AFSA SCORES CONGRESS REACHING OUT TO MUSLIMS TWO RIVERS $3.50 / OCTOBER 2006 OREIGN ERVICE FJ O U R N A L S THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS BRANDISHING THE BULLHORN Public Diplomacy Under Karen Hughes CONTENTS October 2006 Volume 83, No. 10 F OCUS ON P UBLIC D IPLOMACY F EATURE 19 / DAMAGE CONTROL: KEEPING SCORE IN THE CONGRESSIONAL GAME / 53 KAREN HUGHES DOES PD AFSA profiles how your senators and representatives A year into her tenure, is supported American engagement in world affairs. Hughes making effective use By Ken Nakamura of Foreign Service expertise? By Shawn Zeller 27 / PUBLIC DIPLOMACY C OLUMNS D EPARTMENTS MATTERS MORE THAN EVER PRESIDENT’S VIEWS / 5 Like intelligence analysis, LETTERS / 6 Ideology, Greed and the PD must be protected from CYBERNOTES / 10 Future of the Foreign Service MARKETPLACE / 12 political strong-arming, By J. Anthony Holmes AFSA NEWS / 71 generously funded and BOOKS / 83 PEAKING UT heeded at the highest level. S O / 14 IN MEMORY / 87 By Patricia H. Kushlis and Reaching Out to Muslims INDEX TO Patricia L. Sharpe By Richard S. Sacks ADVERTISERS / 98 33 / NEITHER MADISON AVENUE NOR HOLLYWOOD REFLECTIONS / 100 If public diplomacy has failed, as many critics Two Rivers Run Through It now claim, it is not due to an inability to find By Scott R. Riedmann the secret slogan or magic message. By Robert J. Callahan 39 / REBUILDING AMERICA’S CULTURAL DIPLOMACY Since the end of the Cold War, the U.S. has unwisely left cultural and educational diplomacy to the tough mercies of the marketplace. By Richard T. Arndt 44 / HOW DOES PUBLIC DIPLOMACY MEASURE UP? Here’s a look at what policy imperatives and technology trends mean for programs in the field. By Joe Johnson THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS OREIGN ERVICE Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is published J O U R N A L F S monthly with a combined July/August issue by the American Foreign Service Association, a private, non-profit Editorial Board organization. Material appearing herein represents the opinions of the writers and does not necessarily represent TED WILKINSON, the views of the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries and submissions are invited, preferably by Editor CHAIRMAN STEVEN ALAN HONLEY 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 mail- Senior Editor KENT C. BROKENSHIRE SUSAN B. MAITRA ing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Foreign Service Journal, 2101 E Street N.W., Washington, D.C. STEPHEN W. B UCK Associate Editor 20037-2990. Indexed by Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS). The Journal is not responsible for unsolicited SHAWN DORMAN ANTHONY S. CHAN manuscripts, photos or illustrations. Advertising inquiries are invited. The appearance of advertisements herein Ad & Circulation Manager CRYSTAL K. MERIWETHER ED MILTENBERGER JOSH GLAZEROFF does not imply the endorsement of the services or goods offered. FAX: (202) 338-8244 or (202) 338-6820. Business Manager WILLIAM W. J ORDAN E-MAIL: [email protected]. WEB: www.afsa.org. TELEPHONE: (202) 338-4045. © American Foreign Service EIRENE BUSA LAURIE KASSMAN Association, 2006. Printed in the U.S.A. Send address changes to AFSA Membership, 2101 E Street N.W., Art Director JOYCE W. N AMDE Washington, D.C. 20037-2990. Printed on 50-percent recycled paper, of which 10 percent is post-consumer waste. CARYN SUKO SMITH KAY WEBB MAYFIELD CHRISTOPHER L. TEAL Cover and inside illustration by Darren Gygi OCTOBER 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 3 The Jannette Embassy Plan WORLDWIDE COVERAGE Fire, theft comprehensive and Overseas Insurance for Personal Auto & Contents Coverage collision protection are available at foreign posts Since 1969, the Jannette Embassy Plan has provided dependable coverage to thousands of Foreign U.S. AUTO LIABILITY Service Personnel throughout the world. Our plan Available for short-term on home leave, change of assignment, and provides U.S. and Canadian personnel working at new auto purchase prior to embassies and consulates insurance protection for foreign departure. This coverage their personal property, including automobiles and must be issued in combination with an Jannette Embassy Plan household effects. Your Reliable Choice FOREIGN LIABILITY Each policy is backed by the expertise and dedicated support of our Contact post for compliance with customer service team. To learn more about the specific coverages local laws, excess liability limits offered by the plan, please visit our website at www.jannetteintl.com. over local liability coverage PERSONAL COVERAGE The Jannette Embassy Plan Household goods, transit, Administered by Clements International valuables, personal liability and One Thomas Circle NW, 8th Floor, Washington D.C. 20005 life insurance (800) 256-5141 (202) 478-6595 Fax (202) 466.9069 EMPLOYEE ASSOCIATION INSURANCE [email protected] www.jannetteintl.com Including directors and officers PRESIDENT’S VIEWS Ideology, Greed and the Future of the Foreign Service BY J. ANTHONY HOLMES As I write this column in mid- Act to provide OCP and create USAID has manipulated selection September, the House Inter- a PFP system, it contained two board recommendations, shifting cer- national Relations Committee egregious flaws. Incompre- tain individuals to lower salary increase has just approved a mini-autho- hensibly, the bill sought to categories and boosting other favored rization bill. This is an important delink the award of future employees. The draft bill the House step in achieving AFSA’s highest PFP salary increases from the International Relations Committee just priority, but several hurdles selection boards. How can a passed contains guarantees that this remain. By the time you read PFP system work, we asked, if abuse will not occur again. But the this in early October, we likely will it isn’t based on performance evalua- months lost having to negotiate reme- know if our Herculean efforts the past tions? We got no response, but the dies to all these problems meant that eight months and the quid pro quo deal answer was clearly through a combina- precious little time remained in the we accepted earlier this year, agreeing tion of political factors and personal tightly packed post-Labor Day legisla- to a conversion of the entire FS to a favoritism. The other flaw was, in direct tive calendar. Moreover, because there pay-for-performance personnel system contradiction to the department’s pub- are 15 other State-supported provisions in return for Bush administration sup- lic assurances, the bill sought to emas- in this bill, at least one of which is a port for Overseas Locality Pay, have culate the employees’ exclusive repre- show-stopper for the Senate, the risks succeeded. Given the pitfalls that sentative (i.e., AFSA). In fact, it dupli- have multiplied. remain, I estimate our chances are not cated precisely the most controversial, Whatever its outcome, this saga has much higher than 50/50. ideological element of the DOD/DHS starkly revealed a few things. The When the State Department pub- systems that the courts have since ruled Foreign Service is held in extremely licly revealed in February the package illegal. These poison pills not only high regard on Capital Hill by the peo- deal dictated by the White House, it made the proposed system unaccept- ple who know us best and who oversee assured us that it would avoid the able to us; they also made it dead on us. AFSA’s views and input are active- morass that had befallen the new pay- arrival on Capital Hill in the views of ly solicited and we have a real ability to for-performance systems created for key members of both political parties. influence provisions that affect the civilian employees of DOD and DHS. “If it isn’t acceptable to AFSA,” we Service. However, there are some in These are mired in controversy, judged were told, “it isn’t acceptable to us.” I this administration who are decidedly illegal in significant part by a federal understand that key administration offi- unhappy with the statutory indepen- court, and detested as “anti-employee” cials responsible for these broken dence and autonomy of the FS and by the other federal employees unions. promises were astonished that we stood who want to make it more politically We were assured repeatedly that the on principle and didn’t simply take the subservient. They are clearly willing to new State PFP system for FS-1s and money and run. sacrifice for short-term political expe- below would be identical to what has Sorting this mess out took several diency what a bipartisan Congress has worked well the past two years for the months and, in the process, revealed constructed for the long-term good of Senior Foreign Service. Win/win all two weaknesses in the way some other our national security. around, we were told. FS agencies are operating their PFP AFSA will continue to defend the Unfortunately, 11 weeks later, when systems for seniors that also had to be oath that all Foreign Service officers we finally received the administration’s fixed. USAID and IBB did not provide take on receiving their commission, draft bill to amend the Foreign Service any performance-based increases this to uphold the constitution of the year to their seniors, claiming that United States, by preserving our abili- J. Anthony Holmes is the president of the Congress hadn’t provided sufficient ty to put our country’s long-term inter- American Foreign Service Association. funds. In addition, we understand that ests above political considerations. I OCTOBER 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 5 LETTERS Missing the Point know something about this because I ing honoree.