>> My name's Russ Deming.
I spent 38 years in the Foreign Service, retired in 2004,
and now teaching at Johns Hopkins University in Washington.
Well, it's a very disciplined life.
When you join the Foreign Service, you agree to serve anywhere in the world
that the Foreign Service sends you, not unlike the military.
So, you have no real control over where you're going to go.
Most people, after their training in Washington, go abroad as I did for a couple years.
Then they usually come back to Washington for a few years to get used
to the Washington side of the job.
But you can expect to spend a half a year abroad,
half a year in Washington during a normal career.
Well, an ambassador's main role is to --
the President's personal representative to the foreign country and in the embassy,
there are five different sections.
The Political Section where I spent most of my career deals with foreign governments,
reports with what's going on in the country, and it's really required for you
to speak the language of the country.
The Economics Section deals with trade and economic issues.
The Counselor Section services American citizens that live in the country and gives visas
to foreigners who have business in the U.S. Administrative Service keeps the lights on,
makes the place run.
And then Public Diplomacy, which is an increasingly important part
of our diplomacy reaching out beyond government to the people to try
to explain American policy and the American experience.
Some periods where things are quieter than other periods,
but you really are on duty all the time.
Another aspect of Foreign Service life is you're representing the country
and you really are a public person, and standards of behavior
of conduct are very high plus you have to get a security clearance so it goes into every aspect
of your life, which I know for many young people,
the privacy [inaudible] really disappears when you're in the public service.
But it's a very rewarding experience.
About 30% of the ambassadors go to political appointees
which is the way the system has to work.
The major posts in Europe, London, Paris, Rome,
generally go to people appointed by the President.
About 70% of the ambassadorships go to career people and when you get to senior rank,
the department puts together a list of people that they think are deserving
of being an ambassador and you have some say at that point [inaudible].
But it's really the luck of the draw, being in the right place at the right time,
and ambassadors' tours are three years, so every three years, about one-third --
every year about one-third of the posts come open.
So, it depends when you're eligible, what posts are there
that you're competitive for [inaudible].
So, it's a very hit or miss process, a little bit mysterious.