The Foreign Service Journal, May 2009

FAIR TREATMENT FOR MOHS ■ AFSA MEETS THE SECRETARY ■ OFF TO THE RACES

$3.50 / MAY 2009 OREIGN ERVICE FJ O U R N A L STHE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS

SURVIVING THE FISCAL DROUGHT The Foreign Agricultural and Commercial Services

OREIGN ERVICE FJ O U R N A L S CONTENTS May 2009 Volume 86, No. 5

F OCUS ON FAS & FCS

HOPING FOR A BREAK: FOREIGN TRADE AGENCIES UNDER PRESSURE / 15 Despite the economic and diplomatic dividends of their work, FSOs at Agriculture and Commerce are coping with inadequate budgets. By Shawn Zeller

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: FCS DELIVERS FOR U.S. BUSINESS / 23 FCS will continue to assist American companies grappling with a challenging economic environment. By Aileen Crowe Nandi

Cover and inside illustration FAS AT A CROSSROADS: RESHAPING AG DIPLOMACY / 27 by Phil Foster The Foreign Agricultural Service has repeatedly reinvented itself throughout its 80-year history. The time has come for another evolution. By Allan Mustard

EMERGING CHALLENGES: FARM TRADE IN THE AGE OF GLOBALIZATION / 32 Facing a range of political threats to agricultural trade, PRESIDENT’S VIEWS / 5 FAS must again prove the value of its work. Stay the Course By Eric Trachtenberg By John K. Naland SPEAKING OUT / 12 FS HERITAGE Hope for Gay and Lesbian Foreign Service Employees EUGENE SCHUYLER: SCHOLAR, PATRIOT AND MAN OF LETTERS / 37 By Steven Giegerich A visit by the Czarist Navy to New York City in 1863 led one of America’s first Russia experts to join the U.S. Consular Service. REFLECTIONS / 60 By Eric A. Johnson Betting on Imperialism By Rakesh Surampudi A PPRECIATION

A LIFE DEDICATED TO SERVICE: BRIAN DANIEL ADKINS, 1983-2009 / 41 ETTERS L / 7 By Charles Hornbostel CYBERNOTES / 9 AFSA NEWS MARKETPLACE / 11 AFSA MEETS WITH SECRETARY CLINTON / 45 BOOKS / 53 DON’T FORGET TO VOTE! / 45 BRIEFS, AGGELER / 46 INDEX TO AFSA’S TESTIMONY BEFORE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS / 47 ADVERTISERS / 58 VP VOICE: USAID A MEETING WITH THE SECRETARY / 48 UPCOMING TRANSITION CENTER COURSES / 48 VP VOICE: FAS PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS / 49 FAMILY MEMBER MATTERS: PRESCHOOL SUBSIDIES / 50 CLASSIFIEDS / 51

MAY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 3 A time of service…a time of need OREIGN ERVICE FJ O U R N A L S

Help for Seniors May Editor STEVEN ALAN HONLEY Senior Editor Be Just a Phone Call Away— SUSAN B. MAITRA Associate Editor The Senior Living Foundation may be SHAWN DORMAN able to help you or someone you know. AFSA News Editor Some examples of assistance are: FRANCESCA KELLY Ad & Circulation Manager ED MILTENBERGER N Home Health Care Business Manager N Adult Day Care & Respite Care ALICIA J. CAMPI N Prescription Drug Copayments Art Director CARYN SUKO SMITH N Transportation to Medical Appointments EDITORIAL BOARD N Durable Medical Equipment TED WILKINSON Chairman For more information, please contact the JOSEPH BRUNS STEPHEN W. B UCK SENIOR LIVING FOUNDATION JULIE GIANELLONI CONNOR OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE JIM DEHART 1716 N Street, NW N Washington, DC 20036-2902 JEFF GIAUQUE Phone: (202) 887-8170 N Fax: (202) 872-9320 GEORGE JONES E-Mail: [email protected] N Web Site: www.SLFoundation.org LAURIE KASSMAN YVETTE N. MALCIOLN SPONSORED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION DAVID MCFARLAND AL PESSIN

THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is published monthly with a combined July-August issue by the American Foreign Service Associa- tion (AFSA), a private, nonprofit organization. Material appearing herein represents the opinions of the writers and does not necessarily represent the views of the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries and submissions are invited, preferably by e-mail. Journal sub- scription: AFSA members – $13 included in annual dues; others – $40. For foreign surface mail, add $18 per year; foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. Indexed by Public Affairs Information Services (PAIS). The Journal is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos or illustrations. Advertising inquiries are invited. The appearance of advertisements herein does not imply the endorsement of the services or goods offered. TELEPHONE: (202) 338-4045 FAX: (202) 338-8244 or (202) 338-6820 E-MAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.afsa.org; www.fsjournal.org © American Foreign Service Association, 2009. Printed in the U.S.A. Send address changes to: AFSA Attn: Address Change 2101 E Street N.W. Washington DC 20037-2990 Printed on 50-percent recycled paper, of which 10 percent is post-consumer waste.

4 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MAY 2009 PRESIDENT’S VIEWS Stay the Course BY JOHN K. NALAND

After years of flat funding tions at State and 160 new devoted to funding the civilian element during which new mission repositions at USAID each of national security. quirements vastly outstripped year for the next five years. So it is vital to stay the course on ef- staff resources, Foreign Service In addition, AFSA also sees a forts to expand the Foreign Service. We hiring at State and USAID is fi- strong case for expanding the must not declare “victory” after just a nally on the upswing. Funding Foreign Commercial Service few years of above-attrition hiring provided by Congress in the and the Foreign Agricultural which, at best, would only serve to fill 2008 supplemental appropriation and Service. existing staffing gaps. Fiscal Year 2009 budget will add Moreover, those hiring targets were Instead, lawmakers also need to about 640 additional “core” State based on a 2008 snapshot of needs that fund the creation of a robust training diplomatic personnel and 450 new may grow even larger in the coming complement to allow Foreign Service USAID development officers by this years as the Obama administration un- members to attain advanced levels of September. dertakes new foreign policy initiatives foreign-language fluency, leadership Obviously, that is very good news. — for example, increasing civilian and management ability, and job-spe- So, too, is the Obama administration’s staffing in Afghanistan. cific functional expertise. Future recently released Fiscal Year 2010 In AFSA’s March 20 meeting with budgets must also create more posi- budget request which, without giving Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, she tions for Foreign Service members to details, states that it “includes funding pledged to lobby hard to significantly take rotational assignments with other for the first year of a multiyear effort to expand Foreign Service staffing. But agencies in order to maintain our lead significantly increase the size of the she noted that the federal government role in foreign policy coordination. Foreign Service at both the Depart- faces difficult budgetary choices. Future budgets must give our foreign ment of State and the U.S. Agency for As President Obama and Congress affairs agencies the “bench strength” International Development.” allocate budget resources, AFSA urges with which to staff up the new contin- Continued expansion is desperately them to be mindful of the fact that gencies that will inevitably arise in the needed. A blue-ribbon panel report is- adding 4,000 positions to our 13,000- coming years. sued last October by the American member Foreign Service would have a Thus, the task for the Obama ad- Academy of Diplomacy documented far greater positive impact on national ministration, our supporters in Con- the need for 2,848 additional State po- security than would adding the same gress and AFSA over the next four years sitions for core diplomatic functions number of positions to our 1.4 million- is to continue to make the case for and a training complement, as well as member active-duty military (which is strengthening the personnel and physi- for 1,250 additional USAID positions, currently undergoing a 92,000-position cal platform for diplomacy and devel- by Fiscal Year 2014. expansion). Many members of Con- opment assistance. We must do more To achieve that goal will require gress understand this. The same is than fill existing staffing gaps. We must adding an average of 450 new posi- true for Secretary of Defense Robert enure that the Foreign Service has the Gates, who has given a series of high- right number of people with the right John K. Naland is the president of the profile speeches over the past 18 skills and experience to meet the chal- American Foreign Service Association. months urging that more resources be lenges of 21st-century diplomacy. ■

MAY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 5

LETTERS

Congrats for Failure? and assigning physicians who are not efforts to understand, support and ed- As I read the March FSJ here in trained in tropical medicine to the most ucate parents. And she helped so many Kabul, I was disappointed when I got unhealthful posts in the world, on the wonderful young people understand to the AFSA Annual Report, particu- assumption that there they will learn and appreciate the intriguing, disori- larly the Year in Review. Granted, I everything they need to know to oper- enting and challenging world into have only been a paying member of ate effectively as an FS physician. which their parents introduced them. AFSA for four years, but since when I am dismayed at the lack of ethics Ray S. Leki does any union pat itself on the back for on the part of doctors who knowingly Director, Transition Center not getting a job done? accept such positions, thereby putting Foreign Service Institute After reading the article on the Foreign Service families in danger of se- overseas pay gap detailing the failed at- rious illness, or even lifelong disability. Passage to Proceedings tempt to secure equality for those serv- Such practices may provide MED As a former active-duty military of- ing overseas, I again ask why I pay with a cadre of ‘trained’ tropical medi- ficer and current FSO who grew up in membership dues to an organization cine physicians, but often at irreparable the shadow of SOUTHCOM overseas that continues to fail at one of the most cost to those Foreign Service person- in Panama, I found Ambassador David important morale issues facing the nel and their families with the misfor- Passage’s February Speaking Out col- Foreign Service. tune to serve at posts where such umn, “AFRICOM & SOUTHCOM: Sure, AFSA made strides toward training takes place! Reliquaria from an Earlier Era,” excel- bridging the gap by gaining support in Terese W. White-Henry lent and thought-provoking. I urge the House and Senate, but at the end of USAID FSO, retired Amb. Passage to forward his article to the day, the gap is still there. If a union Carmel, Calif. Proceedings magazine, an independent is going to congratulate itself for its per- forum on national defense topics. formance, shouldn’t it have accom- Praise for the Global Nomad Wilbur A. Velarde plished the task? After all, results are I want to thank Mikkela Thompson FSO what we pay for, right? for her beautiful and thoughtful re- Consulate General Ciudad Steven D’Angelo membrance and appreciation of our Juarez Special Agent, Assistant mutual friend, Norma McCaig (“Pas- Lt. Commander, U.S. Coast Regional Security Officer sage of a Global Nomad,” February Guard Reserve Embassy Kabul FSJ). Mikkela speaks from her own perspective as a global nomad as she What About USAID? On-the-Job Training for honors Norma. I thank Captain Sean Walsh for his FS Doctors? Norma McCaig’s unfailing devotion article in the February Journal on “Im- Thanks to AFSA President John to bringing to light what psychologists, proving the PRT-Military Professional Naland for speaking out regarding the anthropologists, interculturists and oth- Relationship.” His practical advice to Office of Medical Services’ practices in ers in the field missed for so long — the Foreign Service officers serving on Pro- his March President’s Views column, unique dynamics that form the refer- vincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq “To Your Health.” I would like to com- ence frame for Foreign Service kids. and Afghanistan will no doubt be help- ment on MED’s practice of recruiting She helped us in so many ways in our ful to those serving in such countries.

MAY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 7 L ETTERS

However, I was dismayed to realize glaring coming on the heels of retired As a result, the hubs, at least in their several paragraphs into Walsh’s article Ambassador David Passage’s Speaking initial years, were financially orphaned that he was speaking only to State De- Out column in the same issue, which by OES and dependent on the willing- partment FSOs. Walsh made no men- persuasively argues that “the primary ness of their host geographic posts and tion of the U.S. Agency for Inter- executive agency for international de- bureaus (already pinched by the national Development, and did not velopment should always be USAID, post–Cold War “peace dividend”) to seem to realize that he and his col- not DOD.” pick up the freight. That support, in leagues work side-by-side with USAID I’m not sure what Walsh’s oversight turn, depended on the interest of sen- personnel on PRTs in Iraq. How can says about USAID-military relations, ior post leadership, which varied this be, I thought, hastily scanning to but it certainly suggests to me that we widely and at my post was nil. As the the end of the article to see if he would could do more to educate our military environment, science and technology rectify this oversight. partners about our agency’s role in crit- counselor in Brasilia, charged with lay- Disappointed, I reread the article ical countries such as these. Perhaps ing the groundwork to establish a hub line by line, only to find that Walsh in- there’s a brief synopsis of USAID that to be staffed by a new officer on the deed wrote three pages on cooperation we could recommend to Captain Walsh way, I spun my wheels for nine months between the military and the Foreign and his colleagues, similar to Schading’s simply trying to get additional office Service in priority countries such as A Civilian’s Guide to the Military, space. Afghanistan and Iraq, without ever which Walsh recommends all FSOs Once established, the Environmen- mentioning USAID. read? tal Hubs faced constraints in what they This omission seems even more Alyssa Wilson Leggoe could do without program money, a sit- USAID FSO uation that tended to reduce many of Embassy Moscow them to modestly useful hosts for transnational conferences and net- Global Repositioning: working. If they ever received serious Déjà Vu Again programmatic or project budgets (I re- Reading Shawn Dorman’s analysis tired before that day came), they cer- in your January issue of the problems tainly lacked the manpower and train- besetting the Global Repositioning ing to administer them and were un- Program at the heart of former Secre- dertaking tasks to which USAID was tary Rice’s Transformational Diplo- far better suited — if only that agency macy initiative (“Global Repositioning had not been gutted by personnel re- in Perspective”), I was struck by the ductions. remarkable parallels to the effort in I offer three lessons from that expe- the late 1990s to broaden U.S. envi- rience. Bright ideas for major restruc- ronmental diplomacy by creating a turing emanating from on high still global network of regional “Environ- require critical analysis from the career mental Hub” offices under the Bureau bureaucracy, even at some professional of Oceans and International Environ- risk. Even if cogently planned, such mental and Scientific Affairs. initiatives will be severely hobbled if That, too, began as the bright idea they amount to slogans without dollars. of a senior political appointee, Under Finally, if we want to carry out pro- Secretary Timothy Wirth — one that grams or do nationbuilding, the place was saluted with little counteranalysis to start is by rebuilding our USAID by a compliant bureaucracy that then component. ■ did its best to carry it out despite little Marc E. Nicholson support from the top for obtaining the FSO, retired needed additional resources. Washington, D.C.

8 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MAY 2009 CYBERNOTES

Campaign for Foreign Assistance Reform s one of the developing countries, we are at the low end of the produc- In an open letter to President Ation line for the global economy. We produce products, and these Obama and the U.S. Congress, more products are consumed by other countries. … This share of emissions than 150 prominent individuals and in- should be taken by the consumers, but not the producers. stitutions urge that foreign assistance —Li Gao, director of the climate change department at China’s National reform be made a priority — “because Development and Reform Commission at a meeting in Washington, D.C., the economic and geopolitical realities on March 17, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7947438.stm of today, and the challenges of the future, demand that we use every dollar as effectively as possible to fight poverty and disease, increase prosper- from two nonprofit organizations show clude a special focus on China, Iraq ity, strengthen weak states and further where countries stand in early 2009. and Somalia. The entire report can be other U.S. strategic interests abroad” For the third year running, Global found at (http://report.globalinteg (www.modernizingforeignassist Integrity found that poor regulation of rity.org/). ance.net/network/open_letter_to_ political financing is the leading gover- Another view of the health of civil obama.php). nance problem worldwide (www.glo society is offered by Transparency In- The open letter and broad citizen balintegrity.org). The group’s 2008 ternational (www.transparency.org). campaign behind it are a project of the report tracks anti-corruption practices The Corruption Perceptions Index, Modernizing Foreign Assistance Net- in 57 countries. GI does not measure Bribe Payers Index, Global Corruption work, a coalition of international de- corruption or perceptions of corrup- Barometer and Promoting Revenue velopment and foreign policy practi- tion per se; rather, it evaluates the ex- Transparency series are all aimed at tioners, policy advocates and experts, istence, effectiveness and citizen raising awareness and diminishing apa- concerned citizens and private-sector access to anti-corruption mechanisms thy and tolerance of corruption (www. organizations. at the national level. transparency.org/policy_research/ To follow the issue of foreign assis- Other key findings include continu- surveys_indices/about). tance reform and participate in the ing poor access to government infor- TI’s Global Corruption Report campaign to accomplish it, visit www. mation in much of the Arab world and 2008, released last fall, highlights cor- modernizingforeignassistance.net. an increasing lack of transparency in ruption in the water sector. More than — Susan Brady Maitra, the Horn of Africa. Surprisingly, de- one billion people live without access Senior Editor spite the fact that Eastern and Central to safe drinking water and, as this re- Europe are generally perceived to port documents, corruption plays a Taking the Pulse of Civil Society have weak anti-corruption and good- critical role in perpetuating the crisis. Corruption, transparency and in- governance mechanisms, states in that The Global Corruption Report 2009, tegrity are topics that have moved to region are doing relatively well on the due out by midyear, will focus on cor- the top of the agenda for actors in in- Global Integrity Index. Additional ruption and the private sector, in addi- ternational civil society. Recent reports highlights from the 2008 report in- tion to an annual review of anti-

