The Foreign Service Journal, March 2013

published by the american foreign service association march 2013

T he Diplomacy of Population Displacement

Changing the FS Culture

AFSA 2012 Annual Report

FOREIGN March 2013 SERVICE Volume 90, No. 3

AFSA NEWS 2012 Annual Report: Serving Our Members FOCUS REFUGEES AND INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS While Raising the Profile of AFSA and the The Diplomacy of Population Displacement / 20 Foreign Service / 43 In addressing large-scale human mobility, the goal should be to promote AFSA Joins the Board human development and stability—not just respond to crises. of FEEA / 68 BY WILLIAM LACY SWING COLUMNS President’s Views / 7 Assisting Refugees: The U.S. Diplomacy Lessons Learned, Lives Changed / 29 Center and Museum: AFSA members who have assisted refugees and internally displaced Celebrating Our Profession persons during their Foreign Service careers share personal and BY SUSAN R. JOHNSON professional reflections on those experiences. Speaking Out / 17 BY MARK G. WENTLING The Foreign Service WILLIAM SCHOFIELD Needs a Cultural Shift MAHA ANGELINA ARMUSH BY CHARLES RAY RACHEL O’HARA BRUCE BEARDSLEY DEPARTMENTS LAUREEN REAGAN Letters / 8 Talking Points / 13 Books / 73 Local Lens / 82 FS KNOW-HOW Is Adequate Disability Income Insurance MARKETPLACE Available to FS Families? / 38 Classifieds / 75 Many Foreign Service members mistakenly believe they have Real Estate / 78 more disability income insurance than is actually the case. Index to Advertisers / 80 BY WILLIAM CARRINGTON

On the cover: Muhammed Ramadan, age 90, sitting with his family outside their tent at the refugee camp in Qatma (Atimah), Syria, on Jan. 14. © iStockphoto.com/jcarillet

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 5 FOREIGN SERVICE

Editor Steven Alan Honley: [email protected]

Senior Editor Susan Brady Maitra: [email protected]

Associate Editor Shawn Dorman: [email protected] CONTACTS

AFSA News Editor AFSA Headquarters: LABOR MANAGEMENT Donna Ayerst: [email protected] (202) 338-4045; Fax (202) 338-6820 General Counsel State Department AFSA Office: Sharon Papp: [email protected] Ad & Circulation Manager (202) 647-8160; Fax (202) 647-0265 Deputy General Counsel Ed Miltenberger: [email protected] USAID AFSA Office: Zlatana Badrich: [email protected] (202) 712-1941; Fax (202) 216-3710 Labor Management Specialist Art Director FCS AFSA Office: James Yorke: [email protected] Caryn Suko Smith (202) 482-9088; Fax (202) 482-9087 Labor Management Counselor Editorial Intern Janet Weber: [email protected] Jeff Richards GOVERNING BOARD Senior Staff Attorney President: Neera Parikh: [email protected] Advertising Intern Susan R. Johnson: [email protected] Staff Attorney Andreas Dorner State VP: Raeka Safai: [email protected] Editorial Board Daniel Hirsch: [email protected] Staff Attorney James P. Seevers, Chairman USAID VP: Andrew Large: [email protected] Judith Baroody Francisco Zamora: [email protected] Office Manager William D. Bent FCS VP: Christine Warren: [email protected] Clayton Bond Keith Curtis: [email protected] USAID Senior Labor Management Adviser Gordon S. Brown FAS VP: Douglas Broome: [email protected] Stephen W. Buck David Mergen: [email protected] Staff Assistant Ruth M. Hall Retiree VP: Alex Nostro: [email protected] Richard McKee Mary Ellen Gilroy: [email protected] USAID Staff Assistant Jed Meline Secretary: Vacant Chioma Dike: [email protected] Gregory L. Naarden Treasurer: Andrew Winter Beth Payne State Reps: MEMBER SERVICES Matthew Asada Member Services Director William Bent Janet Hedrick: [email protected] THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS E. Alex Copher Member Services Representative PROFESSIONALS Tim Corso Kristy Pomes: [email protected] The Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E Kenneth Kero-Mentz Administrative Assistant and Office Manager Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is published Elise Mellinger Ana Lopez: [email protected] monthly, with a combined July-August issue, by the Joyce Namde American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), a private, Ted Osius COMMUNICATIONS, MARKETING AND nonprofit organization. Material appearing herein repre- Lillian Wahl-Tuco OUTREACH sents the opinions of the writers and does not necessarily represent the views of the Journal, the Editorial Board or David Zwach Director of Marketing and Outreach AFSA. Writer queries and submissions are invited, prefer- USAID Reps: Ásgeir Sigfússon: [email protected] ably by e-mail. The Journal is not responsible for unso- Jason Singer Director of Communications licited manuscripts, photos or illustrations. Advertising Andrew Levin Thomas Switzer: [email protected] inquiries are invited. The appearance of advertisements FCS Rep: Steve Morrison Special Awards and Outreach Coordinator herein does not imply endorsement of the services or FAS Rep: Vacant Perri Green: [email protected] goods offered. Journal subscription: AFSA member–$20, IBB Rep: Andre de Nesnera Editor/Publisher, FS Books included in annual dues; student–$30; institution–$40; Retiree Reps: Shawn Dorman: [email protected] others–$50. For foreign surface mail, add $18 per year; foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid Robert Houdek Web and Graphics Assistant at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. Edward Marks Jeff Lau: [email protected] Indexed by the Public Affairs Information Services (PAIS). Hugh Neighbour Molly Williamson PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS E-mail: [email protected] Coordinator, Retiree Counseling Phone: (202) 338-4045 STAFF and Legislation Fax: (202) 338-8244 Executive Director Bonnie Brown: [email protected] Web: www.afsa.org/fsj Ian Houston: [email protected] Associate Coordinator, Retiree Counseling Executive Assistant to the President and Legislation © American Foreign Service Association, 2013 Patrick Bradley: [email protected] Matthew Sumrak: [email protected] PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Advocacy Director BUSINESS DEPARTMENT Javier Cuebas: [email protected] Postmaster: Send address changes to Director of Finance Legislative Assistant AFSA Femi Oshobukola: [email protected] Clint Lohse: [email protected] Attn: Address Change Controller Scholarship Director 2101 E Street NW Kalpna Srimal: [email protected] Lori Dec: [email protected] Washington DC 20037-2990 Assistant Controller Scholarship Assistant Cory Nishi: [email protected] Jonathan Crawford: [email protected] CADMUS INSERT LOGO HERE www.afsa.org

6 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL PRESIDENT’S VIEWS

The U.S. Diplomacy Center and Museum: Celebrating Our Profession

BY SUSAN R. JOHNSON

n Jan. 25 Secretary of State Purchase. It was diplomacy that formu- Foreign policy can affect the air you Hillary Rodham Clinton, lated and implemented the Marshall breathe. Foreign policy can determine joined by former Secretary of Plan. It was diplomacy that made sure— the future of American security, and O State James A. Baker, Deputy practiced under all presidents from Tru- it can determine the fate of American Secretary William Burns and Ambassa- man to George H.W. Bush—that the Cold ideals.’ dor Elizabeth Bagley (chief fundraiser), War ended with a whimper and not a “The lessons that this center will hosted a reception in the Benjamin bang. Throughout our history, our nation teach are particularly important for all Franklin Room of the Department of has been strengthened and protected Americans to know and to understand. State. Its purpose was to mark the official through strong, diplomatic alliances and America’s might cannot be properly launch and start of the construction agreements. exercised without the support of citizens phase of the United States Diplomacy “Diplomats such as Ben Franklin, who appreciate our nation’s role in the Center, which will be located at the 21st John Jay and Dean Acheson have all world and its relationship with other Street entrance of the department. played roles that are every bit as impor- countries, because that’s simply how our It was a significant day for American tant to our nation’s security and well- democracy works.” diplomacy and the diplomatic service, being as the roles played by generals AFSA has long endeavored to explain one worthy of celebration. The USDC, such as Winfield Scott, John Pershing to the American people, whom we have which will also house a Museum of and Norman Schwarzkopf. So I think it the privilege to represent overseas, what American Diplomacy, has great potential is very fitting that this Diplomacy Center diplomacy is, and why they should care to build public understanding of, and is being built, because it will tell…the about and support a premier, profes- support for, diplomacy. Nothing like it amazing stories of the brave men and sional diplomatic service. The U.S. Diplo- has existed before, and we all need to women who have served on the front macy Center will serve as an important support it strongly. Toward that end, lines of American diplomacy. Although vehicle and force multiplier to this effort. AFSA is undertaking a campaign to too often overlooked, their tales of hero- It deserves and needs our concrete sup- build awareness and support among our ism really are inspiring. port. membership. “But this center is going to do Now is the time for every AFSA In his remarks at the event, Secretary something else as well, something member who believes in the value of Baker made a compelling case for the equally important. It’s going to explain diplomacy to help us demonstrate our Center’s importance. Let me share some why diplomacy matters to every single commitment by visiting www.afsa.org/ of his words here: citizen. Diplomats negotiate everything usdc to make your contribution. Please “Since the days of our founding, we from peace treaties to international watch for regular updates on our cam- have been very blessed here in trade pacts to agreements that paign to make the U.S. Diplomacy Center this country by the practice of keep our air clean. As a former a reality. adroit diplomacy. It was suc- American ambassador once Your support will help advance the cessful diplomacy, after all, that said, ‘Foreign policy can raise USDC and, more importantly, ensure allowed us to strike the Treaty or lower the cost of your home that the Foreign Service is at the table to of Paris, the picture of which is mortgage, it can give you a job, contribute to its development. n over there on the other side of or it can take that job away. this hall. It was diplomacy that made possible the Louisiana Susan R. Johnson is the president of the American Foreign Service Association.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 7 LETTERS

pleted compacts as of the end of 2012, can boast of truly remarkable progress on delivering tangible benefits for their citizens through needed policy reforms, improved institutional capacity and the building of desperately needed infrastructure. Examples of successful policy reforms include legislation that gives women in Lesotho full legal rights, improved property rights in a number of countries, and massive increases in financing for road maintenance in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras. Not only do these reforms contribute to the sustainability of MCC investments, but they also create a better environment for long-term economic growth. MCC programs vary according to each Bruce Laingen Bruce partner country’s priorities and what it Embassy Tehran during the 1950s. needs to overcome specific constraints to economic growth. Programs completed Henderson High Iran’s regime as a training facility for its so far have improved transportation in Jane Loeffler (December, “Beyond the Revolutionary Guards, and as a museum critical commercial corridors, increased Fortress Embassy”) has given us a very highlighting the alleged accomplish- access to electricity and clean water, informative and timely review of consid- ments of the revolution. expanded irrigated agriculture, and erations that must always be taken into Those of us who knew it then are helped farmers transition to high-value account in constructing our diplomatic confident that the classic real estate con- agriculture. facilities, including the two that are most siderations of design and location will be Our partner countries are justifiably important: design and location. To the given better informed attention when, proud of what they have accomplished photographs she included to illustrate inshallah, there are once again American with U.S. support to help themselves her points, I’d like to add another, of diplomatic facilities in Tehran. break the cycle of aid dependency and Embassy Tehran. Bruce Laingen create a future of greater economic Built in the 1950s in a style I’d say Ambassador, retired opportunity. And so is the MCC. resembles the U.S. suburban schools of Bethesda, Md. Patrick Fine those days, the building was nicknamed Vice President for Compact Operations “Henderson High,” after Ambassador Good Reason to Be Proud Millennium Challenge Corporation Loy Henderson. The offices were built in Ben Barber’s article in your January Washington, D.C. Tehran’s busiest and newest commercial issue, “The Millennium Challenge Cor- district at the time. poration: Off to a Good Start,” is informa- Pros of International Heavily fortified by the time of the tive and balanced. Even so, it does not Schools 1979-1981 hostage crisis, the building recognize the full extent of what the MCC I read with interest the December became better known as “Fort Apache”— has already achieved in a relatively short article by Elizabeth Power on home- an ironic title for those who remember it period of time. schooling (“No, Really, the World Is best for its prison facilities. The fact is that MCC partner coun- My Classroom! Homeschooling in the Today, Henderson High is used by tries, including the nine that have com- Foreign Service”). While I believe all

8 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL members of the Foreign Service should Remembering “Threads: The Art and Life of Surayia have the option of homeschooling their Surayia Rahman Rahman,” which will be of interest to children and the expenses for doing so My wife and I enjoyed the article Americans and others who know of this should be reimbursed, my own children about Nitun Kundu (“Nitun Kundu: A remarkable woman and her art. You can would not have traded their experience Success Story”) in the December Journal. find out more at kanthathreads.com. in international schools for any other Michael Kristula does a good job of help- Leonard Hill kind of education. ing to explain why so many Americans FSO, retired This is especially true of their time at are touched by people they meet while Lukebay, Wash. the Franklin Delano Roosevelt School in posted to Bangladesh. Lima, where Ms. Power is now stationed. Surayia Rahman, a contemporary of Diversity and FS Children Both my daughters graduated from Kundu, is another Bangladeshi artist who Equal employment opportunity FDR and went on to successful college also touched the lives of many Ameri- counselor Krishna Das appropriately careers, as did the vast majority of their cans posted there. Although Surayia had noted the value of diversity promotion in classmates. no formal art training, and little formal his January letter (“Diversity at State”). The teachers and administra- education, she was one of the first Ban- As a parent, I see the discussion of how to tors there were well-trained, and the gladeshi women artists whose work was bring up our children within the Foreign students were highly motivated. When sold abroad. Service community as equal parts inter- my second daughter was a senior, we Her exquisitely embroidered tapes- esting, challenging and crucial. learned that students at FDR taking the tries, which drew on the ancient Ben- I think we can all agree on how SAT and ACT exams compared favorably gali quilting tradition of nakshi kantha, necessary it is for parents to serve as role to students from Montgomery County were given for years as state gifts by the models for their children from the very and Fairfax County schools in the Wash- government of Bangladesh. She was beginning, particularly in teaching the ington, D.C., area. also commissioned to do work for the lesson that everyone, despite appear- In addition to the academic excel- opening of the current embassy building ances or stereotypes, deserves respect. lence we encountered at international in 1989, where her art is displayed in the As Das noted, State Department children schools, our children had the oppor- lobby. are exposed to diverse cultures, and we tunity to meet and befriend both Americans from State, USAID, USIA as parents should demonstrate why this American and host-country nationals in and the Public Health Service bought is such an advantage to their own growth their age groups. Some of these asso- these works of art while in Bangladesh as human beings. ciations endure to this day, more than and brought them home. They cherish Building a culture of diversity starts 30 years later. Although Ms. Power did the memory of the modest, spiritual and at home, a literal reality for many State not comment on this aspect of her own hardworking woman who overcame Department families. We speak different children’s lives, it would have been dif- numerous obstacles to support her family languages, come from distinct cultural ficult for my children to have made such and hundreds of desperately poor women backgrounds and practice different reli- contacts any other way. through art. gions. And yet in most cases, our children Having served on boards at two Nitun Kundu’s art is justly celebrated. are growing up in a culturally richer envi- international schools, I extend my best He is featured in Bangladesh Art, a 2003 ronment than we (parents) experienced. wishes to the selfless educators and book that helped to drive interest among Children in the Foreign Service live their supporters who make education a Bangladeshis in the contemporary art of the concept of diversity and its social meaningful learning and socialization their compatriots. Surayia, unfortunately, implications on a daily basis. That said, experience for the next generation. I am is today little remembered in her own it is often necessary for us to ask: What is grateful to the State Department for its country, perhaps because of her lack of our role as parents in this process? How efforts on their behalf. formal artistic credentials. can we assist our children to appreciate Vance C. Pace To help preserve the stories of Surayia, the value of diversity? FSO, retired her art and the women she worked with, There is no single answer, but we need Kaysville, Utah we are making a documentary film, to start by being as involved as possible

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 9 in our children’s lives: listening to their appointed retired admirals as stories, learning about their ventures and ambassadors. There is a great challenges adjusting to new countries, story in connection with one discussing their questions and social such appointment, told by one frustrations, establishing a healthy com- of our finest career ambassa- munication channel, and building posi- dors, the late Malcolm “Mac” tive identities and respect for differences. Toon. Further, we should seek ways to In 1971, Mac was serving insert these concepts into the routines as ambassador to Yugoslavia of our children’s everyday lives and help when the Sixth Fleet came to convince them through our actions that call at Split. Mac went to over- a society without discrimination is pos- see the visit and took good care sible. of the commander, Admiral It is critical for all parents and care- Horatio Rivera, including a trip takers to develop cultural sensitivity up to Brioni to call on President regarding our surroundings. Otherwise, Josip Broz Tito. without specific cultural information, we Brian Aggeler As the Sixth Fleet prepared may inadvertently promote practices and to sail back to Gaeta, Adm. approaches that could undercut other ful effort to be appointed ambassador Rivera thanked Mac for organizing such parents’ efforts. to the U.K., indicated that the Obama a fine visit and opined that when he One great piece of advice I once administration will continue to reward its retired from the Navy, he would like to be received was this: “Encourage your financial backers in this fashion. an ambassador. Mac, never at a loss for child’s friendships with others across One point that could also be raised a good response, allowed as how when race, ethnicity, class, religious practices, in arguing for a change in our practice he retired from the Foreign Service, he background and ability.” The more is that in recent years only two major would like to become an admiral. personal experiences children have with participants in international affairs—one Apparently not seeing the irony in members of other groups, the easier of which, the USSR, no longer exists— it all, Adm. Rivera replied that it would it will be to dismiss stereotypes and have cared so little about the quality of be impossible for Mac to become an misperceptions. their international representation as to admiral—even though he had spent four Raquel L. Miranda appoint inexperienced people to key years in the Navy during World War II— FS spouse diplomatic posts. because years of experience in the Navy La Paz, Bolivia Of course, in the Soviet case, appoint- are required to rise to that august status. ment as an ambassador was a punish- The story does not end there, however. No Experience Required ment for being on the losing side in a The next year, Adm. Rivera retired from Congratulations to Ambassadors political struggle, as V.M. Molotov discov- the Navy and was appointed ambassador Jett and Peck for calling attention to our ered in 1957 when Khrushchev shipped to Spain by President Richard Nixon. continuing, and iniquitous, practice him off to Ulan Bator (now Ulaanbaatar) Thomas Niles of appointing political contributors as after the defeat of the “anti-Party Group.” Ambassador, retired ambassadors (“Psst! Hey, Buddy, Wanna When every other serious country in Scarsdale, N.Y. Buy an Ambassadorship?” by Dennis Jett, the world does something one way and November 2012 Speaking Out; “Ambas- we persist in doing it another, this might A One-State Solution sadors for Sale” by Edward Peck, January cause us to re-examine our procedures. Is Unlikely 2013 Letters). But I jest. I have only great respect and admira- However, a recent article in the New Amb. Peck is also correct that we do tion for Kristen Loken, who certainly York Times, focusing on Vogue editor not, fortunately, appoint generals to earned her knowledge and evaluation of Anna Wintour’s apparently unsuccess- command aircraft carriers. But we have the Israeli-Palestinian conflict the hard

10 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL way (“Reasons for Hope in the Israeli- coverage pertains to storage of limited Palestinian Conflict,” December Speaking shipments of household effects. In the Out). I regret, however, having to demur best of all worlds, moving companies when she says she sees a one-state solu- who come to pack would come on dif- tion as “the only viable one.” ferent days—one day for shipment and My own perspective on the endless one day for storage. The items for storage conflict is shaped by some five years on would then be placed in boxes and an the Palestine desk at the outset of my inventory compiled. career, as well as assignments to Beirut In the real world, alas, storage and and Jerusalem. Though many years of moving companies often merge with tours elsewhere and retirement have others, thus combining sets of effects since passed, one doesn’t lose the Middle belonging to different people. I still recall East contagion once it is acquired. that at one point during my Foreign Ser- It is inconceivable that Israel—and, vice career, I had to deal with two moving more importantly, its vehement and and storage companies after each of influential supporters in the United them merged with another. States—would be willing even to consider At the time, the Department of State any alteration to its status and identity as was the contracting party, so the com- a Jewish state, a unique creature in the panies had no contractual obligation community of nations. to contact me—even though I was the For that reason alone, while a modus designated holder in due course. Both vivendi may, at some point down the later declared bankruptcy and discarded road, be achieved between Israel and the all my belongings. Palestinians, I don’t believe it will come This not only saddled me with a large via a one-state solution. financial loss, but most of the items were Robert L. Burns irreplaceable. Worse, State continued to FSO, retired pay storage bills to both defunct compa- Santa Cruz, Calif. nies. AFSA did get this situation changed, Storage Companies: and hopefully the safeguards negotiated The Urge to Merge remain in force today: Each owner of Your January articles on transfers are household effects is supposed to receive timely and provide useful advice regard- some communication once a year from ing issues that are vital to all mem- the storage company delineating the bers of the Foreign Service. I espe- effects stored and cially appreciate the comments the location of the about the Government Claims storage. Act, whose limitations continue But one still should to surprise many people. not depend on State or That makes it all the more any other foreign affairs important to distinguish agency to notify you of between the concepts of origi- any changes in the status nal and replacement value in of your things. deciding whether to take out Roy A. Harrell Jr. floater insurance. FSO, retired The one omission from your Ozona, Texas

