How do you...?

Question

become an ambassador? Is it appointed?

Answer 1

Speaking for the American system, and to add to the previous answer, all Ambassadors are appointed directly by the President. Traditionally, 30-35% of ambassadors have been what are called "political appointees" -- i.e. campaign contributors, supporters of the President's party, etc. Usually, they have at least some experience in leadership and management from the private sector, but not always. They are usually appointed to high-profile postings, such as London, Paris, etc., and their second-in-charge, the Deputy Chief of Mission, or DCM, actually does most of the day-to-day running of the Embassy, being a professional diplomat. Some political appointees do alright, some are disasters. The other 65-70% of ambassadors are career diplomats, who have risen through the ranks of the Foreign Service, and are, disproportionately, political and economics officers (versus the other 3 branches of the Foreign Service).

Answer 2

Nearly all ambassadors are career foreign services officers. The few that are appointed are sent to places like London, Paris, and Madrid - but the US has about 120 embassies in the world. The rest of them are staffed by very senior members of the foreign service.

Answer 3

The appointment is done by the president only.

Answer 4

You gotta kill people until everyone fears you and then you usually get whatever you want, I speak from experience!