UNITED NATIONS, Apr 25 (IPS) – The US State Department, in a wide-ranging political re-structuring of its policies, will eliminate 132 domestic offices, lay-off about 700 federal workers and reduce diplomatic missions overseas.
The proposed changes will also include terminating some of the funding for the United Nations and its agencies, budgetary cuts to the 32-member military alliance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and revamping 20 other international organizations, including the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Against the backdrop of the annual Spring Meetings (April 21-26) of the two Washington-based institutions, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called for “major overhauls” of both institutions.
According to a report in the New York Times April 24, Bessent’s comments “come at a moment of concern among policy makers that the Trump administration could withdraw the US entirely from the Bank and the Fund”
At a side event, however, Bessent said the US had no plans to withdraw from the two institutions, but is seeking to expand US leadership.
Critical of IMF’s disproportionate time and resources on climate change, gender and social issues, he said: “These issues are not the IMF’s mission.”
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio complained April 22, that the State Department, in its current form, is “bloated, bureaucratic, and unable to perform its essential diplomatic mission in this new era of great power competition”.
https://www.state.gov/building-an-america-first-state-department/
Over the past 15 years, he said, the Department’s footprint has had unprecedented growth and costs have soared. But far from seeing a return on investment, taxpayers have seen less effective and efficient diplomacy.
The sprawling bureaucracy created a system more beholden to radical political ideology than advancing America’s core national interests, declared Rubio.
Click here to view the new organizational chart for the U.S. State Department . The Department says it will implement the changes methodically over the next several months.
Dr. Alon Ben-Meir, a retired professor of international relations, most recently at the Center for Global Affairs at New York University (NYU), told IPS it is hard to assess the short- and long-term adverse implications of the White House’s proposed 50% budget cuts to the State Department, major international organizations and across key diplomatic and security institutions.
Whereas a periodic review of these international organizations is necessary for streamlining their operations, cutting unnecessary expenditure, and reducing the often-inflated bureaucracy, putting all these vital organizations on the chopping block without due review and auditing is shortsighted and highly damaging to the US, he argued.
“But then again, there is no surprise here. Trump is on a rampage, and there are no adults in the room to warn him that such careless actions only harm the US’s global standing and interest, which by far outweighs any expenditure”.
Asked about the impact of the proposed changes on the United Nations, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters April 23: “We have seen the Bureau of International Organization will remain, but we have not had any contact at that level to see how that may impact us”.
Currently, the US owes about $1.5 billion to the UN’s regular budget. And, between the regular budget, the peacekeeping budget, and international tribunals, the total amount the US owes is a hefty $2.8 billion.
But a hostile White House is unlikely to pay its outstanding dues since it has already withdrawn the US from the UN Human Rights Council, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Climate Treaty, while threatening to pull out of UNESCO and the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
The exceptions include the International Atomic Energy Agency and the International Civil Aviation Authority, which will remain funded.
A State Department leaked memo also calls for a total cut in funding for international peacekeeping missions, citing “recent mission failures” without providing details.
Meanwhile, according to a CNN report April 17, the Trump administration is looking at closing nearly 30 overseas embassies and consulates as part of the proposed changes to its diplomatic presence abroad.
An internal State Department document recommends closing 10 embassies and 17 consulates. Many of the posts are in Europe and Africa, though they also include ones in Asia and the Caribbean.
They include embassies in Malta, Luxembourg, Lesotho, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and South Sudan. The list also includes five consulates in France, two in Germany, two in Bosnia and Herzegovina, one in the United Kingdom, one in South Africa and one in South Korea.
The document proposes that the closed embassies’ duties be covered by outposts in neighboring countries.
State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce would not comment on the internal document or on plans to drastically cut the State Department.
“I would suggest that you check with the White House and the President of the US as they continue to work on their budget plan and what they submit to Congress,” Bruce told reporters last week.
“The kinds of numbers and what we tend to see is reporting that is early or wrong, based on leaked documents from somewhere unknown,” she said.
Analyzing the ramifications of the new US policies, Dr Ben-Mier told IPS what is beyond the pale is the White House’s utter lack of consideration for how such closures strain relations with America’s European partners because the contemplated withdrawal of US engagement erodes trust, vital to maintaining a durable and healthy relationship.
As troubling is the White House’s shortsightedness in gauging how such cuts open the door for China to enhance its geopolitical dominance, especially in Africa and Asia. On top of that, he said, the financial cut would significantly reduce cultural exchange programs, which are vital to maintaining long-term partnerships.
“NATO member states may resist filling the funding gap, precipitating conflicts over defense spending while slowing NATO’s ongoing modernization plans and its readiness to respond to any unexpected crisis”.
Should the cuts be put in place, said Dr Ben-Mier, the Alliance may well pursue an independent security framework, thereby rupturing transatlantic unity while reducing the US’ leverage and lessening its role in shaping NATO’s mission.
Further review of the proposed cuts shows that slashing diplomatic staff could delay crisis responses because layoffs of local employees, who comprise two-thirds of mission staff, would severely undermine regional know-how and the capacity to address emerging threats like pandemics or conflicts.
“Financial cuts to the United Nations and its Agencies will cause instant cash deficits, which would disrupt humanitarian aid and health programs. We have already seen similar impacts from the Trump administration’s previous elimination of funding for USAID”.
Several critically important agencies, including WHO, UNICEF, and UNRWA, would stop vaccinations, food assistance, and disaster relief.
Here, too, China and Russia would rush to fill the vacuum and expand their influence in the UN agencies, which could potentially alter international obligations and norms, particularly about human rights and climate change. In addition, cuts to the UN would weaken its ability to coordinate responses to pandemics or conflicts.
In addition, he pointed out, defunding UN peacekeeping in various countries, including Lebanon, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cyprus, Kosovo, and Haiti, could compel these peacekeeping forces to withdraw, which could cause instability and potentially renewed conflict. Peacekeeping has historically been a cost-effective approach, and cuts could force costlier military interventions later.
“To be sure, such proposed cuts are utterly irresponsible and would have profound long-term and short-term implications. They undermine crisis response abilities and risk diminishing the US’ global leadership, which inevitably cedes ground to adversaries like Russia and China.”
It is hoped that the majority Republican-run Congress will see the light and reject the outlandish planned cuts, as this would only isolate the US while undercutting its influence and have a lasting impact on the US’ global standing, declared Dr Ben-Mier.
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