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octoberlib

(14,971 posts)
Wed Jul 10, 2019, 04:51 PM Jul 2019

'It Could Have Been Any of Us': Disdain for Trump Runs Among Ambassadors

Ask members of the Washington diplomatic corps about the cables that Sir Kim Darroch, the British ambassador who resigned Wednesday, wrote to London describing the dysfunction and chaos of the Trump administration, and their response is uniform: We wrote the same stuff.

“Yes, yes, everyone does,” Gérard Araud, who retired this spring as the French ambassador, said on Wednesday morning of his own missives from Washington. “But fortunately I knew that nothing would remain secret, so I sent them in a most confidential manner

With a few exceptions — including the ambassadors from Israel and the United Arab Emirates, who have supported Mr. Trump’s every move — foreign diplomats in Washington these days describe living in something of a black hole.

Decisions that directly affect their nations’ trade relationships or troops are delivered with no notice. Their contacts inside the State Department, the Treasury and Congress freely tell them they have little idea what decisions Mr. Trump may make, or what he may reverse.


https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/10/world/europe/kim-darroch-trump.html

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'It Could Have Been Any of Us': Disdain for Trump Runs Among Ambassadors (Original Post) octoberlib Jul 2019 OP
Maybe I'm naive, but I still don't really see what Ambassador Darroch did smirkymonkey Jul 2019 #1
he didn't do anything wrong Skittles Jul 2019 #3
What does her resignation letter say? at140 Jul 2019 #4
his. 912gdm Jul 2019 #5
It can be difficult to continue conducting sensitive diplomatic tasks... Caliman73 Jul 2019 #6
I suppose that's true. smirkymonkey Jul 2019 #8
That is for sure. Caliman73 Jul 2019 #9
We're so much greater without our allies, aren't we? gratuitous Jul 2019 #2
As it does among most Americans Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Jul 2019 #7

Skittles

(152,963 posts)
3. he didn't do anything wrong
Wed Jul 10, 2019, 05:19 PM
Jul 2019

he was just telling the truth, saying what most of them (and us) think......it's the leak that is upsetting

Caliman73

(11,690 posts)
6. It can be difficult to continue conducting sensitive diplomatic tasks...
Wed Jul 10, 2019, 06:01 PM
Jul 2019

When it has been made known that you believe that your counterparts are incompetent fools.

Mind you, I do not disagree with Darroch's assessment at all. Trump and his administration hacks are the worst in modern history. The problem is that even if there is some tension or adversarial quality in the relationships between ambassadors and their hosts, there can be a respect between the officials who are representing the respective interests of their countries. It would be hard for Darroch to have a meeting to discuss trade, or anything else while knowing he thought you were a complete idiot.

Imagine meeting with a co-worker for a project and you find out that they had just told the manager that they thought you were a complete idiot and they dreaded working with you. How productive would your project be?

 

smirkymonkey

(63,221 posts)
8. I suppose that's true.
Wed Jul 10, 2019, 06:57 PM
Jul 2019

He's only made the mistake of leaking what every other diplomat is thinking. It's kind of sad when the opinion of an absolute buffoon like Donald Trump has this much bearing on a person's job.

Caliman73

(11,690 posts)
9. That is for sure.
Wed Jul 10, 2019, 07:02 PM
Jul 2019

I often have discussions with my wife about the difficulty of being a journalist or diplomat in the era of Trump. I would likely not last more than a day as a reporter covering him. I would get fired for pressing him and acting "disrespectfully".

The problem is that he deserves no respect. He has sullied the office to the point where the office, as long as he is in it, deserves no respect either.

gratuitous

(82,849 posts)
2. We're so much greater without our allies, aren't we?
Wed Jul 10, 2019, 05:03 PM
Jul 2019

Why should our historic allies expect to know what we're about on any given subject from day to day? Those damn foreigners are practically taking us for granted! They think we'll be on the side of human rights, and justice, and opposed to crimes against humanity, and our allies are just way too complacent about that. Better we shake them up with a bunch of contrarian and frankly ridiculous pronouncements on foreign policy. It'll keep them on their toes. Hostile countries can feel free to laugh at the nation's fecklessness, just so long as they flatter the president with empty praise.

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