Irksome in Iceland, brusque in Britain? US envoys draw ire over bodyguards

In Iceland, a nation so safe that its president runs errands on a bicycle, U.S. Ambassador Jeffery Ross Gunter has left locals aghast with his request to hire armed bodyguards.

Gunter has also enraged lawmakers by casually and groundlessly hitching Iceland to President Donald Trump's controversial "China virus label for the novel coronavirus.

Not particularly diplomatic? Well, Gunter is hardly a diplomat by training. He's a dermatologist. But he is also a contributor to Trump's campaign, and that landed him the post in Reykjavik.

Gunter's actions, and those of other politically connected U.S. ambassadors, highlight the risks that come with the peculiarly American institution of handing coveted diplomatic postings to campaign donors and presidential friends who have few other qualifications. The practice has increased under Trump.

America is an extreme outlier in sending inexperienced and unqualified ambassadors, said Barbara Stephenson, a former career foreign service officer, ambassador to Panama and ex-president of the American Foreign Service Association, the union that represents U.S. diplomats.

Presidential political supporters can make fine diplomats and many have. A personal relationship with the president and understanding of his agenda can be an advantage.

And those clearly unfit are expected to be weeded out through the Senate confirmation process. But still, some arrive in their embassies lacking the ability to sidestep controversy.

In Britain, Ambassador Robert Woody Johnson faces accusations that he tried to steer golf's British Open toward a Trump resort in Scotland and that he made racist and sexist comments.

In the Netherlands last week, Ambassador Peter Hoekstra, a former congressman, posted a photograph of himself visiting a cemetery for German soldiers killed during the two World Wars, including Nazi troops who occupied the country.

Other ambassadors are running roughshod over their more experienced but less senior diplomatic staff.

Gunter, the ambassador in Iceland, has run through at least seven deputies since taking over, although the State Department says four of them had been assigned to Reykjavik for only 30-day tours.

But what really raised eyebrows in Iceland was the embassy's ad looking for armed bodyguards.

That was striking in a country that for 13 consecutive years has been deemed the most peaceful country in the world, according to the Global Peace Index, published by the Institute for Economics & Peace.

Iceland's National Commissioner Sigridur Gudjonsdottir told The Associated Press last week that police haven't decided whether to allow the armed bodyguards.

We are still weighing the request and assessing the level of potential threat for foreign embassies in Iceland, she said. The State Department declined to comment.

Days after the bodyguard ad appeared, Gunter caused another stir, and condemnation from members of Parliament, for a post on Twitter: We are United to defeat the Invisible China Virus!

The message included a symbol of the Icelandic flag, which critics found implicated the country in calling the disease the China virus a term used by Trump to deflect blame for the novel coronavirus on China as his handling of the pandemic has been criticised.

Gunter has downplayed the friction. Our focus at U.S. Embassy Reykjavk remains where it has always been on strengthening the U.S-Icelandic bilateral relationship which brings so much benefit to both our great nations," he said.

"I am honored to be leading our team during this successful period of U.S.-Icelandic appreciation and respect."

The foibles of ambassadors lacking diplomatic experience have surfaced in administrations of both political parties and have long confounded efforts at reform.

Yet they are attracting greater attention in the Trump era as the percentage of politically connected ambassadors, which normally hovers around 30per cent, has soared to 42 per cent, the highest level since the mid-1970s.

All nominees for the position of ambassador should be qualified for the job and the number of political appointments should not exceed historical norms, said Eric Rubin, the current president of the foreign service association.

The administration has defended its ambassadorial choices and has pointed to a backlog in Senate confirmations as a reason for the high percentage of non-career envoys.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has criticised Democrats for delays in confirming nominees, including career diplomats.

Some political appointees have been accused of more than being undiplomatic. In Britain, Johnson's actions regarding the golf tournament have raised questions of whether he violated federal ethics rules. There have also been allegations that he made racist and sexist comments to which embassy staffers took offense.

Johnson, owner of the NFL's New York Jets, has denied any misconduct. He has told associates he is mystified by the complaints of inappropriate behavior, which included the summary dismissal of his highly regarded No. 2 for making favorable references to former President Barack Obama in speeches, according to current and former officials.

In the Netherlands, Hoekstra previously irritated his hosts by claiming falsely that there were no-go zones in the country due to Muslim extremists.