When Foreign Policy Becomes Family Business

When the State Department issued a mass recall of US ambassadors last month, most observers dismissed it as routine personnel changes. But this sweeping purge of career diplomats signals something far more profound: the systematic dismantling of America's 70-year-old foreign policy establishment.

Donald Trump's second administration isn't just changing how America conducts diplomacy—it's fundamentally altering why. The primary goal is no longer advancing national interests, but enriching the president and his inner circle through what can only be described as state-sanctioned kleptocracy.

The Art of the Self-Deal

For years, analysts have struggled to categorize Trump's foreign policy approach. Many labeled it "transactional," assuming deals were meant to benefit America, even if crudely executed. This was a fundamental misreading.

The Trump administration has pioneered what could be called "transactional bundling"—deliberately collapsing conflict resolution, economic negotiations, and arrangements benefiting Trump cronies into massive, opaque megadeals. When diplomacy, commerce, and personal enrichment become indistinguishable, traditional oversight becomes nearly impossible.

The numbers tell the story. The National Security Council staff has shrunk from around 350 during Biden's tenure to fewer than 100 people. The State Department dismissed over 1,350 career employees and foreign service officers. The US Agency for International Development, which managed foreign aid programs for decades, was completely dismantled.

Weaponizing Anti-Corruption

Perhaps most cynically, the administration has systematically dismantled decades of bipartisan efforts to combat international corruption—the very systems that might expose its own self-dealing. Since the 1883 Pendleton Act, America built robust protections against kleptocracy through merit-based civil service, financial disclosure requirements, and independent oversight.

Trump officials claim they're rooting out a "deep state" sabotaging presidential initiatives. In reality, they're disabling the foreign policy apparatus that might question whether proposed deals serve the public good or blow the whistle on unethical conduct.

This represents a broader global trend that political scientists Stephen Hanson and Jeffrey Kopstein call a "patrimonial wave." Similar patterns have emerged in Hungary, Israel, Russia, and Turkey, where leaders systematically rewire modern bureaucratic states into extensions of personal authority.

The Kleptocratic Difference

But Trump's approach goes beyond mere authoritarianism—it's distinctly kleptocratic. In patrimonial systems, corruption serves power consolidation. In kleptocracies, corruption is the point. Regulation, law enforcement, procurement, and diplomacy all become means of extracting resources and diverting wealth to family, friends, and allies.

This creates a vicious cycle. As traditional foreign policy institutions weaken, America's diplomatic capital—built through decades of professional expertise and institutional continuity—erodes. Other nations must now calculate not just America's strategic interests, but the personal financial interests of Trump and his retainers.

Global Implications

For allied nations, this transformation creates unprecedented uncertainty. Traditional alliance structures assumed that American commitments, while sometimes self-interested, reflected some coherent national strategy. Now, partnerships may depend more on what economic benefits they can offer Trump's circle than on shared strategic interests.

This shift undermines America's ability to credibly commit to long-term agreements. Why would other nations trust treaties or commitments that might be reversed not for strategic reasons, but because they don't generate sufficient personal profit for American leadership?

The damage extends beyond bilateral relationships. International institutions, from NATO to the WTO, depend on predictable American participation. When that participation becomes contingent on personal enrichment opportunities, the entire post-war international order faces fundamental instability.