PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION DECEMBER 2020

FACE OF THE FS AWARDEES IN ACTION

EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT INSIDE

FOREIGN SERVICE December 2020 Volume 97, No. 10

Focus on AFSA Awards: Honoring Excellence and Constructive Dissent Education Supplement 77 U.S. Boarding Schools: Resilient in the Pandemic and Beyond By David H. Charlton and Randal E. Brown 83 COVID on Campus: How FS College Kids and Their Families Are Managing the 22 Uncertainty By Donna Scaramastra Pioneer, Bridge Builder and Statesman— Gorman A Conversation with Ambassador Edward J. Perkins 2020 Recipient of the Award for Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy 94 College Options: 32 Community College 2020 Awards for Constructive Dissent with a Guaranteed Transfer Program 40 By Francesca Huemer Kelly 2020 Awards for Exemplary Performance

FS Heritage Features

63 52 56 Idealism, Diplomacy and The Dayton Accords Implementing Dayton: Power: Tony Lake’s Story at 25 A Look Back Through six decades and A retired FSO and veteran Reestablishing interreligious and two major foreign policy crucibles— of the Balkan crisis offers a interethnic trust, tolerance and Vietnam and the Balkans—Tony Lake clear-eyed assessment of Bosnia coexistence among Serb, Croat and showed a steady commitment to and Herzegovina a quarter-century Bosniak proved a daunting task. public service, as well as a belief in after Dayton. By Robert M. Beecroft speaking truth to power. By Daniel Serwer By Rennie A. Silva

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 5 FOREIGN SERVICE

Perspectives Departments 7 104 10 Letters President’s Views Reflections Foreign Service Proud: An Unexpected Foray into Albania 13 Letters-Plus Very, Very Proud By Dolores Brown and By Eric Rubin Maria Silver 14 Talking Points 9 98 Books Letter from the Editor Recognizing Excellence By Shawn Dorman Marketplace

19 99 Real Estate Speaking Out Food & Fun, or Debt & Despair? 101 Classifieds The Commissary Crisis and the Future of Employee Associations 103 Index to Advertisers By Llywelyn Graeme 106 Local Lens Colombo, Sri Lanka By Carille Guthrie

AFSA NEWS THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION

69 AF SA Works for Diversity and Inclusion: An Update 70 State VP Voice—2020: How Are We Doing? 71 USAID VP Voice—A Brief Reflection on Measuring Impact 71 AFSA Supports EEO Complaint for Equal Pay 72 Retiree VP Voice—Support Our Foreign Service Community 72 Early and Mid-Career Retirement Planning Seminar 73 U SAID 2020 Promotion Boards: Concerns on Diversity, Inclusion and Transparency 74 Retirees Join AFSA for Outreach Efforts 75 AFSA Governing Board Meeting, Oct. 21, 2020 75 AFSA Dues Increase for 2021

On the Cover—AFSA Award Winners in Action. See photo captions in profiles starting on p. 22.

6 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL PRESIDENT’S VIEWS

Foreign Service Proud: Very, Very Proud

BY ERIC RUBIN

his month, we have the plea- struck by their spirit of sacrifice, generos- The dissent awards we announce this sure and privilege of honor- ity and patriotism. The thought occurred month honor our colleagues who spoke ing members of the Foreign to me: these are not cynical people. Like up, constructively and internally, with TService community for special the Foreign Service as a whole, they are the goal of advancing our national inter- contributions to our Service and to among the least cynical people I know. est and improving our policies. They our country’s security, prosperity and The stories of how our colleagues deserve our deepest thanks and respect. standing in the world. We are especially helped bring home more than 100,000 Dan Serwer’s essay on the 25th pleased to honor Ambassador Edward of their fellow Americans when COVID- anniversary of the Dayton Accords Perkins with the Lifetime Contributions 19 struck remind me of what service emphasizes that, at the end of the day, to American Diplomacy Award celebrat- really means. Service in the face of diplomacy is the chief alternative to war. ing his decades of public service and his danger, service to others, service to It should help us remember the good dedication as a teacher, mentor and role a larger ideal. We should be proud to that America and Americans can do in model for current and future genera- uphold that vision, and we should keep the world, and how much the world still tions in the Foreign Service. it in mind as our country and the world needs us to lead despite our own politi- Sadly, Amb. Perkins left us last month navigate uncharted waters. cal divisions and flaws. The Balkans are at the age of 92. His was a great American I am also gratified to know that the at peace today. It’s not a perfect peace, life and a great Foreign Service life. spirit of constructive dissent is still strong and there are still difficult challenges to In the compelling interview with in our Service. As a recipient of the AFSA overcome. Compared to the bloody days Amb. Perkins in this issue, he tells the William R. Rivkin Award for Constructive of the 1990s, however, it is something to story of calling on President Ronald Dissent myself, I know how intimidat- be valued and cherished. Reagan before departing for Pretoria ing it can be to challenge the system and The hashtag #FSProud is just that—a as the first Black U.S. ambassador to challenge senior leaders. It is lamentable hashtag. But it represents a lot more. South Africa (those were the days when that there have been very few Dissent We can and should feel justifiably proud American presidents routinely met with Channel messages sent in recent years, of the contributions that members of their outgoing ambassadors, not just as and that the Secretary’s Open Forum our Service have made to advance our a courtesy but as a sign of respect for is leaderless and seemingly moribund. country’s interests and to make life the Foreign Service). Both were a response to the difficult days better for others. We know it is not easy President Reagan asked Amb. of the Vietnam War, when members of duty, and frequently comes with a heavy Perkins what he hoped to achieve in the Foreign Service were unable to find a dose of sacrifice and danger. Pretoria, and Amb. Perkins said boldly channel for expressing their constructive We at AFSA are working hard to that he hoped to concerns about the war. share the news of what the Foreign Ser- help end the system Some, like former National Security vice is doing: with the American public, of apartheid. And Adviser Anthony Lake (also featured in with the media and with our represen- he did exactly that. this month’s edition), resigned in frus- tatives in Congress. I hope all of you Reading of the tration. Others suffered reprisals and in will as well, as we begin a new year with profiles of our award a few cases were the targets of wiretaps hopes for health, safety and a return to recipients, I am by State Department senior leaders. prosperity for everyone. n

Ambassador Eric Rubin is the president of the American Foreign Service Association.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 7 FOREIGN SERVICE

Editor-in-Chief, Director of Publications Shawn Dorman: [email protected] www.afsa.org Senior Editor Susan Brady Maitra: [email protected]

Managing Editor CONTACTS Kathryn Owens: [email protected] AFSA Headquarters: FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION Associate Editor (202) 338-4045; Fax (202) 338-6820 Director of Finance and Facilities Cameron Woodworth: [email protected] State Department AFSA Office: Femi Oshobukola: [email protected] (202) 647-8160; Fax (202) 647-0265 Publications Coordinator Manager, HR and Operations USAID AFSA Office: Dmitry Filipoff: [email protected] Cory Nishi: [email protected] (202) 712-1941; Fax (202) 216-3710 Controller Business Development Manager— FCS AFSA Office: Kalpna Srimal: [email protected] Advertising and Circulation (202) 482-9088; Fax (202) 482-9087 Member Accounts Specialist Molly Long: [email protected] Ana Lopez: [email protected] GOVERNING BOARD IT and Infrastructure Coordinator Art Director President Aleksandar “Pav” Pavlovich: Caryn Suko Smith Hon. Eric S. Rubin: [email protected] [email protected] Editorial Board Secretary Alexis Ludwig, Chair Ken Kero-Mentz: [email protected] COMMUNICATIONS Hon. Robert M. Beecroft Treasurer Director of Communications Daniel Crocker Virginia L. Bennett: [email protected] Ásgeir Sigfússon: [email protected] Joel Ehrendreich State Vice President Manager of Outreach and Internal Harry Kopp Thomas Yazdgerdi: [email protected] Communications Jess McTigue USAID Vice President Christopher Teal Allan Saunders: [email protected] Jason Singer: [email protected] Joe Tordella Online Communications Manager FCS Vice President Vivian Walker Jeff Lau: [email protected] Jay Carreiro: [email protected] Hon. Laurence Wohlers Awards and Scholarships Manager FAS Vice President Dinah Zeltser-Winant Theo Horn: [email protected] Michael Riedel: [email protected] Strategic Messaging Coordinator Retiree Vice President Nadja Ruzica: [email protected] THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS John K. Naland: [email protected] PROFESSIONALS State Representatives MEMBERSHIP The Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), Joshua C. Archibald 2101 E Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is Director, Programs and Member Engagement Maria Hart published monthly, with combined January-February Christine Miele: [email protected] and July-August issues, by the American Foreign Service Kristin Michelle Roberts Member Operations Coordinator Association (AFSA), a private, nonprofit organization. Jason Snyder Material appearing herein represents the opinions of the Tomoko Morinaga: [email protected] Tamir Waser writers and does not necessarily represent the views of Coordinator of Member Recruitment the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries Vacant and Benefits and submissions are invited, preferably by email. The USAID Representative Perri Green: [email protected] Journal is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, Trevor Hublin photos or illustrations. Advertising inquiries are invited. Retirement Benefits Counselor FCS Alternate Representative All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. Dolores Brown: [email protected] AFSA reserves the right to reject advertising that is not Mike Calvert in keeping with its standards and objectives. The appear- FAS Alternate Representative ance of advertisements herein does not imply endorse- LABOR MANAGEMENT Mary Parrish ment of goods or services offered. Opinions expressed in General Counsel advertisements are the views of the advertisers and do USAGM Representative Sharon Papp: [email protected] not necessarily represent AFSA views or policy. Journal Steve Herman Deputy General Counsel subscription: AFSA member–$20, included in annual APHIS Representative dues; student–$30; others–$50; Single issue–$4.50. Raeka Safai: [email protected] Russell Duncan For foreign surface mail, add $18 per year; foreign airmail, Senior Staff Attorneys $36 per year. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., Retiree Representatives Zlatana Badrich: [email protected] and at additional mailing offices. Indexed by the Public Mary Daly Neera Parikh: [email protected] Affairs Information Services (PAIS). Philip A. Shull Labor Management Counselor Email: [email protected] Colleen Fallon-Lenaghan: Phone: (202) 338-4045 STAFF [email protected] Fax: (202) 338-8244 Executive Director Senior Labor Management Advisor Web: www.afsa.org/fsj Ásgeir Sigfússon: [email protected] James Yorke: [email protected] Executive Assistant to the President © American Foreign Service Association, 2020 Labor Management Coordinator Richard Bruner: [email protected] Patrick Bradley: [email protected] PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Office Coordinator Senior Grievance Counselor Therese Thomas: [email protected] Postmaster: Send address changes to Heather Townsend: [email protected] AFSA, Attn: Address Change USAID Labor Management Advisor 2101 E Street NW PROFESSIONAL POLICY ISSUES Sue Bremner: [email protected] Washington DC 20037-2990 Director of Professional Policy Issues Grievance Counselor Julie Nutter: [email protected] Benjamin Phillips: [email protected]

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8 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Editorial Calendar 2021

JAN-FEB: U.S. Diplomacy for the 2020s MARCH: Notes to the New Administration APRIL: FS Realities in an Age Recognizing Excellence of Disruption BY SHAWN DORMAN MAY: Polar Diplomacy & Climate Change JUNE: Great Power Competition very December, the FSJ celebrates is inspiring, and his enduring optimism is JULY-AUG: Diversity, Inclusion, Equity: and honors the recipients of contagious. An Update on Progress the annual AFSA awards for This year was not the easiest time SEPTEMBER: 20 Years after 9/11— Diplomacy Lessons constructive dissent, for out- for voicing dissent. Yet, in a climate that E OCTOBER: Afghanistan Today standing performance and for lifetime prized loyalty over honesty, colleagues NOVEMBER: In Their Own Write contributions to American diplomacy. spoke out and stood up, dissented within DECEMBER: AFSA Award Winners We continue that tradition this month, the system and tried to right policies and at the close of an unusual and difficult practices they saw as wrong. year—from the impeachment hearings Julie M. Stufft received the Christian for an FS family member) brought the that brought Foreign Service colleagues A. Herter Award for a senior-level FSO for community together through music into the national spotlight as witnesses, her work at the National Security Council in Liberia. Jenny McCoy (Nelson B. to the COVID-19 pandemic that led to advocating for protection of American citi- Delavan Award for an office manage- worldwide disruption. zens through strong travel advisory mes- ment specialist) helped the community Election Day in the United States saging in the early days of the pandemic. rebuild after a terror attack in Sri Lanka. was peaceful, and as we go to press, Monica Smith also received the Herter Jennifer Mauldin (M. Juanita Guess the transition to a Joe Biden presidency Award, for successfully challenging the Award for a Community Liaison Office begins. At the same time, Donald Trump approach of the USAID West Bank and coordinator) created a strong support has yet to concede defeat, and on Nov. 10 Gaza Mission to managing U.S. engage- network in Karachi, a post hit hard by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the ment in the water sector. COVID-19. press there will be a “smooth transition to Jason Smith received the William R. Two FSOs were selected to receive the a second Trump administration.” We’re Rivkin Award for a mid-level officer for Mark Palmer Award for the Advancement in for a bumpy ride to January. his dissent regarding language used by of Democracy: Alexandra Shema helped COVID-19 caused indefinite postpone- Embassy Jerusalem in addressing differ- strengthen Moldova’s fledgling democ- ment of the AFSA awards ceremony but ent religious communities. racy, and Rafi Foley championed efforts to did not deter us from recognizing excel- Lindsay Dana received the W. Averell restore democracy in Venezuela. lence in the Foreign Service, as illustrated Harriman Award for an entry-level officer Jason Vorderstrasse (Contributions to by the 13 recipients of this year’s awards. for her successful efforts to change a the Association Award) has done more Our coverage begins with an interview gender-biased non-immigrant visa than anyone to honor forgotten diplomats with Ambassador Edward J. Perkins, online application form. who died in the line of duty overseas. recipient of AFSA’s highest honor—the Dave Heddleston received the F. Allen AFSA Senior Labor Management Award for Lifetime Contributions to “Tex” Harris Award for an FS specialist Adviser James Yorke (AFSA Special American Diplomacy. for successfully urging the State Depart- Achievement Award) has directly assisted While finalizing pages, we learned the ment to reexamine certain overseas thousands of AFSA members during 25 sad news that Ed Per- security measures. years with the association. kins passed away on The recipients of the 2020 Awards for Beyond the awards, you’ll find a look Nov. 7. We are grateful Exemplary Performance all went “above at the Dayton Accords at 25, the commis- to have had a chance and beyond” to support and strengthen sary conundrum and managing college to hear him reflect on their overseas communities. during a pandemic. his journey. His story Rick Bassett (Avis Bohlen Award We’d love to hear from you. Please consider writing for the Journal in 2021. Shawn Dorman is the editor of The Foreign Service Journal. Best wishes for the year ahead. n­

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 9 LETTERS

A Tribute to for recruitment and When the State Department is serious Ralph Bunche retention, and ask about a goal or an initiative, an impor- Thank you for publishing that subordinates do tant way it demonstrates this attitude James Dandridge’s informa- the same. The idea is and determination is to name a special tive article about Dr. Ralph J. that any contact with coordinator with authority and a high- Bunche’s enduring contribu- an outside group, such level direct report. tions to peacebuilding and as a civic organization, Of course, there are many systemic diplomacy (“Ralph J. Bunche, business council or uni- changes that should be made focused U.N. Architect,” September). versity, should include a on promotion and assignment precepts, In 1997 the State Department named recruiting pitch. as well as other possible changes. But its library in honor of Ralph Bunche in • More systemically, contributions there is always a risk that such efforts will recognition of his political and humani- to retention and recruitment should be devolve into long-term admiration of the tarian contributions to the department made precepts for assignment and pro- problem, rather than solving it. and the United Nations, and for his con- motion. This change could be initiated Moreover, such changes do nothing tributions to the world of learning. by leaders and assignment decision- to say that this time it’s going to be differ- As America’s oldest federal library, the makers asking whether candidates ent. The changes noted above make that Ralph J. Bunche Library is proud to honor had done anything to promote diverse point, while working toward longer-term his inspirational legacy and to advance recruitment and retention. If bureaus solutions. American diplomacy by delivering world- owning desirable assignments asked the Henry S. Ensher class research services, information question a few times, word would get FSO, retired resources and customer service to State around fast. McLean, Virginia personnel worldwide. • Over time, demonstrated support Julie Arrighetti for recruitment and retention should be Yes, We Need Chief Librarian, Ralph J. Bunche included in precepts for Options for POVs!

Library senior leadership assign- OCTOBER 2020 I wholeheartedly support

PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION U.S. Department of State ments and promotion Warren Leishman’s recom- into the Senior Service. mendation that FS members Diversity Déjà Vu Mere assertion of commit- be given alternatives to Your September Journal (“Facing Rac- ment to equal employment shipping personal vehicles ism”) brought on a sense of diversity déjà opportunity principles to and from overseas posts vu. During the five decades in which I would not suffice. (“Stop Shipping Your Per- REAL served, there was a lot said and little done • Diplomats in Residence MAKING INCLUSION sonal Vehicle!” Speaking about diversity, except under the dictates (DIRs) could be instructed REVISITED Out, October). From per- McCARTHYISM of litigation; and it appears we are still on to focus greater attention on sonal experience, I realize that path. historically Black colleges and that the default to “shipping” To avoid undue length, here are a universities, and other institutions focused causes not only extra expense for the few suggestions designed to exploit the on diverse communities. DIRs could be government; in some cases, it also rules nature of our system and FSOs’ ambitions rated based on their success in recruiting out better options for employees. to help improve the situation: from such communities, and promotion When I was posted to Guatemala, I had • Leaders can immediately mandate and award panels could be instructed to to fight to be allowed to drive our vehicle that all meetings be diverse, ideally give increased weight to such success. back instead of shipping it, even when I including diversity in race, gender and It should be standard operating sexual orientation; but at the very least procedure that all contacts with higher Submit letters we ought to be able to manage full gender educational institutions, such as partici- to the editor: representation. pation in seminars, be coordinated with [email protected] • Leaders can take on responsibilities DIRs to ensure recruitment is included.

10 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL demonstrated the cost savings. There was A Good Suggestion Now, for serving as spokespeople during our supposedly no “overland route,” although and Then careers. we had no trouble driving through Mexico Warren Leishman’s Speaking Out Tunisia in the early 1990s was saddled to our home leave in California. If we had piece (“Stop Shipping Your Personal with a molasses-like bureaucracy, and not driven, we would have been waiting Vehicle!” October) made some com- the admin officer asked me during my for our vehicle in D.C. and had to rent a monsense recommendations to both time in his office to look into ways to car during our home leave. save money for the U.S. government and streamline the customs and shipping When I was posted to Malta, shipping minimize the frustrations associated with processes that frustrated many an incom- our 6-year-old car to a right-hand-drive transfers overseas and between posts. It ing embassy staffer. island seemed like a waste of govern- also brought back memories of my first This was doubly the case for FSI ment money. Instead, we purchased a posting in Tunis. students, who were assigned to Tunis for new car from a dealer in Malta. Using After a year of Arabic in Washington, less than a full year of training, but often our tax-free status meant it was rela- I transferred with my family to Tunis spent up to half of their time at post with- tively inexpensive, and we were able to to complete a one-year U.S. Informa- out their household effects (HHE) and sell it for almost what we paid when we tion Agency junior officer tour and a POV. In my own family’s case, we didn’t departed three years later. follow-on year at the FSI campus in receive our HHE until after Thanksgiv- As a management officer, I also Tunis. Under USIA, new FSOs typically ing, well after the weather had changed helped a few employees purchase used spent one year rotating through different and with an awful lot of baby food and cars from Japan, another right-hand- sections of the embassy in preparation undersized diapers to sell. drive country. Because most Japanese keep their cars less than three years, used cars are cheap, and the shipping from Japan was less expensive than from most other posts. Some employees then sold those cars to incoming employees, so there were further savings to the government. And this provided another advantage to employees: They had a car on arrival rather than waiting, sometimes for months, for their shipment to arrive. Obviously, none of us benefited from the thousands in government savings. In fact, if my husband and I hadn’t had enough funds to purchase our vehicle outright, my idea wouldn’t have worked. So I think Mr. Leishman’s idea to give a POV stipend would encourage more folks to save the government an average $8,000-9,000 for round-trip shipping while offering other advantages, includ- ing the environmental ones he also mentions. Marietta Bartoletti FSO, retired San Francisco, California

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 11 PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION

JUNE 2020

EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT INSIDE

One of my recommendations Ambassador (ret.) Michael A second suggestion involved forgoing HHE shipments for McKinley’s July-August includes ways to increase

FSI students but doubling their air Speaking Out column HUMAN RIHTS DILMA collaboration among all FS freight allowances, theoretically saving (“Changing Mindsets on SILICON ALLY LESSNS employees, a cause I defended money and also ensuring students had Race at State”), in which RINGING AMRICANSHOM in the December 2013 FSJ (“A access to their shipments after only a he testifies to some of his Plea for Greater Teamwork in few weeks at post. encounters with the racism entrenched the Foreign Service”). In support of Mr. Leishman’s sugges- within the Foreign Service. Yet he offers A third is to share past expertise by tions, my research revealed that many no shining counterexamples from his the department facilitating its employ- FSI students waited for months for their own career to rebut Amb. McKinley’s ees to author “internal pages that share cars to clear customs, only to have to testimony. best practices, ideas and tools.” State did ship them out again to follow-on posts For his part, Amb. Hays complains that once compile such lessons by former well before their tour ended. America should pay more attention to the ambassadors, though that publication is In addition, because FSI students looting and the destruction of property now buried in some old file. were often new hires, many shipped that occurred on the margins of some Finally, Moore suggests that State cars were worth considerably less than Black Lives Matter protests this summer. I develop expert career pathways as an the cost of shipping. Having either a join him in calling for the perpetrators of option for officers “to grow in their pool of used cars for sale to choose from those crimes to be brought to justice. careers by building expertise not only on arrival or the use of a stipend with At the same time, I wonder why he by managing people and resources” as which to purchase a car locally would and Mr. Hoover do not extend that same many Silicon Valley companies do. (In have saved time, frustration and—I tender concern to the victims of police practice, State promotion panels often agree completely with Mr. Leishman— brutality, unjust imprisonment and, reward such expertise despite State’s U.S. taxpayers’ money. yes, systemic racism—both in American concurrent drive to defend its primacy Let me finish by noting that while the society and its institutions, including the in foreign policy making by copying admin officer agreed with my recom- Foreign Service. some management practices better mendations, he feared that raising Steven Alan Honley suited to the military.) these cost-saving issues with Wash- Former FSO It is reassuring to see contemporary ington might well lead to shedding an Washington, D.C. suggestions for Foreign Service reform unwelcome congressional light on the build on past experience. n benefits provided to FSOs by the depart- A Modern Workplace George B. Lambrakis ment, and so such recommendations Despite my ignorance of tech, I was FSO, retired usually did not go beyond post manage- surprised and impressed by Andrew Pornic, France ment level. Moore’s “Practical Suggestions for a Dick Wilbur Modern Workplace” (Speaking Out, June), CORRECTIONS FSO, retired drawn from his experience at Google, as In the November Speaking Out, Barrington, Rhode Island an Eagleburger Fellow no less. Several of “Female, (Won’t) Curtail & Yale: Waiting his suggestions parallel and repeat my to Exhale,” the late poet Audre Lorde’s None Is So Blind… own nontech thoughts and those of others first name is misspelled. In the “In Their Own Write” summary of Betrayal by a After reading the October letters from gleaned from our FS experience. Father and the Power of Forgiveness, retired FSO Richard W. Hoover and One is for State to make long-term the author’s name is Rosa, not Rose. Ambassador (ret.) Dennis K. Hays, both training desired and promotable so that And in “Of Related Interest,” the write- criticizing colleagues who’ve had the officers stop avoiding it for fear it harms up on The Ambassadors, author Paul temerity to address institutional racism, their promotion prospects—a cause that Richter covered the State Department for the Los Angeles Times, not The New I must ask: What country are they living I, a former head of training assignments York Times. We regret the errors. in? What century? in career development, and others have Mr. Hoover takes great umbrage at long espoused.

