Embedded Files
How (Not) to Become a U.S. Ambassador
------------------------
From: Mark Ashwill <markashwill@hotmail.com>
Date: Sun, Apr 21, 2013 at 4:59 AM
To: "vsg@u.washington.edu" <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Dear VSGers,
In case you missed this...
Original article: http://rushfordreport.com/?p=328
1st par.:
There are two paths that aspiring American ambassadors traditionally take to persuade the president of the United States to nominate them for that honor. First, there is the classic, merit-based path where senior U.S. foreign service officers with distinguished diplomatic backgrounds are quietly-and-carefully vetted in the higher echelons of the State Department. Those who survive the scrutiny by their peers have their names forwarded to the White House to get the formal — usually routine — presidential approval. The second route, the political one, is (sometimes scandalously) reserved for famous personalities, presidential cronies, and major contributors of campaign cash who buy their ambassadorships. But now comes the U.S. consul general in Ho Chi Minh City, a Vietnamese-American foreign service officer named An Le, with a novel third way: an oh-so-Asian way.
Commentary from Diplopundit: http://diplopundit.net/2013/04/18/the-rushford-report-on-the-consul-generals-candidacy-as-the-next-ambassador-to-vietnam
MAA
Hanoi
----------
From: Shawn McHale <mchale@gwu.edu>
Date: Sun, Apr 21, 2013 at 9:56 AM
To: Mark Ashwill <markashwill@hotmail.com>
Cc: "vsg@u.washington.edu" <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Dear list,
This is one irritating article. Before getting to that point, and in the interests of full disclosure, I will note that I have met Consul An Le. He is a George Washington University alumnus, I teach at GW, he gave a presentation here. Other than that, I have no connection to this individual. When he talked at GW, he frankly talked too much in "diplo-speak" -- i.e. being excessively careful about issues that really aren't controversial. So I am agnostic on his "candidacy" to become Ambassador.
But to put this in perspective: is he far more qualified to become Ambassador to Vietnam than Caroline Kennedy is to become Ambassador to Japan? God yes. Caroline Kennedy has NO foreign policy experience, no record of engagement with Asia, and no connection to the country where she wants to become Ambassador. Simply on grounds of qualification, Consul An Le is far superior. He has over ten years experience in the Foreign Service, has an excellent understanding of Vietnam, and -- ironically -- has a background (in engineering) that happens to be unusual, but useful, to understanding the challenges facing Vietnam. (What he doesn't have is the name "Kennedy.") The article is also dismissive of those who are in the admin side of the Foreign service. But this issue should not be what part of the Foreign Service one is from, but whether or not one would be a good ambassador.
An excellent argument can be made that plum ambasadorships in the State Department sometimes go to rich donors who know little or nothing about foreign affairs, and simply like the idea of being called "Ambassador" for the rest of their lives ("Ambassador" is one of those titles that one has for the rest of one's life, even if one was only an ambassador for two years.) I can think of MANY ambassadors who "bought" their ambassadorships who would be far worse than An Le, who is actually qualified. That being said, if he wants to be ambassador, and he is already a member of the Foreign Service, there is already a merit process within the State Department for choosing ambassadors.
Last but not least -- the article above gives a list of supporters of An Le. At least two of these supporters are on the VSG list. Others are professors, and one assumes not with deep pockets.
Shawn McHale
--
Shawn McHale
Associate Professor of History
George Washington University
Washington, DC 20052 USA
----------
From: Jo <ugg-5@spro.net>
Date: Sun, Apr 21, 2013 at 8:38 PM
To: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Must we suppose that the majority of members of the US Congress do not engage in “clandestine lobbying” for their own purposes??? In addition, staff of various government agencies?
Joanna K.
----------
From: Christina Firpo <christina.firpo@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Apr 21, 2013 at 8:54 PM
To: Jo <ugg-5@spro.net>
Cc: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>
"In an oh-so-Asian way" ?!?!
Really?!?
I had to read that sentence a few times to make sure I wasn't misinterpreting it.
Any idea why Rushford feels so threatened by An Le?
--
Christina Firpo, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Southeast Asian History
CalPoly University
San Luis Obispo, California
----------
From: Mark Ashwill <markashwill@hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, Apr 25, 2013 at 2:32 AM
To: "vsg@u.washington.edu" <vsg@u.washington.edu>
You're all missing the point...
@Jo: The article is about the manner in which US ambassadors are selected not about members of the US Congress or "staff of various government agencies." You're comparing apples & oranges.
@Shawn: The article is about process. Rushford outlines the usual ways in which people become US ambassadors (e.g., generous campaign donations/ambassadorships as rewards OR an internal DoS vetting process that is supposedly merit-based) and notes that the lobbying campaign for and by the current HCMC CG is unprecedented. (If you're aware of past lobbying efforts of this nature, be sure to let us and Greg Rushford know.) Your reference to Caroline Kennedy simply confirms his second point.
