FS RETIREES SPEAK OUT n LOCATION, LOCATION n REACH > GRASP

2005 TAX GUIDE INSIDE!

$3.50 / FEBRUARY 2006 OREIGN ERVICE FJ O U R N A L S THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS

ON THE RIGHT TRACK? Surveying Condoleezza Rice’s First Year

CONTENTS February 2006 Volume 83, No. 2

FOCUS ON SEC. RICE’S FIRST YEAR FEATURE

17 / TRANSFORMATIONAL DIPLOMACY: LIFE AFTER THE FS: MORE RETIREES SPEAK UP / 45 A WORK IN PROGRESS Retirees share stories and advice about retirement from For many at State, the Foreign Service. Condoleezza Rice’s focus on By Susan Maitra policy has come at the expense of management. By Shawn Zeller C OLUMNS D EPARTMENTS 29/ ANYWHERE, ANYTIME LETTERS / 6 PRESIDENT’S VIEWS / 5 DIPLOMACY CYBERNOTES / 10 Changes in institutional Transformational Diplomacy Takes Shape, but Basic MARKETPLACE / 12 culture and an improved IT BOOKS / 59 infrastructure will help realize Questions Remain By J. Anthony Holmes INDEX TO Secretary Rice’s vision. ADVERTISERS / 66 By Peter S. Gadzinski SPEAKING OUT / 14 AFSA TAX GUIDE / It’s Not Who You Know, 33 / PEACEBUILDING: CENTER INSERT A NEW NATIONAL SECURITY IMPERATIVE It’s Where You Serve Despite Sec. Rice’s support, the Office of the By John Allen Quintus Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization REFLECTIONS / 68 has not gotten off to a strong start. Exceeding One’s Grasp, By Peter H. Gantz Marine-Style By William V. Roebuck 39 / MCKINSEY REDUX: WHAT IT GETS RIGHT AND WRONG The McKinsey and Company management consulting firm’s latest report, “Winning the Next Phase of the War for Talent,” generally gives State high marks. But much more remains to be done. As this issue of the Foreign Service Journal went to By Louise K. Crane press, Secretary of State Rice was scheduled to deliver a major speech on Jan. 18 elaborating her vision of “trans- formational diplomacy” and what it means for the Department of State. For AFSA’s response to the Secre- tary’s proposals, please consult the AFSA Web site at www.afsa.org.

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 FJ O U R N A L S monthly with a combined July/August issue by the American Foreign Service Association, a private, non-profit Editor Editorial Board STEVEN ALAN HONLEY organization. Material appearing herein represents the opinions of the writers and does not necessarily represent Senior Editor TED WILKINSON, the views of the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries and submissions are invited, preferably by SUSAN B. MAITRA CHAIRMAN e-mail. Journal subscription: AFSA Members - $13 included in annual dues; others - $40. For foreign surface mail, Associate Editor add $18 per year; foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mail- KENT C. BROKENSHIRE SHAWN DORMAN ing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Foreign Service Journal, 2101 E Street N.W., Washington, D.C. Ad Circulation Manager STEPHEN W. BUCK & 20037-2990. Indexed by Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS). The Journal is not responsible for unsolicited ED MILTENBERGER ANTHONY S. CHAN Business Manager LILLIAN DEVALCOURT-AYALA manuscripts, photos or illustrations. Advertising inquiries are invited. The appearance of advertisements herein MIKKELA V. THOMPSON JOSH GLAZEROFF does not imply the endorsement of the services or goods offered. FAX: (202) 338-8244 or (202) 338-6820. Art Director ILLIAM ORDAN E-MAIL: [email protected]. WEB: www.afsa.org. TELEPHONE: (202) 338-4045. © American Foreign Service CARYN SUKO SMITH W W. J Association, 2005. Printed in the U.S.A. Send address changes to AFSA Membership, 2101 E Street N.W., Editorial Interns LAURIE KASSMAN DANIEL ZUSSMAN JOYCE W. NAMDE Washington, D.C. 20037-2990. Printed on 50-percent recycled paper, of which 10 percent is post-consumer waste. CAITLIN STUART KAY WEBB MAYFIELD Advertising Intern CHRISTOPHER L. TEAL WILLEM HOFSTEDE Cover and inside illustration by Darren Gygi

FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 3

PRESIDENT’S VIEWS Transformational Diplomacy Takes Shape, but Basic Questions Remain

BY J. ANTHONY HOLMES

“Transformation- work not directly related to democracy level of involvement in the day-to-day al diplomacy.” Sec- promotion, as well as consular and workings of other governments (“It’s retary Rice’s new management officers carrying out vital kind of hands-on diplomacy”) that rais- term penetrated my tasks, the concept created major issues es some fundamental issues. Perhaps consciousness last of raison d’etre and angst over whether the three biggest are: How do we get summer. I began they were included in the new para- sovereign governments to buy into our trying to find out digm. USAID officers, particularly agenda and permit this? And, if they what it meant upon those doing democracy/governance do, what are the resource implications arriving at AFSA after Labor Day. No work, wondered if the leaders at State and where will the money come from? one was quite sure. Everyone knew it were aware of them. People working at Last month I outlined our bleak was important and that the focus was embassies in developed countries and budgetary outlook. Congress passed a on promoting democracy in the Middle in existing Third World democracies FY 06 international affairs budget that East. Beyond that, though, it seemed saw themselves relegated to the periph- was $2 billion below the administra- quite vague. tion’s request. The latter’s modest pro- Slowly during the fall, various ele- Unless our agenda has posal for FY 07 reflects acquiescence to ments of the State Department tried to the necessary resources the view that these expenditures for the flesh out the concept. Less observing, necessary programs, personnel, and analyzing, and reporting; more per- behind it, it won’t operating expenses are NOT central to suading, advocating, and effecting amount to more than our national security. Unless our trans- change. Focus on eliminating poverty, empty rhetoric. formational agenda has the necessary reducing disease, promoting democra- resources behind it, it won’t amount to cy. Where have they been, I won- ery of the Secretary’s agenda. They’ve much more than empty rhetoric. dered? These changes began two been enlisting support of their host gov- Sec. Rice has captured the attention decades ago and became mainstream ernments for U.S. policies all along. and earned the admiration of many practice after the end of the Cold War. What about all the other important with her new approach. But to succeed The era of reporting for its own sake work they do? Given the widely-dis- she must find a way to reconcile trans- died in the early 1990s. “We don’t need cussed exercise to review global staffing formational diplomacy with our endur- it; we watch CNN and use the Internet and shift positions from the European ing penchant to try to be a superpower instead.” “Economic reform? Let the Bureau to large developing and other on a shoestring. For it to work, trans- international financial institutions and transitional countries, transformational formational diplomacy must trump the private banks analyze that.” diplomacy seemed more based on eternal tension between our short-term At that point, transformational where one works than what one does. domestic political imperatives and the diplomacy seemed just a new name for Some coherence was needed. inherently long-term nature of the solu- established practice, raising the ques- A little-noticed speech by Secretary tions to the problems it is meant to tion if those promoting it were really in Rice on Nov. 8, 2005, provided more address. But regardless of how this touch with what the Foreign Service definition. Key new elements included process to define the term and recon- has actually been doing overseas the the shouldering by the U.S. of huge cile its inherent tenets with fiscal and past 20 years. For officers doing politi- responsibilities for post-conflict recov- policy realities concludes, one thing is cal, economic, or public diplomacy ery and subsequent nationbuilding, clear. The Foreign Service is both cen- much greater focus by embassies on tral and indispensable to Secretary Rice J. Anthony Holmes is the president of the areas outside capital cities, more and her team of appointees in achiev- American Foreign Service Association. emphasis on public diplomacy, and a ing her goals. n

FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 5 LETTERS

Baghdad, Paris and Incentives members being killed. Iraq isn’t the Tacking on a super-hardship assign- Having served briefly in both only place in the world where one ment at the end of an overseas tour in Afghanistan and Iraq, I read Steve can get killed, of course, but is a way that allows family to stay in Kashkett’s remarks in the November among the most likely. And the situ- place would make such tours more 2005 AFSA News (“A Painful Family ation will probably get worse before palatable for some, as would allowing Quarrel”) with interest. For the it gets better. families to reside in nearby friendly record, I have not been promoted I can’t imagine rational people countries. Also, going back to six- lately and am currently serving in an being willing to take these kinds of month tours as the norm (with incen- assignment that was not even on my risks knowing that the rewards are no tives to remain for 12 months), while bid list — I went largely for the T- different than if they had stayed in less operationally effective, is far more shirts. Kashkett appears to be taking Paris. As for bidding, ever try making sustainable over time. Until recently, a toned-down version of the approach a case for a job from Khandahar with it was the standard for peacekeeping that Louise Crane took when she held nothing more than a Hotmail account missions, even for entire military the State VP position. I find myself and a Thuraya phone as tools? units. Finally, giving quotas to somewhere in the middle of this Remote bidders do need some help, bureaus would change the current debate. maybe even some preferential treat- environment, where officers are often Kashkett is right that brief service ment, to be competitive with the well- punished for volunteering, to one in in war zones should not be a means to connected folks on the 6th and 7th which management breathes a sigh of rehabilitate an otherwise faltering floors. relief that its levy has been filled. career, but wrong to argue that service Where I would personally like to This is the kind of dialogue I would in places like Iraq and Afghanistan see AFSA spend its effort is in part- like AFSA to have with management: should be treated no differently than nering with the administration to try a productive, helpful dialogue about Paris or London. to help the State Department as an how we step up to this ever-expanding To begin with, these “super-hard- institution adapt to this new environ- plate. ship” postings are different because ment, rather than just nipping at man- Keith W. Mines the places tend to be understaffed agement’s heels along the way. Yes, it FSO and most people there are in stretch was good to lay down markers that Embassy Ottawa assignments working around the three months in Baghdad shouldn’t clock. Like it or not, people there will lead to a promotion and a cushy fol- Don’t Diss DS simply be doing more than their peers low-on assignment, but now what? The diatribe against the Bureau of in more routine assignments, and it How do we fill the 700 unaccompa- Diplomatic Security by retired FSO will show. The nature of the work will nied jobs that Kashkett wrote about in Stephen Muller (Letters, December also generally look better to a promo- his October column? How do we step 2005) contains numerous errors that tion panel. It is difficult to dress up up to the plate to fill the new Iraqi propriety insists be corrected. Pay the delivery of a demarche, however provincial reconstruction teams, or issues aside, Muller’s description of a important, so it will read as well as other Iraq assignments, most of which Diplomatic Security Service agent as helping form local councils or setting have no bidders? And most impor- merely “sitting outside a hotel room” up a ministry. Service in Iraq and tantly, how do we sustain all this over does a grievous disservice to our ded- Afghanistan is also different because time, especially given that the well of icated corps of agents. They are there of the simple hardships, the most people willing to go is fast drying up? to protect the life of the Secretary of important of which is the inherent A few ideas come to mind to help State and safeguard the area from danger that has led to three of our facilitate our meeting the challenge. unauthorized visitors, crime and ter-

6 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 2006 L ETTERS

rorist attacks. If an attack were to Everyone is entitled to his opinion, In the months that followed publi- occur, the FSOs Mr. Muller speaks of and Mr. Muller has certainly expres- cation of the Appreciation, other rec- would be expected to do nothing sed his. My disappointment lies in ollections of Blood appeared in the more than take cover. Meanwhile, AFSA’s decision to print a letter which Journal. In the April 2005 issue, the agents will be defending the lives contains nothing positive and libels a renowned war correspondent Joe of those around them, possibly using dedicated group of professionals. Galloway told how Blood helped him deadly force and literally putting their James M. Reynolds cover the story of what was going on lives on the line. Special Agent, Diplomatic in Bangladesh in 1971. Although Mr. Muller’s other point is to decry Security Service Blood himself was under a gag order, the fact that security has become a Washington, D.C. he made a room available at the con- major issue in embassy design, loca- sulate for Galloway to interview tion and access, as if this were done Honoring Archer Blood Foreign Service Nationals, many of arbitrarily in a world free of crime or Journal readers may remember my whom stepped forward and related terror. We operate in a real world “Appreciation” of Archer Blood their own personal tales detailing the where diplomatic missions in Kenya, (December 2004). Blood was consul horrors under way beyond the con- Tanzania and Saudi Arabia are attack- general in Dhaka from 1970 to 1971, sulate’s walls. Galloway’s letter was ed simply because they are there. DS known for sending a series of well- followed by a letter in the May 2005 is charged with providing a safe and crafted cables to Washington oppos- issue from Blood’s son, Peter, now a secure work environment so that ing Pakistani atrocities there. The senior researcher at the Library of Foreign Service personnel are able to cables resulted in Blood being Congress. perform their duties, not to keep recalled and his career being tem- Following Archer Blood’s death in them from doing so. porarily side-tracked. September 2004, the Liberation War

FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 7 L ETTERS

Museum here in Dhaka held a wife, Margaret, his son, Peter, and characteristic grace and aplomb, I ceremony to commemorate his pass- his daughter, Shireen, were in atten- saw she was every inch an ambas- ing. Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. dance. It was a wonderful event, sador’s wife, and I felt quite satisfied delivered a moving speech in which one that seemed to help right past that an error had been corrected. he noted that Blood, too, was a vic- wrongs. Douglas Kerr tim of the war (because of the treat- The embassy asked me to deliver a Dhaka ment he received under Nixon and lunchtime seminar on Blood. (In Kissinger). But the State Depart- some small way, I have become the Standing Up for the Service ment benefited because Blood’s Blood expert here.) Churlishly, I Bravo to AFSA President J. cables effectively established the insisted that the embassy newsletter Anthony Holmes for his December Dissent Channel. publish my once-rejected Apprecia- 2005 column, “The Foreign Service as I have long believed that Embassy tion before I would agree to partici- a Political Foil.” Dhaka should do more to recognize pate. They did so without a peep of Secretary Rice’s response to his Blood’s work. Originally, I submitted protest, and I delivered a talk titled request to defend the Service was dis- my Appreciation to the embassy “Blood Lines: Writings on Archer K. appointing. However, since she has newsletter, but it was rejected on the Blood.” Thus, my own small (very taken a leading role in the conduct of grounds that it was politically too sen- small) wrong was righted too. foreign relations and has regular sitive to publish. Feeling very much Infinitely more significantly, Vic- opportunities for interaction with the imbued with the spirit of Archer tory Week 2005 was a high point for media, perhaps there will yet be Blood (and not wanting to take “no” bilateral relations. Bangladeshis have opportunities for her to correct the for an answer), I submitted my piece always quietly and politely resented record informally with reporters and to the FSJ and was delighted when it America’s opposition to their inde- other public figures who don’t take was accepted. pendence and the Nixon administra- the time to understand the work of My wife, Michelle Jones, who is tion’s implicit acquiescence in the the career service. deputy director of the American genocidal atrocities committed by Her predecessor’s willingness to Center here, then seized the initia- Pakistan that saw perhaps three mil- stand up for the Foreign Service in tive. With support from Amb. lion people slaughtered and 10 mil- public forums was among many Thomas (before he left Dhaka this lion flee to India. But this year, by notable acts of caring about the dedi- past summer), Michelle diligently recognizing that Blood was correct cated people who have served all and doggedly sought approval to and the Nixon administration was administrations loyally and well. Such have the American Center Library wrong, the U.S. has issued some- acts distinguished his tenure. named after Blood. Chargé Judith thing akin to a mea culpa. The peo- R.T. (Ted) Curran Chammas and other senior officers ple of Bangladesh recognize that and FSO, retired here have played a vital role in sup- deeply appreciate it. In the current Frankfort, Mich. port of this initiative. I say vital, geopolitical environment, these small because the idea was not without its high points of good-feeling and affec- Another First Woman detractors. tion between America and a Muslim Thanks for your informative article Bangladesh won its Liberation democracy like Bangladesh should on women in the Foreign Service War on Dec. 16, 1971. Each year, be noted, dwelled upon and cher- (“Breaking Through Diplomacy’s Victory Week is celebrated with relish ished. Glass Ceiling,” October 2005). here. This year — perhaps for the Archer Blood’s widow and two of While a PIT at Embassy Kathmandu first time — Americans were able to his four children spent a hectic but from 1991 to 1992, I worked for proudly participate in the weeklong enjoyable few days in Dhaka during Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch. series of events, because on Dec. 13, Victory Week 2005. In a touching Amb. Bloch immigrated to the U.S. 2005, the Archer K. Blood American gesture, the embassy allowed the from China at the age of 10, and Center Library was dedicated during family to stay at the ambassador’s continues to pursue a ground-break- a ceremony held on a beautiful sunny residence. On their last evening in ing career in both public and private afternoon on the library’s front lawn. Dhaka, they hosted a small recep- service. The dedication was attended by tion for Library of Congress staffers. Although I can’t say unequivocal- dozens of former war heroes and Watching Margaret Blood elegantly ly that she was the first Asian- senior dignitaries. Archer Blood’s host the event that night, with her American ambassador, I believe that

8 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 2006 L ETTERS

she was; certainly Amb. Bloch pre- dates Amb. March Fong Eu, whose service in Micronesia apparently dates from 1994. Thanks again for the article! Heather Guimond FSO Whether you are with Embassy Kingston the Local, State or Federal Government More for the Book Roundup agency or the military, I would like to recommend anoth- Crimson offers superior er title for the fine list of books solutions to fit your reviewed in your November edition budget and per diem. of the Foreign Service Journal (“In Crimson Government Their Own Write”). Just after that Housing Solutions issue appeared, a new book, Sub- Include: merged Rage: The Hidden Grievance Assignment Changes (PublishAmerica), was published. It Evacuations was written by William Beecher, a Intern Programs personal acquaintance and a longtime International Visitors national security and diplomatic cor- Project teams respondent for leading American Relocations newspapers. Short / Long Details This book will be of particular TDY interest to those who follow Korean Training affairs. It presents a South Korean view of Korean unification and Crimson offers an nuclear disarmament wrapped in an exceptional value in adventure thriller. It is an interesting temporary housing for exposition of a Korean point of view government personnel. that is presently considerably at odds Our furnished with that of the United States, and apartments and single- explains in great measure the appar- family homes are a ent diversion in the American and spacious and more Korean approaches to the North. luxurious alternative to The novel also highlights the impedi- the cramped quarters ments that Japan encounters in its of a hotel room. efforts to influence the direction of international affairs in the Far East. 202.986.0433 Submerged Rage, Beecher’s sec- ond book, will interest all those 888.233.7759 acquainted with Koreans. Such read- [email protected] ers will recognize traits in the fiction- www.crimsonworldwide.com al characters that we have seen mani- fested in our own Korean friends and Fully furnished apartments and single family homes, with large contacts. The book can also serve as spacious rooms, full sized kitchens, and housewares. Separate living, an introduction to a complex set of dining and sleeping areas. Hotel style amenities, including swimming issues and personalities. pools, hot tubs, fitness centers, optional maid service and more. Thomas Stern Rates within the TDY per diem. FSO, retired McLean, Va. n

FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 9 CYBERNOTES

The ‘Draft Rice for President’ times.com/2005/12/25/books/chap It was the first serious test of the Campaign ters/1225-1st-morris.html). World Bank president’s commitment In a mid-November poll of Whether a race between these two to fight corruption, and he acted only “Republicans 2008,” Secretary of women is “a very real possibility,” as after hours of discussion with Chad’s State Condoleezza Rice trumped Sen- the Morris book claims, is open to President Idriss Deby proved fruit- ator John McCain, R-Ariz., for presi- question. Should it come about, how- less. Wolfowitz emphasized that he dential preference by three points — ever, it would certainly be “one of the hopes continued dialogue will find 24 percent to his 21 percent (www. most fascinating and important races common ground. RasmussenReports.com). Only for- in American history.” At stake is a model oil revenue mer New York City Mayor Rudy management program that was a Giuliani, who received a 26-percent “Model” Development Plan showcase for the bank’s commitment rating among Republican voters, Under Fire in Chad to transparency and poverty-eradica- topped Rice. On Jan. 6, World Bank President tion (http://allafrica.com/stories/ It was only one of the more recent Paul D. Wolfowitz announced that all printable/200512060077.html). incidents in which Rice’s name has fig- bank aid to Chad was suspended. The Under the agreement, only 15 per- ured in future electoral calculations. move came after Chad’s parliament cent of the revenues could be direct- Though she has repeatedly said she is moved to officially weaken controls ed to general government coffers. not interested in running for elective over the flow of oil revenues that had Another 10 percent were to be set office, an active grass-roots “Condi for been a condition for World Bank sup- aside in a Future Generations Fund President” campaign and Web site port for the 650-mile oil pipeline pro- for the post-oil era. The rest was to be (www.Rice2008.com) has been up ject enabling the landlocked nation to channeled into priority sectors such as and running for some time. Mathew export its oil (http://news.bbc.co.uk/ health, education, social services and Reid, who founded the effort, says his 2/hi/business/4588412.stm). rural development. mission is “to persuade Condi to run for office and to help get her elected.” To some extent the assumption of Hillary Clinton’s presidential ambition 50 Years Ago... has fueled the “Draft Rice” campaign. Today foreign policy is carried out, or confused, also by “There is one, and only one, figure in contacts with ministries of commerce, finance, industry, America who can stop Hillary Clinton: Secretary of State Condoleezza interior, education, etc... In many foreign countries today the impact ‘Condi’ Rice. Among all of the possi- of our military personnel overshadows conventional diplomatic ble Republican candidates for presi- contacts. For most of my service abroad, I have been struck by one dent, Condi alone could win the nom- recurrent problem — lack of sufficient, trained regular Foreign Service ination, defeat Hillary, and derail a third Clinton administration,” declare officers ... In Washington one finds that foreign policy is made or Dick Morris and Eileen McGann in influenced in a score of agencies besides the State Department, most their book, Condi vs. Hillary: The Next of them without any Foreign Service officers at all. Great Presidential Race (Regan — H.G. Torbert Jr., from “Increased Functions Demand a Larger Books, 2005), the first chapter of which was excerpted in the New York Service,” in Letters to the Editors, FSJ, February 1956. Times on Christmas Day (www.ny

10 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 2006 CYBERNOTES

The pipeline to Kribi, on Camer- embrace the LOC’s campaign to build books from the collections of Stanford oon’s Atlantic coast, was inaugurated a World Digital Library, an online col- University, Harvard, Oxford and the in July 2003. It is fed by some 300 lection of rare books, manuscripts, New York Public Library is legal and new oil wells at Doba, and currently maps, posters, stamps and other in the public interest. delivers 225,000 barrels a day, des- materials from its own holdings and The World Digital Library initia- tined for Western countries. Accord- those of other national libraries that tive is separate from the LOC’s ing to the World Bank, as of the end of would be freely accessible on the already significant footprint on the September 2005 Chad had received Internet. Google contributed $3 mil- Internet as the largest library in the about $306 million in oil revenues, lion to the project (http://www.loc. world. Its Web site features catalogs $27.4 million of which had been gov/today/pr/2005/05-250.html). of all holdings, periodic exhibitions of placed in reserve for the future (http: “We are aiming for a cooperative rare materials on different topics, //allafrica.com/stories/printable/ undertaking in which each culture can a section devoted to “American 200512200736.html). articulate its own cultural identity Memory” and “Global Gateway,” a Government officials have accused within a shared global undertaking,” portal to world culture and resources the World Bank of using Chad’s peo- Billington told the Washington Post (www.loc.gov). ple as guinea pigs to test different Nov. 22. “This is the old dream of bet- types of management. They insist ter international understanding. The New Risks in Life Insurance that they want equitable development dream is that this could make a con- According to testimony at the and peace in Chad, and need the tribution, particularly among young House Financial Services Committee funds to address immediate problems. people brought up in the multimedia in November, rejections based on But local watchdog groups and inter- age.” The initiative is envisioned as a travel to countries insurers consider national NGOs charge that the money public-private partnership in collabo- risky is an increasingly common prac- will only be used to buy arms to shore ration with UNESCO. tice in the insurance industry. It is a up the foundering regime. “To me, this is about preserving trend that Foreign Service families Chad ranks 173th among the 177 history and making it available to will want to keep an eye on. poorest nations of the world, accord- everyone,” said Google president and “Historically, life insurance was life ing to the 2005 U.N Development co-founder Sergey Brin, who explain- insurance, no matter where you died,” Index, and is tied with Bangladesh for ed that he and Billington had been J. Robert Hunter, director of insur- the worst corruption rating in the discussing the effort for a year. Dur- ance for the Consumer Federation of most recent survey by Transparency ing the year, Google digitized some America (www.consumerfed.org), International (www.transparency. 5,000 books from the Library as part told the Washington Post on Nov. 20. org). Aside from financial woes, the of a pilot project to refine techniques But when Rep. Debbie Wasser- country suffers internal conflict, army for making copies of fragile books man-Schultz, D-Fla., a mother of desertions, betrayals and the risk of without damaging them. three, decided to boost her life insur- civil war along the border with Google will only digitize materials ance coverage, and applied to the Sudan’s Darfur region. from the LOC that are in the public American General Life unit of domain and therefore free of copy- American International Group, she World Digital Library on the right restrictions. This ensures that was denied. On the application, she Drawing Board the project is not subject to the kind of had checked a box indicating Israel On Nov. 22 Library of Congress legal action being pursued by a group was a place she might visit. “We are head James H. Billington announced of publishers and authors testing unable to approve the policy ... that Google was the first company to Google’s claim that its scanning of because of potential travel to Israel,”

FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 11 C YBERNOTES

AIG stated in its rejection letter. “We But insurance regulation is primar- will be able to reconsider this decision ily a state subject, and the practice of once you have returned from Israel denying coverage based on travel has and there are no future plans to travel already become an issue in some to countries of concern.” states. Maryland banned the practice Other members of the committee in 2005, and New York, California, agreed with Wasserman-Schultz that Illinois and Washington have imposed the risks involved in such travel did restrictions. not justify the insurance companies’ practice, and added an amendment to U.N. Greets 2006 with the federal Terrorism Risk Insurance New Drive for Reform Act then under consideration forbid- U.N. officials greeted the New ding insurers to deny coverage or Year by resolving to act swiftly to charge more on the basis of travel enact essential reforms mandated by unless they can show that such action the world body’s September global is actuarially defensible (http://finan summit. cialservices.house.gov/news.asp? At the top of the agenda is estab- FormMode=release&id=735). lishment of a new Human Rights The Senate version of the bill does Council to replace the discredited not contain the amendment, and it is Human Rights Commission. Nego- unlikely to find a place in the final tiators resume talks Jan. 11, and must legislation. finish their work by March, when the

Site of the Month: Words Without Borders Calling itself the “Online Magazine for International Literature,” Words Without Borders (http://www.wordswithoutborders.org) publishes stories, poems and essays by foreign authors translated into English. The site offers a unique opportunity to learn about a culture’s indigenous literature without a language barrier. The translations into English are superb and maintain the authentic voices of the authors. From the simple, collected thoughts typical of China to the energetic and detail-oriented personality of Cuba, culture seeps through the words and infuses prose and poetry alike with the flavors of anoth- er world. Words Without Borders gives the reader a rare opportunity to get a non- American perspective on different issues; little of these kinds of works get pub- lished in the U.S. through traditional channels. The site allows the reader to search by region or country, an especially helpful tool. The site also has an Editor’s Pick page of books in translation, with well-writ- ten reviews and helpful comments. Again, the books chosen represent a vari- ety of ideas and histories from around the world. Additionally, the site offers a free newsletter. The articles and other features of the site are completely free, though there is an opportunity to become a member and make a donation to keep the ser- vice running. Past issues of the magazine are also available. — Caitlin Stuart, Editorial Intern

12 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 2006 C YBERNOTES

commission reconvenes in Geneva. mofa.go.jp/policy/un/reform/ind “For the great global public, the per- ex.html). formance or nonperformance of the othing in the [Geneva] Amb. John Bolton has said that Human Rights Commission has Conventions [on the the United States favors expanding become the litmus test of U.N. Ntreatment of prisoners of the council as long as expansion was renewal,” Mark Malloch Brown, chief war] precludes directed “in a way that strengthened the of staff to Secretary General Kofi interrogations. They do, body’s ability to act rather than Annan, told the New York Times on weakened it” (http://www.upi.com/ Jan. 1. however, prohibit torture and InternationalIntelligence/view. Two other crucial steps toward humiliation of detainees, whether php?StoryID=20051111-05014 reform are in place. On Dec. 20 the or not they are deemed POWs. 5-6910r). Security Council and General Assem- These are standards that are Bolton explicitly rejected all three bly established a new Peacebuilding never obsolete — they cut to the earlier proposals for expanding the Commission, a body to prevent coun- heart of how moral people must council, including the leading one put tries emerging from conflict from forward by Germany, Brazil, Japan treat other human beings. falling back into chaos (http://www. and India — known as the G-4. Their un.org/apps/news/story.asp?New — John McCain, from Torture: plan would add six permanent seats, sID=16990&Cr=reform&Cr1=). A Human Rights Perspective giving one to each of the G-4 and two Three days later, U.N. members (The New Press, 2005), additional seats to Africa. agreed on a $3.8 billion budget for the http://www.villagevoice.com/ However, the council cannot be next two years. After intense debate, expanded without the support of all news/0550,hentoff,70898,6. a cap of $950 million on spending in five current permanent members and html. 2006 was accepted. The spending cap a two-thirds majority in the General is tied to implementation of major Assembly, which is regarded as highly management reforms by June, many unlikely (http://www.heritage.org/ of which stem from the findings of the Research/InternationalOrgani Volcker Commission report on the zations/bg1876.cfm). manipulation of the Oil-for-Food toured Latin American and South Asia A comprehensive convention on Program released in October (http:// capitals, and the latter will head to the terrorism is also promised before the www.iic-offp.org/story27oct05. Middle East in January. end of the current session of the htm). In mid-November, the U.S. called General Assembly on Sept. 30, 2006 Secretary-General Kofi Annan has for a fresh start on plans to expand the (http://www.un.org/apps/news/sto articulated the need for massive re- 15-member U.N. Security Council, ry.asp?NewsID=16482&Cr=UN form since his election in 1997 (http:// another reform item. Secretary of &Cr1=reform). www.un.org/reform/). He starts his State Condoleezza Rice reaffirmed For easy access to the news and last year in office with a mandate for U.S. support for Japan’s bid to issues involved in U.N. reform, there fundamental and lasting change in the become a permanent member of the are a number of useful online re- international organization. Security Council during Foreign sources. Among them is the Web site The Rice State Department and Minister Taro Aso’s visit to Washing- of Citizens for Global Solutions (http: U.N. Ambassador John Bolton are ton in December. Rice and the Japan- //www.globalsolutions.org/who/w actively pressing the case for the new ese foreign minister agreed that Japan ho_home.html) and the United Human Rights Council and manage- and the U.S. should work together to Nations Association of the USA ment reform(http://www.un.int/usa/ accomplish reform of the United (www.unausa.org). To follow devel- reform-un.htm). Assistant Secretary Nations, noting that Tokyo pays 19.5 opments concerning the new Human of State for International Organizations percent of the U.N. budget, higher Rights Council, see the Human Kristen Silverberg and the depart- than the combined rate paid by perma- Rights Watch Web site (http://hrw. ment’s adviser on U.N. reform, nent council members Britain, China, org/doc/?t=united_nations). n Ambassador Shirin Tahir-Kheli, have France and Russia (http://www. — Caitlin Stuart, Editorial Intern

FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 13 SPEAKING OUT It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Where You Serve

BY JOHN ALLEN QUINTUS

Recent issues of the Foreign ings, or in Washington, go unrecog- Service Journal indicate that the nized. always sensitive question of who gets Mediocre work in promoted, and why, has become hardship posts is “You Won’t Be Promoted more contentious lately. As people in Vienna” rejoice or recover from another fall often rewarded with When I accepted an assignment promotion list, I’d like to offer some promotions, while in 2001 to be public affairs officer in views on the subject that differ from outstanding efforts in Vienna, I did not anticipate that it those of the State Department’s would be my final overseas tour. But Bureau of Human Resources and, first-world postings in retrospect, I realize that the hand- indeed, from those of AFSA’s leader- go unrecognized. writing was already on the wall. ship, as well. Indeed, the senior officer who In July 2005, I retired after 25 offered me the job gave this caveat years in the Foreign Service, the as well: “You won’t be promoted in bulk of them spent with the U.S. superbly at one of our many impor- Vienna.” Information Agency. Over that tant hardship posts not quite as diffi- At the time I thought I would quarter-century, I perused many cult or as high-profile as Iraq and prove him wrong, but alas, I didn’t. promotion lists that occasioned in Afghanistan? What about someone Indeed, none of the section heads my own mind and, indeed, in the doing brilliant work on vital policy at post, including the DCM, was minds of others a conviction that the issues in Cairo, Port-au-Prince, promoted after three years in promotion system is neither fair nor Moscow or even Washington, D.C.? Vienna, and other deserving offi- designed to reward outstanding Don’t these talented, dedicated FS cers were denied promotion as well. achievement. Further, after hearing employees deserve an equal shot at Well, I suppose we had Mozart to countless talks given by HR repre- promotion?” console us. sentatives about competing against Former AFSA President John When I asked my career develop- one’s peers for promotion, I think it’s Naland made a similar point in a ment officer why I hadn’t crossed time to talk turkey. “President’s Views” column in the the senior threshold despite a strong The simple fact is that FSOs com- Journal a few years ago when he record as a FS-1, he replied that my pete as much, if not more, against observed that the difficulty of work last six years of overseas service were assignments as they do against peo- — i.e., the hardship of the country of all in Western Europe. So much for ple. As AFSA State Vice President assignment — had become a prima- the fact that I created a Dialogue Steve Kashkett put it in his Novem- ry factor in determining whether Center in eastern Germany that ber 2005 AFSA News column, someone is promoted or not. exists to this day; that I organized “Giving special ‘promotion points’ to To put it bluntly, mediocre work major programs on a number of for- those who serve in a few dangerous in a so-called “difficult” (hardship) eign policy issues that entailed a posts demeans the work being done city or country is often rewarded huge amount of work; that I institut- by FS employees everywhere else. with promotions, while even out- ed a training program in Vienna for What about the person performing standing efforts in First-World post- city and state managers from Central

14 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 2006 S PEAKING O UT

Asia. The list goes on, but you get U.S. in terms of security and eco- the idea. None of these accomplish- nomics (to name only two spheres) ments got me promoted — despite After hearing countless should also be weighed. And I being recommended twice. would submit that America’s rela- Even my previous service in talks about competing tionship with Austria, however small hardship posts like Yerevan and a place it is, is more important in Belgrade, both at FS-1 rank, appar- against one’s peers for these spheres than, let’s say, our rela- ently couldn’t overcome the preju- tionship with most Caribbean island dice against Austria, and other promotion, I think countries. (For instance, Defense Western European posts, that clear- Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is still ly obtains among the panels and HR it’s time to talk turkey. mad at Austria for prohibiting U.S. managers who decide our fate. troop movements over the country I can only conclude that regard- en route to Iraq.) less of the position held or the job This may all sound like sour performance, someone serving in grapes, and no doubt to some extent places like Baghdad or Kabul, or it is. But I nevertheless left the indeed anywhere in the Muslim easier in Western Europe than any- Foreign Service with the belief that world — or even in a small Central where else is simply mistaken. I had done good work and that I American or African country — is Logistics may often be simpler, but enjoyed a solid “corridor reputation” far more likely to get promoted than the scale of work is enormous, espe- for my efforts. We all know a host of a peer serving in Leipzig or Vienna. cially since officers are expected to senior officers about whom this sim- To be sure, other factors are obvi- accomplish more in non-hardship ply cannot be said. In fact, in my last ously present in promotions as well, posts than in more “difficult” work domestic assignment I listened to and they include gender and race. environments. I organized a day’s numerous conversations among Beginning during the Clinton admin- conference in Graz on European senior officers that clearly under- istration and continuing to this day, Union expansion with speakers from scored the disdain they had for many both USIA and State have made con- seven countries, including an assis- of their rank. certed efforts to promote women and tant secretary of State. I received an Of course, I harbor no illusions minorities. USIA’s last senior list of award for my efforts, but no promo- that the department will alter its promotions back in 1999 was so star- tion. predisposition regarding promotion tling in this regard that even one of Dealing with the press in West- practices, notably as pressure to staff the more deserving individuals noted ern Europe is also especially chal- Baghdad, Kabul and other high-pro- she was embarrassed to be among the lenging, unlike countries where file but undesirable posts mounts. group promoted. there is no real press — i.e., most of Even backwater, low-profile assign- Let me hasten to add that cor- the rest of the world. I took every ments beg for bidders despite the recting historical imbalances is com- key foreign editor in Vienna to lunch department’s efforts to reward peo- mendable; women and minorities before the U.S. invaded Iraq, and ple who go to these places. deserve every opportunity to got hammered by all of them. One But I would still like to voice the become senior managers. But the even told me that her opinion of me opinion that the promotion process opportunity, in my judgment, should had reached a new low. She then lit is not really merit-based, that it is still be based on merit. a cigarette and called Secretary the proverbial “crap shoot” in which Powell a liar. And I paid for the many individuals are given handi- Work Is Hard in Europe, Too pleasure of those comments, which I caps while others of comparable or Anyone who thinks that putting wouldn’t have heard in Yerevan. perhaps greater merit are the vic- together a multinational conference Moreover, the importance of the tims of prejudice, and that service in (to name one kind of program) is country and its relationship to the non-hardship countries deserves far

FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 15 S PEAKING O UT A time of service…a time of need Help for Seniors May Be Just a Phone Call Away— I harbor no illusions that The Senior Living Foundation may be able to help you or someone you know. the department will alter Some examples of assistance are: its promotion practices, N Home Health Care N Adult Day Care & Respite Care as pressure to staff high- N Prescription Drug Copayments profile but undesirable N Transportation to Medical Appointments N Durable Medical Equipment posts mounts.

For more information, please contact the SENIOR LIVING FOUNDATION OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE 1716 N Street, NW N Washington, DC 20036-2902 Phone: (202) 887-8170 N Fax: (202) 872-9320 E-Mail: [email protected] N Web Site: www.slfoundation.org more consideration than it current- ly enjoys. n SPONSORED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION John Allen Quintus was a public diplomacy Foreign Service officer with the U.S. Information Agency and the Department of State from 1980 to 2005. He served in Bonn, Port Louis, Toronto, Yerevan, Bel- grade, Leipzig, Vienna and Washing- ton. Since retirement, he has been teaching at the University of Dela- ware in Newark.

Need to Sound the Alarm About Something?

Why not write a “Speaking Out” column for the Foreign Service Journal?

“Speaking Out” is your forum to advocate pol- icy, regulatory or statutory changes to the Foreign Service. These can be based on per- sonal experience with an injustice or convey your hard-won insights into a foreign affairs- related issue. Writers are encouraged to take strong stands, but all factual claims must be supported and documented. Submissions should be approx- imately 1,500 words in length and should be sent via e-mail to [email protected]. Please note that all submissions to the Journal must be approved by the Editorial Board and are subject to editing for style, length and format.

16 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 2006 F OCUSON S EC . R ICE ’ S F IRST Y EAR

TRANSFORMATIONAL DIPLOMACY: A WORK IN PROGRESS Darren Gygi

FOR MANY AT STATE, CONDOLEEZZA RICE’S FOCUS ON POLICY HAS COME AT THE EXPENSE OF MANAGEMENT.

BY SHAWN ZELLER

uring gatherings with State Department employees, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice likes to tell a story about her first job at the department, back in 1977. She recalls that while studying at the University of Denver, she was an intern in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, reflecting her “very strong interest inD public diplomacy.” Then she shares a lesson she learned from that experience: “Always be nice to your interns; you never know where they’re going to end up.”

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The joke always seems to put the crowd at ease, but it information technology that finally brought Internet also carries an important message for her State access to every departmental desktop, and attention to Department employees: I am one of you, and all of you training that reinvigorated officers through an intensive — even the interns — are important. leadership curriculum. “There are no unimportant jobs,” Rice has said repeat- The FAC hasn’t had enough time to make a fair assess- edly in laying out her vision of “transformational diplo- ment of Rice, says director Thomas Boyatt, a former macy,” a concept that has proven to be the overarching AFSA president and ambassador to Colombia. But he theme of her first year in office. That philosophy, which does observe that “the Secretary has many times and in Rice illustrates with tales of the Foreign Service’s work many public and private forums said that she wants to during the darkest days of the post-World War II era and sustain Powell’s momentum. It’s sincere rhetoric, but it beginnings of the Cold War, is about furthering the still has to be tested against the exigencies of reality.” spread of democracy — particularly in the “front-line” For Under Secretary of Management Henrietta Fore, states of the Middle East and Asia — instead of just Rice’s top management aide, Powell’s tenure is an impor- maintaining the status quo. For some State employees, tant touchstone, but Rice only sees it as a first step. “We the words have been inspirational. But to others, the pep want to build on the building blocks and momentum left talk just sounds like a slick repackaging of what Foreign by Secretary Powell and his team, but we want to Service officers have always striven to do. increase the pace,” Fore said in an interview with the That split in perception captures the overall debate Foreign Service Journal. (Rice’s staff did not respond to within Foggy Bottom about Rice’s record after one year a separate interview request.) on the job. Some admire “Condi” for raising State’s pro- Delays in filling two key positions have hampered file after years in the wilderness during which the Rice’s ability to put her own stamp on the department, Pentagon dominated foreign policy. But others are however. Under Secretary Fore, a former U.S. Mint equally adamant that she is mainly interested in defend- director, only took office in August 2005. And the ing President Bush’s policies and hasn’t shown nearly the Foreign Service Institute has had an acting director same level of attention to management of the depart- since Katherine Peterson stepped down last summer to ment, and receptiveness to employee input, that won become ambassador to Botswana. However, Fore says widespread praise and admiration for her predecessor, she expects a new director will be named shortly. Colin Powell. With such differing views out there, it’s not surprising The Baker Model that there is no clear consensus within the Foreign Among Foreign Service officers, the analogy most Service about Rice’s management agenda, and its impact often drawn is between Rice and James Baker, a key play- on the quality of life of officers and their families. In an er during the George H.W. Bush administration. (Colin online survey of active-duty State Department Foreign Powell is most often compared to George Shultz, who Service employees conducted last summer by the earned his stripes during the Reagan administration American Foreign Service Association, 32 percent said more for improving management at Foggy Bottom than they believed working conditions were improving, 28 for his globe-trotting.) Rice, like Baker, has set records percent thought they were worsening, and 40 percent felt for overseas travel. “Rice has firmly established herself as they were staying the same. Secretary of State, and the encroachment of Defense on In contrast, two reports (2003 and 2005) issued by the State issues seems to have ceased,” says management Foreign Affairs Council — a coalition of groups repre- officer Bruce Knotts. “She’s won that battle.” senting current and former State employees — hailed But even as some officers take pride in that bureau- Powell’s four-year tenure as “historic.” The studies cited cratic victory, others say that Rice has done it largely with- his success in rebuilding a depleted Foreign Service out the advice and guidance of Foreign Service officers, through his Diplomatic Readiness Initiative, a focus on just as Baker did before her. That camp cites the assess- ment of Washington Post columnist Jim Hoagland, who Shawn Zeller is a senior staff writer for Congressional wrote last August that President Bush “had sent Rice, his Quarterly. first-term national security adviser, to quell the hotbed of

18 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 2006 F OCUS

rebellion that the State Department Some FSOs see craft in return for renouncing its often was under Powell.” nuclear ambitions. At the same time, Of one thing, there can be little parallels between she’s pushed European allies to back doubt, however: Rice works hard and Security Council intervention if the she can be tough when she wants to Rice and James negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear pro- be. She has proven her mettle by gram don’t succeed. Powell, by con- playing an active role in key diplomat- Baker, Secretary of trast, failed to get the White House to ic negotiations overseas, and congres- exclude Iran from its list of three coun- sional tussles in Washington. Success State during the tries in the “axis of evil” or even to sup- in both areas, of course, will not only port talks on the nuclear issue. boost her legacy but also burnish her George H.W. Bush Last spring, Rice canceled a visit to credentials as a manager of the Egypt when the Mubarak government Foreign Service as she seeks more administration. detained prominent opposition figure profound institutional changes. Ayman Nour, a move that paved the On the diplomatic front, she can way for him to run in the September point to several significant achievements in her first year. presidential election. However, following his defeat, he Last November she received accolades for working with was again arrested and in December was sentenced to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime five years’ imprisonment on what many observers have Minister Ariel Sharon to conclude an agreement on denounced as trumped-up charges of forgery. In sharp Palestinian control over access to the Gaza Strip. For contrast with its earlier signal of disapproval, the U.S. has Rice, who has often left the hands-on work of diplomacy not yet taken any public steps to secure Nour’s release to others, it was an impressive showing. Few had expect- other than issuing a statement questioning the fairness of ed that a deal could be reached, and she worked through the trial. the night to hammer out the details. Elsewhere in the region, Rice has called on Saudi As the Washington Post put it last year, Rice “has Arabia to allow women the vote and has sought to dis- demonstrated a willingness to bend on tactics to accom- suade Israel from more settlement-building. In India, modate the concerns of allies without ceding on broad she boosted relations by promising to try to convince principles, what she calls ‘practical idealism.’ She also Congress to allow the Bush administration to sell nuclear conducts a more aggressive personal diplomacy, breaking technology to India for civilian uses. And she has worked State Department records for foreign travel and setting with the United Nations to investigate war crimes in up diplomatic tag teams with top staff on urgent issues.” Darfur while also pursuing closer cooperation with While that approach can leave diplomats working in Khartoum against terrorism. lower-profile areas feeling out of the loop and unappreci- ated, there is no denying that she has put her own stamp Initial Success on the Hill on U.S. diplomacy. On Capitol Hill, Rice got off to a fast start, winning Take her approach to the remaining members of the praise as she made the rounds of various congressional “axis of evil,” North Korea and Iran. Rice convinced the committees in January 2005. House Appropriations government of Kim Jong Il to come back to the negotiat- Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., said her suc- ing table and discuss his nuclear program by publicly cess was “really an incredible development for our coun- describing Kim’s government as “sovereign.” She then try.” His Senate counterpart Thad Cochran, R-Miss., authorized a key aide to meet several times with North offered similar praise: “You’re off to a great start. You Korean diplomats, well above the level of contact her reflect credit on our country and every individual citizen predecessor was allowed to pursue with Pyongyang dur- in the United States,” he says. Even Democrats were ing Bush’s first term. quick to offer praise. Rep. Tom Lantos of California said She has also worked to strike a deal with Iran, offering Congress was “proud to have you [as] the face of America to permit it to apply for membership in the World Trade to the rest of the world.” Organization and buy spare parts for aging passenger air- During her confirmation hearings before the Senate

FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 19 F OCUS

Foreign Relations Committee, Rice did elicit skepticism ing that any call for a timetable for withdrawal would from some Democrats. Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, undermine efforts to hand over authority to a function- the panel’s ranking minority member, scolded Rice for ing Iraqi government. But members of Congress have sticking so assiduously to Bush administration talking become more vocal in challenging her about Iraq policy points on the Iraq war. He expressed “reservations” and and, increasingly, have moved to distance themselves “frustration” before ultimately giving Rice a yea vote in from it. committee. “You sort of stuck to the party line, which Rice is well aware that Iraq will be the defining for- seems pretty consistent: You’re always right,” he said eign policy issue of her tenure. Thus, her transforma- with more than a hint of sarcasm. Ultimately, the com- tional diplomacy initiative is tightly bound with her mis- mittee vote to send Rice’s nomination on to the full sion of ensuring that the United States leaves Iraq a Senate was 16-2, with only Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., peaceful and democratic nation. and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., voting against her. She then cleared the Senate by an overwhelming 85-13 vote, Too Tight-Knit an Approach? with two senators not voting. That said, the 13 nays The controversy over the war has also affected her marked the greatest level of opposition to a Secretary of relationship with Foreign Service officers, many of State nominee since World War II. whom share the concerns raised in Congress, and fur- All that good will yielded some early victories, includ- ther believe that some of the problems could have been ing a key battle last May: Sens. Robert Byrd, D-W. Va., avoided if the expert opinions of officers in the field had and John Ensign, R-Nev., sought to strip more than $100 been taken to heart. million in funding from a supplemental appropriations Bush administration appointees “have their policies bill that was intended for State’s operations in Baghdad and have a right to vigorously go after them,” says one in order to redirect the money to border security. Rice management officer in Washington who requested went to the mat and won: State kept the funds. anonymity for fear of job repercussions. Expressing a Rice has also fended off efforts by other agencies to view shared by many of his colleagues, he says: “But scale back their obligations to help pay for new embassy insights into who might be trusted or not, and which construction. A year ago, Congress approved legislation policies will fly or not fly — that kind of information is that requires agencies with employees serving in not getting to the seventh floor as it used to.” embassies abroad to contribute to State’s Capital Those assessments match up well with a description Security Cost-Sharing Program, which aims primarily to of Rice and her approach to management that appeared upgrade security at embassies. Under the program, in the Washington Post last year. Reporter Glenn agencies pay fees to the State Department based on how Kessler wrote that before taking the job, “Rice conclud- many staffers they have abroad, something that other ed she did not want to be barricaded by a palace guard departments such as Agriculture, Commerce and on the seventh floor of the State Department — but Defense had sought to avoid. With this financial assis- she also decided she did not want to let the building tance from other agencies, State expects to finish con- run her.” struction of 150 new, more secure overseas facilities in As a result, she early on “identified a few key priorities 14 years, rather than the 26 years it would have taken that she believes will define her tenure as Secretary of without the aid. “Everything is on track and on sched- State, such as promotion of democracy. And then she put ule,” says Fore. “Everyone came to the table. No one together an inner circle that draws heavily on longtime was missing.” personal connections to her and one another. The result In recent months, though, Rice has had to deal with is a powerful and focused group of aides — and some dwindling support on Capitol Hill for the war in Iraq. In grumbling in parts of the building that have felt their pri- October, she made a combative appearance at a Senate orities ignored or played down.” Foreign Relations Committee hearing at which all of the The management officer says that one clear example committee Democrats and most of the Republicans of how Rice’s tight-knit approach went awry is the case of raised questions about the administration’s handling of Ahmed Chalabi, the Iraqi dissident leader who gained the war. Rice staunchly defended current policy, insist- allies in the White House leading up to the Iraq War and

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is considered one of the main sources Sec. Rice can point “I think there are some times … of faulty intelligence concerning when you’re going to promote some weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. to several significant people who have not gone through “He was never really trusted by the all of the steps,” she said. “It’s going State Department,” says the manage- achievements on the to happen. It should happen. I think ment officer. “We thought of him as a it’s a good thing if, once in a while, bit of a shifty character, and I think diplomatic front in somebody who is a fast riser, some- time has proven us right in that sense.” body who has demonstrated that Rice’s insistence that officers who her first year. they are capable of doing a job that’s serve in Iraq should receive prefer- one or two grades ahead, gets that ence in future promotions and assign- promotion. Because what you don’t ments has further rankled many offi- want to do is to leave the impression cers. So has the “baby DAS” controversy, her promotion that in an organization as esteemed as the Foreign of some lower-ranking officials who served with her at the Service that it’s just all about going through the ranks. National Security Council to deputy assistant secretary It’s really about performance; it’s about willingness to positions (typically reserved for senior personnel). Those take on challenges. We’ve had people who volunteered personnel moves have collectively fed the notion that for some of our hardest posts. We’ve been in some Rice is disinterested in the views of the rank-and-file. really tough times. It’s tough to serve in Baghdad. It’s But at a department town hall meeting last June, Rice tough to serve in Kabul. It’s tough to serve in vigorously defended the appointments. Colombia. We’ve had people who have been more

FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 21 F OCUS

Transformational Diplomacy: What Exactly Does It Mean?

ince Secretary Rice took office a year ago, her past, some changes were needed to incorporate Rice’s remarks have been peppered with the phrase “trans- vision, Ambassador Katherine H. Peterson, the former Sformational diplomacy.” The idea has sparked dis- director of FSI, has said. “This requires additional skills cussion in the media: just what does Rice mean? What that many Foreign Service employees don’t have at the will transformational diplomacy signify for international moment — for instance, how to run a program and deal policy? In Rice’s vision, diplomacy “must be a conversa- with grants — for which we must now train” (http://www. tion, not a monologue.” According to the Secretary’s washdiplomat.com/June-05/a1_06_05.html). statement at her first town meeting at State in January A comment on what transformation means for many at 2005, transformational diplomacy is the “effort to use our DOS is posted on a forum at the Tales from a Small Planet diplomacy literally to change the world.” The idea is to Web site, an online magazine about living overseas take the role of activists as well as ana- (www.talesmag.com): “Transforma- lysts to engage societies and make nec- tion must be thought of in more spe- essary changes (http://www.state.gov/ In Rice’s vision, cific and functional terms than those secretary/rm/2005/41414.htm). expressed by Secretary Rice. I don’t Rice has also said that the idea is to diplomacy “must be think the change will be for the better be active with our partners in democ- until we start having candid discussion racy to build “a safer and better and a conversation, of the sometimes taboo topics of freer world.” This embraces initiatives assignments and promotions within to combat terrorism, strengthen demo- not a monologue.” the department. Also, transformation cracy, increase global prosperity and must be about more than just how provide aid to those who need it most. State does its work. It must be about Instead of merely managing problems, what work the State Department does; the new policy looks at the source. what role it plays in the larger drama of U.S. foreign poli- Derek Chollet, a fellow of the Center for Strategic and cy formulation and execution.” International Studies, wrote an article for the Washington In remarks to State Department correspondents Jan. 5, Post last spring that described Rice’s diplomatic goals as 2006, Sec. Rice promised more discussion of the concept in the ambition not just to be a gardener, but a landscape the new year: “[We’ll talk more about] what it means for architect. This vivid metaphor aptly describes the level of American diplomacy, and American diplomats, to be people dedication and involvement that Rice has put into her post. who are now more involved and more engaged in the lives of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative people in countries where our engagements look more like Affairs Tom Callahan offered a definition of transforma- what we do in Kabul or what we do in the Philippines. ... It’s tional diplomacy in remarks at the George C. Marshall a hands-on [effort] trying to help people create governing International Center in June 2005, describing it as the structures that work, rather than the way we traditionally “effort of diplomacy not just to monitor, report, and cajole, thought about the Service, which is that you report on other but actually to transform societies into more functional, countries, you demarche other countries. democratic and responsible members of the international “It’s not that that’s unimportant,” Rice continued. “But I community.” As he noted, the idea is not really new; the think we’re seeing that around the world we are more Marshall Plan was a model of transformational diplomacy engaged now on the ground, hands-on. And we’re looking (http://www.state.gov/r/pa/dc/rks/47848.htm). at what that means for the training of our people; we’re look- The Foreign Service Institute has added new classes on ing at what that means for the deployment of our people, and conducting transformational diplomacy. While courses I think it’s going to be very exciting.” contained some transformational diplomacy ideas in the — Caitlin Stuart, Editorial Intern

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than willing to take on some of our toughest tasks, and Battling Budget Cuts it’s okay if that is recognized and not just time and ser- Rice may be able to make up some ground with disaf- vice.” fected employees if she can convince the Office of That argument hasn’t gone over well with many offi- Management and Budget to allow State to pursue over- cers, who argue that Rice’s promotions of her former seas comparability pay (also known as locality pay) for its staff are more about rewarding personal allies than employees. The American Foreign Service Association encouraging top performers. As for the Iraq promo- points out that officers at the FS-1 level and below who tions, many argue that it’s unfair to boost those serving leave Washington to go overseas in 2006 will lose 17.5 in certain danger posts over others who are doing good percent of their income due to the lack of locality pay, a work in less-heralded parts of the developing, or even figure that rises by about a percentage point every year. developed world. “It’s a huge topic of discussion in our Rice has said repeatedly that she supports the effort to post,” says one disgruntled officer in South America. obtain OCP for overseas personnel, but no progress was Fore says the issue has become overblown. Service made on the issue in 2005. (Of course, Powell was in Iraq or Afghanistan may be used as a tiebreaker for unable to win that victory, either.) But Under Secretary selection boards in determining onward assignments, Fore insists that Rice feels very strongly about pay equal- but service in those countries does not protect poorly ity, and advises skeptics to “stay tuned” for developments. performing employees. It is merely one of many fac- According to Fore, Rice “really cares about manage- tors the boards consider, including mastery of foreign ment,” and realizes that transformational diplomacy can- languages and demonstrated leadership and manage- not succeed unless employees receive the resources and ment skills. support they need to carry it out. “She’s very engaged

