Developing a Diplomatic Corps that is Second-to-None: The Army War College Partners to Develop Tomorrow's Diplomats

摘要

The 2010 National Security Strategy (NSS) marked a change in emphasis in United States foreign policy direction after more than a decade of continuous military engagement in Afghanistan and Iraq. Global operations against violent extremist groups and entrenched and pervasive terror networks moved policy emphasis toward traditional 'hard power' levers--primarily military and economic coercion. Though these elements have dominated U.S. efforts since 9/11, the current NSS implements foreign policy across a wider range of engagement options, balanced between appropriate measures of hard and soft power--coined 'smart power' by Joseph Nye. While a strong and capable military is still the cornerstone of U.S. national security, this broad and holistic approach to international relationships involves a whole-of-government mindset. In her 2009 confirmation hearings, then Secretary of State Nominee Hillary Clinton told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 'We must use what has been called 'smart power': the full range of tools at our disposal-- diplomatic, economic, military, political, legal, and cultural--picking the right tool, or combination of tools, for each situation. With 'smart power,' diplomacy will be the vanguard of foreign policy.' The Center for Strategic Leadership (CSL) at the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, PA, has partnered with universities from around the country to educate and develop future diplomats who will be part of this vanguard. This partnership began in 2003 with Georgetown University's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy and has developed into similar partnerships with Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs; The University of Kentucky's Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce; Texas A&M University's George H.W. Bush School of Government and Public Service; and The University of Texas' Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.