The Foreign Service Journal, December 2009

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GETTING THE WORD OUT ■ A CZECHERED RECORD ■ THE DARK HORSE

SEMIANNUAL SCHOOLS SUPPLEMENT

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

BEAT THE CLOCK The Renewed Push for Arms Control C1-C4_FSJ_1209_COV:proof 11/25/09 2:06 PM Page C2 01-19_FSJ_1209_FRO:first 11/25/09 3:14 PM Page 1 01-19_FSJ_1209_FRO:first 11/25/09 3:15 PM Page 2 01-19_FSJ_1209_FRO:first 11/25/09 3:15 PM Page 3

OREIGN ERVICE FJ O U R N A L S CONTENTS December 2009 Volume 86, No. 12

F OCUS ON Arms Control

ORGANIZING FOR ARMS CONTROL: 1945-2009 / 21 Preventing the use of nuclear weapons remains the urgent priority it has been from the dawn of the atomic age. By Pierce S. Corden

A NUCLEAR REDUCTIONS PRIMER / 29 The Obama administration is focusing on three major arms control agreements. This is what you need to know about them. By Sally K. Horn

THE IMPORTANCE OF VERIFICATION / 37 Cover and inside illustrations No arms control agreement can succeed unless each party by Adam Niklewicz is satisfied with the others’ compliance. By Paula A. DeSutter

PRESIDENT’S VIEWS / 5 THE CASE FOR THE CTBT / 43 Mind the Gap: Addressing Prospects for ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Foreign Service Readiness are much improved. Here is why. By Susan R. Johnson By Daryl G. Kimball SPEAKING OUT / 12 EATURE Restore State’s Office of F Public Communications By Alexis Ludwig MY PRAGUE SECRET POLICE FILE / 48 A 30-year-old file brings to life a bygone era of dreary tension FS KNOW-HOW / 15 and gives one retired FSO an unusual perspective on his career. Effective Networking for By Frederick Quinn Diplomats — Introverts or Not By Ruth M. Schimel S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT LETTER FROM THE EDITOR / 18 COMMUNITY COLLEGES: TIME TO TAKE ANOTHER LOOK? / 65 By Steven Alan Honley The nation’s community college system has become the launching pad to professional careers and advanced education REFLECTIONS / 100 for more than half of all college students. A Day at the Races By Rebecca Grappo By Ginny Young SCHOOLS AT A GLANCE / 81 Essential data on educational choices. LETTERS / 7 FLO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FELLOWSHIPS / 86 CYBERNOTES / 9 BOOKS / 63 THE ABCS OF EDUCATION ALLOWANCES / 90 INDEX TO 2009 COLLEGE RANKINGS: SERVING THE NATION / 96 ADVERTISERS / 98

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OREIGN ERVICE CONTENTS FJ O U R N A L S

Editor AFSA NEWS STEVEN ALAN HONLEY Senior Editor SUSAN B. MAITRA AFSA PRESIDENT KEEPS UP MOMENTUM ON THE HILL / 53 Associate Editor HONORING DISSENT / 53 SHAWN DORMAN AFSA News Editor BRIEFS, AGGELER / 54 FRANCESCA KELLY Ad & Circulation Manager VP STATE: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE / 55 ED MILTENBERGER Art Director VP USAID: WHEN THE SOLUTION IS THE PROBLEM / 56 CARYN SUKO SMITH LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: SICK LEAVE, HOMEBUYER CREDIT / 56 Editorial Intern AMANDA ANDERSON VP FAS: BEEN THERE, DONE THAT / 57 Advertising Intern LOTTE REIJMER YEAR-END MESSAGE FROM IAN HOUSTON / 57 EDITORIAL BOARD EGAL EFENSE UND HERE HEN EMBERS EED T TED WILKINSON L D F : T W M N I / 58 Chairman MAY G. BAPTISTA FUND FOR AMERICAN DIPLOMACY / 59 JOSEPH BRUNS FAMILY MEMBER MATTERS: MAKING MAMA HAPPY / 60 STEPHEN W. B UCK JULIE GIANELLONI CONNOR CLASSIFIEDS / 61 JEFF GIAUQUE MARY E. GLANTZ D. IAN HOPPER GEORGE JONES LYNN W. R OCHE RIMA J. VYDMANTAS

A time of service…a time of need THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is Help for Seniors May published monthly with a combined July-August issue by the American Foreign Service Associa- tion (AFSA), a private, nonprofit organization. Material appearing herein represents the opin- Be Just a Phone Call Away— ions of the writers and does not necessarily represent the views of the Journal, the Editorial The Senior Living Foundation may be Board or AFSA. Writer queries and submissions are invited, preferably by e-mail. Journal sub- able to help you or someone you know. scription: AFSA members – $13 included in annual dues; others – $40. For foreign surface mail, Some examples of assistance are: add $18 per year; foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and N Home Health Care at additional mailing offices. Indexed by Public Affairs Information Services (PAIS). The Journal N Adult Day Care & Respite Care is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos or illustrations. Advertising inquiries are N Prescription Drug Copayments invited. The appearance of advertisements herein does not imply the endorsement of the N Transportation to Medical Appointments services or goods offered. TELEPHONE: (202) 338-4045 N Durable Medical Equipment FAX: (202) 338-8244 or (202) 338-6820 E-MAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.afsa.org; www.fsjournal.org For more information, please contact the © American Foreign Service Association, 2009. SENIOR LIVING FOUNDATION Printed in the U.S.A. Send address changes to: OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE AFSA Attn: Address Change 1716 N Street, NW N Washington, DC 20036-2902 2101 E Street N.W. Phone: (202) 887-8170 N Fax: (202) 872-9320 Washington DC 20037-2990 E-Mail: [email protected] N Web Site: www.SLFoundation.org Printed on 50-percent recycled paper, of which 10 percent is post-consumer waste. SPONSORED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION

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PRESIDENT’S VIEWS Mind the Gap: Addressing FS Readiness BY SUSAN R. JOHNSON

I recently testified on be- cant shortages of mid-level guage shortfalls persist in areas of strate- half of AFSA at a Senate sub- officers at hardship posts, gic interest (the Near East, South and committee hearing on “A with 34 percent of mid-level Central Asia), where 40 percent of offi- Review of Diplomatic Readi- generalist positions filled by cers in LDPs did not meet require- ness: Addressing the Staffing officers in one- or two-grade ments. Gaps are particularly large in and Foreign Language Chal- “up stretches;” a sharp rise in Afghanistan and Iraq, where 73 and 57 lenges Facing the Foreign the number of unaccompa- percent, respectively, of FSOs lacked Service.” While the focus was on the nied tours since 2006 (from 700 to 900); adequate language skills. Shortfalls in State Department, this problem con- and, overall, 670 positions left unfilled super-critical languages such as Arabic cerns all five foreign affairs agencies. since 2005. and Chinese have remained at the 2005 As I noted in my testimony, diplomat- The GAO recommends that State level of 39 percent. ic readiness goes to the heart of building make the assignment of experienced of- To address these critical gaps, the re- a strong and professional Foreign Service ficers to hardship posts an explicit pri- port recommends that State “develop a that will equip the U.S. to lead in the in- ority, and develop and implement a plan comprehensive strategic plan that links creasingly complex and interdependent to evaluate incentives for hardship post all of State’s efforts to meet its foreign world of the 21st century. I would like to assignments. AFSA concurs in both language requirements.” AFSA con- share the key findings on mid-level recommendations. curs with this recommendation, as well. staffing and training problems, and so- The second GAO report, “Compre- There are several ways to address licit your views on ways we can address hensive Plan Needed to Address Per- these pressing needs: greater use of re- them in both the short and long term. sistent Language Shortfalls,” urges State cent retirees with the right experience The hearing followed up on ones to evaluate the effectiveness of its efforts and skills to meet gaps at hardship posts; held in 2006. It was based on Govern- to increase language proficiency. Pro- a requirement to serve at a high-differ- ment Accountability Office reports is- ceeding from the premise that foreign ential (20-percent or higher) hardship sued earlier this year. language proficiency is a key skill for ef- post for promotion over the Senior For- The first report, “Additional Steps fective U.S. diplomacy, this report as- eign Service threshold; more opportu- Needed to Address Continuing Staff- sesses how State is meeting its foreign nities for spouses to work at hardship ing and Experience Gaps at Hardship language requirements, the difficulties posts, perhaps for other government Posts,” focuses on whether State has it faces, and the extent to which it has a agencies; more support for families left made progress in addressing these gaps comprehensive strategy to determine at home during unaccompanied tours since 2006 and on how effectively it has and meet such requirements. (as the military has in Military One); used incentives to do so. The GAO The report found significant gaps in more “credit” for proficiency in hard found a 17-percent average vacancy State’s foreign language capabilities, and super-hard languages; and greater rate at posts of greatest hardship, twice which “could hinder U.S. overseas op- linkage of language training to career the rate at non-hardship posts; signifi- erations.” Specifically, 31 percent of planning. Foreign Service generalists in language- What do you think? Please send Susan R. Johnson is the president of the designated positions did not meet the your suggestions to me at Johnson@ American Foreign Service Association. proficiency requirements. Foreign lan- afsa.org. ■

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J. KIRBY SIMON FOREIGN SERVICE TRUST AN INVITATION TO PROPOSE PROJECTS FOR FUNDING BY THE J. KIRBY SIMON FOREIGN SERVICE TRUST IN 2010

he J. Kirby Simon Foreign Service Trust is a charitable fund established in the memory of J. Kirby Simon, a Foreign T Service officer who died in 1995 while serving in Taiwan. The Trust is committed to expanding the opportunities for professional fulfillment and community service of active-duty Foreign Service officers and specialists and their families. The principal activity of the Trust is to support projects that are initiated and carried out, on an entirely unofficial, voluntary basis, by Foreign Service personnel or members of their families, wherever located. The Trust will also consider projects of the same nature proposed by other U.S. government employees or members of their families, regardless of nationality, who are located at American diplomatic posts abroad. Only the foregoing persons are eligible applicants. In 2009, the Trust made its thirteenth round of grant awards, 44 in all, ranging from $550 to $4,500 (averaging $2,480), for a total of $109,142. These grants support the involvement of Foreign Service personnel in the projects described in the Trust announcement entitled Grants Awarded in 2009 and available at www.kirbysimontrust.org. To indicate the range of Trust grants, the following paragraphs set forth a sampling of projects supported by the Trust in recent years:

Education Projects: school supplies for refugee and other conflict-afflicted children and for orphanages; English-language learning materials for high school students; day-care facilities for underprivileged women learning marketable skills; specialized education equipment for the disabled.

Additional Projects for Young People: playground and sports training equipment, educational toys, furnishings, household appliances, toilet and shower facilities for special-needs schools and orphanages; cleanups to improve sanitation and create play spaces; school fees and food for abandoned children; and materials for a re-entry program for returning Foreign Service teens.

Health and Safety-related Projects: dental care for impoverished children; staff training for crisis shelters; health care equipment and improved sanitation for maternity clinics and orphanages; a visual impairment survey among HIV-positive children; new homes for earthquake victims; photo documentation of murdered women set on fire by husbands or in-laws.

Revenue-producing Projects: machines and materials for income-generating programs for sick and disadvantaged children and adults, including abused women, migrant workers, refugees, Roma and victims of sex-trafficking; a cooperative for deaf car- penters.

The Trust now invites the submission of proposals for support in 2010. It is anticipated that few of the new grants will exceed the average size of the 2009 awards, and that projects assisted by the Trust will reflect a variety of interests and approaches, illustrated by the foregoing list of past grants and by the Web site description of 2009 grants. Grants provided by the Trust can be used to support several categories of project expense; examples are provided above. However, certain restrictions apply: (a) Funds from the Trust cannot be used to pay salaries or other compensation to U.S. government employees or their family members. (b) The Trust does not support projects that have reasonable prospects of full funding from other sources. (c) The Trust will provide support for a project operated by a charitable or educational organization only where the individual applicant(s) plan an active part in initiating and carrying out the project, apart from fundraising. (d) The Trust will support only projects in which each applicant’s role is clearly separate from the applicant's official responsibilities. A proposal should include a description of the project, what it is intended to achieve, and the role to be played by the applicant(s); a preliminary plan for disseminating the results of the project; a budget; other available funding, if any; and a brief biography of the applicant(s). Proposals should be no longer than five double-spaced pages (exclusive of budget and biographical material). Please follow the application format available at www.kirbysimontrust.org/format_for_proposals.html or by com- municating with the Trust (see below). Proposals for projects to be funded during calendar year 2010 must be received by the Trust no later than March 1, 2010. Proposals can be submitted by mail, by fax or (preferably) by e-mail to:

J. Kirby Simon Foreign Service Trust 93 Edgehill Road New Haven, CT 06511 FAX: (203) 432-0063 [email protected]

Further information about the Trust can be found on the Web at www.kirbysimontrust.org. 01-19_FSJ_1209_FRO:first 11/25/09 3:15 PM Page 7

LETTERS

Ambassadorial Jobs Diplomats in Conflict Zones Where’s the Super-Diplomat? Still for Sale Your September issue has three su- Kurt Amend’s recommendations in AFSA President Susan Johnson perb articles on “The Role of U.S. “The Diplomat as Counterinsurgent” musters persuasive arguments in her Diplomats in Conflict Zones” that de- (September FSJ) are certainly valid, October President’s Views column serve the widest possible readership in but they are pie-in-the-sky. What he against our traditional, and pernicious, the Service. They rightly remind us describes is a kind of super-diplomat practice of reserving most, if not all, of that the Foreign Service as a profession that does not currently exist. Nowhere our key diplomatic posts and positions has a long way to go to develop the in the article does he mention the im- in the State Department for those who Service-wide competence to work on portance of knowing the language of contributed to the campaign of who- the ground in today’s (and tomorrow’s) the country. ever happens to be our president. counterinsurgency operations in places It is doubtful that anyone, even at As she points out, this practice is like Iraq and Afghanistan. the ambassadorial level, would have unique among what might be consid- The same issue contains a very rel- the clout to whip the various agencies ered “serious” countries, although one evant review by Ambassador David into line to support his strategic goals, other government followed it to a lim- Passage of David Kilkullen’s recent and it is certain that he/she would not ited extent: the former Soviet Union. book, The Accidental Guerrilla, on the succeed without fluency in the local But in the Soviet case, those assign- same subject. Amb. Passage rightly language. Does such a diplomat exist ments were a punishment, not a recommends it as something that “every in the Department of State? ward, such as V.M. Molotov’s service in American diplomat concerned with Frank Huffman Ulaanbaatar following defeat of the our national security needs to read and FSO, retired “anti-Party Group” by Nikita Khrush- comprehend.” And he coins the use- Washington, D.C. chev in 1957. ful phrase, “It’s the people, stupid,” I had hoped for better from the cur- to emphasize his point that that’s End Cuban Isolation rent administration in light of the state- where any counterinsurgency must I ask FSJ readers this question: ments by President Barack Obama and prevail. How can we continue to justify a policy Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Old hands in the Service like myself that has failed to meet its objective? Clinton extolling the virtues of public recall our post–World War II experi- For nearly 50 years the embargo on service. Now we see that those decla- ence in occupied Germany, when en- trade with Cuba has failed to achieve rations were mere window dressing. tire A-100 classes were diverted and its goal: ending an authoritarian, un- At least the George W. Bush ad- trained as “Kreis Resident Officers” to democratic regime by removing Fidel ministration made no effort to conceal take over from the U.S. Army in de- Castro, who in 2008 took himself off its contempt for the career Foreign veloping responsible local governance center stage. A government seemingly Service. The hypocrisy of the current throughout the American zone of oc- more amenable to a resumption of re- White House makes it worse. cupation. lations with the U.S. continues under Thomas Niles Bruce Laingen his brother, Raul Castro. Yet the U.S. Ambassador, retired Ambassador, retired embargo continues, and the nation Scarsdale, N.Y. Bethesda, Md. closest to the U.S., after Canada and

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L ETTERS

Mexico, remains estranged. respect for the U.S. in the region. tude by issuing an executive order Ironically, in spite of the embargo, Nearly 60,000 American service permitting Cuban-Americans to visit the U.S. leads all other nations in members perished in combat in Viet- Cuba and send remittances there. shipping foodstuffs to Cuba, sending nam attempting to defeat the Viet But only Congress can terminate the some $700 million worth of exports in Cong, who eventually won when U.S. embargo and permit all Americans to 2008. The bulk of these were grains, forces withdrew. We now enjoy diplo- visit the island. but we also exported sugar due to the matic relations with Vietnam, and Such steps, followed by the re- dilapidated condition of the Cuban commerce and tourism flourishes. By sumption of diplomatic relations, are sugar industry. We say one thing but contrast, Havana, which has killed no in keeping with the traditional Amer- do something else. Americans and with which we have ican policy of good will toward other In 1962, the Organization of Amer- never gone to war, remains isolated. nations and would benefit the people ican States agreed to support the em- A resumption of diplomacy, fol- of both countries. bargo and expelled Cuba. Recognizing lowed by trade, investments and tour- E.V. Niemeyer Jr. Washington’s inability to overthrow ism, would revitalize a stagnant Cub- FSO, retired (USIA) Castro and unwillingness to reverse a an economy. Furthermore, it would Austin, Texas failed policy, Latin American nations remove Castro’s longstanding excuse over the years have withdrawn support for the failure of his economic poli- CORRECTION for the embargo. Lifting it and restor- cies: the U.S. embargo. In the October President’s Views ing diplomatic relations with Havana Fortunately, President Barack column, a reference to a 1980 sugges- would go a long way toward restoring Obama has signaled a change in atti- tion to cap non-career ambassador appointments at 15 percent was attributed to “the late” Senator Charles Mathias when it should have read “the former.” Sen. Mathias is still very much with us. The Journal regrets the error. ■

The Foreign Service Journal welcomes brief, focused letters from readers. (In general, 200 to 400 words is a good target.) All submissions are subject to editing, and reflect the opinions of the writers, not necessarily the views of the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Please send your letters to: [email protected].

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CYBERNOTES

Will History Repeat Itself? Hoh’s analysis but not his conclusion, strategy in Afghanistan should be,” says Six years ago, FSOs John Brown, encouraged him to join his team so that Beth Cole, a senior program officer in John Brady Kiesling and Ann Wright he could influence policy. However, a the USIP’s Center for Post-Conflict all resigned from the Service over the week after initially taking the job, Hoh Peace and Stability Operations and decision to invade Iraq. Now, even as changed his mind, and the Depart- head of the institute’s Civilian Peace- President Barack Obama considers a ment of State formally accepted his fare Initiative. “This manual provides request to send a substantial number resignation on Oct. 21. a strategic framework that can help of troops to Afghanistan, another Digital Journal, a social news site guide that strategy.” member of the Foreign Service has re- made up of professional journalists, cit- Though the military has tradition- signed over the direction of U.S. pol- izen journalists and bloggers, com- ally been equipped with doctrine that icy in a war zone. ments that “Hoh may not be the guides its decisions and actions, civil- Matthew Hoh, a limited non-career ‘poster boy’ of opposition to the war, ians in post-conflict situations have Foreign Service officer and former but his letter of resignation will prove acted without any unifying framework. Marine captain who was serving as the fodder for opponents of the war and Meant to fill that gap, the new manual senior civilian representative in Zabul the media for a long time to come” contains both a comprehensive set of province, Afghanistan, sent his four- (www.digitaljournal.com). How- shared principles and a shared strate- page letter of resignation to Director ever, the experience of Brown, Kiesling gic framework for civilians. It was de- General Nancy Powell on Sept. 10 and Wright raises doubts about signed as a companion publication to (www.washingtonpost.com). Ex- whether Hoh’s resignation will have the U.S. Army’s pioneering “Field plaining that he had “lost understand- any practical impact. Manual 3-07: Stability Operations,” re- ing of and confidence in the strategic — Steven Alan Honley, Editor leased in October 2008. purposes of the United States’ pres- “Ad hoc, disorganized campaigns ence in Afghanistan,” Hoh emphasized A Strategic Doctrine for for peace have been the hallmark of that his decision was “based not upon Civilian Peacebuilders past missions,” says State Department how we are pursuing this war, but why The country’s first civilian doctrine Coordinator for Reconstruction and and to what end.” for stabilization and reconstruction ac- Stabilization Ambassador John Herbst. The reaction to Hoh’s letter was im- tivity saw the light of day in early Oc- In a two-year investigation, everything mediate. U.S. Ambassador Karl W. tober. Titled “Guiding Principles for that had been written by dozens of Eikenberry brought Hoh to Kabul and Stabilization and Reconstruction,” the agencies on stabilization and recon- offered him a job on his senior staff, manual released on Oct. 7 is the prod- struction operations was reviewed and which he declined. He was then flown uct of a joint, two-year effort by the “what we know” was consolidated in to Washington to meet with Ambassa- U.S. Institute for Peace (www.usip. one place. The new manual, says dor Richard C. Holbrooke, the Obama org) and the U.S. Army Peacekeeping Herbst, is “the bible for S&R missions.” administration’s special representative and Stability Operations Institute It will be a critical tool for educating for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Hol- (http://pksoi.army.mil/). and training the thousands of new brooke, who agreed with much of “The question du jour is what the members in the active, standby and re-

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C YBERNOTES

Africa, and thus have insights about the dressed in a new study, “U.S. Standing e’ve got to think about needs of African farmers, and link in the World: Faultline for the Obama Wgiving out cookies. them with development professionals, Presidency,” released by the American Kids, countries — they react nongovernmental organization work- Political Science Association at the Na- to gold stars, smiley faces, ers and scholars. tional Press Club on Oct. 1 (www. handshakes, agreements, “This community is an ideal way for apsanet.org/content_59477.cfm). talk, engagement. Peace Corps Volunteers to extend their Not simply a popularity contest, — U.S. envoy to Sudan service beyond their two-year commit- U.S. standing in the world at any given retired Major General ment, and for the African disapora to time is the product of complex pro- J. Scott Gration, Sept. 29, have a platform to put forth their own cesses and, in turn, has implications for www.washingtonpost.com solutions for issues in their home coun- policy. tries,” Molly Mattessich, Africa Rural The findings are thought-provok- Connect project manager and a Peace ing. For instance, other countries rate serve components of the government’s Corps Volunteer in Mali from 2002 to the U.S. not only on its provision of Civilian Response Corps. It will also 2004, tells BusinessNews (http://balti public and private goods (from human- assist individuals at all levels involved more.dbusinessnews.com). itarian aid to global health) throughout in any aspect of an S&R mission — de- Once a proposal is posted on the the world, but on their own expecta- cision-making, assessment, planning, site, users can contribute feedback, al- tions that this American largesse will in- training, implementation or metrics. lowing the creator to make adjust- crease each year. As the study’s authors — Susan Brady Maitra, ments to make the project more note, “it is likely that the disconnect be- Senior Editor feasible and effective, increasing its tween high expectations of what the chances of gaining more support. United States should do in the years Advancing Africa, The first-place winner in Round 3, ahead, and what it actually can and will Engaging the World which ended Oct. 15, was a proposal do, will pose a persistent challenge for A new form of development collab- for improvement of the Arid and managing U.S. standing.” oration in Africa is being put to the test Semi-arid Land Schools system in The study offers some recommen- as we go to press. Africa Rural Con- rural Kenya put forth by a Kenyan dations for ways to restore America’s nect is an Internet-based project to dis- NGO. Primary contributor Kacheru reputation abroad. First, leaders must cuss and develop ideas to improve Karuku’s plan will use information recognize that the gains from improv- sub-Saharan agriculture. ARC was technology to standardize and stream- ing our standing outweigh the short- launched by the National Peace Corps line the school system’s management term costs. Second, the U.S. should Association in July with the support of and introduce an e-learning curricu- take into account local, country-spe- a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates lum in agroforestry, water harvesting cific factors, while still supporting over- Foundation (www.AfricaRuralCon and greenhouse and drip-irrigation arching moral objectives, like human nect.org). technologies. rights and climate change. Finally, To turn the lively online delibera- — Amanda Anderson, rather than providing charity, the U.S. tions into viable action plans, ARC Editorial Intern should demonstrate leadership by conducted a contest from August working alongside other states to aid in through November, ranking submis- U.S. Standing: developing and implementing effec- sions on the basis of their support from Beyond the Obama Effect tive policies. registered discussants. After three Though America’s standing in the The study also suggests that a por- rounds, the grand prize of $20,000 will eyes of the world has generally trended tion of the massive military budget be awarded in December to the very downward since 2002, the 2008 elec- could be better spent in areas of diplo- best program. tion saw a surge in positive impres- macy, arguing that developing such ties ARC’s purpose is to harness the sions, both domestically and abroad. would accrue more value than any firsthand experiences and insight of What does this mean? Can it last? number of weapons and troops ever those who have served or lived in These are among the questions ad- could.

