Diversity in international relations is at a substantial risk since the Trump administration’s executive order eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the federal workforce. In another move toward the president’s mission of eradicating DEI, the United States Department of State dismantled its Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
While Trump is not interested in DEI, effective and open-minded communication is necessary for resolving conflict within diplomatic spaces, making diversity in international relations essential to productive collaboration between nations. National and International leaders note that the United States is a hub for multiculturalism, and its people are not monolithic– a reality that must be represented in foreign policy and global dialogues.
“America is diverse enough now that when you walk into a room and you only see white men, you know that everybody who should be in that room isn’t in that room,” said Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, the former U.S. ambassador to Malta and the State Department’s first chief diversity officer. “You know that you’ve got too narrow of a band of experiences and knowledge and exposure to the world to necessarily come up with the best options, the best solutions [and] the best recommendations.”
President Trump’s executive order 1451 “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” revokes former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Executive Order 11246, which instated equal employment opportunity, prohibiting discrimination for federal employment based on race, color or religion.
The 47th president’s Order refers to DEI initiatives as illegal, immoral and discriminatory, implying these frameworks—which were made to advocate for the fair treatment of all people— give minorities an unfair advantage. Within the text, diversity and inclusion efforts are described as an “infiltration of the Federal Government.”
However, Christie Jones, an adjunct professorial lecturer at the American University School of International Service, said removing DEI is detrimental to the nation.
“Without these efforts, you’re cutting off generations of people from having opportunities,” Jones explained.
As the daughter of an American diplomat, Jones grew up in Latin America, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and Western Europe. While she didn’t realize it during her childhood, she told The Informer she acknowledges the lack of diversity within her father’s A-100 class and across diplomacy in general.
“The percentage of African Americans, Asian Americans, Latin Americans, queer folk or women in the country is not reflected in our diplomacy,” she said.
In 2022, the Howard University Center for Women, Gender and Global Leadership published a report titled, “Diversifying Foreign Service: U.S. Black Women in Diplomacy: A Report,” which explored the lack of diversity in diplomatic spaces. The evaluation uncovered the scarce amount of women in high-ranking Foreign Service positions and U.S. ambassadorships throughout history.
The report found that as of 2022, there had been 2,363 total ambassadors in U.S. history, with only 54 being Black women, which makes up only 2.2% of U.S. ambassadors historically. The report’s authors Constance Pruitt and J. Jarpa Dawuni highlighted the fact that Ambassador Pamela Spralten was the only Black woman of 111 American ambassadorships.
“The State Department should strive for proportionality between demographic reality in the United States and ambassadorial appointments to demonstrate the true diversity of the United States to other nations,” Pruitt and Dawuni wrote. “Sending forth representation abroad that demonstrates both gender and racial diversity provides a clear and important message of inclusivity to the rest of the world.”
Offering Hope to the Next Generation of Leaders in International Affairs
In a field where diversity has seemingly always been deficient, the current administration’s attack on inclusivity will increase the challenges in navigating such deficits.
Many of Jones’ students in her Topics in Identity, Race, Gender and Culture course plan on working in international affairs post-graduation, as the course largely focuses on race and gender in diplomacy. With the current drawbacks of DEI initiatives, Jones feels “despondent and angry,” and looks to people like Abercrombie-Winstanley to help ignite hope within her students who may be rethinking their careers in foreign service.
The professor invited the former ambassador to speak to her class about the future of diversity in diplomacy on Feb. 20, where she discussed the current challenges in U.S. diplomatic diversity, her own experiences in the industry and offered advice to students who may feel discouraged regarding their futures.
“We are all being tested. We have to be willing to stand and speak to what we believe in, what kind of world we want to live in,” Abercrombie-Winstanley told the audience. “It took 400 years to get where we are, and it’s gonna take a long time to move past it.”
She offered solace to those worried about their careers, stating that these orders from the Trump administration will not last long term.
International relations experts note if the United States truly diminishes the already meager diversity in its diplomatic sectors, the country is at risk of other nations negatively perceiving it.
The longer these drawbacks continue, the more harmful they’ll become.
Abercrombie-Winstanley stressed that people must find others who share their same ideals, and who are willing to fight against discrimination and stand up to injustices. Without organized and collective resistance, the chances of change are slim, she said.
The former ambassador encouraged listeners to “run with the posse” toward effective change.
“When people say that they’re against diversity, that means they’re saying they want some kind of purity,” Abercrombie-Winstanley told The Informer. “If they say they’re against equity, that means they’re for unfairness. If they say they’re against inclusion, that means they’re for exclusion, and America will not stand for that.”