MAY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 9 C YBERNOTES

corruption developments in several This year the place of human rights did not undercut Sec. Clinton’s re- dozen representative countries (www. in U.S. foreign policy received unusual marks and won’t damage cooperation transparency.org/publications/gcr). attention in light of remarks made days with China. Founded in 1993 to curb corrup- earlier by Secretary of State Hillary The International Campaign for tion in international transactions, TI is Clinton. Official international re- Tibet, while citing the Clinton remark, based in Berlin and has 93 local chap- sponses also included some surprises. lauded the report’s “comprehensive ters around the world. Emphasizing In Beijing on her inaugural visit as and coherent catalog of China’s human innovative activity to combat corrup- Secretary of State, Clinton stated that rights abuses in Tibet” (www.save tion, the organization has developed human rights would not interfere tibet.org). “The severity of human corruption-fighting tools, such as in- with other issues such as cooperation rights abuses in Tibet, documented tegrity pacts that aim to decrease cor- on climate change and economic con- here in the State Department’s own re- ruption in public contracting, and cerns. Sec. Clinton clarified later that port, should compel vigorous human offers both a “corruption fighter’s she had discussed human rights is- rights diplomacy by the Obama ad- toolkit” and an anti-corruption hand- sues with China, and would continue ministration,” ICT’s Vice President for book among its many informative pub- to do so. International Advocacy Mary Beth lications. The U.S. chapter of Trans- Releasing the report, which de- Markey said. parency International is accessible on clares that Beijing’s human rights But other human rights groups the Web at www.transparency-usa. record “remained poor and worsened were not satisfied. Sophie Richardson, org/. in some areas,” Acting Assistant Sec- Asia advocacy director at Human A relative newcomer, Global In- retary of State for Human Rights Rights Watch, promptly called for “a tegrity was founded in 1999 at the Karen Stewart said the sharp criticism new approach” — citing China’s prac- Center for Public Integrity, where its creators successfully tested their model in several projects before becoming an independent entity in 2005. GI uses Site of the Month: Your Shot innovative online collaboration tools to Anyone who travels the world with a camera in hand will be interested in one of coordinate teams of in-country jour- the National Geographic magazine Web site’s new features, the interactive “Your nalists, academics and social scientists Shot” page at http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/your-shot/your-shot. and has a unique quantitative and Here you can submit a favorite photo of your own for possible publication in qualitative method for assessing anti- National Geographic and return each day to see the editors’ selection of photo- corruption mechanisms, openness and graphs in the “Daily Dozen.” You can also get involved in the contest, voting for government accountability (www.glob your pick, and peruse the archives of “Top Shots” chosen by the editors and on- alintegrity.org/aboutus/story.cfm). line voters. You can download any of the thousands of fascinating images Truly an international organization, it straight to your desktop. And, to the delight of puzzlers young and old, with a boasts more than 650 in-country ex- click of the mouse each of the images can be made into either a jigsaw or slide puz- perts in 92 countries. zle to solve online! — Elizabeth Swift, AFSA Intern In addition, this unique page links you to National Geographic’s “Digital Pho- tography Blog” and “Editor’s Pick Blog.” There you are privy to tips from the ex- State of Human Rights perts on taking great digital photographs and can learn from the photo editors what On Feb. 25, the State Department it takes to make a winning image. released the 2008 edition of Country The National Geographic Web site, ngm.com, is a sprawling treasure trove of in- Reports on Human Rights Practices formation and images of our amazing world through which the curious individual (www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008 could browse for hours. Whether as an entry point to explore all its myriad offer- /index.htm). The congressionally ings — including history, features and maps of all kinds — or as a point of focus mandated annual report contains de- in itself, “Your Shot” is well worth a visit. tailed reviews of human rights condi- — Susan Brady Maitra, Senior Editor tions in some 200 countries.

10 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MAY 2009 C YBERNOTES

50 Years Ago... s things now stand, the leaders of an underdeveloped Acountry will normally deal with 16, 18 and often more than 20 different agencies coming at them purveying various kinds of assistance. … We have tended to close our eyes to the administrative burden which we place on the governments of the less developed countries by proliferating the independent agencies we create to ‘help’ them. — Harlan Cleveland, dean of the Maxwell Graduate School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and co-editor of “The Art of Overseasmanship,” from testimony before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations excerpted in the FSJ, May 1959.

tice of “segregating human rights is- report (www.iht.com/articles/2009/ sues into a dead-end ‘dialogue of the 02/26/asia/china.php). deaf’” while cooperating on other, pre- Sharp responses from Bolivia and ferred matters. Amnesty International Venezuela were not a surprise. The called on Clinton to “repair the dam- Venezuelan Foreign Ministry declared age” caused by her statement (www. the report to be “false, interventionist latimes.com/news/nationworld/ and of malicious intent,” adding that it world/asia/la-fg-clinton-china lacks legitimacy because the U.S. gov- 21-2009feb21,0,542695.story). ernment itself has a “dismal human” Human rights diplomacy will likely rights record (www.venezuelanaly be put to the test elsewhere. The sis.com/news/4251). Obama administration has moved to More significant, however, as Mark end the four-year-old hiatus in relations Weisbrot explains in a guardian.co.uk with Syria. A series of congressional post on March 11, the center-left gov- delegations visited the country re- ernment of Chile joined the usual sus- cently, and Syrian Ambassador Imad pects this year in questioning the moral Moustapha met with top diplomats at authority of the U.S. government’s the State Department on Feb. 26 — a judging other countries’ human rights day after the department’s report con- practices (www.guardian.co.uk/com taining “withering criticism” of Syria’s mentisfree/cifamerica/2009/mar/1 human rights record came out (www. 1/state-department-human-rights). washingtonpost.com). On Feb. 26, Chilean government The report received brickbats from spokesman Francisco Vidal acknowl- the usual quarters. But although edged deteriorating prison conditions China’s official response to the report in Chile, but added sharply: “We do was “caustic,” the International Herald not have a Guantanamo (prison camp). Tribune’s Michael Wines observes, it Democracy does not accept a Guan- was not significantly different from the tanamo” (www.valparaisotimes.cl/ reaction to last year’s report, and Xin- content/view/480/388/). ■ hua’s statement repeated, sometimes — Susan Brady Maitra, word for word, its 2008 response to the Senior Editor

MAY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 11 SPEAKING OUT Hope for Gay and Lesbian Foreign Service Employees

BY STEVEN GIEGERICH

ost readers are well aware factory response” and asked once again of the glaring inequities that These issues have for Secretary of State Condoleezza MForeign Service employees important Rice’s leadership on this issue, but with same-sex partners face through- implications for the never got a meaningful reply. out their careers. Several AFSA mem- All these issues have important eco- bers have written eloquent Speaking entire Foreign Service nomic, quality-of-life and career impli- Out columns in recent years highlight- — not just those cations for a significant segment of the ing the many privileges and benefits directly affected by Foreign Service corps — and should currently denied them. I am thinking discrimination. concern everyone. Inaction is not only particularly of USAID FSO Ajit Joshi unfair, but foolish, leaving the federal (November 2004) and Ambassador government more and more out of Michael Guest (March 2008), who re- tune with private-sector practices. signed from the Foreign Service in Fifty-six percent of Fortune 500 com- protest of the State Department’s re- when necessary; access to post health panies already provide domestic part- fusal to address such concerns. units; and visa support, both for partner benefits to their employees, State did take a few baby steps to- ners joining Foreign Service personnel according to data the Human Rights ward improving conditions under the overseas and for non-U.S. citizen part- Campaign has compiled. previous administration, granting the ners accompanying them on domestic same-sex partners of FS personnel ac- assignments. The Practical Impact cess to the Security Overseas Seminar The representatives specifically of Inequality and the Rosetta Stone online language mentioned that they believed that Consider my own experience. library, as well as (on a space-available none of those proposals were contrary Daniel, my foreign partner of six years, basis) the Foreign Service Institute’s to the letter or spirit of the Defense of has stayed with me through an unac- distance-learning language courses, Marriage Act, legislation passed during companied tour followed by three FAST language instruction and secu- the 1990s to prevent the federal gov- overseas transfers. We’ve had to pay rity-related workshops. ernment from conferring any recogni- his way to each post ourselves, and he But even those paltry achievements tion on same-sex marriages. was almost denied boarding on one oc- came about largely due to a February The April 2008 response from As- casion for not possessing a round-trip 2008 letter from four members of sistant Secretary of State for Legisla- ticket. He is ineligible for home leave, Congress — Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D- tive Affairs Jeffrey Bergner asserted R&R, elder care, emergency visitation, Wis., Howard Berman, D-Calif., Gary that the State Department treats evacuation, etc. Ackerman, D-N.Y. and Ileana Ros- “same-sex and opposite-sex unmarried Each time we move, Daniel has to Lehtinen, R-Fla. — urging those and partners of U.S. government employ- cancel his local health insurance cov- other “common-sense policy changes,” ees stationed abroad in an equivalent erage, then find an appropriate local such as inclusion in travel orders; manner.” Um, we knew that, and that provider at our next posting (fully self- broader access to training; emergency wasn’t the point. The representatives’ funded, of course). This arrangement evacuation and medevac from post follow-up letter called this an “unsatis- is extremely expensive, often provides

12 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MAY 2009 S PEAKING O UT

substandard coverage, and is im- tentially fixable situation) or a Social So Much for mensely frustrating. Security number (not fixable, and for “Family-Friendly” Career sacrifices are a fact of life for inexplicable reasons a U.S. Taxpayer Setting aside all the unfair addi- all Foreign Service dependents, of Identification Number does not sat- tional financial burdens and hassles course, but the hardships are magni- isfy that requirement). that Foreign Service personnel with fied for same-sex partners, as employ- Navigating host-country visa regu- same-sex partners endure, there is the ment opportunities overseas are lations is another major hassle during added stress that such limitations place considerably more restricted. Desig- every transfer. Significant research has on our lives and careers. It makes nated only as a Member of Household, to go into each bid to ensure that there maintaining viable long-term relation- my partner does not benefit from the are no surprises relating to Daniel’s ships that much more difficult. bilateral work agreements that mission ability to reside with me at post. So far, All the Foreign Service mentors I spouses can often use to work on the we have not had to resort to declaring have ever known have emphasized the local economy. On top of that, the him as my domestic servant, though importance of a Washington tour for deck is deliberately stacked against that is a common, if degrading, work- promotion into the senior ranks. But my MOHs because of a policy of giving around. And, of course, my partner ability to do a domestic assignment preference to American-citizen family agrees to reside overseas without the comes at a huge, deal-breaking cost to members and U.S. veteran candidates benefit of the immunities or privileges our family. My partner is a hard worker, for mission employment. that are routine for everyone else’s but he doesn’t hold a U.S. passport or In the case of my previous assign- family members. professional qualifications that would get ment in South Africa, for example, The immunities issue can be a real him an employment-based U.S. visa. very few positions within the mission concern in countries that are unstable, Yes, he could be authorized to re- opened up that didn’t require either a corrupt or hostile to the U.S. govern- main in the U.S. under tourist status security clearance (disqualifying non- ment. And the lack of privileges results for my entire time there, or on a stu- U.S. citizens) or local language skills in numerous financial hits that we have dent visa (although that’s yet another (disqualifying non-natives). The few to absorb. For example, I was only en- major expense and, for many people, that did pop up were immediately titled to purchase one vehicle under not of interest or value). But that snatched up by American-citizen fam- diplomatic privileges in South Africa means no second income and a part- ily members under the preference because I was considered officially ner who is climbing the walls, with his provisions. “single.” The car I had to buy for professional life on hold for several We were fortunate that after about Daniel (believe me, you cannot func- years. And even this option disappears eight months the stars aligned, and tion without a second vehicle there) upon retirement. Where are we sup- my partner became the last man was subject to all local taxes and duties, posed to live then, if he’s not allowed standing for an embassy position. But and was not permitted to have diplo- to reside in the United States? the final kick in the teeth was that matic plates. Similarly, service in a place like Iraq even though Daniel met all criteria to While I recognize that all Foreign is both noble and a potentially valuable qualify as “not ordinarily resident” Service families encounter difficulties strategy for career advancement (not (and therefore eligible for the U.S. and sacrifices living overseas, the to mention the significant financial in- compensation plan), he had to accept problems are greatly magnified for centives). It provides a linked assign- being hired under the Foreign Serv- officers with same-sex partners. The ment to a preferred onward posting ice National compensation plan — lack of FSI long-term language train- and favorable consideration by promo- which in developing countries like ing, for example, means that most tion boards, and goes a long way to- South Africa is significantly different. postings overseas are unappealing for ward establishing a corridor reputation So the job paid much worse and didn’t Daniel (and therefore for me). With- as a team player. accrue time in government service for out language skills, it is much more For singles, the logistics of an Iraq retirement purposes. difficult to navigate in an alien envi- tour are relatively straightforward. For The reasons given were that he did ronment, making one uncompetitive families, the department has come up not have a U.S. bank account (a po- for any type of work. with all kinds of benefits and al-

MAY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 13 S PEAKING O UT

lowances that make it feasible and at- ness and cohesion of our Foreign Serv- tractive. But for someone in my situa- ice. Here are two key pieces of legislation, it is simply not a viable option Inaction is not only tion that should get to the president’s because these same benefits and al- desk as soon as possible: lowances are denied. unfair, but foolish. The Domestic Partner Benefits Because my partner cannot be on and Obligations Act, introduced in my orders, he is not entitled to remain December 2007, would provide federal behind at my current post or be placed health benefits, family medical and on Separate Maintenance Allowance Iraq nor Afghanistan works well for me emergency leave, group life insurance, anywhere else. Nor would the depart- — but the jobs that do fit our needs long-term care and retirement benefits ment provide any assistance for his re- aren’t available because I haven’t to federal employees with same-sex location. And because Daniel has no punched those tickets. partners. To qualify, employees would status in the U.S., he would not be able need to prove that they share a house- to relocate there (except possibly as a Change Is Coming hold and financial responsibilities with tourist). I am encouraged by the words of their partner. It is unfair and unreasonable to ex- support from President Barack Obama, The Uniting American Families pect that he find some other place in Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Act, reintroduced in both houses of the world to live for a year; establish a the current congressional leadership Congress in February 2009 after hav- new home there without any house- for rectifying these longstanding in- ing languished in various iterations hold effects; and obtain new health inequities, but the battle is far from won. since 2000, would allow U.S. citizens surance coverage, a new job, etc. (all It is time for gay and lesbian federal and permanent residents to petition for self-funded, of course) — and then dis- employees to receive the legal protec- immigration benefits for same-sex part- mantle it all within a year to rejoin me tions and employment benefits they ners under the same rules as currently wherever my next assignment will be. have so long done without. But it will apply to married couples. Moreover, any financial gains I might take a concerted effort for these leg- If passed, these two acts would rep- accrue from serving in Iraq would be islative and policy changes to get the resent a major advancement for all gays entirely offset by the huge costs of self- necessary attention. and lesbians, with particular signifi- funding Daniel’s relocation. It would Upon arrival at the department, Sec. cance for Foreign Service employees. be interesting to know how many offi- Clinton was handed a letter signed by And hopefully the proposed State De- cers who signed up for Iraq or 2,200 current and former foreign affairs partment policy reforms will live up to Afghanistan would still have done so if agency employees and Peace Corps their billing and fully address the issues they hadn’t been provided these bene- Volunteers asking for her full consider- highlighted already by members of fits for their families. ation in addressing these policy con- Congress from both parties. With the increasing number of un- cerns. Supposedly “sweeping” new In the meantime, please use Sec. accompanied overseas postings, and policy recommendations from the di- Clinton’s recently established “Sound- the incentives given for Iraq and rector general’s office relating to same- ing Board” to voice support for these Afghanistan service, it becomes harder sex partners are reported to be changes. Together, we can finally make and harder to find postings that are vi- currently under her review. the State Department and the other able for our situation. There are still Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Af- foreign affairs agencies the equitable posts around the world that are work- fairs Agencies and AFSA have also and supportive workplaces they should able; but in addition to the normal ten- worked together closely to lobby Con- be. ■ dency to see fewer overseas openings gress for necessary legislative changes. as one climbs up the career ladder, in- To assist them in their efforts, I en- Steven Giegerich is a consular officer creasingly those that are left are being courage everyone reading this to con- in Hong Kong. Since joining the For- snatched up in advance by Iraq bidders tact your congressional representatives eign Service in 1991, he has served in or others coming out of unaccompa- and senators and let them know how Pretoria, Frankfurt, MFO Sinai, Van- nied posts. So neither Washington, important these changes are to the fair- couver, Tashkent, Nassau and Athens.

14 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MAY 2009 F OCUS ON FAS & FCS

HOPING FOR A BREAK: FOREIGN TRADE AGENCIES UNDER PRESSURE Phil Foster

DESPITE THE ECONOMIC AND DIPLOMATIC DIVIDENDS OF THEIR WORK, FSOSATAGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE ARE COPING WITH INADEQUATE BUDGETS.