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C YBERNOTES

Public Diplomacy Debate 50 Years Ago... Gets Practical ’m an optimist about the [Foreign] Service’s future. A few A recent exchange among distin- Iyears ago it did not seem to me to offer as much because of guished public diplomacy practitioners public misunderstanding and certain antagonisms which you know about. spotlights practical measures. Retired I believe the Service has emerged from those trials stronger and more solid. Ambassador William A. Rugh targeted We have many friends in Congress and in the country at large. … Our press field operations in a statement first actually is fair to us and I believe most of us have many good friends among published in the e-zine www.ameri the correspondents who are usually inclined to give us a break when we candiplomacy.org, presenting an ac- stumble and a kind word if we rate it. curate view of the public diplomacy profession and detailing administrative — Under Secretary of State Robert Murphy, from a talk at a Foreign corrections to better support it. Service luncheon, Sept. 24, 1959; December 1959 FSJ. Five prominent FSOs responded, focusing on the structure needed to Acknowledging the difficulty of as- one of the most dishonest, unreliable, put U.S. outreach efforts on a strong sessing the United States’ global stand- violent and alcoholic of the Latin and dynamic footing. Thomas Picker- ing, the study’s authors encourage Americans.” ing, Henry Catto, David Hitchcock, more such research. Only on the basis And here is Lord Moran, high com- Fred Coffey Jr. and Stanley Silverman of reliable data can U.S. policymakers missioner in Ottawa between 1981 and offer a three-step fix to improve PD act effectively to improve America’s 1984: “One does not encounter here support for overseas programs, provide reputation worldwide. the ferocious competition of talent that a clear chain of authority overseas from — Amanda Anderson, takes place in the United Kingdom. the under secretary and give field offi- Editorial Intern Canadians still seek wider opportuni- cers a stronger voice in Washington di- ties elsewhere. Anyone who is even rection. Keeping a Not-So-Stiff moderately good at what they do — in “The suggestions in these articles Upper Lip literature, the theater, skiing or what- deserve serious consideration and Until 2006, British ambassadors ever — tends to become a national fig- prompt action,” says Phillip Seib, di- leaving their posts traditionally sent a ure, and anyone who stands out at all rector of the University of Southern valedictory dispatch to London offer- from the crowd tends to be praised to California’s Center on Public Diplo- ing a candid assessment of the country the skies and given the Order of macy. in which they had served. They could Canada at once.” The exchange is featured on the also use that message to write about But the message that precipitated CPD Web site (www.uscpublicdiplo the governments they had served, or the end of that venerable tradition — macy.com). ■ the Diplomatic Service itself. sent by Sir Ivor Roberts, Britain’s de- — Susan Brady Maitra, Sadly for connoisseurs of plain parting ambassador to Italy, in 2006 — Senior Editor speaking, the U.K. Foreign Office dis- did not criticize Rome but London. continued the practice three years ago. Deploring a Foreign Office under siege All references in the Foreign Using material obtained under free- by management consultants, efficiency Service Journal are linked to their dom-of-information laws, BBC Radio drives and Wall Street business-speak source Web sites or e-mail ad- 4 producer Andrew Bryson shared mumbo-jumbo, Roberts asked: “Can it dresses in the online version of the some classics of the genre on his Oct. be that in wading through the plethora magazine. Beginning with this 16 “Parting Shots” program that make of business plans, capability reviews, issue, we will dispense with the long, unwieldy URLs that have been clear why (http://news.bbc.co.uk). skills audits, zero-based reviews and prominent in Cybernotes, providing For instance, Roger Pinsent’s final other excrescences of the management generic references for print readers missive from Managua, sent in 1967, age, we have indeed forgotten what and relying on embedded links in concluded: “There is, I fear, no ques- diplomacy is all about?” the Internet edition. tion but that the average Nicaraguan is — Steven Alan Honley, Editor

DECEMBER 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 11 01-19_FSJ_1209_FRO:first 11/25/09 3:16 PM Page 12

SPEAKING OUT Restore State’s Office of Public Communications

BY ALEXIS LUDWIG

or as long as I can remember, as a freelancer before joining the FS. diplomacy has been synony- It turns out it’s not It was fun, and maybe even useful. Fmous in popular culture with that easy to get the My interactions with PA/PC were sipping cocktails at well-appointed re- word out — though overwhelmingly positive. A one-stop ceptions. Its practitioners are either bureaucratic shop, it was responsive cowardly, effete snobs or huffy, indif- it used to be. and efficient. The office staff seemed ferent bureaucrats (or both), in sharp to understand that the goal was to fa- contrast to our muscular, mission-fo- cilitate the flow of information to the cused military colleagues. outside world, while keeping an eye In reaction, leaders at the State De- it used to be. out for the potential unintended con- partment and AFSA have often ex- When I joined the Foreign Service sequences of public release (which horted the “troops” (if you can’t beat in early 1994, the State Department must have entailed a lot of behind-the- ’em, join ’em) to get the word out still had an Office of Public Commu- scenes work). about what diplomats really do, by con- nications within the Bureau of Public The following year, things changed. ducting public outreach and writing for Affairs that was tasked with facilitating It was the infamous era of “doing more outside publications. public outreach by Civil Service and with less.” In a face-off with Congress, The logic of these exhortations is Foreign Service personnel. the government closed for several days sound enough: If there is an image in 1995. The next year, despite dutiful problem, seek to correct it; if informa- The Way It Was calls by State’s leadership for stepped- tion is lacking, provide it. Go forth and One of PA/PC’s concrete responsi- up public outreach, the Office of Pub- fill the vacuum! After all, we do have a bilities was to assist in clearing for out- lic Communications was permanently story worth telling; the work we do is side publication the extracurricular shuttered. (The inverse relationship valuable; and the American public may writings of department personnel on between rhetoric and reality reflected actually be interested in hearing con- matters of professional interest — a in that moment now seems axiomatic crete details about it from those of us critical link in a potentially sensitive of prevailing political practice in many in the trenches. process. places I’ve served.) As an occasional contributor to the In those days, one faxed the draft Aspiring State Department writers Foreign Service Journal, I would love and followed up with a phone call to were left on their own. The informal to see my byline on all sorts of wise, in- confirm receipt. Depending on its word was that “you now have to get structive articles and essays toward this length or sensitivity, the text usually got your own clearances.” This was diffi- end. Preferably, these pieces would be the green light within a week, often cult, in part because it was confusing: targeted to outside audiences unfamil- sooner. During my first year as a diplo- from whom and how did the final iar with what we do and (in my experi- mat, I placed several op-eds highlight- blessing come? It also left authors vul- ence, at least) instinctively skeptical ing different aspects of the Foreign nerable to the charge of doing “per- about its value. But it turns out it’s not Service experience in the San Fran- sonal” work on company time — not a that easy to get the word out — though cisco newspaper I had contributed to good thing. I remember bringing sev-

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eral draft essays to a more senior col- initiated out of an abundance of cau- selves (which may well have been jus- league in the Bureau of Public Affairs tion. Getting agreement from post tified), was what struck me most. I (then located at the U.S. Information leadership was a snap. However, the wrote e-mails to the individuals appar- Agency), who promised to take a look front office of the Public Affairs Bu- ently responsible for the edits to re- and see what could be done. Nothing reau responded that it wouldn’t review quest clarification or concrete sug- came of any of them, mostly because I the text until all other clearances were gestions for repair. Radio silence en- didn’t follow through. I didn’t really gathered. I wasn’t quite sure what that sued. know how. So my early enthusiasm for meant, but I was determined to pursue this kind of public expression began to the matter. Back to the Future wither on the vine. What it turned out to mean was If my experience is in any way rep- persuading many persons in many dif- resentative, then a great deal of poten- The Clearance Process: ferent offices to take time out from tially useful public expression (I flatter Not So Clear their busy jobs to go over my draft. As myself, I know) has been suppressed Fast forward a few years. After hav- is to be expected, some of these indi- in our ranks. Not deliberately — I’m ing written several articles for the For- viduals performed this “favor” with ensure the responsible parties felt they eign Service Journal in the past, I thusiasm, others less so. The murky were just doing their job — but the decided to take another shot at outside process, full of fits and starts, took sev- outcome is the same. publication. As the official organ of the eral weeks. Fortunately, there is an easy fix for American Foreign Service Association, After that, I resubmitted the draft this structural problem. We can simply the FSJ constitutes a good venue for to PA. With some helpful prodding resurrect a new version of the Office of writing to and for one’s colleagues and from several Washington-based col- Public Communications, and assign it a other insiders; obtaining department leagues, the draft finally emerged fully clear mission: help our people com- clearance generally isn’t an issue. But “cleared” about a month later. By that municate directly with an outside au- publication in the Journal does not time, however, I had already packed dience, and do so from start to finish necessarily give one access to the larger out from post and moved on, physically (including by securing all necessary mass of outside readers potentially cu- and mentally. clearances). rious about a life and profession they So it wasn’t until some time later, That mission could include proac- know little or nothing about. during the relative quiet of home tively identifying candidates with in- The subject I chose to address was leave, that I took a closer look at pre- teresting stories to tell or compelling a colleague’s small act of heroic de- cisely what that clearance meant. It experiences to convey (many profes- cency, which embodied the best tradi- was predictably benign throughout sional editors seek out the “right” writ- tions of the Foreign Service while also most of the text — until I scrolled ers for a particular story idea), and spotlighting the varied and sometimes down to the final section. There, sev- continue all the way through to help- competing responsibilities of a diplo- eral paragraphs had been crossed out ing authors place their products in mat’s work. I sought to contrast the nearly in their entirety and without ex- strategically appropriate media venues misleading popular image of the diplo- planation. When I used the “accept — from specialized technical blogs to mat I described at the outset of this ar- tracked changes” function to see more national news magazines. ticle with a concrete humanitarian clearly how the text now read — my Whatever we call the new office, action, above and beyond the call of words had sometimes been pared State should ensure that it has the tools duty. down to favorable effect by good edi- it needs to do its job. Its staff must be The story seemed a handy vehicle tors in the past — what remained was committed to strategic outreach as a for demonstrating how rubber-hits- a kind of wreckage on the page: frag- priority, conversant with the latest the-road diplomacy can touch lives. A ments of sentences that made no technologies, focused on quick turn- number of people suggested to me it sense, like a house ransacked and then around and capable of working the bu- might merit broader dissemination. abandoned. reaucratic terrain to extract required Thus began the complicated and The manifest indifference to the feedback fast. prolonged clearance process, which I final product, not the deletions them- This nimble new entity could col-

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laborate with, and complement the back-channel commentary I read from work of, existing official public affairs colleagues near and far about what re- entities, attacking an emerging false- If my experience is in ally went on in that meeting, and the hood or clarifying an event or issue via range of perspectives reflected there? the cleared “personal” statements of any way representative, Tapping into those useful percep- individual officers — rather than cum- tions and perspectives, and targeting bersome (and sometimes opaque) of- then a great deal of them to fill the public information gap, ficial pronouncements. would be the underlying goal of the I think, for example, that we’ve potentially useful public new communications office. This, in wrung all the juice from the tired turn, would help a broader public to cliché about diplomats serving their expression has been understand, and even appreciate, the country on the front lines of an in- many little (and occasionally big) creasingly dangerous world. So we’re suppressed in our ranks. things that diplomats do on behalf of going to need to come up with some- our country and people. ■ thing better to explain ourselves to a bemused and skeptical audience. Alexis Ludwig joined the Foreign Serv- In this connection, I would point to to confirm all the worst stereotypes of ice in 1994 and has served in Guate- media coverage of the “Iraq town hall cowardly diplomats. Why did the re- mala City, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, La meeting” fiasco back in the fall of 2007. porting not reflect, even just a little, the Paz and Washington, D.C. He is cur- Media coverage of that event appeared whirlwind of perceptive and patriotic rently political counselor in Lima.

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FS KNOW-HOW Effective Networking for Diplomats — Introverts or Not

BY RUTH M. SCHIMEL

etworking can be a misused Effective networking reaches be- and misunderstood process. Networking is a win- yond neat categories and immediate NFor starters, many Foreign win means of sharing needs. Understanding what makes you Service members think of it primarily skills, information and others unique is catalytic for fo- in terms of planning a post-FS career. and experiences with cusing your efforts. This builds trust, While it is certainly a useful skill for that whether with U.S. colleagues, Foreign purpose, cultivating and sustaining pro- friends and Service Nationals, host-country repre- fessional relationships contribute to colleagues. sentatives or everyday citizens — professional development throughout all potential sources of information, one’s career, as well as afterward. understanding and friendship. Con- Another common misconception is versely, avoiding such relationships be- that networking “works” only for extro- whose functional knowledge brings an cause of superficial assumptions about verts, who already tend to be gregari- important dimension to understanding a person’s value means missing chances ous. In fact, such skills are useful for a the complexity in a region or culture. to connect and learn. wide range of situations and personali- In assignments with a focus on com- ties, including introverts — who are the munity development, the managerial Networking for Introverts main focus of this article. and organizational experience of ad- If you consider yourself an introvert, Finally, some people disdain net- ministrative and consular officers is rel- keep in mind that behavior can range working as shameless self-promotion. evant. Other examples include secur- from asocial to quiet to just short of That may be true in extreme cases, but ity, public affairs and personnel offi- being an extrovert. It can also vary with for most people, it is a win-win means cers, all of whom have access to useful how you’re feeling, whom you’re with, of sharing skills, information and expe- contacts and information about the how many people are present and your riences with friends and colleagues. local scene and individuals. environment. Such expansive approaches go be- Here are some examples of prefer- Only Connect yond the tendency in marketing to ences among people who tend toward It may be helpful to think of effec- focus on target groups or discrete cat- introversion. To test your own, do you: tive networking as a type of marketing, egories of people. Given the complex- • prefer to concentrate in a quiet one that addresses shared needs and in- ity of today’s national and global issues, environment? terests for mutual benefit. Start by effective networking needs to tran- • appreciate details over generaliza- being alert for possible professional re- scend compartments. At its best, it is a tions? lationships that could be beneficial, as dynamic, sometimes even intimate • want to know what’s behind some- well as pleasant. They can include peo- process of mutual influence that en- thing? ple whose substantive interests are sim- riches your current career and opens • think about issues and situations a ilar or complementary to your own. avenues to future work — both within great deal before acting? For example, a political officer with and outside the Foreign Service — es- • feel tired after, and perhaps in an- particular geographic expertise can pecially in areas that engage you most ticipation of, intense social interac- connect with an economic officer strongly. tion?

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Wherever you fit on the continuum and tell them with energy, variety and of introversion, psychologist Carl Jung originality. would probably have encouraged you Understanding what • Remind yourself of the worst thing to understand your tendencies, as well that could happen and how you’d han- as to develop your own version of ex- makes you and others dle it to lessen any anxiety you may feel. troversion. “Know who you are, so you can determine how else you want to unique is catalytic for While Networking act,” he might have counseled. In other • Use your listening as well as your words, rather than change who you are, focusing your efforts. speaking skills. Practice asking open- experiment in comfortable situations ended questions starting with “what” with a wider range of behaviors in order and “how.” Feel free to paraphrase to improve effectiveness and enjoy- what’s said. Obtain useful information ment. for gauging and improving a situation There are many ways you can honor when in a social situation. by attending to body language, includ- your introverted tendencies, even as • Regularly attend functions you’re ing your own. you network to develop new or deeper likely to enjoy, to become more at • Give yourself permission to leave a relationships. Select any of the follow- home and to continue developing rela- large, unproductive function, group ing suggestions that appeal to you, tionships. discussion or conversation, as appro- adapting them so they make sense for • Connect with people who offer priate. you and your situation. Then add your new experiences and perspectives in • Seek out people who seem kind own ideas. ways that are comfortable, or at least and self-aware, as well as knowledge- • Avoid noisy crowds in favor of easy, for you both. able and curious. sharing a meal, drink or simple activity, • Walk up to individuals who appear such as a walk, in quiet situations that Networking Prep alone; engage them in conversation. support conversation. • Identify several appropriate topics • Stretch time when you don’t have • Experiment with writing e-mail that engage you and decide how you a pithy, quick response. Say something and letters in which the content also can discuss them in the new setting. like, “I want to give this the thought it gives recipients a sense of who you are • Imagine a short script for yourself deserves. Can I get back to you?” and your interests through word before returning or making a phone • Avoid, move away from, or man- choice, style, humor and information, call. age “interrupters” and other pushy for example. You might also consider • Make sure you are well-rested be- people. If you feel comfortable, say social networking options, from Link- fore participating in larger functions. calmly with a smile, “Let me finish.” edIn to Twitter. • Go or meet up with a partner or And if you want to, add some confident • Join groups where you can learn someone you like when you attend a humor: “You may find it valuable (in- more about subjects that interest you, large gathering, as long as you don’t stay teresting, worthwhile).” instead of feeling overwhelmed or joined at the hip. If possible, choose • Brush up on your conversational bored by boisterous, superficial or self- someone who can introduce you skills, perhaps practicing with people congratulatory people. Check out var- around and will not feel ignored as you whose company you enjoy and observ- ious professional organizations and engage with others. Of course, help ing how people engage you effectively. groups, both within and outside the them connect, too. • Be true to yourself. Make appar- Service, to see which ones are a good • Identify relevant information and ent such strengths as integrity, a quiet match for you. For external ones, ideas you want to offer and how you sense of humor and authenticity — all scan the Encyclopedia of Associations, will elicit others’ interests. part of building relationships and trust, which is updated regularly and usually • Prepare several short, apt stories the cornerstones of diplomacy. available in libraries. For a description, about your professional or personal I hope you will use these sugges- visit www.gale.cengage.com. life, possibly showing how you over- tions to develop a wider repertoire for • Commit to fulfilling one goal came obstacles or learned something, effective communication and self-pre-

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sentation, build professional relationships, better enjoy your social interactions, and define and meet your career goals — all while remaining true to yourself. ■

Ruth M. Schimel, a Foreign Service officer for over 20 years, served in Cal- cutta, Quito, Guatemala City and Washington, D.C. Since resigning from the Service, she has been providing career and life management con- sulting services for a range of clients. She speaks and writes on professional and personal development, and has started a series of books based on original research into how people discover their capacity for courage. She also manages The Schimel Lode, which supports innovation and collaboration for the public good in the Washington, D.C., area. Learn more at www.ruth schimel.com.

HELPFUL RESOURCES In addition to practice, here are several books that may be helpful: Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength by Laurie Helgoe (Sourcebooks, Inc., 2008) Living Introverted: Learning to Embrace the Quiet Life Without Guilt by Lee Ann Lambert (self-published, 2009) Goodbye to Shy by Leil Lowndes (McGraw-Hill, 2006) The Art of Mingling: Proven Techniques for Mastering Any Room by Jeanne Martinet (St. Martin’s Press, 2006) Make Your Contacts Count: Network- ing Know-How for Business and Career Success by Anne Baber and Lynne Waymon (AMACON, 2007) Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone by Mark Goulston, M.D., and Keith Ferrazzi (AMACON, 2010) — Ruth Schimel

DECEMBER 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 17 01-19_FSJ_1209_FRO:first 11/25/09 3:17 PM Page 18

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

BY STEVEN ALAN HONLEY

appy holidays! With a new facets of an issue related to the Foreign Because of our lead time for publi- Foreign Service Journal Ed- Service, diplomatic practice or inter- cation, and the requirement for Edito- Hitorial Board and AFSA Gov- national relations. This month, for in- rial Board approval, we need to receive erning Board, and a relatively new stance, we assess President Barack submissions at least three months (and presidential administration, this seems Obama’s renewed focus on arms con- preferably longer) prior to the issue’s an especially fitting time to issue our trol agreements, and take a look back release date. Thus, we have already periodic invitation to take advantage of at how the State Department has car- lined up authors for the January issue, the many opportunities to contribute ried out that function since absorbing but there is still time to submit manu- to the Journal. You’ll find a full set of the Arms Control and Disarmament scripts for later months. Submissions author guidelines on our Web site Agency a decade ago. should generally be between 2,000 and (www.afsa.org/fsj), but here is a basic Here is a list of the focus topics our 3,000 words, though shorter pieces are overview. Editorial Board has identified for the always welcome. Each issue of the magazine features coming year (subject, of course, to re- If those choices don’t grab you, or if a focus section examining various vision): you feel we have not devoted enough space to a professional concern or 2010 EDITORIAL CALENDAR for the FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL functional issue, please consider writ- JANUARY Who Will Lead USAID? (cover story) ing a feature article (also generally 2,000-3,000 words long) for us. FEBRUARY Life after the Foreign Service (PLUS AFSA Tax Guide) We continue to welcome submissions for our FS Heritage department, MARCH Iraq & Its Neighbors (PLUS AFSA Annual Report) which spotlights past U.S. diplomats (either famous or obscure), as well as APRIL Spotlight on Consular Issues issues related to the evolution of the MAY Future of the Foreign Service (Diplomacy 3.0, etc.) Foreign Service as an institution. JUNE FSI/FS Training: What’s New? Our annual fiction contest contin- (PLUS semiannual Schools Supplement) ues with the same rules that applied JULY-AUGUST FS Reflections: Tales from the Field this year. Entrants are restricted to one (PLUS AFSA Awards coverage) story of 3,000 words or less, which SEPTEMBER How Does MED Measure Up? must be e-mailed to us at journal@ OCTOBER IBB/VOA & Electronic Diplomacy afsa.org no later than March 1. We will NOVEMBER In Their Own Write publish the winning story (selected by (annual roundup of books by FS-affiliated authors) the FSJ Editorial Board) in our July- DECEMBER Emerging Strategic Powers: August 2009 double issue, and the Indonesia, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa other top stories over the fall months. (PLUS semiannual Schools Supplement) For more details, see the ad elsewhere in this issue or contact us directly.

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We invite those of you who expect section. Just bear in mind that, as with to publish a book between now and all periodicals, the briefer and more fo- next fall to send us a copy (along with We take seriously our cused your letter is, the more likely promotional materials), for inclusion in we’ll be able to print it in full. (In gen- our annual compilation of recently mission to give you eral, 200 to 400 words is a good target.) published books by Foreign Service- The Speaking Out department is affiliated authors, “In Their Own “news you can use.” your forum to advocate policy, regula- Write.” Sept. 1 is still the deadline for tory or statutory changes to the Foreign a listing in the roundup, which will run Service. These columns (approxi- in November. For more information, mately 1,500 to 2,000 words) can be contact Senior Editor Susan Maitra at lighting amusing or ridiculous notices based on personal experience with a [email protected]. — unclassified, please! — circulating professional injustice or insights into a at overseas posts), and The System and foreign affairs-related issue. Share Your Insights You (notes from inside the bureau- Our Reflections department pres- We take seriously our mission to cracy). ents short commentaries (approxi- give you “news you can use” — e.g., in- AFSA News Editor Francesca Kelly mately 600 words long) based on formation about how to advance your also plans to introduce a new depart- personal experiences while living or career; tips on dealing effectively with ment next year profiling AFSA post traveling overseas. These submissions the bureaucracy at State and the other representatives. For more information should center on insights gained as a foreign affairs agencies, especially about these departments, or any aspect result of interactions with other cul- when you are trying to resolve a prob- of AFSA News, contact Francesca at tures, rather than being descriptive lem; and updates on how AFSA is [email protected]. “travel pieces.” We are also pleased to working to improve working and living Another place to look for such items consider poetry and photographs for conditions for Foreign Service em- is our periodic FS Know-How depart- publication, either in that section or as ployees and their families. ment. We welcome contributions on freestanding features. Much of that coverage is found, of topics ranging from managing one’s ca- Please note that all submissions to course, within the pages of AFSA reer and cutting red tape to parlaying the Journal must be approved by our News. This section offers many dif- one’s professional skills in retirement, as Editorial Board and are subject to ed- ferent ways for members to share their well as financial information and guid- iting for style, length and format. For experiences, thoughts and concerns re- ance for Foreign Service personnel. information on how to submit a col- garding professional issues, including There are many other ways you can umn, article or letter, please contact us the following departments: Family contribute to our pages, of course. I at [email protected], and we will be de- Member Matters, Of Special(ist) Con- hope you will share your reactions, lighted to respond. Other inquiries — cern (a forum for specialists), Where to positive and negative, not only to this changes of address, etc. — should also Retire, On the Lighter Side (FS issue but to what you read every go to that address. humor), Memo of the Month (high- month, by contributing to our Letters Let us hear from you. ■

DECEMBER 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 19 20-47_FSJ_1209_FOC:firstlook 11/25/09 2:03 PM Page 20 20-47_FSJ_1209_FOC:firstlook 11/25/09 2:03 PM Page 21

F OCUS ON A RMS C ONTROL

ORGANIZING FOR ARMS CONTROL: 1945-2009 Adam Niklewicz

PREVENTING THE USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS REMAINS THE URGENT PRIORITY IT HAS BEEN FROM THE DAWN OF THE ATOMIC AGE.

BY PIERCE S. CORDEN

rms control — typically through agreed measures to reduce or limit the possession or use of weapons — has been a component of national, and global, security for over a century. The invention and use of nuclear weapons stimulated a renewed and urgent international focus on arms control after World War II. The new UnitedA Nations provided a forum for initial efforts to ban nuclear weapons outright. In 1945, the United States proposed the Baruch Plan, which would have established an international authority with

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responsibility for all aspects of nu- Arms control cuts across the by those already possessing them. clear weapons and their constituent The NPT assigns to the Interna- fissile materials, including peaceful traditional bureaucratic tional Atomic Energy Agency the uses of such materials. Enforce- role of safeguarding peaceful nu- ment would not be subject to veto structures for managing clear activities to ensure that diver- by permanent members of the Se- sion of regulated nuclear materials curity Council. Once the authority foreign policy and to nuclear weapons does not occur. was in place, the United States The current impasse arising from would relinquish its nuclear wea- defense policy. Iran’s formerly secret enrichment pons. In effect, this would create a program in violation of its safe- world free of such weapons. The guards commitments points to the Soviet Union countered with the Gromyko Plan, revers- critical role the IAEA plays in global nuclear arms control. ing the order of steps so that the U.S. would first destroy Beginning in 1967 at the Glassboro Summit, bilateral its stockpile, and preserving Moscow’s veto right in the Se- U.S.-Soviet nuclear arms control assumed an increasing curity Council. role in addressing the “vertical” proliferation of nuclear The unbridgeable divide between these approaches, to- weapons. The 1972 strategic arms limitation agreements gether with the growing animosity between West and (SALT I), the 1979 SALT II Treaty, the 1974 Threshold East, meant the failure of these first attempts at nuclear Test Ban Treaty and the 1976 Peaceful Nuclear Explo- arms control. Had they succeeded in reliably banning nu- sions Treaty were early successes. These were followed by clear weapons, their spread to other states (“horizontal” the 1987 Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty, the 1991 proliferation) and the nuclear arms race (“vertical” prolif- Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and the 2002 Strategic eration) would not have occurred. Offensive Reductions Treaty. Thereafter, both in the U.N. framework and among Developments since the breakup of the USSR have themselves, the major powers and other states sought prompted attention to security threats not previously fo- ways to address the grave threat posed by nuclear cused on in the arms control regime. In particular, the weapons through partial, step-by-step measures. prominence of terrorism in the past decade, and the shock of the 9/11 attacks on New York City and Washington, Key Agreements, Old and New D.C., point to the necessity of strong international action The first agreement aimed directly at constraining the to ensure that nuclear (or biological) weapons do not fall nuclear arms race was the 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty, into the wrong hands and are then unleashed against mass prohibiting nuclear tests in the atmosphere, outer space civilian targets. and under water. That was followed five years later by a The proposals of former Secretaries of State Henry pact that remains a key element of the arms control (and Kissinger and George Shultz, former Secretary of De- nonproliferation) regime: the Nuclear Non-Proliferation fense William Perry and former Senator Sam Nunn pub- Treaty. Aside from India, Pakistan, Israel and North lished in the Wall Street Journal on Jan. 5, 2007, and Jan. Korea (which has announced its withdrawal from the 15, 2008, and the op-ed by the Reagan administration’s treaty and twice tested a nuclear explosive), the NPT has chief nuclear arms negotiator Amb. Max Kampelman near-universal adherence, and has been a basis for related (New York Times, April 24, 2006), have given new impe- undertakings aimed at ensuring that nuclear weapons tus to the step-by-step process to achieve a nuclear- spread no further horizontally, and are ultimately abolished weapon-free world. Their sober articulation of the necessity of achieving this outcome for U.S. national se- Pierce Corden is a visiting scholar at the Center for Sci- curity returns to the forefront the goal first articulated ence, Technology and Security Policy of the American As- more than a half-century ago in the Baruch Plan. sociation for the Advancement of Science. The author These new proposals have clearly served as a point of thanks Amb. James Goodby, Dr. Robert Rochlin, Mr. Dean departure for the Obama administration’s approach to Rust and Amb. Norman Wulf for their helpful comments arms control. The president outlined his objectives in an on an earlier draft of this article. address in Prague on April 5, committing the U.S. to the

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eventual achievement of a world free President Obama has made the U.S. Senate’s advice and con- of nuclear weapons. On Sept. 24, the sent. He also urged negotiation of a president chaired a U.N. Security clear his determination to verifiable ban on the production of Council session that addressed nu- fissile materials for nuclear weapons clear arms control and nonprolifera- revitalize the U.S. (a “cutoff” treaty). Both agreements tion and adopted UNSC Resolution were first proposed in the mid- 1889 (2009). And he is convening a commitment to arms control, 1950s, so the failure to achieve them nuclear security summit next March yet is sobering evidence of the diffi- to consider ways of dealing with the while recognizing the many culties ahead. threat of nuclear terrorism and related matters. obstacles on the path. The Genesis and In Prague, the president made Role of ACDA clear that he recognizes achieving a As the American experience fol- nuclear-weapon-free world is a daunting task, but lowing World War II demonstrates, arms control cuts nonetheless challenged the world to move toward that ob- across the traditional bureaucratic structures for manag- jective. He pledged to negotiate a new bilateral agree- ing foreign and defense policy. In the 1950s and early ment to follow the 1991 START Treaty, which expires in 1960s, as the arms race led to several states acquiring nu- December. He urged bringing the Comprehensive Nu- clear weapons, the State Department (charged with for- clear Test Ban Treaty into force, beginning with seeking eign policy), the Defense Department (responsible for

