United States Department of State

From dKosopedia

The United States Department of State, (often referred to as the State Department) exists to assist the President , through the Secretary of State, in formulating and executing the foreign policy and relations of the United States of America. The State Department was created by Congress in 1789 as the successor to the Department of Foreign Affairs, and is governed by Title 22, Chapter 38 of the US Code.

The State Department is in charge of the Foreign Service of the United States, making it responsible for U.S. embassies and consulates around the world, as well as the diplomatic personnel who staff them.

As the senior Cabinet member, the Secretary of State is fourth in line of succession to the Presidency.

1 Duties and responsibilities
- 1.1 Foreign Affairs
- 1.2 Other Services
2 Operating units
3 Related articles
4 External links

Duties and responsibilities

The Executive Branch and the U.S. Congress have constitutional responsibilities for U.S. foreign policy. Within the Executive Branch, the Department of State is the lead U.S. foreign affairs agency, and its head, the Secretary of State, is the President's principal foreign policy adviser, though other officials or individuals may have more influence on his foreign policy decisions. The Department advances U.S. objectives and interests in the world through its primary role in developing and implementing the President's foreign policy. The Department also supports the foreign affairs activities of other U.S. Government entities including the United States Department of Commerce and the United States Agency for International Development. It also provides an array of important services to U.S. citizens and to foreigners seeking to visit or immigrate to the U.S.

All foreign affairs activities — U.S. representation abroad, foreign assistance programs, countering international crime, foreign military training programs, the services the Department provides, and more — are paid for by the foreign affairs budget, which represents little more than 1% of the total federal budget, or about 12 cents a day for each American citizen. As stated by the Department of State, its purpose includes:

Promoting peace and stability in regions of vital interest;
Opening markets abroad;
Helping developing nations establish stable economic environments that provide investment and export opportunities;
Bringing nations together to address global problems such as cross-border pollution, the spread of communicable diseases, terrorism, nuclear smuggling, and humanitarian crises.

Foreign Affairs

As the lead foreign affairs agency, the Department of State has the primary role in:

Leading interagency coordination in developing and implementing foreign policy;
Managing the foreign affairs budget and other foreign affairs resources;
Leading and coordinating U.S. representation abroad, conveying U.S. foreign policy to foreign governments and international organizations through U.S. embassies and consulates in foreign countries and diplomatic missions to international organizations;
Conducting negotiations and concluding agreements and treaties on issues ranging from trade to nuclear weapons;
Coordinating and supporting international activities of other U.S. agencies and officials.

Other Services

The services the Department provides include:

Protecting and assisting U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad;
Assisting U.S. businesses in the international marketplace;
Coordinating and providing support for international activities of other U.S. agencies (local, state, or federal government), official visits overseas and at home, and other diplomatic efforts.
Keeping the public informed about U.S. foreign policy and relations with other countries and providing feedback from the public to administration officials.
Provides diplomatic license plates in the United States|automobile registration for non-diplomatic staff vehicles and the vehicles of diplomats of foreign countries having diplomatic immunity in the United States.

The Department of State conducts these activities with a workforce of Civil Service employees. Overseas, members of the Foreign Service, including officers, specialists and other diplomatic personnel represent America; analyze and report on political, economic, and social trends in the host country; and respond to the needs of American citizens abroad. The U.S. maintains diplomatic relations with about 180 countries and also maintains relations with many international organizations, adding up to a total of more than 250 posts around the world. In the United States, about 5,000 professional, technical, and administrative domestic employees work alongside members of the Diplomatic Service compiling and analyzing reports from overseas, providing logistical support to posts, consulting with and keeping the Congress informed about foreign policy initiatives and policies, communicating with the American public, formulating and overseeing the budget, issuing passports and travel warnings, and more.

Operating units

External links

Retrieved from "http://localhost../../../u/n/i/United_States_Department_of_State_cf5a.html"

This page was last modified 14:45, 7 December 2005 by dKosopedia user BartFraden. Based on work by dKosopedia user(s) Lestatdelc. Content is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.