Not only the CIA, but the State Department needs to rethink what it is doing. I like this proposal that a new type of diplomat is needed. American diplomats need to get off cushy sofas in Washington and hit the streets in countries that are not seen as great posts. Also the time has come to rethink our national security and diplomatic paradigm. Whether Giuliani is the president to do this remains to be seen.
Even the State Department's chardonnay and brie brigade suspects we have entered a new era of grimy, street-level foreign policy. It's an era where effective diplomacy starts with long days in bad neighborhoods, as culturally-savvy diplomats identify the hopes, fears and trends that seed future crises, and -- preferably -- create American-influenced opportunities to positively shape events.
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