A leaked draft White House executive order outlines plans for the United States to significantly reduce its diplomatic presence in Africa, as well as eliminate key State Department offices focused on climate change, democracy, and human rights.
This order, framed as a cost-cutting measure aligned with the White House’s priorities, also proposes sweeping reductions in US soft power globally.
While Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed the report by The New York Times, calling it “fake news” and a “hoax” in a post on X, a copy of the draft obtained by AFP calls for a “full structural reorganisation” of the State Department by October 1st of this year.
The draft states the aim is “to streamline mission delivery, project American strength abroad, cut waste, fraud, abuse, and align the Department with an America First Strategic Doctrine.”
The most significant change would be the restructuring of US diplomatic efforts into four regional bureaus: Eurasia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific, effectively eliminating the current Africa Bureau. In its place, a “Special Envoy Office for African Affairs” would be created, reporting directly to the White House’s National Security Council, bypassing the State Department.
“All non-essential embassies and consulates in Sub-Saharan Africa shall be closed,” the draft specifies, with remaining missions consolidated under the special envoy through “targeted, mission-driven deployments.” The focus in Africa would shift towards counterterrorism and “the strategic extraction and trade of critical natural resources.”
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The US diplomatic presence in Canada, a long-standing ally, would also be “significantly reduced,” and the embassy in Ottawa would be “significantly downscaled.”
Tom Yazdgerdi, president of the American Foreign Service Association, representing US diplomats, expressed concern, stating, “It looks like a hatchet job. It looks like we’re pulling back from the world.”
The plan proposes extensive cuts to American soft power and diminished participation in multilateral organizations.
Though the draft executive order has not been publicly discussed by officials, it aligns with previous moves to cut US initiatives and question traditional alliances, including NATO.
An earlier leaked plan suggested cutting the State Department’s entire budget by half.
The State Department recently announced the shutdown of an agency designed to combat foreign disinformation campaigns. The administration has also dismantled USAID, the US government’s foreign aid arm.
The new draft proposes eliminating offices dealing with climate change, oceans, global criminal justice, human rights, and the State Department’s office for Afghan women and girls.
A decades-old program aimed at projecting US cultural and English-language influence, including the Fulbright program, would also face significant cuts.
This follows Trump’s ongoing efforts to dismantle Voice of America, the broadcast network targeting audiences in repressive countries.
Yazdgerdi criticized the proposed cuts as a “self-inflicted wound,” stating, “Soft power, he said, is “what showcases America. This is the inspiring element. Yes, there’s a fearful element in that we have an awesome military, and you need that of course, but this is what inspires people. You’re basically ceding the field to countries that have no issue filling the void — Russia and China immediately spring to mind.”
© Ripples Nigeria
