The Foreign Service Journal, January 2013
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PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION JANUARY 2013 DIPLOMACY IN A TIME OF SCARCITY FOREIGN SERVICE TRANSFER TIPS FACING THE UNTHINKABLE FOREIGN January 2013 SERVICE Volume 90, No. 1 AFSA NEWS Sec. Clinton Joins in Celebrating GLIFAA’s 20th Anniversary / 43 SPECIAL State VP Voice: Diplomacy in a Time of Scarcity / 29 Protecting Privacy / 44 In spite of real progress since 2008, our foreign affairs agencies are not USAID VP Voice: Links in the yet completely staffed, rt ained and deployed to meet the challenges of the Field AFSA Post Reps / 45 21st century. Here are highlights of the American Academy of Diplomacy’s 2012-2013 AFSA Financial Aid recommendations, from their latest report. Scholarship Recipients / 46 AFSA Screens “ARGO” to a Full House / 51 FOCUS FOREIGN SERVICE TRANSFER TIPS Secretary of State Awards Editor’s Introduction / 23 Recognize Overseas We hope our coverage will help your next transfer go more smoothly. Volunteers / 52 BY STEVEN ALAN HONLEY Dissent: About National Interest, Not Individual Views / 53 Foreign Service Transfer Realities / 24 A Bengali Woman’s Art: Cause for Liberation / 54 As with all aspects of an FS career, it is crucial to take charge of a move. You are your own best advocate. Caroling Friends of the FS BY METTE BEECROFT Hold Climate Change Talk / 55 Trust Invites FS Project Single, With Pets / 28 Proposals / 55 Traveling with animals overseas can present unique challenges. Nicholas Kralev Introduces But with careful preparation, it can also be very rewarding. “America’s Other Army” / 56 BY HEATHER PISHKO Senior Living Foundation: Supporting Retired FS Members / 57 FEATURE COLUMNS The Millennium Challenge Corporation: President’s Views / 7 Off to a Good Start / 35 AFSA Needs Strong Leaders Eight years after the MCC’s creation, the verdict on its efforts to jump-start BY SUSAN R. JOHNSON the process of development is not yet in. But there are reasons for optimism. Speaking Out / 15 BY BEN BARBER Facing the Unthinkable: Time for FCS to Merge with State? BY DANIEL HARRIS DEPARTMENTS Letters / 8 Talking Points / 11 Books / 39 Local Lens / 66 MARKETPLACE Classifieds /60 Real Estate / 63 On the Cover: A rusting boat lies abandoned in the desert that used to be the Aral Sea, Index to Advertisers / 65 once the world’s fourth-largest lake, in Moynaq, Uzbekistan. © iStockphoto.com/studioakant THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JANUARY 2013 5 FOREIGN SERVICE Editor Steven Alan Honley: [email protected] Senior Editor Susan Brady Maitra: [email protected] Associate Editor Shawn Dorman: [email protected] CONTACTS AFSA News Editor AFSA Headquarters: LABOR MANAGEMENT Donna Ayerst: [email protected] (202) 338-4045; Fax (202) 338-6820 General Counsel State Department AFSA Office: Sharon Papp: [email protected] Ad & Circulation Manager (202) 647-8160; Fax (202) 647-0265 Deputy General Counsel Ed Miltenberger: [email protected] USAID AFSA Office: Zlatana Badrich: [email protected] (202) 712-1941; Fax (202) 216-3710 Labor Management Specialist Art Director FCS AFSA Office: James Yorke: [email protected] Caryn Suko Smith (202) 482-9088; Fax (202) 482-9087 Labor Management Counselor Editorial Intern Janet Weber: [email protected] Emily A. Hawley GOVERNING BOARD Senior Staff Attorney President: Neera Parikh: [email protected] Advertising Intern Susan R. Johnson: [email protected] Staff Attorney Edward Kurniawan State VP: Raeka Safai: [email protected] Editorial Board Daniel Hirsch: [email protected] Staff Attorney James P. Seevers, Chairman USAID VP: Andrew Large: [email protected] Judith Baroody Francisco Zamora: [email protected] Office Manager William D. Bent FCS VP: Christine Warren: [email protected] Clayton Bond Keith Curtis: [email protected] USAID Senior Labor Management Adviser Gordon S. Brown FAS VP: Douglas Broome: [email protected] Stephen W. Buck David Mergen: [email protected] Staff Assistant Ruth M. Hall Retiree VP: Alex Nostro: [email protected] Richard McKee Mary Ellen Gilroy: [email protected] USAID Staff Assistant Jed Meline Secretary: Vacant Chioma Dike: [email protected] Gregory L. Naarden Treasurer: Andrew Winter Beth Payne State Reps: MEMBER SERVICES Matthew Asada Member Services Director William Bent Janet Hedrick: [email protected] THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS E. Alex Copher Member Services Representative PROFESSIONALS Tim Corso Kristy Pomes: [email protected] The Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E Kenneth Kero-Mentz Administrative Assistant and Office Manager Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is published Elise Mellinger Ana Lopez: [email protected] monthly, with a combined July-August issue, by the Joyce Namde American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), a private, Ted Osius COMMUNICATIONS, MARKETING AND