U.S. Ambassadors to Foreign Countries

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When a U.S. ambassador to a foreign country resigns or is removed by the U.S. President, is it legal for him or her to take a job working for the government of the same foreign country?

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Type: Question • Score: 2 • Views: 121 • Replies: 5

[+1] - Francis - 03/08/2009Even though I'm not a specialist of American ambassadors, I cannot see why they couldn't. At least, I know that some of them work for firms that have contracts with the countries they were...
[+1] - Walter Hinteler - 03/08/2009[quote="Francis"] Many former European ambassadors do... [/quote] Depends on - here, in Germany, our ambassadors are more than 95% civil servants ('career diplomats'). They get posts...
[+1] - Francis - 03/08/2009What I meant, Walter, is that they do so, when they retire. Usually, yes, they are civil servants.
[+1] - hawkeye10 - 03/08/2009[quote]Bearden said there is no difference between a former CIA official working as a lobbyist for a foreign government and a former ambassador doing the same thing. ''If an ambassador can do this...
[+1] - gollum - 03/08/2009hawkeye10- Thank you. I think Bearden is correct if when the CIA official was working in the foreign country he was known to the officials of that government to be working for the United States,...

Even though I'm not a specialist of American ambassadors, I cannot see why they couldn't.

At least, I know that some of them work for firms that have contracts with the countries they were ambassadors to.

Many former European ambassadors do...

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@Francis,

Francis wrote:

Many former European ambassadors do...

Depends on - here, in Germany, our ambassadors are more than 95% civil servants ('career diplomats'). They get posts in various countries on different continents, work in between in the Foreign Office or some international organistion .... and retire at the age of 65 (two of those actually livve in our village) Wink

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@Walter Hinteler,

What I meant, Walter, is that they do so, when they retire.

Usually, yes, they are civil servants.

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@gollum,

Quote:

Bearden said there is no difference between a former CIA official working as a lobbyist for a foreign government and a former ambassador doing the same thing. ''If an ambassador can do this without anyone raising any questions, I can't possibly see why someone would raise the issue with the CIA,'' he said.

Others disagree, both about the practice in general and about whether CIA officials should be particularly chastened.

''A foreign government's interests are not the same as those of the United States. To turn around for moneymaking purposes and work for another government is reprehensible,'' says Susan Rice, a former assistant secretary of state for African affairs.

http://www.newamerica.net/publications/articles/2003/ethics_conflict_seen_as_ex_cia_officials_turn_to_lobbying

The answer seems to be that legally it is OK, culturally it is not

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@hawkeye10,

hawkeye10-
Thank you. I think Bearden is correct if when the CIA official was working in the foreign country he was known to the officials of that government to be working for the United States, and the CIA official then resigns and accepts employment with the same country that he was working in.

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U.S. Ambassadors to Foreign Countries

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