I'm not sure what the point of your last paragraph is. Re the list of supporters - it's not about "deep pockets" but about a lobbying campaign. One person who does have "deep pockets," which have enabled him to spearhead this campaign, is David Duong, CEO, California Waste Solutions & Vietnam Waste Solutions. His "deep pockets" are one of the reasons he was appointed to the board of directors of the Vietnam Education Foundation/VEF (http://home.vef.gov/board_bio.php?mid=5&bid=25) and has access to President Obama. (As Rushford points out, Duong was recommended to the White House "by Rep. Barbara Lee, a California Democrat and another recipient of Duong’s political contributions.")
@Christina: Rushford doesn't "feel threatened" by An Le. He's an investigative reporter by trade and the article is a good example of his work. This is a newsworthy story not a personal vendetta.
@Everyone: Please let me know if I've misrepresented your points/position. If not, I would suggest that you reread the Rushford piece and take it at face value. Based on your responses, it seems to me that you are skimming it or reading it through multi-colored glasses.
A question for the three of you and anyone else who wishes to weigh in: Do you think this an appropriate way for someone, anyone, to become an ambassador?
MAA
Hanoi
----------
From: Shawn McHale <mchale@gwu.edu>
Date: Thu, Apr 25, 2013 at 5:13 AM
To: Mark Ashwill <markashwill@hotmail.com>
Cc: "vsg@u.washington.edu" <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Mark,
Four issues.
1) In an ideal world, yes, the process would be completely meritocratic. It's a good ideal.
2) Looking at the list of signers of the petition, I will add that I am astonished that one name on there is an employee of the National Security Agency, Rosalie Vu. So much for the super secret agency keeping the identity of its employees secret. She also should not be politicking, even if this is a non-partisan position. She should be reprimanded for stupidity, assuming she actually did sign her name to the letter.
3) What bothers me about the article, actually, are the insinuations. I find this article racist. Here are two quotations from the article: "But now comes the U.S. consul general in Ho Chi Minh City, a Vietnamese-American foreign service officer named An Le, with a novel third way: an oh-so-Asian way. Le wants to become the next U.S. ambassador to Vietnam. Toward that end, the consul general has been working behind the scenes since at least last July with a network of Vietnamese-American allies, some of whom have political and business connections in both Washington and Hanoi."
And: "Toward that end, Le and his allies have demonstrated a certain Asian-style chutzpah."
An "oh so Asian way"? Is that like the "oh so Jewish way" or the "oh so Italian way"? Please.
4) I do not defend An Le. Period. The next ambassador to Vietnam should be chosen on his or her merits, not on a lobbying campaign.
Shawn McHale
----------
From: Thomas Jandl <thjandl@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, Apr 25, 2013 at 2:34 PM
To: Mark Ashwill <markashwill@hotmail.com>, mchale@gwu.edu
Cc: "vsg@u.washington.edu" <vsg@u.washington.edu>
I am not sure I can go along with the claim that reference to an "Asian way" is racist. There are loads of articles on the way East Asian business and politics are done in networks, how it is high context compared to Western low context ways etc.etc.etc. While it was used tongue-in-cheek in the article, it doesn't strike me as racist to write what pretty much every Vietnamese business consultant would tell you you need to do if you want to succeed in Vietnam.
_________________________________
Thomas Jandl, Ph.D.
School of International Service
American University
------------------------
From: Raymond Burghardt <burghardtrf@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, Apr 25, 2013 at 6:19 PM
To: "vsg@u.washington.edu" <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Mark's comments are exactly right. Nearly all current or former Foreign Service officers I have ever known (except I suppose An Le) would agree with them. The An case is getting lots of comment in the Foreign Service community. It is not quite a unique case, although the only other example any of us recall also involved Vietnam. Thirteen years ago the then Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi (not a Vietnamese-American) solicited letters of support from the American business community to recommend that he be nominated as ambassador to Hanoi. American Chamber of Commerce members were uncomfortable with this effort, a few wrote half-hearted letters, and nothing came of it. An's campaign seems to be much more extensive.
Ray Burghardt
American Institute in Taiwan
(Retired Foreign Service officer, former Ambassador to Vietnam)
----------
From: Hoang t. Dieu-Hien <dieuhien@uw.edu>
Date: Fri, Apr 26, 2013 at 9:28 AM
To: Raymond Burghardt <burghardtrf@yahoo.com>
Cc: "vsg@u.washington.edu" <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Dear Ambassador Burghardt,
Thank you for this insight and the additional information about a former Deputy Chief of Mission soliciting letters of support to recommend that he be nominated as Ambassador of Vi?t Nam. Were there similar comments, in terms of number and content, in the Foreign Service community about this and were there reports written characterizing this activity as "an oh-so-Asian way"? Can the intensity of the An's campaign a signal that there are more people who are more passionate about his becoming Ambassador to Vi?t Nam and who may have learned from the failed attempt of the previous Deputy Chief of Mission, rightly or wrongly?
I do not know Mr. An Le and have no opinion about his possible candidacy. I am ignorant of how one becomes an American Ambassador and appreciate to hear diverse opinions and insights from those knowledgeable.
Regards,
Di?u-Hi?n
--
Hoang t. Dieu-Hien
?
University of Washington?
"The world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other
cultures are not failed attempts at being you; they are unique
manifestations of the human spirit." --Wade Davis
Page updated
Report abuse