Ending DEI Ideology in the Foreign Service

The U.S. Department of State has put an end to the ideologically extreme and discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda, restoring merit, rigor, and accountability to the Foreign Service and refocusing training on practical diplomatic skills that serve the common interests of the American people.

Ending DEI Ideology in the U.S. Foreign Service

The DEI agenda was embedded in the institutional culture of the Foreign Service during the previous administration. DEI objectives and materials shamefully denigrated the United States, derided Americans of certain backgrounds, and distracted from legitimate foreign policy objectives that serve the American people. Under the Trump Administration, the State Department has eliminated DEI ideology from Foreign Service training to better uphold the highest standards of American diplomacy.

A thorough internal review revealed that objectionable DEI content was previously incorporated in training curricula and other personnel materials, including in the following ways:

• A DEI reading list for Foreign Service instructors included extreme Critical Race Theory texts, including Robin DiAngelo’s “White Fragility and the Rules of Engagement,” “In Defense of Looting,” “How White Women Tears Oppress People of Color,” “The Case for Reparations,” and “How to be Anti-Racist in Humanitarian Aid,” among other texts that promoted division among America’s diplomats, insulted the American people, and damaged mission effectiveness.
• Guidance on how Foreign Service Officers could fulfill a DEI promotion metric urged diplomats to discuss DEI issues with high-level foreign government counterparts, demonstrate “allyship,” and “acquire more DEIA knowledge on your own” instead of depending on “others from historically marginalized groups to teach you.”
• A DEI toolkit for Foreign Service instructors included trainings on discussing “white privilege” and “systemic racism” in foreign languages. Trainings included “Let’s Talk About Black Lives Matter in Bangla,” a discussion on systemic racism in Urdu, an exercise on integrating “Black Lives Matter” terminology into Hebrew lessons, and a roleplaying exercise on “race and racism” in the United States and foreign countries.
• A vocabulary list of DEI terms instructed State Department officials to avoid using accurate terminology such as “illegal alien” when discussing unlawful immigration, referring to it as a “problematic term.”
• Foreign Service course instructors received an “Inclusivity Guide” that provided learning materials and DEI guidance to adhere to in the workplace, including a pamphlet promoting “international pronoun day,” rules on incorporating fanciful “non-binary pronouns” (invented terms such as “Ze,” “Zir,” and “Zirs”) into course materials, and an article discussing ways to cope with being accused of a microagression, among other materials that were divisive, damaging to morale, and prejudicial to mission effectiveness.
• A day and a half of dedicated DEI instruction was added to the five-week Foreign Service orientation course and a full day on DEI was incorporated into a five-day Foundations of Public Diplomacy course.
• State Department officials were instructed to practice “microaffirmations” to mitigate their “unconscious bias” and “microaggressions.”

America’s diplomats are the nation’s first line of defense against hostile powers, terrorists, deadly narcotics smuggling, illegal immigration, and other threats to the safety, security, and prosperity of the American people. The State Department is implementing modernization reforms to the Foreign Service and invites all Americans with the skill and spirit to represent our nation around the world to apply to join the U.S. Foreign Service.