Earlier this week, this masthead made comments about how, as Trump’s MAGA America abandon diplomacy, ambassadors to foreign nations are (or have been) replaced by Trump’s sycophants.
In today’s The Age, Cory Alpert – who served in the former Biden-Harris administration for three years – writes in his article “US abandons diplomacy for a brand,” that “The soon-to-be former ambassador to Laos is a career diplomat who has navigated long-term relationships across South East Asia.
“Much of ambassador Heather Variava’s job in any given month in Laos is attending the funerals of people who are killed today because of munitions dropped by Henry Kissinger’s war in Vietnam … this is not something that any Fox News personality is qualified to do.
“… in a couple of weeks, Variava will be recalled to Washington in exchange for a Trump lackey.
“When American diplomatic attention is focused back on itself rather than building relationships with the powers and people there, China will fill the void.
“I was once staffing a White House trip to a Pacific Islands nation that had not had a US ambassador in almost two years, during which time the Chinese had sent several high-level delegations and brought billions of infrastructure investment through its Belt and Road Initiative. We were there trying to play catch-up, but a photo op cannot compete with a new hospital.
“When diplomatic relations are left unattended, the Chinese and regional powers are happy to step in.”
As stated the other day, as the United States abandons diplomacy for building ballrooms no Americans, except Trump, want or need, China rubs its hand with glee and moves straight into the diplomatic space Trump has abandoned. Once lost, the United States is going to find it difficult, if not impossible, ever to mend those burnt diplomatic bridges.
“Over time, the United States will become an increasingly unreliable security guarantor for Australia.”
So, a former US ambassador is warning Australia that we can no longer put any trust or faith in anything America, Americans, American businesses, or anything its President says or does. Perhaps Australia and our governments should listen?
We have been duly warned.
Cory Alpert is a PhD researcher at the University of Melbourne, looking at the impact of AI on democracy. He served for three years in the White House during the Biden-Harris Administration as an Advance Associate in the Executive Office of the President, primarily detailed to the First Lady and the Second Gentleman of the United States.
He was previously an advisor to the humanitarian response and war crimes investigations in Ukraine, and the senior policy advisor to the President of the US Conference of Mayors.
