In an effort to reshape American diplomacy, the Trump administration has removed nearly 30 career diplomats from ambassadorial and other senior embassy posts. The move aims to reshape the country’s diplomatic posture abroad to align with US President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda.
Two State Department officials told The Associated Press that chiefs of missions in nearly 29 countries were notified last week that their terms will end in January. This diplomatic upheaval affected the following countries:
- The effort to exchange diplomats has weighed heavily on Africa, which is the continent most affected by migration. Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Cote d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia and Uganda are the 13 African countries whose ambassadors will be recalled.
- Asia secured second place in terms of diplomatic shake-ups, with replacement ambassadors in six countries, including Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Vietnam.
- Europe followed Asia in trying to reshape American diplomacy. Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovakia are the four European countries affected by this strategic change.
- In the Middle East, diplomatic positions will change in Algeria and Egypt.
- Other countries to be affected include Nepal, Sri Lanka, Guatemala and Suriname.
All of the diplomats who will be replaced were posted during the Biden administration. In the early months of Trump’s second term, the initial purges focused primarily on political candidates. On Wednesday, officials in Washington issued a notice to diplomats announcing their early departure.
Notably, ambassadors typically remain in office for three to four years, but serve at the pleasure of the president. According to officials, those affected by the shocks will not lose their foreign service jobs, instead returning to the country for other assignments if they wish to accept them.
The State Department called the exchange of diplomats “standard process in any administration” as it defended the changes. According to the State Department, the ambassador is “the personal representative of the president, and it is the president’s right to ensure that he has individuals in these countries who advance the America First agenda.”