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 11 Feng Shui for according to feng shui. in China called it literally Montagne de Embassy Beijing? Is this a metaphor for Charbon. Figuratively, it symbolizes the I read with much inter- Beijing as America’s No. 1 natural energy (chi) of the protective est Jane Loeffler’s December creditor? tortoise with its high-arched shell and article, “Beyond the Fortress The chancery long life. Embassy.” She reported that the appears to be protected This is a classic feng shui enhance- architects of the new embassy in against the harsh wind ment: the tortoise mountain in the rear Beijing had introduced into the (feng) from the north gave the Ming emperor who built the 10-acre site “American high-tech by the 15-story chan- Forbidden City a sense of security against design with Chinese landscape cery annex shown attack, as well as real protection from the tradition.” in the background. It illustrates north winds (gentle wind is the ideal). In my opinion, this was an oblique another theme in feng shui, building Finally, one might ask, is the new Bei- reference to feng shui (literally “wind security—an obsession shared by past jing chancery bestowed with good feng and water”), the ancient Chinese art of Chinese emperors and current American shui? Perhaps a feng shui master (si fu) placement to create harmony, health and leaders. on the ground will answer this question prosperity. This obsession with building security definitively in the future. In the photo accompanying Loeffler’s was the impetus for the manmade moun- Jose Armilla article, lots of shui (water) surrounds the tain erected directly behind Beijing’s FSO, retired main chancery. Water equals money, Forbidden City. French cartographers Vienna, Va. n

12 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL TALKING POINTS

Quantifying But we are also heirs to those who won the peace and not “Pay to Play” just the war, who turned sworn enemies into the surest of t’s no secret that if you want to land friends; and we must carry those lessons into this time as Ia plum diplomatic assignment well. We will defend our people and uphold our values through representing the United States abroad, strength of arms and rule of law. We will show the courage to try it helps to be generous with campaign and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully—not contributions, cultivate the right politi- because we are naïve about the dangers we face, but because cal connections or both. Retired Ambas- engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear. sador Dennis Jett recently highlighted this perennial issue in these pages via America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every a Speaking Out column (“Psst! Hey, corner of the globe. And we will renew those institutions that Buddy, Wanna Buy an Ambassador- extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a ship?” November 2012). But it has been greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. difficult to find hard data about such We will support democracy from Asia to Africa; from the Americas “transactions”—until now. to the Middle East—because our interests and our conscience In a recent study—“What Price the compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom. Court of St. James’s? Political Influences We must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the on Ambassadorial Postings of the United marginalized, the victims of prejudice—not out of mere charity, States of America”—Jett and Johannes but because peace in our time requires the constant advance W. Fedderke, both professors of international relations at Pennsylvania State of those principles that our common creed describes: University, computed theoretical prices tolerance and opportunity; human dignity and justice. for different diplomatic postings between —From President Barack Obama’s Second Inaugural Address, Jan. 21. January 2009 and January 2011. Writing in the Jan. 31 New York Times, Nicholas Confessore reports that the researchers compared available informa- a 90-percent chance of being posted to a others have gotten ambassadorships at a tion on donors’ direct political contribu- European capital. relative bargain—perhaps because they tions and “bundling”—money raised on When isolating a country’s wealth had relevant skills or were closely con- behalf of President Barack Obama by over other factors, Luxembourg came nected to the president in other ways. supporters—with data on the national in at the top of the chart, with a post- As an example, he cites Vogue editor income of host countries, their rela- ing there valued at $3.1 million in direct Anna Wintour, who was briefly rumored tive level of safety and the robustness of contributions, while an appointment to to be in the running for London after their tourist industries. This generated Portugal was predicted to have a value raising $40 million for Pres. Obama’s “implied prices” for a selection of highly of $602,686 in personal contributions. re-election campaign. Plumer observes sought positions. Interestingly, the model suggests that that such a sum would have represented Those whose political connections to bundlers can get the same posts for less: a steep overpayment, since Fedderke and Pres. Obama were measured in dollars, Portugal was valued at about $341,160 in Jett calculate that the Court of St. James’s rather than administration service, had a bundled contributions, Luxembourg at is “only” worth between $650,000 and better chance of representing the United $1.8 million. $2.3 million. (The point is moot now, States in Western Europe, and a markedly Brad Plumer’s report on the study since Wintour has reportedly withdrawn smaller chance of serving in, say, Central in the Feb. 7 Wonkblog section of the from consideration.) Asia or sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically, Washington Post covers some of the same Plumer also presents some of Fed- political ambassadors who had made ground. But he highlights the authors’ derke and Jett’s data in a helpful bar campaign donations of $550,000, or finding that plenty of political appointees graph showing the relative “price” of bundled contributions of $750,000, had have “overpaid” for their postings, while appointments to Austria, Belgium, Can-

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 13 ada, France, Germany, Greece, Japan, Please take advantage of this new Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. feature and start enjoying the FSJ in a For more information on the issue of new way! political appointees, visit the Ambassa- —Asgeir Sigfusson, Outreach and AFSA Scholarship dorial Appointments page of AFSA’s Web Marketing Director AFSA.org/Scholar site. There you’ll find AFSA’s statistics AKA on the relative numbers of career and The End of an Era StayAKA.com political appointee chiefs of mission, Although he was not a member of the organized by presidential administra- Foreign Service and had no formal Clements Worldwide tion, and other background material. diplomatic training, Max M. Kampelman, clements.com —Steven Alan Honley, Editor who died at the age of 92 at his home in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 25, was a Diplomatic Automobile Appy Days Are Here! pillar of Cold War diplomacy during the www.diplosales.com n the January edition of Talking 1980s. Former Secretary of State George Embassy Risk Management IPoints, we announced the imminent P. Shultz praised him as “always steady, Embassyrisk.com release of a new app for The Foreign thoughtful and constructive.” Service Journal. We’re delighted to President Ronald Reagan tapped Mr. The Hirshorn Company announce that it is now available as a Kampelman to lead two sets of interna- hirshorn.com/afsa benefit of membership. tional negotiations. First was the Madrid Simply visit the Apple app store and Conference on Security and Cooperation Leysin American School search for “The Foreign Service Jour- in Europe (1981-1983), which brought in Switzerland nal.” Press the “install” button and the about the release of political and reli- www.las.ch download will begin. The app will be gious dissidents from the Soviet Union. In McEnearney updated automatically each month with 1985, Mr. Kampelman headed to Geneva www.mcenearney.com the latest issue of the magazine, and will for bilateral arms control negotiations also include an archive of recent issues. with Moscow, which led to the 1991 Stra- McGrath The app’s design has been optimized for tegic Arms Reduction Treaty. McGrathRealEstate.com tablet-sized devices, but it also works on Max M. Kampelman was born on smaller devices. Nov. 7, 1920, in New York City to Jewish ProMax promaxrealtors.com Developed by Taoti Creative, the firm immigrants from Romania. After earning that oversaw the redesign of the AFSA bachelor’s and law degrees from New Tetratech Web site two years ago, the app offers York University in 1940 and 1945, he Tetratech.com all the features you’ve become used to received master’s and doctoral degrees on the digital version of the magazine: from the University of Minnesota in 1946 WJD active links to advertisers and additional and 1951, respectively. wjdpm.com content, beautiful resolution and color, As a registered conscientious objec- and an enhanced page-flipping feature. tor during World War II, Mr. Kampelman As our readers become accustomed to participated in an experiment at the the app version of the FSJ, we plan to University of Minnesota examining the add even further online-only content effects of extreme weight loss and recovery to enhance the reading experience. We from starvation. The results proved useful are also exploring ways to add a share in treating prisoners of war and survivors function. of concentration camps at the end of the For now, the app is only available for war. He later renounced his pacifist beliefs, Apple devices, but versions for Android and and in 1955 joined the Marine Corps as a Windows users are in the works, as well. reserve officer, serving until 1962.

14 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL In 1946, Mr. Kampelman became an International Law in 2003. “Diplomacy is, foreign policy topics. aide to Hubert H. Humphrey, who was after all, a human event involving human While some scholars are urging Pres. then mayor of Minneapolis. He came beings.” Obama to tackle new challenges, more to Washington, D.C., in 1949 when the —Susan Brady Maitra, Senior Editor are calling on him to implement and Democrat was elected to the Senate, and advance the initiatives he began—or served as his legislative counsel until Some Unsolicited Advice promised to begin—in his first term. A 1955, when he joined the law firm now for the Next Four Years widespread belief that he will be more known as Fried Frank. As head of the President Barack Obama’s first term proactive and assertive in international firm’s D.C. office, Mr. Kampelman rep- began amid widespread hope for com- relations, following in the path of other resented many high-profile companies prehensive solutions to global problems. re-elected presidents, has fueled such and individuals, including Israeli Prime Four years later, that sense of expecta- calls. Minister Golda Meir. tion has largely dissipated, but experts As David Ignatius, an associate editor As Washington Post writer Matt from across the political and ideological and columnist at the Washington Post, Schudel notes in his Jan. 27 obituary, Mr. spectrum have used the president’s inau- commented in Dec. 6 remarks at the Kampelman enjoyed the trust of both guration to take stock of his first term and Wilson Center, “Second-term presidents Democrats and Republicans, and was issue recommendations on a plethora of don’t have to be as attentive to domestic considered an elder statesman of official Washington. Though he never sought 50 Years Ago political office himself, he advised many who did, on both sides of the aisle. In nce there was a young FSO who wanted to get ahead—rather badly. And 1984, he was simultaneously a foreign Ohe knew it’s the little things that count. Little things like, upon arrival at policy adviser to Democratic presidential a cocktail party, going directly to the principal officer’s wife and saying, “Good nominee Walter Mondale and a legal evening, ma’am. I’m Harold Blank. May I get you another cocktail?” counsel to Edwin Meese II, who became As he scurried away on his altruistic errand, he was gratified to hear her say to President Ronald Reagan’s attorney gen- her husband, “How thoughtful Mr. Blank is. I wish some other people here were eral a year later. equally thoughtful; I’ve been standing here 10 minutes, waiting for a refill.” In a 1985 interview with the Wash- Or, even better: “Frank, I don’t know what you’re thinking of—keeping that nice ington Post, Mr. Kampelman described Mr. Blank in the economic section.” his approach to diplomacy: “If you want By dint of the cocktail gimmick, and study of Dale Carnegie, Niccolo Machia- to negotiate with the Soviets, you have velli, Norman Vincent Peale, Krafft-Ebbing, Horatio Alger and Lord Chesterfield to be prepared to stay one day longer (as well as a bilingual rating by FSI on his studies in an exotic Oriental language), than they,” he told the Post. “If you are he was freed from routine consular work and posted to an embassy—in the Bal- impatient to end it, you’re at a disad- kans and for political work. vantage.” The very day of his arrival, he was bidden to the DCM’s reception for an itiner- Mr. Kampelman once calculated ant band of USDA agronomists. No sooner was he there than he went straight that he spent more than 400 hours up to the ambassador’s wife and said, “Good evening, ma’am. I am Harold Blank, of face-to-face meetings with Soviet political section. May I get you another cocktail?” negotiators, mostly over meals. In 1991, Whereupon Madame L’Ambassadrice exclaimed, “My dear young man, are he held a meeting with diplomats and you mad—utterly mad? I never drink; I am strictly teetotal. I do hope you haven’t their families, interpreters and security been overindulging!” staff members at the first McDonald’s As the young FSO groped his way through his vaporized career, he heard her restaurant to open in Moscow, and hired say to her spouse, “What a revolting young man. You must put him in the admin- a Russian band to play American music istrative section—it’s all that he deserves.” for the occasion. MORAL: Before you pull the trigger, be sure it’s surefire—not backfire. “It was a great success,” Mr. Kampel- —“A Foreign Service Fable” by R.W.R.; FSJ, March 1963. man wrote in the Chicago Journal of

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 15 NOTEWORTHY: Nigeria Security Tracker

he Council on Foreign Relations ethnic, occupational and other com- Thas developed an interactive munal conflicts, the NST is focused mapping tool called Nigeria Secu- primarily on Boko Haram—the jihad- rity Tracker to monitor outbreaks of ist militant group based in northeast- political violence, many of which are ern Nigeria that seeks to establish motivated or exacerbated by clashes sharia law throughout the country. It between Muslims and Christians. CFR updates the results also catalogs deaths from general sectarian conflict, as well weekly. as state violence. The goal of the project is to capture trends, in terms of CFR has compiled almost two years’ worth of data, both the prevalence of ethno-religious conflict within Nige- dating back to Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan’s ria and those provinces with the highest rates of conflict. inauguration in May 2011. It should soon start to become The map’s user-friendly interface allows users to select a clear whether the security situation there has bottomed specific timeframe to pull up results. The NST also utilizes out and is starting to improve—or if Nigeria is on the path graphs, which focus on the perpetrators of the violence. to becoming a failed state. Although the pervasive violence in Nigeria is also fed by —Jeff Richards, Editorial Intern politics and interest groups, so it’s easier “Opportunities and Priorities for a reductions will be spotty, if it happens at to be more creative, more active in for- Second Term” likewise addresses the all. In her contribution to the American eign policy.” spectrum of diplomatic and military Security Project’s “State of the Union Prep: In a Jan. 28 posting on the Web site of challenges. But its main focus is on pro- National Security Challenges,” nuclear the Washington Institute for Near East moting steps to safeguard, reduce and, security policy analyst Mary Kaszynski Policy, Managing Director Michael Singh ultimately, eliminate America’s stockpiles observes: “The U.S. and Russia have sets forth a series of policy recommenda- of nuclear weapons—as well as those made progress in downsizing the massive tions for new Secretary of State John Kerry belonging to other countries. nuclear arsenals built during the Cold War, (and, by extension, Pres. Obama) on how Iran and its nuclear program feature but more work lies ahead to reshape the to make U.S. foreign policy more efficient prominently in many of these discus- arsenals for the 21st century.” and effective. But Singh also cautions: sions. As the Council of Foreign Rela- Despite an overflowing in-box, at “Avoiding the next diplomatic crisis—and, tions’ “World Outlook for 2013” notes: least some commentators assert that the more importantly, seizing the tremendous “For several years now, we’ve been Obama administration can make real opportunities in America’s path—will talking about the push-comes-to-shove progress by embracing its full leader- require more than foreign policy virtuos- moment arriving in Iran, and that ship potential in the next four years. ity. It will require that the new Secretary moment may come in 2013 since the In their contribution to the Brookings invest time and effort in the less glamorous Iranians seem to be creeping closer and Institution’s “Presidential Briefing but equally essential task of leading and closer to what are presumed to be the red Book,” for instance, Martin Indyk and managing.” lines on its nuclear weapons program.” Robert Kagan declare this: “For all the The Center for Strategic and Interna- CFR then lists some of the opportunities talk of American decline from certain tional Studies offers a “Critical Questions and risks associated with various policies quarters, the United States is actually 2013” compilation that draws on expert the Obama administration could take. well-positioned for a new era of global assessments of U.S. defense policy, While the Iran standoff is arguably the leadership…[Obama’s] great challenge regional flashpoints and global issues. most high-profile nuclear challenge Wash- is to seize this plastic moment and apply Helpfully, the site doesn’t just stop at ington faces, Russian President Vladimir [his] leadership to the preservation and posing the questions, but offers authori- Putin’s recent moves to loosen ties with the extension of the liberal global order for tative, well-sourced answers. United States on a variety of fronts suggest future generations.” n The National Security Network’s that further progress on bilateral arms —Jeff Richards, Editorial Intern

16 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL SPEAKING OUT

The Foreign Service Needs a Cultural Shift

BY CHARLES RAY

he Foreign Service is in crisis; What most political find a more intelligent or dedicated and the tragedy is that most group anywhere within the U.S. gov- of its members are completely leaders want from ernment, the defense establishment T unaware of it. Over the past career officers included. four decades, the Foreign Service has No, the career Foreign Service is gone from the premier foreign affairs is answers and unable to provide answers to unasked agency, spawning innovative officers options. questions, or develop options for like George Kennan, to a backbencher unknown futures, because it is ham- in the nation’s foreign policy formula- pered by a cultural mindset that is reac- tion and implementation. Even as the tive rather than innovative. Its members number of senior-level positions in the In a democracy such as ours, it is to tend to be conflict-averse, pre-emptively Department of State has increased, the be expected that the policies of those capitulating in the face of imagined positions occupied by career FSOs have elected by the American people will resistance. More often than not, Foreign decreased both in actual number and be the policies of the country, to be Service officers resist change instead of percentage. faithfully implemented by all within the promoting it. The reasons for the decline of the institutions responsible for doing so. career Foreign Service’s influence are After 50 years of public service (20 Embracing Change not clear. One could, I suppose, argue years in the U.S. Army and 30 years in Change has always been inevitable, that the increasing partisanship in the Foreign Service), which began dur- and we live in an era when it occurs at American politics is a proximate cause. ing the administration of President John the speed of light. That which is current It is also true that the State Department’s F. Kennedy, I have concluded that what today will be obsolete tomorrow, and leadership wishes to have people in most of our political leadership wants those who resist that truth risk being left key decision-making positions who are is answers and options from those who behind. This is as true in international in line with its thinking—whom it can serve them. They want answers to ques- affairs as it is in technology. trust to carry out its policies without tions they haven’t asked, and options to Much of what happens on the inter- question. It is an unfortunate fact that deal with unknown future contingen- national stage is driven by changes in the department has had leaders of that cies. information technology. Witness the stripe, but I would argue that identify- Sadly, the career Foreign Service youth-led uprisings in the Arab world ing this as the main cause of the decline seems incapable of providing that. This that began two years ago, which were in career employee influence is far too is not because it lacks intelligent or facilitated by increased access to, and simplistic a view of the situation. dedicated people, of course. You won’t the proliferation of, social media and citizen journalism in the affected countries. Despite this prime example of the Charles A. Ray retired from the Foreign Service in 2012 after a 30-year career that included importance of keeping up with techno- ambassadorships to Cambodia and Zimbabwe. Ambassador Ray also served as deputy assis- logical change, and the aggressive pro- tant secretary of Defense for prisoners of war/missing personnel affairs, deputy chief of mission motion of social media by our current in Freetown and consul general in Ho Chi Minh City, among many other assignments. Prior political leadership, only a handful of to joining the Foreign Service, Amb. Ray spent 20 years in the U.S. Army. He currently chairs Senior Foreign Service officers actively AFSA’s Professionalism and Ethics Committee, and does freelance writing and speaking. leverage the power of information

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 17 A critical weakness in the career Foreign Service is the reluctance to take risks by coming up with new ideas and advocating forcefully for them.

technology platforms to carry out their ing or educational opportunity was a duties. waste of time. That class in dealing with Admittedly, social media tools can the media might not have an immedi- damage careers if handled incorrectly. ate payoff, but at some point, the things But for the career Foreign Service to take learned in it will come in handy. its rightful place at the policymaking table, this resistance to using them must Taking on Risk change. This is true not just in terms of Another critical weakness in the new technology, but our entire cultural career Foreign Service is the reluctance mindset. to take risks. By this, I don’t mean a lack Resistance to career-long training— of physical courage. Foreign Service not just during orientation or to prepare personnel have never shirked their duty for a specific assignment—significantly to go into harm’s way, as evidenced by hampers the Foreign Service’s ability the thousands who have volunteered for to compete effectively with the rest of places like Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan. the interagency community. Moreover, One only need contemplate the although the Foreign Service Insti- hundreds of names on AFSA’s memo- tute offers outstanding instruction in rial plaques in the main lobby of the foreign languages, its other professional State Department—and those that will education offerings put us behind the be added on Foreign Affairs Day in May, employees of the other federal agencies including that of the late U.S. ambas- competing for a share of the interna- sador to Libya, Chris Stevens—to know tional relations pie. that Foreign Service personnel have Throughout my Foreign Service been as willing to make the ultimate career, I made it a practice to take sacrifice as their Defense Department courses at the Foreign Service Institute colleagues. In fact, on a per capita basis, after every overseas tour, and frequently more of us have done so. while I served in Washington. Some of But when it comes to coming up with my colleagues warned that this would new ideas and advocating them to the put me at a disadvantage for promo- political leadership, the Foreign Service tions and choice assignments by taking falls short. The mere thought that a me out of the mainstream. They said I senior department leader or member needed to be “out in the field,” doing of Congress might take umbrage at a things that would be noticed. proposal will often kill it. I had a different view. After 20 years When I was ambassador to Cambo- in the Army, where continuous training dia, for example, and proposed a change is not only expected, but often required in the relationship with that nation’s for advancement, I knew that no train- defense establishment, fear of pos-

18 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL A time of service…a time of need Help for Seniors May sible pushback by those opposed to the government there caused many in the Be Just a Phone Call Away— bureaucracy to recommend against even The Senior Living Foundation may be discussing the issue. This was despite able to help you or someone you know. the fact that the security situation at the Some examples of assistance are: time called for a review of our ability to provide adequate protection for mis- N Home Health Care sion personnel in the absence of better N Adult Day Care & Respite Care or closer relations with local security N Prescription Drug Copayments forces. N Transportation to Medical Appointments Recovering the Edge N Durable Medical Equipment On the carousel of life, the Foreign Service too often prefers to ride the For more information, please contact the SENIOR LIVING FOUNDATION inner horses instead of getting on the OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE outside, where the ride is faster and the 1716 N Street, NW N Washington, DC 20036-2902 brass rings are there to reach for. Phone: (202) 887-8170 N Fax: (202) 872-9320 E-Mail: [email protected] N Web Site: www.SLFoundation.org The Foreign Service doesn’t have to become like the Pentagon to recover its SPONSORED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION edge. But there’s nothing wrong with drawing on the best practices of other institutions to improve effectiveness. And the only way for us to regain our pre-eminence within the foreign policy establishment is to come out of the bun- ker and promote innovation, managed risk-taking and innovation. Risk-takers and innovators, as well as those willing to challenge the system, shouldn’t just receive AFSA’s constructive dissent awards, important as those are. They should be recognized by the foreign affairs agencies where they work. Promotion precepts should include managed risk-taking as one of the benchmarks for advancement. In addition, there should be courses, in residence at FSI or distance learning, on innovative leadership in a Foreign Service context. This won’t change the culture overnight, but it will start the process. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 19 FOCUS REFUGEES AND INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS

THE DIPLOMACY OF POPULATION DISPLACEMENT © iStockphoto.com/jcarillet Muhammed Ramadan and family members outside their tent in the refugee camp at Qatmah (Atimah), Syria, after fleeing violence in their hometown in Idlib province.