12 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL LETTERS-PLUS RESPONSE TO GEORGE SHULTZ "ON TRUST," NOVEMBER COVER STORY

Secretary Shultz’s Vision for Training and Leadership

BY RENA BITTER

hose of us who make up the like data visualization and knowledge Leadership Management management, while also strengthen- School of the George P. Shultz ing instruction in areas such as media National Foreign Affairs Train- engagement, commercial advocacy and ing Center don’t simply work data analytics. These days, we are doing Tat the institution named after the 60th U.S. most of our training virtually in response posts were testing their ability to respond Secretary of State; for us, George Shultz’s to the global pandemic. to crises, LMS’ crisis management train- legacy is the bedrock of our mission. In As Shultz noted in his essay: “[How] ing (CMT) teams could no longer travel celebrating the 20th anniversary of the future leaders of the State Department and to facilitate in-person exercises around school’s founding this year, we are mindful its Foreign Service manage the profes- the world. CMT pivoted to delivering of Secretary Shultz’s vision and emphasis sional development of incoming diplomats virtual exercises and making training on leadership, which he has reprised in the and policy advisers will require changes, materials available online. November Journal (“On Trust”). and that is really hard to do.” Change We didn’t just change the mode of As the Secretary reminds us, trust is a is hard, but at LMS we have registered delivery, we adapted the material, seek- fundamental requirement in diplomacy. significant successes and innovations. ing to meet posts’ current needs. Our We must always be prepared to earn and After COVID-related restrictions affected online tools and resources provided maintain that trust to succeed in advanc- in-person delivery of leadership courses, those in the field with a flexible and easily ing America’s agenda around the world, the LMS team converted many classroom- accessible means to address the current and we must prepare our workforce by based courses into virtual offerings, pandemic crisis and revise their emer- offering them the very best and most including training for deputy chiefs of mis- gency action plans. relevant training possible. sion and principal officers. Twenty years after its founding, Twenty years ago, LMS was focused In late August, however, LMS delivered LMS is committed more than ever to primarily on delivering mandatory lead- an Ambassadorial Seminar in person, on strengthening the department’s most ership courses, but we have continued campus. In many ways, the central pillar valuable resource—its workforce. The LMS to evolve to facilitate a culture of leader- of the Ambassadorial Seminar is the con- of today seeks to equip the State Depart- ship throughout the department and cept of “trust”—how to effectively earn ment’s current and next generation of to provide crisis management training. the trust of one’s Mission and the trust leaders with the skills and resources they To help American diplomacy address of a host government. To maintain the need to meet global challenges with resil- 21st-century challenges successfully, trust and confidence of the individuals in ience, fortitude and foresight. NFATC (still known as FSI) is ratchet- the seminar, we worked to ensure a safe In so doing, LMS—and, indeed, all ing up other types of training including classroom environment, using in-person of FSI—is constantly striving to live up languages and area studies and fostering classroom time, an outdoor learning to George Shultz’s expectations of us as resilience in our workforce. space and virtual sessions. This novel caretakers of an effective, trustworthy and FSI is expanding training in new fields course design prepared 15 ambassadorial principled U.S. diplomatic corps. nominees with the necessary tools to aid To view the list of LMS’ profes- Ambassador Rena Bitter is dean of the them in their future roles. sional services and courses, please Leadership Management School of the COVID-related restrictions have also visit https://fsihomepage-usdos. Foreign Service Institute. meant that, at the very moment many msappproxy.net/LMS. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 13 TALKING POINTS

Sexual Harassment Up at State, OIG Finds Contemporary Quote State Department Office of the We are not going to control the pandemic. We are going to Inspector General report released A control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other on Oct. 2 found that sexual harassment mitigation areas. cases reported to the department’s Office —White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows of Civil Rights had increased by 63 per- in a CNN interview with Jake Tapper on Oct. 25. cent between 2014 and 2017. Even so, the OIG reports, “sexual harassment is likely underreported” at State. The reasons cited in the report harassment reporting procedures, a lack recommended that Elez Biberaj, VOA’s include “a lack of confidence in the of accountability from senior leaders and acting director, remove Herman from his department’s ability to resolve sexual insufficient training that allowed ‘repeat position for “conflicts of interest.” harassment complaints, fear of retalia- offenders to continue to abuse,’” accord- Two days later, Biberaj declared that tion, reluctance to discuss the harass- ing to the Times report. he would reject any outside or political ment, lack of understanding of the pressure on his newsroom’s coverage. reporting process and, in some cases, Purging the USAGM To date, he has taken no action on the specific advice not to make reports.” n September, we reported that Michael recommendation. An OIG survey of 2,000 randomly IPack—following his June confirmation Observers noted that the internal selected State Department direct-hire as chief executive officer of the Broad- investigation itself appears to violate employees found that 47 percent of casting Board of Governors, which over- statutory protections for VOA’s newsroom employees who said they have experi- sees the U.S. Agency for Global Media— from political interference, a so-called enced or observed sexual harassment in quickly took action against the agency’s legal “firewall.” The investigation was first the department in the last two years had leadership and career staff. reported by NPR. not reported it. Pack fired or pushed out the heads of The Government Accountability The department has taken some steps every constituent network, starting with Project, a public interest group, filed a to increase awareness of sexual harass- the Voice of America; froze all spend- whistleblower complaint with the State ment, but has not updated guidance ing; ousted the organizations’ bipartisan Department inspector general on behalf for supervisors about reporting sexual governing boards, replacing them with of Herman. The Committee to Protect harassment and assault, the OIG found. Trump loyalists; and rejected calls to Journalists said it was “deeply con- OIG also found that State lacks guid- sign off on J-1 visa extensions for foreign cerned.” ance on coordination between OCR, nationals working for VOA in Wash- On Oct. 6, Representative Eliot Engel the Office of Special Investigations, the ington, which will not only end their (D-N.Y.), chair of the House Foreign Bureau of Global Talent Management’s employment but force them to leave the Affairs Committee, renewed his call for Conduct, Suitability and Discipline Divi- United States. Pack’s resignation, pointing to a new sion, and other relevant departments. In October, Pack took aim at VOA’s policy on conflicts of interest announced A State Department spokeswoman White House bureau chief, Steve Herman by Pack less than an hour after NPR responded to the report, saying that the (who is also the USAGM representa- inquired about the investigation of Her- agency takes all allegations of harass- tive on the 2019-2021 AFSA Governing man. The new policy addresses journal- ment and discrimination extremely Board). ists’ use of social media. seriously and has policies prohibiting NPR reported on Oct. 3 that two of Pack had also ignored a subpoena sexual harassment, The New York Times Pack’s senior aides, Frank Wuco and compelling his appearance at a Sept. 24 reported on Oct. 2. Samuel Dewey, had “investigated” the bipartisan hearing into allegations of In April, the U.S. Commission on veteran journalist’s social media postings wrongdoing at the agency, citing unspec- Civil Rights issued a report “criticizing and found posts and tweets unflatter- ified “administrative proceedings.” the State Department for poor sexual ing to President Donald Trump. The duo The committee’s ranking member,

14 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Rep. Michael T. McCaul (R-Texas), shared House report, “Democracy Under Lock- crisis for democracy,” said Michael J. Engel’s outrage, accusing Pack of ignor- down.” Abramowitz, president of Freedom ing “the will of Congress” and refusing to Since the pandemic began, democ- House. “Governments in every part of answer “basic questions” the committee racy and human rights have weakened in the world have abused their powers in has asked him in other matters. 80 countries, the report finds: “Govern- the name of public health, seizing the On Oct. 27, Voice of America reported ments have responded by engaging in opportunity to undermine democracy that Pack was using his powers as chief abuses of power, silencing their critics, and human rights.” executive to roll back the “firewall” rule and weakening or shuttering important “The new COVID-era laws and prac- that protects VOA and other U.S.-funded institutions, often undermining the very tices will be hard to reverse,” added Sarah news networks from editorial interfer- systems of accountability needed to pro- Repucci, vice president for research ence. Republican and Democratic law- tect public health.” and analysis at Freedom House and a makers were sharply critical of the move. The report found that democracy has coauthor of the report. “The harm to become weaker in 80 countries since the fundamental human rights will last long Democracy Under start of the pandemic, while remaining beyond the pandemic.” Lockdown about the same in 111 countries. Democ- Country experts identified four major he COVID-19 pandemic has weak- racy has become stronger in only one democracy problems related to the pan- Tened democracy around the world, country, according to Freedom House. demic: lack of government transparency “providing cover for governments to (We asked. It’s Malawi.) Some of the regarding information about the corona- disrupt elections, silence critics and the worst effects have been seen in struggling virus; corruption; lack of protection for press, and undermine the accountability democracies and highly repressive states. vulnerable populations; and governmen- needed to protect human rights as well as “What began as a worldwide health tal abuses of power. public health,” states an Oct. 2 Freedom crisis has become part of the global

50 Years Ago

Commonplace Thoughts on Home Leave

ome leave is peculiar to diplomats. It is the coming physically or spiritually, Hhome between stays abroad, the time of finding out putting everyone out, feeling that home is alien, and the last embassy is home. It is the so homeless that the term time of recognizing that America has moved ahead and home leave becomes a sour left you behind, even while you have moved ahead and left joke. But in this sense home America behind. It is the seeing of the familiar through leave is a microcosm of the eyes grown foreign. It is the thrill of being back among kin, diplomatic life, which on and the shock of finding that old ties go slack. It is a sus- the surface cannot be done, pension between rediscovery and rejection. Home leave is or at least cannot be done without frequent disaster. a floating. Home leave is the time you cannot get home. … Yet some people do it. Home leave makes us aware of Coming back to Washington is like coming back to a the high opportunity of the diplomatic life and the usually house and finding all the furniture changed, or coming sad realization of it. Our friends envy us the opportunity, back to a hometown and finding Main Street the same but and we mourn how sadly we fall short. If both the chance all the old familiar people gone. and the missing of it are somehow grand, I suppose we To think about home leave without thinking about the had better not complain. technical impossibility of the thing is most difficult. I mean —Jack Perry, former newspaperman and the moving around of a whole family without the means Foreign Service officer, excerpted from an article to do it comfortably, squeezing into places not big enough of the same title in the December 1970 FSJ.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 15 Local APHIS Staffer and Mexican food security, which affects Murdered in Mexico every American.” dgar Flores Santos, a Mexican Mr. Santos leaves behind his wife, Ely, Eemployee working for the USDA’s and two children. A GoFundMe page has Animal and Plant Health Inspection Ser- been set up to support the family at www. vice in Tijuana, was found dead in a field gofundme.com/f/in-loving-memory-of- southeast of the city on Oct. 1. American edgar-flores-santos. Military News reported that he was found with nine gunshot wounds from multiple Many Still Afraid to weapons. Dissent, Study Finds U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Chris- n a study of dissent channels at six topher Landau tweeted: “Consulate IU.S. federal agencies, including the General of the United States in Tijuana State Department and USAID, titled and the entire US diplomatic mission in “Stifling Dissent: How the Federal Mexico are mourning the loss of one of Government’s Channels for Challenging our own.” Policies from Within Fall Short,” the Proj- ect on Government Oversight (POGO) found that many federal employees think these channels are a “waste of time,” and many would fear retaliation if they were to use one. “The overwhelming reason why people don’t use the [dissent] channels, according to the people we’ve talked to, is they don’t think it would make a differ- ence,” report co-author Nick Schwellen- bach said in an Aug. 20 interview with the FROM THE GOFUNDME SITE Federal News Network. AFSA President Eric Rubin sent con- Most agencies that have dissent chan- dolences to the APHIS team via AFSAnet nels, he adds, “seem to have neglected on Oct. 15: “On behalf of AFSA’s Govern- them”—USAID being the “most stark ing Board and professional staff, please example.” accept my condolences on the tragic “During the Obama administration,” and senseless murder of your Locally Schwellenbach says, “USAID created Employed staff colleague Edgar Flores what’s called the direct channel, which is Santos on Oct. 1. Edgar was a beloved sort of an offshoot of the Dissent Channel member of the APHIS team at U.S. Con- at State. And the direct channel is open to sulate Tijuana, Mexico. employees … as well as contractors, and “We all know how crucial our local they can apparently disagree about virtu- colleagues are to the success of our mis- ally any policy that USAID has. However, sion. Without them, the daily business of there’s essentially no information about American diplomacy would be impos- the direct channel anywhere on the sible. Their contributions are myriad, and USAID website.” they make our foreign policy and global State’s Dissent Channel, founded engagement stronger and more success- in 1971 in response to concerns over ful. In Edgar’s case, he helped protect U.S. American policy during the Vietnam

16 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL War, is the oldest dissent reporting Strategy, issued by the White House in Tufts Now that rural areas where people mechanism in the U.S. government, the 2019. “live near wildlife are more likely to see report notes. Experts from Tufts University and diseases transfer through infected food “Using the dissent channel can carry 12 partner institutions will work to and shared drinking and bathing water.” a degree of stigma,” POGO reports, stat- strengthen the capacity of high-risk Program director Deborah Kochevar, ing that it’s only used five to 10 times a countries “to gain and use essential a senior fellow at The Fletcher School of year. “To some, it signifies a failure to knowledge about how viruses emerge; Law and Diplomacy, told Tufts Now that effectively advocate a position through collaborate with them to identify human the project will “focus on what people normal channels.” behaviors that lead to outbreaks; and can do differently in their daily routines POGO urges the executive branch and help them prepare their public health to stop infectious diseases.” Congress to improve dissent channels systems to contain spread during a pan- “Considering more than 70 percent where they exist, and to create new ones demic,” according to an Oct. 7 report in of emerging infectious diseases originate at agencies that don’t have them. Tufts Now. from animals, STOP Spillover is a critical All agencies with dissent channels “Over the last five years alone, more next step in the evolution of USAID’s should offer an independent office that pandemics have emerged than in the work to understand and address the receives and assesses the policy dis- previous 15 years,” said Saul Tzipori, a risks posed by zoonotic diseases that sent; include a formal method to appeal professor of microbiology and infectious can ‘spillover’—or be transmitted—from management’s response; and track and diseases at Tuft’s Cummings School of animals to humans,” according to a Sept. provide the public, at least annually, a Veterinary Medicine. Tzipori, who will 30 USAID press release announcing the publicly releasable summary of the dis- be a lead researcher on the project, told project. sent and its resolution, POGO continues. The project also recommends that agencies offer awards to employees Site of the Month for constructive dissent, noting AFSA’s Diverse Diplomacy Leaders Speaker Series annual dissent awards. diversediplomacy.com The Project on Government Oversight is a nonpartisan independent watch- dog that exposes waste, corruption and eorgetown University’s Institute abuse of power. It champions reforms to Gfor the Study of Diplomacy is promote a more ethical and accountable hosting an online speaker series fea- federal government. turing diverse diplomacy leaders who share insights about their careers USAID Fights Future and about diversity and inclusion at representation of foreign policy profes- Pandemics the State Department. These senior sionals from different generational, he U.S. Agency for Interna- diplomats also answer questions gender, religious and ethnic lines, in Ttional Development on Sept. 30 from students considering careers in order to encourage young people announced the launch of a five-year, foreign policy. from diverse communities to pursue $100 million project to prevent future The series was launched in careers in foreign policy. pandemics. December 2018 by Rusk Fellow Speakers have included Principal Strategies to Prevent Spillover (STOP Caroline Savage. It’s part of ISD’s Deputy Assistant Secretary Julie Spillover) will attempt to anticipate and mandate to connect students with Chung, Ambassador (ret.) James address threats posed by emerging viral foreign policy professionals to better Irwin Gadsden, Ambassador (ret.) zoonotic diseases that might jump from understand the opportunities and Lino Gutierrez, Ambassador (ret.) animals to humans. It will play a large challenges of a foreign policy career. Linda Thomas-Greenfield and, most part in the implementation of the U.S. The series aims to include a diverse recently, Ambassador Dereck Hogan. government’s Global Health Security

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 17 U.S. Leaves Climate Pact vention and Eradication Act of 2020 to n Nov. 4 the United States became support the “brave (State Department) Othe first country to withdraw from employees who spoke up about the toxic the Paris Climate Agreement. The Trump climate” they suffered as government AFSPA administration had given a one-year employees. afspa.org/fsbp notice to leave the climate agreement, The SHAPE Act would require the afspa.org/dental also known as COP21, on Nov. 4, 2019. State Department to develop a com- World leaders crafted the nonbind- prehensive policy to prevent sexual BlueCross BlueShield Federal ing agreement in 2015 to substantially harassment and discrimination. It would Employee Program reduce greenhouse gas emissions and establish an Office of Employee Advocacy fepblue.org/wecan limit global temperature increases. It and an international 24/7 hotline. was signed and adopted by 190 nations, The act also would require annual Clements Worldwide including the United States. President reports to Congress on sexual harassment clements.com/MissionsAbroad Donald Trump has long opposed the claims; provide alternate work assign- Episcopal Church Schools agreement. ments or paid leave for those who file of Virginia “The Paris accord would have been complaints; eliminate forced nondisclo- episcopalschoolsva.org shutting down American producers with sure or nondisparagement agreements; excessive regulatory restrictions like you mandate bystander intervention training, Federal Employees would not believe, while allowing foreign supervisor training, executive leadership Defense Services producers to pollute with impunity,” he training and implementation of stan- fedsprotection.com said at an energy conference on Oct. 23, dardized sexual assault protocols. 2019, in Pittsburgh. “Our nation’s diplomats serve in Property Specialists, Inc. The climate treaty requires countries every corner of the world, including hot propertyspecialistsinc.com to set voluntary targets to reduce green- spots like war zones and regions with house gases such as carbon dioxide. civil unrest, to provide for the security Richey Property Management richeypm.com “With our exit from the accord, we are of our nation,” said Rep. Castro. “The among only a few countries worldwide remote nature of a diplomat’s work also Senior Living Foundation not signed on to the global agreement,” makes them more vulnerable, and too slfoundation.org Dr. George Benjamin, executive director often their complaints of sexual harass- of the American Public Health Associa- ment, assault and discrimination are not Thunderbird School of Global tion, said in a Nov. 4 statement. “At the adequately addressed, and victims lack Management same time, the U.S. is the second-biggest support. The global #metoo movement thunderbird.asu.edu/fsj emitter of greenhouse gases in the has shone a spotlight on these systemic world,” after China. failures, including at the U.S. State WJD Management President-elect Joe Biden tweeted Department, and it’s long past time to wjdpm.com on Nov. 4 that the Biden administration take action with real reforms.” would rejoin the agreement on his first “On behalf of dozens of survivors of day in office, Jan. 20. harassment, bullying, assault and dis- crimination at the U.S. State Department, SHAPE Act Takes Aim at we are pleased to work with Reps. Speier, Harassment and Assault Engel and Castro to introduce the SHAPE n Sept. 30, three Democratic Act,” said retired Foreign Service Officer Orepresentatives (Eliot Engel of Amy Dahm. n New York, Jackie Speier of California This edition of Talking Points was com- and Joaquin Castro of Texas) introduced piled by Cameron Woodworth and Steven the State Harassment and Assault Pre- Alan Honley.

18 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL SPEAKING OUT

Food & Fun, or Debt & Despair? The Commissary Crisis and the Future of Employee Associations

BY LLYWELYN GRAEME

uring 20 years in the Foreign Associations can be a powerful tool to What to Do? Service I have had a variety of improve life overseas. In 2018, to determine what to do commissary experiences at dif- Here in Copenhagen, as president about the commissary, we AEEA board Dferent posts. Many (Abuja 2000, of the 70-member American Embassy members thoroughly reviewed our finan- Wellington 2006, Dili 2014, Nicosia 2017) Employee Association (AEEA) I have cial situation, the number of employees, had no commissary at all; Lagos had a had the painful responsibility of closing sales and costs. It turned out that com- commissary and even a boat you could our commissary. We were losing money missary sales had been declining for at use as a taxi to and from work; two posts every month, and if it had continued, least the last three years. We identified had vibrant and highly useful commis- we would have lost the entire associa- four primary reasons for lower sales. saries (Beijing 2004 and Kyiv 2010). tion and, with it, our reasonably priced 1. Changes in the Danish Economy. These and other commissaries cafeteria option. Given that the nearest In the 1990s American food was rarely around the world provide access to restaurant sells $24 hamburgers, we need available in Denmark except in extremely goods, and sometimes services, that are the cafeteria for reasons of morale. pricey specialty stores. But starting about difficult or impossible to obtain at post— Elsewhere, I have heard that Embassy 2010, the larger grocery stores added spe- USPS stamps, Halloween candy, peanut Stockholm lost its commissary and pos- cialty aisles: “Asian food,” “Mexican food” butter, Comet cleanser, and the like. sibly the association. Our embassy in and even “American food.” Of course, The commissaries are operated neighboring Oslo has an active commis- much of what we consider American is by employee associations, volun- sary; however, I understand that liquor found in the other aisles: tortillas and teer groups of employees who come prices there are quite high (whereas salsa in the Mexican, soy and sweet and together to improve morale and provide liquor prices in Denmark are quite sour in the Asian, and so on. whatever the membership needs or reasonable—we are the home of Peter Further, because Denmark’s economy wants. Some associations have rental Justesen, after all). is only now climbing out of the 2008 cars, others a gym or apartments for Why are commissaries, and the Great Recession, meat prices in stores rent; some manage onsite cafeterias employee associations that run them, are comparable to those in the United or gyms at the embassy or consulate. under pressure? Is their eventual extinc- States (though restaurant prices remain tion inevitable? Here are some insights very high). Llywelyn Graeme joined and suggestions based on our experience 2. Diplomatic Post Office. The DPO the Foreign Service in 2000 in Denmark. While it is, of course, unique was started in 2003 and has rapidly as a State Department office to our time and place, I want to share this spread throughout the world. DPO costs manager. He was previously with the Foreign Service community as a are lower for the department than the a radio DJ on two conti- cautionary tale. Diplomatic Pouch, and you can send nents; a member of the Federation of Radio Though we were unable to salvage the liquids and small knives and can easily & TV Actors and the stage hands union, commissary, we were able to maintain return items (among many other advan- responsible for the Star Wars fan club, our employee association, with a positive tages for employees). Wizards of the Coast Pokémon team, cash flow. Admittedly, it is only hundreds Where once you had to carefully hus- Nintendo Super-Agent; and also worked at of dollars a year, but at least we are no band your small stock of dark molasses, Microsoft, Nordstrom’s and the Starbucks longer losing thousands a month. And, you can now get it shipped to you from roasting plant. He is featured in the 2005 had we acted sooner, we might be in an the United States any time you want! The edition of Inside a U.S. Embassy. even better position today. ease and speed of using DPO cannot be

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 19 Employee associations are not unlike any other Implications for the Future But this brings up a larger problem. small business in that they must pay constant While focused on the problem in Copen- attention to market conditions and make hagen, I had not considered the impact course corrections as changes occur. of commissary closings on Food & Fun. If commissaries are closing at many posts around the world, or losing sales, what overstated. Since the service began, I have sary collapsed, it has had a much larger is this doing to the Office of Commissary seen 50-pound bags of dog food and cases impact than Walmart, Costco or Target. and Recreation Affairs budget? of toilet paper and paper towels—all items Just as Amazon has contributed to the After all, this office provides central people used to need to get from the com- loss of many small-town stores, I believe support and oversight of employee missary—come through on a weekly basis. it was instrumental in the closure of our associations. In Copenhagen, their sup- 3. Frozen Out. Our commissary small-town commissary. port and direction played a critical role provided some things that could not be With new, faster DPO, free second- in maintaining our association post- handled through the DPO, primarily day shipping and 24-hour internet commissary. frozen and chilled items (as well as the shopping, it is not inconceivable that In addition, while it is outside the small number of things that are banned you order something Friday night and scope of this article, I do wonder whether in the mailroom). At first we thought we it arrives at the mailroom the next annual DPO shipment costs are more, could make enough money on holiday Friday! or less, than the department expected turkeys and hams, along with frozen As a result of these factors, we were when the DPO was introduced. I am very bagels (it’s still hard to get blueberry forced to cease commissary opera- curious to know whether department bagels here), burritos and really good tions. At my last two posts, neither of management sees the DPO as an option Marie Callender’s chicken pot pies. which had a commissary, fellow board that is sustainable in the long term. But these turned out to be the things members and I struggled to maintain When I joined State 20 years ago, it we lost the most money on. Our com- an active employee association. I feel was a given that my mail from Seattle missary ordered from Ramstein Air Base fortunate that in Copenhagen we could to West Africa would be occasional and (great people, and not at all responsible retain the cafeteria and dry cleaning, delayed. But those who have joined the for our troubles), who marked up about but it was only because we were able to Foreign Service in the last five to 10 years 20 percent to cover their costs. The real form an active board willing to do a lot may have much higher expectations for kicker, however, was that the chiller unit of heavy lifting and make tough choices. quicker mail service. on the truck added thousands of dollars We will certainly miss the commis- Ramstein, post management and the to the cost to get the food from Ramstein sary. We just might not notice until we Office of Commissary and Recreation to Denmark. need a certain chocolate sprinkle for Affairs all worked hard with our associa- That, on top of our operating costs, our daughter’s 7th birthday cake in less tion for several years to try to get us onto meant that the markup went as high as than 24 hours. a sustainable footing. But in the end, 50 to 60 percent. If we had had a larger One thing that has made our lives systemic changes to the local economy, operation, the cost of the truck would easier, however, was that our assess- high costs and customer preferences be spread over a larger order, lowering ment to the Office of Commissary and doomed us. the cost per item; but we are a medium- Recreation Affairs (also known as Food It is Food & Fun’s belief that sized embassy. The reality is that it was & Fun) went way down. Records show employee associations are not unlike just not possible to get a shipment of we used to send thousands of dollars any other small business, in that they frozen items at a price people were will- a year to D.C., but last year it was only must pay constant attention to market ing to pay. $900, and this year only $500. By next conditions and make course corrections 4. Amazon Prime. Though it is a little year we will be a “microassociation,” as changes occur. (The framed memo unfair to single out Amazon as the final, and the assessment will be even less. from M dated 1958 stating that we were and most relevant, reason our commis- authorized to keep the commissary

20 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL open, which I found recently in the deep associations maintain liability insurance Speaking Out is the Journal’s opinion files, suggests that our crisis was not so that board members and officers are forum, a place for lively discussion of necessarily a new phenomenon.) protected in instances of legal action. issues affecting the U.S. Foreign Service Not all commissaries will survive, and American diplomacy. The views expressed are those of the author; their Associations Are Small but employee associations should take publication here does not imply endorse- Businesses a good hard look at what they are doing ment by the American Foreign Service Like small businesses, the associa- across the board. Are you meeting your Association. Responses are welcome; send them to [email protected]. tions carry some risk, too. I learned to members’ current needs? Do you still appreciate this when I approached an need a full-time commissary with mul- incoming officer to ask if she wanted to tiple staff? Or are you, like we were, on serve on the board. She declined because the long slow road to obsolescence? worked for the last 20 years. Who knows she had been personally sued by a former I would strongly advise every what the next 20 will bring! commissary employee when she was on embassy employee association around I believe that we could have survived the board of a post that closed up shop a the world to take a clear-eyed look at here in Denmark had we responded to couple years ago. your finances and operations. Should the situation earlier. While it is too late for In fact, given that having an employee you turn your commissary space into a us, a serious look at fundamentals might association board is a requirement, day-care/yoga studio with a place for be just in time for you at your post. the Office of Commissary and Recre- members to relax? Don’t keep doing I hope you have better luck than we ation Affairs strongly recommends that what you are doing just because it has did. n

afspa slf

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 21 FOCUS AFSA AWARDS: HONORING EXCELLENCE AND CONSTRUCTIVE DISSENT Pioneer, Bridge Builder and Statesman

22 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Pioneer, Bridge Builder and Statesman A Conversation with Ambassador Edward J. Perkins

2020 Recipient of the AFSA Award for Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy

NOTE: Ambassador Edward J. Perkins died on Nov. 7, days before this interview about his life and work went to press. He was 92. We extend our condolences to the family and are particularly grateful to his daughters, Katherine and Sarah, for helping to make this well- deserved tribute possible.

areer Minister Edward J. Perkins, a four-time ambassador, is this year’s recipient of the American Foreign Service Association’s Lifetime Contribu- tions to American Diplomacy Award. Ambassador Perkins is the 26th recipient of this prestigious award, given annually in recognition of a distinguished practitioner’s career and enduring devotion to diplomacy. Past honorees include CGeorge H.W. Bush, Thomas Pickering, Ruth A. Davis, George Shultz, Richard Lugar, Joan Clark, Ronald Neumann, Sam Nunn, Rozanne Ridgway, Nancy Powell, William Harrop and Hank Cohen. The AFSA Awards Ceremony, originally scheduled for Oct. 18 at the State Department, has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Edward J. Perkins was born in Sterlington, Louisiana, on June 8, 1928, and grew up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and Portland, Oregon. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland and master’s and Doctor of Public Administration degrees from the University of Southern California.

President Ronald Reagan talks with Ambassador to South Africa Edward J. Perkins at the White House in May 1987. Seated at right are Secretary of State George Shultz, U.S. National Security Adviser Frank Carlucci and, at far right, National Security Council Senior Director for Africa Hank Cohen.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 23 At left: Edward J. Perkins on patrol in Korea, 1947. At right: Perkins and his wife- to-be, Lucy Ching-mei Liu, shortly after they met in Taipei in 1958.

