The Foreign Service Journal, May 2017.Pdf

PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION MAY 2017

DIPLOMACY FOR GLOBAL HEALTH

THE SOCIAL MEDIA IMPERATIVE

FOREIGN SERVICE May 2017 Volume 94, No. 4

Focus on Global Health Diplomacy FS Know-How

23 32 41 Leveraging Health USAID FSOs Reflect on My Legal Battle with Investments for Global Health Diplomacy the World’s Worst U.S. Diplomacy Health-focused development programs Property Manager Health programs are not have been a core activity at the Here is some hard-won advice about just international good deeds; U.S. Agency for International dealing with a common feature they can be a powerful instrument Development since the agency’s of Foreign Service life: property in the ambassador’s toolbox. establishment in 1961. managers. By Mark C. Storella By Maria B. Spadacini By Aaron P. Karnell 26 37 PEPFAR: Fighting Pandemics: Feature Making the Lessons Learned Impossible Possible State’s new, multitiered pandemic response mechanism is the result of 43 By Deborah L. Birx understanding and applying lessons The Migrant Crisis in learned during the past decade. Europe and the U.S.-E.U. 29 By Nancy J. Powell Relationship HHS and Health and Gwen Tobert Changes in the Brussels- Diplomacy Washington equation may affect By Jimmy Kolker the European Union’s refugee resettlement efforts. By Kathleen Sheehan

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 5 FOREIGN SERVICE

Perspectives 74 Local Lens Departments Stockholm, Sweden 7 By Kevin Chambers 12 Letters President’s Views 14 Talking Points Seizing Transition Opportunities By Barbara Stephenson 74 58 In Memory 10 67 Books Letter from the Editor Health Diplomacy and the Strength of “Soft” Power By Shawn Dorman Marketplace 19 69 Classifieds Speaking Out 71 Real Estate Digital Diplomacy: Will State 73 Index to Advertisers Ever Take the Plunge? By Amelia Shaw

AFSA NEWS THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION

47 Continuing the Conversation: Securing Diplomacy for the Next Quarter-Century 48 State VP Voice—Make Your Voice Heard! Vote in the AFSA Election 49 USAID VP Voice—The Human Resources Transformation 50 FAS VP Voice—Washington Without FSOs 56 50 AFSA Welcomes New LM Staff Member 50 2016 Annual Report Published 54 Outside the Beltway: AFSA Expands 51 Notes from Labor Management—Packing Out Outreach Efforts 52 AFSA Holds Election Town Hall 55 2016 Sinclaire Language Award Winners 52 Your Vote Matters—Use It! Honored 53 Retiree Corner—Getting the 56 Local Engagement in Global Affairs Most Out of Your Social Security 57 ADST Launches FSI at 70 53 Retiree Outreach in Action

On the Cover: From left, Ambassador Mark C. Storella, Zambian Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Musokotwane, and Minister of Health Kapembwa Simbao shake hands on signing the PEPFAR framework in November 2010. Photo: U.S. Embassy Lusaka.

6 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL PRESIDENT’S VIEWS

Seizing Transition Opportunities

BY BARBARA STEPHENSON

t is easy at times like this, in the midst We need to field a Foreign Service team trained, of a political transition that includes proposals to cut foreign affairs fund- equipped, resourced and structured to play Iing by 30 percent and undertake a at the top of its game. sweeping reorganization, to overlook the opportunity that change on this scale presents for addressing issues that have plagued us and undermined our effectiveness. budget. In this we have joined forces with play at the top of its game. I know. As a regular speaker on the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, I propose that we seize the oppor- “Leading Change” in FSI courses, I have which fights for full funding of the 150 tunities presented by this transition to become over the years a cheerleader account that covers foreign affairs, and I make the Foreign Service stronger as for making the most of transitions to have been making multiple pilgrimages a key instrument of American global reexamine priorities and ask what we each week to speak to Hill supporters leadership. For starters: could drop or cut back to make room for about why this is not the time to weaken Let’s recast the conversation on new priorities. Yet even I have found the America’s global leadership by starving risk. As I argued in the March FSJ, to scope and scale of the changes currently the Foreign Service of funds. lead, we must be present; and to be under discussion a bit daunting, and I How, I ask during Hill meetings, present, we must effectively manage the fully understand if you have, too. would we explain to voters a decision risks that are inherent in our deploy- I suspect that writing a column like to pull the American Foreign Service ment to 270 posts around the world, this will invite criticism that I, as AFSA team off the field and forfeit the game to most of them in difficult environments, president, should be fighting to stop our adversaries? Nine in 10 Americans and many in dangerous ones. the cuts and rallying the membership favor strong American global leader- An effective risk management policy to oppose reorganization. But AFSA’s ship, which is unthinkable without a does not guarantee that everyone record-high membership levels and the strong, professional Foreign Service comes home safe and sound. It means response and feedback from our “struc- deployed around the world protect- we manage risk smartly, according to tured conversations” (now in their sec- ing and defending America’s people, established best practices, to weigh and ond year) and other communications interests and values. I see no signs of a document risk-benefit trade-offs in the tell me that many members are open to mandate to weaken American leader- decisions we make as we go about our a sophisticated approach by AFSA that ship; rather, I see a hunger for American priority work advancing America’s inter- draws on our core diplomacy to deliver wins. ests abroad. competencies as How then do we, the professional In his interview with me during our diplomats. career Foreign Service, work to ensure new “Continuing the Conversation” We have, of that we are fielding a diplomatic team series, former Diplomatic Security course, been advo- capable of delivering the wins the Assistant Secretary Greg Starr talked to a cating for ade- American people want? We need to packed house at AFSA about taking the quate funding for field a Foreign Service team trained, next steps to adopt a comprehensive the foreign affairs equipped, resourced and structured to risk management framework at State.

Ambassador Barbara Stephenson is the president of the American Foreign Service Association.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 7 I propose that we seize the opportunities civilian workforce and the nearly two presented by this transition to make the million members of the uniformed military (1.4 million on active duty plus Foreign Service stronger as a key instrument 580,000 in the reserves). The number of of American global leadership. American diplomats is not much bigger than the number of people in U.S. military bands. Though not as dramatic, compari- sons with other diplomatic services We need to build on the new 2 FAM 030 Let’s reintroduce the Foreign Ser- show that the U.S. Foreign Service is dis- risk management policy and the Vital vice. As a quick glance at AFSA’s daily tinctly modest in size. Take the United Presence Validation Process to put in media digest shows, there is great inter- Kingdom, for example, which has about place a comprehensive risk manage- est now in the well-being of the Foreign one-fifth the population of the United ment framework that extends to the Service, certainly more than I have ever States, and a military roughly one-tenth operational and tactical decisions made seen in my career. We need to make the the size of ours. The U.K.’s Department at post by Emergency Action Commit- most of this interest to achieve a long- for International Development reports tees. sought goal: increased awareness of and staff of 2,700, more than the total num- If you missed Greg Starr’s interview, appreciation for the Foreign Service. ber of FSOs at USAID; and the Foreign watch it on AFSA’s YouTube channel, This is a chance to shed some false Office reports about 5,000 diplomats, and give careful thought to the oppor- narratives, including the one about not vastly smaller than the 8,000 FSOs at tunities the political transition presents members of the Foreign Service being State—and U.S. numbers, in contrast to to move our organization to a firmer unwilling to serve in Iraq a decade ago U.K. numbers, include those adjudicat- risk management footing. Doing so will during the height of the war. I regret ing visas. help ensure that the Foreign Service that we did not do a better job then of Despite our small size, much is team can be where we need to be, any- explaining to the American people that expected of the highly skilled, dedicated where in the world, to defend America’s we did fill every one of those Iraq posi- and flexible U.S. Foreign Service—and people, interests and values. tions, but at a cost. long may that be so. We are, I would Let’s refocus on core diplomatic We met our Iraq surge obligations argue, exactly the right national security work. For all of you who have lamented by moving Foreign Service personnel, tool for the moment: a Service designed (quite rightly) that the profusion of and then positions, from other impor- to be regularly redeployed around the special envoys and the proliferation of tant posts, sustaining vacancy rates of world in pursuit of U.S. foreign policy priorities have weakened our effective- more than 25 percent at posts around objectives. ness—when everything is a priority, the world to meet those obligations. With our up-or-out system, we have nothing is a priority—I say to you that Despite perceptions that took hold, the a built-in reduction in force (RIF) that we now have an opportunity to stream- problem was never lack of courage and removes 300 of our colleagues from line and create the conditions for a patriotism, but rather lack of numbers. the Service each year—ensuring that it more effective and focused American Then, as now, Foreign Service num- is high-performing, accountable and foreign policy. bers were minuscule compared to those responsive to new priorities. We must take care during such of the U.S. Department of Defense. With I urge each of you to give your reorganizing to preserve core diplomatic just over 16,000 total members—8,000 best effort to making the most of the capability, and I expect high-quality, State FSOs, 6,000 FS specialists, 1,850 opportunities presented by this tran- informed debates over the coming USAID FSOs, 255 Foreign Commercial sition to make the Foreign Service months about what makes the cut, and Service officers, 175 FSOs from Agri- stronger, in fact and in reputation, so what does not. There is no one better culture, and a dozen from BBG—the that we can do our part to sustain the than seasoned, experienced members of Foreign Service is completely dwarfed global leadership Americans want and the Foreign Service to shape that debate. by the Department of Defense’s 750,000 the world needs. n

8 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FOREIGN SERVICE Editor in Chief, Director of Publications Shawn Dorman: [email protected] Managing Editor www.afsa.org Susan Brady Maitra: [email protected] Associate Editor

Gemma Dvorak: [email protected] CONTACTS Publications Coordinator AFSA Headquarters: BUSINESS DEPARTMENT Dmitry Filipoff: [email protected] (202) 338-4045; Fax (202) 338-6820 Director of Finance State Department AFSA Office: Femi Oshobukola: [email protected] Ad & Circulation Manager (202) 647-8160; Fax (202) 647-0265 Controller Ed Miltenberger: [email protected] USAID AFSA Office: Kalpna Srimal: [email protected] Art Director (202) 712-1941; Fax (202) 216-3710 Assistant Controller Caryn Suko Smith FCS AFSA Office: Cory Nishi: [email protected] (202) 482-9088; Fax (202) 482-9087 Advertising Intern LABOR MANAGEMENT Aldar Ivàn Escamilla Mijes: [email protected] GOVERNING BOARD General Counsel Editorial Board President Sharon Papp: [email protected] Beth Payne, Chair Hon. Barbara Stephenson: Deputy General Counsel Randy Berry [email protected] Raeka Safai: [email protected] James Bever Secretary Senior Staff Attorneys Angela Bond William Haugh: [email protected] Neera Parikh: [email protected] Hon. Gordon S. Brown Treasurer Hon. Charles A. Ford: [email protected] Stephen W. Buck Zlatana Badrich: [email protected] State Vice President Labor Management Counselor Lawrence Casselle Angie Bryan: [email protected] Eric Green Colleen Fallon-Lenaghan: USAID Vice President Kara McDonald [email protected] Sharon Wayne: [email protected] John G. Rendeiro Jr. Grievance Counselor FCS Vice President Jason Snyder: [email protected] Steve Morrison: [email protected] THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS Senior Labor Management Advisor FAS Vice President PROFESSIONALS James Yorke: [email protected] The Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), Mark Petry: [email protected] Labor Management Advisor 2101 E Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is Retiree Vice President Patrick Bradley: [email protected] published monthly, with combined January-February Hon. Tom Boyatt: [email protected] and July-August issues, by the American Foreign Service Executive Assistant Association (AFSA), a private, nonprofit organization. State Representatives Jaya Duvvuri: [email protected] Material appearing herein represents the opinions of the Lawrence Casselle USAID Staff Assistant writers and does not necessarily represent the views of Susan Danewitz Erika Bethmann: [email protected] the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries Jason Donovan and submissions are invited, preferably by email. The Journal is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, Ramón Escobar MEMBER SERVICES photos or illustrations. Advertising inquiries are invited. Josh Glazeroff Director of Member Services All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. Keith Hanigan AFSA reserves the right to reject advertising that is not Janet Hedrick: [email protected] in keeping with its standards and objectives. The appear- Donald Jacobson Membership Representative ance of advertisements herein does not imply endorse- Kara McDonald Natalie Cheung: [email protected] ment of goods or services offered. Opinions expressed in Erin O’Connor Retiree Counselor advertisements are the views of the advertisers and do Alison Storsve not necessarily represent AFSA views or policy. Journal Todd Thurwachter: [email protected] subscription: AFSA member–$20, included in annual Tricia Wingerter Administrative Assistant and Office Manager dues; student–$30; institution–$40; others–$50; Single USAID Representatives Ana Lopez: [email protected] issue–$4.50. For foreign surface mail, add $18 per year; Ann Posner foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. Lorraine Sherman COMMUNICATIONS Indexed by the Public Affairs Information Services (PAIS). FCS Representative Director of Communications Suzanne Platt Ásgeir Sigfússon: [email protected] Email: [email protected] FAS Representative Stephen Wixom Phone: (202) 338-4045 Online Communications Manager BBG Representative Steve Herman Fax: (202) 338-8244 Jeff Lau: [email protected] APHIS Representative Mark C. Prescott Web: www.afsa.org/fsj Outreach and Communications Specialist Retiree Representatives Allan Saunders: [email protected] © American Foreign Service Association, 2017 Hon. Patricia Butenis Awards Coordinator PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Hon. Al La Porta Perri Green: [email protected] Hon. John Limbert Outreach Coordinator Postmaster: Send address changes to Catherine Kannenberg: [email protected] AFSA, Attn: Address Change STAFF 2101 E Street NW Washington DC 20037-2990 Executive Director PROFESSIONAL POLICY ISSUES Ian Houston: [email protected] Director of Professional Policy Issues Special Assistant to the President Julie Nutter: [email protected] Jennie Orloff: [email protected] Policy Analyst Speechwriter Geneve Mantri: [email protected] Mary Daly: [email protected] SCHOLARSHIPS Scholarship Director Lori Dec: [email protected]

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 9 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Health Diplomacy and the Strength of “Soft” Power

BY SHAWN DORMAN

ast month we looked at U.S.- have a global impact on health, and the Foreign Service career to work as assistant Europe relations and explored the ways ambassadors can and must “seize secretary for global affairs in the Depart- importance of foundational diplo- the opportunity” that health programs ment of Health and Human Services— macy, of maintaining and growing present. which is doing far more work overseas Lties with friends, tending the garden (as “As we all work to prepare for and than many realize. former Secretary of State George Shultz defeat emerging diseases and pandemics,” In “USAID FSOs Reflect on Global likes to say, and I like to repeat). says Amb. Storella, “health programs are Health Diplomacy” Bea Spadacini speaks This month, our focus on global health not just international good deeds; they are with USAID global health officers about diplomacy offers another angle on the an investment in the security of the Ameri- their work saving lives while advancing same theme, the importance of effective can people.” U.S. interests. These FSOs explain how soft power to serve national security goals. Storella’s story includes a discussion U.S. leadership in global health serves to Relationships, partnerships, ties that can of the unique role of the U.S. President’s push other countries to take health issues bind and bend but not break under pres- Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known seriously and establish commitments on sure are what America needs and what as PEPFAR, told by Dr. Deborah L. Birx, a global level. diplomacy and development build. who oversees PEPFAR as U.S. Global AIDS Ambassador Nancy J. Powell, who led In this close look at global health Coordinator and U.S. Special Representa- the State Department’s Ebola Coordina- diplomacy, our authors share how the tive for Global Health Diplomacy. tion Unit in 2014 and was senior coordina- United States works with partners around Launched in 2003 by then-President tor for avian influenza in 2005, and Gwen the world to prevent the spread of danger- George W. Bush and coordinated by the Tobert, who was a member of the ECU ous diseases like HIV/AIDS, Ebola and State Department, PEPFAR stands out as and now leads the Pandemic Response Zika. And they throw light on the positive, a critical U.S. interagency program that Team at State, co-author a fascinating nonlinear effects of this work. is helping to bring the global HIV/AIDS and practical piece. “Fighting Pandemics: When I heard a recent CSIS Global epidemic under control, in particular in Lessons Learned” offers guidance for a Health Policy Center podcast interview sub-Saharan Africa where it threatened to strategic approach to ensuring the State with Mark Storella, a career FSO who was engulf the entire continent. Department is prepared to manage future U.S. ambassador to Zambia from 2010 On April 13, former President Bush, pandemics. to 2013 and is currently deputy assistant who had not come into office seeking to Also in this issue, you will find a hard- secretary for the Bureau of Population, expand soft power, said this about the hitting critique of State’s digital diplo- Refugees and Migration, I knew he was program he launched: “When we confront macy, an FS Know-How on dealing with the one to write our lead article. suffering—when we save lives—we property managers, and more. In “Leveraging Health Investments breathe hope into devastated populations, Finally, a pitch to all AFSA mem- for U.S. Diplomacy,” strengthen and stabilize society, and make bers—please vote in the AFSA election Ambassador Storella our country and the world safer.” going on right now. Make sure your voice draws on his experi- Ambassador (ret.) Jimmy Kolker adds is heard by submitting your ballot by ence to spell out the another dimension in “HHS and Health June 8 at 8 a.m. to select your 2017-2019 unique capacity the Diplomacy.” He shares insights gained AFSA Governing Board and to weigh in United States has to in taking an unusual path from a 30-year on proposed bylaw amendments. See page 52 for details. Shawn Dorman is the editor of The Foreign Service Journal. Thank you for participating. n

10 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL

LETTERS

Highlighting Diplomatic which celebrated the confused with Paris; but for the Security centenary of the dip- right person, it can be a reward- I want to thank you for the recent lomatic security func- ing experience. article, “Law Enforcement As an Instru- tion, I want to share It has been so for me. As I ment of National Power,” by Ronnie my unique experience start my second tour on our Catipon (March FSJ). with this organization. .9-acre slice of Pakistan, I look At this time in Washington, D.C., the When I arrived in forward to another year of Bureau of Diplomatic Security needs to Peshawar in November interaction with the people of advocate for itself, and we absolutely 2015 with five other Pakistan and challenging and must have the support of our Foreign Ser- brand-new Security Pro- interesting security work. vice partners in this effort. tective Specialists hired Most of all, I look forward The article succinctly and accurately specifically to supplement DS special to being a contributing member of the demonstrated the unique value that DS agents in high-threat environments, I consulate team, where “One Team, One provides to the United States, something somehow expected to see the same rigid Fight” is more than just a cliché. It is our that could potentially be overlooked dur- structure observed in the Marine Corps. reality. ing this period of transition. Instead, I was immediately struck Nicholas Durr I truly hope the FSJ will continue to by the cohesion and camaraderie, not Security Protective Specialist highlight our efforts and the important defined by rank or title, of a team unified U.S. Consulate General Peshawar work that our bureau does, not just for by a common objective. the diplomatic community, but for the During duck-and-cover, earthquake An Eloquent Letter American taxpayers, as well. and overland evacuation drills, I recog- Much in the March FSJ interested me, Joe Mahoney nized that we were not just a Regional but above all is the eloquent resignation Resident Agent in Charge Security Office team, but rather a consulate letter of Timothy Lunardi. Hot Springs, Arkansas team. Within a few months of our arrival, The FSJ could scarcely be accused of we had the opportunity to assist the politi- timidity in any case, but its publication ‘One Team, One Fight’ cal chief in a discussion of American col- of this letter with its explicit criticism Is No Cliché in Peshawar lege opportunities with a room full of eager of President Donald J. Trump showed My four years of service in the United Pakistani university students. outstanding courage. States Marine Corps ingrained in me the On any given day in Peshawar, we In my Theology and the Disciplines importance of the chain of command. may be traveling in an early morning of the Foreign Service (reviewed in the Whether I was conducting combat opera- motorcade through one of the most April 2015 FSJ), I described the distinc- tions in Iraq or Afghanistan, or at my duty austere and dangerous locations in the tive ethos of the Foreign Service as I knew station in Hawaii, the chain of command Foreign Service. By lunch, we could be it. It included getting the facts that one was sacred. assisting the political chief in choosing reported back to Washington exactly As an 18-year-old private first class, I a caterer for an upcoming diplomatic right and employing rigor in drawing did not socialize with noncommissioned reception. conclusions from them. officers, and certainly not with commis- Obviously, this was not written This ethos conflicts inherently with sioned officers. The lines of demarcation into the SPS job description, but I am what I perceive to be that of the Trump were distinct, and we all followed and immensely satisfied with the exposure administration, which has perhaps a never questioned them. to other sections that I have been fortu- special potential for confrontation. While this system works fantasti- nate to experience at this unique post. I am glad that the FSJ is not shying cally in the Marines, evidenced by the Peshawar still feels more like a away, but instead is providing resources proud battle record of the Corps, at U.S. frontier town than a modern city, and in out of which to respond. Consulate General Peshawar, we have a many respects it is, being the last stop The Rev. Theodore L. Lewis different way of doing things. After read- before entering the tribal lands of Paki- FSO, retired ing the March Foreign Service Journal, stan and Afghanistan. It will never be Germantown, Maryland

12 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL The Wrong Image The cover of the March Foreign Ser- vice Journal is hauntingly emblematic of what is wrong with U.S. foreign policy in Afghanistan and, sadly, elsewhere. The image of dedicated Diplomatic Security personnel and contractors risking life and limb to protect fluttering female officers and tennis-shoe-clad “diplomats“ and “development specialists” makes it seem like a cute game that, tragically, demonstrates the folly of our castrated foreign policy mechanisms. I wonder whether this image bothers anyone else? All I gather is that the Department of State and Foreign Service professionals have been relegated to roles where they write in groupthink to rue the tough deals that the Trump administration must make to restore our leadership in the world. n Thomas R. Hutson FSO, retired Eagle, Nebraska

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THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 13 TALKING POINTS