20 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL In addressing large-scale human mobility, the goal should be to promote human development and stability—not just respond to crises.

BY WILLIAM LACY SWING

ifty years ago, when I began my diplomatic began as such. Many of these have involved, at least in part, an career, migration (also known as large-scale ethnic element, which tends to keep the fighting going for long human mobility), including refugees and inter- periods. That reality also complicates national reconciliation nally displaced persons, was not a prominent efforts after the formal conflict ends. issue for many of us in the Foreign Service. Because mass migrations, particularly those associated Today, however, frequent intrastate armed with conflicts, are often seen as potential security threats, they Fconflicts, persistent natural and human disasters, and the tend to receive a lot of media attention, at least initially. This effects of climate change compel virtually all governments and is particularly true when large numbers of forcibly displaced international organizations to pay close attention to the large- people flee into neighboring countries. We are seeing this in scale movement of persons, whether forced or voluntary. the current influx of Syrian refugees into Turkey, Jordan, Leba- This evolution in diplomatic thinking and foreign policy non and Iraq, and the flight of Malian refugees to Mauritania, priorities reflects a new foreign policy reality: namely, that we Burkina Faso, Niger and Algeria. live in an era of unprecedented human mobility. Consider this statistic: A billion people—one in every seven persons cur- A Holistic Approach rently alive—are migrants. Given the need to conduct peacebuilding and address the The drivers of human mobility are such that large-scale developmental impact of large-scale population displace- migration will continue to be a “mega-trend” in the 21st ments, a holistic approach is required to return stability to a century. Indeed, a U.S. National Intelligence Council report, country or region engulfed in conflict, create the conditions “Global Trends 2030” (published last December) predicts that for peace, and prevent the recurrence or spread of hostilities. “international migration is set to grow even faster than it did in The international response must also balance the individual the past quarter-century.” It will therefore become increasingly right to flee danger and desire to seek a better life against each important for diplomats to address the crises that accompany nation’s sovereign right to determine who enters and remains large-scale population movements. within its borders. This development is in large part a function of population For that reason, a multilateral, multifaceted approach is growth. The 20th century marked the first time in recorded usually more useful than traditional bilateral diplomacy. This history that the global population quadrupled within a human lifetime, a phenomenon unlikely to occur again. Within this William Lacy Swing has been director general of the International overall picture of growth, however, there are areas of demo- Organization for Migration since 2008 and was the 2012 winner of graphic decline. The European Union, for instance, is likely AFSA’s Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award. A to require 40 million more workers by mid-century than its member of the Foreign Service for 38 years, he served as ambassador population will be able to supply. to the Republic of the Congo (1979-1981), Liberia (1981-1985), South Other drivers of migration include labor shortages and Africa (1989-1992), Nigeria (1992-1993), Haiti (1993-1998) and the demands; growing North-South economic and social dispari- Democratic Republic of the Congo (1998-2001). ties; the digital revolution; distance-shrinking technologies; After retiring from the Foreign Service in 2001, Ambassador Swing persistent disasters; and personal dreams and ambitions. served the United Nations as Special Representative to the Secretary- whether these are induced by wars or natural disasters. General for Western Sahara and Chief of Mission for the U.N. Mission Most of the 100-plus armed conflicts that have broken out for the Referendum in Western Sahara (2001-2003), and Special across the globe since World War II were intrastate affairs— Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic conflicts within the boundaries of a single state—or at least of the Congo (2003-2008).

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 21 A billion people—one in their right to flee danger. Because such mass movements are often transnational and have a strong impact on neighboring every seven persons currently countries, multilateral diplomacy is indispensable in address- alive—are migrants. ing these crises. Clearly, the most desirable and durable scenario for forced migrants, security permitting, is to assist them to return and re-establish themselves in the location from whence they fled, is not only more cost-effective than jumping from crisis to often with some financial support for reintegration. Many, if crisis, but promotes human development and stability. not most, forced migrants, including those fleeing ethnic con- With that in mind, I will first discuss the initial response to flicts, would rather not leave home permanently, preferring such situations: getting people to safety and to new lives and instead to return as soon as they find the risks are acceptable. livelihoods. In many cases, it is not safe for forcibly displaced For example, at present, IOM’s resettlement program in people to return home, so they must be resettled humanely Malaysia for Myanmar refugees—9,000 a year—could evolve elsewhere—either in a country of first asylum or in a third into a large-scale return program, should an estimated three country with favorable integration prospects. million Myanmar nationals in neighboring Thailand, and large Examples from the work of the International Organization numbers elsewhere, begin to regard the Burmese govern- for Migration illustrate the success of such efforts in address- ment’s reforms as credible enough to warrant returning home. ing vulnerabilities and making migration a force for stability It is also important to recognize how heavily crises weigh and peace, including accurately assessing vulnerabilities and on migrants who are far from home. They are more vulner- providing appropriate assistance throughout, as well as the able to local conditions than is the resident population, and strength of the reintegration or integration projects. I use those generally require assistance in moving to safety—usually their examples not just because I have the pleasure of leading that countries of origin. Many migrant workers in Syria are in this organization, but because IOM is the pre-eminent interna- plight today. tional migration agency. It is also the only one with a dedi- During the Libyan crisis in 2011, IOM, along with the cated mandate, a global footprint and 60 years of experience United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, working with all aspects of the phenomenon. evacuated some 229,000 migrant workers trapped by the con- I then describe returns to a country or place of residence flict and repatriated them to 54 countries at a cost of $125 mil- under non-hostile (i.e., improved) conditions. Then I turn lion. This involved delicate, difficult negotiations with unlikely to the question of resettlement, whether in a country of first parties—the remains of the Gaddafi regime, the rebel National asylum or a third country in which there are favorable integra- Transitional Council and NATO—to arrange a thousand char- tion prospects. ter flights and 18 sea evacuations from Benghazi, Misrata and Finally, I analyze the various vulnerabilities that forced Tripoli under very dangerous conditions. migrants may experience, such as trafficking, exploitation and The example of the migrants from many countries who were other forms of abuse. Fighting trafficking and exploitation not stranded in Libya during the overthrow of Gaddafi demon- only benefits all those who suffer, but is in the interest of coun- strates the necessity of making provisions for the evacuation of tries that oppose organized crime and seek durable solutions large numbers of people when a crisis strikes. IOM is working to the crises that displace people. on the whole range of issues related to ethical recruitment and As I hope will become clear, the success of both returns and employment of migrant labor, with private-sector partners as resettlement programs depends on (re)integration efforts to well as governments. Our goal is to reduce migrants’ vulner- turn migration into a force for stability and peace. ability to dangers, including to exploitation and human trafficking, whether during crises or not. Returning Displaced Populations The success of returns in contributing to stability depends Mass forced displacement highlights the central balance on the effectiveness of reintegration. Unfortunately, the Libyan migration management must strike: between countries’ sover- evacuation was not accompanied by any funding for reinte- eign right to determine who enters their borders, on one hand, gration. Thus, 177,000 sub-Saharan Africans returned without and, on the other, people’s desire to seek a better life and any support to find the same jobless conditions, overstretched

22 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL A more holistic policy to the crisis, one that included funds for reintegration and training of returnees or livelihood programs, could have contributed to stability and development. Instead, the repatriation of most of these workers merely imposed greater burdens on governments which already had limited capacities to care for their citizens. In most years, IOM returns around 70,000 persons from

© iStockphoto.com/Claudiad outside their countries of origin, as well as much larger num- The tent-homes of an IDP camp in Haiti following the 2010 bers of internally displaced persons. The extensive scope for earthquake there. work reinforces the importance of durable solutions: The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates hospitals and inadequate schools that drove them to Libya in that up to 50 million people are displaced each year by natural the first place. disasters, while the Norwegian Refugee Council put the num- The fortunate exceptions among those who returned from ber of conflict-displaced IDPs at 26.4 million in 2011. Libya are the 36,000-plus Bangladeshis who benefited from Reintegration for returnees in a post-conflict environment World Bank funding for reintegration assistance, and the is an integral part of peacebuilding. It often requires not just approximately 12,000 Chadians who benefited from Swiss- livelihood and shelter assistance, but the settlement of land and German-funded capacity building and psychosocial and property claims, and the reconciliation of groups previ- support. ously in conflict.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 23 © iStockphoto.com/sadikgulec

Somali children in the Dadaab refugee camp, the world’s largest, just across the Somali border in northeast Kenya.

IOM is one of the few international organizations operat- Unfortunately, effective resettlement and reintegration ing a specialized land, property and reparations unit, which options are, more often than not, altogether lacking in the helps returnees clarify their rights and resolve disputes that context of ethnic conflicts. This vacuum can, and often does, could otherwise foment conflict and impede sustainable spread the conflict to other countries, as we have seen in the returns. IOM’s work in Colombia offers excellent examples of Horn of Africa (Somalia-Kenya). Key elements in avoiding or U.S.-funded reintegration projects for the internally displaced. resolving such conflicts involve sustainable livelihoods for the Unfortunately, the recent return of some 37,000 Burundians displaced (and host) populations; restoration of basic services; (originally displaced by ethnic conflict) from Tanzania was not appropriate reconciliation projects; and measures to reinte- supported with enough reintegration funding to help resolve grate former combatants into civilian life. the land issues of families who have been away from their Resettlement in a third country is a last option—a recourse homes for many years. only when neither return nor temporary or long-term resettle- To better develop this area and share best practices, IOM ment in neighboring countries is feasible. Under a longstand- experts, in partnership with the U.S. Agency for International ing partnership, IOM assists the Department of State’s Bureau Development and the World Bank, teach the semiannual of Population, Refugees and Migration in implementing the “Land, Property and Conflict” course run by the U.S. Institute U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, whose annual quota in for Peace. recent years has averaged between 60,000 and 75,000. IOM provides assistance through this and similar pro- Facilitating Resettlement grams in a variety of ways: rendering logistics support for When forced migrants cannot return home or relocate to selection and screening; conducting about 250,000 pre- another part of the country, at least in the near future, the best departure health assessments a year in close cooperation with alternative is likely to be resettlement in the first safe country the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta; providing cultural in which a migrant arrives after fleeing—known as the country orientation and language courses; organizing transportation of first asylum. However, this often leads to the establishment to the resettlement destination; and linking pre-departure of large camps for long-term refugees or internally displaced and post-arrival activities through skills-building and psycho- persons, which poses problems for both the dislocated popu- social support. lation and the host communities. These sites create high levels As part of this support, IOM has staff stationed at most of dependency within the displaced community, and resent- major international airports and spends about $120 million ment among members of the host population, who worry that a year on one-way air tickets to transport about a quarter of a the new arrivals are taking away resources that are often scarce million people to new lives, away from places where they are to begin with. highly vulnerable to local conditions.

24 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL These reintegration measures are particularly helpful in tive approach and features risk reduction and durable recov- minimizing xenophobic sentiment within the host population, ery measures, as well. promoting acceptance and averting new conflicts. Just as close partnerships with airlines and other transportation companies help furnish cost-effective and safe travel, The Issue of Legal Standing good working relationships with governmental agencies and Migrants, particularly those displaced by conflict or civil society organizations in resettlement destinations help other rapid-onset disasters, are often more vulnerable than these migrants begin new lives. their host population due to a lack of legal standing. Forced Whether resettlement is seen as temporary or permanent, migrants, whether internal or international, tend to have less integration is vital. But it is also important to facilitate returns access to public services, which leaves them subject to exploi- to countries of origin, should migrants so desire. Migrants tation and trafficking in their efforts to secure their livelihood. who have found a sanctuary may be uneasy about conditions Reducing this vulnerability requires local livelihood programs, in their country of origin. And even when conditions there as well as regular, temporary labor migration projects, not to clearly are acceptable, migrants may still be unwilling to leave mention training border guards in countertrafficking and in their newfound haven for the unknown. Providing them with assisting victims of trafficking. the legal status to travel back and forth gives them the flexibil- In brief, solutions for those forced to migrate need to be ity and security to explore their options fully, and empowers constructed in a manner that helps to build stable societies. them to make impressive contributions to the reconstruction As a regional and global issue, migration requires a holistic of their countries of origin. approach that transcends the traditional humanitarian reac- IOM’s Return of Qualified Nationals Program offers a good

the Foreign Service journal | march 2013 25 The drivers of human mobility prevent human trafficking, protect victims of abuse and pros- ecute perpetrators. Yet fighting trafficking and exploitation is are such that large-scale not just in the interests of all countries that oppose organized migration will continue to crime; it is to the benefit of all countries that seek durable solutions to crises that displace people. be a “mega-trend” in the Reducing this vulnerability not only requires local livelihood projects, but comprehensive migration management 21st century. projects. These include border-guard capacity-building, assistance to migrants and victims of trafficking, and the facilita- tion of regular temporary labor migration. Labor migration example of this in Somalia, one of 14 countries where IOM push-and-pull factors do not cease to exist following a natural operates such programs. Designed as a “reverse brain-drain” disaster or conflict, so orderly labor migration can reduce mechanism, RQN mirrors circular migration programs in more competitive pressure on local resources while avoiding an stable areas. These programs acknowledge people’s desire increase in mobility-related vulnerability. to work and live in countries facing labor shortages, but also Identifying and addressing vulnerabilities effectively in acknowledge their desire to return, either permanently or crises or in situations of chronic insecurity depend, therefore, temporarily, to their countries of origin in order to contribute on understanding specific migration dynamics, not simply to progress and development there. In Somalia, for example, applying a one-size-fits-all humanitarian approach. IOM has already assisted 125 Somalis in returning from abroad to support the government by building local capacity. The Value of Collaboration In other words, migration is not just about moving from I have tried to show that managing migration, whether in Point A to Point B and remaining there. It is about human zones of conflict-induced crises or in more peaceful areas, mobility. requires a holistic approach to assessing vulnerabilities and Taking this into account, circular migration promotes addressing them in the context of global migration trends. To orderly migration, stability and prosperity by reducing the promote this approach, IOM has developed a Migration Crisis number of visa overstayers who stay put out of fear of not Operational Framework in close consultation with member being able to renew their visa at a later date. These individu- states and partner organizations. (Although that designation als would otherwise return to their own countries, where emphasizes crisis response, it does so to illustrate how all the their savings would give them a higher standard of living or elements of migration management can be put together effec- their new skills would afford them better job opportunities tively under the most trying circumstances.) and social standing. Such measures make migration more In the growing Mali crisis, for example, IOM is applying this acceptable to host populations who fear cultural and political framework to analyze how the varied mobility patterns predat- change, and also make migration more conducive to sustain- ing the crisis are affecting the ways in which different Malians able development in countries of origin. seek refuge from the fighting within the country and in neighboring countries. The framework approach also assesses the Addressing Migrants’ Vulnerabilities implications for assistance design and delivery to those fleeing Migrants, whether forced or voluntary, national or inter- the fighting, given IOM’s role as a shelter cluster coordinator, national, experience distinctive vulnerabilities that must be and for providing support to Mali and other countries in the carefully assessed for assistance to be effective. These include region in border management and countertrafficking. trafficking, exploitation and other forms of abuse, ill health, For example, the nomadic Tuareg from the north prefer and lack of access to public services and human rights pro- to seek refuge in neighboring countries, following pre-crisis tections. These vulnerabilities are specific to migrants’ legal migration patterns, due to ethnic affinities and the general standing (or lack thereof), but are especially prevalent among fear of being persecuted in the south as a party to the conflict. women and children. This movement is facilitated by the protocols of the Economic During crises, already weak governments are often unable Community of West African States on free movement, resi- to provide basic services, much less manage their borders to dence and establishment for its nationals. The exception to

26 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL this pattern was some southward migration to join family members who had previously migrated there for work. Those seeking refuge largely do so with host families, something facilitated by government authorities. Because of these mobility patterns, IOM focuses on assisting local authorities to make this host system sustainable through, among other measures, efforts to strengthen host-family resilience and keep them from becoming more vulnerable because of the resources they use for their guests. This approach is quite different from a typical shelter response involving tents and tarpaulins. The conflict also disrupts migration-linked livelihoods and food supplies, an analysis that shapes IOM planning for reintegration and recovery projects. As in crises in many other countries, the fighting in Mali has curtailed countertrafficking efforts in this major route for irregular migration toward Europe. This means that there is a need to strengthen border

management in the region, focusing particularly on disrupting Henning Wendy human trafficking. Flags flutter above a refugee camp in Uganda.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 27 The crisis in Mali is a perfect example of the need for national and regional dialogue on migration.

The goal is to do this in a way that does not create further complications by disrupting patterns of seeking refuge outside Mali, while supporting neighboring countries in humanely managing the additional influx. Extensive data- gathering and repeated analysis are both indispensable in identifying and addressing current needs, keeping in mind longer-term implications and solutions that make the immediate assistance conducive to recovery. This is particularly true for the less-visible needs, risks and vulnerabilities of mobile populations that are frequently neglected in typical humanitarian responses.

Promoting Dialogue on Migration The Mali example also highlights the absolute necessity of developing sustainable solutions through national and regional dialogue on migration. As an integral part of a holistic approach to human mobility (including forced displacement) IOM remains committed to supporting dialogue on migration through the Regional Consultative Processes, the Global Forum on Migration and Development, the Global Migration Group, and other groups currently preparing for the 2013 United Nations High-Level Dialogue on Migration and Development. We hope that these efforts will ensure the integration of migration and the well-being of migrants into the post-2015 U.N. development agenda. We also continue to promote a general recognition that well-managed migration can actually be a driver for global stability and development. It is through these integrated approaches that IOM sup- ports individual governments’ diplomatic efforts to address the challenges of the ever-growing migration phenomenon, ranging from the strategically important area of labor migration to the multiple, simultaneous and complex humanitarian emergencies that result in large-scale forced displacement. IOM renders this support not only through dialogue and policy recommendations, but through pragmatic, concrete activities that respect national sovereignty, as well as the rights of migrants and host populations. n

28 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FOCUS REFUGEES AND INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS

Photo courtesy of Mark Wentling Assisting Refugees: LESSONS LEARNED, LIVES CHANGED An Ounce of Prevention… BY MARK G. WENTLING Editor’s Note: We invited AFSA members who have assisted refugees and internally displaced persons ver the past year, while working as Plan International’s during their Foreign Service careers Ocountry director for Burkina Faso, I traveled to several to share personal and professional Malian refugee camps in northern Burkina Faso. Ten of thou- reflections on those experiences. sands of people have fled there from Mali to escape a brutal Our thanks to all who responded. armed insurgency that is nearing its first anniversary, with no —Steven Alan Honley, Editor resolution in sight. Already overcrowded, these sites continue to draw desperate people, most arriving without any belongings to ease the transition to life in a desolate region of the host country.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 29 Is there really no way to help the occupants of these refugee camps return home safely—and reduce the chances others will take their places?

but because they are sick and hungry. Yet most relief operations still go under- funded, as donors become increasingly fatigued with the growing number of crises in the world. Over the years, the international community has learned many painful lessons about dealing with humanitarian crises. But it does not apply those lessons nearly as well as it should. In particular, although donors generally respond generously to an initial emergency, they fall short in terms of funding the care and maintenance of the displaced and refugees over the long run. And their record is even worse when it comes to crisis preparedness and disaster prevention. As I look across Africa, I see more refu-

Photo courtesy of Mark Wentling of courtesy Photo gees and internally displaced populations

Mark Wentling, at right here and on p. 29 in the blue striped shirt, talks with leaders of the than ever. Some of these camps have Mentao Refugee Camp in Burkina Faso in October 2012. He listens to their stories about already existed for more than a decade. Is leaving Mali and their views on conditions in the camp, which is located 200 kilometers there really no way to help their occu- north of Ouagadougou. pants return home safely and reduce the When I returned to my office in Ouagadougou, it was with chances others will take their places? the same heavy heart I’ve felt many times before in such situ- In Burkina Faso and elsewhere, USAID and other relief ations. I first experienced it as USAID mission director in Dar agencies have been making a valiant effort to care for tens of es Salaam from 1993 to 1994, when I visited dozens of similar thousands of Malian refugees, despite chronic underfunding. sites set up for Somalis. Then, as USAID mission director in Their caseload of Malian refugees is increasing rapidly, as an Tanzania from 1994 to 1996, I observed hundreds of thousands international military intervention to oust the radical Islamists of Rwandans who were packed into some of the biggest refugee now in control of northern Mali advances. camps in history. To paraphrase the old cliché, an ounce of prevention is Speaking as someone who has spent more than 40 years truly worth a pound of emergency response. Now is the time living and working in Africa—first as a Peace Corps Volunteer, to prepare for the humanitarian consequences of a full-scale then a Foreign Service officer, and now a retiree—I admire the military intervention in northern Mali—and future upheavals fortitude of all refugees and internally displaced persons who elsewhere in Africa. have made these exhausting and traumatizing treks. I certainly could not be that strong were a similar disaster to befall me. Mark G. Wentling, a retired USAID Senior Foreign Service of- What I find most heartbreaking is the suffering of the ficer currently working in Burkina Faso, is completing Africa’s children caught up in these situations. I’ve heard far too many Embrace, a novel about the practical and mysterious challenges young people cry at night, not only out of fear and loneliness, of living in Africa during the early 1970s.