BY SHAWN ZELLER

mericans haven’t gotten much good news from Washington or from Wall Street about the state of the economy lately. But there are few more notable bright spots than the performance of American exporters — and, in turn, few more positive stories about government’s ability to help than those of the Foreign Agri- cultural ServiceA and the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service. Exports equal jobs. And with unemployment in the United States rapidly approaching double digits, those jobs

MAY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 15 F OCUS

couldn’t be more needed. With that In 2008, the Foreign been stalled at Fiscal Year 2006 in mind, both commercial officers levels, about $150 million, for the and agricultural officers serving Agricultural Service last four years. Meanwhile, the overseas are hoping that they will Service has faced rapidly increased soon be hearing a lot more from the influenced $20 billion in U.S. expenses related to shared embassy Obama administration about invest- costs and embassy construction, ing in what they do. “If there was agricultural exports through along with exchange rate losses. ever a time to invest in promoting The agency has managed to get U.S. exports, today is it,” says its trade promotions efforts. by, but it has not been able to ex- Nicholas Kuchova, a senior com- pand — a keen frustration for its mercial officer assigned to Panama officers, who have seen the good and 12-year veteran of the Commercial Service. their work does. Over the last decade, the agency’s It would be a welcome change. For years, both FAS staffing has fluctuated between 772 in 1998 and 884 in and FCS have received budget increases inadequate to 2004, with overseas staff ranging from 106 in 2000 to 123 maintain their services, let alone expand them. Congress’s in 2007. decision last year to hold off on a new budget until 2009 One agricultural officer, speaking on condition of pushed both to the brink. anonymity from his South American post, said that thanks In January, then-FAS Administrator Mike Yost in- to the budget cuts, he would not be able to bring foreign formed officers that the Foreign Agricultural Service was executives to U.S. trade shows. Judging by past experi- facing a $9 million budget shortfall that would force a ence, the savings of $10,000 will cost U.S. exporters at travel freeze and could mean furloughs. The Service has least $3 million in new sales, he said. also pared back training and discretionary spending at “We’re a small agency and we could feast on other peo- overseas offices. It’s hurt morale. “The budget issue is ple’s table scraps, but that also means that you get forgot- the elephant in the room,” says Henry Schmick, vice pres- ten a little bit,” the officer said. “Is it a matter of priorities, ident for the Foreign Agricultural Service at the American or is it that we are a small agency in a big bureaucracy, in Foreign Service Association. which rounding down to the nearest 10 million instead of In February, the Commercial Service, facing a $25 mil- up has an enormous impact on us?” lion deficit, ordered all posts to surrender trust funds The International Trade Administration, of which the they’d established to supplement their appropriations Commercial Service is part, hasn’t fared much better. Its from Congress and also froze hiring, international travel, 2009 budget of $425 million is just 5 percent more than in nonessential domestic travel, overtime, training, technol- 2006. The increase has been barely enough to maintain ogy upgrades and even purchases of office supplies. “The cuts have long ago gone beyond fat and cut into FCS: A Quick Note on Nomenclature bone,” says one Commercial Service veteran stationed in During the 20th century, the U.S. government’s for- Central America. The February dictate meant that for eign commerce function switched several times between even the simplest things — hosting a reception for a vis- the Departments of State and Commerce. In 1980, it iting delegation of business executives or traveling to a moved again to Commerce, where it was named the trade show — officers would have to count every penny. Foreign Commercial Service. The next year it was re- The squeeze was alleviated somewhat when Congress named the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service, which passed a new spending bill in March, but officers say that referred to the combined domestic and international or- much more funding is still needed. ganization. That is still the full and proper name of the service, but the abbreviated “Commercial Service” is Cut to the Bone heard far more often. Though the term “Foreign Com- At the Foreign Agricultural Service, the budget has mercial Service” is frequently used, particularly within the FS community, it does not officially exist. Shawn Zeller, a Washington writer, is a regular contribu- — The Editors tor to the Journal.

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200 officers overseas. Increasingly, “If there was ever a time to U.S. businesses, only 250,000 ex- senior officers say, inexperienced port, for example. And of those officers with little training are being invest in promoting U.S. that export, 60 percent only export put in charge of posts as veteran of- to one market. This is the case at a ficers retire. exports, today is it.” time when 70 percent of the world’s The Foreign Agricultural Serv- purchasing power and 95 percent ice also has little bench strength. “A — Nicholas Kuchova, Senior of its population are outside the very big concern is that we don’t Commercial Service officer United States. “Our job is to help have flexibility to hire and train new create and sustain jobs,” Zarit says, people,” says Ambassador Suzanne adding that his officers now “see Hale, the agency’s acting administrator. “Half of our For- and understand the importance of our mission” more than eign Service officers are eligible to retire.” ever before. “To me, it’s not about the immediate shortfall; it’s look- In 2008, the Foreign Agricultural Service helped bring ing at the long term,” says Keith Curtis, AFSA’s FCS vice in $20 billion through its trade promotion efforts for U.S. president. “And in the long term our personnel down- agricultural exports. At the Commercial Service, the fig- ward trend almost looks like a death spiral on the chart.” ure was $70 billion. The return on investment — when The agencies’ private-sector clients are concerned as the jobs and follow-on economic activity generated by well. “As a result of FAS programs and the weak dollar, those exports is considered — is substantial. Some esti- agricultural exports have doubled in three years’ time,” mates place it at $400 for every $1 the taxpayer invests. says Annie Durbin, executive director of the U.S. Agri- Even so, flat funding persists. And it continues at a cultural Export Development Council. “We can put it in time when both agencies are being asked to do more. Of- terms of jobs. If we lose farm jobs because we lose ex- ficers in the field say it’s hard to perform the basic match- port opportunities and therefore exports, jobs for those making service both agencies provide — connecting U.S. individuals will have to be found somewhere else. And it exporters with foreign importers — when travel budgets will be much more difficult to do that now, in this econ- are tight. omy.” True, in the age of e-mail officers can interact with U.S. manufacturers share the view. “Manufacturers their U.S. clients despite distance and time-zone differ- want commercial advocacy overseas,” says Gary Litman, ences. And webinars have enabled the agencies to pro- U.S. Chamber of Commerce vice president for European vide services to their clients without incurring travel costs. policy and initiatives. “They think it’s essential, and But the technology is a “double-edged sword,” says one they’re looking at the Europeans and Chinese stepping commercial officer based in the Middle East. “It has up commercial advocacy and thinking that the ambivalent helped us reach out and be far more efficient, but at the situation right now in the U.S. isn’t serving us well.” same time, [it has] increased the workload. We are just an e-mail click away from anybody. They can go on our Doing More with Less beautiful Web site and directly send us questions, which That’s not to say agency leaders aren’t aware of the sit- is wonderful. But the resources needed to process that uation. FAS’s Hale is concerned about training and hiring. have not been made available.” And top Commercial Service officials express frustration Investments in trade agencies are investments in the that foreign rivals are outpacing them in promoting their future. The gains are not instantaneous, officers point out, businesses. “We have found that there has been a lot more and so it’s easy for Congress to ignore the Foreign Agri- focus by many foreign countries on advocacy and on trade cultural Service and U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service promotion,” says William Zarit, deputy assistant secretary at budget time. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have se- for international operations at FCS. verely squeezed discretionary spending. And going for- Officers at both agencies say more funding could make ward, ballooning Medicare and Social Security costs pose a big difference, rattling off numbers to show how invest- continuing budget challenges. ment in export promotion could yield huge dividends be- “You have to look at what’s going on in the broader pic- cause there is so much room for growth. Of 27 million ture,” says Hale. “There’s just going to be pressure

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throughout the government to The return on investment come and spend the time that it spend money wisely and to be care- takes.” ful with resources.” But at the same is estimated at $400 for every Hale notes that her agency’s re- time Hale doesn’t see a lot of waste cent reorganization was aimed in the Foreign Agricultural Service $1 the taxpayer invests. specifically at combating such non- budget. Zarit feels similarly. “Every- tariff trade barriers. The new Of- thing that we are doing is important fice of Scientific and Technical for our mission,” he says, adding that the Commercial Affairs works to break down rules made by foreign gov- Service has become one of the most efficient agencies in ernments that impede trade. Tough for huge companies government and its officers are “excellent stewards of the to deal with, she says, those hurdles are impossible for taxpayers’ dollar.” small ones to negotiate. One point that’s often missed, Zarit says, is how important commercial officers are to small businesses. It’s The Diplomatic Dividend easy to dismiss their work, FCS members say, when the At the same time, commercial and agricultural trade perception is that all they do is help major U.S. companies between countries is one of the most effective forms of that have the resources on their own to work with foreign diplomacy. “We are very people-to-people. When you governments and expand their exports. get businesspeople talking and doing business, there is a dividend that is hard to quantify in terms of improving the Advantages for Small Businesses relationship,” Kuchova says. FCS officer Nicholas Kuchova is a perfect example of The effectiveness of trade in overcoming political con- a small businessman who benefited from the Commer- flict hit home for Stephen Anderson, a longtime com- cial Service’s assistance. In the 1980s, before joining the mercial officer, when he was stationed in China. During Foreign Service, he invested in a homebuilding venture in his second month there, in May 1999, North Atlantic Japan. He came to Tokyo with a U.S. crew to train them Treaty Organization forces accidently dropped a bomb on on the company’s building techniques, only to learn that the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, killing three diplomats. Japanese import officials were refusing to release the The U.S. embassy in Beijing was the target of demon- company’s supplies. strators for a week. Returning to his office, Anderson Stuck paying for his crew while they could not work, found a paving stone on his chair that had been thrown Kuchova turned to the Commercial Service. A locally em- through the window — and wondered how he could ever ployed staffer went to bat on his behalf, and the supplies promote U.S. exports in such an environment. were released. “I thought that was the coolest thing ever,” But within a month, he was helping U.S. companies he recalls. Years later, Kuchova saw an advertisement for sell services to Chinese companies coping with the im- a commercial officer and applied. He’s been working on pending Y2K transition. Thanks at least in part to those behalf of similar small and medium-size companies ever efforts, China — and the rest of the world — averted the since. computer glitch. “I was hooked,” Anderson says. “It In the same way, Foreign Agricultural Service officers demonstrated to me that the business relationship is the say that in many of the countries in which they work small foundation for peace. I became fully engaged with com- businesses could never navigate the hurdles to a success- mercial diplomacy because, to me, that was a concrete ex- ful export business without government help. “When ample of how the job could overcome incredible conflict.” times get tough in the United States, more people look to Like the State Department, both FCS and FAS pur- export,” says an FAS officer in South America. “We help sued the “transformational diplomacy” initiative of former people to bring products into a market that is very bu- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, moving officers reaucratic and difficult to get into, and presents lots of red from developed countries in Europe to the developing tape for the would-be exporter. It’s so bad that when times ones of Asia and Africa. They also have officers in coun- are good in the United States, they might just say ‘I’m not tries vital to U.S. security interests, including Iraq and interested’; but in times like these, when people don’t have Afghanistan. sales options back home, they are a lot more willing to One Commercial Service officer who served in Bagh-

18 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MAY 2009 F OCUS

dad before the surge says it was “a Commercial and agricultural was on display last year when com- different ball game” than what he’d modity prices spiked, prompting done previously. It wasn’t easy to trade between countries is riots in various foreign countries. promote U.S. products in a war “It’s better for U.S. national se- zone. He believes that from a de- one of the most effective curity to have stability,” she says, velopment perspective, the work noting that the Foreign Agricul- was vital to U.S. interests: “We were forms of diplomacy. tural Service can play a key role in not just talking about helping U.S. forecasting future strife. exporters but also trying to gener- ate commerce, period. We were helping Iraqis go to trade Building Future Economic Growth shows. We were helping them to export.” Trade also can help the United States develop the ex- Hale says that, increasingly, the FAS aims to help build port industries of the future. Curtis, for example, has led trade capacity in countries not yet ready to be major U.S. a Commercial Service initiative to promote the sale of trading partners. It’s an investment in future economic new green energy products overseas. He quotes Energy growth, she says, as well as a means of improving Amer- Department estimates that exports in the sector could in- ican foreign relations. “Trade relations help build good crease by $40 billion, generating 750,000 new jobs at U.S. political relations,” she says. companies, not to mention the benefits for the environ- FAS is also spending more time studying food security, ment. With increased exports, green technologies will, Hale says. The importance of this issue — the availabil- assuredly, become less expensive to produce, accelerating ity of, and access to, adequate food supplies worldwide — their adoption. “It’s a strategic priority of the United

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States to wean us off foreign oil and FAS provides billions in commitment on Congress’s part to tackle global warming,” Curtis says, ensure that workers displaced by “so this is one area where we don’t credit guarantees to help trade are given the retraining they want to lose the lead.” need, along with more educational The Foreign Agricultural Serv- finance sales of U.S. efforts on the part of trade’s back- ice plays a similar role, the officer ers to inform skeptics of its bene- in South America says. He spends agricultural products, fits. a substantial part of his time re- Hale says, for instance, that searching the widespread use of and demand has spiked without the North American Free biofuels in the region. The agency Trade Agreement and the estab- is also studying the effect of climate in recent months. lishment of permanent normal change on global agricultural out- trade relations with China nearly a put. decade ago, U.S. farmers would And in these days of tight credit markets, FAS is pro- have missed out on billions in exports. viding billions in credit guarantees to help finance sales of American agricultural products. Demand has spiked The Challenges of Globalization in recent months. Normally, the agency guarantees an Foreign investment in the U.S., like free trade agree- average of $2.8 billion in sales each year. In just the first ments, is controversial. The debate over both topics four months of FY 2009, it had nearly hit that mark. points up the pitfalls FAS and FCS face as they seek to At the same time, the Commercial Service recently adapt to rapid globalization. began to expand its promotion of foreign investment in “It’s not about selling a container of jeans anymore,” the United States. That will be essential to its future suc- says Litman. The Commercial Service, for example, has cess, says the Chamber of Commerce’s Litman, especially debated at great length which companies it should help in these days of tight credit markets. “We’re hearing loud when a product may be assembled from components and clear that in the global economy, financing is essen- made abroad. The standard protocol has defined a U.S. tial to the growth of American enterprise, and we need to product as one whose inputs are 51-percent American. make sure that companies working in the United States But consider the difficulty, then, of factoring in the value have access to finance,” he says. of a U.S. design or the value of U.S. research and devel- Another concern is the rising tide of trade isolationism opment. in Washington. Free trade deals have been a boon to the The export of services can be even more complicated economy, officers say, but they remain politically contro- when officers must determine whom to help. When it’s versial on Capitol Hill and in the Obama administration. a U.S.-based service provider, that’s an easy call. But During his presidential campaign, for example, Obama should the Commercial Service help a U.S. citizen work- criticized pending deals with Colombia and South Korea ing abroad? At the moment, officers say, the policy on and said he thought the United States should renegotiate that is not clear, leading to different interpretations across the North American Free Trade Agreement to provide offices. And, increasingly, U.S. companies are eager to better protections for U.S. workers and the environment. secure Commercial Service assistance in investing In this winter’s stimulus legislation, Congress approved abroad, a massive “political hot potato,” in the view of a provision requiring that recipients of stimulus funds one longtime officer posted in Western Europe. limit their purchases to goods made by U.S. companies. Implementing transformational diplomacy — moving “It’s important to get the best terms you can,” says officers out of Europe and into developing countries — Curtis. “No one wants to lower working or environmen- was controversial, too. One officer in Europe said that tal standards. But you also don’t want to throw the baby the shift made little sense for a commercial agency fo- out with the bath water or kick off a worldwide depres- cused on helping small and medium-size businesses to sion like we did with the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act in export. “You look at that and it’s not based on smart busi- 1930,” a now-notorious protectionist law. ness decisions,” this officer said. “For a new American To resolve the controversy, it may take a renewed exporter, the first place they’ll start is England, France,

20 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MAY 2009 F OCUS

Germany or the Netherlands.” Officers in both services groups, which are largely organ- Zarit says that the agency has ized by commodity. “It’s thrown a gotten the message. “What we’ve glory in a can-do, practical big curve into the functioning of found is that even in the traditional the agency and required us to re- markets where we thought it’s eas- culture that they say differs establish how we view our core ier for U.S. businesses to do busi- functions,” says Schmick. ness, they still need our help.” And from the more cerebral Depending on the priorities of while the Commercial Service is each new administration, the looking to expand into areas of one at State. agency is pushed and pulled to Africa and Central Europe, it’s also shift emphasis among its principal well aware that American busi- activities: reporting on agricultural nesses need to export as much as possible to the lucrative economics; promoting U.S. exports and helping Ameri- markets of the developed world. can companies navigate bureaucratic hurdles; conduct- The Foreign Agricultural Service has faced similar ing policy analysis, for example on biofuel use in South transitional pains in adjusting to a reorganization launch- America or the effect of climate change on food produced five years ago. Washington-based officers previously tion; and providing food aid and development assistance assigned to promote particular commodities are now or- in emerging markets. While reporting on agricultural ganized to promote all U.S. farm products in specific output was once the agency’s core function, its focus has countries. The change has aided FAS officers overseas shifted as the private sector has begun to compile more but created complications in dealing with U.S. farm accurate data.

