Out of Africa? US may be planning to pull diplomats

The Trump administration may be planning the most far-reaching overhaul of the US State Department in generations. A leaked draft executive order obtained by The New York Times outlines a sweeping restructuring plan that would prioritize “transnational threat elimination,” downsize the foreign service, and hire personnel who are in “alignment with the president’s foreign policy vision.” Climate, refugee, democracy, and public diplomacy offices would be eliminated, as would diversity-based fellowships. And instead of regional bureaus, America’s foreign service would be divided into four specialized “corps” regrouping the major regions of the world.

Except Africa, that is. The draft proposes to eliminate the Bureau of African Affairs and replace it with a “special envoy” focused solely on counterterrorism and resource extraction. Nearly all American embassies and consulates in sub-Saharan Africa would reportedly be shuttered by Oct. 1, with diplomats dispatched only for “targeted, mission-driven deployments.”

US diplomats were alarmed by the report, with one telling Politico that the plan was “bonkers crazypants.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the story “fake news,” but he didn’t deny the document’s existence. The NYT issued a disclaimer that “It was not immediately clear who had compiled the document or what stage of internal debates over a restructuring of the State Department it reflected.”

If implemented, however, it would mark not just a reordering – but a retreat – from America’s diplomatic footprint on the continent and beyond, potentially opening the door for countries like China and Russia to fill the breach.