Following his retire- ment from the Foreign Service in 1996, he was appointed as the William J. Crowe Chair and as executive director of the He served in the U.S. Army for three years and later spent International Programs four years in the U.S. Marine Corps. He worked for the State Center for the University Department after the Marine Corps and joined the U.S. For- of Oklahoma, serving eign Service in 1972. from August 1996 until December 2010. He also served as a senior In 1978, Mr. Perkins was assigned to Accra, Ghana, as counselor adviser at The Stevenson Group, a Washington, D.C.–based for political affairs, serving there for three years. From 1981 to 1983, consulting firm. he was deputy chief of mission in Monrovia, Liberia. Returning to Ambassador Perkins has served as the Distinguished Jerry Washington, he directed State’s Office of West African Affairs until Collins Lecturer in Public Administration at Florida State Univer- 1985, when he was appointed ambassador to Liberia. sity; as a member of the Presidential/Congressional Commission The following year, he was confirmed as ambassador to the on the Public Service; and as a member of the White House Advi- Republic of South Africa, where he served until 1989. He was the sory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiation. He is a member first Black U.S. ambassador to serve in that country. Ambassador of and has served on the boards of numerous professional asso- Perkins was then appointed as Director General of the Foreign ciations in the areas of defense and international affairs. Service and Director of Personnel in the Department of State, In 2006 the University of Oklahoma Press published serving in that position for three years. In 1992, he became U.S. Ambassador Perkins’ memoir (written with Connie Cronley), ambassador to the United Nations, and U.S. representative on Mr. Ambassador: Warrior for Peace. He has also co-edited sev- the U.N. Security Council, serving in that capacity until 1993, eral books, all published by the University of Oklahoma Press: when he was named U.S. ambassador to Australia, his final The Middle East Peace Process: Vision versus Reality, with Joseph Foreign Service posting. On Aug. 31, 1996, Ambassador Perkins Ginat and Edwin G. Corr (2002); Democracy, Morality and the retired from the Foreign Service with the rank of Career Minister. Search for Peace in America’s Foreign Policy, with David L. Boren During his 24-year diplomatic career and in “retirement,” (2002); Palestinian Refugees: Traditional Positions and New Solu- Ambassador Perkins received numerous awards, including the tions, with Joseph Ginat (2001); and Preparing America’s Foreign Presidential Distinguished and Meritorious Service Awards and Policy for the 21st Century, with David L. Boren (1999). the Department of State’s Distinguished Honor and Superior Ambassador Perkins’ beloved wife, the former Lucy Ching- Honor Awards; and in 2001, the State Department presented mei Liu, passed away in 2009. They have two daughters, Kather- him with the Director General’s Cup. In 1992 George Washing- ine and Sarah, and four grandchildren. ton University named him Statesman of the Year. He is an active FSJ Editor-in-Chief Shawn Dorman worked with Katherine member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and, in 1993, received and Sarah to conduct the following interview with Ambassa- their highest honor, the Laurel Wreath Award for Achievement dor Perkins in September. All photographs are courtesy of the and Diplomatic Service. Perkins family.

24 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EARLY DAYS AND JOINING FSJ: You served in both the Army and the Marine Corps THE FOREIGN SERVICE overseas. How did military service help prepare you for the Foreign Service? FSJ: Tell us a little bit about your childhood. Where did you EJP: When I joined the Army, I trained in Fort Knox, Ken- grow up? tucky, for 10 weeks before being sent overseas to Korea and then EJP: I was born in 1928 in Sterlington, Louisiana. My mother Japan. In Japan, I was assigned to the Army’s central person- attended a college where she met my father, who was studying nel department in the 212th Military Police Company, where to become a minister. They got married without the consent of I learned about administration and the concept of personnel my grandparents; shortly thereafter, I was born. They divorced, management. Later, the Marine Corps helped me learn self- and my mother took me back to her parents’ 360-acre farm in discipline and focused my attention on the things that one a town called Haynesville, in northern Louisiana, where she needed to succeed. I enrolled in a self-study correspondence had grown up with nine siblings. All the siblings would eventu- program at the University of Maryland to get a university degree. ally leave the farm except for my Aunt Savannah, who helped My military experience also exposed me to other countries and raise me. cultures, an opportunity I would not have had if I stayed in Oregon. When my mother and I lived on the farm, she met her second husband, Mr. Grant, at Pleasant Grove Church where FSJ: Is it correct that you met your late wife, Lucy Ching-mei he was leading a church group (he was a traveling minister). Liu, in Taiwan, and that both your daughters were born while My mother began to see him against the advice of my grand- you were serving in Asia with the U.S. military? parents, who didn’t trust traveling ministers. During one of his EJP: Yes, I met my wife, Lucy, in Taiwan. She was from a visits to the farm, he asked my mother to marry him, and when beautiful city called Miaoli. I was working as a personnel officer they left for Pine Bluff, Arkansas, she told my grandmother that for the military exchange service in Taipei and she was one of she would eventually send for me. the clerks in the same office. It took me a year to gain enough I continued to live with my grandparents and my Aunt courage to ask her out for dinner. I took her to the Grand Hotel, Savannah; this arrangement seemed the most natural thing in owned by Madam Chiang Kai-shek, for our first date. When I first the world. I called my grandmother Mama—she brought me up asked Lucy to marry me, she said no because her father would with love and strict discipline. I moved to Pine Bluff when I was never agree. 14 to live with my mother and Mr. Grant; and we later moved to Portland, Oregon, where I graduated from Jefferson High School in 1947. I was accepted to go to Lewis and Clark College, but at the last minute, without telling my mother, I decided to enlist in the Army.

FSJ: When and how did you decide you wanted to be a dip- lomat? EJP: When I left the Army in 1950 and became a civilian working for the military, I met American diplomats whose work intrigued me, and decided that I wanted to do the same thing. I realized that I had to get a college degree, and with the guidance and gentle push from a mentor, I moved back to the United States in 1953 and enrolled at Lewis and Clark College; as it was, the pull of overseas living overcame my desire to get a degree at that time. One of my classmates who had just delisted from the Marine Corps told me that his experience had made him a better person. I decided that the The Perkins family in 1983 at Katherine’s graduation from Marines was going to be my next adventure; it was one of the the Emma Willard School in Troy, New York. From left: Perkins, best decisions I made. Sarah, Katherine and Mrs. Perkins.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 25 When I asked again sometime later, she suggested that FSJ: You joined the Foreign Service not long after the civil we elope and then tell her parents that we were married. rights movement gathered momentum. Did you find the State I didn’t think it was a good idea; but after her parents declined Department to be welcoming? my proposal and locked her in her room in the house where EJP: There were no other Black diplomats in my orientation she grew up, we ended up eloping after Lucy’s dramatic escape. class. There were only 20 or so around the world, and most of Her parents finally came around after meeting our children them were posted to Africa. The department was not welcoming when they visited Thailand. They came and stayed with us at the time, and Blacks in the Foreign Service faced prejudice. in Bangkok and presented me with a gift of two scrolls as a When I was looking for an assignment in one of the geo- symbol of peace and reconciliation. My daughters were born graphic bureaus, none of the bureaus wanted me. There were no overseas: Katherine in Japan, when I was working for the “vacancies,” even with the support of then Executive Secretary U.S. military, and Sarah in Thailand, when I was working (and later Secretary of State) Larry Eagleburger. I was selected to with USAID. be deputy chief of mission in Mozambique, but the ambassador there opposed me, saying he needed someone who had experi- FSJ: When did you join the Foreign Service? What was the ence as a reporting officer, which I did not have at the time. So I application process like? was sent to Accra as political officer. EJP: I joined in 1972. When I was working for USAID in Bang- kok, I decided to take the Foreign Service examination. Nicholas Thorne, who was the administrative coordinator for Southeast OVERSEAS ASSIGNMENTS Asia at U.S. Embassy Bangkok and a former Marine, was key to my success. He was able to arrange for me to take the written FSJ: What was that first overseas posting like? exam in Thailand. After I passed, I had to travel to Washington, EJP: When I arrived in Accra in 1978, I was the only one in the D.C., to take the oral exam. Thorne assisted in arranging my political section except for a few CIA operatives. However, I did travel by military air. He gave me advice on how to prepare and not let that stop me from striving to be the best political officer told me to read the back issues of Newsweek and newspapers, the post had ever seen. As a result of my efforts, I received the particularly the international sections. I had five days to further annual global reporting award. prepare after I arrived in D.C., and a friend pressed me on Despite my family and I living through a bloody coup, I everything from art to quantitative analysis and world politics. I enjoyed my time in Ghana. It was a beautiful country, rich in went to the bookstore and picked up a book about French artists culture and scenery, and I could not have asked for a better first that included Pablo Picasso. One of the photos was of a sculpture assignment. The Ghanaians are an interesting, open and wel- by Picasso, which I had previously seen during a visit to Paris. coming people. I developed networks in all areas of Ghanaian During the oral exam, I was asked whether I liked art; I told them society. Pretty soon, it seemed that everywhere I went in Ghana, about my love of Picasso and that particular sculpture. They I was known. I took the job as a political reporting officer seri- questioned me about this sculpture, appearing doubtful of my ously, following the advice Mao Tse-tung gave to his army: “Be a knowledge, and were shocked when I was able to tell them more fish in the sea. Swim among the people. Get to know them.” That than they had expected. was also the great Sun Tzu’s philosophy. Some 10 years later I was about to embark on an ambassado- One of the highlights of my time in Ghana was when another rial assignment to Liberia and met one of the examiners, who Black FSO, James Washington, and I found the grave of W.E.B. told me they had asked random questions during my oral exam DuBois, the father of the civil rights movement in America. because they didn’t believe I knew anything about the world. DuBois was also the first Black man to earn a Ph.D. from Har- While I had surprised him 10 years earlier, he was even more vard and was one of the founders of the NAACP. He had left shocked to hear that I was going to Liberia as ambassador. But the United States at the age of 92 and moved to Ghana, where my desire and dream to be a Foreign Service officer and my life he died. Nobody remembered where he was buried. We found experiences had prepared me. I am grateful that the few people the plaque that marked his grave, cleared the overgrown site who believed in my dream were there to provide the support and sent a photograph to the NAACP publication where it was and guidance I needed to make it a reality, and one of them was featured in the issue commemorating the magazine’s 100th Nicholas Thorne. anniversary.

26 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL U.S. Ambassador to Liberia Edward J. Perkins presents his credentials to Liberian Head of State Samuel K. Doe on Aug. 28, 1985. Inset: U.S. Embassy Accra Political Counselor Edward Perkins, second from right, engages with a tribal chief in Ghana in 1978.

FSJ: What was it like serving as deputy chief of mission and later ambassador to Liberia? EJP: After my tour in Ghana, I was assigned as the deputy chief of mission in Liberia for Ambassador Bill Swing. He was still awaiting confirmation, so I went directly from Ghana to Liberia, had some overlap with the outgoing DCM and served as chargé until Ambassador Swing’s arrival. Monrovia was a post where there were many administrative issues, given the large number of U.S. government agencies represented. USAID had a FSJ: President Ronald Reagan tapped you as the first Black big program, as well as the Voice of America, which had the largest U.S. ambassador to apartheid South Africa in 1986. What was station in Africa there. This new reality required me to make a big your mission there, and how did you manage it? switch in my approach. There were also many political concerns. EJP: When President Reagan interviewed me for the job, he The country had undergone a coup prior to my arrival in asked me what I would want to accomplish in South Africa, and I 1981, and some of the previous leaders who were descendants told him that I would try to change the system using the power of of former American slaves (called Americo-Liberians) had been his office. He asked me how I would do it. I told him that I would executed. The current leader, Samuel K. Doe, was a former Army get to know the Black South Africans, as well as other South Afri- sergeant with little education. There were tensions between the cans. I told him that we didn’t know Black South Africans well, Americo-Liberians and African Liberians, and it was my job that they were suspicious of the United States, and we needed to to try to work with these two groups. The Americo-Liberians gain their trust. I added that we needed to work toward a peace- expected the United States to support them and help overthrow ful transition in South Africa, and we needed to convince the the president and return things to where they had been in the Afrikaner government that their time was up. Finally, I told him past, while the African Liberians wanted justice and compensa- that I would expect to speak on his authority, and that everything tion for the way they had been historically treated like slaves. I I would say would be on his behalf. told both groups that it was the U.S. position to support Liberia It was difficult and challenging because the Afrikaners were as a country and as a people, not just one particular group. a small group of people who had come from Flanders to South

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 27 Edward Perkins greets Nelson Mandela and his wife, Winnie, at the Jefferson Room in the Department of State during Mandela’s first visit to the United States, June 1990.

had made the decision to meet with me and had already outlined their requests related to their prison conditions on paper. For example, they wanted all of the Time magazines going back six months plus issues of The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Delmas became well known throughout the world. I let it be known to the government that I was trying to get inside the prison to meet Nelson Mandela. I sent letters to the Minister of Justice after attending the Delmas Treason Trial. I also called on him to ask permission to visit his most Africa to start a new life; they felt people were trying to take away famous prisoner, and his response was always “it isn’t time.” I the lives they had built over hundreds of years. I told President always replied: “Your time will never equal my time, so I will save Reagan that the denial of rights to the other racial groups in my request till next week.” Every week I sent a letter, and he sent South Africa was untenable and could not continue, but that it the same response. During my last week as ambassador, I told would be my job to understand all the actors in the country, by him to talk to his president to give the U.S. permission to visit, meeting them. noting that the minister did not want to be known as the person who barred me. He never vocalized the reasons for the decision, FSJ: I read that when you found a totally segregated society but his expression told me that it was out of his hands. in South Africa, you said: “Our embassy must be a giant change agent.” Can you tell us about the significance of attending the FSJ: Do you think that U.S. embassies and diplomats can Delmas Treason Trial and about your attempts to visit Nelson still be change agents in the world? What advice do you have for Mandela in jail? today’s FSOs? EJP: The Delmas Treason Trial was the trial of 22 anti-apart- EJP: Yes, I do believe that U.S. embassies and diplomats can heid activists, including three senior United Democratic Front still be change agents. When serving overseas, diplomats should leaders: Moses Chikane, Mosiuoa Lekota and Popo Molefe. The strive to get access to all parts of host-country communities to men used peaceful protest to let the country know that apartheid make a difference. This means representing the United States at was wrong; the Afrikaner government accused them of terrorism its best. American diplomats should also be a reflection of the and wanted to use their trial and resulting sentences as a lesson various communities that we come from and make the effort to to others. The trial took place in the small village of Delmas, in represent the best parts of our society. I would advise them to northwest South Africa. I decided to attend but did not make my do what I did—learn to represent not just the State Department, decision public. but the heart and soul of the United States. To do this, you need At the last minute, the political officer and I got in the car to understand the Constitution and the various constituencies and told the driver to take us to Delmas. The driver, who we of our country. knew was a government operative, tried to stall by telling me that he needed to change the oil. I told him to stay in the car, FSJ: A 1987 Time magazine article, “Quiet Sting: A Diplomat that he would not get the opportunity to tell the government Makes His Mark,” described you as “cultivating a low profile, then of our movements. He was frightened but drove us to Delmas. discarding it at strategic intervals to issue carefully chosen shots.” When I walked into the courtroom, everyone went silent; by That sounds like an excellent strategy. Can you tell us about a time the time the court recessed, the three senior UDF members it worked well?

28 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Edward J. Perkins and, at right, U.S. Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger at the United Nations General Assembly in 1992.

EJP: As part of my strategy in South Africa, I needed to get to WASHINGTON ASSIGNMENTS know Afrikaners and visit the communities where they lived. I traveled to a couple of towns, but the one that affected me most FSJ: You spent time in Washington working on personnel issues was an Afrikaner village three miles from Pretoria whose popula- and rose to the top job of Director General in 1989. What was the tion ranged from the very poor to the well off. We parked the car priority issue for you as Director General? on the outskirts of town, and I walked up and down the streets EJP: The first priority issue was remaking the Foreign Service and observed people of various ages; they also looked at me to better support U.S. economic prosperity. At the time, U.S. carefully, wondering what I was doing there. Finally, someone foreign economic policy was going through a rebirth, which came up and asked who I was; they couldn’t believe I was the meant that officers in the economic cone needed to be pushed U.S. ambassador. I talked to three Afrikaner women; it was my in new directions, while all other officers in other cones had to way of letting them know that I represented the United States in be reminded of the importance of economic issues. We worked South Africa, and I was not going to become a myth by keeping closely with the Department of Commerce on this initiative myself apart from the people. because they had been encouraged by Congress to play a more active role overseas supporting U.S. companies and investments. FSJ: You served as ambassador to the United Nations from The second priority was giving full attention to two important 1992 to 1993. What was your impression of the United Nations personnel issues: getting more minorities and more women into then? How do you think that role and standing have changed? the Foreign Service. To do that, we had to mobilize support in the EJP: The role as I understood it, especially after my conver- building and on Capitol Hill. Groups like the Congressional Black sation with President George H.W. Bush, was that the United Caucus played a major role in helping to get authorization for Nations existed to make a difference. With that in mind, my these initiatives in the State Department’s budget. approach was to cultivate relationships with all members of the Shortly after I became Director General, I recognized that U.N. Security Council and as many members of the General the department needed to improve its outreach to communities Assembly as I could. outside Washington, D.C., such as the Appalachian region. State In my view, the U.N. still exists to make a difference, but the did not recognize the value of recruiting officers from regions such U.S. view of the U.N.’s role is always influenced by the view of the as this one. As part of the outreach strategy, I organized visits by current U.S. president. When I was there, I had the support of Department of State personnel to state governors. I, myself, visited President Bush, who wanted to effectively use the U.N. to make Governor Douglas Wilder of Virginia. I told him that we needed changes. He had an open line and made it possible for me to call assistance from governors to recruit from their communities that him whenever there was a resolution that needed his guidance. I may not have exposure to foreign policy or international issues. was able to work closely with the president and Secretary of State Larry Eagleburger on sensitive issues. President Bush respected FSJ: Can you tell us about the Thursday Luncheon Group? the U.N. and its mandate, and understood how it could support EJP: Several of us founded the Thursday Luncheon Group and advance U.S. interests. with only a few members, including officers from what was then

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 29 LIFE AFTER THE FS

FSJ: After retiring from the For- eign Service in 1996, you became chair and executive director of the International Programs Center at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, and stayed until 2010. Can you tell us about your work there? EJP: The center had been established by David Boren, then president of the University of Oklahoma, to develop a foreign policy studies program. I was its first director, and I was given a free hand and an academic and supporting staff. The goal was twofold: first, to create a strong and degreed approach to include President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Warren Christopher, center, talk with U.S. foreign affairs within the univer- Ambassador to Australia Edward J. Perkins during a luncheon for Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating in Washington, D.C., in September 1993. sity’s academic program; and second, to sponsor foreign affairs events at the university during the U.S. Information Agency. I realized the value of having a sup- the school year. I also taught graduate seminars on international port and advocacy group for Black officers and actively recruited relations. more African Americans at State to join. I also recognized the need The first foreign affairs event—“Preparing America’s Foreign for advocacy work and organized members to visit the Congres- Policy for the 21st Century,” in September 1997—was a huge suc- sional Black Caucus to discuss ideas for a recruitment program cess and put the university and Oklahoma on the map. I received targeted toward minorities. This resulted in a law that required the a large number of congratulations at the dinner on the last night State Department to create what became the Pickering Program. of the event from Oklahomans and university staff who did not The Thursday Luncheon Group also worked our connections in believe we could bring foreign relations giants such as Henry the department to get the Secretary to approve the program. Kissinger to the campus. It was a lot of work, but it paid off. While at O.U., I established an international affairs cur- FSJ: As a longtime AFSA member, do you think the association’s riculum that metamorphosed into the College of International role has changed? What would you recommend AFSA focus on Relations. today? EJP: I joined AFSA a couple years after joining the Foreign FSJ: What inspired you to write your memoir, Mr. Ambassa- Service. I think AFSA is still going strong, but I don’t think it is dor: Warrior for Peace? working on all the issues that it should focus on. I don’t think EJP: I wanted to tell the story about the things that I overcame AFSA pays enough attention to minorities. It should seek minor- and accomplished that made me a successful Foreign Service ity input to better guide the Foreign Service toward an adequate officer. I tried to address the major events in my life and share representation of the entire United States. the things that I have done to educate myself in preparation to AFSA needs to see itself as both a community activist and as an meet the challenges in a long career. I also wanted to acknowl- element of change. It can use Foreign Service officers from these edge the people—family, friends and professional colleagues, communities to get things done, just as we did. especially my late wife—who played a great role in my life.

30 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL THE FOREIGN SERVICE CAREER

FSJ: You were ambassador four times, a great accomplishment. Any secrets to your success you can share? EJP: Knowing oneself is very important. Eastern philosophy has also been the key to my success. When I first came across the Bushido code, which is a way of understanding oneself, and the writings of Sun Tzu and Miyamoto Musashi, I took the elements that would help make a difference in my life. These elements helped me get up in the morning, prosper in my work and go to bed peacefully at night. I return to these works often; they have always helped me understand my place in the universe.

FSJ: How successful have the State Department and the For- eign Service been in increasing diversity and inclusion? EJP: The State Department and the Foreign Service have been partially successful; not nearly enough has been done. It shouldn’t be the responsibility of one office (management), but of the entire department and both Foreign Service and Civil Service communities. We represent all elements of this nation wherever we go, and we need to make sure all elements of the On Graduation Day at the University of Oklahoma, May United States are also represented overseas. 1997, Ambassador Edward J. Perkins, center, then director of the International Programs Center at the university, with former President George H.W. Bush, at left, and University of FSJ: What advice would you give foreign affairs agencies on Oklahoma President David Boren. President Bush gave the how to retain diplomats of color once they are in the Foreign commencement address. Inset: Ambassador Perkins and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan meet on March 15, 1999. Service? EJP: Every effort should be made to ensure that diplomats of color become part of the Foreign Service family, part of the ing a better way of life. My advice is to know why you want to Foreign Service as a whole. We bring diplomats of color into the join, and continually educate yourself on the evolution of our Service to fill a void needed to represent and support the mission; constitutional system and why the Foreign Service was created to if this void isn’t filled, then the mission isn’t being fulfilled. We promote our interests abroad. You also need to read and educate need to be “whole” to successfully carry out the words and the yourselves on how to be effective in this changing world. meaning of the Constitution and the Foreign Service Acts of 1924, 1946 and 1980. FSJ: Are you optimistic about the future of professional diplo- macy? FSJ: What are the essential ingredients for a successful diplomat? EJP: Yes, I am optimistic—probably more so now than ever EJP: Know yourself, and make sure that you keep yourself before. The system of communication has improved drasti- open to learning about the outside world and its communities cally, making it easier now to send cables, guidance memos while applying yourself to new situations. And do it often. and reporting from the field than when I began in the Foreign Service. The ease of communication also makes it more danger- FSJ: What would be your advice to college students and recent ous to miscommunicate, so you must think of what the message graduates seeking to enter the Foreign Service or government is and why you want to convey it before you send it because mes- service generally? sages reach a wider audience than before. We have an increas- EJP: First is to recognize that we have a government that did ingly qualified corps of officers who are ready to go into the not spring from the head of Zeus, but was created and developed world and represent all of the people behind the Constitution of through trial and error, ultimately with the goal of promot- the United States. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 31 FOCUS AFSA AWARDS: HONORING EXCELLENCE AND CONSTRUCTIVE DISSENT 2020 AFSA AWARD WINNERS – CONSTRUCTIVE DISSENT –

Christian A. Herter Award for At the NSC, Ms. Stufft served as special assistant to a Senior Foreign Service Officer President Donald Trump and senior director for border and transportation security—the first State Department detailee to Julie M. Stufft hold the position. As the most senior FSO working in a policy position in the White House, she courageously advocated, at Protecting Americans the highest levels of the U.S. government, for the core mission of the Foreign Service: protection of, advocacy for, and clear During a Pandemic and accurate guidance to U.S. citizens overseas. Widely respected at the NSC for her candor, n detail to the National Security professionalism and extensive consular experi- Council, Senior Foreign Service ence, Ms. Stufft was assigned in February by Officer Julie Stufft worked to protect the vice president’s White House Coronavirus American citizens abroad in the early Task Force to lead agencies in recommending days of the pandemic. She advocated policies to limit risk of viral spread through Opolicies that some senior officials initially viewed international travel. She advocated policies as unthinkable, but ultimately proved essential in that would define the pandemic response on limiting the spread of COVID-19. Many of these, travel. It was an onerous task to win favor for such as global travel advisories, State and Centers some of these policies, since restrictions on for Disease Control and Prevention independence international travel would place heavy financial in issuing travel guidance, and advisories for all U.S. Julie Stufft. burdens on the cruise line, airline and other citizens against traveling on cruise ships, were even- major industries. tually adopted by the executive branch. When the CDC determined that there was a high rate of viral spread on large cruise ships, reluctance Award winner profiles compiled by Associate Editor Cameron among senior economic advisers to harm the industry caused Woodworth. All images are courtesy of the award winners, unless the issue to be repeatedly shelved during task force discus- otherwise specified. sions. Ms. Stufft pushed aggressively for joint State and CDC

