SPECIAL FEATURE: CLASSIC PICKS FROM THE JOURNAL’S PAST DECADE $4.50 / NOVEMBER 2011 OREIGN ERVICE FJ O U R N A L S THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS CHOPPY WATERS AHEAD A Look at Secretary Clinton’s Management Record OREIGN ERVICE FJ O U R N A L S CONTENTS November 2011 Volume 88, No. 11 C OVER S TORY A MIDTERM MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT OF SEC. CLINTON / 21 The Foreign Affairs Council issued its latest biennial evaluation of the Secretary of State’s management of the department in June. Here are highlights from that report. By Thomas D. Boyatt S PECIAL F EATURE EDITOR STEVE HONLEY’S CLASSIC PICKS FROM THE FSJ’S PAST 10 YEARS Cover illustration EDITOR’S INTRO: A MINI-JOURNAL / 30 by John Kachik By Steven Alan Honley SPEAKING OUT / 32 Leadership at State: A Work in Progress By Prudence Bushnell PRESIDENT’S VIEWS / 5 AFSA Board Launches FS KNOW-HOW / 34 Strategic Planning Effort Helping a Colleague Cope with the Death of a Loved One By Susan R. Johnson By Joan B. Odean SPEAKING OUT / 15 COVER STORY / 36 Why the Foreign Service The U.S. and Islam in the Modern World Should Be More Like the Army By Hume Horan By Jon P. Dorschner FEATURE / 43 FS KNOW-HOW / 18 Human Rights Report for the Hun Empire, A.D. 451 Coping with High-Stress Posts By Donald A. Roberts By Joseph Adamo Mussomeli FS HERITAGE / 47 REFLECTIONS / 80 Rebel Raider As Diplomat: John Mosby in China The Bright Lights of Hefei By Kevin H. Siepel By Matthew Murray FS FICTION / 53 Nita and the First Noble Eightfold Path By David McAuley LETTERS / 7 BOOKS / 58 CYBERNOTES / 11 MARKETPLACE / 14 REFLECTIONS / 59 Balkan Babas BOOKS / 60 By Stephanie Rowlands IN MEMORY / 62 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS / 78 NOVEMBER 2011/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 3 OREIGN ERVICE CONTENTS FJ O U R N A L S A F S A N EWS Editor STEVEN ALAN HONLEY KEEPING IT HONEST, KEEPING IT REAL: Senior Editor ALL FOR ISSENT AND ERFORMANCE WARD OMINATIONS C D P A N / 65 SUSAN B. MAITRA THE CHAUTAUQUA INSTITUTION: AN AFSA PARTNER FOR 15 YEARS / 65 Associate Editor SHAWN DORMAN NEWS BRIEFS / 66 AFSA News Editor DONNA AYERST VP STATE: IT’S ALL ABOUT COMMUNICATION AND NEGOTIATION / 67 Ad & Circulation Manager VP USAID: THE NEW LABOR-MANAGEMENT ED MILTENBERGER FORUM EXECUTIVE ORDER / 68 Art Director CARYN SUKO SMITH NOVEMBER BOOK NOTES: KALB & KALB / 68 Editorial Intern LAURA PETTINELLI IPLOMACY FTER D A 9/11: Advertising Intern KOJO NNAMDI RADIO SHOW FEATURES AFSA / 69 MINH-NHAT (LEO) TRAN NSIDE A MBASSY ON THE ROAD WITH I U.S. E / 70 EDITORIAL BOARD JAMES P. SEEVERS SEPTEMBER BOOK NOTES: FARISHTA / 71 Chairman JUDITH BAROODY IN S SSAY ONTEST AND AIL ROUND THE ORLD W AFSA’ E C S A W ! / 73 WILLIAM D. BENT NEW GOVERNING BOARD HOLDS PLANNING RETREAT / 73 GORDON S. BROWN STEPHEN W. BUCK TRANSITION CENTER SCHEDULE / 74 KATE WIEHAGEN LEONARD RICHARD MCKEE CLASSIFIEDS / 75 JED MELINE GREGORY L. NAARDEN LYNN ROCHE RACHEL SCHNELLER THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is published monthly with a combined July-August issue by the American Foreign Service Associa- tion (AFSA), a private, nonprofit organization. Material appearing herein represents the opin- ions of the writers and does not necessarily rep- resent the views of the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries and submissions are invited, preferably by e-mail. Journal sub- scription: AFSA members – $13 included in an- nual dues; others – $40. For foreign surface mail, add $18 per year; foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. Indexed by Public Affairs Information Services (PAIS). The Journal is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos or illustrations. Advertising inquiries are invited. The appearance of advertisements herein does not imply the endorsement of the services or goods offered. TELEPHONE: (202) 338-4045 FAX: (202) 338-8244 or (202) 338-6820 E-MAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.afsa.org; www.fsjournal.org © American Foreign Service Association, 2011. Printed in the U.S.A. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to – AFSA Attn: Address Change 2101 E Street N.W. Washington DC 20037-2990 Printed on 50-percent recycled paper, of which 10 percent is post-consumer waste. 4 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/NOVEMBER 2011 PRESIDENT’S VIEWS AFSA Board Launches Strategic Planning Effort BY SUSAN R. JOHNSON The 2011-2013 AFSA Gov- board performance. States Foreign Service. erning Board held a day-long My report on the proceed- Planning teams composed of board strategic planning retreat at ings begins with the role and members and key staff addressed each AFSA HQ on Sept. 17. The responsibilities of board mem- priority strategic area. The Strengthen- purpose was to strengthen bers, and the strategic priority ing Governance team’s shared vision or AFSA’s institutional framework of strengthening governance. description of what it hoped to see in and procedures to better carry Clear articulation of the role place in three to five years was: “ a well- out its mission of promoting ex- and responsibilities of board structured and defined governance sys- cellence in diplomacy and be an effec- members, individually and collectively, tem including board and committees; a tive voice for the Foreign Service. will give AFSA members a better idea diverse, representative and influential The board enlisted a professional of what is involved in serving on the governing board; a communicative and strategic planning professional, Carol board and make it more effective. It collaborative board and staff; and in- Rylander of Rylander Associates, who should also improve board-staff collab- creased member physical and virtual has extensive experience in helping non- oration. engagement in AFSA activities. profit boards with all elements of effec- In addition to the mission statement The potential barriers to realizing this tive planning and capacity building. articulated by the previous AFSA board vision include: lack of written guidance, AFSA staff members also participated and that board’s McKinsey Self-Assess- lack of staff professional support to the and will play a key role in developing ment Responses, participants discussed board, insufficient board professional de- specific action plans to achieve the goals. the Ten Basic Roles and Responsibili- velopment, outdated bylaws and election The immediate goal of the day’s work ties of Nonprofit Boards and the Three procedures, unclear roles and responsi- was to develop a practical vision for five Hats of Board Members. These mate- bilities (board and staff), and resource priority strategic areas: strengthening rials — developed by BoardSource, a and technology constraints. governance; enhancing image, outreach source of cutting-edge thinking and re- Some of the practical strategies to and communications; strengthening pro- sources related to nonprofit boards — overcome these barriers are: upgrade fessionalism and effectiveness (for are all posted on the AFSA Web site in AFSA’s database for better knowledge AFSA and for the Foreign Service); ex- the Governing Board section. management; assure sufficient trained panding core advocacy; and growing Among the basic responsibilities of staff to support the board; revise bylaws membership and development. boards, perhaps the most important for and get approval of members; conduct Our task was, first, to identify what AFSA are defining mission and pur- a midyear review of priorities; develop a we want to see in place in three to five pose, ensuring effective planning, mon- board training program; define board years for each priority, potential barri- itoring and strengthening programs and and staff roles and responsibilities, and ers to achieving the envisioned out- services, ensuring adequate financial re- get board approval; acquire video con- comes and, finally, practical strategies to sources and enhancing the association’s ferencing capacity and electronic survey address potential obstacles and realize public standing. Our goal is to improve and voting processes; and get board each vision. Second, we aimed to col- performance in all these areas and to commitment to recruit candidates for lectively review board roles and respon- make AFSA membership something to election to the next board. sibilities, and launch board team build- be proud of, just as we are proud of who To be continued in next month’s col- ing in a purposeful way for stronger we are and what we do as the United umn. I NOVEMBER 2011/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 5 LETTERS Marking a Career Journal reminded me of a similar ex- from Michael Gallagher in which he re- I was very pleased to read the infor- perience I had while serving as public counted his experience as a newly ar- mation regarding progress on the “For- affairs counselor in Geneva back in the rived FSO at Embassy Ottawa — and eign Service Memorial Marker Pro- 1980s. specifically, the response from the gram” in the most recent edition of the In anticipation of the first Reagan- Canadian people to the tragic events of AFSA Newsletter. As I’m sure you al- Gorbachev summit there, I designated Sept. 11, 2001. He poignantly de- ready know, this is a very special initia- a “Kook Kontrol Officer” (officially scribed the “many flowers, notes and tive. Not unlike preserving hard-won known as the NGO Liaison Officer) to stuffed animals Canadians had left on retirement benefits in today’s fiscal cri- deal with the many activists descending our fence as an expression of their grief sis, these special memorial markers on us for the event. All these good peo- and solidarity with their American hold far-reaching morale and esprit de ple came to demonstrate and plead a cousins.” corps potential for helping ensure the cause while the world’s spotlight was on This expression of support from our dignity, honor and distinction of those Geneva, with 3,000 media representa- neighbors to the north was but one ex- who have served in the United States tives looking for stories (preferably neg- ample of the way the rest of the world Foreign Service.