Ambassadorship open, no experience necessary

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—The United States has lofty global ambitions, and its leaders still like to describe the country as the “leader of the free world,” the “indispensable nation,” and various other self-congratulatory labels. Yet it doesn’t always marry these ambitions to a set of policies and practices that would help it achieve them.

Case in point: The well-sourced rumor that the Obama administration is about to appoint Caroline Kennedy to serve as our next ambassador to Japan. Is this an appointment that demonstrates a serious engagement with the complex problems the United States is facing in Asia?

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Kennedy on several occasions and think she is smart, well-informed and engaging. But she’s neither a diplomat nor an experienced politician, and she’s certainly not an expert on East Asia. Unless I’ve missed something, she doesn’t speak Japanese and has no academic or professional background in foreign affairs. Compared with some other former U.S. ambassadors to Japan (Mike Mansfield, Walter Mondale, Michael Armacost, Tom Foley), she’s a political neophyte.

True, she comes from a prominent political dynasty and she was an early and enthusiastic supporter of President Barack Obama. So one might argue that she’ll have a direct line to the White House and that her appointment is a way to signal to Japan that the U.S. is taking the relationship seriously.

But what does that matter if she doesn’t have the background necessary to give the White House or State Department independent advice or the experience necessary to convince Japanese officials to follow the U.S. lead? Politics in Asia are becoming more and more important, and managing our Asian alliances is going to be very tricky in the years ahead. Countries like South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia and others are looking for clear signs of U.S. leadership, which means we need the most qualified and skilled people we can find in key diplomatic positions. We don’t want ambassadors who are just reciting talking points prepared by others; we need ambassadors throughout Asia who have extensive knowledge of the region’s history and the complicated economic and security landscape there.