The Charge d'Affaires has tasked you with producing the summary portion of a “scene setter” cabl ...
The Charge d'Affaires has tasked you with producing the summary portion of a “scene setter” cable (telegram) that will go out under his name to the State Department Under Secretary for Political Affairs, the third-ranking official in the Department. The Under Secretary will be visiting Germany next week, and the Charge d'Affaires wants to use the visit to press the GoG (Government of Germany) on some important policy matters. The scene setter cable will allow the Charge d'Affaires to recommend to the Under Secretary how he could be most helpful and effective in advancing key U.S. interests in the country. Instructions Prepare the summary using the examples below. Below you will find three "sanitized" versions of actual unclassified State Department scene setter cables. You do not need to follow these formats; I’m just providing them to give you a flavor of what these cables can look like. While there is no fixed format or required content for a scene setter, they generally include: A mention of the overall context in the country (i.e., Germany in this case) A description of the highest priority challenges the U.S. faces Recommendations as to how the visiting official can help overcome those challenges and advance U.S. policy goals. How to explain the policies of the newly-elected President that will take effect after January 20, 2025. Requirements Please keep your products brief – ideally no longer than one page. Be creative, and focus your recommendations on what is happening today, as of the date of this module, in the US - German bilateral relationship and in global issues in the headlines today. Examples SCENE SETTER EXAMPLE 1 (SBU) SUMMARY: Your visit represents a major milestone in our bilateral relationship and a great opportunity for us to advance our broader goals in this region. I recommend that two themes dominate the visit: a) XXXXXXXX, and b) XXXXXXXX (SBU) We have a significant interest in helping XXXXX become the next XXXXXX success story, an achievable goal that would generate positive reverberations XXXXXXX and elsewhere. ((POLITICAL CONTEXT AS TO WHY THE PRECEDING STATEMENT IS TRUE)) (SBU) Your visit can help accelerate XXXXX timeline for success by building on the encouraging signals from ((SOME MAJOR EVENT, SUCH AS POTUS’ VISIT LAST NOVEMBER, PROGRESS IN THE Diplomatic TALKS, OR WHATEVER))). In your meetings with senior German officials, I suggest that you emphasize XXXXX and XXXXX. END SUMMARY. SCENE SETTER EXAMPLE 2 SUMMARY: Since your last visit to XXX in mid-April, the XXXX has dissolved, the XXXX talks with XXXX have stalled, there is a new Chancellor and government, and XXXX continues to voice reservations ABOUT XXXXX both publicly and privately. Your visit will provide an important opportunity to reinforce the very clear messages of the SECRETARY/PRESIDENT, etc. conveyed to THE GERMAN LEADERSHIP in recent months. You will also have the opportunity to (again) try to convince XXXX to accept our offers to help them in protecting XXXXX and, just as importantly, to focus them on the big prize -- our sincere interest in facilitating their way to XXXXXX. This will not be an easy sell to interlocutors such as the PM, but as our private messages increasingly (we hope) sink in, we need to do our best to bring along the more flexible XXXXX. You will also have the chance to explore strategies with business, NGO, and religious leaders on how best to support the XXXX vision during and after the resolution of XXXXX. You will be arriving the day after XXXX. The GoA (Government of Afghanistan) is very nervous about these talks -- which they themselves have been vocally advocating for months -- and have not even confirmed their attendance as of the time of this writing. In essence, XXXXX is concerned that it has fallen into a trap of its own making. They fear that they will give XXXXX a pretext for dispensing with further negotiations and proceeding more quickly to XXXXX. I suggest you try to reassure XXXX that he has made the right decision in agreeing to these talks. END SUMMARY SCENE SETTER EXAMPLE 3 SUMMARY. Embassy (XXXXX) warmly welcomes you to GERMANY, ((something like…ONE OF OUR TOP FOREIGN POLICY CHALLENGES/PRIORITIES, A POTENTIAL SUCCESS STORY IN THE MAKING, TEETERING ON THE BRINK OF CRISIS, or whatever).. This XXXX nation has faced almost uninterrupted internal conflict since XXXXX, giving rise to XXXXXX. Nonetheless, in the last six months, the country has been admitted to XXXX, was granted XXXXX, and has taken significant steps toward XXXX. XXXX, which enjoys good relations with its neighbors, has been generally playing a positive role in the region and took the domestically difficult step of XXXXX in January. The U.S. and XXXX have built a strong bilateral partnership, as recently manifested by the XXXx’s January meeting with the President and Secretary of State in Washington and the country’s deployment of a U.S.-trained infantry platoon to XXXX as part of the NATO-led XXXX. The main challenges facing XXXX as it moves toward XXXX are in the rule of law (ROL) area, and we are working extensively with the XXX to improve its capacity to fight organized crime and corruption. In light of XXXX, the country’s leadership also faces the challenge of building public support for XXXX. The country’s XXXX minority (roughly XXXX% of the population) has found its political voice in the opposition and is almost uniformly against XXXXX. You will be meeting with XXXXX and XXXX the two most important influence leaders in the country. With both of them, I recommend that you emphasize the following messages: 1) XXXXXX, 2) XXXXXX, 3)XXXXXX . These messages are consistent with the themes they heard in Washington and will help nudge them further in the direction of XXXX. END SUMMARY.