Veterans Writing Project and a Foreign Service political officer in Israel, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and FSO Ron Capps Rwanda, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq and for China and career FSOs Todd Haskell Receive Award the Darfur region of Sudan, founded the for Republic of the Congo and Tulinabo n April 5 the Veterans Writing VWP in 2011 while a student in Johns Mushingi for Senegal and Guinea- OProject and its founder, U.S. Army Hopkins University’s graduate writing Bissau. Of the five nominated, only veteran and retired FSO Ron Capps, program. Ambassadors Haley and Friedman have received the 2017 Anne Smedinghoff His memoir, Seriously Not All Right: been confirmed. Award. Five Wars in Ten Years, was published in The press has floated names for The annual prize is dispensed by the 2014 and reviewed in the June 2014 FSJ. such prestigious ambassadorships as Johns Hopkins University Foreign Affairs —Susan B. Maitra, Managing Editor the United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria, Symposium in honor of Anne Smeding- Italy, Spain, Japan and the Dominican hoff, a Foreign Service officer, graduate of Where Are the Republic. But at press time, nothing was Johns Hopkins and member of the For- Ambassadors? official. eign Affairs Symposium who was killed s has been noted by commenta- Traditionally, many of these embas- in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan Ators and the press, the pace of sies are headed by politically appointed in 2013. President Donald Trump’s transition has ambassadors rather than career mem- The award committee recognized been unusually slow, especially when bers of the Foreign Service. Capps as “an individual who has dedi- compared to many of his predecessors. As we have done since the 1970s, cated his life to service, social justice and Important assistant secretary and under AFSA is keeping track of these nomina- a commitment to others” and stated that secretary positions remain unfilled, tions, as well as those for senior posts at the VWP’s commitment to veteran aware- months into the new administration. But the foreign affairs agencies. ness “would most fittingly honor Anne’s it is not only Cabinet appointments that A list of current U.S. ambassadors is memory.” are moving at a snail’s pace. available through the AFSA website at The VWP provides no-cost writing By early April, the Trump White www.afsa.org/ambassadorlist, as well as workshops for veterans and their family House had made only five nominations President Trump’s nominations at members, and publishes their writing for ambassadorships—former South www.afsa.org/trump. online and in print. Working with part- Carolina Governor Nikki Haley for the —Theo Horn, Communications Intern ners it provides workshops and seminars United Nations, David Friedman for across the country. The project’s literary journal, O-Dark- Thirty, publishes works of fiction, poetry, memoirs and plays by veteran and family Contemporary Quote member authors. The VWP also serves wounded war- If you want to be peaceful here, if you want to preserve our way of life, riors at the National Intrepid Center of you better be involved over there. The only thing I can tell you after 15 years Excellence, the Defense Department’s of being at war, we are never going to win this war all of us staying over here. premier research and treatment facility And the best and brightest among us are not just our soldiers, it’s the people for post-traumatic stress disorder and in the State Department and the NGOs who go and represent American val- traumatic brain injury. ues without carrying a gun. “We’re honored to be recognized for I am a pretty hawkish guy but I’ve had the pleasure of seeing our State the work we’ve done supporting veterans Department in action, our NGO community in action, and I believe we would and their families,” Capps said on receiv- be wise to invest in them just as we would be wise to invest in our ing the award. “Much of what we do military. echoes Anne’s interests in education and —Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), speaking with U.S. Institute of Peace President outreach to underserved areas.” Nancy Lindborg at the USIP’s “Passing the Baton” event on Jan. 10. Capps, who has served as a soldier

14 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Is a State Department Reorganization in the Works? n March 15, the Trump administra- Otion released its proposed budget for 2018, with deep cuts planned for the State Department and USAID. On March 27, Steven Mufson of The Washington Post reported the open secret that the Trump budget has its roots in a proposal by the Heritage Foundation, “Blueprint for Balance: A Federal Budget for 2017.” Accordingly, one might reasonably expect to find a hint of what’s behind the proposed 29-percent cut at the State Department in another Heritage Foun- dation report, “How to Make the State Department More Effective at Imple- menting U.S. Foreign Policy,” published in April 2016. Indeed, POLITICO sussed out as much in conversations at the State Department, THE WASHINGTON POST according to an April 9 article written by Winners and losers in the Trump administration’s 2018 budget proposal. Nahal Toosi and Andrew Restuccia. The Heritage report—written by Brett Schaefer, the Jay Kingham Fellow in Inter- Cabinet rank from the U.S. ambassador to Development and incorporate USAID, national Regulatory Affairs at the Heritage the United Nations; curtail the use of spe- while restricting activities for which the Foundation’s Margaret Thatcher Center cial envoys and special representatives; U.S. Trade Representative, the Commerce for Freedom—states that deficiencies in ensure that all candidates for ambassado- Department and Treasury have primary influence, responsiveness and effective- rial appointments are qualified, accord- responsibility. ness at State are not a matter of resources ing to the requirements of the Foreign Other recommendations would elimi- but must be addressed through improved Service Act of 1980; and reinforce the nate the position of under secretary for leadership, organization and clarity of authority of U.S. ambassadors. civilian security, democracy and human mission. A series of proposals for reorganizing rights and shift those responsibilities To reestablish clear lines of author- the department aim to strengthen core to the under secretary for multilateral ity on foreign policy, the report argues, bilateral and multilateral diplomacy. affairs, integrating democracy and the Secretary of State must be the chief They include establishing an under secre- human rights offices into the regional foreign policy adviser to the president and tary for multilateral affairs and changing bureaus; eliminate the position of deputy the operational role of the National Secu- the position of under secretary for politi- secretary for management and resources; rity Council must be reduced, with its cal affairs to undersecretary for bilateral and merge complementary offices and responsibilities transferred to the under affairs, shifting the responsibilities of bureaus. and assistant secretaries at State. most functional bureaus to them. When POLITICO reporters caught up Additional recommendations include: Also proposed is to change the name with Schaefer in early April, he said he return the Policy Planning Staff to its of the Bureau of Economic and Busi- had talked with a range of people as he original purpose or eliminate it; remove ness Affairs to the Bureau for Economic prepared the recommendations, and had

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 15 found a broad consensus that State could of slashing foreign aid and diplomatic ment for decades. So it was different be more efficient. budgets. “At a time when American lead- when, after the Trump inauguration in “Every administration makes changes, ership is needed more than ever, we must January, State did not hold a press brief- but I suspect there’s going to be a little bit continue to invest in the International ing for more than six weeks, referring more under this administration,” Schaefer Affairs budget,” he stated. questions to the White House instead. told POLITICO. Even if every proposal Speaking to Voice of America, Senator On March 7, State Department press doesn’t become a reality, he added, it’s Patrick Leahy (D–Vt.) said: “Even the briefings resumed, with Mark Toner, a worth simply having the debate: “In the military will tell you that if we don’t have career Foreign Service officer who stayed end this is a healthy process.” a diplomatic outreach, what’s going to on as acting spokesperson under Secre- —Susan B. Maitra, Managing Editor happen—that [void] will be filled by the tary of State Rex Tillerson, presiding. The Russians and the Chinese.” opening question that day from Associ- Outcry Continues Senator Chris Coons (D–Del.) sug- ated Press reporter Matt Lee, the unoffi- over Scaling Back gested that the proposed budget shows an cial dean of the State Department’s press “Soft Power” Budgets overreliance on the military and a funda- corps, included a preamble reminding awmakers have continued to focus on mental “underappreciation of the power the spokesperson of the importance of Lthe proposed budget and its sweep- and the effectiveness of diplomacy.” the tradition. ing cuts to the Department of State and Speaking to VOA, Liz Schrayer, “Welcome back,” Lee said to Toner. USAID budgets. president and CEO of the U.S. Global “This, as you well know, is a very impor- According to President Trump’s budget Leadership Coalition, stated that she was tant venue for not only foreign govern- chief, Mick Mulvaney, the president is encouraged by the quick reaction to the ments but foreign publics, the American using the budget to redefine U.S. foreign budget proposals on Capitol Hill, and by people, and the men and women who policy priorities, focusing on “hard power” the bipartisan support for U.S. diplomats work here and in embassies abroad. They by boosting the military, while scaling back and foreign aid organizations. all look to this briefing; they take their “soft power”—a category that includes In an editorial for The Chicago cues from it.” diplomacy, cultural exchanges and partici- Tribune, Richard Longworth, a distin- During the next three weeks, 10 brief- pation in international institutions. guished fellow at the Chicago Council ings were held—half of them live, with But the changes have drawn swift criti- on Global Affairs, describes the 21st Toner at the podium, and half of them cism from many members of Congress on century as a “global era dominated by via conference call. both sides of the aisle and others. soft power” and asserts that, by defund- But since March 23, except for provid- In an April 13 interview with NPR, ing the State Department and foreign ing teleconferenced special briefings on former President George W. Bush called aid programs, Trump is disarming the particular topics and briefing individual foreign aid a moral and national security United States of one of the most power- reporters on background, lights were off priority. Asked about his centerpiece ful weapons in the modern arsenal, again in the press room until April 11, “soft-power” initiative, the President’s influence on the world stage. when they briefly flickered as Mr. Toner Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known See more statements from lawmakers gave an off-camera briefing. as PEPFAR, Bush said: “When you have an and other leaders in defense of diplomacy The department is reportedly entire generation of people being wiped and development practitioners at the searching for Mr. Toner’s replacement, out and the free world turns its back, it AFSA website, http://afsa.org/quotes- but as we go to press there is no deci- provides a convenient opportunity for support-foreign-service. sion on a new spokesperson or on when people to spread extremism. I believe in —Gemma Dvorak, Associate Editor and in what form regular briefings will this case that it’s in our national security resume. interests as well as in our moral interest to State Department Press Michael Abramowitz, president of the continue funding this program.” Room Goes Dark, Again independent watchdog group Freedom Representative Ted Yoho (R-Fla.), a ransitions notwithstanding, press House, highlighted the importance of well-known advocate for cutting wasteful Tbriefings have been a staple of the role in an interview with ABC News: government spending, rejected the idea almost-daily activity at the State Depart- “In many ways, with the possible excep-

16 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 50 Years Ago

International Cooperation in Space legally as well as morally binding. This is particularly true for the Soviets who he treaty on outer space explora- meteorology and scientific research, have proved far more reluctant to vio- Ttion, completed at United Nations today includes over 60 countries. late treaties than U.N. resolutions. headquarters on Dec. 8, 1966, was in One of the first steps, taken in The treaty contains three outstand- progress almost 10 years. It attests to mid-1958, was to separate the major ing provisions, which go beyond the the doggedness of men in the State part of U.S. space research from initial planning of the State Depart- Department and other agencies who military auspices through the cre- ment and represent the treaty’s most stuck to their tasks despite U-2, Congo ation of the National Aeronautics and significant contribution to peace. and Vietnam to produce Space Administration. NASA One provision outlaws the orbiting of a peace treaty for an area meant that the United States nuclear and other weapons of mass where there have been no could cooperate with others destruction and stationing them in wars. without fear of compromis- outer space; another forbids military …The treaty also contains ing its military programs, and bases, weapons testing and military other original U.S. proposals, others could cooperate with maneuvers on celestial bodies; and the such as: outer space explora- us without fear of compro- third gives signatories the right to visit tion shall be conducted in mising their neutrality. each others’ facilities on the moon and the interests of all countries; …The U.N. Committee on other celestial bodies. international law and the U.N. Charter the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space was …President [Lyndon] Johnson extend into outer space; and outer an American initiative. During the days recently declared that the outer space space is not subject to national appro- of Ambassador [Henry Cabot] Lodge treaty was “the most important arms priation. This last provision makes it in the U.N., the Soviets refused mean- control development” since the Test impossible to lay claim to any portion ingful participation, though in recent Ban. This was a safe statement as of outer space, and hopefully ends any years they have been far more con- there virtually hasn’t been any. One danger of colonies and colonial wars in structive. It is through the Committee wonders why progress could not space such as followed the exploration that the negotiations were conducted have been made on a comprehensive of the New World. which led to the present treaty. nuclear test ban and why a nonprolif- This interest in the international While much of the treaty is eration treaty still eludes us. regulation of outer space was just contained in earlier U.N. resolutions, —Craig Eisendrath, Office of part of the United States’ program of particularly those of 1963, a treaty U.N. Political Affairs, in cooperation in space. This program, represents an enormous increase in “The Outer Space Treaty” excerpted involving tracking, communications, commitment over resolutions, being from the May 1967 FSJ.

tion of the White House spokesperson, New Academic The four schools are: College for Amer- the State Department spokesperson Agreements Increase ica at Southern New Hampshire Univer- is perhaps the most important in the Access to Education sity, Drexel University Online, George- entire U.S. government because the State cting Director of Office of Personnel town University School of Continuing Department spokesperson is basically AManagement Kathleen McGettigan Studies and the University of Maryland sending out what U.S. foreign policy is to has announced new academic agree- Robert H. Smith School of Business. the whole world.” ments with four schools in OPM’s ongo- The agreements provide tuition —Gemma Dvorak, ing effort to expand educational benefits discounts and scholarships to federal Associate Editor to federal workers. employees and, in some cases, extend the

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 17 benefits to spouses and dependents. SITE OF THE MONTH: www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/index.html The institutions selected have a number of programs that cover “mission- critical” skills, including cybersecurity, he Centers for Disease Control science, technology, engineering and Tand Prevention’s Global Heath mathematics. website has a wealth of informa- The new agreements are part of OPM’s tion for travelers and highlights the continuing endeavor to “recruit and significant work done by CDC health retain a world-class workforce to serve the officers in more than 60 countries American people,” and to increase federal worldwide. employees’ access to high-quality, afford- With a dedicated section for able education. travelers, the CDC website should be —Gemma Dvorak, Associate Editor the first stop for anyone looking for advice on how to stay healthy when worldwide, and with a number of In Support of traveling abroad. international partners. The website Global Engagement The website has information hosts a blog, written by CDC officers merica’s Role in the World” was about current health threats in in the United States and in the field, Athe subject of a March 21 hear- particular countries or regions (for that features programs CDC is sup- “ing at the House Armed Services Com- example, an increased risk of Zika porting and success stories fighting mittee where former Secretary of State in South America, or HIV/AIDS in back against global epidemics. The Madeleine Albright and former National Africa) and best practices for mini- “Stories” section brings a personal Security Advisor Stephen Hadley testified mizing the risk to travelers of all ages. dimension to the fight, sharing indi- on global challenges and the role the There is also a section on vaccines vidual experiences from both CDC United States should play in maintaining and a state-by-state map of where to health officers and those benefiting international order. obtain them in the United States. from programs abroad. When Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) Visitors to the site can also learn —Gemma Dvorak, asked about the ramifications of poten- about the work the CDC is doing Associate Editor tially defunding international organizations as outlined in the president’s budget request, Secretary Albright replied: “I power is shortsighted. USIP is one of 19 “We are not safer if we are isolated. An think they are so stunningly damaging to organizations facing elimination under isolationist America is the most danger- America’s position that I find it hard to the president’s budget request. ous thing for Americans, as well as for the believe that somebody that is in the U.S. At the height of the Iraq War USIP world.” government could even suggest it.” trained local negotiators to mediate con- Hadley echoed this point, arguing that Albright cited her experience as U.S. flict between Iraqi tribes in a region once if Washington decides to forgo a leader- ambassador to the United Nations, argu- known as the “Triangle of Death” and ship role the global order will revert to ing that while the organization does need fostered a peace that has stood for more its “traditional way”—with large powers change, “it is hard for us to have influence than 10 years, Hadley reported. like China and Russia benefiting at the in reform if we are creating a financial “Those preventative tools avoid our expense of small powers. crisis there, and we lose our influence. If need to use the military instrument down “That’s not the international order you go off the human rights council you the road when a fragile state has become that we want,” Hadley stated. “It’s not the lose your influence…” a conflict state,” he added. “We underin- international order that’s in our interest, Citing the work of the United States vest in those [tools] at our peril.” and it’s not an international order that will Institute of Peace, where he serves as Albright testified to the importance provide enduring peace and security.” n chairman of the board, Hadley argued of remaining engaged in the world given —Dmitry Filipoff, that defunding certain tools of national the globalized nature of modern threats. Publications Coordinator

18 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL SPEAKING OUT

Digital Diplomacy: Will State Ever Take the Plunge?

BY AMELIA SHAW

hen I came into the State As of December 2016, there are about Cull, director of public diplomacy at the Department in 2014, I was 3.4 billion people using the internet Annenberg School for Communication excited to add my skills to worldwide—47 percent of the global and Journalism (part of the University of Wour country’s public diplo- population—with just over half of them Southern California). Cull has advised the macy (PD) effort. I brought with me 15 using Facebook. State Department for years on PD issues years of media experience, and imagined Due to the breakneck speed of mobile and lectures regularly at the Foreign Ser- entering a cutting-edge operation, where phone penetration into the developing vice Institute. highly skilled teams use technology and world, the number of people online is “You can’t drive a jet on a highway. innovation to promote our national for- expected to continue to rise steadily. Digital platforms were designed to create eign policy to publics abroad. Increasing numbers of users are younger relationships, not just push messages But that’s not what I found. Instead, it than 30 and live in developing or tran- out,” Cull adds. “The average U.S. embassy feels more like being stuck in a time warp sitional economies in Asia, Africa and Facebook page makes it look like the U.S. from the late 1990s. Latin America. government doesn’t understand the busi- Here’s what I mean. I recently took Many of us Foreign Service types live ness of public diplomacy.” six weeks of training in preparation for and work in those places. But are we Cull is referring to the practice among my first assignment as a PD officer, in present there virtually? And are we mak- many U.S. missions of using Facebook Vientiane. During our 180 hours of class ing the most of the huge (not to mention as a signboard on which to cut and paste time, we talked about a lot of things—the relatively low-cost) opportunity that digi- media content created in Washington history of the U.S. Information Agency, tal media offer our diplomatic missions or post drab “LOPSA” (lots of people the legacy of Edward R. Murrow and the in our quest to win the hearts and minds standing around) photos. Either way, too meaning of PD. But we spent just three of the foreign public? often content is placed without con- hours on digital media—less than 2 per- Many leading analysts would answer sidering how it resonates locally. Your cent of total training time. with an emphatic no. average Nepali, for instance, might not I was shocked. While our bureaucracy be interested in a post about the kinds of has been busy plugging away at state- Jets Don’t Go on Highways vegetables planted in the White House craft, the rest of the world has under- “The U.S. government is appalling kitchen garden. gone a digital revolution. Has State even at giving diplomats the leeway to use There are, of course, missions that noticed? technology as it is intended,” says Nicholas stand out for successfully using social media to create local buzz. Embassy Mos- Amelia Shaw, the 2015 recipient of AFSA’s W. Averell Harriman Award for cow’s 2015 tweet about the U.S. ambas- Constructive Dissent, joined the State Department Foreign Service in 2014. sador landing on the moon is a great Prior to that, she was a foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, a example of dishy repartee with Russia’s TV news producer with the United Nations, a digital media adviser for the dezinformatsiya or fake news apparatus. Australian Broadcasting Corporation and a specialist in social marketing for But these efforts tend to be the exception, international aid organizations. She was also a Fulbright Scholar in Haiti in 2003. not the norm. From 2014 to 2016 Ms. Shaw served as a consular officer in Tijuana, and is now in Compared to other Web and Facebook training to serve as a public diplomacy officer in Vientiane, beginning this summer. The pages, U.S. mission digital platforms views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not necessarily those of the generally experience low traffic. Online Department of State or the U.S. government. users who do follow the U.S. pages rarely

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 19 comment; and when they do, they almost social media platforms, they’re severely media practitioners mine this information, never get an answer from an actual Ameri- limited when it comes to creating original and use it strategically to craft targeted can diplomat. content or engaging with followers. messaging. In the digital age, that kind of silence Bigger posts may have more PD officers is fatal. It’s also an indictment of our PD and local staff who can divide up the work Painting the Mona Lisa presence online, which misses the entire by function. Some missions even have the with Spaghetti point of social media: engagement. luxury of hiring media-savvy local staff At the State Department, most of the Engagement is the conversation that who are wholly devoted to creating media cutting-edge tools and expertise have been happens between followers on Web content. This is a huge advantage, but it’s consolidated in the Bureau of Interna- platforms; it’s more than a “like” or a also rare. tional Information Programs in Washing- “share.” Engagement is access, influence, Either way, a prevailing myth holds that ton, D.C., and have yet to be deployed to conversation and communities of interest social media is easy and quick to “do,” and the field in earnest. Officers in the field that form around a particular issue. It’s can just be piled on top of other PD activi- who do make the investment in these tools empowerment. ties. It can’t. find they are unable to make the most Unless the State Department starts Engaging social media requires good of their potential for lack of the relevant engaging with foreign publics online, media content, and that requires skill, the knowledge and skill sets. how can we hope to be part of the global proper tools and technical know-how to Although there are a few digital and conversation—much less influence what produce. It can’t just be lifted from white social media classes at the Foreign Service non-Americans think and do? house.gov or https://share.america.gov. Institute, they are considered electives and And in our sea of bureaucrats, up-to-date are offered mainly in the summer in Wash- Digital Diplomacy—Not All skills in photography, graphics and video ington or at a few international locations. That Quick or Easy production are in painfully short supply. Many PD officers do not have the time in There are a number of structural Buying Adobe Creative Suite for each post their schedule to take them. Moreover, constraints holding back State’s public can fill some of these gaps, but PD staff FSI is ill-equipped to offer a high level of diplomacy efforts in the digital arena. The members have to be trained in its use. technical training in content creation. first of these is time. Skill, tools and techni- To create effective media content There is also, despite the rhetoric, very cal know-how are additional constraints. one needs to know how to tell a good little practical emphasis at State on how to Back in my TV days, every minute story with words and pictures. Where is monitor and evaluate the impact of com- that went to air took two to three hours to the human interest story buried in the munications in the field. This leaves many produce. In other words, a three-minute Integrated Country Strategy? What makes PD officers feeling stranded, unable to do news segment took, on average, six to a good graphic in terms of style, image the job they wish they could. nine hours to make. Understaffing of composition and lighting? Mastering this One colleague with more than a digital operations at State exacerbates this is hard, and it’s often less about training decade in the department struggled to problem. Posts with tight resources tend to than experience. revamp his post’s online presence. Using invest staff time in the traditional pro- Creating good content also takes exper- part of his limited budget to buy industry- gramming that has defined the PD field tise in media analytics—content creators standard photo and video production since the heyday of the U.S. Information need to have a feedback loop to produce equipment and software, he then found he Agency, rather than in social media. data-driven products. Most social media didn’t have the resources to teach himself Many PD shops are small to begin platforms come with some sort of analyt- and his team how to maximize their use. with, and sometimes have just one local ics embedded, which offer unique tools “It’s embarrassing,” he says. “Right employee whose job is to “do social for listening. now, it’s like being asked to paint the media.” These employees may not have a Merely watching a Twitter feed gives Mona Lisa by throwing spaghetti at the media background and are also likely to marketers and pollsters a quick snapshot wall, hoping something sticks. But you be juggling other responsibilities, such as of public opinion on any given issue; but can’t, because you need paint, brushes, managing the education portfolio. Even if analytics go beyond this, offering a wealth tools, practice and skill. At State, there’s they are able to post a few times a day on of data on audience behavior. Skilled really no way to get it.”