30 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL A Bad Winter them look 60, but they were probably much younger, judging BY WILLIAM SCHOFIELD by the ages of their children. A few latrines were dug into the icy ground, into which children could easily slip. Back at the embassy, I called the reporters whose stories had he news reports back in January 2005 about Afghanistan’s appeared that day. I explained that the Afghan government, the Tcoldest winter in 12 years were heart-wrenching. People were United States and other donors, and the World Food Program and starving because trucks carrying food couldn’t make it through United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees were all providing snow-clogged roads in the mountains, and helicopters were socked nationwide assistance. But to emphasize that the Afghans themselves in by the weather. Wolves were attacking people in remote areas. were leading the effort, I noted that the ministers of refugee affairs In Kabul, a community of about 200 returnees from refugee and rural development were energetically coordinating the aid. camps in Pakistan had sprung up in an open field on a main road The reporter thanked me for the information, but seemed skep- not too far from the largest mosque and the presidential palace. tical. I can’t blame her for feeling that way: I recognized how hard Everyone was sick, with most suffering from respiratory ailments. it was to claim our efforts were effective when people were freezing Parvez and Khalil, my Afghan colleagues at the embassy, and to death down the street from President Hamid Karzai’s office. I drove to this field one gray morning in January 2005 to assess Later that morning I attended a meeting chaired by the refugee how we could help. The ground was icy and bare. Shelters cobbled affairs minister. The Red Crescent had found buildings into which together from plastic tarps, cardboard boxes, pieces of wood and to move the people squatting in the field, but needed some sup- tin cans beaten flat were scattered about. port. After the meeting, I called the Bureau of Population, Refu- Smoke curled from a few fires, over which several women were gees and Migration back in Washington. A quick conversation cooking. Their worn faces and battered hands and fingers made secured agreement to transfer $25,000 to the Red Crescent office in SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Afghan refugee children warm themselves up around a fire at a refugee camp in an abandoned office building in Kabul in February 2005, during one of the coldest winters on record.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 31 I recognized how hard it was to claim our efforts were effective when people were freezing to death down the street from President Hamid Karzai’s office.

Afghanistan. USAID soon donated an equal amount. A couple of days later, Parvez, Khalil and I drove to the complex Making a Difference BY MAHA ANGELINA ARMUSH of three-story, gray, rectangular office buildings that the Soviet Army had once occupied, which the Red Crescent would now use to house the returnees until spring. Every window and door was s a refugee resettlement officer in the Bureau of Popula- gone, along with all of the fixtures. On the entry level, boys ran Ation, Refugees and Migration, I sympathize deeply with around us, yelling and tugging at our coats. The girls smiled but the plight of all individuals fleeing persecution for a better kept their distance. life in America. It is tremendously rewarding to work with our A few people from the Refugee Ministry sat at small tables overseas resettlement support centers to help refugees navigate registering people and handing out plastic bags of food and sun- the process, so that they can finally get on an airplane and come dries. Men had started putting plastic sheets on the windows, and here. outside others were digging latrines and repairing a water pump. Let me share the stories of two brave individuals I’ve recently On the upper levels, families from the camp we had visited and assisted. After the parents of an Afghan homosexual were killed, others had already moved into each room, their belongings piled he fled the country to escape threats on his own life. First in in corners. Women cooked on charcoal braziers on the landings. Iran, then in Pakistan and Turkey, he was trafficked by militias As we walked down a hall, a stocky man with a wooden leg and armed groups for not conforming to social norms of gender waved to us and offered us tea, pointing to a metal pot sitting on a identity, and was forced to commit demeaning sexual acts for small stove in the middle of the floor. Bits of sleet came through the his captors. Undaunted, he continued to put his trust in people, open window in his room. He had covered the floor with dark-red yet the abuse continued. Even in the country where he first wool rugs and stacked duffel bags, blankets, boxes and more rugs received asylum and was protected by the Office of the United in the corners. Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the social discrimina- His wife handed each of us a small, steaming glass cup of tea, tion against him was severe. then retreated to just outside the room. The four of us sat on the Fortunately, the joint efforts of PRM’s resettlement support rugs and sipped the warm beverage for a few minutes as the man center, the Department of Homeland Security (which interviews told us he had fought in the jihad against the Soviets. That was how refugee applicants), and the International Organization for he lost his leg. He had been with the Taliban early on, but didn’t Migration eventually helped him overcome multiple adminis- like them once they took over. Now, he worked where he could. trative hurdles to arrive in America this past December. I am As we left the building, I felt hopeful that this small success delighted he is finally free from persecution and able to live as a could serve as a model for deeper cooperation among the Afghan truly free man. government, the Red Crescent and the United States in the overall Then there is the Iranian woman who fled persecution and relief effort that winter. Yes, it was clear that the Red Crescent and potential execution for having sex out of wedlock. After fleeing Afghan government expected no letup in the demands from an her home country for Turkey, she registered with UNHCR and endless line of displaced people. But like the man who had invited awaited processing to come to the United States. Then one us to drink tea with him at the shelter, Afghans had already seen day, a passing train plowed into her, tore off one of her limbs, many foreign armies and officials come and go. fractured her ribs and crushed her skull. Her doctors doubted While this was a bad winter, spring would come. she would survive, but sheer willpower pulled her through after several weeks in the hospital. William Schofield, a retired State Department Foreign Service Embassy Ankara expedited a visa appointment for her officer, served as refugee coordinator in Kabul from 2004 to 2005, mother, collaborating with several agencies and offices, so that among many other assignments. she could accompany her injured daughter to the United States.

32 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL In PRM, we give refugees concrete assistance, facilitating their resettlement to the United States in very practical ways.

The Next Chapter By Rachel O’Hara

ack in 2000, while working Bwith a refugee resettlement agency in sub-Saharan Africa, I spent several months in Kakuma, a refugee camp in desolate northern Kenya. While walking in the outskirts of the camp, I met two young Sudanese brothers who were among more than 63,000 refugees there. During our brief conversation, the teenagers recounted how they had lost their parents, fled Ali Etralik Visiting Embassy Ankara, Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees and Migration Anne their villages and made their way Richard, left, sits in on a cultural orientation class for refugees who are about to depart Turkey to a refugee camp in Ethiopia. for the United States. After crossing into Kenya, they eked out a tenuous existence, (Afterward, the mother plans to return to her other children subsisting on one or two meals a day. Their shining ray of hope in Iran.) When the young woman finally arrived in the United was the possibility of resettling in the United States some day. States in January, some friends whom she had met along the Over the years, I’ve met many refugees who have achieved way were there to welcome her at the airport. Despite her physi- that dream. While they are grateful they no longer have to cal limitations, her spirit remains strong and she is ecstatic to be dodge bombs or witness the deaths of loved ones, they have here. struggled to master a new language, adapt to an alien culture, In PRM, we have the opportunity to help refugees like these and succeed in a difficult job market. by providing concrete assistance, facilitating their resettle- Some of them were orphans who ran from hails of bullets ment to the United States in very practical ways. As a Foreign back in Africa. But in America they have graduated from elite Service officer, it brings me great joy to know that I am helping universities and landed good jobs. Their ranks include Somali refugees get out of harm’s way and pursue a better life, and I am agriculturalists now engaged in organic farming, and Iraqi phy- grateful for the collaborative efforts of multiple agencies in that sicians making their way through the recertification process to endeavor. Our work truly makes a difference. practice in the United States. A decade of working with refugees has filled me with great Maha Angelina Armush, a State Department Foreign Service pride in my country, for giving so many of the world’s vulner- officer since 2006, is the program officer for refugee admissions able the opportunity to resettle in America and rebuild their from Europe, Central Asia, Turkey and Lebanon in the Bureau of lives from scratch. I admire the dedication of Foreign Service Population, Refugees and Migration. colleagues like Ambassador William Lacy Swing, director gen- the Foreign Service journal | march 2013 33 Working with Vietnamese, Cambodian and Lao evacuees and refugees was the most gratifying part of my 31-year Foreign Service career.

eral of the International Organization for Migration, and every- a lifelong appreciation for the country and its people. That one who has worked in State’s Bureau for Population, Refugees fondness only grew when I returned there as an FSO in 1970 and Migration, or the refugee affairs offices at USAID. to live and work in a rural district. So you can imagine the Finally, I salute all refugee service organizations and the anxiety I felt as I followed the news of the North Vietnamese volunteers who work tirelessly, often under harsh, dangerous Army’s advance on Saigon in the spring of 1975. I was called to conditions, to support refugees and empower them to prepare help out in the evacuation of Vietnam that April, ending up as for the next chapter in their lives. a civil coordinator on Wake Island—where I lived with 12,000 evacuees! Rachel O’Hara, a State Department Foreign Service officer since A few years later, as the plight of those fleeing Vietnam by 2011, currently serves in Chennai. boat turned into a humanitarian crisis, I again left my assigned post to work at refugee camps in Malaysia. Inspired by that experience, in the mid-1980s I chose a full-time, four-year Vietnam Memories assignment in Bangkok with the Refugee and Orderly Depar- BY BRUCE BEARDSLEY ture Program. There, in addition to running what was then the State hough I didn’t begin my diplomatic career with an interest Department’s largest refugee resettlement and protection Tin refugee affairs, I soon developed one. Looking back, operation, I was able to revise the way in which goals were set I would say that was truly the most important aspect of my and achieved. I visited hundreds of refugees in various states of career. distress, and even traveled to Hanoi (despite the lack of formal My military service in Vietnam from 1965 to 1966 sparked diplomatic relations) to negotiate agreements governing our work. Those advances enhanced the efficiency and focus of the ODP process. Working with Vietnamese, Cambo- dian and Lao evacuees and refugees was the most gratifying part of my 31-year Foreign Service career. Seeing the refugee population on Pilau Bidong shrink due to my efforts, or hearing people’s expressions of appreciation as they were reunited with their families, was always an inspiration to me. This wasn’t just true in Southeast Asia, either. The energy radiating from Kosovars in 1999 when I was assisting their return to rebuild their lives was equally gratifying. I enjoyed the adrenaline rush that came after each successful bureaucratic battle, whether with the interagency Photo courtesy of Bruce Beardsley Bruce of courtesy Photo Vietnamese “boat refugees” crowd around the interview area at Pulau Bidong, Malaysia. process or host governments. But more This island off the coast of Trengganu peaked with about 45,000 refugees in the fall of 1979. important, I came to see my own prob-

34 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL lems as insignificant compared to the A Hopeful suffering of so many people. Thoughts of advancing one’s career become Homecoming BY LAUREEN REAGAN much less important than helping people who have lost everything, and are starting all over in a foreign land. hroughout my career, I’ve had Acting on that conviction led me Tmany opportunities to work with to challenge official guidance when people displaced by violence, wars I saw a better way to proceed. That and natural disasters in Haiti, India, © iStockphoto.com/Claudiad independence did not enhance my A Sudanese family stands in front of their hut Indonesia, Kenya, Pakistan, Sudan popularity in Washington (where I in Mundri, South Sudan. These people were and Thailand. Yet none of those refugees and came back to their village to start chose never to serve), but I believe it experiences has left as indelible an a new life. generally improved procedures and impression as working with migrants yielded real results. returning to what would shortly become South Sudan. During his 31-year Foreign Service career, Bruce Beardsley Following the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that served in Vietnam, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Denmark, Malaysia, ended half a century of successive civil wars in Sudan, some of South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Mexico and Kosovo. the estimated four million people displaced within Sudan—the largest internally displaced population in the world—gradually Photo courtesy of Laureen Reagan Laureen of courtesy Photo Three proud ladies return to their homeland following South Sudan’s independence.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 35 began returning home. Initially, the pace was slow and steady. However, returns spiked just before the January 2011 referendum, which granted residents of Sudan’s 10 southern states the opportunity to choose autonomy. As the world focused on the implementation of a successful, violence-free referendum, hundreds of thousands of people began traveling south via road, rail, barge and plane. It was against this backdrop that I arrived in Juba with USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance to facilitate U.S. assistance for the influx of returnees. We immediately increased monitoring at transit and destination sites, and coordinated with partners to ensure that the incoming returnees received adequate assistance. We traveled to the port in Juba to interact with the shiploads of people who transited the port almost daily. Most had been delayed at bottlenecked transit points in the north for days, and all had been trapped on barges for the slow, two-week journey down the Nile. Yet they arrived in a state of celebration, with families singing and dancing and women joyously ululating. They had been displaced for generations and shared with me the joy of a long-awaited return. The returnees represented all walks of life, from the relatively wealthy to the very poor, and from the elderly to the very young. On one ship, I spoke with a mother who had given birth just before her ship docked. Without any thought for her recent hardships, she exclaimed, “My baby has been born in the place of my parents’ birth; my family is finally home!” Tens of thousands of returnees flowed into stadiums and schools, or ended up underneath trees with their belongings: beds, sofas, chairs, tables, cooking utensils, corrugated iron sheets, radio and TV sets; sometimes even fridges and small generators. In many cases their material goods had made them rich by comparison to the southern Sudanese who welcomed them home. As they shared their concerns and hopes with us, some returnees expressed fear of the unknown regarding their legal status in the north following the referendum. But none reported being forced to leave the north. Many came back expecting to participate in the voting, only to discover that they had missed their chance to register. Yet this setback did little to deflate their excitement at returning home. We visited local authorities in areas where returnees were congregating to determine the extent to which they had planned for, and were able to absorb, the thousands of families on their doorsteps. Some officials designated plots of land for

36 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL returnees to build homes, while others coordinated homestay programs until they could provide them with transport to rural areas. Absorptive capacity was a significant concern due to limited resources. Despite these constraints, numerous transit sites that had been intended to be small and temporary turned into villages and towns with significant economic activity and semi-permanent infrastructure, thanks to the industrious returnees. Sadly, though, many of the considerable technical skills they brought with them from their vocations in the north were of little use in their new homes. Language skills were another problem. One young Arabic- speaking woman, who had been a housekeeper for an elite family in the north, admitted that she didn’t know how she would survive in the south. But with her small child resting on her hip, she said she was determined to learn a new language, take up a new vocation and start over. Most of the returnees had spent their whole lives as displaced persons. A few shared stories of residing for years in refugee camps in bordering countries, and many reported receiving U.S. and international support at some stage. No one could predict the outcome of the referendum, of course, but there was an overwhelming sense that with 50 years of war behind them, they would now be able to offer their children a better future. One woman, after surveying a plot of barren land she had received near the village of her ancestors, told me, “I don’t know how we will live here. My children don’t know this place, and they don’t even speak the local language. But this is their home, so we will find a way.” In the presence of such courage, it was sobering to reflect that the road ahead for the returnees would be even steeper than the road behind them. Those of us who are aid practition- ers in such settings may become frustrated by exceptionally poor conditions and insufficient resources that make lasting progress seem far out of reach. To counter these realities, I remind myself that I have witnessed the great impact that U.S. programs continue to have on the lives of the displaced. I also carry with me memories of the Southern Sudanese returnees who, despite significant hardship, maintained that one crucial ingredient for positive and permanent change: tremendous, unrelenting hope.

Laureen Reagan, a Foreign Service officer, is currently assigned to USAID/Zimbabwe’s Humanitarian Assistance Office in Harare. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 37 FS KNOW-HOW

IS ADEQUATE DISABILITY INCOME INSURANCE AVAILABLE TO FS FAMILIES?

BY WILLIAM CARRINGTON

s a financial adviser and a Foreign Service spouse, I know firsthand just how important it is for Foreign Many Foreign Service members Service families to develop a finan- mistakenly believe they have more cial plan to enable them to achieve their goals and manage risks. One disability income insurance than is common tool for mitigating financial actually the case. risks is insurance, whereby you pay someone to assume a risk for you that you are unwilling or Aunable to assume for yourself. High on that list is loss of income due to a long-term or permanent physical disability. According to the Council for Disability Awareness, most disabilities are caused by illness rather than accidental injury. And since the chances of developing a serious illness increase with age, one could assume that the need for disability insurance would also increase for older employees. In fact, while younger employees may be at a lower statistical risk of a disabling illness, they have a lower financial capacity to absorb the risk. Older employees who have paid off a mortgage, accrued many years toward a pension, gotten kids

William Carrington is the founder and principal of Carrington Finan- cial Planning, LLC of Arlington, Va., which specializes in financial planning for Foreign Service employees. He is the spouse of FSO Mar- got Carrington. The views expressed here are those of the author only.

38 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL The coverage available to vate sector, have either purchased enough life insurance coverage to offset the loss of the employee’s income in the event Foreign Service employees is of premature death, or have access to such coverage. But fewer very limited, precisely because than one-third of those employees carry sufficient long-term disability insurance. they work overseas. This gap in coverage is due both to a lack of understanding of the real risk of suffering a physical disability, and the mis- taken belief that employees are already covered through their employer, by Social Security or a by combination of the two. It is also taking an unnecessary risk, since DI is quite afford- through college, and built up retirement savings may be better able for most people—though adequate DI coverage does not able to self-insure. appear to be currently available to Foreign Service employees, Protection from this kind of financial risk is best provided as I explain further below. by disability income insurance, also known as income replace- Many in the Foreign Service are generally aware of the need ment insurance. The good news is that all Foreign Service for long-term care insurance, partly because it has been in the employees automatically have some employer-sponsored DI news so much in recent years. As the name suggests, LTCI pays coverage in the form of the Foreign Service Disability Retire- for specialized care provided during an employee’s recupera- ment Pension. However, this pension replaces only a small tion from an illness or injury, but does not replace income lost part of an employee’s salary. during that period. In addition, there is an assumption that the After working with a number of Foreign Service clients, I employee will eventually return to work. have come to realize that many of them mistakenly believe When that is not possible, many Foreign Service employ- they have more DI coverage than is actually the case. As a ees assume they have adequate employer-provided disability result, they unwittingly carry more financial risk than is advis- income protection that will automatically kick in once they are able. unable to work. But that is not the case. While I want to stress the importance of supplemental dis- If a federal employee becomes disabled and cannot con- ability income insurance for filling the gap between support tinue to work, he or she only has the following employer-pro- from a Foreign Service Disability Retirement Pension and the vided resources to draw on: accrued sick leave, accrued vaca- individual or family’s living expenses, it should be noted that tion time, borrowed or donated sick leave, and the 12 weeks of there is a notable lack of options available to members of the unpaid sick leave mandated by the Family and Medical Leave Foreign Service, for the very reason that they work overseas. Act. Once these resources are exhausted, the employee would normally be terminated if unable to return to work. (The State Insurance: The Right Mix Department’s Office of Employee Relations does everything it While gathering data to prepare a financial plan for Foreign can to assist such individuals, but obviously cannot keep them Service clients, I routinely review their earnings and leave on the payroll indefinitely.) statements. In so doing, I’m often struck by the number of insurance premiums deducted from employees’ salaries. A When Disability Becomes Permanent typical E&L statement will have deductions for Social Security; At that point, the disabled employee must depend on his or Medicare; basic life insurance; Federal Employees Group Life her Foreign Service Disability Retirement Pension (and Social Insurance; and a group health plan, dental plan, vision plan, Security, if eligible). And this is where massive confusion long-term care insurance and an immediate benefits plan; arises. Many employees assume that their disability retirement among others. pension will approximate their pre-retirement salary, but this What is not usually on that list of deductions is supple- is not usually the case. mental disability coverage. Yet the permanent disability of a The Foreign Service Pension System rules regarding disabil- breadwinner can be more financially damaging to the family ity retirement state that for individuals who are under 62, but than his or her death. not yet eligible for regular retirement (i.e., at least 50 years old, Most U.S.-based employees, whether in the public or pri- with at least 20 years of federal service), the FSPS disability

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 39 Many Foreign Service Social Security disability benefits. But that is where the second obstacle comes in: Due to the narrow definitions of disability employees assume that their that the Social Security Administration uses to discour- disability retirement pension age fraudulent claims, disabled employees cannot count on will approximate their receiving those payments. pre-retirement salary, but Left in the Lurch: The Foreign Service this is not usually the case. Another reason disability coverage is so important for the families of Foreign Service employees is the fact that they often cannot count on a second income from the non-FS spouse or partner, given the difficulty of maintaining a career as they move from country to country. Whereas dual-income annuity during the first year is just 60 percent of their high- families in the United States have the additional safety net of a three average salary—minus 100 percent of Social Security second income, Foreign Service families have usually sacri- benefits. During the second year and until age 62, the annuity ficed this for the sake of the career and the privilege of serving falls to 40 percent of their high-three average salary, minus 60 their country overseas. percent of Social Security benefits. Ironically, the coverage available to Foreign Service Employees can perform a rough calculation of potential employees is very limited, precisely because they work over- disability income for themselves by looking up their potential seas. In fact, according to Ryan Insurance Strategy Consul-

40 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL tants, Lloyd’s of London is the only insurance underwriter While younger employees offering it, and even that is limited coverage through a number of resellers. may be at a lower statistical The American Foreign Service Protective Association offers risk of a disabling illness, a policy underwritten by Lloyd’s that offers two years of benefits of up to $3,000 per month and an optional $250,000 lump they also generally have a sum payment. While this coverage is far less than that which lower financial capacity is available to U.S.-resident employees, it could go a long way to absorb that risk. toward paying off a mortgage, funding college savings plans, or helping a spouse or partner launch a new career. Alternatively, Low Load Insurance Services of Tampa, Fla., provides limited coverage, also underwritten by Lloyd’s, to federal employees who are posted overseas for no more than beyond. They are also eligible to purchase affordable DI-gap three years in a row. But that would obviously not be suitable insurance that will replace most of their lost income. The lack for the many Foreign Service personnel who routinely work of any comparable program for members of the Foreign Ser- overseas for much longer periods. vice leaves them at a distinct disadvantage in this area. Many public-sector and private-sector employees residing Until better coverage becomes available for Foreign Service in the United States have employer-sponsored DI coverage members, they should explore with a financial adviser pos- that will replace about 60 percent of gross income to age 65 or sible strategies to protect themselves financially.n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 41

AFSA NEWS THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION

Raising the Profile of AFSA and the Foreign Service BY AFSA PRESIDENT SUSAN R. JOHNSON

Dear AFSA members, Foreign Service and the State are raised about its capacity During 2012, AFSA Department as professional to grow the senior leader- addressed broad concerns institutions. The global envi- ship bench that is needed to and conducted wide-ranging ronment and its challenges craft and implement effective activities to raise the profile have increased professional American diplomacy—politi- of diplomacy, the Foreign demands on the Foreign Ser- cal, commercial, develop- Service and AFSA itself. vice—as well as on diplomacy mental and humanitarian. and development—to make Key Priorities and the right choices on goals, Strengthening and Concerns priorities and strategies. Modernizing AFSA The transition from Secre- Against this backdrop, our tary of State Hillary Rodham 2012 Annual Report reflects Clinton to Secretary of AFSA’s continuing focus State John Kerry provided on: (1) building capacity for an opportunity to share our more effective advocacy with key priorities and areas of management and Congress concerns: security/diplo- by getting the right staff in macy and effective risk place, the data we need for management that does not serious and credible analysis, overly constrain the ability to and broader and deeper rela- engage in the field; strength- tionships with key decision- ening Foreign Service capac- makers; (2) renewing our ity through an increase in commitment to professional substantial education and excellence and advocating PHOTOS BY DONNA AYERST DONNA BY PHOTOS training opportunities for AFSA President Susan R. Johnson. for a rethink of requirements the profession of diplomacy; for today’s diplomats and tangible recognition and fair Professionalism in what professional education compensation for diplomats; Decline and training is needed, when and institutional reform and At the same time, there is evi- and how and from whom; (3) restructuring to strengthen dence that meritocracy and improving communications the Foreign Service, the professionalism as concepts with members and develop- Department of State and governing our diplomatic ing more substantial and USAID. and development institu- sustained dialogue between The issues relevant to tions are in decline. Political AFSA leadership and our risks and dangers inherent patronage and partisanship members in the field; (4) in the conduct of diplomacy have grown steadily in the reaching out to policymakers were brought under sharper last four decades. Nowhere is and the media for improved focus by the tragic events of this more obvious than in the and effective advocacy; and Sept. 11 in Benghazi. Other senior leadership and man- (5) clarifying governance themes summarized in the agement ranks of our agen- and professionalizing and AFSA letter to Secretary-Des- cies, where, despite steady streamlining internal AFSA ignate Kerry were prompted expansion, the role of the operations to better define by the growing realization of career Foreign Service has the role and responsibil-

2012 ANNUAL REPORT the need to strengthen the diminished and questions ity of the Governing Board

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 43 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT AFSA NEWS

and its individual members, the executive director and the is to promote a strong professional career Foreign Service as professional staff, to better align programs and resources with the institutional backbone of American diplomacy, protect strategic priorities. the professional interests and rights of our members, pro- The annual report that follows provides highlights from mote high professional standards for all American diplomats, all sections of AFSA summarizing key accomplishments and and promote broader understanding of the critical role of ongoing programs that move us toward our five strategic diplomacy and development in promoting America’s national goals: strengthening governance and internal operations, security, economic prosperity and values. This is, however, core advocacy, image and outreach, growing membership and a continuing endeavor that calls for perspective, experi- development and supporting professionalism and ethics in ence, insight, fresh ideas, courage and patient persistence to the Foreign Service. achieve success. As a professional association and union, AFSA’s mission

2012 Highlights

• We draw satisfaction that our membership continued to grow, although at a slower rate reflecting the slowdown in hiring. • The budget grew modestly to $4.66 million with revenue principally from dues. • Our advocacy on Capitol Hill continues to intensify as we strengthen relationships and build new ones with the 113th Con- gress. • We have approved a new study of congressional attitudes toward the Foreign Service to update the one done a decade ago. • AFSA programming continued to draw sustained participation and contributed to raising the profile of the Foreign Service and AFSA. • Successful member mobilization on behalf of Foreign Service animal companions and their owners against United Airline’s pet transportation and fee policies. • The AFSA High School Essay Contest is now recognized as one of the leading contests of its kind, with a generous cash award, meeting with the Secretary of State and a Semester at Sea educational voyage for the winner. • The first redesign of The Foreign Service Journal in 18 years was a resounding success, drawing kudos from members and non-members alike. • The FS book program is growing, supplementing the highly successful Inside a U.S. Embassy with a new book project on the history of AFSA and, implicitly, of the Foreign Service itself. • AFSA’s labor management team remains stretched thin with an ever-growing caseload of both grievances and requests for advice and assistance in resolving a wide array of problems, reflecting, at least in part, a diminished capacity of management to deal with employee issues and the influx of new employees at State and USAID, in particular. • We established a new standing committee on professionalism and ethics. • The Governing Board governance committee developed written descriptions of the role of the GB and individual board positions, and initiated discussion on how to optimize relationships between and among board members, the executive director and professional staff. • For the first time ever, AFSA has retained the services of management consultants to undertake a staffing review to better align staff and organization with mission and goals, and of development experts to advise us on expanding our professional fundraising and communications objectives. • We initiated an ongoing campaign to promote Foreign Service support for and engagement with the new United States Diplomacy Cen- ter and Museum of American Diplomacy project, officially launched by Secretary Clinton at the end of her tenure.

In the efforts described above, we have drawn on the views and concerns of our elected board representatives and officers and on those conveyed to us by members. We look forward to hearing more from you throughout 2013. Sincerely, Susan R. Johnson n

44 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT

AFSA Board of Governors PHOTOS BY DONNA AYERST DONNA BY PHOTOS Front row, left to right: Keith Curtis, Meg Gilroy, Daniel Hirsch, Susan Johnson, E. Alex Copher, Francisco Zamora, Joyce Namde, Ken Kero-Mentz. Middle row: Andre De Nesnera, Robert Houdek, Matthew Asada, David Zwach, Andrew Levin. Back row, left to rght: Edward Marks, Hugh Neighbor, William Bent, Elise Mellinger, Lillian Wahl-Tuco, Ted Osius, David Mergen, Jason Singer, Stephen Morrison. (Not pictured: Andrew Winter, Tim Corso, Molly Williamson.) The Foreign Service Journal AFSA Executive Staff Editorial Board

Executive Director Ian Houston IAN HOUSTON Front row, left to right: Richard McKee, Judith Baroody, James P. Seevers, Stephen W. Buck, Jed Meline. Back row, left to right: Ruth M. Hall, William D. Bent, Gordon Brown, Gregory L. Naarden, Beth Payne, Clayton Bond. IAN HOUSTON Executive Assistant to the President USAID Staff Assistant Patrick Bradley Chioma Diké

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 45 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT AFSA NEWS

State Department: A Year of Public Victories

BY STATE VP DANIEL HIRSCH

Another busy year began sional Knowledge Act, as well and termination, including an On an individual level, we with the annual battle in as repeated attacks on our “LNA handbook” and a modi- have assisted several AFSA Congress over budget and salaries and benefits. We also fied Employee Evaluation members who have returned salary issues (including Over- investigated State’s compli- Report form, and ensured from high-stress posts with seas Comparability Pay) and ance with the Uniformed AFSA participation in their Post-Traumatic Stress Dis- ended with a report on the Services Employment and entry-on-duty training. order or other stress-related Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi Reemployment Rights Act, Thanks to our advocacy, EFM problems. which resulted in the tragic which protects the rights hiring will not be reduced loss of four colleagues and of employees who serve on and LNAs will not compete FS Pets friends. AFSA weighed in military reserve duty, and with entry-level officers for In April, United Airlines on changes in staffing of collaborated in the ongoing developmental positions. In adopted a worldwide pet- posts in Iraq, Afghanistan development of an alter- addition, no LNA program will shipping policy, ending the and Pakistan; training and native dispute resolution bypass the exam as an entry shipment of pets as accom- benefits offered to those program. method into the Foreign panied baggage and requir- serving in those posts; and For years, State used Service, and all LNAs will be ing that they be shipped as the extended departure of a few limited non-career represented by AFSA. cargo. This led to a drastic family members from some appointments to fill very- increase in both price and other posts in the region. short-term needs. Such High-Stress Posts inconvenience to FS mem- programs expanded in 2011 Assignments to high-stress bers. United waived the pol- Personnel Issues and, even more dramatically, and unaccompanied posts icy for the military. Through We consulted on the imple- last year. As U.S. troops left carry many risks, many AFSA’s efforts, more than mentation of new limited Iraq, State informed us of a of which can be mitigated 3,000 first-person e-mails non-career appointment plan to hire LNA personnel by better training. Extend- were sent to United. Concur- programs in the bureaus security specialists with skills ing training to Eligible rently, we worked with State of Diplomatic Security and different from those of other Family Members can also to catalyze Foreign Affairs Consular Affairs, and a new DS employees. Soon after, help address the psycho- Manual changes countering program creating limited State proposed to hire LNA logical stresses on both the United’s near monopoly on short-term overseas devel- visa adjudicators for Brazil, employee and the loved ones certain routes. opmental opportunities for Russia, India and China, since left behind. Discussions with The result: a waiver simi- Civil Service employees. filling these jobs with career the Foreign Service Institute, lar to what was offered to the And we urged a review of candidates was impractical. the Office of Medical Ser- military was instated for the Foreign Service recruitment We discussed a range of vices and the Family Liaison Foreign Service. The waiver practices, re-evaluation of questions: the role of these Office influenced a number of itself is far from perfect, Career Development Plans employees at posts; the improvements in this regard. however, and its implemen- and monitored the redistribu- impact on training entry- As the military moved tation by United’s staff has tion of positions reserved for level officers and the hiring out of Iraq, we discussed been uneven. More broadly, entry-level Foreign Service of Eligible Family Members; with MED and others the AFSA has been working with members. whether AFSA would repre- steps that would be taken State to develop emergency Throughout the year, we sent them; and the mechan- to protect the health and evacuation standard operat- defended the Service against ics of ending their appoint- safety of FS members, ing procedures for pets. attacks on our individual ments. We helped develop including expansion of a rights to privacy, such as the standard criteria for LNA Psychiatric Social Worker QDDR Stop Trading on Congres- hiring, evaluation, retention staff (another LNA category). As part of the Quadrennial

46 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT

And Behind the Scenes Progress

BY STATE VP DANIEL HIRSCH

Defense and Development rights of FS bloggers, writers privacy and reduce the risk has updated its guidance to Review, State initiated a and users of social media. of information breaches. We employees under investiga- program to provide overseas This is an ongoing effort. were successful in getting a tion to address it. opportunities for Civil Service Less visibly, we weighed in number of improper forms employees to develop knowl- on the case of an FS member recalled, changed or more Security Clearances edge that would improve accused of inappropriate properly issued, and worked On the security clearance their understanding of our conduct under disputed cir- with the bureaus involved to front, we engaged in con- realities when they returned cumstances while traveling. increase awareness of the structive discussions which to positions in Washington. The Department of Justice issues. appear to have influenced a This high QDDR priority, still had sought to extend U.S. number of promising trends. in its pilot phase, has obvious jurisdiction to this case by Taping Interviews Significantly, while we some- potential benefits for State’s improperly applying a law When a DS office in Wash- times disagreed with DS over mission. AFSA negotiated that should apply only to ington sought to introduce other aspects of cases, in we clear definitions of purpose active-duty military person- audio- and videotaping of did not see any new suspen- and scope (limiting the nel. Concerned about the interviews during its investi- sion or revocation cases number of encumbered precedential implications gations, AFSA questioned the initiated that did not have an positions to 20 at any time), of expanding a military law initiative, and asked whether understandable nexus to the and a reciprocal element that to Foreign Service civilians, interviews that occurred government-wide standards. would enable Foreign Service AFSA supported the efforts overseas or contained clas- In 2012, HR and DS members to fill selected Civil of the private attorney sified information would be initiated a more regular and Service positions for state- involved, and DOJ backed off. taped as well. We asked that fuller exchange of informa- side assignments. DS furnish employees with a tion regarding the status of STOCK Act copy of the tape immediately individual cases, which we Following Rules The STOCK Act imposed a after the interview. hope will reduce processing One of AFSA’s most impor- requirement that personal DS stated that, at present, times. Our suggestions for tant functions is to ensure information be published it did not plan to record inter- stronger quality control are that the department follows online, threatening both views conducted overseas or being considered, and we its own rules with regard the personal security of FS containing classified infor- are hopeful the department to due process in disciplin- employees and the national mation. It agreed to initiate will implement at least those ary and security clearance security of the United States. the use of a standardized measures used by other cases. AFSA won a significant Working with the Senior form to obtain informed con- agencies with large security victory for an FS author and Executive Association and sent before audio and video clearance workloads. blogger whose work was dis- other affected groups, we recording of any interview tasteful to many, but who had have, thus far, achieved takes place, but stated that Benghazi complied with regulations in delays in implementation the employee would not be AFSA attorneys advised clearing his book and argued while these issues can be able to obtain a copy of the and represented employees that regulations on blogging addressed. recordings until the investi- before the Benghazi Account- were unclear. The case led to In addition, members gation is completed, and the ability Review Board. We are a comprehensive review of brought to our attention a entire report of investigation monitoring implementation relevant Foreign Affairs Man- number of forms and other is forwarded to the employee. of the board’s recommenda- ual regulations, and provided efforts to collect information, AFSA continues to have con- tions. n AFSA with the opportunity to which did not comply with cerns about this practice and use the process to clarify the rules intended to protect

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 47 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT AFSA NEWS

USAID VP: Helping Even More Members BY USAID VP FRANCISCO ZAMORA

The recently completed Development Leadership Initiative effects, including his car, back to his home of record when he brought in more than 800 new Foreign Service officers, most had to leave post on compassionate travel. of whom joined AFSA. As a result, our office has seen a signifi- • In monitoring the evaluation and promotion process, we cant increase in the pace and volume of requests for services discovered that the line drawing exercise could include several and assistance, both here and in the field. While a great more promotions due to special circumstances. amount of our time is spent on negotiating policy, program • Some financial institutions, mortgage lenders, tax authori- and organizational issues, we also became closely involved in ties and state and local governments are interpreting post personal, one-on-one assistance to our new and old members. mailing addresses as evidence that the employee is not a A sampling of our successes in 2012 follows: resident of the U.S. Several employees have experienced this • At our behest, USAID overturned an African post’s unfair situation, which required us to provide certification of their demand that FSOs accept personal liability for auto accidents residency status to resolve the problem. ocurring during in-country car trips lasting more than 10 • In one case, we overturned the agency’s previous denial of hours. eligibility for a recruitment incentive payment worth several • We helped a member receive Virtual Separate Maintenance thousand dollars; helped another member to find a missing Allowance, which had been unfairly denied. federal student loan check; and established that another • Through our intervention with USAID’s Office of Human member’s service computation date of employment was Resources, a member was allowed to ship all of his personal incorrect. n

FAS VP: Progress, But Still a Lot to Do BY FAS VP DAVID MERGEN

The AFSA member meetings in April, May, June, July and agency can continue to bring in the highest-quality officers October set the agenda for much of the last year, with frustra- possible. tion over the current promotion system a constant theme. Late in the year, the Promotions Precepts Working Group FAS has been shrinking the Senior Foreign Service and FS-01 started a review of the AFSA contract provisions covering ranks in recent years and using upward stretches to fill numer- career advancement, so we expect to make progress on this ous positions overseas, fueling this discontent. There was and other facets of the process during 2013. improvement in 2012 as more officers were promoted than The FAS Foreign Service faces issues that affect all FS in previous years, but we still have a long way to go to ensure employees. Despite the bad reputation of the much-maligned that staffing decisions are based on a long-term assessment Partnership Councils of the 1990s, the latest incarnation— of personnel needs, rather than short-term fiscal concerns. now labeled the Labor Management Forum—is actively press- FAS will continue to be under budget pressure, so we have ing for a better work environment. FAS was ranked just 282nd an obligation to make the agency run better, which includes out of 292 agencies in the 2012 ranking of “Best Places to treating its employees to the highest standards possible. In Work in the Federal Government,” leaving room to improve. 2012, we clarified gray areas in the rules on time-in-class and I am particularly concerned that more than half the time-in-service extensions for service in Afghanistan, Pakistan employees surveyed felt that the leadership did not generate and Iraq, and agreed to open the Foreign Service recruitment high levels of motivation and commitment in the work force. I process to a wider range of applicants to ensure that the am pushing for significant improvement in 2013.n

48 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT

FCS VP: Some Big Wins BY FCS VP KEITH CURTIS

The past year saw several major accomplishments, with larger Senior Government Service coalition—to postpone, significant bottom line and positive career effects for the and, we hope, overturn the provision of the Stop Trading on Foreign Commercial Service. We could not have accomplished Congressional Knowledge Act that would have required Senior anything like this without a strong, positive relationship with Service members to post their private financial information management. Our thanks go to Deputy Director General on the Internet for all to see. We successfully argued against it Charles (Chuck) Ford, Ejike Obineche, director of Foreign on the Hill and brought an American Civil Liberties Union suit Service personnel, and Tom Moore, deputy assistant secretary arguing that the act is an invasion of privacy and endangers for the Office of International Operations. I am also in great personnel and U.S. government security unnecessarily. debt for the hard, smart work of Steve Morrison, AFSA FCS Established an Ambassadorial Process. We have made representative. it a priority to have at least one ambassador appointed from Worked on the Proposed International Trade Admin- the FCS ranks, and were finally successful this year in getting istration Consolidation. This subject dominated the last management to establish a process to implement this goal. six months of the year and included extensive meetings with We believe that an FCS ambassadorship is important not only management, regular liaison on for the career track, but also for the the Hill, outreach to the member- The past year saw several major visibility and interagency prestige of ship, analysis and a lot of jabber. the Service. It is long past the time We were disappointed that man- accomplishments, with significant for this neglect to be corrected. agement could not find the capac- bottom line and positive career Restored a Proper Continuing ity to respond in a spirit that could Service Agreement. After manage- have produced a good product. effects for Foreign Commercial ment implemented a stringent inter- We believe the proposal seriously Service. pretation of the requirement that threatens our clients’ interests officers pay back transfer and other and FCS members’ careers. The expenses if they leave the Service outcome is still in doubt as I write this column, but we have before completing a full assignment, we successfully argued succeeded in getting substantial review and additional time. that an officer should only be liable for his or her return-from- Established a Full-Time AFSA VP Position. In 2012, after post costs if he or she does not complete two years. If an many years of advocacy, we changed the AFSA VP position officer curtails an assignment after less than one year at post, from half-time, reporting to the Office of International Opera- he or she will be liable for both to-and-from-post expenses tions deputy assistant secretary, to a full-time position. This and shipment of belongings. If the assignment panel breaks created greater independence, removed conflicts of interests the assignment, the officer is not liable. and provided the time to do the job well. The officer is no lon- Established the Deputy Director General Position. In ger reviewed for promotion or for awards, but receives time- the past, the DDG position has frequently (but not always) in-class and time-in-service extensions for up to three years. been held by an FSO. Working hard with Chuck Ford, we set Restored Bonuses. Late in 2011, management declared the precedent that the DDG should always be reserved for an there would be no money for bonuses for Commercial Service FSO. This is important not only for career mobility, but for the employees. We worked hard, enlisting allies on Capitol Hill, to institution. n have those funds restored, staving off a dangerous precedent with significant personal implications for anyone serious about our career. Beating Back the STOCK Act. We worked, so far successfully—in dramatic last-minute pitches on the Hill with the

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 49 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT AFSA NEWS

Labor Management: Taking On All Issues BY SHARON PAPP, AFSA GENERAL COUNSEL DONNA AYERST DONNA Labor Management Staff (left to right): Staff Attorney Andrew Large, Senior Staff Attorney Neera Parikh, Office Manager Christine Warren, Deputy General Counsel Zlatana Badrich, General Counsel Sharon Papp, USAID Senior Labor Management Advisor Douglas Broome, Labor Management Throughout 2012, AFSA’s and allowances, per diem, Counselor Janet Weber and Staff Attorney Raeka Safai. (Not pictured: Senior Labor Management staff entry-level salaries, overtime Labor Management Advisor James Yorke) dealt with a wide array of pay, workers compensation, employment-related issues. debts, leave forfeiture, retire- to children of separated blogs). The Grievance Board By the close of the year, we ment, transportation/stor- parents; educational allow- issued several instructive were working on approxi- ages, and cohabitation and ance for children of employ- decisions relating to extra- mately 280 active individual contact reporting. ees on reimbursable details marital affairs. In one case, cases: grievances, discipline at AFRICOM; waiver forms the board found that the proceedings and security Institutional Issues for employees assigned to department’s regulations clearance issues; Diplomatic The staff also worked on High-Threat Tactical train- found in the Foreign Affairs Security, Office of the Inspec- institutional issues relating to ing; concerns relating to DS Manual (3 FAM 4130 and tor General and Office of Foreign Commercial Ser- Ready Teams whereby agents 4139.1) did not put grievant Civil Rights investigations; vice consolidation; Foreign are on-call for 30 days and “…on sufficient notice that he and Benghazi Accountability Agricultural Service promo- can be deployed within 24 would be subject to discipline Review Board inquiries. tion numbers; concerns with hours notice to any post; and for extramarital sex with con- Diplomatic Security’s Office issues relating to a new MED senting women without any Counseling of Special Investigations, credentialing form, to name aggravating factors, such as Members including issues relating to a few. dishonesty, intoxication, pay- In addition, the LM staff audio/video recording of ment, exploitation, chain-of- counseled thousands of interviews; Senior Foreign Off-Duty Conduct command issues, coworker members on issues relating Service salary conversion; In 2012 the State Depart- relations, criterion country to, among other things, per- Separate Maintenance Allow- ment proposed disciplinary nationals, or the prominence formance appraisals, promo- ance for foreign-born, same- action—ranging from a five- of grievant’s position.” tions, time-in-class/time-in- sex partners; the availability day suspension to separation The board found, however, service, tenure, assignments of the job search program for cause—against a number that because grievant was (including 5/8 waivers, DS for retirees at 65 years of of employees for off-duty married and did not explicitly assignment restrictions and age with less than 20 years conduct that, in some cases, disclose his infidelity to his involuntary curtailments); of service; the department’s it had not sought to regulate spouse, he created at least Office of Medical Services policy of hiring employees at in the past (extramarital the possibility of blackmail. issues (clearances, Post- age 58; legal protections for affairs between consent- The board mitigated a three- Traumatic Stress Disorder, employees who have been ing adults and the content day suspension to a letter of disabilities, demands for on military leave; denial of of employee’s personal repayment of medical bills); medical treatment at post e-mails/texts messages/ Continued on page 67

50 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT

Advocacy: Renewed Efforts on Many Fronts

BY JAVIER S. CUEBAS, DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY, AND CLINT LOHSE, LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT

Advocacy Staff (left to right): Legislative Assistant Clint Lohse and Director of Advocy Javier S. Cuebas.

