PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIAT JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021 U.S. DIPLOMACY FOR THE 2020s PLUS: ARAB SPRING LESSONS TAX GUIDE FOREIGN SERVICE January-February 2021 Volume 98, No. 1 Features 41 What the Tunisian Revolution Taught Me Reflections on the 10th anniversary of the Arab Spring from a career diplomat who was there. By Gordon Gray Focus on U.S. Diplomacy for the 2020s 19 28 The Future of the Diplomacy Foreign Service and Democracy: A discussion with Putting Values Ambassadors Nicholas Burns, into Practice Marc Grossman and Marcie Ries American diplomats can play an important role in addressing the global weakening of democracy. By Michael J. Abramowitz 31 Getting State Back into Nuclear Arms Control and Nonproliferation Nuclear arms control and 46 nonproliferation remain critical Believers: Love and national security challenges. How Death in Tehran 25 prepared is the State Department to An Excerpt deal with these issues? Diversity and Inclusion in On the 40th anniversary of the By Laura Kennedy release of the Iran hostages, a the U.S. Foreign Service— fictional FSO heroine stirs memories Recommendations 37 of the takeover of the U.S. embassy for Action in Tehran and its aftermath. On Boosting The Association of Black American By John Limbert and Ambassadors offers a set of measures U.S. Diplomacy and Marc Grossman to make diversity and inclusion real National Security: at State and USAID. Three New Reports THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021 5 FOREIGN SERVICE Perspectives Departments 7 97 10 Letters President’s Views Reflections A Moment of Hope A Crown and a Nation 13 Letters-Plus and Possibility By Beatrice Camp 15 Talking Points By Eric Rubin 98 85 In Memory 9 Local Lens Letter from the Editor Geneva, Switzerland 88 Books Picking Up the Pieces By Howard Solomon By Shawn Dorman Marketplace 91 Real Estate 94 Classifieds 96 Index to Advertisers AFSA NEWS THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION 51 2021-2023 AFSA Governing Board: Call for Nominations 52 State VP Voice—Reforming the State Department 53 USAID VP Voice—Refine, But Don’t Re-define, Development 54 FCS VP Voice—The New Year: An Opportunity to Think Differently 54 AFSA Governing Board Meeting, Nov. 18, 2020 55 AFSA on the Hill—Advocacy in a New Administration 55 The Future of the Foreign Service 58 Reaching New Audiences: A New Year Challenge 59 2020 AFSA Tax Guide On the Cover—Illustration by Phil Foster. 6 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL PRESIDENT’S VIEWS A Moment of Hope and Possibility BY ERIC RUBIN et me start by offering my warmest ficult four years. The administration pro- denied themselves the advice and wis- congratulations to President-elect posed unprecedented cuts to our fund- dom of our most seasoned and experi- Joe Biden, Vice President–elect ing of up to 35 percent every year. AFSA enced career experts. We firmly believe LKamala Harris and the nominees pushed back. For four years in a row, a that it has been not just their loss, but our for senior positions announced to date. bipartisan majority in both houses of country’s loss as well. There is much to celebrate about our Congress resoundingly rejected the cuts At the same time, real progress has November elections: the largest numerical and passed strong funding to meet our been made in multiple areas in the past turnout in U.S. history, the first woman and country’s most critical challenges. four years. We deeply appreciate the prag- first woman of color elected vice president, Early in this administration, we saw matic, positive approach taken by senior and both domestic and foreign observers some of our best and most respected agency leaders on issues such as COVID- confirming a free and fair election. senior officers intentionally pushed 19 policy, children with special needs, AFSA is fundamentally nonpartisan out of the Service, leaving a vacuum paid parental leave, support for employ- and nonpolitical. We do not endorse can- at the top. We saw colleagues’ loyalty ees who are teleworking and financial didates or political parties. We are com- questioned because of their ethnicity or support for members of the Service sub- mitted to representing all our 16,700-plus national origin. We watched the presi- poenaed to testify in the impeachment members, as well as those in the FS com- dent refer to our nation’s oldest govern- process. There have been many other munity who are not AFSA members. We ment department as “The Deep State achievements, too many to name here. represent everyone in the entire Foreign Department” while the Secretary of State And so I end on a positive note. Service, regardless of political views. stood next to him, smiling. As we welcome the new president and As both the professional association We saw ground lost on the already administration later this month, we want and labor union for the Foreign Service, inadequate state of diversity in the Ser- them to know that the Foreign Service is