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deploying nuclear weapons) and the The structure of to be directly advised on arms con- U.S. Atomic Energy Commission trol issues, even if the Secretary of (tasked with developing such wea- ACDA evolved with the State has differing views. This dual- pons) often had intersecting roles in ity is not unlike the role of the Joint the executive branch’s focus on nu- changing emphasis on Chiefs of Staff within the Depart- clear testing issues. ment of Defense. The provisions Nuclear arms control was suffi- issues over the years. also recognize that the products of ciently important that department the arms control process, typically secretaries and senior White House treaties, are more in the provenance officials coordinated policy decisions for the Limited Test of the State Department than other departments or agen- Ban Treaty negotiations, often with the direct involvement cies in the executive branch. of the president. Congressional involvement, in addition ACDA was mainly housed in the State Department, to the Foreign Relations and Armed Services Commit- but maintained its own structure and, perhaps most im- tees, included the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. portantly, its own — primarily Civil Service — personnel Although arms control is inevitably an interagency ef- system. The front office had a director equivalent in rank fort, with final coordination by the National Security to the Deputy Secretary of State, a deputy director and Council and the White House, for 38 years one U.S. a counselor. The agency had four bureaus, each headed agency had a specific mandate to advance U.S. arms con- by an assistant director; a legal adviser’s office that also trol policies: the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament carried out legislative liaison functions; and other com- Agency. ponents of a self-contained agency. The top positions In 1961, recognizing that earlier bureaucratic arrange- were all subject to Senate confirmation. The structure ments were insufficient to address the threat of nuclear and personnel mix supported teamwork among the civil weapons, the Kennedy administration and prominent sen- servants, FSOs and military officers assigned or detailed ators, led by Hubert Humphrey, D-Minn., created that to the agency. agency to provide specialized support to, and leadership ACDA’s modest size (never more than 250 staff in for, arms control matters. ACDA played an important total) resulted in flexibility across bureaucratic lines. Civil part in the negotiation of the LTBT and most, if not all, of servants with science backgrounds framed issues in in- the subsequent nuclear agreements, including the NPT, teragency studies and developed technically sound defi- SALT, the TTBT and PNET, INF and START, and the nitions and provisions for agreements under negotiation. CTBT, as well as the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons They had opportunities to serve on delegations, where Convention, the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention issues with a strong technical component such as con- and the 1990 Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty. straints on ballistic missiles, nuclear testing and chemical While ACDA was a separate agency, it was, of course, weapons were considered. They acquired reporting skills an integral component of the executive branch, and no and engaged in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy freer than any other agency to go its own way. However, alongside Foreign Service officers. the Arms Control and Disarmament Act establishing At the same time, FSOs assigned to work on arms con- ACDA provided that its director “shall serve as the prin- trol could acquire in-depth experience with technically cipal adviser to the Secretary of State and the president on complicated negotiations. The mix of scientists, lawyers, arms control and disarmament matters.” It further stip- diplomats and military officers, who could assimilate ulated: “In carrying out his duties under this act the di- some of each other’s skills and experience, was important rector shall, under the direction of the Secretary of State, to ACDA’s ability to get results. have primary responsibility within the government for The structure of the agency evolved with the changing arms control and disarmament matters, as defined in this emphasis on issues over the years. The financial burdens act.” of weapons programs faded as an issue to be addressed These provisions recognized both that arms control is (though the devotion of such a substantial fraction of the sufficiently important to require a separate agency to take federal budget to weapons suggests it should again be a leading role in its pursuit, and that the president needs dealt with), and more prominence was given to nonpro-

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liferation and verification. However, ACDA maintained tributions to successful negotiations. its focus on bilateral nuclear arms control, a nuclear test To cite an example from personal experience, ACDA ban and other multilateral issues. was the key agency in gaining Soviet acknowledgement The implementation of agreements (beginning with that there is no reliable distinction between nuclear ex- the NPT and its establishment of the IAEA), support for plosions in a weapons testing program and nuclear explo- bilateral forums (such as the Standing Verification Com- sions for peaceful purposes, so that both would need to mission for the INF Treaty) and leadership of delegations be banned under the CTBT. (to, for instance, the Geneva Conference on Disarma- ment, the U.N. General Assembly’s First Committee and The Merger with State periodic review conferences of the NPT) were other im- In the early 1990s, several studies evaluated ACDA’s portant functions supported by ACDA. The agency’s continuing role as a separate agency. Ambassador statutory authority also provided for the appointment of Thomas Graham, who served as acting director of ACDA Senate-confirmed ambassadors and special representa- in 1993, has given a detailed account of how these stud- tives of the president. ies played out, leading to the Clinton administration’s de- From the 1960s until its 1999 merger with the State cision to maintain ACDA’s separate status, in his book, Department, the agency took the negotiating lead on Disarmament Sketches (University of Washington Press, many arms control issues. As a separate bureaucracy 2002). Also of particular note is the study requested by working together with the State Department and other Secretary of State James Baker and carried out by a panel agencies in the interagency framework under the National led by Amb. James Goodby. This report endorsed the re- Security Council, it made important, if not unique, con- vitalization of ACDA or, failing that, its consolidation with

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the State Department. ACDA was mainly housed consequences of ACDA’s merger ACDA’s subsequent merger with with the State Department and the State was a consequence of politics in State, but maintained subsequent reorganization of its in the Senate. Senator Jesse Helms, 1999 structure. The hearing pro- R-N.C., made the Clinton adminis- its own structure and, vided a troubling picture of the tration’s acquiescence in the merger present situation: technical and pol- a condition for gaining Senate advice perhaps most importantly, icy expertise and historical memory and consent to the Chemical Wea- have been substantially reduced. pons Convention. There was, as its own personnel system. Sen. Akaka argued that U.S. arms well, a lessening of congressional control objectives had not been well focus on ACDA following the end of served, and urged remedial action. the Cold War. Finally, some arms control skeptics found His opening statement and the testimony of witnesses is it useful to silence a separate agency that had pursued available at www.senate.gov. measures they considered counterproductive. A Government Accountability Office report to Akaka’s The decision to merge ACDA with State was made subcommittee in July 2009 found that the State Depart- in 1997, and implemented on April 1, 1999. The four ment could not show that it had achieved all its objectives ACDA bureaus were organized into three: nonprolifer- for the 2005-2006 restructuring of the arms control and ation, arms control, and verification and compliance (the nonproliferation functions because of a lack of clearly de- latter resulting from legislation initiated by the Senate). fined goals and ways to measure their achievement. Ac- Together with State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, cording to the report, the reorganization “appeared to lose they were placed under the Office of the Under Secre- credibility among staff, may have contributed to reduced tary for and Arms Control and International Security (fa- employee morale, and created negative impressions miliarly known as the “T” Bureaus). There was, thus, a among staff that continue to the present.” The depart- net loss in senior leadership devoted to arms control. ment agreed with the GAO’s conclusions and recommen- In 2005-2006, an internal review by State’s Office of dations, and undertook appropriate implementing mea- the Inspector General, which supported the Bush ad- sures. ministration’s predisposition, led to a second reorganiza- In an article published in January in the Web edition of tion that combined the arms control and nonproliferation the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, I discussed the find- bureaus. This decision triggered another exodus of long- ings of the 2008 Akaka hearing, concluding that, optimally, serving Civil Service staff. it would make sense to re-establish ACDA as provided for Meanwhile, in 2001 the longstanding effort to nego- in the 1994 Arms Control and Disarmament Act. tiate a protocol to the Biological Weapons Convention But at his confirmation hearing on Jan. 22, in response to strengthen its implementation failed when the U.S. to a question whether arms control functions should be withdrew its support. The 2005 Non-Proliferation taken away from State and assigned to independent agen- Treaty Review Conference (which followed the 1995 in- cies, Deputy Secretary of State-designate Jacob Lew definite extension of the NPT and a successful 2000 re- stated: “Arms control and nonproliferation are central el- view conference establishing an agenda for further ements of our foreign policy and core functions of the De- control steps, including entry into force of the CTBT) partment of State.” failed — in part over U.S. unwillingness to support The deputy secretary continued: “ Success in negoti- CTBT’s ratification. It should be noted, however, that ating a successor to the START Treaty and promoting, de- the administration continued to support the buildup of veloping and securing consensus and progress on the treaty’s international monitoring system via a [weapons of mass destruction] proliferation requires bi- preparatory commission. lateral and multilateral diplomacy, drawing on all the re- On May 15, 2008, Senator Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, sources of the department and led by the Secretary, who chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight of Govern- has made clear the priority she assigns to these issues. ment Management, the Federal Work Force, and the These functions should be integrated into the department District of Columbia, convened a hearing to review the rather than be assigned to independent agencies. The de-

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partment’s capabilities to carry out these functions will be In the Foreign Service, work in functional bureaus revitalized to support this effort.” dealing with arms control should be viewed positively by promotion boards. Accordingly, FSOs should not be as- Steps to Revitalize T signed to open positions in the T Bureaus simply because There is little chance that ACDA will be re-estab- they are at the appropriate grade, but because they have lished. Accordingly, here are some proposals that would the appropriate knowledge. This means creating a career help strengthen the State Department’s leadership on path for FSOs that includes training followed by assign- arms control issues. A similar and more extensive set ments to arms control positions in T and at posts abroad. of recommendations is contained in the report submit- Another important factor was highlighted in an article ted by Amb. Norman Wulf to the Akaka hearing dis- by former Secretary of State George Shultz in the spring cussed above. That report was prepared by former 2009 issue of the Yale Divinity School magazine, Reflec- nonproliferation and arms control officials of ACDA tions. Addressing the challenge of achieving a world free and State. of nuclear weapons, Shultz observes: “Almost all the steps First, State should create an administrative structure involved will require a major scientific and technical that optimizes opportunities for career civil servants to component. Foreign ministries, with all due respect to achieve career advancement and to remain for longer pe- their great gifts of persuasion and intelligence, are sel- riods than a typical Foreign Service rotation. This implies dom able to grapple on their own with these issues.” a personnel system different from that optimized for For- Citing technical issues in the nuclear fuel cycle related eign Service officers. to proliferation, and in guarding against cheaters in going State should permanently staff this structure with in- to zero nuclear weapons, he continues: “These questions dividuals possessing strong technical backgrounds in the highlight the importance of a combined diplomatic and natural sciences and engineering disciplines, lawyers spe- scientific approach for scoping out alternative public poli- cializing in national security, and specialists in economics cies. … Countries must consider ways of promoting this and international security policy. FSOs on assignment kind of diplomatic/scientific cooperation.” The structure within this structure and detailees from the departments of the T Bureaus should ensure this combination of of Defense and Energy and the intelligence community diplomacy and science. should also be included. Although Civil Service employees would not typically rotate between foreign and do- Full Funding and Staffing mestic assignments, they should help staff overseas arms Second, the national security role of arms control is of control positions — for example, those at the U.S. Mis- sufficient importance that options should be fully vetted sion to International Organizations in Vienna. at the highest levels. Given the breadth of the Secretary Leadership below the political level would be concen- of State’s responsibilities and demands on her/his time, trated in the Civil Service. This would include ensuring the under secretary for arms control and international se- that an appropriate number of Senior Executive Service curity should be present at meetings with the president, positions, to which lower-ranking civil servants could as- as well as at meetings of the National Security Council pire, are maintained or created. and other senior policy groups dealing with arms control. Personnel of exceptional caliber should be recruited As discussed above, there is precedent in the role of the and sustained, regardless of whether negotiations are ac- ACDA director and that of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the tive or in a lull — just as the military services recruit, train Defense Department. The importance of arms control and retain officers whether or not a war is being waged. would also warrant consideration by the State Depart- Rotation of Foreign Service personnel works well abroad, ment of elevating the under secretary position to that of in regional bureaus and in some functional ones. But this a third deputy secretary, thereby enhancing the bureau- model is not ideal for ensuring the continuity necessary cratic clout given to the issues. to address the history, breadth and complexity of arms Third, full staffing and funding are required for: control. A Civil Service path permits officers to acquire • The current highest-priority START negotiations; essential technical, scientific and diplomatic experience • The delegation to the Conference on Disarmament as they advance to higher levels. (for the cutoff treaty negotiations and discussions of outer

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space and nuclear arms control); More than 40 years wider context, so that the verification • Representation to the IAEA, the provisions of an agreement ensure that Organization for the Prohibition of after its inception, the militarily significant violations are not Chemical Weapons, the Preparatory occurring. In addition, both bilateral Commission for the CTBT Organiza- Nuclear Non-Proliferation and multilateral issues need to be con- tion, and the Organization for Secu- sidered holistically. This includes, for rity and Cooperation in Europe; Treaty still enjoys example, understanding how Russia • Dealing with the proliferation might consider linkages among imple- challenges of civil nuclear fuel cycle near-universal adherence. mentation of the CFE Treaty govern- expansion in terms of the environ- ing conventional forces (which it has ment. (Adding technically trained per- suspended), plans for ballistic missile sonnel to the arms control bureaucracy who could look defense in Europe and the prospective START follow-on across the spectrum of renewable energy options and eval- agreement. uate alternatives to nuclear energy would be useful.) Fifth, State should provide expert staff for service in •Preparing for multilateral negotiations on nuclear international organizations. The IAEA, OPCW, the CTBT arms control. These will at some point involve, at a mini- Preparatory Commission and the U.N. Disarmament Af- mum, China, the U.K., France, India and Pakistan. The fairs office should employ a substantial number of U.S. complications posed by Israel, and the possibility of a nu- arms control experts, given the fact that such organizations clear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, will need to are the international matrix for implementing or consid- be addressed. Thus, there should be a complement of staff ering agreements. At the IAEA, individuals with back- to think beyond the current implementation and negoti- grounds in the technical and policy issues related to North ating responsibilities, and to sponsor research on future Korea and Iran are important. At the CTBT Preparatory steps. Commission, of importance are backgrounds in monitor- As noted above, ACDA staffing never exceeded 250 ing technologies and systems and on-site inspection tech- personnel slots (full-time equivalents). The State bureau- nologies. Some positions will be filled by FSOs, some by cracy devoted to these issues has never exceeded 500. experts from DOD, DOE and its laboratories. Considering that there are 200,000 persons dedicated to intelligence missions, as stated by Director of National In- Still an Urgent Priority telligence Dennis C. Blair in September, the number of In the half-century since the failure of the Baruch Plan, slots allocated to arms control could be greatly increased the world has witnessed a U.S.-Soviet arms race in which and still be minimal. each side deployed tens of thousands of weapons, ready to The U.S. share for funding international arms control be launched on short notice — just a single one of which organizations should be ensured. For treaties such as the could spell the destruction of a city, its people and its civ- NPT, START and CTBT, all key to maintaining global sta- ilization. But it has also witnessed, mainly pursuant to ne- bility, the costs are modest compared to our expenditures gotiated agreements, rapid reductions in these deploy- on nuclear weapon systems or intelligence (which Dennis ments. Furthermore, nuclear “horizontal” proliferation Blair estimated at $75 billion). has been held to less than a dozen states. The U.S. contributes only 22 percent of the IAEA’s an- Negotiators have also succeeded in outlawing biological nual budget of about $500 million — itself quite modest and chemical weapons, and made progress with respect to considering the importance to national security of the conventional weapons. But investments in military solu- agency’s safeguards. The resources to support a military tions to security concerns, including nuclear weapons, re- response to every threat to national security are likely to main very large, far outweighing the investments to pursue dwarf those needed for arms control. arms control solutions. Fourth, within the separate administrative structures For all these reasons, preventing the use of nuclear policy direction must be organized to optimize decision- weapons, ultimately through the process of negotiating a making. Verification and compliance are key to effective world free of such armaments, remains the urgent prior- arms control, for instance, but need to be considered in a ity it has been from the dawn of the atomic age. ■

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A NUCLEAR REDUCTIONS PRIMER Adam Niklewicz

THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION IS FOCUSING ON THREE MAJOR ARMS CONTROL AGREEMENTS. THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THEM.

BY SALLY K. HORN

n a landmark speech in Prague on April 5, President Barack Obama committed the United States “to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons” and to take concrete steps toward that goal, including: • A newI Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia that is legally binding and “sufficiently bold,” and sets the stage for further bilateral reductions and the participation of all nuclear weapon states in subsequent reductions.

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• U.S. ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test forts to cut nuclear force levels. For many global ob- Ban Treaty, establishing a global ban on testing by any servers, U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control reductions are country of any nuclear weapon or nuclear explosive de- at least a hortatory, if not actual, prerequisite for them to vice. join in strengthening nuclear nonproliferation rules and • A Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty that verifiably ends enforcing compliance when states such as Iran, North the production of fissile material for use in nuclear Korea and Syria break those rules. weapons. Fissile material is the essential building block for such weapons. A Short History of Nuclear Arms Reduction Treaties Why the START Follow-on Treaty Matters The first treaty to enter into force to directly limit the The most immediate and time-sensitive of the arms nuclear forces of the United States and Russia/Soviet control steps is negotiating the START Follow-on Treaty. Union was the 1972 Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, or It is an urgent priority because the arms reduction treaty SALT. It was followed by the 1987 Treaty Between the which it will replace, START, expires on Dec. 5 of this United States of America and the Union of Soviet So- year. Once completed and ratified, the START Follow- cialist Republics on the Elimination of Their Intermedi- on Treaty would be the fifth arms control treaty to come ate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles (INF Treaty), the into force between the United States and Russia (and its 1991 Treaty Between the United States of America and predecessor, the Soviet Union) to limit or reduce the the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Reduction number and capabilities of nuclear weapons that each and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START side possesses. Treaty), and the 2002 Treaty Between the United States Like the treaties that preceded it, the START Follow- of America and the Russian Federation on Strategic Of- on Treaty will both reflect and advance military and fensive Reductions (Moscow Treaty). The 1979 SALT II diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Russia. Fur- and 1993 START II treaties were negotiated and signed ther, like its predecessors, it will be perceived broadly in but never entered into force. the international community as a concrete indicator of Although quite modest in its accomplishments when the degree of commitment by the United States and Rus- examined through today’s lenses, SALT represented a sia to their obligation under Article VI of the multilateral major breakthrough in cooperation for its time. While it Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to “pursue negotiations permitted modernization, SALT halted and capped the in good faith on effective measures relating to ... nuclear numerical U.S.-Soviet nuclear arms race — that is, what disarmament.” (until then) was a continuing increase in the numbers of With the NPT Review Conference less than six U.S. and Soviet nuclear weapons capable of hitting each months away — it will run from May 3 to May 28, 2010 other’s territory. Further, it established, as a principle of — and the president’s exhortation in his Prague speech arms control relations, the legitimacy of using satellites for the international community to strengthen the rules and other remote means — so-called national technical against nuclear proliferation and to hold states that break means of verification — to confirm compliance with arms those rules accountable, governments and peoples across control obligations. the globe are watching closely to see if the U.S.-Russia Because both the United States and the Soviet Union “reset” button will re-energize the pace of bilateral ef- were quite wary of each other, with neither party willing to grant the other on-site visitation rights to monitor com- Sally K. Horn is a retired member of the Senior Executive pliance, SALT constraints were focused exclusively on Service and an expert on arms control, nonproliferation limiting those items that could be seen or for which there and verification. A former office director in the Office of were surrogates that could be viewed remotely by satel- the Secretary of Defense responsible for these matters, she lite. Hence, the treaty focused on deployed strategic currently consults on policy and management issues, in- nuclear delivery vehicles that could carry nuclear war- cluding as a senior expert in State’s Bureau of Verification, heads or bombs, that is, deployed intercontinental ballis- Compliance and Implementation. The views expressed tic missiles (whose silos could be seen by satellite), herein solely represent the views of the author. submarine-launched ballistic missiles (the doors of whose

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launch tubes on strategic ballistic A 2009 START Follow-on total number of nuclear warheads missile submarines could be seen attributed to deployed systems and by satellite), and heavy bombers. Treaty would be the fifth sublimits on the number of war- SALT included another innova- heads that could be deployed on tion in bilateral arms control: It es- arms control agreement the various types of ballistic mis- tablished a bilateral consultative siles (4,900 total, with sublimits of body that would meet periodically between Washington 1,540 warheads on so-called heavy to discuss and resolve questions re- ICBMs and 1,100 on mobile lating to implementation and com- and Moscow. ICBMs). It also required a 50-per- pliance. Subsequent nuclear treat- cent reduction, to 154, in heavy ies also established consultative ICBMs (SS-18 missiles), a reduc- bodies. tion that applied only to the former Soviet Union since The 1987 INF and 1991 START treaties represented only it possessed these powerful missiles. When START major breakthroughs on several fronts. First, they actu- was signed, the U.S. had 2,246 strategic nuclear delivery ally reduced — and in the case of the INF Treaty, elimi- vehicles and the Soviet Union had 2,500; the U.S. had nated — important categories of nuclear forces. In the 10,563 attributable warheads and the Soviet Union had case of the INF Treaty, the entire inventory (deployed 10,271; and the U.S. had 8,210 attributable warheads on and non-deployed) of ground-launched missiles belong- ICBMs and SLBMs and the Soviet Union had 9,416. ing to the United States and the Soviet Union with ranges START contained an even more comprehensive set of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers were eliminated, as definitions and confidence-building measures than the were their launchers. INF Treaty; called for an even more extensive array of Moreover, the INF Treaty included provisions for the on-site inspections; created new on-site inspection ap- first-ever on-site inspections of missile bases, the first- proaches to permit both sides not only to “see” the num- ever negotiated (and directly observed) missile and ber of deployed missiles, air-launched cruise missiles and launcher eliminations, and the first-ever continuous pres- heavy bombers, but also to verify that the number of nu- ence of nationals of one country to observe activities at a clear warheads was no more than the number attributed facility in the other country that was involved in the pro- to a particular type of ICBM, SLBM and heavy bomber; duction of missiles. The inspections and continuous pres- and required an extensive exchange of technical infor- ence helped both countries develop confidence that the mation to help verify that the firepower of the strategic other was complying with the treaty. Just as importantly, forces of each side stayed within agreed limits. this system created a new foundation of trust and under- This array of provisions served three purposes. It lim- standing among the civil societies of both countries as ited the growth in capabilities, ensured that the United they opened their arms to welcome inspectors from the States could not only trust but also verify actions under other country. the treaty, and facilitated predictability in U.S. relation- The START Treaty, which was negotiated before the ships with the new states of the former Soviet Union fall of the Soviet Union but entered into force on Dec. 5, (Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus), where nu- 1994, built on the success of the INF Treaty. Its goals, clear weapons and nuclear weapons facilities were still however, were tempered by a strong appreciation that located. In 1992, after the fall of the Soviet Union, those while it was possible to eliminate whole classes of inter- three nations agreed to transfer the nuclear warheads on mediate and shorter-range nuclear forces, longer-range their territories to Russia, and later joined the NPT as strategic offensive nuclear weapons still were required to non-nuclear-weapon states. deter nuclear attack and ensure national security and the The Moscow Treaty, which entered into force on June security of friends and allies. 1, 2003, is a treaty between only the United States and START required real reductions. It set an aggregate Russia. It reduced the levels of strategic nuclear war- limit of 1,600 on the number of strategic nuclear delivery heads below those established in START. Reflecting the vehicles — deployed ICBMs, SLBMs and heavy bomb- fact that Washington and Moscow no longer perceived ers — that each side could have; a limit of 6,000 on the each other as enemies, and the correspondingly higher

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level of trust in the bilateral rela- The whole world is security requirements. Addition- tionship, it set a range rather than ally, recognizing the changed a specific number for the accept- watching closely to see if the strategic environment and lessons able level of warheads that the learned from years of implementa- United States or Russia could de- U.S.-Russia “reset” button tion of the START and Moscow ploy — no more than 1,700-2,200 Treaties, the plan is for this new warheads each by Dec. 31, 2012. will re-energize the pace of treaty to adapt and simplify What is most noteworthy is that this START provisions on definitions, level is nearly two-thirds below that bilateral efforts to cut data exchanges, notifications, elim- which existed in 2002, and that it inations, inspections and verifica- has already been reached. nuclear force levels. tion procedures, as well as con- The Moscow Treaty also explic- fidence-building and transparency itly permitted each side to deter- measures. The inclusion of these mine for itself the composition and structure of its provisions (albeit simplified) will enable each side to strategic offensive forces consistent with the overall war- monitor, with a high degree of predictability, the existing head limit. Thus, the United States and Russia were able force structure and modernization programs of the other. to determine, consistent with the limit, how many de- Both sides historically have depended on such pre- ployed ICBMs, SLBMs and heavy bombers it would dictability to enable continued cooperation. have and how it would apportion these warheads among The significance of the START Follow-on Treaty ex- its deployed strategic offensive arms. Finally, the two par- tends beyond the bilateral military relationship between ties agreed in the Moscow Treaty that the START Treaty the United States and Russia. The deep reductions that it remains in force in accordance with its terms. Conse- envisions and the concomitant commitment to seek even quently, START’s confidence-building measures and deeper reductions in the future also respond to interna- comprehensive verification regime will continue in force tional calls for demonstrated progress toward nuclear dis- until the treaty expires. armament. That achievement is expected to enable the United States to lobby the international community more START Follow-on Treaty: credibly and effectively to strengthen nonproliferation Limits and Benefits norms and hold violators of those norms accountable. The START Follow-on Treaty is intended to combine According to the chief U.S. negotiator, Assistant Sec- the predictability of START with the flexibility of the retary Rose Gottemoeller, “The ability of the United Moscow Treaty, but at lower levels of deployed strategic States to persuade other nations to act collectively against nuclear delivery vehicles and warheads than those in the those states committed to developing nuclear weapons START and Moscow treaties. While the final numbers will be bolstered through reductions in the U.S. and are still being negotiated, in the Joint Understanding for Russian nuclear arsenals. It is a matter of moral suasion.” the START Follow-on Treaty signed in Moscow on July (Gottemoeller’s talk, “The Long Road from Prague: The 6, the United States and Russia agreed to reduce their Administration’s Views on Nuclear Weapons Reductions strategic delivery vehicles from 1,600 to a range of 500- and Arms Control” — an Aug. 14 address to the USAF/ 1,100, and their associated warheads from 2,200 to a DTRA Conference on Confronting Global WMD range of 1,500-1,675, within seven years of entry into Threats: New Direction of a New Administration — is force of the new treaty. They also agreed that these num- available at www.state.gov/t/vci/rls/127958.htm.) bers may be further narrowed during the course of the negotiations. The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban As with the Moscow Treaty, the new pact will permit Treaty: Lineage and History each side to determine for itself the composition and The five nations that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation structure of its strategic offensive stockpile, within stipu- Treaty acknowledges as nuclear weapon states — the lated limits. This flexibility is intended to give each side United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and the freedom to determine how best to meet its nuclear the People’s Republic of China — voluntarily halted nu-

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clear weapons and nuclear explo- The five states that the While the CTBT prohibits nu- sive testing in the 1990s (Russia clear explosions, it would not pre- and the U.K. in 1991, the U.S. and Nuclear Non-Proliferation vent non-nuclear explosions or France in 1992, and the PRC in computer simulations to ensure the 1996). Three other states — India, Treaty acknowledges as continued safety and reliability of Pakistan and North Korea — have existing nuclear weapons. There- conducted tests since 1996. The having nuclear weapons have fore, it should not preclude the entry into force of the Compre- U.S. from meeting Pres. Obama’s hensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty not conducted nuclear Prague commitment to “maintain a would effectively make the nuclear safe, secure and effective nuclear weapon states’ voluntary commit- weapons or nuclear explosive arsenal to deter any adversary, and ments legally binding; prohibit any guarantee that defense to our al- further nuclear explosive testing by tests for more than a decade. lies” for as long as the United States India, Pakistan and North Korea; requires nuclear weapons to deter and ban nuclear explosive testing aggression. by any other states. It would thereby constrain both “ver- The CTBT is the fourth and most comprehensive tical” proliferation (expansion of the nuclear weapons ca- treaty to constrain the ability of states to develop nuclear pabilities of the nuclear weapon states) and “horizontal” weapons by limiting their ability to test nuclear weapons proliferation (development of nuclear weapons capabili- or explosive devices. The multilateral Limited Test Ban ties by other states). Treaty, which entered into force in 1963, was the first nu-

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clear testing treaty. It banned nuclear testing in the at- old essentially established a limit on the destructive mosphere, under water or in outer space. It was followed power of new U.S. or Soviet nuclear weapons; the ex- in 1974 by the Threshold Test Ban Treaty between the tension of the limit to peaceful explosions provided a pro- United States and the Soviet Union, which set a thresh- tection against possible attempts to camouflage a old of 150 kilotons for any underground nuclear weapons weapons test as a peaceful explosion. test, and the 1976 U.S.–Soviet Treaty on Underground The CTBT was negotiated in the multilateral Confer- Explosions for Peaceful Purposes, or Peaceful Nuclear ence on Disarmament in Geneva, and approved by the Explosions Treaty, which applied the same threshold to United Nations General Assembly and opened for signa- any explosion for peaceful purposes. The significance for ture on Sept. 24, 1996. The United States was the first disarmament of the former agreement is that the thresh- government to sign the treaty, which prohibits any nuclear

OTHER TREATIES

hile not a comprehensive listing of treaties that are in force, CWC. The next Review Conference for the convention will take Wthe following three agreements are particularly relevant to place in 2012. U.S. and international implementation activities the goal of establishing the foundation for a world without currently center on encouraging universal adherence to the con- weapons of mass destruction. vention, aiding member-states in the implementation of their Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons: The CWC obligations, working through technical impediments to the NPT is a near-universal treaty — only India, Israel, Pakistan completion of destruction activities by the CWC’s 2012 de- and North Korea are not party to it. It entered into force on struction deadline, identifying how best to address new and March 5, 1970. It is a treaty of unlimited duration that com- emerging chemical challenges that derive from advances in mits the five states that possessed nuclear weapons at the time technology, and resolving compliance issues. that the treaty was signed not to transfer their nuclear know- The Biological Weapons and Toxins Convention: The BWC, how to other states, and it commits those which did not pos- which entered into force on March 26, 1975, is a multilateral sess nuclear weapons at that time not to seek or acquire such treaty of unlimited duration that bans the development, produc- weapons. It also commits all member-states to facilitate action, acquisition, transfer and stockpiling of biological agents cess to peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to work toward and toxins and their means of delivery for non-peaceful pur- nuclear and general and complete disarmament. The Interna- poses, and required their destruction within nine months of the tional Atomic Energy Agency implements its provisions related treaty’s entry into force. Use of biological weapons was banned to peaceful uses and verifies that states do not divert material by the 1925 Geneva Protocol. (Biodefense programs are per- acquired for peaceful uses to other purposes. At its five-year mitted, however.) Currently, 163 states have ratified the BWC. Review Conference (May 3-28, 2010), member-states will Unlike the CWC, the BWC does not have a standing imple- focus on how best to strengthen implementation of its provi- menting organization, require the mandatory exchange of infor- sions related to nonproliferation, disarmament and peaceful mation or include on-site verification provisions. In 1986, the uses of nuclear energy. parties agreed to exchange annually certain types of informa- The Chemical Weapons Convention: The CWC, which en- tion in order to build confidence and increase transparency, but tered into force on April 29, 1997, is a multilateral treaty of un- to date, not all of them have participated. Like the CWC, the limited duration. It prohibits the development, production, BWC calls for states to consult and cooperate, bilaterally and/or acquisition, transfer, use and stockpiling of chemical weapons; multilaterally, to solve compliance concerns. prohibits member-states from assisting any individuals or states In 2001, efforts to develop a legally binding protocol were in these prohibited activities; and requires the destruction of halted when states could not agree on whether such a protocol chemical weapons by 2012. (The use of chemical weapons was would aid in verification of compliance. Since the 2002 BWC banned by the 1925 Geneva Protocol.) Review Conference, member-states have met annually to dis- The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is cuss understanding of, and promote national action on, a vari- the implementing body for the CWC. The CWC includes an ex- ety of measures, including biosecurity, national implementation tensive set of data declaration requirements and inspections, in- measures, suspicious outbreaks of disease, disease surveillance cluding of declared military and commercial chemical industry capacity building and codes of conduct for scientists. The next facilities and suspect sites. Currently, 188 states have ratified the BWC Review Conference will occur in 2011.