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A Return to State? The benefits of investing in ernment agencies to create a new Might FAS and FCS be better Cabinet department. “If the U.S. positioned if they were returned to export promotion are clear. government is really serious about the State Department, where both being a stronger player in trade once resided? In most cases, offi- But by some estimates, and investment, it really should cers say they are content where put its experts in those areas to- they are. Officers in both services the United States is gether in one building and give glory in a can-do, practical culture them the budget to match,” she that they say differs from the more now spending far less said. cerebral one at State. Charles A. Ford, a former am- “If they have a successful tour, on that than many bassador to Honduras and Com- nothing happens,” says one Com- mercial Service veteran, thinks it mercial Service officer in Latin other countries. may be time to start exploring en- America of his State Department tirely new management structures. colleagues, with a laugh. “It’s a tremendous cultural dif- The first step, he says, would be a re-evaluation of the ference. I enjoy Commerce because it’s a little more Commercial Service’s mission. With that in place, he freewheeling. We have a specific mission to deliver an says, the agency might consider new management struc- advantage to U.S. companies.” tures by examining innovations in private-sector corpo- Being part of the Commerce Department, commer- rate governance. cial officers say, provides them with an entrée and credibility with U.S. companies that a State Department Hope for the Future affiliation would not provide. Foreign Agricultural Serv- All the challenges and budget pressures aside, officers ice officers feel similarly about their working relationship at both agencies remain hopeful. They say that the with U.S. farm groups and argue that their single-minded choice of former Washington state Governor Gary Locke focus on agriculture would not be possible in the more as Commerce Secretary and former Iowa Governor Tom generalist culture of State. Vilsack for Agriculture bodes well, since both have first- “We work closely with the State Department here in hand knowledge of the ways in which exports boost a Washington and overseas,” says Hale. But “by being part state’s economy. of the [Agriculture] Department, if we’ve got technical And despite Pres. Obama’s skepticism about free problems, we’re very well tied in to work with the tech- trade, no one can doubt the enthusiasm he’s created for nical agencies.” the United States abroad. “The best part of the job is The flip side of the coin, bluntly expressed by one that we market America,” says Anderson. “Having Commercial Service officer in the Middle East, is the Obama as our president is a marketer’s dream.” constant battle for resources and respect that Foreign The benefits of investing in export promotion are Service officers must wage in a department dominated clear, officers say, something they hope the politicians by civil servants. “We are a Foreign Service agency stuck who control the purse strings will eventually acknowl- in a hodgepodge department where the Foreign Service edge. “As people understand how much agriculture is culture doesn’t mesh with the Civil Service,” he says. dependent on trade, they will spend more attention on But old veterans of both agencies say the agricultural it,” says Schmick. and commercial officers of yesteryear faced a similar More foreboding is what would be lost if they fail to do problem inside State because of the different nature of so: U.S. competitiveness. By some estimates, the United their missions. Moving back to Foggy Bottom would States is now spending far less on the job of promoting amount to trading one cultural misfit for another, they exports than many other countries. “The very positive say. message is that we can bring home jobs,” says Curtis. One commercial officer in Europe says the best solu- “But you also have to remember that this is a global econ- tion would be to move the Commercial Service out of omy. If you don’t compete internationally, then you will Commerce and combine it with other trade-related gov- lose the domestic market, too.” ■

22 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MAY 2009 F OCUS ON FAS & FCS

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: FCS DELIVERS FOR U.S. BUSINESS

FCS WILL CONTINUE TO ASSIST AMERICAN COMPANIES GRAPPLING WITH A CHALLENGING ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT.

BY AILEEN CROWE NANDI

hen he landed in Hyderabad that district,” says Keur. “Since arriving in Hyderabad, I in July 2008 to serve as the first-ever American consul gen- have greatly enjoyed working with the agency on the var- eral in the city, Cornelis “Kees” Keur faced the daunting ious trade missions and delegations that have come dur- Wtask of building a new consulate general. Fortunately, as ing the first six months of my tenure. Again, commercial a minister counselor in the management cone, he had al- successes are contributing to the credibility of our opera- ready opened consulates in Shenyang and Chengdu, and tions in the eyes of the local power brokers.” had also served as consul general in Chengdu. So Keur knew what was expected in terms of logistics. Integral to the Country Team In addition, upon his arrival he had a built-in staff and The U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service — known as support system through the U.S. & Foreign Commercial “FCS” in embassies and consulates and the “Commercial Service office that had been established there in 2000, the Service” within the Department of Commerce — plays an sole U.S. government office in the city. Commercial Spe- integral role in the ambassador’s country team by leading cialist P. Radhakishore’s experience and contacts proved and assisting efforts to enhance commercial diplomacy, instrumental for the new consul general, enabling him to U.S. export promotion and foreign investment in the connect immediately with the key players in the commu- United States. Chiefs of mission rely on FCS, with its di- nity. rect contacts with the local and U.S. business communities, “While serving as consul general in Chengdu a decade to protect American business interests abroad. ago, I used USFCS to leverage our influence throughout For example, Senior Commercial Officer David Ponsar led a successful advocacy campaign in the Slovak Repub- Aileen Crowe Nandi currently serves as principal com- lic by enlisting the ambassador’s support to assist Colorado- mercial officer in Chennai, with previous Foreign Service based Aspect Energy’s appeals to overturn a ruling from postings in Kolkata and Mexico City. Before joining the the Ministry of Environment that effectively shut them out U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service in 2002, Ms. Nandi of the market. As a result, the ministry reversed its initial worked for the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. She decision, enabling the company to continue pursuing four wishes to thank her colleagues, both mentioned and un- licenses to survey for oil and gas deposits. named, for their contributions to this article. In addition to working with embassy and consulate col-

MAY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 23 F OCUS

leagues on advocacy projects, FCS Chiefs of mission rely While it is sometimes difficult to must reach benchmarks each year in explain to American companies terms of export success stories and on FCS, with its direct why they should pay for U.S. gov- commercial diplomacy. According ernment programs, this policy has to its latest annual report, in 2008 contacts with the local and had the beneficial effect of forcing the agency supported more than FCS to operate efficiently and ef- 12,000 business successes, amount- U.S. business communities, fectively in the interest of its clients. ing to almost $70 billion in exports All companies are sent Quality As- in nearly 200 markets around the to protect American business surance Surveys upon completion world. of the service, and each FCS office For each dollar invested in FCS, interests abroad. involved is rated on the results. American clients realized an average Officers aim for feedback such of $359 in export sales. With its as that from the ACS Group, a mandate to broaden and deepen the U.S. exporter base, Schaumburg, Ill.-based producer of auxiliary equipment each office has export success goals, with an emphasis on for the plastics industry. After the company used FCS assisting small and medium-size enterprises, as well as matchmaking services to identify distributors in Chile, “new to export” and “new to market’’ companies. Brazil and El Salvador, its vice president for sales and mar- These goals are important. U.S. exports were the bright keting reported: “I was very, very pleased with the level of spot of the economy in 2008, with a 12-percent increase to service. ... Everyone should know about your services!” He $1.84 trillion worldwide. Additionally, December 2008 also noted that these efforts saved him months, possibly saw the lowest monthly goods and services deficit since even years, of business development legwork. February 2003, contributing to a 3.3-percent improvement The issue of maintaining a sufficient income level to re- in the annual deficit. As American exports comprised 13.1 plenish its budget to sustain operations is all the more percent of gross domestic product in 2008, their impor- acute now, during what is shaping up to be a very dire tance to the U.S. economic engine cannot be overstated. budget year. Some FCS posts and offices are faring well So, for instance, while playing a role in a country team because American exporters are exploring new opportu- effort to sell turbines to a host country entity, FCS also nities in different markets, but others struggle to attract serves the critical needs of U.S. companies lacking the in- clients during the economic downturn. house expertise or resources to begin doing business in foreign markets on their own. As American businesses How FCS Works reshape themselves to remain globally competitive, so the Part of the International Trade Administration within agency repositions itself to provide customized global busi- the U.S. Department of Commerce, FCS has approxi- ness solutions to service individual company requirements. mately 253 Foreign Service officers (both career and non- career limited appointments) posted throughout the Challenges and Opportunities world. The director general, the head of FCS with the To meet its ambitious goals, the U.S. & Foreign Com- mercial Service consistently redefines its best practices, and is thus uniquely positioned to assist American firms of The Export-Job Creation Nexus • Exports account for 20 percent of manufacturing jobs all sizes with their business interests, especially exports, (approximately 2.64 million positions). overseas. This process of continuous adaptation presents • Small and medium-size enterprises constitute the vast both challenges and opportunities. majority of growth in new exporters. Unlike the other foreign affairs agencies, FCS must • Small businesses create 70 percent of new jobs in the charge companies for their services, a requirement spelled United States. out by the Office of Management and Budget. (State De- • SMEs comprise almost 97 percent of U.S. exporters, partment “partnership posts” that offer such customized but represent only about 30 percent of the total export services must also charge for them.) It uses these fee col- value of U.S. goods. lections to cover its expenses.

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rank of assistant secretary, is almost In 2008 FCS supported In the past, international trade always a political appointee. Like specialists and commercial officers State, FCS has separate geographic more than 12,000 business serving in the centers encountered regions managed by regional direc- resistance when encouraging Amer- tors, each a Foreign Service officer successes, totaling almost ican companies to consider export- serving in a headquarters assigning. Many, particularly small and ment. Unlike at State, however, $70 billion worth of exports medium-size businesses, viewed FSOs at Commerce are only a tiny the United States itself as a large, fraction of the headquarters staff. in nearly 200 markets dynamic market that was more than The U.S. & Foreign Commer- adequate for their needs. cial Service is unique among the around the world. This view has begun to change five foreign affairs agencies in hav- somewhat with the progress of ing a robust domestic network of globalization. Still, many first-time more than 100 U.S. Export Assistance Centers. Located exporters make initial sales to Canada and Mexico to bol- in most major cities across the United States, the centers ster their confidence before exploring other markets. For traditionally make the initial contact with first-time ex- instance, after the Hatco Corporation had its first success porters and assist them in carrying out their maiden for- in Mexico in 2005 as a result of FCS assistance, the com- ays into foreign markets. To facilitate better cooperation pany reported: “We are looking forward to adapting this between overseas posts and the centers, all commercial successful platform to many other international markets officers are now required to serve one tour in a USEAC. in the future.”

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Yet the turbulent economic times FCS serves the critical try companies. Local companies al- present a paradox for U.S. exporters. most always have the home-court Although some American firms are needs of U.S. companies advantage. But in addition, some exploring export opportunities in European and Asian countries sub- new markets more seriously due to lacking the in-house expertise sidize their companies to undertake the dearth of opportunities in the do- trade missions or pursue large infra- mestic market, many companies to begin doing business structure projects abroad. And struggle with justifying travel costs in alarmingly, many countries do not the current climate. In fact, many in foreign markets. even come close to adhering to the are now opting to do business by e- principles of the U.S. Foreign Cor- mail and phone to avoid traveling. rupt Practices Act, which prohibits Although akin to buying a swimsuit over the Internet, this American firms from giving bribes to win business in for- approach can occasionally reap success: International eign markets. In fact, until a few years ago some European Trade Specialist Lesa Forbes of the Miami USEAC worked countries allowed their firms to list bribes and other “busi- with commercial specialist Chamberlain Eke in Lagos to ness development expenses” as tax deductions. help ER Trucks identify a list of potential distributors in Though U.S. firms decry the uneven playing field these Nigeria. As a result, the company exported more than situations present, many have learned to be more innova- $150,000 worth of its equipment, clearing its excess inven- tive and cost-effective and to offer the best value for money. tory for these sales. Because U.S. government programs — such as guarantees In many countries, however, particularly those with de- and loans from the U.S. Export-Import Bank or the Over- veloping economies, face-to-face interaction remains criti- seas Private Investment Corporation, and training grants cal to clinch deals. The success rate typically decreases from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency — pale in when U.S. company representatives do not meet with po- comparison to what other governments offer their firms, tential partners. “Especially in the current difficult eco- FCS assistance is essential to help American companies nomic situation, special efforts are needed to convince win contracts in foreign markets. companies to test the waters,” Senior Commercial Officer In one case, the Sunnen Products Company headquar- Carmine D’Aloisio explains, referring to his efforts to facil- tered in St. Louis utilized counseling and advocacy from itate exports to the still-growing Indian market. “We reach FCS offices in St. Louis, Brazil and Italy to compete U.S. firms through various direct marketing techniques and against its most formidable competitor, a German com- pinpoint export opportunities, potential partners and, often pany, in Brazil. Despite contending with additional tariffs as importantly, what we can do to help overcome specific and a local presence (the German company had a plant in market access barriers.” Brazil), Sunnen Products was ultimately successful in sell- Until the fall of 2008, FCS India was overloaded with ing its high-precision honing equipment to an Italian firm requests and demands from American companies, in Brazil. Sunnen attests that its exports account for 30 D’Aloisio says. “But now we’re strategically targeting com- new jobs created in the last five years, in addition to 20 panies who we feel could compete in the market. For ex- jobs that would have been lost due to a relatively flat U.S. ample, we successfully recruited a 14-company trade market. mission in the solar sector by focusing on key companies In this global business environment, U.S. companies that have niche products that could work in India.” He need to undertake a long-term commitment — with lots adds that finding Indian partners is only part of the solution. of patience — for their export strategy. FCS will con- For the U.S. firms to succeed, FCS also needs to influence tinue to lead embassy advocacy efforts, finding innova- the policy and regulatory environment that will allow both tive ways to respond to the needs of American companies Indian and foreign firms to take off. and enhance exports. Business continues even amid global doom and gloom, and the U.S. & Foreign Com- Winning on an Uneven Playing Field mercial Service will continue to ensure that U.S. export Another obstacle for U.S. firms overseas, and a focus for orders are placed, shipments are sent and American com- FCS assistance, is competition from local and third-coun- panies are paid. ■

26 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MAY 2009 F OCUS ON FAS & FCS

FAS AT A CROSSROADS: RESHAPING AG DIPLOMACY

THE FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL SERVICE HAS REPEATEDLY REINVENTED ITSELF THROUGHOUT ITS 80-YEAR HISTORY. THE TIME HAS COME FOR ANOTHER EVOLUTION.

BY ALLAN MUSTARD

imes are hard — the econ- Does that sound familiar? It should. But the year is omy is sputtering, unemployment is climbing, tax revenues 1934. FAS has just closed three overseas offices due to have imploded, and the Foreign Agricultural Service is lack of money, and has announced 24-day furloughs for all threateningT employee furloughs. Trade problems are mul- employees paid more than $1,000 per annum. The situa- tiplying rapidly, and negotiators are scrambling to keep ex- tion is so dire that instructions are sent to Sydney to sell port markets open in the face of protectionist sentiment the used railing, shelving and linoleum of that recently at home and abroad. The new Democratic president is closed office to cover expenses associated with breaking pushing Congress in fresh directions in both foreign rela- the lease. Yet despite the fiscal pressure, and with no ad- tions and international trade policy, creating new chal- ditional staffing, the agency has been handed a new re- lenges for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign sponsibility: collaborating with the State Department on Agricultural Service — just as it faces the worst budgetary international negotiation of agricultural tariff reductions shortfall in its history. under authority of the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1934. Allan Mustard joined the Foreign Service with the U.S. In- Seventy-five years later, we face similar challenges. In ternational Communication Agency in 1978 and has the face of a budget shortfall, FAS is expected not only to worked for the Foreign Agricultural Service since 1982. In carry out its traditional mission of export promotion but to addition to serving as minister counselor for agricultural assume new responsibilities in the realms of national se- affairs in Mexico City, he is curator and webmaster of the curity, climate change and global food security. At the FAS Virtual Museum, as well as the author of a 2003 man- same time, a Congress and new administration increas- agement study of FAS structure and corporate culture, and ingly preoccupied with domestic headaches, coupled with of two previous Foreign Service Journal articles. The au- a stalled Doha Round, hint at a weakening of support for thor thanks several anonymous reviewers for helpful com- the liberalization philosophy that has underpinned trade ments. The views and opinions expressed in this article are policy for three-quarters of a century. Will FAS survive? strictly those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect official views of the U.S. government, the U.S. Department of The Little Engine That Could Agriculture or the Foreign Agricultural Service. The single most consistent engine of economic growth

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in the 20th century was trade liber- If trade is moving to the back USDA and rural development. Al- alization. Started in 1934, inter- though one-third of acreage plant- rupted by World War II, and burner, what new roles are ed to crops in the U.S. is harvested culminating in creation of the Gen- for export, trade was not men- eral Agreement on Tariffs and unfolding for the Foreign tioned. Trade in 1947 and then the World If trade, literally the first prior- Trade Organization in 1995, this Agricultural Service? ity listed in USDA’s old strategic policy reduced industrial tariffs plan, is moving to the back burner, from an average of about 70 per- what new roles are unfolding for cent ad valorem to around 7 percent today. The impact the Foreign Agricultural Service? has been profound. According to the Peterson Institute for International Economics, U.S. annual incomes are $1 Old Headaches … trillion higher, or $9,000 per household, due to increased Today the world is resounding with calls for food se- trade liberalization since 1945. Today this impact goes curity in individual countries, as well as demands for pro- unnoticed. The boon of trade liberalization is largely un- tection from imports by domestic producers suffering from appreciated. slack consumer demand and high input costs. Uncertainty This economic growth was accomplished without a re- associated with global climate change complicates the out- duction of agricultural trade barriers. The long-post- look. Is the drought in California’s Central Valley an anom- poned push to liberalize trade in agricultural products aly or a precursor of a longer-term trend? Last year’s came to life only in 1995, with conclusion of the WTO near-record cereal grain prices resulted in part from un- Agreement on Agriculture and Agreement on the Appli- usually severe droughts in Australia and Europe. Are these cation of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures. The in- coincidences or a trend? tent, as with industrial goods, was to reduce agricultural Put this picture together and it is clear that FAS’s task tariffs over time; to reduce and eventually abolish export list is about to be expanded and redefined. For starters, we subsidies; to reduce trade-distorting agricultural sup- will continue the traditional prognostication of crop pro- ports; and to base food safety, animal health and plant duction, but try to use this to better assess the impact of cli- quarantine measures strictly on the best available science, mate change. Instead of promoting trade liberalization, not protectionism. for the next several years we may find ourselves simply Knowing that achievement of the equivalent task with seeking to preserve the hard-won gains of the last few industrial goods took the better part of 70 years, agricul- decades, and pushing back against those who would reim- tural negotiators assumed that their efforts would likely pose restrictions in the name of food security and food in- take at least that long, stretching well beyond the middle dependence, and to protect their agriculture sectors in this of the 21st century. But such a long view is difficult to period of economic stress. maintain in the face of a global economic meltdown, im- Though high compared to industrial tariffs, all agricul- mersion in two foreign wars, and a broad realization that tural tariffs among World Trade Organization member- the climate is changing faster than we had thought. states are governed by WTO rules. While some countries Meanwhile, President Barack Obama’s new adminis- may raise tariffs to the maximum allowed (many member- tration appears to be signaling that international trade is states apply tariffs at lower levels than the bound rates), the not a high priority. In his February address to Congress, new frontier of agricultural protectionism has already in- the president did not mention Doha or outstanding free spired misapplication of food safety, veterinary and plant trade agreements waiting to be ratified. Furthermore, quarantine rules. Coupled with this is growth in the tech- his budget proposal cuts the Market Access Program by nical stumbling blocks to international commerce that fall 20 percent. under the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack advised USDA This spurred creation, during the 2006 agency reorganiza- employees in a Feb. 12 all-hands letter that his top pri- tion, of a unit within the Foreign Agricultural Service to orities are food safety and nutrition, sustainable agricul- monitor and enforce trade agreements, as well as a unit ture, climate change, process improvements within dedicated to resolving sanitary and phytosanitary issues.

