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The State Department has been hollowed out. Career diplomats are afraid to speak. Unions have been derecognized. And a Heritage Foundation‑affiliated organization, the Benjamin Franklin Fellowship, now functions like the Communist Party in the Soviet Union: you don’t have to join, but you won’t get ahead if you don’t. In this episode, former Ambassador Eric Rubin tells Peter Mina why he refuses to stay silent – and why he still believes America’s best days can be ahead.
In the latest episode of The Steady State Sentinel, host Peter Mina—founder of the Mina Firm and former DHS civil rights official—sits down with Eric Rubin—a former career diplomat of 38 years who served as U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria from 2016 to 2019 and as president of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) from 2019 to 2023. Rubin now works with the Democratic Resilience Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and serves on the board of directors of The Steady State.
Rubin grew up in a family of activists— his mother was at the March on Washington with Dr. King— and he learned the union songs as a child. That background, he says, is what drives him to speak out when so many others are afraid.
Here is what you need to know from a conversation about the destruction of the nonpartisan Foreign Service, the loss of expertise, and what gives him hope.
“My Life’s Work Is Under Very Serious Threat”
Rubin began his Foreign Service career in 1985, when the United States effectively ran the world. He watched the Cold War end and several hundred million people achieve freedom. He worked in Ukraine, Russia, Thailand, and Bulgaria—helping to build the post‑Cold War order.
Now, he says, that work is being dismantled.
“To some extent, I’m trying to help save my life’s work. And I’m not alone in this. My colleagues—this is true of so many people, my life’s work is under very serious threat.”
The threat is not abstract. The State Department has lost most of its senior career diplomats. Expertise on Iran, Russia, and other critical regions has walked out the door—or been pushed. And the administration has made clear that political loyalty, not competence, is the only currency that matters.
The Benjamin Franklin Fellowship: A Loyalty Test
Rubin draws a stark comparison that has gotten attention. The State Department recently derecognized all of its employee organizations— including AFSA, which Rubin led, and more than 30 other groups, some more than 50 years old. They were simply banned.
At the same time, the Benjamin Franklin Fellowship, a Heritage Foundation project, has been given official recognition and endorsement. Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau is a proud member and encourages employees to join.
“It’s kind of like the Communist Party in the Soviet Union. If you wanted to get ahead, you damn well had to join. This administration claims to be for meritocracy, but in reality it’s the opposite. Political loyalty is the most important and really the only factor in assignments and promotions,” says Rubin.
The message is clear: you don’t have to join, but you won’t advance if you don’t. And it’s not loyalty to a party. It’s loyalty to one person.
“We Don’t Have a Single Career Diplomat Negotiating with Iran”
Rubin points to the catastrophic war with Iran as the most vivid example of what happens when expertise is purged.
“We have no career diplomat, no career CIA analyst, nobody who knows Iran, nobody who knows how to do diplomatic negotiations. And what a surprise, it’s failing.”
The two negotiators with Iran, Rubin notes, are “Zionist Bibi Netanyahu supporters” who oppose a two‑state solution. He does not question their intelligence, but he does question why anyone would pick them instead of experienced diplomats like former diplomat and CIA Director Bill Burns.
“The idea that we don’t need expertise and knowledge and experience is leading us into really dangerous territory.”
The Erosion of Advice – and the Return of the Spoils System
Rubin traces the current crisis back to a fundamental shift: federal employees no longer have agency. They are afraid to share dissenting opinions. No one will say to a political boss, “I don’t think that’s the right answer, can I tell you why?”
That used to be how things worked. The modern Foreign Service was created in 1924, and the civil service was reformed after the assassination of President Garfield by a job seeker. The idea was simple: nonpartisan, nonpolitical experts give their best advice to elected leaders, and the leaders decide— as long as their decisions are legal.
“That concept is now being essentially eliminated. What we’re risking is sliding back into the spoils system of the 1880s.”
He adds a chilling detail: new employees coming into the Foreign Service are afraid to join AFSA because they fear retaliation. “Once upon a time I would have thought that was impossible. It’s not. It’s real.”
“Even If We Have a New President, Our Allies Won’t Trust Us”
Peter Mina asks the hard question: after all of this, why would any ally trust the United States again? We are just one election away from returning to where we are now.
Rubin acknowledges the pain.
“When President Biden won in 2020 and said ‘America is back,’ our allies asked, ‘For how long?’ In 2026, they won’t even ask that question anymore. The confidence and trust are gone.”
And yet, he still urges people to join the Foreign Service.
“We are going to be the richest, most powerful country in the world for the rest of our lives. And that country needs diplomacy and it needs diplomats. We’ve lost so many people. We need you.”
He acknowledges that things won’t go back to the way they were. USAID cannot be revived. The politics are not conducive. But America must find a way to play a constructive role again, and that starts with recruiting a new generation of officers.
What Gives Him Hope—and What You Can Do
Despite everything, Rubin is not without hope.
“I really do believe we’re at bottom. Things will get better. Can I prove that? Of course not. But I believe it.”
He points to the recent election results in Hungary as a positive sign after years of negative developments. He notes that the judiciary has held in many cases. And he believes that Americans are beginning to understand that “fortress America” is a fantasy.
His calls to action are simple:
“International engagement is the basis of our prosperity and security. Americans need to recognize that and do something about it. Host an exchange student. Support organizations working overseas on food security and public health. And vote.”
He also notes, with a touch of dark humor, that Donald Trump’s visage will soon appear on every U.S. passport, something no other country does, not even Putin’s Russia.
“It’s not done. But that’s what’s happening. The message is: you have to be loyal to the absolute monarch.”
One Quote That Stays With You
“People are afraid to share dissenting opinions. No one is going to say to political bosses, ‘I don’t think that’s the right answer. Can I tell you why?’ That’s how it’s supposed to work. But they don’t dare.”
-Ambassador Eric Rubin
Listen and Watch the full Podcast Here:
Founded in 2016, The Steady State is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization of more than 400 former senior national security professionals. Our membership includes former officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of State, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security. Drawing on deep expertise across national security disciplines, including intelligence, diplomacy, military affairs, and law, we advocate for constitutional democracy, the rule of law, and the preservation of America’s national security institutions.