Profile | Ambassador John Desrocher, Senior State Department Fellow
His advice for students: “Look broadly and be ambitious.”
Over the course of the year, we have been interviewing ISD’s diplomatic and military fellows.
This week, ISD editor Alistair Somerville talked to one of our Senior State Department Fellows, Ambassador John Desrocher, who most recently served as U.S. ambassador to Algeria and is an alumnus of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service.
Alistair: Tell us about your path to the Foreign Service. What led you to become a diplomat?
John: Growing up, I’d always been interested in the wider world, an interest encouraged by my parents and deepened when the Winter Olympics came to my hometown when I was a teenager. Meeting people from across the globe, who descended on my little village of Lake Placid, broadened my horizons and further piqued my interest in international affairs. That led me to SFS, and then to the Foreign Service.
Alistair: Where has your diplomatic career taken you so far, and what have been the most rewarding and challenging postings?
John: I’ve spent most of my time in and around the Middle East, with a few other stops including Liberia, Germany, and New Zealand. It is hard to rank them as each was unique. The war zones of Liberia and Iraq were both challenging, but in very different ways. Jerusalem and Cairo are two of the most fascinating cities in the world; Algeria is a wonderful place that few Americans know anything about. Every post had its rewards, but I generally enjoyed smaller embassies more than big ones. The work is more varied, and the community more tight-knit.
Alistair: When you are given a new country or receive a new functional assignment, how do you prepare? How has that process changed, if at all, as you have gone up the ranks in the Foreign Service and reached the rank of the ambassador?
John: It does change as you move up the ranks. Early on, your preparation is perhaps more academic, reading up on the country’s history and issues. As you move up, you become responsible for a mission or an office and a team rather than a portfolio, and your focus changes. What are the strengths and weaknesses of that office or embassy? What did your predecessor most want to get done but couldn’t? Of course you always want to accomplish policy goals, but you want to leave the team stronger as well.
Alistair: You studied at Georgetown yourself as an undergraduate, and now you are back — albeit virtually — as a State Department Fellow. Looking back, what would your advice be to current Georgetown students looking to forge a path in the Foreign Service or foreign affairs more generally?
John: Look broadly and be ambitious. Whatever you choose, take it seriously but don’t feel locked in. Some students I’ve spoken to shy away from a path that requires a lot of time abroad because they are afraid they will get stuck on a path they won’t like. Don’t worry about that. Try it, and take it seriously, but walk away if you conclude it’s not for you.
Alistair: You team-taught ISD’s Diplomatic and Military Statecraft graduate course last semester. What has been most rewarding, interesting, or surprising about this experience?
John: The students are much savvier than I remember being when I was a student. I expected them to be intelligent and inquisitive, which they are, but I was surprised at their poise and breadth of knowledge.
Alistair: What do you hope to get out of your second semester at Georgetown and, post-ISD, what does life look like for an FSO? What do you want to get out of the next stage of your career?
John: What I most appreciate about Georgetown is the fresh perspective the students provide. As with a lot of professional groups, the foreign policy community can be insular. It is very useful to get an outside point of view. As far as what comes next, one of the benefits of the Foreign Service is that you’re never sure what is coming next. While they differed greatly, I’ve enjoyed all of my assignments and I’m open to whatever is coming.
The views expressed by Ambassador Desrocher are his own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the State Department or the U.S. Government.
Learn more about all of our fellows in our Despatches newsletter:
