The Foreign Service Journal, March 2008.Pdf

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$3.50 / MARCH 2008 OREIGN ERVICE FJ O U R N A L S THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS

MAPPING THE FUTURE Iraq, Five Years Later

OREIGN ERVICE FJ O U R N A L S CONTENTS March 2008 Volume 85, No. 3

F OCUS ON Iraq, Five Years Later

AFTER THE SURGE: TOWARD AN 18-STATE FEDERATION / 22 Four major proposals for a way forward have been advanced, but they all ignore Iraq’s political center of gravity. By Keith W. Mines

HELPING THOSE WHO HELPED US / 28 State has been slow to expedite immigrant visas for Iraqis who have assisted the U.S. government. But there are, at long last, signs of movement. By Shawn Zeller

WORKING AND LIVING IN IRAQ / 35 Cover and inside illustrations by Members share experiences from current or recent service in Iraq. Adam Niklewicz F EATURES

PRESIDENT’S VIEWS / 5 WELCOME TO THE FS BLOGOSPHERE / 41 Defending Our Future All but unheard of even five years ago, blogging is now well established among By John K. Naland members of the Foreign Service. By Marc Nielsen SPEAKING OUT / 15 Member of Household Policy: DON’T REINVENT THE FOREIGN ASSISTANCE WHEEL / 46 Failing Our Families The F process is half a loaf, and only half-baked at that, By Michael Guest but still an important first step toward meshing U.S. foreign assistance spending with our strategic goals. IN RESPONSE / 18 By Gordon Adams Toward a Post-2012 Approach to Climate Change By Paula J. Dobriansky AFSA NEWS

REFLECTIONS / 84 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT 2007 / 51 The Managua Earthquake of 1972 YEAR IN REVIEW / 52 By Stuart Lippe STATE VP: SHOOTING THE MESSENGER / 61 AN INSIDE VIEW OF THE FS GRIEVANCE BOARD / 62 LETTERS / 6 USAID VP: AN OPEN LETTER TO ADMINISTRATOR FORE / 63 CYBERNOTES / 11 CROSSING THE RUBICON ON THE OVERSEAS PAY GAP / 64 STATE OFFICIALS BLAST AFSA SURVEY / 65 MARKETPLACE / 12 AFSA NEWS BRIEFS / 66 BOOKS / 70 FAMILY MEMBER MATTERS: THE WAY OF THE DIPLOMATIC PRINCESS / 67 IN MEMORY / 73 CLASSIFIEDS / 68 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS / 82

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 3 OREIGN ERVICE FJ O U R N A L S

Editor STEVEN ALAN HONLEY Senior Editor SUSAN B. MAITRA Associate Editor SHAWN DORMAN Ad & Cirulation Manager ED MILTENBERGER Business Manager ANDREW KIDD Art Director CARYN SUKO SMITH Advertising Intern TIGER TORELLE

EDITORIAL BOARD

TED WILKINSON Chairman JOSEPH BRUNS STEPHEN W. B UCK JULIE GIANELLONI CONNOR JIM DEHART JEFF GIAUQUE GEORGE JONES LAURIE KASSMAN YVETTE N. MALCIOLN DAVID MCFARLAND AL PESSIN

THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is published monthly with a combined July-August issue by the American Foreign Service Associa- tion (AFSA), a private, nonprofit organization. Material appearing herein represents the opinions of the writers and does not necessarily represent the views of the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries and submissions are invited, preferably by e-mail. Journal subscription: AFSA members – $13 included in annual dues; others – $40. For foreign surface mail, add $18 per year; foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. Indexed by Public Affairs Information Services (PAIS). The Journal is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos or illustrations. Advertising inquiries are invited. The appearance of advertisements herein does not imply the endorse- ment of the services or goods offered. TELEPHONE: (202) 338-4045 FAX: (202) 338-8244 or (202) 338-6820 E-MAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.afsa.org © American Foreign Service Association, 2008. Printed in the U.S.A. Send address changes to: AFSA Attn: Address Change 2101 E Street N.W. Washington DC 20037-2990

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4 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 PRESIDENT’S VIEWS Defending Our Future BY JOHN K. NALAND

Thirty years ago, a group of roles that AFSA plays, both Coordinator Bonnie Brown is constant- Foreign Service members sued for active-duty and retired ly working to assist individual retirees. the U.S. government, charging members, is to keep our eyes Her 2007 casework count shows she that the mandatory retirement and ears open for potential assisted 452 individuals. For example, age for the Foreign Service moves to trim back the she helped 103 people with health care amounted to unconstitutional Foreign Service’s well-earned questions or problems, 46 people with discrimination. The case went retirement benefits. Clearly, annuity questions or problems, and 46 all the way to the U.S. Supreme any cutback aimed at all others who needed help getting a Court, which ruled 8-1 in Vance v. federal employees would also be satisfactory response from some State Bradley, 440 U.S. 93 (1979), that resisted by the large Civil Service Department office. She also publishes Congress was justified in setting a unions and by groups such as the retiree guidance in plain English on a mandatory retirement age in recogni- National Active and Retired Federal variety of helpful subjects and assists tion of the fact that Foreign Service Employees Association. But, if a survivors when retirees die. members are subject to uncommon benefits cut were to be aimed just at As you can see, the value of AFSA wear and tear by extended overseas the Foreign Service, it would be up to membership does not decline upon duty under difficult and often hazard- AFSA to lead the opposition. retirement. In fact, it is hard to imagine ous conditions. For AFSA to exercise such long- who would need AFSA more than a If anything, that Supreme Court- term vigilance, we must continue to retiree living far from Washington certified “wear and tear” factor has maintain our small but talented faced with sorting out some problem increased in recent decades. Violent legislative affairs and retiree affairs with a non-responsive government crime, health risks, terrorism and other staffs. To do that, we rely on member office. difficult living factors have turned dues. Thus, it is alarming that only 25 The bottom line, therefore, is that nearly two-thirds of our overseas posts percent of Foreign Service retirees pay AFSA needs your help now (via into hardship assignments. An unpre- AFSA dues. membership dues) so we can be there cedented number of posts have been There are several reasons for this to help you in the future. We need designated as unaccompanied or “limit- low percentage. One is that AFSA active-duty employees to continue their ed accompanied” due to extreme physi- membership does not automatically membership after they retire. We need cal danger. carry on into retirement; instead, retired members to maintain their I mention this to underscore the fact retiring employees are asked to rejoin AFSA membership. And we need that Foreign Service members really do AFSA by filling out a form during their lapsed members to rejoin. earn their keep, including retirement hectic final weeks on duty. Another If you know retirees whose mem- benefits. But, looking forward another reason is that some employees believe bership has lapsed, please urge them to 30 years, it is safe to predict that the that retiring will mean an end to ever join you in supporting AFSA. They are baby boomer retirement wave will put needing AFSA’s help to rectify some benefiting from our advocacy of issues pressure on Congress to re-examine bureaucratic glitch or investigate some affecting Foreign Service retirees but federal retirement benefits. question. Unfortunately, that is often are not contributing to the operating Thus, one of the most important not the case. budget that funds that advocacy. Their As documented in the AFSA An- support, added to yours and mine, will John K. Naland is the president of the nual Report contained in this issue of strengthen AFSA’s ability to defend the American Foreign Service Association. the Journal, AFSA’s Retiree Affairs future of us all.

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 5 LETTERS

Ambassadorial Power ment of heads of agencies. Though there who have rejected State as an in NSDD-38 the line of authority from the presi- option because of its hiring and I greatly appreciated the articles on dent to ambassadors is mostly illusory, promotion policies. I am one of them. country team management in the De- NSDD-38 and the president’s “Letter Good luck meeting your staffing cember FSJ. Although Ed Peck is of Instructions” gives COMs all the needs. absolutely correct in describing the de power they need to effectively man- Dr. Robert Hickey jure line of authority from the presi- age their missions. FSJ subscriber dent to the chief of mission, while Tibor P. Nagy Jr. Ellensburg, Wash. serving in that position I certainly Ambassador, retired recognized that my de facto line was Ransom Canyon, Texas Counterinsurgency and much more modest: i.e., my instruct- National Security ions — with only a few exceptions — Those Who Never Apply Counterinsurgency doctrine, policy originated with the assistant secretary I’d like to comment on issues and programs, usually referred to as for African affairs, and my perform- brought up in Mark Johnsen’s Decem- COIN, are all the rage in U.S. governance evaluations were drafted by my ber article, “One Hand Clapping: The ment security circles these days. desk officers. Sound of Staffing the Foreign Ser- Sarah Sewall’s article in your Septem- I did find, however, one very ef- vice,” and a letter in the same issue, ber issue and Alfred Barr’s December fective instrument which, when deftly “Modernize Hiring.” letter are thoughtful examples of the wielded, left no doubt that the COM I’m a geography professor special- discussion under way. However, a bit was fully in charge of the entire izing in geospatial techniques. About of caution is called for. That is, we mission. The National Security Deci- a year ago, I decided it was time to must constantly keep in mind the sion Directive 38 process, requiring start looking into different career distinction between military opera- chief-of-mission approval for “any options. My shortlist included State, tions and governance on the one proposed changes in the size, com- USAID, the National Science Found- hand, and the difference between position or mandate” of all agencies at ation and the plethora of intelligence locals and outsiders on the other. post, gives ambassadors tremendous agencies. To learn more, in addition We should remember that the last leverage. to visiting Web sites, I subscribed to a time the United States conducted a While a COM needs to be judi- number of periodicals, including the successful COIN operation on our cious in applying NSDD-38 to Foreign Service Journal. own was in the Philippines in the early preclude being viewed as an irrational One thing I quickly learned was 20th century — an experience we have obstructionist by Washington, neither that State was not an option, and the forgotten about. The U.K. experi- should he or she be a doormat. I content of the Journal only served to ence in Malaysia, commonly used as a found that by holding firm to my solidify that opinion. It is not that I model among the cognoscenti, was in objections when I believed some don’t find the agency and its work a colonial situation where the British agency‘s plans were inconsistent with interesting or important, but rather were the government. Attempting to overall U.S. government priorities or that there is no way that I am going to conduct such operations where one is exceeded administrative support capa- step back from an M.S. degree, a not the governing authority is danger- bilities, the agency would eventual- Ph.D. and 13 years of professional ous: witness the French and American ly back down. The same applied to work experience (some of it inter- experiences in Vietnam, the Soviet country clearance requests for non- national) so I can start at the bottom episode in Afghanistan and, one could routine visitors (do you really need a and stamp visas. Not a chance. argue, our efforts in Iraq, at least up five-person Defense Department team My point is to verify what has been until very recently. to conduct a 30-minute briefing?), and stated frequently in the FSJ: there are What the U.S. and other govern- for approving (or blocking) the assign- many mid-career professionals out ments can do in such situations is

6 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 L ETTERS

assist a government in conducting out of kilter. Not because our Yet even if the PNSR crowd comes COIN in its territory, as with the Huk intelligent, serious, well-educated up with a reasonable draft proposal for rebellion in the Philippines in the military professionals are over-reach- a new national security structure, 1950s. The difference between doing ing, but because our political leaders there are enormous political obstacles and assisting is not a minor one; it is apparently too often think of the mili- to implementing it — President Eisen- fundamental. Unfortunately, too tary option as the preferred option and hower’s military-industrial complex to much current commentary on the our military professionals are, in ad- begin with. Also, where will we find subject — including the Army’s new dition to their other virtues, fervently today’s Truman and Vandenberg? Any COIN doctrine publication — does obedient to civilian rule. nominations? not make this important distinction They are also, by and large, Type A Edward Marks clear. Yet it is crucial to recognize, as activists who always feel obliged to “do Ambassador, retired Clausewitz insisted, that war is a something” in their areas of assign- Washington, D.C. branch (not an extension) of politics. ment. When called upon, they will go, It is the first obligation of political and go and go. Told to run the world, Local Staff Kept leaders to understand what kind of military professionals will make an Embassy Kabul Standing war they are intending to embark effort to do so. If you don’t believe Thomas Eighmy notes in his upon as well as being careful to this, then you haven’t spent any time December article, “Remembering identify the political objectives. For around them. They have the faults of USAID‘s Role in Afghanistan, 1985- instance, although they may not have their virtues. 1994,” that Embassy Kabul “closed” started out that way, Afghanistan and The new Africa Command is only before the Soviet military withdrew Iraq now appear to be experiments in the latest example of the expansion of from that long-suffering country in conducting warfare (in this case the military instrument. It is supposed February 1989. In fact, Embassy COIN) while attempting to jump-start to be a new sort of bureaucratic Kabul never closed. On Jan. 31, 1989, local governance (as opposed to creature not focused on military the embassy officially suspended profiting from local conflict to install a affairs; but if so, why is it in the operations and Chargé Jon Glassman colonial regime). The historical Defense Department and headed by a lowered the flag. The American staff record of this type of activity is not military officer? departed Afghanistan shortly there- encouraging. Expansion is the main issue, as after, citing security concerns as It is likely that many military pro- military affairs have always been and making it too risky to maintain an fessionals understand this. I am not always will be a significant part of American official presence. sure that our political leadership does. foreign affairs, despite the traditional Even with the Americans gone, the After all, the American public and its American view that peace was one U.S. held on to its diplomatic facilities leadership have grown up in a popular thing and war the other and they and continued to recognize Afghani- culture of movies, TV programs and should not be intermingled — the so- stan‘s sovereignty. Local staff main- popular novels that identifies only two called American Way of War. The key tained the chancery‘s exterior and heroic actors in foreign affairs: the is the relationship between the mili- other embassy facilities through- soldier and the spy. (Diplomats are tary option and the other instruments out the tumultuous years of the Naji- those stuffy characters who sternly of national power, which many believe bullah regime, mujahedeen rule and warn Our Hero or Our Heroine that is currently out of balance. the Taliban. A local consular assistant what they want to do is illegal, dan- A major political question for the at the embassy, supervised by Con- gerous and probably immoral.) United States is how to arrive at a sulate Peshawar in neighboring Paki- With this mindset, COIN (and the sustainable equilibrium. One ap- stan, provided limited services to the equally fashionable Post-Conflict Sta- proach is to replace the National handful of American citizens living in bilization and Reconstruction con- Security Act of 1947 and the resulting Afghanistan. cept) can seem to emphasize the role organization of the U.S. government Throughout those dark years of the military option in a successful for foreign and security affairs with a Embassy Kabul‘s local staff, at great foreign policy. new National Security Act of 200X. In personal risk and with exceptional However, as Gerald Loftus points fact, there is a movement, the Pro- bravery and honor, did everything in out in his insightful Speaking Out gram for National Security Reform their means to ensure that the U.S. column (December), the military- (www.pnsr.org), that is attempting to mission‘s facilities would be in the best diplomatic dynamic is currently badly do exactly that. possible condition when conditions

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 7 L ETTERS

allowed American personnel to return was ISI/embassy pressure to restrict One sentence in what was other- to the country and resume embassy provision of food to some of the wise a thoughtful and respectful operations, as they did in December mujahedeen parties deemed not to be obituary piece made me laugh out 2001. sufficiently cooperative in the project loud, however. The author stated that We should not forget our dedi- to create the ill-fated Afghan Interim while in high school — obviously in cated local colleagues who, often at Government. I recall also that when the early 1950s — Dick “came to love tremendous sacrifice and scant re- the Kandaharis failed to rally to film and music, especially classical, ward, look after our country‘s in- Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a fundamen- show tunes, jazz and anything by terests in places and times where it is talist who was the favored leader of Stevie Wonder.” If my slightly pre- deemed just too dangerous to put both the ISI and the U.S. embassy, as baby boomer memory serves me American lives in harm‘s way. he marched toward Kandahar, the right, “Little” Stevie Wonder had his David J. Katz flow of aid to the area was restricted in first hit record, “Fingertips (Part 2),” FSO retaliation. in 1963, when he was 13 years old. State Department Faculty This should not be read as criticism That would mean he was 3 years old Adviser, Naval War of the O/AID/Rep team, but rather as when Dick Scissors graduated from College a testament to their dedication in the high school. I know Stevie Wonder Newport, R.I. face of political pressures. Notwith- was a child prodigy, but I don’t think standing such pressures, the office’s he was that precocious! Assistance for Afghanistan, leadership and staff accomplished Nicholas Stigliani Then and Now their humanitarian mission. FSO, retired Kudos to Tom Eighmy for his Eighmy is correct in assessing that Falls Church, Va. article on USAID’s role in Afghani- the 1992 decision not to reopen Em- stan (December). The USAID team bassy Kabul was a very serious mistake Utilizing Mental for Afghanistan, based in Pakistan, that forfeited the opportunity O/Aid/ Health Services was in many ways unique in the Rep had created and maintained. On balance, MED/Mental Health agency’s annals. The O/AID/Rep’s That choice revealed an overly risk- Service and the Employee Consulta- leadership and staff were remarkably averse posture by the Bureau of tion Service are to be congratulated for innovative, dedicated to their mission Diplomatic Security, as he suggests. their steadfast attention and concern of assisting the Afghan people, and But it also constituted a truly short- for employees suffering reactions from both bureaucratically and sometimes sighted strategic decision by policy- extremely stressful postings. I was physically courageous. As special makers and U.S. intelligence analysts most distressed, however, to read the envoy to Afghanistan, I relied heavily at senior levels to leave Afghanistan’s account of unresponsive care back in on their expertise and perspective. fate to the tender mercies of Pakistan 2006 as described in “Recovery: When Eighmy rightly credits the team’s and, particularly, the ISI. Survival Isn’t Enough” by Rachel director, Larry Crandall, for the team’s Twenty years later, it is vital that we Schneller (January), who experienced accomplishments, though he himself not abandon Afghanistan again. exposure trauma while serving abroad. deserves much credit. But Eighmy Edmund McWilliams I hope more options were offered to does not mention one area of the FSO, retired her than are listed in the article. As a team’s work which was to my mind White Oaks, N.M. therapist and former ECS staff mem- important: building from scratch a de- ber, I offer a sincere apology to any mining effort that undoubtedly saved Remembering Dick Scissors employee who believes that their many Afghan lives. The appreciation of the life of Dick PTSD treatment needs have gone Eighmy describes the team’s “good Scissors in the December Journal unheeded. relations” with Pakistani intelligence brought back fond memories. Mr. From time to time the institutional (the Inter-Services Intelligence Di- Scissors was consul general in Cape memory of the State Department rectorate). However, I recall from my Town during the middle 1980s, when wavers, but there has been a con- time there (August 1988 to July 1989) I served at Consulate General Johan- sistent commitment to employee that the ISI, with full backing from the nesburg. I made several reporting health and wellness by MED and U.S. embassy, periodically sought to trips to Cape Town during that period ECS. During the years I served as a manipulate aid flows to serve political and Dick was invariably helpful and clinical social worker in the Employee purposes. In the fall of 1988, there generous with his time. Consultation Service, the other clini-

8 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 L ETTERS

cal social workers and I assisted Beirut employees and family members and the welfare of its employees. I bombing victims, Iranian and Kuwaiti offered pre-departure training for encourage all employees to persist in hostages, evacuees from Rwanda and high-risk posts. We were available for utilizing these services for themselves other posts, those who experienced follow-up on an as-needed basis. And and their family members, and in natural disasters while serving abroad at no time was medical information lobbying vigorously for policy change and those who were individual targets shared with Diplomatic Security. when it is needed. It is the least that is of crime or terrorism. Dr. Raymond De Castro’s article owed those professionals who serve We were well trained in PTSD and on PTSD in the same issue was written with sacrifice and represent all of us. the strategies to mitigate it. We of- before the release of important new Rita Siebenaler, Licensed fered expert short-term counseling, information recently provided by the Clinical Social Worker support groups and referrals to military, the Institute of Medicine and MED/ECS Staff, 1984-1994 employees and to their families. We the U.S. Department of Veterans Arlington, Va. provided this assistance in person in Affairs in the January 2008 issue of the our offices at State, SA-1 and FSI, and American Psychological Association’s Human Rights also consulted by phone and, in those Monitor on Psychology. We now and the Courts days, by cable. We routinely referred know that the manifestation of PTSD Responding to Craig Murray’s employees to appropriate treatment may, in fact, be delayed and some of excellent article “The Folly of a Short- providers and maintained contact un- the treatments previously thought to Term Approach” in the September til we were assured that the employee be effective are not. Journal, I would say that no progress felt that the help was sufficient. The good news is that treatments can be made on human rights in the Along with MED psychiatrists, we for PTSD are available and that the U.S. or overseas until the composition also did outreach to affected groups of department appears recommitted to of the Reagan-Bush Supreme Court is Home Suite Home

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MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 9 L ETTERS

changed. I suggest that the future A number of current and former stories over time; and, with their loss, President Clinton pack the Supreme volunteers recently organized “Peace important details about the experience Court with 11 justices as FDR wanted Corps at 50” to honor the upcoming may also be lost. to do. The Reagan-Bushites’ recrudes- anniversary. We are now actively We are, therefore, looking for well- cence in the lower federal courts seeking nonfiction stories to include in told tales that reflect the entire range should be dealt with by limiting a four-book 50th-anniversary project. of experiences in the Peace Corps — federal judges to 10-year terms. The four volumes — Africa and the whether uplifting, scary or ethically David E. Henderson Middle East; After the Cold War murky — including the familiar FSO, retired (focusing on Central Asia and Eastern dilemma of just what you do when El Paso, Texas Europe); Asia and the Pacific; and presented with a plate of freshly fried Central America, South America and crickets by a smiling girl from Chad. Call for the Caribbean — will feature Complete information on the pro- Peace Corps Stories contributions from past and present ject and the editors’ and writers’ In three years the Peace Corps will volunteers, staff and instructors. guidelines is available at www.peace be 50 years old. I know there are Everyone who has served in the corpsat50.org. The deadline for many ex-volunteers among active- Peace Corps has a story. We tell them submission is April 1, 2008. I urge duty and retired FSOs; indeed, it has when we get together; indeed, our anyone interested to visit the Web site become something of an old-school tie families know them only too well. We and contribute his or her own story. within State and USAID. I thought sometimes share them during job Bernard Alter some might be interested in the pro- interviews and when we meet new FSO, retired ject described below. friends. But we can lose even the best Washington, D.C

10 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 CYBERNOTES

Rent-a-Corps? local citizens alike. The Department of Defense is rotecting our nation from the After a decade of lobbying by the working on a $19 million pilot project Pdangers of a new century families of the victims, on Oct. 2 the to create a new corps of individuals requires more than good intelli- House of Representatives passed fluent in critical foreign languages gence and a strong military. It the Foreign Service Victims of Ter- who could be called upon in an emer- also requires changing the con- rorism Act of 2007 (H.R. 2828) gency (www.govexec.com). If all almost unanimously. The legislation goes according to the 2007 Defense ditions that breed resentment institutionalizes a comprehensive Authorization Act mandate, at least and allow extremists to prey on compensation scheme for the vic- 1,000 people will be members of the despair. So America is using its tims of the 1998 attacks. The mea- National Language Service Corps by influence to build a freer, more sure also enhances death-gratuity 2010. hopeful and more compassion- compensation provisions for current So far, a concept of operations, ate world. This is a reflection of Foreign Service employees killed by including how to recruit, test and cer- acts of terror. tify people with foreign language skills our national interest; it is the The measure is, however, stalled in has been determined, DOD Director calling of our conscience. the Senate. After it passed through of the National Security Language — President George W. Bush, committee, a hold was placed on the Program Robert Slater told Govern- in his Jan. 28 State of the floor by an unnamed senator for rea- ment Executive on Jan. 15, and the sons unknown, according to AFSA’s Union address, www.white list of languages deemed critical is sources. house.gov/news/releases/ being finalized. Arabic — “a heavily In a Jan. 29 op-ed in the Washing- recruited language already,” says 2008/01/20080128-13.html ton Times, Howard C. Kavaler, a Slater — will not be on the list, how- retired Foreign Service officer and ever. representative of the victims’ families Incentives for recruitment include, stand how [other agencies] can use who lost his own wife, FS officer according to Slater, competitive com- this corps of people and bring them in Prabhi Kavaler, in Nairobi, excoriates pensation and the advantage of being when there are national needs.” the State Department’s lack of sup- identified with an organization that port for the legislation. values foreign-language skills, as well A Step for FS Victims “Absent a comprehensive program as the use of government-funded soft- of Terrorism to compensate Foreign Service vic- ware to maintain those skills. On Aug. 7, 1998, terrorists target- tims of international terrorism,” he According to Gail McGinn, deputy ed the American embassies in Nairobi writes (www.washingtontimes.com), undersecretary of Defense for plans and Dar es Salaam. It was the most “is it no small wonder that members and head of the Defense Senior devastating attack ever launched of the Foreign Service with familial Language Authority, the project has against any U.S. diplomatic facilities responsibilities are not beating down benefits for the rest of the govern- and, arguably, the opening of al- the doors to serve in wartorn areas?” ment even though it’s being run with- Qaida’s global offensive against the in DOD. West. More than 5,000 individuals Foreign Policy and the “We looked at other agencies to were seriously wounded, and 224 2008 Elections determine what their needs might be,” people lost their lives — Foreign Ser- With primary campaigns shifting she said. “We’re working to under- vice, Foreign Service Nationals and gears and the choices in the Novem-

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 11 C YBERNOTES

ber election becoming clearer, it’s not policy advisers and links to sites such a moment too soon to review the as Real Clear Politics that are moni- many excellent Internet resources to toring the election process, as well as help voters choose the right candi- related material on foreign policy- date. For those who want to make making. sure they choose a candidate who will get foreign policy right, in particular, An Urgent Call to Action on there are a number of helpful sites. Transformational Diplomacy The Foreign Policy Association’s On Jan. 30, Secretary of State “Forum for the 2008 Presidential Condoleezza Rice’s Advisory Com- Election” is a blog that will follow mittee on Transformational Diplo- developments leading up to the macy presented its final report (www. November contest, focusing specifi- state.gov/secretary/diplomacy/). cally on foreign policy and interna- This bipartisan group of lawmakers, tional affairs issues (http://elect academics, businessmen, FSOs and ion.foreignpolicyblogs.com/). other foreign policy professionals, led Hosted by Erin Dian Dumbacher by former Senator John Breaux and and Mark Dillen, a former senior former Governor John Engler, began FSO with the State Department, the work in June 2006. Its recommenda- blog offers candidates’ profiles, with tions are now offered as the basis for major issues and notable quotes, as action to ensure that American diplo- well as updated commentaries and macy can effectively meet the chal- news in more than a dozen categories. lenges of the 21st century. The Council on Foreign Relations’ Among the recommendations “Campaign 2008” page features links agreed to unanimously by committee to a wide variety of news and views on members is a call for “ultimately” the campaign focused on issues of doubling the work force of the State international policy (www.cfr.org/ Department and USAID; creating an campaign2008/index.html). With integrated Global Affairs Strategic daily analysis, profiles of candidates’ Plan and Budget to facilitate align- policies and links to relevant speeches ment, joint planning and rational and the debates, as well as features funding of all government overseas tracking specific issues such as immi- activities; consolidating the technolo- gration and nonproliferation, links to gy infrastructure by building a world- selected polls and election “must class knowledge-management capa- reads,” the site has much to offer. bility and institutionalizing innova- Also providing an array of useful tion; developing strategic public-pri- links is About.com’s “Presidential vate partnerships; consolidating sel- Candidates and U.S. Foreign Policy” ected bureaus and offices and driving (http://usforeignpolicy.about.co decisionmaking authority downward; m/od/2008presidentialrace/a/20 and strengthening performance mea- 08potus.htm). Keith Porter, the surement and analysis (www.state. director of communication and out- gov/documents/organization/ reach and executive radio producer 99903.pdf). for the Stanley Foundation and Before introducing individual com- About.com’s guide for U.S. foreign mittee members attending the cere- policy, maintains this page. mony, Sec. Rice welcomed the rec- In addition to profiles of the candi- ommendations. In fact, her office dates and their positions on various had already begun acting on them, foreign policy issues, this site contains she said, pointing to the recent cre- a link to lists of the candidates’ foreign ation of the Global Partnership Cen-

12 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 C YBERNOTES

That the committee felt its mission 50 Years Ago... to be critical is clear throughout the report, which concludes: “Urgent Expanding and diversified overseas activities, public and pri- steps are needed to ensure that the vate, of our energetic nation mean today that 1 percent of all Department of State has the financial Americans are living in foreign countries and that all government agencies have and human resources necessary to interests and responsibilities in this microcosm. In this radically changed post- effectively represent America’s inter- war environment State cannot, although admittedly with prime responsibility in ests in an increasingly complex world. the foreign field, singly muster the cohesive pull upon its various peers in The committee believes that its rec- Washington. ommendations represent a rare and critically important opportunity for — Roy M. Melbourne, “Coordination for Action: On the Operations bipartisan institutional reform of our Coordinating Board,” FSJ, March 1958. foreign affairs institutions. Seizing this opportunity is an urgent Ameri- can imperative.” ter to actively engage the private sec- times approach,” she added. Kenya: Understanding tor, schools and universities, NGOs In his remarks, retired Ambassador the Election Crisis and private individuals in the work of Thomas Pickering, who served as co- More than a month after the dis- diplomacy. chair of the committee’s State De- puted Dec. 27 national election, with “This is a critical national security partment in 2025 Working Group, more than 250,000 people displaced priority, and to succeed we will need pointed out that the report increases and about 1,000 dead, unrelenting the support of the Congress, the the department’s already great re- violence threatens to unravel one of American people and of concerned sponsibility, giving the Secretary of Africa’s leading nations. men and women throughout the coun- State four separate organizational At this writing, former United try,” Rice declared. “We will be saying hats: diplomacy, foreign assistance, Nations chief Kofi Annan had made more about the need for support from public diplomacy and reconstruction some progress in bringing President Congress in the next month as budget and stabilization. Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga into a structured dialogue that aims to resolve immediate Site of the Month: political issues within four weeks. www.overseasvotefoundation.org Annan confidently asserted that the Overseas Americans have a unique new advantage in this year’s election in damage caused by prolonged chaos the form of the Overseas Vote Foundation and its one-stop, free online and destruction could be resolved in a resource (www.overseasvotefoundation.org). A nonprofit founded in year. 2005 with the help of a grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts and run on a It is, by all estimates, a tall order, as volunteer basis since then, OVF’s mission is to increase overseas and uniformed Annan knows. “We must tackle the services voter access to registration and associated services by safely leveraging fundamental issues underlying the the Internet. disturbances — like equitable distrib- The OVF Web site, launched last October, helps guide overseas voters ution of resources — or else we will through the maze of rules to successfully register and participate in federal be back here again after three or four elections. OVF promises to do this “faster, more easily and accurately than years,” he told journalists in Nairobi. ever before” with a user-friendly registration and absentee voter application, an The December election pitted election officials directory and a voters’ help desk. The site also offers updated Kibaki’s Party of National Unity news on overseas voting and links to nonpartisan information on candidates against Odinga’s Orange Democratic and issues. Movement. In addition to the presi- An estimated four to six million Americans, civilian and military, live and dential contest, more than 2,500 can- work abroad. Yet a federal study in September found that barely one-third of didates vied for 210 seats in the the nearly one million absentee ballots requested by Americans overseas in National Assembly. Members of local 2006 were actually cast or counted. councils were also elected. The turn- out was the highest on record, about

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 13 C YBERNOTES

70 percent of those registered. And it Press Service. serves that a stable and prosperous was apparently “free and fair” until Kikuyus, who constitute 22 per- Kenya raises the prospects for peace the last stage, when vote tallying at cent of Kenya’s population and who and development in Uganda, Rwan- polling stations in more than 35 dominated the post-independence da, Eastern Congo and southern Sud- parliamentary constituencies broke administration of Jomo Kenyatta, an. Kenyans are being tested to the down. Kibaki was re-elected with a were favored with loans to purchase limit by the current crisis; yet if a deal 230,000-vote margin. the land left by departing British colo- can be reached, including at least Though the election dispute ap- nials. As a result, they hold most of minimal constitutional reforms, they parently follows ethnic lines — with the country’s land, even in the midst may eventually look back on the Kibaki, a Kikuyu, representing that of other tribes and especially in the events of the first week of January dominant ethnic group and Odinga, a fertile Rift Valley, which has been the 2008 as the time when their country Luo, representing the Luo and other, focus of turmoil in every wave of elec- turned the corner and became an smaller groups — the reality is more toral violence Kenya has witnessed example for the rest of Africa. complex (http://allafrica.com/stor since introducing a multiparty system There are a number of valuable ies/200801290020.html). “Access in 1992. online resources for information and to land, housing and water are the real Nairobi exemplifies the larger, un- analysis of Kenya and the current cri- issues that appear in the guise of eth- derlying problem: there are no mid- sis. On Jan. 10, the Woodrow Wilson nicity and are triggered by political dle-class neighborhoods, only slums International Center for Scholars, in disputes,” a Danish aid worker who and posh localities. Though Kibaki’s collaboration with the Center for was part of an emergency assessment administration from 2002 to 2006 is Strategic and International Studies, team in the Rift Valley, told the Inter credited with boosting tourism and brought together a panel of speakers reaching a per capita economic growth to assess the current situation and dis- rate of 6 percent in 2006, that is not cuss options for the international the whole story. The gap between the community to respond to the crisis. few rich and the vast majority of mar- You can view this event, moderated by ginalized citizens has widened over Ambassador Johnnie Carson, a retired the past decade, statistics show. For FSO and ambassador to Kenya from the majority of the population, the 1999 to 2003, at the Wilson Center availability of housing and fresh water Web site (www.wilsoncenter.org). are still urgent, daily concerns. For background, see “Understand- The way out of the crisis, according ing Kenya” by Garrett Jones (www.fp to CSIS analyst Joel Barkan (http:// ri.org/enotes/200801.jones.unde forums.csis.org/africa/?cat=7), rstandingkenya.html) and “Break- will ultimately depend on Kenya’s ing the Stalemate in Kenya” by Joel political class recognizing what civil D. Barkan (www.csis.org/media/ society and the diplomatic communi- csis/pubs/080108_kenya_crisis.p ty has made clear — that Kenya is at df). The Council on Foreign Rela- the proverbial fork in the road. One tions also provides background and path leads to continued chaos and the current analysis (www.cfr.org/pub loss of much of what the country has lication/15322/understanding_ke gained since the reintroduction of nyas_politics.html). multiparty politics in 1992, and espe- To follow news developments in cially since the end of the Daniel Arap Kenya, go to www.allafrica.com. Moi regime in 2002. The other leads The BBC online also carried regular to the consolidation of democracy, news and feature articles with links to renewed economic development and background material at http://news. the continued emergence of Kenya as bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/. one of the most significant countries in Africa. This edition of Cybernotes was As the anchor state of greater East compiled by Senior Editor Susan Africa, Kenya matters. Barkan ob- Brady Maitra.

14 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 SPEAKING OUT Member of Household Policy: Failing Our Families

BY MICHAEL GUEST

ast November I left the management duties seriously, it Foreign Service, frustrated by If this administration would have instituted a thorough re- L the State Department’s con- took its management view of MOH policy at some point tinued failure to revise Member of within its seven years in office. Some Household policy to reflect the needs duties seriously, it long-overdue revisions should be ap- of today’s diplomacy and to support would have instituted plied to all MOH categories. For the families who accompany us in our a thorough review of instance, common sense would surely duties abroad. MOH policy at some dictate that all Foreign Service Certainly I never felt ostracism community members be required to from any of my colleagues, Foreign point within its seven take the Security Overseas Seminar, or Civil Service, over the fact that I years in office. so they can learn how to avoid ter- am gay. I very much miss being part rorist threats and intelligence traps. of the State Department team, and I Yet incredibly, Members of House- miss serving my country in mean- hold are not even allowed to enroll ingful and tangible ways. My partner for that training, no matter how many felt the same sense of mission that I spaces are open in the classroom. did, even moving to a more portable While all MOHs deserve greater career — in no small part to support was announced in a Dec. 26, 2000, consideration, my particular focus me in my chosen profession. cable from Secretary of State Made- has been on the unequal treatment But let’s be clear. MOH policy is leine Albright in one of her final acts. accorded gay and lesbian employees strikingly out of date with today’s The designation embraces a wide and their partners. After all, parents workplace dangers, realities and range of individuals: aging parents, who are more than 50-percent needs. And by not taking action, Sec- adult children and unmarried part- financially dependent on a Foreign retary of State Condoleezza Rice ners, both straight and gay. All Service employee can be added to and her senior management team MOHs are allowed to accompany travel orders. Adult, non-dependent are putting lives at risk. They’re im- their loved ones to any overseas children might be expected to carry pairing the effectiveness of our posting where spouses and children their own weight in a grown-up’s diplomatic platforms. They sanction are able to reside with Foreign world. And while some (including workplace inequalities, in spite of Service employees. me) believe it unwise for personnel the equal service requirements we Current policy essentially gives policies to force marriage on a young, all share. And they stand against the ambassadors leeway, within heavily untempered relationship, straight principles of equality, fairness and drawn limitations, to make modest couples at least have the option of respect for diversity on which Ameri- accommodations for Members of marriage, by which they can obtain ca was founded — principles Ameri- Household in our overseas diploma- the spousal benefits that MOHs are ca’s diplomats are charged with pro- tic communities. Variations abound barred from receiving. moting abroad. from post to post; in all cases, though, In contrast, gay and lesbian em- MOH treatment is vastly inferior to ployees are caught in an impossibly A Catch-22 that accorded “Eligible Family Mem- unfair Catch-22. Though they can- The creation of “Members of bers.” not marry, their partners are, like Household” as an official category If this administration took its spouses, core family members. The

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 15 S PEAKING O UT

department’s choice to make mar- having witnessed in Birmingham, riage the fulcrum on which training, Ala., as a child. But these policies protections and benefits are bestow- Why is discrimination, nonetheless are discriminatory — ed thus discriminates against a group and all the more so because the only of employees who have no recourse, in any form or degree, remedy offered (marriage) is not yet whose service commitments are available to gay and lesbian employ- identical in every way to those of tolerated in the ees. Why is discrimination, in any their straight colleagues. form or degree, tolerated in the institution that institution that this Secretary leads? Real Impact Consider the real impact of the this Secretary of A Leadership Deficit department’s outdated MOH policy. Those who lead our public in- Security. Partners aren’t offered State leads? stitutions are accountable for addres- the protections that diplomatic pass- sing problems that impede the safety, ports afford. They aren’t guaranteed effectiveness and morale of their access to embassy medical facilities, organizations. If they truly care about even in places where State’s own keeping talent, they should want to medical professionals consider local duty in Iraq and elsewhere, their catch up with America’s private sec- facilities inadequate. Under current partners don’t receive the separate tor, which is so far ahead of the rules, Members of Household would maintenance allowances that spouses federal government in these matters. not be given Tamiflu in an avian flu receive. Are our service and our For three years, a succession of outbreak, thereby inviting vulner- families’ sacrifices of lesser value? senior State Department “leaders” ability into our households. And in Although State now generously reim- have told me that I’m absolutely right places where dangers and uncer- burses the transportation of pets to to call for revisions to MOH policy, tainty are facts of life, the govern- and from post, gay and lesbian but that the issues are complex. ment offers gay and lesbian employ- employees’ partners must pay their Recently, they’ve taken to pointing ees no assurance that their families, own way — a telling suggestion that out that the department doesn’t dis- too, will be evacuated in hostile the department values domesticated criminate in hiring and promotions. situations or imminent danger. animals more than it does our family What a clever dodge! That’s never, in Effectiveness. Partners of am- members. Similarly, visa support for fact, been charged. Rather, it’s State’s bassadors and deputy chiefs of partners is not offered. discriminatory treatment of a group mission aren’t allowed to sit in other- As ambassador to Romania, I was of employees that’s at issue, as rights wise vacant Foreign Service Institute interrogated by a Republican Hill and protections are being accorded seats to learn the informal com- staffer as to whether my partner’s to families on the basis of a criterion munity leadership roles expected of socks and underwear were carried to that gay and lesbian employees can in them — a deficit that’s detrimental post in my household effects ship- no way meet. not only to them and to us, but to the ment or his luggage. And this was in As the late Rep. Tom Lantos, D- communities they’re expected to the days after 9/11, when my focus Calif., chairman of the House For- serve. Partners aren’t taught the lan- needed to be on our nation’s security eign Affairs Committee, said on Dec. guage and culture of the country in needs. Should anyone have to 19, 2007, with specific reference to which they, as much as spouses, will endure such demeaning treatment? the Foreign Service: “There is no cast impressions of America through Diversity. Although Sec. Rice rational explanation for a same-sex their daily interactions. Without and other senior department leaders domestic partner to be treated as a spouse-equivalent priority for post say they value diversity, their inat- second-class citizen. … These dedica- employment, partners can’t compete tention to these matters renders that ted men and women serve their fairly for jobs for which they may be claim hollow at best. No one, of country, yet our government does not ideally qualified — depriving mis- course, would suggest that the dis- honor the basic rights of the benefits sions of the talent match they should criminatory workplace policies I’ve they have earned for themselves and be seeking. described compare even remotely in their families.” Service equity. When gay and scope or magnitude to the discrim- The State Department’s failure to lesbian employees answer the call to ination that she so often recounts address these issues reflects, quite

16 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 S PEAKING O UT

The State Department’s failure to address these issues reflects, quite bluntly, a seventh-floor leadership deficit.

bluntly, a seventh-floor leadership deficit. It’s time for the department to step up to its leadership responsibilities to colleagues who give our country their best, yet who are denied the equal and fair treatment promised by the flag under which they serve.

Michael Guest, a Foreign Service officer from 1981 to 2007, served as ambassador to Romania (2001-2004), among many other postings.

Have something to speak out about? Send your “Speaking Out” column to: [email protected]. Note that all submissions are subject to editing for style, format and length.

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 17 IN RESPONSE Toward a Post-2012 Approach to Climate Change

BY PAULA J. DOBRIANSKY

ast month’s issue of the For- addressing the challenges of climate eign Service Journal usefully The United States is change. In the months ahead, we are L highlighted one of the great committed to working firmly committed to advancing the challenges confronting us in the 21st United Nations-sponsored negotia- century: global climate change. hard over the next two tions, including a serious and detailed As understanding of this issue con- years to ensure that contribution to those negotiations tinues to grow, so, too, does under- the Bali roadmap is through the president’s Major Econo- standing of the means to address it. mies Process by this summer. U.S. climate change policy has been fully implemented. one of constant innovation, action and Leading by Example flexibility. In his first major speech on The United States is already lead- the subject in June 2001, President ing by example, with ambitious nation- George W. Bush said, “We will act, global, comprehensive and effective al targets for reducing emissions. We learn and act again, adjusting our approach to climate change. have set mandatory targets in such approaches as science advances and We had three objectives going into sectors as fuel efficiency and appli- technology evolves.” the talks: to launch the negotiation ance efficiency. In addition, Pres. Armed with the recent findings of process; to reach consensus on a com- Bush has signed the Energy Inde- the Intergovernmental Panel on prehensive roadmap that would in- pendence and Security Act of 2007. Climate Change, global leaders are clude meaningful actions, not only by The bill responds to the challenge of increasingly recognizing the impor- developed countries but also by de- the “Twenty in Ten” initiative, which tance of climate change. As a result, veloping ones; and to agree on a sch- he announced in January 2007, to re- the world community has never been edule for the negotiations. And on duce gasoline use by 20 percent. in a better position to create a com- each of these objectives, I am confi- The new law requires fuel produc- prehensive, effective new path for dent we succeeded. ers to use at least 36 billion gallons of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Bali also reflected the importance biofuel in 2022 and sets a national fuel providing for energy security and sup- of establishing a long-term global goal economy standard of 35 miles per gal- porting economic prosperity. for emissions reductions, by develop- lon by 2020, which will increase fuel December’s constructive United ing and financing clean technologies, economy standards by 40 percent and Nations Framework Convention on assisting countries in adaptation and save billions of gallons of fuel. The Climate Change discussions in Bali addressing deforestation. energy bill demonstrates U.S. leader- marked the beginning of a process For the first time in such negotia- ship in setting robust targets and will toward creating a post-2012 arrange- tions, the developing world agreed to produce dramatic cuts in greenhouse ment on climate change, and the consider, in the words of the roadmap, gas emissions. United States is already engaging “measurable, reportable and verifi- As the international community enthusiastically and constructively in able” actions to mitigate climate develops a new post-2012 approach, this important work. change. It was in large measure due the United States will continue to We worked tirelessly in Bali with to the efforts of the United States that highlight several key elements that both developed and developing coun- developing countries made this must be addressed in any successful tries to reach consensus, and we wel- unprecedented commitment in Bali. climate arrangement: comprehen- come the resulting roadmap. We Overall, the results in Bali were a win, siveness, respect for diverse circum- view it as a critically important first not just for the United States, but for stances and efforts, the accelerated step in the process of achieving a all participants committed to seriously uptake of clean technologies, sustain-

18 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 I N R ESPONSE

able forestry and land use, investment verse approaches will help us to repli- support for the development of trans- and support for climate adaptation. cate success as we learn about each formational new technologies across a These components are so impor- others’ efforts. Simply put, one size range of sectors. It also needs to tant to any agreement that I would does not fit all. speed the global adoption of proven, like to discuss each in greater detail. The United States has been stress- market-ready clean technologies. ing the importance of a diversity of Thanks to our work as part of the Comprehensiveness approaches through the Major Econ- Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean The United States supports an omies Process that Pres. Bush an- Development and Climate, the U.S. approach on mitigation that reflects nounced in May 2007. The first Ma- knows that the acceleration of clean the need for concerted international jor Economies Meeting last Septem- energy use in the international arena action, with all parties contributing to ber was attended by the personal rep- is feasible, and that the potential ben- shared global goals in ways that are resentatives of leaders from 17 major efits are considerable. Our flagship environmentally effective and eco- economies — representing roughly partnership in this field, the APP nomically sustainable. 80 percent of global economic output, engages the governments and private No approach will be environmen- energy use and greenhouse gas emis- sectors of Australia, Canada, China, tally effective if it excludes a signifi- sions — and the United Nations. India, Japan, Korea and the United cant percentage of global emissions. In his speech during the MEM, States to facilitate deployment of, and Similarly, it will not be economically Pres. Bush emphasized, among other investment in, clean energy technolo- sustainable if it undermines individual things, that these countries would gies. This innovative public-private countries’ efforts to develop and work within the U.N. process to partnership is achieving real results achieve higher standards of living for strengthen programs addressing ener- through activities in public-private their citizens. But we firmly believe gy efficiency and to advance the glob- sector task forces in eight energy- that economic development and real transfer and adoption of clean ener- intensive sectors — aluminum, build- duction of greenhouse gas emissions gy technologies. ings and appliances, cement, cleaner are not incompatible. Progress toward a global emissions fossil energy, coal mining, power gen- Countries in the developing world reduction goal will be underpinned by eration and transmission, renewable are rightfully focused on economic midterm national targets and pro- energy and distributed generation, growth and providing for the health, grams. In addition, participants in the and steel. education and other needs of their cit- MEM will work on sectoral approach- For example, the Aluminum Task izens. Engaging them in a broader es to low-carbon power generation, Force is working to reduce highly discussion that encompasses increas- transportation and land use, as well as potent greenhouse gases, such as per- ing economic development, strength- on steps to disseminate technologies fluorocarbons, through sharing best ening energy security, reducing air by creating an international clean management practices. Participants pollution, and addressing climate energy fund and removing trade bar- will work to implement cost-effective, change is more effective and can lead riers. The president also proposed technically feasible opportunities to to a common vision for concrete strengthening climate-related efforts optimize anode effects in electrolytic actions that reduce greenhouse gas that benefit all countries, including cells, the primary source of PFCs dur- emissions and increase economic promoting adaptation to climate ing aluminum production. This is development. change, reversing deforestation and accomplished by providing relevant promoting clean energy technology. tools for developing PFC inventories Respect for Diverse and reporting regimes to facilitate the Circumstances and Efforts Accelerating the Uptake of development and adoption of smel- To attract comprehensive global Clean Technologies ter-specific PFC-emission reduction participation, a future climate ap- The world’s economy currently strategies. This work has the potential proach should respect the differing depends on carbon-intensive energy to eliminate the equivalent of 15 to 20 domestic circumstances of all coun- sources such as coal, petroleum and million tons of CO2 per year in China tries. A diversity of national plans is natural gas. Advanced low-carbon alone — the equivalent of the com- appropriate because of our differing technologies are key to reducing emis- bined emissions from 20 medium- national characteristics, including, but sions in a way that allows for continued sized coal power plants. not limited to, economic, geographi- economic growth. A new climate In addition, the Renewable Ener- cal and constitutional systems. Di- change arrangement needs to increase gy and Distributed Generation Task

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 19 I N R ESPONSE

Force is leading efforts to tackle the cess to and use of these important policy and regulatory barriers sur- technologies. A recent World Bank rounding clean energy technologies. The U.S. is already study on climate and clean energy Focusing on the Indian states of West technologies suggests that by remov- Bengal, Gujarat and Punjab, the task leading by example, ing tariffs and non-tariff barriers to key force is working to support grid inter- technologies, trade could increase by connection standards and other policy with ambitious an additional 7 to 14 percent annually. structures critical for the growth and For maximum sustainability and replication of innovative energy tech- national targets for effectiveness, a new climate approach nologies. The result will be improved should ensure that the private sector awareness at a state and regulatory reducing greenhouse will generate the bulk of the invest- level of the finance and policy mecha- ments required to address climate nisms that must be in place to support gas emissions. change. Other key financial features cleaner energy infrastructure. such an approach should highlight are the importance of governance in Sustainable Forestry attracting private investment, as well and Land Use as the need for public- and private- Cleaner technologies alone, how- sector investments in low-carbon ever, are only part of the puzzle. Investment technologies, especially in the early Science tells us that how we use our There is a critical need for financ- stages of development. land and manage our forests has a ing our transition to a new global major impact on net greenhouse gas energy system, and promoting adap- Support for Climate emissions. Promoting sustainable for- tation and sustainable land use. This Adaptation est management and smart land use is requires financing tools that support Regardless of the efforts countries good for our economies and the nat- the development and adoption of new make to reduce greenhouse gas emis- ural environment, and essential to any technologies as well as existing clean sions, individual countries will have to successful climate approach. technologies. Open trade and invest- adapt to the impacts of climate Combating deforestation and sus- ment in this sector are vital. The change. Supporting countries’ ability tainably managing forests are priori- United States is committed to en- to respond and adapt to climate vari- ties for the United States. We are hancing our own efforts, and Pres. ability and change must be part of the already a global leader in both fields, Bush has proposed a new fund to pro- equation. Effective adaptation strate- providing between $80 million and mote international investment in gies go hand-in-hand with the sustain- $100 million a year in direct assis- clean energy technologies. able development agenda of which tance. We are committed to working This fund will be supported by our climate strategy is part. with partner countries and organiza- contributions from governments from The United States undertakes a tions at all levels to conserve and sus- around the world, and will help broad range of activities to assist tainably manage forests and halt finance clean energy projects in the countries in developing robust soci- deforestation and forest degradation. developing world. Pres. Bush has eties, economies and ecosystems with Forest loss and degradation are asked Treasury Secretary Hank Paul- the capacity to address the challenges significant emissions sources that son, who is currently reaching out to and opportunities of both current and deter sustainable development, re- partners to further develop this con- future climate conditions. These duce resilience to climate change, cept, to coordinate this effort. activities include analyzing data from represent significant lost revenues In addition, we recently joined the Earth observations, developing deci- and destroy the economic, social and European Union in submitting a sion-support tools and integrating cli- environmental goods and services ground-breaking proposal in the mate information into development provided by forests on which many of World Trade Organization for elimi- programs and projects. We support the world’s people depend. A com- nating tariff and non-tariff barriers for disaster preparedness, mitigation and prehensive climate approach should environmental goods and services. relief, and coastal-zone management recognize and encourage all efforts WTO members currently charge activities around the world, including that have a significant impact in duties as high as 70 percent on certain efforts to address severe weather, reducing or avoiding deforestation. environmental goods, impeding ac- storm surges and sea-level rises, as

20 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 I N R ESPONSE

well as ecosystem, coral reef and nat- developing countries’ capacity to working hard over the next two years ural resource protection. We place a adapt to climate change impacts, we to ensure that we implement the Bali high priority on assisting populations build coalitions of support for “main- roadmap in a way that achieves this and regions that are particularly vul- streaming” adaptation into climate- end. In this work, we are engaged, nerable to the adverse impacts of cli- related policy and development serious and pragmatic. We accept the mate change. efforts across the globe. leadership role we know we must play For example, the United States is as we all work together to develop and leading efforts like the Global Earth A Common Responsibility implement practical and effective Observation System of Systems, a As Secretary of State Condoleezza solutions to the challenges of climate partnership of more than 70 countries Rice has said, climate change has truly change and energy security. that gives communities early warning global implications for every nation. (Note: Additional information of natural disasters and improves We have a common responsibility to about the U.S. approach to climate decisionmaking for agriculture, coast- address climate change, and we will all change is available at: http://www. al development and other economic need to make appropriate contribu- state.gov/g/oes/climate.) sectors affected by climate variability tions to achieve our common goals. and change. We took a first step in Bali in Under Secretary of State for Demo- Developing countries are increas- beginning an important discussion cracy and Global Affairs Paula J. ingly concerned about their vulnera- about how to achieve a truly global Dobriansky led the U.S. delegation to bility to climate change, and adapta- solution. This is a new and exciting the United Nations Framework Con- tion is a key issue at climate negotia- chapter in climate change diplomacy. vention on Climate Change discus- tions. By exerting leadership to build The United States is committed to sions in Bali this past December.

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 21 F OCUS ON I RAQ, FIVE Y EARS L ATER

AFTER THE SURGE: TOWARD AN 18-STATE FEDERATION Adam Niklewicz

FOUR MAJOR PROPOSALS FOR A WAY FORWARD HAVE BEEN ADVANCED, BUT THEY ALL IGNORE IRAQ’S POLITICAL CENTER OF GRAVITY.

