The State Department has put an end to the radical diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda within the Foreign Service. According to the Department, DEI efforts were deeply embedded into the Foreign Service under the previous White House administration. “DEI objectives and materials shamefully denigrated the United States, derided Americans of certain backgrounds, and distracted from legitimate foreign policy objectives that serve the American people,” the Department explained, noting that it has now eliminated such divisive ideologies from Foreign Service training.
Detailing the extent to which DEI infiltrated the Foreign Service, the State Department shared that required reading for teachers included critical race theory texts. The agency also provided guidance on how Foreign Service Officers could fulfill a DEI promotion metric, encouraging DEI discussions with foreign governments.
Discussions of “white privilege” and “systemic racism” were also included within the Foreign Service.
Earlier this year, the State Department launched a series of exercises aimed at reconfiguring Foreign Service recruitment. The modernization effort sought to ensure that the nation is “equipped with the essential diplomatic corps that it needs to meet the challenges of the 21st century.” The efforts include a written exam, an American history test, and shifting the orientation to include content on “diplomatic theory, economic statecraft, and strategic competition.”
The Foreign Service’s updated onboarding program, called A-100, now features readings on American history and international relations and includes speeches and writings from “George Washington, John Quincy Adams, and James Monroe, selections from the Federalist Papers, and works from George Kennan, Angelo Codevilla, and Samuel Huntington,” the State Department said.