As part of AFSA’s efforts to tently contributes to the advance its mission during greater good. 2012, the legislative affairs department evolved into Stock Act a multifaceted entity that AFSA reaffirmed its sought the best practices leadership role as the “Voice possible to achieve our legis- of the Foreign Service” by lative goals during the 112th developing strategic partner- Congress. ships with sister organiza- Javier Cuebas, AFSA’s new tions to address issues like director of advocacy, comes the Stop Trading on Congres- from the private sector, sional Knowledge Act. We where he regularly managed are proud to report that the PHOTOS BY DONNA AYERST DONNA BY PHOTOS national issue-driven cam- coalition was successful in Senator Richard Lugar, R-Ind., receives a plaque from AFSA President Susan paigns on behalf of corpora- getting Congress to post- Johnson at a luncheon in his honor. tions and nonprofit groups. pone implementation of the Together with Clint Lohse, STOCK Act’s Internet posting committees dealing with the Your Support AFSA’s legislative assistant provisions—which could have Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi Thanks to your support, once and a former Senate staffer, potentially jeopardized the and briefed staffers about the again, the association’s politi- he monitors and forecasts privacy and security of many need to get the risk/diplo- cal action committee, AFSA- congressional actions. career federal employees and macy balance right. AFSA PAC, played an essential role their families. AFSA will con- commended the Accountabil- in advancing our legislative AFSA on Capitol Hill tinue to work for the elimina- ity Review Board report on agenda. Retired Ambassador Drawing on AFSA’s formi- tion of such a provision. Benghazi and continues to Thomas Boyatt, President dable reputation as an expert AFSA also provided promote the implementation Susan Johnson, Executive on diplomacy, the advocacy valuable testimony during of its recommendations. Director Ian Houston and department dedicated much congressional hearings and AFSA organized and other members of the PAC of 2012 to developing a helped educate congres- hosted a luncheon honoring board made sure that AFSA’s constituency/issue-driven sional offices about budget retiring Richard Lugar, R-Ind., top priorities were presented strategic outreach and priorities and personnel a longtime ranking member to congressional leaders mobilization plan that clearly security, among other impor- and chairman of the Senate during special functions and shows key stakeholders how tant issues. Foreign Relations Committee. events. n the Foreign Service consis- AFSA sent letters to key

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 51 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT AFSA NEWS

Communications, Marketing and Outreach

BY ÁSGEIR SIGFÚSSON, MARKETING AND OUTREACH DIRECTOR; TOM SWITZER, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS; DONNA AYERST, A FS A NEWS EDITOR; AND PERRI GREEN, COORDINATOR, SPECIAL AWARDS AND OUTREACH PATRICK BRADLEY BRADLEY PATRICK Communications, Marketing and Outreach Staff (left to right): AFSA News Editor Donna Ayerst, Marketing and Outreach Director Ásgeir Sigfússon, Coordinator for Special Awards and Outreach Perri Green, Director of Communications Tom Switzer and Charlie. (Not pictured: Web and Graphics Assistant Jeff Lau.)

AFSA Events AFSA continued to offer a wide variety of speakers, panel the first anniversary of discussions and other events, covering both professional the Arab Spring and the issues and bread-and-butter topics. There were 18 major 25th anniversary of the events throughout the year, attracting close to 2,000 Intermediate-Range attendees—mostly AFSA members—as well as students, Nuclear Forces Treaty. journalists, think-tank members, academics and the public at We were pleased to large. offer conversations with Our Book Notes series featured three selections this past two major Washington year: China Hand by John Paton Davies Jr.; The Dissent Papers players: Deputy Secre- by Hannah Gurman; and America’s Other Army by Nicholas tary of State Thomas Kralev. This series is designed to bring attention to books of Nides and Representa- interest to the Foreign tive Chris Van Hollen, Service community. D-Md. (left). Their We started a new perspectives on foreign series in 2012, focusing affairs, the budget and

on federal benefits. The AYERST DONNA BY PHOTOS the Foreign Service were first two events focused Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., explains his much appreciated. take on foreign affairs and budget issues to a Our annual events— on Medicare and federal mostly Foreign Service crowd at AFSA. health benefits; the third the memorial plaque cer- event took place last emony on Foreign Affairs Day, the AFSA awards ceremony and month and featured a the Adair Lecture at American University featuring Ambassa- discussion on the Thrift dor Chas. Freeman—all had excellent attendance. Savings Plan program. We are particularly proud of two special events: the Octo- Our ongoing series ber celebration of the relaunch of The Foreign Service Journal, of topical panel and our special screening of the film “Argo” in December. discussions featured AFSA will continue to offer events of interest and significance programs focusing on to our members and the Foreign Service community at large. Vanity Fair National Editor Todd Purdum We hope to be able to offer more programs looking at impor- reads passages from China Hand to a Book the European Union and Notes audience. the euro, the experiences tant events in the history of the Foreign Service, as well as of third-culture children, informational programs on basic issues of importance to our

52 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT

Clockwise, top left: Amb. John Limbert and AFSA State VP Daniel Hirsch applaud Tony Mendes; the FSJ redesign; AFSA plaques; audience at the Arab Spring panel discussion; member of the audience asks questions during a Medicare session; FS mom and son at Third-Culture Kid event.

members—benefits, conditions of work and so on. Recordings of all AFSA events are available on our Web site at www.afsa.org/AFSAvideos.aspx. PHOTOS BY DONNA AYERST DONNA BY PHOTOS

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 53 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT AFSA NEWS

AFSA News Riding on the coattails of The Foreign Service Journal’s appear throughout the year. Our dissent awards, unique redesign provided AFSA News with an entirely new look and within the government, provide FS members the opportunity feel. With the new design came a number of new features for to effect change. the newsletter: a calendar of events on the cover page; “Life in AFSA’s VP representatives did a thorough job of the Foreign Service,” original cartoons reflecting the Foreign highlighting many of the difficulties, joys, frustrations and Service lifestyle; a new column, “Active After Active-Duty,” issues the five foreign affairs agencies and their employees highlighting how busy our retirees are and the interesting face. The columns give our VPs the platform to express things they are doing; and a greater effort to provide timely their concerns on everything from agency consolidation, event coverage and information. the effects of budget constraints, security issues or family Last year saw a continuation of increased coverage of member matters, among many other pressing topics. AFSA’s constructive dissent awards: the awards ceremony, AFSA News encourages FS employees and their family profiles of the winners and a series of articles on dissent members to submit articles. Please contact Donna Ayerst at [email protected].

AFSA on the Web AFSA’s Web site and social media outlets continued to grow in 2012, with all of our online outreach tools seeing the most traffic ever.

WWW.AFSA.ORG TRAFFIC IN 2012

• In 2012, we had 260,867 visits to our Web site—up from 198,738 in 2011—representing an increase of 62,129 or 31.3 percent. • Our Web site saw 186,347 unique visitors in 2012, compared to 139,204 in 2011—an increase of 47,143 or 33.9 percent. • Statistics for pageviews tell an even more impressive story: we had 1,166,258 pageviews in 2012 and 685,872 in 2011. That’s an increase of 480,386 or 70 percent, an astounding number.

54 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT

TOP FIVE MOST POPULAR PAGES IN 2012

SOCIAL MEDIA GROWTH IN 2012

• Facebook went from 2,789 to 3,733 likes, an increase of 944 or 33.8 percent. • Twitter went from 222 to 395 followers, an increase of 173 or 77.9 percent. • YouTube went from 2,149 to 4,950 views, an increase of 2,801 or 130 percent.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 55 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT AFSA NEWS

Road Scholar Speakers Program AFSA’s Road Scholar program entered its 17th year of One of AFSA’s most effective outreach platforms is our operation in 2012, welcoming more than 600 participants national Speakers Program. In 2012, AFSA deployed more to programs in Washington, D.C., Chautauqua, N.Y. and St. than 450 Foreign Service speakers who lectured on the critical Petersburg, Fla. These programs remain one of AFSA’s most role U.S. diplomacy plays in promoting American interests popular national outreach efforts, and their message about to an estimated 28,000 professionals and academics in 42 the importance of the Foreign Service continues to impress states and Washington, D.C. audiences. AFSA’s speaker corps comprises some 510 retired and In 2012, we offered 10 programs on a wide variety of active duty Foreign Service officers, including some 100 subjects. The most popular topics continue to be those former ambassadors. Many of our retired speakers remain touching on the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. involved in foreign affairs as authors, consultants and This year, we had participants from 30 states, as well as the teachers. Audiences range from universities and world affairs District of Columbia and New Brunswick, Canada. For more councils to civic organizations and high schools. information on AFSA’s Road Scholar programs, please visit Retired Ambassador Chas. Freeman, a China and Middle www.afsa.org/roadscholar. East expert, spoke to more than 500 faculty members and students at American University’s annual Caroline and Charles Adair Memorial Lecture on Aug. 28. He addressed the challenges for U.S. diplomacy in a competitive world order. Speakers have addressed many other foreign relations topics while stressing the vital role the Foreign Service plays in advancing America’s economic, security and development interests around the globe.

Road Scholars participating in AFSA’s Washington, D.C. program.

Media AFSA’s media outreach efforts remained intensive in 2012, as well. We placed—either directly or through AFSA retirees countrywide—52 interviews, articles, letters to the editor, op- eds and fact sheets advocating increased public and congres- AYERST DONNA BY PHOTOS On Aug. 28, Amb. Chas. Freeman (center) and Marshall Adair (far right) greet sional support for U.S. diplomacy and development in leading American University students at the Caroline and Charles Adair Memorial media outlets including the Washington Post, New York Times, Lecture. Congressional Quarterly, CNN, NPR and the Associated Press, among others. AFSA’s Speakers Program has enabled the association A particular highlight of 2012 was AFSA President Susan to develop strategic partnerships with leading universities, Johnson’s 20-minute interview with NPR’s “Metro Connec- including Michigan State University and the University of St. tion” program following the September Benghazi attack. Thomas in Houston. AFSA benefits from their generous sup- Drawing on the lessons gained during her own career, Johnson port through multiyear endowments, which provide funds for explained the extent of the risks U.S. diplomats must face programs featuring prominent former U.S. ambassadors. while assigned abroad, given the rapid deterioration of secu- The program encourages speakers to remind their rity in many countries. She went on to discuss the rewards of audiences to contact their congressional representatives to public service. The program reached a national audience of request increased funding for diplomatic readiness and devel- more than eight million listeners. opment and to spotlight AFSA’s book, Inside a U.S. Embassy, AFSA arranged media for AFSA’s Memorial Plaque Cer- an in-depth resource on how an embassy works. emony, held at the State Department on Foreign Affairs Day, May 4. The ceremony was covered by 14 media outlets, including several TV networks.

56 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT

National High School Essay Contest DONNA AYERST DONNA AFSA’s 2012 high school essay contest winner, Natasha Madorsky (center) with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is joined by (left to right) AFSA President Susan Johnson, Coordinator for Special Awards and Outreach Perri Green, AFSA intern Paul Carter, her mother, Dr. Elizabeth Stern, Institute for Shipboard Education Vice President for Academic Affairs Robert Waters, her father Michael Madorsky, Mona El-Banna from Booz Allen Hamilton and her teacher and mentor, Peggy Hull.

AFSA’s 14th annual high school essay contest culminated in sity of Virginia sponsors the unique academic program, which July with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s pre- provides students with a college semester while traveling the sentation of the first-place prize to Natasha Madorsky of world for 100 days or more. Cleveland, Ohio. For the 2012 contest, AFSA welcomed two Honorable mention certificates were awarded to 24 final- generous sponsorships. Leading strategy and technology ists for their excellent essays. Essays went through three consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton served as the official rounds of judging by a panel comprised of active and retired underwriter of the contest, making possible a $2,500 prize Foreign Service officers, teachers and private sector volun- and an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. for Natasha teers. and her parents, Dr. Elizabeth Stern and Mr. Michael Mador- This year the quality of the nearly 500 submissions was far sky. Her teacher and mentor, Margaret ‘Peggy’ Hull, accompa- superior to what we have received over the past 13 years of nied them to Washington. the contest. We feel that this can be attributed to the incen- Also new last year, the Institute for Shipboard Education’s tive of the Semester at Sea voyage (worth close to $30,000), Semester at Sea program (www.semesteratsea.org) is provid- the opportunity for the winner and his or her parents to come ing Natasha with an all-expense-paid educational voyage to Washington, D.C., and meet the Secretary of State, and the aboard the shipboard campus, the M.V. Explorer. The Univer- generous cash prize.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 57 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT AFSA NEWS

AFSA Awards

LIFETIME CONTRIBUTIONS TO AMERICAN DIPLOMACY This year’s annual awards ceremony took place on June 26 in the Benjamin Franklin Diplomatic Reception Room at the Department of State. Ambassador William Lacy Swing received AFSA’s Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award for his half-century of diplomatic service. Amb. Swing expressed his gratitude for a career that allowed him the opportunity to be present as history unfolded.

CONSTRUCTIVE DISSENT AWARD

The 2012 winner of the William R. Rivkin Award for Left to right: Ambassadors Bruce Laingen, William L. Swing and Thomas Constructive Dissent by a mid-level officer was Joshua Boyatt toast the winners. Polacheck, who sent a cable challenging the thinking behind heightened security levels at embassies and the impact on getting the job done. No constructive dissent awards were given in the other three categories.

PERFORMANCE AWARDS Leila Gupta received the Avis Bohlen Award for a Foreign Service Family Member; Sara Hurst Butler received the M. Juanita Guess Award for a Community Liaison Officer; and the Delavan Award for a Foreign Service Office Management Specialist went to James Velez. Jeff Jacob was named AFSA Post Representative of the Year.

SINCLAIRE LANGUAGE AWARDS The 2012 William R. Rivkin Award for Constructive Dissent winner Joshua AFSA also presents other awards throughout the year. The Polacheck. Sinclaire Language Awards honor Foreign Service officers for their outstanding accomplishment in the study of a difficult language and its associated culture. The program was established by AFSA through a bequest from Matilda W. Sinclaire, a former Foreign Service officer. The winners were: Nancy Abella (Dari), Eric Collings (Uzbek), Sarah Grow (Persian/Farsi), James Hallock (Mandarin), Rebecca Hunter (Albanian), Theresa Mangione (Vietnamese), E. Jerome Ryan, Jr. (Japanese) and David Vincent Salvo (Serbian/Croatian).

GEORGE KENNAN WRITING AWARD AFSA also sponsors the George Kennan Writing Award, given each year in honor of the best paper by a State Department

employee enrolled at the National War College. This year’s AYERST DONNA BY PHOTOS winner was Michael Dixon. The winners and presenters at AFSA’s annual awards ceremony.

58 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT PHOTOS BY DONNA AYERST DONNA BY PHOTOS Under Secretary Maria Otero offers words of condolence to the family of Sharon S. Clark during AFSA’s plaque ceremony in the Department of State’s C Street lobby.

The Memorial Plaques Every year, AFSA has the honor of paying tribute to our colleagues who have given their lives while serving the American people. On May 4, Foreign Affairs Day, Sharon S. Clark’s name was added to the memorial plaques. The first plaque was unveiled in the C Street lobby of the Department of State in 1933 by Secretary of State Henry Stimson. There are now two plaques honoring 237 members of the Foreign Service who have died in the line of duty. AFSA President Susan Johnson and Under Secretary of State Maria Otero presided over the ceremony honoring Ms. Clark. An office management specialist, she died of cerebral malaria in December 2010 while assigned to the U.S. embassy’s regional security office in Abuja. Ms. Clark’s children and grandchildren were all present for the solemn ceremony, which underscored the importance of paying tribute to those who gave their lives in the service of On May 4, Foreign Affairs Day, Bryseton Bumgardner contemplates his their country. AFSA is honored to play that role for the Foreign grandmother, Sharon S. Clark, whose name is inscribed on the AFSA Memorial Plaque. Service. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 59 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT AFSA NEWS

AFSA Scholarship Program: A Busy Year

BY LORI DEC, SCHOLARSHIP DIRECTOR

Scholarship Program Staff: Scholarship Assistant Jonathan Crawford and Scholarship Director Lori Dec.

The AFSA Scholarship Program had a busy and successful • The program implemented an online student application year under the direction of the AFSA Scholarship Committee, form and judge scoring system for the AFSA art and academic chaired by Ambassador Lange Schermerhorn. Other commit- merit awards. tee members were: Deborah Odell (retired State representa- • Academic and Art Merit Awards, ranging from $500 to tive), Jenae Johnson (active-duty State rep), Mark Petry (FAS $2,000 each, were given to 26 Foreign Service high school rep), Yvette Malcioln (USAID rep), Joyce Namde (AFSA Gov- seniors, totaling $40,500. erning Board liaison), Anne Cekuta (AAFSW rep) and Andrew • After obtaining a legal opinion, the AFSA Governing Board Winter (ex-officio AFSA Governing Board rep). Through their approved changing the scholarship application criteria for hard work, and that of the AFSA Governing Board, more than Foreign Service youth, effective in the 2013-2014 school year. $225,000 in scholarships and awards was bestowed on 99 Only children of Foreign Service AFSA members are now children of Foreign Service employees. Please visit www.afsa. eligible to apply for AFSA scholarships. org/scholar for program details. • Seventy-three students received undergraduate financial aid scholarships ranging from $500 to $4,000 each, for the 2012-2013 school year, totaling $186,600. 2012 Highlights: • New advertisements were developed for the scholarship • In January, Amb. Lange Schermerhorn was approved as program’s planned giving outreach. n the chairman of the AFSA Scholarship Committee. • The estate of Mr. Daniel Kiang established the Kiang for Excellence Financial Aid Scholarship, a six-figure planned gift. • Mrs. Laurence Flannery established an annual financial aid scholarship in the name of her late husband, Terence Flan- nery. • Ruth Nay Skiles established the Victor H. Skiles Memorial and Ruth Nay Skiles Financial Aid Scholarship in perpetuity. • Previously established perpetual or annual financial aid scholarships benefited from additional funding from six private donors or support from their donor contacts. • By making a substantial donation, an anonymous donor took the lead in establishing an AFSA financial aid scholarship in tribute to the U.S. diplomatic personnel killed in the Beng- AYERST DONNA BY PHOTOS hazi terrorist attacks. Left to right: Maria Giuseppa Spigler congratulates merit winner Basil Smitham and his family.

60 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT PHOTOS BY DONNA AYERST DONNA BY PHOTOS Front row, left to right: Named scholarship donors: Patti Ryan, Priscilla Becker, John Becker, Maria Giuseppa Spigler, Richard Spigler, Nancy Leary, Suzanne Taylor and Amb. Lange Schermerhorn, AFSA Scholarship Committe chair. Second row, left to right: 2012 Merit Award recipients: Joi Chu-Ketterer, Charlotte Ellison, Kathryn Horbeck, Molly Nesemann, Bradley Raynor, Marshall Richards, Basil Smitham and Betina Van Meter.

Top left, clockwise: Richard Spigler, Maria Giuseppa Spigler and Marshall Richards; Priscilla Becker, Joi Chu-Ketterer and John Becker; unidentified group with Bradley Raynor; Patti Ryan; Nancy Leary, Charlotte Ellison and Suzanne Taylor; Scholarship Director Lori Dec.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 61 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT AFSA NEWS

Foreign Service Journal: A Good Thing Gets Better BY STEVEN ALAN HONLEY, FSJ EDITOR DONNA AYERST DONNA Foreign Service Journal and Foreign Service Books staff: (Top, clockwise) FSJ Editor Steven Alan Honley, Associate Editor and FS Books Publisher Shawn Dorman, Advertising and Circulation Manager Ed Miltenberger and Senior Editor Susan Maitra. (Not pictured: Art Director Caryn Suko Smith.)

