Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli occupation forces fire on Shujaiyya neighborhood east of Gaza City.
Palestinian Prisoners' Information Office: Four of his ribs were broken
Palestinian Prisoners' Information Office: Marwan al-Barghouti lost consciousness after a brutal assault by Israeli occupation soldiers
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli violations in the Gaza Strip have not stopped, and just a short while ago, fishermen came under fire from boats
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli occupation forces carry out a large explosion in the eastern neighborhood of the town of Mays al-Jabal in southern Lebanon.
Israeli media: Israeli political leadership decides to open Rafah crossing “as planned” and transfer aid to Gaza Strip.
Palestinian media: Three Palestinians were killed after being targeted by Israeli drone fire in the al-Shujaiya neighborhood east of Gaza City
Nicolas Maduro: The Palestinian cause is the most sacred cause for humanity, and we propose sending teams of builders, farmers, and doctors to Gaza to help the people
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Lebanon: IOF infiltrate Khallet Wardeh towards the municipality in the town of Aita al-Shaab, south of Lebanon.
Leaders of the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey sign a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

US State Dept. is "its own enemy": report

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Responsible Statecraft
  • 19 Jul 2023 21:19
4 Min Read

A recent report of the US withdrawal from Kabul reveals the State Department's chaos.

  • x
  • US Marines board a transport aircraft headed to Kandahar, Afghanistan as British and US forces withdraw from a complex in Helmand province in 2014 (AFP)
    US Marines board a transport aircraft headed to Kandahar, Afghanistan as British and US forces withdraw from a complex in Helmand province in 2014 (AFP)

The US has been building a fantasy empire where its military is overpowered and outranks all militaries across the world, but this empire has resulted in what author Gordon Adams calls a series of self-inflicted wounds – Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan being the most recent.

Part of civilian diplomatic and assistance institutions' ineffectiveness is unorganized as the State Department has constantly rejected reform proposals. A prime and living example, according to Responsible Statecraft, would be the unclassified version of the latest report about the chaos in Kabul, in August and September 2021.

Government reports and self-reform documents don't use previous reports as reference, which means that for instance, the work done over the years by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction is not cited - which is important since it includes a detailed report as to what went wrong when the US left Afghanistan.

The State Dept. has transferred ways of new offices onto the old, without implementing changes even if the matters being transferred compete with what they're being transferred to.

Imposing non-reform-accepting officials and coordinators to mend problems is part of the problem itself. The author states that this is what occurred in Korea in the 1990s and the Balkans when he was in the White House, and things didn't turn out well.

Read next: A Deal with the Devil: fight America’s war, get your free citizenship

The newest Afghanistan report says that the Department’s Operations Center (mainly a central communications office) needs to be in charge when a crisis evacuation must be planned for Americans or citizens of another country. However, the office of the Undersecretary for Management plays a big role, which entitles them to handle it as well. An individual at the top level of the Department in charge also needs to be in the loop in addition to the Defense Department.

Related News

How an unknown embassy aide shaped US-'Israel' policy: RS

US to deny visas to PA officials ahead of UN summit on statehood

Not only so, but the Regional Bureaus at State should “provide overall leadership of a task force” with a suggestion of the need for a “single, principal-level [senior] crisis leader and a single crisis communicator.” Consular Affairs, the section of the State that handles visas and citizen services also has an equity in this. 

Just self-disrespect

Other offices will believe that they have a say in who's the boss and would want to keep new ones from coming in. These offices didn’t make it into the report.

This involves a senior-level official with remnants of an existing file, the Undersecretary of State for Civilian Security Democracy and Human Rights, and under them the majorly underpowered Bureau for Complex Stabilization Operations (CSO) at State.

The State Dept's problems will just roll over to every report like this one, if not fixed, and will expand "the Rube Goldberg architecture of ineptitude" at State, per Adams. The Defense Dept will attempt to expand and insert itself in roles as the “can do” section that has not been able to “do” anything for over 40 years. Responsible Statecraft relays that the State Department has no respect for planning and does not have the talent to do so either. 

Read more: US air defense struggles: Limited resources, overworked personnel

Foreign Service Officers are not good at planning or strategizing. On the other hand, the Defense Dept is a planning organization; the State is not.

Funneling in more money for diplomacy and more diplomats, such as has been done for the past 20 years, will not mend this disorganization and will not help nurture the critical element in the toolkit of US statecraft.

The unchanging "changes" that the Afghanistan report proposes will not make another evacuation plan better or more organized, since it will create more lessons to learn and thus more reports rather than mending the issues from the root.

  • US state department
  • US military
  • Afghanistan
  • US

Most Read

Iran strikes secret Israeli-US bunker under Tel Aviv high-rise

Tel Aviv high-rise struck by Iran hid Site 81, secret US-Israeli base

  • Politics
  • 14 Oct 2025
Palestinian journalist Saleh al-Jaafarawi in an undated image in Gaza, occupied Palestine (Social media)

Gaza Palestinian journalist Saleh al-Jafarawi killed by collaborators

  • Politics
  • 12 Oct 2025
drop site

New report details extensive Israeli arson in Gaza after ceasefire

  • Politics
  • 13 Oct 2025
Illustration of fists breaking shackles, representing the liberation of Palestinian detainees from Israeli prisons. (Illustrated by: AL Mayadeen English/Batoul Chamas)

4 prominent Palestinian detainees to be freed: Who are they?

  • Palestine
  • 13 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Members of the media wait for Palestinian prisoners and injured at the Rafah border crossing in Egypt, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Rafah crossing to reopen for travelers from Gaza: Reuters

US President Donald Trump speaks during an event in the Oval Office at the White House, Wednesday, October 15, 2025, in Washington (AP)
Politics

'Israel' may resume Gaza war if Hamas breaches ceasefire, Trump says

Mourners attend the funeral of slain captive Captain Daniel Peretz at Mt. Herzl military cemetery in occupied al-Quds, Wednesday, October 15, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Al-Qassam Brigades hand over all living Israeli captives

Armored vehicles drive through a street during a government-organized march in support of President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US approves covert CIA action in Venezuela: Reports

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS