According to data from the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the union representing U.S. diplomats, nearly one and a half years into Trump’s second term, 115 out of the total 195 ambassadorial positions worldwide remain vacant— an unprecedented situation. Some current and former officials have warned that this is undermining America's diplomatic capacity abroad. In the Middle East, the U.S. is striving to end the Iran conflict, consolidate peace in Gaza, and mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah—but there are no ambassadors stationed in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Iraq, or Kuwait. Among the 51 U.S. embassies in Africa, 37 lack ambassadors. The U.S. also has no formal ambassador in Ukraine or Russia. The vacancy of ambassadorial posts stems from multiple factors: on one hand, Trump has been slow in nominating ambassadors; on the other, his nominees often face prolonged delays in the increasingly inefficient and backlogged Senate confirmation process. During vacancies, chargés d'affaires—officials below the rank of ambassador—typically act as interim representatives until a formal ambassador arrives. While chargés d'affaires are usually experienced diplomats, they wield less influence, authority, and access to high-level contacts in host countries compared to formally appointed ambassadors.
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Original article: toutiao.com/article/1865220834387977/
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