That is when the understanding of the Neo-Liberalist agenda to broaden the economic profit playing ground for United States corporations that operates in Latin America. Neo-Liberals highlight two key historical developments in 20th century that have made realism increasingly inaccurate as a description of world politics: 1) increasing interdependence between actors, 2) hegemonic stability provided by the United States (Dunne).
There are three major challenges to the design of institutions that Neo-Liberals recognize: 1) bargaining (how it is facilitated), 2) defection (how it is mitigated), and 3) autonomy (do institutions have autonomy from states).
Economic Interests
A significant number of U.S. companies have operations in Venezuela; it remains an important market for U.S. goods and some services, especially oil services. Many of these companies could be at risk if violent internal conflict broke out. Venezuela is consistently among the five largest foreign suppliers of oil to the United States. The United States is Venezuela’s largest market, buying up to nine hundred thousand barrels of oil daily, up to 45 percent of Venezuela’s total oil exports. Around six hundred thousand barrels of Venezuelan crude per day are refined at CITGO facilities in the United States. Although a cut off of Venezuelan oil to the United States is theoretically possible, it is unlikely given Venezuela’s dependence on the U.S. market (Duddy).[6]
The United States is now less vulnerable to a cut off of supply from Venezuela as U.S. domestic production has risen and imports from elsewhere could relatively quickly replace Venezuelan oil. Venezuela’s economy, on the other hand, has become more dependent on petroleum. Although production has stagnated since 2003, oil accounts for over 95 percent of Venezuela’s export earnings, and export revenue pays for nearly 50 percent of the government’s budget. Thus, although Venezuela is vulnerable to pressure via its dependence on its oil exports generally and the U.S. market and refineries specifically, global markets would likely react negatively to either an interruption of Venezuelan production or a crisis in U.S.-Venezuelan relations that threatens the bilateral trade in oil (Duddy).
Recommendations
When U.S. diplomats negotiate a treaty, attend a state dinner, or arrange a visa for a traveler to the United States, they all have the same mission to represent the interests and policies of the United States. On multilateral issues, diplomats need to understand how their counterparts think and express their unique and differing beliefs, needs, fears, and intentions. The actions of diplomats can directly influence the actions of a sovereign state. When taking into consideration the misconduct of US diplomats during their post, evaluation and detailed guidelines of procedural practices should be employed. This proposal will stress stricter Oversight of United States Diplomats. This Oversight placed under greater scrutiny in regions of high levels of civil unrest. This scrutiny should apply to regions with high clerical and social misconduct. The definition of misconduct shall be defined as any action that leads to a negative response from the host country while in post.
References
BBC, “John Kerry urges mediation in Venezuela crisis.” BBC new Latin America & Caribbean 28 feb 2014, n. pag. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-26392262>.
BBC, “Venezuela expels three US diplomats over ‘sabotage’.” 30 Sep 013, Latin America & Caribbean n. pag. Web. 05 Mar. 2014. <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-24342804>.
“diplomat.” Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 03 Mar. 2014. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diplomat>.
Duddy, Patrick. “Political Unrest in Venezuela .” Council on Foreign Relations. (2012): Web. 21 Apr. 2014. <http://www.cfr.org/venezuela/political-unrest-venezuela/p28936>.
Dunne, Kurki & Smith. “Neoliberalism.” Trans. Array International Relations Theories. . 3 rd. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. <http://global.oup.com/uk/orc/politics/ir_theory/dunne3e/01student/guide/ch06/>.
Prensa Latina News Agency, “US Supports Opposition in Venezuela, Says Maduro.” Escambray [Sancti Spíritus] 02 apr 2014, n. pag. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. <http://en.escambray.cu/2014/us-supports-opposition-in-venezuela-says-maduro/>.
Shoichet, Catherine E. “Venezuela expels top U.S. diplomat, two other embassy officials.” 30 Sep 2013, US. Web. 05 Mar. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/30/world/americas/venezuela-us-diplomats- expelled/index.html>.
UNASUR PRESS, “UNASUR is committed to bring to fruition the beginning of dialogue in Venezuela.” UNASUR Center News. (2011): n. page. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. <http://unasursg.org/inicio/centro-de-noticias/archivo-de-noticias/unasur-se-compromete- por-llevar-a-feliz-término-el-inicio-del-diálogo-en-venezuela>.
“What are the Roles of a Diplomat?” Discover Diplomacy. <http://diplomacy.state.gov/discoverdiplomacy/diplomacy101/people/170341.htm>.
[1] The diplomats expelled have been named as Kelly Keiderling – the charge d’affaires and the most senior US diplomat in Caracas – David Moo and Elizabeth Hoffman, see BBC, “Venezuela expels three US diplomats over ‘sabotage’.” 30 Sep 013, Latin America & Caribbean n. pag. Web. 05 Mar. 2014. <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-24342804>.
[2] The formal dialogue at Palace of Miraflores, see UNASUR PRESS http://unasursg.org/inicio/centro-de-noticias/archivo-de-noticias/unasur-se-compromete-por-llevar-a-feliz-término-el-inicio-del-diálogo-en-venezuela
[3] Anti-government protests have quickly become a feature of daily life in some parts of Caracas, see BBC http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-26392262
[4] US Supports Opposition in Venezuela, Says Maduro, see Prensa Latina News Agency http://en.escambray.cu/2014/us-supports-opposition-in-venezuela-says-maduro/
[5] US Supports Opposition in Venezuela, Says Maduro, see Prensa Latina News Agency http://en.escambray.cu/2014/us-supports-opposition-in-venezuela-says-maduro/
[6] Contingency Planning Memorandum No 16, see Duddy http://www.cfr.org/venezuela/political-unrest-venezuela/p28936
Discovery 