20 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Worse, he adds, once officers finally get the tools they need at post, they inevitably move on to another post— where they again find they have to start over from scratch. “We are falling light years behind our private-sector peers.” TWITTER.COM/TRAVELGOV

Don’t Delete the Tweet! tweet on its @TravelGov Twitter account. A third factor that hamstrings PD prac- The tweet was part of a campaign to alert titioners in the field is trust. U.S. travelers to scams overseas, but According to PD watchers like Nicolas caused significant backlash on Twitter for Cull, many U.S. diplomats already know being judgmental and sexist. what they need to do. They just aren’t After attracting media coverage on empowered to do it, thanks to a hierarchy global news networks, the tweet was that is power-centric and risk-averse. yanked from the feed—which generated The emergence of digital media poses another news cycle about whether State a significant challenge to a bureaucracy was sanitizing its image. whose internal communications struc- On the upside, that tweet instantly ture favors centralized power and vertical drew in thousands of new followers to hierarchies. Sometimes social media @TravelGov and, in this writer’s view, “decorum” and diplomatic niceties are should be looked at as at least a partial out of step. If things go too far, someone success story in grabbing world attention in management abruptly pulls the plug, and increasing State’s Twitter following. possibly with consequences for an officer’s Social media is all about rapid-fire career and corridor reputation. interaction with the public, informally and “It’s like there is this perpetual fear of in real time—something not easily permit- another Cairo tweet,” says Cull, referring ted in State’s current corporate culture. to the controversial Twitter feed from One mid-level PD colleague puts it Embassy Cairo that, according to some this way: “I would kill for just two hours a pundits, “went rogue” during the Arab week to talk to people online about issues Spring and strayed from the official U.S. that matter. Like democracy, or trade. But government stance toward Egyptian Presi- I don’t do it.” It’s not because the time dent Mohammed Morsi. isn’t there, she says: “It’s because it’s not The embassy took the account down clear to me what I can and cannot do. briefly in April 2013 to remove the offend- There’s no mandate. There are no clear ing tweet. That prompted widespread rules of engagement.” speculation that State Department leaders And therein lies the rub. There is fear did not understand the negative implica- that the spontaneous, informal (some- tions of deleting tweets, and reinforced times even risqué) engagement that a widespread impression that the U.S. makes social media pop could have long- government was censoring itself. lasting professional repercussions. (For non-Twitter folks: deleting a tweet Ideally, what is needed is a “train and is really, really bad. Try not to do it.) trust” model for PD, where the depart- This kind of knee-jerk response was in ment clearly articulates the parameters full view again last year following the State for online engagement, trains its people Department’s instantly viral “Not a 10” and trusts them to do the right thing.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 21 Easier said We can and should ing the PD cone a specialist category, than done. How- find ways to capi- or creating a new specialist career track ever, other highly talize on our own focused solely on digital production regulated orga- experiments and and engagement. Or, at the very least, it nizations have promote them from should hire people into the PD cone who figured out how the inside. already have significant backgrounds to do this, like the Third, restruc- in communications fields like journal- banking industry ture PD shops at ism, broadcasting, marketing, campaign and the Depart- posts. Here, State managing and so on. ment of Defense. can take a lesson This would significantly reduce the Even the CIA has a from the private pressure to train officers in a field that pretty funny Twitter sector, where the changes every day (and leave FSI free to feed. Sometimes average com- do what it does best: train Foreign Service they even post cat munications personnel in the art of being diplomats). pics. team would have TWITTER.COM/CIA at a minimum a The Importance So What’s the Fix? creative director, a Web designer and a of Leaning In A lot of things could be done. Here are graphic artist. Let’s face it: the Cold War is over and a few ideas worth considering. Imagine a scenario where a PD officer USIA is dead. It’s time to overhaul the First, tweak training. Digital media oversees two or three local media spe- way we do public diplomacy. We are the training should be both compulsory and cialists whose sole job is to create digital United States of America. We are lead- feature prominently in all PD prerequi- content and track analytics. In addition ers in the field of branding, marketing, sites. Tradecraft courses should also capi- to their media production skills, these advertising—we are better than anybody talize on the expertise of digital media professionals would have a deep under- at selling stuff. We have Silicon Valley, professionals from the private sector, as standing of the local media market, strati- we practically invented the internet, FSI’s public speaking and press relations fied target audience, media consumption and we are conquering the world with curricula already do. habits, and language and cultural norms. Facebook. The goal should be to equip all PD offi- The officer would guide the content, Given this, we at the U.S. State cers with the basic technical skills to create using data from the analytics to drive the Department should be writing the book digital content across multiple platforms message forward while clearly linking it on digital diplomacy—not wandering and manage baseline analytics. Clearly, to strategic mission objectives from the the halls of the Harry S Truman build- there are equipment and software consid- Integrated Country Strategy. The aim is ing, lost somewhere between the Ralph erations, but one idea is to cover skills in to engage with audiences daily to create J. Bunche Library and 1993. common, industry-standard production communities of interest on matters of Nothing I’ve written here is a surprise and analytics technology like Hootsuite, U.S. foreign policy, not just publicize to anyone working in PD. The question Adobe Creative Suite and others. ongoing embassy activities. is, how do we get from knowing what the Second, have a cache of best prac- Fourth, reconsider hiring practices problem is to actually fixing it? Person- tices at the ready. There are missions for PD professionals. Yes, I know: This ally, I think that we FSOs should not where courageous, tech-savvy officers one may be total pie in the sky. But there just stand around and wait for change have done innovative, spectacular work. is just no denying that public diplomacy to come. We have the option, as Sheryl Too often, though, we don’t know who is becoming an increasingly technical Sandberg would say, to lean in and those officers are, what they did or how field. The private sector certainly gets advocate from the inside. they did it—so we miss a valuable chance this, and hires only the best people in It’s important; there’s a lot at stake. In to learn from them. video production, graphics, marketing the battle to win hearts and minds, we The use of digital media in diplomacy and Web design. cannot afford to be 20 years behind the is in many ways an experimental field. So State should consider either mak- times. n

22 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FOCUS ON GLOBAL HEALTH DIPLOMACY

Leveraging HEALTH INVESTMENTS FOR U.S. DIPLOMACY

Health programs are not just international good deeds; they can be a powerful instrument in the ambassador’s toolbox.

BY MARK C. STORELLA

he job of a chief of mission (COM) defeat emerging diseases and pandemics, health programs are is to advance American interests not just international good deeds; they are an investment in the wherever he or she is assigned. To security of the American people. Ambassadors would be wise to do so, ambassadors try to apply all seize the opportunity our health programs present. the instruments at their disposal. Nevertheless, ambassadors are sometimes reluctant to Health diplomacy can be an invalu- engage fully on health initiatives. Most ambassadors assigned able tool. to countries with sizable health programs got there by way of The United States has a unique 25-year careers that focused on traditional forms of diplomacy, capacity to have a global impact especially political and economic work. Their hard-wired in health. Our institutions, our people and our investments are priorities are usually governance, security and trade. Most Tunparalleled. And people take note when our work saves lives, State Department Foreign Service officers have only a glancing especially the lives of children. The President’s Emergency Plan acquaintance with health programs during an entire career. for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, will be seen someday as Pres- Health programs may also seem too technical or scientific to ident George W. Bush described it: a “medical Marshall Plan” be easily mastered. At the mention of terms like viral load and that saved an entire continent. As we all work to prepare for and epidemiology, many career FSOs might want to run for the hills. U.S. government-led health efforts have saved and improved Senior Foreign Service Officer Mark C. Storella is deputy millions of lives, and changed the very course of the AIDS pan- assistant secretary for the Bureau of Population, Refugees demic—yet may not initially appear to fall within the direct pur- and Migration. Prior to his current assignment, Ambas- view of a chief of mission. Where is the room for a COM to lead? sador Storella served as deputy chief of mission at Embassy And how can health programs advance our broader agenda? Brussels. From 2010 to 2013, he was U.S. ambassador to Zambia. When I arrived in Lusaka as ambassador in 2010, I had many From 2009 to 2010 he was senior coordinator for Iraqi Refugees and of the same questions. But I took stock of our goals and the tools Internally Displaced Persons in Baghdad, and has served as deputy our mission had to achieve them. What jumped out was that our permanent representative at U.S. Mission Geneva. He has also served in generous Fiscal Year 2010 bilateral assistance budget of approxi-

Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Paris, Rome and Washington, D.C. mately $350 million consisted almost entirely—or about 85 per- iStockphoto.com/Pixtum Graphic: Header

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 23 U.S. EMBASSY LUSAKA From left, Ambassador Mark C. Storella, Zambian Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Musokotwane, and Minister of Health Kapembwa Simbao shake hands on signing the PEPFAR framework in November 2010. cent—of health programming. Moreover, nearly every element Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Musokot- of the mission was engaged in health—PEPFAR, USAID and the wane and Minister of Health Kapembwa Simbao, the Zambians Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, of course, but also took our action as a renewed American commitment and a public every one of our 250 Peace Corps volunteers, ultimately our Mil- statement of confidence in the bilateral relationship. All the papers lennium Challenge Corporation compact and even our Defense ran photos of the signing ceremony. Soon we not only had access Attaché Office. I recall commenting at my first meeting with the to the health minister again, but Zambian President Rupiah Banda country team, “The main thing we do in this country is health.” also opened his door to us. But we did face challenges. Our engagement with the Zam- bian government was in crisis. A recent scandal had poisoned u A Team-Building Tool relations between the government and the donor community. While nearly every agency and section of our embassy Despite our enormous life-saving investment in health, we could worked on health programs, it did not necessarily mean that not even get an appointment with the minister of health. they were always in sync. I tried to build a sense of a strong team We successfully overcame the challenges in Zambia, and our by hosting monthly health-cluster meetings of all agencies, experience doing so produced the following instructive take- at which we tried to tackle challenges together. But the most aways on the value of health programming. effective tool for team-building came when we were offered the opportunity to pilot a new program focused on maternal mortal- u A Game Changer ity: Saving Mothers, Giving Life. The sheer size of our health programs presented opportuni- U.S. Global Health Initiative Director Lois Quam called me ties to change the way people think. Our team looked for ways to to propose the pilot, but she also offered our team the chance to break the cycle of mistrust with the Zambian government, and the help shape and guide the effort based on the realities we faced in PEPFAR program presented an immediate opening. Our PEPFAR Zambia. In one of the best team-building experiences I have had cycle called for signing a new bilateral Partnership Framework as a diplomat, we built cross-agency teams that fostered on-the- laying out our plans for the next five years, including planned U.S. ground collaboration between key agencies. The leadership of funding. When I signed the deal on Nov. 4, 2010, with Zambian USAID Mission Director Susan Brems and CDC Director Larry

24 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Marum, both M.D.s, set the example for what became a truly col- While nearly every agency and laborative undertaking for the entire embassy. PEPFAR Coordi- nator Kristie Mikus ensured that this practice of collaboration section of our embassy worked ricocheted through the rest of the interagency health engagement. on health programs, it did not necessarily mean that they were u A Public Diplomacy Bonanza America’s public health programming is a uniquely good always in sync. story reflecting the generosity and technical virtuosity of the American people. Because our health programming occurred throughout Zambia, it gave me opportunities to travel to remote lenge Corporation Chief Executive Officer Daniel Yohannes locations, meet and engage local leaders and, with our creative arrived in May 2012 to sign our MCC compact dedicated to public diplomacy team, craft a steady stream of positive press. boosting economic productivity by reducing waterborne dis- Our health programs also attracted very high-profile VIP eases. Bill Gates monitored Gates Foundation projects, and U.S. visits. Former President George W. Bush visited three times, Global AIDS Coordinator Deborah Birx came to help refurbish including for the December 2011 global launch of the Pink Rib- and inaugurate a clinic in Livingstone. Senior congressional bon Red Ribbon initiative to combat cervical cancer. The PRRR staff delegations came to study our maternal and child health partnership continues to this day as an innovative public-private programs. Each visit was another opportunity to underline the partnership. Former President Bill Clinton visited Zambia on commitment of the American people to Zambia and the positive Clinton Foundation business, while former Millennium Chal- outcomes of our joint collaboration on health.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 25 PEPFAR: Making the Impossible Possible BY DEBORAH L. BIRX

e can control and ultimately end the global HIV/AIDS sadors and deputy chiefs of mission have been essential Wepidemic as a public health threat. Fifteen years in moving policies forward that increase the program’s ago, this was unimaginable. At that time, reports from the effectiveness and mobilize host countries’ resources front lines, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, were dire. year over year to expand services. PEPFAR also benefits In many countries, an HIV diagnosis was a death sen- greatly from our close collaboration with partner govern- tence. The prior gains in global health and development ments and global partners, including multilateral institu- were being lost. In the hardest-hit regions of sub-Saharan tions, civil society, faith-based organizations, the private Africa infant mortality had doubled, child mortality had sector, philanthropic organizations and people living with tripled and life expectancy had dropped by 20 years. The HIV. rate of new HIV infections in the highest-burden regions The results have been breathtaking. As of Sept. 30, was exploding, and people were getting sick and dying 2016, PEPFAR was supporting nearly 11.5 million people during the most productive years of their lives. The virus with life-saving antiretroviral treatment—a 50-percent was devastating families, communities and countries as increase since 2014 and up from the fewer than 50,000 moms, dads, teachers, nurses and doctors all succumbed people who were on treatment in sub-Saharan Africa to the new plague. when PEPFAR and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuber- Today, the global HIV/AIDS landscape has been culosis and Malaria began. With PEPFAR support, nearly dramatically transformed, thanks in large part to the two million babies have been born HIV-free to pregnant U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and its women living with the virus—almost twice as many as in partners. Using the best science, often provided by the 2013—and their mothers have been kept healthy and alive National Institutes of Health, and with strong bipartisan to protect and nurture them. Recent public health impact support in Congress and across administrations, PEPFAR assessments in three African countries show that the HIV/ has helped replace despair and death with hope, life and AIDS epidemic is becoming controlled there, and evidence stability. suggests that we are poised to control the epidemic in 10 PEPFAR was launched by President George W. Bush African countries over the next four years. in 2003 as an “act of mercy beyond all current international efforts to help the people of Africa.” PEPFAR is led and coordinated by the Department of State’s Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator and Health Diplomacy, and implemented on the ground through an interagency model that draws on the critical contributions of the U.S. Agency for International Development; the U.S. Depart- ment of Health and Human Services and its agencies; the Department of Defense; the Peace Corps; the Department of Labor and the Department of the Treasury. Supported by appropriations from the U.S. Congress, the program has demonstrated the value of a whole-of-government approach focused on achieving clearly defined and mea- USAID surable targets. It is also an expression of the compassion Eunice (right) is HIV-positive but, thanks to PEPFAR-supported and generosity of the American people. programs that help prevent transmission of the disease from In the countries that PEPFAR supports, our ambas- mother to child, her baby was born HIV-negative.

26 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Young women receive PEPFAR support in Mozambique.

in some countries young women are up to 14 times more likely to contract HIV than young men. Address- ing girls’ vulnerability is especially urgent because the population PEPFAR/SARAH DAY SMITH DAY PEPFAR/SARAH of young women and During the last three years, PEPFAR has completely men in sub-Saharan Africa has doubled since the epi- realigned and refocused the program in every country demic began, from 100 million to 200 million. with business process improvements that increased its One of the reasons for girls’ vulnerability is the stag- impact in a budget-neutral environment. These include geringly high rate of sexual assault: from 25 to 45 percent targeting investments using granular, site-level data; rig- of young women experience sexual assault before the age orous partner management to increase performance and of 25. In our partner countries, PEPFAR is calling on com- efficiency; and intensive quarterly monitoring of the entire munities of faith—which are a healing presence in areas program. Our use of data to drive accountability, find affected by gender-based violence—to once again stand efficiencies and leverage partnerships has made PEPFAR with us, and support the campaign to protect girls and a cost-effective model for foreign assistance programs women from sexual assault. This will put us on the path everywhere. to upholding the dignity and autonomy of all women and Through the PEPFAR platform, the U.S. government girls and overcoming one of the most horrific obstacles to has accelerated the progress toward a world more secure finally ending the epidemic. from infectious disease threats. PEPFAR’s investments Each day we are motivated by the memory of the 35 in countries with sizable HIV/AIDS burdens bolster their million men, women and children who have died from ability to swiftly address Ebola, avian flu, cholera and AIDS-related illnesses. We are driven to work harder and other outbreaks, which ultimately enhances global health smarter for the nearly 37 million people who are still liv- security and protects America’s borders. These lessons ing with HIV. The promise of controlling and ultimately and experiences will continue to inform and improve our ending the AIDS epidemic is now within reach. What once response, and those of our partners, to unforeseen health seemed impossible is now possible, but it will continue to crises. take data-driven action and focus to get the job done. n Ending the global public health and security threat posed by the HIV/AIDS epidemic is doable, although it U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and U.S. Special Representative will not happen easily or automatically. One of the most for Global Health Diplomacy Ambassador-at-Large Deborah critical areas for action is reducing new HIV infections L. Birx oversees the implementation of the U.S. President’s among adolescent girls and young women. Every year, Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, as well as all U.S. government 390,000 adolescent girls and young women are infected engagement with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. An M.D., Ambassador Birx is a world-renowned with HIV—more than 1,000 a day. In sub-Saharan Africa medical expert and leader in the field of HIV/AIDS, with a the numbers are even more staggering: nearly 3 out of three-decades-long career focusing on HIV/AIDS immunology, 4 adolescents newly infected with HIV are female, and vaccine research and global health.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 27 ment with the U.S. military; one Zambian president had, in fact, declared that the U.S. Africa Command would never set a single boot on Zambian soil. U.S. military personnel were not even allowed to inspect health clinics that we funded on Zambian military bases. But as the country’s military leadership came to appreciate the life-saving work U.S. armed forces were doing for their members and their families, a thaw began. In 2013 Zambia hosted Africa Endeavor, AFRICOM’s flagship multilateral exer- cise on the African continent.

u Local Ownership Promoter A constant challenge in our health work overseas is promoting local ownership of health programs. As long as local leaders rely on the United States to carry out health work without putting much of their own skin in the game, health programs will fail to be sustainable. PEPFAR offered us an opportunity for leverage that ultimately produced stunning results. The Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator advised us that some additional funds would be made available if we could put them to good use. I went with PEPFAR Country Coordinator Kristie Mikus to call on the Zambian president. Rather than just

U.S. EMBASSY LUSAKA announce new investments, we proposed that we would make From left, Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia’s founding president and the new investment if the Zambian government matched us by an HIV/AIDS prevention champion, and Ambassador Johnnie doubling their own spending on anti-retroviral drugs (ARV). It Carson, at the time U.S. assistant secretary for African affairs, in Lusaka on Feb. 6, 2011. took several meetings with the late President Michael Sata and First Lady Dr. Christine Kaseba—an accomplished OB-GYN— but the Zambians came around and doubled their ARV spend- u A Partnership-Builder ing. The next year, they doubled it again. We were full partners. Our work in health gave us an entrée with important civil society leaders that strengthened our engagement in sometimes Suggestions for Further Progress unexpected ways. Zambia’s three main church groups—the There are prudent steps we can take to make our ambas- Catholics, the Anglicans and the Evangelicals—were and are key sadors more effective in supporting health programming and partners in fighting HIV. Tribal chiefs invited me to address the using health as a tool to promote broader American goals. House of Chiefs on male circumcision and other HIV prevention While progress has already been made, the State Department techniques. The founding father of the Zambian nation, Kenneth should increase the exposure of FSOs to health issues early and Kaunda, then 86 years old, had emerged as a vocal champion in consistently in their careers so that when they reach the level of the fight against AIDS, and we built a strong relationship with ambassador they are already well-versed in health programs. We this great old gentleman by making common cause on health. should find opportunities for FSOs to do health tours—perhaps In short, health programming became a flying wedge for as PEPFAR coordinators, perhaps through postings engaged with greater access among influential people and organizations, with multilateral institutions like the World Health Organization, or beneficial results. For example, during the hotly contested 2011 in excursions with leading nongovernmental organizations—so elections, the church groups, tribal leaders and Pres. Kaunda all that health becomes mainstream in American diplomacy. served as strong partners to create conditions for fair elections We can find ways to ensure that ambassadors arrive at post that heralded a peaceful and democratic change of power. focused on health—by raising the profile of health in the ambas- Heath programming also helped revolutionize bilateral sadorial seminar, for instance. We should ensure that health relations. Zambia had long harbored suspicions about engage- issues are not seen as a narrow niche of America’s engagement