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New sanitary and phytosanitary In the face of a budget poses of market development, but measures based on pseudo-science to predict nutritional shortfalls and and technical barriers to trade shortfall, FAS is expected assess prospects for unrest due to could prove to be the 21st-century food shortages. This work harkens version of the Smoot-Hawley Act not only to carry out its back to World War II, when for of 1930. FAS officials in Washing- strategic reasons USDA analysts in ton and field officers abroad will traditional mission of export the Office of Foreign Agricultural have their hands full keeping trade Relations calculated food availability from shrinking in the face of new promotion but to assume in Nazi Germany and Imperial non-tariff barriers, as well as both Japan, and forecast how much coordinating the international work new responsibilities. wheat should be set aside to feed of U.S. agencies involved in SPS homeless and displaced refugees matters (USDA’s Food Safety and after the war was over. Inspection Service and Animal and Plant Health Inspec- Sec. Vilsack has created a new Global Change Pro- tion Service, plus the Environmental Protection Agency, gram Office, charged with analyzing the effects of global Food and Drug Administration, and National Marine climate change and “representing USDA on U.S. dele- Fisheries Service) and interacting with their foreign gations to international climate change discussions.” This counterparts. This part of the portfolio already accounts is a new field of endeavor for USDA and, given the global for about half of the work of the average FAS overseas nature of climate change, for its international arm, the office and will continue to grow. Foreign Agricultural Service. With our satellite imagery office in Washington and network of field offices able to … And New Challenges monitor, report on and forecast events, on paper we are Then there are the resurrected and the new agenda well positioned to contribute substantially to this new items. The Foreign Agricultural Service’s return to na- mandate. The Office of Global Analysis within FAS has tional security issues, following its forced departure from already set up a unit to cover global climate change. that arena in April 1954, was heralded in 2003 with the Foreign agricultural analysis is FAS’s oldest core com- posting of agricultural officers to Baghdad. They went petence and historically was its strong suit. Unfortu- not for the traditional FAS missions of analysis and mar- nately, the agency’s in-house analytical capability was keting, but initially to rebuild the Iraqi Ministry of Agri- seriously eroded in the 1990s, due to overemphasis on culture, and then to manage the work of USDA technical marketing at the expense of research, and damaged fur- assistance advisers and members of Provincial Recon- ther by abolition of the commodity analysis branches in struction Teams. the 2006 reorganization. As a result, despite the heroic Today about 50 USDA employees are assigned to efforts of a dwindling number of old-line analysts, much Iraq and Afghanistan in such areas as extension educa- of the institutional analytical capacity that made FAS cir- tion, animal health, water and soil conservation, and con- culars must-reads in years past has been lost. servation of biodiversity. As former Ambassador to Iraq Today FAS struggles to meet demands for analytical Ryan Crocker points out, agriculture has historically services, such as a study of most-vulnerable countries been critical to Iraq’s economy, and today employs one- during last year’s global “food crisis.” Increasingly, the quarter of the work force, generating 10 percent of gross overseas posts are burdened with analytical tasks tradi- domestic product even in an economy dominated by oil. tionally handled in Washington — such as quantifying Its importance is even greater in Afghanistan, where the this year’s projected drop in U.S. agricultural exports to underperforming agricultural sector is estimated to ac- major trading partners, an econometric task for which count for 31 percent of GDP and 80 percent of employ- they are singularly ill-suited — and with serving as the ment. agency’s institutional memory. With half its Foreign In addition, as food security concerns emerge glob- Service staff already eligible for retirement, a lack of up- ally, FAS domestic analysts and field officers are being and-coming analytical talent due to periodic hiring called on to gauge food availability not strictly for pur- freezes, and a graying Civil Service, the agency faces se-

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vere difficulties just keeping up with FAS does not yet enjoy the bone in order to cover costs in Iraq what it is already asked to do. and Afghanistan, we won’t have the the full support of muscle to execute any new mandates New Mandates Mean coming our way. New Resource Demands Congress for a change Is it 1934 all over again? We can The other rub is twofold — the only hope so. The Foreign Agricul- statutory mandate and money. The in its responsibilities. tural Service emerged from the 1930s agency’s authorizing legislation (7 U.S. with broader recognition of its contri- Code 5692) says the administrator of butions to the nation’s economic pros- FAS is “authorized to exercise such functions and perform perity and deeper appreciation of its additional roles in such duties related to foreign agriculture ... as may be re- diplomacy and security affairs. The late 20th-century FAS quired by law or prescribed by the Secretary of Agricul- was forged during World War II, challenged by the need to ture.” In the next section of the code (5693), Congress promote prosperity and international consensus during the prescribes four functions for FAS: information-gathering, Cold War, and now confronts the need to adapt to a new set market development and technical assistance, plus opera- of demands. tion of programs authorized under various export promo- Perhaps the 21st-century Foreign Agricultural Service tion authorities. will be reforged by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, by the However, in accordance with the intent of Congress need to restore prosperity, and by the need to confront cli- since 1954, as expressed in both appropriations and report mate change and global food security. We’ve done it be- language, all these activities are limited to creating or ex- fore. And we can do it again — if given the chance. ■ panding opportunities for U.S. agricultural exports. (Oddly, trade policy and market-access duties carried out since 1934 are not mentioned in the statute, though congressional staffers have made clear to FAS’s leadership that they are top priorities.) This creates problems for an agency being told to shift away from pure export promotion, its mandate since Secre- tary Ezra Taft Benson swept away the old FAS a half-century ago. Aside from the predictable reluctance of dyed-in-the- wool marketers to accept a new philosophy, FAS does not yet enjoy full support for a change in its responsibilities. Congress may well balk at the request to appropriate funds for activities related to national security, global climate change and global food security. Thus, although Sec. Vil- sack has the authority to direct FAS to carry out new missions as long as they relate to foreign agriculture, the funding will not be there if Congress does not agree. When this is coupled with the fact that the Foreign Agri- cultural Service is already understaffed by 200 full-time equivalents (22 percent of its authorized strength), is now experiencing its third hiring freeze since the mid-1990s, is cutting three more overseas officer slots, was forced this year to curtail all overseas travel by headquarters staff, and began the first bureaucratic steps needed to implement agencywide furloughs this fiscal year, one rapidly concludes that FAS is at a crossroads. Its headquarters is already grossly understaffed, and if the overseas offices are cut to

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EMERGING CHALLENGES: FARM TRADE IN THE AGE OF GLOBALIZATION

FACING A RANGE OF POLITICAL THREATS TO AGRICULTURAL TRADE, FAS MUST AGAIN PROVE THE VALUE OF ITS WORK.

BY ERIC TRACHTENBERG

or an “aggie diplomat,” nothing is Political Issues more useful than ground truth. Whenever I am home, I Political challenges to agricultural trade threaten to unlike to go on farm calls with my brother, a large-animal vet- dermine long-term support for further liberalization. erinarianF in rural upstate New York. When my brother’s While some of these issues affect trade generally, others customers ask about my job, I always like to explain why specifically affect agriculture and food trade. the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Falling support for free trade. The ongoing eco- Service matters to them. After all, these are not only my nomic crisis has terrified many Americans and increased brother’s customers — they are also mine. hostility to globalization. The timing could not be worse — FAS faces the same challenge of proving its relevance. the crisis came with trade already blamed for keeping U.S. Created in 1930 and re-established in 1953, its mission has wages down and increasing unemployment. As a result, grown far beyond its original focus on trade issues and agri- Americans increasingly see trade as a threat instead of an cultural reporting. It picked up responsibility for food aid opportunity. According to the Pew Foundation, 78 per- in 1941, market development in 1953, and capacity-build- cent of Americans said trade was good for the United ing and agricultural development in 1993. States in 2002. Just 53 percent of respondents felt that As FAS evolves, it must demonstrate its value both to way when asked last year, a drop of nearly a third. U.S. farmers and taxpayers. But this effort is complicated by Many agricultural producer groups have also become high budget deficits, the economic crisis and emerging chal- more skeptical about trade. As agricultural imports rose to lenges from politics, globalization and technological change. a record $79.3 billion in 2008, some farmers and growers felt threatened despite record exports of $115.4 billion. Eric Trachtenberg currently directs the Agricultural Trade Trade stakeholders were also drawn away by other temp- Office in Beijing. He joined the Foreign Agricultural Serv- tations such as increasing payments for crops, biofuels and ice in 1995 and previously served at the American Insti- conservation. tute in Taiwan and in Moscow. The views expressed in this Declining agricultural population and political in- article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the fluence. Farming is losing political clout. According to official positions of the U.S. government, the U.S. Depart- USDA’s Economic Research Service, the number of U.S. ment of Agriculture or the Foreign Agricultural Service. farms peaked at 6.8 million in 1935. As a result of mech-

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anization, improved crops and other Political challenges to foods have an outstanding safety production-improving technology, record. Since their introduction in the number of farms fell by 71 per- agricultural trade threaten 1996, genetically engineered food- cent, to a little more than two million, stuffs have caused no reliably docu- by 2007. to undermine long-term mented safety problems. Unsurprisingly, rural communities Eating local food also may not have become less dependent on agri- support for further trade help climate change. Even if food is culture. In 1950, almost a third of grown nearby, it might use more en- rural employment came from pro- liberalization. ergy than a product grown more ef- duction agriculture, giving it an im- ficiently and shipped from its native portant connection to public policy. environs. (An extreme illustration of Now farms are bigger and rural residents depend heavily this would be growing coconut palms in Chicago.) These on off-farm income. At the moment, only 14 percent of concerns make it increasingly difficult to enforce and sup- the rural work force is employed in farming, and 900,000 port World Trade Organization standards and could allow American farmers do other work at least 200 days a year. governments to back away from their trade commitments. The average U.S. farmer is 57 — and getting older. The near-death of Doha. Prospects look grim for The political system is also slowly tilting away from agri- the current Doha Round negotiations, launched with great culture. Although the structure of the Senate helps be- fanfare in 2001 to deepen global trade. Unfortunately, the cause many members come from farm states, the de- process has broken down repeatedly, mostly because of creasing rural dependence on farming may eventually agriculture, and has been stalled since July 2008. The cause Congress to lose interest in the issue. This risk is in- biggest differences have arisen over farm production sub- creased because many key farm-state senators such as sidies in wealthy countries, and protection for vulnerable Richard Lugar, R-Ind., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Thad products in developing countries. Cochran, R-Miss., and Kit Bond, R-Mo., are not young. The WTO faces another risk: that countries will accept After this generation retires, their replacements may not the penalties rather than play by the rules, undermining have the same connection to farming. confidence in the system. For instance, the European Rising non-trade concerns. Agriculture is unique Union has refused to accept WTO dispute-settlement rul- because of its connections to food, rural life and the envi- ings on genetically engineered products and beef hor- ronment. These also tie agricultural trade to climate mones, even at the cost of additional tariffs from the change, energy, food safety and conservation issues. The United States. And if U.S. exporters cannot get relief from rise of non-trade concerns about agriculture stems partially the WTO, it could cause them to stop supporting the mul- from the efforts of nongovernmental organizations that tilateral process. have been able to use the Internet and other channels to The refusal of some countries to change WTO-incon- organize, raise funds and influence the policy process. sistent rules increases the risk of outright non-compliance Regulatory failures in food safety have also increased these with the organization’s dispute-settlement decisions, po- concerns. tentially rendering the WTO irrelevant. This risk is espe- Supporters of multifunctionality insist that agriculture cially high if a dispute-settlement ruling has serious deserves special support because it has a unique role to political or economic consequences. And if the organiza- play in conservation and food production. If oil prices rise tion were to become ineffective, that could lead to a world again, the diversion of cropland from food to energy could of hard-to-implement, overlapping trade agreements, further complicate trade. Finally, growing climate change fewer predictable rules and higher trade barriers — with concerns have fueled interest in everything from alterna- no central authority to help manage these arrangements. tive energy to locally produced products. To make matters worse, many of the U.S.’s most formi- These changes sometimes work against trade, even dable competitors are actively engaged in concluding a though the evidence does not support such an association. large number of free trade agreements. Since these vastly For example, the food safety issue is used to create suspi- outnumber the few FTAs the United States has in place, cion of genetically engineered products even though such we risk being left out. For example, while the U.S.-South

MAY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 33 F OCUS

Korea FTA has yet to come into force, Prospects look grim for As the food safety issue illustrates, China and New Zealand started im- import security counts, too. Issues plementation of free trade agree- the current Doha Round such as bioterrorism, salmonella in ments with Seoul on Oct. 1, 2008. 700,000 cantaloupes grown in Mex- The structure of the negotiations negotiations, launched with ico and Costa Rica, and melamine in and the need for consensus lead some Chinese pet food all affect FAS rela- to believe the Doha Round may be great fanfare in 2001 to tionships overseas. impossible to conclude. And if that National security and food se- process fails and multilateral agree- deepen global trade. curity. After the end of the Cold ments can no longer change with the War, it was hoped that food would times, the WTO could have a gloomy become a normal commodity traded future. on international markets. But despite the sound econom- Still, none of this is inevitable. If the United States can ics behind open trade, food remains a national security build consensus at home and a cooperative relationship issue because insecurity can cause instability and war. with other key WTO players, Doha can be saved. During a period of high food prices in 2008, the World Bank reported unrest in 33 countries, including Haiti, The Downside of Globalization Bangladesh, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Senegal, Agricultural trade also faces challenges from the suc- Morocco, China and India. cess of globalization. As production systems, supply chains Many countries see domestic food production as a and corporate ownership have all become international- strategic goal. The WTO Group of 10 is dominated by ized, it becomes increasingly difficult for governments to countries such as Iceland, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Nor- define a successful national agricultural trade policy. way, Switzerland and Taiwan that resist further agricultural Similarly, increasingly complex trade and investment trade liberalization. The G-10 members heavily subsidize relationships between countries are making it difficult to agriculture and keep food prices high domestically not only define and promote U.S. products. Products are often to preserve rural lifestyles, create jobs and support domes- shipped abroad for processing and re-exported, and U.S. tic constituencies, but to ensure their supplies are never cut companies have growing overseas investments. off. This thinking has played a role in their decisions to It can also be difficult to decide what sectors to support keep large and noncompetitive agricultural sectors alive. It through market promotion or trade policy. When a U.S. has also impeded progress in the Doha Round. company sells an agricultural product sourced outside the Recent history has also shaken confidence in the trad- United States, how is it treated? How is a product made ing system as a reliable supplier. During the 2008 food overseas from U.S. materials defined? If a major Ameri- price spikes, many countries limited exports. India, In- can firm sells candy with U.S. brand names in Southeast donesia, Vietnam, China, Cambodia and Egypt all limited Asia, will Washington only support the U.S.-made brands rice exports to keep domestic prices low. This cut tradable and reject the others? For that matter, is there a value in supplies by 3.5 percent. These “beggar thy neighbor” poli- promoting American brands? cies undermined reliability of imports as a source of food Increasing U.S. imports. Another challenge for trade while preventing farmers from benefiting from high ex- is the large and increasing volume of imports. In 2005, port prices. This reduced the incentive to increase food imports made up 15 percent of total food volume con- production and undermined faith in export markets. sumed. According to USDA’s Economic Research Service, The biotech revolution. The final challenge to trade the United States imports 80 percent of its seafood, 45 per- is changing technology. Despite resistance in many quar- cent of its fresh fruit and 17 percent of its fresh vegetables. ters, the FDA approved the sale of milk and meat from It is heavily dependent on imports for bananas, coffee, cloned animals in January 2008. However, the creation of chocolate, apple juice, wine, beer, nuts and spices. And modified animals could be very controversial because while we are less dependent on imports than most other mammals generally attract sympathy from the public. countries, problems overseas can still significantly affect With that in mind, current biotech research has mostly American consumers. focused on increasing productivity. For example, the use

