Gee, it’s a good thing there are no international crises going on these days. Because not only does the U.S. have an unstable and ignorant president who conducts foreign policy via Twitter and an inexperienced secretary of state who’s frequently on the outs with said president (having described him as a “fucking moron”), but there’s practically nobody left at the State Department:
With [Under Secretary for Political Affairs Tom] Shannon's departure, seven of the top nine jobs at the department will be empty. Those vacant posts include positions overseeing the agency's role in U.S. trade policy, stopping the spread of nuclear weapons, refugee issues and efforts to counter human trafficking.
Usually Donald Trump’s White House blames the Senate for not having confirmed appointments he hasn’t made or for having held up his most egregiously unqualified nominees, but in this case:
The State Department and White House have traded accusations over which side is to blame for a shortage of nominations, and Tillerson has said many posts are being filled by capable career officials.
Yay for capable career officials, but it's not the same thing as having the job filled by the person who’s going to do the job.
So this is the state of American foreign policy. Trump threatens nuclear war on Twitter, the Pentagon is urging diplomacy and possibly dragging its feet on plans for a military strike, and the State Department is a shell.