Jon Finer & @UzraZeya report on what @StateDept could be. Different from Trump (climate!) but similarities, too (promoting US business?). & this: “transformation also requires moving away from … risk-aversion mindset, careerism, bureaucratic layering …” https://cdn.cfr.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/csr89_final.pdf

Another interesting nugget: “The State Department needs to take a hard look at what is being accomplished strategically when personnel do not leave compounds, lack expertise in the countries in question, and remain on the ground for less than a year.” https://cdn.cfr.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/csr89_final.pdf

: “A distinct but related internal risk aversion is baked into a hierarchical system that positions FSOs in a near-perpetual hunt for their next assignment, decisions that often seem to boil down to who you know rather than what you have done.” https://cdn.cfr.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/csr89_final.pdf

The report recommends State “issue a public apology for career employees subjected to political retaliation, redress the adverse effects on their careers and personal welfare, and ensure accountability and personnel protections to prevent a recurrence.” https://cdn.cfr.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/csr89_final.pdf

It calls for an emphasis on “moral courage”: “The ‘keep your head down’ culture prevalent at DOS needs a reboot
to ‘I have your back.’”

This is a really in-your-face report. https://cdn.cfr.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/csr89_final.pdf

On brain drain, it notes: “The State Department’s lack of transparency on how many employees it has lost since 2017 makes a damage assessment difficult.”
Tell me about it. I have a longstanding request in for the data. https://cdn.cfr.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/csr89_final.pdf

Overall, one of the most interesting reports I’ve read on State, and refreshingly solutions-focused. https://cdn.cfr.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/csr89_final.pdf

Last thing: I am averse to starting off tweets with Twitter handles, but I realize now that I made it sound as if @UzraZeya was the second byline on the report. In fact, she was the lead author. Hats off to her :)