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explosions, for whatever purposes, in any environment nally, the treaty stipulates that it will enter into force once (underground, in the atmosphere, under water or in outer it is ratified by all 44 states (listed in Annex II) which, in space). It also establishes a comprehensive verification 1995, were operating nuclear power or research reactors regime, including an International Monitoring System (and hence were judged to be technically capable of a with technical capabilities to detect nuclear explosions; an conducting a nuclear explosion). Nine required ratifica- International Data Center to process and distribute auto- tions are outstanding — China, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, matically the data from the IMS to all member states; con- Israel and the U.S. have signed but not ratified; India, fidence-building measures; and provisions for on-site North Korea and Pakistan have not yet signed. Many inspections in the event that cheating is suspected. states believe that U.S. ratification would encourage The treaty establishes a Comprehensive Nuclear Test these other capitals to complete the process. Ban Treaty Organization in Vienna to implement its pro- The Clinton administration submitted the CTBT to visions, including on-site inspections, and to address and the Senate in September 1997. The Senate delayed con- resolve compliance concerns. In addition, the signato- sideration until October 1999, when it voted to withhold ries to the treaty established a Preparatory Commission its advice and consent to ratification. The Obama ad- that is responsible for ensuring that by the time the treaty ministration has committed the United States to pursue enters into force, the elements required for its effective U.S. ratification of the CTBT and to work with the in- implementation — the IMS, the IDC, training for on- ternational community to achieve the remaining ratifica- site inspectors and operators of the IMS, related national tions to permit the treaty to enter into force. Toward that contributions and an entity capable of assuming the role end, it is addressing the questions and concerns raised of the Technical Secretariat — are up and running. Fi- by the Senate in 1999, and by key domestic and interna-

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tional stakeholders since then. The The goal of the Fissile FMCT negotiations. expectation is that this work, once The intrinsic challenges of ne- completed, will enable the adminis- Material Cutoff Treaty gotiating and achieving a Fissile tration to return to the Senate to Material Cutoff Treaty relate to seek its advice and consent to is to cut off the ability which types of nuclear materials CTBT ratification. should be considered fissile for of states to produce the purposes of the treaty; what activi- Fissile Material ties should be considered to be Cutoff Treaty nuclear building block for “production;” and what the scope A Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty of the proposed cutoff should be is the third of the Obama adminis- new nuclear weapons. (only new material, which the U.S., tration’s proposed arms control Russia, China, United Kingdom, steps toward a world without nuclear France and India support; or also weapons. Its goal is quite simple — cut off the ability of existing stocks, which is the position taken by some other states to produce the nuclear building block for new nu- states). Then there are numerous verification issues: how clear weapons — namely, the fissile material used in nu- to detect covert production facilities or the diversion of fis- clear weapons and other nuclear explosive devices. sile materials from permitted uses on the one hand and, on FMCT negotiations have been “on again, off again” in the other, how to protect proliferation-sensitive informa- the Conference on Disarmament since 1995. While the tion from exposure as a consequence of either exchanges CD agreed on a mandate in 1995 for an ad hoc committee of information or inspections. to negotiate a verifiable Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty, dif- Geopolitical and geostrategic challenges will continue ferences among conference members, including over to complicate substantive negotiations in the Conference whether and how to handle other proposed agenda top- on Disarmament. Some nations have expressed concern ics, delayed agreement on establishing a committee to ne- that a ban on production of fissile material for use in nu- gotiate such a treaty until August 1998. FMCT negoti- clear weapons could tip regional military balances disad- ations were, however, short-lived, as some CD members vantageously. Some, notwithstanding their agreement to reverted to the “negotiate everything or negotiate noth- the 2009 compromise, would prefer to see negotiations de- ing” stance when the organization reconvened in January ferred for some time, but have been reluctant to be ex- 1999. plicit in their opposition. They could seek to block the start Continued disagreements among Conference on Dis- of substantive FMCT negotiations by insisting that the ne- armament member-states over the subject matter for negotiation of an agreement can proceed only if there are gotiation, as well as over the details (scope, content and parallel negotiations on other topics. The operating rules verification) of a mandate for FMCT negotiations, dead- of the 65-member-state CD will be a factor in this instance, locked the CD for more than a decade. It was not until since they require annual consensus by all members to ini- May of this year that CD member-states were able to agree tiate or continue negotiations on any topic. on a compromise that called for substantive FMCT nego- Notwithstanding these numerous obstacles, the Obama tiations and “substantive discussion” of other topics. These administration believes that a verifiable FMCT is not only include outer space arms control, nuclear disarmament achievable but an essential building block toward the goal and “negative security assurances.” NSAs are individual of a world without nuclear weapons. The United States political commitments by the five NPT nuclear weapons now is focused on identifying solutions to the technical is- states relating to the conditions under which they would sues, including those related to scope and verification, to not use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon bring forward in Geneva in January 2010. Furthermore, states who have joined the NPT. the administration is encouraging other states to keep the Even then, procedural maneuvering by Pakistan pre- CD focused on the goal of achieving a universal, nondis- vented the start of substantive negotiations earlier this year. criminatory and verifiable treaty. Such an agreement When the next CD session begins in January, the U.S. pri- represents the next logical multilateral step toward nu- ority will be to secure a consensus to begin substantive clear disarmament. ■

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THE IMPORTANCE OF VERIFICATION Adam Niklewicz

NO ARMS CONTROL AGREEMENT CAN SUCCEED UNLESS EACH PARTY IS SATISFIED WITH THE OTHERS’ COMPLIANCE.

BY PAULA A. DESUTTER

rms control. Nonproliferation. Disarmament. Each of these issues is increasingly in the headlines, so Foreign Service personnel stationed overseas are likely to be queried about them. Even more daunting, at least for Foreign Service personnel outside the Department of State’s Bureau of Verification, ComplianceA and Implementation, they may be asked to deliver demarches regarding procedures for verification of arms control agreements. This is because all parties to such a pact must be confident that the other signatories are fulfilling their

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commitments. In short, all arms Even the most intrusive lightens and strengthens the others. control agreements must be ade- In some situations, after an evalua- quately verifiable. verification regime does little tion that effective verification is not Fortunately, the United States possible, the president and Con- has had more experience with veri- good if policymakers can’t gress have to make a policy decision fication of arms control agreements about whether to proceed. For in- than any other nation in the world. decide if an activity is stance, the U.S. Senate ratified the In fact, we are the only government Biological Weapons Convention that produces published reports permitted or prohibited. even though it was judged through- evaluating whether other nations out the negotiations to have a low have complied with the terms of ex- degree of verifiability. isting arms control agreements. While other capitals and A common misperception is that a verification regime international organizations participate in arms control ne- consists only of specific technical provisions that govern on- gotiations, inspection regimes and debates about verifica- site inspections. Important as those sections are, an effec- tion, they are not required, as we are by Congress, to tive verification regime must also provide clear definitions produce verification evaluations. As a result of this legisla- of all terms, spell out all parties’ respective obligations, and tive mandate, both the executive and legislative branches in take into account the strength and applicability of our in- Washington have devoted decades to building up expertise telligence collection capabilities. Otherwise, obligations on this critical issue. that negotiators may think are quite clear may turn out to When the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency was be anything but that when the actions of one or more of abolished and its staff merged with the Department of the parties appears to be in conflict with them. State in 1999, one major component that State retained, For example, the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty and indeed expanded, was the Verification and Compliance called for the elimination of specified missiles, including Bureau (now the Verification, Compliance and Implemen- the Soviet SS-23. Possession of those missiles after 1988 tation Bureau). A decade later, the experts in VCI are still was prohibited. In 1990, when East Germany announced a tremendous resource. that it was eliminating SS-23 missiles located there, the United States became aware for the first time of the exis- The Verification Regime tence of SS-23s and launchers in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia Any plan for a verification regime includes several in- and East Germany. None of these countries were parties terrelated, critical elements. First, there must be an hon- to the INF Treaty, and the Soviet Union had insisted on est evaluation of the probable effectiveness of the proposed provisions in that agreement for U.S. missiles that had been framework. Next, other nations’ likely compliance (or lack provided to our European allies. thereof) with the obligations entailed therein has to be as- Whether the existence of these missiles constituted a So- sessed. Finally, actions to bring potential violators back into viet violation of the INF Treaty hinged on whether they compliance have to be pursued. were “possessed” by the Soviet Union. To answer that ques- Under a truly effective system, each of these facets en- tion, the United States obtained documentation about the missiles and when they were “given” to the three countries. Paula A. DeSutter served from August 2002 to January In the February 1991 Report to Congress on Soviet 2009 as assistant secretary for the State Department’s Bu- Noncompliance, the George H.W. Bush administration de- reau of Verification, Compliance and Implementation. Be- clared that the Soviet failure to inform the United States of fore that, she spent four years as a staffer with the U.S. the existence of the SS-23 missiles during the negotiations Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and also held nu- on the INF Treaty and prior to 1990 constituted negotiation merous positions in the Verification and Intelligence Bu- in bad faith. But this did not resolve the question of who reau in the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. The “possessed” the missiles. author of Denial and Jeopardy: Deterring Iranian Use of The U.S. subsequently found that each SS-23 in these NBC Weapons (NDU Press, 1998), she is an independent countries possessed a connecting section that would allow consultant. it to deliver a nuclear warhead, and conventional warheads

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were provided to each country for only half of the missiles. hibited systems pose to the U.S.? The answers to all these In September 1991, the United States judged that the So- questions should form the basis of developing a verification viet Union had probably violated the INF Treaty and reaf- plan. firmed that the Soviet Union had negotiated in bad faith. The methods for discovering noncompliance include But even the most intrusive verification regime does lit- satellite intelligence or other technical collection, data dec- tle good if policymakers can’t decide if an activity is per- larations and exchanges, cooperative measures where the mitted or prohibited. The proposed Fissile Material Cutoff verified party enables our satellite intelligence, and on-site Treaty provides a good example of this problem. The measures. On-site inspections can be critical when satellite FMCT would prohibit the production, after a particular observation is unlikely to detect noncompliance. On the date, of fissile material for use in nuclear weapons. Pro- other hand, OSIs have significant limitations, starting with duction of fissile material prior to the cutoff date would not the fact that the verified party is a sovereign nation and has violate the treaty. Neither would production of fissile ma- to agree to all elements of the inspection. terial after the cutoff date — if it is for non-weapon pur- Even when the verified party does agree to an on-site poses. inspection, that is essentially just a snapshot of activities at Here’s the rub: If, either through national means or in- that particular time and place. The hope was that challenge spection, a cask of fissile material is detected, in order to inspections would remedy some of the limitations of on- determine if the material was permitted or prohibited, you site inspections, but they contain their own limitations. No have to know whether it was produced before or after the agreement permits mere “fishing expeditions,” so the party cutoff date, and for what purposes it was produced. Using requesting an inspection must establish some relationship our best technology, we might be able to determine when to the items governed by the treaty. the material was last processed, but not always when it was Because on-site inspections are conducted on the terri- produced. Iranian claims that its uranium enrichment pro- tory of a sovereign nation, inspectors must be granted visas gram is for peaceful purposes offer an example of the chal- to fly to the country and be transported to the inspection lenges of determining the purpose of fissile material site by the inspected party. Depending on what activities production. are governed by an agreement, there may be miles of Similarly, if there were transparency visits or inspections ground and hundreds of buildings within a facility that under the Biological Weapons Convention, inspectors could contain prohibited items or activities. Are inspectors might be able to determine that, for example, botulism permitted to wander around each and every one, and all toxin was being produced. But that would not necessarily, parts of all buildings? Not likely. or even in most cases, provide the data to determine When the United States and the International Atomic whether the production is for weapons purposes or for Energy Agency were conducting verification activities at “peaceful or prophylactic” purposes. In each of these cases, North Korea’s Yongbyon site, they were only permitted to the limited item has to be weighed against the data one can visit three of the many buildings at the site. Under the reasonably expect to collect. This enables a determination Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, a country re- of the degree of verifiability. This technical assessment questing an on-site inspection must produce evidence must then be weighed against broader questions including (some of which might be quite sensitive) and convince 30 the compliance record of each of the parties, the potential of 51 member states of the Executive Council that an in- significance of violations, and the constraints the agreement spection is warranted. Politics often plays a role in this. places on U.S. programs that might offset noncompliance. If the Executive Council does not approve the request, the party that sought the inspection may have to pay for the On-Site Inspections cost of any preparations made for it, may have its right to re- Specifically, here are some basic questions that must be quest inspections suspended, and may even be prohibited asked, and answered, early on. What is it that we are try- from serving on the Executive Council. ing to limit or prohibit? What methods do we have to dis- Given the control the inspected party will have over ac- cover noncompliance? Are prohibited items big, cess to facilities in its sovereign territory, the inspection unmovable and hard to hide, or are they small, mobile and team can only be expected to find what the inspected party easy to hide? And how great a threat do the limited or pro- is willing to have them see (or unable to prevent them from

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seeing). Space-based or other re- On-site inspections can be ument is prepared by the assistant mote intelligence collection is the secretary for verification and com- only way to try to discover whether critical when satellite pliance and signed by the Secretary prohibited activities are taking place of State, per Section 306 of the at other times and locations. observation is unlikely to Arms Control and Disarmament As a general rule, the more intru- Act. sive the monitoring measures are, detect noncompliance. Congress will likely also receive the more difficult they are to negoti- a monitoring assessment produced ate and the more costly they are to by the intelligence community that operate. Verifiers are well aware that negotiators are not was requested by the Senate. If the administration’s as- eagerly awaiting the opportunity to try to get nations like sessment is not rigorous and straightforward, that will have North Korea to agree to intrusive measures. At the same serious consequences. Accordingly, if effective verification time, they also appreciate the fact that any verification is not attainable, it is best to say so. The United States can regime must be able to stand up the scrutiny of Congress pursue the agreement anyway, if it is judged to be in our in- and the American public. terest.

Assessing the Effectiveness of Verification Determining Compliance There is no such thing as a 100-percent verifiable agree- The U.S. is the only nation that conducts a formal as- ment. But one can usually determine that an agreement is sessment of other nations’ compliance with their arms con- unverifiable by considering the following three questions: trol obligations. Given the European Union’s requirement • Do the existing capabilities of the United States and its that member-states prohibit trade with nations in violation allies to detect and confirm prohibited activities exceed the of their obligations, we may see such assessments from ability of potential violators to thwart verification? some E.U. states in the future. It would be safe to say, • Does the treaty meet our verification needs given the though, that even we wouldn’t do these assessments had compliance record of the other parties, the consequences Congress not mandated them in Section 403 of the Arms of violations, and the impact of the treaty on the U.S.? Control and Disarmament Act. • Are there sufficient remedies that can be taken in a In preparing the assessments, the Verification, Compli- timely fashion to reverse the damage caused by violations? ance and Implementation Bureau reviews all available in- If the answers to all three questions are affirmative, then telligence or other relevant information. A statement of it is fair to say that an agreement is “effectively verifiable.” the issue is provided, along with a list of the treaty obliga- The quest for certitude can sometimes fuel misguided tions in question and descriptions of possibly noncompliant efforts to negotiate some sort of inspection or transparency actions or programs. The compliance analysis then weighs regime that gives the illusion of meaningful action. I call the actions against the obligations to reach a compliance this “feel-good verification.” The risk in this is that the ex- finding. Often the data or obligations are unclear, in which istence of an on-site inspection regime, even one that has case the finding will have a caveat such as “likely violation,” virtually no probability of detecting noncompliance, will or “highly probable violation.” mislead observers into believing that the verification prob- These assessments not only inform policymakers in the lem has been solved and the threat the agreement was sup- executive and legislative branches of possible serious posed to eliminate has been removed. If we believe threats, but may provide some early warning of a failure to (falsely) that a threat has been eliminated or reduced, we deter actions inconsistent with our security. They can also are unlikely to develop and apply other tools that might help inform our expectations and standards for any future genuinely reduce the threat. And the inability to detect agreements with a particular nation or group of nations. noncompliance may generate an incentive to cheat — Simply put, U.S. verification requirements will ordinar- thereby exacerbating the threat rather than reducing it. ily be far more relaxed in an arms control agreement with It is worth noting that when the president submits a the United Kingdom than with North Korea. Unfortu- treaty to the Senate for advice and consent, the package nately, particularly in a multilateral negotiation, there is usu- must include a formal assessment of verification. This doc- ally a demand that agreements and their verification

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regimes be “nondiscriminatory.” So nations with a clear re- regime. Now also suppose that a party to that treaty or spect for the rule of law and a history of scrupulously com- agreement is found to be in violation of its terms. What plying with their obligations will be subject to the same should the other state parties do about it? This is the requirements as nations with a history of violating their ob- dilemma the world’s nations are currently facing in a num- ligations, whether openly or clandestinely. ber of cases. There are two basic kinds of noncompliance: uninten- Punishing Violators tional and intentional. If noncompliance is unintentional, In a prescient January 1961 Foreign Affairs article titled one can expect that raising the issue will lead to a resolution. “After Detection — What?”, then-Director of the U.S. But when noncompliance is intentional, as in the case of Arms Control & Disarmament Agency Fred Ikle declared: North Korea and Iran, seeking a verifiable return to com- “The current debate on arms control and disarmament puts pliance will be more difficult. great stress on the problem of how to detect violations of How do you try to bring intentional violators back into whatever agreements may be reached. … Yet detecting vi- compliance? You have to demonstrate to the violator that olations is not enough. What counts are the political and the cost of noncompliance exceeds the benefit. But you military consequences of a violation once it has been de- will not know the exact calculation the violator made about tected, since these alone will determine whether or not the the probability its violation would be detected, the re- violator stands to gain in the end.” sources invested in the violation or the exact benefits it ex- The basic problem Ikle identified nearly half a century pected. ago is one with which we still struggle. Suppose there is a What you should know, however, is that imposing costs treaty or agreement, and suppose that it has a verification on the violator will almost certainly be more costly for those

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that are complying and insisting on We are the only government Because of the detailed nature of compliance, at least in the short the assessments, it is likely that civil term. For example, China, Russia that produces published servants will continue to take the and many European nations are en- lead on assessing noncompliance gaged in significant trade with Teh- reports evaluating other with arms control and nonprolifera- ran. Ceasing such trade may be a tion agreements. But it is our For- terrific tool for increasing the cost to nations’ adherence to existing eign Service personnel, working Iran for its non-compliance, but it closely with Civil Service experts, will also cause a loss of profits for the arms control agreements. who will be at the forefront of the companies involved. One can well most difficult challenge: trying ei- imagine the dilemma for politicians ther to persuade other nations to in any of these nations: Are massive job losses among vot- come into compliance or to persuade the rest of the inter- ing constituents a price worth paying in return for amor- national community to take action to enforce agreements. phous progress toward strengthening a nonproliferation To be most effective, Foreign Service officers need to regime? draw upon not just political/military expertise, but also eco- And what if you can’t bring them back into compliance? nomic, trade, public diplomacy and regional experience. Particularly when dealing with a multilateral treaty, other Other nations may not admit it, but they generally under- parties may decide that ongoing compliance is feckless, at stand that the United States has great expertise in all of best, and potentially risky for their national security, at these arenas and they look to us for informed, respectful worst, weakening enforcement across the board. leadership. ■

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THE CASE FOR THE CTBT Adam Niklewicz

PROSPECTS FOR RATIFICATION OF THE COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR TEST BAN TREATY ARE MUCH IMPROVED. HERE IS WHY.

BY DARYL G. KIMBALL

global halt to nuclear weapons testing has been a central, bipartisan national objective of the United States since the late 1950s, when President Dwight Eisenhower sought a comprehensive test ban. Follow- ing the end of the Cold War, Russia declared a moratorium on testing, followed by France, and then, in 1992, by the United States. A The world’s nations finally came together in 1994 to negotiate a comprehensive, verifiable treaty banning nuclear testing in order to help curb the spread of nuclear weapons and ensure an end to superpower nuclear arms competition.

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In September 1996, the United States was the first na- to trigger its formal entry into force. Ratification will not tion to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, only improve our ability to detect and deter clandestine nu- which “prohibits any nuclear weapon test explosion or any clear testing; it will enable us to credibly prod these nations other nuclear explosion” and establishes a global monitor- to join, as well. ing network and the option of short-notice, on-site inspections to detect and deter cheating. To date, 182 countries Time to Take Another Look have signed the treaty and 150 of them have ratified it, in- In the past several years, bipartisan support for ratifica- cluding three of the original five nuclear weapon states: tion of the CTBT has grown. In 2007, former Secretaries France, Russia and the United Kingdom. of State George Shultz and Henry Kissinger, along with for- In the U.S., however, the Senate’s 51-48 vote against the mer Secretary of Defense Bill Perry and former Senator CTBT in October 1999, followed by the George W. Bush Sam Nunn, called on the Senate to initiate a bipartisan administration’s opposition to the treaty, stalled ratification. process “to achieve ratification of the Comprehensive Test While Washington had already been observing a voluntary Ban Treaty, taking advantage of recent technical advances, moratorium on nuclear testing since 1992, opponents were and working to secure ratification by other key states.” concerned that the U.S. would not be able to maintain the President George H.W. Bush’s national security adviser, safety and reliability of its nuclear arsenal without ongoing Gen. Brent Scowcroft, and former National Nuclear Secu- testing. They also doubted that national and international rity Administrator Linton Brooks have also recently en- verification capabilities would be rigorous enough to detect dorsed U.S. ratification of the treaty. low-yield nuclear explosions. And, finally, they did not be- During the 2008 presidential campaign, Senator John lieve that the treaty offered meaningful political or military McCain, R-Ariz., promised to “continue America’s current benefits. moratorium on testing” and to “[take] another look at the Today, however, 10 years after the first Senate vote, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.” Candidate Barack prospects for U.S. ratification are much improved. Scientific Obama pledged to “reach out to the Senate to secure the and technical advances during the past decade that address ratification of the CTBT at the earliest practical date and the main concerns of opponents have led to a reconsidera- then launch a diplomatic effort to bring onboard other tion of the issue by a growing array of Republican and Dem- states whose ratifications are required for the treaty to enter ocratic national security figures. President Barack Obama into force.” has pledged to make ratification of the treaty a priority, and In his April 5 speech in Prague, President Obama de- the benefits of doing so are significant. clared that his administration “will immediately and ag- Although there is now no technical need — nor is there gressively pursue U.S. ratification of the Comprehensive any political support — for a renewal of U.S. nuclear test- Test Ban Treaty.” As Gary Samore, special assistant to the ing, ratification of the CTBT is vital to reducing the risk that president and White House coordinator for arms control other nations might conduct nuclear tests that could im- and WMD, told the Arms Control Association annual prove their nuclear capabilities. In addition to the U.S., meeting in May, the administration is “moving very delib- eight other states — China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, erately in terms of doing the necessary technical and intel- Israel, North Korea and Pakistan — must ratify the CTBT ligence work to look at the important questions of verification, questions of American stockpile stewardship.” Daryl G. Kimball has served as executive director of the Samore believes that the current pace could allow for re- Arms Control Association since 2001. He previously consideration of the treaty by mid-2010. served as security programs director for Physicians for So- The task will be very difficult, but is within reach. The cial Responsibility (1989-1997), where he helped lobby for Democrats’ 60-seat majority in the Senate is far larger than the U.S. nuclear test moratorium legislation of 1992 and the 45-seat minority they held in 1999. But to succeed, the negotiation of a zero-yield comprehensive test ban treaty. president and his team must follow through on the pledge Kimball was also executive director of the Coalition to Re- to make the CTBT a high priority and win the support of a duce Nuclear Dangers (1997-2001), where he led a group group of approximately 10 skeptical senators. of nongovernmental organizations in their efforts to win While the final outcome will depend on the politics of support for U.S. CTBT ratification. the moment, it will also hinge on the administration’s abil-

