Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
This is grossly inaccurate.
They are plum positions to be sure, but they are representatives of the country and the government to other governments.
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Well yeah sort of, but the real job is mostly done by actual diplomats, career people who work at the embassies longterm. The mandatory stuff is mostly coctail parties and handing out gifts someone else has chosen for you etc.
Sure if you actually care about effective diplomacy then it absolutely matters who you give those jobs to. But if you don't, like Trump probably doesn't, then I really don't think it much matters.
One US ambassadors to Finland was such a complete airhead it was just comical. Basically on the level of "can talk, shake hands and smile" level of competence. Finns snickered quietly and politely and it all went without any incidents. Even the media keeps that stuff under lid in a small country like this, because we really don't want to embarrass the US.
(I did some limousine-type stuff for a while, so I heard some upper class gossip back then. Plus it's a small country, and I know some people in the political circles which are even smaller.)