The Biden administration took office in January vowing to substantially strengthen U.S. diplomacy to better deal with the new and more complex challenges of the multipolar 21st century world; challenges that demand new capabilities and expertise beyond the military operations that have figured so prominently in American foreign policy in recent decades. At a speech in late October, Secretary of State Tony Blinken sketched out an ambitious plan to modernize the State Department to do a better job in meeting that goal.
Blinken’s ambitious plan features five pillars:
- Strengthened substantive expertise of American diplomats to tackle increasingly important transnational issues in advancing global health, coping with climate change, and countering use of the internet as a tool of anti-democratic repression, crime, and political warfare;
- Greater outreach to American society, including universities, industry, labor, farmers, and other elements of civil society to ensure American diplomacy more faithfully advances Americans’ interests;
- A larger and more diverse diplomatic workforce with more foreign service and civil service positions, and an increase in the number of paid internships to support a foreign affairs career path for students who can’t afford to work for free;
- Substantial expansion of the technological toolkit and relevant data sets available to U.S. diplomats; and
- Enhanced engagement with overseas audiences in governments and more broadly in society.
The reform plan opens up important opportunities for UVA students interested in pursuing careers in diplomacy. Graduates of our Global Studies program will find themselves suddenly more competitive with their focus on environmental sustainability, global health, and security and justice issues. The important study taking place across Grounds under the aegis of Democracy Initiative, the Karsh Institute, the School of Data Science, the Batten School, and others will make an important contribution to supporting U.S. diplomatic efforts to counter threats to democracy. Expanded paid internship opportunities will open career doors in diplomacy for more of our first-generation students. And graduates of UVA’s exceptional foreign language programs will find the skills in even greater demand as the State Department redoubles efforts to engage with overseas audiences.
Work in U.S. diplomacy is not the only option for students interested in a global career path, but it is one of the most rewarding and exciting, particularly as the U.S. ramps up its diplomatic capacity. You can get a more personal sense of what a career in foreign policy looks like these days by tuning in to our recent Global Week program on careers in diplomacy (available here), or by stopping by Global Grounds in Hotel A anytime to talk – we’re always happy to see you!
Stay Global!