28 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL HHS and Health Diplomacy BY JIMMY KOLKER

first recognized the U.S. Department of Health and HHS staff members are I Human Services’ unique value to our diplomacy as chief of mission in Burkina Faso during a meningitis outbreak, typically hired for domestic which had been hidden by local authorities because the priorities, yet their skills are of capital was filled with visitors to a biennial African film growing value internationally. festival. Within days, the Centers for Disease Control and Pre- vention sent three of the world’s leading meningitis experts experts help build the capacity of national counterparts. to help Burkina urgently map and ultimately control the Because U.S. missions abroad are unaware of it and outbreak. Later, as HHS assistant secretary for global because HHS’s own staffing patterns and funding histori- affairs from 2014 to 2017, and the first person with a Foreign cally fulfill a domestic mandate and are not easily adapt- Service background to have a leadership role at the depart- able to overseas activity or assignment, this tremendous ment, I came to understand and appreciate its contribution U.S. government asset—expertise-in-person—is under- more fully. utilized. HHS is a major global actor. There are nearly 2,000 HHS HHS’s role and mandate began to change, however, staff under chief-of-mission authority overseas—1,500 in 2004 when the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Locally Employed staff and 500 Americans. These include Relief, the President’s Malaria Initiative and the Global HHS attachés, who advise chiefs of mission and country Health Security Agenda all named HHS as an imple- teams on health policy in Geneva, Beijing, Brasilia, Mexico menter. Approximately $2 billion in PEPFAR money City, Pretoria and New Delhi. And the Centers for Disease goes annually to HHS—not just to CDC, but also to the Control and Prevention, an HHS agency, has staff in more National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Adminis- than 60 countries, and the CDC country director often pro- tration, and the Health Resources and Substance Abuse vides wide-ranging health expertise on the country team. and Mental Health Services Administrations (HRSA and At the same time, HHS is intensely domestic in its SAMHSA). culture, systems and thinking. With unmatched health, medical and scientific expertise, HHS staff members are Proven Value typically hired for domestic priorities, yet their skills are of The value of HHS’s already-on-the-payroll expertise was clear and growing value internationally. Our relationships nowhere better demonstrated than in the establishment with low- and middle-income countries no longer reflect and staffing of the Monrovia Medical Unit during the 2014- a classic “donor-recipient” model. Even poor countries 2015 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. like Burkina want a technical partnership, where our best The U.S. military delivered Ebola treatment unit structures to Liberia, but did not staff them. USAID-funded Ambassador (ret.) Jimmy Kolker’s 30-year Foreign Service career nongovernmental organizations and medical personnel included five posts in Africa and three in Europe. He was U.S. from around the world, as well as Liberians themselves, ambassador to Burkina Faso (1999-2002) and Uganda (2002- 2005). He then served as deputy U.S. global AIDS coordinator were reluctant to scale up treatment unless they could be and, after retiring from State, as head of the HIV/AIDS Section at assured a developed-world level of care if they became UNICEF’s New York headquarters (2007-2011) and in the Depart- infected. To offer that level of treatment, the U.S. military ment of Health and Human Services’ Office of Global Affairs. Until assembled and customized a field hospital outside of January 2017, he was assistant secretary for global affairs at HHS. Monrovia.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 29 Of all the options for staffing this unit, the Public Health HHS’ distinctive value is that Service of HHS made the most sense. It consists of vet- ted U.S. government employees subject to discipline and its key staff are subject-matter deployment rules established for this uniformed service experts, scientists, different who, as individuals, are highly motivated to use their skills from but mutually supportive to fight Ebola. When the call went out for PHS volunteers, projections for infection were catastrophic. Despite the of generalist diplomats. substantial risk, more than 1,000 of the 6,000 commissioned corps officers volunteered for duty in Liberia. Deploying the PHS, however, was complicated. The vol- systems from becoming pandemics, threatening all of us. unteers all had domestic assignments for which it was dif- GHSA’s premise is that to contain a naturally occur- ficult or impossible to find temporary replacements. There ring outbreak, a lab accident or a bioterrorist attack, the was no direct PHS doctrine or precedent for an operation first response has to be the health system that identi- of this size and character. fies the pathogen, does the surveillance, finds its origin My office, Global Affairs, worked with Embassy Monro- and promotes measures to limit its damage. If it is a via, USAID, CDC and the Pentagon to establish responsi- bioterrorist incident, security services will, of course, be bility for reporting chains, security and force protection, involved. But protecting the public relies on a resilient and specialized Ebola training. We negotiated the right to health infrastructure, and especially the case manage- practice medicine and prescribe drugs in Liberia, living ment, emergency operations centers and established arrangements, water supply and definitions of health protocols that CDC is so good at. On this basis the U.S. workers for patient access. government was able to convene quite a few govern- In setting treatment protocols, we turned to, among ments and partners, and strengthen the World Health others, Kent Brantly, the missionary doctor who had been Organization to promote and scale up worldwide out- evacuated from Monrovia. He eagerly advised what would break preparedness and response. have been necessary to have saved his own life and the As the HHS presence grows overseas, there is renewed lives of his patients in Liberia in 2014. discussion of an “HHS Foreign Service.” While it could ease HHS also played a vital role in the response to the Zika overseas staffing and rotation issues for which the Civil virus outbreak in Brazil. The HHS Office of Global Affairs led Service does not have a workable alternative, I don’t see a delegation of senior HHS scientists to meet with counter- that as the best option. HHS’ distinctive value is that its parts in Brasilia to overcome bottlenecks in cohort stud- key staff are subject-matter experts, scientists, different ies, sample sharing and institutional arrangements. The from but mutually supportive of generalist diplomats. An 14-point action plan developed, assigning responsibility to even more important consideration is that nearly all of HHS HHS divisions and counterpart Brazilian parastatal orga- international assignments use PEPFAR, GHSA and the U.S. nizations, proved extremely valuable. Though the Dilma President’s Malaria Initiative programmatic money, with no Rousseff government subsequently fell, the institution- guarantee of career-long sustainability. to-institution agreements were carried out with very little In my Foreign Service experience, contacts between interference or loss of momentum. health scientists and diplomats were rare, and use of scien- Even before we knew Ebola was a problem, in Febru- tific data in démarches or political dialogue was haphazard ary 2014, then-HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, together or non-existent. But today, with the State Department’s with the State Department and National Security Council, Offices of International Health and Biosecurity and Global launched the Global Health Security Agenda. A growing, mul- Health Diplomacy, HHS can be an essential partner to help tisectoral partnership, GHSA has become the world’s vehicle the two cultures appreciate and take advantage of their for scaling up to prevent outbreaks in the weakest health respective strengths. n

30 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Our work in health gave us an entrée with important civil society leaders that strengthened our engagement in sometimes unexpected ways.

with the world that are only of interest to one or two offices at Main State. If ambassadors see that our top leadership in the department views health as a national interest priority, they will make it a priority, too. We can work to build more incentives for ambassadors to put their own imprint on health programming overseas by building in opportunities for COM initiative, either through more flexible programming or discretionary funding. Ambas- sadors’ knowledge of local conditions, power relationships and trends can help shape health programming to maximize impact. If applied correctly, increased ambassadorial discre- tion could promote greater local ownership and stronger health partnerships. Other incentives could include an annual health diplomacy leadership prize, with the involvement of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator in the Deputy Secretary’s Committee that proposes ambassadors for the president to nominate, or an effort to include accomplishments in health diplomacy in annual reviews of ambassadors working in countries with important American health programming. Finally, ambassadors will gain more leverage in our work on health if that work is recognized clearly as a partnership with the American people. We should avoid politicizing these efforts; but we should not hide our good works under a bushel, either. We should implement a strategy worldwide to ensure that our health investments are understood clearly as coming from the generosity of the American people. This is an easy fix that will enhance ambassadors’ leverage. Diplomacy has always been the art of using whatever instruments you have to advance your national interests. It has always extended beyond traditional channels of formal negotiation to embrace the full spectrum of human engagement. That is why we have gunboat diplomacy, dollar diplomacy, public diplomacy and even pingpong diplomacy. For the United States and its ambassadors all over the globe, health diplomacy can be a potent tool to advance our broader national interests. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 31 FOCUS ON GLOBAL HEALTH DIPLOMACY

USAID FSOs Reflect ON GLOBAL HEALTH DIPLOMACY

Health-focused development programs have been a core activity at the U.S. Agency for International Development since the agency’s establishment in 1961.

BY MARIA B. SPADACINI

ne vital measure of a country’s Money spent on national health care objectives trickles down, strength is the health of its popu- affecting both individuals and the communities in which they lation. After all, healthy people live. When Americans are deployed to some of the poorest perform better in school, are countries in the world for the sole purpose of saving lives and able to work and can contrib- reducing suffering, long-lasting partnerships are forged through ute to economic growth and trust, appreciation and mutual respect. national stability. Thus, money “Global health is an excellent vehicle for representing the spent on health care offers a values of the U.S. and reaching a broad section of a country, good return on investment. including those who would not normally interact with diplo- According to “Global Health 2035: A World Converging within a mats,” says Jennifer Adams, acting assistant administrator for OGeneration,” a study published in 2013 by The Lancet, every dollar global health at USAID, who has been a Foreign Service officer spent on health care results in $9 to $20 worth of economic and for more than 20 years and has served in Brazil, Central Asia, social benefits. Senegal and China.

Maria B. (Bea) Spadacini is senior communications Addressing a Basic Human Need adviser in USAID’s Bureau for Global Health. She has In countries that receive USAID assistance, global health worked in the field of international development and programs address the most basic needs and concerns of indi- humanitarian relief for two decades. From 2005 to 2012 vidual citizens. “Through global health, we are able to connect she was based in Nairobi as the regional information officer for on many issues that are important both to the population and CARE, and later worked for the European Commission Humanitar- to the leadership of the country. Connecting on this level gives ian Aid and Civil Protection Unit. Her work has appeared in the us the opportunity to engage an entire system in one of the most Christian Science Monitor, Sojourner Magazine, The Guardian, critical areas for any government,” explains Adams. Corriere della Sera, The East African and Internazionale. “Development programs that focus on improving health gar-

32 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL USAID/RICCARDO GANGALE USAID/RICCARDO Charlotte Niwemusa and her son, Justin, wait to see a doctor at Manyange Health Center in March. In Rwanda, USAID works with partners to improve information systems, supply chain management and training of health workers. ner incredible good will from the people in the countries where Our analysis shows that since 2008, USAID’s efforts to end we serve,” adds Kathryn Panther, who joined the Foreign Service preventable child and maternal deaths have helped save the lives on Sept. 10, 2001, and retired this year. of 4.6 million children and 200,000 women in priority countries. “As a Foreign Service health officer working in develop- All-cause mortality rates among children under 5 have declined ing countries,” she says, “I experienced firsthand the profound significantly in 16 out of 19 African countries covered under gratitude from mothers whose children were saved thanks to our the President’s Malaria Initiative, with declines ranging from 18 health and nutrition programs. I saw joy and hope on the faces percent to 67 percent. Through the President’s Emergency Plan for of those afflicted by AIDS, knowing that life-saving medicines AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, USAID works to link thousands of people provided by the American people had commuted their death sen- to proper care and treatment and has increased the number of HIV- tences. For many people and health-care providers who benefited positive people on life-saving antiretroviral treatments to 11.5 mil- from U.S. government-funded medicines and services, we are the lion. In Fiscal Year 2015 alone, USAID tested 24.9 million people, face of the United States of America, and they have great respect treating close to four million people and ensuring that more than for us as a people and as a country.” 410,000 pregnant women received antiretroviral medications to While gratitude is important, it is only the tip of the iceberg. prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. What ultimately matters is effective programming and lasting Kerry Pelzman, a Senior Foreign Service officer who is the impact—which is why USAID employs data-driven decision- current director of USAID/Southern Africa’s bilateral health making to sharpen its programs and measure success. USAID’s office in Pretoria, says that the human face of health assistance annual review of Mission Health Implementation Plans, strategic transcends bilateral tensions and brings out the best in us all. plans for use of global health funds, is a key element of the She argues that “the lifesaving nature of many health interven- agency’s analysis. This review process ensures that programs, tions, often supported through foreign assistance, can generate budgets and implementing mechanisms are aligned with U.S. positive opinions about America and Americans.” There doesn’t government global health priorities and support state-of-the-art seem to be as much scope for ulterior motives in the health sec- programs grounded in evidence. tor, she says, with potentially less room for backlash and criticism.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 33 a result of his advocacy, she says, that the government of Russia submitted an application to the Global Fund to Fight HIV, TB and Malaria, a first for that country. Pelzman also points to USAID’s success in Child Survival: Call to Action, a global effort launched in June 2012 to reduce maternal and child mortality. USAID’s groundwork in India led that government to become a BEATRICE M. SPADACINI A child in the Dolo Ado refugee camp, on the border between Ethiopia and Somalia, is measured to key founding member of this determine if he is malnourished. Addressing malnutrition from an early age can prevent stunting and initiative, helping to drive ensure healthy growth. USAID supports programs that integrate nutrition interventions across sectors. the country’s own maternal health agenda. Lastly, Pelz- A Long-Term Commitment to Saving man lauds the impact of significant and long-term investment by and Improving Lives the U.S. government in PEPFAR in South Africa and the partner- Global health programs have been a USAID core activity since ship that has resulted from this resource commitment. President John F. Kennedy established the agency in November “In all three of these cases,” says Pelzman, “U.S. government 1961. USAID was created in the aftermath of two world wars with funds have by no means been the lion’s share of health budgets. the intent of building a more stable world through sustained and But our technical expertise, the global best practices we brought well-targeted bilateral interventions. It was an act of leadership in to bear, the groundbreaking pilots and evidence we helped to an increasingly interdependent world. develop—often advanced even further by our remarkable local Working to save lives in some of the poorest countries around staff and their ability to establish effective relationships with the world has created strong relationships among a variety of senior government officials—all had impacts far beyond the dol- stakeholders, including national health authorities and local lar amounts.” communities. It has also given the agency a thorough understanding of health needs and gaps in a variety of contexts. After Beyond the Health Sector all, many USAID Foreign Service health officers spend their Global health programs that address national priorities such careers overseas working shoulder to shoulder with their local as improving mother and child health or combating infectious counterparts. This translates into a level of trust that manifests diseases like HIV/AIDS or malaria unfold on multiple levels itself in long-lasting partnerships. (national, state or region, and district) and require building rela- “Unlike other donors, USAID is very local in its approach, and tionships with a variety of stakeholders. These types of programs this is one of our strengths,” says Adams. “We have maintained a can be vehicles for strengthening other areas that are important long-term commitment in about 80 missions around the world. to diplomacy, including good governance, decentralization, We still rely on local hires, some of whom have worked for USAID private sector engagement, domestic resource mobilization, for more than 30 years. We therefore have history, institutional community involvement and civil society participation. memory and capacity to build on that is unique to us.” Adams experienced this synergy when she served in Senegal. Furthermore, U.S. leadership in global health often sets the At that time, the government was decentralizing control, pushing tone, pushing other countries to take health issues seriously and resources to provincial and district levels. “Through our health to establish commitments on a global level. Pelzman was working programs, USAID worked closely on the rollout of these plans, in Russia when former Secretary of State Colin Powell visited and helping communities identify what their priorities were and how referred to HIV as a “virus of mass destruction.” It was in part as best to capture and control public resources. We also helped

34 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL “In health we are able to show “In health we are able to show that our programs work that our programs work because because we can measure success more easily than in other sectors, and many of our interventions are data-driven,” says we can measure success more Richard Green, a Foreign Service officer who served in Sudan, easily than in other sectors, and Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Bangladesh before returning to many of our interventions are Washington, D.C., and serving in various senior positions. “We data-driven.” also have low-cost modern technology that can save and transform lives.” —FSO Richard Green A good example comes from Afghanistan, where USAID funded a significant portion of the country’s primary health care services from 2004 through 2010. Despite a complex and them with different aspects of reporting and accountability, challenging setting, Pelzman says that the cooperation there involving civil society and working with local institutions. Elected was “one of the U.S. government’s true success stories. We had officials learned to connect back to their constituencies.” a direct impact on building a cadre of community midwives, All development programs can lead to improved relationships reducing maternal morbidity and mortality, and contributing to among countries, but there is something about work in global other important health outcomes. We also advanced changes to health that makes it especially true in this sphere. Global health gender norms. Our commitment to public health and our close focuses on saving and improving lives; it is a sector where num- engagement with the Ministry of Health was consistently hailed bers are straightforward and telling. as a positive aspect of our bilateral relationship.”

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 35 U.S. leadership in global health often sets the tone, pushing other countries to take health issues seriously and to establish commitments on a global level.

Leveraging Expertise Across the U.S. Government Many U.S. government agencies work in the health sector. Some have a domestic focus while others, like USAID, have a

specific international mandate. This international expertise and USAID technical capacity can be harnessed in times of crisis, as was Jennifer Adams (second from right), USAID acting assistant administrator for global health, with other members of the Food demonstrated in the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. and Drug Board of Ghana. At that time, USAID was already working with the government of Liberia to provide primary care services to a third of its population. Foreign Service Officer Bethany Geddis joined the Family Planning 2020 as examples of global health initiatives in mission in Liberia in 2012 to manage USAID’s relationship with which the U.S. government has tremendous influence and clout. the government. “When Ebola crossed the border into Liberia, USAID was in a position to immediately work with the Ministry of Promoting Core American Values Health on a rapid response,” says Geddis. “Our in-country pres- Foreign Service officers want to make a positive contribution ence, long-established relationships and role as a trusted techni- to United States foreign policy objectives. Those who choose to cal partner in health laid a solid foundation for the interagency to work in global health are also driven by a desire to alleviate the quickly respond.” suffering of others and improve the lives of the most vulnerable. USAID worked with the Department of Defense and the U.S. They often see their careers as more of a calling than a duty. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to establish training “Many of us who work in the health development field feel protocols for Ebola treatment unit staffers and placement of labo- strongly that people all over the world should have the oppor- ratories. Adapting protocols for infection, prevention and control tunity for a better life,” notes Panther. “In the health sector, this in Ebola treatment and health clinics leveraged CDC’s technical translates into improved family health and well-being, which expertise, USAID’s relationships and DoD’s training capabilities. plays a significant role in lifting people out of abject poverty. “Working together, we were able to quickly roll out a new set Community service is a big part of the American way of life, and of protocols and associated training for health care workers,” says what better community to serve than the world community, Geddis. USAID was also able to ensure that these protocols were especially those who live in extreme poverty?” institutionalized into the health system after the initial outbreak. Many Foreign Service health officers start their careers Further, she said, “USAID worked with Defense to ensure that in the Peace Corps, serving in remote areas of impoverished mobile labs coming into the country were placed in rural areas that countries, where they witness firsthand what it means to lack had the capacity to maintain them (even if temporarily) and were access to basic health services and to die of easily preventable aligned with the Ministry of Health’s national laboratory plan.” diseases. While Foreign Service health officers want to put an According to Adams, many multi-stakeholder initiatives in end to needless suffering, they are also conscientious about U.S. global health are an outgrowth of partnerships with different government spending and accountability. Good governance, U.S. government agencies. She points to the Global Alliance for open data, transparency, and careful management and oversight Vaccines and Immunizations; the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, of resources are among the values they try to instill through their Tuberculosis and Malaria; and the Global Financing Facility and work in global health. n

36 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FOCUS ON GLOBAL HEALTH DIPLOMACY

Fighting Pandemics LESSONS LEARNED

State’s new, multitiered pandemic response mechanism is the result of understanding and applying lessons learned during the past decade.

BY NANCY J. POWELL AND GWEN TOBERT

n the past decade, we’ve fought multiple global dis- and political pressure to implement restrictions on travel and ease outbreaks, from avian influenza to Zika. One trade. of the most important lessons we’ve learned is that The 2009-2010 H1N1 swine flu outbreak infected more than 60 there will be more pandemics in the future, and million Americans, according to an estimate by the U.S. Cen- they are likely to be increasingly complex, particu- ters for Disease Control and Prevention, and 87 percent of the larly if they occur in areas where medical services resulting deaths occurred in those under 65 years of age. Direct are already challenged. Beyond the front page economic impacts are difficult to calculate, but numerous studies stories of human suffering, there can be significant indicate that a severe pandemic influenza outbreak could cost economic and political stability costs if pandemics billions of dollars in GDP loss. If not quickly addressed, infectious are not quickly controlled. disease outbreaks can have significant consequences for our IIn a world of increasing connectivity, it took only weeks for national security, as well. the 2014 outbreak of Ebola in a remote border area of three Looked at through this lens, it is easier to see why the State West African countries to reach Dallas, Texas, via a traveler from Department must take a leading role in coordinating the U.S. Liberia. After arriving in Dallas, the man began developing government response to international public health emergen- symptoms and went to the hospital, where two nurses became cies. Indeed, as with many deals reached and crises averted in the infected and many others were exposed before doctors recog- international arena, there is a diplomat behind each deployment nized his illness as Ebola. The incident sparked public hysteria of health-care workers and each development of a new vaccine. Diplomats bring partners to the table. They expedite pro- Nancy J. Powell, a retired career ambassador, led the cesses. They keep trade flowing and share the latest information State Department Ebola Coordination Unit in 2014 and from the field. And when the doctors and television cameras go was senior coordinator for avian influenza from 2005 to home, diplomats stay behind, advocating social and economic 2006. She is the 2017 recipient of AFSA’s Lifetime Contri- recovery to return countries to a positive development path. Dur- butions to American Diplomacy Award. ing the 2014 Ebola crisis, more than two dozen State Department Gwen Tobert was a member of the Ebola Coordination bureaus and offices, in addition to embassies across every region, Unit and is the Pandemic Response Team lead in the contributed to the response and recovery effort. Office of International Health and Biodefense in the Yet, despite some successes and ongoing efforts to improve State Department Bureau of Oceans and International early warning and response systems, the international com- Environmental and Scientific Affairs. munity and the United States remain woefully unprepared to

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 37 COURTESY OF GWEN TOBERT From left, Ambassador Steven Browning, Jeremy Konyndyk (head of USAID's Office of Disaster Assistance) and Dirk Dijkerman (head of USAID’s Ebola Secretariat) testify about funding for the Ebola crisis before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations on Feb. 11, 2015. deal with pandemics. It is essential that the State Department Operations Center’s Crisis Management and Strategy Office, the continue to press forward energetically with implementation of team has now launched a multitiered response mechanism that our own lessons learned so that we can more quickly, nimbly and mirrors best practices at agencies like the CDC and integrates effectively support our interagency and international partners pandemic response into the department’s broader crisis man- while protecting the safety of our own personnel in the field. agement structures. This new model provides a framework for elevating the depart- Recent Advances ment’s response posture from “steady state” monitoring by the In the months after Ebola faded from the headlines, State Pandemic Response Team up the ladder to establishment of an forged ahead with testing and adaptation of solutions in real time Operations Center Task Force and, potentially, creation of a sepa- as we responded to new outbreaks of Zika and yellow fever. As a rate coordination office along the lines of the Ebola Coordination fundamental first step, the Bureau of Oceans and International Unit. Outbreaks have complex policy implications, and they may Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES) established a small, ebb and flow over a period of many months; the goal of this model permanent Pandemic Response Team with a three-pronged is to provide predictability while maintaining maximum flexibility mission: to coordinate department-wide responses to outbreaks, and ensuring a judicious expenditure of resources. build internal capacity and support strategic initiatives around In addition, a new Public Health Working Group, co-chaired by global response capability. OES and MED under the auspices of the State Department Crisis To date, the department’s response to outbreaks has been Management Council, brings together representatives from across largely ad hoc, as evidenced by the hodgepodge of “task force” the department to evaluate outbreaks and provide advice to senior models that have been established—the Avian Influenza Action officials on appropriate responses. Emergency Action Commit- Group in 2005, the Ebola Coordination Unit in 2014 and the Zika tees at posts utilize tripwires to determine responses to any given Coordination Team in 2016. The absence of a defined model has threat; in a similar manner, the working group relies on a set of repeatedly resulted in a scramble to develop coordination mech- decision criteria to assess the risks posed by a potential outbreak. anisms and establish leadership in the early days of an outbreak. This decision tool incorporates criteria such as the overall OES’ Pandemic Response Team seeks to address this challenge public health threat level, the extent of U.S. mobilization required, as a central tenet of its mission to build State Department capac- public perceptions, existing capacity within State Department ity. Together with the Bureau of Medical Services (MED) and the offices, expected impact on post staffing and U.S. nationals

38 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL To date, the department’s response to outbreaks has been largely ad hoc, as evidenced by the hodgepodge of “task force” models that have been established. COURTESY OF GWEN TOBERT overseas, and expected political and economic consequences to Nicolette Louissaint (left), Gwen Tobert (center) and Robert affected regions. Through the co-chairmanship of OES and MED, Sorenson, the three core staff of the Ebola Coordination Unit, at the working group also helps ensure that critical operations and a February 2015 event where President Barack Obama honored those leading the Ebola response effort. management issues are integrated into policy decision-making. The PHWG formalizes another best practice learned during previous outbreaks: it maintains a network of contacts embedded throughout the State Department to facilitate rapid information • First, networks need to be encouraged at all working levels. sharing and to feed analysis across State’s broad equities into the The State Department excels at building relationships that bear U.S. government policymaking process. Regular meetings of this fruit months or even years down the road, and this is a unique group provide a forum to resolve ongoing public health crisis asset that both our Foreign Service and Civil Service colleagues management challenges and to flex the department’s coordina- can offer the interagency in times of crisis. Contacts developed tion muscles before an outbreak occurs. with the international health community during the avian Mirroring these efforts within the department, the Pandemic influenza effort paid dividends during the Ebola crisis, and Ebola Response Team also develops and maintains strong working contacts greatly facilitated the response to Zika. relations with interagency counterparts (including the National Cooperation on Ebola was facilitated by relationships devel- Security Council, CDC, USAID, Department of Defense, Depart- oped among State, USAID, DoD and World Food Programme offi- ment of Transportation and Department of Homeland Security), cials during earlier service together in Nepal. Personal relation- as well as with key allies and the World Health Organization, to ships, developed over years of working together, greatly assist in support its three mission areas. These working relationships are breaking down the normal barriers to interagency and interna- essential to preparedness training, as well as better communica- tional efforts. These networks may develop organically, but they tion, coordination and transparency during an emergency. can also be encouraged through trainings and exercises. Through these relationships, the Pandemic Response Team • Second, State should maintain a roster of current and retired monitors global disease outbreaks and local responses to pro- ambassadors with strong management and team-building skills, vide senior officials with an early warning when outbreaks may who can be called on to head a separate coordination office when require a U.S. or international response. The team also leverages the highest level of departmental response becomes necessary. these relationships to support State’s Bureau of International The ambassadorial title is invaluable in interagency and interna- Organizations in encouraging and monitoring efforts to reform tional arenas during a complex public health and humanitarian WHO’s emergency response capabilities. crisis such as Ebola, and the need for strong organizational skills far outweighs the need for scientific or health credentials, which More Work Needed should be supplied by other members of the team. The State Department has made demonstrable progress in Seasoned career ambassadors also bring critical personal rela- acting on the lessons learned during the last decade, and there tionships to the table. During the Ebola outbreak, for example, is tremendous opportunity for the new leadership to bolster Ambassadors Deborah Malac and Linda Thomas-Greenfield these achievements. In particular, with stronger structures now leveraged personal relationships with Liberia’s senior leaders in place, the department should take a closer look at the human to enhance our ability to support the government and secure its capital and processes within those structures. support for our assistance effort.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 39 State has made demonstrable foreign affairs equities involved in any successful response. State’s seat at the interagency table provides a window into the complexity progress in acting on the of a pandemic, particularly after it hits America’s shores, allowing lessons learned during the senior State representatives to shape the response even if some last decade, and there is measures are outside of their immediate mandate. Each outbreak will be unique, and we do not yet know how tremendous opportunity for the current or future administrations will choose to structure the new leadership to bolster these U.S. government’s overall response. During the avian influenza achievements. outbreak of 2005, State took on a coordination role, leading an interagency task force that worked to support the international response. By the time the Ebola Coordination Unit was established in 2014, the National Security Council was clearly in charge of a multiple-agency effort that included deployment of military • Third, we need to make it easier for State officers to volun- personnel, civilian health and development professionals, and teer to serve on a task force or in a coordination unit, especially large numbers of nongovernmental organization workers. for extended periods of time. Given workforce shortages, it is State’s role was much more narrowly defined. We supported likely that any task force or coordination unit is going to be very the president’s and the Secretary’s efforts to secure financial and diverse and not necessarily experienced in international health— other support; participated in press events and congressional and that’s OK. The establishment of the Pandemic Response briefings; coordinated with the United Nations as they slowly Team—and OES’ commitment to lead a task force with MED built up a presence in West Africa; helped formulate policies support if one is stood up—ensures that the core team will have concerning travel to and from the affected areas; and coordinated the necessary expertise, but additional personnel will surely be with embassies in the affected areas. Each time a State task force needed. Pandemic response requires expertise in the areas of or coordination unit is established, senior State officials should geopolitical, consular, legislative and public affairs, among oth- determine what role State will play and convey that clearly to the ers. It also requires skilled staff assistants, office management ambassador, the regional bureaus and other agencies. specialists and management officers. The Ebola Coordination Unit eventually consisted of two OES Strategic Approach Needed civil servants whose permanent assignments involved interna- Finally, to return to our first lesson learned, State’s senior tional health issues, an ambassador-designate awaiting confir- officials must think strategically about mitigating the impact of mation, an American Association for the Advancement of Science future, and potentially more frequent, pandemics on the depart- Fellow with an advanced degree in pharmacology, a Bureau of ment's mission. International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs evacuee State needs to maintain—even in the face of anticipated bud- from Yemen, a medical evacuee, an unassigned management get cuts—the Pandemic Response Team and the broader Office officer and an office management specialist temporarily -reas of International Health and Biodefense, which works to increase signed to support the team from the Office of the Counselor. other countries’ capacities to prevent, detect and respond to What we lacked in experience was more than made up for by infectious disease outbreaks on their own. Regional bureaus, dedication and long hours. This shouldn’t be a surprise—it’s the MED, Human Resources and Diplomatic Security need to plan norm for State Department crisis management. Yet though this for greater flexibility in meeting posts’ needs and requirements rag-tag team delivered month after month, burnout was a very real for evacuations, changes in staffing (increases in some areas; issue, and the ECU lacked a mechanism to rapidly transition in reductions in others) and visits by the regional medical officers; new staff, particularly those with skillsets matching current needs. as well as plan for potential long-term effects on bidding patterns. • Fourth, State must continue to affirm its role within the Our diplomatic engagement was essential during the Ebola interagency community during a pandemic. The department’s outbreak, and the State Department must continue to form the forward-leaning approach and reliable support in recent outbreaks backbone of international efforts aimed at better preventing, has strengthened its reputation as coordinator and facilitator, as detecting and responding to the infectious disease threats of the well as expanding the interagency’s appreciation of the numerous future. It is a matter of national security. n

40 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FS KNOW-HOW

My Legal Battle with the World’s Worst Property Manager

BY AARON P. KARNELL Here are some hard-won lessons learned in dealing with a common feature of Foreign Service life: property managers. wo words from a Virginia judge, and it was over: “Motion granted.” Someone else might have turned to his lawyer at that point and asked, “What does this mean?” But I was stopped. I had to request the property manager to threaten acting as my own lawyer. I already them with eviction. They finally left the condo, and during the knew what the verdict meant: after resulting turnover period, I lost two months’ rent. (The month an eight-month legal battle with my they didn’t pay before leaving was covered by the security property manager, I’d lost my case. deposit, which the property manager did not return to me until As I left the courtroom, my opponent was grinning. after I had filed the lawsuit!) T I wrote a demand letter to the property manager clearly stating Who, What, Where, When my claim. Don’t I pay your management fee, I asked, for you to Sometime in 2014, while I was in Mexico, three people moved know what is going on with my property, including who actually into my Alexandria condo without my permission. My Virginia- lives there? No response. based property management company didn’t vet them or run a I am a lawyer by training, and the lawsuit started to form in credit check on them, but the company did cash rent checks from my head. I checked off the elements of negligence. Was there the three, none of whom had ever applied to live in the property. personal injury or property loss caused by the defendant’s breach Evidently, they had swapped places with the original tenants. The of a legal duty? Check. What about the duty of an agent, such as a property manager later claimed not to know they were there. property manager, to the owner, to look after his affairs as if they The three paid rent to the property manager for awhile, were his own, and to act in his best interest? He definitely didn’t then decided paying real money for housing was passé, and do that. Check. Then I looked at the contract I had signed with the property Aaron P. Karnell is a Foreign Service consular officer manager. Hmm. There wasn’t much in there about his duties, but who joined the Department of State in May 2010. Prior there was an awful lot about mine. to joining State, he was an FSO for USAID. He has Still, I was confident in victory. I was going to be the consumer served overseas in Dar es Salaam, Gaborone, Guadala- who fought back. I may be an inexperienced lawyer, but I had two jara and Matamoros. He passed the California bar examination in grand legal pillars holding up my case: the law of agency and the May 2014. law of negligence.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 41 How Can You Protect Your Investment?

• Choose your property manager carefully—ask friends and colleagues for references. • Review the contract carefully before signing, and insist on any necessary changes. • Make plans to tour the property whenever you are in the area—some trips will be partially tax-deductible, so keep receipts for your tax adviser. • Don’t assume the property manager is doing what needs to be done. Ask questions, ask for current photos and receipts, and stay involved. • For a lot of good information from the State Department's Transition Center about managing your property from overseas, visit www.bit.ly/managingproperty. COMMONS/AGNOSTICPREACHERSKID WIKIMEDIA

The Case doctrines and pieces of legislation designed to protect businesses According to the law of agency, the fiduciary duty of an have a way of cropping up. agent to his principal is one of the highest duties one person Second, and more importantly, take an active role in the nego- can owe another. It means that the agent—in this case, the tiation of your property management contract. When I signed my property manager—must act in the best interest of the prin- contract, I assumed, like many, that I had little power to negoti- cipal—me. The property manager-owner relationship is a ate. Increasingly, the contracts in our daily lives are “take it or textbook agency relationship, and everyone who has been to leave it” agreements—“Click here to agree to all of this gobble- law school knows this. dygook.” But sometimes there is room for negotiation, especially But that’s the difference between law school and the real with more personal business relationships. world. Practicing lawyers know that common law principles are In fact, on looking at my contract again, I discovered that it sometimes scrapped altogether by business-friendly state leg- had a few blank lines I could have used to enter my own terms. If islatures. As it turns out, the Virginia Code rewrites the property I had used those lines to write, “property manager owes owner a manager-owner relationship to exclude any duty of the property duty of due care in the management of owner’s property,” I might manager to act in the owner’s best interest. have seen a different outcome. At the start of your relationship Okay, that hurts. But I still had the law of negligence, right? with a property manager, or when the contract is up for renewal, Enter the economic loss doctrine, a business-friendly legal check that the agreement requires the property manager to act principle that says, in essence, that if you have a contract with with due care. If that language isn’t in there, ask for it. It’s not an a service provider such as a property manager, and he doesn’t especially onerous request, and if the property manager wants do his job properly, but you don’t suffer any personal injury or your business, they will probably accept it. physical loss due to his poor performance, you cannot sue for Finally, don’t have illusions about what a property manager negligence. can do for you. Relying on that same principle of the property All I was left with, at that point, was what was in the contract. manager acting in the owner’s place, I once asked a property What were his promises in that document? To collect rent. To find manager to attend an important condominium association tenants. And that was about it. meeting for me where a critical topic—condominium redevelop- Case dismissed. ment—was to be discussed. When I lived in the States, I didn’t Aside from revealing my naïveté as a lawyer, there is a point to go to condo association meetings very often; maybe once a year, sharing this story. My hope is that others in the Foreign Service, if that. But this is one I certainly would have attended if I were in whether they are lawyers or not, can learn a few lessons from my town. The manager said simply, “Sorry, we don’t do that.” loss. I should have figured out then what I finally know now, several years and one lawsuit later: Property managers are there to col- Lessons Learned lect rent, help you find a tenant (sometimes) and make basic First, as a property owner, don’t go around thinking “the repairs. They are not you. They don’t act in your best interest, but law” protects you from your property manager’s incompetence rather, in their best interest—which, if you are smart about your if your losses are purely economic and not very shocking. Legal contract, might coincide with yours. n

42 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FEATURE

The Migrant Crisis in Europe and the U.S.-E.U. Relationship

BY KATHLEEN SHEEHAN

Changes in the Brussels-Washington equation may affect the European Union’s refugee resettlement efforts.

s the European Union continues State of the Crisis to take stock of its relationship The number of refugees crossing from Turkey to Greece has with the new Donald J. Trump dropped considerably since the wave began in 2015. According administration, the refugee and to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, just 264 migration crisis that has over- people arrived in Greece in January 2017, a fraction of the 67,000 whelmed the continent in recent who arrived in January 2016. The dramatic reduction is due in years is subsiding. The annual large measure to the deal the European Union struck with the number of individuals crossing government of Turkey in March 2016. into Europe dropped from more Under that arrangement, for every migrant Turkey accepts than a million in 2015 to about 300,000 in 2016, and stands at back from Greece, the E.U. has agreed to resettle one migrant Ajust over 12,000 as of February. from Turkey. The E.U. also disbursed 3 billion euros to Turkey Despite a decrease in the number of people arriving, for migrant assistance. This deal, criticized by many humanitar- however, European countries must nonetheless ensure that all ian organizations for threatening to forcibly return refugees to migrants have access to safe reception and accommodation countries where they are liable to be persecuted, effectively sent sites while they wait for their asylum claims to be adjudicated. a message to people fleeing the Middle East that the Turkish To date, the United States has worked cooperatively with route to Europe was closed. Europeans to deal with the crisis, and the European Union has Meanwhile, the flow of migrants from Africa to Italy has con- counted on American moral and financial advocacy on behalf tinued unabated, with no end in sight. According to the UNHCR, of refugees and migrants. Whether Washington will continue to 170,973 people made the treacherous journey from Libya to Italy play this role under the new administration is uncertain. in 2016, and the agency predicts another 190,000 will arrive this year. Kathleen Sheehan, a Foreign Service officer from 1993 Given the perceived success of the E.U.-Turkey deal in halt- to 2007, served in Shenyang and Washington, D.C., in ing migration from that country, E.U. member-states are now the Bureaus of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, European looking to countries in North Africa to play a more active role Affairs, and Population, Refugees and Migration. She in stemming the flow of people to southern Europe. At the 2017 lives in Washington, D.C. The opinions and characterizations in this summit, where Malta assumed the presidency of the European piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent official Union, member states proposed more training for and a greater positions of the U.S. government. exchange of information with the Libyan Coast Guard, as well as

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 43 The first question to ask in determining the impact of a changing trans-Atlantic relationship on the migration crisis is whether the programs established by the Obama administration to assist Europe in addressing the problem will continue.

stepped-up intelligence sharing, to target smugglers. Vice President Mike Pence said, “It is my privilege on behalf of Because migrants stranded in Libya are held in detention Pres. Trump to express the strong commitment of the United centers, the E.U. also pledged to help authorities improve condi- States to continued cooperation and partnership with the Euro- tions in such facilities—both to facilitate the process of integrat- pean Union.” ing migrants into European society and to support international However, Pierre LeCorre, an E.U. specialist at the Brookings organizations’ efforts to assist with voluntary returns. Institution, noted that the visit did not help to restore Europe’s confidence in the relationship because “no one knows how con- A Changing Trans-Atlantic Relationship nected Pence is to the Trump foreign policy team.” As Brussels continues to deal with this migration crisis, Executive Order 13769, signed by Pres. Trump on Jan. 27, it is simultaneously forging a relationship with the new U.S. further complicated the formation of a new U.S.-E.U. relation- administration. In February E.U. High Representative Federica ship. The order capped the number of refugees to be resettled in Mogherini visited Washington, D.C., and noted that for the first the United States in 2017 at 50,000 (the previous administration time the main focus of her visit was the bilateral relationship, had set a Fiscal Year 2017 ceiling of 110,000), suspended all refu- rather than world crises. While speaking to the press during that gee admissions for at least 120 days, barred the entry of Syrian trip, she commented that the E.U. was entering “a time of a more refugees indefinitely and prohibited the entry of nationals from pragmatic and transactional kind of relationship with the United seven specified countries (Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, States.” Yemen and Iraq). European leaders did not hold back in their This cautious tone was the result of continued uncertainty criticism of this action. over the nature of the relationship the Trump administra- During her February visit to Washington, Mogherini made tion plans to have with Europe. In a strong reaction to remarks clear just how strongly Brussels disagreed with the executive President Trump made during his campaign, European Council order. “The E.U. does not believe doors are open to all,” she President Donald Tusk sent a letter to European leaders on Jan. noted, “but also does not believe in walls or discrimination on 31, noting that “the change in Washington puts the European nationality.” According to LeCorre, “The U.S. no longer has any Union in a difficult situation, with the new administration seem- credibility with the E.U. on migration issues.” ing to put into question the last 70 years of American foreign Following successful legal challenges to EO 13769, on March policy.” 6 the Trump administration issued a replacement, Executive European leaders expressed strong opposition to Pres. Order 13780. The new E.O. also halted the admission of refugees Trump’s likely nominee to be ambassador to the European for 120 days (from the same list of countries, minus Iraq). How- Union, Ted Malloch, because of his perceived hostility toward ever, on March 15 the United States District Court for the District the E.U. In a January BBC interview, when asked why he wished of Hawaii issued a nationwide injunction prohibiting the Depart- to hold that position, Malloch responded: “I had, in a previous ment of State from enforcing or implementing Sections 2 and career, a diplomatic post where I helped to bring down the Soviet 6 of this executive order. Section 6 includes certain provisions Union. So maybe there’s another union that needs taming.” relating to refugee admissions. Consequently, the Department of Other administration officials have been more positive about State has continued to admit refugees through the U.S. Refugee the future of the relationship. In his February visit to Brussels, Admission Program.

44 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Looking Ahead The first question to ask in determining the impact of a changing trans-Atlantic relationship on the migration crisis is whether the programs established by the Obama administration to assist Europe in addressing the problem will continue. Such efforts included pledges at the 2016 Leaders Summit on Refugees of $50 million for the Global Crisis Response Platform, as well as $11 million for the Emerging Resettlement Country Joint Support Mechanism—an effort to provide financial and technical support WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/GGIA to nations trying to establish or Syrian and Iraqi refugees from Turkey arrive at the island of Lesbos off the coast of Greece in expand their refugee resettlement October 2015. programs. In 2015 then-Secretary of State John Kerry established a the initial executive order halting arrivals, thousands of people working group, composed of representatives from 26 State in Europe protested via social media and in demonstrations. Department offices and six federal agencies, to coordinate the According to an opinion piece published by the European American response to the migration crisis. The working group Council on Foreign Relations in February, “Europe must not operated under three guiding principles: fill gaps in human allow itself to be divided and conquered. … Instead, the E.U. assistance on the ground; strengthen cooperation on border must speak with one voice to defend international agreements security and migrant vetting; and exchange best practices on and basic human rights, including the rights of refugees.” resettlement. According to sources in the Bureau of Population, With national elections coming up in France, Germany and Refugees and Migration, the working groups are still standing, Italy, political parties expressing anti-immigrant sentiments but they are working on an as-needed basis. are speaking more loudly. (The ruling coalition in the Neth- The Trump administration’s proposed budget for FY 2018 erlands held onto power in March elections, but at the price included a 29-percent reduction for the Department of State. of tacking sharply to the right on immigration.) Despite the When asked how the proposed budget would affect U.S. assis- E.U.’s criticism of the proposed United States travel ban, many tance for the migration crisis in Europe, a spokesperson for center-right politicians in Europe praised it. This is already hav- PRM was not able to provide information beyond a March 17 ing a negative impact on the relocation of refugees from Greece memo from Office of Management and Budget Director Mick and Italy to other European countries. While their northern Mulvaney, which stated: “Until OMB releases the full FY 2018 neighbors pledged to relocate 106,000 refugees by September budget, all public comments of any sort should be limited to 2017, only 11,000 have actually been moved. the information contained in the budget blueprint.” Europe expects that the United States will be less engaged on If Europeans see the U.S. leadership role on migration the migration crisis going forward. As the E.U. stops looking to fading, will they pick up the slack? When High Representative the U.S. for support on the migration crisis, will it also look away Federica Mogherini visited Washington, she was asked this from the United States for cooperation on other trans-Atlantic question directly. She replied that the E.U. “is ready.” Despite issues, such as trade, security and protection of human rights? this assertion, it’s hard to know what will happen to coopera- During a March 1 Council on Foreign Relations podcast assess- tion among European countries if they believe Washington has ing the state of the U.S.-E.U. relationship, Senior Fellow Charlie washed its hands of the refugee crisis. Kupchan stated: “Europe is the anchor of our global policy.” After the Trump administration announced the details of Time will tell whether this foundation remains strong. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 45

AFSA NEWS THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION

Continuing the Conversation: Securing CALENDAR Diplomacy for the Next Quarter-Century May 3 12-1:30 p.m. AFSA Governing Board Meeting On March 15, AFSA held the second in a new May 5 Foreign Service Day/AFSA series of events, “Con- Memorial Plaque Ceremony tinuing the Conversa- May 11 tion.” Former Assistant 4:30-6:30 p.m. Secretary for Diplomatic Reception: FSJ Digital Security Gregory Starr, a Archive Launch retired FSO, took part in May 25 a moderated conversa- 4:30-6:30 p.m. tion with AFSA President AFSA Networking Ambassador Barbara Happy Hour Stephenson on the topic May 29 of his article in the March Memorial Day: issue of The Foreign Ser- AFSA Offices Closed vice Journal, “Securing DVORAK AFSA/GEMMA June 7 Former Assistant Secretary Gregory Starr (left) at an event continuing the Diplomacy for the Next 12-1:30 p.m. conversation about how to secure diplomacy. Moderated by AFSA President AFSA Governing Quarter-Century.” Ambassador Barbara Stephenson (right), the conversation was followed by a Board Meeting Amb. Stephenson Q&A session. kicked off the full-house June 8 event at AFSA HQ, saying Mr. Starr emphasized, for overseas posts to be involved 8 a.m. AFSA Election “security is a responsibility, example, the importance of in assessing and mitigating Voting Deadline not just for DS agents, but for being clear from the outset risk to effectively and safely June 20 everyone,” a theme she had that all members of the For- conduct U.S. diplomacy. 4-6 p.m. expanded on in her March FSJ eign Service should expect “The priority of the AFSA Awards Ceremony president’s column “Working to serve at an unaccompa- Foreign Service must be July 4 Together to Manage Risk.” nied post (a post designated to implement U.S. foreign Independence Day: Amb. Stephenson invited as unsafe for dependent policy,” he said, and to do AFSA Offices Closed Mr. Starr to comment on the family members due to ter- that you must be able to July 15 future of Diplomatic Security rorism or instability in the weigh and manage risk. New Governing Board and how the agency is prepar- host country). Drawing on his experience Takes Office ing to respond to new threats He noted that DS special as the United Nations Under- worldwide. DS special agents agents should expect to Secretary-General for Safety should be trained in both serve at such a post approxi- and Security, Mr. Starr “hard skills” and diplomatic mately once per decade. helped to institute the Vital threat posts, and weighs tradecraft, Mr. Starr said, to Prior to 2001, an unaccom- Presence Validation Process U.S. policy against risks in be prepared for the new chal- panied posting generally (known as VP2) at State. a particular location, taking lenges they will face. happened only once over the VP2 is a repeatable and staffing and resources into “We need to get back to course of an agent’s career. transparent method to make account. the concept of service, and Amb. Stephenson and risk-managed decisions Mr. Starr recommended be talking openly to recruits Mr. Starr also discussed regarding U.S. presence at that VP2 reports be made and current members of the the critical issue of risk missions which have been available to all posts—even Foreign Service about the management, and how vital designated as “high-threat.” those not considered high realities of the Service,” he it is for members of Emer- A VP2 analysis must be threat—so that staff mem- added. gency Action Committees at undertaken annually by high Continued on page 56

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 47 STATE VP VOICE | BY ANGIE BRYAN AFSA NEWS

Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA State VP. Contact: [email protected] | (202) 647-8160