32 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL statements advising all Americans to avoid travel on cruise Consider constructive dissent ships, as the industry could not protect passengers from as part of the policy process, COVID-19 transmission. This policy position prevailed in not separate from it. the face of tremendous direct industry pressure to retract the statements. —Julie M. Stufft “As a consular officer, I know to my core that protecting Americans overseas and publicizing the best guidance for them are vital,” she tells the FSJ. “During the pandemic, I advocated for fast and aggressive messaging to U.S. citizens by “In an environment often characterized by a lack of trust State and CDC, when such messaging was seen by some as a between career officials and political appointees,” she tells risk to economic stability.” the FSJ, “I saw senior White House staff and other political Ms. Stufft’s recommendation to senior officials that global appointees who, despite never having been exposed to this travel advisories be issued to warn Americans against the policy set, grasp the importance of protecting and advising spread of COVID-19 also met with strong Americans abroad and strongly advocate resistance. Some flatly stated they would not for that position. I was nominated for this support it because of the economic impact. award by leadership who understand the Ms. Stufft pressed the point that State’s and inherent value of constructive dissent; but CDC’s travel advisory processes were based I won’t forget that they had more to lose in on risk to Americans, not economic consid- their advocacy than I did, and they did the erations, ultimately winning the support of right thing.” NSC leadership and other senior officials, Ms. Stufft feels strongly about the and the advisories were issued. importance of constructive dissent. “As a Ms. Stufft was also instrumental in deputy chief of mission, I finally under- promoting State’s right to issue country- stood the essential role of constructive dis- specific travel advisories and repatriations sent in foreign policy making,” she says. “I that helped bring Americans home during think early in our careers, we may wonder the pandemic. In the earliest days of the if dissent is really compatible with adher- pandemic, individual country travel adviso- ing to the chain of command—we picture ries required agreement from all principals. Julie Stufft with her family in front dissenters as lone wolves rebuked by of the White House during her As a result, advisories for some locations, tenure on the National Security their supervisors for eschewing the policy where U.S. diplomatic missions were draw- Council. process. On the contrary, I’ve never had a ing down personnel, were held up for days supervisor who did not appreciate well- or weeks. Ms. Stufft argued that State and considered opposing viewpoints. As DCM, CDC were obligated to immediately issue their own advisories, I was thrilled to have someone on my staff say, ‘Julie, I think we removing them from the gummed-up senior leadership review need to rethink this policy, and here’s why.’ Consider construc- process so that Americans could receive timely guidance. tive dissent as part of the policy process, not separate from it.” Detailed to the NSC during a time in which some founda- Julie M. Stufft currently serves as managing director for visa tional State Department practices and policies were ques- services in the Bureau of Consular Affairs. A career member tioned in the White House, Ms. Stufft—sometimes the only of the Senior Foreign Service, Ms. Stufft previously served as career State Department official in the room—sought not only DCM in Moldova and Djibouti. She has also served in Rus- to offer the best policy advice, but to be the best representative sia, Ethiopia and Poland, as well as in the State Department of the U.S. Foreign Service to those unfamiliar with career dip- Operations Center. She was a 2014-2015 Fellow to Seminar XXI lomats. She brought others from State into the effort and saw at MIT’s Center for International Studies. Ms. Stufft is origi- that everyone who worked closely with them gained a deeper nally from Ohio and holds degrees from Case Western Reserve understanding of the professionalism, creativity and determi- University and Duke University. She speaks Russian, Roma- nation of FS personnel. nian, French and Polish.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 33 Monica Smith concern that USAID funds for Gaza speaking at a USAID event with could be diverted to assist Hamas. implementing The WBG mission also experienced partners in Nazareth, intense scrutiny via oversight from Israel, in 2017. Congress and high-level interest from the White House, especially in connection with U.S. peace efforts in the region. After the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, USAID invested heavily in constructing water and sanitation infrastructure in Gaza to help prevent a humanitarian crisis. To operate in Gaza, the mission relied on carefully documented legal and policy deci- sions made in Washington. However, Christian A. Herter Award for in 2018, political and economic relationships shifted, calling a Senior Foreign Service Officer into question the ability of the mission to rely on previous authorizations and, potentially, putting the continued imple- Monica Smith mentation of U.S. government–funded construction projects at risk. Ms. Smith determined that two steps were necessary: The Standing Up for the Rule of Law mission needed to thoroughly vet specific individuals and consult with various offices in Washington onica Smith strongly advocated before proceeding with economic assistance changing the way USAID’s activities in Gaza. (The West Bank/Gaza vetting West Bank and Gaza Mission program was mandated by the United States engaged in the Gaza water Congress.) She drafted a detailed memo for sector, given the pervasive officials in Washington, laying out the pro- Minfluence of Hamas there. In so doing, she per- grammatic history, legal guidance, input from sistently challenged the approach of mission the technical office, policy implications and management, at great personal cost. Her astute next steps. She then met with mission manage- assessment of the risk of inadvertently assisting ment to advise on these issues. a terrorist actor led to a significant shift in the Although Ms. Smith’s advice was based on way the mission operated in Gaza and the West her review of more than a decade of existing Bank. policy and legal guidance on the topic, mission Based in Tel Aviv as the senior resident legal management strongly pushed back, voicing officer for USAID’s WBG mission, Ms. Smith Monica Smith. their disagreement through various channels. was there in part to help the mission navi- In the end, Ms. Smith and the technical gate an extremely fluid foreign assistance environment. She office (led by Cybill Sigler) devised a solution that allowed advised the mission on policy restrictions regarding terrorist USAID-funded water activities in Gaza to be completed in organizations and the provision of support in Gaza. compliance with U.S. law. Ms. Smith and the technical office Providing economic assistance in Gaza is complicated by proposed that the mission negotiate with the Palestinian the fact that Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, con- Water Authority in Ramallah, in the West Bank, which agreed trols the territory. U.S. legislation makes it a crime to provide to designate a new point of contact for ongoing construction material support to terrorist organizations. There was real issues. Ultimately, Ms. Smith’s efforts allowed the mission to

34 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Being a leader, and a person in a William R. Rivkin Award for position of authority, gives us a a Mid-Level Officer special responsibility to speak up, encourage discussion of difficult Jason Smith issues and support our colleagues Recognizing the who do the same. —Monica Smith Importance of Words

.S. Embassy Jerusalem continue the critical work of bringing clean drinking water to Political Officer Jason Smith more than one million Gazans. used various methods of “This award has special meaning for me because as a constructive dissent to help lawyer, I feel called to uphold and promote the rule of law, direct and shape U.S. policy even when it is difficult to do so,” Ms. Smith says. Uon the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one of She says the late civil rights hero and congressman John the most politically charged and contro- Lewis, and his advice to get into “good trouble,” serves as an versial American foreign policy issues. Jason Smith. inspiration. She hopes that in the future, more female Senior His objectivity, intellectual integrity and Foreign Service officers will be recognized for constructive moral courage were a model for Foreign Service officers at dissent. Historically, a majority of Christian A. Herter award Embassy Jerusalem and throughout the Service. winners have been men (38 out of 46). Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and release of “Being a leader, and a person in a position of authority, the U.S. Vision for Peace shifted decades of U.S. policy on the gives us a special responsibility to speak up, encourage discus- conflict. In this challenging environment, Mr. Smith was the sion of difficult issues and support our colleagues who do the embassy lead working with the Muslim and Christian commu- same,” she says. “This applies to Foreign Service officers of all nities in Jerusalem. ranks—we are all leaders in our own way. At the same time, we Mr. Smith raised concerns over public remarks by Embassy cannot be blinded by a desire to be constantly liked or lauded. Jerusalem leadership and written content that appeared to Sometimes doing the right thing means that you will make imply a preference in U.S. foreign policy for a specific religious some people unhappy.” narrative about Jerusalem’s holy sites and the ongoing conflict. Monica Smith, a Senior Foreign Service officer, currently He raised his concerns through official embassy channels serves as the resident legal officer for USAID/Colombia and and, in coordination with his supervisory chain, presented his lives in Bogotá with her husband. Previously, she served as the views to embassy leadership. special senior legal adviser for USAID’s Office of the General Mr. Smith conveyed the effect that these remarks and con- Counsel. She has also served as a USAID lawyer in Islamabad, tent had personally on officers at post and on the diverse and Budapest, Amman and Cairo. Moreover, she served as the multireligious embassy team, as well as the potential effect acting mission director during the close-out of the USAID on interfaith relations and religious violence in the embassy’s Regional Service Center in Budapest. area of responsibility. As a result, the embassy subsequently Ms. Smith is a graduate of Harvard Law School and earned expressed willingness to expand engagement with faith lead- her bachelor’s degree in political science at the University of ers and different communities on the conflict, an important Pennsylvania. While a law student, Ms. Smith interned with signal of U.S. objectivity for both the embassy community and the All-India Democratic Women’s Association in New Delhi, external audiences. researching systematic gender bias in the Indian courts. She Later, when embassy leadership proposed using new also volunteered in Boston as an asylum and refugee case terminology to refer to a specific community, Mr. Smith again worker. She speaks German and Spanish, and a bit of French raised concerns about the impact this could have, both on and Arabic. She is an accomplished triathlete and once spent a colleagues working at the embassy and on engagement with year and a half traveling by bicycle around the world. and reporting on this community. He organized meetings with

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 35 Dissent does not need to be a solo journey. I was privileged to be able to work with a number of exceptional colleagues who shared my concerns and joined with me in raising them, not only at post but in Washington. —Jason Smith

Journal, adding that he personally felt empow- ered by leaders who took the time to listen and consider his concerns. “Second, dissent does not need to be a solo journey,” he says. “I was privileged to be able to work with a number of exceptional colleagues Jason Smith, at right, leads then USAID Administrator Mark Green and his delegation on a walk through Jerusalem’s Old City in 2019. who shared my concerns and joined with me in raising them, not only at post but in Wash- ington. I am honored by being selected for this concerned colleagues and embassy leadership to discuss the award, but must recognize and express my deep appreciation matter. He also raised the issue with AFSA and through other for those others who also raise their voices when needed, and department channels. for those who listen.” Mr. Smith worked with colleagues to submit a dissent cable Jason Smith has served as a political officer in the Palestin- raising the concerns to State Department leadership. State ian Affairs Unit of U.S. Embassy Jerusalem since 2019. Prior to leadership then used his constructive dissent, policy input and that, he served for a year in the political section of U.S. Consul- alternatives to engage embassy leadership in finding alterna- ate General Jerusalem. With the State Department since 2008, tive language for use in public documents that addressed he has also served as the human rights and labor officer in some of Mr. Smith’s concerns while upholding strategic Ameri- Tegucigalpa; in the Office of the Coordinator for Cuban Affairs can policy decisions included in the U.S. Vision for Peace. in Washington, D.C., during the reestablishment of diplomatic “Words are important, especially for us,” Mr. Smith tells the relations between the United States and Cuba; and in Islam- FSJ. “As diplomats representing the United States and Ameri- abad and Damascus. can values, our choice of words—whether they are inclusive Prior to working for State, Mr. Smith worked in Sri Lanka or exclusive, and how they can be interpreted by the people in responding to the 2004 tsunami, at a nongovernmental orga- the countries where we work—can have an immense impact, nization in Washington managing a USAID Cuba program and for both good and ill, on our work to advance U.S. interests.” as a missionary in Paraguay, where he learned Spanish (mixed Mr. Smith took away two important lessons from the with Guarani). He speaks Spanish, and some Arabic and Urdu. experience. “First, dissent can and should be empowering, He has a bachelor’s degree in political science and a mas- and good leadership—and trust in that leadership—is critical ter’s degree in international development. The son of Foreign to achieve that. Good leaders will take the time to listen to Service officers, Jason has lived in the Middle East, the Indian different perspectives, even if they don’t agree with them, and subcontinent and Latin America, but currently calls Maryland they will support those individuals in doing so,” he tells the home.

36 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL W. Averell Harriman Award for FSJ. “Additionally, from a national security standpoint, it was an Entry-Level Officer concerning that consular officers had a more limited capacity to judge security threats from female applicants.” Lindsay Dana Ms. Dana noticed the problem and brought it to the atten- tion of the consular section’s management. She worked with management to make the case to the Bureau of Consular Affairs Ending Gender Bias on for a change, noting both the issue of inequality and the national Visa Application Forms security importance of asking questions that could highlight concerns of visa misuse, technology uring her assignment as a consular transfer, paramilitary ties or unusual officer in Bogotá, Lindsay Dana saw travel. that female non-immigrant visa “I did what was in my power at post (NIV) applicants were prompted by to mitigate these concerns, and devel- the online application form through oped training for my colleagues on ways Da shorter series of questions than was asked of male to balance those gender inequalities applicants, causing important information gaps for by verbally asking additional ques- consular adjudicators. tions during the interview of female Ms. Dana worked with applicants,” she says, given that she was post management and unsure of what final action would be the Bureau of Consular taken and when. Affairs to push for a fix, “After written advocacy and consis- resulting in a depart- tent follow-up with Washington offices mentwide correction over the next year, I was thrilled to see the

to equalize NIV online Lindsay Dana. requested change take final effect in early application questions June 2020. The worldwide online applica- for all genders as of tion form now asks both male and female applicants the same full June 2020. series of questions.” For years, the DS-160 Ms. Dana’s persistent advocacy for this change and her online application form willingness to challenge the way things had always been done had been configured to played a big role in prioritizing this fix. Every visa decision is a Lindsay Dana in the Harry S ask male applicants a Truman Building. national security decision, CA stresses, and the additional infor- more extended series mation adjudicators now have, thanks to Ms. Dana’s advocacy, of questions related to their previous employment, international means these decisions will be better informed. travel, education, and participation in the military or in paramili- “The gender-specific configuration of prompts was an unfor- tary groups. Women were asked a much shorter and less informa- tunate relic that disadvantaged female applicants from explain- tive series of questions. This discrepancy had no apparent rational ing their full background, and placed higher security reporting basis; it was based simply on outdated gender profiles. It was par- standards on male applicants,” she observes. ticularly troublesome in Colombia, where travel, education and Ms. Dana offers thanks to “those who worked tirelessly in Wash- employment are highly relevant to evaluating an applicant’s ties, ington to bring this change into effect. I’m grateful to my consular and where large paramilitary organizations, whose membership is managers who supported my advocacy, and to my colleagues who estimated at 20 to 30 percent female, have operated for years. followed this issue with me and celebrated its correction.” “Since consular officers seek—often under time pressure—to She also talks about the importance of dissent, even when it establish an applicant’s economic ties to their home country, I seems too difficult to change a system. “We can either shrug and let saw that women, who might have had significant work experi- issues continue to cause problems for the department, or we can ence, multiple degrees or diverse travel, were being inher- dissent. I hope this example helps encourage my fellow entry-level ently disadvantaged by this configuration,” Ms. Dana tells the officers to choose the latter,” she tells the Journal.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 37 We can either shrug and let issues made available to DSS special agents to protect personnel continue to cause problems for abroad; but, depending on the post, those vehicles sometimes the department, or we can dissent. are not available to DSS special agents serving as regional security officers with protective or investigative responsibili- I hope this example helps encourage ties after hours. DSS agents serving domestically generally my fellow entry-level officers to have government-owned vehicles at their disposal for those choose the latter. purposes. Mr. Heddleston would like to see DSS agents serving —Lindsay Dana overseas have the same access to government-owned vehicles as those serving domestically. “I have experienced firsthand the difficulties and arbitrary decision-making that take place when regional security offi- She attributes her persistence to the conviction that the cers attempt to secure transportation designed to protect U.S. accomplishments of women worldwide—the efforts women government personnel and their families working and living make toward their education, their careers, their foreign travel abroad,” Mr. Heddleston, who joined DSS in 2004, says. experience—absolutely matter to the United States Department “Some posts argue insufficient vehicles exist, while others of State and those who represent it. have plenty of vehicles but refuse to allow DSS agents to utilize Lindsay Dana, an entry-level public diplomacy officer, is them,” he tells the Journal. “Foreign policy and fiscal budget currently serving a consular tour in Manila after completing planning remain lacking in this regard. Peers from other federal her consular tour in Bogotá. She was raised in California’s Bay law enforcement agencies frequently express dismay that the Area, but now calls Denver home. She is a graduate of Colo- department does not support the use of dedicated vehicles by rado State University in Fort Collins, where she studied Span- all DSS agents assigned to a regional security office.” ish and biomedical science. She joined the State Department In an extensively researched and compellingly written dis- in 2017 with a background in international student affairs and sent channel cable (19 State 131254), Mr. Heddleston argued university advising. She has traveled to more than 35 coun- the case for the State Department and DSS to change overseas tries and had lived in Spain and Costa Rica prior to joining the vehicle usage policy so regional security officers can provide Foreign Service. a more secure environment for the conduct of U.S. foreign policy. He argued that a uniform overseas policy that provides F. Allen “Tex” Harris Award for dedicated government-owned vehicles at any time of the a Foreign Service Specialist week, day or night, to regional security offices would improve the emergency response capabilities of DSS agents assigned David “Dave” Heddleston overseas and allow them to more efficiently and effectively carry out the myriad law enforcement and security functions for which they are responsible. Protecting Those Who Protect Us Mr. Heddleston urged the department to prioritize funding and resources to empower chiefs of mission and DSS person- ave Heddleston, a nel to provide equitable law enforcement and security services supervisory special abroad. agent for the State He noted that DSS agents assigned to domestic field offices Department’s Diplo- and various headquarters offices and divisions with protec- matic Security Service tive and investigative responsibilities are provided individu- D(DSS), says that one of the key ingre- ally dedicated government-owned vehicles for after-hours dients to ensuring that diplomats response, consistent with the capabilities of their federal law stay safe is, literally, a vehicle. enforcement counterparts from other agencies. But no such At overseas posts, dedicated program exists for DSS agents carrying out similar functions government-owned vehicles are David Heddleston. and responsibilities overseas.

38 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Dave Heddleston working in Oman in 2018.

While current policy allows for DSS personnel to negotiate I am not the only member of the use of dedicated official vehicles for emergency response, the Foreign Service to vocalize Mr. Heddleston argued that such authorities and procedures should be grounded in official department policy and not sub- concerns over DSS’ ability to deliver ject to the whims of individual post management or changes effective service to our constituents in post leadership. abroad. It is the actions of my “I hope that my cable provides a one-stop resource justify- dedicated colleagues and senior ing the use of dedicated vehicles for overseas law enforcement leadership in response that make and security functions, the legal and federal precedence for such use, and the benefit of allowing DSS special agents to uti- my dissent relevant. lize vehicles instead of keeping them secured in motor pools,” —Dave Heddleston he says. Mr. Heddleston also discussed the importance of dissent for a healthy Foreign Service. “Meaningful dissent offers a special agent at DSS’ newly established presence in Orlando, mechanism for dedicated professionals to voice concern and Florida. His previous overseas assignments include Iraq, offer recommendations to the most senior leaders, without Nigeria, Libya, Kenya and Oman. Domestically, he has served alienating management and leaders who may concur with the at the Washington Field Office, the Office of Special Investiga- concepts but not hold the authority to implement them,” he tions and the Office of Protective Intelligence Investigations, says. where he conducted extraterritorial counterterrorism and “I am not the only member of the Foreign Service to vocal- hostage investigations. ize concerns over DSS’ ability to deliver effective service to He began his federal law enforcement career in 2001 when our constituents abroad. It is the actions of my dedicated he enlisted in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps, rising to the colleagues and senior leadership in response that make my rank of sergeant. His overseas military deployments include dissent relevant. I am proud that my dissent resonated with two tours of duty during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He earned leaders, implementers and policymakers who shared similar a bachelor’s degree in criminology from the University of concerns and took action to reexamine the department’s over- South Florida. In 2019 and 2020, he earned master’s degrees seas law enforcement and security response measures.” in criminal justice administration and diplomacy through Mr. Heddleston currently serves as the first supervisory Norwich University.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 39 – EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE –

Avis Bohlen Award for Mr. Bassett provided piano accompaniment when Saycon Sengbloh, the Liberian-American TV and Broadway star, a Foreign Service Family Member visited Liberia in 2018. He also assisted in establishing A Dya Zu Zu, a nongovernmental organization in Liberia that helps William “Rick” Bassett local artists. Because of the country’s deep historical ties and religious Creating Community connections with the United States, many Liberians are famil- Through Music in Liberia iar with both traditional and contemporary American gospel music. When the embassy hosted the U.S. gospel group “Oscar Williams and the Band of Life,” Mr. Bassett helped the public ince September 2018, musician Rick Bassett has affairs section organize concerts and workshops that connected been an anchor of the U.S. embassy community the group with local choirs and audiences. The free concerts in Monrovia, Liberia, according to Christine Elder, and radio performances reached and inspired thousands of who served as the U.S. ambassador there until Liberians. The performances were all the more meaningful March. Mr. Bassett—an award-winning professional because they were the last embassy cultural events before the Scomposer and orchestrator with numerous Broadway credits— onset of the coronavirus in Liberia. has been creative and generous in sharing his time and excep- During the most stressful days of the pandemic, Mr. Bassett tional talents to provide joyful interludes for American, Liberian put his talents to use by teaming up with the post’s temporary and international colleagues there. regional medical officer to create a five-minute recording com- In the embassy’s first official Locally Employed Staff Apprecia- bining calming music and a meditative script to help relieve tion Day, Mr. Bassett directed a chorus of American embassy staff, stress in the embassy community. including Marines, in a choral performance, that featured his new arrangement of “My Favorite Things,” from “The Sound of Music,” in honor of the Embassy Monrovia local staff. Here is a sample lyric:

Memos and emails and cultural advising Training, maintaining, and much organizing For all the things they do on our behalf Thank you to all the Liberian staff! Guard force and RSO keep us protected ISC keeps our computers connected Mailroom brings packages tied up with strings These are a few of my favorite things!

“The effort to create such a unique ‘thank you’ was a gesture that our more than 350 LE staff— many of whom have been with the embassy for decades through civil wars and the Ebola epi- Rick Bassett, in blue shirt, poses with performers from his musical “Hope” in demic—appreciated to the depths of their souls,” Uganda in 2019. From left to right: Byamugisha Gilbert, Bassett, Tayo Shonubi Ambassador Elder says of Mr. Bassett. and Tamale Michael Patrick.

40 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Nelson B. Delavan Award for an Office Management Specialist Jennifer “Jenny” McCoy Giving Extraordinary Support to Embassy Community after a Terrorist Attack

uring the Easter Day 2019 terrorist bombings in Colombo, Sri Lanka, suicide bombers attacked three churches and three luxury hotels, killing Rick Bassett with performers of the national anthem at 269 people. Jennifer McCoy—the office manage- an Embassy Monrovia July 4th event in 2019. From left to right: Bassett; Cortney Conrad Smyth, the embassy office ment specialist (OMS) for the U.S. embassy’s management specialist who sang the American national DRegional Security Office—was among the first employees to anthem; Samson Tarpeh, director of the Agape National arrive at the embassy to deal with the aftermath. She made Academy of Music in Monrovia; and George Glomah sure all embassy personnel were accounted for, while simulta- Washington, a student-teacher at the academy. neously bringing together key staffers for meetings. In addition to dedicating his musical talents to the greater Ms. McCoy quickly determined that there would be a good, he has been a frequent host for arriving families, and significant reporting need, so she documented the timeline played a crucial role in supporting those who left abruptly on of events and actions by the embassy. This documentation global authorized departure during the pandemic as well as proved essential in helping Washington, D.C., understand those who remained at post. He and his wife, chargé d’affaires the unfolding situation. It also became a significant part of a Alyson Grunder, organized numerous take-out and delivery “lessons learned” cable produced after the attacks. meals. Rick Bassett has used music to connect with embassy and local communities through five overseas tours. He has frequently performed the American and local national anthems for official events at post. In Ethiopia, he taught jazz at Addis Ababa Uni- versity and at a local seminary; co-directed the “Motley Singers” chorus; and directed the international school’s jazz band. In Uganda, he was music director for several shows at the National Theatre, including “Hope,” a musical he wrote and composed in 2007 that was revived in Kampala in 2019. In Tokyo, he taught at Kunitachi College of Music. Mr. Bassett and his wife have a daughter and a son. Throughout the family’s many moves, he has maintained his New York City–based professional life, providing orchestra- tions for musicals on Broadway and performances by the Boston Pops, the New York Pops, the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera. Mr. Bassett says he is “impressed by all Foreign Service family members as they find their own pathways to engage with over- seas communities and support their families and careers.” Jennifer McCoy.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 41 Jenny McCoy with board and staff from the AERAC. From left to right: Sean Peterson, Saman Mandawalla, Michael Cragun, Kristen Perry, Kelly Peters, McCoy, Srimal Kariyanwasam, Firaz Mahamood and Antony Kanappilly.

