Why Trump recalled ambassadors from around 30 countries, including Armenia — Expert commentary

Late last year it became known that the Trump administration had decided to recall around 30 ambassadors, including the US ambassador to Armenia, international relations expert Suren Sargsyan wrote on Facebook.

“This sparked discussions suggesting that the ambassador was considered a representative of the Biden team or that he had clashed with Trump’s political camp, allegedly leading to his dismissal about a month before the end of his term. I would like to offer several observations on this matter.

First, the United States has around 200 ambassadorial posts worldwide, including at international organizations, and currently nearly 50 percent of them are vacant. This figure does not include the 30 ambassadors whose recall was recently announced. It is also difficult to assume that these ambassadors were recalled early solely because they had been appointed by the Biden administration. At present, around 75 ambassadors appointed by Biden continue to serve in various countries. Therefore, it would be incorrect to assume that Trump is systematically removing ambassadors loyal to Biden.

Ultimately, political loyalty is characteristic of politically appointed ambassadors, not career diplomats, who never engage in politics, have no explicit party affiliation, and operate strictly within the framework of diplomatic service.

Moreover, it is unlikely that the State Department or the administration had concerns about the performance of the US ambassador to Armenia. Ambassadors never act contrary to their country’s leadership, and in such cases they are removed from the system very quickly, as happened in the past with former US ambassador to Armenia John Evans. Therefore, it is more likely that the reasons for recalling the 30 ambassadors are varied and of a different nature.

I do not rule out that, in Armenia’s case, the decision may be linked not to the ambassador’s work in Armenia, but to his previous posting, which is currently under Trump’s close attention,” Sargsyan noted.