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ity to make the case that: 1) U.S. ratification will, on bal- the indefinite extension of the NPT — a good deal that ance, improve national security and advance progress to- must be honored. U.S. progress toward reconsideration ward entry into force; 2) technical advances in test ban and ratification of the CTBT before the May 2010 NPT monitoring make the treaty effectively verifiable; and 3) sci- Review Conference will be essential to achieving agree- entific and technical advances ensure the ability of U.S. ment on new measures to strengthen global nonprolifera- weapons labs to maintain an effective arsenal without fur- tion rules. ther test explosions. As George Shultz said on April 17, his The importance of the CTBT was reinforced on Sept. fellow Republicans “might have been right voting against 24, when the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted [the CTBT] some years ago, but they would be right voting Resolution 1887. That wide-ranging resolution on non- for it now, based on these new facts.” proliferation, disarmament and nuclear materiel security calls on all states to refrain from nuclear testing and to rat- The Security Benefits ify the CTBT to enable entry into force at an early date. For decades, nuclear testing has propelled the arms Accelerating Entry into Force. Some Senate opponents race. Since the beginning of the nuclear age, eight coun- of the CTBT argue that U.S. ratification matters little be- tries have conducted 2,052 test explosions. The U.S. ac- cause other key holdout states will not follow our lead. On counts for half of that total with 1,030 tests. A verifiable the contrary, U.S. ratification will prompt other holdouts to global ban on nuclear testing is a vital step toward ending follow suit. In June, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Hassan this dangerous competition. Given that it is highly unlikely Wirajuda declared: “We share [Pres. Obama’s] vision of a that the United States will ever conduct another nuclear world in which nuclear weapons have been eradicated. We explosive test, it is in the U.S. interest to do all it can to en- trust that he will succeed in getting the CTBT ratified — sure that other nations are not free to do so. and we promise that when that happens, Indonesia will im- Limiting Other States’ Capabilities. From a technical mediately follow suit.” perspective, a ban on nuclear test explosions makes it The prospect of U.S. ratification has already begun to harder for nations already possessing nuclear weapons — spur new thinking in India. In an Aug. 30 interview in The like China, India, Pakistan and Russia — to field new, more Hindu, National Security Adviser M. K. Narayanan was sophisticated nuclear warheads. Except for Russia, which asked if India would join the CTBT if others did so. He already has an arsenal that is as large and sophisticated as said: “I think we need to now have a full-fledged discussion that of the United States, testing could facilitate significant on the CTBT. We’ll cross that hurdle when we come to it.” advances in the capabilities of other states. In China’s case, Ratification of the CTBT by the remaining holdout a new round of test explosions would allow it to miniatur- states would also significantly contribute to regional secu- ize warhead designs and put multiple warheads on its rel- rity. Ratification by Israel, Egypt and Iran would reduce atively small arsenal of strategic ballistic missiles — allowing nuclear weapons-related security concerns and bring those it to rapidly increase its nuclear strike capability. states further into the nuclear nonproliferation mainstream. Likewise, without nuclear weapon test explosions, na- Action by Israel to ratify could put pressure on other states tions like Iran would not be able to “proof test” the more in the region to do so. advanced, smaller warhead designs needed to deliver such Iranian ratification would help reduce concerns that its weapons using ballistic missiles. Given Tehran’s advancing nuclear program could be used to develop and deploy de- uranium enrichment and missile capabilities, it is impor- liverable nuclear warheads. Conversely, continued failure tant to establish additional barriers against a sophisticated to ratify the CTBT raises further questions about the nature Iranian nuclear weapons capability in the years ahead. of Tehran’s sensitive nuclear fuel cycle activities and could Strengthening the Nonproliferation Bargain. Tangible increase support for tougher measures to comply with Se- progress toward U.S. ratification of the CTBT is also vital curity Council and international safeguards requirements. to restoring U.S. global leadership and strengthening international support for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Detecting and Deterring Treaty, the bedrock of all efforts to stop the spread of nu- Clandestine Testing clear weapons. In 1995, the U.S. and the other nuclear The U.S. capability to detect and deter possible clan- powers promised to deliver on the CTBT in exchange for destine nuclear testing by other states will be significantly

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greater with the CTBT in force than without it. Ratification of new seismic arrays and regional seismic stations has low- is essential to making short-notice, on-site inspections pos- ered the detection threshold to below 0.01 kilotons. sible and maintaining long-term political and financial sup- Skeptics have also claimed that there is no certain port from other nations for the operation of the CTBT’s method of detecting very low-yield nuclear explosions, in- International Monitoring System and International Data cluding so-called hydronuclear tests. However, this argu- Center. Over the past decade, national and international ment misses the point on verification: explosions below a monitoring for nuclear weapon test explosions has become few hundred tons in yield — potentially low enough to so effective that no would-be cheater could be confident evade detection — are not very useful in assessing a new that a nuclear explosion sufficient to threaten U.S. security nuclear warhead design. would escape detection. High Confidence. CTBT skeptics have also suggested Additional Verification Tools. The CTBT establishes a that it may be possible for some states to hide full-scale nu- far-reaching International Monitoring System to detect po- clear tests. But according to the NAS panel report, “those tential nuclear explosions using four technologies: seismic, countries that are best able to successfully conduct such hydroacoustic, radionuclide and infrasound. Since 1999, clandestine testing already possess advanced nuclear many more of these stations have been built and are deliv- weapons of a number of types and could add little, with ad- ering data. To date, more than 280 of the planned IMS sta- ditional testing, to the threats they already pose to the tions have been built, including a new array of highly United States. Countries of lesser nuclear test experience capable “noble gas” monitoring stations that can detect and/or design sophistication would be unable to conceal minute amounts of the radioactive gases emitted by under- tests in the numbers and yields required to master weapons ground explosions into the atmosphere. The International more advanced than the ones they could develop and de- Data Center, based in Vienna, collects and analyzes infor- ploy without any testing at all.” mation from the IMS and disseminates the raw and On-Site Inspections. The CTBT would provide, for the processed data to member-states for their own evaluation. first time, the option of short-notice inspections, an impor- Under the CTBT, member-states are allowed to monitor tant form of deterrent against potential clandestine nuclear compliance with their own satellites and other national in- testing. However, some critics complain that because the telligence means. In the U.S., new technologies such as in- treaty requires 30 of 51 nations on its Executive Council to terferometric synthetic aperture radar can now provide agree to an on-site inspection if there is evidence of a clan- detailed monitoring of vertical deformations caused by un- destine test, such inspections could be blocked by states underground nuclear test explosions. Thousands of high-qual- friendly to the United States. In reality, the CTBT’s OSI ity civilian seismic stations around the world provide further provisions were established to balance the need for rapid re- detection capabilities. sponse to a suspected test against the possibility of “frivolous Detection Capabilities. During the Senate debate on the or abusive” inspections. OSIs would be approved as needed, CTBT in 1999, some critics claimed that the IMS could but not by a small minority with questionable motives. only monitor for underground explosions at yields at or Similarly, to protect national security interests unrelated above the equivalent of one kiloton of TNT. In reality, IMS to the OSI, states are allowed to restrict access to parts of capabilities were much better even then and have contin- the inspection area no larger than four square kilometers ued to improve; moreover, they are only intended to sup- each, or a total of no more than 50 square kilometers. How- plement the United States’ very capable national monitor- ever, if an inspected state restricts access it must provide al- ing and intelligence capacity. ternative ways for the inspection team to carry out its In 2002, a National Academy of Sciences panel deter- mission. If the bar for OSIs had been set much lower, or if mined that “underground nuclear explosions can be reli- no allowances had been made for unrelated national secu- ably detected and can be identified as explosions using IMS rity interests, one could imagine that there might be con- data down to a yield of 0.1 kilotons (100 tons) in hard rock cerns in the Senate that CTBT on-site inspections unduly if conducted anywhere in Europe, Asia, North Africa and infringe on U.S. (or Israeli) sovereignty. North America.” Advances in regional seismology have pro- Zero Means Zero. Another misconception that is re- vided additional confidence. For some locations, such as peated by CTBT critics is that some countries, such as Rus- Russia’s former nuclear test site at Novaya Zemlya, the use sia, consider hydronuclear experiments (which produce a

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low-energy yield from a self-sustained chain reaction) to be through a conservative program of warhead refurbishment a “permitted” activity under the treaty. But as the Russian rather than through new design “replacement” warheads. government made clear when it ratified the CTBT in 2000: Though the U.S. nuclear arsenal is aging, more is known “Qualitative modernization of nuclear weapons is only pos- today about such weapons than ever before, and confi- sible through full-scale and hydronuclear tests with the dence in our ability to maintain the warheads is increasing emission of fissile energy, the carrying out of which directly at a faster rate than the uncertainties. For example, in 2006 contradicts the CTBT.” In other words, it is undeniable the Department of Energy announced that studies by the that the treaty establishes a “zero-yield” prohibition on nu- Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos National Laborato- clear test explosions. ries show that the plutonium primaries, or pits, of most U.S. nuclear weapons “will have minimum lifetimes of at least 85 Effective Stockpile Stewardship years” — about twice as long as previous official estimates. Contrary to myth, maintaining the reliability of proven In recent years, the weapons labs have begun to increase U.S. nuclear warhead designs does not depend on a pro- the reliability of existing warheads by adding more boost gram of nuclear test explosions. Instead, the U.S. nuclear gas to increase the explosive energy of the primary stage of arsenal has been — and can continue to be — maintained the weapon well above the minimum needed to ignite the through non-nuclear tests and evaluations, combined with secondary, or main, stage. the replacement or remanufacture of key components to Contrary to the concerns of some CTBT skeptics, the previous design specifications. Since 1994, each warhead cessation of nuclear explosive testing has not caused the type in the U.S. nuclear arsenal has been determined to be laboratories to lose technical competence. Rather, signifi- safe and reliable through a rigorous certification process in- cant advances have been achieved as researchers are able stituted following the end of U.S. nuclear testing. to study the physics underlying weapon performance in For more than 15 years, a nationwide infrastructure of greater depth, undistracted by the demands of a nuclear nuclear weapons research, evaluation and manufacturing weapons test explosion program. sites and laboratories has been maintained and enhanced Senate approval of the CTBT would strengthen bipar- for this purpose under the Stockpile Stewardship Program. tisan support for effective stockpile stewardship efforts to The United States spends more than $6 billion annually on ensure that as long as the United States has nuclear this program, which includes nuclear weapons surveillance weapons, they will remain safe and reliable without the re- and maintenance, non-nuclear and subcritical nuclear ex- sumption of nuclear testing. It will also ensure that should periments, sophisticated supercomputer modeling and life- Washington ever decide to exercise the treaty’s “supreme extension programs for the existing warhead types. national interest” withdrawal clause, the United States will The 2002 National Academy of Science panel, which in- have the competence to resume testing. cluded three former nuclear weapons lab directors, found that the current Stockpile Stewardship Program provides For a Safe World the technical capabilities necessary to maintain confidence Leaving the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in the safety and reliability of the existing seven types of nu- unratified would increase uncertainty and reduce U.S. se- clear warheads in the stockpile — “provided that adequate curity. While it might be possible to sustain the unilateral resources are made available ... and are properly focused moratoria undertaken by the major nuclear states for sev- on this task.” According to the NAS panel, age-related de- eral more years, uncertainties and the risk of a resumption fects mainly related to non-nuclear components can be ex- of testing will only grow over time. Moreover, concerns pected, “but nuclear testing is not needed to discover these about clandestine nuclear testing might arise that could not problems and is not likely to be needed to address them.” be resolved in the absence of inspections provided for Indeed, the U.S. nuclear arsenal has been — and can under the treaty. continue to be — maintained with high confidence through The choice is clear: A world without nuclear testing is a non-nuclear tests and evaluations and, as necessary, the re- safer world. The United States stands to lose nothing and manufacture of key components to previous design speci- would gain an important constraint on the nuclear weapons fications. Independent technical experts have determined capabilities of others that could pose a threat to America’s that the United States can maintain its existing arsenal security. The time for the CTBT is now. ■

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MY PRAGUE SECRET POLICE FILE

A 30-YEAR-OLD FILE BRINGS TO LIFE A BYGONE ERA OF DREARY TENSION AND GIVES ONE RETIRED FSO AN UNUSUAL PERSPECTIVE ON HIS CAREER.

BY FREDERICK QUINN

ne striking scene in “Other People’s waiting in the exact same place in 1975; then it contained a Lives,” the landmark film about Cold photocopier guarded by a soldier with a rifle slung over his War–era espionage, depicts Ulrich shoulder, who would allow only authorized officials to use the Muehe, a former high-ranking Stasi machine. official, poring over his thick file in an Next I headed across town to a new four-story building East German secret police archives housing the archives of the Ministry of State Security, where reading room. Inspired by this image, two helpful archivists handed me three heavy stacks of doc- I decided to make a request for Czechoslovak records related uments. Then I had to find a translator. Fortunately, my wife Oto my time in Prague from June 1975 to May 1978 as the U.S. and I were already planning to visit Oxford, and the univer- embassy’s counselor for press and cultural affairs. Maybe sity’s modern language faculty gave me the name of Anna there would be some astute commentary on my tenure there, Fraser, who had fled Czechoslovakia after the Russian inva- as seen by the Czechoslovak Ministry of State Security. sion of August 1968. Her father had been a leading Czech In early 2008, I sent a letter to the Czech Embassy in surgeon of the 1940s and 1950s, so Anna was well acquainted Washington, asking how I could access such documents. Sev- with the vocabulary of political repression that supplied the eral months later, a brief reply arrived from the Czech For- communist system with much of its ideology and imagery. eign Ministry Archives notifying me that about 60 documents with my name in them had been found and suggesting I con- Paging Graham Greene tact the Ministry of State Security Archives, where the bulk of As a longtime reader of British mysteries and espionage Cold War surveillance documents were stored. Eventually, novels, I hoped the files would contain some vivid prose wor- someone from that institution wrote to say that they had thy of Graham Greene or John le Carré. Instead, the files found about 800 pages of material they would photocopy in contained mostly dreary bits and pieces about my comings time for my planned visit to Prague during the summer. and goings that were boring and repetitive. But in fairness to On June 22, 2008, I hired a rickety taxi and headed for the the Ministry of State Security, when they turned their atten- foreign ministry. The dark, grim palace on a hill overlooking tion to an event they were thorough in documenting it. In Prague was much lighter now. I sat waiting next to an ATM our case, my wife, Charlotte, and I had held numerous film as employees lined up for cash withdrawals. I remembered evenings for artists, writers and dissident intellectuals, and often the guest lists were there in the MSS files, complete Frederick Quinn spent three decades in the Foreign Service, with the attendees’ names, addresses and dates of birth. serving as counselor of embassy for press and cultural affairs The Secret Service’s political goal had been simple: to cre- in Prague from 1975 to 1978, among other assignments. His ate a climate of fear among foreigners and citizens alike. The most recent book is The Sum of All Heresies: The Image of issue of the future of educational and cultural exchanges be- Islam in Western Thought (Oxford University Press, 2008). came more contentious in 1975 after Eastern and Western

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countries signed the Helsinki Accords. Those agreements teaching materials on phonetics, the American short story, called for increased educational exchanges, media freedom etc., that we distributed was reproduced, along with infor- and respect for human rights. mation like “his car was seen in front of the Palace Hotel and Still, tight local controls remained in place in Prague. A he carried two boxes of books and films inside.” police post across from the embassy displayed a camera visi- Holton was given the code name COLUMBO. I was bly pointed at the front gate, and Czech visitors reminded us TANTAL, but have no idea what the word means. The names that our movements and conversations were constantly mon- of informers and their targets appear to have been randomly itored. The American writer Philip Roth, who easily fit into selected. At least 20 different sources, identified by code the Kafkaesque landscape, was stopped by the local police names like MORAVA, VICTOR and PLUTONIUM, made after leaving our library because he was mistaken for a Czech cameo appearances over the years. And at least six different intellectual whom the police hoped to bring in for questioning. captains and majors wrote the reports. Occasionally a general The tension gradually got to me, as it did to others. I de- was added when the contact was important enough, like the veloped a twitch on the right side of my face, drank too much writer Pavel Kohout or the historian Josef Polisensky. Czech beer and Moravian white wine, and ate copious The reports followed a distinct format. A large bordered amounts of local fried and greasy foods in an unhealthy setting. space in the middle of the first page contained the name of “When did you stop smoking?” the physi- the person and the subject. Fine print at cian who conducted my end-of-tour State the bottom said, “Make each subject a Department physical exam asked. “I separate paragraph, and underline any never smoked,” I replied. The doctor said reference to money.” Agents were also that inhaling the Prague pollution was the Maj. Plicka had instructed to note whether the informa- equivalent of smoking two packs of ciga- tion came from an interrogation, a rettes a day. found a set of keys to our chance meeting, a gathering with several persons present, a third party, etc. Most Mystery Man apartment, but was not documents were approved by at least two At first the report writers tried to fig- officers, and copies were distributed to at ure out who I was. One said I was not a sure they still worked. least four different offices. The report- regular diplomat but a university profes- ing format was clearly designed to keep a sor who had been given the Prague posi- trainful of line officers employed writing tion as a reward. Another said I was an or passing memoranda to one another. impeccable dresser (I wore the standard I kept looking for touches of humor or Brooks Brothers suits that were common to a generation of irony in the reports, but there were very few. One report on Foreign Service officers, but different in cut, color and fabric a visit to my hotel room in Bratislava when I was out to din- from the Russian-Italian suits favored by local government ner said: “His desk contained a 320-page manuscript, which officials). we photographed.” It did not mention that the manuscript Another report said I was careful to draw out the opinions was a draft of The French Overseas Empire, a book I was of others in conversations while offering few of my own. I writing at the time. was “calm, serious and pleasant, and kept the conversation on cultural subjects.” Did I really have a doctorate in history “Ideodiversional” Activity from the University of California at Los Angeles? Yes, the After I had been in Prague nearly a year, Major Karl Plicka writer concluded, but added that I’d claimed to have played held a meeting to decide whether I was a CIA agent. He on the UCLA basketball team — the most glaring misstate- noted that I was increasingly busy with cultural and educa- ment in the whole file. Charlotte, he stated, was “of high so- tional diplomacy, but speculated that this might just be a cial standing” and also interested in history. cover for espionage. “He is conducting ideodiversional ac- More than 50 pages were devoted to the few days I spent tivity against the Czechoslovak state,” the report concluded. one summer at English-teaching seminars in the small provin- In the Communist Party lexicon, “ideodiversional” meant that cial cities of Presov and Olomouc, site of a language school U.S. educational and cultural programs represented a calcu- and a large Russian military base. Professor Milne Holton, lated political-ideological diversion; thus, “under cover of a who taught American literature at the University of Maryland, diplomatic function he is carrying out activities against our had been coming to Czechoslovakia for several years to teach socialist state.” at these seminars, and I accompanied him on one tour shortly So they decided to go back through my file and interview after I arrived. One report said that Holton had taken a photo everyone I had met, especially participants in the English- of a Russian soldier in Olomouc, but that I hadn’t. A list of teaching seminars I had visited. The Security Services also ac-

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tivated a “T-144” program in our apart- and appended a five-page dossier on ment. (There were several references Frank, including a list of his relatives. to “T” programs, which probably were One recurring observation Charlotte and I always assumed that forms of technical surveillance.) we were being watched or recorded Maj. Plicka had found a set of keys in the file was that I and that most of our contacts were to our apartment, but was not sure being followed, as well. Our conversa- they still worked. He would try our constantly gave Czechs tion with Michael was standard dinner telephone when we were in the High fare, although the reports noted that I Tatras on a winter holiday with the “suspect” publications like “gave him suspect literature to read on children; if there was no answer, he the plane.” At some point, the secret and another major would enter the Time, Newsweek and police decided I was preparing to re- apartment and install the electronic cruit him for espionage work, and they audio equipment. As with so many the New York Times. decided to do the same from their side. other reports, there was no account of Frank would pass me incriminating what happened next, if anything. documents, according to the plan Some observations verged on the spelled out in one report, and they comical. One agent said I had dis- would photograph the exchange and played unusual behavior walking along all the people in the building.” then try to compromise me. One ex- a Prague street. While my wife and The report jogged memories of in- ercise had him showing me a list of five children were watching, he wrote, I cidents that were not recorded. Once teachers from a summer seminar. He entered first one building and then an- while walking along a Prague street, I was to notice if I reacted to any of the other, pretending to look for an ad- encountered what must have been the names. That would be a telltale clue. dress. “His wife and children were local police block-watcher: a corpulent, Another report cautioned, “RICH- complicit in his actions,” the report elderly man in rumpled clothes with ir- ARD must always be aware of the concluded, adding, “We must question regularly spaced teeth. I had just vis- large, black pen Dr. Quinn carries but ited a Czech artist friend in an does not use. It must be assumed it is apartment overlooking the Vltava a technical device.” This was the long- You Are Our River. As I left, my friend mentioned serving Mont Blanc fountain pen I had in passing that the Havel family apart- carried with me for more than a de- Eyes & ment was one floor up. I then decade. scended the four flights of stairs (the Then suddenly RICHARD disap- Ears! elevator was not working, as often hap- peared. I do not know what happened pened in Prague). to him. I never returned to Presov, nor There, standing at the front door, did he come again to the embassy or to Dear Readers: was the neighborhood watchman, star- our apartment. Perhaps talk of the rel- ing at me like a villager in a Brueghel ative merits of Faulkner and Heming- In order to produce a high- painting. After exiting, I saw the open way had lost its charm for the secret quality product, the FSJ depends on the revenue it earns from door of the next apartment building police. advertising. You can help and, with mischievous intent, turned in PRAMEN was Ivan Englich, an af- with this. and climbed its five flights of stairs, lis- fable Czech cultural entrepreneur and tening for the wheezing chest and omnipresent Mr. Fix-It who had been Please let us know the names of companies that have provided plodding feet that followed. helpful to at least three of my prede- good service to you — a hotel, cessors, and who made little effort to insurance company, auto RICHARD and PRAMEN hide his role. “They are everywhere,” dealership, or other concern. Many of the reports were from two he once whispered to me about a num- A referral from our readers code names, RICHARD and PRA- ber of Security Service agents who is the best entrée! MEN. Because RICHARD was iden- wore student clothes and joined guests tified as coming from Presov and I only at a bluegrass concert we had organized Ed Miltenberger knew one person there, I suspect he in the embassy garden. I knew PRA- Advertising & Circulation Manager was Dr. Michael Frank, a talented MEN was Englich because one of the Tel: (202) 944-5507 Czech English-teacher. Later, one of early reports said the source had invited E-mail: [email protected] the reports confirmed that was the case me to his family’s chata (country house)

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shortly after I arrived. The only such prised by what it left out — the visits invitation had come from Englich. of Benny Goodman and Johnny Cash Years later, I visited him on a return The reporting format and a steady string of journalists from trip to Prague. Englich was older and the New York Times and other publica- heavier, and wore thick glasses. As be- was clearly designed to tions. Vaclav Havel came to one of our fore, he had a number of balls in the air, film evenings, but his name was not in- selling time for a newly licensed evan- keep a trainful of line cluded in any of the reporting about gelical Christian radio station (even them. though he was Jewish), managing a officers employed writing record store for a startup local label, and The Summing Up working on another deal that, if it came or passing memoranda The ministry’s final report, nine through, would dwarf both of these. We double-spaced pages signed off on by talked some about our families, remi- to one another. six different officers, was compiled six nisced a bit about the old days and, after months after I had left the country in lunch, warmly shook hands. He briskly 1978. The document’s stated purpose headed off though the hotel’s revolving was to examine whether I worked for doors to meet a client. I never saw him the CIA and to determine whether again. a subscription to Newsweek from my there was any possibility of compro- One recurring observation in the predecessor. Another report said I had mising me. But neither objective was file was that I constantly gave Czechs mailed several copies of the World Al- mentioned further, apparently because “suspect” publications like Time, News- manac and Book of Facts, and noted: nothing had come of such efforts over week and the New York Times. Part of “This sort of publication should not be the past three years. the evidence in the trial of a dissident allowed in Czechoslovakia.” The opening section contained yet youth leader had been that he received Despite the file’s length, I was sur- another biography of me. Next came a

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1. FSI’s Transition Center 2. U.S. Department of State Overseas Briefing Center (OBC) 3. Security Overseas Seminars: PSOS, ASOS, SAA, SOS, SOS 4. Transition Center Training home page for eligible family members and members of household (MOH) 5. International Jobs - Working Overseas 6. Country Information (Bidding Resources) 7. Transition Center Courses 8. Preparing to Go Overseas 9. Pets and International Travel 10. Foreign Service Assignment Notebook: What Do I Do Now? 11. U.S. Department of State Career Transition Center (CTC) 12. Personal Post Insights 13. Elementary School Stuff 14. Arrange Medical Clearance and Immunizations 15. High Stress Assignment Outbrief Program

DECEMBER 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 51 48-52_FSJ_1209_FEA:ship 11/25/09 3:25 PM Page 52

CHANGE OF ADDRESS Czech human rights and legal reform organization] and showed great inter- Maybe we two former est in obtaining concrete information about it.” adversaries could meet, At these film evenings, the report Moving? continued, “he gave the people various swap stories and come to suspect and unfriendly publications, many coming from right-wing émigré some sort of closure. sources abroad.” In the Kafkaesque Take AFSA communist political language of that era, “right” meant “left” in politics. Next came a list of towns I had visited, With You! and 40 persons alleged to be my regu- comment about my family life: “He has lar contacts. (I recognized only six of good relations with his children, with the names.) Change your address whom he spends a lot of time.” And: Finally, the document ended with a online at: “He is attentive and respectful of his conclusion in capital letters: WE REC- www.afsa.org/comment.cfm wife, perhaps because of her ill health.” OMMEND THIS FILE BE CLOS- (Charlotte had the first of two back op- ED FOR 15 YEARS. erations while we were in Prague.) That was it. At first I was upset. Or As for me, I “did not suffer from Charlotte and I had worked hard for over-tidiness” — several embassy em- three years both to affirm the worth of Send change of address to: ployees said so. I gave the appearance individual Czechs and Slovaks and to AFSA Membership of being content, the report continued, promote better relations between our Department but was not very skilled in social situa- two countries. The final report had lit- 2101 E Street NW tions and became angry when criti- tle positive to say about me, and some Washington, DC 20037 cized. There was “no evidence of an of its comments were clear fabrica- interest in other women,” and I was tions. Maybe I should find a Prague careful with money. With other mem- phone book and call Captain Richard bers of the diplomatic corps I had only Hoffman, the principal author, to see polite contact. if he was still alive. Maybe we two for- A long section of the report was di- mer adversaries could meet, swap sto- vided between official and unofficial ries and come to some sort of closure. activities. The latter section led off with “Forget it,” an inner voice said one of the oft-repeated notations that firmly, “It’s all over.” Images floated in when I arrived in June 1975, the cul- front of me, a set of black-and-white tural section had a stack of 200 copies impressions of the Prague we knew: of a book about the Russian invasion of smog-filled air, streets slick with win- Prague. Also: “He managed to smug- ter grime, people in heavy coats and gle a politically sensitive film showing funny hats shuffling along, laden with the living standard of Czech émigrés bulging plastic sacks. Then came im- into an English-teaching seminar.” ages of today: younger people, bright Much was made of my contact with neon lights, streets jammed with West- Professor Holton, and that in one town ern tourists and row after row of name- he was spotted with a camera that had brand clothing shops where the head- supposedly come from me. quarters of the Socialist Youth League “He organized various social occa- and the Czechoslovak Sport Fisher- sions at his flat at which he invited var- men’s Association once stood. ious contacts from the right-wing “Forget it,” the inner voice said cultural, technical, scientific and polit- again, as if there were any question by ical spheres. Through these people he now. “It’s over,” I acknowledged aloud, gained knowledge of Charter 77 [the and quickly closed the file. ■

52 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/DECEMBER 2009 53-62_FSJ_1209_AN:firstlook 11/25/09 2:55 PM Page 53