nonprofit organization. Material appearing herein repre- Lillian Wahl-Tuco OUTREACH sents the opinions of the writers and does not necessarily represent the views of the Journal, the Editorial Board or David Zwach Director of Marketing and Outreach AFSA. Writer queries and submissions are invited, prefer- USAID Reps: Ásgeir Sigfússon: [email protected] ably by e-mail. The Journal is not responsible for unso- Jason Singer Director of Communications licited manuscripts, photos or illustrations. Advertising Andrew Levin Thomas Switzer: [email protected] inquiries are invited. The appearance of advertisements FCS Rep: Steve Morrison Special Awards and Outreach Coordinator herein does not imply endorsement of the services or FAS Rep: Vacant Perri Green: [email protected] goods offered. Journal subscription: AFSA member–$20, IBB Rep: Andre de Nesnera Editor/Publisher, FS Books included in annual dues; student–$30; institution–$40; Retiree Reps: Shawn Dorman: [email protected] others–$50. For foreign surface mail, add $18 per year; foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid Robert Houdek Web and Graphics Assistant at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. Edward Marks Jeff Lau: [email protected] Indexed by the Public Affairs Information Services (PAIS). Hugh Neighbour Molly Williamson PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS E-mail: [email protected] Coordinator, Retiree Counseling Phone: (202) 338-4045 STAFF and Legislation Fax: (202) 338-8244 Executive Director Bonnie Brown: [email protected] Web: www.afsa.org/fsj Ian Houston: [email protected] Associate Coordinator, Retiree Counseling Executive Assistant to the President and Legislation © American Foreign Service Association, 2013 Patrick Bradley: [email protected] Matthew Sumrak: [email protected] PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Advocacy Director BUSINESS DEPARTMENT Javier Cuebas: [email protected] Postmaster: Send address changes to Director of Finance Legislative Assistant AFSA Femi Oshobukola: [email protected] Clint Lohse: [email protected] Attn: Address Change Controller Scholarship Director 2101 E Street NW Kalpna Srimal: [email protected] Lori Dec: [email protected] Washington DC 20037-2990 Assistant Controller Scholarship Assistant Cory Nishi: [email protected] Jonathan Crawford: [email protected] CADMUS INSERT LOGO HERE www.afsa.org 6 JANUARY 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL PRESIDENT’S VIEWS AFSA Needs Strong Leaders BY SUSAN R. JOHNSON he purpose of this column is seeking them out and valuing them. its mission effectively in response to the to encourage you to seriously The AFSA president deals directly complex challenges of modern diplo- consider running for elec- with senior officials across all member macy and international relations.” If T tion to the 2013-2015 AFSA agencies; navigates formal and informal you believe that these exhortations were Governing Board, either as president or relationships across the foreign affairs prescient and are even truer today, then a constituency vice president. These are community; briefs members of Congress seek the presidency of AFSA or another all full-time jobs that carry significant and top staffers, and testifies before position on its Governing Board. responsibilities and opportunities for congressional committees; gives on-the- If you want to give back to a career measurable accomplishment on behalf of record interviews and provides back- that has enriched you immeasurably, the Foreign Service and its members, and ground briefings to major media; and AFSA offers that opportunity. If you want for strengthening our professional asso- seeks opportunities for public speaking. a stronger professional Foreign Service, ciation and union. If you care about the It’s a high-visibility position that calls for better equipped for the challenges of Foreign Service and want a voice in its strong written and oral communication contemporary diplomacy, better profes- future, it is time to engage—and the AFSA skills, as well as political and diplomatic sionally educated and trained, better led Governing Board provides an excellent savvy to manage the issues that come and managed, and better resourced by platform. before a diverse, 27-member board. Congress, then service on the Governing The Department of State and the The AFSA president works in close Board gives you an opportunity to advo- U.S. Agency for International Develop- partnership with the executive direc- cate for these goals. ment, premier foreign affairs agencies 50 tor and more than 30 professional staff Like many of you, for most of my years ago, no longer appear to be at the to oversee an annual operating budget career I never thought much about the center of foreign and development policy in excess of $4 million, a scholarship role or responsibilities of the AFSA Gov- formulation. Their roles are increasingly trust fund of $5