U.S. Diplomatic Presence
The United States is reportedly considering a sweeping overhaul of its diplomatic infrastructure that would significantly reduce its presence in Africa and eliminate several State Department offices focused on key global issues such as climate change, democracy, and human rights.
A draft executive order viewed by AFP outlines the proposed changes, which are said to be part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to realign U.S. foreign policy with its “America First Strategic Doctrine.”
According to the document, the State Department would undergo a “full structural reorganisation” by October 1 of this year. The stated goals include improving efficiency, reducing waste, and enhancing the delivery of U.S. missions abroad while projecting American strength.
A key element of this restructuring involves reorganising the State Department’s global approach into four regional blocs: Eurasia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific.
Most notably, the current Africa Bureau would be eliminated. In its place, a newly formed “Special Envoy Office for African Affairs” would be established under the supervision of the White House’s National Security Council rather than the State Department.
This would mark a significant shift in how U.S. diplomatic engagement with Africa is handled, potentially centralising control and limiting the scope of regional diplomacy.
The draft order also proposes the closure of what it terms “non-essential embassies and consulates” across Sub-Saharan Africa, consolidating the remaining missions under the authority of the special envoy.
These deployments would be “mission-driven” and narrowly focused, departing from the broader diplomatic presence traditionally maintained by the U.S. in the region.
While the draft has not been officially acknowledged or discussed publicly by officials, its contents align with other recent reports indicating plans to halve the State Department’s overall budget. Offices dedicated to climate change, human rights, and democracy promotion would reportedly be eliminated under the proposal.
In response to the New York Times report that initially revealed the draft, Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed the news as false, calling it “fake news” in a post on social media platform X.
However, the existence of the draft order as seen by AFP lends credibility to growing concerns that the Trump administration may be preparing for a radical shift in U.S. foreign policy and global engagement.
The plan also hints at changes to U.S. diplomatic operations in Canada, another close ally. The embassy in Ottawa would be significantly downscaled, and the U.S. footprint in the country would be reduced—an unexpected move that coincides with previous controversial remarks from Trump suggesting that Canada should be annexed as the 51st U.S. state.