Make Your Voice Heard! Vote in the AFSA Election

As you may know, voting the union side of the house, has now started to elect the serving as the chief negotia- Sadly, voter turnout in recent AFSA 2017-2019 AFSA Govern- tor for the Foreign Service’s elections has been abysmal, with only ing Board. I am not running State Department personnel for re-election, and this when it comes to labor- 25 percent voting in the 2015 elections. message is not about any management issues. When If you do nothing else with your particular candidate or the department proposes a AFSA membership, at least just vote. slate. The goal of this mes- change to an existing policy sage is to convince you how or procedure that must be It’s quick and easy, and our member important it is to vote in the negotiated with AFSA or on services team is happy to walk you AFSA election. which AFSA must be con- through any questions. There are two active-duty sulted, it is the State VP who State Department employ- decides how to proceed. ees whose full-time job it is If the State VP does not to work for AFSA: the presi- catch a potential problem dent (although the president during such negotiations could also be a retiree or and consultations, thou- could come from one of sands of members could be the other agencies) and negatively affected. It mat- the State Department vice ters greatly who holds the

president. In addition, there power to negotiate on your AFSA/JOSH will be five State Depart- behalf. ment representatives on the The State reps not only AFSA Governing Board who raise and pursue issues serve on a volunteer basis themselves, but also serve in addition to their full-time as a wealth of knowledge State Department jobs. and experience for the The AFSA president is the president and State VP. For vote. It’s quick and easy, how much is at stake every individual overseeing the example, when an issue and our member services single day, I am ashamed of entire professional asso- arises involving a problem team ([email protected]) is my earlier indifference and ciation side of the house, or skill code that I’m not happy to walk you through want to do everything I can including media outreach, personally as familiar with, any questions. to convince you how much legislative advocacy, part- I often turn to my State If you want to do more the future of the Foreign nerships with other orga- reps, asking them for their than place your own vote, Service depends on getting nizations and much, much perspective and input. Their please spend a little time the right people into these more. feedback has been invalu- encouraging all of your fel- AFSA positions. As such, the president able in enabling me to argue low AFSA members to vote, So read up on the candi- serves as the voice of the effectively on behalf of the as well. And, if you have col- date statements (available Foreign Service, and is often full spectrum of member- leagues who are not AFSA on www.afsa.org/afsa- the first person outsiders ship views. members, tell them what elections), think about what (or even insiders) turn to Sadly, voter turnout in AFSA does and encourage matters most to you, and when they want to know how recent AFSA elections has them to join. then cast your vote before an issue is viewed by or will been abysmal, with only 25 I have to admit, I never the June 8 deadline. It AFSA- affect the Foreign Service. percent voting in the 2015 once voted in an AFSA lutely matters. It matters who holds that elections. If you do noth- election until I myself ran And yes, I’ve waited position. ing else with your AFSA for office. Now that I’m in almost two years to write The AFSA State VP heads membership, at least just the job, however, and see that pun. You’re welcome. n

48 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL USAID VP VOICE | BY SHARON WAYNE AFSA NEWS

Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA USAID VP. Contact: [email protected] or (202) 712-1631

The Human Resources Transformation

The role of USAID in the world increasingly complex operat- training for career officers. active participants in work- today is perhaps more impor- ing environment is vested in a The Development Lead- ing groups on these initia- tant than at any other time in strong Foreign Service. ership Initiative of 2008 tives and, as direct users of its history. Honoring this demand and provided some relief to the both systems, have uniquely Former Deputy Administra- to better serve current and extreme shortage of career well-informed perspectives tor Alfonso Lenhardt launched future administrations, USAID FSOs. Predictably, the rapid on what is working and what USAID’s Human Resources has prioritized the need to onboarding of the DLI career is not. Transformation with this make systemic, long-term candidates strained structural The roots of such col- sentiment as he highlighted improvements to its operating weaknesses and highlighted laboration lie deep within the the importance of a highly and management systems. many pain points, which are democratic heritage of our functioning HR department to The HR Transformation now being addressed by the people and our nation, and I serve the needs of the agency process aims to ensure that HR Transformation. strongly encourage all USAID and its workforce. the agency is supporting and Member concerns have FSOs to keep up their enthu- The sentiment was further empowering its staff around repeatedly cited lack of trans- siasm and commitment to driven home in the Feb. 27 the world and thus retaining parency in both the Foreign participating in the redesign of letter sent to the House and quality personnel, as well as Service assignment system these core components. Senate leadership signed by responsibly managing hiring and promotion system. AFSA We hope that clearer infor- 121 retired three- and four- systems and authorities so has consistently called for mation on assignment bidding star generals and admirals, that the agency has the staff transparency in these two vital and performance manage- conveying their experienced it needs. aspects of career management systems will soon be and strong conviction that Recognizing that people ment to help strengthen available, along with new tools elevating and strengthening are the source of the agency’s retention, development of to help FSOs navigate the diplomacy and development strength, efforts at transform- expertise and increased process. alongside defense is critical to ing HR to bring meaningful morale at USAID. As the redesign of both keeping America safe. and lasting change to the way AFSA has also consis- the assignment and perfor- USAID FSOs are a critical USAID manages its human tently called for the agency mance management process frontline defense in prevent- resources are beginning to to include FSO input in the continues, please take the ing conflict and advancing our take shape. The reduction in design of any changes that time to review the docu- national security interests. force (RIF) of the 1990s, com- affect their lives. ments and webinars posted The military needs and wants bined with USAID’s operating It is gratifying to see labor on the Office of Human strong civilian partners in the expense restrictions and inad- and management working Capital and Talent Manage- fight against the forces driving equate workforce planning, together toward the common ment website, and share extremism—injustice, insecu- spawned both excessive tem- goal of designing new pro- your thoughts with AFSA at rity, lack of opportunity and porary hiring and diminished cesses that improve agency [email protected] and hopelessness. Success in our professional development and operations. FSOs have been [email protected]. n

AFSA Governing Board Meeting, March 1, 2017

Welcome: AFSA President Ambassador Barbara Stephenson tee, Retiree Vice President Ambassador (ret.) Tom Boyatt welcomed Stephen Wixom as the new FAS Representative. moved that the AFSA Governing Board approve six appli- Consent Agenda: The Governing Board approved the cants for consideration at the initial meeting with other consent agenda item, which was: the Feb. 1 Governing Board foreign affairs agencies to determine the Foreign Service meeting minutes. Grievance Board appointment recommendations to make to FSGB Appointments: On behalf of the Executive Commit- the Secretary of State. The motion was approved. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 49 FAS VP VOICE | BY MARK PETRY AFSA NEWS

Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA FAS VP. Contact: [email protected] or (202) 720-2502

Washington Without FSOs

The recent list of jobs for and the mismanagement of welcoming to FSOs who may tributions, but their actions Foreign Agricultural Service resources many years ago. hold a position only a year or don’t match the rhetoric. officers returning to Wash- As a result, we are down by two, they seem to prefer to AFSA and FAS manage- ington, D.C., is extremely one third in both the FS-1 and have no FSOs at all. ment must develop a plan to disappointing. FS-2 classes. Instead of making extra weather this demographic For the five most-senior Since overseas offices efforts to take advantage of crisis and maintain a vibrant officers (Senior Foreign must be filled, the gap in the benefits of having FSOs FSO presence in Washington. Service and FS-1) returning officers is in Washington. on staff, managers have sim- Unfortunately, any agree- to work in Washington, D.C., Instead of 33 percent of offi- ply hired more civil servants. ment will likely put even there are only five positions cers serving in Washington, As a result, some coveted more hardship on FSOs by available. Moreover, there are we now have only 16 percent. positions may not open up weakening our contract no positions available in four Those who do take positions for FSOs for a decade or language on hiring or by of the six FAS program areas. in Washington generally more. offering no additional human Are we facing an inten- cycle back overseas quickly. Not only does this not give resources. tional effort to create disin- These statistics don’t returning officers any real However, we must try. centives for officers to return change the fact that work in choice and disregards their Given both the written and to Washington? Washington has to be done. broad experience, it sends the social contracts that exist The answer is no, but the However, it has encouraged message that FAS FSOs are in our small agency, putting result is the same. A dearth parochial, short-term think- not welcome and not valued Washington-based FSOs into of mid-level officers is the ing on behalf of headquar- in Washington. Management “windowless offices” is not fruit of poor hiring practices ters staff. Rather than being suggests they value FSO con- acceptable. n

AFSA Welcomes New AFSA’S 2016 ANNUAL REPORT LM Staff Member PUBLISHED The 2016 AFSA Annual Report is now available online at www.afsa. Jaya Duvvuri is the Ms. Duvvuri worked org/annualreport. new executive assis- as an economist at AFSA President Ambassador tant to AFSA State Booz Allen Hamilton Barbara Stephenson introduces

Vice President Angie and Pricewatehouse NEWS BRIEF the report, setting out the goals Bryan. A Foreign Coopers, providing of AFSA’s Governing Board and Service spouse, she strategy consult- sharing achievements and new previously served as ing and transfer initiatives. Contributions from the Education pricing solutions to the AFSA treasurer, each of the

USA adviser at DVORAK AFSA/GEMMA corporate clients. constituency vice presidents and Jaya Duvvuri Embassy Kigali, and She holds a B.A. in AFSA Executive Director Ian Houston follow. was the treasurer political economy The report details AFSA’s 2016 activities—from out- for the American Employees of industrial societies from reach to advocacy and from publications to member Association of Kigali. Prior to the University of California, engagement—with particular attention to what AFSA does that, she worked with Habitat Berkeley, and a joint mas- to tell the Foreign Service story. for Humanity Macedonia and ter’s degree in quantitative To reduce costs and be eco-friendly, we are making the the United Nations Nigeria, economics and urban and report available online to all members. To request a paper where she provided adminis- environmental policy and copy, while supplies last, please email [email protected], trative and program support. planning from Tufts Univer- with the subject line “Annual Report.” n Before moving overseas, sity. n

50 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL NOTES FROM LABOR MANAGEMENT AFSA NEWS

Packing Out—What You Need To Know

It’s that time A separate the Washington, D.C., area, items carefully segregated. of year again: weight allow- make sure you leave plenty You can mark big items with summer transfer ance is also of time to check weights tape, but you may want to season is quickly authorized to be and inventory before you keep the smaller items in approaching, and shipped as unac- get on the plane. Remember separate rooms. thousands of companied air that the moving company’s 4. Inventory, inventory, Foreign Service baggage (UAB); weight estimate is just inventory! Make sure your employees and this amount does that, an estimate, and it inventory is as comprehen- their families change based on rarely comes in right on the sive as possible. Use your are preparing the family size. money. smartphone or tablet to take to pack up their James Yorke A single traveler So it is very important photos or videos of each households and is authorized to that you have time before box, if possible. A sketchy ship their possessions to ship 250 pounds of UAB. you fly out to verify the or incomplete inventory will their next post. The second traveler in weights of all your ship- make it difficult to cull the The Overseas Briefing the party is authorized to ments—UAB, HHE and long- shipment if you’re over- Center, part of the Foreign ship 200 pounds; the third term storage—to make sure weight. A complete inven- Service Institute’s Transi- traveler is authorized to ship that you are not overweight, tory will make it easier to tion Center, should be the 150; and any additional trav- and to remove items if you identify missing or damaged first stop for anyone facing elers can ship 100 pounds find that you have exceeded items, and may help you to a move. All U.S. government each. the weight allowance. claim on your insurance if employees, contractors and items have been damaged family members assigned en route. So spend a little to or returning from U.S. extra time to make sure your embassies and consulates inventory is as thorough as overseas are eligible to use you can make it. the OBC and take any of the 5. Engage the inspector. Transition Center training A State Department inspec- courses. More details on tor visits each packout site, the OBC and the resources probably on the first day of available there can be found the process—which is likely at www.bit.ly/StateOBC. to be before any problems

In brief, here are the five AFSA/JOSH have cropped up. golden rules for a successful Be sure to speak with the packout: Remember, too, that you You are allowed 10 days inspector and ask him or her 1. Watch your weight. cannot transfer unused UAB of per diem before flying to pay a second visit later Most overseas posts provide weight to your HHE allow- out—use them wisely. on. At the very least, make furnished housing, so the ance. Moving companies 3. Organize and sepa- sure you are able to contact total weight you are author- in the United States do not rate. Make sure you sepa- the inspector in case any ized to ship there is 7,200 weigh each box before load- rate each category of ship- problems arise. n pounds. That household ing it on the truck and can ment carefully. —James Yorke, effects (HHE) allowance is only provide a final weight The packers will descend AFSA Senior Labor the same regardless of the once the shipment has on you and will pack things Management Adviser number of people listed on been consolidated at the up faster than you realize, the travel orders: A single warehouse. This leads us to and you can’t keep your person or a family of six golden rule number two: eyes on everyone at the both get the same 7,200- 2. Take your time. When same time. Keep the HHE, pound allotment. planning your packout from the UAB and the storage

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 51 AFSA NEWS

AFSA Election Candidates Attend Town Hall Meeting

On April 4 AFSA hosted a town hall event for the upcoming election of the 2017-2019 AFSA Governing Board. Shown here, from left, are Election Committee members Lee Brayman, Mort Dworken, Curt Whittaker and Susan Wong (chair). Nearly 20 candidates came to speak on their platform and hear questions from AFSA members. Each candidate had the opportunity to discuss their qualifications for the position for which they are standing, and to explain how they will advocate for the Foreign Service and AFSA members if they were to be elected. A recording of the

AFSA/THEO HORN AFSA/THEO event is available on the AFSA website, Members of the AFSA Committee on Elections at the town hall. www.afsa.org/elections. n

Your Vote Matters—Use It! ballot can be sent by email to The election for the 2017- [email protected] or in writ- 2019 AFSA Governing Board ing to: AFSA Committee on and a vote on three pro- Elections, 2101 E Street NW, posed bylaw amendments is Washington DC 20037. Please underway. Details about the include your full name, cur- election, including the rules, rent address, email address can be found at www.afsa. and telephone number. org/elections. Ballot Tally: On June 8, All members should have at 8 a.m. EDT, the printed

received candidates’ cam- ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/EINEGRAPHIC ballots will be collected from paign literature, proposed the post office in Washington, bylaw amendments plus online was sent to you. your approved sender list to D.C. Printed ballots must be explanation and a statement If you did not receive ensure receipt. received at the post office by of opposition to one proposed that email, and are a regular Printed ballots have been that time to be counted. The amendment with their ballot, member who was in good sent to all retired members online voting site will close at and may also view the infor- standing as of March 17, via the U.S. Postal Service. If 8 a.m. EDT on June 8. mation on the AFSA website you can also visit the an online and a printed ballot All AFSA members are (http://bit.ly/2p0FeVP). secure online ballot site, are returned for the same strongly encouraged to vote Ballots: Ballots were www.directvote.net/AFSA, member, only the printed bal- in this election. Please review distributed on April 17. If you and request that an email lot will be counted. If you have your options for voting and have a valid email address containing unique login cre- not received a ballot by May ensure that you cast your bal- on file with AFSA, an email dentials be sent to you. 8, please contact election@ lot in a timely manner. containing a unique passcode Be sure to add afsa.org. Thank you for your par- and instructions for voting [email protected] to Requests for a duplicate ticipation! n

52 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL STAY INFORMED. STAY CONNECTED.

Getting the Most Out of Your Social Security

Most AFSA members now known retirement benefit, but retire under the Foreign also disability, survivor and Service Pension System, for Medicare benefits. which Social Security is a He reviewed a number major component. With the of topics, including how to Social Security provisions of calculate your retirement the 2015 Bipartisan Budget benefits, your choices on how Act closing off some options, and when to start receiving AFSA invited Social Security benefits and federal taxation expert Ed Zurndorfer to dis- of your benefits. cuss the changes, how they Following the presenta- affect FSPS members and tion, Mr. Zurndorfer answered how to get the most out of questions from the audience. Social Security. A video of the event is avail- More than 50 people able at the AFSA website, attended the March 2 discus- www.afsa.org/video, and sion at AFSA headquarters. additional resources about Mr. Zurndorfer began his Social Security planning and presentation by reminding the other matters of interest to AFSA/GEMMA DVORAK AFSA/GEMMA audience that Social Security our members are available Social Security expert Ed Zurndorfer discusses the different types of social does not only refer to the well- from www.afsa.org/retiree. n security benefits at the March 2 event at AFSA headquarters.

Retiree Outreach in Action This discussion occurred ates that Mr. Longo volun- shortly after heavy media teered for this engagement, Retired Ambassador Lange the Greenspring Great Deci- coverage of a State Depart- as 4-H is one of AFSA’s Schermerhorn spoke at the sions program in Springfield, ment dissent channel national outreach partners, Goodwin House retirement Virginia, to discuss “Saudi message on the president’s allowing us to tell the story community in Alexandria, Arabia in Transition.” Mr. immigration executive order, of the Foreign Service and Virginia in late March. Her Keiswetter, a Middle East and Amb. Cotter used the why diplomacy matters to an talk, “Climate Change and expert and frequent lecturer opportunity to talk about the audience that often does not Diplomacy,” was enthusiasti- at AFSA Road Scholar edu- long history of dissent in the get the opportunity to inter- cally received by the highly cational programs, engaged Foreign Service and why it’s act with American diplomats. informed attendees, who with an inquisitive audience important to maintain that If you are interested in asked numerous questions who had many questions kind of conduit for opposing joining the Speakers Bureau, given the news that the about oil, Islamic extremism views. or inviting one of our speak- Trump administration was and the recent changes in the Retired AFSA member ers to come to an event, about to issue an executive Saudi royal family. Tom Longo will meet with information is available on order on climate change. The Ambassador (ret.) young 4-H participants at the AFSA website, www.afsa. lecture was arranged through Michael Cotter met with Purdue University’s extension org/speakers. Or if you are AFSA’s Speakers Bureau by almost 50 members of the program in West Lafayette, part of a retiree group and retired FSO Pierre Shostal, a Carolina Meadows retirement Indiana, in June. The focus want to tell AFSA about what resident of Goodwin House. community in Chapel Hill, of the discussion will be how you are doing, contact us at Allen Keiswetter, a North Carolina, to talk about to stay globally engaged in [email protected]. n retired Foreign Service dissent and the Foreign America’s heartland. —Ásgeir Sigfússon, officer, joined members of Service. AFSA particularly appreci- Director of Communications

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 53 AFSA NEWS

Outside the Beltway: AFSA Expands Outreach Efforts

AFSA’s 50 States Outreach Initiative aims to engage with our fellow citizens in each state, providing them the opportunity to interact personally with a member of the U.S. Foreign Service to gain an understanding of what diplomats do and why it matters. COURTESY OF J CARSON OF COURTESY AFSA President Ambassador Barbara Stephenson (third from left) meets with AFSA retiree members in Sarasota, Florida.

Florida: AFSA Presi- and generosity in facilitating ment’s efforts to recruit a Mandel, with his wife Judy, dent Ambassador Barbara and hosting the Florida meet- diverse and capable work- spoke to a group at the Stephenson visited north ings. force. Lexington, Massachusetts, and central Florida in March. public library on the topic of During the visit, she met with New Jersey and New Idaho: Ambassador (ret.) “Wanderlust—A Life of Travel.” Foreign Service retirees in York: On Feb. 14-15, Amb. Patricia Butenis was named They spoke about life in the Jacksonville and with retirees Stephenson visited New this year’s Distinguished Foreign Service and the many in the Sarasota/Bradenton/ York City and northern New Practitioner of International challenges and opportuni- Tampa/St. Petersburg area. Jersey, where she spoke Affairs by the Martin Institute ties afforded by a diplomatic Amb. Stephenson used to 40 students at Seton at the University of Idaho. In career. the opportunity to inquire Hall University—a private, early February, Amb. Butenis Finally, during the last about the top concerns fac- Catholic university with a visited UI to deliver the key- week of April, AFSA hosted ing Foreign Service retirees growing international affairs note at the Institute’s Martin a Road Scholar program on and report on the situation in program. Forum, focusing on the chal- diplomacy, during which 12 Washington, D.C. During a lively Q&A ses- lenges of representing the Foreign Service speakers This was a great oppor- sion, students in the School United States abroad. lectured to 37 attendees, who tunity to gauge the groups’ of Diplomacy and Interna- Speakers at the Martin came from 16 states across interest in participating tional Affairs inquired about Forum also have the opportu- America, as well as from actively in outreach efforts in a range of issues related nity to visit classes and meet Ontario, Canada. Florida, in particular by team- to careers in the Foreign with students in informal We invite readers to keep ing up with some of AFSA’s Service. settings on campus. The Mar- up with AFSA’s national strategic partners, such as In New York City, Amb. tin Institute is dedicated to outreach efforts at www.afsa. Global Ties U.S. Participants Stephenson touched base understanding the causes of org/50states. If you live in a were highly engaged and with State Department war, the conditions necessary state we haven’t visited this receptive. Diplomat in Residence Usha for peace and the interna- year, we welcome your assis- AFSA wishes to thank Pitts as part of AFSA’s com- tional system. tance in bringing AFSA and Linda Olesen, Judy Carson mitment to work closely with the Foreign Service to town! and Ambassador (ret.) Sam- Diplomats in Residence and Massachusetts: Retired —Ásgeir Sigfússon, uel Hart for their assistance to reinforce the State Depart- Foreign Service Officer Larry Director of Communications

54 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS

Professional Excellence: 2016 Sinclaire Language Awards Recipients Honored

The American Foreign Service and Plaques Committee. Each Association takes great pride winner receives $1,000 and a in recognizing professional certificate of recognition. excellence within the Foreign All of this year’s recipients Service, including the mas- demonstrated extraordinary tery and professional utiliza- skills in their chosen language tion of languages—a vital skill at post. Their impressive to acquire for a successful feats include participating in Foreign Service career. This live television interviews in year, we add 11 recipients to Albanian, acting as master of the list of over 300 members ceremonies in Japanese for of the Foreign Service who an event at the ambassador’s have been so honored previ- residence, and conducting ously. highly technical meetings with AFSA established this the ministries of finance and award program in 1982 fol- customs and border authority lowing a generous bequest in Arabic. from former Foreign Service We are pleased to Officer Matilda W. Sinclaire, announce the 2016 Sinclaire who sought “to promote and Award recipients: reward superior achievement Gregory Aurit, Japanese by career officers of the For- Brian Corteville, Albanian eign Service…while studying Henry Yu-Hang Fung, one of the Category III or IV Mongolian languages under the aus- Jacob Glenn, Hindi pices of the Foreign Service Kevin O. Gonzalez, Institute.” Mandarin Chinese Any career or career-condi- Christopher Gooch, tional member of the Foreign Nepali Service from the Department David H. Johnson, Farsi of State, U.S. Agency for Inter- Mariana Neisuler, Arabic national Development, Foreign Jacob Rocca, Japanese Commercial Service, Foreign David Wacker, Estonian Agricultural Service, Broad- James A. Waterman, casting Board of Governors Georgian or Animal and Plant Health For more information Inspection Service is eligible on the Sinclaire Awards, for the award. please contact AFSA Awards Recipients are selected by Coordinator Perri Green at a committee comprised of the [email protected] or (202) 719- dean of the FSI School of Lan- 9700, or visit www.afsa.org/ guage studies (or his or her sinclaire. n designee), an active member —James Schiphorst, of AFSA and the AFSA Awards Awards Intern