AFSAAmerican Foreign ServiceNEWS Association • December 2009

AFSA PRESIDENT KEEPS UP THE MOMENTUM ON THE HILL Beefing Up Resources & Readiness BY CASEY FRARY, LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR hroughout the fall, AFSA President Susan R. Johnson House Subcommittee on the Federal Work Force, Postal Serv- made the rounds of House and Senate committee hear- ice and the District of Columbia. The hearing, titled “A Call to Tings and association meetings, ensuring that the Foreign Arms: A Review of Benefits for Deployed Federal Employees,” Service is recognized for its important work and advocating for examined the compensation and health benefits provided to fair compensation for FS employees’ service to the country. civilian employees sent abroad. Johnson testified twice on behalf of AFSA and the Foreign On Sept. 24, Johnson testified before the Senate Subcom- Service in September. On Sept. 16, she appeared before the mittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Work Force and the District of Columbia in a hearing titled “A Review of Diplomatic Readiness: Addressing Staffing and Foreign Language Challenges Facing the Foreign Service.” At this hearing, she cited two recent Government Accountability Office reports that examined, respectively, critical staffing gaps and language training deficiencies, both greatly affecting the work of overseas posts. “Persistent and recurrent staffing gaps undermine the ability of overseas personnel to focus on their primary responsibilities,” explained Johnson at the Sept. 24 hearing. “They are already impeding our effectiveness in some of the most important areas of the world.” AUSTIN TRACY AUSTIN AFSA President Susan R. Johnson (right) and Amb. Ron Neumann prepare Statistics documented in these newest GAO reports are in- to testify before the Senate on Sept. 24. Continued on page 58

CALL FOR 2010 AFSA AWARD NOMINATIONS Constructive Dissent Awards Honoring Dissent The constructive BY BARBARA BERGER, PROFESSIONAL ISSUES COORDINATOR dissent awards were created to encourage en in authority will always think Therefore we are again those willing to offer that criticism of their policies is calling for nominations alternative points of Mdangerous. They will always for our constructive dis- view on matters of equate their policies with patriotism, and sent awards, as well as for policy, to question the find criticism subversive. our exemplary perform- status quo and to — Henry Steele Commager, ance awards. Winners re- challenge convention- Freedom and Order (1966) ceive a $2,500 cash prize al wisdom, regardless

and are honored at a cere- JOSH of the consequences. AFSA fervently believes that our For- mony in late June at the State Depart- These are the only dissent awards in the eign Service values a culture of honest ment, which typically is attended by U.S. government. They are not based on and vigorous debate in the formation of the Secretary or Deputy Secretary of superior performance alone, for which policies and positions within each of the State. The deadline for nominations is numerous State Department decora- foreign affairs agencies. Feb. 26. Continued on page 59

DECEMBER 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 53 53-62_FSJ_1209_AN:firstlook 11/25/09 2:55 PM Page 54

A F S A AFSANEWSBRIEFS N E W Apply by Feb. 6 for Welcome to Attorney Michael Willats AFSA warmly welcomes Michael Willats, the newest face S College Scholarships in the Labor Management office. Originally from Buffalo, Awards ranging from $1,000 to $3,500 are now N.Y., Michael received a B.S. in civil engineering from available for qualified tax-dependent children of Foreign Bucknell University and subsequently was employed for Service employees (active-duty, retired or deceased). two years in the field of storm-water management design. Applicants must be high school seniors or undergraduate A recent graduate of The Catholic University of America’s college students. Unfortunately, grandchildren of Columbus School of Law, he also has worked as a summer Foreign Service employees do not qualify. law clerk at the National Labor Relations Board. Michael lives in Arlington, Va., with his wife, Rebecca. Go to www.afsa.org/scholar for complete details, or contact Lori Dec at [email protected] if you have questions. The submission deadline is Feb. 6. Foreign Service Parents: Get Educational Information at AFSA Life in the Foreign Service Check out AFSA’s online education resources page, including articles on college admissions, choosing a ■ BY BRIAN AGGELER boarding school, taking a gap year, educating special- needs children, the International Baccalaureate program and study abroad. There’s also video advice from Rebecca Grappo, educational consultant and former Family Liaison Office education and youth officer. Just point your browser to www.afsa.org/ads/school/ and you’ll find a wealth of useful material. Corrections We love our interns here at AFSA, so you’d think we’d get their names right. Alas, not one, but two interns suffered the indignity of misspelled names in our November issue. We apologize to summer interns Claire Halbrook and Chelsea Hollstein. We also want to make sure that you have the correct link to AFSA’s Political Action Committee Web page, which was not clearly given in November’s FCS VP column. (This was your AFSA News editor’s fault, not that of FCS VP Keith Curtis.) The correct URL is: www.afsa.org/pac.cfm

AFSA HEADQUARTERS: Staff: Governing Board: Executive Director Ian Houston: [email protected] (202) 338-4045; Fax: (202) 338-6820 PRESIDENT: Susan R. Johnson Business Department STATE DEPARTMENT AFSA OFFICE: Controller Kalpna Srimal: [email protected] STATE VP: Daniel Hirsch (202) 647-8160; Fax: (202) 647-0265 Accounting Assistant Cory Nishi: [email protected] USAID VP: Francisco Zamora USAID AFSA OFFICE: Accounting and Administration Assistant Alicia Campi: [email protected] FAS VP: Henry Schmick (202) 712-1941; Fax: (202) 216-3710 Labor Management FCS VP: Keith Curtis FCS AFSA OFFICE: General Counsel Sharon Papp: [email protected] (202) 482-9088; Fax: (202) 482-9087 Deputy General Counsel Zlatana Badrich: [email protected] RETIREE VP: Robert Houdek Labor Management Specialist James Yorke: [email protected] AFSA WEB SITE: www.afsa.org SECRETARY: F.A. “Tex” Harris Senior Staff Attorney Neera Parikh: [email protected] FSJ: [email protected] Staff Attorney Michael Willats: [email protected] TREASURER: Andrew Winter PRESIDENT: [email protected] Office Manager Christine Warren: [email protected] STATE REPS: Carleton Bulkin, Jorge Delfin, STATE VP: [email protected] USAID Senior Labor Management Adviser Douglas Broome: [email protected] Mary Glantz, Les Hickman, Joyce Namde, RETIREE VP: [email protected] Member Services Julia Stewart, Mike Unglesbee, Sharon White, USAID VP: [email protected] Member Services Director Janet Hedrick: [email protected] FAS VP: [email protected] Member Services Representative Michael Laiacona: [email protected] Teresa Yata FCS VP: [email protected] Web Site & Database Associate Geron Pleasant: [email protected] USAID REP: Michael Henning Administrative Assistant Ana Lopez: [email protected] FCS REP: Rebecca Balogh Communications, Marketing and Outreach AFSA News Retiree Liaison Bonnie Brown: [email protected] FAS REP: Melinda Sallyards Editor Francesca Kelly: [email protected] Director of Communications Thomas Switzer: [email protected] IBB REP: Al Pessin (202) 338-4045, ext. 516; Legislative Director Casey Frary: [email protected] RETIREE REPS: Executive Assistant to the President Austin Tracy: [email protected] Fax: (202) 338-8244 Janice Bay, Robert (Bill) Farrand, On the Web: Scholarship Director Lori Dec: [email protected] Professional Issues Coordinator Barbara Berger: [email protected] David Passage, Molly Williamson

How to Contact Us: to Contact How www.afsa.org/fsj and www.fsjournal.org Exploritas Administrator Bernard Alter: [email protected] Marketing & Outreach Manager Asgeir Sigfusson: [email protected]

54 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/DECEMBER 2009 53-62_FSJ_1209_AN:firstlook 11/25/09 2:56 PM Page 55

A F V.P. VOICE: STATE ■ BY DANIEL HIRSCH S A N E W Pride and Prejudice S

ong ago in Europe, tradesmen were not well-regarded reaus, which control their human “assets” more tightly than by society. People who earned their living by buying generalists are controlled. And there is no doubt that us-ver- L and selling, making things or providing services were sus-them attitudes are perpetuated both within groups of not people with whom the upper echelons of society associ- specialists and even by the management of certain functional ated. These days, our heroes are mostly successful business- bureaus. Most generalists, in fact, are blithely unaware that people, and the self-made success story is the exemplar of the much of this discontent even exists. That is not an excuse, American dream. just a fact. Good management, of course, must include Yet we see within our Service the same feudal attitudes awareness of the sentiments and perceptions of all sections of that existed when I entered a quarter of a century ago. The an embassy or office. number-one issue that I hear from members who are not Understanding the roles within a mission can help. One generalists is that they do not feel respected. That insulting post in which I served held a regular “Admin Night” for new attitude appears across every skill code, and it affects morale arrivals, where different members of the administrative staff as well as the cohesiveness of the explained their roles. Many of Service. It is hard to imagine that The number-one issue that I hear these included interactions with posts are working at peak effi- host-country counterparts of ciency when there are strongly from members who are not generalists value and other sections, as well. perceived divisions between suits is that they do not feel respected. Equating length of service and non-suits, officers and sup- with rank when considering is- port staff, security personnel and sues such as housing assignments the “ungrateful FSOs” they protect. And let’s not forget those can also be an important equalizer. This would require who are generally invisible to most FS members at overseas changes to the Foreign Affairs Manual, but why should a mid- missions, such as the folks based in Regional Information level officer with six years in service get better housing than Management Centers or elsewhere, who travel from post to an office management specialist with 20 years’ service? post performing information technology or buildings oper- Importantly, the right to self-determination, for lack of a ations functions, as needed. better term, must be expanded. Employees who enter the Ironically, as was the case with the tradesmen of old Eu- service in skill groups with caps on salaries and rank should rope, the specialists within the Foreign Service are often at be freer to expand their options as they move closer to those least as well educated as the officers, and many possess skills caps. And, if it is essential to the department that more ex- worth far more in the outside world. Most importantly, both perienced employees stay in those groups, then the depart- specialists and generalists are equally essential to the mission. ment needs to lower or eliminate barriers to advancement My favorite ambassador began her career as a secretary (the (and raise salary caps), rather than forcing ambitious em- kind that types) and rose to become, in her time, the highest- ployees to look elsewhere. ranking woman in the State Department. Many equally qual- As part of this, raters should always be aware of the ele- ified office management specialists would be happy to stay ments for advancement within each group, and promotion in that field, but seek greater recognition of their value and boards should include members who understand the fine experience. points of the work they are assessing. You would be surprised What can be done? As with any social issue, the first step how many Employee Evaluation Report grievance cases toward a solution is acknowledgement of the problem. And, AFSA sees where the rater actually does not understand the in fairness, we must acknowledge that many factors con- work being rated. tribute to the problem, including some — like the Vienna And most importantly, all of us should recognize that part Convention rules that often prevent “administrative person- of making the Foreign Service more representative of our na- nel” from having full privileges — that are either beyond our tion is to know that, while all positions are not equal in rank control or require the cooperation of host-country govern- or salary, they are all equally valuable to our mission. Equal- ments to address. ity in the Foreign Service is more than a matter of efficiency Some sources of discontent are imposed by functional bu- and management. It should be a matter of pride. ❏

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A F S V.P. VOICE: USAID ■ BY FRANCISCO ZAMORA A

N When the Solution Is the Problem E onflicting interests are a part of life. In general, it is un- to hiring majors and lieutenant W reasonable to insist that one side is totally right and the colonels from the private sector to run S Cother is totally wrong. Each side gets passionate about military operations. defending its position, so compromises, while necessary, never In spite of this, AFSA reluctantly really satisfy everyone. This is the case with mid-career hiring agreed to the induction of a limited at USAID, where the solution has become the problem. number of mid-level hires because of the urgent need for Due to severe personnel cuts in the mid-1990s, the staff overseas. AFSA’s position, however, is that these new agency is now short-staffed in many of its mid-level posi- mid-level hires are not to be treated as “trainees” and are not tions. Ironically, the reductions were a result of our win- to supervise or formally evaluate other employees, at least ning the Cold War, which inspired efforts to lower the initially. Also, unlike Development Leadership Initiative federal work force. Experience and talent went out the entry-level officers, who are sent to newly created training door through a reduction in force and restrictions in hir- positions, new mid-level hires should bid and thereby coming. However, foreign assistance actually tripled during the pete with regular FSOs for overseas positions. intervening time, creating a situation where more person- Not surprisingly, AFSA’s position has upset the contingent nel — with more technical abilities — were needed to im- of mid-level hires, who believe they are being treated unfairly plement foreign aid programs. because, unlike the trainees, they are not assigned to a coun- To solve the problem, USAID decided to hire new employ- try after their five-week orientation. We regret this, but hope ees at the FS-2 and FS-3 levels, hoping to fill in the gaps. This that they realize that AFSA has much more to offer them as an practice has always been a sensitive issue because the Foreign organization that will defend their greater interests through- Service is a career-oriented profession, similar to the military, out their careers. By insisting that the agency respect its insti- which begins at the junior-officer level and proceeds steadily tutional agreements with AFSA — specifically, the Open up the ranks to the senior levels. Mid-level hiring is analogous Assignment System — we all win in the end. ❏

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE the tax credit that required buyers to make the home their primary place of AFSA Moving Forward on Key Issues residence for 36 months, a difficult obli- BY CASEY FRARY, LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR gation to meet when assigned overseas. FSA had a busy and successful au- eral employee unions urging members The original bill, H.R. 3590, the Serv- tumn on the legislative front. of the conference committee to keep ice Members Home Ownership Tax Act A Federal workers, including For- these important provisions in the final of 2009, counts time served abroad to- eign Service personnel, will now get a report, including sending letters to key ward primary residency. Additionally, it break for not catching a cold; and For- members of Congress. The NDAA Con- extends the tax credit for another year. eign Service members who are first-time ference Report passed the House on Oct. Unfortunately, however, it is not retroac- homebuyers may get a tax credit. 8. AFSA would like to thank all confer- tive; the language in H.R. 3590 only ap- ees, but House Armed Forces Commit- plies to residences purchased after Nov. Unused Sick Leave tee Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., and 30, 2009. On Nov. 4, the Senate passed The conference report for the Fiscal Senate Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., H.R. 3548, the Worker, Homeownership Year 2010 National Defense Authoriza- played particularly crucial roles in mov- and Business Assistance Act of 2009, tion Act contained some key provisions ing this bill forward. which included the exact same language which AFSA has long advocated. as H.R. 3590. This bill has been presented Specifically, it phases in the allowance of First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit to President Obama, and AFSA will ad- unused sick leave to count towards On Oct. 8, the House passed a bill vocate for his quick signature. length of service when figuring retire- that will allow members of the Foreign AFSA would like to express its thanks ment annuity under the Federal Em- Service and other intelligence commu- to House Ways and Means Committee ployees Retirement System, and it allows nity members to take advantage of the Chairman Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., Rep- former federal employees under FERS to $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit. resentative Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., repay withdrawn contributions upon re- The Foreign Service community had and Senator Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., employment with the government. formerly been excluded from this op- for their hard work in getting this bill to AFSA worked closely with other fed- portunity because of the rule attached to the floor. ❏

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A F A Year-End V.P. VOICE: FAS ■ BY HENRY S. SCHMICK S Message from A Executive Director N E Ian Houston Been There, Done That — W oupling the year’s end with the S holiday season offers a window for No FAS Assimilation into Creflection. Foremost in my mind is appreciation for the many individuals State, Please who offer their time and talents to make our organization function at a high level. I know firsthand that AFSA profes- bout every 10 years, someone (usually from a high-powered think-tank) sional staff members are committed to floats the idea of consolidating all foreign affairs agencies into one “Super serving our members to the best of their AState” — perhaps a “Department of International Relations.” Usually that ability. That goal became quite chal- bad idea dies a natural death, as it should this time around, as well. lenging when the majority of our staff The reasons for advocating consolidation seem appealingly obvious. Unfor- operated without any office space for the tunately, most appealingly obvious ideas don’t turn out well in the long run. The first several months of the year. But the theory is that having all the foreign affairs agencies (the Agency for International staff put their shoulders to the wheel and Development, the Foreign Agricultural Service, the Foreign Commercial Service pressed on. To their great credit, our and the International Broadcasting Bureau) under the thumb of the State De- level of service remained strong and we partment would reduce purported disarray, improve command and control of had many successes this year. Our mem- U.S. foreign policy objectives, and bring “Super State” more attention and fund- bers deserve — and receive — the very ing. real dedication of our staff. This was done to the U.S. Information Agency a decade ago. However, does This year also brought to an end the anyone still think (especially after reading the October issue of the Foreign Serv- tenure of an excellent AFSA Governing ice Journal) that our public diplomacy efforts were improved by the elimination Board led by John Naland, and ushered of USIA? Meanwhile, the ongoing process of “death by open senior-level posi- in a vibrant new board under the first- tions” is eliminating the role and effectiveness of USAID. rate leadership and energy of Susan Mike Henning, my USAID AFSA colleague, explains: “When a smaller or- Johnson. I am grateful for the opportu- ganization is more closely lashed to a larger one, generally that leads to the smaller nity to take direction from such fine pro- organization’s funding, unique perspective, knowledge and culture fading and fessionals, whether on boards past or being subsumed by the larger.” present. The high level of personal en- So, with apologies to Star Trek fans, resistance must not be futile; assimilation gagement of Governing Board members must not be permitted. In fact, we’ve been there and done that already. is a great example to me and keeps me The Foreign Agricultural Service was established in 1930 as an office in the on my toes, as it should. That spirit of Department of Agriculture to oversee a small network of agricultural officers sta- commitment and volunteerism extends tioned in key markets. In the run-up to World War II, over the strong objections to the many standing committees of of USDA Secretary (later Vice President) Henry A. Wallace, President Roosevelt AFSA, such as: Finance and Audits, folded the overseas attachés of FAS (and FCS) into State. Scholarships, Elections, Awards and At first, the forced assimilation seemed to work, as the existing agricultural of- Plaques, and the Foreign Service Journal ficers maintained their links back to USDA. But as the ag attaché work force ro- Editorial Board. tated and new officers came in, those close ties to USDA were lost. The U.S. Finally, allow me to shine a spotlight agribusiness community was not amused as the quality of agricultural reporting, on our association’s vigorous Foreign marketing efforts and trade policy support dropped (see note above regarding Service retiree community. The support loss of “unique perspective, knowledge and culture”). So in the late 1940s and of this segment of AFSA’s family is wide- early 1950s the agribusiness community stormed the Hill and, in 1954, Congress ranging and touches the organization on brought the agricultural attachés back to USDA and resurrected the Foreign Agri- many levels. We would be but a fraction cultural Service. of our current strength without our re- Today FAS has a presence in 98 countries, supports a wide range of USDA and tirees. I thank them for their generous U.S. foreign policy objectives and works with our private-sector partners to keep support. annual U.S. agricultural exports above the $100-billion level. Best wishes from AFSA to all mem- Despite noble-sounding arguments in various reports, we remember the past. bers in 2010! ❏ Let’s not be condemned to repeat it. ❏

DECEMBER 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 57 53-62_FSJ_1209_AN:firstlook 11/25/09 2:56 PM Page 58

A F S LDF CONTRIBUTES $5,000 TO SECURITY CLEARANCE CASE A AFSA’s Legal Defense Fund: There When Members Need It N BY SHARON PAPP, AFSA GENERAL COUNSEL E W FSA created the Richard C. Scis- the department would not give the em- formed these offices that she had a top S sors Legal Defense Fund in 2007, ployee its summary of what he himself secret security clearance as well as a A naming it in honor of the late had said during the interviews. “need to know,” because access to the AFSA Labor Management attorney who Instead, Commerce instructed the documents was essential in order to in- assisted hundreds of AFSA members. employee to file a Privacy Act/Freedom telligently respond to the “proposal to The fund is a last resort for members in- of Information Act request to obtain the revoke,” as it is called. Neither office as- volved in legal cases with far-reaching documents. He did so; but the FOIA of- sisted her in obtaining the documents, importance to the rest of the Foreign and the employee was forced to file a re- Service — cases AFSA’s in-house attor- sponse to the proposal to revoke with- neys do not have the specialized expert- The fund is a last resort for out access to the documents. ise or hundreds of hours of time to The Supreme Court has stated that pursue. members involved in legal employees are entitled to notice of the The Legal Defense Fund can help cases with far-reaching grounds for a proposal to revoke and members retain a private attorney to the opportunity to respond. Without challenge egregious procedural viola- importance to the rest of access to the documents that form the tions committed by an agency, protect the Foreign Service. basis of the proposal and decision to re- them from lawsuits arising from service voke, the employee has been denied abroad and enforce Foreign Service procedural due process, a right to which Grievance Board decisions. fice claimed the documents were not re- all Foreign Service employees are enti- This year, the LDF contributed leasable because they were classified. tled. $5,000 to retain a Washington, D.C.- The office also argued that because the The Legal Defense Fund is helping based private attorney, Mark Zaid, an employee’s security clearance had been this officer get the specialized represen- expert in security clearance matters, to suspended during the security investi- tation he needs. But the LDF only ex- represent a Foreign Service officer from gation and revocation processes, he was ists because of your generous donations. the Department of Commerce. The de- not authorized to receive them. The So far this year, active-duty and retired partment had proposed the revocation employee’s appeal of the Privacy Foreign Service employees have con- of the employee’s clearance and subse- Act/FOIA request is currently pending. tributed more than $14,000 to the LDF. quently revoked it based upon docu- In the meantime, the employee’s If you wish to help, please send a check ments that it did not provide to the AFSA attorney had written to two Com- to the AFSA Legal Defense Fund at 2101 employee or his AFSA attorney. These merce Department offices, the Office of E Street NW, Washington DC 20037. records included write-ups of the inter- Security and the Office of General For more information, send an e-mail views the employee had with security Counsel, to seek their assistance in gain- to [email protected]. officials at Commerce. In other words, ing access to the documents. She in- AFSA is grateful for your support. ❏

Beefing Up Resources • Continued from page 53 AFSA is currently exploring ways to work with State on implementing the recommendations made by the GAO. strumental in strengthening the case for more funding, and Johnson also spoke at the Foreign Affairs Retirees of North- Johnson pointed to some of the stronger figures in her testi- ern Virginia luncheon in September, addressing the GAO re- mony. She mentioned, for example, that as of September 2008, ports and answering questions about the current atmosphere at roughly one-third of mid-level generalist positions at posts of the State Department. greatest hardship were filled by officers in up-stretch assign- AFSA continues to use every possible forum and vehicle to ments. She also cited statistics about language training: as of advocate for and support the Foreign Service, including making October 2008, 31 percent of FSOs in language-designated po- common cause with other unions, working with interested con- sitions did not meet foreign-language proficiency requirements gressional representatives, issuing press releases and providing for their positions — and the number jumps sharply in information. We will continue to update our AFSA News read- Afghanistan (73 percent not proficient) and Iraq (57 percent ers with the latest efforts and successes in the relatively open not proficient). and welcoming climate on the Hill. ❏

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A F Please Consider Supporting the S Fund for American Diplomacy A BY ASGEIR SIGFUSSON, MARKETING AND OUTREACH MANAGER N ach year, AFSA partners with the in the line of duty. • Exploritas (formerly Elderhostel) E nonprofit Fund for American • Awards programs recognizing FS programs on foreign affairs for retired W EDiplomacy in an appeal for dona- employee and spouse achievements. Americans. S tions to a worthy cause. The fund spon- • The AFSA/Thursday Luncheon • AFSA’s Speakers Bureau, where FS sors Foreign Service programs and helps Group Minority Intern Program, which retirees draw on their real-life experi- us tell the story of the Foreign Service to places a deserving minority student in a ences in addressing business and com- the American public in a variety of ways. summer internship at the State Depart- munity leaders and the general public Through a tax-deductible donation to ment. across the country. the Fund for American Diplomacy, you • Inside a U.S. Embassy, our popular No AFSA dues support FAD activi- can support: book providing insights into the Foreign ties, so we rely on your direct donations • AFSA’s High School Essay Contest, Service to individuals preparing for the to the fund in order to enable these suc- where students can earn college schol- FS exam, college students in interna- cessful and vital programs to continue. arship money by writing an essay on a tional relations courses, and FS family For further information on the fund topic related to foreign affairs. members and relatives, as well as mili- and its activities, please contact AFSA • The AFSA Memorial Plaques and tary and corporate personnel interact- Director of Communications Tom annual ceremony at the State Depart- ing with our missions abroad. A new Switzer at (202) 944-5501 or switzer@ ment to honor our colleagues who died edition is planned for the fall of 2010. afsa.org. ❏

AFSA Award Nominations • Continued from page 53 Foreign Service employees • The Avis Bohlen Award, for a For- tions already exist. They were estab- have been trained to give their eign Service Eligible Family Member lished to recognize individuals who whose relations with the American and demonstrate the professional courage best professional counsel. foreign communities at post have done and integrity to ask tough questions on They should be encouraged the most to advance the interests of the either foreign policy or management/ United States. personnel issues and to offer alternative to do so. As with AFSA’s dissent awards, win- solutions through the appropriate chan- ners receive a cash prize of $2,500 and nels. mid-level officer (FS-1, -2 or -3); are honored at the June ceremony. Foreign Service employees have been • The Christian A. Herter Award for a trained to give their best professional senior officer (FE/OC-FE/CA). Nomination Procedures counsel. They should be encouraged to Information on nomination proce- do so. As two-time dissent award win- Exemplary Performance dures and guidelines can be found on ner Ambassador Anthony Quainton has AFSA also offers three annual our Web site at: www.afsa.org/awards. stated: “The awards should recognize awards for exemplary performance of There is a hyperlink to articles about the those men and women of the Service assigned or voluntary duties at an over- AFSA 2009 award winners, as well as a who are willing to tackle tough and seas post that constitute extraordinary listing of all past award winners. complex problems head-on, to call the contributions to effectiveness, profes- The AFSA Awards and Plaques Com- shots as they are, and to propose practi- sionalism and morale. The awards are: mittee, chaired by Ambassador John cal and creative solutions.” • The Delavan Award, for a Foreign Limbert, reviews all nominations. Sub- Please help AFSA continue to honor Service Office Management Specialist missions that do not meet the stated cri- and recognize independent thinking and who has made a significant contribution teria, as determined by our judges and honest dissent by nominating a col- to post or office effectiveness and morale the Awards & Plaques Committee, will league for one of the constructive dissent beyond the framework of his/her job re- not be considered. All nominations will awards described below, which fall into sponsibilities; be acknowledged. four categories: • The M. Juanita Guess Award, for a Questions about any of the awards • The Tex Harris Award for a Foreign Community Liaison Officer who has may be directed to Barbara Berger, Co- Service specialist; demonstrated outstanding leadership, ordinator for Professional Issues, at • The Averell Harriman Award for a dedication, initiative or imagination in [email protected]; by phone at (202) 338- junior officer (FS-4, -5 or -6); assisting the families of Americans serv- 4045, ext. 521; or via fax at (202) 338- • The William Rivkin Award for a ing at an overseas post; 6820. ❏

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A F S FS VOICE: FAMILY MEMBER MATTERS ■ BY DAWN SEWELL MCKEEVER A N Employing Spouses Makes Everyone Happy E W e’ve all heard the expression, “If Mama ain’t happy, ment can use the talent, expertise and experience of its S ain’t nobody happy.” This certainly pertains to my diplomatic spouses to help fulfill the need for “dedicated, Wfamily and, according to Dr. Kenneth Dekleva, the energetic and skilled people to help us succeed ... and to help regional medical psychiatrist based in Vienna, it applies to a renew America’s global leadership and put us and our world lot of other Foreign Service families, too. Speaking to a group on a path of peace and prosperity,” as Secretary of State of Embassy Athens employees in September, Dr. Dekleva Hillary Rodham Clinton declares on the department’s Web stated that “Family-member employment is the biggest site. One idea is to radically expand the department’s Pro- morale issue facing the State Department.” Of course, not all fessional Associates program opportunities by having spouses are “mamas” (19 percent are male), or even parents; spouses with particular expertise, in conjunction with of- but the issue remains very important. fices at post and the bureaus in Washington, write propos- “If spouses or partners are unhappy als for new initiatives or projects about the inability to find meaningful that advance posts’ objectives. work, family life suffers as well,” says Artists, art historians or curators spouse Lynne Madnick, an attorney Surely the department can could work with local artists and currently posted to St. Petersburg. In museums to plan exhibitions and our family, no one feels settled until use the talent, expertise hold professional workshops. Li- “Mama” has found her raison d’être — and experience of its brarians could instruct schools, whether it’s editing the embassy diplomatic spouses. universities and organizations on newsletter in Kampala, teaching in how to set up their own libraries. Kingston, volunteering at an orphan- Archaeologists could assist muse- age in Niamey or writing magazine ar- ums and local dig teams, giving ticles in Athens. As one experienced tours and lectures. Computer spe- spouse advised on a popular Foreign Service networking cialists could advise local nongovernmental organizations site: “Rethink what you want to be when you grow up.” on how to use technology to advance their work. Lawyers, While the Department of State has made efforts to ad- management, human resource and financial specialists dress the issue, negotiating bilateral and de facto work agree- could support startup businesses, universities and even local ments with 109 countries, employment opportunities for governments. spouses remain limited. According to the June 2009 Family Spouses could be the answer to a dramatically expanded Member Employment Report, issued by the Family Liaison community outreach program; and most of these profes- Office, only 39 percent of spouses are working, either inside sionals could just as easily work in our own embassies. or outside of the mission. This contrasts with Department Democracy-building, promoting the rule of law, pursuing of Labor statistics for 2008 indicating that in 51.4 percent anticorruption efforts and human rights, and encouraging of marriages, both spouses were employed. In addition, ac- volunteerism are all areas where State could utilize the pro- cording to FLO’s Employment Options for Foreign Service fessionally educated and experienced talent already present Family Members, the majority of FS spouses — more than at posts worldwide. 80 percent — hold college degrees. It also makes financial sense not to hire new people for Despite its efforts, the Department of State has yet to take whom the department must pay housing, transportation, full advantage of this educated talent pool. “If posts can pay security and medical costs, and instead use those already in someone $30,000 a year to escort painters or answer tele- place and familiar with the way overseas missions work. phones, why can’t they pay me $30,000 to use my education Sec. Clinton’s vision is that the State Department “will and skills to do substantive work?” asks a long-term FS play a vital role in ushering in a new era in American diplo- spouse who wishes to remain anonymous. In fact, the de- macy by advancing a foreign policy that is both smart and partment is already funding programs to do that — but not sound, pragmatic and principled.” A spouse employment for diplomatic spouses. It has eight programs to assist col- program is also smart, sound, pragmatic and principled: a lege and high school students with paid fellowships or in- win-win situation for everyone involved. And that would ternships working within the department, and recently make Mama very happy. ❏ launched a new Virtual Foreign Service Program to involve Dawn Sewell McKeever is on her seventh overseas assignment and her college students in current diplomatic initiatives. 17th “job” since she and her husband joined the Foreign Service 21 If it can utilize and support students, surely the depart- years ago.

