The Trump administration is set to recall nearly 30 career diplomats from ambassadorial and senior embassy positions worldwide, as it seeks to realign the U.S. diplomatic corps with Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy agenda.
According to two anonymous State Department officials cited by the Guardian UK, chiefs of mission in at least 29 countries were notified last week that their postings would end in January. Most of the affected diplomats were appointed during the Biden administration but had survived an earlier wave of personnel changes that primarily targeted political appointees.
Officials clarified that the diplomats will not lose their foreign service roles and may return to Washington for reassignment. Ambassadors typically serve at the president’s pleasure for three to four years, a tenure that can be ended at any time.
The State Department defended the action as standard practice, noting that ambassadors are “personal representatives of the president” responsible for advancing U.S. foreign policy priorities.
Africa is the region most affected, with ambassadors recalled from 13 countries: Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, and Uganda.
The Asia-Pacific region follows, with six countries impacted: Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Europe will see four changes (Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovakia), while two ambassadors each from the Middle East (Algeria, Egypt), South Asia (Nepal, Sri Lanka), and the Western Hemisphere (Guatemala, Suriname) will also be recalled.
The recalls, first reported by Politico, have drawn concern from some lawmakers and the American Foreign Service Association, which represents U.S. diplomats. Critics warn that such broad personnel changes risk disrupting diplomatic continuity in key regions.
The shakeup highlights the Trump administration’s focus on ensuring that senior diplomats abroad are fully aligned with its policy priorities, signaling a notable shift in U.S. diplomatic strategy worldwide.
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