Daily Archives: September 25, 2019

U.S. Withdrawal From U.N. Postal Union Will Interrupt/Eliminate U.S. Diplomatic Post Office Deliveries

September 25, 2019 By in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Service, Huh? News, international organizations, Realities of the FS, Spectacular, State Department, Trends, Trump, U.S. Missions, UN Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

 

Via afsa.org:
On October 17, 2018, the Trump Administration announced that the U.S. was starting the one-year withdrawal process from the Universal Postal Union (UPU), a 145-year-old United Nations organization that regulates global mail delivery. The UPU will meet in late September to consider changes to the organization’s rules and rate structures. The Administration has said that it will remain in the organization if certain changes are adopted. Because the U.S. is required to give one year’s notice before withdrawal, the U.S. could depart as early as mid-October if it decides to do so. 
Should the U.S go through with the withdrawal, the Diplomatic Post Office (DPO) will experience—at best—significant interruption, if not outright elimination while the U.S. would have to negotiate new bilateral postal service agreements with other countries. While pouch deliveries will not be affected, DPO deliveries for any Foreign Service personnel at post will likely be impacted. The potential ramifications are obvious to all members of the Foreign Service, particularly when it comes to delivery of medical supplies and medications.
AFSA has raised the possible negative effects of withdrawal on Foreign Service families with senior officials in HR and has been working with the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), which is the military equivalent of AFSA, as APO services may be affected as well. While the legal authority to withdraw from the UPU lies with the executive branch, AFSA is also warning Congress of the negative implications DPO interruption or elimination would bring our diplomats.
The A Bureau is well aware of this problem and has been working to mitigate possible challenges and seek alternative solutions. AFSA advises all members to read the recent ALDAC on this issue (19 STATE 76584), as well as any embassy-issued management notices.
AFSA will keep following this and will update members if and when needed. In the meantime, please heed the guidance from the Department of State: Plan to make bulk purchases or crucial supplies early so that your deliveries will reach you before mid-October.  

 

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Episode Where Rudy, the Lawyer Throws @StateDept Under The Bus #whosdatunderbus

September 25, 2019 By in Ambassadors, Controversies, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Hall of Shame, Hotspots, Huh? News, Mike Pompeo, Pompeo, Realities of the FS, Secretary of State, Special Envoys and Reps, State Department, Trends, Trump, U.S. Missions, US Presidents Tags: , , , , , , , ,

 

It looks like somebody just threw the State Department big time under the bus, two video clips on two separate days, and two separate Fox shows. In one on them, the president’s lawyer is waving his phone on teevee. “It’s all here … right here.” Should be interesting to find out who in the State Department actually sent him off on this um … mission, if it’s all there.  And if that’s true, then the Department of Swagger has a bigger problem. Folks might start writing stuff like ‘How the State Department Lost Its Swagger” or ‘Who’s That Under the Bus?’

As we’ve noted previously in May after the removal of the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, the Secretary of State did not seem to see it fit to come forward to defend the United States top representative, a career diplomat, in a priority country in Europe. This is looking like a trend.  Remember when his career staffers got mistreated by political appointees, and he was MIA, leaving the apologies to be made by his deputy?  Tsk! Tsk!

In addition to Ukraine, the president’s lawyer now has other allegations related to China, Latvia, and Cyprus. Watch out! He’s going to teach us geography and capital cities! Who knows how fast we’ll get to 275 posts!

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