It really doesn’t matter where you “Being awarded this honor leaves me somewhat speech- are in the world; it’s the people you less,” she tells the FSJ. “I am touched beyond measure that my U.S. Embassy Colombo team nominated me, and that AFSA has are with who make the difference. chosen me as the awardee.” —Jenny McCoy Colleagues recognize her as an incredibly hard worker, an innovative thinker and a dedicated community servant with a constant desire to help others. She did such a good job as an When a wounded and traumatized temporary duty (TDY) OMS filling in temporarily for the Colombo front office that employee appeared at the embassy covered in blood and they ended up keeping her there for more than three months. debris, Ms. McCoy jumped into action, helping her shower, As president of AERAC, Ms. McCoy helped establish numer- getting her clean clothes and providing crucial emotional ous recreational events for the community. Her financial guid- support. As the board president of the American Employee ance helped the association build a sizable reserve fund. During Recreation Association of Colombo, Ms. McCoy gathered a government shutdown, she set AERAC up to fund short-term supplies from AERAC to provide clothing and food to other loans for embassy employees. The loans ended up not being victims who came to the embassy. And working with the Com- needed, but the excess reserve funds are now being used to install munity Liaison Office, she helped provide food for employees a children’s pool at the AERAC recreational facility. during the following week, as many worked night and day with Ms. McCoy credits the AERAC team she worked with. “They no time to get meals. are phenomenal, and it was my privilege to be the president of Numerous TDY employees were sent to the embassy in the the board,” she tells the Journal. In the wake of the COVID-19 weeks following the attacks. The majority came to help with pandemic, Ms. McCoy proved herself again as she found ways to security, and Ms. McCoy became the control officer for doz- support the community, working with her team to ensure food ens of them. She prepared diplomatic notes to get them visas supplies and essentials were always available. and equipment, made hotel reservations, provided supplies, “I am so grateful to my family of colleagues in Colombo prepared office space and met other needs as they arose. Her for their unwavering support and good humor despite some support did not go unrecognized, as a steady stream of visitors extremely challenging circumstances throughout the time of my stopped by to drop off challenge coins, sweets, coffee and other tour,” Ms. McCoy says. “My RSO colleagues are among the best tokens of gratitude for Ms. McCoy. of the best, and it was my honor to work alongside them, as well

42 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL as with the numerous TDYers who came to support us after the M. Juanita Guess Award for a tragic events of the terrorist bombings.” Community Liaison Office Coordinator “To me, a post is all about the sense of community and the development of kinship from shared experience,” she adds. “It Jennifer Mauldin really doesn’t matter where you are in the world; it’s the people you are with who make the difference. I have always tried to be an active member of my community during my years as a Building a Support Network military spouse and now as part of the Foreign Service. While During COVID-19 I have never felt underrecognized, this award is validation that the importance I place on community is also appreciated and hen the COVID-19 pandemic hit Pakistan, valued by others.” Karachi became the epicenter of the disease. Ms. McCoy, who hails from Iowa, is currently serving as Fifty percent of the consulate’s American the RSO OMS for U.S. Consulate Dubai. She and her husband, staff there left on authorized departure. Shannon, were posted as a military family at embassies in Accra, Eighty percent of its local staff began tele- Kyiv, Moscow and Nairobi before she joined the State Depart- Wworking from home or went on authorized leave. Fortunately, ment Foreign Service as a specialist in 2018. As a military spouse, Community Liaison Office Coordinator Jennifer Mauldin was she had her own business as a dance and fitness instructor. The there to help. couple have two sons: Brendan, a newly commissioned naval “One would think it would be impossible to maintain com- officer, and Aidan, a freshman at Iowa State University. munity with half of your American staff back in the United

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 43 States in the middle of a worldwide “Ms. Mauldin’s dedication and genuine care for each mem- pandemic. But Jennifer worked ber of our consulate community is evident in all she does,” says her magic,” Consul General Robert CG Silberstein. “Her creativity, positive spirit and willingness to Silberstein wrote in nominating try new things—even during the most adverse circumstances— Ms. Mauldin for the M. Juanita sets her far apart from all others and makes her worthy to be Guess Award. recognized as the Community Liaison Officer of the Year.” “I am honored and humbled Ms. Mauldin arrived in Karachi in the summer of 2018 and to be selected for this award, but spent two years serving as CLO for the high-threat post in a know that I am only one of many city of more than 20 million. Given the security limitations and CLOs around the world working to movement restrictions, she had to find creative ways for the strengthen their communities in community to experience Pakistan. Whether bringing a wedding difficult times,” Ms. Mauldin tells the ceremony onto the consulate property or coordinating consis- Jennifer Mauldin. Journal. “The Karachi community tent volunteer opportunities with is so special. People are living local orphanages, Ms. Mauldin had for a year or two without their the pulse of the community. families, so developing a network During the summer of 2019, a of support, empathy and shared series of equal employment oppor- experiences is so important.” tunity (EEO) crises rocked the post at Ms. Mauldin provided the same time as many newcomers, comfort and counseling for the serving for the first time in a high- consulate’s American staff. She threat post, experienced culture launched virtual weekly meet- shock. ings with staffers, and used the “Jennifer was by my side as we platform to share updates on navigated this threat to post resil- COVID-19 and new department ience and effectiveness,” CG Silber- guidelines. These virtual meet- Jennifer Mauldin assists American citizens leaving stein says. “Together, we developed ings were an opportunity for the Karachi on a U.S. government–chartered repatriation a new initiative called ‘Better, Safer, flight during the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. community to express their feelings Stronger,’ that went beyond address- and share concerns. Ms. Mauldin ing EEO issues. We took a hard look regularly wrote personal notes to every employee on authorized at our alcohol policies, gender balance at events and SOPs for departure, checking on their health and welfare. She extended how we onboard new staff.” The result was stronger morale and a helping hand to local employees, as well, assisting the consul higher productivity. general craft weekly messages to them and organizing a virtual Adds Silberstein: “She cares deeply about the community and town hall with post leadership and the Embassy Islamabad acted as my unofficial DCM and adviser, in addition to doing all social worker. More than 100 local employees participated. ‘CLO things’ extremely well.” Americans remaining at post also struggled. Ms. Mauldin Consulate staff report that during her tenure Ms. Mauldin was maintained community spirit by organizing virtual hail-and- at the heart of many important mission successes, among them farewell celebrations, connecting Karachi-based employees with the 2020 U.S. Independence Day celebration, a 600-person event those on authorized departure and organizing biweekly grocery held in February to avoid the intense July heat. orders and food deliveries from top restaurants. Ms. Mauldin has spent 15 years as a Foreign Service fam- She also volunteered to support the evacuation of American ily member traveling with her husband, Jimmy Mauldin, an citizens, making hours of phone calls to American citizens who economic-coned officer currently studying at the National had registered to depart Pakistan and traveling to the airport to Defense University Eisenhower School, and their four children. help process the roughly 1,000 American citizens the consul- She served as CLO in Chennai, Rabat and New Delhi. She is now ate facilitated on four U.S. government–chartered flights out of back in the United States working as a special assistant in the Karachi in April. Office of the Inspector General.

44 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Mark Palmer Award for the including the appointment of a new, independent constitu- Advancement of Democracy tional court and prosecutor general, the removal of several cor- rupt officials, and increased budgets and staffing for Moldova’s Alexandra Shema corruption-fighting institutions. Ms. Shema also wrote a widely covered speech for the ambassador that laid out the United States’ expectations for Establishing Building Blocks for Moldova’s anti-corruption and judicial reform. She choreo- Democracy in Moldova graphed and helped lead the first U.S.-Moldova Good Gover- nance Dialogue, drawing on her network of contacts to facili- olitical Officer Alexandra She- tate an open discussion between the government, opposition ma’s leadership and engage- parties and civil society. Participants praised her initiative as ment with political leaders, a model for building stronger checks and balances on the gov- the opposition and civil soci- ernment; the Ministry of Justice now includes civil society and ety strengthened Moldova’s a wide range of stakeholders in ongoing public consultations. Pfledgling democracy. She provided timely While the roots of democracy take decades to nurture, analysis that was instrumental in shaping reforms Ms. Shema fostered in Moldova are already showing the embassy’s policy recommendations Alexandra Shema. results. One significant example: The constitutional court, for Washington and supporting the coun- once subverted to oligarchic control, now has independent try’s democratic reforms. members who were installed during the pro-reform govern- Last year, an unlikely coalition of pro-Western and pro- ment’s brief tenure. And when Moldova’s current government Russian opposition parties gave Moldova, long considered a later signed a problematic 200-million-Euro loan agreement “captured” state, its best chance in a decade for real democratic with Moscow, the constitutional court ruled it was unconstitu- reforms. Ms. Shema’s reporting helped Washington navigate tional and undermined Moldova’s sovereignty. a weeklong standoff between dueling governments and rising “For me, this award is a recognition of the inspiring and tensions that threatened to turn exceptional work the entire violent. Her actions enabled the Embassy Chisinau team has United States to send a timely done to promote democratic and critical message to Mol- values, free and fair elections, dova’s authorities: The interna- and justice reform in Moldova,” tional community would not Ms. Shema tells the FSJ. “It tolerate repression. Ms. Shema’s is also a reminder that there efforts also helped genuinely is still a lot more work to be independent institutions to done, and an encouragement flourish, reinforced U.S. leader- to keep fighting every day for ship in Moldova’s democratic the Moldovan people to have a development and hardened more free, just, prosperous and its institutions against malign democratic future.” foreign actors. Alexandra Shema has Ms. Shema worked closely served as the political officer with the ambassador, the Ambassador Dereck J. Hogan and Alexandra Shema attend at Embassy Chisinau since July deputy chief of mission, USAID an election event in Moldova. 2018. She previously served as a and the International Narcot- human rights officer in Paris and ics and Law Enforcement Bureau to reform Moldova’s justice as the immigrant visa chief in Guayaquil, Ecuador. She began sector. Her advocacy targeted $7 million in U.S. assistance to her Department of State career in July 2009 as a Presidential strengthen institutions and combat high-level corruption. Ms. Management Fellow, serving as a foreign affairs research Shema helped guide a range of actions to support these goals, analyst in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, and later

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 45 For me, this award is a recognition of democracy restored in Venezuela and have succeeded in con- the inspiring and exceptional work straining the Maduro regime’s reach and its totalitarian ambitions. the entire Embassy Chisinau team Mr. Foley has influenced democratic actors across the political spectrum in Venezuela, helping them to coalesce around com- has done to promote democratic mon strategies and leaders. For example, he played a behind-the- values, free and fair elections, and scenes role in the election of a young legislator, Juan Guaidó, as justice reform in Moldova. president of the Venezuelan National Assembly. Shortly thereafter, —Alexandra Shema Mr. Guaidó, backed again by a united opposition on the basis of an emergency provision of the Venezuelan Constitution, boldly assumed the interim presidency of Venezuela. Today, 60 coun- tries, including the United States and the world’s largest democra- cies, recognize Mr. Guaidó as interim president. as a Belarus desk officer in the Bureau of European Affairs. In January 2019 Maduro gave all U.S. diplomatic personnel Ms. Shema has a master’s degree in international affairs from 72 hours to leave Venezuela. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo the Georgia Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree in responded that Maduro had no authority to do so. The embassy history from the University of Georgia. She speaks Romanian, drew down to 23 Americans, half of them security staff. Mr. Foley French and Spanish. was selected to stay in Caracas to carry on his responsibilities as political counselor and became acting deputy chief of mission. In a tense stalemate with the regime, the embassy continued operat- ing for several weeks. Mark Palmer Award for the Then, in early March 2019, all of Venezuela experienced major Advancement of Democracy electricity blackouts. For several nights, all Americans were required to sleep in their offices. Water and fuel resources became Rafael “Rafi” Foley unreliable, and the airport was intermittently closed. Secretary Pompeo ordered the withdrawal of all remaining U.S. personnel. Up until his last day in Caracas, Mr. Foley continued to support Championing Democracy democratic actors there. in Venezuela Back in the United States, Mr. Foley has been an indispensable member of the small team that made up the virtual U.S. Embassy he future of democracy and Caracas, initially in Washington, D.C., and then in Miami, Florida. freedom in Latin America He worked on extended temporary duty in Bogotá, and his work hangs in the balance in there helped to convince the department to move the Venezuela Venezuela. As political team from Miami to Bogotá. The Venezuela Affairs Unit was estab- counselor and deputy chief lished in Bogotá in August 2019 as a functionally independent Tof the U.S. Mission to Venezuela, Rafi post focused on returning democracy to Venezuela and support- Foley has been instrumental in fostering ing the heroic struggle of Venezuelan democratic actors. Mr. Foley pro-democracy initiatives there in the became its deputy chief. face of an intractable regime that poses Rafi Foley. Mr. Foley’s work to restore democracy in Venezuela has a dangerous human rights and security continued at an unrelenting pace at the VAU. As a direct result of threat to the country and the region. the VAU’s teamwork, and Mr. Foley’s contributions to it, there is Venezuela’s de facto leaders have undermined democracy intense pressure on President Maduro, preventing him from con- at home and abroad. Nicolás Maduro—still holding onto power solidating power and keeping in check his ability to undermine after a contested 2018 election and indicted in the United States democracy in neighboring countries. on drug charges—has links to Colombian and Middle Eastern “On the Venezuela Affairs team, both overseas and in Wash- terrorist organizations and to organized crime. The United States ington, we recognize the enormous implications of Venezuelans’ government and the Venezuelan opposition are determined to see struggle to regain their freedom and fundamental human rights,”

46 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA Achievement and Contributions to the Association Award Jason Vorderstrasse Honoring Early Diplomats Who Died Overseas

oreign Service Officer Jason Vorderstrasse has made it his mis- Rafi Foley visiting Port of Spain in October 2019. sion over the past 13 years to discover and Fhonor early American diplomats On the Venezuela affairs team, both and consular officers who died overseas and in Washington, we overseas in the line of duty but whose names were unknown recognize the enormous implications when AFSA unveiled its original Jason Vorderstrasse. of Venezuelans’ struggle to regain Memorial Plaque in 1933. His their freedom and fundamental diligent efforts over more than a human rights. decade have served to advance AFSA’s role as the professional —Rafi Foley association of America’s diplomats by highlighting the distinc- tive risks of overseas service. In 2007, Jason Vorderstrasse was an entry-level FSO serving Mr. Foley says. “I feel the Palmer Award is also a recognition of in Hong Kong. A colleague told Mr. Vorderstrasse that he had their valiant efforts and personal sacrifices.” visited a local cemetery and seen the grave of a U.S. diplo- Mr. Foley tells the FSJ that he is humbled to receive the award, mat whose name was not inscribed on the AFSA Memorial adding: “I am proud to work side by side with dozens of U.S. gov- Plaques. Mr. Vorderstrasse visited the cemetery and found ernment colleagues and Venezuelan opposition leaders and activ- the gravestone. Conducting online and archival research, he ists, whose commitment is an inspiration and a testament to the established that U.S. Consul F. Russell Engdahl died in 1942 resilience of human beings’ uncompromising longing for freedom while a prisoner of the Japanese military. Additional research and the pursuit of happiness.” identified two U.S. envoys who died of disease in Macau in He was recently promoted to the Senior Foreign Service and 1844. Mr. Vorderstrasse nominated all three for inscription on currently serves as deputy chief of the Venezuelan Affairs Unit the AFSA Memorial Plaques, and AFSA unveiled their names in Bogotá. He has also served in Caracas, Managua, Baghdad, on Foreign Service Day 2009. Islamabad, Geneva and Malabo. His assignments have been in the But that was only the beginning of Mr. Vorderstrasse’s areas of human rights, humanitarian affairs, multilateral diplo- efforts. Over the past decade, he has dedicated hundreds of macy and support for democracy. additional hours researching in the ProQuest Historical News- Mr. Foley holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from papers database, Google Books and other online references, Montclair State University in New Jersey, a master’s degree in along with the archives of the State Department’s Office of the international relations from Columbia University in New York and Historian, to find and document more early consular officers a certificate in the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church from the and diplomats who merit inscription of the AFSA Memorial Pontifical Lateran University in Rome. He was born and grew up Plaques. in Spain. He is fluent in Spanish and Italian. “When I first began researching the lives of deceased

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 47 Jason Vorderstrasse, about to release endangered totoaba fingerlings, in Puertecitos, Baja California, Mexico in February 2016.

It is a credit to AFSA that the causes. Mr. Vorderstrasse’s research not only had to identify organization took on this task the previously overlooked deaths but had to document that almost 100 years ago, and it has they qualified for inscription due to having died from tropical diseases, violence, accidents while in official transit or other been my privilege to play a small circumstances—distinctive risks of overseas service. role in helping ensure that these His research was painstaking. For each case, he reviewed heroes are not forgotten. multiple primary-source documents (such as contempora- —Jason Vorderstrasse neous newspapers, books, family histories, college alumni reports and genealogical records) to ensure that the date, place and circumstances of death were accurate. In many cases, he consulted with State’s Office of the Historian to diplomats 11 years ago, I had no idea that until the early examine official records. He then compiled that documenta- 20th century there had been no organized effort to mark the tion for review by AFSA’s Awards and Plaques Committee. deaths of those who died in tragic or heroic circumstances,” As his research advanced, Mr. Vorderstrasse personally vis- Mr. Vorderstrasse tells the FSJ. “It is a credit to AFSA that the ited several final resting places of these early envoys. Finding organization took on this task almost 100 years ago, and it has some of the graves suffering from poor upkeep, he convinced been my privilege to play a small role in helping ensure that cemetery authorities in Southampton, New York, to refurbish these heroes are not forgotten.” the gravesite of Robert Sterry, who died in a shipwreck while His task was complicated by the fact that hundreds of U.S. returning from France in 1820. His research into the three U.S. envoys have died overseas during the last 240 years, but AFSA diplomats buried at the Old Protestant Cemetery in Macau led does not inscribe the names of those who died of natural to a memorial ceremony there.

48 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL In a March 2014 Foreign Service Journal essay, Mr. Vorder- in time for the annual AFSA Memorial Plaque ceremony in strasse reported documenting an additional 32 names of May 2021. For now, the names are memorialized on a virtual diplomats and consular officers who died overseas in the line plaque on the AFSA website at afsa.org/memorial-plaques. of duty. By 2019, the number had risen to 39. “Research is generally a solitary process, so receiving this In December 2019, on the recommendation of the AFSA award is welcome recognition of the value of the many hours Awards and Plaques Committee, the AFSA Governing Board I have spent in archives, cemeteries and online,” Mr. Vorder- voted to add those 39 names to the plaques (along with strasse says. “When the new plaques are unveiled with addi- nine other historical names documented by two other AFSA tional rediscovered names, I hope it will inspire those who members) when funding is available to install and inscribe pass through the C Street lobby to learn more about those additional marble plaques. In early 2020, he nominated five who gave their lives as part of our shared work to advance U.S. additional names that the Governing Board approved in June diplomatic initiatives around the world.” 2020. This was followed by one additional name in 2020. He Jason Vorderstrasse is currently serving as the diplomat in shares his story of this project in the November Foreign Service residence for Southern California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Journal, “America’s Overlooked Diplomats and Consuls Who Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. He joined Died in the Line of Duty.” the State Department in 2004, and has previously served in AFSA is currently coordinating with the Department of Kingston, Hong Kong, Tijuana and Washington, D.C. He holds State’s Bureau of Administration in hopes of adding additional a law degree from Golden Gate University and a bachelor’s memorial plaque space on which to inscribe these names degree in international relations from Pomona College.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 49 AFSA Special Achievement Award “tough love” with members who have no case so they can get on with their life and career without wasting time. He is James Yorke a patient teacher and generous about sharing his knowledge and experience with his colleagues, thereby strengthening Working for Members, AFSA’s entire Labor Management team. While AFSA governing boards sometimes have been accused an Unsung Hero of focusing more on career issues for Foreign Service officers ahead of specialists, Mr. Yorke has taken the lead for AFSA in FSA Senior Labor Management Adviser James assisting Foreign Service specialists (who outnumber general- Yorke is an unsung, behind-the-scenes hero who ists). For example, he has negotiated with the State Department has directly assisted thousands of AFSA members to improve the career path for office management specialists, during his 25 years with the association. and has worked extensively on issues involving information There may be no one at the State Department management specialists and Diplomatic Security agents. Awho knows more than Mr. Yorke does about the rules, regula- Mr. Yorke gets involved in assisting with cases involving the tions and laws regarding travel, transporta- other foreign affairs agencies, as well—ably tion, allowances and assignments. In many assisting members of the U.S. Agency for cases, he has assisted in negotiating those International Development, Foreign Com- Foreign Affairs Manual provisions. Armed mercial Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, with this deep knowledge, he has convinced Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service the department hundreds of times to extend and U.S. Agency for Global Media in similar benefits to employees who State initially said issues relating to allowances, medical clear- did not qualify. He has helped convince state ances, spousal employment and grievances. governments to offer in-state tuition rates to He has also provided invaluable assistance the children of Foreign Service members who to colleagues within Labor Management on are domiciled but not physically present in negotiations of the various collective bargain- those states, saving Foreign Service members ing agreements (such as the FAS and APHIS thousands of dollars. framework agreements), institutional issues Mr. Yorke’s excellent, long-term rela- such as a move by USAGM to essentially do tionship with Charleston Global Financial away with the Foreign Service Correspon- Services has made it possible for AFSA dents Corps, and standard operating proce- to assist many employees suffering from James Yorke. dures for those agencies. payroll errors and unjustified debt collection efforts. Mem- For two decades, Mr. Yorke has compiled AFSA’s annual tax bers panicked by a collection notice for an indebtedness they guide—valued by members as one of the top benefits of belong- were never notified they had incurred have, after Mr. Yorke ing to AFSA. He has written many columns in The Foreign Service has intervened, received the welcome news that the collection Journal’s AFSA News section and posted on AFSA’s website articles notice was being canceled. In one case, Mr. Yorke helped a detailing the ins and outs of employee allowances and benefits. member recoup more than $20,000 in per diem expenses that “James is wonderful. No one at AFSA is easier to work with,” Charleston had disallowed. says FSJ Editor Shawn Dorman. “He always either knows the Mr. Yorke’s responsiveness to member inquiries is legend- answer to any question, or he knows how to find it.” ary. He typically provides comprehensive and authoritative “James is an essential member of the AFSA Labor Manage- responses to members within 24 hours. AFSA’s attorneys and ment team,” AFSA General Counsel Sharon Papp, who has grievance counselors, Governing Board members and the worked with Mr. Yorke for 25 years, tells The Foreign Service retiree counselor turn to him for expert input in cases involv- Journal. “We could not keep up with all the demands placed ing allowances and active-duty benefits and other matters. on the Labor Management team without James’ consistent and Mr. Yorke is tenacious in advocating for members who have tireless efforts, his encyclopedic knowledge of the rules and been wronged by the system. At the same time, he employs regulations, and his willingness to help his LM colleagues out.”

50 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL James is an essential member remotely with the regional human resources officer to handle of the AFSA Labor Management the Employee Evaluation Report season. For a time, she was the team. We could not keep up with all only OMS at the mission. She found a way to split responsibilities between the front office and the RSO. She has also helped other the demands placed on the Labor sections, including assisting the political-economic section as a Management team without James’ control officer for an ambassadorial trip upcountry. consistent and tireless efforts, his In the absence of a community liaison office coordinator encyclopedic knowledge of the rules (CLO) at post, Ms. Monfort stepped up to keep the mission engaged. She organized a dining club to show newcomers and and regulations, and his willingness temporary duty employees the city. She put together trips both to help his LM colleagues out. in and out of the capital, encouraging people to shed their —AFSA General Counsel preconceived notions of Guinea. Her coworkers nicknamed Sharon Papp her “Shadow CLO.” One of her biggest achievements was creating Conakry’s new post video, which has been met with overwhelmingly positive feedback. Born in the United Kingdom, James Yorke was first hired by Ms. Monfort also participated in the public affairs Eng- AFSA in 1992 after 30 years of service in the British Navy. He lish language program as a regular volunteer at the Thurgood worked with AFSA until 1995, when he accompanied his FSO Marshall Information Resource Center. She made it a point to wife, Jean Louis, on an assignment to Bogotá. He returned to bring in USAID and other organizations when she took over as AFSA in 1998, where he has worked ever since. He has been chair of the First and Second Tour (FAST) Officer and Specialist’s living and working from North Carolina since 2010. committee. In short, her personal modus operandi is one where there are no “tribal” departments, but a singular mission. “Posts are like ecosystems,” she tells the Journal. “This means in tough places—and Conakry can be tough—it’s important to build a community, one that stretches out past 2020 AWARDS your office or section. If we are one team, that means we have RUNNER-UP to contribute when we are able. It is the only way, not just to survive, but thrive. This is not easy. It can be infuriating. It requires being stubborn and unashamedly optimistic.” Nelson B. Delavan Award Jean Monfort brings an eclectic background to the State Runner-Up for an Department. She has Office Management Specialist worked as a college professor, children’s Jean Monfort puppeteer and singer, legal admin- istrator and editor in Boosting Morale in Conakry chief, among other things. She and her erving at U.S. Embassy Conakry in Guinea, Office husband were mar- Management Specialist Jean Monfort stretched far ried via Montana past the responsibilities listed in her job descrip- proxies while living tion. Stationed in the Regional Security Office, in Guinea. She joined she has made strong contributions to the mission, the Foreign Service Shelping to build morale and improving perceptions of the post. in 2018 and is excited With no prior training, Ms. Monfort took on the role of about where this life ePerformance human resources officer for the mission, working will lead her. n Jean Monfort.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 51 FEATURE THE DAYTON ACCORDS A retired FSO and veteran of the Balkan crisis offers a clear-eyed assessment of Bosnia and Herzegovina a quarter-century after Dayton. BY DANIEL SERWER AT 25

wenty-five years ago, the United ethnic identity and disempowers those who try to appeal across States brought forth on the European ethnic lines to people as individuals or groups that include more continent a new state dedicated to the than one ethnicity. There is no real possibility of alternation in proposition that citizens are not equal power or representation of civic interests, only reformulation of as individuals but rather endowed elite bargains among ethnically defined and centrally com- with group rights. Those three groups manded political parties. (Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats), denomi- nated as “constituent peoples,” are Political Paralysis entitled to block numerical majority This ethnically based scheme is not a total failure. It ended decisions. We have tested whether that state—Bosnia and Herze- the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, attracted massive interna- Tgovina (B&H)—or any state so conceived and so dedicated, can tional reconstruction assistance and permitted some people long endure. to return to their homes and restart their lives. B&H today has The answer is now clear: It can endure, but it cannot function a per capita gross domestic product close to double that of the effectively to enable its citizens to prosper and enjoy life, liberty former Yugoslavia before the 1990s wars. People of all ethnicities and the pursuit of happiness. B&H is trapped in a scheme of gov- can travel safely in the entire country, even if living and work- ernance that permanently empowers those who appeal to group ing in areas where they are in the minority can still be difficult. Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim Bosnians worship freely, many Daniel Serwer, a professor at the Johns Hopkins of them in restored churches and mosques. School of Advanced International Studies since 2010, But politics at all levels remains frozen in a constant struggle retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 1998 after of conflicting ethnic group rights. The elaborate architecture of serving as deputy chief of mission and chargé the state—division into two “entities,” majority-Serbian Repub- d’affaires in Rome, providing support to the Bosnian lika Srpska (R.S.) and the (Croat-Bosniak) Federation; division Federation during the war, and negotiating the first agreement of the Federation into cantons; and, ultimately, division of reached at the Dayton peace talks. He served thereafter as vice presi- both entities into municipalities—ensures ethnic vetoes over dent for peace and stability operations at the United States Institute all important decisions and many unimportant ones. Govern- of Peace. He blogs at www.peacefare.net and tweets @DanielSerwer. ment jobs, state-owned companies and other public resources

52 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Ethnic Map of Bosnia & Herzegovina, 1991

are divvied up on an ethnic basis. Difficult- to-remove party bosses thrive and stash ill- gotten gains abroad, while citizens complain and hope to emigrate. The promise of even- tual European Union membership, a strong HERZEGOVINA & BOSNIA OF REPRESENTATIVE HIGH THE OF OFFICE THE FROM RELIEFWEB (HTTP://BIT.LY/RELIEFWEB-MAP), incentive for reform when it was first enunciated in the early 2000s, is now in doubt, A Near-term Threat as Europe is preoccupied with its own problems and unreason- Nothing needs to be done in haste. B&H has been peaceful, if ably delayed accession negotiations with qualified candidates poorly governed, for most of the past 25 years. It can continue in like North Macedonia and Albania while refusing Kosovo visa- that state a while longer, if only because those in power benefit free travel. With the United Kingdom exiting, and ethnic nation- from its dysfunctionality. But there is a risk that an ethnicity-based alists dominant in Poland and Hungary, the European Union is land swap between Kosovo and Serbia could destabilize the no longer the beacon of liberal democracy it once was. country. That proposal would exchange majority-Serbian territory Nor is the United States, where the Trump administration has in northern Kosovo for majority-Albanian territory in southern applauded Brexit and is trying to undermine the E.U. The sub- Serbia, with dire consequences for the future of Serbs living else- stantial successes of peace implementation in the first 10 years where in Kosovo and Albanians living elsewhere in Serbia. after Dayton resulted from the United States and Europe working Milorad Dodik, the Serb representative in Bosnia and Herze- in tandem for the same ends. That has become far more difficult. govina’s collective presidency, has said that such a land swap will The current dissonance between Washington and Brussels trigger his promise of declaring Republika Srpska independent. echoes in the Balkans, especially in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He has already prepared the ground for this move by denying the What is to be done? validity of the constitutional court’s decisions in R.S. and arming

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 53 sive control. In the longer term, what needs to be done is to end the division of the country into two ethnically defined entities derived from the warring parties of 1992-1995 and embedded in the current constitution.