BY KEITH W. M INES

he conflict in Iraq is multifaceted — alternating between insurgency, civil war, local fac- tional violence and criminality. The insurgency itself is multidimensional, part indigenous resistance to occupation and part resistance by the losing faction in a power struggle. The best way for an outside power to intervene in such a situation is Tby forcing a settlement to the underlying political issues that are driving the conflict. A second-best solution is to engage local proxies who know the conflict — the terrain, the culture and the cloudy internal politics — and who

22 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 F OCUS

will not generate the nationalistic A long-term strategy must facilitates national unity. If this reaction that fuels a key part of it. model is rejected by Iraqis, then Only as a last resort should a big focus on the underpinnings partition becomes much more like- power take part directly in internal ly, if not inevitable. conflicts over an extended period of the conflict and seek of time, and only in cases where Four Flawed Proposals there is a vital national interest political solutions. Four major proposals for a way involved that can only be attained forward have been advanced over by being on the ground. This is the past months, all of which ignore especially true when a regional conflict is but one piece Iraq’s political center of gravity. of a global struggle in which opposing sides feed on a The first is the proposal, advocated by Sen. Joseph narrative of religious nationalism. Biden, D-Del., and analysts Peter Galbraith and Leslie Because of how the Saddam Hussein regime was Gelb, to partition Iraq into three ethnic states divided deposed, the Iraq war unavoidably began as the worst of among Shia, Sunnis and Kurds. This is unquestionably the three models, and we have had a difficult time mov- where the country is headed, and unless concerted force ing it into the other two. Proxies have not developed as a and effort are applied over an extended period of time, coherent force, and the political process has been mud- it is where Iraq will end up. Partition would not be a dled and uneven. We seem perpetually stuck in first gear. complete catastrophe for the United States. It is not a The recent success of the “surge,” however, leaves us given that these three states would fall under the sway of ready to change gears, and the overall development of outside powers, or that any would provide a haven for al- Iraqi security forces could get us to second. But to go Qaida. The post-conflict relationship between southern beyond that, a long-term strategy must focus on the Iraq and Iran is not clearly established, and the invitation underpinnings of the conflict and seek political solu- to outside terrorist groups in western Iraq was very tions, bolstered only secondarily by force and economic short-lived. As long as the three new states controlled reconstruction. their territory, could be coerced to follow international In its current configuration, Iraqi citizens’ core polit- norms of behavior and regional spillover was minimized, ical identification is ethnically based, and politics is a it would be a manageable outcome. The U.S. would be scramble for power at the national level. But this con- able to disengage over time, hopefully with the approval fessional system a la Lebanon, where political power is of the three new states and without fighting a rear-guard based on religious, sectarian groupings, can never pro- withdrawal. duce stability in Iraq. The only way the country can be There are other, two-state variations of partition. One functional over the long term is if it is organized around envisions a Shiite-Sunni state in the south and a Kurdish a federation model for its 18 governorates, which breaks state in the north. This has some advantages over the down confessional groups (e.g., Shia, Sunni) at the local three-state model because it allows the most historically level, leading to provincial political identification that alienated of the three groups, the Kurds, to go its own way, while keeping the oil-rich south tied to the less well- Keith Mines was the Coalition Provisional Authority gov- endowed west, and averts the question of what to do ernance coordinator for the Al Anbar province of Iraq in with Baghdad. Another, a proposal of utter desperation, 2003-2004, with responsibility for overseeing all CPA eco- calls for a Sunni-Kurdish state in the north and west and nomic, political and security programs. His previous a Shiite state in the south. Still, given the downsides of experience as a Special Forces officer and FSO includes partition in any configuration, it would seem to be a last service in Tel Aviv, San Salvador, Port-au-Prince, resort, not something to be proactively sought. And, Budapest, Mogadishu, Kabul and Darfur, with a focus on significantly, there appear to be few Iraqis outside of the countries in political and economic transition. He cur- Kurdish region who support partition. rently serves as deputy political counselor in Ottawa. A second proposal, from the Iraq Study Group The views presented here are his own, and do not chaired by James Baker and Lee Hamilton, ignores the reflect those of the State Department or Embassy Ottawa. fundamental internal political issues that are at the heart

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of the Iraq conflict and focuses on Given the downsides progress of late, it does not appear issues that appear easier to control. deep-seated or lasting. Of per- In its first core recommendation, of partition in any haps more importance, the troop the “New Diplomatic Initiative,” surge has created greater depend- the ISG tries to impose a regional configuration, it would ence on outside forces by a gov- formula on the gritty, street-level ernment that will only survive if it issues of political stability inside seem to be a last resort, can burnish its nationalistic cre- Iraq. But Iraq will defy this kind of dentials. Moreover, the nature of solution, assuming regional players not something to be our counterinsurgency operations agree to play their assigned role in perpetuates a degree of anger the first place. The second core proactively sought. toward the coalition that empow- recommendation, to embed large ers religious nationalists, who are numbers of American advisers one of the most significant pieces inside the Iraqi security forces, is similarly flawed if done of the political puzzle. In this sense, stability is a ques- in isolation from a larger political arrangement. Even if tion of fewer, not more, troops. the security forces improved significantly, they would still be fighting for a political order that pits Sunni against De-Baathification: Shiite against Kurd; their improved capability will quick- The CPA’s Original Sin ly fall into fighting for confessional groupings, not the The real locus of stability is in how the Iraqi govern- Iraqi nation. Engaging regional players and transitioning ment facilitates political interaction and identification to Iraqi security forces are supporting pillars in stabiliz- among Iraqis. In this regard, the current political struc- ing the nation, but they are not the central pillar. ture is seriously flawed. Although it is doubtful it can be A third proposal is simply to empower the Shiites and made to work in its present form, it can possibly be fixed. encourage them to crush the Sunnis, establishing a Shiite The political process, which first the U.S.-led variant of the Saddamist state. Desperation, it would Coalition Provisional Authority administered and then seem, leads to desperate proposals. The Sunnis may be the U.N. oversaw through elections, created the condi- only 15 percent of the Iraqi populace, but they are the tions for Iraqis to identify with their confessional group- most capable 15 percent, the most violent 15 percent ings rather than with the nation. It marginalized the and the most militarily experienced 15 percent. They Sunnis, empowered the Shiites, and allowed the Kurds will not go quietly. A Shiite-Kurdish alliance to gain their independence. This was the result, first, of the deep forcible control over the Sunnis would require the level de-Baathification program administered by Ahmed of violence that Saddam used to control the Shiites and Chalabi in 2003 and 2004 and continued under the new Kurds, with the same negative impact on the country, the government, which included the disbanding of the army region and, now, on U.S. credibility, as well. and intelligence services and the dismissal of most senior The fourth proposal centers on the troop surge. As and mid-level Sunni officials. The message to Sunnis was posited by AEI resident scholar Frederick Kagan and not just that their dominance of Iraq was over, but that defense analyst Jack Keane, the political piece is too they would now be dominated by the other groups. The complicated and the reconstruction piece too uncertain, confessional structure was perpetuated by Ambassador so we should focus on what we can control — security. Jerry Bremer’s concession to the Kurds, allowing them to To date, the troop surge appears to have produced a fair- form a subregional grouping as part of the Transitional ly dramatic turnaround in conditions in Baghdad and its Administrative Law — something the Shiites also took environs. Coupled with positive development in Anbar, advantage of to a lesser degree in the south. it has bought some breathing space. Finally, Iraq’s de facto tri-state confessional division But it would be a mistake to look at the surge in iso- was given formal structure when the electoral process lation: it will only yield fruit if it produces a viable politi- was conducted through the use of national lists, around cal structure. In this light recent developments are less which Iraqis naturally rallied to their respective ethnic encouraging. While there has been some reconciliatory groupings, rather than a locally based system that would

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have broken down the confessional The provinces as ironically, is where Amb. Bremer groupings and forced political par- was headed with his caucus system ticipation and accountability political units have in the fall of 2003, before the plan through provincial identification. was aborted. It is not clear whether We should not perpetuate the simply never taken off it would have worked then, but it is fiction that there are military, doubtful that anything else will regional or economic solutions to a in post-Saddam Iraq. work now. The structure of the problem that is fundamentally one Iraqi state must change fundamen- of internal Iraqi political structure tally in order to break up ethnicity and identification. Nor should we assume that an Iraq as the country’s core organizing concept. consisting of a Shiite-dominated core with a semi-inde- A federation will not emerge as the result of a 10-step pendent Kurdistan and a marginalized Sunnistan will program. The process will be messy and circuitous, and eventually be stable. The current political program for there will be innumerable diversions along the way. It Iraq is to attempt to garner concessions from the Shiite starts with clarity about the current state of the country, government on behalf of Sunnis. The very nature of this which is this: Although it maintains the fiction of 18 process perpetuates and hardens the ethnic divisions administrative units, Iraq is increasingly a federation that are at the heart of the dysfunction in the Iraqi state. organized around its three confessional groupings. Even The only viable prospect for a unified and stable Iraq when acting locally, Iraqis generally do so along sectari- at present is to change the political framework so that the an lines. The provinces as political units have simply basic organizing principle is 18-state federalism. This, never taken off in post-Saddam Iraq. But it should also

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be noted that a formal three-state In any plan for a way that would deal with the issue of federation, as some imagine Iraq how the Iraqi government is could become, will probably not forward, U.S. forces must selected, serious work on the con- work either. Among other things, stitution, which determines how federations generally require a begin to unilaterally Iraqis are governed, is needed. minimum of seven or so units, lest Both issues must be addressed. the various entities simply consider disengage to get out of the Federation expert David Cameron the hassle of federation not worth describes the current constitution the effort and go their own way. way of the evolving security as “a gigantic worksite,” that is “incomplete, unclear and evolu- Getting There and political dynamic. tionary.” He sees the key issues that Getting to an 18-state federa- need work as “rectifying the imbal- tion will require, first and fore- ance in power between the center most, the will of the current Iraqi government. Absent and the regions, establishing key institutions (in particular this, it would be difficult to even get started. One of the the upper house and the Supreme Court) and clarifying strongest arguments for a timetable for withdrawal is the distinction between regions and governorates.” that it would get the attention of the government and Cameron believes that “if the opportunity is creatively cause it to make the necessary concessions to move the seized, the amending process could both extend the country in the right direction. national consensus on the constitution to include the dis- Second, the process will require a skilled U.N. envoy affected Sunni community and also improve the worka- who has the neutrality and competence to work with all bility of its federal provisions.” sides to the conflict and garner the concessions to move Fifth, in any plan for a way forward, U.S. forces must Iraq onto a new political path. The U.S. would have to begin to unilaterally disengage to get out of the way of promote this individual and allow him to take the lead on the evolving security and political dynamic. This is espe- political reconciliation. cially true now that their ability to influence the dynam- Third, there must be a conference of national unity, ic is falling off sharply. A firm date for the withdrawal of with delegates drawn from the provinces to represent U.S. troops from Iraq’s cities, a timetable that puts the their province, not their national party or ethnic group. government on notice that we will not continue to Stability in Afghanistan flowed from the 2001 Bonn enable the current dysfunction, would help facilitate Agreement and the subsequent Loya Jirga (national con- this. As much as possible, the disengagement should be ference), where Afghans could see their nation as a tied to changes in the political structure that could lead nation, and where they were given a governing structure to national unity. U.S. forces can, however, be kept in that was national, not ethnic, in character. Iraq has never overwatch at bases outside the cities for a lengthy period had anything like this. It went from a full-scale foreign of time, from where they could break up major attacks occupation to an internationally chosen Governing and movements without being a perpetual presence Council that lacked national credibility, and then to leg- throughout the country. islative elections structured in a way that pushed Iraqis One of the biggest challenges in such a plan will be into their respective ethnic corners — leaving them sus- managing the Kurds. Kurdish expectations now run so picious, angry and increasingly violent. strongly in the direction of statehood that it will be diffi- The challenge will be to change the structure of the cult to get them back to a provincially based system country without ignoring the hard-fought elections and where they give up their regional power base. It may without starting over on the constitution. A number of simply be too far along to reverse course, and the Kurds experts believe this is possible. It will not be sufficient, will have to be allowed to secede. But the cost of doing however, to simply have the current ethnically based so is high enough, both for what it would do to Iraq and government grant concessions to the opposing ethnic what it would do to the region, that it is worth pressing groups. them to walk back from the current semi-independent Fourth, in addition to a conference of national unity Kurdish Regional Government and into a provincially

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based system. They could be On a tactical level, U.S. under conditions more favorable allowed some form of loose coor- to the U.S. than in other poten- dination short of autonomy to forces are providing security tial scenarios. This would serve sweeten the deal. Or they could, us well in the global war on ter- as one constitutional expert sug- and staving off sectarian ror. Our current policy works at gests, be allowed the kind of cross-purposes: on a tactical autonomy Scotland enjoys, while fighting, while the images of level, U.S. forces are providing the south remains fully unified. security and staving off sectarian It is not at all clear that Iraqis occupation are stoking the fighting, while the images of have the political maturity to occupation are stoking the flames manage such a transition, the fifth flames of jihad globally. of jihad globally. The key is to in four years. But with large extricate U.S. forces from Iraq amounts of political, diplomatic without evincing weakness or and financial support, such a system could be imple- lack of staying power. A political plan that requires with- mented when the time is right. The key will be creating drawal in order to work would be one way of doing so. the right internal conditions for today’s power brokers to Only 18-state federalism can create a united and func- see moving in this direction as being in their best inter- tioning Iraq, encouraging Iraqis to engage each other in est. the political arena and get on with the business of If skillfully developed, such a course correction would reforming their state in a way that it can function in the not only facilitate but require a coalition withdrawal long term.

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 27 F OCUS ON I RAQ, FIVE Y EARS L ATER

HELPING THOSE WHO HELPED US Adam Niklewicz

STATE HAS BEEN SLOW TO EXPEDITE IMMIGRANT VISAS FOR IRAQIS WHO HAVE ASSISTED THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. BUT THERE ARE, AT LONG LAST, SIGNS OF MOVEMENT.

BY SHAWN ZELLER

irk Johnson has seen the worst of it in Iraq. As the U.S. Agency for International Development’s regional coordinator for reconstruction in Fallujah in 2005, he tried to put back together what was once one of Iraq’s most dangerous insurgent strongholds after a U.S.-led invasion destroyed much of the city at the end of 2004. K About a year after leaving Iraq for medical reasons at the end of 2005, Johnson heard from someone he calls “an old

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friend,” an Iraqi man named Yagh- “There’s no reason 1,608 Iraqi refugees. About 250 of dan who worked with USAID during these were so-called P1 cases, Iraqis Johnson’s time in Fallujah. Yaghdan to be satisfied, who worked at the U.S. embassy or desperately wanted to get out of Iraq. with a U.S. government-affiliated He’d been working for the State none whatsoever.” entity and were referred directly by Department for two years when embassy officials. Another 330 were insurgents targeted him. “The next — Ambassador James B. Foley, part of State’s direct access program day,” Johnson wrote last year in an Senior Coordinator for for interpreters and locally employed article in the Los Angeles Times, Iraqi Refugee Issues staff in Jordan and Egypt, and the rest Yaghdan “found a note on his front were referred by the United Nations steps that said, ‘We are going to cut High Commissioner for Refugees. off your heads and throw them in the trash.’ Beside it The latter is the typical process the United States uses was the severed head of a small dog.” for selecting refugees for resettlement throughout the The threats weren’t idle. The United Nations High world. Some of those Iraqis referred by the U.N. also Commissioner for Refugees has referred more than worked for U.S. agencies but many were not affiliated 15,000 Iraqis to the United States for resettlement. In with the government and were referred for other rea- order to get on that list, they had to prove that they were sons, such as being from a religious or ethnic minority at imminent risk if they remained. And though little hard group. State will not disclose details about each admis- data exists, anecdotal evidence about the killing of U.S. sion for privacy reasons. affiliates in Iraq is legion. In his L.A. Times piece, for Another 800 or so Iraqis were given special immigrant example, Johnson cites a 2005 cable from the U.S. visas under a program created by Congress in 2006 and embassy in Baghdad reporting that two Iraqi employees expanded last year to allow translators who worked with had been killed in the weeks preceding the memo and the United States military another option for getting out that “employees live in fear of being identified with the of Iraq. embassy of the U.S.” State officials aren’t sugarcoating their progress. Even so, it took Johnson’s intervention, lots of public- “There’s no reason to be satisfied, none whatsoever,” says ity — including another article about Yaghdan’s plight in Ambassador James B. Foley, a 25-year career Foreign The New Yorker — and months of waiting before Service officer. The U.S. ambassador to Haiti from 2003 Yaghdan was resettled in Illinois last September. At first, to 2005 during the fall of the Jean-Bertrand Aristide gov- Johnson recalls, “USAID told him we’d give him one ernment, since September 2007 he has been State’s month unpaid leave. It seemed totally beyond the pale to senior coordinator for Iraqi refugee issues. abandon someone like that.” Foley has set a goal of 12,000 admissions for this fiscal Since then, Johnson — who is no longer a government year, ending Sept. 30, 2008. More than a quarter of that employee — has created what he calls “The List,” a com- total had been settled as of February, but he’s making no pilation of names of Iraqis who worked for the United predictions about whether the goal will actually be met. States, believe their lives are in danger and want to be Forces outside of State’s control may stand in the way, resettled here. After various other news outlets picked including continuing disputes with the Homeland Secur- up Johnson’s story, he’s received hundreds of tips from ity Department over in-country processing of U.S.-affili- U.S. government employees who’ve served in Iraq trying ated Iraqis, continuing concern about the security situa- to help those who helped them. The list now has more tion in Iraq, and intransigence by the Syrian government, than 600 names on it. Johnson says he gives an updated which has impeded the ability of interviewers from the version to State Department officials every month. Yet Homeland Security Department to enter the country, only a tiny fraction of those on it have been resettled. where an estimated 1.5 million Iraqi refugees are located. In Fiscal Year 2007, the United States resettled only Even so, it’s clear that Congress is fed up with what it perceives as slow progress. In January, both the House Shawn Zeller, a regular contributor to the Journal, is a and Senate cleared the fiscal 2008 National Defense senior staff writer for Congressional Quarterly. Authorization Act to which Democratic Massachusetts

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Sen. Edward Kennedy had attached State’s first reaction had experienced a net inflow of his Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act. maybe as many as 400,000 Iraqis President Bush signed the law. The was to hope that the who had previously fled from the Kennedy language expands the cate- rule of Saddam Hussein. gories of refugees who can apply security situation in Since that time, the number who directly for resettlement in the have left has grown to more than United States — without having to Iraq would improve two million, mostly to Syria and Jor- go through the United Nations — to dan, with another two million inter- include ethnic and religious minori- quickly enough to nally displaced within Iraq. It’s clear ties with relatives in the United that State’s first reaction was to hope States and Iraqis who’ve worked with alleviate the problem. that the security situation in Iraq the U.S. government. Any Iraqi who would improve quickly enough to worked with the U.S. government, alleviate the problem. The numbers not just translators, will be able to apply for the special are telling: In all of 2006, only 202 refugees were reset- immigrant visa, and the number of those cases allowed tled in the United States. each year will be increased from 500 to 5,000. Congress began to put pressure on State late in 2006, The law also requires the State Department to estab- when the first inkling that lawmakers were dissatisfied lish minister-counselor positions in Baghdad and other with the way cases of former host-country employees locations to coordinate the visa program and refugee were being handled became apparent. A provision in the resettlement for those groups that qualify for expedited 2007 Defense Authorization Act allowed 50 translators in processing. State is also charged with assisting those Iraq and Afghanistan to apply for special immigrant visas countries currently hosting refugees and working with for themselves and their families. Later that month, the international community to assist in the resettlement Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy, of refugees, something State officials say they are already a Vermont Democrat, held the first congressional hearing doing. on the broader refugee issue. And Congress seems like it’s willing to put its money In February 2007, Secretary of State Condoleezza where its mouth is. Two leading House Democrats, Al- Rice responded by appointing Paula J. Dobriansky, under cee L. Hastings of Florida and John D. Dingell of Michi- secretary of State for democracy and global affairs, to gan, wrote to President Bush in January requesting an head a task force on the refugee situation. But from the increase in funding for Iraqi refugee programs of $1.5 bil- start, Dobriansky made it clear that she believed “the lion, including $160 million earmarked for transportation best way the United States and other countries can assist costs to resettle refugees in the United States. “Our gov- displaced Iraqis fleeing violence in their country is to ernment has a moral responsibility to provide leader- help re-establish a stable security environment that will ship,” they wrote. allow them to return home,” according to a release issued by the department at the time. A Delayed Reaction Despite some hopeful signs toward the end of last State insists that it has moved as quickly as possible on year, that hasn’t happened, at least in large numbers. And resettlements. But it’s now been two years since the the prospect of a mass return seems unlikely. So the refugee problem started to explode. In February 2006, refugee crisis could deepen further this year if, as some terrorists destroyed the golden dome of the Askariya are predicting, refugees who’ve fled to Jordan and Syria Mosque in Samarra, about 65 miles north of Baghdad. run out of money and find they have nowhere to turn. The mosque is one of the holiest in the world for Shiite Last December, for example, the Washington Post Muslims and its destruction launched a round of sectari- reported that United Nations and U.S. military officials an violence between Sunnis and Shiites that, Foley says, “reacted with horror” when the Iraqi government offered sparked a “huge wave of refugees.” By the end of 2006, in November to send buses to Syria to bring refugees more than 1.5 million Iraqis had fled to neighboring home. The Post said that U.N. officials feared a human- countries. Up to the bombing, most experts agree, Iraq itarian crisis if returning Iraqis found themselves home-

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less with no money or food. And the State says that it exodus. With such a fluid situation U.S. military feared more sectarian — marked by both the return of upheaval if returning Iraqis tried to cannot gauge whether some Iraqis and the departure of reclaim homes since occupied by others — it’s hard to know whether others. the refugee problem more are coming or going, they say. “It’s a problem that everybody At the same time, they point out, can grasp,” a senior U.S. diplomat is getting better fleeing Iraqis are settling in cities told the Post. “You move back to the and towns in Syria and Jordan and house that you left and find that or worse. living with friends and family or on somebody else has moved into the saved money. That’s far better for house, maybe because they’ve been displaced from their health than living in large refugee camps, but it also someplace else. And it’s even more difficult than that, makes it difficult to count them. because in many cases the local militias ... have seized It’s doubly difficult to count the number of refugees control and threw out anybody in that neighborhood they who have worked for State, other U.S. agencies or U.S. didn’t like.” contractors. But the numbers are potentially huge. State says that it cannot gauge whether the refugee According to figures compiled by the refugee advocacy problem is getting better or worse. Though the number group Human Rights First, 65,000 Iraqis currently work who’d fled by the end of 2007 isn’t that much larger than for the Defense Department. Another 81,000 work for the estimates by the end of 2006, officials decline to say USAID on reconstruction projects and 40,000 more have whether they believe there has been a slowdown in the worked for the construction contractor Bechtel.

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The Resettlement Process According to that involved everything from the Still, in early 2007, a year into mundane task of renting office the refugee exodus from Iraq fol- Human Rights First, space to hiring and training staff. lowing the Samarra bombing, “An entire infrastructure was cre- State had little infrastructure in 65,000 Iraqis currently ated in very short order in the place to deal with the refugee sit- region,” he says. uation. Nor had it made any sub- work for the Defense But a number of problems stantial moves to distinguish its arose, most prominently in Syria, method for processing Iraqis Department and 81,000 where, in mid-2007, the govern- from the standard procedures it ment stopped allowing Home- uses for refugees in other parts of work for USAID. land Security Department offi- the world. cials into the country to interview That process, which typically refugees. That, Foley says, se- takes eight to nine months, involves several laborious verely crimped the government’s ability to build a pipe- steps. First, a refugee is not classified as such until he has line of cases that would generate large numbers of admis- fled his or her home country. There usually is no sions to the United States. allowance for processing displaced persons still living in In May, Congress stepped in again, passing legisla- their home country (though State does process some for tion by the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign resettlement inside Cuba, Russia and Vietnam). Relations Committee, Richard G. Lugar of Indiana, and Then, to be considered for resettlement in the United Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., to expand the number of States, an individual must be referred to State’s U.S. Iraqi and Afghan translators allowed to apply for special Refugee Admissions Program by the United Nations, a immigrant visas. “Foreign nationals who are willing to U.S. embassy or an authorized nongovernmental organi- risk their lives and those of their family members by zation. More than nine out of 10 cases result from a supporting our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan deserve referral by the U.N. To win a referral, the refugee must recognition,” Lugar said when the Senate approved the prove he or she faces a legitimate fear of persecution in bill. President Bush signed the law in June, the same his or her home country. month Sen. Kennedy introduced his Refugee Crisis in After being referred to the Refugee Admissions Iraq Act. Program, the refugee is then interviewed by staff at one At the same time, pressure on State to step up proof State’s overseas processing entities, which are non- cessing was mounting from nongovernmental organiza- governmental organizations working under contract with tions that work with refugees. Writing in the Wall Street the department. For Iraqi refugees in Turkey and Journal last June, Anna Husarska, a senior policy adviser Lebanon, that’s the International Catholic Migration at the International Rescue Committee, detailed the Commission. In Egypt, Jordan and Syria, Iraqi refugees cases of three Iraqi refugees she’d met while traveling are interviewed by the International Organization for through the Middle East. All of them had worked for Migration. U.S. agencies or contractors and had received death After that, the refugee must be interviewed by a threats for having done so. But the U.S. government, she Department of Homeland Security Citizenship and alleged, had not protected them. “The lives of these men Immigration Services officer and undergoes security and their families are now in shambles because of their checks. If the case is approved by DHS, the refugee is previous service to the U.S., and none of them has been assigned to a resettlement agency in the United States told they’re on the short list to be let into the country,” that will oversee his or her transition upon arrival in the she wrote. U.S., and undergoes medical examinations and cultural By contrast, Husarska pointed out, the United States orientation. State’s processing entity then organizes trav- had shown in previous conflicts how quickly it could el to the U.S. evacuate worthy allies when it simply decided to do so: Foley says that setting up an infrastructure to work on “In the first eight months after the end of the Vietnam the Iraqi cases in 2007 took a “rather impressive effort” War, at the direction of President Gerald Ford, the U.S.

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government and the U.S. armed forces facilitated the dures. In a letter to Crocker first reported in the Post, movement to the United States of over 131,000 South Emilio T. Gonzalez, director of Homeland Security’s U.S. Vietnamese refugees,” she wrote. The U.S. also evacuat- Citizenship and Immigration Services division, wrote that ed refugees in short order from Hungary and Cuba in the Crocker’s account of the situation “does not reflect an 1950s and from Bosnia in the 1990s, she added. accurate picture of DHS’s commitment or performance But the hammer dropped in September when a to date.” cable sent by the U.S. ambassador in Iraq, Ryan C. But soon thereafter, leading conservative activists in Crocker, was leaked to the Washington Post. Crocker Washington, such as former Attorney General Edwin said it would take as long as two years to admit all the Meese III and David Keene of the American Conserva- refugees who’d been referred for resettlement by the tive Union, came out to demand quicker action on reset- United Nations, citing “major bottlenecks” slowing the tlement. process. He pleaded with Washington to speed it up because, he said, it wasn’t clear that Jordan and Syria Two Czars Are Born could ensure the refugees’ safety: “Refugees who have Within days, the Bush administration responded by fled Iraq continue to be a vulnerable population while appointing two refugee czars: Foley and Lori Scialabba, living in Jordan and Syria,” he wrote. “The basis for who assumed the title of associate director of refugee, resettlement is the deteriorating protection environ- asylum and international operations at the Homeland ment in these countries.” Security Department. The cable brought out into the open longstanding ten- The czars haven’t solved the problem yet. In fact, sions between State and DHS over processing proce- refugee admissions dipped after the two were appointed,

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from 889 in September (a 2007 high) — when the referrals for resettlement will be found in large numbers departments were rushing to meet a goal of 2,000 admis- in Jordan, which has provided the greatest level of coop- sions for the 2007 fiscal year — to 450 in October, 362 in eration with Homeland Security Department interview- November, 245 in December and 375 in January. ers and may be mostly tapped out. So ramping up the However, Foley expects the numbers to pick up rapidly number of resettlements will rely heavily on expanding this year. processing inside Iraq and in Syria. Damascus has The two can point to some successes, though, such as allowed DHS interviewers in, but Foley says that it has convincing Syria last fall to allow Homeland Security not granted access to the number of Homeland Security Department interviewers to return and reaching an inter- Department officials or employees of State’s overseas agency agreement last year to begin processing refugees processing entity in Syria — the International Organi- inside Iraq who were referred directly by the U.S. zation for Migration — that State would like to see, slow- embassy. Under typical resettlement procedures, such ing processing there. refugees would have had to flee Iraq in order to complete As for shortening DHS security reviews to speed the processing. Meanwhile, overall processing times are resettlements — and the analogies comparing the situa- faster than anywhere else in the world, having been cut tion in Iraq to the mass resettlements from Vietnam in from eight to nine months to four or five months, Foley 1975 — Foley says that concerns about admitting a ter- says. rorist by accident are now too severe to replicate the Still, some disputes remain. The Associated Press Vietnam airlifts. reported in December, for example, that the Homeland “Underappreciated, if not misunderstood, is how Security Department has refused to include refugees important the security screening is to the success of this who worked for U.S. contractors in the new in-country program,” he says. “People like to put the Department of processing system. Homeland Security in one corner and the Department of And Foley says that it quickly became clear to him State or others in another as antagonists. But in reality, that his job is bigger than the first two tasks he was all Americans should be united in supporting the idea assigned: negotiating with Syria and the Homeland that we will assist and to some degree resettle Iraqi Security Department. “The longer I’ve been in the job refugees who qualify, who are in need — but equally that I’ve had the sense that it’s like peeling an onion. You we will ensure that the program is completely sound from deal with one layer and there’s another layer beneath it. a security perspective. The world changed fundamental- The basic reality is that the Department of State is not ly on Sept. 11, 2001.” In other words, if one refugee were the only actor in making this process function success- to commit a terrorist act in the United States, it would fully and efficiently.” destroy the whole program. Foley sees the primary issue as State’s inability to As a result, Foley says he’s making no guarantees process refugees (with the limited exceptions approved that State will hit its goal of resettling 12,000 refugees by the Homeland Security Department for direct this fiscal year. There are too many variables beyond embassy employees) inside Iraq, where an estimated two the department’s control, he says, adding that it is million people have been forced from their homes by using the goal as a motivator and is doing its best to sectarian violence and terrorism. reach it. State has not developed an official policy on process- In the end, though, Foley says that he hopes the ing refugees in Iraq. But Foley would like to be able to intense focus on resettlement of refugees who assisted do it. “There is only so much we can accomplish in the the U.S., while vitally important, doesn’t distract the neighboring countries,” he says. “The needs are greatest nation from the larger issue of the more than four mil- inside the country, and yet that is the hardest nut to crack lion displaced Iraqis, the vast majority of whom will of all.” never be resettled. “Politically speaking, resettlement That’s for reasons of security, he explains. “It’s not one gets all the attention, when it really is the solution for a of will or desire, but of conditions, of security first and small minority. We need to make sure we devote all the foremost,” he says. attention necessary to taking care of the totality of At the same time, Foley says it’s not clear that more refugees.”

34 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 F OCUS ON I RAQ, FIVE Y EARS L ATER

WORKING AND LIVING IN IRAQ Adam Niklewicz

Editor’s Note: We recently sent an AFSAnet message inviting Foreign Service personnel who are serving in Iraq or have done so recently to recount their experiences there. Some of their responses describe the physical, logistical and other challenges they face and how they have overcome or worked around them to do their jobs. Others focus on the texture of daily life in postwar Iraq. But they all exemplify the best traditions of the Foreign Service. Our thanks to all who shared their stories. — Steven Alan Honley, Editor

A YEAR WELL SPENT In the fall of 2006, I was in the middle of an exciting temporary assignment to New York during the 61st session of the United Nations General Assembly when I received a call asking if I was still interested in Iraq service. I had ini- tially been interested back in 2004, when our Iraq project had a radically different tone; having observed developments there since, I had a lot of questions before volunteering again.

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Luckily, several people at our The question of whether We are working hard to infuse U.N. mission had served in Iraq, operations with a sense of normali- not only in Embassy Baghdad but we are effective in Iraq ty. We dress as diplomats, even if out in the field, as well. Each of that means a slightly wrinkled suit them had a wholly unique experi- should be replaced by a coat after a ride in a Blackhawk. ence to relate, but the common We take to heart the fact that we threads running through all their more urgent issue — are dealing with a new sovereign stories were that Iraq service government that is emerging from would be completely different how we can become a decades-long dictatorship and a from anything else in the Foreign war. Our Iraqi partners are risking Service (except perhaps Afghani- more effective. their lives every single day for their stan), and that everything over country and deserve full recogni- there is constantly changing. tion for their courage. The govern- As of this writing, I am the public diplomacy officer ment here is similar in capability and ambition to those I for the Ninewa Provincial Reconstruction Team, based in dealt with in Zimbabwe and the Dominican Republic. the northern city of Mosul. Before continuing, let me Clearly, this is not always a normal posting. We travel offer several caveats. Though I have traveled extensive- out to meetings with our contacts in highly-armored ly within Ninewa province, I have very limited direct Humvees topped with high-caliber weapons. The PRT experience of the rest of the country, including Baghdad. compound is on a Forward Operating Base on the edge Second, though we are not an “e-PRT” (i.e., embedded of an ethnically diverse and often violent city. We live and directly into a combat brigade), we are colocated with work in temporary structures, and one-fifth of the team’s both the regimental and deputy commanding general’s members wear military uniforms. But the daily work is headquarters, and we work hand-in-hand with our mili- remarkably similar to that of any diplomatic posting, tary colleagues. Finally, I am not an expert in either the albeit to the nth degree. Arab world or post-conflict situations, but am a Foreign Though I am excited to be going into long-term Service generalist in the truest sense of the word. Arabic training and then serving in Beirut, I will never All that said, this has been one of the best years I have forget Mosul. Working in the field is extremely gratify- spent with the State Department. Many of the chal- ing. If I have a chance in the future to do a similar assign- lenges faced by earlier colleagues, primarily isolation and ment in Afghanistan or elsewhere, I would not hesitate. lack of support, were largely absent. I have access to a Joshua W. Polacheck full range of communication technology, both classified Provincial Reconstruction Team Mosul and unclassified. The three phones at my desk easily allow me to make commercial, DSN and secure calls to THE IMPORTANCE OF RISK MANAGEMENT the embassy, Washington and friends or family back in I have been serving on the Regional Reconstruction America. Three computers give me access to high-speed Team in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Regional commercial Internet, the military’s unclassified NIPR- Government, since last November. In many ways, this is NET and the classified SIPRNET. Additionally, we have an ideal assignment: a fairly new post in a region that is the APO for reliable and quick two-way mail. both undergoing transition and eager for U.S. contact. As the oldest and second-largest PRT in Iraq, Ninewa Since 2003 there have been no U.S. casualties within has developed a robust institutional culture. There has KRG territory. The threat of extremist violence exists been a continuous State Department presence in Mosul (the most recent bombing in Erbil was in May 2007), but going back to 2003, and it shows. Our relationships are this is a part of Iraq that attracts non-official Americans: strong across the board, whether with the provincial gov- teachers at schools and universities, business executives, ernment, a prominent sheik, the American regimental even tourists. commander or the Nepalese contractors who work in the Nevertheless, before my arrival in November, my pre- base laundry. My experience with everyone here has decessor warned me that one of the factors limiting his been one of mutual respect. ability to function here was the security restrictions under

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which we operate. Despite the different environment, Service we are not accustomed to that extreme, usually the precautions we take are not that different from those living in areas of more moderate hardship and danger dif- in place in the rest of Iraq. I respect that these measures ferentials. Our heavy presence in Iraq, along with work are designed to safeguard me and my colleagues, balanc- in other dangerous countries, is changing our under- ing protection — and the resources needed to provide it standing of acceptable risk, and demands more from us — against our ability to do our jobs. as a diplomatic corps and from the State Department as The good news is that many of my contacts want to an institution. work with us and are willing to come to our office (a Organizations that operate with the level of risk found process that is easier than it would be in Baghdad). The in Iraq must support employees in new and different bad news is that it can be very difficult to meet people ways than organizations in safer places. Private compa- outside the office: meetings must be scheduled well in nies in Iraq generally do this through long vacations and advance; and requests are often denied or canceled at the very high salaries — remuneration that could change the last minute due to limited resources. standard of living of employees for the rest of their lives. Still, it’s hard to complain when I think about all of our The U.S. military emphasizes honor and service, along colleagues in other parts of Iraq. We’re not worrying with full support of families, medical treatment and the about mortar attacks or improvised explosive devices, or nation’s gratitude. The office walls of the majors and lieu- fearful for the safety of the local staff and our contacts. tenant colonels I worked with on economic affairs were But what is frustrating is that we may be missing an covered with letters from groups ranging from second- opportunity. As the security situation stabilizes and as the graders to Starbucks workers, thanking them for keeping military draws down throughout Iraq, the responsibility America safe. for interaction with the local population will fall more on The U.S. military, with its experience operating in war civilians. If we can’t make that model work in Erbil, how zones, also understands the need for clear goals and man- will it be possible elsewhere? agement in dangerous environments. At times in Iraq Jonathan Cebra the clarity of some goals seemed at best aspirational, with Public Diplomacy Officer detailed timetables based on Iraqi actions that were high- Regional Reconstruction Team Erbil ly unlikely. But the underlying idea is sound: to prioritize and focus on the most important work you can do, the ENHANCING EFFECTIVENESS most effective use of time spent in a dangerous place. State Department employees have been working in Strong management is itself a key element of institution- Iraq for five years now. (I was an economic officer in al support for people in such environments. Embassy Baghdad from 2006 to 2007.) The question of The military also has a culture of teamwork that is crit- whether we are effective there should be replaced by a ical in stressful and dangerous circumstances. Time more urgent issue — how we can become more effective spent in bunkers is not the most pleasant bonding expe- given that we are there. rience, but it seems to work. I felt a sense of responsibil- How effective any of us is in Iraq depends on the usual ity to my colleagues in Iraq, who were all under relentless factors: persistence, personal skills, teamwork and pro- pressure, far from their families and working ridiculous fessional experience. Language skills help, as does hours. That knowledge outstripped any sense of urgency regional experience. Danger, security restrictions and toward the queries from the National Security Council or political circumstances do not change the fundamentals the calls from people claiming they were about to brief of what constitutes effectiveness — just how much of it the Secretary of Defense on whatever economic issue you need, and the relative importance of the different was the crisis of the day. components. Stress management and teamwork, for The stereotype of the brilliant diplomat working indi- instance, suddenly become critical. vidually on an insightful, long telegram falls apart in a How we balance risk with effectiveness necessarily place like Iraq. Instead, what makes sense is agreeing to depends on how important the work is. Our military col- go to a meeting in a dangerous neighborhood because leagues face this question squarely, accepting that they you trust your supervisor’s judgment of its importance, may be asked to die for their country. In the Foreign and you know that if you don’t agree to go, someone else

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in your section will have to do it. The military trains and suit includes helmet, safety glasses, ear protection and deploys groups together, and I can just imagine how this Nomex flame-resistant gloves, which come in handy if reinforces a sense of responsibility to each other, and your vehicle burns because of an IED or accident. increases their effectiveness. Operations sergeants are your travel agents and secu- The State Department and the U.S. military have dif- rity forecasters, setting up your itinerary and providing ferent cultures for a reason: we have different mandates wise travel counsel. Normally, 96 hours’ notice is and strengths. I attended many meetings in Baghdad that required to secure a seat, and flights canceled are not would have been much more difficult if the U.S. had been rebooked by your friendly airline. So travelers must be represented by soldiers instead of diplomats. If State proactive and cultivate good interpersonal relations to get employees are going to be in war zones, however, our a new flight. My worst experience involved a 14-hour institution should learn from the military’s experience in delay at the now-closed Griffin Helipad at Camp Victory supporting and preparing its staff for work in dangerous when trying to fly to Fallujah on a Marine aircraft. After environments. four canceled flights and sleeping on the floor, I finally In Baghdad, the safest place in the Green Zone is in got on a 4 a.m. flight. the Republican Palace, which currently houses the Ground travel is normally frowned on for good reason, embassy. But much of the most effective work is done but my job requires daily runs to the provincial capital of outside the embassy, requiring difficult decisions on how Baqubah and weekly “outings” to Abu Sadia, Khalis and to balance risk and effectiveness. Muqdadiyah. While these trips are nearly always We all work with colleagues who have returned from uneventful, two merit comment. Iraq, some still dealing with the effects of life there. After we attended a meeting with the mayor of Many of us support the work through service in neigh- Khalis, the company commander asked about taking a boring countries, or do more work with fewer resources “side trip” to see the leader of the area Concerned Local as people and funds are diverted to our mission in Iraq. Citizens group. This excursion in a 22-ton Stryker took Worldwide, we face similar decisions as to how to balance us into an area still being secured near the Tigris River. risk and effectiveness, as our embassies respond to real During the meeting, we heard shots from a CLC check- increases in risk levels with higher walls and smaller win- point. We rapidly vacated the rooftop of the Iraqi Army dows. These decisions will have consequences for our post and boarded the Stryker for what I thought was the effectiveness, which ultimately can also affect the risk we trip back home. Instead, we offloaded at the check- face overseas. point, where I stayed behind while the commander took I hope we are able to decide as an institution how to his platoon and the CLC on a foot patrol to find the handle these challenges, and how we can best support shooter. each other in doing so. This past fall, we finally had a The other memorable trip was from Muqdadiyah to Service-wide discussion of the costs and benefits of direct- Abu Sadia in an armored Humvee. After an IED dis- ed assignments to Iraq. State Department leadership, abled the Stryker ahead of us, the track commander AFSA and members of the Foreign Service should focus gave the command to stop and report damage from now on how best to support our colleagues assigned there. what he believed to be a second IED, and instructed Alyce Abdalla everyone to look for others. As it turned out, the single FSI Student explosion was so loud that the reverberation echoed in the valley and had bounced back from behind us, “PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES,” sounding like a second explosion. Because I did not IRAQ-STYLE have the broken intercom headset on, tracking the Hilarious as the 1987 movie of that title was, traveling sound was easier. It is important to speak in a confident in Iraq — whether by Blackhawks, C-130 aircraft or voice at a time like that, and I informed the commander armored vehicles — is serious business. Breaking your that there was only one explosion. I will always remem- glasses while suiting up in the 40-pound Individ- ber the clicking of the metal sprockets from the over- ual Protective Vest because you absentmindedly left head gun turret scanning the road ditch, houses and them in a pocket is just one of many hazards. Your riding fields for signs of a complex attack, a distinctive sound.

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When we finally arrived in Abu Sadia, a normally quiet PINGITY, PINGITY, PINGITY village where the Civil Affairs Team had made excellent There I was, 500 feet up and moving at 125 knots per progress, we had another surprise waiting for us: a hour in a Blackhawk helicopter on my way back from protest. White Arabic-script banners hung from every Regional Embassy Office Al-Hillah to Embassy Bagh- wall and one across the gateway stated in English: dad, where I was an information management technical “Coalition Forces Must Appease Our Demands to Stop specialist. We were over the built-up area of south Sit-In.” Apparently an Iraqi element had come in the Baghdad when I started to hear pingity, pingity, pingity. night and arrested several of the local sheiks’ relatives. Are we having engine trouble? No, some of the noises The meeting to resolve the protest was attended by the are coming from below. local battalion commander, the mayor and a single sheik. I don’t see any new ventilation ports opening in the The rest of the city council boycotted the meeting, hold- roof, so I guess the Kevlar floor blanket is doing its job. ing a sit-in by the gateway, during which one of our Pingity, pingity, pingity. I started counting the seconds sergeants and a local policeman became involved in a and was into the high teens before the sounds stopped. very animated discussion. As soon as the main meeting No one was hurt, and when we got back to the LZ broke up, we all hopped into our vehicle for the trip Washington Helipad, the crew chief did a walkaround back. This was not a day to be left in town. Travelers checking for damage. must stay alert in Iraq. It wasn’t until I was back at the office that a soldier David R. Speidel told me that I would have qualified for a combat action Agriculture Adviser ribbon if I had returned fire. Since the biggest weapon Provincial Reconstruction Team Diyala authorized for State Department personnel is the

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strongly worded diplomatic note, I suppose that telling ning, industry, governance, business and finance, and the person on the ground from overhead what I thought civil affairs, engages local officials and members of the of his antisocial behavior constituted returning fire with country’s nascent civil society. As catalysts for devel- the authorized weapon. opment, we pursue objectives that reflect the various The other way to get around is to fly with Blackwater spoken needs of Iraqis: strengthening local gover- in a Huey (HU-1). Personally, I think they got the pilots nance, promoting economic development and job cre- from the same museum as the helicopters. One pilot ation, providing basic public services and infrastruc- showed me the air frame tag indicating that it was seri- ture, and addressing the needs of vulnerable popula- al number 7. But if you are into roller coasters, then the tions, such as women, ethnic minorities and internally trip can be a real blast. They fly those things at 120 displaced persons. Projects — from start to finish — knots, about 50 feet above the ground and any direction are most effective when they reflect the priorities of other than the one they are currently going in. They the Iraqi people. have to do pop-ups to get over power lines and always We are also working in the area of reconciliation, kick in a turn on the way back down on the other side. which is any activity that steers the country toward On one 45-minute trip, a contractor not only filled a cooperation and away from further conflict. We barf-bag; he filled his helmet, as well. engage both Sunnis and Shias, holding meetings Travel in Iraq outside of the international zone is def- throughout city districts to build a common under- initely a unique experience. standing of neighborhood issues and agreeing on tac- Gary C. Benack tics to address them. Security and services go togeth- Information Management Technical er; we identify win-win situations and implement solu- Specialist/Telephone tions. Squeezed between Islamic extremists and legit- Embassy Sofia imate government structures, traditional authorities seek political space, with sheiks engaging us in dialog to TIPPING THE SCALES TOWARD STABILITY improve neighborhood security and create employ- Restoring Baghdad to its former status as a center ment opportunities for their people. for education and commerce will be a long struggle, Baghdad is filled with the dispossessed: the inter- one not designed for Western calendars. Re-knitting nally displaced, widows and orphans, Palestinians, its cultural fabric requires that its physicians and Christians, the unskilled and the unemployed. Even a lawyers, professors and technocrats, entrepreneurs and small return of Iraqis from abroad, with their capital clergy come back home and again form a society with and know-how, would mark a turning point. Anchors security, with citizens rebuilding their civic culture. for economic growth and improved governance, they Serving as an Embedded Provincial Reconstruction could tip the balance toward stability. Over time, Iraq Team leader, I recall the lessons of my Peace Corps will put its gas and oil reserves increasingly to work to past. These emphasize supporting community devel- rebuild its infrastructure, educate and provide health opment, building human resources, facilitating project care for its people and fashion the political and eco- planning and implementation, and allowing people to nomic underpinnings of a successful, middle-class soci- decide their own priorities. Our work, carried out by ety. We recognize the complex nature of this process, State, USAID and Department of Defense personnel, and do what we can to support it. This is not only in the melds the strengths of our respective agencies as we interests of Iraq, but our own national security interest jointly employ our skill sets. In short, it is expeditionary as well. diplomacy combined with conflict zone development. Eric P. Whitaker We are the civilian surge, designed to complement the E-PRT Leader, Baghdad military efforts of the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division, the unit in which we are Editor’s Note: Eric Whitaker and his wife, Jonita, embedded and rely on for life support, transportation also an FSO, represented the Foreign Service at the and security. State of the Union address on Jan. 28. They sat in the Our E-PRT, which includes specialists in city plan- first lady’s box at White House invitation.

40 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 WELCOME TO THE FS BLOGOSPHERE

ALL BUT UNHEARD OF EVEN FIVE YEARS AGO, BLOGGING IS NOW WELL ESTABLISHED AMONG MEMBERS OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE.

BY MARC NIELSEN

t the September 2007 launch of the State nel and their spouses and family members, as well as FS Department’s first Web log, Dipnote wannabes. Each blog has a different style, format and voice. (http://blogs.state.gov/), Spokesman Sean The FS blogosphere reflects a profound generational McCormack welcomed readers to the shift in the way diplomats see themselves and their work. site. Inviting them to be “active partici- Its openness and freewheeling character would appear to pants in a community focused on some of be inhospitable to the reserved, careful student of protocol the great issues of our world today,” McCormack stated that and decorum that is the classic image of the diplomat. Yet Athe purpose of the blog was to “start a dialogue with the pub- its population is increasing as the sea change that is ongoing lic” and to bring readers “closer to the personalities of the in the broader culture resonates among Foreign Service department.” professionals, whose career profile itself is arguably in tran- Blogging is an Internet communication medium that has sition. taken off in the past few years, providing a means for discussion and more personal interaction with others who need Diplomatic Blogging not be in the same room, in the same town, or on the same While Foreign Service bloggers are particularly careful continent. In April 2007, Technorati, a search engine that not to make public sensitive or classified information, there analyzes blogging trends, tracked more than 70 million blogs are no hard and fast rules governing what can and cannot be and reported that about 120,000 new blogs are being creat- blogged. How much can be shared when describing condi- ed each day worldwide (http://technorati.com/weblog/blog tions in a country or at an embassy? osphere/). Each blogger approaches privacy in a personal way, some But in launching Dipnote, the department was not so choosing not to reveal their name and location while others much breaking new ground in foreign affairs as playing are more open. Most include a disclaimer stating that their catch-up. All but unheard of even five years ago, blogging is views are not those of the State Department, and they are already well established among members of the Foreign careful not to share classified or sensitive information. Many Service. There are currently more than 60 frequently updat- FS bloggers shy away from commenting on the workplace at ed, unofficial blogs written by active and retired FS person- all; a few give some details but remain cautious. In a discussion of the issue at www.consul-at-arms. Marc Nielsen was the Journal’s fall 2007 editorial intern. blogspot.com, one reader commented:

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 41 “I’d imagine the reason there “Quite. Thus, in the time-honored Enough time has passed that I’m not aren’t dozens of FSOs blogging is that tradition of ‘X,’ Yours Truly chooses to giving anything away by posting pic- it would be very, very difficult to blog be as discreet as possible, both con- tures from my tour, although I review without at some point giving away cerning the department, myself, my each with OPSEC in mind before what post you’re at. Then, once post, and my fellow officers and staff posting. I spent a certain amount of everybody at post knows it’s you, it members. My colleagues’ personal my Army Reserve career in an becomes impossible to ever say any- business is their own; nor will I often OPSEC position so that review is pro- thing critical of the department, much delve too deeply into my own person- fessional-grade. less individual officers. al issues — at least I hope not. “Similarly, I make a point of not “…At best, the officer would be “I take considerable care to never criticizing the department. The forever pegged as ‘the Blogger’ and blog regarding personalities at my department has a sufficiency of critics he’ll have a hard time getting a good current or former posts. My identi- already, [so] I’d rather act in an assignment in the future if every ty isn’t precisely a secret (although explanatory fashion, commenting on prospective supervisor in the FS I’ve been discreet enough that Mrs. events and so forth. Like Dr. De- thinks he could end up as the butt of At-Arms only yesterday learned I’ve marche and Smiley before me, I don’t some joke on this guy’s blog. been blogging), but it seems only think it’s out of place to comment or “…Then, of course, if the blogger is reasonable and prudent not to publi- discuss immigration and visa issues in a consular officer, and word gets out cize the fact, especially while serving general, without giving away any about his identity, there’s the possibili- overseas, for reasons you state quite ‘secrets of the trade.’ ty of harassment from visa applicants, well. “So far, no visa applicants have both prospective and already-denied “When I first began blogging, my come ‘a-knocking’ at this Web log. ones.” initial concern was more for OPSEC Those who might consider doing so In response, Consul-At-Arms, an (operational security), especially as I’d should bear in mind that little brings established blogger, explains: only recently returned from Iraq. me greater joy than finding a good

Blogging 101 The essentials of blogging are straightforward. If you want to Dhaka has detailed the process of getting into the Foreign start your own blog, there are several things to consider. Service, life during A-100, Consulate General Rosslyn training Template. Bloggers use all kinds of templates for updating and subsequent language instruction. Her site, www.yrstruly.net, their blogs. The most popular are: www.livejournal.com/, www. is password-protected. To read it, simply send her an e-mail stat- blogger.com/ and www.wordpress.com/. Google’s Blogger is by ing who you are and requesting access. She is happy to give out far the most common, but bloggers who want a more profes- the information. sional look graduate to WordPress or TypePad (www.type Pictures. While you can post pictures, if you want to down- pad.com/). Some companies charge a monthly fee to host a load entire albums on the Internet your blog may not be the best blogger’s Web site. place to do it. Most bloggers use either flickr (www.flickr.com/) Disclaimer. Most Foreign Service bloggers include a visible or Picasa (www.picasaweb.google.com) to manage and share disclaimer on their blogs. It can be simple: “The views and opin- their pictures. Both sites offer slideshow applications that can ions expressed in this blog are exclusively those of its author, and link to the actual photo albums. are not in any way meant to reflect the opinions or policies of the Other Applications. Many bloggers like to keep track of how U.S. government” (http://diplodocus.wordpress.com/). many people read their blog and where they are from. Site meter Or, it can be more pointed: “…If you’re looking for gossip, for (www.sitemeter.com/), Stat Counter (www.statcounter.com/), breaches of operational security or privacy, for public criticism of and Web Stats (www.webstats.motigo.com/) are free applica- the declared foreign policies of the United States of America, tions that track readership. ClustrMaps (www.clustrmaps.com/) leaks or other treasonous disloyalty, the reader is invited to look is one site that actually maps out where your readers are located. elsewhere” (http://consul-at-arms.blogspot.com/). A little thumbnail map can be added to your blog for all to see. Privacy. If you just want your family and friends to read your Also, if you want to make sure you get credit for any photos blog, Google’s Blogger allows you to select readership by requir- you post that are used by others, a Creative Commons Attri- ing interested parties to e-mail you for access. Only when you bution-ShareAlike 2.5 License is available at http://creativecom have confirmed their request can they read your blog. mons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/. For example, one junior FS officer serving at her first post in — Marc Nielsen

42 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 solid reason to deny a visa, like harass- Life After Jerusalem ing me online.” http://schohn.livejournal.com/ The AAFSW maintains A native sandlapper (South Carol- A Lively Forum inian), this FSO is currently posted in Whatever the format — monthly an updated list of FS Washington, D.C. She recently fin- newsletter, photo diary, live journal, ished a two-year tour in Jerusalem. In commentary on current events, or blogs at its Web site: her pre-Jerusalem life, she was an something else entirely — blogging archaeologist and a reporter for the provides Foreign Service profession- www.aafsw.org. Charleston Post and Courier. Now als with another forum to connect she shares her home with her partner with each other and stay in touch with of nearly eight years and their dog and their families. two cats, blogging frequently on The Associates of the American but neither AFSA, the Foreign Ser- issues that affect her and her career. Foreign Service Worldwide offers vice Journal nor this author vouches what is perhaps the most direct portal for their current status. In addition, FSO Globetrotter — The World to this new world. The group main- all contents are the sole responsibility through the Eyes of an American tains an updated list of FS blogs at of the individual bloggers. Diplomat in Chile its Web site (www.aafsw.org) under http://fsoglobetrotter.blogspot.com/ “Living Overseas.” The Journal. A typical blog is one Globetrotter is a consular officer in The following list, compiled here that is updated frequently with pic- Chile who usually updates his blog at the Journal, is a small sampling of tures and commentary. Readers can weekly. He posts a lot of pictures and the different types of blogs main- leave comments, creating more of a provides useful links for those curious tained by FS-related individuals. All forum setting for discussing the about the Foreign Service. His sites were active as of the end of 2007, writer’s posts and experiences. archives go back all the way to 2002.

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 43 Face the Sun: additional insight into Let There Be Light Foreign Service life. http://facethesun.blogspot.com/ An FSO currently stationed in Prince Roy China, this blogger is in his mid-20s. www.princeroy.org/ He has posted a lot of his journal Prince Roy is a self- online. His design is simple, and he described “ex-law school updates the site frequently. His inmate” now serving as a friendly and open personality is evi- U.S. diplomat. A native of dent in each entry. Because he has New Orleans, his first post been blogging for several years, he was in Madras (2004-2006); has extensive archives. He also posts he is now serving in Taipei. Aaronmartz.com an annual review of the books he’s His site is meant to “serve as a read in the past year. means for friends and family to keep track of me no matter where I go, The Photo Diary. Some blogs are Vice Consul and provide firsthand information very picture-oriented. The writers http://viceconsul.blogspot.com/ for anyone considering this career.” frequently post photographs from The author is a vice consul, serving Prince Roy is very active within the their locations abroad. in India. His blog features a great mix FS blogging community. He is men- of poetry, embassy happenings, tioned or linked to by almost every Annamartz.com and Indian culture and personal life. His FS blog. Aaronmartz.com — posts are updated frequently and At Your Service in Switzerland accompanied by pictures. He says he Random Jottings of http://aaronmartz.com/ blogs to keep a journal of his life in a Chengdu Native This couple takes turns updating New Delhi, to stay in touch with fam- http://spicygirl.livejournal.com/ the blog. Their blog hosts dozens of ily and friends and to encourage him- This blogger married Prince Roy pictures from their current post in self to write consistently. in the late 1990s. She works for a firm Switzerland. They are headed to in Taipei. She usually updates month- Yaounde for their next tour. From Russia with Love ly and posts big pictures. http://carolynandtristan.blogspot. The Family Newsletter. Several FS com/ The Diplodocus — Sticking families use their blogs to keep their Carolyn is an international educa- My Neck Out for America relatives updated on their current tor from Seattle, currently trying out http://diplodocus.wordpress.com/ posts and activities. the expat life in Russia. Her husband The writer is a recently married FS Tristan is a first-tour Foreign Service officer in Washington, D.C. He uses Tasman’s World officer stationed in Moscow. The site WordPress to blog. His site has a www.tasmansworld.com/ is a great example of how to stretch great format and is airy, friendly and This site hosts the monthly news- the capabilities of Google’s Blogger. easy to navigate. There are tabs at the letter of one Foreign Service family. top of the blog for easy organization. This is a very simple site that doesn’t The Partition — Better Days He uses flickr to host his photos. require a lot of maintenance, but pro- on the Sub-Continent vides relatives with access to family http://fsowalla.wordpress.com/ Girl in the Rain – A Displaced news and a photo archive. A young FSO serving in India, the Seattleite Wandering the Globe writer frequently updates his blog. http://intherain.wordpress.com/ The Dinoia Family His entries are professional, thought- She recently joined the FS and is www.dinoiafamily.typepad.com/ ful and open. He writes well and posted in Seoul. Since marrying Dip- The Dinoia family keeps a blog posts interesting happenings about his lodocus, she has occasionally com- from their current post in Reykjavik. work, reading and music. mented on some of the challenges of The blog is a record of the family’s being a tandem couple. Her site has activities and the rewards of life FS Couples. Several FS couples keep charming aesthetics, and her posts are abroad. It provides a useful glimpse separate blogs. Their different expe- useful to those curious about starting for those interested in understanding riences and perspectives allow for out in the Foreign Service. different aspects of raising a family

44 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 overseas. (It was cited in Cybernotes Tales of the Windy City in the January 2006 issue of the FSJ.) (and Beyond) Aspirants to the Foreign http://windycitytales.blogspot.com/ Globehoppers – Two Adults, This blogger is an FS hopeful cur- Four Kids, and All Their Stuff Service share their rently in Chicago. He has passed the Wandering the World Foreign Service written exam a few www.globehoppers.us/ stories with each other. times and is working to pass the oral This family was previously posted exam. He is linked to many active-duty in Manila and Lomé. They are cur- FS bloggers who have provided him rently in Chennai until August 2009. with encouragement and advice. They update this blog almost daily and frequently include pictures of Tumbleweeds family outings. pictures accompany every post. The http://editfish.blogspot.com/ archives go back to 2006 when her This is a collection of the anony- place2place husband passed the Foreign Service mous author’s “experiences, insights, http://place2place.blogs.com/ oral examination. and epiphanies gathered along the studio/ way,” as he makes his “slow ascent This blog is updated by the FS Hopefuls. Aspirants to the toward the U.S. Department of State spouse of an FSO. The site shows Foreign Service share their progress Foreign Service.” He offers firsthand the family’s interaction with the and stories with each other and with descriptions of the evaluation and hir- community in Niger. Her personal- sympathetic FS members, making ing process and an incredible number ized blog provides a unique setup for these blogs a useful resource for any- of links and resources for those consid- keeping in touch with friends and one considering the Service as a ering the Service. He is very plugged family. She updates regularly, and career. into the FS blogosphere.

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 45 DON’T REINVENT THE FOREIGN ASSISTANCE WHEEL

THE F PROCESS IS HALF A LOAF, AND ONLY HALF-BAKED AT THAT, BUT STILL AN IMPORTANT FIRST STEP TOWARD MESHING U.S. FOREIGN ASSISTANCE SPENDING WITH OUR STRATEGIC GOALS.

BY GORDON ADAMS

he creation of the Office of the Director and development assistance, training foreign security forces of U.S. Foreign Assistance, commonly of all kinds and providing fiscal support to foreign govern- known as the F Bureau, within the ments that are willing to support American purposes around Department of State in January 2006 the world. was a giant step toward a brighter future That outcome would not only be a shame; it could fatally for international affairs planning and damage U.S. national security. It is crucial to strengthen the programs. Office of the Director of Foreign Assistance, not to kill it, Yet a mere two years later, the knives are out for this whether outright or through a thousand cuts. Tpromising experiment in foreign assistance budget planning. Some at the U.S. Agency for International Development see F Is for Fix the new process as one more step down the road toward the The F Bureau represents the first institutionalized, com- disintegration of development assistance in the maw of the prehensive, leadership-supported, strategically-driven effort diplomats. The NGO community fears that the new setup to coordinate State and USAID’s foreign assistance will lead to the elimination of development and USAID as resources, which constitute about 60 percent of all U.S. aid. goals and instruments of U.S. foreign policy, or at least wipe During its first cycle, the “F” process led to reallocation of out the agency most closely committed to their agenda. And assistance from 80 country programs (out of 155 total) and 20 Congress, for its part, didn’t feel consulted about the change central programs to higher-priority bilateral programs. Over and doesn’t like it. $2 billion was shifted from less needy regions (such as the For all these reasons, the first systematic effort to connect Western Hemisphere and Europe) to needier areas such as U.S. foreign assistance spending to our strategic goals and tai- Africa and South Asia. lor all assistance programs to the needs of the recipient coun- Funding to support food aid to India was reduced, tries may die in the next year. If it does, we can expect the because India is now a food-exporting nation. Assistance to Defense Department to replace State as the lead agency for the Dominican Republic was increased, because of its U.S. overseas engagement, providing nationbuilding services strong governance and the promise of economic growth. Funding for Millennium Challenge Corporation-eligible Gordon Adams is a professor of international relations at the countries was shifted to sectors that would support MCC School of International Service, American University. From efforts, such as municipal government support in Ghana. 1993 to 1997, he was associate director for national security And spending on biodiversity and family planning was re- and international affairs at the Office of Management and duced in some countries, where field missions, embassies Budget. He is currently writing a book on national security and host governments did not rate them as high-priority budgeting. objectives.

46 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 In this new era, it may finally be possible to begin to lution process, setting up yet another institution carefully empower and fund the foreign policy institutions of govern- protected from all the others. Even the President’s ment so that they can bring balance to a national security Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, though operated out of establishment in which DOD dominates in resources, clout State, has kept its distance from other foreign assistance pro- and perspectives. In other words, the F process might, for grams. the first time, allow us to create capabilities in the civilian This design was obviously imperfect. Yet State kept arena that can complement our military power. inventing its own programs (counternarcotics, counterterror- But it is not enough to make foreign assistance planning ism, training for African peacekeepers, etc.) — never mind an integrated State/USAID effort. Our diplomats need to that it had neither the institutions nor skills to run them. begin taking the economic and development missions seriously, transforming State into an agency more broadly com- A Long Overdue Breakthrough mitted to our foreign relations as a whole. The founding of the Office of the Director of U.S. Until now, America’s diplomatic institutions and Con- Foreign Assistance in 2006 drew its intellectual inheritance gress have spent nearly half a century from a step taken more than a decade slicing and dicing our overseas engage- earlier: the creation of a staff-level ment capacity into increasingly smaller resource planning office in Foggy and more ineffectual pieces. They did The F process might, Bottom. This office helped prepare the so largely because diplomats negotiat- Secretary of State’s views on all of the ed, represented and reported from for the first time, allow funding spigots we have in internation- abroad, but shied away from program al affairs and began a process of strate- development and implementation and us to create capabilities gic planning. strategic planning back in Washington. Secretary of State Colin Powell for- So we gradually created a bewildering in the civilian arena malized this process, creating a Bureau array — a diaspora, if you will — of pro- for Resource Management and putting grams and agencies: the European that can complement the budget planning process in the Recovery Program, the U.S. Informa- hands of his deputy, Richard Armitage. tion Agency, USAID, the Arms Control our military power. Armitage held significant budget hear- and Disarmament Agency, and the ings every year, where State and Peace Corps, to name but a few. In USAID budgets were examined, and addition, Treasury funds multilateral the Secretary was given options and development banks and Agriculture administers food aid tradeoff decisions to make. programs. The F process followed in 2006. State’s goal was ambi- This organizational disarray was well under way by the late tious: to integrate the budget planning of all the various for- 1960s, leaving many foreign policy institutions — especially eign assistance institutions and rewrite the basic legislation State — incapable of doing strategic resource planning, pro- authorizing them (the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as gram design and program implementation. Worse, their amended) to provide funds for meaningful program cate- institutional cultures actively resisted engaging in such plan- gories and strategic purposes. Congress pushed back, ning. As a result, State came to depend on USAID and, instructing the administration to see what could be done with increasingly, DOD to implement foreign assistance programs existing accounts and authorities at State and USAID, using via Economic Support Funds, Foreign Military Financing the flexibilities already available. and International Military Education and Training, as well as The result was half a loaf, and only half-baked at that, but assistance targeted to Eastern Europe and the former Soviet still an important first step. The new post of Director of Union. USAID, meanwhile, became a strange hybrid: a Foreign Assistance was created and “dual-hatted” as USAID development agency with its own culture and ways of doing Administrator. The director pulled together a planning staff, business, carefully defending itself from assaults by State, mostly from USAID, where the best expertise was located. It while acting as the implementing arm for State’s more strate- began allocating the Fiscal Year 2007 assistance budgets and gically intentional assistance programs. planning the FY 2008 budget — halfway through the plan- Despite State’s absorption of ACDA and USIA in the late ning year when field budget requests were already in. The 1990s, and talk of eliminating USAID as well, the prolifera- schedule was tight, the new process was opaque and not fully tion of discrete aid programs continued into the 21st centu- thought through, and communication with the field was poor. ry. The Bush administration’s establishment of the Millenni- But there was real progress. State and USAID had a com- um Challenge Corporation in 2004 only continued the devo- mon statement of goals and objectives, which provided the

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 47 basis for planning and budgeting. counterterrorism, HIV/AIDS preven- Senior leaders at State and USAID tion and treatment, and peacekeeping and Congress could get the full pic- If opponents of the training account for more than half of ture of foreign assistance at the pro- our current bilateral foreign assistance gram level. And a common perfor- new approach prevail, spending. Either we would have to mance framework was established to create yet another foreign assistance measure which programs worked and DOD will be the winner mechanism for State to plan and oper- which did not. ate these programs, or the new Recognizing that we give assistance — not State or USAID. Department of Development would to various types of states with different have to run them, diluting the mission characteristics, the new framework its advocates are seeking. Neither is targets individual countries, emphasiz- an attractive option. ing that they are at different stages of Third, development assistance just development and need. Equally direction and unity of purpose. does not have the heft and popularity important, it organizes foreign assis- At best, they suggest reviving and at home needed to command addi- tance into the different strategic goals beefing up USAID, making it more tional funding. In fact, the result of we seek to achieve: promoting peace autonomous from State and giving it a creating a separate department could and security; strengthening just and clear focus on development. Yet this very well be the exact opposite of the democratic government; helping pop- would just take us back to those goal: the dwindling away of develop- ulations improve their quality of life; unhappy days when it and State were ment assistance, rather than its growth. fostering economic growth and devel- at each other’s throats on a regular The dilution of effort that would opment; and providing humanitarian basis. One side didn’t understand result from returning to the past or assistance. development, and the other side just creating yet another agency would The process was not perfect, and it didn’t get America’s strategic purpos- likely only enhance the role of the quickly became evident that it es; the result was a dialogue of the deaf Defense Department in delivering required more work. Regional desks and a coordination problem from U.S. foreign assistance. DOD already were concerned that funding they Hades. has rapidly growing resources for hoped for would move somewhere More radically, some critics want to training and equipping foreign securi- else. Embassies felt left out of the go in an entirely different direction. ty forces (e.g., Section 1206 authority), process and demanded greater trans- Supported by a good part of the devel- for delivering economic assistance parency. And USAID worried that opment community, they are pushing (the Commander’s Emergency Res- development funds would migrate to for a wholly separate Cabinet-level ponse Program), and for supporting different strategic purposes. Every- Department of Development. But foreign governments (the Coalition one felt the time was too short, the sys- that would only worsen the problem Support Fund, which has provided tem was too top-down, and trans- by elevating disputes about assistance billions for Pakistan and Jordan, parency was inadequate. When the to senior policymakers — as if the cur- among others). All these programs product — the FY 2008 budget sub- rent coordination problems were not have mirror programs under State/ mission — reached Capitol Hill, it met enough — with State and Defense USAID authorities (FMF, develop- with a frosty reception. The relevant likely to carry more weight. ment assistance and ESF, respective- committees had not been consulted That idea has other flaws, as well. ly). And DOD is seeking to make the early on and had to figure out how the First, it would further disperse the first two programs permanent and new structures fit the budget cate- civilian tools of our overseas engage- global in scope. gories it knew well. ment, as still more entities vie to set policy direction and control resources. Thinking Strategically An Unhealthy Development Second, it would create a large, A weakened foreign policy struc- Despite all these objections, creat- expensive and unmanaged orphan — ture would only load more authority ing the F Bureau was the right start, namely, all those foreign assistance and responsibility on DOD, disap- and the lessons of the first year were programs that do not have “develop- pointing those, including Secretary of taken to heart in an after-action review ment” as their primary goal. The list is Defense Robert Gates, who have that led to changes. Yet critics on all long: Economic Support Funds, tar- pleaded for greater capability in the sides want to go back to business as geted assistance to the former Soviet civilian sector. usual, a process that lacks strategic Union, counternarcotics programs, Outside analysts and task forces

48 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 have examined various ways to Deputy Secretary of State Richard various ways to do so, some short-term strengthen the civilian tools of Ameri- Armitage, lays out structural options and some more ambitious. can statecraft. Both the congressional- that include a more integrated State In the near term, State and USAID ly mandated HELP Commission and Department strategic planning and senior officials need to focus on mak- the Center for Strategic and Inter- budgeting capability. In particular, the ing the process work better by assign- national Studies’ Commission on report urges greater attention to an ing to the office Civil and For- Smart Power have explored structural integrated assistance program, driven eign Service personnel who think stra- proposals toward this end, though by strategic considerations. tegically — and giving them training in both reports stop short of calling for a These and other task force reports planning, budgeting and program further dispersion of foreign policy all recognize the need for a more inte- management and evaluation. institutions and capabilities. grated, long-term strategic vision for Further, there needs to be struc- An overwhelming majority of the our diplomacy and foreign assistance. tured, systematic engagement be- HELP Commission members opted And the time is ripe for reform, as tween Washington and the field, with for a proposal that would reinvent and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice regional bureaus and country desks integrate foreign policy institutions works to define and implement the stepping up their own skills in pro- within a new department of foreign new “transformational” vision for our gramming and budgeting to review affairs —a “next generation State diplomacy she articulated two years requests and set priorities. Such an Department” — with economic assis- ago. She is clearly determined to approach could include a pilot pro- tance as a central mission. The goal is bequeath a stronger foreign assistance ject, under which key countries would to establish a more integrated, capability to her successor. be selected according to type and planned and capable foreign assis- With this strong base of support in across strategic goals, giving policy- tance program than we have today. mind, State’s best option is to build on makers and the in-country mission In contrast, the CSIS Smart Power the F model, not to return to the past flexibility to move funds among prior- commission, co-chaired by Harvard or accelerate the diaspora of our for- ities. This is similar to proposals Professor Joseph Nye Jr. and former eign relations institution. There are advanced by the recent Senate For-

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MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 49 eign Relations Committee report on tance budget function when F was Such steps will help State become a the field experience of the first round created) — to that deputy, who can more effective foreign relations de- of the F process. become a Deputy Secretary of State partment, one in which development, Finally, State and USAID need to for Operations. This move would public diplomacy and humanitarian work with Congress, not submit bud- give Congress better oversight and assistance all have equal standing with get proposals on a “take it or leave it” accountability, increasing its confi- political and strategic relations as tools basis — particularly when the admin- dence in the process. with which to engage the world. istration knows they are dead on ar- • Begin a pilot project in long- Alternatively, if the F process is rival. range strategic planning and budget- allowed to die, and the current organi- ing, looking out over five years or zational dysfunction persists, develop- Next Steps more and defining resource require- ment programs will decline in useful- As we transition to a new adminis- ments connected to long-term stra- ness as a policy instrument, weakening tration next year, State needs to take tegic objectives — something the F our diplomacy. To fill the vacuum, further steps: office does not now do. For its part, national engagement will fall to the • Make the director of foreign assis- the White House should mandate a only department organized to imple- tance a second Deputy Secretary of foreign assistance strategic planning ment such programs, Defense. State, conferring the clout needed to and budget planning process, based DOD will do its best, but it is not do the job. The authority to carry out in F and connected to senior officials trained in the arts of diplomacy, for- this step already exists in law, but State at the National Security Council and eign assistance administration or has not enacted the provision. the Office of Management and even post-conflict reconstruction. As • Transfer responsibility for opera- Budget. a result, our civilian capacities will be tional budgeting — now divided be- • Beef up resource planning capa- lost, the American face to the world tween the under secretary for man- bilities inside the regional bureaus so will wear a uniform, and our ability to agement and the Resource Manage- that each has a robust capability to achieve our strategic purposes will be ment Bureau (which lost its assis- interact with the F process. weakened. Executive Lodging Alternatives Interim Accommodations for Corporate and Government Markets Apartments, Townhouses & Single Family Homes “FOR THE EXECUTIVE ON THE MOVE” [email protected] Locations throughout Northern Virginia and D.C. Units fully furnished, equipped and accessorized Many “Walk to Metro” locations Pet Friendly 5105-L Backlick Road, Annandale, Virginia Tel: (703) 354-4070 Fax: (703) 642-3619

50 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 AFSAAmerican Foreign NEWSService Association • March 2008 Annual Report 2007 Your Advocate in Tough Times BY JOHN K. NALAND, AFSA PRESIDENT

hese are tough times for the career During 2007, as in every 14,000 mark for the first time Foreign Service, which faced deteri- year, AFSA’s talented 27- in history. An unprecedented Torating conditions of service in member professional staff pro- number of individual members, 2007. The number of members at unac- vided expert support to many both active-duty and retired, companied posts reached an all-time high. hundreds of individual mem- reinforced our efforts by writ- Staffing deficits soared worldwide as more bers (active-duty and retired) ing to their lawmakers, home- positions were transferred to Iraq and other worldwide. AFSA continued town newspapers and agency emerging priorities. The personnel system its long tradition of providing management to urge better became less family-friendly. Budgets fail- scholarships to Foreign Service children. support for the diplomatic component of ed to cover current commitments, let alone The association’s finances remained sound, national power. expanded ones. Outside critics refused to permitting us to self-finance the much give the Foreign Service credit for its loyal needed renovation of our mortgage-free Moving Forward service in increasingly difficult and dan- headquarters building. AFSA’s Foreign Because AFSA is only as good as its most gerous circumstances. And the overseas pay Service Journal continued to generate recent accomplishments, the task in 2008 penalty passed the 20-percent mark at year’s reader praise for its coverage of professional is to wield AFSA’s strengths to continue to end. and foreign policy topics. And our pub- address the pressing needs of the Foreign AFSA worked hard to combat these lic outreach program involved many Service. This quadrennial election year trends, both under Ambassador J. Anthony Foreign Service retirees in explaining the offers one last chance for the Bush admin- Holmes, who served as AFSA president importance of U.S. diplomacy to tens of istration and the 110th Congress to step up through midyear, and under the current thousands of citizens nationwide. to the plate on issues such as ending the AFSA Governing Board that took office in Last year also saw continued growth in overseas pay disparity and increasing July 2007. AFSA had some successes, but AFSA’s influence. Backed by a survey funding for diplomatic engagement. Then much remains to be done. showing that members overwhelmingly at year’s end, when many current senior support our becoming more vocal in our officials will be cleaning out their desks, Looking Back advocacy of the unmet needs of the AFSA’s leadership (in office through July The AFSA Annual Report provides you Foreign Service, AFSA spoke up more in 2009) expects to meet with the incoming with an overview of how your association 2007. AFSA officers explained the Foreign administration’s transition team to present worked for you and your colleagues in 2007. Service point of view in more interviews them with recommendations to address the If you want to know what AFSA has done with local, national and international challenges that they are inheriting. for you lately, then please review the pages media — print, TV and radio — than in, Thus, we expect that 2008 will be a busy that follow for our month-by-month list- perhaps, any previous year. They also and productive year. We count on your ing of activities. If you want to know how placed more op-eds in major publications continued support, encouragement and your dues get divided among AFSA’s var- than ever before. And AFSA officers met constructive criticism. With that backing, ious activities, you will find a table sum- face to face with more senators and repre- AFSA will make the Foreign Service a more marizing that. And if you want to see a list- sentatives than ever before, as well as effective agent of U.S. international leading of 19 different benefits of being an AFSA numerous Hill staffers. ership while also making it a better sup- member, that information is also provid- AFSA’s spirited advocacy was backed by ported, more respected and more satisfy- ed in this report. a growing membership that approached the ing place in which to live and work.

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 51 A F AFSA Annual Report 2007 S YEAR IN REVIEW A N AFSA officers meet with U.S. Ambassador to E JANUARY FEBRUARY Iraq Ryan Crocker. W A generous gift of $750,000 is made to the AFSA says farewell to long-serving Executive With the unveiling of the president’s Fiscal AFSA Scholarship Fund from the estate of Director Susan Reardon. S Year 2008 budget request for international Brockman M. Moore (augmenting the Once again, AFSA protests the procedures affairs spending, AFSA engages Senate October 2006 gift of $157,000). This com- used by the Resource Management Bureau to Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick bined gift of $907,000 is the largest AFSA recover overpayments and outstanding debts. Leahy, D-Vt., and House Chairwoman Nita Scholarship Fund contribution ever received. In many cases these debts result from travel Lowey, D-N.Y., on the key questions of AFSA moves quickly in the first days of the performed as much as five years earlier. staffing, pay modernization and operating 110th Congress to send letters to each mem- expenses for State and USAID. AFSA again urges the State Department not ber of the Senate Foreign Relations to move travel and transportation offices out Committee and the newly renamed House of the Truman Building’s service corridor. Foreign Affairs Committee, following up with MARCH personal contacts to staff. The 71 members of AFSA arranges for four senior retirees to Congress who serve on these committees hear explain the role of the Foreign Service to pro- AFSA President J. Anthony Holmes attends from AFSA on key issues such as FS staffing, fessional audiences attending the Johns the South and Central Asian Affairs Bureau resources and pay modernization. Hopkins University’s prestigious “Evergreen” entry-level employee conference in Sri Lanka, lecture series. makes presentations and meets with new AFSA seeks State Department action to allevi- Foreign Service members. ate the tax burden placed on administrative The AFSA Scholarship Fund receives the final and technical staff overseas, noting that the disbursement of $102,866 from the Naomi AFSA/State protests the new, more restrictive Foreign Affairs Manual allows the issuance of Pekmezian estate. AFSA received $10,000 rules for participation in the Student Loan diplomatic privileges to them in the case of from the estate in April 2006 and $50,000 in Repayment Program. “substantial financial inequities.” November 2005. AFSA identifies and urges correction of an AFSA/Elderhostel offers its first program on AFSA/USAID expresses concern to the error in which the Human Resources Bureau “The Rise of China.” The program is an USAID administrator and members of informed some members that letters of criti- immediate success and sells out four times Congress about the low USAID operating cism would remain in their performance files over the calendar year. expenses request for Fiscal Year 2008 (15 perfor two years, rather than the one year cent lower than the FY06 required by the precepts. Over 1,300 members take part in a sur- actual). vey to identify the “Best and Worst An AFSA/Elderhostel program is held at a Foreign Service Posts,” this month’s AFSA/USAID and new location, the Savoy Suites Hotel on Foreign Service Journal cover story. InterAction jointly prepare an Wisconsin Avenue. AFSA holds six weeklong analysis of the last 25 years of Elderhostel programs at this location in 2007, AFSA presents the Sinclaire Language OE funding showing marked in addition to four one-day programs. Award — $1,000 and a certificate of historical declines (published recognition — to 11 members of the AFSA/FCS files midterm proposals, including in the FSJ). The final OE bud- Foreign Service for superior achieve- one to renegotiate the so-called “Seven-Year get approved is significantly ment in the study of hard languages Rule” that calls for certain FCS officers to be higher than what was request- and their associated cultures. assigned to domestic Export Assistance ed. Centers for a two-year period sometime dur-

AFSA HEADQUARTERS: Staff: Governing Board: Executive Director John Mamone: [email protected] (202) 338-4045; Fax: (202) 338-6820 PRESIDENT: John Naland STATE DEPARTMENT AFSA OFFICE: Business Department Controller Twee Nguyen: [email protected] STATE VP: Steve Kashkett (202) 647-8160; Fax: (202) 647-0265 Accounting Assistant Cory Nishi: [email protected] USAID VP: Francisco Zamora USAID AFSA OFFICE: Labor Management (202) 712-1941; Fax: (202) 216-3710 General Counsel Sharon Papp: [email protected] FAS VP: Vacant FCS AFSA OFFICE: Labor Management Attorney Zlatana Badrich: [email protected] FCS VP: Donald Businger Labor Management Specialist James Yorke: [email protected] (202) 482-9088; Fax: (202) 482-9087 RETIREE VP: Robert W. Farrand AFSA WEB SITE: www.afsa.org Grievance Attorneys Neera Parikh: [email protected] and Holly Rich: [email protected] FSJ: [email protected] Office Manager Christine Warren: [email protected] SECRETARY: F.A. “Tex” Harris USAID Senior Labor Management Adviser Douglas Broome: [email protected] PRESIDENT: [email protected] TREASURER: Andrew Winter USAID Office Manager Asgeir Sigfusson: [email protected] STATE VP: [email protected] Member Services STATE REPS: Anne Aguilera, Oscar DeSoto, RETIREE VP: [email protected] Member Services Director Janet Hedrick: [email protected] David Firestein, Jim McRea, USAID VP: [email protected] Member Services Representative Michael Laiacona: [email protected] FCS VP: [email protected] Web-site & Database Associate: vacant Sandy Robinson, Shayna Steinger, Administrative Assistant Ana Lopez: [email protected] Daphne Titus, Andrea Tomaszewicz Outreach Programs AFSA News USAID REP: Michael Henning Editor Shawn Dorman: [email protected] Retiree Liaison Bonnie Brown: [email protected] (202) 338-4045 x 503; Fax: (202) 338-8244 Director of Communications Thomas Switzer: [email protected] FCS REP: Stephen Anderson Congressional Affairs Director Ian Houston: [email protected] FAS REP: Vacant On the Web: www.afsa.org/fsj Executive Assistant to the President Austin Tracy: [email protected] Scholarship Director Lori Dec: [email protected] IBB REP: Al Pessin Professional Issues Coordinator Barbara Berger: [email protected] RETIREE REPS: Herman Cohen, Harry Geisel, How to Contact Us: to Contact How Elderhostel Coordinator Janice Bay: [email protected] David Passage

52 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 A AFSA Annual Report 2007 F S YEAR IN REVIEW A N ing their first seven years of service. FCS fending off an effort by the IBB director to AFSA informs membership about the management still had not responded to this subvert the authority of promotion boards Archuleta settlement (regarding lump sum E proposal by year’s end. mandated by the Foreign Service Act. payments for unused annual leave being W adjusted for overseas COLA) and its implica- AFSA/Labor Management writes one of sev- S tions for retirees. eral letters in 2007 to assist employees navigat- APRIL ing the rules for classification of an elderly FCS management sends AFSA “quick fix” AFSA sponsors a town hall meeting at the parent as an Eligible Family Member. proposals regarding performance forms and procedures. AFSA works with management State Department to give members a chance Pres. Holmes addresses audiences at UCLA and the proposals are adopted later in the to hear from candidates running for positions and at World Affairs Councils in the Los year. on the new Governing Board. AFSA also Angeles area and Seattle concerning the chal- establishes online candidate forums to enable lenges confronting U.S. AFSA/USAID participates members to engage directly with the candi- diplomacy. in tenure board and pro- dates. motion board debriefings AFSA/Elderhostel inau- and reporting sessions to AFSA provides testimony to the Senate gurates a new week-long protect employee interests. Foreign Relations Committee for hearings program on the Middle focused on foreign assistance effectiveness. East, Latin America and AFSA/USAID publishes a AFSA continues a dialog with the Africa. Both the spring new monthly newsletter, International Board of Broadcasting on the and fall versions of this The Vanguard, to tem- precepts for promotion boards, successfully program sell out quickly. porarily replace the agency’s canceled newsletter, Frontlines. The latter was eventually restarted, in part as a result of A Note on AFSA Operations AFSA’s advocacy. E-mail is transforming the way AFSA interacts with 7th-floor principals and the director gen- AFSA/USAID convinces the agency to pur- eral’s office; with the key offices in Human Resources, Diplomatic Security and the Medical chase a subscription to an online foreign lan- Division; with the front offices of the regional and functional bureaus at State and USAID; guage program, Rosetta Stone, previously and with our far-flung membership worldwide. Where once AFSA raised specific matters of unavailable to most employees. concern only by formal letters addressed to the State Department or other foreign affairs agency, now we conduct an ongoing dialog by e-mail, occasionally supplemented by letters or meetings, with key interlocutors in virtually every bureau on the issues of concern to our MAY members. The AFSA AFSA’s ongoing electronic dialog with senior officials is in many ways a new form of labor- Memorial Plaque management negotiation. Over the past year, this interaction has addressed dozens of differ- Ceremony takes ent subjects and brought about changes in policies and procedures at the State Department in place May 4 as a wide range of areas, including the promotion precepts, the Foreign Service assignment sys- part of Foreign tem, concerns over assignments to Iraq and other unaccompanied posts, family member Affairs Day. employment overseas, Member of Household status, allowances, medical clearance concerns, Under Secretary maternity benefits overseas, contact reporting requirements, fitness for duty exams for DS R. Nicholas Burns presides over the ceremo- agents, technology in the workplace, handling of pets in overseas transfers and training issues. ny, which includes a military honor guard. In addition, during the course of this year, the AFSA president, vice presidents and profession- Three names were added to the plaques: al staff have fielded requests from hundreds of FS members, assisting them with individual Margaret Alexander, problems. The AFSA/Labor Management office represented members in hundreds Doris G. Knittle and of grievances, disciplinary cases, DS investigations and security clearance cases, and Henry W. Antheil Jr. fielded over a thousand requests for information or advice on a wide variety of issues. Over 40 retirees repre- Throughout the year, the AFSA president and State vice president, accompanied by senting 10 states visit AFSA/Labor Management staff, have met biweekly with Principal Deputy Assistant their congressional Secretary for Human Resources Heather Hodges. Topics discussed over the year representatives during included the whole gamut of HR issues, including pay modernization, assignments AFSA’s annual Day (including special arrangements for Iraq), promotion precepts, position classification, on the Hill. security clearances and regulations, and individual cases. Regular meetings have also AFSA hosts a Foreign Affairs Day reception been held with then-Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security Greg Starr for retiree members. and senior DS staff to discuss personnel security in Iraq, contact reporting regulations and DS investigative procedures, among other issues. AFSA/State writes to Secretary Rice concerning the physical protective measures in place The Year in Review presented here, therefore, gives only a sampling of AFSA’s activities and in Baghdad’s International Zone. accomplishments in 2007.

