Government reform is an open ended process; large institutions that conduct our national security and foreign policies need to continually evolve, to adapt to changing realities in the international landscape, and to changes in our own society. Two recent reports address the challenge of aligning the internal structures and personnel practices of the Department of State to the 21st century world.
The American Academy of Diplomacy has recently released American Diplomacy at Risk, examining how the professional foreign service is weakened by politicization and by failures to sustain relevant training and professional development for the work force.
The State Department itself has released its second Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, looks at recent reforms and innovations to make the department more responsive in an age of partnerships and collaboration with diverse state and non-state civil society players.
Featuring:
Speakers:
Amb. Ronald Neumann, President, American Academy of Diplomacy
Caroline Wadhams, Acting Director in the Office of the QDDR, State Department
Discussants:
Amb. Barbara Bodine, Director, Institute for the Study of Diplomacy
Julie Smith, Senior Fellow and Director of the Strategy and Statecraft Program, Center for New American Security
Moderator:
Ellen Laipson, President and Chief Executive Officer, the Stimson Center