A Critical Reform As necessary as that division seemed at Dayton in 1995, it is a birth defect that prevents B&H from ever qualifying as a seri- ous candidate for E.U. accession. Belgium is constitutionally similar, but it is a charter member of the European Union, and Brus- sels is the Union’s executive capital. The E.U. will not be taking in any new members whose governance is as dysfunctional as Bel- gium’s, and B&H’s is far worse. Only with the best intentions, which do not exist, would it be possible for Dayton’s Bosnia and Herze- govina to qualify for E.U. accession. There is no reason other than its hard-to- amend Dayton constitution why B&H could not be governed without the entities of R.S. and the Federation (including its 10 can- FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE (HTTP://BIT.LY/FPRI-MAP) INSTITUTE RESEARCH POLICY FOREIGN tons). The central government in Sarajevo would need to be responsible for foreign the R.S. police far beyond the level required to counter criminal- affairs (including trade and customs), monetary and fiscal ity. He has also gotten Russian paramilitary training for them policy, and defense, as it is today, as well as have all the authority and boasted of wiretapping his opponents, many of whom might needed to negotiate and implement the acquis communautaire, line up to support R.S. independence. the body of E.U. law and regulation that all new members are Citizens who are loyal to Bosnia and Herzegovina will not let required to accept. Republika Srpska go without a fight. If Dodik moves toward inde- The Sarajevo Parliament would need to be liberated from the pendence, a Bosniak-led force might try to seize the northeast- various ethnic vetoes by which it is now constrained. But simply ern municipality of Brcko, the scene of horrific Serb atrocities requiring a supermajority (60 percent or more) to form a govern- and ferocious fighting during the 1992-1995 war. It links the two ing coalition would ensure that no single ethnicity could rule wings of Republika Srpska: one in the east and one in the north alone. The court system’s independence, professionalism and and west, where the R.S. capital of Banja Luka lies. The Repub- capacity to protect individual rights would need to be improved. lika Srpska cannot survive without Brcko, so it will be the center The constitutional court would need to continue to have three of gravity of the next war, even though today the municipality foreign members, to break ethnic blockages. is a model of reintegration as the result of successful American Without the entities and the cantons, the basic unit of subna- arbitration and supervision that made it constitutionally distinct tional governance would then be the municipalities (aggregated from both the Federation and R.S. in the larger population centers to form city governments), How can such a disaster be avoided? Most immediately, by which have long had far more potential to get things done. Since avoiding any land swap between Serbia and Kosovo and moving they became popularly elected in 2003, B&H’s mayors have all (European) troops still stationed in B&H to Brcko, where they learned how to govern more effectively than their party masters would prevent both R.S. and the Federation from gaining exclu- in most of the cantons and Sarajevo. No matter their ethnicity,

54 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL What needs to be done is to end the division of the country into two ethnically defined entities derived from the warring parties of 1992-1995 and embedded in the current constitution. mayors need to fill potholes, attract investors, keep the schools been successful and has empowered numerical minorities. running, and maintain law and order. It is hard to reduce gover- Some may worry about a ripple effect in the region, especially nance at the municipal level to ethnicity. in the municipalities of Serbia’s Bosniak-inhabited Sandzak Ethnicity would not, however, evaporate as a political fac- or Vojvodina and Montenegro’s Serb-inhabited municipalities tor. Devolving additional authority to B&H’s 143 municipalities in both the north and south. But those areas have a mutually would empower local ethnic majorities. Most (if not all) of the 64 deterrent relationship: Anything Serbia asks for municipalities municipalities in Republika Srpska are majority Serb. Most of the inside Montenegro it should be willing to concede to municipali- 79 municipalities in the Federation are majority Bosniak, but a sig- ties inside Serbia. Reciprocity is one of the most fundamental of nificant number are majority Croat. Eliminating the entities and diplomatic principles. cantons would still leave ample opportunity for ethnic nationalists Twenty-five years after Dayton, this is the constitutional reform to prove their point at the ballot box, but there would also be elec- Bosnia and Herzegovina needs: simplification of its state archi- toral competition within plurality or majority ethnicities, raising tecture, with devolution of powers to the municipalities while the the political value of local minorities. central government (B&H citizens call it the “state” government) This is not a new idea, but it contradicts the current constitution focuses on preparing the country for E.U. and NATO membership. and would weaken B&H’s ethnic warlords, who for more than 25 The Brcko District, in all but name a municipality that has had a years have commanded the resources required to muffle dissent. special, autonomous status for more than two decades, points in The moment to move forward with such a reform may have arrived. the right direction. It has prospered while managing its ethnic ten- Tight fiscal conditions in the aftermath of the COVID-19 epidemic sions better than most of the rest of the country. will provide a powerful incentive to simplify the constitutional There is no sign that the powers that be in Bosnia and Herze- architecture. Croatia and Serbia, also weakened financially, will govina will seize the opportunity without tandem pressure from want to reduce subsidies to their co-nationals in B&H. Straitened Washington and Brussels, which has been vital to all substantial finances could incentivize massive popular mobilization. Bosnians progress since the war. In the aftermath of COVID-19, they, too, would need to insist on reform, as they began to do in the aftermath will lack the means to subsidize B&H as they have for 25 years. The of disastrous floods in 2014 and continued to do in multiethnic dem- United States and the European Union would need to convince onstrations against police abuses of power in 2018 and early 2019. Turkey and Croatia to use their considerable leverage in B&H with the Bosniak and Croat communities, respectively. Belgrade and International Support Needed Moscow would likewise need to use their influence in Banja Luka. Bosnian mobilization will need international support to Belgrade knows that strengthening municipal governance has effectuate change. The United States and the European Union benefited Serbs in Kosovo, and Moscow understands it could be are the prime candidates for foreign partners. Bosnia and Her- part of the solution in Ukraine’s Luhansk and Donetsk, as well. zegovina is smaller in population than more than half of U.S. The United States and the European Union have good rea- states, whose counties and other local subsidiary governments son to be proud of what they did for Bosnia and Herzegovina are roughly analogous to B&H’s “municipalities.” B&H is also in 1995 and thereafter. But the process has stalled short of smaller than 20 of the European Union’s 27 members. There completion. Enabling the country to enter NATO and the E.U. is no need for either entities or cantons to govern a country of as a fully functioning state of all its citizens would be eloquent this size, and the E.U.’s principle of subsidiarity (doing things testimony to renewed American and European commitment to at the lowest level of governance possible) favors empowering democracy worldwide. Municipalization, combined with refo- the municipalities. Strengthened municipal governance in both cusing the “state” government on NATO and E.U. membership, Macedonia and Kosovo since their 1999 and 2001 wars has would hasten that day. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 55 FEATURE A Look Back Reestablishing interreligious and interethnic trust, tolerance and coexistence among Serb, Croat and Bosniak proved a daunting task. BY ROBERT M. BEECROFT

ith the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, conflict in Europe seemed a remote possibility; but developments in the Balkans determined otherwise. From June 1991, when open warfare broke out between Croats and Serbs, until November DAYTON 1995, when the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (the “Dayton Agreement” or “Dayton Accords”) was signed, the region was the setting for Whorrific turmoil and bloodletting—some 100,000 civilian casualties, two million internally displaced persons and international refugees, and the first act of genocide in Europe since World War II. The events led to an unexpected change of assignment for me. While on consultation in Washington, D.C., in June 1996, I paid a courtesy call on Assistant Secretary of State for Euro- pean Affairs John Kornblum, who proceeded to unleash a bolt from the blue: Balkan Special

Ambassador Robert M. Beecroft retired from the State Department in 2006 after 36 years of service. His overseas assignments included Belgium, France, Germany, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Jordan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the U.S. Mission to NATO in Brussels. He was a member of the negotiating team at the SALT II nuclear arms talks in Geneva. In Washington, he served in the Bureaus of European and Political-Military Affairs, taught at the National War College, and was a member of the 40th Senior Seminar. From 2009 to 2016, he returned to the State Department as a supervisory senior inspector in the Office of Inspector General, leading inspections of U.S. missions in Kuwait, Syria, Taiwan, Vietnam, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and several bureaus in the department. IMPLEMENTING

56 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Envoy Richard Holbrooke wanted to curtail my Amman assign- mosques before pulling up at the Holiday Inn, a boxy, mustard- ment and send me to Sarajevo as the special envoy and coordina- colored pile built for the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics. Across tor for the Bosnian Federation. Sniper Alley loomed the functional, high-rise Bosnian Parliament Things moved fast. I met with Holbrooke the next day. As the building, a crumbling wreck that had been one of the first targets European Bureau’s assistant secretary in 1994-1995, he had been of Serb shelling in 1992. the driving force in U.S. efforts to end the Balkan crisis. In 1996 he Like virtually every building in Sarajevo, the Holiday Inn had was succeeded by John Kornblum, but he maintained a small office been shelled; but it continued to operate, thanks largely to its in the department, eventually serving pro bono as “Special Envoy informal role as a convenient neutral ground for all parties. Until for the Balkans.” I was to work with Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) and an alternative could be found, I would be living in a sparsely Croat officials, senior military officers of the United Nations Inter- furnished room on the third floor. A single naked light bulb hung vention Force (IFOR) and European Union Special Envoy Carl Bildt from the ceiling of my room. The elevators had not functioned in in implementing the Dayton several years, so getting from Agreement. I would be based the cavernous lobby to the at Embassy Sarajevo but report upper floors meant navigat- directly to Washington. ing an uneven, rubble-strewn Holbrooke expressed seri- concrete stairway. Somehow, a ous concern about the viability dedicated hotel staff continued of the shaky “Bosniak-Croat to produce decent meals and Federation” that had been copious drinks. Everyone who cobbled together at Dayton. was anyone—embassy officials, He described in detail the NATO, United Nations, Euro- principal characters I would be pean Union and Organization dealing with. And for the next for Security and Cooperation in several weeks, I drank from a Europe civilians and military, firehose of briefings and back- nongovernmental organization COURTESY OF ROBERT M. BEECROFT ground information about the Special Envoy Robert Beecroft arriving at the Presidency (NGO) representatives, demin- Balkan wars, ex-communists Building in Sarajevo for a meeting with President Alija ing experts, journalists, Bosnian Izetbegovic. reborn as nationalists, power- politicians of various ethnici- ful imams and bishops, and the ties—gravitated to the Holiday deep-seated cultural tribalism in the region. Winston Churchill’s Inn to drink, eat, haggle, compare notes and share gossip. comment, “The Balkans produce more history than they can The United States had recognized Bosnia and Herzegovina consume,” came to mind frequently. (B&H) as an independent sovereign state in August 1992, at the very beginning of the war. The first American ambassador, Victor Sarajevo, August 1996 Jackovich, presented his credentials to the newly constituted After a quick farewell return to Amman, I proceeded to Vienna Government of B&H in June 1993, but due to the shelling and and across the Alps by Embassy Vienna vehicle to Croatia. At sniping, Embassy Sarajevo operated from Vienna for the first year. Zagreb airport, I checked in at the NATO dispatch office for Nor- On July 4, 1994, as the war raged on, Ambassador Jackovich for- wegian Air Force C-130 flight to Sarajevo, where the airport was mally transferred operations to Sarajevo. A 10-minute walk from controlled by the French military. The terminal had been shelled the Holiday Inn, U.S. Embassy Sarajevo had been the Parliamen- repeatedly and was in ruins. An armored embassy van with a Bos- tarians’ Club back when B&H was a constituent republic of the niak driver named Drac navigated at high speed along a four-lane Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). Today’s purpose- street known locally as Sniper Alley. We passed block after block built U.S. embassy is several blocks away and looks out on the of shattered apartment buildings and burnt-out churches and former Sniper Alley.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 57

As Federation special envoy I mostly freelanced, based on the situation on the ground. … My mandate was to engage with a wide range of Bosniak and Croat government, religious, cultural, educational and media figures.

Wearing Two Hats European history, and a thorough understanding of the issues and Following the departure for personal reasons of Amb. personalities in B&H and the region. In early 1996, along with a Jackovich’s successor in December 1996, I served as both U.S. small and dedicated international staff, he began OHR operations special envoy for the Bosnian Federation and Embassy Sara- inside a former bank building in the heart of Sarajevo. (It is no jevo chargé d’affaires until September 1997. Separating the two coincidence that the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina is blue and functions was a challenge at times. yellow, like the flag of Sweden: it was designed by Carl Bildt.) As Federation special envoy I mostly freelanced, based on In response to the U.N.’s failure to keep the peace in B&H the situation on the ground. What instructions I did receive were and prevent genocide at Srebrenica, Dick Holbrooke took steps mostly informal—phone conversations with John Kornblum, to minimize the organization’s role. The High Representative drop-in visits from Dick Holbrooke and his team and quick trips to received formal political guidance not from the U.N. but from an Vienna to confer with U.S. Ambassador Swanee Hunt. My mandate 11-member steering board of the Peace Implementation Coun- was to engage with a wide range of Bosniak and Croat government, cil, consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, religious, cultural, educational and media figures and seek ways United Kingdom, United States, the presidency of the European to strengthen the stability and effectiveness of the Bosniak-Croat Union, the European Commission and the Organization of the Federation (“entity”) within B&H. I had no mandate to deal with Islamic Conference, represented by Turkey. Informal consulta- the Serbs in their separate entity, Republika Srpska. tions between the High Representative and individual states also As embassy chargé, on the other hand, I received instruc- took place on a regular basis. This arrangement gave Bildt and his tions through normal State Department channels. My respon- successors unusual flexibility and autonomy. sibilities covered U.S. diplomatic operations throughout the OHR’s mandate and priorities often differed from mine. OHR entire country—the Federation, Republika Srpska and Brcko focused on the multiple challenges of “state-building” throughout District—including monitoring compliance with Dayton B&H in all its dimensions—political, economic and social. By con- provisions at the state, entity and municipal levels. This was a trast, my role as special envoy was limited to the Bosniak-Croat complex effort that focused on the three “constituent peoples” Federation. As embassy chargé d’affaires, I would sometimes have of Bosnia, as defined by Dayton: Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs. to carry the bad news to Bildt that Washington disagreed with the In addition to the citizens of B&H, my team and I engaged with High Rep’s position on one or another issue. a broad range of international players, including the Office of the High Representative, OSCE, E.U., NATO, the U.N. Stabiliza- Tribes and Tribalism tion Force (SFOR, the successor to IFOR) and the media. Newcomers to the Balkans are invariably struck by the pow- I made it a point to visit OHR headquarters frequently, both erful influence of “national”—i.e., tribal—identity. The Slavic to exchange information and, where possible, to coordinate our languages make a clear distinction between liudi (people) and efforts and avoid misunderstandings. The Dayton Agreement had narodi (peoples). At Dayton, American and European negotiators specified that “in view of the complexities,” a “High Representa- dealt with this individual-versus-tribe tension by designating the tive” be designated to facilitate implementation of the settlement. Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs as the three “constituent peoples” of Carl Bildt was the natural choice. He had become prime minister Bosnia and Herzegovina. The underlying hope was that with the of Sweden in 1991 at the age of 42, and in 1994 the European passage of time, passions would eventually subside, and human Union appointed him E.U. Special Envoy to the Former Yugo- relations could return to something approximating the Yugoslav slavia. Bildt brought to the job an air of quiet authority, a subtle era, with its interethnic marriages and highly successful 1984 and probing intellect, an encyclopedic knowledge of world and Winter Olympic Games. It would not be easy.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 59 To complicate matters further, Dayton’s “constituent peoples” office. At the age of 71, Izetbegovic (1925-2003) had achieved formula did a serious disservice to B&H citizens who do not fit legendary status as a hero or a villain, depending on one’s the template. The Dayton Accords lump together Bosnia’s Jews, ethnic affiliation and political leanings. In 1970 he published Roma, Hungarians, Italians, Slovenes, Montenegrins, Albanians, an “Islamic Declaration,” which Yugoslav authorities quickly and so forth, as “others” (ostali). By deliberate omission, these banned. He spent five years during the 1980s in a Yugoslav “others” are ineligible to hold several high government offices, prison for “hostile activity inspired by Bosnian nationalism.” most importantly the three-headed B&H presidency. In 2009, two We had met before, but this was my first formal démarche to Bosnians—Dervo Sejdic, a Roma, and Jakob Finci, president of him. After welcoming me to his imposing office and shaking the Jewish community—challenged this in the European Court of hands, he slumped down on a sofa and gestured for me to sit in Human Rights. The court ruled a chair on the other side of the in their favor, but more than a coffee table. He looked worn decade later, the B&H Parlia- and tired, his rumpled brown ment still has not agreed to suit too big for his shrunken constitutional reforms proposed frame; but his gaze was pierc- in 2011 that would have rectified ing. We spoke English. the situation. An iconic photograph, taken In designating Bosniaks, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Croats and Serbs as the “most Base on Nov. 21, 1995, shows equal” inhabitants of B&H, the President Izetbegovic, flanked Dayton negotiators bowed to by Serbia’s Milosevic, Croatia’s geopolitical reality. Bosnia’s Tudjman and Secretary of State Serbs and Croats could depend Warren Christopher initialing on the moral and material the Dayton document, which

support of their ethnoreligious COURTESY OF ROBERT M. BEECROFT they formally signed in Paris cousins next door in Serbia Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to the Dayton Agreement. three weeks later. I reminded Green shows Bosnian Serb territory, and pink shows Bosnian and Croatia. Bosniaks did not Federation territory. Izetbegovic of that historic event have this option. At Dayton, this and his commitment to Dayton, basic fact was present in the flesh for all to see. The only party to specifically to Article III, Paragraph 2 of Annex 1A: “all foreign the talks who actually came from B&H was the Bosniak represen- Forces, including individual advisors, freedom fighters, trainers, tative, Alija Izetbegovic. Two individuals who were not citizens volunteers, and personnel from neighboring and other States, of Bosnia and Herzegovina represented their respective B&H shall be withdrawn from the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.” “peoples” in the talks—President Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia I asked him how soon, and by what means, would foreign fighters and President Franjo Tudjman of Croatia. still in B&H leave the country. Going beyond my instructions, In early 1997 Assistant Secretary Kornblum instructed me to I threw in a sweetener: As a co-signatory of Dayton, the United seek a private meeting with the chair of the Federal Presidency, States would be prepared to facilitate their departure as necessary Alija Izetbegovic. I was to express Washington’s concern that a full and appropriate. year after the end of the war, an unspecified number of “foreign The president shrank further into the sofa, lost in thought. fighters” continued to live in remote villages inside the Federa- Finally, he looked up and shook his head: “I have a blood debt tion, some with their families. Most had traveled to B&H from to these people. They came to the rescue of the Bosniaks when the Middle East and North Africa in 1993 and 1994 and called Europeans and Americans did not.” He assured me that he was themselves mujahideen. aware of the commitment he had made at Dayton but would not The presidency building in Sarajevo is a massive Austro- take an active role in the apprehension or expulsion of foreign Hungarian structure that would not be out of place on the fighters from B&H. I took this to mean that he would not lift a Ring in Vienna. My armored van pulled up to the portico, finger himself but would not intervene to oppose efforts by other and Bosnian Protocol, which continued to operate in the best Dayton signatories, including the United States. It was a charac- Austro-Hungarian tradition, escorted me to the president’s teristically Balkan way of transferring responsibility to outsiders

60 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL who could be blamed later if necessary. Bosnians of all ethnicities correct, but hardly warm. He was reserved, calculating and cau- would have understood his gambit. I reported the conversation in tious, visibly measuring the impact on the Croat minority and his detail to Washington, which chose not to press the matter further own political standing of any move the internationals might be con- in diplomatic channels. sidering. He also remained in close contact with Croatia’s President I also had several pleasant conversations with the Grand Mufti Tudjman in Zagreb, who strongly influenced Croat policy on both of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mustafa Ceric, at his headquarters sides of the border. There would be no breakthroughs with Zubak. adjoining the beautiful Emperor’s Mosque, built in 1457 after Jadranko Prlic was a more receptive Croat interlocutor. After the Ottoman conquest of Sarajevo, and facing the Miljacka River. serving early in the war as prime minister of Herceg-Bosna, he Nearby is the so-called Latin Bridge over the Miljacka, where was Federation defense minister during “Operation Storm,” a tide- Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in 1914. turning Croat-Bosniak offensive in mid-1995 that inflicted the first When speaking with Americans, Ceric regularly stressed what significant military defeat on Serb forces in B&H. He then became he considered two fundamental points concerning the future the first foreign minister of B&H, remaining in that post from 1996 viability of B&H: 1) Bosniaks are both Muslims and Europeans, until 2001. In 2013 the International Criminal Tribunal for the and see no contradiction between the two; 2) Bosniaks, Croats Former Yugoslavia indicted Prlic for alleged war crimes against and Serbs coexisted peacefully for centuries, and the goal now was Bosniaks and sentenced him to 25 years in prison. The judgment to reestablish an interreligious relationship of trust, tolerance and was upheld by an appeals court in 2017. coexistence. In 2012 Ceric left his post as Grand Mufti, and later I also met several times with Franjo Komarica, the bishop ran unsuccessfully to become the Bosniak member of the three- of Banja Luka. He was an erudite and thoughtful man, and his member co-presidency of B&H. He is now president of the World distress at the expulsion of his parishioners from the Posavina Bosniak Congress. region of R.S. was intense. By contrast, the Bishop of Mostar, Ratko Peric, rejected without explanation all requests for meet- … and the Croats ings with international officials. I eventually took advantage of a The overwhelmingly Roman Catholic Croats are the least brief trip to Rome to convey my displeasure directly to a senior numerous of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s three “constituent member of the Vatican Secretariat of State. He expressed aware- peoples.” In 1997 Bosniak political and moral power and author- ness and disapproval of Bishop Peric’s behavior, as well as the ity unquestionably rested with Izetbegovic, but no single Croat Holy See’s reluctance to take action against him. He referred me politician could claim similar authority over the Croat “nation.” to church officials in Zagreb, with whom I later had interesting While the country’s Bosniak population tends to concentrate in and frank conversations. well-defined urban areas (e.g., Sarajevo, Tuzla, Gorazde, Zenica, Bihac), most Croats live in smaller settlements along the lengthy Too Much History Per Capita Bosnian-Croatian border, with other pockets in the country’s cen- I returned to Washington at the end of August 1997, handing ter, such as the mountain towns of Jajce and Fojnica. over the reins in Sarajevo to Ambassador Richard Kauzlarich. B&H Croat leaders, with encouragement and material support Washington did not appoint a successor as special envoy. The from Zagreb, had declared their own unrecognized statelet of consensus seemed to be that Dayton had succeeded in establish- “Herceg-Bosna” in 1991, with its de facto capital in West Mostar. ing a new, if complex, political reality in B&H. At the time, I did not (East Mostar remained under Bosniak control throughout the suspect that I would be returning to Sarajevo four years later as war.) Croat shelling in 1993 destroyed the historic 16th-century head of the largest OSCE operation in the world, with 800 civilian Stari Most, or “Old Bridge,” over the Neretva River between East and military personnel, four regional centers and 24 field offices and West Mostar—a graceful structure commissioned by Sulei- throughout the country. Along with two loyal and experienced man the Magnificent in 1557. The bridge has been rebuilt by deputies, French Ambassador Henri Zipper de Fabiani and Rus- French engineers, using stones from the original quarry. sian Ambassador Viktor Tkachenko, I spent the period between Kresimir Zubak was president of Herceg-Bosna from 1994 2001 and 2004 focusing on the conduct of elections, reform of until the ministate’s official disappearance in 1996. Zubak quickly the judicial system, education reform, media freedom and good became active in Bosnian politics, serving as the first president of governance in B&H. the Federation and, from 1996 to 1998, as the Croat member of the Today, ethnic politicians and their political parties in Bosnia tripartite B&H presidency. My dealings with Zubak were civil and and Herzegovina continue to dominate the political and eco-

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 61 Still more troubling, ethnic grievances and resentments are reasserting themselves inside the country, particularly in the Republika Srpska.

nomic scene. Sadly, they show little interest in grooming a suc- Dodik was seen by the internationals in Sarajevo (including me) cessor generation of leaders, much less handing over power to it. as a young, promising Serb political figure. Today, as president of The brain drain of young Bosnians of all groups has accelerated, Republika Srpska, Dodik persistently undermines the ineffective as the best and brightest leave the country and the Balkan region Sarajevo central government and looks to Moscow for support. for opportunities in western Europe, the United States, Canada In 1888 Otto von Bismarck mused: “One day, the great and Australia. The economy is stagnant, uncoordinated and cor- European War will come out of some damned foolish thing in rupt. Elsewhere in the neighborhood, Croatia and Slovenia have the Balkans.” In the 20th century, his prophesy came true, not become E.U. members and NATO Allies; Montenegro has joined once but twice. If Bismarck is to be proven wrong in the 21st NATO; and even Serbia toys with the prospect of eventual E.U. and century, we need to pay serious attention to Balkan affairs, now NATO membership. But Bosnia and Herzegovina is stuck. and in the future. To take no meaningful and effective action as Still more troubling, ethnic grievances and resentments are Bosnia and Herzegovina continues its slow downward tailspin reasserting themselves inside the country, particularly in the is a recipe for eventual crisis. As in the 1990s, the United States Republika Srpska entity of B&H. Two decades ago, Milorad will not escape involvement. n

62 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FS HERITAGE

Idealism, Diplomacy and Power Tony Lake’s Story Through six decades and two major foreign policy crucibles— Vietnam and the Balkans—Tony Lake showed a steady commitment to public service, as well as a belief in speaking truth to power.