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A F S A CLASSIFIEDS N E LEGAL SERVICES TAX & FINANCIAL SERVICES TEMPORARY HOUSING W ATTORNEY WITH 29 years’ successful COMFORTABLE GUEST ROOMS rent S ROLAND S. HEARD, CPA experience SPECIALIZING FULL-TIME IN • U.S. income tax services to DACOR members for $99/night/single or FS GRIEVANCES will more than double • Practiced before the IRS $109/night/double, all taxes and continen- your chance of winning: 30% of grievants FIRST CONSULTATION FREE tal breakfast included. win before the Grievance Board; 85% of my 1091 Chaddwyck Dr. Contact: Tel. (202) 682-0500, ext. 14. clients win. Only a private attorney can ad- Athens, GA 30606 E-mail: [email protected] equately develop and present your case, in- Cell: (706) 207-8300. Web site: www.dacorbacon.org cluding necessary regs, arcane legal E-mail: [email protected] doctrines, precedents and rules. WWW.ROLANDSHEARDCPA.COM Call Bridget R. Mugane at Tel: (301) 596-0175 or (202) 387-4383. CAPITOL HILL, FURNISHED housing: E-mail: [email protected] PROFESSIONAL TAX RETURN PREP- 1-3 blocks to Capitol. Nice places, great lo- Free initial telephone consultation. ARATION: Forty years in public tax practice. cation. Well below per diem. Short term Arthur A. Granberg, EA, ATA, ATP. Our OK. GSA small business and veteran- WILLS/ESTATE PLANNING by attorney charges are $95 per hour. Most FS returns owned. Tel: (202) 544-4419. who is a former FSO. Have your will re- take 3 to 4 hours. Our office is 100 feet from Web site: www.capitolhillstay.com viewed and updated, or new one prepared: Virginia Square Metro Station. Tax Matters No charge for initial consultation. Associates PC, 3601 North Fairfax Dr., Ar- M. Bruce Hirshorn, Boring & Pilger, P.C. lington, VA 22201. Tel: (703) 522-3828. FIND PERFECT HOUSING by using 307 Maple Ave. W, Suite D, Vienna, VA Fax: (703) 522-5726. the free Reservation Service Agency, Ac- 22180. Tel: (703) 281-2161. E-mail: [email protected] commodations 4 U. Tel: (843) 238-2490. Fax: (703) 281-9464. E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.accommodations4u.net MORTGAGE EXPERIENCED ATTORNEYS REPRE- SENTING FS officers in grievances, performance, promotion and tenure, financial BUYING OR REFINANCING A HOME? PIED-A-TERRE PROPERTIES, LTD: claims, discrimination and disciplinary ac- Jeff Stoddard has specialized in home Select from our unique inventory of com- tions. We represent FS officers at all stages finance for FSOs for over seven years. pletely furnished & tastefully decorated of the proceedings from an investigation, is- “Working with various lenders, he is able apartments & townhouses, all located in suance of proposed discipline or the initiation to provide FSO-specific financing in all 50 D.C.’s best in-town neighborhoods: Dupont, of a grievance, through to a hearing before states.” Contact him at (703) 725-2455 or Georgetown, Foggy Bottom & the West the FSGB. We provide experienced, timely via e-mail at [email protected] End. Two-month minimum. Mother-Daugh- and knowledgeable advice to employees ter Owned and Operated. from junior untenured officers through the Tel: (202) 462-0200. Fax: (202) 332-1406. Senior FS, and often work closely with AFSA. TEMPORARY HOUSING E-mail: [email protected] Kalijarvi, Chuzi & Newman. Tel: (202) 331- Web site: www.piedaterredc.com 9260. E-mail: [email protected] SHORT-TERM RENTALS

TAX & FINANCIAL SERVICES TEMPORARY HOUSING SERVING FOREIGN SERVICE person- FREE TAX CONSULTATION for over- nel for 23 years, especially those with PETS. Selection of condos, townhouses and sin- seas personnel. We process returns as re- WASHINGTON, D.C. or NFATC ceived, without delay. Preparation and gle-family homes accommodates most TOUR? EXECUTIVE HOUSING CON- breeds and sizes. All within a short walk of representation by Enrolled Agents. Federal SULTANTS offers Metropolitan Washing- and all states prepared. Includes “TAX Metro stations in Arlington. Fully furnished ton, D.C.’s finest portfolio of short-term, TRAX” unique mini-financial planning review and equipped 1-4 bedrooms, within per fully furnished and equipped apartments, with recommendations. Full planning avail- diem rates. EXECUTIVE LODGING ALTER- townhomes and single-family residences able. Get the most from your financial dollar! NATIVES. in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. Financial Forecasts Inc., Barry B. De Marr, [email protected] In Virginia: “River Place’s Finest” is CFP, EA, 3918 Prosperity Ave. #230, Fairfax, VA 22031. Tel: (703) 289-1167. steps to Rosslyn Metro and Georgetown, and 15 minutes on Metro bus or State De- Fax: (703) 289-1178. E-mail: [email protected] ARLINGTON FLATS: 2-Bedroom, 1- partment shuttle to NFATC. For more info, bath and 4-bedroom, 3-bath flats in a beau- please call (301) 951-4111, or visit our ATTORNEY, FORMER FOREIGN SER- tiful duplex, 3 blks from Clarendon Metro. Web site at www.executivehousing.com. VICE OFFICER: Extensive experience with Newly renovated, completely furnished, in- tax problems unique to the Foreign Service. cluding all utilities, Internet, HDTV w/DVR. Available for consultation, tax planning and Parking, maid service, gym and rental car preparation of returns: FURNISHED LUXURY APARTMENTS: Short/long-term. Best locations: Dupont available. Rates start at $3,450/month (2- M. Bruce Hirshorn, Boring & Pilger, P.C. BR) and $5,500/month (4-BR). Per diem 307 Maple Ave. W, Suite D, Vienna, VA Circle, Georgetown. Utilities included. All price ranges/sizes. Parking available. OK. Min. 30-day stay. Tel: (571) 235-4289. 22180. Tel: (703) 281-2161. E-mail: [email protected] Fax: (703) 281-9464. Tel: (202) 296-4989. E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.postlets.com/rts/1909065 or E-mail: [email protected] www.postlets.com/rts/1908526

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A F S A CLASSIFIEDS N E W TEMPORARY HOUSING REAL ESTATE SHOPPING S DC FURNISHED EXTENDED STAY in Get The MOST HOME For Your $$$ SELLING YOUR VEHICLE? Penn Quarter/Chinatown. The Lansburgh, Take advantage of the Real Estate Market. BUYING A VEHICLE? 425 8th Street, NW. 1BR and 2BR apart- Now Is The Time To Buy! Utilize my Since 1979, Steve Hart has been assist- ments w/fully equipped kitchens, CAC & knowledge and expertise to find your ing members of the Foreign Service with heat, high-speed Internet, digital cable TV home in Northern Virginia. Get The Facts. their automotive needs. w/ HBO, fitness center w/indoor pool, resi- TONY FEIJOO Realtor® Weichert Realtors AUTO BUYING SERVICE dent business center, 24-hour reception Tel: (571) 246-2406. BUYS and SELLS desk, full concierge service, secure parking E-Mail: [email protected] ALL MAKES AND MODELS Steve Hart, Auto Buying Service available, controlled-entry building, 30-day Web site: www.usgovrelo.com minimum stay. Walk to Metro, FBI, DOJ, 2971 Prosperity Ave, Fairfax, VA 22031 Tel: (703) 849-0080. Fax: (703) 849-9248. EPA, IRS, DOE, DHH, U.S. Capitol. Rates PROFESSIONAL REAL ESTATE serv- within government per diem. Discount for E-mail: [email protected] ices provided by John Kozyn of Coldwell Reduce your stress; use the best. government, diplomats. Visit our Web site Banker Residential Brokerage in Arlington. at: www.TheLansburgh.com or call the leas- Need to buy, sell or rent? My expertise will ing office at (888) 313-6240. serve your specific needs and time frame. FSO references gladly provided. Licensed in VA and DC. Phone: (202) 288-6026. HOUSING IS AVAILABLE in a remod- E-mail: [email protected]. eled 4-unit townhouse, about a block and a Web site: www.cbmove.com/johnkozyn half from the Dupont Circle Metro station U.S. AUTOMOBILE PARTS WORLD- (Red Line). Each unit is furnished with a full- WIDE: Express Parts has over 30 years’ ex- size washer and dryer, fully equipped FLORIDA’S FIRST COAST perience shipping original and aftermarket kitchen with cherry cabinets, granite counter Real Estate, Relocation, Residency parts for U.S. specification vehicles. Give us and stainless steel appliances, cable, wire- Expert Counselor Consultant (SFSO, ret.) the year, make, model and serial number of less Internet, security system and a shared, [email protected] your car and we will supply the parts you private, enclosed backyard. Utilities in- Tel: (904) 207-8199 need. cluded. Garage parking available. Special- Web site: www.FirstCoastRealtor.com Tel: (440) 234-8381. Fax: (440) 234-2660. ized in renting to government employees on E-mail: [email protected] detail, we work with per diem. Contact Web site: www.expresspartsinc.com [email protected]. CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE CRAVING GROCERIES FROM NOW ONLINE: E-CLASSIFIEDS! HOME? We ship non-perishable groceries www.afsa.org/classifieds to you via the Dulles mail-sorting facility or CORPORATE APARTMENT SPECIAL- your choice of U.S. shipping facility. ISTS: Abundant experience working with AFSA members can go directly to our Web site and post their ads safely and se- www.lowesfoodstogo.com Foreign Service professionals and the loca- Choose the store listed under the “Over- tions to best serve you: Foggy Bottom, curely. The ad placement is for two weeks. The E-Classifieds are posted al- seas” heading, then choose “pickup” with Woodley Park, Cleveland Park, Chevy a note providing the mailing address and Chase, Rosslyn, Ballston, Pentagon City. most immediately, especially helpful for FSOs who are always on the go. shipping restrictions. You will receive a Our office is a short walk from NFATC. One- confirmation e-mail from your Personal month minimum. All furnishings, house- Shopper. wares, utilities, telephone and cable SHOPPING included. Tel: (703) 979-2830 or TRANSPORTATION (800) 914-2802. Fax: (703) 979-2813. SHOP IN AN AMERICAN E-mail: [email protected] PET MOVING MADE EASY. Club Pet Web site: www.corporateapartments.com DRUG STORE BY MAIL! Morgan Pharmacy International is a full-service animal shipper 3001 P St NW specializing in domestic and international Washington, DC 20007 trips. Club Pet is the ultimate pet-care FOGGY BOTTOM FURNISHED new Tel: (202) 337-4100. Fax: (202) 337-4102. boarding facility in the Washington Metro- private suite with courtyard. Available imme- E-mail: [email protected] politan area. diately. $2,800/mo. Tel: (202) 390-8290 www.carepharmacies.com Tel: (703) 471-7818 or (800) 871-2535. E-mail: [email protected] REAL ESTATE 110 / 220 VOLT PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD: SARASOTA, FL. PAUL BYRNES, FSO TRANSFORMERS, MULTI-SYSTEM TV, $1.40/word (10-word minimum). First retired, and Loretta Friedman, Coldwell ETC. 3 words bolded free, additional bold text Banker, offer vast real estate experience in 85¢/ word. Header or box-shading $12 assisting diplomats. Enjoy gracious living, VISIT EMBASSY SHOWROOM each. Deadline for text: 5 weeks ahead no state income tax, and a current “buyer’s 5810 Seminary Road of publication date. market.” Tel: (941) 377-8181. Falls Church, VA 22041 Adv. Mgr. Tel: (202) 944-5507 E-mail: [email protected] (Paul) Tel: (703) 845-0800 Fax: (202) 338-8244. or [email protected] (Loretta). E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]

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Keeping His Head With that lineage, it is understand- The book’s unsung able that Angie was drawn to diplo- The Day We Lost the H-Bomb: hero is the U.S. macy, though it is somewhat surprising Cold War, Hot Nukes and ambassador to Spain that he wanted to work his way up the the Worst Nuclear Weapons career ladder rather than be a political Disaster in History in the mid-1960s, appointee. However, because he drop- Barbara Moran, Presidio Press, 2009, Angier Biddle Duke. ped out of Yale before graduating, he $26, hardcover, 321 pages. was not considered qualified to take the Foreign Service exam. He instead tried REVIEWED BY STEVEN ALAN HONLEY — and failed at — several other pro- ture, to name just a few. While this fessions until an investment banker On Jan. 17, 1966, a U.S. Air Force hopscotch approach occasionally called named Stanford Griffis, the Truman ad- B-52 bomber exploded over the sleepy to mind Victor Hugo’s disquisition on ministration’s new ambassador to Bue- Spanish farming village of Palomares the Paris sewer system during Les Mis- nos Aires, took a shine to him. during what should have been a routine erables, it generally works well, con- Griffis pulled some strings so Duke midair refueling. The explosion killed veying helpful background without could take the test, which he passed in seven airmen and scattered the plane’s bogging down the story. 1949. Just three years later, he was payload — four unarmed thermo- Gripping as the quest for the miss- named ambassador to El Salvador in nuclear bombs — across miles of coast- ing H-bomb is in Moran’s telling, what 1952 at the age of 36, making him the line. Three of them were recovered Foreign Service readers will probably youngest U.S. chief of mission up to that within the first 24 hours without inci- find most interesting is the role the U.S. point. dent, but tracking down the fourth re- embassy in Madrid played in the crisis Though Dwight Eisenhower’s elec- quired the largest search-and-salvage (a facet only hinted at in the dust-jacket tion cut short his tenure there, Duke operation in U.S. military history. description, by the way). Indeed, I took his responsibilities seriously, as he That operation is the subject of sci- would argue that the book’s unsung would continue to do throughout his ence journalist Barbara Moran’s first hero is Ambassador Angier Biddle diplomatic career. One Salvadoran re- book, The Day We Lost the H-Bomb: Duke, though Moran does not portray porter wrote: “He has dedicated more Cold War, Hot Nukes and the Worst him in quite so flattering a light. sewers, slaughterhouses and clinics Nuclear Weapons Disaster in History. Angie, as he was known, was the than half a dozen politicians.” But as But in keeping with that rather expan- product of a century of American aris- Moran notes, “to his continued dismay, sive subtitle, she weaves many other tocracy. His grandfather, Benjamin most of his colleagues considered him topics into her narrative: the evolution Duke, helped found Duke University more adept at parties than policy.” of the Strategic Air Command, the de- (and the American Tobacco Company). That may explain why, in 1960, John sign and deployment of nuclear wea- And his Uncle Tony — Anthony Joseph F. Kennedy asked Duke to serve as di- pons around the world, life in Spain Drexel Biddle Jr. — was hailed in a rector of protocol rather than giving under the Franco dictatorship and de- 1943 Time magazine profile as the first him an overseas post. Despite his dis- pictions of the arms race in popular cul- “sextuple ambassador” in U.S. history. appointment, Duke excelled at the job,

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What could have been a terrible disaster instead had two happy endings.

acquiring skills that proved highly useful in Madrid when Lyndon Johnson sent him there in 1965. As soon as he was notified about the missing nuclear weapon, the ambassador recognized the danger of stone- walling, as the military urged him to do. Instead, he met with a key contact in the Spanish Foreign Ministry and worked out press guidance that kept the two governments in sync. And once the news leaked that the bomb had landed in the sea and might not be recovered, he ably managed the situation on several fronts, minimizing damage to the bilateral relationship. (Chap- ter 13, “Spin Control,” is quite funny in this regard, but it also makes Duke’s diplomatic skills quite clear.) What could have been a terrible disaster instead had two happy endings. Nearly three months after the accident, the fourth H-bomb (code-named “Ro- bert”) was safely recovered. And Angie Duke would go on to serve as ambassador to Denmark and Morocco before retiring from the Foreign Service in 1981, at which time he received the first Hans J. Morgenthau Award for his “exemplary foreign policy contributions to the United States.” On the evidence Moran presents in this highly readable account, Duke richly deserved that honor. ■

Steven Alan Honley is the editor of the Journal.

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COMMUNITY COLLEGES — TIME TO TAKE ANOTHER LOOK?

THE NATION’S COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM HAS BECOME THE LAUNCHING PAD TO PROFESSIONAL CAREERS AND ADVANCED EDUCATION FOR MORE THAN HALF OF ALL COLLEGE STUDENTS.

BY REBECCA GRAPPO

ommunity colleges constitute the students at a community college it is less than $4,000. As backbone of higher education oppor- any parent who has recently paid tuition bills knows, the fees tunities for more than half of all col- can be even higher than the averages cited here. lege students (11.7 million) enrolled in But what else draws students to these institutions? What the United States every year. Known kinds of programs, certificates and degrees are offered? Is as the great democratizer in education, community college a viable alternative for a high-achieving community colleges have open enrollment policies promis- student who wants to pursue a four-year degree? What Cing that anyone with a high school diploma or general edu- other services and opportunities are offered? cation degree can be a student. Opportunities abound for all kinds of students, from high school graduates hoping to Types of Certificates and Degrees transfer to a four-year institution to adults in the work force, Community colleges offer various certificate programs displaced workers or those juggling work and family. And that range from entry-level to more advanced, covering a while many people think of community colleges as a place huge range of skills and fields. The best way to find a listing for part-time, non-traditional students, about 38 percent of what is offered is to go to the Web site of a specific com- attend full-time. munity college and look for certificates and degrees. Community colleges are also popular because of cost. Associate in Applied Science degrees can be vocational, According to the College Board, the average annual tui- occupational or technical. Students who choose this path tion cost of a private four-year institution is now $25,143; for can graduate in two years with professional skills that garner a public four-year institution it is $6,585; but for resident a reasonable wage in a high-demand area such as information technology, nursing or allied-health fields, among oth- Rebecca (Becky) Grappo, an educational consultant and FS ers. spouse, raised three children and sent them all to college while Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees typi- in the Foreign Service. Founder of RNG International Edu- cally take between 60 and 63 credit hours to complete. The cational Consultants, LLC, she is a certified educational plan- former has a greater emphasis on humanities and social sci- ner specializing in boarding schools and college planning, and ences, while the latter focuses on math and science. Many a member of the Independent Educational Consultants A.A. and A.S. students complete these degree programs and Association and the National Association of College Admis- then transfer on to a four-year university. sions Counselors. A former education and youth officer in the Many community colleges also offer opportunities to Family Liaison Office at the Department of State, she is post- high school students who are looking for additional academ- ed in Dubai while her husband is on assignment in Iraq. ic challenge. Most often known as dual enrollment, this pro-

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from institution to institution. Q: What Do These People Have in Common … ? Regardless of the course of study, it George Lucas: film director, writer, producer is extremely important for any student Jim Sinegal: president and CEO of Costco wishing to pursue a certificate or a Richard Carmona: M.D., U.S. surgeon general degree to work closely with an adviser Robert Gibson: space shuttle commander, NASA in the community college system to Edward Stone: director, Jet Propulsion Laboratory; A: All of the highly be sure that all requirements are VP and professor of physics, California Institute accomplished people being met, that appropriate classes of Technology listed here got are being chosen and that the student Tom Hanks: actor their start at a is on track to complete the program. Clint Eastwood: actor, mayor, civic activist community college. Furthermore, a student will find it dif- Arnold Schwarzenegger: governor of California, actor ficult to transfer between an AAS Eileen Collins: space shuttle commander degree and an A.A. or A.S. degree Calvin Klein: fashion designer program. So proper advising is key. Craig Venter: human genome scientist And 28 members of Congress Transferring to a Four-Year Institution Many community colleges have gram sometimes goes by other names Different institutions have different what are called articulation agree- such as “Running Start.” While still in policies regarding class standing, ments with state universities, in the high school, students can take advan- credits and financial aid considera- same state or elsewhere, that provide tage of higher-level coursework for tions for these programs. It is always for guaranteed admission for students credit. Courses and grades will best to ask for clarification on any of who have maintained an established appear on the high school transcript. these policies, as they can vary greatly grade point average and met the

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course requirements and any other possible for some students to realize criteria set by the university. In an their dream by earning a degree from economy weakened by recession and “I tell all community the University of Virginia.” Other with the cost of college soaring, an four-year institutions in Virginia also increasing number of students who college students that they accept community college transfer would have been candidates for a students. four-year institution directly after are starting with a clean In another example, Montgomery high school are taking a serious look at College in Maryland and Dickinson opportunities within the community slate and they can open a College, a prestigious liberal arts col- college system. lege in Carlisle, Pa., have entered into For example, the 23 schools that whole new world for an agreement guaranteeing admis- serve more than 250,000 students sions and scholarship opportunities to taking courses for credit each year themselves. … ” qualified Montgomery College trans- and make up the Virginia community fer students. Dickinson also has a college system have an agreement — Bernice Dunn, counselor Community College Partnership Pro- with the University of Virginia, con- gram with other community colleges. sidered one of the flagship universi- Dickinson administrators have learn- ties in the state. Students who com- ed that by bringing in transfer stu- plete all requirements and maintain a dents as a group, they are ultimately 3.4 GPA are guaranteed admission to ory W. Roberts says: “We are anxious more successful, both socially and that institution. (The agreement can to make the university more accessi- academically, because of the increas- be seen at www.virginia.edu/under ble to students who have not enrolled ed support these students receive. graduateadmission/index.html.) here immediately after finishing high The key to success at a community Transfer Dean of Admissions Greg- school. The new agreement makes it college is for the student to plan care-

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fully and communicate frequently does well — i.e., excels in the class- with his or her adviser. This planning room — the sky is the limit. is crucial. The adviser is most likely The key to success at a well-versed concerning the articula- Academic Life at a tion agreements in effect with differ- community college is Community College ent universities, as well as any special Community colleges are often requirements or mentoring programs for the student to known for good teaching. Some fac- available. If students are interested in ulty members prefer teaching in a set- transferring to other colleges or uni- plan carefully and ting free from the other responsibili- versities, they should investigate ties that come in a large research uni- transfer requirements via Web sites, communicate frequently versity. Others — especially those as well as through conversations with who may not yet be tenured — teach transfer admissions counselors at both with his or her adviser. both in big research universities and ends. They must also do well acade- community colleges. So at the local mically. community college a student may get “As a transfer counselor at a com- the same professor he would get at munity college, it has been my expe- the more prestigious university in rience that the student’s grades at the lege students that they are starting town. community college are much more with a clean slate and they can open a At the same time, many adjunct important than anything they did or whole new world for themselves if professors commute from campus to did not do in high school,” says Ber- they are determined to do so. … campus. The upshot for students is nice Dunn, a counselor at Schenec- Some go on and transfer to such that instructors’ office hours might be tady County Community College in schools as Cornell or Union College limited, and they may not even have New York. “I tell all community col- or even Harvard.” For a student who their own office space.

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Community colleges work very hard to engage students in a variety of ways.

Smaller class sizes in a community college are a clear benefit. But students need to be prepared to get involved in class by having regular attendance, doing all assignments and class readings, and participating in class discussions. Vocational, occupational and technical classes tend to be very “hands-on,” and those students seeking A.A. or A.S. degrees for eventual transfer need to demonstrate strong academic performance. Community colleges are committed to open enrollment, which gives every student a fair chance. But not every student is equally prepared to take on the challenges of college-level courses. One way that community colleges and students help improve outcomes is by paying close attention to placement tests to determine the level at which a student should be placed. “Developmental courses” can offer remedial help to bring the student up to standard in certain areas to avoid being academically overwhelmed. Many question the quality of programs and instruction at the nation’s community colleges. The answer is, quite simply: “It depends.” Both the expectations of students and the support provided to them vary widely in colleges and universities, says Kevin Carey, a research and policy manager at Education Sector, a Washington- based think-tank. In Carey’s view, the key to increased student success is for professors to ask for more from them. In an article for the Chronicle of Higher Education, he asserts: “No one rises to low expectations.”

