--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The State Department desperately needs to…" description: "\"The State Department desperately needs to be vigorously harnessed. It has too big a role to play in the formulation of foreign policy, and foreign poli..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/evan-g-galbraith-101326_big_the-state-department-desperately-needs-t_1540571.jpg" --- # The State Department desperately needs to be vigorously… ![“The State Department desperately needs to be vigorously harnessed. It has too big a role to play in the formulation of foreign policy, and foreign policy is too important to be left up to foreign service officers.” quote by Evan G. Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/evan-g-galbraith-101326_big_the-state-department-desperately-needs-t_1540571.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/evan-g-galbraith-101326_big_the-state-department-desperately-needs-t_1540571.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/evan-g-galbraith-101326_big_the-state-department-desperately-needs-t_1540571.jpg) > “The State Department desperately needs to be vigorously harnessed. It has too big a role to play in the formulation of foreign policy, and foreign policy is too important to be left up to foreign service officers.” [Evan G. Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-g-galbraith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The State Department’s role in foreign policy is too large, should be restrained and redirected to professionals. **In simple terms:** Limit State Department’s foreign policy influence. Key Takeaway Rebalance foreign policy authority. Themes politics policy government foreign affairs bureaucracy Mood critical analytical Type Big:0 Department:0 Desperately:0 Foreign:0 Foreign policy:1 Foreign service:0 Important:0 Left:0 Needs:0 Officers:0 Play:0 Policy:1 Role:0 Service:0 State:0 State department:0 Too:0 Up:0 Policy Foreign:0 Policy Important:0 Department Desperately:0 When to use this quote - legislative oversight - expert advisory panels - reform initiatives Key Concepts international relations public administration policy analysis Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms ensure effective foreign policy? - How to balance expertise and accountability? A Different Perspective Reducing influence may weaken diplomatic capacity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big/) [Department](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/department/) [Department Desperately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/department-desperately-5736825/) [Desperately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desperately/) [Foreign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign/) [Foreign policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign-policy/) [Foreign service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign-service/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Officers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/officers/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy/) [Policy Foreign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy-foreign-827598/) [Policy Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy-important-2670709/) [Role](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/role/) [Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service/) [State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state/) [State department](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state-department/) [Too](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) ## Related quotes > [There's something about the Foreign Service that takes the guts out of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-g-galbraith/there-s-something-about-the-foreign-service-that-takes-the-guts-out/) [Evan G. Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-g-galbraith/) > [Fiscal policy is a very important part of the tool kit for policy makers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gita-gopinath/fiscal-policy-is-a-very-important-part-of-the-tool-kit-for-policy/) [Gita Gopinath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gita-gopinath/) > [... it's important to have the right monetary policy. It's important for, to have the right fiscal policy. But it's nowhere near as important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/it-s-important-to-have-the-right-monetary-policy-it-s-important-for/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Caring about policy is important - people in washington forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabitha-soren/caring-about-policy-is-important-people-in-washington-forget/) [Tabitha Soren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tabitha-soren/) > [When it comes to foreign policy, it is important to remember that politics stops at the water's edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/when-it-comes-to-foreign-policy-it-is-important-to-remember-that/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/honesty-may-be-the-best-policy-but-it-s-important-to-remember-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [While I'm on foreign soil, I - I just don't feel that I should be speaking about differences with regards to myself and President…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/while-i-m-on-foreign-soil-i-i-just-don-t-feel-that-i-should-be/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [Any time someone says "that's it, I'm leaving" I ask them whether they'd prefer to live under US domestic policy, or US foreign policy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-zawinski/any-time-someone-says-that-s-it-i-m-leaving-i-ask-them-whether-they-d/) [Jamie Zawinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-zawinski/) > [If I become president, France will not continue with the same policies as under Nicolas Sarkozy - both in domestic policy and in foreign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-hollande/if-i-become-president-france-will-not-continue-with-the-same-policies/) [Francois Hollande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-hollande/) > [The only concern which I have today is that we have a policy, a foreign policy, which enables us to avoid a catastrophe; which,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-only-concern-which-i-have-today-is-that-we-have-a-policy-a/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [International incidents must not be allowed to shape foreign policy, foreign policy must shape the incidents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/international-incidents-must-not-be-allowed-to-shape-foreign-policy/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [Watch out Mr. Bush! With the exception of economic policy and energy policy and social issues and tax policy and foreign policy and supreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-toles/watch-out-mr-bush-with-the-exception-of-economic-policy-and-energy/) [Tom Toles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-toles/) > [Domestic policy, foreign policy, I tend to come down more on the liberal side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-powers/domestic-policy-foreign-policy-i-tend-to-come-down-more-on-the/) [Kirsten Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-powers/) > [You are, I am sure, aware that genuine popular support in the United States is required to carry out any Government policy, foreign or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/you-are-i-am-sure-aware-that-genuine-popular-support-in-the-united/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [“This illustrates an important point: then as now, Americans tend to think about issues like macroeconomic policy or foreign affairs only when things go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/this-illustrates-an-important-point-then-as-now-americans-tend-to/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) ## More by Evan G. Galbraith > [There's something about the Foreign Service that takes the guts out of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-g-galbraith/there-s-something-about-the-foreign-service-that-takes-the-guts-out/) [Evan G. Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-g-galbraith/) [Explore all 2 Evan G. 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