BY RENNIE A. SILVA

ifty years ago, Anthony Lake resigned from Barack Obama. Yet, according to friends and colleagues, he the Foreign Service over the war in Vietnam. has always shunned the spotlight. “Tony is a low-profile kind He later returned to government service and of guy,” says I.M. Destler, who first met Lake when they were went on to play a pivotal role in developing freshmen at Harvard in the late 1950s and later co-authored a the Dayton Accords that ended the Bosnian book on American foreign policy with him. War. The conviction that it is essential for dip- I first learned about Lake more than a decade ago, when I lomats and foreign affairs officials to speak joined the Peace Corps and was assigned to Southeast Asia, the truth to power was a constant in his career, same region where he started his own career in the Foreign Service the lessons of which remain relevant today. a half-century earlier. His work on Vietnam and eventual decision to leave the Department of State over the war fascinated me. When A “Low-Profile” Kind of Guy I reached out to Lake earlier this year and asked to discuss his story FOn a wall in Lake’s home office hangs a framed photograph in depth, he initially greeted my request with self-deprecating of him with President Bill Clinton inside Marine One. Light humor: “I’ve had a hard time holding down a job,” he quipped. streams into the helicopter from a small panel window, illumi- Lake’s self-effacing manner belies not only his lifelong commit- nating Clinton; Lake is seated off to the side. “I love that photo, ment to public service but also his enduring affinity for the Foreign because the president is in the spotlight, and I’m in the shad- Service: When a group of officers testified before Congress during ows,” Lake says, only half-joking. During a career that spanned the 2019 impeachment hearings, Lake co-drafted an appeal solicit- six decades and five administrations, he worked on foreign pol- ing contributions to the AFSA Legal Defense Fund to help defray icy at the highest levels: He served as national security adviser, their legal expenses. “Serving in the Foreign Service seems more director of policy planning and executive director of UNICEF; challenging now than at any point in my lifetime,” he states. he played a leading role in helping to end conflicts in Bosnia, Speaking truth to power resonates with Anthony Lake. Not Northern Ireland and Eritrea; and he advised more than a only has he seen this movie before, but he also personally starred half-dozen presidential candidates, including Bill Clinton and in a prequel: 50 years ago, Lake resigned from the U.S. Foreign Service over President Richard Nixon’s decision to invade Cam- Rennie A. Silva currently serves as a political officer bodia. He had been special assistant to National Security Adviser at U.S. Embassy Vilnius. His previous assignments Henry Kissinger, with responsibility for the Vietnam negotia- include U.S. Embassy Riyadh and the Bureau of tions. The Nixon administration responded to his resignation by Political-Military Affairs in Washington, D.C. He having the FBI tap his home phone. Lake later sued, settling after served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cambodia from a decade and a half for a signed letter from Kissinger admitting 2007 to 2009. The views expressed are his own and do not necessarily that the retaliatory measure had been “unconstitutional” and reflect those of the U.S. government. acknowledging that Lake’s loyalty had been beyond reproach.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 63 belief that America would prevail where France had not. “In retrospect, we were breathtakingly naive,” he says. As a vice consul, Lake spent his first months on the job assist- ing American citizens. On learning that one of his predecessors had botched the repatriation of the remains of a deceased Ameri- can by sending the wrong body home, he acquainted himself with the local morgue and watched the staff embalm a cadaver. In the local jails, he visited Americans who had been arrested on the streets of Saigon. At the embassy, he certified marriages between American soldiers and Vietnamese women. Though the work could at times be seamy, he loved it nonetheless. “It was one of best jobs I’ve ever had,” Lake says fondly of the experience. Halfway through his first year at post, Lake was called to serve

COURTESY OF TONY LAKE TONY OF COURTESY as staff assistant to Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. “He was a U.S. Ambassador to South Vietnam Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., at towering figure, both in stature and manner—thoroughly patri- right, with his staff assistant, FSO Anthony Lake, at Embassy Saigon in 1963. cian and almost professionally affable,” Lake recalls. Lodge, who had fought in World War II and served as a senator, ambassador These days, Lake shows little enmity toward his erstwhile boss, to the United Nations and Republican nominee for vice presi- while still disagreeing with his policies and methods. “Kissinger dent, possessed one of the most impressive résumés in American was brilliant, but just as important, he was sufficiently confident diplomatic history. His selection as President Kennedy’s envoy to in his own opinions to encourage his staff to challenge him,” Lake South Vietnam signaled the increasing geopolitical importance remembers. Instead of embittering him, Lake’s time in the Nixon of the country as a new front line in the Cold War. Working for White House affirmed his view that dissent is an act of loyalty, Lodge, Lake would later write, offered “the exhilaration of being not only to one’s country, but also to one’s boss. “Officers have present at great events.” a responsibility to raise their concerns over policies they see as In the fall of 1963, Lake would witness an event that was detrimental to the national interest,” he asserts emphatically. to become a watershed moment in the history of America’s “Smart bosses will solicit alternative perspectives and hear all the involvement in Vietnam. On Nov. 1 he and his wife were having facts; in the end, it is they who have the biggest personal stake in lunch inside their villa when they heard bursts of machine gun getting their decisions right.” fire erupt outside. After taking shelter in a bedroom closet, Lake crawled to a nearby window and peered out at the gun battle Starting Out on the New Frontier unfolding on the street; a coup against South Vietnamese Presi- The arc of Anthony Lake’s career began in 1962, the year he dent Ngo Dinh Diem was underway. As bullets sporadically flew, joined the Foreign Service. The son of a New Deal Democrat he relayed developments in real time to the U.S. military attaché father and an Eisenhower Republican mother, Lake had ideas over the phone. After midnight, Lake watched a column of rebel and aspirations that were influenced by John F. Kennedy, whose tanks roll by the house, heading in the direction of the presiden- campaign message of a “new frontier” imbued him with a sense tial palace: “At that moment, I knew that it was over for Diem.” of possibility for America’s role in the world. Lake volunteered to Many of Saigon’s residents, jubilant over Diem’s demise, go to Vietnam because it was “a chance to be a part of something believed the coup had been orchestrated by the United States. important.” When he completed language training and arrived While the Pentagon Papers were to later charge that senior Amer- in Saigon in the spring of 1963, the U.S. diplomatic and military ican officials in Washington and Saigon had been complicit in the presence was a small fraction of what it would become, with life removal of the Vietnamese president, Ambassador Lodge would more closely resembling a scene from Graham Greene’s The Quiet maintain that he had faithfully followed orders from President American than a set from Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Kennedy to “not help in the planning” of Diem’s ouster. How- Now.” On the trip to his new post, Lake read Greene’s histori- ever, when South Vietnam was rocked by a second coup barely cal fiction about intrigue, hubris and betrayal amid the collapse three months later, U.S. support was immediate and unambigu- of French colonial rule in Vietnam. He arrived unshaken in his ous; Washington swiftly dispatched Secretary of Defense Robert

64 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL afternoons on the seventh floor of the department. He listened Lake’s time in the Nixon White as the participants, several of whom had been early architects House affirmed his view that of the war, struggled in vain to find ways to prevent the conflict from engulfing Lyndon Johnson’s presidency. Lake watched as dissent is an act of loyalty, not developments took a physical toll on McNamara, later writing only to one’s country, but also to of his own difficulty seeing “personally decent men make policy one’s boss. about people as if they were merely playing chess, when so many Americans and Vietnamese were dying.” By the time Richard Nixon became president in January 1969, McNamara to tour the country hand-in-hand with its newly Lake had been assigned to pursue graduate studies at Princeton. installed leader. Today, Lake describes the decisions made during It was there that he received a phone call from Henry Kissinger that period in terms tantamount to crossing the Rubicon: “We asking him to return to Washington. Lake had taken Kissinger’s sent the message to the Vietnamese that we were the ones who class at Harvard as an undergraduate student; now the new really controlled their country, which meant that we had become national security adviser was recruiting his former student to join responsible for fighting their war.” his staff. Aware of Lake’s opposition to the war, Kissinger sug- gested that he could work from inside the White House to end it. A Deepening Quagmire After initially hesitating, Lake accepted the job. It was to be his When Lake was assigned to the American consulate in the last in the Foreign Service. provincial capital of Hue in the fall of 1964, he eagerly embraced his new surroundings. As one of six provincial reporting offi- The Decision to Resign cers at the time, he traveled widely throughout the countryside, To explain his decision to resign over the U.S. invasion of receiving briefings from U.S. military advisers and using his Cambodia, Lake cites a term coined to underscore the disastrous language skills to meet with village leaders. As he reported on consequences of complicity in Washington, D.C., during the developments in the region, he came to realize that national- Vietnam War. In a 1968 Atlantic article, “How Could Vietnam ism, not communism, was driving the growing insurgency in the Happen?,” East Asia specialist James Thomson described how country. “We found ourselves in a trap,” he says. “The government the “effectiveness trap” led working-level government officials, relied on us to survive, but the more we helped it do so, the more when faced with policies they knew to be ill-conceived, to censor we undercut its credentials—and the more our ally looked like themselves. “The inclination to remain silent or to acquiesce in the puppet of a foreign power.” the presence of the great men—to live to fight another day, to give As the war in South Vietnam grew, so did the threats to U.S. on this issue so that you can be ‘effective’ on later issues—is over- diplomats. Lake’s official duties entailed working in areas where whelming,” wrote Thomson. It was this phenomenon that had the Viet Cong were active; they would later capture one of his helped propel the United States into a war the author described colleagues, Foreign Service Officer Douglas Ramsey, and hold as “brutal, probably unwinnable and, to an increasing body of him prisoner for seven years. In reflecting on his experience, opinion, calamitous and immoral.” Lake laments the fact that increasing security restrictions and Lake’s own liberal political views never aligned with the rising partisan political rancor would make a Foreign Service conservatism of the Nixon administration. However, he pas- assignment like his tour in Vietnam all but impossible today. “In sionately shared Kissinger’s stated desire to bring the war in my view, officers such as Christopher Stevens are heroes, not vic- Vietnam to a close and understood that his position on the tims,” he remarks. “Diplomats have the same right as the military NSC staff afforded him proximity to power: when the national to risk their lives in service to their country.” security adviser traveled to Paris to initiate secret talks with the When Lake returned to the Harry S Truman building in the North Vietnamese, Lake accompanied him. Back in Washing- summer of 1965, Vietnam followed him. Initially assigned to ton, he and another staffer wrote early drafts of a speech on the State’s Vietnam Desk, he later joined the staff of Under Secretary war that President Nixon delivered to the nation over televised of State Nicholas Katzenbach, a skeptic of the war. Lake’s duties broadcast, while recommending to Kissinger that the presi- included notetaking for the weekly meetings of the “Non-Group,” dent avoid rhetoric that would sink Nixon deeper into what he the senior-level discussion sessions on Vietnam held Thursday described as “the Johnsonian bog” in Vietnam.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 65 But by April 1970 it became clear that his presence no lon- ger offered an opportunity to have any positive effect. Kissinger summoned Lake and a few other dovish aides to his office on a Saturday morning, where he outlined plans for a South Vietnam- ese/American offensive against Viet Cong bases inside Cambodia. The aides voiced their objections to the operation, which they regarded as a reckless widening of the war. Kissinger said to Lake: “I knew what you were going to say,” indicating that his voice no longer carried any weight. One week later, on the eve of the inva- sion, Lake and two other aides tendered their resignations. After leaving the Foreign Service, Lake worked on several presidential campaigns, completed his Ph.D. and ran Interna- tional Voluntary Services, an international equivalent of the Peace Corps. During the Carter administration, he returned to the Department of State as director of policy planning. He also raised cattle in West Virginia, selling cut-to-order beef to friends (Secretary of State Cyrus Vance was a regular customer). Lake later took up teaching at Amherst and Mt. Holyoke colleges, and wrote books on American foreign policy. As the 1992 election cycle began, Lake was living quietly on his family farm in Worthington, Massachusetts, with no plans to re-enter the fray. The end of the Cold War appeared to have placed national security on the back burner as a political issue; most of the Democratic candidates seemed willing to concede the realm of international affairs to President George H.W. Bush. But one prominent exception would draw Lake back into the fold: Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton did want to include for- eign policy in his campaign. Sandy Berger, who had been Lake’s deputy on the policy planning staff and had known Clinton since they worked together on the McGovern campaign in the early 1970s, arranged a meeting between the two. Lake had asked to talk with the presidential candidate about a book he intended to write. Instead, they spent most of their time discussing economic conditions in Worthington and the hardships his neighbors faced. “Clinton was attuned to people’s everyday lives,” remembers Lake. Following the meeting, Clin- ton’s team asked him to write an address that would become the leading foreign policy speech of the campaign; Lake signed on shortly thereafter, advising the candidate from his Massa- chusetts farmhouse.

Back to Washington, and the Balkan Challenge

President Bill Clinton and Clinton’s election victory would bring Lake back to Wash- National Security Adviser ington, D.C., once again. When the president-elect asked him Anthony Lake at the White to serve as national security adviser, he reluctantly agreed to House in September 1994. return to the West Wing. Lake approached the position with a WILFREDO LEE/AP/SHUTTERSTOCK WILFREDO

66 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL resistance on several fronts. European allies, who had deployed The son of a New Deal Democrat lightly armed troops to Bosnia as part of the United Nations father and an Eisenhower Protection Force, were fearful of retaliatory measures against Republican mother, Lake had their soldiers by the more heavily armed Bosnian Serb forces; senior leaders in the Pentagon were wary of mission creep and ideas and aspirations that were the prospect of deploying ground forces; and Secretary of State influenced by John F. Kennedy. Warren Christopher sought to focus on containing the conflict rather than ending it. Lake, along with Vice President Al Gore and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Madeleine Albright, keen sense of history and a strong desire to avoid the kind of pushed vigorously but unsuccessfully to break the impasse. deep rifts between the White House and the State Department After two years and minimal progress on Bosnia, the White that had plagued the Nixon and Carter administrations. “I had House was running out of time to act. By 1995 conditions on witnessed the negative examples of the past, and I did not want the ground were worsening, and the war was at risk of becom- to repeat them,” he recalls. ing a political liability for the president at the outset of his 1996 Elected on a campaign promise to focus on the American reelection campaign. Sensing an opportunity to chart a new economy, the new president was disinclined to devote time to course, Lake gathered a group of aides in his West Wing office on international affairs during his first year in office. His -inat a Saturday morning in June 1995, much as Kissinger had sum- tention came at a price: Unsuccessful military operations in moned Lake 25 years before. But this time, the outcome would Somalia and Haiti embarrassed the White House and elicited be markedly different. “The goal was to take a more flexible sharp criticism of an administration that Lake now concedes diplomatic approach to end the war, combined with removal of was initially “disjointed” in its handling of foreign policy. These some of the barriers to the use of military force,” recalls Lake, early setbacks would then be overshadowed by developments who led a daylong discussion on ideas and options. The result in Bosnia, where Clinton faced a burgeoning crisis that had was the so-called “endgame strategy.” first started during the tenure of his predecessor. President Buttressed by support from Albright and Gore, Lake pre- George H.W. Bush’s national security team had recoiled from sented the plan to Clinton in August, and he promptly approved the conflict, as Bosnian Serb forces laid siege to Sarajevo and it over the objections of the Department of State. The president embarked on a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing across immediately dispatched Lake to Europe to sell the strategy to the the fledgling country. Initial American and European entreat- Allies and assuage lingering concerns in the region. “We pushed ies to end the bloodshed foundered, exposing a dithering lack on open doors,” Lake recounts modestly of his meetings with of resolve to address the worst human suffering in Europe senior officials in the United Kingdom, France, Russia and else- since World War II. “The breakup of Yugoslavia posed the first where, where he succeeded in winning broad international sup- major post–Cold War test for the United States and its Euro- port. His trip paved the way for a negotiating team led by Richard pean allies,” wrote Ivo Daalder, who served under Lake on the Holbrooke to conduct shuttle diplomacy and convene the lead- National Security Council staff during the Dayton negotiations ers of Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia for negotiations at Wright Pat- and later authored a book on Bosnia policy: “It is a test they terson Air Force Base outside Dayton, Ohio. What resulted would failed miserably.” become one of the most significant foreign policy achievements “Diplomacy that is not backed by power can be feckless,” of Clinton’s presidency—the 1995 Dayton Accords. Lake comments dryly, speaking in unabashed realpolitik terms, Twenty-five years after Anthony Lake’s conscience com- “but power without diplomacy can be homicidal.” At the begin- pelled him to resign from the U.S. Foreign Service over the ning of his career, he had watched successive administrations Vietnam War, his enduring commitment to American diplo- use military force inside a political and diplomatic vacuum macy helped end the Bosnian War. After devoting his life to in Vietnam. Three decades later, as Lake oversaw interagency public service, he remains firm in his belief that principles and deliberations on how to end the violence in Bosnia, he con- pragmatism are both essential elements of American foreign fronted the opposite problem. Only a credible threat could policy. “We can aspire to live up to our ideals without living bring the warring sides to the negotiating table, but propos- under illusions,” says Lake, conveying a tempered optimism. als to use American military power in the Balkans faced stiff “Cynicism is a form of surrender.” n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 67

AFSA NEWS THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATIONAFSA NEWS

PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION

AFSA Works for Diversity OCTOBER 2020 and Inclusion: An Update

On Oct. 5, AFSA released this bias, having more diverse update from AFSA President leadership, instituting wide- Eric Rubin on its work in sup- spread accountability for port of increasing the repre- bias-based and discrimina- sentation of minorities in the tory actions, assuring senior MAKING Foreign Service: leadership support and INCLUSION Mc REAL In August AFSA concluded providing opportunities to CARTHYISM REVISITED a survey on our members’ have honest conversations Yazdgerdi’s columns in the experiences with bias and dis- about race. September and October FSJs crimination and suggestions You can find slides of sur- and USAID VP Jason Singer’s Each issue of The FSJ since July on how to improve workplace vey responses, broken out by Sept. 21 AFSAnet message to includes articles related to diversity and inclusion. culture in the Foreign Service. agency and by demographic members.) According to the survey groups, on AFSA’s website. In addition to these cur- School of Government at Har- responses, many of you have An article on the survey rent suggestions and your vard to look at the real-world either personally experienced results appears in the AFSA survey recommendations, effectiveness of these recom- bias or discrimination or have News section of the October we are considering measures mendations and any possible personally witnessed bias or Foreign Service Journal, the suggested by employee downsides. We will look to discrimination in the work- companion to our September affinity groups at the foreign best practice in the private place. For example, Foreign FSJ focus on diversity and affairs agencies, as well as sector when applicable, and Service members of color told inclusion. steps recommended by those we will examine policies at all us in overwhelming numbers We also asked in our survey who testified during recent our foreign affairs agencies to that they had been targets of how AFSA can best advocate congressional hearings on glean the best ideas. intentional microaggressions. for a more diverse and inclu- diversity and inclusion. As I mentioned when we In the survey, respondents sive Foreign Service in all our A committee of the AFSA first invited members to take prioritized ways to move the agencies, and a good number Governing Board is examin- the bias survey, AFSA will con- Foreign Service culture to one of you responded with sugges- ing all of these elements for duct further surveys address- that truly values a diverse tions for future AFSA advo- future AFSA advocacy. To help ing gender and other forms and inclusive workplace. Your cacy. (For some current State in our deliberations, AFSA has of bias. We are committed to priorities included building and USAID advocacy think- partnered with three Ran- continuing our efforts to con- awareness of unconscious ing, please see State VP Tom gel Fellows at the Kennedy front bias and discrimination, to understand the implica- tions of new developments December 3 | 1-2 p.m. January 15 such as the recent executive CALENDAR Retiree Webinar: AFSA Governing Board order on diversity and inclu- “The View from Washington” Election Cycle Begins sion training and to advocate Please check www.afsa. with AFSA President org for the most up-to-date Ambassador Eric Rubin January 18 actions that will have a lasting information. All events are Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: impact. subject to cancellation December 14 AFSA Offices Closed A Foreign Service that Federal Benefits Health or rescheduling. truly represents our country Benefits Open Season Ends January 19 | 12-2 p.m. AFSA Governing is a great strength. The effort December 1 December 16 | 12-2 p.m. Board Meeting to bring that about is cer- AFSA Scholarship AFSA Governing tainly worthy of our serious January 20 Applications available Board Meeting and sustained attention. As Inauguration Day: December 2 | 1-2 p.m. December 25-January 3 AFSA Offices Closed always, please let us know Webinar: “Know Your Rights” AFSA Holiday Closure your thoughts at member@ afsa.org. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 69 AFSA NEWSSTATE VP VOICE | BY TOM YAZDGERDI AFSA NEWS

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2020: How Are We Doing?

2020 has been a tough and Indeed, as of this writing, COLAs were reduced in a system and later told us unusual year for us all. In AFSA does not know of a majority of posts, and that that the Office of the Legal this time of a continuing single post that has for- the department felt com- Adviser maintained it was pandemic and a hyperpar- mally reversed course and pelled to cap this loss at 20 at odds with the Anti-Defi- tisan political landscape, returned to an earlier phase percent. We will continue to ciency Act. I want to update you on under the Diplomacy Strong engage with GTM and the On Oct. 1 AFSA President AFSA’s response to key initiative. If you think this Bureau of Administration Rubin wrote to the Director issues that affect the well- is happening in your case, to ensure our members get General underscoring in the being of our members. please let us know, and we answers on how a particular strongest possible terms will follow up. COLA was calculated. Please our opposition to eliminat- End of Global Authorized let us know if you have any ing the annuity exception. Departure. By the time this New COLA Methodology. comments or concerns. The DG responded on issue goes to print, we will As you know, the depart- Oct. 7, noting that while be days away from the Dec. ment has instituted a new The Annuity Exception. there are no current plans to 9 deadline for those on GAD methodology for calculating The annuity exception change policy, this provi- to either return to post or the cost of living allowance allows members of the sion would continue to be take a no-fault curtailment. (COLA) for overseas posts Foreign Service at the FS-2 examined in the context of We know that our mem- (see 20 STATE 378 and 20 level or below who are the Foreign Service Act. We bers have faced a difficult STATE 100230). TIC-ed out but have yet to will remain vigilant. decision, especially as the In Fiscal Year 2020, reach age 50 to remain in COVID-19 situation abroad the department hired an the Service, without further Worldwide Availability on (and at home) has worsened independent contractor promotion, until reaching Entry. AFSA continues to in recent weeks. to determine the COLA that required milestone, at be interested in a class- For that reason, AFSA based on three commercial which point they retire with action suit pending before President Eric Rubin wrote surveys, rather than having their pension and health the Equal Employment to Under Secretary of Man- posts do it themselves. The insurance. Opportunity Commission agement Brian Bulatao on three survey companies are This provision came involving 250 applicants Oct. 6, asking that the slid- widely recognized, reputable about as a result of the with disabilities who were ing scale on lodging and per sources of COLA rates used tragic suicide of one of our denied entry to the Foreign diem be removed and that by multinational corpora- members in 1971 before he Service because they were posts not be treated with a tions. reached the age of 50 and not 100 percent “worldwide one-size-fits-all policy. While AFSA generally 20 years of service. available.” While the sliding scale is supports rationalizing this In recent years, the We understand that this unfortunately still in place, process and taking the bur- department has looked issue remains in litigation, AFSA nontheless got a win— den off posts and bureaus to into eliminating the annuity and there are reports that the department will pay conduct the yearly “basket exception—which could hurt the parties may engage in for any costs of breaking a of goods” survey, we have members who may TIC out settlement discussions. lease. expressed concern to the at the FS-2 level because of As we weigh whether to We continue to worry that Bureau of Global Talent limited promotion opportu- support the continuation as the pandemic worsens Management that the meth- nities. (For a fuller discus- of the policy of 100 percent overseas, employees might odology may not account sion, see the June 2019 worldwide availability on have to return to an unsafe for some unusual circum- State VP column: afsa.org/ entry, we want to consider situation, or that post lead- stances—for example, the terrible-twos.) the merits of the class- ership might feel pressured economies of some small The department first action suit and any potential not to seek authorized or island nations that import told us that the annuity settlement proposals. We ordered departure, even if many of the goods available. exception was contrary to will keep you informed as the situation warrants. AFSA also noticed that the spirit of the up-or-out the process goes ahead. n

70 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL USAID VP VOICE | BY JASON SINGER AFSAAFSA NEWS

Contact: [email protected] | (202) 712-5267

I do believe that my team and A Brief Reflection on Measuring Impact I played a part in achieving the current Afghan peace talks. As I write this in October, sonally and professionally— needed either an extra push Could I quantitatively we’re a short way from the than I had anticipated. or a final nail. measure our contribution? presidential election; we’re I worked with fantastic We launched new initia- Enter it into one of the entering month seven of people across the inter- tives, striving to be respon- myriad mandatory reporting COVID-related telework; and agency, as well as from sive to our Afghan counter- spreadsheets and templates? USAID has, per the press, the Afghan government, parts while safeguarding U.S. No, not really. And even the put a hold on all diversity and implementing partners taxpayer money and oper- excellent fact sheets, stories, inclusion trainings. And it’s and other institutions. I ating in a highly politicized pictures and outreach of only Tuesday. made lifelong friends with context (both from Afghan USAID communications col- Amidst all these high- folks I might never have met counterparts and Washing- leagues don’t really demon- level domestic concerns, I otherwise. ton!). And we tried—really strate causality. found a smidgen of hope in I like to think I taught a tried—to consider and build But all FSOs know that a few articles highlighting thing or two to the awesome in sustainability and impact. their collective contribution the peace talks between the economic growth team I But how do you do that to USAID’s mission is far Afghan government and the led—I certainly learned from in a one-year tour? How do greater than their individual, Taliban. Granted, one article them, as well as from an you do that amid changing day-to-day roles or, often, was celebrating the “accom- exemplary ambassador and priorities, frequently rotating even what they and their plishment” of the parties’ deeply dedicated mission staff, fluctuating budget and teams achieve during a tour. agreement on 19 discussion director. And, yes, I missed personnel levels, constant— And they know that the ground rules. Still, these my wife and boys. and at times conflicting— impact they have on host- days I’ll take that as a posi- My team and I focused on “guidance” from above and, country farmers, teachers, tive. getting things done during of course, reporting, report- children, mothers, econo- Like many FSOs, I served my yearlong tour. We cleaned ing and more reporting? The mies, civil society, elections, a year at USAID/Afghanistan. up several half-developed answer is we just do it; that’s the marginalized and, yes, And, like many FSOs, I had a projects—great ideas floating why we became FSOs. on U.S. national security, is far better experience—per- around the bureaucracy that At the end of the (long) day, immeasurable. n

AFSA Supports EEO Complaint for Equal Pay

AFSA is supporting an equal that they hadn’t been paid other compensation based on Aug. 12. The appeal is still employment opportunity as much as lower-ranked a percentage of that base sal- pending. (EEO) complaint filed on male colleagues, they made ary, such as danger pay, post Observers consider the behalf of three women who multiple informal attempts differential, contributions to complaint a litmus test of reached the Senior Foreign to get USAID to correct the Thrift Savings Plan and pen- USAID’s commitment to Service working for USAID, inequality. sions. enforcing the Equal Pay Act but argue that they were When the agency took On May 12, after a in its most senior ranks. paid considerably less than no action, the three filed a lengthy EEO process, USAID “AFSA is proud to stand dozens of less experienced formal complaint in January issued a Federal Agency with our members to sup- and lower-ranked male 2017 against USAID alleging Decision denying the com- port this effort to right this colleagues at USAID. violation of the Equal Pay plaint. longstanding wrong by Each woman worked for Act and Title VII of the Civil The women appealed USAID,” Ken Kero-Mentz, USAID for more than 27 Rights Act. to the Equal Employment secretary of the AFSA Gov- years, and each reached The women documented Opportunity Commission’s erning Board and chair of the rank of Career Minister. disparities in pay that affected appellate body, the Office AFSA’s Legal Defense Fund, After discovering in 2016 their base salary, as well as of Federal Operations, on says. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 71 RETIREE VP VOICE | BY JOHN K. NALAND AFSA NEWS

Contact: [email protected]