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 55 AFSA NEWS

Local Engagement in Global Affairs

programs such as the Inter- zen diplomacy with Clifton L. national Visitor Leadership Taulbert, a Pulitzer-nominated Program that members of the author, speaker, entrepreneur Foreign Service know so well. and activist; Anthony Shop, In her remarks, Amb. co-founder of the social media Stephenson presented strategy company Social opportunities for closer col- Driver; and Olive Sampson, laboration between Global deputy director of the U.S. Ties and AFSA, with retired Diplomacy Center. AFSA members in particular The panel focused on the being ideal candidates for importance of local com- Global Ties boards around munities in tackling global the country—and ideal host problems, and on the role of AFSA/CATHERINE KANNENBERG AFSA/CATHERINE families for international visi- local and social media net- tors. With their deep connec- works in amplifying the reach AFSA President Ambassador coordinates more than tions to local communities, and impact of our message Barbara Stephenson partici- 40,000 volunteers in 45 members of Global Ties are encouraging continued global pated in the annual meeting of states. During the annual well positioned to help tell the engagement. Global Ties U.S., held Feb. 9-11 conference, representatives of story of the Foreign Service to At the same event, Amb. in Washington, D.C. Global Ties U.S. engage with the heartland of America. Stephenson presented the Global Ties U.S., one of Congress and underscore On Feb. 10, Amb. Stephen- Global Ties 2017 Citizen Diplo- AFSA’s strategic partners, the value of exchange visitor son moderated a panel on citi- mat Award to Mr. Taulbert. n

U.S. personnel. Risk is inher- Security Advisory Council ent in Foreign Service work and how OSAC members in overseas, so the goal must many countries worldwide be to mitigate rather than can be useful contacts for eliminate risk. political, economic and con- He recommended that the sular officers. model used in VP2—which He also responded to clearly states the foreign questions about engaging policy benefit that must be locally employed (LE) staff weighed against the risk of overseas (he said more maintaining a presence—be should be done to invest in extended to the work of these critical employees) and AFSA/GEMMA DVORAK AFSA/GEMMA An audience member asks a question during the Q&A session. Emergency Action Commit- the lessons learned about tees, as they weigh opera- risk management during the Securing Diplomacy presence in the host country; tional and tactical decisions years the Foreign Service has Continued from page 47 what the risks to mission such as whether to undertake spent in Iraq and Afghanistan. staff within that country are; a specific trip into a high- A recording of the event is bers can see how the reports and, most importantly, why it threat area. available at the AFSA website, are created and used. is important that the United Mr. Starr answered ques- www.afsa.org/video. n Staff at all posts, he said, States maintains a presence tions from the audience —Gemma Dvorak, should be able to articulate in the host country, even if on subjects including the Associate Editor why the United States has a there are risks to the safety of importance of the Overseas

56 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS

ADST Launches FSI at 70

On March 9, the Association Finally, author Steve Hon- for Diplomatic Studies and ley spoke about the process Training hosted an event at of researching and writing AFSA’s E Street headquar- the book, acknowledging ters building to launch a the contributions of ADST new book, FSI at 70—Future intern Danny Li. Mr. Honley Forward: A History of commended FSI for “never the Foreign Service Institute (Arlington Hall Press, 2017). The book covers the founding of FSI and its evolution as the premier institution dedicated to teaching foreign languages and diplomatic tradecraft. The book was written by former Foreign Service Officer Ste- ven Alan Honley, the previous editor-in- chief of The Foreign Service Journal (2001-2014). Philip Hughes, chairman losing sight of its core mis- of the ADST Board of Direc- sion, to serve those who tors, kicked off the event, serve around the world.” welcoming participants Honley also thanked and thanking the various AFSA for its assistance— contributors to the book, as in particular for sharing well as the Una Chapman access to the full digitized Cox Foundation, which pro- FSJ archive, which proved vided funds for the project. invaluable. Following his Dr. Marc Ostfield, deputy presentation, Mr. Honley director of the Foreign took questions from the Service Institute, discussed audience. the importance of the FSI FSI at 70—Future For- program and the institute’s ward: A History of the new emphasis on immersive Foreign Service Institute is learning. He stated that by available from Amazon in reviewing previous suc- both e-book and paperback cesses and lessons learned formats. n from the past 70 years, FSI —Gemma Dvorak, at 70: Future Forward is a Associate Editor springboard to plans for the future.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 57 IN MEMORY

n John Albert Collins, 86, a retired Mr. Collins is warmly remembered by helped promote understanding and Foreign Service officer, died on Oct. family members and his many friends as cooperation between the United States 2, 2016, at Casey’s Pond in Steamboat a remarkable man. and foreign countries through her abili- Springs, Colo., of Lewy Body Parkinson’s Mr. Collins was predeceased by both ties with foreign languages, her work in disease. parents, his daughter Suzanne Marie the arts and her graciousness in hosting Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Sept. 10, Collins and his sister Aileen Patricia people from different sectors of society at 1930, the son of Nicholas Martin Collins O’Shaughnessy. her home. and Cecilia Barry Collins, Mr. Collins He is survived by his wife of almost 60 She instituted an art exchange attended Regis High School. A graduate years, Trudy A. Collins; his son, Stephen between Albanian art students and of St. John’s University of New York City T. Collins; his younger sister, Cecilia Joyce Loyola University in New Orleans. In and the New York University School of Collins; his daughter-in-law, Theresa Afghanistan, where she worked for a year Law, Mr. Collins was a member of the Kassandra Collins; and his granddaugh- in the embassy’s cultural affairs unit, she New York State Bar. ter, Sienna Suzanne Collins; as well as was responsible for putting together a During the Korean conflict he served numerous nephews, nieces and cousins. well-received photo exhibit of the history for more than three years as an officer in Memorial contributions may be made of U.S.-Afghanistan diplomatic relations. the United States Navy. After release from to the Suzanne Marie Collins Perpetual One of her most successful projects active duty in 1956 he worked for several Scholarship, c/o the American Foreign was the first exhibit of the Albanian years with the M.W. Kellogg Corporation Service Association Scholarship Fund, Marubi photographs at the City Museum as a buyer of industrial equipment and a 2101 E Street NW, Washington DC 20037. in Helsinki. systems analyst. Family members and friends remem- Mr. Collins joined the Department of n Lea Maria Kristiina Cristina, 67, ber Mrs. Cristina as a wonderful, warm, State in 1961 and was commissioned as a the wife of retired Foreign Service Officer creative and joyful mother and wife. A Foreign Service officer in 1962. During a Stephen Cristina, died suddenly on Jan. 1 quiet and private person, she was also a more than 20-year diplomatic career, he in Bethesda, Md. bon vivant who loved good wine, good and his family served both overseas and The daughter of Juho Kaarlo Väinö food, good friends and conversation, they in the United States. (Jussi) Jännes and Kaste-Helmi Marjatta recall. She enjoyed spending time in her Overseas postings included Aleppo, (Pisko) Kangas, Lea Cristina grew up garden or curling up with a good book. Stockholm, Thessaloniki and Athens. in Finland and subsequently lived in Mrs. Cristina leaves behind her hus- Stateside Mr. Collins served in Madison, France, Spain and the United States. band of more than 43 years, Stephen of Wis.—the first officer to serve with the A skilled and accomplished artist, Bethesda, Md.; two sons, Arvid (and his governor’s office, as well as in various Mrs. Cristina painted in oil, acrylic and wife, Nancy Schmitt) and Jan (and his assignments in Washington, D.C. watercolor, and sculpted in clay and wife, Sanna Teräsvirta); a granddaughter, Mr. Collins retired from the Foreign paper maché, in addition to working with Ella; a grandson, Tyko; her brother, Jukka Service in 1982, but stayed involved in digital art. Her works have been shown in Jännes and his family; and many grieving government for the next 20 years. With his several countries. family members and friends in Finland, wife, Trudy, he worked for victims’ rights Both before and after her marriage in the United States and throughout the and habeas corpus reform, lobbying Capi- 1976 to Stephen Cristina, Mrs. Cristina world. tol Hill and testifying before Congress. traveled extensively. She was fluent in In 1985, the Collins’ daughter, more than 10 languages. The couple n David J. Fischer, 77, a retired For- Suzanne, an accomplished member of settled in New Orleans, La., where she eign Service officer and former ambas- the U.S. Marine Corps, was tragically had several professional shows. sador, died on Nov. 22, 2016, in San murdered. Besides becoming spokesper- When Mr. Cristina joined the Foreign Francisco, Calif. sons for the rights of victims, the couple Service in 1987, she accompanied him Born in Connecticut and raised in established a scholarship in her honor to to Brazil, Holland, Belgium, Albania, Minneapolis, Minn., where he attended help Foreign Service members’ children Afghanistan and Denmark. the Blake School, Mr. Fischer gradu- with their education. Wherever she was, Mrs. Cristina ated from Brown University in 1960 and

58 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL attended Harvard Law School. He also the first resident U.S. ambassador to that of Highest Achievement. In 1994 he spent a year at the University of Vienna, country, which was particularly impor- received the German Service Cross, which helped him develop a lifelong tant to our missile-tracking program Germany’s highest civilian honor, for his interest in Eastern Europe. during that period. contributions to U.S-German relations. Mr. Fischer joined the Foreign Service In 1985 Ambassador Fischer returned Amb. Fischer is survived by Pamela, in 1961. His first assignment was to U.S. to Washington, D.C., as director for East his wife of 55 years, who accompanied Consulate General Frankfurt, where African affairs, responsible for 13 African him to all his posts; his sons, Mark and he performed consular services and countries. In that position he helped Keith; daughter-in-law, Stephanie; a perfected his already strong German manage the massive Ethiopian famine daughter, Anne, and son-in-law, Nathan- language skills. relief effort, as well as dealing with strife iel Gleason, M.D.; as well as three grand- He was subsequently selected for in Somalia and Sudan. sons; and a brother, Keith Fischer. Polish-language training and assigned to He returned to Germany in 1989 as Warsaw in 1964. It was his first experi- consul general in Munich, then one of n Russell Frost (Rusty) Graham, 72, ence living in a communist-controlled our largest and most important consular a retired Foreign Service officer, died on country, but he was able to develop many posts, where he managed U.S. interests Jan. 24 in Greenwich, Conn., after a brief good contacts and friendships, including during a critical time as the Cold War illness. with students and dissidents. faded and German reunification took Born in Norwalk, Conn., Mr. Gra- In 1968 Mr. Fischer was posted to shape. ham attended the Hotchkiss School in Washington, D.C., where he worked in Fluent in German and a skilled com- Lakeville, Conn., and Beloit College in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research municator, he had a legendary network Wisconsin. He received his MBA from the on Eastern European affairs. He later of contacts, including Franz Josef Strauss, University of Connecticut. joined the Arms Control & Disarmament one of Germany’s top postwar lead- He served in the U.S. Army before Agency and was seconded to the Strate- ers. Along with his arms control efforts, joining the State Department as a Foreign gic Arms Limitation Treaty negotiations Fischer considered his work in Munich Service officer in 1974. There he met in 1969, where he remained until com- to be the most satisfying of his Foreign his wife, fellow Foreign Service Officer pletion of the agreement in 1972. He was Service career. Virginia Lancina Graham. particularly proud of being part of these Amb. Fischer retired from the Foreign Mr. Graham served overseas in Costa and subsequent arms control efforts. Service in 1990 and went to San Fran- Rica, Morocco, Pakistan and Peru before Mr. Fischer went next to Sofia as head cisco as president of the World Affairs returning to Washington, D.C., to study of the political-economic section. This Council of Northern California, one of the at the National War College. He served was followed by an “out of area” post- country’s most influential foreign affairs at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations ing in Kathmandu where, among other organizations. He boosted its member- in New York City for the remainder of his things, he and his wife, Pam, indulged ship substantially and hosted important career, retiring as minister counselor for their strong interest in mountain climb- speakers, including many heads of state, host-country affairs in 2012. ing, joining at least one expedition to academic leaders and opinion-makers An avid traveler, Mr. Graham is Mount Everest during their stay. from around the globe. remembered as a consummate diplomat In 1977 he returned to arms control In 1998 he took up a career in aca- and a master storyteller. He was passion- for the SALT II negotiations, and was then demia as a faculty member at San Fran- ate about cartography, had an encyclope- assigned to Dar es Salaam as the deputy cisco State University. Highly respected dic knowledge of the world’s geography chief of mission. As chargé d’affaires for as a teacher, his innovative courses in and was fluent in French and Spanish. an extended period between ambas- arms control, intelligence and terrorism, Mr. Graham was predeceased by his sadors, he was the key U.S. contact with and national security decision-making wife of 40 years, Virginia. Tanzania’s President Julius Nyerere. were always full. He is survived by his daughter, Eliza- In 1982 President Ronald Reagan He was a member of the Council beth Graham Field (and her husband, appointed Mr. Fischer ambassador to on Foreign Relations and was awarded James) of Annapolis, Md.; his son, Russell the Republic of the Seychelles. He was the Foreign Policy Association’s Medal Frost Graham Jr. (and his wife, Adriane)

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 59 of Greenwich, Conn.; four grandchildren; joining the Foreign Service. He served as and his brother, Arthur Graham of East a Spanish-English translator during the Hampton, N.Y. Cuban Missile Crisis, and then joined the Donations in his memory may be U.S. Agency for International Develop- made to the Fund for American Diplo- ment, where he helped plan assistance macy, AFSA, 2101 E Street NW, Washing- projects for various African countries. ton DC 20037. Though he traveled widely on the Afri- can continent, Mr. Harrell had perma- n Roy A. Harrell Jr., 81, a retired nent assignments to Guinea, Chad, Niger Foreign Service officer, died on Jan. 16 at and Ghana. He had temporary assign- Shannon Hospital in San Angelo, Texas, ments in many other countries, including of pneumonia. Sudan, Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau. Mr. Harrell was born to Roy Alvin and Two highlights of his life were meetings Lucile Ingham Harrell on Jan. 9, 1936, with Albert Schweitzer in Gabon and in Fort Worth, Texas, and grew up on Nelson Mandela in South Africa. the Harrell family ranch south of Ozona, Mr. Harrell pursued many interests Texas, where he raised livestock, repaired throughout his life. A 60-year member of windmills, adopted stray wildlife and Ozona Masonic Lodge, he also belonged enjoyed the 4-H Club and rodeos. to several other lodges, including Eastern He was forever grateful to the Mayo Star. A Rotarian, he attended several Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for saving his Rotary International conventions. He eyesight, beginning with muscle trans- was a lifetime member of the American plant surgery at the age of 4. Foreign Service Association and a mem- After finishing the eighth grade in ber of DACOR. And he attended local Ozona, Mr. Harrell transferred to the churches wherever he lived. Schreiner Institute in Kerrville, Texas, In 1995 Mr. and Mrs. Harrell retired and then went on to the University to the Harrell Ranch in Crockett County, of Texas, where he earned degrees in Texas, to enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle economics and romance languages. He and tend to a small herd of Texas long- spent one semester at the University of horn cattle and many Boer goats, as well Mexico as an exchange student. as a deer-hunting operation. He was the Determined to prepare himself to last of four generations of Harrells to own work in foreign affairs, Mr. Harrell first and live on this ranch. attended Duke University Law School Academia always interested Mr. Har- and then the Johns Hopkins University’s rell. At Angelo State University he and School for Advanced International Stud- E. James Holland, a retired dean, devel- ies, where he obtained his doctorate. oped the E. James Holland-Roy A. Harrell He simultaneously pursued a master’s Jr. Foreign Affairs Speakers Program, an degree in economics at American Univer- annual event that began in 2003. sity in Washington, D.C. Mr. Harrell is survived by his wife, In 1967 he married Charlotte Purcell Charlotte Purcell Harrell; his daughter, of El Paso, Texas, and she accompanied Elizabeth Stuart Deal of Charlottesville, him on many of his adventures during Va.; two grandchildren, Phiala Ingham the next 50 years. Deal and Zephan Cardell Deal; many Mr. Harrell worked for the Central cousins; and two aunts. Intelligence Agency for a year prior to Friends wishing to honor his memory

60 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL are encouraged to contribute to the language instruction and area studies Mr. Magee’s wife of almost 50 years, Ozona United Methodist Church’s training in preparation for his 1969 Maideh, a distinguished linguist, a lec- “Loaves and Fishes Fund”; Mayo Clinic assignment to Moscow as a publications turer on French and Russian art and the Foundation; Friends of the Crockett procurement officer and, later, a political author of a popular cookbook, In a Per- County Public Library; Angelo State Uni- officer. sian Kitchen, predeceased him in 2012. versity Foundation for E. James Holland- Returning to State, Mr. Magee served He is survived by their daughter, Maya, of Roy A. Harrell Jr. Foreign Affairs Speakers as deputy director of operations in the Washington, D.C. Program Endowment, or a charity of your Executive Secretariat from 1971 to 1972. choice. After serving as officer-in-charge at the n William Michael Meserve, 67, a French desk from 1971 to 1974, he was retired Senior Foreign Service officer, n Charles T. Magee, 84, a retired posted to Paris in 1974 as chief of internal died at his home in Arlington, Va., on Foreign Service officer, died on Jan. 25 in political affairs and executive assistant to Feb. 23 of metastasized colon cancer. Washington, D.C. the ambassador. Mr. Meserve was born in 1949. He Born on March 6, 1932, in Clifton A posting as deputy chief of mission in grew up in Gardiner, Maine, the son of Forge, Va., Mr. Magee received his bach- Sofia in 1977 was followed by an assign- two nurses. The first in his family to go elor’s degree from Harvard University ment in the Bureau of Human Resources to college, he attended Colby College in 1953. After graduation and reserve in Washington in 1980 and a tour with the in Waterville, Maine, where he became officer training with the U.S. Navy at Office of the Inspector General in 1982. interested in Japan. After graduation he Newport, Va., he served for two years on In 1984, Mr. Magee was posted to lived, studied and worked in Tokyo for a destroyer in the Atlantic Fleet. Leningrad as consul general. In 1986 he several years. Mr. Magee then elected to attend the was detailed to San Francisco as spe- On returning to the United States, he Naval Language School at Georgetown cial assistant for international affairs to pursued graduate studies in Asian history University in Washington, D.C., becom- Mayor Dianne Feinstein, and in 1988 he and political science at Indiana Univer- ing fluent in Russian. From 1956 to 1959, was tasked with directing Russian-lan- sity, and then studied law at Washington he served as a naval intelligence officer guage operations for the U.S. delegation University in St. Louis. Midway through on submarines in the Pacific Fleet, and conducting arms negotiations with the law school, however, he was invited to retired from the naval reserve with the Soviet Union. join the Foreign Service, a dream come rank of lieutenant commander. Mr. Magee retired from the Foreign true, and he set off for Washington, D.C. In 1959 Mr. Magee married Maideh Service in 1989 with the rank of ambas- Mr. Meserve’s 30-year career as a Mazda, a language teacher at the Defense sador. political officer in the U.S. Foreign Ser- Language Institute at Georgetown Uni- In retirement, he was senior program vice centered on Japan and China, but versity. officer with the Citizens Democracy included extensive work in Korea, India, In 1961 Mr. Magee joined the U.S. Corps in Washington, D.C., from 1992 to Indonesia, the Philippines, Mongolia, Foreign Service, where he would enjoy a 1993, and served as an international elec- Thailand, New Zealand and Australia. distinguished 28-year diplomatic career tion observer for the State Department An excellent linguist, he was fluent in specializing in Russian affairs. His first and for the Organization for Security and Japanese, proficient in Mandarin and had overseas posting was to U.S. Consulate Cooperation in Europe until 2009. a strong working knowledge of Canton- Windsor in 1961, followed by an assign- He led election monitoring missions ese and Russian. ment to Paris as political-military officer in Ukraine, Russia, Latvia, Azerbaijan, Mr. Meserve’s many assignments in 1964. Georgia, the Czech Republic, Malta and included serving as political adviser He returned to Washington, D.C., and Ireland. to U.S. Army Pacific, an office he the Soviet desk at State in 1966. Dur- Friends remember Mr. Magee as a established and which strengthened ing this tour, in 1967, he had the task of wonderful raconteur and an adventur- civilian-military cooperation; minister escorting Svetlana Stalin into the United ous hiker and urban walker. Attending counselor for political affairs in Tokyo; States. In 1968 he was detailed to the U.S. performances at the Kirov in Leningrad director of the Office of Taiwan Affairs; Army school at Garmisch for Russian- enhanced his love of ballet. deputy director and acting direc-

