Live from Moscow/Riyadh: : The United States needs a new Long Telegram. But from where?: "Today marks the 70th anniversary of diplomat George F. Kennan’s Long Telegram...
...a missive he sent from his post in Moscow to explain Soviet intentions to a perplexed and confused State Department in the postwar era. That telegram — which eventually was converted into Kennan’s ‘Sources of Soviet Conduct’ essay in Foreign Affairs — had a dramatic effect on how U.S. policy principals thought about American foreign policy toward the Soviet Union. Which raises an interesting question: From where in the world right now could the United States use another Long Telegram?
The first thing to understand about the Long Telegram is the role that luck and technology played in its impact.... The only reason the telegram had the impact it did was because it came as U.S. foreign policy decision-makers realized a rethink of Soviet policy was in order.... As Kennan told Gaddis:
Six months earlier this message would probably have been received by the Department of State with raised eyebrows and lips pursed in disapproval. Six months later, it probably would have sounded redundant, a sort of preaching to the convinced....
Kennan’s use of technology — the telegram itself — also enhanced its impact. It was the longest telegram ever sent in State Department history. Had Kennan used the diplomatic pouch instead — standard operating procedure for a missive of more than 5,000 words — it would have had to advance a long, hard slog up Foggy Bottom’s chain of command. Instead, by abusing Foggy Bottom protocol on brevity in telegrams, Kennan sent something that the secretary of state, secretary of the Navy and Truman quickly devoured. The lesson of the Long Telegram is that wisdom and perspicacity are not enough to make a diplomatic difference. Timing matters. So does marketing....
So, back to the question: From where does the United States need a new Long Telegram?.... If there’s a place I want to see a Long Telegram from, it’s Saudi Arabia.... It would be good to get a sense of just how precarious the Saudi family’s grip on power is, how that will inform the kingdom’s foreign policy, and what the United States should do in response. And I suspect that this is a country where the Obama administration, even in its last year, could use some fresh thinking. So if you’re reading this in Riyadh, and work for the State Department, start working on your tweetstorm or Medium post now please.
