Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Steven C. Walker

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was delete‎. Extraordinary Writ (talk) 07:38, 15 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Steven C. Walker

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I'm not sure which guideline this diplomat is supposed to meet. It's not WP:ANYBIO, it's not WP:NPOL and it's not WP:GNG with zero independent sources. He is currently a WP:NSCHOLAR, but I only ended up finding several others academics with the same name. Geschichte (talk) 19:55, 30 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Note: This discussion has been included in the deletion sorting lists for the following topics: Politicians and Hawaii. Shellwood (talk) 20:11, 30 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Academics and educators-related deletion discussions. Shellwood (talk) 20:11, 30 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Keep Chargé d'Affaires and ambassadors serve the same role. Walker was the ambassador for the United States. I think a discussion on making a formal standard for diplomats is completely necessary. I am voting keep here the precedent should be made through that rather than an AfD page. Jon698 (talk) 22:08, 30 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

User:Bearian has brought up that Walker can be considered notable as an academic. Jon698 (talk) 05:26, 3 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Keep - I completely agree that ambassadors of any country are inherently notable as they hold a national political position per WP:NPOL. I wish this was more explicitly clear in a policy. Chargé d'Affaires have the same responsibilities as an ambassador, but crucially not the same position. Still, I do think that is probably enough. Ike Lek (talk) 06:07, 1 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]
However, it is not true that ambassadors are "inherently notable". Geschichte (talk) 06:38, 1 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]
The consensus that has developed over the past year is that ambassadors are not inherently notable. He might be notable as an academic: his article on not having diplomatic relationships with authoritarian regimes seems to have some impact. Please discuss his academic credentials. Bearian (talk) 11:09, 1 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Delete Ambassadors are not inherently notable, and there have been multiple discussions about whether they should be. (See WP:DIPLOMAT and this discussion). In this specific case, as the nominator says, there is not the sourcing for a stand-alone article. --Enos733 (talk) 20:28, 2 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Note: Neither WP:DIPLOMAT nor that discussion are accepted policy. Jon698 (talk) 05:24, 3 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, WP:DIPLOMAT is an essay, but it is an essay that emerged after the removal of the guideline from WP:BIO (difference here). If there is a reason to keep under NSCHOLAR, I will reassess my !vote. - Enos733 (talk) 17:56, 3 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion and clearer consensus.
Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, 78.26 _{(spin me / revolutions)} 02:28, 8 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Delete. The article is not well-written which I think creates some of the back and forth. A not-independent biography here provided by his current employer is a good discussion point. Steve Walker is a faculty member and the acting chancellor of College for International Security Affairs at National Defense University. He has a diplomatic rank of Minister-Counselor which is not an ambassador. I will also note that Charge d'Affaires is not a Senate-confirmed position see 3 FAH-1 H-2432.1-2. I do not see how a non-Senate confirmed head of mission is inherently notable. Yes, foreign service officers are confirmed by the Senate, but you cannot believe all 13,747 are inherently notable based on Senate confirmation. The question becomes, do his roles at NDU and the Wilson Center allow him to meet WP:AUTHOR or WP:ACADEMIC? My belief is no. I found a single Atlantic piece and Google Scholar does not show any sort of published articles. I also searched his name at Foreign Affairs Magazine and found nothing. Accomplished guy, but not notable for the purpose of having an individual article.--Mpen320 (talk) 16:48, 8 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.