To shape a friendly international environment for its rise, Beijing needs to develop more high-quality diplomatic and military relationships than Washington.
Only the United States, with its military capability, dedicated intelligence professionals, diplomatic prowess, and leadership qualities, can best degrade and ultimately defeat the threat that ISIL poses.
Mr. Saikal said part of the attrition problem was a result of widespread nepotism in the Foreign Affairs Ministry — President Hamid Karzai's uncle Azizullah Karzai is the ambassador to Russia, for example — along with corruption and a decline in the quality of the diplomatic staff as more and more experienced diplomats stay away.
In the new Bush White House, the President-elect has chosen someone who many describe as personable, diplomatic and a unifier, all qualities that will work well in an almost evenly divided Congress.
"When Gary and I worked together on several exhibitions, I saw him master the art of diplomatic negotiation, an absolutely essential quality if you are going to bring in a great museum show — like the current Prado one," said Mahrukh Tarapor, an international museum consultant who spent 25 years at the Met, mostly as its associate director for exhibitions.
But Renaud Girard, a respected reporter for the center-right Le Figaro, said that he was impressed by the generally high quality of the American diplomatic corps.
The modern foundation official should be prudent, judicious, diplomatic, & self-effacing, in all of which qualities Hutchins is singularly lacking.
Mr. Sarkozy has gone out of his way to praise Mr. Juppé, "his solidity and competence," "his organizational qualities" and his "perfect knowledge" of diplomatic practice.
Diplomatic tact and finesse were not among his qualities, and his adroit rivals, Simonides and Bacchylides, were more pliant and adaptable (Bacchylides, not Pindar, celebrated Hieron's Olympic victory in the chariot race in 468).
Police in Argentina have busted a drug-smuggling ring running high-quality cocaine to Europe through the diplomatic courier service of the Russian embassy, Argentina's government revealed Thursday.