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Carey believes that community centers and labs for writing, math and colleges need to do a better job of see- computers. There are learning sup- ing to it that students complete their There are mentoring port centers for students with learning certificate or degree programs. But, differences, as well as psychological he warns, for that to happen the col- groups for students who and health services. Intensive acade- leges need to match their expectations mic advising is known to improve out- of the students with support. want to transfer to comes, and advisers and counselors are available to mentor and counsel Special Programs four-year universities, students. Most professors maintain Community colleges work very hard office hours in order to provide addi- to engage students in a variety of ways. as well as career tional help for students, or to just be Cessie, the Community College Survey there for students who want to drop in for Student Engagement (www.ccsse. assessment and planning. and get to know them better. org), monitors ways that community Students can also get involved in a colleges are accomplishing that goal wide variety of activities on campus. and increasing outcomes of student There are opportunities to participate success. in sports, both intramural and com- Cohort programs and study groups petitive, as well as in musical per- try to connect students with one anoth- to expert career assessment and plan- forming groups, drama, student gov- er for support and study partners, as ning, internship programs, study- ernment and other organizations and well as creating smaller learning com- abroad opportunities and selective activities. Many campus activities are munities. There are mentoring groups honors courses. proposed and organized by the stu- for students who want to transfer to In addition, community colleges dents themselves. Joining the com- four-year universities, as well as access offer study skills courses and tutoring munity also leads to higher student

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engagement and outcomes. ing tuitions at public and private four- Competing Priorities Community colleges employ con- year institutions, there are displaced for Community College cerned professionals who want to help workers who want jobs that are more Students students succeed. Willingness to seek stable, higher paying and in demand. the support is needed, however. For Veterans are also returning to college, Student enrollment: example, studies show that orienta- using their GI Bill benefits to help pay • Part-time: 62 percent tion programs show better outcomes for the cost. Joining the mix are in- • Full-time: 38 percent with student engagement, yet 60 per- creasing numbers of first-generation Most students work: cent of enrollees admit they don’t take students and immigrants who seek • More than 20 hours a week: advantage of them. All the support vocational training and instruction in 57 percent programs in the world cannot help English. • 0 to 20 hours a week: 43 percent someone who does not know how to Perhaps nowhere is the communi- Many students care for dependents: take advantage of them. ty college system more strained than • None: 44 percent in California, known for an outstand- • Spend 1-10 hours caring for Too Good to Be True? ing institutional setup that has served dependents: 23 percent Despite all of this good news about as a gateway to the University of • Spend 11 hours or more a week community colleges, there is no ques- California and the California State caring for dependents: 33 percent tion that in the current economic cli- university systems. This year, due to Most students commute to and mate, most of them are battling the its fiscal and economic ill health, the from class: • 1-5 hours: 69 percent strains of overcrowding and funding state may have to turn away as many • 6 or more hours: 24 percent cuts — even as the mission to serve a as 200,000 students; and those who • No commute: 7 percent wide variety of students becomes completed two years in a community Sources: CCSSE data, 2008; U.S. Department of even more important. Besides tradi- college may find there is no place for Education, 2006 tional students seeking relief from ris- them as transfer students in the U.C.

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or CalState system, either. Budget cuts have made it difficult to get into Additional Resources: classes because fewer sections are Community colleges www.VaWizard.org — provides a list of offered or the sections that are what courses do and don’t transfer offered are filled to maximum capa- are often known for www.ccsse.org — Community College city. Survey for Student Engagement The increasing numbers of stu- good teaching. dents — as much as 20 percent more www.aacc.nche.edu/Pages/default.aspx than the previous year in some sys- — American Association of Community tems — have also left many schools Colleges scrambling to find space for addition- www.usatoday.comnews/education/200 al classes. This has led to alternative only systems that are stressed from 8-11-16-CCSSE_N.htm — community scheduling: e.g., dawn to late night or increased enrollment and budget colleges opt to participate in survey of seven days a week. crises. According to Newsday re- programs, special offerings and student In the Boston area’s largest com- porter Karla Schuster, Miami-Dade engagement munity college, Bunker Hill Com- — one of the nation’s largest commu- www.virginia.edu/undergradadmission/ munity College, midnight classes are nity college systems, with 164,000 stu- index.html — details transfer now being offered to handle the influx dents at eight campuses around the requirements to the University of of students. The need for more class- Greater Miami area — may have to Virginia under articulation agreements es has also put pressure on administra- turn away 5,000 students this year. with state community colleges tors to find qualified faculty. If such Colorado forecasts budget shortfalls an instructor can’t be found, the class of up to 10 percent for higher educa- Community College Transfer Guide by cannot be offered. tion. Maryland is reducing spending Don Silver (www.adams-hall.com) California and Boston are not the Continued on page 85

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SCHOOLS AT A GLANCE Go to our Web page at www.fsjournal.org and click on the Marketplace tab for more information.

on and LD

Number Annual Tuition, School Name Page Enrollment Gender DistributionPercent M/F BoardingPercent InternationalLevels Offered Common ApplicationAccepts/Offers ADDMiles to Int’lInt’l Airport StudentsDorms Orientati w/E-mailHoliday & PhonesBreak CoverageRoom & Board (USD)

ELEMENTARY/JUNIOR HIGH Burgundy Farm Country 88 276 48/52 NA NA JK-8 NA NA 30 NA NA Y 20,570- Day School 22,675 Cardigan Mountain School 94 200 All boys 90 40 6-9 N Limited 130 Y Y N 42,200 Immanuel Christian 66 380 50/50 NA 1 K-8 none Y 5 N N N 7,200- School 7,600 Indian Mountain School 92 260 60/40 37 12 PK-9 N Y 50 N Y N 41,500 Langley School, The 92 480 51/49 NA 0 PK-8 NA N 15 NA NA NA 12,950- 25,950 North Country School 72 92 49/43 88 23 4-9 Y Y 125 N Y/N N 46,900

ELEMENTARY/JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH Barrie School 74 400 50/50 NA NA PK-12 NA Limited 31 NA NA NA 11,750- 24,080

JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH Grier School, The 75 220 All girls 100 45 6-12, PG Y Y 120 Y Y Y 44,500 Hawai'i Preparatory 67 350 50/50 50 20 6-12, PG Y Limited 35 Y Y ** 37,900 Academy Southwestern Academy 90 160 70/30 60 50 6-12, PG Y Limited 29 Y Y Y 30,700 Webb School, The 94 280 55/45 33 12 7-12, PG Y Y/N 45 Y Y Y 27,250

SENIOR HIGH Annie Wright School 71 160 All girls 45 35 9-12 Y Y 27 Y Y Y 39,000 Darrow School 79 100 60/40 80 15 9-12 Y Y 40 Y Y N 42,150* Episcopal High School 78 415 58/42 100 6 9-12 Y N 10 Y Y Y 27,600 Fountain Valley School 88 250 50/50 66 23 9-12 Y Y 70 Y Y N 40,000 of Colorado Garrison Forest School 79 215 All girls 40 10 8-12 Y N 35 Y Y N 30,250 Hebron Academy 93 214 63/37 70 25 9-12, PG Y Y 45 Y Y N 43,995 Interlochen Arts Academy 74 475 40/60 89 18 9-12, PG N N 16 Y Y N 42,700

Lowell Whiteman School 72 97 55/45 50 4 9-12 Y Y 195 Y Y Limited 32,250

Marvelwood School, The 73 167 64/36 92 28 9-12 Y Y 80 Y Y Limited 43,000 St. Andrew’s School 73 208 64/36 22 11 3-12 Y Y 18 Y Y N 41,400 St. Johnsbury Academy 72 963 54/46 24 17 9-12 Y Y 75 Y Y Y 39,990 Verde Valley School 93 123 49/51 84 47 9-12 Y Limited 120 Y Y Y 39,990 Worcester Academy 95 660 54/46 31 15 9-12 PG Y Y 45 Y Y N 44,830 SPECIAL NEEDS Benedictine School, The 78 100 71/29 80 5 Ages 5-21 NA Y 60 Y Y N Call Gow School, The 77 148 All boys 100 27 7-12, PG N Y 20 Y Y N 49,825 Kildonan School, The 66 140 70/30 46 7 2-12, PG N Y 90 Y Y N 54,500 Landmark School 84 447 60/40 50 10 2-12 N Y 25 N Y N Call Melmark School, The 69 67 67/33 55 1 Ungraded N Y 19 NA NA N Call Riverview School 89 180 50/50 96 4 6-12, PG N Y 75 Y Y N 67,705 Vanguard School, The 89 131 70/30 85 30 5-12, PG Y Y 50 Y Y N 42,000

Notes: NA - Not Applicable ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder LD - Learning Disability PK - Pre-Kindergarten PG - Postgraduate CONTINUED ON PAGE 82 *Tutorial program additional. ** Thanksgiving only. DECEMBER 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 81 65-96_FSJ_1209_SCH:FSJ 76-100 Dec08 SCH 11/25/09 1:24 PM Page 82

SCHOOLS AT A GLANCE Go to our Web page at www.fsjournal.org and click on the Marketplace tab for more information.

Annual Tuition, School Name Page Number Enrollment Gender DistributionPercent M/F BoardingPercent InternationalLevels Offered Common ApplicationAccepts/Offers ADDMiles and to LD Int’lInt’l Airport StudentsDorms Orientation w/E-mailHoliday & PhonesBreak CoverageRoom & Board (USD)

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 81 MILITARY Riverside Military Academy 77 300 All boys 90 30 7-12 Y N 60 N Y Y 27,500 Army and Navy Academy 71 320 All boys 90 11 7-12 N Y 75 Y Y Y 31,000

DISTANCE LEARNING American Public 68 30,000 50/50 NA 1 A.A., B.A., N Y NA N NA Y University M.A. (Tuition: 750 per 3 credits, 825 per 3 grad credits) Clarion University 84 M.S., B.S. & Cert. programs online. Accredited. Accessible. Anywhere. www. clarion.edu/virtualcampus K12 International 80 Online U.S. curriculum for K-12. Enrollment: 877. Percent International: 60. Tuition: 4,995 - 6,995. Academy For more information go to www.K12.com/overseas. OC Global, a division 87 Associate degrees online. For more information go to www.myocglobal.com. of Odessa College 5,200 40/60 4 1 A.A., A.S. N Y 14 Y Y Y 2,600 University of Missouri - 85 Independent study: Grade 3 through university. Bachelor’s degree completion For more information, Ctr. Distance & Ind. Study go to cdis.missouri.edu/go/fsd9.aspx

OVERSEAS American Overseas 72 630 50/50 NA 65 PK-PG N Y 30 Y NA N 12,750- School of Rome 21,500 Berlin Brandenburg 75 580 49/51 5 55 PK-12 N Y 25 Y Y N 12,700- International School 45,900 Carlucci American 83 540 50/50 0 50 PK-12 N Limited 22 Y NA NA 10,350- International School of 24,140 Lisbon, The Country Day School, 91 150 50/50 15 80 PK-12 N N 40 Y Y N 28,050 Guanacaste Escuela Campo Alegre 72 600 50/50 NA 80 N-12 NA Limited 20 Y NA N 19,895 John F. Kennedy 71 70 50/50 50 70 K-8 N Limited 90 Y Y N 39,500 International School, Switzerland Leysin American School 70 385 48/52 100 75 8-12, PG Y Limited 75 Y Y N 43,000 in Switzerland St. Stephen’s School 84 250 47/53 15 65 9-12, PG N N 12 NA Y N 44,830* TASIS The American 84 700 50/50 26 47 PK-12 Y Limited 8 Y Y N 8,650- School in England 45,000* Woodstock School 90 470 50/50 85 56 PK-12 N N 230 Y Y N 16,000- 19,000 POST-SECONDARY John Cabot 96 750 60/40 66 40 B.A. Y Y 20 Y Y Limited 28,100 University St. Mary’s University 85 2,372 40/60 50 4.3 B.A., M.A., N Y 13 Y Y N 29,928 Ph.D. OTHER Foreign Service Youth 89 A support network for U.S. Foreign Service Youth worldwide. Go to www.fsyf.org Foundation

Notes: NA - Not Applicable ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder LD - Learning Disability PK - Pre-Kindergarten PG - Postgraduate *Dollar value is subject to exchange rate.

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Continued from page 78

President Obama has proposed an initiative that would substantially boost funding to community colleges by $12 billion.

on higher education by $37 million, and Virginia (at the time of this writing) is looking at possible midyear cuts of 5 to 15 percent. Community colleges are already reducing student services and cutting staff, as well as leaving openings unfilled; even so, tuition hikes have become inevitable. In October, the College Board reported that tuition and mandatory fees at public four-year colleges and universities had risen an average of 6.5 percent over 2008, with community college costs jumping by 7.3 percent, on average. According to Coll- ege Board analyst Sandra Baum, that jump was caused in large part by California, which has 17 percent of all community college students in the country and which had the highest percentage-point tuition and fee increases. Virgina’s community college costs also rose sharply, by 7.9 percent, higher than the national average. But 37 states had smaller cost increases. And, Baum emphasizes, the federal government and colleges and universities themselves have been responding with increased student aid in the form of grants, tax credits and other support. About two-thirds of all college students receive financial assistance, she says, typically about $5,000 in grants and $4,600 in federal loans, each. “There is a lot of financial aid out there,” she says. “But it is complicated, and you have to do some digging to figure out Continued on page 88

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S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT FLO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FELLOWSHIPS n July, a Family Liaison Office–led organizations. applicable, the connection between selection committee that included Recipients must fund 25 percent of the proposed activity and other, similar Irepresentatives from the regional the cost of the proposed activities, efforts the applicant has made to main- bureaus and the Bureau of Human while the fellowship stipend will cover tain or refresh professional skills. Resources awarded $197,538 in fel- 75 percent of the cost, up to the $2,000 Further, proposals from applicants at lowships to spouses and partners of maximum. Travel, transportation, lodg- historically difficult-to-staff posts and U.S. direct-hire government employing costs and per diem are not reim- countries where no bilateral work ees under chief-of-mission authority bursable under the program. agreement or de facto work arrange- around the world to further their pro- To be eligible, an applicant must be ment is in place receive preference. fessional skills while overseas. Of 195 the spouse or MOH partner of a The FLO Professional Develop- eligible applicants posted in 91 coun- direct-hire U.S. government employee ment Fellowships began in 2006 as a tries, 120 were awarded fellowships. who is available for an overseas post- three-year pilot program with support The fellowships of up to $2,000 ing. Although eligible applicants resid- from the Una Chapman Cox Founda- each are designed to assist those ing in the U.S. may apply, preference is tion. Having proved its value as a sig- Eligible Family Member spouses and given to those currently posted or nificant contribution to family-mem- Members of Household (unmarried assigned overseas. Previous fellowship ber morale, the program was support- partners) who are not in a position to awardees who meet the eligibility ed by appropriated funds in 2009. pursue their career paths to maintain, requirements may apply again. Contingent on renewed funding, the enhance or develop their skills. Quali- The selection committee considers 2010-2011 program announcement fying activities include such things as the lack of employment in an appli- will be posted on FLO’s Internet and continuing education, distance learn- cant’s profession at his or her current intranet sites in early 2010 (www.state. ing, professional development, partici- post, the correlation between the pro- gov/m/dghr/flo/c25927.htm). ■ pation in professional conferences and posed activity and an applicant’s pro- — Susan Brady Maitra, dues for membership in professional fessional development and, where Senior Editor

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Continued from page 85

how to pay for college.” these institutions fill a critical gap for with the goal of educating five million students and society. more workers, over the next 10 years. Gateway to Opportunity With this in mind, some federal “Not since the passage of the original In May, President Barack Obama stimulus funds have been directed to GI Bill and the work of President called on Dr. Jill Biden, a community support of community colleges. And, Truman’s Commission on Higher college professor, lifelong educator in early June, Secretary of Education Education — which helped to double and the vice president’s wife, to lead a Arne Duncan launched a $7 million the number of community colleges national effort to raise awareness of competitive grant program to help and increase by sevenfold enrollment the unique importance of community community colleges and other organi- in those colleges — have we taken colleges to the nation. Expansion and zations prepare the unemployed pop- such a historic step on behalf of com- improvement of the community col- ulation, such as laid-off autoworkers, munity colleges in America,” Pres. lege system are the focus of the for a second career. Obama said. “It will reform and administration’s education initiatives Speaking at Macomb Community strengthen community colleges like and key elements in its plans for eco- College in Michigan in July, just one this one from coast to coast so they get nomic recovery. day after the Council of Economic the resources that students and “As a competitive advantage for Advisers released a report describing schools need — and the results work- the United States, the community col- how the U.S. labor market will grow ers and businesses demand.” lege system is essential,” White House and shift toward jobs that require The program would establish a Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel told a workers with greater analytical and system of competitive grants to June meeting of the Democratic Lea- interactive skills, Pres. Obama an- increase the effectiveness and impact dership Council. In training workers nounced the American Graduation of community colleges, raise gradua- in vocational, occupational and techni- Initiative. tion rates, modernize facilities and cal fields, as well as preparing students The AGI would boost funding to create new online learning opportu- for access to four-year institutions, community colleges by $12 billion, nities.

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Community colleges serve a wide variety of students and provide numerous opportunities. To make the most of the experience, students are encouraged to take advantage of all available special programs and support systems; plan their next steps by working closely with their academic adviser; forge ties with instructors who can help along the way; and pace themselves by not taking on too much work and other responsibilities. For those students who wish to transfer to a four-year institution, it is even more important to plan carefully, take honors courses if possible, get involved in activities on campus — and remember that academic performance counts. Despite the challenges the community college system currently faces, it remains the gateway to opportunity for almost 12 million students a year, and that number is expected to grow. It is worth another look. ■

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THE ABCS OF EDUCATION ALLOWANCES BY PAMELA WARD

mployees of government grants for specific purposes, but these for those services usually available agencies assigned overseas are grants represent a small percentage of without cost in American public Egranted allowances to help the overall budget. Children of many schools, including tuition, transporta- defray the cost of an education for nationalities attend these schools — tion and textbooks. Fees for lunches, their children in kindergarten through including, in most schools, a signifi- trips, computers and school uniforms 12th grade, one equivalent to that pro- cant percentage of host-country stu- are not covered, even if required by vided by public school systems in the dents. the school. United States. The allowances for a specific post Parents may also elect to home- In most cases, posts abroad are are determined by the fees charged by school their children while at post, served by one or more English-lan- a school identified as providing a basic using a home study program. They guage schools with an American cur- U.S.-type education. Parents may use will receive an allowance to purchase riculum. The majority of these are this allowance to send their children to materials and services while posted nongovernmental, nonprofit, nonde- a different school of their choice, say a abroad, but this allowance will not be nominational, independent schools, parochial or foreign-language institu- continued if they are reassigned to the usually with a board of directors estab- tion, as long as the cost does not U.S. lishing policy and a superintendent, exceed that of the “base” school. If the If a foreign post does not have a headmaster or principal as the senior alternative school is more expensive secular, English-language school with administrator. Even though these than the “base” model, the difference an American curriculum, or has such a schools may be called American, they would be an out-of-pocket expense for school that goes only through certain are not entities of the U.S. govern- the parents. grades, an away-from-post or “board- ment. Some receive government An allowance covers only expenses ing school” allowance is provided. A

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lump sum, varying from post to post, is the shipment of 250 pounds of unac- clude the Office of Overseas Schools allotted to cover the estimated cost of companied air baggage or the equiva- (www.state.gov/m/a/os), the Office of tuition, room, board and travel to post lent cost in storage for each college or Allowances (http://aoprals.state.gov) during school vacations. Parents are boarding school student. and the Family Liaison Office (www. free to choose the boarding school All funding for education is state.gov/m/dghr/flo/c1958.htm). We they prefer. There is no special fund- processed by the financial manage- hope that you will get in touch with us ing for parents or students to visit ment officer at the post where the if you have any questions about your schools in advance of application or for employee is assigned. At some posts situation. Although these offices are an interview, even if one is required. the embassy or consulate works very part of the Department of State, the The allowance will not be paid for a closely with the school or schools, and same allowances apply to most civilian child to attend a school in the United the billing is handled directly. In other federal employees under chief-of-mis- States if there is a parent (natural, instances, the employee will pay a sion authority overseas. For informa- adoptive or step) residing in the U.S. school fee, or pay for an airline ticket tion or assistance, e-mail FLOAsk because the assumption in that case is or storage, and then submit bills to the [email protected] or call (202) that the child could attend a public FMO for reimbursement. Although a 647-1076. ■ school. student may start school at the begin- The U.S. government does not pro- ning of a semester if a parent has been Pamela Ward is a regional education vide an allowance for college or other officially assigned to a post, the parent officer in the State Department’s post-secondary education. However, may not be reimbursed for any school Office of Overseas Schools. She served one round trip per year to post is pro- expenses until he or she arrives at post. vided for students studying at universi- There are several offices in the previously as the education and youth ties in the U.S. In 2006, Congress Department of State prepared to help officer in the Family Liaison Office. amended the statute to also provide you understand how the educational Her article, originally published in the this allowance for students studying at allowances work, and what choices June 2007 FSJ, has been updated to universities abroad. Also allowed is you have for your children. These in- reflect developments since then.

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The AFSA Education Archive Make this collection of authoritative Foreign Service Journal articles the starting point for planning your children’s education. www.afsa.org/ads/school/

• A Vital Point of Contact: The Office of Overseas Schools (June 2009) • Tips of Writing A College Admissions Essay (June 2009) • Getting Found: Global Nomads 2.0 (June 2009) • Building Resiliency in Global Nomads (December 2008) • Flying Solo — Going to College from Overseas: A Guide for Parents (June 2008) • Special-Needs Kids and the Foreign Service: Dispelling the Myths (June 2008) • The Boarding School Option: A Tent for a Global Nomad (December 2007) • How to Choose The College That’s Right For You (June 2007) • The International Baccalaureate Program: A Primer (December 2006) • Taking A Gap Year (June 2006) • FAQ: Educating Special Needs Children Overseas (June 2006) • Returning to the U.S. with a Special Needs Child (June 2006) • Going to College in America (December 2005) • Study Abroad: Take the Plunge (December 2005) • Lost and Found: International School Reunions (December 2005) • Applying to U.S. Colleges: A Primer for FS Teens (June 2005) • Dip Kids Fill Void at U.S. Colleges (June 2005) …and more.

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FROM THE DECEMBER 2008 SCHOOLS SUPPLEMENT

Rebecca Grappo, “Building Resiliency in Global Nomads” A Guide to Negotiating the Transitions of Foreign Service Life

f one can generalize about Third Culture Kids, they have “ experienced life overseas, outside of their home cultures Iand comfort zones, and feel that their lives have been enriched by the many diverse experiences they have had. Most of these young people understand that they now possess a three-dimensional world view, and have become more flexi- ble in their thinking as a result of the many transitions they have made. “Despite the many advantages that come from growing up overseas, many TCKs wonder where they belong, and don’t understand why they feel so different from their peers when they return to the country of their passport. Defining “home” is a challenge. It may be everywhere and nowhere. In addition to feelings of confusion about the sense of belonging and finding and keeping friends, there are the feelings of loss and sadness that accompany moves. “The goal is to guide our families through the transitions in a way that enhances each member’s resiliency.”

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USEFUL LINKS:

ASSOCIATES OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE WORLDWIDE Web site created by Foreign Service spouses. www.aafsw.org

EXPAT EXCHANGE An online resource for information, employment, services and shopping overseas. www.expatexchange.com

FOREIGN SERVICE YOUTH FOUNDATION Provides information, advocacy and activities for Foreign Service youth. www.fsyf.org

GLOBAL NOMADS WASHINGTON AREA Activities, resources and information on Global Nomads. www.globalnomads-dc.org

TALES FROM A SMALL PLANET A Web zine for expats offering “Real Post Reports” and tales from around the world. www.talesmag.com

TCK WORLD Web site for the support and understanding of Third Cutlture Kids (TCKs). www.tckworld.com

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2009 COLLEGE RANKINGS: SERVING THE NATION

ashington Monthly’s 2009 and drive economic growth, and as a tics, driving up applications and bring- “College Guide” presents promoter of an ethic of service? ing it to number 12 on the U.S. News Wthis pioneering ranking sys- The 2009 guide has an introductory list. WM ’s ranking tells a different tem for post-secondary educational narrative on the findings and informa- story — it is 99th and dropping from institutions in a new format, including tion on the methodology used. Among previous years. a lively blog and feature articles note- the highlights from the 2009 rankings: • U.S. News sticks minority-serving worthy education topics (www.wash • While all of the top 20 U.S. News colleges like Louisiana’s Dillard Uni- ingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/ind universities are private, as are nearly versity and Tennessee’s Fisk Univer- ex.php). all its top colleges, 13 of WM’s top 20 sity in its lowly “third tier,” but WM “While other guides ask what col- universities are taxpayer-funded, with ranks them in the top 50 because they leges can do for students, we ask what the University of California’s Berkeley enroll many low-income students and colleges are doing for the country,” the heading the list. — relative to other colleges with simi- WM editors stated in the introduction • Several world-class private insti- lar student profiles — help many of to their 2005 inaugural guide. This tutions like Princeton, Duke and Penn them earn degrees. valuable alternative to the traditional were ranked 28th, 33rd and 59th, • Berea College — a small institu- “best” college rankings issued annual- respectively. They were all beaten out tion in Kentucky founded by aboli- ly by U.S. News & World Report and by South Carolina State University, tionists as an integrated, coeducational other organizations ranks schools on where 71 percent of students qualify college that charges no tuition and is the basis of three criteria: social mobil- for Pell Grants and an uncommonly dedicated to helping first-generation ity, research and service. large number participate in the college students — ranks 12th in the How does a school measure up as Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. WM listing. Curiously, U.S. News rel- an engine of social mobility, as a pro- • Washington University in St. egated it to Tier 3. ■ ducer of the scientific minds and Louis is famous in higher education — Susan Brady Maitra, research that develop new knowledge circles for aggressive marketing tac- Senior Editor

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REFLECTIONS

A Day at the Races

BY GINNY YOUNG

My husband was dying. Mama Pong glared intently at the “What do you want me to do with One name stood out: racing form. She knew which jockey your ashes?” I asked Don, in the only Strong Scotch. had gained a pound, who had done serious conversation we had between a poorly or well in recent contests. three-cancer diagnosis and his death 18 “Ask Don for guidance,” she sug- days later. gested, looking up. “I always ask my late “Doesn’t matter.” husband what to choose.” I decided his final resting place Now that was all gone. “I don’t know why,” her daughter should be beneath the murky waters of Impulsively, I called one of his Chi- whispered. “Dad never won a race in the South China Sea, near the former nese friends, Yeng Pong. She invited me his life.” British colony of Hong Kong where, to dinner and asked if I’d like to accom- I checked the listings. One name some 20 years before, the Marines at pany her family to the races in Kowloon stood out: Strong Scotch. Yes, Don the U.S. consulate had put us together the next day. Mama Pong had a horse would like that one. Despite horrific on a blind date for their annual ball. running in the third race at Sha-Tin. odds, I put all the money I had left on Don Young had taken me to Macau I was escorted into a private lunch- this nag’s nose. for our first weekend together. We room with three round tables, each set He came in first. I paid for a week gambled at the casino and dined at a for 12. An ice sculpture of a magnifi- at the Mandarin Hotel with crumpled Portuguese restaurant called Saludes, cent horse’s head graced the buffet bills I’d won the afternoon before at where Don’s good friend Father Lance- table. Waiters filled wineglasses as soon Sha-Tin’s last race of the season and lot Rodriquez drank Scotch, played his as a first sip was taken. Private betting left for Thailand and Cambodia, feel- guitar and lifted a lilting tenor voice in booths were set up along the side. ing somehow less sad than on arrival. beautiful rendition of every schmaltzy, A large red envelope with elegant The world wasn’t totally drab, I de- sentimental song ever written, from Chinese squiggles on it rested at a table cided. Even now, there was some ad- “Home on the Range” to “Danny Boy.” where I was to hold the place of honor. venture left. Now, at my request, Lancelot had It contained “lucky money,” Yeng explain- Somewhere, I knew Don Young was commandeered the mayor of Macau’s ed. This custom ensured that a guest, smiling. ■ boat. We circled the Buddhist Statue of obliged to wager cash that might be lost, Hope in the bay where the Pearl River would not be made to feel uncomfort- Ginny Young accompanied her late meets the sea. Lancelot donned a sur- able. My envelope contained $1,200. husband, Jim Carson, on several For- plice and said a few solemn words. I My instinct was to take the money eign Service tours before his death in kissed the red vase containing my hus- and run, but that would have been rude. 1973. She then entered the Foreign band’s ashes and sent it spinning into the Instead, I resolved to bet on every race, Service herself. Ten years later, she water. choosing a horse by name: the more married Don Young, whom she met Then I was back at my hotel in cen- American it sounded, the more likely I on assignment in Hong Kong. Young tral Hong Kong for a dreary weekend would be to place my bet. accompanied her on further postings before continuing on to Cambodia and By the last race, I had lost on every to Mexico and Romania. He died in Angkor Wat. There I would try to for- horse I’d chosen, including a hefty 2002. The Association for Diplomatic get my grief — at least for the moment. amount on the gorgeous, sorrel-colored Studies and Training will publish her Don’s and my courting days had been filly owned by my hostess. I had only a memoir, Peregrina: Adventures of an full of friends, romance and glamour. few hundred dollars left. American Consul, next year.

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