34 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MAY 2009 F OCUS

of Roundup Ready soybeans allows farmers to apply an ef- and ease the concerns of those most vulnerable to glob- fective and environmentally friendly herbicide for weed alization. Helpful steps for anxious workers could include control without damaging the crop. And novel corn vari- better wage insurance, child care vouchers, universal eties reduce insect infestations from pests such as root- health coverage and vastly improved access to job train- worm. The next generation of genetically engineered ing and education. products will boost yields during droughts, increase saline It is important to realize that the facts support the tolerance and provide consumers with reduced exposure value of agricultural trade. The volume of agricultural to allergens, better nutrition, shelf-life and taste. Despite exports as a share of production has been just under 25 the manifold benefits, the challenge will be to convince percent in recent years — and 14 percent of all farm em- overseas customers to resolve an ever-more-complex set ployment remains tied to exports. According to the ERS, of trade issues resulting from the introduction of these in 2007 the United States exported 60 percent of food- products. grain production, 19 percent of feed grains, and more than 43 percent of oilseeds. Making the Case for Agricultural Trade Future growth in demand for U.S. agricultural prod- Although agricultural trade and FAS as a trade-sup- ucts will continue to come from overseas. The United porting agency both face many challenges from politics, States only has 5 percent of the world’s population, and globalization and technology, U.S. agriculture depends economic growth in emerging markets such as China is heavily on exports. At the same time, the U.S. economy much higher than at home. As the Chinese middle class still benefits greatly from agricultural trade. The way to spreads from the coast into the interior, cities such as address the political problem is to make the case for trade Chengdu, Qingdao, Wuhan, Shenyang and Tianjin, col-

MAY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 35 F OCUS

lectively populated by hundreds of millions of people, to be completely of U.S. origin or do not count trade that could be U.S. agriculture’s next markets. is transshipped or sent for further processing may need to Export promotion and trade policy effectiveness create be modified. good jobs — and not just for farmers. The ERS estimates Increasing food imports and ongoing food safety issues that in 2007 the $89.9 billion of agricultural exports in- may require FAS to allocate its resources in new ways. Re- creased U.S. economic output by $215.7 billion. Agricul- lated national security issues could play a larger role in the tural exports that year generated 808,000 full-time jobs, agency’s activities — even beyond its current large-scale including 537,000 nonfarm jobs created by purchases of involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. inputs, transport, food processing and other services. Jobs FAS also needs to improve its engagement with those linked to exports tend to earn 13 to 18 percent more than concerned about climate change, food safety and other is- jobs elsewhere in the economy. This makes agricultural sues. Better communication could improve transparency trade an important contributor to the entire U.S. economy. and may ultimately reduce the rejection of U.S. products overseas. New Partners, New Missions Although the challenges are substantial, they are not in- In moving forward, the Foreign Agricultural Service surmountable — if FAS can convince its stakeholders to will need to find a way to carry out its current mission while support change. At a time when the agency’s mission faces accommodating the emerging challenges. For example, new challenges, it is important to remember our vital con- FAS may need to reshape market development programs nection to American farmers and taxpayers. As long as we so they reflect the complexity of globalized production sys- can continue convincing our customers of the value of our tems and supply chains. Programs that require products work, FAS has a bright future. ■

36 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MAY 2009 FS HERITAGE EUGENE SCHUYLER: SCHOLAR, PATRIOT AND MAN OF LETTERS

A VISIT BY THE CZARIST NAVY TO NEW YORK CITY IN 1863 LED ONE OF AMERICA’S FIRST RUSSIA EXPERTS TO JOIN THE U.S. CONSULAR SERVICE.

BY ERIC A. JOHNSON

mong early U.S. diplomats, cers and decided to learn Russian as a result, Eugene Schuyler was a changing his life forever. (His language teacher multifaceted star. Born in appears to have been one of New York City’s very Ithaca, New York, on Feb. first Russian Orthodox priests.) 26, 1840, Schuyler began While waiting to join the U.S. Consular Serv- his studies at Yale Univer- ice, Schuyler added yet another job to his ever-ex- sity at the age of 15, gradu- panding portfolio in 1865 when he became a staff ating near the top of his class in 1859 with a member and lifelong contributor to The Nation, APhilosophical Oration (a high academic honor) as which would become one of America’s leading lib- well as distinction in Latin. Two years later, he be- (Photographer unknown) eral magazines. came one of the first three students to earn a Ph.D. A portrait of Eugene from an American university — Yale’s Department Schuyler from his post- Off to Russia of Philosophy and the Arts — before going on to humous Selected Es- After his acceptance into the U.S. Consular help Noah Porter revise Webster’s Dictionary. says. Service in 1866, Schuyler was assigned to be U.S. Always hungry for new knowledge, Schuyler de- consul in Moscow, thanks to his knowledge of cided to study law, graduating from Columbia Law Russian. While waiting to make the journey, School in 1863. But that September, Czar Alexander II sent Schuyler developed an interest in Finnish after he was asked eight Russian Navy ships to New York — a move interpreted to edit the first U.S. edition of Finland’s national epic — the by the North as a show of support for President Abraham Lin- Kalevala (1867) — translated by John Porter. coln and the Northern states at the very height of the U.S. On his way to take up his new duties in August 1867, Civil War. Schuyler befriended several of these visiting offi- Schuyler met with Ivan Turgenev at Baden-Baden, Germany, and became Turgenev’s first U.S. translator with the 1867 Eric A. Johnson entered the Foreign Service as a specialist in publication of Fathers and Sons. In addition to furnishing 1999, then became a generalist in July 2007. Currently the letters of introduction to various Russian literary figures, in- public affairs officer in St. Petersburg, he previously served cluding Count Leo Tolstoy, Turgenev gave Schuyler the fol- in Moscow, Tallinn and Washington, D.C. The author would lowing encouragement: “I have no doubts that you will be like to thank David Siefkin, Snejana Ianeva, Elena Smirnova accepted in the most cordial way: you know how much peo- and Vera Sevastyanova for their help in researching this pro- ple in Russia love Americans, and an American interested in file. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own our literature has all the rights to be a welcome guest in our and not necessarily those of the Department of State or the country.” U.S. government. Pursuing those literary interests, Schuyler spent a week at

MAY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 37 Tolstoy’s Yasnaya Polyana estate in Oc- months as the chargé d’affaires. And tober 1868, where the two men went since none of the U.S. ministers for hunting together. While Tolstoy fin- Schuyler developed an whom he worked (Andrew G. Curtin, ished his work on War and Peace, James L. Orr, Marshall Jewell and Schuyler helped reorganize his library. interest in Finnish after George H. Boker) knew Russian or During his tour in Moscow, Schuy- French, Schuyler was an essential part ler was a frequent guest of Prince being asked to edit the of the mission for more than six years. Vladimir Odoyevsky’s literary salon, Using the capital as a base, Schuy- meeting many of Russia’s leading writ- first U.S. edition of ler continued to travel extensively ers and thinkers. Schuyler also devel- across Russia and Central Asia. He oped a passion for exotic travel that Finland’s national epic, provided detailed information on his would continue throughout his career. trips to the National Geographic Soci- During the summer of 1868, he took the Kalevala. ety and wrote a two-volume trave- time off to journey down the Volga to logue, Turkestan: Notes of a Journey in Orenburg by steamboat, before cross- Russian Turkestan, Khokand, Buk- ing the Urals by carriage and going as hara and Kuldja (1876). He also far as Kirgizia. And in October 1870 Eager to remain in Russia, that No- somehow found time to begin research he visited the Grand Duchy of Fin- vember he became consul in Reval on his two-volume biography Peter the land, where his work on the English- (now Tallinn, Estonia), only a few Great, Emperor of Russia, which language edition of the Kalevala was months before the post was closed as a would be published in 1884. already well known. cost-cutting measure. His next assign- Not long after Secretary of State ment was as the secretary to the U.S. An Eventful Tenure in Hamilton Fish was sworn in, Schuyler legation in St. Petersburg, from April Constantinople discovered to his great dismay in May 1870 to July 1876. During his long After nine years in the Russian Em- 1869 that he had lost his position. tenure there, Schuyler spent at least 30 pire, Schuyler became the U.S. consul general in Constantinople — while also assigned to be the secretary for the legation — in 1876. Just before taking up his duties, Schuyler met Gertrude Wallace King, the daughter of Colum- bia College’s recently deceased president, in Paris. The couple wed on July 12, 1877; it is not known whether they had any children. Schuyler became an international figure known across Europe — and feted by the British royal family, among others — for his work in documenting Ottoman atrocities committed during the 1876 Bulgarian uprising. In fact, Schuyler’s detailed report served as a basis for the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, providing the Russian Em- pire with “just cause” to protect fellow Slavs in the Balkans. By February 1878, the victorious Russian Army was at the gates of Con- stantinople, bringing with it the U.S. military attaché to Russia, Francis Vin- ton Greene. For more than a month, Schuyler and Greene worked together, becoming friends.

38 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MAY 2009 During his time in Constantinople, the U.S. Consular Service when bud- Schuyler helped the new Bulgarian get cuts eliminated his new position as leadership draft their country’s first While Leo Tolstoy minister. (He was not interested in constitution. He also hosted various working in Washington, D.C.) high-ranking American officials, in- finished his work on cluding former U.S. President Ulysses Final Years S. Grant, who visited in March 1878. War and Peace, Schuyler returned to the United It should come as no surprise that States in November 1884 to teach at the Ottoman Empire declared Schuy- Schuyler helped both Johns Hopkins and Cornell uni- ler persona non grata in the spring of versities. During his time in academia, 1878. Expelled from Constantinople, reorganize his library. Schuyler turned his lectures into one Schuyler became consul in Birming- of the very first published studies of ham, where he completed the first the U.S. diplomatic and consular serv- U.S. translation of Tolstoy’s The Cos- ices: American Diplomacy and the sacks (1878). In the summer of 1879, you heartily for your great services, and Furtherance of Commerce (1886). As Schuyler became the U.S. consul gen- to assure you that your honored name early as 1881, Schuyler became a vocal eral in Rome. will hold an enviable place in the his- advocate for the merger of the two But his achievements in the Balk- tory of the liberation of our nation.” services — a reform that eventually ans were never forgotten. On April 4, Schuyler’s next assignments were as took place with the Rogers Act of 1924, 1879, Exarch Antim I, the president of chargé d’affaires in Romania (1880- which created the modern U.S. For- the first Bulgarian National Assembly, 1882) and then as the first U.S. minis- eign Service. wrote Schuyler the following note ter to Greece, Romania and Serbia Because his wife had a particular upon Bulgaria’s independence: “The (1882-1884), based in Athens. But in fondness for Italy, the couple moved to free Bulgarian nation hastens to thank July 1884, Schuyler was forced to leave Alassio on the Italian Riviera in March

MAY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 39 1886, where Schuyler continued writ- nated him, and he spent all of his free ing and traveling. During this time, he time learning about its history and trav- wrote a lengthy reminiscence on his During his time eling along the Nile. In a letter to his time with Count Leo Tolstoy that ap- sister dated Oct. 14, 1889, Schuyler peared in Scribner’s magazine in May in Constantinople, wrote: “The moist heat at this season, 1889. when the Nile is overflowed, and the When James G. Blaine became the Schuyler helped the consequent flies, mosquitoes, etc., new U.S. Secretary of State in March beggar all description.” 1889, he tried to appoint Schuyler as new Bulgarian leadership As fate would have it, Schuyler con- his assistant secretary. But Schuyler’s tracted malaria sometime in early nomination ran into some opposition draft their country’s 1890, from which he never recovered. in the U.S. Senate, reportedly because He died quite suddenly while conva- of his latest book. In a May 11, 1889, first constitution. lescing in Venice, Italy, on July 16, letter to a friend, Schuyler wrote: “Had 1890. I known of the Senate opposition to Upon the 1901 posthumous publi- me, I should have declined sooner for cation of his essays and memoirs, Eu- a patriotic reason: it is essential to the gene Schuyler: Selected Essays, a success of an administration that the that, had I been in Washington, I could reviewer in the New York Times de- State Department and the Senate have stopped it all by threatening to scribed Schuyler as “one of America’s Committee on Foreign Relations tell the true cause.” However, there is most brilliant scholars, patriots and should work well together. ... The ob- no mention of the actual cause. men of letters.” In testament to this jections to me on the part of certain Schuyler instead accepted an ap- talent, both his travelogue Turkestan senators were not political, but from pointment as consul general in Cairo, and his biography of Peter the Great such petty, trifling, personal reasons, arriving on Oct. 1, 1889. Egypt fasci- are still in print today. ■

40 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MAY 2009 APPRECIATION A LIFE DEDICATED TO SERVICE

BRIAN DANIEL ADKINS, 1983-2009

BY CHARLES HORNBOSTEL

n Jan. 31, Brian Adkins became the lat- Both as an undergraduate and graduate student of the El- est Foreign Service officer, and one of liott School of International Affairs at The George Washing- the youngest, to make the ultimate sac- ton University, Brian distinguished himself academically, rifice. He was honored at AFSA’s Me- earning magna cum laude honors and studying abroad at the morial Plaque ceremony on May 1 at Sorbonne. A classical violinist, he was a certified Suzuki the State Department. Method instructor. He also distinguished himself socially, Brian’s life was tragically cut short by gathering around him a circle of friends attracted by his warm, a murderer in Addis Ababa, his first posting. A brilliant, tal- caring nature, his sense of humor and his genuine joie de vivre. Oented and dedicated officer, Brian had a promising career be- While enrolled in the Master of International Trade Pol- fore him. But more than that, he was a friend, even a brother, icy program, Brian also worked full-time as a trade analyst, to those whose lives he touched. first with the Department of Commerce and then for the News of Brian’s untimely death raced around the globe Whitaker Group, a firm that focuses on African trade. Be- as we of his A-100 and his Pickering Fellows classes reached tween his first and second years of graduate school, he served out to one another, to the department and to his family. In at the U.S. embassy in Tunisia. Speaking six languages by the so doing, we shared our thoughts and fondest memories of time he graduated, including French and Arabic, Brian was the singularly exceptional individual that he was. well prepared for his life as a diplomat.

A Pickering Fellow A Standout Brian’s dedication to service began early. By the time he Brian joined the Foreign Service on July 9, 2007, as a finished high school in Whitehall, Ohio, Brian had already member of the 135th A-100 class. Just as in high school and discovered a keen interest in languages, politics and world college, Brian was an instant standout with his classmates. affairs. A devout Catholic, Brian was an active member of He served as co-chair of the budget committee and helped the Knights of Columbus and followed his heart and his to ensure all of the class’s service and social functions were faith into the world. He won the prestigious Thomas Pick- well funded. Brian demonstrated his musical talents during ering Fellowship in 2001, and that was the start of his jour- skit night at The Woods retreat, lending his voice and dance ney to a career in diplomacy. stylings to “FSI Nights” (to the tune of “Summer Nights” from Grease) and “Foreign Service” (to the tune of “New Charles Hornbostel is a vice consul at Embassy Skopje, Mace- York, New York”). He was a constant fixture at the class’s donia, a fellow alumnus of the Elliott School and a member of many social events. the 135th A-100 class. He gratefully acknowledges the input Like many entry-level officers, Brian and his classmates and assistance of Brian’s family, friends, classmates and col- were sent all over the world — to five different continents, leagues in preparation of this tribute. from Latin America to East Asia. In just its first tour, the

MAY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 41 As Brian’s far-too-short life and career are honored, we think of how fortunate we are to have known him, to have called him friend.

135th A-100 experienced wars, political unrest, natural disasters and the numerous hardships that the Foreign Service experience encompasses. Un- afraid of such challenges, Brian pushed hard to be assigned to Addis Ababa as a rotational consular/political-economic officer.

