The Business Of Diplomacy Is Business

Promoting U.S. business interests abroad may not be in the top tier of foreign policy objectives that come to mind when considering the job of a U.S. ambassador, but it is.

"The State Department places the economic security of the American people and promoting U.S. economic and commercial interests overseas at the top of our foreign policy priorities," says Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

While Ambassador R. Nicholas Burns, currently America's top diplomat in Greece, recalls that, "Thirty years ago, diplomats didn't go abroad....to help U.S. businessmen," Burns says he now spends about one-third of his time on commercial diplomacy.

This week Burns was presented with the annual Charles E. Cobb, Jr. Award by the State Department.

The Cobb Award is recognition for being the most innovative and successful in developing trade and promoting exports for the United States.

According to information provided by the State Department, Burns' efforts "secured approximately $4 billion worth of business for U. S. firms."

According to one senior official, part of that work involved getting the Greek government to buy an air defense system—the Patriot missile—by signing a $1.5 billion dollar contract with Raytheon Corp. "That," says the senior official, "means jobs in Andover, Massachusetts," where Raytheon's plant is located.

Raytheon's main competitor was said to be a Russian-made system.

Others cited at the awards ceremony included:

The State Department's Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs keeps track of these and a host of other business deals.

Officials say more than 10 million U.S. jobs are supported by exports and more than 44,000 export licenses are processed by the State Department.

Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher used to say in testimony before Congress that the State Dept. had a desk for every other country in the world, which monitored activities abroad.

But his desk, Secretary Christopher said, would be "America's Desk."

Christopher made good on that promise on his foreign travels, making time to speak before American Chamber of Commerce meetings in all corners of the world. Albright does the same.

One official says such work "is a central part of what ambassadors do: work to gain a presence, get projects, get in the door."

The official adds they have to do it in such a way as not to favor one American company over another. The importance of this kind of work is underscored because it is now part of every ambassador's training before they are sent abroad.

Just as in any professio, times change and organizations adapt. So it is that in the early part of the 21st century, the business of diplomacy is business.