The Foreign Service Journal‘s redesign, its first in 18 years and the Left to right: Civil culmination of a yearlong process, Service Association was unquestionably the highlight President Tommye of the past year for AFSA’s flagship Grant and Director General of the Foreign publication. Service Linda Thomas- More than 200 guests attended Greenfield celebrate the Oct. 11 launch party that the relaunch of The Foreign Service Journal, unveiled the transformed magazine along with others. in the Benjamin Franklin Diplomatic

Reception Room at the Depart- BRADLEY PATRICK BY PHOTOS ment of State. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns was one of several distinguished speakers to praise the Journal’s lively new design and thank AFSA for its advocacy on behalf of the Foreign Service and its members. The magazine’s content continued to reflect the motto for the launch party, “A Good Thing Gets Better.” Fittingly, the October issue spotlighted “The New Foreign Service Genera- tion,” while the November edition of “In Their Own Write,” our annual compilation of books by Foreign Service-affiliated authors, included more than 90 titles, the most ever. Other 2012 highlights included April’s extensive coverage of family-member employment and related issues, and the page and by year’s end had almost 1,200 likes for the page September focus on China, which featured an interview with and more than 73,000 impressions. And last but definitely former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. not least, the new FSJ app for the iPad went live in January We also expanded the reach of the Journal Facebook 2013. n

62 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT

Foreign Service Books: Growth in 2012 BY SHAWN DORMAN, FOREIGN SERVICE BOOKS EDITOR/PUBLISHER

Foreign than 20,000 hard copies Service and more than 1,000 digital Books, the copies, bringing the total for AFSA book the three editions to over publishing 100,000 copies. Successful division, sales led to a second print expanded run in October. In 2012, the in 2012 as State Department purchased a major new book project got another 5,000 copies of under way. Former Foreign the book for outreach and Service Officer Harry Kopp, recruitment. the author of Career Diplo- In April, Inside a U.S. macy, has delved into the Embassy received the gold AFSA archives and is writing medal from the Independent a history of the American Publishers Book Awards in Foreign Service Association, the “current events-foreign to be published in 2014. Two affairs” category. The book Inside a U.S. Embassy receives a gold medal from the more book projects are in the also won the bronze medal Independent Publisher Book Awards. Pictured here, Editor planning stages. from the Axiom Business Shawn Dorman and an “IPPY” representative at the awards ceremony in New York City in June 2012. Inside a U.S. Embassy con- Book Awards in the “career” tinues to be the anchor pub- category. These two awards lication for Foreign Service illustrate the way that the Books, and the book did well AFSA book continues to in 2012. Since publication of serve the dual purpose of macy, as well as a career worldwide, including librar- the all-new edition in April being an introduction to the guide for those who might ies in Australia, Singapore, 2011, AFSA has sold more Foreign Service and diplo- consider joining. United Arab Emirates, Bah- FSBooks was repre- rain, Jordan, Cyprus, Greece, sented in 2012 at Book Expo Rabat, Poland, Morocco, America in New York City Netherlands and Canada, as in June, the world’s largest well as nearly every state. international event in the The book has been adopted publishing world. AFSA’s for more than 50 courses in participation at the expo was the U.S. and overseas, and is sponsored by our distributor, required reading for a num- Potomac/Books Interna- ber of courses designed for tional. Inside a U.S. Embassy military personnel. It is even was on display and FSBooks available on the M.V Explorer, Editor/Publisher Shawn Dor- Semester at Sea’s shipboard man attended as an exhibitor. campus, a college program Inside a U.S. Embassy administered by the Institute continues to be one of AFSA’s for Shipboard Education and Inside a U.S. Embassy on display at the Potomac Books/Books International booth at Book Expo America in June 2012. most successful outreach academically sponsored by tools. The book can be found the University of Virginia. n in more than 250 libraries

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 63 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT AFSA NEWS

Member Services: Quantity and Quality

BY JANET HEDRICK, DIRECTOR MEMBER SERVICES

(Left to Right) Member Services Director Janet Hedrick, Member Services Representative Kristy Pomes and Administrative Assistant Ana Lopez.

AFSA welcomed 870 new AFSA BY THE NUMBERS: members in 2012, most • 70 percent of overseas posts have an AFSA representative joining at the monthly • 400 members participated in the AFSA-sponsored Zipcar luncheons held for entering program Foreign Service classes at • 568 Foreign Service community members are lifetime AFSA headquarters. While members of AFSA the number of total students • 1,954 members participated in one or more of the AFSA- joining the Foreign Service is sponsored insurance programs down 28 percent from 2011 • AFSA ended the year with a record 16,167 members (due to a decrease in agency hiring), an overwhelming majority continue to choose to join AFSA. We hosted 15 recruitment events this year, including three retirement luncheons for graduates from the Foreign Service Institute’s Job Search Program. AFSA is committed to providing excellent service and access to valuable member benefits, and protecting member interests. Our success is evident by the rising membership numbers: AFSA membership increased by 1.5 percent in 2012, to a record total of 16,167 members.

PHOTOS BY DONNA AYERST DONNA BY PHOTOS

64 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT

Benefits of AFSA Membership

Labor Management Relations: AFSA negotiates the regulations affecting employees’ careers. We work to make the Foreign Service a better place in which to work, live, and raise a family. Our network of AFSA post reps provides on-site assistance to overseas members. Congressional Advocacy: AFSA is your advocate before Con- gress on issues affecting the careers of active members and the annuities of retired members. Ombudsman: We work to resolve member problems with pay, allowances, claims, annuities, health care, and many other issues. Voice of the Foreign Service: As the professional association of the Foreign Service since 1924, AFSA works to strengthen our profession and is ever vigilant for threats to the career Foreign Service. Grievance Representation: AFSA’s legal staff provides hands- on assistance with grievance proceedings when your rights are violated. Outreach: AFSA communicates the views of the Foreign Ser- vice on professional issues to the news media and directly to the general public. The Foreign Service Journal: Our recently redesigned monthly magazine offers provocative articles that will keep you current on developments in the foreign affairs profession. The AFSA News section highlights issues affecting your daily life. Legal Services: We offer free legal advice and representation on employment issues, including security and Office of the Inspector General investigations. Insurance programs: You can chose among competitively priced insurance programs designed for the Foreign Service community, including professional liability insurance, accident and personal property/transit. AFSA Scholarships: AFSA grants approximately 100 merit and financial need scholarships a year to Foreign Service family members. AFSA Awards: Our unique awards program honors constructive dissent and outstanding performance. AFSA Web Site: We provide online resources including a member directory and guidance on a range of useful topics for foreign affairs professionals. AFSA members are eligible for valuable discounts for: Zip- car, Ford’s Theater and Brooks Brothers, as well as subscrip- tions to major foreign affairs journals. Esprit de Corps: AFSA works to build a sense of common cause and professional pride between all Foreign Service members—active-duty and retired; officers and specialists; entry-level, mid-level and senior. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 65 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT AFSA NEWS

Retiree Counseling And Legislation: Expanded Programs

BY BONNIE BROWN, COORDINATOR FOR RETIREE COUNSELING AND LEGISLATION

Coordinator for Retiree Counseling and Legislation Bonnie Brown with Associate Coordinator for Retiree Counseling and Legislation Matthew Sumrak.

In 2012, AFSA strongly lation, served on the steering opposed increased and inten- committee for the campaign sified congressional efforts and coordinated AFSA’s to reduce or eliminate federal efforts to involve our mem- benefits as a means of reduc- bers in town halls and cam- ing the federal deficit and paign meetings. A registered using the resulting savings to lobbyist, Sumrak also joined fund non-related programs. the legislative team’s efforts on the Hill. Separately, AFSA Active Role President Susan Johnson In spite of our compara- sent a number of letters on tively small size, AFSA contin- behalf of AFSA to congressio- ues to play an active role in nal decision-makers oppos- the Federal and Postal Union ing cuts to federal benefits. AYERST DONNA BY PHOTOS Coalition, the umbrella orga- Gilroy and AFSA retiree nations of federal benefits nization of federal active duty Assistance and Governing Board members and news about the on-going and retired employee asso- Counseling worked to increase retiree debt-reduction process. In ciations and unions. AFSA AFSA provided retiree membership through a pilot addition, we oversaw produc- joined more than two dozen members with assistance phone membership recruit- tion of AFSA’s annual Retiree federal and postal unions and counseling in more ment campaign, along with Directory and regularly in the “America Counts on than 270 cases. While the receptions for new retirees, updated the often-visited Us” campaign to reach key issues were wide-ranging, sponsored by AFSA and retiree Web page on www. congressional candidates in most dealt with the Federal DACOR, at the Foreign Ser- afsa.org/retiree_services. their home districts, empha- Employees Health Benefits vice Institute. aspx. sizing benefits issues and Program and Medicare (55), Retiree Services contin- the importance of the federal annuities (38), Social Secu- ued to publish the bimonthly New Programs work force. rity (19), death of annuitants AFSA Newsletter, giving Retiree Services added Matthew Sumrak, our new (14), divorce (13) and survi- retiree and active-duty mem- two new programs during associate coordinator for vor annuities (11). bers concise information on 2012, beginning with sales of retiree counseling and legis- Retiree VP Mary Ellen department policies, expla- the Foreign Service Com-

66 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT PHOTOS BY DONNA AYERST DONNA BY PHOTOS Understanding the differences in benefits between Medicare and the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program can be just as hard to explain as it is to comprehend, if gesticulating is any indication. Members of the audience ask questions of Dr. Judy Feder and Walton Francis at two different AFSA events. memorative Marker in May. “Federal Benefits Speaker Association, described the spoke about the future of This product recognizes the Series.” Experts addressed coordination between the Medicare; and Walton Fran- careers and contributions issues of importance to retir- Federal Employees Health cis, author of the Consumer of Foreign Service employees and those approaching Benefit Program and Medi- Checkbook Guide to Federal ees and their spouses and retirement. Paula Jakub, vice care; Dr. Judy Feder, a health Health Plans, explained how partners. president of the American policy expert and professor to compare federal health We also inaugurated the Foreign Service Protective at Georgetown University, plans. n

Labor Management, Continued from page 50 reprimand. It also upheld penalties ranging from three-to-10- concerns and desires. We were informed that many of our day suspensions when affairs were accompanied by aggravat- comments would be incorporated into PA’s final revisions to 3 ing factors. FAM 4170. AFSA’s concern, as also expressed by the Grievance Board, is that current regulations (3 FAM 4130 and 4139.1) do not AFSA Welcomes APHIS clearly express the department’s position on relations with In late 2012, Foreign Service officers employed by the Animal consenting partners without any “aggravating factors.” While and Plant Health Inspection Service selected AFSA to be their we do not condone scandalous behavior or that which could exclusive representatives. AFSA welcomes APHIS to the AFSA subject the employee to coercion, we have considered a num- Foreign Service family. ber of cases to constitute unwarranted intrusion into employees’ private lives. If this is a realm into which the department Myriad Issues wishes to extend its influence, it should give employees better The LM staff also assisted AFSA members with myriad issues guidance. In addition, it should carefully examine the circum- stemming from their Foreign Service employment. We wrote stances to determine if the conduct can “reasonably” be letters to Atlas Van Lines on behalf of an employee whose expected to impair the employee’s performance by reason of household effects were infested with bed bugs; to Bank of blackmail, as the 3 FAM requires. America and Wells Fargo relating to several members’ primary residence; to Interstate National Dealers Service regarding a Social Media Guidance member’s residency as it affected his automobile warranty; AFSA received more than a dozen requests for guidance on to California State University regarding in-state tuition; to the the department’s rules relating to the use of social media and State Department Federal Credit Union on behalf of the widow the clearance process for publication of books, articles and of a Foreign Service employee who died while serving over- blogs. In mid-November, when Public Affairs informed AFSA seas; to Audubon Village Apartments requesting the termina- of its intended revisions to 3 FAM 4170, LM staff played a key tion of an employee’s lease due to the employee’s assignment role in reviewing the proposed changes and providing com- overseas; and to the clerk of a court in Florida regarding ments and suggestions by taking into account our members’ excusing an employee serving overseas from jury duty. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 67 2012 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT AFSA NEWS

Business and Accounting

BY FEMI OSHOBUKOLA, DIRECTOR OF FINANCE DONNA AYERST DONNA

Controller Kalpna Srimal, Director of Finance Femi Oshobukola and Assistant Controller Cori Nishi. Expenses Budget 2012 Scholarship $480,888 11% ContribuFon $102,364 2% Professional Programs & Outreach $383,674 8% Membership Programs $1,844,795 40%

AdministraFon $660,156 14%

Policy & LegislaFve Aﬀairs $242,947 5% Foreign Service Journal $946,127 20%

* Approved budget figures. Audited financial statements for 2012 will be made available on the AFSA Web site. **This figure does not include the portion of membership dues allocated to production ofThe Foreign Service Journal.

Professional Programs & Outreach $162,614 3% Revenue Budget 2012

LegislaFve AcFon Other Scholarship $481,899 10% Fund $36,000 1% $125,500 3% Insurance Premium Foreign Service $25,000 Journal $562,500 1% 12%

Membership Dues $3,267,438 70%

68 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSAFOCUS WOMEN NEWS IN SECURITYTHE AND OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION

AFSA Joins the Board of FEEA

BY JENNIFER LOWRY, AFSA STAFF

The American Foreign Ser- important than ever for AFSA ters like Hurricanes Andrew vice Association has joined to join the FEEA board. and Katrina, the Oklahoma CALENDAR the board of the Federal FEEA’s contributions to City bombing and the 9/11 Employee Education & federal employees and their terrorist attacks. CALENDAR Assistance Fund. FEEA is an families extend far beyond FEEA is the only non-profit 6/18/2012 3/6/2013 4:30 – 6:30 PM important asset to Foreign scholarships. They also offer organization devoted solely 12:00 - 2:00 PM GLIFAA Service members and other emergency assistance to to helping civilian federal AFSA Governing Board Awards Ceremony federal employees by employees. Its simple, Meeting providing assistance to FS More than $7. 7 million in yet significant, mission 6/26/2012 3/6/2013 personnel and their family speaks volumes: to assist 4:00 – 6:00 PM Deadline: AFSA Financial Aid emergency no-interest AFSA Awards Ceremony members. civilian federal employees Applications The organization whenever and wherever loans and grants to over 6/27/2012 3/10 - 3/14/2013 manages the Diplomatic the need arises. 12:00 – 1:30 PM 13,000 federal employees AFSA Road Scholar Program Fund, which helps pay the With the unique nature Luncheon: cost of college tuition for have been provided over of the Foreign Service, we 167th3/17 - A-100 3/20/2013 Class children of diplomats slain hope that our input on the AFSA Road Scholar Program 7/4/2012 by terrorists. This fund was the last 25 years. FEEA board will help in 8:00 – 5:00 PM originally established by making decisions related 4/3/2013 Independence12:00 - 2:00 PM Day: to our nation’s diplomatic the Departments of State federal families struggling to AFSAAFSA Governing Offices BoardClosed and Defense in August meet basic living expenses. service. We look forward Meeting 7/10/2012 1995 to help the families of More than $7. 7 million in to participating in FEEA’s 2:00 – 3:30 PM three individuals who were emergency no-interest loans important work and sharing 4/7 - 4/10/2013 AFSAAFSA Road Book Scholar Notes: Program killed while on a diplomatic and grants to over 13,000 this new experience with our “The Dissent Papers” mission in Bosnia. With the federal employees have members. Please consider 4/10/2013 Diplomatic Fund, FEEA has been provided over the last joining in FEEA’s charity 5K 2:007/11/2012 - 3:30 PM 12:00 – 2:00 PM provided over $10.2 million 25 years. Included in these run/walk on May 5. Learn Seminar: Eldercare and AFSAHealth Governing Management Board in scholarships to more than amounts are grants and more at www.feea.org. n Meeting 8,000 students. loans following major disas- 4/15/2013 There are currently Deadline:8/8/2012 AFSA High School 12:00 – 2:00 PM scholarships for more than Essay Contest AFSA Governing Board 300 students who lost a Notice: AFSA Governing Board 5/1/2013Meeting parent in the Oklahoma City Elections 12:00 - 2:00 PM bombing, the 1998 terrorist AFSA Governing9/3/2012 Board attacks on U.S. embassies in Please visit the AFSA Web site to learn more about 8:00Meeting – 5:00 PM AFSA Governing Board Africa and at the Pentagon the current AFSA Governing Board Elections, includ- 5/3/2013Meeting on 9/11. The goal is to raise ing a list of candidates and access to the online Foreign Affairs Day/AFSA enough money to provide full forums for discussing campaign issues www.afsa. Memorial9/5/2012 Plaque Ceremony scholarships to the students NEWS BRIEF org/elections. All members in good standing as of 12:00 – 2:00 PM AFSA Governing Board currently identified, as well March 15, should receive a ballot to be mailed on or 5/5/2013 Meeting as to make the same promise about April 15. In the event that you do not receive Public Service Recognition Day 5K Run/Walk to students who lose a diplo- your ballot, please contact [email protected]. 10/3/2012 matic parent to terrorists in 12:005/22/2013 – 2:00 PM the future. For the first time, members for whom we have an e- AFSA2:00 Governing - 3:30 PM Board Meeting As the number of diplo- mail address will have the option of voting online. AFSA Book Notes: “Master Class” mats slain by terrorists sadly increases, it seems more

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 69 AFSA NEWS

AFSA Speaker Series: TSP Pre-Separation Briefing BY MATTHEW SUMRAK, ASSOCIATE COORDINATOR FOR RETIREE COUNSELING AND LEGISLATION

AFSA hosted the fourth ses- thing to remember is that change their contribution at after you retire. Also worth sion in its Federal Benefits agency contributions are any time. Every FERS/FSPS considering is diversification Speaker Series on Feb. 11. “free government money,” employee automatically and risk tolerance, followed Randy Urban, of the Federal and you do not want to lose receives a 1 percent agency by inflation and taxes. It is Retirement Thrift Investment out on getting the full 4 contribution. To maximize important to understand the Board, gave a Thrift Savings percent match that every both your and your agency’s tax implications for with- Plan pre-separation briefing employee is entitled to. contribution, Urban strongly drawing funds. to AFSA members focused He also recommended encouraged everyone to go The last consideration on contribution rules, invest- that TSP monthly contribu- to the TSP Web site at www. is investment costs. TSP ment considerations, and tions are spread throughout tsp.gov. Their calculators will pays for itself and receives withdrawal options, both the entire year so you do help you to decide the right no government money; in-service and post-service. not max-out your agency’s amount to contribute. despite this they have very More than 85 AFSA mem- contribution limit early in When investing with TSP, low investment costs. As of ber’s attended the event. the year. The current limit is keep in mind how long it 2012, the average expense Beginning with contribu- $17,500. will be before you will use for administrative and invest- tion rules, Mr. Urban stressed He reminded the audience your investment. In most ment management fees were that the most important that one can start, stop, or cases, that will be sometime $0.27 for every $1,000. Com-

70 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS

pare that to the average cost pants must obtain a nota- ACTIVE AFTER ACTIVE-DUTY for mutual funds is $2.62 rized spouse’s signature, per $1,000 and median but not for married CSRS Middle East Lunch Topic 401(k) expenses are $7.20 participants. If a participant BY T. DENNIS REECE, CHAIR, FSRA-FL per $1,000. Your low-cost has both a traditional and a TSP investment allows you to Roth balance, all withdrawal On Jan. 25, Ambassador David Newton spoke on U.S. chal- save more. options are paid proportion- lenges in the Middle East to more than 120 persons at a Withdrawals from your ally (pro-rata) from each Foreign Service Retirees Association of Florida luncheon in TSP account have their balance. Sarasota. Five of the attendees were recognized for their char- own set of rules and par- In order to elect an in-ser- ter membership in the FSRA, which was formalized in 1982. ticipants must be aware of vice withdrawal, the partici- About a dozen attendees attended the event as a result of notification requirements. pant must be 59½ or older. FSRA’s ties with Returned Peace Corps Volunteers chapters in All post-service withdrawal It is very important to know Florida. requests require a notarized that an in-service withdrawal The FSRA holds luncheons five times a year through- signature of the participant. is a one-time withdrawal of out the state and also provides speakers on the Foreign Withdrawal forms can be all or a specific dollar amount Service and related subjects to interested parties. Mem- pre-filled using the online of at least $1,000. bership is open to persons who have represented the U.S. wizard on the TSP website For more on managing government abroad and their spouses or partners. For and this can help to avoid your Thrift Savings Plan, more information on FSRA, please visit our Web site at mistakes. please see the April issue of www.foreignserviceretireeassociation.org. n Married FERS partici- AFSA News. n A time of service…a time of need Make a worthwhile contribution to the Senior Living Foundation of the American Foreign Service today.