AFSA is committed to working con- vice, particularly at the senior levels. In determined to help our country succeed structively with the president Americans some respects, the Foreign Service is now and to carry out the policies of the admin- have chosen, as well as with his political less diverse than it was 30 years ago. We istration to the best of our abilities. appointees. I personally have worked for saw respected FS leaders like Ambas- We hope that our most senior col- six presidents in the past 35 years and have sador Masha Yovanovitch abandoned by leagues will be entrusted with the posi- given all of them my utmost dedication their superiors in the face of hyper-polar- tions they have prepared for decades to and loyalty. I know that my colleagues in ization and politicization of U.S. foreign assume. A healthy mix of political and the Foreign Service have done the same. policy. We saw a shortage of overseas career appointees is a critical element in This is who we are, and that is what we do. positions that has led to painfully slow making our system work. This is a moment of hope and pos- promotions, and in some cases early Finally, we hope the new administra- sibility for our retirements, for some of our best people. tion will accept AFSA’s offer to partner Service and for our We saw the highest percentage of with them, and with Congress, to review country’s conduct political appointee ambassadorships needed changes to the Foreign Service, of diplomacy and in modern times, as well as the unprec- with a view toward modernization and development. The edented absence of a single career officer reform wherever it is required. There Service has been serving as a Senate-confirmed assistant is much work to be done, and AFSA is through a very dif- secretary of State. Our country’s leaders ready to do its part. n Ambassador Eric Rubin is the president of the American Foreign Service Association. THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021 7 FOREIGN SERVICE Editor-in-Chief, Director of Publications Shawn Dorman: [email protected] www.afsa.org Senior Editor Susan Brady Maitra: [email protected] Managing Editor CONTACTS Kathryn Owens: [email protected] AFSA Headquarters: FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION Associate Editor (202) 338-4045; Fax (202) 338-6820 Director of Finance and Facilities Cameron Woodworth: [email protected] State Department AFSA Office: Femi Oshobukola: [email protected] (202) 647-8160; Fax (202) 647-0265 Publications Coordinator Manager, HR and Operations USAID AFSA Office: Dmitry Filipoff: [email protected] Cory Nishi: [email protected] (202) 712-1941; Fax (202) 216-3710 Controller Business Development Manager— FCS AFSA Office: Kalpna Srimal: [email protected] Advertising and Circulation (202) 482-9088; Fax (202) 482-9087 Member Accounts Specialist Molly Long: [email protected] Ana Lopez: [email protected] GOVERNING BOARD IT and Infrastructure Coordinator Art Director President Aleksandar “Pav” Pavlovich: Caryn Suko Smith Hon. Eric S. Rubin: [email protected] [email protected] Editorial Board Secretary Alexis Ludwig, Chair Ken Kero-Mentz: [email protected] COMMUNICATIONS Hon. Robert M. Beecroft Treasurer Director of Communications Daniel Crocker Virginia L. Bennett: [email protected] Ásgeir Sigfússon: [email protected] Joel Ehrendreich State Vice President Manager of Outreach and Internal Harry Kopp Thomas Yazdgerdi: [email protected] Communications Jess McTigue USAID Vice President Christopher Teal Allan Saunders: [email protected] Jason Singer: [email protected] Joe Tordella Online Communications Manager FCS Vice President Vivian Walker Jeff Lau: [email protected] Jay Carreiro: [email protected] Hon. Laurence Wohlers Awards and Scholarships Manager FAS Vice President Dinah Zeltser-Winant Theo Horn: [email protected] Michael Riedel: [email protected] Retiree Vice President MEMBERSHIP AND OUTREACH THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS John K. Naland: [email protected] Director, Programs and Member Engagement PROFESSIONALS State Representatives Christine Miele: [email protected] The Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), Joshua C. Archibald 2101 E Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is Member Operations Coordinator Maria Hart published monthly, with combined January-February Tomoko Morinaga: [email protected] and July-August issues, by the American Foreign Service Kristin Michelle Roberts Manager, Outreach and Association (AFSA), a private, nonprofit organization. Carson Relitz Rocker Material appearing herein represents the opinions of the Strategic Communications Jason Snyder writers and does not necessarily represent the views of Nadja Ruzica: [email protected] the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries Tamir Waser Coordinator of Member Recruitment and submissions are invited, preferably by email. The USAID Representative and Benefits Journal is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, Trevor Hublin photos or illustrations.