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and she’s very effective,” Fore says, noting that the two are concerned on the technology side. We are, too.” As meet one-on-one every week. for hiring, Fore could only commit to “not dropping Rice’s first year at State witnessed management suc- below attrition.” cesses in several spheres: financial systems, passport and Nor has progress been smooth with the State visa processing, embassy construction and security Messaging and Archiving Retrieval Toolset (known as upgrades, training, diversity hiring, and collaboration “SMART messaging”), which aims to upgrade the cable between State and the U.S. Agency for International communications system. “We have been a bit delayed,” Development. Since taking office in August, Fore has laid Fore admits, but says the department anticipates addi- out six management priorities: tional pilots and rollouts in the second and third quarters • Improving training opportunities for employees; of 2006. However, at least one consultant working on the • Boosting the quality of life for employees and family; project, who asked not to be identified, predicts that the • Using technology to disseminate knowledge faster entire initiative will have to be scrapped as unworkable. and more effectively; Fore also points out that Foreign Service Director • Rightsizing of overseas missions; General Robert Pearson and Acting Foreign Service • Meeting goals set out in the president’s management Institute Director Barry Wells have championed career agenda; and development, training and operational readiness plans. • Ensuring that America has open, but secure, bor- Last fall, Rice attended a Foreign Service Institute ders. course on democracy building, the first designed specifi- Unfortunately, budget cuts now stand in the way. “We cally to further her hallmark transformational diplomacy had across-the-board rescissions” in Fiscal Year 2006, initiative. Fore says that other courses in the eradication Fore notes; the total appropriated for the Department of of disease and promotion of the rule of law and human State and other international agencies was $9.7 billion, 10 rights are now in the works at FSI. And in a recent cable percent less than they received in 2005. State itself Fore set out other goals, including boosting by 50 percent received $275 million less than requested. Rice had FasTrac course completions by the end of 2006 and sought funds for 221 new positions to meet core staffing increasing course offerings by 25 percent during the and training requirements, and $249 million for further same time frame. “We are hoping to shift the center of investments in information technology, but Fore acknowl- gravity of our courses from having them here in edged that those investments are now in doubt. Washington to using distance learning, so these courses Despite the austere budget climate, Rice has reiterat- will come to you at your desktop,” Fore says. ed her commitment to maintaining the victories Powell To improve the quality of life for State Department achieved in launching the Diplomatic Readiness Initiative employees, Fore says that the administration aims to and boosting State’s information technology investments. expand telework opportunities by 25 percent and child- As she noted back in June, the department “can’t afford to care capacity by 50 percent this year. Overseas, she says, go back to the 1990s when we were missing whole classes the department will increase the amount of training and of people. ... I realize how important the Diplomatic employment opportunities for spouses who want a job by Readiness Initiative is. And we will try to continue it at a 10 percent in 2006. “We have an enormously skilled eli- pace that meets at least the need to continue to bring gible family member corps, and we should utilize it,” Fore fresh blood into the Service and to make sure that people says. For children of Foreign Service officers overseas are well trained and well taken care of.” with special needs, she says the department hopes to As of press time, though, Fore says no firm decisions increase the number of schools capable of meeting those had been made about how the cuts would affect ongoing needs from 116 to 120 this year. hiring and technology initiatives. “It will mean we will Terri Williams, president of Associates of the have to look at forestalling some of our programs and American Foreign Service Worldwide, has nothing but some new initiatives,” she says. “With reduced resources, praise for the Rice team’s work on quality-of-life issues. I think it’s perfectly possible that in some areas we may not Referencing Powell’s attention to the issue, she says, “As be able to refresh our hardware. We were on a four-year near as I can see, it’s continued [under Rice]. It seems to replacement cycle. It may have to slip. ... I know people get better and better.”

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Restructuring State … Some of Rice’s Eurasian Affairs to a renamed Bureau and USAID? of South and Central Asian Affairs As part of her transformational appointments have (formerly the Bureau of South Asian diplomacy initiative, Rice has also Affairs). A department notice declares launched an ambitious restructuring of collectively fed the that “the new bureau will support a bureaus aimed at better countering the united regional strategy to advance terrorist threat. Last year, with Senate notion that Rice democracy and stability.” Foreign Relations Committee Chair- Meanwhile, the administration has man Richard Lugar, R-Ind., standing at is disinterested in continued its efforts to revamp foreign her side, she announced a plan to aid by strengthening the role of the merge the Arms Control and Inter- the views of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, national Security Affairs bureaus which aims to further development (known collectively as “T”) to create a rank-and-file. overseas by directing dollars only to new Bureau of International Security those countries that have demonstrated and Nonproliferation. The revamped a commitment to free-market econo- bureau is to focus exclusively on the threat posed by ter- mics and democracy. Rice has been tight-lipped, though, rorists seeking weapons of mass destruction. Taking per- about what the MCC means for the future of the U.S. sonnel freed up by that merger, Rice then moved to Agency for International Development. In December and strengthen the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs and to again in early January, the Financial Times reported that expand the Bureau of Verification, Compliance and Rice and State’s Director for Policy Planning Stephen Implementation. Krasner were planning to announce early in 2006 a major The reorganization has angered many of the affected reorganization of foreign assistance programs that could employees, who have expressed to AFSA strong concerns involve merging State and USAID, and creating a second over the lack of transparency in the naming of acting office Deputy Secretary of State slot to oversee aid and develop- directors and deputies; the possible downgrading or elimi- ment programs administered by both agencies. Fueling nation of Foreign Service-designated positions; and indica- speculation, USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios — tions that political considerations (e.g., the perception of well regarded among the rank and file — recently loyalty to a particular ideological point of view) are deter- announced a mid-January departure to accept a professor- mining how individual employees fare in the reorganiza- ship at Georgetown University. tion. On their behalf, AFSA has requested from State Fore denies that there are any plans for a merger of management a written description of the reorganization the two agencies. “We have been talking about ways we plan; a suspension of personnel decisions pending the asso- can better collaborate,” Fore says, adding that her goal ciation’s opportunity to consult and/or negotiate them; and is to further unify State and USAID’s planning and the appointment of an independent panel to review reor- budgeting processes, which are partially joined now. ganization decisions with regard to EEO concerns and Last fall saw the launch of a new Joint State-USAID prohibited personnel practices. Financial Management System, a long-term project In keeping with her theme of transformational diplo- that the department hopes will boost rightsizing efforts macy, Rice also changed the title of the under secretary by allowing the department to pull out financial sup- of State for global affairs to the under secretary of State port personnel from critical danger posts to regional for democracy and global affairs, and removed from its centers or to Washington. The system will also help oversight the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law managers to access financial information they need to Enforcement. make allocation decisions. “We have been operating Late last year, Rice announced plans to reassign without it for many years,” says Fore. “We are just at responsibility for diplomatic relations with five countries the beginning of a new era for financial management.” that are key to the war on terrorism in Central Asia — Fore sees her own management agenda and Rice’s Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and vision of transformational diplomacy as intertwined. Rice, Uzbekistan — from the Bureau of European and she says, “means to make a genuine difference in how we

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The Rice State Department

Secretary of State Director of Foreign Assistance POLITICAL AFFAIRS Condoleezza Rice USAID Administrator 1/26/05 Randall Tobias Assistant Secretary for African Affairs (AF) Proposed 1/19/06 Jenkayi E. Frazer Deputy Secretary of State POSITION PENDING CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL. 8/29/05 Robert Zoellick 2/1/05 Coordinator for Reconstruction and Assistant Secretary for European and Stabilization (S/CRS) Eurasian Affairs (EUR) U.S. Permanent Representative Vacant Daniel Fried (FSO) to the U.N. 5/5/05 John Bolton Inspector General (OIG) 8/1/05 Howard Kongrad Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern 5/2/05 Affairs (NEA) Chief of Staff C. David Welch (FSO) Brian Gunderson Policy Planning Staff Director (S/P) 3/18/05 1/28/05 Dr. Stephen Krasner 2/4/05 Assistant Secretary for Western Executive Secretary Hemisphere Affairs (WHA) Harry K. Thomas Jr. (FSO) Civil Rights Director (S/OCR) Thomas A. Shannon Jr. (FSO) 7/25/05 Vacant 10/7/05

_____ Legal Adviser (L) Assistant Secretary for East Asian and John B. Bellinger III Pacific Affairs (EAP) 4/8/05 Christopher R. Hill (FSO) Under Secretary for Political Affairs (P) 4/8/05 R. Nicholas Burns (FSO) Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs 3/17/05 (H) Assistant Secretary for South Asian Jeffrey T. Bergner Affairs (SA) Under Secretary for Economic, Business 11/14/04 Christina Rocca and Agricultural Affairs (E) 5/31/01 Josette Sheeran Shiner Assistant Secretary for Intelligence and 8/23/05 Research (INR) Assistant Secretary for International Carol A. Rodley (FSO), Acting Organizations (IO) Under Secretary for Arms Control and 6/13/05 Kristen Silverberg International Security Affairs (T) 8/16/05 Robert Joseph Assistant Secretary for Resource 6/1/05 Management and Chief Financial Officer Assistant Secretary for International (RM) Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Sid Kaplan (FSO), Acting Anne W. Patterson (FSO), Acting Public Affairs (R) 6/1/05 11/28/05 Karen Hughes 7/29/05 Chief of Protocol (S/CPR) Ambassador Donald Burnham Ensenat Under Secretary for Management (M) 6/6/01 Henrietta H. Fore 8/2/05 Coordinator and Ambassador at Large for Counterterrorism (S/CT) Under Secretary for Global Affairs (G) Henry A. Crumpton Paula Dobriansky 8/3/05 5/1/01 Global AIDS Coordinator (S/GAC) Counselor (C) Randall Tobias Philip Zelikow (FSO) 10/6/03 2/1/05

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ECONOMIC, BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT GLOBAL AFFAIRS AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS Director, Offices of Rightsizing (M/R) and Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Assistant Secretary for Economic and Management Policy (M/P) Human Rights and Labor (DRL) Business Affairs (EB) Vacant Barry F. Lowenkron Earl A. Wayne (FSO) 10/14/05 6/1/00 Assistant Secretary for Administration (A) Frank Coulter (FSO) Assistant Secretary for Oceans and _____ 7/21/05 International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES) Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Anthony Rock (FSO), Acting ARMS CONTROL AND INTERNATIONAL Security and Foreign Missions (DS) 7/15/05 SECURITY AFFAIRS Richard J. Griffin 6/22/05 Assistant Secretary for Population, Assistant Secretary for International Refugees and Migration (PRM) Security and Nonproliferation (AC-NP) Assistant Secretary for Ellen Sauerbray Stephen Rademaker, Acting Consular Affairs (CA) 1/4/06 8/12/02 Maura Harty (FSO) 11/20/02 Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs (PM) Director of the Foreign Service John Hillen Institute (FSI) 10/11/05 Barry Wells (FSO), Acting This information was assembled as of 01/20/06 from State magazine, the State Assistant Secretary for Verification and Director General of the Foreign Service Department Web site (www.state.gov) and Compliance (VC) and Director of Personnel (HR) other online databases by Editorial Intern Paula DeSutter W. Robert Pearson (FSO) Caitlin Stuart and Senior Editor Susan 8/14/02 10/7/03 Maitra.

_____ Chief Information Officer (IRM) James Van Derhoff (FSO) PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND 1/9/06 PUBLIC AFFAIRS Director of Overseas Building Assistant Secretary for Education and Operations (OBO) Cultural Affairs (ECA) Major General Charles E. Williams Dina Powell 3/12/01 7/11/05 Director of Medical Services (M/MED) Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (PA) Laurence G. Brown, M.D. (FS) Sean McCormack (FSO) 4/21/03 6/2/05

Coordinator for International Information Programs (IIP) Alexander C. Feldman 6/14/04

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conduct diplomacy abroad. [Diplomats] need to be approach to foreign policy, especially in Iraq. mobile and carry the skills and tools they need to carry out Citing concerns over her lack of attention to bread- an outward-looking and outward-acting agenda.” and-butter management issues such as overseas pay and Rice has staked her legacy on making transformational merit promotions, one Washington-based officer who is diplomacy a reality, both around the world and within still an admirer of Colin Powell says, “It’s 180 degrees dif- State. But most of her energy seems to be going into pro- ferent with Rice. All the ideas that Powell brought, she’s motion of democracy in Iraq, Afghanistan and other given lip service to, but she hasn’t followed through.” “front-line” states, not improvements in the working lives It is often true in Washington that the best managers of Foreign Service officers. don’t attract the spotlight. Rather, it tends to be the Cabinet secretaries with the most access to the president, A Star is Born and the most influence over policy-making, who are “Condi” is a genuine celebrity figure in Washington and hailed as stars. That certainly seems to be the case with elsewhere. Many State employees show admiration, even Rice. Last November, Washington Post columnist David awe, during town hall meetings with her. More generally, Ignatius asserted that the new Secretary “has gone rumors persist that she may run for the presidency as early through a remarkable transformation since she took over as 2008. (She has carefully denied such ambitions, insist- the State Department,” and lavished considerable praise ing she is focused on running State, but has not categori- on her performance thus far. But he was careful to cally ruled out seeking public office in the future, see acknowledge that it is far too soon to come to a definitive Cybernotes, p. 10). But in Foggy Bottom, many remain verdict. Only in the coming months will we get a clearer skeptical of her role in formulating and implementing what picture of what the legacy will be for “the Bush adminis- they see as the Bush administration’s rigid, unnuanced tration’s second-term star,” he wrote. n

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ANYWHERE, ANYTIME DIPLOMACY

CHANGES IN INSTITUTIONAL CULTURE AND AN IMPROVED IT INFRASTRUCTURE WILL HELP REALIZE CONDOLEEZZA RICE’S VISION OF TRANSFORMATIONAL DIPLOMACY.

BY PETER S. GADZINSKI

he oldest of the federal — its institutional culture — have been much slower agencies, the Department of State is a conservative to emerge. institution with a risk-averse culture. State’s stead- fastness ofT purpose and avoidance of rapid swings in The Stage Is Set orientation are positive attributes that reflect its Nonetheless, change is afoot. Former Secretary of enduring commitment to the basic national interests State Colin Powell had a tremendous influence by of the country and its mission to create a more introducing new ideas and new tools to the depart- secure, democratic and prosperous world for the ment. He won funding to hire over 1,200 new Foreign benefit of the American people and the international Service officers via the Diplomatic Readiness Initia- community. tive. And he encouraged a significant upgrade of Still, far-reaching changes in our foreign policy State’s information technology capabilities, including objectives have occurred in recent years. The Carter improved bandwidth and networking worldwide and administration oversaw a greater emphasis on human access to the Internet from every department employ- rights; during the 1990s we paid more attention to ee’s desktop computer. global issues such as the environment; the Clinton Drawing on his military career and personal pro- and Bush administrations made heightened efforts to clivities, Powell stressed personal leadership, encour- combat the scourge of HIV/AIDS; and now we face aged training (mandating mid-level management the threat of global terrorism. There is little doubt training for the first time) and urged employees to that America’s foreign policy challenges are greater strike a better balance between official duties and than ever. their personal lives. In this connection, Powell actu- At the same time, both the world and the depart- ally forbade his top deputies to work in the depart- ment have witnessed profound changes in computing ment on weekends. Tellingly, however, this order and communication power. Yet despite the demands forced many of them to depend on commercial ser- and opportunities posed by these developments, vices such as Yahoo and Hotmail for connectivity, modifications in the work process of the department because access to work-related information was not

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yet available to them at home via The lack of remote from the strategic plan to highlight official channels. those trends and best practices that The combination of greater access forces many represent potential for change in legitimacy accorded to learning, a the department’s work practices. willingness on the part of top offi- State personnel to cials to at least entertain the possi- Behind the Curve bility of changes in the traditional depend on commercial Taken together, these items are cultural mindset, and an improved not just the sum of the individual IT infrastructure has set the stage services such as Yahoo tools or concepts listed. They rep- for the next phase in the evolution resent something much more: a of the work of the Department of and Hotmail for fundamental shift in the conceptu- State: “Anywhere, Anytime Diplo- al model of how diplomatic work macy.” The enhanced access and connectivity. should be carried out. work flexibility defined by this con- As just one example, FSOs cept will help realize Sec. Rice’s require access to unclassified e- vision of transformational diplomacy. mail and files outside of office hours, both at home and The current five-year information technology strate- on the road. Working as we do in a global context, gic plan goals paper, covering Fiscal Years 2006 often coordinating closely with colleagues located sev- through 2010, and related documents envision nothing eral time zones away, restricting access to official e-mail less than creating a knowledge-sharing culture at the and personal files to desktop computers during office Department of State. Specific goals include the hours at our primary duty stations represents a tremen- increased availability of 24/7 remote access to unclassi- dous opportunity cost for American diplomacy. fied information and greater attention to collaborative In terms of remote access, we are behind the curve work, the latter encompassing improved interagency with respect to our colleagues in other national securi- connectivity and establishment of “communities of ty agencies, not to mention foreign governments and practice” — networks of people who collaborate on the private sector. In the Government Accountability common interests, tasks and needs. These communi- Office, all 3,500 employees have remote access to their ties may have a variety of goals and employ a variety of work. In contrast, at a recent WTO negotiating session means to work on them, from e-mail to online home in Geneva, only the State representative lacked remote pages. The department’s strategic plan for IT also envi- access within the U.S. government negotiating team. sions the introduction of knowledge management tools Use of an encrypted means to log on to the Internet, such as desktop search engines, expert and expertise OpenNet Everywhere, has only just begun to catch on locator systems and knowledge databases. at State. Currently available only in Washington, ONE I have extracted the accompanying table (see p. 31) has been undergoing proof-of-concept testing at select- ed posts overseas, and initial reports are positive. At Peter Gadzinski is an economic-cone Foreign Service present, some 2,000 employees in Washington, 10 per- officer who served in six overseas posts before return- cent of our global work force, have access. The goal is ing to Washington in 2000. After serving in the Bureau for this figure to rise to 5,000 ONE accounts, 25 per- of Economic and Business Affairs, he was a Pearson cent of the total, by the end of the current fiscal year, Fellow with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee including some overseas users. While the department before heading State’s liaison office on the Hill. pays for remote access for teleworkers, the relatively Presently, he is with the Information Resource high annual cost for non-teleworkers must be paid by Management Bureau’s Office of eDiplomacy, where he individual bureaus, which could impede rapid adop- seeks to represent the customer point of view in IT and tion of the technology. knowledge management issues. The views expressed in Another area where change is needed in order to this article are the author’s and not necessarily those of increase our diplomatic effectiveness around the the Department of State. world is collaborative work and knowledge-sharing. At

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What’s In, What’s Out: Key Trends and Best Practices in 2006 IN OUT Enterprise-wide, governmentwide solutions Single-bureau, single-agency approaches Rapid technology change and adoption Reluctance to innovate Knowledge is a department asset, proactively shared Knowledge belongs to individual bureaus and is not shared Outsourcing of non-core activities In-house for all functions Wireless Wired Next-generation data mining and search Fragmented data sources accessible only in restricted ways Mobile computing and telecommuting; Separate networks tethered to the desk Voice-data integration/Voice over Internet Protocol Voice input and speech recognition Keyboards Leveraging partnerships Isolation Automated, real-time language-translation services Limited ability to get documents translated “Out of the box” commercial off-the-shelf solutions Highly customized solutions, including overly customized COTS Web-based Client-server Multimedia for effective communication Rigid formats, cables Enterprise-wide business continuity planning Ad-hoc approach to critical infrastructure protection Computing as utility Non-standard, isolated IT environments Adaptable networks — self-configuring, dynamic Hard-wired static networks Risk management Risk aversion

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present, drafting and knowledge- Another area where At present, communities of sharing are largely stovepiped practice or communities of inter- along the lines laid out by the for- change is needed in est are in their infancy at State. mal organizational hierarchy, the Collaborative work tools are not connected boxes with which we order to increase our well known, and data mining and are all too familiar. Incumbents knowledge database applications with specific functional or geo- diplomatic effectiveness are in only limited use. graphic portfolios work in a large- If we are truly to realize the ly isolated fashion. Reporting offi- around the world is promise of technology to trans- cers are frequently unaware of, or form the practice of American unable to easily access, relevant collaborative work and diplomacy, we must aim at noth- expertise near at hand within the ing less than leveraging our col- department itself or at other knowledge-sharing. lective knowledge and experience posts, much less outside of the on a global basis. As Sec. Powell agency. put it, “The success of U.S. diplo- That having been said, there macy in this new century depends are already good examples within in no small measure on whether the department today of what can be accomplished. we exploit the promise of the technology revolution.” • The Bureau of Consular Affairs is a leader in col- People are beginning to talk about these possibilities laborative technology, using specialized software to link and some experimentation is taking place in several hundred officers around the world in its Fraud Washington and around the world. Prevention Program. The notion of modifying the “traditional” way of • Another example is provided by the Bureau of working — much less bringing about a more funda- Intelligence and Research’s Humanitarian Informa- mental shift in State’s work culture — meets with stiff tion Unit. Setting up a collaborative Web-based work- resistance from many who are not comfortable with space the day after the Asian tsunami hit, the HIU new ways of communicating and networking. This played a leadership role for other agencies as well as issue is frequently cited as troubling by more junior private-sector NGOs by providing an information employees, who came to the department in recent clearing house and knowledge repository. years from more progressive information environments • The Bureau of Human Resources’ Employee in the military, academia or the private sector. Profile Plus database has been used to identify officers A concerted effort is needed to make Foreign with work and language skills in emergency situations Service managers and their Civil Service colleagues such as the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. This aware of the possibilities and the potential for advanc- innovation was recently recognized with a President’s ing the nation’s interests via these new tools, and to Quality Award, the top management honor for execu- convince them to take the first steps toward 21st-cen- tive branch agencies. tury diplomacy. We are not yet at critical mass, the “Tipping Point” of Malcolm Gladwell’s book by the Successful Adaptation Is Urgent same name, but the forces of change are gathering Foreign Service officers are expected to be instant strength. experts in our domestic or foreign positions, and we State’s handling of knowledge and information lags have an institutional/work culture that resists seeking behind that of the private sector. We are indeed mak- advice or knowledge from others in the department. ing progress and anticipate more, but it is vital that we Those who do possess critical and hard-won knowledge not be left behind. Too much rides on our successful find it difficult to share their expertise once they depart adaptation to the new technological and communica- one pigeonholed position for another. Their successors tion realities and the potential they represent to lever- do not routinely look to them for guidance and advice, age information into strategic knowledge that can nor do they automatically think to give it. benefit the American people. n

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PEACEBUILDING: A NEW NATIONAL SECURITY IMPERATIVE

DESPITE SEC. RICE’S SUPPORT, THE OFFICE OF THE COORDINATOR FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND STABILIZATION HAS NOT GOTTEN OFF TO A STRONG START.

BY PETER H. GANTZ

n Dec. 7, 2005, President directives reflect acceptance of a critical lesson identified Bush issued a new directive (NSPD-44) that aims to in the national security strategy of the United States: “The improve U.S. government coordination, planning and events of Sept. 11, 2001, taught us that weak states, like implementationO for stabilization and reconstruction assis- Afghanistan, can pose as great a danger to our national tance to countries and regions approaching, in, or transi- interests as strong states.” tioning from conflict. NSPD-44 establishes the Secretary The implications should be clear: U.S. national securi- of State as the lead actor of integrated efforts, involving all ty interests are served not just by military expenditures relevant departments and agencies, to prepare, plan for and actions, but also by civilian expenditures and activities. and conduct stabilization and reconstruction activities. Foreign assistance involves much more than doing good In cases of U.S. military involvement, the directive things for people in need because of a moral imperative to states, the Secretary of State shall coordinate with the do so. It should tackle the linkages between poverty, the Secretary of Defense to ensure harmonization with any failure of state institutions, violent conflict and terrorism. planned or ongoing U.S. military operations. DOD Nevertheless, in November 2005 House and Senate Directive 3000.05 (released in late November 2005) conferees for the State and Foreign Operations appropri- establishes how the Defense Department will address and ations bills failed to provide funding for S/CRS in FY develop capabilities for stability, security, transition and 2006. The release of the new directives, combined with reconstruction and commits the Defense Department to the funding failures, makes clear that in 2006, two things supporting U.S. stabilization and reconstruction efforts. need to happen: the U.S. government must continue to The new directives are the latest steps taken to fix the build upon what S/CRS has begun, and Congress and the U.S. government’s woeful capabilities for stabilization and Bush administration must work to reorganize government reconstruction, an effort that began with the creation of funding channels to ensure that all national security sup- the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and port programs are adequately funded. Stabilization in August 2004. These reforms are a signifi- Formally established in August 2004, S/CRS initially cant change for an administration that once dismissed operated on a shoestring budget with a small staff of eight peacekeeping as something other people should do. The full-time employees, supplemented by several dozen per-

FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 33 In Re: Personal Banking from Overseas (Peace of Mind Is at Hand!)

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sonnel detailed from other agencies. S/CRS was granted tified the critical tasks that must be carried out if peace is $7.7 million in a supplemental appropriation in April 2005, to become permanent, as well as the agencies and person- which helped allow for a staff expansion to 55. nel best suited to implement them. Third, S/CRS is S/CRS’ responsibilities are straightforward, though not putting in place the interagency agreements, structures easy to accomplish. First, the office has put in place a and plans to ensure that government agencies and person- process to identify potential states where a U.S. peace- nel will be capable of providing a timely and effective building response might be required. Second, it has iden- response. One aspect of this is the creation of an Active Response Corps, a set of pre-identified personnel who can Peter H. Gantz manages advocacy in the areas of peace rapidly deploy to a crisis. Finally, S/CRS is trying to build operations, post-conflict rule of law operations and relat- the capacity to ensure that any U.S. peacebuilding effort is ed foreign policy issues for Refugees International. RI unified and well planned. generates humanitarian assistance for displaced people The planning framework for stabilization and recon- around the world and works to end the conditions that struction will be used jointly by the military and civilians. create displacement. Mr. Gantz also serves as the execu- The development of an essential-task matrix has drawn tive coordinator for the Partnership for Effective from lessons learned, and has identified key issues that Peacekeeping, a Washington, D.C.-based policy network need to be addressed in the process of decision-making that supports public policy initiatives to improve nation- within the government. The development and testing of al and global peace operations capacity. Before joining models of how to plan and work effectively with the mili- RI, he worked with Citizens for Global Solutions in tary, NGOs and other actors will assist with mission plan- Washington and the Carter Center in Atlanta. ning, coordination with combatant commands, and inte-

THE REMINGTON

FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 35 F OCUS

gration of civilian teams in the course of operations. An office like S/CRS that includes representatives from In a Dec. 14 press conference at the State Department, each major federal agency involved in post-conflict and sta- Ambassador Carlos Pascual, the first Coordinator for bilization operations could combine and manage to maxi- Reconstruction and Stabilization, reported that S/CRS has mum effect the wide variety of skills, knowledge and also had a strong international outreach program over the capacities currently scattered throughout the government. past year. It worked with the U.N., particularly on issues This could enable the U.S. to manage two to three recon- related to Haiti, but also with the E.U. and NATO, as well struction and stability operations simultaneously. No less as bilaterally with countries such as the U.K., France, important, centralization of these capacities can better Germany, Canada and some of the Nordic countries that ensure that lessons learned by the different agencies can are also creating similar offices. be recorded, analyzed, institutionalized and then applied Now, says Pascual, it is time to develop robust response to new situations. capacities. Toward that end, for FY 2006 the administra- Finally, the lack of an effective civilian response has tion requested $24.1 million for operational expenses, often forced the U.S. military to take on duties it does not $100 million for a Conflict Response Fund and a transfer want, and has arguably prolonged the deployment of sol- authority of up to $200 million from the Department of diers beyond what was necessary. It is therefore not sur- Defense for emergency situations. prising, perhaps, that one of the stronger supporters of S/CRS has been the uniformed military. High-level mili- A National Security Imperative tary officials have lobbied members of Congress on its The case for the capabilities that S/CRS is meant to pro- behalf. The Secretary of Defense, in cooperation with the vide is strong. Throughout the 1990s, the U.S. continually Secretary of State, even offered DOD funds to enable the responded to problems of conflict and human suffering in new office to respond to a crisis if Congress agreed. So, in weak and failed states, whether in cooperation with other a bizarre twist, mere weeks after appropriators rejected nations through the United Nations, in ad-hoc coalitions or funding for S/CRS, Congress approved an amendment to on its own — but with decidedly uneven results. The the FY 2006 Defense authorization bill that would allow record shows that U.S. responses to complex emergencies DOD to transfer $100 million to the State Department for and peacebuilding have proved inadequate. For instance, purposes S/CRS is tasked with. the rule of law is a casualty in all post-conflict situations, yet every U.S. military deployment to such settings for the past Support Laced with Skepticism 20 years has been unprepared for lawlessness and looting. While there is support for the reconstruction and stabi- This led to unnecessary loss of life, often extensive damage lization office, there is also skepticism. Multiple reports to infrastructure, and higher eventual costs for reconstruc- from leading think-tanks, like the Center for Strategic and tion and stabilization. International Studies and the Council on Foreign The complex needs of peacebuilding in post-conflict Relations, have called for developing capabilities similar to societies require a response that goes beyond any one sin- those S/CRS is meant to fulfill. But these reports and oth- gle department or agency. The U.S. government needs a ers, by discussing the huge set of tasks and the many dif- strong interagency office to plan for and coordinate recon- ferent government actors also implicitly or explicitly ques- struction and stabilization operations, if permanent peace is tion whether one office in the State Department can real- to be achieved. Yet no such process is in place. ly do the job. Multiple offices from within the Department of State In fact, some in the foreign policy community suggest and USAID, as well as from the Department of Justice, the that what is actually needed is a new Cabinet-level agency Treasury Department and other agencies, are involved in that includes parts of the State Department, the entire the U.S. government civilian response to conflict and the USAID, parts of the Justice and Treasury departments, kinds of emergencies that result from state weakness and and other agencies. Yet this sort of move could potentially failure. Once personnel from these agencies finally reach lessen or eliminate the critical role of diplomacy in stabi- the country in question, which in many cases has taken lization and reconstruction efforts by cutting the embassy critical weeks and months to accomplish, coordination and and other State Department personnel out of the process. cooperation are often lacking. Others argue that the problem cannot be solved with a

36 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 2006 F OCUS

new office or a new agency, but instead requires a more in- bipartisan, if neither strong nor deep. Before S/CRS was depth consideration of the broader issue of the way the created, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee devel- U.S. government funds and organizes development activi- oped legislation arguing for the enhancement of U.S. gov- ties and programs. ernment civilian capacities for post-conflict situations, and The experience of S/CRS to date suggests that more remains seized with the issue today. In the House, Sam ambitious reform may be necessary. Despite the leader- Farr, D-Calif., and David Dreier, R-Calif., chair of the ship of the able Ambassador Carlos Pascual, who stepped powerful Rules Committee, are supportive of S/CRS. In down at the end of 2005, the office may lack the necessary both the Senate and House, legislation has been intro- clout. The evidence for this is anecdotal. S/CRS interacts duced to support the office’s functioning. with nearly every part of the State Department and the Despite this backing, Congress failed to appropriate U.S. Agency for International Development, from State’s any funds for S/CRS. In part it reflects narrow interests regional bureaus and Bureau of International Organi- and responsibilities within the budget process. For exam- zations to USAID’s Office for Conflict Mitigation and ple, supporters of the new office have argued that proper Management. While most people in these offices recog- civilian planning before an intervention, coupled with nize the need to move away from an ad-hoc response to effective management of the civilian response after it, conflict and peacebuilding, numerous reports of turf wars could enable the U.S. military to bring troops home faster, and budgeting concerns do not suggest a productive resulting in huge savings. An investment of $24 million for response to and relationship with S/CRS. This, in turn, has S/CRS operations and $100 million for S/CRS surge capa- hurt the case for the new office on Capitol Hill. bilities in a crisis situation could save $1 billion if one Army Still, support in Congress as a whole is widespread and division were able to return one month earlier. Yet rather

FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 37 F OCUS

than embracing this argument, congressional appropria- cessful in advocating with Congress for its avowed foreign tions staff members for State and Foreign Operations policy goals in this area, whether it be funding for S/CRS privately dismissed it as irrelevant because the $1 billion or lifting the cap on U.S. funding for United Nations did not come from “their” budget. peacekeeping. The State Department’s Legislative Another problem is that the foreign policy staff exper- Affairs Bureau is supposed to promote the administra- tise in Congress is now largely confined to the majority tion’s foreign policy with Congress, but based on the and minority staff of the Senate Foreign Relations results to date it has not done a particularly good job. Committee and the House International Relations Committee. The fact that appropriations staff for State A More Public Dialogue Needed? and Foreign Operations also work on the budgets for Many observers suggest that if the Bush administra- Commerce, Justice and other agencies limits the time tion really wanted the money for S/CRS, it could have they have to grapple with the complexities of certain for- gotten it. This implies that obtaining the funding was not eign affairs issues. a high enough priority. Yet Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is reportedly a strong supporter of A National Security Support Budget S/CRS, and in fact helped push creation of the office The funding problem for S/CRS points to the need for when she served as national security adviser. She report- a national security support budget. These funds could edly made phone calls to secure S/CRS funding, indicat- potentially be controlled by the Office of Management & ing a willingness to accept cuts to other department pro- Budget, and various State and Defense Department pro- grams (the usual response of Congress when funding a grams, as well as programs from other agencies, could be new program in the 150 Account). In other words, she funded out of it. Aside from the S/CRS core functions has made S/CRS a priority. Ambassador Pascual has budget and the Conflict Response Fund for surge been a tireless promoter of S/CRS, with excellent, articu- response capacity, programs like the Global Peace late and frank portrayals of both why the office is needed Operations Initiative, International Military Education and what he and his staff have been doing. and Training, and Foreign Military Financing might also Clearly an assessment of why the arguments have not fall under its aegis. While it is impossible to know what worked is in order. Perhaps new approaches will be such a budget might look like without knowing the com- needed to secure funding. This may require fostering a plete spectrum of programs included, it is safe to say that more public dialogue about why S/CRS is needed. stabilization and reconstruction activities are cheaper Americans do not understand the full extent of what than war, but still not cheap. A national security support peacebuilding entails. Partly, this is because it is a new budget would require at least $1 billion, and probably endeavor, and no one really knows exactly how it should more than $5 billion, a year. work, but partly it is because no one has ever explained At present, Congress funds the aforementioned pro- why the U.S. needs to do it. grams — and many others relevant to U.S. national secu- The problem goes beyond the American public, rity interests — out of the tiny and often-cut 150 however. Many members of Congress and even people Account. The military is funded out of the huge 050 in the foreign policy community remain unclear about Account. Even the military recognizes the problems with what S/CRS is, what it is doing, and what it could do. this, and is trying to get around it by offering its own One thing that is certainly necessary is a detailed report funds to the State Department. A far better solution to Congress on what S/CRS has already done and what would be for the Bush administration to propose a it will do in the upcoming fiscal year. The administra- national security support budget, and press hard for the tion cannot rely on a “trust me and give me the money” necessary dialogue with Congress to start the ball rolling. message. Congress needs to better understand what Yet if this is to happen, the way the administration pro- the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and motes its foreign policy goals must change. Even though Stabilization would do with a Conflict Response Fund, various offices and individuals within the Bush adminis- and how national security interests are harmed if an tration are supportive of a new office for reconstruction effective U.S. peacebuilding response cannot be and stabilization, the Bush team has been largely unsuc- ensured. n

38 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 2006 F OCUSON S EC . R ICE ’ S F IRST Y EAR

MCKINSEY REDUX: WHAT IT GETS RIGHT AND WRONG

THE MCKINSEY AND COMPANY MANAGEMENT CONSULTING FIRM’S LATEST REPORT GENERALLY GIVES STATE HIGH MARKS. BUT MUCH MORE REMAINS TO BE DONE.

BY LOUISE K. CRANE

his past December, the department should do to establish its commitment to Department of State released McKinsey and Company’s people leadership. Yet it omits any mention of the sin- recent update of the study it did for State back in 1999. gle most important move the department could make to The fullT text of the management consulting firm’s report, persuade employees it is truly committed to them: “Winning the Next Phase of the War for Talent,” is avail- obtaining locality pay, also known as overseas compara- able on the intranet at: http://hrweb.hr.state.gov/dg/ bility pay or OCP. pc/Docs/McKinsey2005ReportFINAL22July2005.doc. I was especially eager to read the report because of its A Question of Fairness important subject matter and because, while serving as The gap between Washington and overseas salaries AFSA VP for State, I was one of the 45 “current and for- grows wider every year. In 2006, those transferring over- mer employees” the McKinsey researchers interviewed seas will take a pay cut of 17.5 percent for doing what earlier in 2005 as they gathered data. Congress created the Foreign Service to do: serve in for- Not surprisingly, management is happy with the eign countries. Before the decade is out, those serving assessment, which credits State with substantial progress overseas at the FS-1 level and below will give up one- on talent management issues since 1999. McKinsey fifth of their income for the privilege. (Beginning in goes so far as to describe the amount of progress in 2004, Senior Foreign Service salaries were set at the recruiting and hiring, professional development, spousal Washington locality pay level. ) This ever-widening gap employment and performance evaluation as “dramatic.” has significant implications for retention, motivation and There is no dispute that State has made real progress productivity. on many fronts. From my perspective, however, having In light of this, McKinsey and Company should have represented members of the Foreign Service with State issued a clarion call for the department, led by Secretary management for four of the years the report covers, I see Rice, to secure locality pay for all members of the several serious flaws in the department’s practices that Foreign Service, regardless of where they work. Its fail- have yet to be corrected. The report itself warns that ure even to mention the issue, even in a footnote, is a despite significant progress, there is still more the real disservice not only to thousands of hard-working

FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 39 F OCUS

Foreign Service personnel overseas, but to the Service as posts, has seen some success. However, neither the an institution. Global Employment Strategy nor the Manpower pro- Try as I might, I can come up with no explanation for gram has yet placed any spouse in a job. McKinsey right- this missed opportunity. After all, AFSA identified the ly worries that the department may have raised expecta- locality pay issue as our top legislative priority back in tions that spouses will find meaningful work overseas. 2001, and has made significant progress in educating The lack of remunerative spousal employment is a Congress on its importance. And I certainly stressed it in major obstacle to retention when so many other compa- my own meeting with the consultants. rable careers offer couples the chance to earn two Low-Ranking. I was also deeply disappointed to read incomes, contribute to two 401(k) accounts and collect that McKinsey opposes lowering the low-ranking quota two Social Security annuities. Factor in salary loss from 5 percent to 2 percent. Its report claims that reduc- because of the lack of locality pay and you have the recipe ing the number of low-ranked employees “would send for a serious problem. the wrong message about the department’s commitment Promotion Rates. I also applaud McKinsey for calling to maintaining a high standard of performance of its a spade a spade regarding slower promotion rates. The employees.” But as I pointed out to the consultants I met DRI bulge will most definitely slow promotion rates in with, the arbitrary 5-percent quota does exactly that, stig- the near- to medium-term. As we all know, the key to matizing competent employees. For example, there are keeping promotion rates steady is “flow through” at every people who are low-ranked simply because they’re suf- level. There is equilibrium between the number of FS fering from a serious illness contracted abroad and are positions at every rank and the number of employees who physically unable to perform at the level of their healthy can be promoted to that rank. The DRI bulge means brethren. Setting a more realistic target would allow the there are more employees than there are positions at the system to focus on weeding out the truly poor perform- mid- and senior levels. Can steps be taken to ameliorate ers. this problem? One step would be to upgrade all those Let me be clear: I favor retaining the practice of low- mid-level jobs that were downgraded in the 1990s. ranking, and have no problem with setting a reasonable Another could be reducing time-in-class for those at the target. After all, even without a quota, the department officer-counselor and minister-counselor levels to six and would still identify poor performers and recommend 12 years, respectively, in lieu of the current seven and 14 some for selection-out. But 5 percent is simply too high years, thus allowing greater movement across the thresh- a requirement. I think the McKinsey researchers got it old. (I was with USIA before joining State, and the rule wrong because they did not bother to study the facts or there was six and 12.) Lowering the number of OCs who learn who actually gets low-ranked. Examining real cases are promoted to MCs would also help. State should also would have opened their eyes to the quota’s inequity. consider granting TIC extensions for more out-of-cone assignments and training. What McKinsey Gets Right In addition, reinstatement of the “training float” The consultants rightly single out spousal employment would increase the number of mid-level positions/pro- as a potential bar to retention of the talent acquired motion opportunities by 10 to 15 percent. Given that under the Diplomatic Readiness Initiative, and praise the staffing demands in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Office of Family Liaison Office’s recent initiatives to help overseas the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (40 spouses find employment. As they note, the Strategic slots alone) have already gobbled up nearly all the train- Networking Assistance Program, operating now at 22 ing positions available, there is a desperate need for a “DRI Two” initiative to restore the 10- to 15-percent Louise K. Crane, who recently retired after 41 years in cushion Sec. Powell put in place. the Foreign Service as a public diplomacy officer, is the AFSA should ask its active-duty members what they immediate past AFSA vice president for State, serving think about this issue and what suggestions they may two terms (2001-2005). She served in Latin America and have for alleviating the problem. But at a minimum, the spent 10 years in Japan after becoming the first female department should consider upgrading all the jobs it officer assigned to two years of hard-language training. downgraded in the 1990s.

40 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 2006 F OCUS

Rethinking the Consular Function expected to double between 2008 and 2012. Consular Issues. Bouquets to McKinsey for zeroing in The department cannot hire enough staff or build on an issue I believe the department has shoved under enough secure interview windows to meet rising visa the rug: consular assignments. Extending the time entry- demand. So the time has come for the department to level generalists spend in consular sections to three years take a very hard look at the consular function. It should is not the solution to maintaining the flow of visa work. solicit innovative alternatives to enhance the current sys- (What message would adopting this practice send about tem. One option is simply to restrict the issuance of visas, the department’s commitment to the new Career but even in the post-9/11 climate, that is likely a non- Development model?) starter. Another solution might be to conduct “remote” I understand that the requirement to interview all interviews via some sort of television hookup, with adju- applicants poses a crushing burden on finite resources. dicators based elsewhere working various shifts. However, it is a fact that the demand for visas won’t slack- Here’s another option. Is there a way to link the need en. As China and India’s middle class expands and opts for good, remunerative, professional employment for for more overseas travel, will the department be able to spouses with the need for augmented consular staffing? satisfy the demand for visas so Indians and Chinese can It’s worth a serious look to see if we can create jobs to ful- visit New York or Disneyland on their vacations? fill spouses’ need for income, Social Security earnings Absolutely not. (The Economist recently predicted that and a 401(k) plan plus professional advancement, and at India’s middle class would number a quarter-billion [!] at the same time satisfy the need for more consular officers current growth rates by 2015.) Mexico alone currently to adjudicate visas. The department was perhaps too accounts for 20 percent of all visas issued, and demand is hasty in downgrading the Consular Associates program

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after the 9/11 attacks. After all, consular associates were level employees found that after “family-life issues,” the not responsible for issuing visas to the 9/11 hijackers: quality of supervisors and managers was the most-cited other government agencies’ refusal to share information drawback to an FS career. When asked what was the with the Department of State was the culprit. I suggest most important thing the department could do to retain the department take a fresh look at the program with a them, the most often-cited answer was “improving the view to upgrading it and providing greater oversight and quality of supervisors and management.” (Close behind accountability. was “Give me more challenging assignments/greater It may still be too soon after 9/11 to start consulting responsibility.”) with Congress or sharing options with the public, but it is I am therefore encouraged that McKinsey sees the not too early to start an internal discussion/working group commitment of middle-level managers to leading and to anticipate the future. Visas are the grease of a global nurturing their people as the driver of employee morale economy. and productivity. Toward that end, it calls on the depart- ment to provide more coaching, training and mentoring Career Development to enable them to become better managers of people. McKinsey zeroes in on several issues dear to my AFSA The report also singles out something I can relate to in heart, beginning with implementing the new Career my last assignment, a brief stint in a geographic bureau Development Program. McKinsey praises the CDP, but — the need to provide challenging work. I saw first-hand warns that the department must enforce the require- the lack of top-down communication regarding how staff ments that AFSA and management so painstakingly work supports the department’s mission. There was too negotiated. There is a key sentence in the report I could much mind-numbing struggle for clearances of letters, not have written better myself: “The department should memoranda, etc., on the least controversial of subjects. I assign accountability for meeting these targets ... to the certainly appreciate the need for myriad clearances on geographic bureaus.” Clearly, the consultants share my issues of high policy — North Korea’s nuclear program, concern that when a bureau pushes its own candidate at for example. But multiple clearances for letters replying the expense of qualified bidders seeking to fulfill the to school children’s inquiries? AFSA’s mid-level mem- CDP’s requirements, “the department’s leaders must be bers can provide countless examples of how the depart- willing to overrule bureau staffing decisions.” ment fails to empower its experienced, seasoned officers. I plan to stay healthy and live long enough to see how Several of these issues require negotiations with AFSA, faithfully management sticks to the terms of the agree- such as changes to the evaluation process and to assign- ment. And I’ll continue to pay my dues so AFSA will ment procedures, and implementation/enforcement of the have the money to staff our labor management office Career Development Program. Other matters, such as the with attorneys who can file grievances in those cases importance of leaders’ communicating with subordinates, where management caves in to bureaus’ rejection of such etc., do not require AFSA’s concurrence, but I believe they bidders. would be profitably addressed from the association’s bully McKinsey’s report spends more time on one subject pulpit. Almost 80 percent of State’s Foreign Service than any other: giving mid-level employees their due. employees are members, and they can provide valuable This issue was dear to my predecessor’s heart. John insights — if the department will listen. Naland, whom I succeeded as the AFSA VP for State, cared about mid-level employees and felt they were con- What Is “Transformational Diplomacy”? sistently given short shrift, both in terms of training McKinsey’s study highlights, but unfortunately does opportunities and substantive assignments. Throughout not offer solutions for, a problem I warned about before his time with AFSA (both as State vice president and I left office: finding qualified people for difficult-to-staff president), John sent management a stream of innovative posts, which I refer to as 3-D work: dirty, difficult and suggestions on how this talent could be trained and dangerous. groomed to mentor entry-level employees and succeed in There are currently 15 unaccompanied posts with 700 crossing the threshold. positions, in countries too dangerous for families, and the His concerns were prescient. A 2004 survey of entry- number will only grow. On top of that, half of all posts

42 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 2006 F OCUS

are already classified as “greater hardship.” motions to volunteers for front-line duty would work, I The department already offers incentives in the form don’t doubt for a New York minute it would be tried. of R&R leave and onward assignment preferences to Personally, I would rather see directed assignments than those who serve in front-line posts, but there are financial witness the destruction of the Foreign Service as a system and logistical limits on what more it can do along those based on merit. lines. Understandably, McKinsey does not offer any rad- The McKinsey report describes the challenge of ical solution to the annual problem of recruiting 700 “vol- staffing front-line posts as a part of transformational diplo- unteers” for these jobs. However, I foresee attempts to macy. But beyond that, the consultants seem as perplexed solve the problem by striking at the heart of the current as many of us in the Foreign Service are about what assignment system; several recent trial balloons have Secretary Rice actually means when she uses that term. already been launched in the media suggesting that True, she told the consultants that she wants State to be directed assignments are in the offing. “even more active in promoting the development of I fear that as the number of volunteers for this 3-D democratic institutions, the reduction of poverty and dis- duty diminishes, department leadership will be sorely ease and the elimination of terrorism and violence.” But tempted to alter the core of the Foreign Service — pro- that definition doesn’t satisfy either McKinsey or me; after motions based solely on the quality of performance, all, how are those goals any different than the ones pur- regardless of where performed. The political leadership sued by traditional diplomacy? No wonder the consul- does not necessarily have the best interests of the Service tants encountered a widespread belief within the depart- at heart; its primary goal is to implement administration ment that transformational diplomacy boils down to policy, at whatever cost. If they thought promising pro- staffing Iraq and Afghanistan and future front-line posts.

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Words to the Wise McKinsey’s report could also be responsible for Finally, a few words to the ensuring that senior managers are department’s political leadership. appropriately spends held accountable for success. As In its discussion of the depart- one senior staffer warned Mc- ment’s enormous strides in recruit- more time on one Kinsey, “This will all fall apart if ment and leadership training in just senior-level support doesn’t exist.” five years, McKinsey over and over subject than any other: I, too, have heard and read Sec. cites the strong backing and person- Rice’s words on her team’s commit- al involvement in effective manage- giving mid-level ment to leadership, management ment Sec. Powell and his leadership and morale, but as yet have not seen team displayed. The firm warns employees their due. any concrete examples. that to sustain the gains, Sec. Rice Summarizing the impact of and her team must maintain the Secretary Powell and his team on same level of commitment to strengthening and reward- launching the recruitment and leadership initiative, ing leadership skills. But it notes that employees who McKinsey writes this: “ [T]he department’s employees were interviewed had too little exposure to her team to perceived senior leaders’ willingness to jump through judge its commitment. necessary hoops to get additional funding as a sign they They suggest she appoint a high-ranking member of cared about employees, their development and morale.” her team to sponsor programs to implement and sustain Listen up, Rice and Company. These words apply the gains made in the “War for Talent.” That person equally to you. n

44 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 2006 LIFE AFTER THE FS: MORE RETIREES SPEAK UP

RETIREES SHARE STORIES AND ADVICE ABOUT RETIREMENT FROM THE FOREIGN SERVICE.

ozens of Foreign Service retirees As I was coming to the end of my final tour as DCM in Kiev, responded to the AFSANET solici- the conflict in Kosovo erupted. I was called back to tation the Journal sent out last Washington early and given a Limited Career Extension to November asking for insight and help set up the Kosovo Implementation Office, which estab- information on their experiences lished our mission in Pristina and dealt with many of the with retirement. In fact, the region’s most pressing postwar political and economic issues. response was so great — and so In 2000, just as the office was well established and I was varied and interesting — that we have presented it in two trying to figure out what to do next, I was “traded” to the Dinstallments, the first in our January issue and the second Office of the Special Adviser for the New Independent in the pages that follow. States. That enabled me to use the remainder of my LCE — Susan B. Maitra, Senior Editor to fulfill the position of “utility infielder” for the countries of the former Soviet Union, filling in senior overseas vacancies

until suitable replacements could be found. In this manner, I filled in as chargé d’affaires in Minsk, and then twice as act- When Is Retirement Not Retirement? ing consul general in Vladivostok. A True Story My LCE ran out, but then a strange thing happened: it In 1998, I got the call from the director general that every seemed the Service wanted me back, after all. I was recalled senior officer dreads. “Jim,” he said, “you missed promotion to serve a final year as consul general in Vladivostok. After to minister-counselor by three places. I’m sorry, but that that, I worked for a few months as a senior adviser to the means that by this time next year, you will be retired from ambassador in Moscow, and then for a short time as acting the Service.” consul general in Yekaterinburg. Then, just when it looked As a career Foreign Service officer, and someone who like things really were over, I was recalled again to serve as had never even considered life after the Service, this news political counselor in Moscow. came as a tremendous blow. At first, I didn’t really know By the time I had finally retired for the second time in what I would do, and the idea of a future outside of the 2004, my second career as an FSO had turned out to be Service was certainly not appealing. Visions of Felix Bloch even more interesting and fulfilling than my first. As I bagging groceries in North Carolina, and friends of mine returned home to San Clemente, Calif., I couldn’t have who had already retired but had not quite found their niche been happier, or more clueless about where life would take came to mind. On the other hand, there were also plenty of me next. The months rolled by, and slowly I became con- stories of colleagues who had done quite well after the vinced that maybe I really had retired for good. Once again, Service, so I was not entirely down-hearted. I was wrong. Nor should I have been. As it happened, fate lent a hand. One day in March 2005, I was relaxing on the beach

FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 45 when my cell phone rang. It was an Rome, Renaissance Rome and, cur- old colleague from the Bureau of rently, Vesuvius and the destructive European and Eurasian Affairs. It’s not difficult for a eruption of A.D. 79 (Pompeii, Her- “Jim,” he said, “how would you like to culaneum and all that). Some of the go to Kiev?” I replied that I’d love to, truly retired FSO to stay courses have been repeated. My but I had kept in touch with my classes generally run for two or more friends out there, and no jobs were busy — even while hours, once each week. In Septem- available. “Unfortunately, that’s not ber 2004 I took my ancient Rome correct,” he replied. Our ambassador resisting department class on an eight-day field trip to to the Organization for Security and Rome, where I served as the guide Cooperation in Europe office in Kiev, blandishments to come and instructor. Another trip is being David Nicholas, had died tragically a planned for June 2006 to Florence few days earlier of a heart attack. back as a WAE or and Venice, after a spring course that Though not a career officer, Amb. I will teach on the history and art of Nicholas had been widely respected a contractor. those two cities. in the Foreign Service, and he had In conjunction with my teaching, I done heroic work during Ukraine’s — Tom Wukitsch maintain an Internet site, dealing Orange Revolution. And now, only mostly with Roman history (http:// two months later, he was gone. www.mmdtkw.org). The site now I thought about the offer for a mil- runs to 2,100 pages and attracts over lisecond before replying, “When do 700,000 visitors per month (although you need me?” I was on the next ment as a dependent spouse at that goes down to about 400,000 dur- plane to Washington, and a few weeks Embassy Rome, where I got back up ing the summer academic off-season). later, found myself carrying on my to speed on the Roman archeology, A smaller part of my time is spent predecessor’s work at OSCE Kiev. archeometry (archeological tests and as a member of the board of directors These are exciting days in Ukraine measurements) and history I had (and webmaster) of a multinational and, once again, I’m having the time studied as an undergraduate and nonprofit organization called Scien- of my life. I have no idea how long I graduate student in Chicago in the tific Methodologies Applied to Cul- will be here or what comes next, but 1960s. tural Heritage (http://www.smatch- such questions have ceased to matter. Back in Arlington, Va., after the international.org). SMATCH is heav- I have found that all that really counts Rome tour, I fell in with a number of ily involved with archeometry, but we about a job is whether the work you former State Department employees are trying to broaden our scope. So are doing fulfills a worthy purpose. and other interested folks who had far, the group has sponsored or co- After all my travels of the past few just organized the Arlington Learning sponsored research, seminars, pre- years, I may not be planning my per- in Retirement Institute as an affiliate sentations and exhibitions in Wash- sonal future any better than before, of George Mason University, the ington, Pittsburgh, Rome and Venice but I have learned at least one lesson: Arlington County Board of Education in association with the Smithsonian, the respect of one’s colleagues is and Elderhostel (http://www.arling the municipality of Rome, the Vati- worth more than the decisions of any tonlri.org). ALRI is now three years can Museums, the Gemological Insti- promotion panel. Good work will old, has over 500 members and offers tute of America and other Ameri- eventually be recognized. about 30 courses in each of two 10- can, Italian and Brazilian museums, James F. Schumaker week semesters each year. Member- universities and cultural institutions. Kiev ship is open to anyone over age 50, As you can see, it’s not difficult for and there is no Arlington County res- a truly retired FSO to stay busy —

idence requirement. The courses are even while resisting department blan- university-level, but with no exams, dishments to come back as a WAE or How Did I Ever Have no papers to write (or correct) and no as a contractor. I’ve always said that Time to Work? academic credit. It’s a real joy to my previous experience as a historian I am happily and truly retired, and teach people who are not trying to ful- and archeologist informed my work as often wonder how I ever had time to fill a degree requirement. an FSO rather than the other way go to work at the State Department. I I’ve taught one course each semes- around. My State Department expe- spent the first four years of my retire- ter covering ancient Rome, medieval rience was certainly valuable, howev-

46 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 2006 er, as a means of finding interesting ment, including treatment in a resi- who give a false identity to the hospi- post-retirement activities: both ALRI dential facility, sometimes with the tal. The mother has 60 days to change and SMATCH are heavily populated child. In the case of excessive disci- her mind, and come forward to claim by former U.S. government foreign plining of a child, parenting and anger her child. If not, the child is then affairs folks. Both always welcome management courses are required of available for adoption. new members — take a look at their the parent. The children are consid- In many respects the work is sad Web sites! ered “endangered” for a variety of and troubling, but it can also be very Tom Wukitsch causes, such as beating, burning, starv- heartwarming. That is so whether the Arlington, Va. ing and being kept in restraints (being parent succeeds in rehabilitation, and tied to a bed, for example). is reunited with the child or, as is

All involved are gratified if the pro- more often the case, a wonderful and gram results in reunification. The loving home is found for the child. I Advocating for Abused reunified family is monitored for have found service with the Council Children some months to demonstrate recov- for Child Abuse and Neglect very dif- I retired from the Foreign Service ery, and to ensure that the child is no ferent from a career in the Foreign in 1985 after almost 29 years. My longer endangered. If such efforts Service. Yet, in some ways, it is simi- overseas assignments included Hong fail, the legal process of termination of lar, especially when compared to Kong, Vietnam, Jamaica, Angola and parental rights may follow. At that assistance to Americans in trouble Morocco. time, it is vital to have a fit family overseas. My experience has included I have a law degree from The member prepared to care for or adopt finding prospective adoptive parents, George Washington University, which the child. If none can be identified, finding essential medical and dental I earned a few months after entering other qualified persons, who have care for the children and many tough the Foreign Service. I had never completed certain training, and have court battles in working on the cases practiced law but, fortunately, kept no significant criminal record, may of over 900 children. I still keep in my bar admission alive by paying inac- petition to adopt the child. The mat- touch with some of the families. tive dues. For a few years I practiced ter can go to formal mediation, and I have also been active in AFSA, criminal defense in the District of the parent there often agrees to the serving as a member of the Govern- Columbia, at the Superior Court, the adoption, especially in the case of an ing Board and, in 1978, as the associ- Court of Appeals and the U.S. District adopting relative. ation’s vice president, and in Diplo- Court, but that was not really emo- Otherwise, the matter goes to trial, matic and Consular Officers, Retired, tionally rewarding. Then in 1990, I which is a painful and agonizing expe- where I have served on the Board of began practicing as an advocate in the rience for all involved. It is necessary Governors since 1988. I also served as realm of child abuse and neglect. The to involve both birth parents. Some- DACOR’s vice president from 1997 cases usually stem from the abuse of times the birth father is not interest- to 1999 and president from 1999 to drugs by the mother, and sometimes ed, and is willing to relinquish his 2001. by the father, or because of alcohol rights. Some fathers are incarcerat- Ken Rogers abuse. In a few cases, they occur as a ed for a long time, and have no abil- Washington, D.C. result of mental illness. ity to be involved in the life of the In most cases, the children affected child. Often, the father is unknown

are immediately removed from the and a complex procedure of publica- abusive situation by the court. They tion must be followed, so that in the From Private to Public are placed, if possible, with a compe- years to come he cannot come for- and Back tent relative, often the maternal grand- ward and challenge the adoption. I retired in 1980 and entered the mother. If none is available, the child The trial is an evidentiary hearing to private sector for six years. After retir- is placed in foster care or in a facility determine if a parent is withholding ing a second time, I was called back in such as Sasha Bruce House. If an consent to the adoption contrary to 1992 to assist USAID in opening up infant, the child is placed at St. Anne’s the best interest of the child. The new offices in Moscow, Kiev, Yerevan Children’s Home. The goal of the wishes of the child can be consid- and Almaty. For five months I process is to provide services to the ered by the court when the child is worked in these four countries look- parent so that reunification with their over 7 years of age. ing for office space and housing, children can be achieved. The services Some children are abandoned at transporting USAID manuals to the can include drug counseling and treat- birth in a hospital, often by mothers posts from the mailroom at Embassy

FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 47 Moscow, and carrying out other administrative duties. In 1993 I spent six weeks helping out in the USAID mission to Zimbabwe; in 1994 I assisted the USAID mission in Kazakhstan. My advice on WAE appoint- ments: Keep in touch with the peo- ple who do this type of personnel work. Because USAID called me to help out in the former states of the Soviet Union, its human resources office took care of my security clear- ance renewal and the paperwork. My salary in the private sector was com- mensurate with my former grade of FS-2, so there were no particular personnel or pay problems. After my second retirement in 1987, I became a volunteer for the state office of Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., in Phoenix. That was very interesting work. Sen. McCain’s office managers had no hesitation in using my administrative skills, as well as the age factor, to let me han- dle the paperwork and advise the much younger staff on problems of the aging. They later flew me from Phoenix to Washington, D.C., to work in the senator’s main office. Retirees are welcome in the state offices of any senator or representa- tive; you just have to go in and vol- unteer. This applies to retirees from all branches of the Foreign Service, not just administrative counselors. I also worked as a volunteer for a variety of agencies — including AFSA, which turned out to be the most interesting of all. I also worked for the Citizens Democracy Corps, which was set up by USAID to assist NGOs in transporting goods to Eastern Europe. After that assign- ment I worked for the International Media Fund, which was set up by USIA to establish centers in Eastern Europe for journalists. (Because there is no salary, I recommend ask- ing for a daily stipend for lunch and parking.)

48 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 2006 My advice to colleagues who are caring for my blind mother. By the that were the subject of my talks. nearing retirement, to help ease the time she died, in 1984, I was beyond Brynhild C. Rowberg transition from work in the Foreign employable age — employable, that is, Northfield, Minn. Service to the private sector, is: at anything that would interest me. l) attend every minute of the Retire- But I have been active in the League

ment Seminar; 2) use the facilities of of Women Voters and other civic orga- the department’s Retirement Office to nizations. This includes being a No WAE! seek work in the private sector; founding member of a local environ- Upon retirement, I worked in two and 3) use the department’s Human mental organization, the Cannon different positions in the director gen- Resources people to keep on top of River Watershed Partnership. eral’s office as a WAE. I fell into both vacancies for WAEs or contract In addition, I have done consider- of these jobs: I had been an FS employees. able translating from Norwegian for employee working in policy coordina- I’ve only dealt with the Retirement book projects (see, for example, tion prior to retirement, and was Division on a few occasions, but I’ve David Laskin’s The Children’s Bliz- asked to stay on as a WAE until a per- always found them helpful and ready zard, Harper Perennial, 2005) and manent person was hired for the job. to serve. have written the introduction to a Then the director of policy coordina- Joseph M. Kemper book published by the Norwegian- tion recommended me for a WAE Phoenix, Ariz. American Historical Association. I position in career development and also wrote an account of my overseas assignments until I relocated to

experience during World War II for Wisconsin in April 2003. I enjoyed the Minnesota Historical Society’s both positions and would like more. Exploring New Endeavors Greatest Generation Project. Over Subsequent to this, however, I I retired early in 1973, at the point the years I have given speeches on found it impossible to obtain WAE that I had lost 80 percent of my hear- my experiences, being sure that I assignments overseas. Department ing, and spent the next seven years kept up on events in the countries assignments don’t interest me because

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FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 49 travel and per diem are not included, the exhibit was used in a wider dis- and this makes working in Washing- play at the State Department. I have ton, D.C., cost-prohibitive. Retirees are welcome also worked as a consulting senior his- My efforts to obtain overseas WAE torian for History Associates Inc., assignments consisted of sending my in the state offices of mostly researching and writing back- resumé to the regional assignments ground for legal cases involving eco- coordinators; repeatedly phoning to any senator or logical issues. check on possible assignments; per- Among my non-literary activities, sonally calling on the post-assignment representative; two stand out. In 1993, Peter Krogh, coordinators when I was in Virginia in then dean of the School of Foreign 2004 and 2005 on other business; and, you just have to go Service at Georgetown, asked me to finally, asking the under secretary for direct the development of a list of political affairs to intercede on my in and volunteer. more than 100 books on the conduct behalf. of diplomacy and then get them Maybe the best way to obtain WAE — Joseph M. Kemper shipped to institutions teaching diplo- jobs is to take the Job Search Program, macy in the newly independent coun- which I did not do. tries of Eastern Europe and the for- I relocated to Wisconsin because I mer Soviet Union. USIA provided own a house here, and wanted to live invaluable financial and logistical sup- in it for two years and decide how to retirement I spent a term at St. port for this program. proceed. I enjoy living here; howev- Antony’s College, Oxford, researching My other major non-writing activi- er, I miss the intellectual and cultur- foreign affairs, followed by three ty lasted more than a decade, from the al stimulation that the Washing- terms at Clare Hall, Cambridge, late 1980s to the late 1990s, and ton, D.C., area offers, as well as the where I subsequently became a life involved tutoring Washington elemen- opportunity to find WAE work in the member. I return there every sum- tary school children. An all-volunteer department. mer. I am also an associate of the program, the Saturday Learning If you are single, as I am, relocating Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Extension Program provided one-on- to what once was your home will be a Georgetown University, where in 1992 one tutoring for some 140 children at major adjustment. Chances are good I directed and edited a study of USIA its peak. We tutored on Saturday that there will be no Foreign Service published by the institute. mornings at two locations, one in retirees living nearby. Moreover, the I have written two works of history, Northwest Washington and one in local folks haven’t a clue about The Vision of Anglo-America (Cam- Southeast. I began as a tutor and soon Foreign Service life and are only inter- bridge, 1987) and The Fall of Che helped manage the program, eventu- ested in their backyard happenings Guevara (Oxford, 1998), and one ally directing it for about five years. such as football, baseball, etc. I miss book of four novellas, Impure Finally, as an avocation, I write the connection to what was the major Thoughts (PublishAmerica, 2004). I plays. Some have been produced in emphasis in my life for more than 36 have also written innumerable short- England — at Cambridge, London years. I have learned that you can’t er items; e.g., commentaries for and Edinburgh — and some in just close the door and begin anew, “Talking History,” a program carried Washington, D.C. because FS life has greatly altered by a group of National Public Radio My advice for new retirees: beware your views on life and the world. stations and by the Voice of America. of isolation, especially if you write. Lois Luebke Bozilov I have also done newspaper pieces You can get carried away with your Oconomowoc, Wis. on international affairs, written the work and suddenly find yourself get- introductions to two books about ting neurotic from lack of adult com-

Che Guevara, and contributed a pany, especially if your spouse is away number of articles to Government most of the day, as mine was. Many Activities, Literary and Executive magazine. I planned and organizations in Washington will glad- Nonliterary wrote the text for an exhibit and ly invite you to interesting programs. When I retired from the United then a booklet produced by the Look into them. They will help keep States Information Agency in 1986, I Association for Diplomatic Studies you sane. planned to write. And that is largely and Training, A Brief History of Henry Butterfield Ryan what I have done. Immediately after United States Diplomacy. Part of Washington, D.C.

50 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 2006 Digging into History in France When I retired from USIA, after tours in South Africa, Tanzania, Slo- venia and Switzerland, and two post- ings to Paris, my wife and I could not agree on a place to settle in the U.S. But because we both liked France, that became our obvious choice. After 13 years, we have no regrets. My writing and editing experience and FS media and international orga- nization contacts were a definite help in landing post-retirement consultan- cy jobs at the International Herald Tribune, the International Energy Agency and MBA-Exchange.com. As acting president of the French Association CSS Alabama and on behalf of the U.S. Naval Historical Center, I organized the summer 2005 dives to the wreck of the notorious Confederate raider sunk by the USS Kearsarge off Cherbourg, France, in 1864. It was the last great sailing ship gunnery duel in history and the only Civil War battle outside U.S. territory (see “A Captain, a Ship and a Final Battle: The Saga of the CSS Ala- bama,” FSJ, May 1994). My interest in this story began when I discovered the “Alabama Room” in the Geneva City Hall, site of the first international arbitration tribunal in history. Later, as cultural attaché in Paris, I served as liaison between the U.S. government and the government of France in negotia- tions over ownership of the wreck and its artifacts. I have also started piano lessons as a beginner! Christopher Henze Neuilly, France

Part-time Work, Full-time Retirement I have been on the WAE rolls for over a year but haven’t had an assign- ment. Living outside Washington is a

FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 51 problem in that only overseas assign- for my retirement, in fact) was here. I I’ve traded in my blue pinstripe suit ments make economic sense, and I like it. If I weren’t here, I would be for a mango-colored Goretex ski parka can’t spend much time in the depart- living in the mountains of San Diego with “STEAMBOAT AMBASSADOR” ment schmoozing. The basic prob- County. In 22 years in the Foreign emblazoned on the back. My office is lem, however, is no money, particular- Service, I only lived in Washington a stand of spruce trees at the top of ly no money for public diplomacy. three times for a total of less than two- Mt. Werner, where I gather my min- When USIA was absorbed into State, and-a-half years — it’s not home. ions every Sunday morning to start the the PD areas kept salaries in their The Retirement Seminar was good mountain ski tour (at 10,685 feet budgets. This was probably wise, but and the followup has been spectacu- above sea level, it’s considerably closer they receive no central money to help lar, but dealing with the Retirement to heaven than the seventh floor of the out with unexpected gaps at posts. Division was like being a visa appli- State Department). My employee I could, of course, fill other posi- cant in Nigeria. evaluation comes from the hundreds tions as I have experience in doing I retired voluntarily, long before I of guests I meet face-to-face every political work and have been acting would have been TICed out, so that week, most of whom tell me that DCM at two posts for considerable part of the emotional process was not Steamboat’s ambassador program is periods of time. A PD background a factor. I anticipated problems in the best free service offered by any ski isn’t helpful here but, again, the basic acquiring an identity: If I am not in mountain in the business. problem is money. an embassy or the Department of My volunteer “work” at the Steam- Maybe next year. State, who am I? But it turned out boat Ski Area, overlooking the Yampa In the meantime, I have an art not to be a problem here because Valley in Colorado, requires spending gallery in my home. It’s a “real” busi- people don’t care who you were time up on the mountain with the ski- ness in that it is registered, I pay taxes, before. And most of them have never ing guests, answering their questions, and I have made a profit — though if heard of the Foreign Service anyway. seeing to their needs. It’s PAO stuff, I had to live on the proceeds, I’d be Kiki Harris without the staff. slim indeed. Basically, the income North Carolina Every day at 10:30 a.m., a hardy pays for travel, more art, some maga- band of ambassadors takes small zine subscriptions and gives me “mad

groups of skiers on a free two-hour money.” It is difficult to determine guided tour of the mountain. We hit whether the Foreign Service experi- Ambassador in the Yampa the skiing high spots, tell them some ence helped me (except in having got- Valley local lore, and point out where the ten to know a number of artists over “Oh, Mr. Ambassador, could you best powder stashes are likely to be the years), or whether the qualities help me, please?” The voice of the found when the next storm rolls in. that made the Foreign Service fun for skier came to me out of the swirl- me also contribute here. ing snowstorm. “Not bad,” I As I don’t work full time, you might thought, “a retirement job where call me “fully retired.” What am I I get some respect!” doing? I am finally finishing my doc- torate in Romanian history. I am active in the local Democratic Party organiza- tion and write a weekly news column for our local paper. I sing in a choral group. I organize tours to India and Romania, trying to help out friends in those countries. I am involved in a 4-H project that, we hope, will result in a partnership between Pamlico County, N.C., and Vilcea Judet, Romania. And, of course, my two horses keep me busy riding and taking part in horse associa- Retired FSO Don Mathes traded in tions and shows. his pinstripe suit for a Goretex ski I am in North Carolina because my parka and volunteer work at the newly-acquired husband (the reason Steamboat Ski Area in Colorado.

52 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 2006 I love the exchanges; it reminds me of breath in the Rockies, whereas I Ed Murrow’s exhortation to my entry- sleep at 7,200 feet every night, ski level class in 1960 that the most I anticipated problems about 100 days each season and hike important distance our communica- the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness in sum- tions have to cover is “the last three in acquiring an identity: mer. I take some pleasure in having feet.” As a Steamboat ambassador, I a 30-something hotshot from New stay three feet from our guests for If I am not in an York or Washington beg me to stop most of my day. for a break. On occasion, I’ve gotten in over my embassy or the In addition to the mountain tour, head, like the time I was asked to take we help the ski patrol clear the moun- members of the Spanish national ski Department of State, tain at closing time. It’s a highly struc- team on a tour of the mountain. For tured operation because we don’t a couple of hours, I chased three who am I? want to leave any injured or lost skier Olympic ski racers in their 20s out there overnight to freeze to death. through the trees and down our black — Kiki Harris Nothing compares to the beauty of diamond terrain. I was 68 at the time “sweep” at the end of the day: making and had never raced anyone but my your way slowly down the mountain in 10-year-old. It didn’t take long to the evening twilight, without another realize that my skiing skills were not soul in sight; light snow gently falling, up to Olympic standards and that my More commonly, however, my and not a sound but the swishing of S-4 in Spanish needed work. But at tour is composed of families and your turning skis. It’s pure poetry, a the end of the tour, they thanked me skiers whose skills are less advanced soul-stirring experience. profusely for not getting in their way, than those of the Spanish team. Retirement to a mountain town is and presented me with a national ski Also, they come from lower altitudes not everyone’s idea of paradise. The team cap that I treasure. and are struggling to catch their winters are long, the summers short.

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FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 53 Denver’s cultural life is 200 miles and along trails in Rock Creek Park. away, and I’m seldom called by any- When we visited San Francisco, we one in Washington to ask my opinion The sensible Dutch, explored the peninsula’s Coastal on a policy matter. But I have a great Range and the Berkeley Hills with Io. ski mountain to play on for four or five faced with a gasoline For many years my spouse was zoning months each year and an expansive chair for the Dupont Circle Citizens’ wilderness region to hike and bike shortage, declared Association, and Io provided cover as between June and October. Great he prowled neighborhood alleys to golf, bountiful wildlife, rushing creeks “Autoless Zondags.” check on questionable new decks or and rivers, incredible wildflowers in additions. the spring, no air conditioning That was the first time Rain, shine or snow, my spouse required, and no Beltway traffic to walks three round-trip miles to his job deal with. For me the trade-off is we gave serious thought as a behind-the-scenes volunteer at the easy. Smithsonian. For almost 20 years he The Ute Indians who inhabited the to walking as a means of has worked in the numismatic section valley before white fur traders settled of the American History Museum, here spoke of the “Curse of the transportation. where he catalogs and attributes one of Yampa Valley.” It was that anyone the finest collections of Russian coins who spent a season in the valley would — Jewell Fenzi in the world. It was given to the be cursed from then on always to Smithsonian by Willis B. Dupont in return. I have suffered from the curse the 1960s and 1970s, and contains since my first season in Steamboat many great rarities. My spouse has Springs; and each and every time I time we gave serious thought to walk- published articles in the scholarly Jour- return home from a trip, I heave that ing as a means of transportation. nal of the Russian Numismatic Society; knowing sigh of relief as I cruise over Assigned to Washington soon after, one of them, “Count Emeryk Hutten- Rabbit Ears Pass and look down on we bought a house in the District Czapski, His Interest and Expertise in my valley: Home in paradise, safe at where we could walk to everything, Russian Numismatics,” was received last. including the department. In addi- with acclaim in numismatic circles. Don Mathes tion, a narrow house with multiple Although coins have been his first love Steamboat Springs, Colo. stories and lots of stairs meant built-in since youth, my spouse insists he vol- aerobic exercise. unteers at the Smithsonian because he

That was 1977, and our colleagues can walk to work. thought we had taken leave of our My volunteer commutes, also on Walking Through Retirement senses. The neighborhood had been foot, to the Woman’s National Demo- Luck and an overseas experience abandoned by both the black and cratic Club and to DC Vote to advo- played a role in our satisfactory retire- white middle class after the riots fol- cate full voting rights for residents of ment. First, the good luck: Our two lowing the assassination of Dr. Martin the District of Columbia are clocked children are creative, self-sufficient Luther King Jr. in 1968. But beautiful in minutes. Shortly after settling in adults who profited from their old 19th-century residences and Washington in 1985, I began record- Foreign Service youth (although they vibrant Dupont Circle were making a ing oral histories, first with Foreign may not have thought so at the time). comeback. Today we stroll to U Street Service spouses and later with mem- We are also lucky to have good genes, for designer pizza or to the 14th Street bers of WNDC. I could walk to con- and are pretty hale and hearty at 78. theater district, the Phillips Gallery or duct FS interviews in Georgetown Second, the experience abroad: the Dupont Circle Cinema. Realtors and Sheridan Circle, and to transcribe During the oil crisis of the 1970s, we tout the neighborhood: luxury town- interviews at the organization’s his- were at the consulate general in houses in the low seven figures, ideal toric mansion just off Dupont Circle. Rotterdam. The sensible Dutch, location, walking distance from every- We plan to stay in our house and faced with a gasoline shortage, thing. keep on walking. More and more declared “Autoless Zondags.” So we For almost 15 years we walked Io, frequently I eye the basement, well cycled or walked on Sunday outings, our beloved husky/German shepherd, aware that we should finish the even though diplomats were exempt up to Meridian Hill, down to Lafay- roughed-in bedroom and bath for a from the restriction. That was the first ette Square, around Roosevelt Island caregiver, should walking ever

54 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 2006 become a luxury for us. Meanwhile, when we are not driving annually across the U.S. to visit two energetic little grandsons in California, we only have to fill up at the pump about every six weeks. Jewell Fenzi Washington, D.C.

20 Years in the Informal Reserve I served in the Foreign Service from 1952 to 1980, and in the “infor- mal reserve” — on WAE and contract status — from 1980 to 2000. During the reserve years, I held a number of short-term assignments in offices concerned with freedom of informa- tion, political military affairs, political asylum cases, refugee matters, lan- guage services and, above all, human rights. I also had several contract assignments with NGOs holding con- tracts with USAID, one of which involved travel to Africa. I was a member of the first Human Rights Country Reports Team assembled to edit and prepare the annual volume for publication. Mandated by Congress, these annual reports require sensitive handling and impose a heavy workload on em- bassies and the department. In 1984, then-Assistant Secretary for Human Rights Elliott Abrams decided to form a team of senior officers to coor- dinate this process. I served on this team for well over a decade, primari- ly editing the African reports. This was by far the most interesting and rewarding work I performed in the informal reserve. It involved four months each year of intense activity with various bureaus and embassies. In my experience, the selection of officers for assignments in the infor- mal reserve comes about through a casual process of keeping in touch with other officers, bureaus and pub- lications. One assignment leads to

FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 55 another. There are many variables in My Take on Retirement the process — e.g., timing — but for Within weeks of joining the those interested in such careers, it is I was a member of Foreign Service in 1960 and going to important to start soon after retire- Washington for training I knew I’d ment, while contacts are current. the first Human Rights found my career. Everyone I met was The informal reserve seems to uniformly friendly and welcoming, work reasonably well, except in times Country Reports Team and the material was immensely inter- of major foreign affairs crises. In esting. My family, of course, thought 1988, I recommended establishing a assembled to edit and it was just a “phase.” But from my formal reserve system with the aim of first tour in Amman to my last in La rationalizing the reserve selection and prepare the annual Paz, I embraced the Foreign Service assignment process and better pre- life and found every new post a paring for major emergencies (see volume for publication. unique experience. “Standing in Reserve,” FSJ, January When it came to retirement, my 1988). Subsequently, the department — James F. Relph Jr. tours in the Middle East assured me initiated a semiformal reserve in the that I would be happiest in a desert 1990s, but it never had much success atmosphere. I therefore took quite a due to a dearth of funding, limiting few trips exploring various areas in legal regulations and a lack of wide itive. However, with the Iraq experi- Arizona and New Mexico. The place political support. ence in mind, it might be useful for a I found most enticing was Santa Fe. Today, as the budgetary squeeze is task force or commission to take a seri- But as my retirement date neared, likely on, the cost of implementing a ous look at the pros and cons of such a everything I read indicated that life formal reserve, one in which officers reserve. in Santa Fe might be more expen- could keep up language, area and James F. Relph Jr. sive than I would wish. So I used a other skills, would seem to be prohib- Laguna Woods, Calif. book, Retirement Places Rated: What You Need to Know to Plan the Retirement You Deserve (John Wiley & Sons, 2004), to get information on other locales that might interest me. The book advises readers to think of their own personal interests — golf, bowling, medical facilities, even movies. What an eye-opener! I real- ized that a lot of the places that sounded interesting to me, for instance, had only one movie screen, which would not be sufficient to sat- isfy my cinematic interest. While serving in La Paz, Bill and Lou Hedges and I discussed retire- ment quite a lot, and they mentioned Las Cruces, N.M., to me. They were looking seriously at that area and did quite a bit of Internet research on it. As they shared their gleanings with me, it sounded extremely interesting. Contrary to the advice I was given at the Retirement Seminar, I really wanted to be in a town where I did not know anyone. I thought that if I lived where I knew even one person or couple, I would tend to hang back

56 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 2006 and do things with them instead of interested me. I’ve become active in exploring. With 65,000 inhabitants, a local “singles” club, and met even and a university and military facility I have realized that, more people. nearby, Las Cruces certainly sounded I find that my life is full — too full like it would fulfill all my needs. while I had fantastic sometimes. I still play bridge often, Upon retiring I came to Las Cruces play Trivial Pursuit with a club once a and rented an apartment for a few experiences overseas, month and belong to the Cactus Club months while looking the area over. I (where we learn about our native spent a day with a realtor in Albu- I missed many things in plants). I have a few friends that I querque, too, but realized that city was regularly go to movies with, belong to just too big for me — and housing was our own country. a twice-monthly dinner group, volun- more expensive than I wanted. After teer at a hospital, play computer and about four months I bought a house So I have made a real PlayStation 2 games with another here. Still, I worried about becoming group and try to get out and take housebound, and made a point to have effort to see them. advantage of the numerous cultural at least one thing each day that would events in the city. I also have become require my going out. — Judy Chidester involved in our local “downtown revi- I became acquainted with some talization” program. people who played bridge and also I have found quite a few Foreign joined a Hospitality Club. The news- Service retirees here, two of whom I paper provided information on many permitted me to feed that particular had met overseas. I have an annual other things I found of interest. craving. Soon I was on the board of party with them and others who have Through these activities I began two social organizations and playing lived and worked overseas. The building my circle of friends. There bridge often. I found a couple of Hedges are retiring and moving here were also 12 movie screens, which evening classes at the university that this year, so I can show them a little

FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 57 more of the city that I have learned. have much in my home to interest I have realized that, while I had me. Then there are all the homeown- fantastic experiences overseas, I I have at last found out er responsibilities I did not have over- missed many things in our own coun- seas. I now have a large and varied try. So I have made a real effort to see what I wanted to be circle of friends, which permits me to them. I have driven to the East Coast explore my eclectic interests. I have three or four times, toured quite a bit when I grew up — lived in Las Cruces longer than I lived of the Southwest, driven to California anywhere in my entire life. I recently numerous times and have also trav- retired. It is such a took a driving trip of nearly a month eled within New Mexico to see the through the High Sierras of Nevada wonderful, but little-known sites in wonderful life! and California, and was truly home- this state. sick by the time I got back. That is a There have been a couple of inter- — Judy Chidester feeling I never experienced in the national trips as well. One of them Foreign Service, where each post was to Italy, where I was posted from became my home. 1967 to 1969. During that time I met I hope that everyone’s retirement quite a few friends who were working experience is as enjoyable and reward- on degrees in art or art history. The Florida on a trip there, and it was a ing as mine. I encourage people to trip was a good opportunity to visit my great experience to see so many peo- “look outside the box” when consider- old haunts and friends in both ple I’d known during my career. ing retirement. An entirely new envi- Florence and Rome. I have at last found out what I ronment, with new friends and experi- E-mail has permitted me to keep wanted to be when I grew up — ences, can turn the “end” of one’s life close relationships with Foreign retired. It is such a wonderful life! I into the beginning of a new one. Service friends all over the U.S. I am so busy that I now cherish those Judy Chidester attended the retiree luncheon in days when I don’t have to go out. I Las Cruces, N.M. n

58 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 2006 BOOKS

affected the Israeli-Palestinian nego- Coming Up Short Swisher’s book helps tiations. His account of what hap- pened when Clinton and President The Truth about Camp David: us better understand Hafiz al-Assad met in Geneva in The Untold Story about the this sad story. March 2000 is insightful. But I think Collapse of the Middle East he is too quick to blame Dennis Ross Peace Process for many of the mistakes on the Clayton E. Swisher, Nation Books, Anyone who cares about Middle American side. Instead, I would 2004, $14.95, paperback, 455 pages. East peace would do well to try to point the finger at the president him- wade through the various accounts of self. He had a poor sense of timing REVIEWED BY WILLIAM B. QUANDT the summit. After all, for better or in calling the summit, which would worse, U.S. policy toward the Israeli- have been far more promising had he The subject of this book, the his- Palestinian conflict in recent years moved the previous year. toric summit held at Camp David in has been based on an interpretation Clinton also did not have a disci- July 2000, brought together Presi- of those events that seems flawed in plined team or a tightly controlled dent Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Min- a number of ways. approach to negotiations, believing ister Ehud Barak and PLO leader Clayton Swisher’s book ambitious- that he could improvise, charm and Yassir Arafat. The most sensitive ly claims to tell us “the truth” about cajole his way to an agreement. issues in the Israeli-Palestinian con- Camp David. This goal is beyond his Sometimes he seemed impatient flict were discussed, some for the reach, and beyond the reach of any with details, and was afraid to put first time, but the issue of sovereign- author writing today. Still, his work American ideas in writing until the ty over the Haram al-Sharif/Temple is valuable because he questions the very end. When he finally submitted Mount area of Jerusalem proved to conventional story and places consid- his famous “parameters” on Dec. 23, be a sticking point. After nearly two erably more blame for the failure of 2000, it was much too late. He was on weeks, the talks ended in failure, the talks on mistakes made by the his way out of office; Barak and Arafat despite attempts to revive them later American side. A former special were both politically weak; and in the year. agent in the Bureau of Diplomatic George W. Bush would be the next This much everyone agrees on. Security who was assigned to the president. (Amazingly, Arafat seems But on almost every other aspect of Secretary of State and visiting Arab to have thought he would get a better this intriguing historical moment, and Israeli leaders in support of the deal from the new president than there is discord. The American and Oslo process (including trips to from Clinton, perhaps because the Israeli versions agree that Barak Jerusalem, Ramallah, Washington Saudis had led him to believe that.) made an offer that went further than and Camp David), Swisher has talked There are no heroes or villains in ever before, but Arafat was passive to many of the participants and usual- the Camp David story as I read it. and refused to engage in real negoti- ly quotes them by name. He has also Each party made serious mistakes; ations. (The Palestinians dispute had some access to documents. each of the key personalities was this, of course.) Both sides had Sometimes he seems too ready to problematic in important ways; each reservations, but those of Arafat, credit a single anonymous source for wanted peace, but on terms that the according to Dennis Ross, were out- a telling anecdote, but on the whole, other would not accept; and the fail- side the parameters laid down by his picture of what happened has to ure to reach agreement proved to be Clinton. Thus, in what has come to be taken seriously. enormously costly for all of them. be the standard version, Arafat bears I found him particularly good on Clayton Swisher’s book helps us bet- the blame for the summit’s failure. the Israeli-Syrian track and the way it ter understand this sad story. It is not

FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 59 B OOKS

the last word on the matter, but it is cal and moral commitments). But one that deserves to be read. Walzer cautions against any conversa- Renewing the dialogue tion partners “lay[ing] claims to divine William B. Quandt is professor of pol- authority.” itics at the University of Virginia, and with religion can only Hehir points out that the exclusion the author of Peace Process: Ameri- of religion from foreign policy finds its can Diplomacy and the Arab-Israeli illuminate the forces by roots in the Westphalian concept of Conflict Since 1967, third edition state sovereignty that put an end to the (Brookings, 2005). He served on the which humans order Thirty Years’ War back in 1648. But National Security Council staff deal- he believes that approach needs fine- ing with Middle Eastern affairs in the their affairs. tuning. “... [T]here is a growing con- Nixon and Carter administrations. sensus that a complete secularization of world politics, or an analytical effort to divorce religion from the political order, yields a distorted conception of A Complex ca’s religions.” He notes that the same contemporary world politics. There is Relationship is increasingly true of world politics. little support for a collapse of the dis- The essayists all freely acknowl- tinction between the political and reli- Liberty and Power: A Dialogue edge that the relationship between gious domains of life. The crossing of on Religion and U.S. Foreign religion and foreign policy is complex, the fault lines resides in a more mod- Policy in an Unjust World and its analysis is rife with potential est proposition that the public and J. Bryan Hehir, Michael Walzer et al., pitfalls. James Lindsay, vice president social significance of religion, its Brookings Institution Press, 2004, of the Council on Foreign Relations, potential for positive and negative $16.95, paperback, 119 pages. cautions against the tendency for effects on politics, must be given self-righteousness to creep into the weight.” Still, systematic application REVIEWED BY JOHN GRONDELSKI discourse. For his part, columnist of such a process, Hehir admits, is only Charles Krauthammer seems dubious in its incipient stages. If we should “give unto Caesar about “the question of whether reli- While the bogeyman of 17th-cen- what belongs to Caesar, and to God gious convictions guide a moral for- tury religious warfare is often invoked what belongs to God,” who gets for- eign policy,” though admitting that to justify the exorcism of religion from eign policy? As recently as the 1970s, internationally “we have no choice but the public and diplomatic spheres, the Caesar’s monopoly on relations with to act ... by our own definitions of what fact remains that the most egregious other Caesars would have been a is right and just.” Alas, he does not tell violators of international peace and given. But that is no longer true, as us whence those definitions derive. human rights in the 20th century were this collection of seven essays, Volume Professor Shibley Telhami argues that regimes driven by secular, even anti- Four of the Pew Forum Dia- winning the war against terrorism ulti- religious, ideologies. The dangers of logues on Religion and Public Life mately depends on “speak[ing] with the state as author and sole measure of series, demonstrates. (Though the moral authority.” its own morality were well document- book was published nearly two years The two central essays in the book, ed at Nuremberg. Renewing the dia- ago, its insights are even more rele- by Michael Walzer of the Institute for logue with religion can only illuminate vant today.) Advanced Study in Princeton and the forces by which humans — indi- The anthology’s editor, J. Bryan Hehir, will be perhaps the most useful vidually, collectively, nationally, even Hehir, the Parker Gilbert Montgom- for many readers. Walzer acknowl- internationally — order their affairs. ery Professor of the Practice of edges the contributions religion can These essays — balanced, probing Religion and Public Life at Harvard’s make to foreign policy (arguing, for and honest — are a good place to start Kennedy School of Government, example, that even so-called “realistic” in joining that ongoing dialogue. n quotes the political philosopher Jean debates over obliteration bombing in Bethke Elshtain: “American politics is the British government during World John Grondelski, an FSO since 1998, indecipherable if it is severed from the War II employed “realpolitik” lan- served in London and Warsaw. He is interplay and panoply of Ameri- guage to cloak the interlocutors’ ethi- now on the Russia desk.

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FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 67 REFLECTIONS Exceeding One’s Grasp, Marine-Style

BY WILLIAM V. ROEBUCK

It sounded like such a good idea cessing enough oxygen to stop me of venturing so far out of my age over a few libations at the Marine from wheezing. bracket (nearly always a fool’s errand). House. “Do a little physical training It turned out that the warm-up laps As I climbed back into the van, it with you guys early in the morning we did before the first round of exer- was all high fives and “good job,” but I before work? Run through an olive cises were at a pace that I normally was absorbed in my private thoughts: orchard? Sure, I can do that.” I was reserved for my “kick” at the end of a “What is the maximum number of also comforted (falsely) by the assur- leisurely run. The “daily sevens” Advils a person can take at one time ances of the gunny that “Hey, at PT, revealed themselves to be seven sets without suffering major organ dam- we’re only as fast as the slowest guy.” of things like side-straddle hops, squat age?” It began to dawn on me on a cold, thrusts, “cherry pickers,” “steam Yet through the fog of pain and the rainy morning the following week, as I engines,” and an insidious assortment miserable sense of having been the dressed my tired, stiff body, that of other exercises. One Marine did inspiration for the Allman Brothers maybe it was not such a good idea the cadence, the others did the count, ballad, “Tied to the Whipping Post,” I after all. My reservations grew as I and I puffed and groaned and cheated realized that I had enjoyed the crazy climbed into the van full of 20-year-old furiously on the 10 push-ups we were outing. (OK, maybe I was suffering Marines. doing between each exercise. As we from an exercise version of Stock- We ended up doing PT at headed for two laps around the stadi- holm Syndrome.) I appreciated the Damascus’ Tishreen Stadium. Access um, before another set of seven, I Marines’ organized drills, the playful doors to the track and field were heard, “This time we’ll pick up the wisecracking and their sympathetic locked, so we circled up for warm-ups pace, guys” and saw a Marine go by individual suggestions that I “take it outside the stadium. It is hard to me like a two-legged deer. I decided easy,” “maybe skip a set or two — we describe what happened next. I to shift into higher gear and show do this every day.” But I knew that heard mention of some “daily sev- these guys what a former Rocky once they were out of earshot, they ens,” which apparently included a Mount Senior High School track also- probably added “… next time, get few calisthenics. “No problem,” I ran was capable of. I quickly discov- yourself a walker before coming out told myself. “I was doing jumping ered that the clutch of my leg muscles here.” jacks before these boys (or maybe and the transmission formerly known Would I do it again? Probably. I’m even their daddies) could ride tricy- as my respiratory system were not sure I wouldn’t hesitate if, as often cles.” Fifteen minutes later, I found going to cooperate. happened with me, my ambitions myself with a distended tongue hang- It would be nice to report that I became king-sized and the memories ing out of my mouth and a severely eventually found my rhythm and that I of my ancient glory days (such as they collapsed lung that was no longer pro- began catching up to — and even were) became hazily magnified, possi- passing — a few of these young bly by some strategic imbibing at William Roebuck joined the Foreign squirts. But that would be skirting happy hour. As I stepped out of the Service in 1992 and has served in the truth by a country mile. I gritted van, I was reminded of the poet Kingston, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. my teeth to get through the ten thou- Robert Browning’s famous adage He is currently assigned to Damas- sand calisthenics, hoping hamstrings (slightly paraphrased): “A man’s reach cus. The stamp is courtesy of the wouldn’t snap or bursas burst, as I should exceed his grasp, or else what’s AAFSW Bookfair “Stamp Corner.” cursed myself for the foolish mistake a Marine Corps push-up for?” n

68 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/FEBRUARY 2006