Send a check to the Senior Living Foundation Make a credit card donation via our Web site Enter our CFC #40530 on your Combined Federal Campaign Pledge Card Remember us in your will or Charitable Remainder Trust

For more information, please contact the SENIOR LIVING FOUNDATION OFTHEAMERICANFOREIGNSERVICE 1716 N Street, NW N Washington, DC 20036-2902 Phone: (202) 887-8170 N Fax: (202) 872-9320 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.SLFoundation.org The Senior Living Foundation is a tax deductible 501 (c)(3) charitable organization.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 71

BOOKS

Growing a Second Heart downward spiral of addiction. As Like the great Greek tragedies, the Graham admits, for all his ability to journey Fuller traces in this book is not Three Truths and a Lie observe, report on and analyze devel- an easy one. Even though we know the Graham Fuller, CreateSpace, 2012, opments and trends, he was never able end of the saga from page one, Three paperback/$14.95, Kindle Edition/ to figure out the mystery that was his Truths and a Lie is very hard to put $9.99, 274 pages. son or halt his downward spiral. down because of the story it has to tell, Reviewed by Stephen W. Buck In the process, Fuller offers insights the excellence of the telling and, most into a Foreign Service culture that also of all, the deep honesty, humility and This gripping book will speak to a broad focuses on rationality, yet sometimes humanity of the author. audience: parents, Third-Culture Kids, offers little help to families dealing cross-cultural adoptees and anyone with the complexities of cross-cultural Stephen W. Buck, a retired Senior Foreign who has ever been affected by the huge adoption and the challenges that For- Service officer, served at eight posts in the ripple effects of addiction. It delves eign Service children “living between Arab world during his 39-year diplomatic deeply, at the most personal level, worlds” often face on a daily basis. career. He consults and lectures frequently into the issues of roots, belonging and The title of the book refers to a game on the Middle East, and has served on the grounding that affect many Foreign Luke excelled at: coming up with four Foreign Service Journal Editorial Board Service and international families. statements about himself, three of since 2003. which were true and one that was a lie. Along the way, Fuller offers Much of the book is about the very vol- How to Make Friends insights into the challenges uble Fuller family trying to understand and Influence People that Foreign Service children the much quieter Luke and to save him from his growing addiction. Persuasion and Power: “living between worlds” While the focus is on trying to rescue The Art of Strategic Communication often face on a daily basis. Luke, in the end the book is as much or James P. Farwell, Georgetown University more about Graham as it is about Luke. Press, 2012, paperback/$29.95, Kindle Though he is well trained Edition/$16.17, 271 pages. Three Truths and a in intelligence gathering Reviewed by Patricia H. Kushlis Lie is an amazing story and analysis, Graham in its own right. But what comes to realize that he As its title implies, Persuasion and makes it truly remark- is less adept in “catching Power: The Art of Strategic Communica- able is who wrote it: onto reality in things of tion is a “how to” book for professionals Graham Fuller, a Middle the heart.” This is not at in many different fields. At the same East specialist who was all surprising, given the time, it will interest anyone who wants once vice chair of the culture of the intelli- to learn more about how governments National Intelligence gence world. and politicians (elected and non- Council (among many Graham concludes elected) have informed and influenced other positions), and the that Luke’s death at 21 publics about their policies and candi- author of dozens of articles of a drug overdose did dates. and books on the Muslim not leave an “empti- Farwell, a veteran consultant to world. ness” or “hole” in his political campaigns and U.S. military Used to a world of heart. Rather, he felt “as if I have grown and strategic entities, aims to explain in secrets and compartmentalization, a second heart…more open and vulner- lay terms the thinking behind cam- Fuller leaves nothing hidden in this able to the world, more sensitive to its paigns of influence—or, in less pejo- compelling account of his family’s emotional elements. That is an unex- rative terms, how to “win hearts and attempts to save their adopted Korean pected blessing for someone who took minds.” In essence, Farwell suggests son, Luke Byungbae Fuller, from the routine refuge in an analytical mind.” that there are commonalities among the

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 73 Farwell’s basic argument is propaganda conducted in the former Washington, D.C., overflows with eas- that the overriding goal of Yugoslavia during the same decade and ily accessible and impressive memorials any information campaign is earlier. to America’s war dead. There’s even a Spy not only to inform, but In “Change that Would Matter,” Far- Museum that commemorates the Central well’s penultimate chapter, he includes Intelligence Agency, while the Newseum also to influence the people lists of recommendations for the U.S. trumpets the feats of the commercial who matter. military and State Department as these media. An attractive, welcoming and behemoth bureaucracies navigate the publicly accessible Museum of Diplo- shoals of divided government and macy in the nation’s capital should be endeavors that the Pentagon refers to as reduced resources. Since one of those part of that mix, as well. n “strategic communication,” civilian gov- lists is mine—you may credit or blame ernment agencies often call me for its contents—I will note that Patricia H. Kushlis was an FSO with the “public affairs and public I stand by all of my U.S. Information Agency from 1970 to 1998. diplomacy,” businesses suggestions. (In the A longer version of this review appeared see as advertising, and interest of full disclo- on Whirled View, the world politics, public political advisers view as sure, let me add that diplomacy and national security blog she co- campaigning. He uses you will see my name writes with former FSO Patricia Lee Sharpe numerous real-world in several other chap- (http://whirledview.typepad.com/). examples to illustrate his ters, as well, because points. I was involved in the His basic argument book’s initial editing.) is that the overriding Fundamentally, goal of any informa- I argue in that list of tion campaign is not initiatives that U.S. public only to inform, but diplomacy—indeed also to influence the U.S. foreign policy as a people who matter. whole—needs to begin at This is the case for authoritarian home with “the last three regimes and dictators seeking to keep feet.” In my view, the State Department their populations in line, as well as for has been derelict in its treatment of You Are Our Eyes & Ears! democracies, militaries, foreign officials public diplomacy specialists abroad, and elected politicians. thereby squandering much potential Dear Readers: He goes on to argue that whatever influence. Moreover, it has yet to grasp In order to produce a high-quality the message, the facts and the story the need to garner support for its activi- product, the FSJ depends on the revenue it earns from advertising. need to be accurate. They must be ties and policies through educating judged as credible by the intended and communicating better with publics You can help with this. recipients because the long-term verac- right here in the United States. Please let us know the names of ity of the messenger is crucial to gaining Let me close by adding one more companies that have provided good service to you — a hotel, and maintaining popular support. recommendation to Farwell’s. There insurance company, auto Toward that end, the messenger needs to be greater concerted support dealership, or other concern. must choose the most effective medium by the State Department, Congress A referral from our readers for delivery of the message, whether for and the rest of the American political is the best entrée! good or ill. Witness, as Farwell tragically leadership, as well as members of the Ed Miltenberger documents, the efficacy of hate radio international business community, for Advertising & Circulation Manager Tel: (202) 944-5507 campaigns during the 1994 Rwandan the long-planned Museum of Diplo- E-mail: [email protected] genocide—and, I would add, similar macy than there has been up to now.

74 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS n LEGAL SERVICES PROFESSIONAL TAX RETURN PREPARATION Forty years in public tax practice. Arthur A. Granberg, EA, ATA, ATP. Our ATTORNEY WITH 32 YEARS’ successful experience SPECIALIZING charges are $95 per hour. Most FS returns take 3 to 4 hours. Our office is FULL-TIME IN FS GRIEVANCES will more than double your chance of 100 feet from Virginia Square Metro Station. Tax Matters Associates PC, winning: 30% of grievants win before the Grievance Board; 85% of my 3601 North Fairfax Dr., Arlington VA 22201. clients win. Only a private attorney can adequately develop and present Tel: (703) 522-3828. Fax: (703) 522-5726. your case, including necessary regs, arcane legal doctrines, precedents E-mail: [email protected] and rules. Call Bridget R. Mugane at: FREE TAX CONSULTATION for overseas personnel. We process federal Tel: (301) 596-0175 or (202) 387-4383. and state returns as received, without delay. Preparation and representa- Free initial telephone consultation tion by enrolled agents includes “TAX TRAX”—a unique mini-financial planning review with recommendations. Full financial planning also EXPERIENCED ATTORNEYS REPRESENTING FS officers in grievances, available. Get the most from your financial dollar! performance, promotion and tenure, financial claims, discrimination Financial Forecasts Inc., Barry B. De Marr, CFP, EA and Bryan F. De Marr, and disciplinary actions. We represent FS officers at all stages of the principals. proceedings from an investigation, issuance of proposed discipline or 3918 Prosperity Avenue #318, Fairfax VA 22031. the initiation of a grievance, through to a hearing before the FSGB. We Tel: (703) 289-1167. provide experienced, timely and knowledgeable advice to employees Fax: (703) 289-1178. from junior untenured officers through the Senior FS, and often work E-mail: [email protected] closely with AFSA. Kalijarvi, Chuzi & Newman. Tel: (202) 331-9260. TAXES FOR US EXPATS: Brenner & Elsea-Mandojana, LLC is a profes- E-mail: [email protected] sional services firm that specializes in the tax, financial planning and business advisory needs of U.S. expatriates. Managing member Jim WILLS/ESTATE PLANNING by attorney who is a former FSO. Have your Brenner, CPA/ABV, has been a certified public accountant for over 30 will reviewed and updated, or a new one prepared. No charge for initial years. He provides U.S. individual tax planning, tax preparation and consultation. business consulting services tailored to the needs of U.S. expatriates. M. Bruce Hirshorn, Boring & Pilger, P.C. Jim is also an IRS Certified Acceptance Agent for persons needing assis- 307 Maple Ave. W., Suite D, Vienna VA 22180. tance with taxpayer ID numbers. Tel: (703) 281-2161. Fax: (703) 281-9464. Tel: (281) 360-2800. E-mail: [email protected] Fax: (281) 359-6080. Email: jim@globaltaxconsult ATTORNEYS EXPERIENCED IN representing Foreign Service officers Web site: www.globaltaxconsult.com and intelligence community members in civil and criminal investigations, administrative inquiries, IG issues, grievances, disciplinary FINANCIAL PLANNING FOR FS FAMILIES. Carrington Financial investigations and security clearance issues. Extensive State Depart- Planning, LLC of Arlington, Va., provides financial planning services ment experience, both as counsel to the IG and in L, and in represent- to Foreign Service families worldwide. Principal William Carrington ing individual officers. We have handled successfully some particularly is a Foreign Service spouse with 19 years of FS experience. Web-based difficult cases confronting Foreign Service and intelligence officers, both process provides customized, collaborative, financial planning services. before the Foreign Service Grievance Board and in the federal and local Specially approved to use Dimensional Funds. Fee-Only, Fiduciary-Stan- courts. We work closely with AFSA when appropriate and cost-effective. dard, Registered Investment Adviser (RIA). Licensed and Insured. Doumar Martin PLLC. E-mail: [email protected] Tel: (703) 243-3737. Fax: (703) 524-7610. Web site: www.carringtonFP.com E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.doumarmartin.com n TEMPORARY HOUSING

n TAX & FINANCIAL SERVICES ENJOY YOUR STAY in Washington in historic guest rooms just blocks from the White House! Rooms available to DACOR members and their DAVID L. MORTIMER, CPA: Income tax planning and guests, $119/night/single, $135/night/double, all taxes and continental preparation for 20 years in Alexandria, VA. breakfast (M-F) included. Free consultation. For reservations call: (202) 682-0500, ext. 11. Tel: (703) 743-0272. E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.dacorbacon.org Web site: www.mytaxcpa.net FURNISHED LUXURY APARTMENTS: Short/long-term. Best locations: IRVING & COMPANY: CPA firm located in Rockville, Md. Irving has Dupont Circle, Georgetown. Utilities included. All price ranges/sizes. over 15 years of experience in tax planning, compliance and prepara- Parking available. tion services, specializing in FS-specific situations. Hourly rate is $125; Tel: (202) 296-4989. FS returns normally take 3 hours. Contact us today. Lowest CPA fees E-mail: [email protected] around. We use the leading tax software in the industry. Tel: (202) 257-2318. PIED-A-TERRE PROPERTIES, LTD: Select from our unique inventory of E-mail: [email protected] completely furnished & tastefully decorated apartments & townhouses, Web site: www.irvingcom.com all located in D.C.’s best in-town neighborhoods: Dupont, Georgetown, Foggy Bottom & the West End. Two-month minimum. Mother-Daughter Owned and Operated. Tel: (202) 462-0200. Fax: (202) 332-1406. E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.piedaterredc.com

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 75 Classified advertisements n TEMPORARY HOUSING SERVING FOREIGN SERVICE PERSONNEL FOR 25 YEARS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH PETS. Selection of condos, townhouses and CORPORATE APARTMENT SPECIALISTS: Abundant experience single-family homes accommodates most breeds and sizes. All within a working with Foreign Service professionals and the locations to best short walk of Metro stations in Arlington. Fully furnished and equipped serve you: Foggy Bottom, Woodley Park, Cleveland Park, Chevy Chase, 1-4 bedrooms, within per diem rates. Rosslyn, Ballston, Pentagon City. Our office is a short walk from NFATC. EXECUTIVE LODGING ALTERNATIVES. One-month minimum. All furnishings, housewares, utilities, telephone E-mail: [email protected] and cable included. Tel: (703) 979-2830 or (800) 914-2802. Fax: (703) 979-2813. TURNKEY HOUSING SOLUTIONS. Experience working with Foreign E-mail: [email protected] Service professionals on standard and distinctive temporary housing Web site: www.corporateapartments.com solutions in the D.C. area’s best locations (NW DC, North Arlington, Crystal/Pentagon City, Suburban Maryland). Northern Virginia-based n SHORT-TERM RENTALS • TEMPORARY HOUSING company offers local customer service and a personalized touch. Tel: (703) 615-6591. WASHINGTON, D.C., or NFATC TOUR? EXECUTIVE HOUSING E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.tkhousing.com CONSULTANTS offers Metropolitan Washington, D.C.’s finest portfolio of short-term, fully furnished and equipped apartments, townhomes and TOWNHOME FOR RENT. Bright end unit in quiet, gated development single-family residences in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. Washington, D.C. Two bedrooms, office, and garage; convenient to shop- In Virginia: “River Place’s Finest” is steps to Rosslyn Metro and George- ping and transportation (10-minute walk to Union Station). All utilities town, and 15 minutes on Metro bus or State Department shuttle to included; rent depends on length of stay (one-month minimum); will NFATC. For more info, please call (301) 951-4111, or visit our Web site at tailor to per diem. For details, please e-mail [email protected] or www.executivehousing.com. call (202) 552-9873. ARLINGTON FLATS: 1-BR, 2-BR, and 4-BR flats in 2 beautiful buildings n PROPERTY MANAGEMENT 3 blocks from Clarendon Metro. Newly renovated, completely furnished, incl. all utilities/Internet/HDTV w/DVR. Parking, maid service, gym, NORTHERN VIRGINIA PROPERTY MANAGEMENT. Are you look- rental car available. Rates start at $2,600/month. Per diem OK. ing for a competent manager to take care of your home when you go to Min. 30 days. post this summer? Based in McLean, Va., Peake Management, Inc. has Tel: (571) 235-4289. worked with Foreign Service officers for over 30 years. We are active E-mail: [email protected] board members of the Foreign Service Youth Foundation and many See 2-BR at Web site: http://www.postlets.com/rtpb/1908292 other community organizations. We really care about doing a good job in renting and managing your home, so we’re always seeking cutting-edge DC FURNISHED EXTENDED STAY in Penn Quarter/Chinatown. The technology to improve service to our clients, from innovative market- Lansburgh, 425 8th Street NW. 1-BR and 2-BR apartments w/fully ing to active online access to your account. We offer a free, copyrighted equipped kitchens, CAC & heat, high-speed Internet, digital cable TV Landlord Reference Manual to guide you through the entire preparation, w/HBO, fitness center w/indoor pool, resident business center, 24-hour rental and management process, or just give our office a call to talk to the reception desk, full concierge service, secure parking available, con- agent specializing in your area. Peake Management, Inc. is a licensed, trolled-entry building, 30-day minimum stay. Walk to Metro, FBI, DOJ, full-service real estate broker. EPA, IRS, DOE, DHH, U.S. Capitol. Rates within government per diem. 6842 Elm St., Suite 303, McLean VA 22101. Discount for government, diplomats. Visit our Web site at: Tel: (703) 448-0212. E-mail: [email protected] www.TheLansburgh.com or call the leasing office at (888) 313-6240. Web site: www.peakeinc.com CAPITOL HILL, FURNISHED housing: 1-3 blocks to Capitol. Nice n REAL ESTATE places, great location. Well below per diem. Short-term OK. GSA small business and veteran-owned. LOOKING TO BUY, sell or rent property in Northern Virginia? This for- Tel: (202) 544-4419. mer FSO understands your needs and can help. References available. [email protected] David Olinger, GRI Long & Foster, Realtors. Web site: www.capitolhillstay.com Tel: (703) 864-3196. E-mail: [email protected] DC GUEST APARTMENTS: Not your typical “corporate” apartments— Web site: www.davidolinger.lnf.com we’re different! Located in Dupont Circle, we designed our apartments as places where we’d like to live and work—beautifully furnished and HEADED TO MAIN STATE? Time to Buy or Sell in DC or Virginia? Tap fully equipped (including Internet & satellite TV). Most importantly, we into my 25+ years of experience providing FS personnel with exclusive understand that occasionally needs change, so we never penalize you if representation. By focusing on your needs, my effective approach makes you leave early. You only pay for the nights you stay, even if your plans the transition easier for you and your family. References gladly provided. change at the last minute. We also don’t believe in minimum stays or Contact Marilyn Cantrell, Associate Broker (licensed in VA and DC), extra charges like application or cleaning fees. And we always work with McEnearney Associates, McLean VA. you on per diem. Tel: (703) 860-2096. E-mail: [email protected] Tel: (202) 536-2500. Web site: www.MarilynCantrell.com E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.dcguestapartments.com PROFESSIONAL REAL ESTATE services provided by John Kozyn of Coldwell Banker in Arlington, Va. Need to buy or sell? My expertise will by using the free Reservation Service FIND PERFECT HOUSING serve your specific needs and time frame. FSO references gladly pro- Agency, Accommodations 4 U. vided. Licensed in VA and DC. Tel: (843) 238-2490. Tel: (202) 288-6026. E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.accommodations4u.net Web site: www.cbmove.com/johnkozyn

76 march 2013 | the foreign Service journal n REAL ESTATE n SHOPPING

HOUSE FOR RENT in North Arlington. 3 bedrooms, CRAVING GROCERIES from home? Order non-perishable grocery 1 bath, garage and fenced yard; pets OK. Located products from our physical grocery store ($4.95 shopping fee), and we 1 mile from FSI and Ballston Metro, 2 blocks from will ship the order (additional cost) via the Dulles mail sorting facility or Safeway and bike path. $2,450/month unfurnished; APO/FPO/DPO address. Click here for full details. • www.lowesfoodstogo.com furniture negotiable. Available in May; short-term • Choose the Robinhood Road store in Winston-Salem, N.C. lease negotiable. • Pay online via PayPal Contact Richard Heffern. E-mail: [email protected] SHOP IN AN AMERICAN DRUG STORE BY MAIL! Morgan Pharmacy SARASOTA, FLA. PAUL BYRNES, FSO retired, and Loretta Friedman, 3001 P St NW Coldwell Banker, offer vast real estate experience in assisting diplomats. Washington, DC 20007 Enjoy gracious living, no state income tax, and an exciting market. Tel: (202) 337-4100. Fax: (202) 337-4102. Tel: (941) 377-8181. E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] (Paul) or [email protected] (Loretta) Web site: www.carepharmacies.com n n HOME REPAIRS TRANSPORTATION

PET MOVING MADE EASY. Club Pet International is NOW IS THE time to think about getting your home in NORTHERN a full-service animal shipper specializing in domes- VIRGINIA ready to occupy or put on the market. Whether it’s a fresh coat tic and international trips. Club Pet is the ultimate of paint or a bathroom and/or kitchen remodel, Door2Door Designs will pet-care boarding facility in the Washington, D.C., do the work for you while you’re away. We specialize in working with metropolitan area. Foreign Service and military families living abroad. Many wonderful ref- Tel: (703) 471-7818 or (800) 871-2535. erences from happy families. Contact Nancy Sheehy. Tel: (703) 244-3843. E-mail: [email protected] Web site: clubpet.com E-mail: [email protected]. Web site: www.DOOR2DOORDESIGNS.COM n ADVERTISE YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE

PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD: $1.45/word (10-word min). Hyperlink $11.00 in online edition. Bold text 85¢/word. Header or box-shading $11 each. Deadline: 5 weeks ahead of publication. Tel: (202) 944-5507. Fax: (202) 338-8244. E-mail: [email protected]

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 77 REAL ESTATE & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

u REGULAR INSPECTIONS u ENJOY PEACE OF MIND u u u RENTAL SERVICES Who’s taking care of your home while you’re away? REGULAR REPORTS REGULAR REPORTS u

u o one takes care of your home like we do!

N 24 HOUR ON-CALL SUPPORT

While you’re overseas, we’ll help you manage your home without the hassles. No panicky messages, just regular reports. No unexpected surprises, just peace of mind.

Property management is rson G OVER 24 YEARS EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE YEARS 24 OVER r our full time business. eye ou p, Let us take care u M I e n c. of the details. h u T EXCELLENT REFERENCES

Call us today! (301) 657-3210

COORDINATE MAINTENANCE MAINTENANCE COORDINATE 6923 Fairfax Road Bethesda, MD 20814

email: [email protected] u u u PROPERTY MANAGEMENT FOR FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICERS u

78 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 79 REAL ESTATE & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

When contacting one of ourAD advertisers, kindly mentionINDEX you saw their advertisement in The Foreign Service Journal.

CLASSIFIED ADS SuiteAmerica / 36 MISCELLANEOUS McEnearney Associates / 80 Classifieds / 75, 76, 77 TurnKey Housing Solutions / 70 AFSA Resource Marketplace McGrath Real Estate / 41 Services / 78 FINANCIAL, LEGAL AND INSURANCE AFSA Scholarship Fund / Meyerson Group, Inc., The / 78 TAX SERVICES AFSPA – CIGNA Dental Plan Inside Back Cover Promax Management Inc. / 79 Irving and Company / 41 Insurance / 19 Diplomatic Automobile Property Specialists, Inc. / 79 James E Burgess, CPA / 70 AFSPA – Senior Living Sales / 3 Washington Management MCG Financial Planning / 47 Foundation / 19, 71 Georgetown Journal / 36 Services / 78 Clements Worldwide / 4 Inside a U.S. Embassy / 72 WJD Management / 81 HOUSING Embassy Risk Management / 42 Marketplace / 14 AKA, Flexible Stay Hotel Federal Employee Defense State Department Reading ANNOUNCEMENTS Residences / Inside Front Services / 11 List / 79 2012 AFSA Tax Guide / 80 Cover The Hirshorn Company / Tetra Tech / 23, 25, 27 Change of Address / 11 Arlington Court Suites / 40 Back Cover Foreign Affairs Day 2013 / 77 Attaché Corporate Housing / 28 REAL ESTATE & PROPERTY CAS–Corporate Apartment MANAGEMENT EDUCATION Specialists / 71 Cabell Reid, LLC / 81 Leysin American School in Pied-a-Terre Properties Ltd. / 37 Executive Housing Consultants, Switzerland / 12 Signature Properties / 37 Inc. / 81

80 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 81 LOCAL LENS MANAMA, BAHRAIN BY FABIO CATTARINICH n TAKEN WITH A NIKON D5000, USING A NIKON 18-105MM ZOOM LENS. THE FOCAL LENGTH WAS 18MM AT F4.5; 1/250 SHUTTER.

he Bahrain World Trade Center is a 240-meter (787 Tfeet)-high twin- tower complex. Built in 2008 by the multinational architectural firm Atkins, it is the first skyscraper in the world to integrate wind turbines into its design. The towers are a symbol of achievement and a reflec- tion of the momentum behind the region’s fast- growing economy. n

Fabio Cattarinich is an Eligible Family Member. His wife, Daniela DiPierro, is consular section chief at Embassy Manama.

Enter your photograph to be featured in Local Lens! Images must be high resolution (at least 300 dpi at 8 x 10”). Please submit a short description of the scene or event, as well as your name, brief biodata and the type of camera used, to [email protected].

82 MARCH 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL