The High Cost of Diplomacy

The U.S. State Department wants $7.5 billion more to secure our embassies, despite $4.1 billion in upgrades since 9/11. The high cost is to immunize the buildings from terrorists attacks. The AP reports that at least 150 American missions fail to meet security standards. The Kansas City Star opines that “The problem deserves a high priority as well as some innovative thinking that questions some of the assumptions behind the State Department’s wish list of new and revamped buildings (KC Star, Page B6, 6/24/08). The Star’s ‘innovative thinking’ has three points: necessity of facilities, size and staffing requirements and using technology to do embassy work in less dangerous locations. I heartily agree. We don’t need an embassy in each country. Diplomatic relations could be handled by a traveling staff, video-conferencing or, in most cases, the old-fashioned telephone. The U.S. could join with other countries, possibly under the auspices of the United Nations, to set up regional diplomacy centers that could be secured from terrorist attacks. For example, the U.S. and its allies could have a shared building located in Latin America, another in Southeast Asia, and others in various African regions. Someone will be quick to point out that diplomatic relations are not handled that way, but maybe it is time to change. Who knows? A new way could save billions in capital costs and ongoing operating expenses, money that could be used more effectively to assist less fortunate peoples in developing countries or just ease the burden on the American taxpayer.