The resignation of the British ambassador to the United States, Kim Daroush, because of the exposure of his secret cable criticizing US President Donald Trump and the subsequent tumultuous attack by Trump could make foreign diplomats think twice before presenting credible reports about Trump's administration to their governments .

In one of his memoirs, which was leaked, Darush described Trump as "foolish and arrogant." Trump replied after the leaked memo to the White House that "the eccentric ambassador sent by Britain to the United States is not someone we admire, he is a very stupid person." Until last week, Darush hosted top Trump officials at dinner parties, but resigned after the attack from Trump.

The United Kingdom envoy to Washington, who has been in office since 2016, has found himself at the other end of a scathing tirade from the US president following the leak of secret assessments he sent to London, shedding a negative light on Trump's internal activities. Unlike Trump and British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, the leaking of a wide range of diplomatic cables could have other lasting effects, which could affect diplomats' accuracy and honesty in their assessments and policy recommendations.

"The leakage of telegrams has a frightening effect on what diplomats want to write and send to their governments," says Brookings Institution researcher and former State Department official Amanda Slatt. "I am sure that British diplomats in embassies around the world will now face similar concerns on issues that They write it in their cables and send it to London. "

Disable the role

Daroush resigned in a letter to British Foreign Office Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Simon McDonald, saying: "The current situation makes it impossible for me to play as I want."

The United States was also a victim of a scandal very similar to the Darush scandal, albeit on a larger scale, when Wikileaks leaked a large volume of State Department documents in 2010. The leaks revealed publicly how US ambassadors felt about their host governments, The internal workings of American diplomacy, and sparked a diplomatic storm around the world that greatly affected the State Department.

The former State Department official who was working in Washington at the time of WikiLeaks' leak of the cables, Nancy McDoony, said two things happened after the leak: "The first was immediate and the second came in response."

All countries have called on ambassadors of the United States who host them to inquire about the "non-diplomatic" cables they send to their country. The US ambassador to Eritrea, Ronald McMullin, described the country's president as "an incoherent dictator and still a tough and challenging one." Another senior US State Department official in Italy, then Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, called it "futile, useless" Behind him, and ineffective as a European leader recently, "which sparked a political storm in Rome and caused a headache for Washington.

The US ambassador to Ecuador, Heather Hodges, was expelled in 2011 after leaking a cable criticizing government corruption and forcing US Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual to leave his job. "It was painful, embarrassing, but we could have gone beyond it," says Mack Donnie.

Self-censorship

The second effect, in fact, was the self-censorship imposed by diplomats on what they write, as some diplomats who are concerned about more leaks have begun to dismiss their fears of embellishing what foreign governments or leaders are doing with their telegrams, leaving Washington more Is a mystery to what is going on in those States. "If ambassadors stop writing things and instead talk to one person, this disrupts the rest of the devices," says Mac Donnie, now at Georgetown University. "Others need to read these cables, there are officers in the office, Assistant secretary, and others in the government, who need to understand what the ambassador says ». On the other hand, American ambassadors have begun to lose influence in the countries where they work, limiting their effectiveness. The same fate could befall Droush in Washington if he remained in office.

Disabling effectiveness

"Even if he is not officially forced to leave office, senior US officials will not be able to deal with Darush, which will limit his effectiveness as ambassador," Slatt said. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Orgtos told reporters last week that the ministry had not received any official guidance from the White House to stop dealing with Darush. "We will continue to deal with all of our authorized personnel until we receive additional guidance from the White House or the president," she said. Some experts say leaked government documents have an important public value, although they put the diplomats in the hot seat. "It's very important to know what the British government is thinking about Trump's management, because it's very important for voters in particular, transparency," said Lewis Clark, executive director and chief executive of the Government Accountability Project, a non-profit organization focused on whistleblowers and the government. Need to know what other leaders and foreign diplomats in the world are already thinking about the president. "

Trump made clear his views on Darush in a series of tweets on Monday and Tuesday last week, criticizing Trump Droush, calling him an "idiot" and "a very stupid man." Droush Trump described him as "incompetent and incompetent" in the secret cables, published by the British daily The Daily Mail over the weekend.

The British government defended Darush, and British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told Trump on Twitter that "these comments are disrespectful and touch our prime minister." Hunt, who is wrestling with former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson over who will succeed Teresa Mae, said Daroush would remain in office if he became prime minister. The whirlwind has further shaken the close relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom, already strained by disagreements over Iran's policy and Trump's criticism of May's handling of Britain's exit negotiations with the EU.

The transatlantic relations researcher at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Eric Bratberg, a research think tank, says the leakage of embassy cables will not cause serious damage to relations between London and Washington. "This will further damage the relationship politically, but outside politics, the special relationship is still very strong in terms of security, military issues and the exchange of intelligence, and the fundamentals of the special relationship will not be damaged," he said.

Many current and former US diplomats who spoke to Foreign Policy say there is a paradox in the US president's rebuke to a foreign diplomat for criticizing him in a secret telegram, because Trump himself criticizes foreign leaders in public, calling them "deceitful and weak." They referred to London Mayor Sadiq Khan, whom Trump called "the loser". "What Trump did during his reaction is proof of the authenticity of everything that the British ambassador has written about him," McConnie said.

Not all foreign leaders reacted to diplomatic leaks against them like Trump did. In 2009, Norway was forced to control political damage after a deadly secret note from its deputy ambassador to the UN, Mona Joel, criticizing then-Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, describing his leadership as "weak and ineffective." the press. "In principle, I welcome all these criticisms when they are constructive because they help me improve my work and performance," Ban said after the memo was published.

Even if Darush is not formally forced to leave office, senior US officials will not be able to deal with him, which will limit his effectiveness as ambassador.

Not all foreign leaders reacted to diplomatic leaks against them like Trump did.