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 61 tor, Office of Chinese and Mongolian Tamworth, N.H. Mr. Prince died in 1980, manager of Pan African Airlines based in Affairs; consul general in Sapporo; and and in 1994 Mrs. Prince moved to Maine. Lagos. He served as the deputy com- deputy chief of the economic and politi- Dorothy Prince is survived by her missioner general of the U.S. pavilion at cal section at U.S. Consulate General daughter, Noelle Prince Shear; and three Expo 67 in Montreal, and attended the Hong Kong during the British hando- sons, Jonathan, Anthony and Philip. National War College in 1970, earning his ver in 1997. Earlier in his career, Mr. master’s degree in national security. Meserve opened the U.S. Representative n Roger A. Provencher, 93, a retired Mr. Provencher retired from the For- Office in Nagoya. Foreign Service officer, died on Oct. 20, eign Service as a Minister Counselor in He was the recipient of Department of 2016, in Ladysmith, Va. 1978, following the death of his first wife, State Superior Honor awards for men- Born in Manchester, N.H., Mr. Josette M. Camus. He then took a posi- toring staff, management, analysis and Provencher served in the U.S. Army dur- tion at the United Nations in Switzerland policy implementation. ing World War II, landing with the 29th as deputy director general of the Interna- Mr. Meserve had a tremendous love Infantry Division on Omaha Beach in tional Telecommunications Union. for travel, and even after retiring spent Normandy on June 6, 1944. He is survived by his son, Carl A. a great deal of time planning and taking He was one of a group of three Provencher, a retired U.S. Army major; trips. His ties to Maine ran deep, however, French-speaking U.S. reconnaissance his daughter, Frances Provencher- and he returned there regularly to visit. soldiers who, on Aug. 21, were the first to Kambour, a retired economic adviser at Family members and friends remem- enter Paris to meet with resistance fight- USAID; two grandchildren, Christopher ber him as a wonderful storyteller with a ers in preparation for the city’s liberation. C. Provencher and Tiffany R. Hogan; two prodigious memory who will be greatly The French government recognized great-grandsons; one great-granddaugh- missed for his wit, intelligence, wide- Mr. Provencher’s role in the liberation of ter; his sister, Lauri Provencher; and his ranging curiosity and knowledge, and his Paris in 1990 in a ceremony at Paris City second wife, Barazandeh Samiian. passion for living. Hall, where the mayor awarded him the He was predeceased in 2011 by his Survivors include his wife of 40 years, city’s Medal of Honor and gave him a key third wife, Mary Lou Lewis Sax, and Carol Morland; and his daughters, Anna to the city. in 2014 by his grandson Richard R. Meserve Fraser (and her husband, Kevin) In 1949, Mr. Provencher received his Provencher. and Leah Meserve-Callahan (and her bachelor’s degree in French from the husband, Dylan). University of New Hampshire. He then n Sherman H. Ross, 92, a retired went to Sorbonne University in Paris, Foreign Service officer, died on Dec. 19 n Dorothy Eileen Kennedy Prince, where he began doctoral studies in at Hospice of the Panhandle in Kear- 100, widow of the late FSO Edward Philip philology. neysville, W. Va. Prince, died on Jan. 20 in Lewiston, His studies were cut short, however, Mr. Ross was born in Stiltner, W. Maine. when he was appointed a reserve first Va., on Sept. 22, 1924, the son of Ker- Mrs. Prince was born on Aug. 27, lieutenant and served briefly as a transla- rick (Kirk) and Vicie Napier Ross. After 1916, in Manchester, N.H. She met her tor at the Nuremberg trials and then in service in the Army Air Corps (B-17) dur- husband in the summer of 1946 when various positions in Paris. ing World War II, he married Elinor M. she was secretary to the Foreign Service Mr. Provencher joined the Foreign Stephenson, of Meridian, Miss. Examining Board, and he came to take Service in 1951. He served overseas in Mr. Ross attended Yale University the exam. Germany (twice), Thailand, Italy (twice), under the G.I. Bill and received his The couple married and departed the Belgian Congo (now the Republic of bachelor’s degree in English and French for their first assignment in November the Congo), Libya, the Central African in 1949. He then returned to rural West 1946. They served overseas in Budapest, Republic, Upper Volta (now Burkina Virginia and requested to teach in a one- Montreal, Wellington, Helsinki, Dublin, Faso), the Soviet Union (twice), Laos and room school near his birthplace, like the Ankara and Tehran. Iran. one he had attended. For Mr. Ross, teach- When Mr. Prince retired from the In 1961, on special assignment ers had opened the door to experiencing Foreign Service in 1973 they settled in between postings, he served as general the world, and he wanted to share the

62 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL same opportunity he had enjoyed with tures, as well as intergenerational trips his passion for opera and all his Foreign others. with his older grandson. Service tours of duty until her untimely In the mid-1950s Mr. Ross and his Sherman Ross was preceded in death death in 1998. family moved to California, where he by his son, Glenn “Stephen” Stephenson During the 1950s in Munich, Mr. taught in the Fresno Unified School Dis- Ross, and siblings Otis Ross and Betty Russell worked as a translator, reporter, trict. He also taught English as a second Faye Lane. editor and newsroom manager at Radio language in evening classes. He worked He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Liberty, broadcasting behind the Iron construction during the summer, joking Elinor; two daughters, Maylene (and her Curtain. As a special events correspon- that his summer job allowed him to husband, R. Luther Reisbig) and Laurie dent, he accompanied Nikita Khrushchev afford to teach the rest of the year. (and her husband, Charles F. Wieland); on his 1959 visit to the United States, and In 1964, he was awarded a Fulbright grandchildren Katharine and Kerrick then was assigned to manage the Voice of Scholarship to Belgium. After returning Reisbig, and Eleanor, Duncan and Lil- America’s European and USSR broad- from Europe, Mr. Ross joined the U.S. lian Wieland; four sisters, Flora Russell casts. Foreign Service. He served overseas in of West Virginia, Fanny Ruth Blum and In his first tour as a U.S. Foreign Ser- Algeria, Dahomey (now Benin), Camer- Mona Sue Thornburg of California, and vice officer, Mr. Russell served as cultural oon, Côte d’Ivoire and Pakistan, along Sally Mae Taylor of Arizona; and many affairs officer in Kinshasa, accompanied with assignments in Washington, D.C. nieces and nephews. by his wife and their first two children, In addition to responsibilities as Contributions in his memory may be from 1962 to 1965. He was then assigned cultural affairs officer and public affairs made to Hospice of the Panhandle, 330 to Moscow (1969-1971), where son Kyle officer, he taught as a guest instructor in Hospice Lane, Kearneysville WV 25430 or was added to the family. host-country universities. His unassum- to SAIL (Shepherdstown Area Indepen- Mr. Russell subsequently served in ing and genuine interest in and affection dent Living), PO Box 209, Shepherdstown Bonn (1971-1975), Rio de Janeiro (1978- for others resulted in lifelong friendships WV 25443. 1982), and both Madrid and Beijing dur- with many people worldwide. ing the 1980s. In Beijing, he achieved the Mr. Ross retired from the Foreign Ser- n McKinney Hearn Russell, 86, a rank of Minister Counselor and worked vice in 1989, after service on the Foreign retired Foreign Service officer with the to reestablish better relations following Service Grievance Board. U.S. Information Agency, died on Feb. the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. The Rosses moved to Shepherdstown, 17, 2016, at The Meadow Green Home In his final overseas post—as coun- W. Va., in 1977. There they volunteered in Waltham, Mass., surrounded by his selor of the U.S. Information Agency, that with Meals on Wheels, the Shepherd- family. organization’s senior career position— stown Community Club, Friends of The eldest of four, Mr. Russell was Mr. Russell set up the first American Music, the Millbrook Orchestra and the born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y. The son cultural centers in the newly indepen- White House. Mr. Ross was named the of a linotype setter for the Brooklyn Eagle, dent (former Soviet) states during the National Conservation Training Center’s he was the first in his family to attend early 1990s. Throughout his diplomatic Volunteer of the Year in 2008. university, graduating from Yale with a career, he not only mastered many Active long into retirement, Mr. Ross degree in Russian studies in 1950. languages, but developed a deep cultural loved his 10 acres and his vegetable gar- Mr. Russell’s lifelong affinity for music understanding of the countries where he den. In 1997, at age 73, he rode a bicycle began in childhood as a church choris- served. along 1,000 km of the Loire River in ter. At Yale, he sang in the Glee Club. He In 1993 Mr. Russell served as diplomat France and was featured in French media discovered an avid enthusiasm for opera, in residence at The Fletcher School of as “the old man from America.” attending the Wagner Ring Cycle perfor- Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. His biking tours included the North mances at Bayreuth. On retiring from the Foreign Service in Rim of the Grand Canyon, New England After university, Mr. Russell served 1994, Mr. Russell and his wife settled in and Canada, as well as the countryside in the U.S. Army in Germany. While Washington, D.C. surrounding Shepherdstown. The Rosses in Munich, he met and married Lydie He then joined the International enjoyed numerous Elderhostel adven- Boccara, with whom he shared his life, Research and Exchanges Commission

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 63 and served on the board of directors of son, of Somerville, Mass.; a daughter, charity fashion show on the occasion of the Fabergé Foundation and The George Valerie, and her husband Neil Emmott, the Queen Mother’s birthday in 1980. Washington University’s Public Diplo- of Bristol, England; five grandchildren: Mrs. Stephens was an artist whose macy Institute, and as president of the Maia, Jeffrey, Kobi, Ruby and Alfred; one work won prizes in a 1966 Department Public Diplomacy Council. great-grandchild, Noah; and two broth- of State exhibition. In 1967, she dis- In retirement, Mr. Russell continued ers, Donald Russell of Florida and Keith played her own work together with Pol- his involvement with music. He was Russell of California. ish paintings she and her husband had active as a bass and helped plan the Memorial contributions in his name collected during their tour in Poland Yale Alumni Chorus’ international sing- may be made to Camp Rising Sun at at the Lynchburg Fine Arts Center. Her ing tours. In 2003, his first season, they http://tinyurl.com/hxu6v4r. paintings graced the covers of four were broadcast live from the Kremlin. issues of The Foreign Service Journal. The group performed in South America, n Barrett Krausz Stephens, 93, wife Mrs. Stephens was active in the England, the Netherlands, South Africa, of the late retired Foreign Service Officer Republican Lynchburg City Committee, Mexico, Guatemala and, in 2010, Cuba. Bart Nelson Stephens, died on March 13 and also served as a delegate to state Serving on the YAC board from 2003 in Lynchburg, Va. conventions. to 2010, he taught those involved in over- Mrs. Stephens was born in Baltimore, Mrs. Stephens was predeceased by seas tour planning how to approach and Md., and graduated from Randolph- her husband in 2015. Survivors include work with the public affairs teams at the Macon Women’s College in 1945 with four daughters, Tracey Stephens of various embassies and consulates. majors in art and biology. From 1946 to Nutley, N.J., Schuyler Stephens of Falls Mr. Russell also maintained a lifelong 1949 she worked as a photogrammetrist Church, Va., Holly Stephens Tunstall of commitment to Camp Rising Sun, a at the U.S. Army Map Services in Wash- Vienna, Va., Sinah Stephens Kostik of camp in Rhinebeck, N.Y., that brings ington, D.C. Wixom, Mich.; and five grandchildren. together young, inner-city Americans She accompanied her husband and youth from around the world. Rus- to Foreign Service posts in Greece, n Anastassia Thamakas, 86, a sell’s attendance at CRS during the 1940s Germany, Poland, Austria and Thailand retired Foreign Service officer with the was a formative experience. from 1950 until 1982, when he retired U.S. Information Agency, died on Nov. Over the years, he used his contacts from the Senior Foreign Service. 18, 2016, in Alexandria, Va. around the world to help facilitate the In embassies and consulates in these The daughter of William and Anasta- travel of young people to the camp, countries Mrs. Stephens supported cul- sia Chantiles Thamakas, Ms. Thamakas served on its board of directors and was tural programs for which her husband was born in the District of Columbia on always available to camp alumni and was responsible and entertained foreign June 25, 1930. staff, attending many summer and world government and cultural leaders, often Ms. Thamakas was a pioneer in reunions. at large events. The receptions she women’s broadcasting, achieving the Family members and friends hosted for the 110-member Pittsburgh position of scheduling coordinator remember Mr. Russell as a lively man of Symphony Orchestra during its 10-day for Voice of America. She worked with elegance, eloquence, character, warmth, visit to Poland in 1964 were particularly broadcasting luminary Edward R. Mur- wisdom, generosity and kindness. They memorable. row, as well as coordinating interviews recall his joie de vivre, love of the out- Mrs. Stephens’ art background and with distinguished officials such as doors, and keen skill with languages and expertise enabled her to design and President Lyndon Johnson. both word and card games. decorate the interiors of many cultural Soon after her retirement from USIA Mr. Russell was predeceased by centers and embassies, such as the new in early 1985, Ms. Thamakas helped his wife, Lydie, and his granddaughter Amerika Haus cultural center in Nurem- start Washington News Network, the Sophia. He is survived by two sons, berg in 1957 and the ambassador’s largest independent television news McKinney Jr. (“Ken”), and his wife residence in Bangkok in the 1970s. bureau in Washington, D.C., where she Athena Koutso, of Leominster, Mass., In Bangkok Mrs. Stephens also served as assignment editor. and Kyle, and his wife Nina Manol- organized and presented an acclaimed Ms. Thamakas is survived by her

64 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL cousins, John Chantiles and Joseph Chantiles. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alexandria Police Foundation or to Friends of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter.

n Harry Elstner Talbott Thayer, 89, a retired Foreign Service officer and former ambassador, died on Jan. 21 in Washing- ton, D.C., after a yearlong struggle following cancer treatment. Born in Boston on Sept. 10, 1927, to Eliza Talbott and Frederick Morris Thayer, Mr. Thayer grew up in Newtown Square, Pa., at Mill Hollow, his family’s home. He graduated from Haver- ford School in 1945 and then, at age 17, enlisted in the U.S. Navy. In 1951 he graduated from Yale University, where he majored in English and was a member of St. Anthony Hall and the Whiffenpoofs. Mr. Thayer began his working life in New York City with Alaska Airlines, as assistant to the chairman of the board. He then worked as a copy boy and reporter at Newsweek, before joining the Philadelphia Bulletin as a night crime reporter and rewrite man. The Army-McCarthy hearings and the capture and imprisonment in China of his college friend, U.S. intelligence officer Jack Downey, deepened a growing desire to become more engaged in world affairs and in China, in particular. In 1956, Mr. Thayer joined the State Department as a Foreign Service officer. His first overseas post was Hong Kong, in 1957. While serving in the East Asia Bureau in Washington, D.C., from 1959 to 1961, he participated in Vice Presi- dent Lyndon Johnson’s first around-the- world trip in 1961. Following two years of Mandarin language training, he was posted to the

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 65 U.S. embassy in Taiwan in 1963 as politi- an array of organizations in support of Department Foreign Service in 1960. cal and commercial officer, returning to the environment, civil rights and human During a 27-year diplomatic career, he Washington again in 1966 to serve suc- rights. served in Aruba and Curaçao, Niger, cessively as Taiwan desk officer, deputy Family members and friends remem- Vietnam, France and Algeria, as well as director of PRC affairs and attend the ber Amb. Thayer not only as a consum- in assignments at the State Department National War College. mate diplomat, but also as a cultured in Washington, D.C. From 1971 to 1975—the period that and modest man with a wry sense of The highlight of his career was his saw the end of the Cultural Revolu- humor who savored the serenity of the three tours in Saigon. He arrived in tion, the rise of the “Gang of Four” and outdoors. He took a deep interest in oth- Vietnam in January 1968, one week the death of Mao Zedong—Mr. Thayer ers and relished the accomplishments before the Tet offensive, which included served as deputy political counselor at and exploits of his extended family and an attack on the U.S. embassy. In 1972 the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in many friends. and 1973, he participated in the Vietnam New York City, and was then posted to Ambassador Thayer is survived by his peace talks in Paris. the American Liaison Office in Beijing as wife, Marion Guggenheim Thayer; four Mr. Thompson’s final tour in Viet- deputy chief of mission under George H. children from his first marriage to Joan nam ended when he was evacuated by W. Bush from 1975 to 1976. Pirie: Robert, Nathaniel and Margaret helicopter from the embassy roof dur- In 1980, Mr. Thayer was appointed Thayer of Washington, D.C., and Marian ing the fall of Saigon in April 1975. His U.S. ambassador to Singapore, serving Thayer Vito of West Chester, Pa.; three article about that experience, “Leaving until 1984, when he was named director stepchildren from his second marriage Saigon: An FSO’s Last Day in Vietnam,” of the American Institute in Taiwan until to Edith G. Browne: Olin, Luis and Jer- appeared in the April 2000 Foreign Ser- 1986. emy Browne; three stepchildren: Grace, vice Journal. Ambassador Thayer retired from the Davis and Jonathan Guggenheim; five While serving in Algiers from 1980 Foreign Service in 1989 as dean of the grandchildren: Amanda, Julia and John to 1982, Mr. Thompson supported Foreign Service Institute School of Lan- Thayer, and Nathaniel and James Vito; the negotiations for the release of the guage Studies. During a distinguished seven step-grandchildren; a step-great- American hostages in Iran. 30-year career he was recognized with grandson; and a sister, Marian Thayer After retiring from the Foreign Ser- the Meritorious Service Award, two Toland. His brothers, Frederick, Thrus- vice in 1987, he worked for 12 years at Superior Honor Awards and the Distin- ton and Nelson Thayer, predeceased the American Foreign Service Associa- guished Honor Award. him. tion as the professional issues coordina- Amb. Thayer soon returned to the Memorial contributions may be tor and was the unofficial proofreader State Department as a consultant to made to the Potomac Conservancy or to for each edition of The Foreign Service the Office of Asylum Affairs and, later, the C&O Canal Association. Journal. as a reemployed annuitant, worked as Mr. Thompson enjoyed travel, ten- a reviewer for Asia in the Freedom of n Richard S. Thompson, 83, a nis, music, walking on the towpath Information office. He was a member of retired Foreign Service officer, died and spending time with family. He is the FOIA Appeals Panel at the time of peacefully at his home in Bethesda, Md., survived by two sons, John of Bethesda, his illness and had hoped to return to on March 7. Md., and Alex of Columbus, Ohio; a work. Born in Spokane, Wash., in 1933, Mr. daughter, Francesca, of Washington, In retirement he volunteered with Thompson grew up in Pullman, Wash. D.C.; and five grand-daughters: Stella, Meals on Wheels and the Community After graduating from Washington State Sophia, Lucy, Roxanne and Nina. Council for the Homeless at Friend- University in 1955, he attended Oxford Donations in his memory may be ship Place. He was a member of the University for two years as a Rhodes made to the Albert W. Thompson Schol- American Foreign Service Association, Scholar, followed by two years in the U.S. arship Fund at the Washington State DACOR, the Far East Luncheon Group, Army. He earned an MA in government University Foundation. n the Washington Institute of Foreign from Georgetown University. Affairs, the C&O Canal Association and Mr. Thompson joined the State

66 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL BOOKS

World Order 2.0? down, centered on great- count for less. He offers the con- power diplomacy. cept of “sovereign obligation” as A World in Disarray: American Foreign Part II covers the last the basis for this approach, under Policy and the Crisis of the Old Order quarter-century, which which each nation embraces its Richard Haass, Penguin Press, 2017, $28/ Haass convincingly obligations and responsibilities, as hardcover, $14.99/Kindle, 352 pages. portrays as “a break well as its rights and protections. Reviewed By Steven Alan Honley with the past.” He does It is an elegant construct, to be a workmanlike job sure, and certainly plausible, at least Rarely have I had such high hopes for a with his summaries of in terms of multilateral diplomacy. foreign policy book as this latest volume major foreign policy On the bilateral front, though, par- by the prolific Richard Haass, the long- challenges and how ticularly when Haass tries to apply time president of the Council on Foreign George H.W. Bush, Bill Clin- it to relations with China and Russia, Relations and a diplomatic adviser to the ton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama it comes across as minimally updated administrations of both Presidents Bush. each (mis)handled them. realpolitik. Surely, I thought, if anyone has the In Chapter 6, “Regional Realities,” Here, for instance, is his advice con- wisdom and the government experience for example, he dismisses the Obama cerning human rights and democratiza- to explain A World in Disarray: American administration’s entire Middle East tion: “Focusing on their internal behavior Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the Old policy as dangerously weak in most cases would be unlikely to meaningfully affect Order, then offer practical guidance for (Syria), too forceful in others (Israel and it for the better, but would almost cer- navigating it, it is Mr. Haass. Palestine) or—in the case of Egypt and tainly affect and conceivably poison their The first part of this catchily titled the Arab Spring—embodying both fail- view of the United States and the way book traces the history of international ings at once. they see their relationship.” relations from the rise of the modern state system in the mid-17th century Haass calls for an updated global operating system— through the two world wars of the 20th, which he calls World Order 2.0—that reflects the reality that and on to the end of the Cold War. He power is widely distributed and borders count for less. covers that vast terrain expeditiously, though I daresay most Foreign Service To back up his generally harsh assess- Haass does graciously concede that personnel will already be familiar with ment of U.S. foreign policy since the 9/11 “The United States can have preferences the main points he makes. attacks, Haass approvingly quotes John for how [China and Russia] evolve, and His premise is that during that long F. Kennedy’s warning: “There are risks criticize them when they violate human stretch of history, which in his telling and costs to a program of action. But they rights on any scale, but it has neither the feels at times like a lost golden age, “there are far less than the long-range risks and influence with them nor the luxury of was considerable continuity in how the costs of comfortable inaction.” placing such concerns at the center of the world worked (think of it as World Order Yet most of the examples he adduces relationship.” Left unanswered is what 1.0), even though the history itself varied here, including his appropriately dev- good it would do then for us to express dramatically, both for good and very astating takedown of George W. Bush’s such concerns when the recipients will much for ill.” decision to invade Iraq and the Obama shrug it off—or what happens when the That last phrase, by the way, is about administration’s Libya debacle, suggest rest of the world follows suit. as close as Haass comes to acknowledg- that more caution, not less, is warranted Such shortcomings aside, I would ing the heinous legacy of colonialism. (In when it comes to foreign interventions. give A World in Disarray high marks—if a later chapter, he compresses the past In Part III, Haass at last gives us his only the author had wrapped up the 25 years’ worth of developments in Africa big reveal, calling for an updated global book here. Instead, he inexplicably felt and Latin America into just three pages!) operating system—which he calls World the need to append a chapter titled “A Rather, his perspective throughout the Order 2.0—that reflects the reality that Country in Disarray,” which he uses to book is very much Olympian and top- power is widely distributed and borders urge Washington to balance the budget,

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 67 increase defense spending and tamp It is significant that Donald Trump, down partisanship. I was frankly sur- the winning candidate, called for putting prised not to find Heritage Foundation America First. papers listed in the endnotes, because “It is, of course, impossible to know much of this chapter could have been what sort of foreign policy will emerge lifted from them. from the United States and how other Just before the book went to press in countries will react. Still, it is difficult January, Haass added a brief foreword, not to take seriously the possibility that which concludes as follows: one historical era is ending and another “One result of the election is greater beginning.” uncertainty over the future trajectory of With uncertainty still the dominant U.S. foreign policy. As the subtitle of this feature of U.S. foreign policy, let us hope book suggests, support for the old order that Mr. Haass’ thoughtful, reality-based has crumbled, the result of heightened recommendations will be given the economic anxiety at home (often associ- consideration they deserve by the Trump ated with globalization, free trade and administration’s national security and immigration) and growing doubts about foreign policy team. n the costs and benefits associated with what the United States has been doing Steven Alan Honley, a State Department abroad, including fighting several open- Foreign Service officer from 1985 to 1997, ended wars in the Middle East and was editor in chief of The Foreign Service supporting allies in Europe and Asia. Journal from 2001 to 2014.

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THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2017 73 LOCAL LENS

Please submit your favorite, recent photograph to be considered for Local Lens. Images must be high resolution (at least 300 dpi at 8” x 10”, or 1 MB or larger) and must not be in print elsewhere. Please include a short description of the scene/event, as well as your name, brief biodata and the type of camera used, to [email protected]. BY KEVIN CHAMBERS n STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

wo young Swedes talk beneath the giant elm trees of Kungsträdgården (King’s Garden) Park in central Stockholm. The park’s central location and its outdoor cafés make it one of the most popular hangouts and meeting places in the city. Built during the Middle Ages as the royal Tkitchen gardens, the stretch of greenery was opened to the public in the early 19th century and now hosts cultural festivals, open-air concerts and other events in summer and ice skating in winter. In the early 1970s, the “Battle of the Elms”—protests that ended the demolition of central portions of old Stockholm—took place at the site of the photo. Today, it hosts a tranquil Tea House. n

FSO Kevin Chambers is a commercial officer at U.S. Embassy Stockholm. He took this photo with a Sony A7R.

74 MAY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL