2 of 2

Write now Article Tools

Like other bureaucratic institutions, the Department of State is a hierarchical organization. At the top sits the Secretary of State. After the Vice-President, the Speaker of the House, and the President of the Senate, the Secretary of State is next in line to become President, in the event that something should happen to the President. The Secretary of State is assisted by the Under Secretary of State, a position which becomes Acting Secretary of State during absences by the current Secretary. Under the Under Secretary are three Deputy Under Secretaries, who direct the administrative tasks, economic issues, geographic bureaus, and military planning involved in international relations. Finally, in addition to the work force below them, there are four Assistant Secretaries of State, whose individual duties relate to specific geographic regions of the world. A fifth Assistant Secretary of State is entrusted with dealing with international organizations, such as the United Nations.

The four geographic divisions of the State Department are designated as bureaus dedicated to Inter-American affairs, European affairs, Far Eastern affairs, and Near Eastern, South Asian, and African affairs. Although these designations may seem self-explanatory, they should not be taken literally. It should be noted that Inter-American affairs concern countries south of the U.S. mainland border, such as Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America, while European affairs include countries north of the U.S. mainland border, such as Canada, Greenland and Iceland, as well as Europe and all of Russia. From Australia in the south to China in the north is the domain of Far Eastern affairs. India, Pakistan, the Middle East, and the African continent comprise Near Eastern, South Asian, and African affairs. Within the Department of State is the Foreign Service. The chief representation of the Foreign Service consists of embassies, or small pieces of U.S. territory located within a foreign country, which can be found in the capitals of the countries in which they are located. Embassies, and their resident ambassadors, represent the United States, and its policies, diplomatically. The Foreign Service also contains consuls and consulates, whose main purpose is to tend to business matters required by Americans abroad, which are located in major cites throughout the world. Consulates rarely get involved in the art of diplomacy. Infrequently, the President will appoint a minister, a rank below that of ambassador, to represent the United States in a minor foreign country.

The Secretary of State supplies credentials to all members of the diplomatic service. A U.S. embassy in another country interacts with either the Department of State of the other country, or the country's Department of Foreign Affairs, in order to represent the United States. In a reciprocal arrangement, the country involved maintains an embassy in the United States, and deals directly with the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. through the State Department's home service. As the oldest executive department in the U.S. government, the State Department has helped to establish foreign policy since the days of the Continental Congress. Perhaps that is why the State Department has the role of official guardian of the Great Seal of the United States, the official stamp on Presidential proclamations.

Learn more about this author, Peggy Barnett.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about An overview of the U.S. State Department?
We want to hear your view. Write now!