Addis Ababa A natural gift for foreign languages served him well as he prepared for Ethiopia. As part of his initial training, Brian received 28 weeks of Amharic, his seventh foreign language. Like all of us, he took to the training with zeal, knowing that he would soon be called upon to use his language and diplomacy skills to further U.S. goals in Ethiopia. Yet Brian did not just study Amharic — he im- mersed himself in it, spending time in the Ethiopian communities of Adams Morgan and the U Street corridor in Washington to improve his language and cultural skills. This dedication to his craft put him in good stead when he arrived at post. His fellow officers, his supervisors and the local staff all remarked that Brian took to his assignment with dedication and thoroughly injected himself into the life of the country that was to be

42 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MAY 2009 his home for his first tour. He played a central role in the embassy’s Con- sular Leadership Day, writing songs and skits for the community. The weekend he was taken from us, he was preparing for a six-week temporary duty assignment to Rwan- da. As in all things, Brian never did anything by half-measures — he was going to do it 100 percent, or not at all.

A Fitting Return Home In the days following Brian’s tragic death, the department showed just what it means to be part of a global family. His flag-draped casket trav- eled to Ohio with full honors. Among those attending his funeral were Director General of the Foreign Service Harry K. Thomas, Acting As- sistant Secretary for African Affairs Philip Carter, Embassy Addis Ababa’s DCM Deborah Malac and Ambassa- dor Scott DeLisi, whose first A-100 class as director of the Entry Level Division of the Office of Career De- velopment and Assignments had been the 135th. Secretary of State Clinton called Brian’s family to express the department’s condolences. As Brian’s far-too-short life and career are honored, we think of how fortunate we are to have known him, to have called him friend, to have shared in his triumphs and coped along with him in his setbacks. This is the reality when someone signs up for the For- eign Service: We are called on to serve in some of the most dangerous and difficult postings in the world, but we are never alone. Brian Adkins is survived by his parents, his sister and brother, his grand- parents, a nephew and many aunts, uncles and cousins. Contributions in his memory can be made to the Brian Daniel Adkins Memorial Fund at the WesBanco Bank of Columbus, Ohio. His Legacy Web site can be viewed at http://www.legacy.com/gb2/default.as px?bookid=6133336981121. ■

MAY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 43

AFSAAmerican Foreign ServiceNEWS Association • May 2009 AFSA Leaders Meet with Secretary Clinton DISCUSSION INCLUDES OVERSEAS PAY GAP, WAR-ZONE STAFFING n their first official meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on March 20, AFSA leaders raised the membership’s Itop concerns regarding resources, the overseas pay disparity, war-zone staffing, family-friendliness, political ambassadors and the future of USAID. Secretary Clinton, accompanied by Deputy Secretary Jacob Lew and Under Secretary for Management Patrick Kennedy, warmly received AFSA President John Naland, State VP Steve

Kashkett and USAID VP Francisco Zamora for the 30-minute FILE PHOTO DEPARTMENT STATE discussion. Naland pledged AFSA’s willingness to collaborate A small group of AFSA officers and staff meet with Secretary Clinton, March 20. From left: General Counsel Sharon Papp, State VP Steven Kashkett, with the Secretary on an ambitious agenda of action items vital Sec. Clinton, President John Naland and USAID VP Francisco Zamora. to the long-term health of American diplomacy. The Secretary thanked AFSA for being a strong advocate for the Foreign Serv- ing float” that will enable the Foreign Service to acquire the lan- ice. guages and special skills essential to our mission. In response to AFSA’s affirmation of the growing urgency Surprising the Cabinet of the overseas pay gap, Sec. Clinton said she had raised this Turning to resources and staffing, the Secretary said she and issue at the Cabinet level for the first time and that the response her team were 100-percent engaged and had moved quickly to was one of surprise that such a problem existed. There is a con- persuade the White House and Congress of our needs, but ac- sensus that the pay disparity must be fixed, but tactical dis- knowledged that this will be an uphill battle in the current agreement exists between State and the White House over what budget environment. Naland argued that the present and fu- legislative vehicle to use. State is reinforcing daily the need to ture demands on U.S. diplomats will necessitate dramatic act, even with the president’s chief of staff. budget increases and sufficient new staffing to create the “train- Kashkett urged scrutiny of the size, scope and utility of war- zone staffing. He conveyed AFSA members’ hope that Sec. Clinton will end the previous administration’s Iraq-centric Vote! Vote! Vote! focus, which has strained our assignment and promotion sys- The AFSA Governing Board Elections tems, led to neglect of our other 265 embassies and consulates, Are Happening Now! and created a perception that important diplomatic work else- o you find yourself complaining about the same old where in the world is not valued. Foreign Service issues that never seem to change? DDon’t just grumble — take action! Once again you have A Historic Opportunity a chance to vote, in the AFSA Governing Board elections. Ex- Pointing out that today’s Foreign Service families typically ercise your right to have the best possible people represent- spend 10 to 15 years at hardship posts, Kashkett highlighted ing you in Washington. three vital areas in which Sec. Clinton has a historic opportu- All AFSA members should have received a ballot in the mail, accompanied by a special AFSA election publication with nity to make great strides in family-friendliness by: candidates’ statements. This ballot should be mailed back • increasing substantially the professional work possibilities in the enclosed, color-coded envelope to the AFSA Election for family members and partners who accompany FS members Committee, to reach us no later than June 11. Note: Ballots overseas; must be sent by postal mail in order to be counted. Please • obtaining paid maternity/paternity leave for FS employ- do not use fax or e-mail! If you have not received a ballot by ees who are now obliged to exhaust their annual and sick leave May 11, please e-mail [email protected]. during the mandatory three-month medevac from many over- Continued on page 49

MAY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 45 A F S A AFSANEWSBRIEFS N E W Last Reminder: Donate to the Clements Launches S AFSA Scholarship Fund Scholarship Program — In late March AFSA sent an appeal to support our Scholarship Program. Deadline May 15 Please consider making a donation to support Foreign Service youth scholar- Clements International has just launched its new ships. According to the 2008 College Board report, Trends in College Pricing, Expat Youth Scholarship program. Scholarships to- “over the past decade, published tuition and fees have risen at an average rate of 4.2 percent per year after inflation at public four-year institutions.” A record taling $10,000 will be awarded to six individuals. number of children of Foreign Service employees have applied for AFSA awards The contest is open to all nationalities of children for the 2009-2010 school year. Please help us to meet this increased need in who have lived outside of their home country for the Foreign Service community so our families can afford college. For more in- more than two years. Applicants compete in two age formation, please visit our Web page at www.afsa.org/scholar. To make a dona- categories (12-15 and 16-18) and must submit an tion, use the appeal card that was sent to you or go to the above Web page and essay and creative media presentation (photos, illus- click on the bottom right-hand corner, “Form to Make a Donation.” trations, etc.) in which they discuss and illustrate their lives as expat kids. For more information, Life in the Foreign Service please visit our Web site at www.expatyouthscholar ship.com. The deadline for entries is May 15.

BY BRIAN AGGELER The contest is being judged by members of the Foreign Service Youth Foundation, the Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas and Robin Pascoe (www.expatexpert.com). AAFSW Funds AFSA Scholarships The Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide will contribute $1,800 for a Merit Award and $7,700 in Financial Aid Scholarships in its name under AFSA’s 2009-2010 Scholarship Program. Proceeds from AAFSW’s annual Bookfair, held in October, fund these Foreign Service student awards. AAFSW is a nonprofit organization that has been representing Foreign Service spouses, employees and re- tirees since 1960. Visit its Web site at www.aafsw.org.

AFSA HEADQUARTERS: Staff: Governing Board: Executive Director Ian Houston: [email protected] (202) 338-4045; Fax: (202) 338-6820 PRESIDENT: John Naland STATE DEPARTMENT AFSA OFFICE: Business Department Controller Kalpna Srimal: [email protected] STATE VP: Steve Kashkett (202) 647-8160; Fax: (202) 647-0265 Accounting Assistant Cory Nishi: [email protected] USAID VP: Francisco Zamora USAID AFSA OFFICE: Labor Management FAS VP: Henry Schmick (202) 712-1941; Fax: (202) 216-3710 General Counsel Sharon Papp: [email protected] FCS AFSA OFFICE: Labor Management Attorney Zlatana Badrich: [email protected] FCS VP: Keith Curtis (202) 482-9088; Fax: (202) 482-9087 Labor Management Specialist James Yorke: [email protected] RETIREE VP: Robert W. Farrand AFSA WEB SITE: www.afsa.org Grievance Attorneys Neera Parikh: [email protected] and SECRETARY: F.A. “Tex” Harris FSJ: [email protected] Holly Rich: [email protected] Office Manager Christine Warren: [email protected] TREASURER: Andrew Winter PRESIDENT: [email protected] USAID Senior Labor Management Adviser Douglas Broome: [email protected] STATE REPS: Anne Aguilera, STATE VP: [email protected] USAID Office Manager Asgeir Sigfusson: [email protected] David Firestein, Susan Malcik, RETIREE VP: [email protected] Member Services USAID VP: [email protected] Member Services Director Janet Hedrick: [email protected] Sandy Robinson, Shayna Steinger, FAS VP: [email protected] Member Services Representative Michael Laiacona: [email protected] Elaine Tiang-Chu, Daphne Titus, Andrea FCS VP: [email protected] Web site & Database Associate Geron Pleasant: [email protected] Tomaszewicz, Christopher Tremann Administrative Assistant Ana Lopez: [email protected] USAID REP: Michael Henning Outreach Programs AFSA News Retiree Liaison Bonnie Brown: [email protected] FCS REP: Rebecca Balogh Editor Francesca Kelly: [email protected] Director of Communications Thomas Switzer: [email protected] FAS REP: Kathryn Ting (202) 338-4045, ext. 514; Congressional Affairs Director Ian Houston: [email protected] IBB REP: Al Pessin Fax: (202) 338-6820 Executive Assistant to the President Austin Tracy: [email protected] RETIREE REPS: On the Web: Scholarship Director Lori Dec: [email protected] Professional Issues Coordinator Barbara Berger: [email protected] Janice Bay, Herman Cohen,

How to Contact Us: to Contact How www.afsa.org/fsj and www.fsjournal.org Elderhostel Administrator Bernard Alter: [email protected] David Passage, Jonathan Sperling

46 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MAY 2009 A F EXCERPTS FROM S Testimony of John K. Naland A PRESIDENT, AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION N BEFORE THE E House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs W Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey, D-N.Y. March 26, 2009 S

hairwoman Lowey, the American It is vital for the president sion). Many members of Congress un- Foreign Service Association is derstand this. The same is true for Sec- and Congress to stay the course Cgrateful for your leadership in ad- retary of Defense Robert Gates, who has dressing the enormous staffing gaps in on efforts to expand the given a series of high-profile speeches the U.S. Foreign Service. Thanks to Foreign Service. They must over the past 18 months urging that your advocacy, accompanied by the sup- more resources be devoted to funding port of other members of this subcom- not declare “victory” after just the civilian element of national security. mittee, Foreign Service hiring at State a few years of above-attrition So it is vital for the president and and USAID is finally on the upswing Congress to stay the course on efforts to after years of flat funding during which hiring which, at best, expand the Foreign Service. They must new mission requirements vastly out- would only serve to fill not declare “victory” after just a few stripped staff resources. AFSA under- years of above-attrition hiring which, at stands that funding provided by existing staffing gaps. best, would only serve to fill existing Congress in the 2008 supplemental ap- staffing gaps. propriation and Fiscal Year 2009 budget Instead, lawmakers also need to fund will add about 640 additional “core” the creation of a robust training com- State diplomatic personnel and 450 new plement to allow Foreign Service mem- USAID development officers by this Obama administration undertakes new bers to attain advanced levels of September. foreign policy initiatives — for example, foreign-language fluency, area knowl- Obviously, that is very good news. increasing civilian staffing in Afghani- edge, leadership and management abil- So, too, is the Obama administration’s stan. In addition, AFSA sees a strong ity, program management skills and recently released Fiscal Year 2010 budget case for expanding the Foreign Com- job-specific functional expertise. Future request which, without giving details, mercial Service and the Foreign Agri- budgets must also create more positions states that it “includes funding for the cultural Service. for Foreign Service members to take ro- first year of a multiyear effort to signifi- In our March 20 meeting, Secretary tational assignments with other agencies cantly increase the size of the Foreign of State Hillary Clinton stressed to me in order to maintain our lead role in for- Service at both the Department of State her conviction that diplomacy and de- eign policy coordination. Future bud- and the U.S. Agency for International velopment are essential tools in achiev- gets must give our foreign affairs agen- Development.” ing our nation’s long-term objectives. cies the “bench strength” with which to Continued expansion is desperately She pledged to continue to lobby hard staff up the new contingencies that will needed. A blue-ribbon panel report is- to significantly expand Foreign Service inevitably arise in the coming years. sued last October by the American staffing. But she also noted that the fed- Thus, the task for the Obama ad- Academy of Diplomacy documented eral government is likely to face difficult ministration and Congress over the next the need for 2,848 additional State posi- budgetary choices in the next few years. four years is to continue to strengthen tions for core diplomatic functions and President Obama and Congress un- the personnel and physical platform a training complement, as well as for doubtedly have tough choices in decid- from which diplomacy and develop- 1,250 additional USAID positions, by ing how to allocate budget resources. ment assistance are conducted. We Fiscal Year 2014. To achieve that goal But as they do, AFSA urges them to be must do more than simply fill existing will require adding an average of 450 mindful of the fact that adding 4,000 staffing gaps. We must assure that the new positions at State and 160 new po- positions to our 13,000-member For- Foreign Service has the right number of sitions at USAID each year for the next eign Service would have a far greater people with the right skills and experi- five years. positive impact on national security ence to meet the challenges of 21st-cen- Moreover, those Foreign Service hir- than would adding the same number of tury diplomacy. These investments ing targets were based on a 2008 snap- positions to our 1.4 million-member would yield significant benefits in ad- shot of unmet needs that may grow active-duty military (which is currently vancing the interests of the American even larger in the coming years as the undergoing a 92,000-position expan- people. ■

MAY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 47 A F S V.P. VOICE: USAID ■ BY FRANCISCO ZAMORA Transition Center A Schedule of Courses for May-June 2009 N May 4-5 Security Overseas Seminar E (MQ911) W May 8 High-Stress Assignment A Meeting with Outbrief (MQ950) S May 9 Explaining America (MQ115) the Secretary May 13-14 Mid-Career Retirement Planning (RV105) n March 20, AFSA President John Naland, State May 16 Protocol and U.S. Representa- Vice President Steve Kashkett and I met with Sec- tion Abroad (MQ116) May 18-19 Security Overseas Seminar retary of State Hillary Clinton. My accurate, though not very elegant, open- O (MQ911) ing words were, “Madam Secretary, USAID has been beaten up over the past few May 20 Legal Considerations in the years.” I pointed out that the environment within the agency is confusing, hy- Foreign Service (MQ854) percentralized and wasteful, and that its overall mission is unclear: is it national May 22 High-Stress Assignment security, poverty reduction, economic development or something else? Em- Outbrief (MQ950) ployees are upset with the radical orga- May 28 Special Education Needs nizational changes under the previous Workshop May 30 Going Overseas for administration, especially the creation Singles/Couples without of the F Bureau at State. Morale has suf- Children (MQ200) Sec. Clinton believes that fered. Lastly, I informed her that em- May 30 Going Overseas for Families USAID has become too much ployees were anxious for news about the with Children (MQ210) new administrator. May 30 Going Overseas Logistics for a contracting agency rather Sec. Clinton listened patiently and Adults (MQ220) May 30 Going Overseas Logistics for than an implementer. then expressed her views. She agreed that Children (MQ230) USAID needs a sense of mission and June 1-2 Security Overseas Seminar pointed out that this was of great per- (MQ911) sonal concern to her. However, her belief June 3 LGBT Issues in the Foreign is that the Department of State and Service USAID must jointly implement a unified foreign policy and that by having diplo- June 4 Post Options for Employment and Training (MQ703) macy and development closely allied, there is a greater chance of getting increased June 6 Protocol (MQ116) resources than with USAID acting alone. Sec. Clinton also pointed to the FY 2009 June 8-10 DCM Spouse Seminar (MQ110) budget: Deputy Secretary Jack Lew successfully asked for increased funding and June 8-11 Retirement Planning Seminar staff on behalf of USAID and State. (RV101) She believes that USAID has become too much a contracting agency rather June 12 High-Stress Assignment than an implementer, which she feels is wasteful and strips the government of in- Outbrief (MQ950) house expertise. Finally, she declared that no one was more interested than she in June 15 Young Diplomats Day (MQ250) June15-16 Security Overseas Seminar having the White House nominate the new administrator; she hopes this will hap- (MQ911) pen soon. June 16 Youth Security Overseas Semi- At 30 minutes, the meeting was too short and many things were left unsaid. nar (MQ914) For example, there was no hint of how the PEPFAR (HIV/AIDS) office and the June 18 Realities of Foreign Service Life Millennium Challenge Corporation would interact with USAID in the future. (MQ803) The issues of mid-career hiring and Foreign Service Limited staff concerns were June 24 Maintaining Long-Distance Relationships (MQ801) also not discussed. Nevertheless, I left a packet of Foreign Service Journal articles June 25-26 Regulations, Allowances and on these subjects and a summary report of numerous authoritative studies rec- Finances (MQ104) ommending fixes for the sad state of foreign assistance today, and requested that June 26 High-Stress Assignment she read these when she had the time. In addition, I offered Deputy Secretary Outbrief (MQ950) Lew, also at the meeting, a more detailed briefing at his convenience. June 29 Young Diplomats Day (MQ250) Sec. Clinton seems genuinely interested in development and has a history of June 29-30 Security Overseas Seminar (MQ911) public support for our foreign aid programs. What will be the effect of our meet- June 30 Youth Security Overseas ing, if any? I do not know, but I hope that the new administration will see the Seminar (MQ914) need for an entirely new direction for our agency and will heed the very thorough To register or for further information, and intelligent input from hundreds of knowledgeable experts on the topic. Our please e-mail the FSI Transition Center at country and USAID employees deserve no less. ❏ [email protected]. ❏

48 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MAY 2009 A F Secretary • Continued from page 45 V.P. VOICE: FAS ■ BY HENRY S. SCHMICK S seas posts for childbirth; and A • finding ways within U.S. law to offer status and benefits to domestic Partial Differential N partners overseas, who share all the risks E and hardships of Foreign Service life. Equations, CIPs and The Secretary promised to address W these problems and indicated that a pro- Dr. Seuss S posal concerning the last item is already in the works. nlike other foreign affairs agencies, the Foreign After making the observation that Agricultural Service does not directly recruit “Ag of- the U.S. is the only Western democracy Uficers” for our Foreign Service positions. Instead, that routinely appoints unqualified our candidates work in FAS/Washington for several years before undertaking a non-career ambassadors who have no series of exams to enter the Foreign Service. It’s our “mythic journey”: persisting diplomatic experience, Kashkett com- through trials, obstacles and endless staff meetings before winning the prize — the mented that AFSA members world- opportunity to write endless commodity reports at your first post. wide were encouraged by the presi- We have several staffing problems. The first is a lack of money to hire new dent’s remarks last month and are entry-level agricultural economists and trade specialists. And the second is our closely watching the administration’s inconsistent view of what type of training a potential officer should receive selections for special envoys, ambas- once hired. We hope that the first problem will be addressed in the FY 2010 sadorships and senior positions. The budget. FAS has a multiyear recruitment strategy, but we need the funding and AFSA leaders expressed their hope that desire to implement it. Unfortunately, the second problem (training and career the seasoned career experts of the For- development) is one with which FAS has always struggled. eign Service will be chosen for key jobs. As a small agency, our officers have one foot or hand in each of our four The Secretary responded that she is functional subcultures — analysis (commodity reporting), trade policy and trying to keep professional diplomats in marketing (export promotion), de- a leadership role. velopment (ag technical assistance) Our “mythic journey” is about and commodity disappearance (food Focus on USAID persisting through trials, aid or export credits). In addition to Shifting to USAID, Zamora stated keeping all of his or her limbs busy, that the agency has been abused for obstacles, and endless staff the FAS officer needs to wear a white eight years and suffers from a confusing, meetings before winning the lab coat (biotech, nanotechnology, hypercentralized and wasteful structure. climate change, biofuels) and coordi- Members are unsure about the overall prize — writing endless nate with all the other agencies work- USAID mission and concerned about commodity reports at ing on those issues. the creation of the F Bureau. Sec. Clin- The new hires won’t be familiar your first post. ton agreed that the agency needs a bet- with our functional subcultures. ter sense of purpose and that State and Fortunately, our “junior profession- USAID must collaborate to implement als” have organized a thoughtful two- both diplomacy and development. year series of brown-bag seminars on all aspects of FAS, trade policy, the work USAID, she said, should not be reduced of other federal agencies, etc. Unfortunately, these sessions are voluntary, done to the role of a contracting agency. during the lunch break and not well supported by managers obsessed with Zamora asked when a new adminis- short-term tasks. In fact, the 1965 Andrews-Phillips Report on FAS noted: “A trator would be named. The Secretary more organized system of orientation on a group basis should be inaugurated assured him that no one is more inter- at once.” After nearly 45 years to consider the matter, it’s time to carry out that ested in this than she is, but that the recommendation. White House must finalize its decision. So, while I (“old fogey” warning) would prefer that FAS officers be farm While encouraged by the tone of co- kids with master’s degrees in agricultural economics (so we can discuss partial operation in this initial encounter, the differential equations and cross elasticities of lobbying on agricultural exports), AFSA leaders recognize that there is we need to have a wider hiring pool and a better training program. We can much work ahead and hope that Sec. start to address these problems by raising the profile of the Career Intern Pro- Clinton will remain engaged with the gram. The CIP, with its short-term rotations through our functional subcul- association on these personnel and ca- tures, allows us to recruit new officers with strong analytic skills who still retain reer issues that directly affect the Foreign a sense of “wow” about new agricultural issues — and, like Dr. Seuss, can think Service. ❏ and color outside the lines. ❏

MAY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 49 A F S FS VOICE: FAMILY MEMBER MATTERS ■ BY DONNA SCARAMASTRA GORMAN A N Falling Behind: The Need for E W Overseas Preschool Subsidies S

hen we were posted to Kazakhstan several years But I’m worried about my younger kids. Without a solid ago, we couldn’t afford preschool tuition at the preschool foundation, how can they be ready for the rigors WState Department-approved international school. of this school? Children of private-sector expatriates, So we chose the only other option we could find. Our son’s whose companies pay for preschool, enter kindergarten far preschool charged about $15 per day for a part-time sched- ahead of our Foreign Service kids. Kindergarten is no ule — about $3,000 for 10 months. Sure, the school itself longer about playing, as it was a generation ago; when stu- was a bit ramshackle. Okay, it was decrepit — we wouldn’t dents are expected to learn to read in kindergarten, this de- even have considered such a school in the States. There were velopmental gap is harmful to our kids. no locks on the doors, and the playground was a work in In short, our children need preschool to perform com- progress. The teachers cooked lunch on a hot plate in the petitively in kindergarten. But we can’t afford the interna- kitchen, and they put in a pool themselves — a wooden tub, tional schools on a government salary. lined with plastic, near the front door. They couldn’t under- Budgets are tight, both for State Department families stand why the American parents were and within State itself. But one way to all horrified by that pool. (“But we lure families like ours to critical-needs watch the kids carefully! What could If the State Department wants posts such as Beijing is to subsidize the possibly happen?”) to make it easier to fill cost of preschool education. Regional Still, it was a school, and our son educational officers, working in con- needed a school. The teachers loved assignments in Beijing and other junction with Community Liaison the kids and taught them well, in expensive cities around the world, Officers and the Family Liaison Office, Russian and English. I was happy could consider each post on a case-by- enough with our little school, if a bit it should consider helping case basis. If it is determined that nervous about the staff’s ability to pre- families pay for their preschool there are no safe, affordable preschool vent accidents or cope with disasters. education during the year options at post, then State should kick When our family was assigned to in and subsidize the cost of preschool our current post, Beijing, I began cast- before kindergarten. for the 4-year-old crowd. Think of it ing about for a preschool for our son, as a Head Start program for our then 4 years old. Here there are lots of youngest diplomats. schools that cater to foreigners. Unfortunately, they all My daughter, just 2 years old, would not be immediately charge exorbitant fees. The tuition for a preschooler at the affected by such a policy change. My son turned 5 in Sep- main international school is almost $20,000 a year — and tember, and I promptly enrolled him in kindergarten, so that isn’t the most expensive one. We looked and looked, this doesn’t concern him, either. But my friends and neigh- but we weren’t able to find a school we could afford. bors here all worry about how to pay for school, and I know We’re not the only ones. On the good days, mothers several families who have decided not to bid on Beijing, or here joke about choosing between saving for college or pay- have declined to extend, because they want better oppor- ing for preschool. On bad days, we obsess over whether our tunities for their youngest kids. kids will be able to catch up to their more educated peers If the State Department wants to make it easier to fill as- once they enter kindergarten, the year in which the State signments in Beijing and other expensive cities around the Department finally kicks in and helps fund our children’s world, it should consider helping families pay for their pre- education. school education during the year before kindergarten. Such One of the best things about living overseas is the edu- a move would boost morale, both for Foreign Service adults cational opportunity provided to my older children. My and the little ones who follow them from post to post. ❏ eldest is a third-grader at one of the international schools Donna Scaramastra Gorman is a freelance writer whose work has been here, and I’m grateful for every opportunity he gets at this published in Newsweek, the Washington Post, the Christian Science school (even if he disagrees). The facility and the faculty Monitor, and the Foreign Service Journal. She and her family are cur- are amazing, and the State Department’s payment allows rently posted in Beijing, where her husband is the deputy regional se- my son to attend. curity officer.

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52 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MAY 2009 BOOKS

They Spoke Out administration) in the lead-up to the These lonely, loyal war. These officials endured official Dissent: Voices of Conscience dissents — like harassment and even prosecution as a Ann Wright and Susan Dixon isolated stars in a result, sometimes undertaken at the (foreword by Daniel Ellsberg), insistence of Washington. Koa Books, 2008, $17.95, black firmament — The personal reflections of the var- paperback, 178 pages. shine all the more ious whistleblowers, dissenters and brightly for their resisters within the U.S. government REVIEWED BY singularity. uniformly reflect a common rationale EDMUND MCWILLIAMS for their actions. Virtually every letter of resignation or court martial In Dissent: Voices of Conscience, statement cites the oath to “uphold, former U.S. Foreign Service officer protect and defend the Constitution,” (and retired Army colonel) Ann whatever the cost. And make no mis- Wright and Susan Dixon, a journalist the Journal.) She thus speaks author- take: the retribution meted out to dis- and author, review the history of op- itatively about the crisis of conscience senters has at times been extralegal position to the war in Iraq. As they that impelled each of the individual and vicious. document, this opposition came from dissenters whose stories she tells to The exemplary CIA career of Va- the ranks of civilian and military offi- act upon their principles, often at con- lerie Plame, wife of whistleblower cials, both in the United States and siderable professional and personal Ambassador Joseph Wilson, was de- other coalition governments. cost. stroyed by U.S. government officials’ At the time of her resignation in The three FSOs’ resignations were illegal revelation that she was a covert March 2003, Wright had spent 35 widely reported in U.S. media at the CIA operative. At the insistence of years in government service, includ- time, as were resignations in the U.S. officials angered by revelations of ing 29 years in the military (13 years United Kingdom by Leader of the their use of information gained of them on active duty) and 16 at the House of Commons Robin Cook and through horrific torture perpetrated State Department, during which she Secretary of State for International by the Uzbek government, British had received the State Department's Development Clare Short. But Ambassador Craig Murray suffered Award for Heroism. She detailed her Wright and Dixon perform a real serv- the leaking of allegations regarding his decision in a September 2003 Speak- ice by compiling many other cases personal life aimed at forcing his res- ing Out column in the Foreign Service throughout the “coalition of the will- ignation. (See his account in the Sep- Journal: “Why Dissent Is Im- ing” that have never been publicized. tember 2007 FSJ, “The Folly of a portant and Resignation Honorable.” Particularly striking are the whistle- Short-Term Approach.”) And Danish (Two other Foreign Service officers blowers who revealed critical official military intelligence officer Frank who resigned in public protest of the documents making plain the disin- Grevil and Australian defense official war, John Brady Kiesling and John genuousness of statements by their Andrew Wilkie were smeared by their Brown, have also told their stories in own governments (including the Bush own governments for revealing their

MAY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 53 BOOKS

leaders’ complicity in U.S. efforts to surprising: the State Department’s Dis- administration and Congress should misrepresent the case for war. sent Channel has been moribund for a also consider avenues to recognize and In conclusion, Wright and Dixon long time, with fewer than 10 dissents rehabilitate those federal employees, observe that “(a)cts of conscience like a year being filed. And despite AFSA’s civilian and military, at all levels who these not only hold administrations ac- heroic efforts to publicize its own an- have suffered because of their princi- countable. They put future adminis- nual awards for constructive dissent — pled dissents. And AFSA members trations on notice that there will always a program that started more than 40 should respond to the many calls to be some government insiders who, on years ago, and remains unique — it nominate colleagues for the association’s behalf of their fellow citizens, will ex- frequently does not even receive nom- annual constructive dissent awards. pose wrongdoing to try to prevent inations for some of the four cate- Principled dissent is a tradition Amer- tragedies like the invasions of Vietnam gories. ica needs now more than ever. ■ and Iraq.” Still, these lonely, loyal dissents — Dissent: Voices of Conscience both like isolated stars in a black firmament Edmund McWilliams, a Foreign Ser- discourages and heartens. At a time of — shine all the more brightly for their vice officer from 1975 to 2001, received what many believe to have been a singularity. AFSA’s Christian Herter Award for frontal assault on U.S. and interna- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton constructive dissent by a Senior FSO tional law and fundamental societal should encourage use of the Dissent in 1998. Since retiring from the Serv- values, relatively few government offi- Channel by giving greater attention to ice, he has worked with various U.S. cials demonstrated the courage to submissions and greater career protec- and foreign human rights NGOs as a speak out. Perhaps that should not be tion to those who dissent. The Obama volunteer.

54 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MAY 2009 Share Your Expertise! Join the Journal ’s Editorial Board!

Active and retired Foreign Service employees from foreign affairs are invited to nominate colleagues (or themselves) for a two-year term with the Foreign Service Journal. Editorial Board members, appointed by the AFSA Govern- ing Board, set the general editorial direction of the Journal, in consultation with the editorial staff, each month. Members evaluate manuscripts, decide on future focus topics, and weigh in on other matters affecting the Journal ’s style, substance and process. Board members must reside in the Washington area and be able to attend monthly midday meetings at AFSA.

If interested, please contact FSJ Editor Steve Honley ([email protected]) by June 1.

MAY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 55 REAL ESTATE

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MAY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 59 REFLECTIONS

Betting on Imperialism

BY RAKESH SURAMPUDI

he Royal Calcutta Turf Club ex- in total, about 50,000 rupees (a little ists in that wistful state of gen- It was a good day over $1,000) on Imperialism, and his re- Ttle decay that, for better or for for conquerors and turn must have been about $6,000. worse, makes you long for the days of Winning makes the best of us im- the British Raj. Maybe it’s the bird- plunderers. mediately feel like giving gifts. Wong cage elevators with high-buttoned bell- promised to send me, of all things, men that truck you between floors; or some of his wife’s pork sausages. the dull yellow of the grandstand build- hopefuls waved rupees around as num- “Most of the Indian Chinese make ing that reminds you of a faded sun; or bers were erased and rewritten. Pap- these sausages and they’re terrible,” the balcony’s inviting teak chairs, posi- poo explained how people avoided Pappoo interjected. “They soak them tioned on fraying red carpeting, that paying the 16-percent betting tax by in cheap Indian liquor, but Wong’s wife offer a view of the Victoria Memorial placing multiple, smaller bets and makes the best.” across the way. asked me how much I wanted to bet. “My wife soaks them in Remy Mar- We had been formally invited by the Perhaps not as confident as I assumed tin,” Wong said with a grin. Stewards of the Turf Club, with whom and willing to take the loss if Imperial- The rest of the afternoon flew by as I shook hands. But beyond matters of ism didn’t come through, he covered I explained to various people the story protocol, I was happy to run into my me with his money. of Imperialism’s magical run and friend Pappoo. An open and generous We returned to the comforts of our watched a horse named Southern Em- sort who makes sure his guests are en- box and settled into a slight nervous- pire win the next race (it was a good day joying themselves, he guided us to his ness as post time drew closer. The for conquerers and plunderers). I box seats, where we sipped Kingfishers track is immense — 2,400 meters long spoke with businessmen about the pos- and Limcas in the stifling heat. — and it’s not easy, even with binocu- sibility of foreign direct investment in When I asked Pappoo which horses lars, to see the starting gate. Soon the the east, and with police officers about he was betting on, he told me that even horses were off and running. I grinned Muslim extremist threats from neigh- though there were eight races, he would happily and shouted “Up with Imperi- boring Bangladesh. only be making one bet that day: in the alism!” Win or lose, that cheer alone As the sun began to wane, we left the fifth race, on a horse named Imperial- was worth the price of admission. stands. Outside, trade unionists were ism. It was as if the gods had scripted it: I knew we had it when Imperialism wrapping up their weekend of marches, there was no question which horse I’d came around the final turn to our right speeches and shouts of defiant commu- be backing. (in India, unlike the U.S., the horses nism. We drove home with memories On our way to the betting area, Pap- run clockwise) in second place and of Imperialism’s triumph, the “Interna- poo introduced me to Wong, a close made his move. He charged into the tionale” ringing in our ears. ■ friend who was a stereotype of the inside position, pulling one length many Chinese lovers of gambling I ahead as he passed in front of us. Im- Rakesh Surampudi joined the Foreign have seen around the world: a cigarette perialism swept the field, winning by Service in 2000. He was political-eco- in his mouth, slight stubble on his chin two lengths. nomic section chief in Kolkata from and a Members Only jacket. We hopped down the stairs to the 2006 to 2008 and previously served in On the main betting floor book- garden, where Wong explained the con- Pakistan, Mexico, the Dominican Re- makers posted odds (on chalkboards!) secutive bets he had placed as the odds public and Washington, D.C. He is cur- that fluctuated minute by minute, and had inched upward. He had wagered, rently a cultural officer in London.

60 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MAY 2009