The Trump Effect
November 28, 2017
Eliot Cohen, Director of Strategic Studies and Director of The Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies
Mara Karlin, Associate Director of the Strategic Studies Program and Executive Director of The Merrill Center for Strategic Studies
Vali Nasr, Dean
Moderated by Shamila Chaudhary, Foreign Policy Institute Fellow
Experts in US politics held a panel discussion to examine the Trump administration's impact on diplomacy and public sector job prospects. Speakers reassured students that government careers will continue to be available to graduates, despite morale challenges and budget cuts. In fact, the current administration would have very little to do with the work of someone in the early stages of their career – at this level, government jobs are all about accomplishing day-to-day tasks, speakers explained.
Panelists agreed that public service is such an important part of the heritage of the school that students should not give up on public jobs or postpone their careers for a later administration. While budget cuts will likely have a negative effect on employee morale, they will not eliminate the need for a steady stream of recent graduates to staff the federal agencies.