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 53 A F AFSA Annual Report 2007 S YEAR IN REVIEW A N A record number of individuals Former Secretary of State E (36) apply for openings on the FSJ Lawrence Eagleburger JULY W Editorial Board. presents the annual The new AFSA award for Lifetime Governing Board S Academic and Art Merit Contributions to — Team AFSA — Scholarships are awarded to 25 stu- American takes office on dents, totaling $28,500. Diplomacy to retired July 15, 2007. AFSA/State briefs the OIG inspection Ambassador Joan M. AFSA President John K. Naland and State VP team prior to its inspection of various Clark. Special Steven B. Kashkett meet with Secretary Rice offices in the Human Resources Bureau. awards of apprecia- to discuss Foreign Service member concerns, tion are presented to AFSA writes to State management in an including funding for diplomacy and ending Faye Barnes, the effort to ensure that employees on pre- the overseas pay disparity. scriptive relief from separation are able to Customer Service Coordinator in AFSA negotiates changes in the fair-share be placed in meaningful positions that receive the Office of Retirement, and to Robert J. assignment rules that include, at AFSA’s insis- locality pay. Wozniak, for his eight years of service as chairman of the AFSA Election Committee. tence, grandfathering provisions based on AFSA/Elderhostel offers a new one-day pro- length of time since last service at a 15-percent The Foreign Affairs Council holds a press gram on Latin America. hardship post. conference hosted by AFSA (a member of the The FSJ publishes the first of three retiree FAC) to present its midterm assessment of AFSA agrees to a reduction in the six-year rule guidance columns in 2007. Topics include Secretary Rice’s stewardship of the State for domestic service to five years, after obtain- Medicare basics, survivor annuities and guid- Department. More than 60 major print and ing a grandfather clause allowing those who ance on the class-action settlement on unused electronic media nationwide report on the returned prior to 2004 to remain under the annual leave. results. six-year rule. AFSA succeeds in preserving the exception for senior year of high school. AFSA/USAID prepares informational materi- AFSA/State negotiates with the HR Bureau als for congressional hearings on USAID and agrees on the procedural precepts for the As part of an ongoing dialog with the State funding and confirmation hearings and meets 2007 promotion boards. Department Transportation Division, AFSA with congressional staff to discuss staffing and protests the packing and weighing procedures AFSA/State successfully petitions the depart- organizational concerns. that often result in employees learning that ment to modify the rules to allow the full their household effects shipments are over- Service Need Differential to be paid at posts weight only when it is too late for them to where a 30- or 35-percent post differential is take corrective action. JUNE in force. John Mamone joins AFSA as the new execu- AFSA meets with and assists members of the AFSA/Labor Management protests HR’s tive director. Passport Task Force, in particular those from policy on paying (or not paying) the lease the most recent A-100 classes. Voting for the new penalty allowance when an employee AFSA Governing answers an urgent request to fill a posi- A Columbia Journalism Board concludes tion overseas. Review editorial praises and the votes are the Foreign Service FCS management signs AFSA’s two fall counted. Journal for its Iraq cover- 2005 midterm proposals regarding time- age: “Every March since The AFSA Awards ceremony in-class exceptions and acceptance of lan- the war in Iraq began, [it] is held at the Department of State. Awards guage testing by Diplomatic Language … has examined the state are presented for constructive dissent and Services vice FSI for language incentive pay. of diplomacy and nation outstanding performance. Two mid-level Mrs. Dorothy Cameron establishes a building in Iraq. Reading officers receive the Rivkin Dissent Award, Perpetual Academic Merit Scholarship in the those issues, one thing is Ronald Capps and Michael Zorick. name of her late husband, Turner C. apparent: the [rest of the] Three awards for extraordinary contributions Cameron. press has largely ignored an important story to effectiveness, professionalism and morale about the consequences for thousands of AFSA/USAID assists a newly married tandem are presented at the AFSA Awards ceremony: civilian Foreign Service employees of the couple get reimbursement for previously the M. Juanita Guess Award for a administration’s disastrous war.” denied joint shipment of effects to Community Liaison Officer, to Linda Washington. An annual scholarship in memory of Lockwood; the Delevan Award for an Office Ambassador Thomas G. Weston is estab- Management Specialist, to Margaret Baker; lished by his friends and family. and the Avis Bohlen Award for an eligible family member, to Judith Marquardt. AFSA/USAID works with the Executive Diversity Council to improve the Foreign Service skills matrix and promotion precepts in the area of diversity.

54 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 A AFSA Annual Report 2007 F S YEAR IN REVIEW A N AFSA/USAID influences the timely submis- Financial Aid Scholarships total- sion of nominations for the 2007 promotions ing $67,450 are awarded to OCTOBER E into and within the Senior Foreign Service, 53 Foreign Service children for AFSA/State meets with Human Resources W which were approved three months sooner undergraduate college study in Bureau staff to discuss concerns about the S than in the previous year. the fall 2007 semester. 2007 promotion boards, including member selection and the role of AFSA observers at AFSA testifies before a subcommittee of the AFSA/USAID guides the Human promotion board briefings. House Foreign Affairs Committee on the Resources Office on the intake problems of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder process for the first group of AFSA signs a memorandum of understand- as it relates to the Foreign Service in Iraq. Hispanic Association of Colleges and ing with State to allow members to compete Universities interns. for promotion even if they have not completed the Mandatory Leadership Training, with Mrs. Dorothy Cameron establishes another the stipulation that they then have to com- AUGUST scholarship in the name of her late husband, plete the training by Oct. 15 of that year. Turner C. Cameron, this time a Perpetual Financial Aid Scholarship. AFSA-sponsored retiree speaker Stephen Dachi gives a presentation at Georgetown AFSA hosts a Job Transition Program recep- University’s annual international career fair tion for new retirees. on the opportunities and challenges of Foreign Service careers. SEPTEMBER AFSA/Elderhostel offers a new one-day program on the United Nations. AFSA testifies before the House Armed Services Committee on civilian benefits for Pres. Naland and State VP Kashkett ask ques- AFSA’s National High School Essay Contest the Foreign Service and other non-military tions on behalf of Foreign Service members at winner, Sumit Malik, is honored by Secretary personnel serving in combat zones. the State Department town hall meeting on Iraq staffing issues. Rice at the State Department. AFSA/Labor Management meets with a AFSA testifies before a subcommittee of the group of Human Resources officers and sub- AFSA is involved with supplemental appro- Senate Homeland Security and Governmental sequently makes several proposals to the State priations requests for Iraq and Afghanistan. Affairs Committee on staffing, pay modern- Department to improve the HR career path, AFSA hosts a Job Transition Program recep- ization and the lack of resources for foreign promotion prospects and assignment oppor- tion for retirees. affairs agencies. tunities. The AFSA Governing Board votes to allow AFSA writes to the State Department con- State VP Kashkett is the keynote speaker for board members’ children to apply for AFSA cerning application of the Uniformed Services the fall series at George Mason University’s scholarships and awards. Employment and Reemployment Rights Act “Lifetime Learning” seminars, addressing the by the Generalist and Specialist Tenure “Dangers and Challenges Facing the Foreign Boards, as well as the arrangements for Service.” NOVEMBER including military evaluations and personal Pres. Naland meets with the Foreign Affairs AFSA consults individually with more than statements in official performance files. Retirees of Northern Virginia. AFSA subsequently enters into a fruitful dia- 130 members identified as “Prime log with the Human Resources Bureau to cor- AFSA/FCS tables two midterm proposals for Candidates” for possible directed assignment rect any errors that may have occurred. fall 2007: requiring tracking concurrence to Iraq to provide guidance and information. records with signatures on performance AFSA officers give more than three dozen AFSA protests the conditions of service for appraisal documents and requiring consulta- media interviews on the DG’s “Prime diplomatic couriers on some courier routes in tions between management and AFSA on Candidate” exercise to set the record straight Eastern Europe and the Caribbean. how to improve diversity (geographic, gender, about the large number of volunteers for Iraq etc.) on the selection and promotion boards. Pres. Naland testifies before the Senate assignments and to defend the Foreign Service Government Reform Subcommittee on The Scholarship Fund Annual Appeal raises against unfair and erroneous characterizations Foreign Service staffing needs. $20,111. by the media. Pres. Naland lays a wreath at the Arlington AFSA/USAID provides a briefing to new AFSA holds a video conference with members Cemetery ceremony marking the ninth Foreign Service officers on residency and state in Baghdad. Onward assignments, overhead anniversary of the 1998 East Africa embassy tax issues. protection of trailers and the size of the bombings. Baghdad mission are among the topics dis- AFSA meets with the new director of HR’s cussed. Retirement Office, Patricia Nelson-Douvalis, AFSA/State holds a video conference with a to discuss retiree services. disabled member overseas to discuss measures to ensure equitable treatment in his case.

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 55 A F AFSA Annual Report 2007 S YEAR IN REVIEW A N AFSA also participates in meetings of the State agement and political affairs to discuss E Department’s Disability Action Group, which DECEMBER Foreign Service member concerns, including W meets periodically throughout the year. AFSA awards $65,950 to 52 students in funding for diplomacy and ending the over- Financial Aid Scholarships for spring 2008. seas pay disparity. S AFSA discusses changes to the Foreign Affairs Manual in line with the settlement agreement AFSA reiterates longstanding concerns about Naland meets with a senior official at the between AFSA and the State Department on the security clearance suspension and revoca- Office of Management and Budget to urge the procedures for Limited Non-Career Ap- tion process to newly appointed Under expanded funding for diplomatic engagement pointments overseas for non-FS employees. Secretary for Management Patrick Kennedy. and development assistance. AFSA public affairs efforts and retiree contri- AFSA retiree coordinator drafts a successful butions result in a record 88 articles, letters motion for review of a decision denying PIT and interviews defending the Foreign Service buyback credit to a spouse on the grounds she in leading media outlets nationwide during did not have prior FERS credit. The decision 2007, including The Washington Post, The is overturned by the Merit System Protection New York Times, the Lehrer News Hour, NPR Board. (including the Diane Rehm Show) and major An AFSAnet message is sent out summarizing TV networks. the initial results of a survey of FCS officers, At American University, Amb. Wendy AFSA briefs Director General Harry Thomas, with final results expected in January. Chamberlin gives the inaugural presentation Under Secretary for Political Affairs Nicholas for the new series on U.S. diplomacy, spon- Mr. Norton Bell, a fall Elderhostel attendee, Burns and Under Secretary for Management sored by a grant from the Adair Family Trust establishes a $20,000 scholarship in his name Patrick Kennedy on its third annual member to the AFSA Fund for American Diplomacy. via a tax-free distribution from an IRA. survey. Over 110 faculty and students attend. Mr. Eric Melby makes a $1,000 gift to his AFSA officers meet with Medical Director AFSA/Elderhostel offers a new one-day pro- parents’ Perpetual Financial Aid Scholarship: Laurence Brown on M/MED’s plans for gram on Africa. the Everett K. and Clara C. Melby Memorial assisting members returning from unaccom- Scholarship. Pres. Naland appears on CNN and the Jim panied and dangerous posts. They emphasize Lehrer News Hour to explain how Foreign the need to ensure early diagnosis and timely, Active-duty FSO Stephen Hubler renews his Service staffing gaps hurt the State Depart- appropriate treatment for those suffering Annual Financial Aid Scholarship for the ment’s ability to staff Iraq and other posts. from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. third year in a row. In the following days, Naland and State VP AFSA assists a group of employees promoted AFSA/USAID conducts the second annual Kashkett give numerous interviews on this to the Senior Foreign Service in 2006 who worldwide member survey to determine needs issue. were not reviewed for performance pay on and opinions of USAID FSOs. It uses these to AFSA/FCS sends a memo on assignments to time-in-grade grounds. negotiate improved benefits and communicate FCS management expressing concerns about important concerns to management. AFSA protests to the Recruitment and domestic positions and certain urgent vacancy Evaluation Office of HR about the pro- Regular meetings with AFSA positions. AFSA subsequently files a grievance cedures used for assessing the relevance prompt Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., due to non-response by the agency. of prior military experience to the work a key supporter of the Foreign The Circulation Audit Board presents the of a Diplomatic Security agent. Service, to offer two bills to solve results of its survey of the FSJ readership, the overseas pay disparity prob- AFSA programs over 500 speaker events determining that the total number of sub- lem. AFSA then lines up a key during the year to explain the importance scribers is 15,106. The CAB certification will bipartisan group of members of U.S. diplomacy to some 31,500 attendees enhance the magazine’s ability to attract of Congress to support this in 43 states and Washington, DC. Most of advertising, which currently covers legislation, including Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the speakers are Foreign Service retirees. 70 percent of production costs. D-Md., Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., Rep. Frank Throughout the year, AFSA/Elderhostel offers Wolf, R-Va., Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., Rep. Mrs. Maria Elisa Freeman establishes a 17 programs in Washington, D.C. (six week- Tom Davis, R-Va., Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., Perpetual Financial Aid Scholarship in mem- long programs, 11 one-day programs), with a Rep. Don Payne, D-N.J., Rep. Mike Honda, ory of her late husband Anthony G. Freeman. total attendance of 532. In addition, AFSA D-Calif., and Rep. Diane Watson, D-Calif. AFSA/USAID helps a former Peace Corps holds sold-out programs in St. Petersburg, Through the year, AFSA works with House staffer currently working at USAID get credit Atlanta, Tucson, and two in Chautauqua. 1 Foreign Affairs Chairman Tom Lantos, for 2 /2 years of federal work for his Service Speakers include Ambassadors Wendy D-Calif., Senate Foreign Relations Committee Computation Date. Chamberlin, Beth Jones, Marc Grossman, Chairman Joseph Biden, D-Del., and ranking Edward ‘Skip’ Gnehm, Ron Neumann and AFSA headquarters closes for renovation. Republican members Rep. Ileana Ros- Jack Pritchard. Staff move to temporary offices in Rosslyn. Lehtinen, R-Fla., and Sen. Richard Lugar, Pres. Naland and State VP Kashkett meet R-Ind., on a number of issues, with particular with the under secretaries of State for man- emphasis on pay modernization.

56 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 A AFSA Annual Report 2007 F S A N The Governing Board E W Front row, from left: Shayna Steinger (State Rep), S Sandy Robinson (State Rep), Steve Kashkett (State VP), John K. Naland (President), Francisco Zamora (USAID VP). Back row, from left: Stephen Anderson (FCS Rep), Don Businger (FCS VP), David Passage (Retiree Rep), Hank Cohen (Retiree Rep), Mike Henning (USAID Rep), F.A. “Tex” Harris (Secretary), Harry Geisel (Retiree Rep), Al Pessin (IBB Rep) and Oscar DeSoto (State Rep). Not pictured: Andrew Winter (Treasurer), Robert W. Farrand (Retiree VP), Anne Aguilera (State Rep), David Firestein (State Rep), Jim McRea (State Rep), Nick Pietrowicz (State Rep), Daphne Titus (State Rep), Andrea Tomaszewicz

(State Rep) and Barbara Bodine (Retiree Rep). SHAWN DORMAN

The Foreign Service Journal Editorial Board www.afsa.org AFSA ON THE WEB The total number of visitors to the AFSA Web site crossed the one-million mark in 2007, surpassing the 2006 total. Each month visitors returned to the site, with consis- tent favorites being the Foreign Service Journal and AFSA’s

SHAWN DORMAN essay contest pages. The Journal Web pages continue to Back row, from left: Board Chair Ted Wilkinson, Jim DeHart, Jeff Giauque, draw more visitors, resulting in increased Web readership. Joseph Bruns, Stephen Buck and George Jones. Front row, from left: Pages on the Web site devoted to Iraq-related issues are David McFarland, Yvette Malcioln, Laurie Kassman, Governing Board Liaison especially popular. This year saw an increase in the number Al Pessin and Julie Gianelloni Connor. of page hits on the AFSAnet messages, which are now regularly posted to the site. The AFSAnet listserv continues to grow, serving as one of AFSA’s best vehicles for reaching members quickly. With 9,461 subscribers at year’s end, AFSAnet remains a great way to keep current on issues of concern to the Foreign Service. To sign up for the AFSAnet listserv, visit www.afsa.org/forms/maillist.cfm.

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 57 A F AFSA Annual Report 2007 S A Staff N E W Finance and Administration Outreach Programs S - Accounting Public Outreach - Financial - Speakers Bureau Management - Elderhostel - Staff Recruitment - Memorial Plaques & Supervision - Foreign Service Day - Building - Diplomats Online Administration - AFSA Awards - Board and Congressional Affairs SHAWN DORMAN

SHAWN DORMAN Committee - Lobbying From left: Executive Director John Mamone, Controller Support - Tracking Legislation Twee Nguyen and Accounting Assistant Jon Reed. - Hill Testimony - Grassroots Campaigns From left: Retiree Affairs Coordinator Bonnie Brown, Professional Issues Coordinator Retiree Services Foreign Service Journal Barbara Berger, Executive Assistant to the - Member Inquiries President Austin Tracy and Director of - Retiree Newsletter - Editing Communications Tom Switzer. Inset, left: - Retiree Directory - Writing Congressional Affairs Director Ian Houston. - Design Inset, right: Elderhostel Coordinator Janice Bay. - Advertising - Subscriptions and Sales - Inside a U.S. Member Services Embassy - Member Recruitment JIM DEHART - Post Reps From left: Advertising & Circulation Manager Ed Miltenberger, - Insurance Programs Senior Editor Susan Maitra, Editor Steve Honley, Associate Editor - Address Changes Shawn Dorman and Business Manager Andrew Kidd. - AFSAnet Not pictured: Art Director Caryn Suko Smith. - AFSA Web Site SHAWN DORMAN Labor-Management From left: Membership Representative Cory Nishi, Administrative Assistant - Negotiations Ana Lopez and Membership Director Janet Hedrick. - Protecting Benefits - Grievance Counseling - OIG & DS Scholarships Investigations - Member Inquiries - Financial Aid - Informing the - Merit Awards Field

AUSTIN TRACY - Art Merit Awards - Committee on Education Front row, from left: Office Manager Christine Warren, Grievance Attorney Holly Rich, General Counsel Sharon Papp and Grievance Attorney Neera Parikh. Back row, from left: AFSA/USAID Senior Labor Management Adviser Doug Broome, Labor Management Specialist James Yorke and Labor Management Attorney Zlatana Badrich. Not pictured: USAID

AFSA Office Manager Asgeir Sigfusson. SHAWN DORMAN Scholarship Administrator Lori Dec

58 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 A AFSA Annual Report 2007 F S Membership by Constituency Membership Participation by Constituency A December 2007 December 2007 N USAID 6.6% E IBB 0.1% FAS 0.9% 100 W S 80 % of Membership Participation 82% 74% Retiree 28.2% 60 68% 68%

State 61.9% 20 30% FCS 1.2% 25% Associate 1.3% 0 Retiree IBB FCS FAS State USAID Total Membership 1990 to 2007 14,000 Record High 13,855 Members 13,000

12,000 AUDIT REPORT 11,500 for AFSA AFSA’s audited 11,000 financial statements

10,500 for 2007 will be available on the 10,000 AFSA Web site (www.afsa.org) 9,500 in May. 9,000

8,500 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2007 Budget in Brief

INCOME ...... $ EXPENSES ...... $ Dues ...... 2,423,000 Membership Programs...... 1,297,712 Foreign Service Journal Advertising ...... 539,000 Foreign Service Journal...... 784,124 Insurance Programs...... 25,000 Legislative Affairs...... 151,232 Legislative Action Fund ...... 50,000 Professional Programs and Outreach ...... 364,443 Other...... 500 Scholarships ...... 424,012 Professional Programs and Outreach ...... 261,189 Administration...... 517,788 Scholarships ...... 441,990 Contributions to Endowment and Reserves..201,368 TOTAL ...... 3,740,679 TOTAL ...... 3,740,679

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 59 A F AFSA Annual Report 2007 S AFSA BY THE NUMBERS IN 2007 A 8 Grievances filed by USAID employees, seven of which were favorably resolved. N 29 New lifetime members in 2007. 36 The number of individuals who apply for openings on the FSJ Editorial Board. E 74 AFSAnets sent in 2007. W 88 AFSA articles, letters and interviews in major media nationwide. S 173 Number of overseas missions that have an AFSA representative at post. 450 Number of retiree members and spouses who received personal assistance from AFSA. 505 AFSA speakers nationwide. 9,461 Subscribers to AFSAnet. 13,855 AFSA members at year’s end. 31,500 Attendees at AFSA speaker programs nationwide. 102,866 Donation (in dollars) to the scholarship fund from the Naomi Pekmezian estate. 161,900 Merit and Financial Aid Scholarships awarded to 78 students (in dollars). 907,000 Dollar amount of scholarship fund donation from the Brockman M. Moore estate and AFSA Core Values trust, (the largest scholarship gift AFSA has ever received). 1,032,946 Number of visitors to the AFSA Web site. THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION Benefits of AFSA Membership Established in 1924. LABOR-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS: AFSA LEGAL SERVICES: We offer free legal advice and negotiates the regulations affecting employees’ representation on employment issues, includ- MISSION careers. We work to make the Foreign Service ing security and OIG investigations, discipline To make the Foreign Service a more effec- a better place in which to work, live and raise a cases and security clearance proceedings. tive agent of United States international family. Our network of AFSA post representa- INSURANCE PROGRAMS: You can choose leadership. tives provides on-site assistance to overseas mem- among competitively priced insurance programs bers. designed for the Foreign Service community, VISION CONGRESSIONAL ADVOCACY: AFSA is your including professional liability insurance, acci- advocate before Congress on issues affecting the dent, dental and personal property/transit. We work to make the Foreign Service a careers of active members and the annuities of AFSA SCHOLARSHIPS: Approximately 100 better-supported, more respected, more retired members. merit-based and financial-need scholarships are satisfying place in which to spend a career OMBUDSMAN: We work to resolve member granted every year to Foreign Service family and raise a family. problems with pay, allowances, claims, annuities, members. Since 1926, AFSA has awarded health care and many other issues. approximately $4,450,000 in scholarships. — RESPONSIVENESS: We listen to our VOICE OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE: As the pro- AFSA AWARDS: This unique awards program fessional association of the Foreign Service since honors constructive dissent and outstanding per- members and actively promote their 1924, AFSA works to strengthen our profession formance. interests. and is ever vigilant for threats to the career Foreign RETIREE NEWSLETTER: This bimonthly newslet- — EFFECTIVENESS: We act with a sense of Service. ter is exclusively for retired members. urgency, get results and make a difference. GRIEVANCE REPRESENTATION: AFSA’s legal DIRECTORY OF RETIRED MEMBERS: This — INTEGRITY: We demonstrate openness, staff provides hands-on assistance with grievance invaluable annual listing, by state, of contact infor- honesty and fairness in everything we do. proceedings when your rights are violated. mation for retired members is provided to all OUTREACH: AFSA communicates the views of retired AFSA members. — EFFICIENCY: We carefully expend our the Foreign Service on professional issues to the MAGAZINE DISCOUNTS: AFSA members are resources where they can have maximum news media and directly to the general public. eligible for special discounts on subscriptions to impact. FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL: Our monthly major foreign affairs journals. — COMMUNITY: We foster teamwork, magazine offers provocative articles that will keep ESPRIT DE CORPS: We work to build a sense respect each other and enjoy our time you current on developments in the foreign affairs of common cause and professional pride together. profession. among all Foreign Service members: active-duty AFSA NEWS: AFSA’s monthly newsletter, inside and retired; generalists and specialists; entry-level — COURAGE: We encourage responsible the Foreign Service Journal, highlights issues affect- to senior. risk-taking in order to achieve results. ing your daily life. AFSA MEMORIAL PLAQUES: Established in 1933, — PATRIOTISM: We are faithful to the AFSA WEB SITE: Our online member area and maintained by AFSA, these plaques in the grand and enduring ideals that gave our includes a member directory and member Truman Building lobby honor members of the nation birth. forums. Foreign Service who lost their lives overseas in AFSANET: Regular e-mail updates keep you cur- the line of duty. — EMPOWERMENT: We trust each other rent on issues of importance to the Foreign to give our best efforts guided by these core Service community. values.

60 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 A F V.P. VOICE: STATE BY STEVE KASHKETT S A N Shooting the Messenger E W S FSA takes very seriously its obligation to live up to its ing in the questions, and we left plen- slogan — “The Voice of the Foreign Service” — in ty of room for individual comments. A everything we do. We have the challenge of representing Over a period of two months, we the career professionals of a government department repeatedly sent out the survey link by AFSAnet, by ALDAC renowned for placing the highest value on individual discre- cable, by e-mail and by internal department notice. We asked tion, discipline and obedience to authority. In our line of work, ambassadors, DCMs and AFSA post reps to encourage peo- loyalty is often rewarded at the expense of ple to complete the poll. individual outspokenness, even on vital The response each year has been aston- matters that affect the daily lives of our peo- ishing. In 2005, almost 1,829 of our col- ple serving in often difficult and danger- It was sad to see a few highly leagues took the survey. In the 2006 sur- ous environments around the world. So placed State officials dismiss the vey, that figure nearly doubled to 3,416. most FS members understandably prefer This year, we reached a remarkable level not to speak out. Instead, it is AFSA’s job heartfelt opinions expressed by of participation with 4,311 respondents. to speak out for them and to give them a thousands of our colleagues. This approaches 40 percent of the entire voice in dealing with department man- State active-duty Foreign Service. It agement, with the media and with the included hundreds of senior officers, American public. nearly 1,000 entry-level officers and thou- Gauging the opinions and concerns of a diverse body of sands of mid-level members. These 4,311 respondents, includ- more than 11,000 intelligent, diverse, independent thinkers, ing both generalists and specialists, came from every overseas however, is no simple task. All of us in the Foreign Service post and every bureau in the State Department in appropri- have our own perceptions of what our colleagues are think- ate representative proportions. Almost half of the State offi- ing based on our daily conversations “around the water cool- cers currently serving in Iraq took the poll. er” at embassies, consulates and offices within the department In addition to making clear their opinions by checking the itself, but this is not a systematic way to assess the mood of yes/no and multiple-choice questions, these 4,311 respondents our entire Service. We at AFSA get dozens of e-mails and phone provided a great deal more detail on their thinking and sug- calls every single day from members all over the world, some- gestions on various subjects by entering more than 6,000, sometimes hundreds in a typical week, on a wide range of subjects times lengthy, comments in the open-ended comment boxes. of concern to them. But this, too, provides only an anecdo- This overwhelming survey response — massive by any sta- tal snapshot of the mood out there. tistical standards — left us with an unmistakable sense of the As a result, the AFSA leadership has always been challenged strong desire of the members of the Foreign Service to have to prove its claim to be speaking on behalf of a majority of their voices heard and their concerns addressed on a wide range our colleagues. Frequently, when AFSA would bring mem- of issues affecting our assignments, our promotions, our fam- bers’ concerns to department management, the response was ilies, our working conditions and the future of our profession. one of skepticism. We were told that our position on a par- It was therefore sad to see the efforts of a few highly placed ticular issue only reflected the views of a small number of vocal State Department officials to discredit the AFSA poll and dis- complainers; i.e., the “squeaky wheel” phenomenon. Some miss the heartfelt opinions expressed by thousands of our col- management interlocutors would use this as a justification for leagues. (See p. 65 for details.) While management in any refusing to address a particular problem. organization might not wish to hear sometimes critical feed- Confronted with the challenge of speaking authoritative- back from employees, creative leaders use such feedback to ly for a majority of our colleagues, AFSA tried a more systematic make changes, shift priorities and do whatever needs to be done approach starting in 2005. After consulting with profession- to reverse negative perceptions. Denying that those percep- al pollsters and statisticians, we designed an easy-to-use, multi- tions even exist is no way for management to deal with a pro- issue electronic opinion poll that we could send by e-mail to foundly loyal, motivated work force. all of the 11,300 State active-duty members of the Foreign And excoriating AFSA for trying in good faith to gauge and Service at every diplomatic post worldwide. We made the sur- represent the opinions of its members all over the world is just vey strictly anonymous. We did our best to use neutral word- shooting the messenger.

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 61 A F S A JOB WELL DONE: FSGB CHAIR EDWARD REIDY sought legislative changes to provide A enforcement authority, but the State An Inside View of the Department continues to object, for rea- N sons that are unclear to AFSA. E FS Grievance Board Reidy describes the relationship between W BY SHAWN DORMAN AFSA and the Foreign Service Grievance S Board as “one of mutual respect. Where ore than a decade ago, AFSA tor (sometimes a lawyer, sometimes not) a grievant was not represented by an [out- General Counsel Sharon Papp and two retired members of the Foreign side] attorney, he or she was not without Mand State Department Grievance Service. Each panel reviews the submissions support. So the assistance of AFSA was very Staff Director Joanne Lishman invited the (usually written, occasionally oral) in the important. The law involved is somewhat former chief administrative law judge of the assigned cases, discusses the case and arrives complex. Going it alone is not advisable. Merit Systems Protection Board, Edward at a decision. Panels strive to render a deci- I see AFSA’s role as quite imperative. There J. Reidy, to join the Foreign Service sion within 90 days of when the last brief are [also] times when AFSA has been able Grievance Board and, later, to assume its is filed in the case, though this is frequent- to discourage a grievance simply by telling chairmanship. Reidy recently stepped ly not possible. the grievant there is no realistic likelihood down from the board after 13 years of ser- Judge Reidy believes the FSGB’s great- of success.” vice, more than a decade as the chair. est strength is rooted in its independence: When asked what advice he would have AFSA commends Judge Reidy for his “It functions wholly apart from any agency for an employee considering filing a tireless efforts to ensure that the Grievance influence. And to their credit, the [foreign grievance, Reidy said: “Go for it. Do not Board issues just, prompt, well-reasoned affairs] agencies have honored that. The hesitate. But by no means do I suggest fil- and fair decisions, and for his dedication board has a broad range of remedial author- ing a silly grievance. Neither do I suggest in striving to ensure that the FSGB has all ity, and it can direct an agency to take that that the agency is beset with errors. They of the resources and legal authority need- action as required. That, too, is a strength happen. Nothing intentional for the most ed to fulfill its vital role in protecting the of the FSGB. At bottom, the grievance por- part, but sloppy work or lack of familiar- rights of all members of the Foreign tion of the Foreign Service Act is remedi- ity with the rules. I cannot help but won- Service. al in nature. So what the board can do for der how widespread [within the Foreign Chapter 11 of the Foreign Service Act the parties is most significant.” Service] awareness of the FSGB is. It exists of 1980 established the FSGB as an inde- Unlike the MSPB that handles Civil not only for the employee but for the for- pendent body of members from outside the Service personnel appeals, the FSGB does eign affairs agencies, as well. It is truly a active Foreign Service, charged with adju- not have enforcement authority. Reidy neutral body. And to be credible, it must dicating grievances filed by FS members. acknowledges that this lack of authority is remain so.” Membership on the FSGB has fluctuated a matter of considerable interest and When asked to comment on Judge between 18 and 27 over the last decade. importance. He believes that by the very Reidy’s decadelong leadership of the Each member, including the chair, is nature of its adjudicatory function, the FSGB FSGB, Grievance Staff Director Joanne appointed by the Secretary of State, based has inherent authority to enforce. “I always Lishman offered high praise: “I commend upon the recommendations of AFSA and considered that there was solid precedent him for 13 years of dedicated service to the the foreign affairs agencies, for two-year to support that. I am far from certain that FSGB, his intellectual rigor, his commit- renewable terms. The FSGB reviews griev- it does not remain an issue still to be clar- ment to quality and consistency of deci- ances on a wide variety of issues, as autho- ified. To their credit, the foreign affairs agen- sionmaking, the high standards he set for rized by law, including separation from cies overwhelmingly grant the relief ordered. the Grievance Board, and his unfailing employment, disciplinary actions, com- Admittedly, there are times they do so but courtesy to the union, the department and, plaints relating to the employee’s working are holding their noses.” most importantly, the employees who environment, prejudicial information in the Reidy explains that FSGB members take brought their cases before the board.” employee’s personnel records and denial their deliberations very seriously, aware that The new Foreign Service Grievance of financial benefits. careers hinge on them. Most grievances end Board chairman is Ira Jaffe, a well-regard- Unless a Foreign Service member is with the final FSGB decision and are not ed arbitrator and lawyer, who brings faced with the prospect of filing a grievance, appealed to federal court. exceptional experience and qualifications it is unlikely that he or she is aware of how On very rare occasions, State and to the position. He follows in an honor- the FSGB functions. Judge Reidy helped USAID have refused to implement an able tradition of distinguished FSGB chairs fill the Journal in on the process, explain- FSGB decision. In these cases the grievant —Bloch, Oldham, DiLauro and Reidy — ing that the FSGB operates in panels of three has been forced to go to federal court to that began in 1980. AFSA looks forward members, usually consisting of an arbitra- have the decision implemented. AFSA has to working with Chairman Jaffe.

62 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 A F V.P. VOICE: USAID BY FRANCISCO ZAMORA S A N An Open Letter to Administrator Fore E W S ongratulations on your historic accomplishment in being cers during the last few years). confirmed as the first female USAID administrator. Your Regrettably, the overseas pay dispari- Cqualifications have been justly recognized and your per- ty extends even into death. The fam- formance during your first few months on the job has been ilies of those employees assigned over- impressive. AFSA acknowledges that you are stepping into a seas who are killed in the line of duty challenging environment in an agency experiencing enormous are also being shortchanged by 21 percent due to the overseas change: in the space of seven years, we have witnessed the depar- pay gap. The calculation of the one-year death gratuity award- ture of two administrators, participated in two major reorga- ed under Section 413 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (as amend- nizations, begun work in war zones and experienced a radi- ed) excludes Washington locality pay. However, the surviving cal change in our relationship with the State Department. All family of a Foreign Service employee based in the U.S. but detailed USAID employees have felt the stress of these changes. With overseas on temporary duty who dies in the line of duty would only one year left in your tenure to accomplish your goals, I receive the additional compensation derived from locality pay. take the liberty of offering some observations and recom- Equally, since the introduction of a new pay structure for the Senior mendations that I hope can support your efforts to improve Foreign Service, the pay, and thus the death gratuity, is now the our agency. same in both situations for an SFS employee. It is therefore con- As you will surely agree, the greatest strength of any organi- ceivable that if two or more officers die in the same incident over- zation is its people. Ensuring that the staff is well motivated and seas, their benefits would be radically different. Such inequities fairly treated should be a priority. For this reason, we believe that should not be tolerated. Foreign Service conditions of employment at USAID must be And yet, despite these conditions, USAID members con- brought more into line with those of the State Department. As tinue to answer the call to duty. Since our initial involvement USAID moves closer operationally to the State Department struc- in Iraq, USAID has filled all of its slots on a completely vol- ture, there can be no further justification for continuing the exist- untary basis. The USAID staff has stepped up to the plate. They ing double standard. Unlike our State colleagues, USAID offi- now wait to see if USAID management will respond in kind cers do not have access to benefits such as student loan reim- to their many concerns. bursement, language training for spouses, difficult-to-staff incen- In the interest of full disclosure, I should add that most FSOs tive differentials, USAA membership for new officers or adequate are very concerned about the creation of the “F Bureau” and per diem rates for long-term training, among other things. “agency reforms.” They are not convinced that the agency is mov- Affording preferential treatment to some groups is unjusti- ing in the right direction. Not surprisingly, a recent AFSA sur- fied and amounts to conferring second-class citizen status on vey of USAID officers shows that only 16 percent rate morale as USAID FSOs. While lack of funding has always been the agen- good; close to 80 percent believe things are getting worse. It is cy’s response to our requests to redress inequities, we believe it time to step back to see if all these “reforms” are truly benefiting has been more due to a lack of management will than an empty the agency. We should have the courage to change course if they wallet. Priorities need to be revisited. are not. AFSA is ready to help. Foreign Service members also report to us their extreme con- Our recent member survey also indicates that a large part of cern over hardships created by the lack of overseas comparabil- the staff supports your efforts (45 percent judged you positive- ity pay. When they accept overseas assignments, officers ranked ly), and about an equal number (48 percent) are giving you the FS-1 and below must endure an almost 21-percent cut in the opportunity and time to act before deciding. AFSA especially con- salary that they would otherwise receive in Washington. Senior gratulates you on your outstanding commitment to diversity in Foreign Service officers working side-by-side with these lower- the agency as evidenced by your funding increases for recruit- grade officers are not penalized in this way. The result is that ment. service outside the U.S. is becoming less and less attractive eco- I hope that the issues raised in this letter will help inform you nomically, especially when officers are forced to live on just one and initiate a dialog to improve the current situation. Many salary per household due to lack of employment for spouses of these matters are within your authority, and your person- at most posts. al involvement in implementing the agenda above will be great- Both State and USAID officers have the same needs and endure ly appreciated. We stand by your side and look forward to our the same risks (witness the tragic deaths of several USAID offi- partnership.

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 63 A F S NEW D.C. LOCALITY PAY TOPS 20 PERCENT A N Crossing the Rubicon on the Overseas Pay Gap E BY JOHN NALAND, AFSA PRESIDENT W S ith the stroke of a pen on Jan. 3, lies who also suffer the loss of income from do the efforts by Secretary of State Rice and President Bush approved the a spouse who cannot find employment other senior officials to maintain White W2008 federal pay adjustment rais- overseas. House backing for moving forward on this ing the Washington, D.C., locality pay rate Further delay in fixing the overseas pay issue. Strong advocacy on Capitol Hill by from 18.59 to 20.89 percent. With that disparity would put in jeopardy the long- senior State Department officials is crucial adjustment, the Foreign Service overseas term health of the Foreign Service and, with to success. pay disparity has crossed a mathematical it, the future viability of U.S. diplomatic AFSA officers had a very positive meet- Rubicon, as Foreign Service members now engagement. The overseas pay disparity will ing with Deputy Secretary John D. effectively take a pay cut to serve at 20- begin to hurt recruitment, if it hasn’t Negroponte on Jan. 10. Ambassador percent hardship differential posts such already, and increase attrition. It will lead Negroponte said that he was acutely aware as Damascus, Tripoli, Sarajevo, Chisinau, employees to start bidding only on domes- of the need to end the overseas pay disparity. Libreville, Cotonou, La Paz and Ulaan- tic positions. He strongly reaffirmed the department’s baatar. determination to work to rectify this All told, Foreign Service members take inequity. U/S Kennedy and DG Thomas an effective pay cut to serve at 183 of 268 joined in that constructive discussion. overseas posts (68 percent). At this rate, This ever-growing financial within three years, another 42 posts — those disincentive to serve abroad is AFSA Encourages Members to Help at the 25-percent hardship level without an To succeed, we will need all the help we additional danger pay supplement — will simply not sustainable. can get. Thus, AFSA encourages its join the list. (The Senior Foreign Service The financial “reward” for members to raise Foreign Service com- no longer has this inequity due to the 2004 pensation with members of Congress and implementation of pay-for-performance for five years spent abroad is their staff when you encounter them over- senior executives governmentwide.) the loss of the equivalent of seas. Write to members of Congress to No one joins the Foreign Service to get explain the problem (doing so in your pri- rich, but the pay gap is taking a toll. AFSA’s one year’s salary. vate capacity while off-duty). Please see the recent electronic survey, in which 4,311 updated two-page question and answer State Department Foreign Service members document at www.afsa.org/OCP2008Jan. participated, shows that only 3 percent do Statistical proof that those tipping pdf for helpful information. not see this as a problem needing to be fixed. points have been reached will only come Individual letters should illustrate how In fact, an overwhelming 70 percent after the damage has already been done. this problem has a direct impact on you. attach high important to correcting this pay Waiting for such proof would result in a While AFSA deeply appreciates those on disparity, and another 21 percent attach hollowed-out Foreign Service that would the Hill who understand this problem and moderate importance to it. Presented with take years to rebuild. Overseas pay disparity are supportive of efforts to fix it, many oth- a list of 10 problems facing the Foreign must be ended this year. That goal can be ers need to hear about the sacrifices that Service, fixing the overseas pay disparity was reached, but it is far from a sure thing, Foreign Service members and families make ranked as the number-one problem by sur- though AFSA is doing all that it can. (For to serve overseas. We need your help to vey respondents. (Survey results were information on these efforts, go to the AFSA convince Congress to fix the pay gap and reported in AFSA News in the January president’s update messages at www.afsa. stop increasing the disincentive for mem- Journal, online at www.afsa.org/fsj.) org/president-update.cfm). bers of the Foreign Service to head over- This ever-growing financial disincentive AFSA welcomes Director General seas and do what they do best. to serve abroad is simply not sustainable. Harry K. Thomas’ engagement on this If you wish to join in this effort, please The financial “reward” for five years spent issue. His Dec. 19, 2007, worldwide mes- contact AFSA Legislative Director Ian abroad is the loss of the equivalent of one sage titled “Whither Efforts to Close the Pay Houston at [email protected]. He can year’s salary. That has a serious long-term Gap?” outlined his advocacy efforts and advise you on which members of Congress impact on such things as savings for retire- plans, along with those of Under Secretary to contact and give you additional sugges- ment and children’s college funds — espe- for Management Patrick Kennedy. AFSA tions. If you do send a letter, please share cially for the many Foreign Service fami- warmly applauds these vital efforts, as we a copy with AFSA.

64 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 A F FOREIGN SERVICE FLOGGING The State Department itself has con- S ducted a number of employee surveys in A State Officials Blast AFSA Survey recent years that have attracted a smaller N percentage of voluntary respondents than E on DipNote Blog did AFSA’s poll, yet State considered them to be highly valid W he AFSA Governing Board and representative. S was disappointed to see sev- AFSA’s intention is not to eral highly-placed State “I read with dismay the article in the cause a rift between State T reporting on an AFSA Department officials — the State Washington Post Department management and Department spokesman and two survey which purported to show disap- employees. Foreign Service assistant secretaries — seek to denigrate pointment within the Foreign Service members remain profound- the credibility of AFSA’s worldwide with Secretary Rice’s leadership. ly loyal and dedicated to our opinion survey of the State Department “As any professional pollster will tell you, this kind of sense of duty. But there are Foreign Service and dismiss out of hand clearly some very serious the results of a poll in which thousands survey is imprecise and misleading. The survey does not concerns held by a great of our colleagues participated. And this include a representative sampling of the Foreign Service many members of our was done in a public forum, on the State and it collates only the opinions of those who respond. It profession that senior Department’s Internet blog, DipNote. is a snapshot of a self-selecting group, and should not be department officials would AFSA takes these criticisms serious- understood to reflect the views of the nearly 12,000 mem- be well advised to take to ly, especially because they come from indi- bers of the Foreign Service. heart. The survey results viduals in senior leadership positions in “More to the point, it does not reflect my views. I have can help State manage- the department. Because the criticisms had the honor of working for Condoleezza Rice at the ment understand what were posted in a public forum that would National Security Council and at State Department. She those concerns are and be seen by many Foreign Service members, seek better ways to [is] committed to the State Department as an institution, AFSA sent out a Jan. 15 AFSAnet message address them, in a spir- in response. Many people from inside and the Foreign Service as an organization, and Foreign Service it of open-minded- Officers as individuals.” outside the Foreign Service posted com- DipNote from Assistant Secretary for Western ness, working side- ments (see box below for one typical exam- (Comment on by-side with AFSA. Hemisphere Affairs Thomas Shannon, Jan. 9.) ple). Go to http://blogs.state.gov/, January For the record, postings, to see all the exchanges. AFSA’s senior leaders gave a one-hour While AFSA understands that these briefing on the survey’s methodology and senior officials might not share the opin- “As others have noted, the results to three of the State ions reflected in the survey results, it stands simple fact that senior officials Department’s top officials on by the survey as valid and relevant. The more or less dismiss the opinions Dec. 18, several weeks before electronic poll drew completed respons- of over 1/3 of their employees the survey was published. es from 4,311 State Foreign Service mem- speaks volumes to the issue. I must have missed AFSA’s leaders briefed anoth- bers out of a total of 11,300 possible er top official on Jan. 10. that management skill in business school. You want respondents. The respondents included While several of them ex- people to fall in line? Unquestioningly volunteer for specialists and generalists, as well as pressed some concerns about those assigned overseas and those assigned service in Iraq? Accept the pay cuts involved in serv- the specific phraseology of a few domestically, in almost exactly their ing abroad? We signed up to do this and we’re all questions, all of those officials respective percentages in the total (most of us, at least) more than happy to salute indicated that they agreed that Foreign Service population. leaders that we respect. In return, though, show the survey provided valuable Any pollster or statistician will con- some respect for our opinions and act on them as insights into the views of their firm that a response rate of nearly 40 appropriate. Debating the scientific validity of the Foreign Service employees. percent of the total population con- survey itself simply shows the all too frequent State Foreign Service employees can stitutes a statistically valid survey ‘leadership’ attitude of ‘suck it up quietly’ as judge for themselves the credibil- sample. The criticism that the survey ity of this worldwide poll. Detailed opposed to inspiring us.” is inconsequential because it was “self- results were reported in the January (Comment on selecting” is inaccurate. Every pub- DipNote from “J in U.S.,” Jan.15) issue of AFSA’s Foreign Service lic opinion poll is inherently self- Journal (www.afsa.org/Jan08sur selecting in that participation is voluntary. vey.pdf ).

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 65 A F S A N AFSANEWSBRIEFS E W S Donations Fund Two New Refunds for Credit Card Scholarships Overcharges In November 2007, Mrs. Elisa Freeman estab- You may have seen media reporting about lished a Financial Aid Scholarship in the name a class-action lawsuit on behalf of everyone of her late husband, Anthony G. “Tony” who traveled abroad between Feb. 1, 1996, Freeman. This scholarship will be awarded for and Nov. 8, 2006, and used a Visa, the first time for the 2008-2009 academic year, MasterCard or Diners Club credit, debit or and will be awarded in perpetuity. Mr. ATM card. The suit sought reimbursement Freeman was the first deputy assistant secretary of State for international labor affairs in the for overcharges on foreign transaction fees. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. He was a passionate advocate for interna- The bottom line is that anyone who used tional worker rights and worked tirelessly against child labor. He passed away in May 2007 at any of those cards abroad in recent years his home in Bethesda, Md., and is survived by his wife, twin daughters and two grandchil- qualifies for a $25 refund (possibly more if dren. you fill out a lot of paperwork). The $25 refund is easy to apply for online at www. In December 2007, Mr. Norton Bell established a perpetual Financial Aid Scholarship in his ccfsettlement.com. The deadline for request- name. This scholarship is unique in that Mr. Bell has never been a member of the Foreign ing a refund is May 30. Service but has a keen interest in diplomacy. This gift was a tax-free distribution from his IRA, which he gave after attending an AFSA-sponsored Elderhostel (www.elderhostel.org) program in Washington, D.C. Mr. Bell has attended well over 40 Elderhostel programs and Tax Guide Correction thought AFSA’s program was one of the best. He served with the Navy in World War II and There is an error in 2007 AFSA Tax is a graduate of the University of Illinois. He retired as an engineer from Hewlett Packard in Guide on page 45 of the February Journal, 1986 and went on to become a transcontinental cyclist. AFSA is deeply grateful for his sup- under “Personal Exemption.” The person- port, and that of the Freeman family. al exemption is correctly shown as being increased to $3,400. However, taxpayers should consult the 1040 instruction book- Possible Movement Transportation Office Moves let for 2007 (p. 33) for details on how to on MOH Benefits The Travel and Transportation Office has moved to the fifth floor of SA-3, an annex calculate the personal exemption in their This past fall, AFSA participated with near the State Department. AFSA regrets individual cases. Essentially, if your adjust- Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs the move. For months, AFSA and others, ed gross income is less than $156,400 for Agencies and other groups in an informal with the support of some in management, single filers, $234,000 for married filing coalition to help advance domestic partner urged the department to keep the offices in jointly, $117,300 for married filing sepa- benefits legislation. Senators Joseph the Truman Building to maintain the conve- rately, or $195,500 for head of household, Lieberman, I-Conn., and Gordon Smith, nience of the onsite, one-corridor location of R-Ore., are currently finalizing a draft bill most travel and transportation services. you multiply $3,400 by the number of to provide domestic partnership benefits to The Travel and Transportation Office can exemptions claimed. If the AGI is more, federal civilian employees and their same- now be found in Suite 5100 of SA-3 at 2121 then use the worksheet to calculate your sex partners on the same basis as spousal Virginia Ave. personal exemption. benefits. Twelve senators have already committed to helping advance this potential legislation. Overseas Security Seminar Online GLIFAA and AFSA officers met with key The Foreign Service Institute has launched an online version of the required Advanced Security staff from Senator Lieberman’s Homeland Overseas Seminar (www.state.gov/documents/organization/96014.pdf). Security and Governmental Affairs The course is mandatory for all foreign affairs personnel serving under chief of mission authority Committee to advocate that any bill that is who have not had security awareness training during the past five years. Adult eligible family mem- proposed on partnership benefits include bers from all foreign affairs agencies are strongly encouraged to take the online course. By offering the Foreign Service. While passage in the ASOS online, department employees and EFMs will have access to the security training all year near future is not certain, AFSA continues round. Further, once the course is completed they can refer back to the various modules at any time. to believe that our regular participation in Course objectives are to learn how safety and security trends confronting personnel abroad these discussions is essential to ensure that have changed during the past five years, discuss safety and security contingency planning, and the Foreign Service is not forgotten when it identify safety and security personnel and resources available to members of the foreign affairs comes to federal employee benefits. community.

66 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 A F FS VOICE: FAMILY MEMBER MATTERS BY HEATHER HARPER-TROJE S A N The Way of the Diplomatic Princess E W here seems to be a misconception about the life of the baby boy, having to say goodbye to my husband and son again, S Foreign Service family: we are a glamorous and carefree because they had to go back to Guinea. Tlot who circle the globe in our ball gowns and tuxes, cock- It was weeks of orders to “stand fast,” not being able to go tails in hand. I never know if I should sigh, scream or giggle. beyond our tall walls because of the violence on the other side. Life in Conakry, Guinea, our first post, was about as far from My children begged me to let them play soccer with the neigh- the cocktail circuit as one could get. Our time there, for me, over- borhood children, to let them see their friends, and it broke my flowed with self-doubt, a lot of loss, and tremendous joy. But glam- heart to always say no. our — never. It was, in the end, an ordered departure. Our little family stood Every day in Guinea, the demon of a medical emergency con- next to a military plane, feeling uncertain and scared, not know- stantly lurked. We had to hope ing when we would be together to God it wouldn’t be a true again. I watched as our children emergency because, let’s face it, clung to their father, not under- Paris was a long way away. A tiny standing why we had to leave him part of myself was consumed behind. daily by fear because we had Guinea was a lot of loss and a brought our young children into lot of grief. It was also us, as a fam- a malarial zone. ily, listening to djembe drums and Life in Guinea was sitting with laughter from our back porch, our housekeeper, Victoria, each knowing that a baby had just been time someone she loved died, born, or a couple had feeling her utter frustration and just married. It was anguish because the doctors getting to know people Above: View of Nongo Port. were never able to tell her why. who, despite the pov- Right: Kids playing in the And it was the awe that I felt for neighborhood. erty, live their lives her because, despite it all, she was with such grace, dig- always joyful and kind. nity and warmth that It was the children who would hold their tiny hands out to I was frequently re- me, pinching their fingers to their mouths in the global sign for minded of how much hunger; and it was my own sense of profound helplessness because I have to learn. I could never give them enough to change their lives. When our daugh- It was watching my dog, Moya, die slowly and painfully from ter was 2, she went through a phase of wearing nothing but her a disease that we couldn’t cure, despite rounds of various med- rain boots around the house and Victoria would laugh and say ications, garbled phone calls to vets back home, and countless vis- “African woman!” and Aisleen would roar with laughter. To this its to local vets who had no idea what was killing her. It was sit- day when you ask Aisleen, who is now 4, where she is from she ting on our living room couch, staring listlessly into our backyard will tell you proudly: “I am from Guinea, Africa!” Sometimes it through swollen eyes, while three men cremated our dog in a metal takes the perspective of my children to remind me that living in tub because I couldn’t stomach the thought of leaving her body Guinea was an honor, that we were given gifts and joys that we behind. I wandered around like a ghost for months after that, will never forget, and that, while we went through hardships, we tangled up by grief because I loved her so much. are closer and stronger for it. It was the difficult decision not to take anti-malarial drugs when The reality of our lives is that we are all nomads traveling with I became pregnant because, after a ton of research and conflict- our little families around the globe, our firm ground travels with ing advice, I just wasn’t certain enough that they wouldn’t harm us, and we are a defining force unto ourselves. Our lives are not our baby. And it was knowing that, if I did get malaria, the baby glamorous or easy, but they are truly incredible. and I could both die. It was boarding a plane with our 3-year-old daughter when I Heather Harper-Troje, along with her husband Eric Turner and their three 1 was 7 /2 months pregnant, having to leave my husband and 5-year- children, is settling in nicely at her family’s second post, Dublin — where old son behind. And then, three weeks after giving birth to a healthy she has yet to go to a cocktail party!

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 67 A F S A N CLASSIFIEDS E W S LEGAL SERVICES TAX & FINANCIAL SERVICES TEMPORARY HOUSING

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68 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 A F S A CLASSIFIEDS N E W REAL ESTATE SHOPPING TRANSPORTATION S

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MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 69 BOOKS

Once They’ve that his goal was to take “the study of Wilson’s meeting with the glamorous this period several steps further — Queen Marie of Romania. As Edith Been to Paris… particularly in dealing with many of later described the scene, the queen the secondary individuals and smaller lifted from the mantelpiece a photo- A Shattered Peace: nations that played such an integral graph of a dark-haired girl, 10 or 12 Versailles 1919 and the behind-the-scenes role in Paris, while years old. She then “held it up to him, Price We Pay Today at the same time examining their lega- saying, ‘This, Mr. President, is a pic- David A. Andelman, John Wiley cy.” ture of my youngest daughter, Ileana. & Sons, 2008, $25.95, hardcover, Indeed, that is the strength of My love child, I call her. Is she not 326 pages. Andelman’s book: It is a clearly writ- lovely? My other girls are blonde, like ten narrative that brings out intriguing me; but she — oh, she is dark and pas- REVIEWED BY JOHN BROWN historical details about the postwar sionate.’” world the Versailles conference creat- While immensely readable, A This year marks the 90th anniver- ed, many of them unknown to most Shattered Peace does have three sig- sary of the end of World War I, a con- non-specialists. He skillfully recreates nificant drawbacks. In his effort to flict which, perhaps like no other, the atmosphere of the period, dealing underscore the importance of Versail- shaped the 20th century. “Some of not only with the setting and the often les, Andelman links its causal relation the most intractable problems of the humorous and absurd goings-on at to current events (particularly terror- modern world,” writes Richard Hol- Versailles itself, but also devoting ism) in a rather heavyhanded way. He brooke, “have roots in decisions made seven of his 10 chapters to explaining also repeatedly cites his experiences right after the end of the Great War.” how the Paris agreements affected as a foreign correspondent, regret- That quote comes from Hol- Europe, the Middle East and Asia. tably interrupting the flow of the nar- brooke’s foreword to Margaret Mac- Of particular interest to this reader rative in the process. And his conclu- Millan’s magisterial Paris 1919 (pub- was the brief but revealing treatment sion that Versailles was a failure, due lished in 2001), her widely praised of how Herbert Hoover’s “network of in large part to Wilson’s naïve idealism account of how the victors of World private relief workers in the defeated and the Allies’ realpolitik cynicism, is War I sought to reshape the world in nations was used as a cover for the first far from original. the wake of a devastating conflict that network of spies the United States ever All that said, this book serves as a brought the end of four empires (Ger- fielded in a coordinated fashion across useful reminder that it is far easier to man, Austro-Hungarian, Russian, Ot- the continent.” Also fascinating was start most wars — including, as we are taman); the aspiration for indepen- Andelman’s account of how the young, becoming increasingly aware, the so- dence of numerous suppressed na- penniless Ho Chi Minh tried, without called “war on terror” — than to deal tionalities; and the international dom- success, to influence the decisions of with their consequences. inance of the United States. the conference. Throughout, the In his book, A Shattered Peace: author draws astutely on the diaries of John Brown, who was in the Foreign Versailles 1919 and the Price We Pay the ever-observant British diplomat Service for over 20 years, compiles the Today, David A. Andelman, executive Harold Nicolson, who was “the great- Public Diplomacy Press and Blog editor of Forbes.com and a longtime est single and most colorful chronicler Review for the USC Center on Public foreign correspondent, acknowledges of all those present at the conference.” Diplomacy (http://uscpublicdiploma that MacMillan’s work “was a valuable Speaking of colorful, here is the cy.com/index.php/newsroom/john road map” for his own work. He adds book’s account of Woodrow and Edith brown_main/).

70 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 B OOKS

Culture Clash you want to pursue a Western wo- his blog. But many others agreed man?” The men denied it, Zhang with his diagnoses and commended says, praising Chinese women’s slim his bravery. “[The criticism] cut deep I’m Furious (Wo Fennu, trans- figures and silky skin. Zhang then because your love is deep!” wrote lated sections available online) used the projection method to expose one. Zhang Jiehai, Huadong Normal the men’s answers as cover for Amateurish writing and suspect University Press, 2007, RMB 25 crushed confidence: he asked if they assertions permeate Zhang’s book; for (approximately $3.40), paperback, thought other Chinese men desired instance, he never cites a source for the 202 pages. Western women. The men agreed “recent American study that proves they did, leading Zhang to call on his Chinese are the smartest race.” Yet REVIEWED BY ANNA BETH KEIM compatriots to shed their awe of I’m Furious is worthwhile for its expo- Westerners and address China’s cul- sure of the conversation Chinese peo- In 2006 “Chinabounder,” an anon- tural flaws. Only then, he contends, ple around the world are conducting ymous Westerner living in Shanghai, can China fulfill its destiny as a great about how (or even whether) their used his blog to describe sexual con- nation. country’s culture should change, and quests of Chinese women in demean- The author’s diagnoses of Chinese how they should deal with Westerners. ing terms, infuriating millions of culture are grim. Its emphasis on Indeed, the readers’ responses Chinese. Zhang Jiehai, a psychology hierarchy and wealth means that the form the most valuable part of the professor at the Shanghai Academy of Chinese treat each other with disdain book. As Zhang notes, in Chinese cul- Social Sciences, used his own blog to and fawn on the rich, especially white ture there is “public talk” and “private call for Chinabounder’s expulsion Westerners. A wall between family [real] talk,” and it is rare for a West- from the country, then published this and outsiders damages civic responsi- erner to hear the latter. The voices are bestselling book. bility, causing everything from envi- discordant: some object to any criti- Combining blog excerpts, inter- ronmental degradation to refusals to cism of Chinese culture, while others views and readers’ responses, the give up one’s seat on a bus to the agree that the culture is sick. Some aptly titled I’m Furious (Wo Fennu) elderly, all worsened by the Cultural Chinese women write to protest male condemns not just Chinabounder and Revolution. With a fractured moral chauvinism, while others say feminism his fellow Western expatriates but the backbone, the Chinese cannot attain has weakened China as a nation. Some Chinese women who accept their their rightful global stature. argue for tolerance and friendship with advances and the Chinese men who Zhang advocates many solutions, individual Westerners; others — lack confidence in their virility. Those beginning with calls for Chinese to including members of the Chinese problems, Zhang says, stem from modify their relationships with West- diaspora — insist that Westerners are China’s general lack of self-esteem erners. Men must stop denying that instinctively aggressive and must be and a coherent vision of itself in a they desire Western women, while quelled by “the dragon raising its Western-controlled world. Chinese women should stop “revolv- head.” It remains to be seen which Zhang presents himself as psychol- ing around Western men.” Zhang voices will prevail. ogist to the nation, in the tradition of defends this double standard by say- Although this book, meant for a early 20th-century novelists Lu Xun ing: “If the men of a country are weak, Chinese audience, is not slated for and Bo Yang, whose 1986 book, The that country will not survive.” English-language publication, a trans- Ugly Chinaman, is still influential. But He also advocates the establish- lator known as EastSouthWestNorth unlike his predecessors, Zhang uses ment of American-style soup kitchens has posted two sections of Zhang’s research into sexual relations between and the use of public advertisements, blog online (they are also in the book). Chinese and Westerners to analyze the based on psychological research, to These can be read at www.zonaeu Chinese psyche. The result is an improve morality. There is a deep ropa.com/20060107_1.htm and www. unusual work that offers an intriguing inconsistency here: Zhang insists that zonaeuropa.com/20060828_1.htm. look at Chinese society today. China should not admire the West, Unfortunately, none of the readers’ The first chapter, “The Spiritual but these prescriptions are based on responses have been translated. Erectile Dysfunction of Chinese Men: Western models. For this, and for The White Pages,” reports Chinese criticizing Chinese culture, he has Anna Beth Keim is a freelance writer men’s answers to the question, “Do been denounced by many readers of who has lived in China for six years.

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 71 B OOKS

A Brazilian last point, I highly recommend his perspective on dealing with Islam, Perspective Andrade is bullish about rooted in the conviction that the West must resist the temptation to use the USA 2030 — Predictions America’s future because terrorism threat to launch a new ver- Dr. Attila de Souza Leão Andrade sion of the Crusades. Jr., Astemari Publishers, 2007, of our competitive edge Generally upbeat about China’s $20, paperback, 217 pages. economic growth, Andrade specu- in knowledge and lates that it may stumble at some REVIEWED BY LOUIS V. R IGGIO point, requiring Washington to step technology. in with a massive Marshall Plan. USA 2030 — Predictions is a Given the dollar’s current fall and remarkable effort in futurology aimed how Americans feel about that coun- at the United States. It follows the try (and taxes), that prediction may publication in Brazil last year of be less persuasive than others he Andrade’s Brasil 2030 — As Previsões Whether or not a society understands makes. (I should also note that the (Brazil 2030 — The Predictions) that it must create wealth is an important book would have benefited from bet- had the same objective regarding his consideration for Andrade. ter proofreading.) home country. But unlike that book, Overall, Andrade is very bullish Andrade’s erudition requires read- USA 2030 — Predictions is not a about America’s future because of our ers to have a good dictionary handy. translation from the Portuguese; the competitive edge in knowledge and They should also be prepared for author wrote it in English. technology. Perhaps the best encap- many new references, ranging from After earning both a master’s de- sulation of his genuine enthusiasm for “fractal history” to an unusual inter- gree and a doctorate in international America comes early in the book: “In pretation of FDR’s famous Dec. 8, law at Yale University while on Ful- other words, America has become a 1941, address to Congress following bright programs in the 1970s, Dr. At- living entity, a real God.” Pearl Harbor. tila Andrade Jr. became one of Brazil’s Yet as a proponent of world peace Near the end of the work, Andrade leading international lawyers. A fre- and playing by the rules set by the states, “It makes all the sense in the quent visitor to the United States, he is United Nations, he decries what he world for the U.S. State Department currently a guest lecturer at the calls Washington’s “bombs and bul- to pay more attention … to bring University of Miami. lets approach” to foreign policy. He is Brazil along as its continuing ally and His basic methodology is influ- particularly critical of U.S. policy partner in the world arena.” Toward enced heavily by Dr. Charles Reich’s toward the Middle East, including a that end, and to give Brazilians and seminal work, The Greening of focus on Israel to the exclusion of others a better appreciation of Ameri- America, published in 1970. He also other players and the Iraq interven- can society and its complexities, we frequently cites such distinguished tion, which he denounces as “blood need far more Foreign Service posts thinkers as Max Weber, Alvin Toffler for oil.” Very critical of the “military- in thinly staffed countries like Brazil and Samuel P. Huntington. Yet while industrial complex,” he believes we and considerably expanded (and fund- Andrade is highly familiar with will wage war for commercial advan- ed) public diplomacy efforts. America, Americans and Europe, the tage and raise taxes to pay for interna- USA 2030 — Predictions argues book’s analysis strongly reflects his tional adventures. admirably for this goal. Brazilian roots. Expanding his focus, Andrade For example, while acknowledging makes a case for growing synergy Louis V. Riggio was a Foreign Service the role of the Calvinist/Protestant among the following geographic blocs: officer from 1963 to 1964 and 1982 to work ethic in America’s achievements, the United States, European Union 1984. Currently a writer and profes- the author maintains that the U.S. and and Brazil; Russia, India and what he sional linguist in Portuguese, he works the West have succeeded because of calls the “Orthodox states,” that is, the from time to time on State Depart- their disregard for religion and reli- parts of Eastern Europe where ment contracts and writes occasional- gious principles — progress through Orthodox Christianity dominated; and ly for Newsmax.com on international freedom from religion, as it were. China and the Islamic world. On that and economic issues.

72 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 IN MEMORY

Two USAID Employees Killed in Sudan

On New Year’s Day, USAID FSO John Granville, helped build its first school. As a Fulbright Scholar, he 33, a democracy and governance officer, and his driver, also completed research on HIV/AIDS in the country. Foreign Service National Abdelrahman Abbas He earned a master’s degree in international develop- Rahama, 39, were shot to death in Khartoum. The ment and social change from Clark University in attack occurred as their car headed Worcester, Mass., in 2003. toward a western suburb of Sudan’s Delivering one of the eulogies capital. It was the first assassination “As we mourn this loss, was Andre Guy Soh, whom Granville of a U.S. diplomat in Sudan since had taken into his home as a Peace 1973. let us rededicate Corps volunteer in Cameroon. “He Granville, who joined the Foreign was a cultural sponge. Everywhere Service in 2004, had been working to ourselves to our mission he went, he became part of that implement the 2005 peace agree- community,” recalled Soh. Granville ment between Sudan’s north and so that our colleague’s mentored Soh in English and com- south that ended more than two puter skills, and now he was heading decades of civil war that raged sepa- lost life shall not to Sudan to take a program manage- rate from the conflict in Darfur. He ment job with Mercy Corps that had been working from Kenya and be in vain.” Granville had helped him land. “I southern Sudan until his move to think this is the best way for me to Khartoum in September. continue his work,” Soh added. On Jan. 9, more than 700 friends and family members The USAID memorial tribute for Abdelrahman assembled in Granville’s hometown of Buffalo, N.Y., for Abbas Rahama recalls his “exemplary service to our a funeral service with military honors. USAID Admini- Sudan mission [that was] crucial and appreciated.” Mr. strator Henrietta Fore, who presented his mother with Rahama was born in Juba, Sudan. He attended Juba the American flag that draped her son’s casket, said: Primary and Intermediate School and graduated from “John Granville represented the best of the spirit of Khartoum Trade School. He began his USAID career America: a love of country, a passion for adventure, with the Darfur Disaster Assistance Response Team intelligence, compassion, and an abiding desire to make when it started in 2004. He was officially hired as a dri- this a better world for the less fortunate. At the highest ver in November 2005. He is survived by his wife, levels of the U.S. government, we recognize his service Fatima Mohamed Ali Osman, and year-old son, and the sacrifices he made for his country.” Mugtaba. Mr. Rahama also provided support to his Granville became interested in learning about the father. world and working abroad as a teenager. He studied “Foreign Service Nationals are the backbone of our Japanese in high school and participated in school trips development efforts worldwide,” the USAID tribute to France and Spain. A graduate of Fordham University, states. “As we mourn this loss, let us rededicate our- he joined the Peace Corps in 1997 and spent two years selves to our mission so that our colleague’s lost life shall in Cameroon, where he lived in a rural village and not be in vain.”

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 73 I N M EMORY

Suzanne (Susie) Brainne Carle, John Hugh Crimmins, 86, a Amb. Crimmins is survived by his 75, widow of the late FSO Bob Carle, Foreign Service officer and former wife, Marguerite Carlson Crimmins of mother of FSO Lisa Carle, and moth- ambassador, died on Dec. 12 at the Mitchellville; a daughter, Deborah er-in-law of FSO Scott McGehee, Collington Senior Residence in Crimmins and her husband, Daniel died on Dec. 27 at Sharp Coronado Mitchellville, Md., of heart failure. Baschkopf of South Portland, Maine; a Hospital in Coronado, Calif., of a Born in 1919 in Worcester, Mass., son, John Hugh Crimmins Jr. and his massive internal hemorrhage. he attended Boston English High wife, Margarita Hurtado of Columbia, A 28-year resident of Coronado, School and received his bachelor’s Md.; and a grandson, Gregory Basch- Mrs. Carle was born a French citizen degree from Harvard University in kopf of South Portland, Maine. in Algeria (Oran) on July 21, 1932. 1941. During World War II he served Her family returned to Marseille in with the U.S. Army in the Pacific, at- 1940 and then settled in Paris in 1945. taining the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1950 she met Bob Carle, a native of Ambassador Crimmins entered Ellen C. Cronin, 80, a retired Coronado, then a diplomatic courier the Foreign Service in 1946 and spent member of the Foreign Service, died based at Embassy Paris. They mar- most of his career in Latin America. on Nov. 17 at Newport Hospital in ried in 1952. Mr. Carle became an He was director of Caribbean and Portsmouth, R.I., following a brief ill- FSO in 1955, and together they Mexican Affairs from 1961 to 1963 ness. served in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and coordinator of Cuban Affairs Ms. Cronin was born in Fall River, Colombia, Bangladesh and Libya. from 1963 to 1966. He was named Mass., on June 21, 1927. During a 31- During that time Mrs. Carle was a ambassador to the Dominican Re- year career with the State Depart- patron of local artists, especially in public in 1966 and served there until ment, she was posted mainly in the Colombia and Bangladesh, and an 1969, when he was appointed senior Far East, serving in Manila, Hong active volunteer for various charitable deputy assistant secretary in the Kong and Kuala Lumpur. She retired organizations supporting children. Bureau of Inter-American Affairs. in 1983, settling in Portsmouth two The couple retired to Coronado in In 1973, he was named ambas- years later. 1979. Mr. Carle passed away in 1990. sador to Brazil and served in that Ms. Cronin was a founding mem- For nearly 15 years Mrs. Carle was capacity until 1978, when he retired. ber of the Foreign Affairs Retirees of a volunteer at the Panamerican While in Brasilia in 1974, Amb. New England and remained active in Institute, a vocational training school Crimmins was credited with saving the organization’s programs. She was for young women in Tijuana. An avid the life of a young American who had an avid traveler, enjoyed art and was a gardener, she enjoyed participating in been arrested by the Brazilian mili- member of the Newport Art Mus- the Coronado Floral Association’s tary on unsubstantiated charges and eum. annual competitions. She also served severely tortured. When the embassy Survivors include a sister, Cecilia C. as president of the Coronado Lawn learned of the assault, a sharply word- Cronin Whipp of Dartmouth, Mass.; a Bowling Association. ed note of protest by Amb. Crimmins brother, John F. Cronin of Tucson, Mrs. Carle is survived by her three resulted in the injured American’s Ariz.; and many nieces and nephews. children: Lisa, posted to the U.S. release. In later congressional testi- Memorial contributions may be Mission in Geneva; Barbara Sirvent of mony, the victim stated that if the made to Harold Hudner Oncology, Sacramento, Calif.; and Robert of embassy had not come to his rescue, 795 Middle Street, Fall River MA Chula Vista, Calif.; and five grandchil- he would surely have died. 02721. dren: Madeline and Michael McGe- Amb. Crimmins was called back to hee, Raphael Sirvent and Sabrina and the department in 1979 to investigate Ariana Carle. and write a report on the Jonestown Memorial donations may be made massacre. The report, “Performance Edward M. Featherstone, 72, a to the Panamerican Institute, P.O. of the Department of State and the retired FSO, died at the Capital Hos- Box 433872, San Ysidro CA 92143. American Embassy in Georgetown, pice in Arlington, Va., on Jan. 2. He For more information about the Guyana, in the People’s Temple had Alzheimer’s disease. Institute’s Adopt-A-Student Program, Case,” was highly critical of both the Though Mr. Featherstone would contact the Missionary Society of the department’s and the embassy’s per- spend 21 years in Japan as an FSO, his NACCC at (800) 262-1620. formance. first visit there was with his parents,

74 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008 I N M EMORY

when his father was assigned as a Mike Mansfield. Following that tour, Center in Yokohama from 1993 to lawyer with the U.S. Army Trials of he served as U.S. consul general in 1998. Following that tour, he retired Japanese War Criminals conducted in Okinawa for four years. He had earli- permanently. Yokohama in 1947. He lived in Japan er served in Okinawa, under U.S. Mr. Featherstone was an avid bicy- until 1954, when he graduated from administration since the end of World clist and often biked to work. He and high school and returned to the War II, from 1968 to 1970 with the his two sons-in-law, Tim Walsh and United States to attend the University U.S. Civil Administration of the Terry Ward, enjoyed many bike rides of Pennsylvania. After graduating in Ryukyus, which paved the way for the together in Washington, D.C., and on 1958, he served in the U.S. Army, return of the island to Japan in 1972. family vacations at Bear Lake, Pa. He 82nd Airborne Division, for three He also served as vice consul at the was also a hiker, scuba diver and sailor, years before joining the Foreign consulate general in Kobe-Osaka and, undertaking sailing trips in the British Service in August 1961. later, as director of the American Virgin Islands and the Grenadines. During his Foreign Service career, Cultural Center in Niigata. He especially enjoyed walking his Mr. Featherstone became fluent in In addition to several tours in Airedale terrier, Jasper. Japanese. He served two tours in Washington, D.C., Mr. Featherstone Mr. Featherstone is survived by his Tokyo, the first in the mid-1960s spent two years as economic officer at wife of 48 years, Katherine Briggs under the legendary Ambassador Ed- Embassy Bridgetown. He retired in Featherstone of Arlington, Va., whom win O. Reischauer, and the second 1979, but was recalled to service as he met in high school in Yokohama; from 1978 to 1982 as political-military director of the State Department’s two daughters, Lisa Walsh of Golden, affairs officer under Ambassador Japanese Language and Area Training Colo., and Laura Ward of Newburgh,

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 75 I N M EMORY

Ind.; and four grandchildren, Alexan- 24 at the New York-Presbyterian Hos- and 1970 he sat on the Board of der and Natalie Walsh and Robert pital Allen Pavilion from pneumonia. Examiners for the Foreign Service. and Katherine Ward. Mr. Nadelman was the only child His last official position was as a spe- of Viola and Elie Nadelman, the cial assistant in the Office of Refugee world-famous sculptor. During his and Migration Affairs in Washington. early years, he and his parents divided After retiring in 1972, Mr. Nadel- Viola Ethel Grise, 91, a retired their time between a home on the man returned to Riverdale to man- Foreign Service employee with the Upper East Side and the family’s age the art estate of his father, dur- U.S. Information Agency, died on Riverdale, N.Y., estate, Alderbrook. ing a period of increasing fame for Nov. 6 at the Jewish Nursing Home in Mr. Nadelman attended Riverdale the sculptor and his work. An art Longmeadow, Mass. Country School and Princeton Uni- lover himself, Mr. Nadelman had his Born in Springfield, Mass., to the versity, graduating magna cum laude own collection of African works, late Edmund N. and Ethel M. (Poll- in January 1943. In 1942, he enlisted which he acquired while stationed in ner) Grise, Ms. Grise graduated from in the U.S. Army and earned three Liberia and during his travels in West the High School of Commerce there battle stars for service in military Africa. in 1934. Her adult life was full of trav- intelligence in the European Theater Mr. Nadelman was a board mem- el, and she developed friendships all of Operations. While assigned to a ber of a number of organizations and over the world. She served as a secre- British sector in March 1945, he par- clubs, including the Riverdale Yacht tary with USIA from 1950 to 1974, ticipated with British commandos in Club. His hobbies included sailing, when she retired. She was posted in the first amphibious crossing of the fishing, hunting, skating, photogra- Turkey, Finland, Italy, Vietnam, Haiti, Rhine River. phy, cross-country skiing and kayak- Iran, the Democratic Republic of the In 1946, he joined the Foreign ing. He was also an avid swimmer. Congo and Washington, D.C. Service. At first, he served as a profes- Mr. Nadelman was married to the Following her retirement, Ms. sor, training hundreds of newly late Joyce V. Cavanah (Nadelman), for- Grise settled in Rhode Island for 10 appointed officers at the Foreign merly of the Foreign Service, from years before moving back to her Service Institute. In the late 1950s he 1947 until her death in 1993. They had native Springfield in 1984. She was a became the youngest member of the two children, Cynthia J. Nadelman of longtime communicant of St. Paul the board of directors of the American New York City and Philip J. Nadelman Apostle Church there. She was Foreign Service Association. of Riverdale, who survive them. known especially for her humor and In 1961, during Mr. Nadelman’s In 1993, he married Laurelaine optimism, and her wonderful stories posting as consul and principal officer Buckingham Reid, who resides at of adventure and travel, friends and in Poznan, the U.S. consulate and res- Alderbrook. relatives recall. idence were attacked by rioters Ms. Grise was predeceased by her protesting the Bay of Pigs invasion. three sisters, Edith Favarato, Louise In 1962, he was chosen as the U.S. Grise and Marian Oakes. She is sur- delegate to the International Quaker Don Paarlberg Jr., 63, a retired vived by two nieces, Melinda Moran Conference for Diplomats at Clarens, Foreign Service officer, passed away and Diane Crum, and a nephew, John Switzerland. He spoke French, on Oct. 15 at Georgetown University Favarato, all of East Longmeadow; and Spanish, German, Italian and Polish. Hospital in Washington, D.C., due to five great-nieces and great-nephews. During the crisis years from 1962 complications from cancer. Donations may be made to Jewish to 1964 in Berlin, he served as the Mr. Paarlberg was born in New Geriatric Services (directed to the de- U.S. member of the Tripartite Politi- York and grew up in West Lafayette, velopment office for activities), 770 cal Working Group (with the United Ind., and Silver Spring, Md. He earn- Converse Street, Longmeadow MA Kingdom and France). He was posted a master’s degree from Northwest- 01106. ed to Monrovia in 1964. ern University and served in the Upon his return to the Depart- Peace Corps in Nepal. ment of State in the late 1960s he was In 1974, Mr. Paarlberg joined the designated alternate country director Foreign Service. He served as a polit- E. Jan Nadelman, 85, a retired for nine African countries in the ical officer in the Republic of Korea, Foreign Service officer, died on Nov. Bureau of African Affairs. In 1969 Micronesia, Hong Kong and Panama,

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in addition to various assignments 29 in Scituate, Mass., after a brief ill- rington, Ill.; two grandchildren, Kath- with the Departments of State and ness. erine and Joseph Cheh; two brothers, Defense. He played notable roles Born and raised in Scituate, he Ralph Roberts and W. Scott Roberts regarding NATO force moderniza- served in the U.S. Navy before joining of Scituate, Mass.; a sister, Gail Dus- tion, the Panama Canal Treaty imple- the State Department. His overseas seault of Belmont, Mass.; and many mentation and intelligence analysis postings included Amman, Ibadan, nieces and nephews. concerning China and strategic trade The Hague, Calcutta, Colombo, Tun- controls. He retired in 2003. is, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, Bonn, Ja- Mr. Paarlberg cultivated a lifelong karta and Lima. Mr. Roberts retired love of classical philosophy, studying in 1995, after serving as director of the Herbert E. Weiner, 86, a retired and writing extensively on the works department’s Miami Regional Center. Foreign Service officer who was one of Plato. He is survived by his wife Mr. Roberts will be remembered of the first labor attachés in the State Heeja of Fairfax, Va.; a son, Michael, for his work ethic, for living life with Department, died Nov. 26 at his of Washington, D.C.; and a brother, enthusiasm and humor, and for his home in Washington, D.C. He had Robert, of Watertown, Mass. dedication to friends and family. Alzheimer’s disease. Survivors include his wife of 42 Mr. Weiner was born on March 2, years, Donna (Clark) Roberts, who 1921, in New York City, where his accompanied him to all his posts; twin parents ran a small grocery store in David A. Roberts, 70, a retired children, Scott C. Roberts of Kuala the Bronx. After graduating from the Foreign Service officer, died on Nov. Lumpur, and Jennifer Cheh of Bar- City College of New York in 1941, he

MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 77 I N M EMORY

received a master’s degree in econom- showed the Foreign Service — a bit and was assigned as a yeoman with ics and labor in 1943 and a Ph.D. in patrician at the time — that an eager the heavy cruiser Albany at the time economics and labor in 1957, both kid from the Bronx could play the of his honorable discharge after from Columbia University. game and play it well.” Victory in Japan Day. Prior to joining Well known in U.S. and British The author of British Labor and the Foreign Service, Mr. Weitzel labor circles, Dr. Weiner served in Public Ownership (Public Affairs worked in the private sector as an numerous posts abroad and in Wash- Press, 1960), Dr. Weiner lectured on accountant for the United Fruit ington. He was first posted as a labor international labor and labor manage- Company. He lived and worked in attaché in London in 1947. During ment relations. He also taught at the Santa Marta, Colombia, from where the late 1940s and into the 1950s, he U.S. Naval War College in Rhode he undertook numerous ocean jour- was one of the American diplomats Island and the Industrial College of neys on cargo ships delivering fruit to engaged in promoting free labor the Armed Forces. the U.S. mainland. unions in Europe as the United States In retirement, Dr. Weiner remain- In 1955, Mr. Weitzel joined the sought to shore up European econ- ed keenly interested in British politics State Department. He served as a omies against the influence of com- and corresponded regularly with poli- disbursing officer and budget and fis- munist parties. tical, government and labor officials in cal officer in Singapore, Kuala Lum- Dr. Weiner later served in New the U.K., a cousin, Leonard Weiner, pur, Freetown, Panama, Cairo, Kabul Delhi, Lisbon, Ottawa and Sydney recalls. He had a shortwave radio and and Nairobi. Between assignments before retiring in London in 1980. loved to get news from the BBC. in Kuala Lumpur and Freetown, he He then served as a consultant to the Dr. Weiner was a member of married Annabel Davis Weitzel State Department on international Kesher Israel Congregation and (Wheeler), who was working for the labor matters. As a friend recalls, “He enjoyed attending Sunday morning department as a Foreign Service sec- get-togethers at the Georgetown retary. temple to discuss world affairs with The couple served together in other Washington notables. As Washington, D.C., before Mrs. Weit- friends recall, Dr. Weiner was an zel was reassigned to Luxembourg. involved person; he was not a Upon completion of her tour in bystander. He was a player, a con- Luxembourg, she resigned from the cerned citizen, a member of the Service and joined her husband in world. His stack of to-be-read mate- Freetown. Between assignments in rial was often staggering. Cairo and Kabul, Mr. Weitzel served Dr. Weiner also acted as a media- in the Near Eastern Affairs Bureau. tor in small claims court in the He retired in 1979 and settled in District, where he attempted to help Columbus, Ga., with his wife, who people resolve disputes instead of preceded him in death on Oct. 1, going before a judge. 1989. His wife, Eva F. Weiner, a retired Mr. Weitzel was buried with mili- lieutenant in the Navy WAVES, died tary honors on Jan. 10 at Parkview in 1988. Cemetery in Columbus, Ga. Sur- There are no immediate survivors include a daughter, Caroline vivors. Garner of Opelika, Al.; two sons, David Weitzel of Columbus, Ga., and Robert Weitzel, a Diplomatic Secur- ity special agent currently residing in Richard F. Weitzel, 80, a retired Bucharest; and five grandchildren. Foreign Service specialist, died on Jan. 3 at his home in Columbus, Ga. E-mail your “In Memory” Mr. Weitzel was born in Lititz, Pa., submission to the Foreign Service on Feb. 6, 1927. He served in the Journal at [email protected], or fax it to (202) 338-6820. No photos, please. U.S. Navy, joining after Pearl Harbor,

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MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 83 REFLECTIONS The Managua Earthquake of 1972

BY STUART LIPPE

mbassy Managua moved into he had to tighten control even further. its new quarters at the end of The first news was But Nicaragua’s vigorous civil society E2007, replacing the “tempo- devastating: downtown and private sector grew increasingly rary” building we bought after the Managua destroyed, unwilling to accept this. In a real chancery was destroyed 35 years sense, the earthquake and the official before. Here is that story. over 10,000 dead. looting of relief supplies was the first There are four major fault lines step that led to the Sandinistas’ vic- under Managua. On Dec. 23, 1972, torious entry into Managua in 1979. between 12:30 and 1:20 a.m., three We also had to replace the de- violent tremors rocked the city. The representative had salvaged his inven- stroyed chancery. In 1973, the Butler first news was devastating: downtown tory from the debris and set up sales in Corporation sold us a prefab building Managua destroyed, over 10,000 the driveway of his house. His exam- that was guaranteed to last five years dead, the U.S. embassy and adjacent ple was emulated by many in before beginning to deteriorate — by staff apartments collapsed. Managua’s active private sector. which time we confidently expected a One staffer, Rose Mary Orlich, lost In spite of the unabashed corrup- new embassy would be ready. In- her life, and it took extensive digging tion and cronyism in his handling of stead, the prefab was occupied by a by frantic embassy personnel who the relief effort, General Anastasio long list of effective ambassadors, converged on the scene to rescue Somoza brought the country back to including Larry Pezzullo, John Maisto, several others trapped in the rubble. apparent normalcy. By early in the Lino Gutierrez, O.P. Garza and If the earthquake had occurred at new year, various government offices Barbara Moore, all of whom must noon instead of midnight, we would had reopened, and services were have been surprised to see the walls have lost hundreds of kids at the being restored. bend when leaned on. American School and at schools all The Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry Asked about the 35-year-old over the city. sent a diplomatic note informing us building, Garza said: “It kept us cool Water and electricity were knocked that it had relocated to a private house in the summer and dry in the rainy out. Stores, offices and houses within and asking us to respond with our new season; thank God no one lobbed a a two-mile radius of the main shop- address. They knew it, of course, and hand grenade over the wall. It was ping street were destroyed or suffered we knew where they were, too. But functional, and no one thought the severe damage. Because of broken diplomatic proprieties were main- less of it. It was a great investment.” water mains and destroyed equip- tained throughout. So it was. I am glad the building ment, firefighters could only watch Two weeks after the earthquake, lasted longer than anybody expected. helplessly as whole city blocks burned. the first reporting cable that looked Congratulations to Butler; we certain- Hectic weeks followed. Embassy beyond the immediate tragedy pre- ly got our five years’ worth out of it. staff, both local and American, per- dicted that unless Somoza changed his Good luck to those in the new formed wonderfully. The world com- way of governing, he was headed for chancery. Just watch out for those munity responded with medicine, trouble. His autocratic rule may have fault lines! ■ food, tents, blankets and port- been adequate for pre-earthquake able hospitals. Nicaragua, but it began to collapse Stuart Lippe was the Nicaragua desk Nicaraguans themselves were under growing pressure for needed officer in 1972. He is now retired and incredibly resilient. Within a few reforms. working as a consultant on Colombian days, the Singer Sewing Machine Co. The lesson Somoza drew was that issues at State.

84 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008