Support Our Foreign Service Community

December is the month of to make charitable donations Associates of the Ameri- one-time grants for items like giving. For many, that means this holiday season, please can Foreign Service World- hearing aids and wheelchairs. donating time and/or money consider supporting one or wide (AAFSW) is the primary You may contribute by credit to one or more nonprofit more of these good causes. advocate and support card on the SLF website at organizations. network for family members SLFoundation.org. While many charities have Foreign Service Youth of Foreign Service employees. Association for Diplo- suspended in-person volun- Foundation (FSYF) is You can become a member or matic Studies and Training teer opportunities due to the dedicated to helping Foreign contribute through PayPal on (ADST) works to capture, pandemic, they still welcome Service youth embrace the the AAFSW website at aafsw. preserve and share the experi- financial donations to help adventure of their interna- org. ences of America’s diplomats fund their operations. tionally mobile childhood. The Senior Living with the public via programs Here are three organiza- Programs include webinars, Foundation of the Ameri- including recording the oral tions that support distinct workshops, family meet-up can Foreign Service (SLF) histories of Foreign Service parts of the Foreign Service events, five annual contests assists retired Foreign Service retirees and their family community—youth, spouses and college scholarships. members and their survi- members, and facilitating the and seniors—plus one orga- You may become a member vors who find themselves in preparation and publication of nization that educates the or contribute by credit card financial difficulties. Support books and memoirs. public about what the Foreign on the FSYF website at can take the form of monthly You can become a member Service does. I am a longtime fsyf.org or via Combined grants to cover costs, such as or contribute by credit card supporter of all four. Federal Campaign code home health care or medi- on the ADST website at adst. If your finances permit you 39436. cal transportation, as well as org. n

Early and Mid-Career Retirement Planning Seminar

In a Sept. 24 online virtual successful transition. View • Social Security: presentation, AFSA Retiree the checklist at http://bit.ly/ When to start, will it VP John Naland summarized retirechecklist. still be there? the steps that early and mid- In his one-hour overview • Prognosis on career employees should take of Foreign Service retirement, future benefits cuts to best position themselves Mr. Naland touched on the “This is unofficial for life after the Foreign following topics: guidance,” Mr. Naland Service. • What if you resign before said at the beginning

Mr. Naland, a former you can retire? of the presentation. WOODWORTH AFSA/CAMERON director of the State • Understanding your pen- “This is your retire- AFSA Retiree VP John Naland shares Department’s Office of sion (aka your annuity) ment. You need to retirement planning tips with AFSA Members during a Sept. 24 video presentation. Retirement, took members • Retirement planning do the due diligence. through the steps they need resources Consult the official to take to ensure they are • AFSA services for retirees State Department publica- Mr. Naland’s presentation ready for retirement. • TSP: Stocks vs. bonds, tions, and the Foreign Service is available to AFSA members He shared a detailed Roth IRAs vs. traditional Institute has some great at afsa.org/video. checklist outlining the things • Health insurance and life retirement planning courses.” You can also visit AFSA’s prospective retirees need insurance after retirement One of the FSI retirement one-stop shop for retirement to do and the websites they • Divorce and Foreign Ser- courses, he added, provides information at afsa.org/ need to visit to prepare for a vice retirement benefits 30 hours of information. retirement-services. n

72 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS

USAID 2020 Promotion Boards: Concerns on Diversity, Inclusion and Transparency BY JASON SINGER, AFSA USAID VICE PRESIDENT

The following was shared the agency’s unilateral As a next step in the formal Labor with the membership as an decision will undermine the Management process, AFSA has AFSAnet on Sept. 21. hard work and trust that the requested diversity data on current and On Aug. 3, USAID Community of Stakeholders past promotion boards, including by published a notice outlining put into development its new promotion board of the still-new Foreign backstop. AFSA will continue to engage selection process. It stated: Service promotion process, with members, the agency and other “All potential appointees will jeopardizing its credibility. stakeholders. be randomly selected from AFSA has engaged in the group of SFS and FS-1s discussions with the agency currently occupying Senior to try to understand its and has already appointed As a next step in the for- Leadership Group positions.” position and to convey the 2020 promotion boards. mal Labor Management pro- This is an extremely member concerns. The I would like to be clear: cess, AFSA has requested small pool of candidates, agency’s stated rationale— I am confident that board diversity data on current one that actively excludes that Office of Human Capital members will carry out their and past promotion boards, all FS-2s, as well as all FS-1s and Talent Management’s duties with the highest profes- including by backstop. AFSA and above not currently in “goal is to cultivate a Board sionalism and integrity. But I will continue to engage with SLG positions, denying them of senior-most FSOs that am equally confident that the members, the agency and opportunities to contribute includes a rich combination agency’s lack of transparency other stakeholders. and participate in a critical of leadership experience and disregard for diversity I encourage you to agency arrangement. and technical expertise and inclusion concerns are a convey your own concerns Drawing from the small that is representative of the step backward. and thoughts to HCTM and set of active SLG colleagues Agency”—flies in the face This is a unique and discuss and share ideas is statistically more likely of the ADS requirement invaluable learning moment on improving diversity and to yield a less diverse board to ensure diverse in our nation’s history and inclusion. And, as always, than drawing from the larger representation. for the Foreign Service. please feel free to reach out pool of candidates declared The requirement The recent Government to AFSA at member@afsa. eligible in the Automated reads: “The Agency Accountability Office report org or to me at singer@afsa. Directives System, including strives to ensure diverse on USAID and diversity org. Thank you. n those at the FS-2 level and representation on the made clear that lack of above. This is not a matter Promotion Boards in attention from senior of opinion. It is a matter of terms of backstops, leadership was a key cause math affirmed by the Office background and experience, of diversity challenges at of Civil Rights and Diversity. in Washington and in the USAID. In addition, the agency’s field, in addition to race, To its credit, the agency unilateral imposition of a ethnicity/national origin, acknowledged the need to new process contravenes sex and disability pursuant redouble efforts to achieve recently negotiated ADS to Section 602(b) of the greater diversity and inclu- 463 on the promotion Foreign Service Act.” sion. Unfortunately, the process and runs counter Despite discussions and recent notice and its pro- to the agency’s Core Values, a written request for clarifi- posed approach to promo- including, most notably, cation, the agency is forging tion board composition only inclusion. ahead with its apparently seem to reaffirm the GAO AFSA is concerned that random selection process finding.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 73 AFSA NEWS

Retirees Join AFSA for Outreach Efforts

AFSA’s outreach team hosted There you will also find: webinars on Sept. 10 and Oct. • General talking points. 15 for retired members to • An explainer video. It’s discuss the official launch of a useful tool to include in our public outreach campaign: presentations or remarks. “The U.S. Foreign Service: Our • Our social media toolkit. First Line of Defense” and how Our newest resource, this people can become involved. toolkit includes messages, The hourlong webinars videos and hashtags. included information about • The campaign’s social the campaign strategy media calendar, including and objectives, as well as social media dates relevant to the resources available to the campaign and the Foreign members who want to serve Service in general. as speakers or share our • Community college campaign through social finder, to help find schools in media. They also included an your area that you can reach overview of how to use virtual out to. platforms such as Zoom and We hope the AFSA discussion of best practices resources are useful, either for virtual presentations. for incorporation into your The goal of the campaign existing presentations or for is to broaden the domestic new ones. constituency for the Foreign If you need additional Service. The campaign high- materials or have further lights the various and critical questions, please let us know. ways in which members of We also appreciate hearing the Foreign Service protect about your outreach efforts and advance our national and events. Please let us know security and keep Americans where you’ve been speaking safe, at home and abroad. by completing this form: afsa. AFSA members can get org/telling-foreign-service- involved by joining our grow- story. ing roster of messengers; by To join our campaign, sharing stories and videos on please visit afsa.org/ social media using our social first-line-defense or email media toolkit; and by reaching AFSA Strategic Messaging out to your local community Coordinator Nadja Ruzica at colleges and other local orga- [email protected]. nizations to see if they’d be AFSA stands ready to interested in hosting a virtual support members as needed, presentation. whether with presentations, The webinars were additional resources or virtual recorded and are available on platform inquiries. We look for- our campaign page: afsa.org/ ward to hearing from you! n first-line-defense.

74 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS

AFSA Dues Increase Active Duty Foreign 2020 2020 Bi- 2021 2021 Bi- Annual Service Annual Weekly Annual* Weekly* Increase* for 2021 Grade AFSA has raised dues for 2021 by 1.4 percent SFS $429.09 $16.50 $448.28 $17.24 $19.19 for all individual membership categories. 1-3 $331.74 $12.76 $349.57 $13.45 $17.83 This is in addition to the increase agreed to by the membership in the dues referendum 4-6 $189.95 $7.31 $199.20 $7.6 6 $9.25 held in September (afsa.org/referendum). 7-9 $100.43 $3.86 $108.43 $4.17 $8.00 In concrete terms, this amounts to an increase of between six and 24 cents per pay Retiree period, depending on an individual’s member- ship category. Annuity 2019 2019 2020 2020 Annual Level Annual Monthly Annual Monthly Increase* In accordance with Article IV of the AFSA Under $25K Bylaws, the Governing Board can choose to $73.69 $6.14 $81.31 $6.78 $7.6 2 increase dues by no more than the cumula- $25-$50K $115.79 $9.65 $124.00 $10.33 $8.21 tive increase in the national Consumer Price $50-$75K Index, published by the Department of Labor, $154.65 $12.89 $168.98 $14.08 $14.33 since the effective date of the previous dues Over $75K increase. $193.62 $16.14 $208.50 $17.38 $14.88 Active-duty and retired members paying Retiree $57.90 $4.82 $58.71 $4.89 $0.81 dues via payroll and annuity deduction will Spouse see a small increase in the amount auto- Associate matically deducted from their paychecks and annuities. Those paying annually will be billed Category 2020 2021 Annual Annual Annual Increase the new rate on their regularly scheduled Associate $118.98 $120.65 $1.67 renewal date. n Member

AFSA Governing Board Meeting, Oct. 21, 2020

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the AFSA Gov- study and utilization of difficult languages in 2019. erning Board met via Zoom conference on Oct. 21. Associate Membership: The board approved two The board made the following decisions, which people as associate members of the association. will need to be ratified at the next in-person Gov- Dues Increase: Governing Board members approved erning Board meeting, according to AFSA bylaws. a 1.4 percent dues increase for members for 2021, in Legal Defense Fund: The board approved disburs- accordance with the consumer price index. als from the LDF for $6,342, $3,120 and $807 for Resignation: The board accepted the resignation of legal fees for AFSA members with ongoing mat- State Representative Lillian Wahl-Tuco, and thanked ters before the United States District Court for the her for her service. Southern District of New York. Awards and Plaques Committee: The board Sinclaire Language Awards: Governing Board mem- appointed Mary Daly as the chair of the Awards and bers approved the Awards and Plaques Committee’s Plaques Committee. decision to grant the Matilda W. Sinclaire Language Membership Committee: The board appointed Award to 10 individuals for their achievements in the Maria Hart to the Membership Committee. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 75

EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT

U.S. BOARDING SCHOOLS Resilient in the Pandemic and Beyond Boarding schools have responded seamlessly to continue delivering quality education during the pandemic.

BY DAVID H. CHARLTON AND RANDAL E. BROWN

s an industry, boarding schools ing students found an appropriately transitioned smoothly from resi- regimented reception on campus that Adential to distance learning with was both warm and safe. the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic In new twists to old procedures, cam- in the spring of 2020. Both students and pus receptions involved COVID tests, David H. Charlton is presi- parents were pleasantly surprised with temperature checks and temporary dent of Church Schools in the well-thought-out delivery of the aca- quarantine while awaiting test results, the (Episcopal) Diocese of demic program. followed by reentry into dorms and Virginia, a position he has In addition to academics, boarding classes. Masks, social distancing, small held for more than 20 years. schools placed emphasis on nurtur- meal settings and fewer athletics mean The child of Episcopal missionaries, he lived ing the strong personal relationships school looks and feels different. all over the world before settling in Virginia students have with peers and teachers. Still, while teenagers often grouse and has extensive experience in the non- During the pandemic, it has been more at structure and change, all have been profit education sector. He can be reached at important than ever to maintain close encouraged by a real spirit of coopera- [email protected]. communities. Chapel, advisory pro- tion and camaraderie that allowed stu- Randal E. Brown is the grams and other optional virtual gather- dents to overcome early misgivings. boarding admissions of- ings remained popular and sustained Life on hall may still include room- ficer for Church Schools in morale even though everyone was apart. mates, as a dorm or hall becomes its own the (Episcopal) Diocese of In the fall of 2020, most schools “pod” and is managed as you might a large Virginia and a longtime remained open, welcoming their family, while interaction with other halls independent school professional. He is also boarders back into dormitories where or dorms is restricted. Liberal leave poli- a retired lieutenant colonel in the Army residential learning resumed. Schools cies have been suspended and replaced National Guard and an Iraq veteran. have well-considered reentry plans in with lots of on-campus weekend activities. His two daughters are happy products of place to keep students, faculty and staff Similarly, academic calendars may now boarding school, as is he. He can be reached safe inside a “bubble.” Accustomed to have only two large breaks: Thanksgiving at [email protected]. structured life away from home, return- through the New Year’s holiday and an

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 77 EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT

Mandatory wrist bands that monitor often invite me to stay with them over the weekend. [It] feels a lot like the Foreign students’ temperature, oxygen levels Service to me because everyone looks out for one another.” and sleep patterns are in place in many Says Eva’s mother, Christy, a member schools, as are phone apps that of the Foreign Service: “Boarding school felt like an international school with a measure social distancing. strong sense of community. I can see that she’s more confident about trying a extended spring break midway through likely to move again? What are the differ- new sport or activity without the fear of the spring semester. ent educational allowances? How can the failure.” Finally, technology plays an important State Department assist us in navigating role. Mandatory wrist bands that moni- our options? More Affordable than tor students’ temperature, oxygen levels By the time they are teenagers, chil- You Might Think and sleep patterns are in place in many dren start to consider these complexities, These students and many like them schools, as are phone apps that measure as well, and to express opinions. “Another would like their high school experience to social distancing. move! Are you kidding me?” exclaimed be four years at the same institution, and The industry demonstrated it could one such student on news of a new post- boarding schools are uniquely suited to adapt rapidly to the new circumstances ing. The constancy of a single high school meet this need. Foreign Service parents and keep everyone safe and their studies experience now outweighs any excite- exploring the boarding school option progressing. Several lessons have been ment that may come from a new location. should inquire about the possibility of learned that ensure American boarding For this student and many like him, a four-year financial aid package rather schools will remain at the forefront of maintaining some level of continuity and than the typical annual arrangement. best practices in secondary education. social stability is often a major consider- Some schools can tailor a multiyear First and foremost is that students learn ation. Parents see the value, as well. These award that accounts for a change in best in small caring communities that students want to settle into a new school educational allowances. This can be remain in place, fostering the strong rela- with the knowledge they can commit, particularly helpful for a family that starts tionships at the core of effective teaching because they know they will stay to gradu- abroad and is then posted at the agency and learning. ate with friends and teammates. Like headquarters in Washington, D.C., for many other children with parents working a short tour. A multiyear financial aid Continuing Appeal for abroad, this student and many like him package can make remaining at the same Foreign Service Families chose an American boarding school. school possible. As they have for decades, American Eva, a freshman at a Virginia board- For those families who do end up boarding schools remain a popular ing school, offers this about her experi- posted in Washington, D.C., the large choice for Foreign Service parents to ence: “During my first visit to [campus], number of mid-Atlantic boarding educate their children, whether they are I had an instant connection to one of the schools may be particularly attractive. posted at home or abroad. FS careers teachers, because we had both lived in Just a few hours from the district by car, are rewarding, but they come with a lot Oman at the same time. During my first parents based at agency headquarters of transitions for professionals and their semester away from home, sophomores or coming through for consultations families. helped me with homesickness, and my or short courses will find it easy to Each new overseas assignment brings teachers helped me stay focused on attend their child’s sporting events, excitement, as well as its own set of com- coursework. They encouraged me to play parents’ weekend and arrange short plexities, many surrounding an officer’s basketball for the first time, and I loved weekend stays. dependents. Is this a safe posting for it. I am getting the attention I need in the If family members find themselves in Americans? Are there suitable educa- classroom, and friends who are day stu- a short-term evacuated status from their tional options for the kids? When are we dents (local students who do not board) assigned post, placements at boarding

78 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL

EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT

schools are often possible. Whether Foreign Service parents exploring the parents are in Washington, D.C., abroad for an extended period or abroad for a boarding school option should inquire short term, they will have the peace of about the possibility of a four-year financial mind knowing that their child is well taken care of. aid package rather than the typical annual

College Prep Plus arrangement. Schools that are primarily board- ing institutions will tend to offer more boarding students, but especially for A well-staffed nurse’s office with close features and services for students whose those for whom the campus is their ties to nearby pediatricians, departments parents live far away. An international home away from home. of health and other health specialists is student office, or a dean charged with In addition to faculty who live on common. On-campus behavioral health the boarding student experience, is campus to support the well-being of counselors, chaplains, dorm staff and decisive in creating and maintain- the boarders, these schools often have a academic advisers support students ing programs that are important to a “guidance team” that supports the needs through the inevitable ups and downs of boarder. Weekend activities, health of teenagers who negotiate a world with teenage life. A college counselor is instru- care, supervision, dormitory and food far more variables than their parents mental in helping every student navigate all head the list of topics of interest for experienced. their higher education options.

80 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL In fact, academic preparation for academic program to their particular The international “feel” of a boarding college is perhaps the strongest feature interests. Faculty who live on campus school campus offers a measure of famil- of American boarding schools. Schools are always available to work with their iarity to diplomatic dependents whose meet students where they are and students and are deeply invested in worldviews give them the ability to adapt provide the right measure of challenge their success. to new surroundings quickly and easily and support to ensure their success. For these reasons, and many more, and make friends anywhere. Honors, International Baccalaureate attractive college doors swing open for “One of the big attractions was the and Advanced Placement courses are boarding school graduates each year. diversity of the students,” offers one For- common, as are systems to support eign Service mother. “Living in a dorm students who encounter difficulty. An International Atmosphere for our daughter was fantastic. She didn’t Some schools have a dedicated The Association of Boarding Schools lose that ‘home feeling,’ and she always department staffed with professional (TABS) lists tens of thousands of students got support.” experts to support students who have in member schools, most of them in the The student’s father reflects: “We’ve learning differences or disabilities and United States. Nearly half of the board- been overseas for 15 years and have expe- who need structure, support and, most ing students in these schools are from rience with four international schools. importantly, strategies to overcome countries outside the United States, and We found that the quality of the teachers their specific learning difference or dis- many of the students who carry Ameri- was hit or miss. At [boarding school], the ability. can passports are the children of parents teachers were all excellent. For children Students can tailor parts of their working abroad. who need a little extra attention and sup-

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 81 EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT

An international student office, staffed admissions offices expert in responding to family inquiries and or a dean charged with the boarding hosting families on campus or virtu- student experience, is decisive in creating ally. Admissions officers typically travel extensively, both domestically and and maintaining programs that are internationally, to visit PK-8 schools, meet with educational consultants and important to a boarder. attend school fairs. They are also adept at hosting virtual open houses and port, the international schools weren’t Not surprisingly, 87 percent of boarding other virtual events for families that very flexible and didn’t have that. But at school alumni report being “very well cannot visit campus. [boarding school], our child had great prepared” for college. The Department of State also offers support and really thrived.” excellent support to its families. If you In an exhaustive study of boarding Accessing Boarding Schools are considering boarding school for school students, graduates and their TABS maintains a comprehensive your child, contact the Family Liaison parents, TABS found boarding school website of member North American Office’s Education and Youth Team. For students spent twice as much time out- boarding schools to assist students and information, email FLOAskEducation@ side of class with teachers and coaches parents in navigating their options. state.gov or visit FLO’s website at state. than did students in public schools. Individual boarding schools have well- gov/m/dghr/flo. n

82 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL COVID ON CAMPUS How FS College Kids and Their Families Are Managing the Uncertainty One FS parent of a college student candidly recalls the initial days of COVID-19 and shares her experience and that of other families navigating today’s unprecedented circumstances.

BY DONNA SCARAMASTRA GORMAN

t the end of February, I flew from I was waiting at the gate in Atlanta— ting that I hadn’t gone to see him Moscow to the United States. it was spooky, as I was almost the only before going to Atlanta. I’ve had some AThe plan was to squeeze in a person there—when my oldest son bad experiences as an FS mom: We’ve quick visit with my parents in California called from Virginia with the news that survived stitches and seizures, broken before heading to Atlanta on business. his university was adding a week to bones and breakups, and even the But on my second day in Atlanta, it spring break while they tried to come infamous “Edamame Up the Nose” became clear that airports were going up with a plan. “There’s no way they’re emergency room incident of 2010. But to start closing soon. My boss—another going to reopen,” he told me. “I think I this seemed worse somehow. There was Foreign Service spouse—and I decided should fly back to Moscow now.” a deadly disease jumping international to fly out on the next available flights But I told him not to. After all, we borders, and I was leaving my son to rather than stay and risk getting stuck, didn’t know for sure that his school face it alone. away from our families at post. would move online. This was at the very When my plane finally took off, I beginning of the pandemic, when the watched as the little computer image of Donna Scaramastra Gor- situation was even murkier than now. If a plane flew across the map on the seat man’s articles have appeared he flew back, he’d risk not getting back in front of me. The digital plane flew in Time magazine, News- to school when classes resumed in two over Northern Virginia, where my son week, The Washington Post, weeks. Better, I told him, to wait it out was now waiting in limbo, and I wanted the Christian Science Moni- at his girlfriend’s house and go back to to cry. It was a sickening feeling, know- tor and The Foreign Service Journal. school when it reopened. And anyway, I ing he was down there somewhere, and A Foreign Service spouse, she has lived in pointed out, if it didn’t reopen, we could that I had made the decision to leave Amman, Moscow, Yerevan, Almaty, Beijing just use the education allowance to fly him there while I flew home without and Northern Virginia. Formerly an associate him back in a few weeks. him. I felt very alone in my sadness and editor for the Journal, she is currently posted in Still, I had an impending sense of worry. Moscow with her husband and four children. dread, and found myself really regret-

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 83 EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT

Leaving Campus Behind BY SEAMUS GORMAN

or me, the beginning of March is when COVID-19 transitioned from a Ffrightening story in the news to an event with profound personal conse- quences. Tom Hanks announced that he had been infected with the coronavi- rus, the NBA suspended its season and universities across America began to close their facilities. As college students across the United States packed and went home to their families, I discovered I was stuck. I’m a Foreign Service family member, and the rest of my family was about COURTESY OF SEAMUS GORMAN SEAMUS OF COURTESY 5,000 miles away, in Russia. Because of COVID-19 travel bans, getting back Seamus Gorman on the job, providing there would be extremely difficult—and I wasn’t even sure whether to make VIP visit support in Moscow. the attempt. There were only a few flights into Moscow. I could try to get on one. But if I made it back, I knew I might get stuck again and be unable to The Foreign Service Family return to school in the fall. If I decided instead to stay in Virginia, school might But it turns out, I was far from alone. move online, and I would have stayed for nothing. Worse, I knew if I got sick, I’d All across the globe, Foreign Service par- be on my own. ents and their college-age kids were hav- When the Arab Spring broke out in the early 2010s, my family was posted ing the same conversations at that exact in Amman. I was 13 years old, and I remember having to pack a go-bag with same time. What’s going to happen next? everything I might need, just in case we had to evacuate in a hurry. We had to What should I do? What if I get sick? prepare for the worst and hope for the best. And we parents, for the most part, had This Foreign Service experience from my past helped me navigate the no answers for our children. We had the uncertainty caused by the pandemic. What would happen if I got sick? If same general thoughts, though: Don’t school shut down? How could I prepare for the worst? The distance between worry. It’s going to work out in the end. my family and me made the question of what to do more difficult for me than When it’s time, we’ll get you back to post. for many of my peers, but my FS experiences better equipped me to handle it. After all, we have those fancy black pass- Ultimately, I decided that the worst case, if I got very sick, would be much ports. We’re not just Americans, we’re U.S. easier to handle if I were with my family in Moscow. My State Department diplomats. We’re used to flying in and out connection created a difficult situation because I was separated from my of sketchy situations, and our passports family. But strangely, it also provided a solution: Eventually, through the are our shields. Operational Medicine program I was able to get on an OpMed flight back to Except this time, the danger was Moscow. And after a 14-day quarantine, during which I did not write this essay worldwide, and the State Department as I’d planned, I was finally reunited with my family. was directing all its resources into secur- Now back in Russia, I am taking a gap semester. Instead of going to school ing our embassies overseas and getting in Virginia, or logging into online classes, I am working at the embassy and U.S. citizens home. Nobody, it seems, studying Russian—remotely, of course. Instead of walking across campus, I was thinking about that small group of walk around Moscow. Instead of eating at a school dining hall, I am ordering people who desperately wanted to travel Georgian food na dostavky—for delivery. in the other direction, who needed to get My situation isn’t easy—I’m away from close friends and had to put my back into those suddenly locked-down college career on hold. But I realize I am also extremely fortunate to have embassies. the opportunities that being connected to the State Department has given That small group of people included me. I’m living in my parents’ basement, yes, but it’s a pretty interesting my baby. place to be. FS College Students: Seamus Gorman is a Foreign Service family member who has lived in Moscow, Not Quite EFMs Yerevan, Almaty, Beijing, Amman and Northern Virginia. He is currently a junior Part of the problem is that, despite the at James Madison University. fact that I still see him as my tiny firstborn, the child who loves Tonka trucks and won’t eat vegetables if they are touching

84 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL on a plate, the State Department sees also difficult for her new college gradu- likely be separated for at least another him as the 6-foot-tall, Selective Service– ate. Her daughter was “graduating into a year. registered, able-to-vote adult that he is, pandemic,” without support and without Still, Dina isn’t complaining—she’s and they believe that he’s fully capable of a job, and yet she was “expected to be old approaching the situation with the resig- living on his own. The truth lies some- enough to figure it out.” “We managed,” nation, resilience and humor for which FS where in between. We parents know our Christina goes on to say. “But I don’t think spouses are known. Her son is studying students are capable adults. We also know it was quite reasonable.” to be a pilot, she says, but his university that they still need us. Another FS parent, Dina, was able is still online only. “I’m not sure how I I spoke with several FS parents to to take advantage of global authorized feel about a self-homeschooled pilot,” get their perspectives. One was told that departure and returned to the States she quips, but at the same time, she educational travel to her post in Europe from her post in the Middle East. “After feels “incredibly supported by the State wouldn’t be an option. “I was a bit my freshman son was kicked out of the Department,” which was able to reunite shocked at the idea that a freshman—age dorm, with no home to go to, we found a mother and son amid the pandemic. 18—didn’t need to come home (as in, to place to stay together,” writes Dina. Her One factor that makes all the differ- post) in the summer,” says Christina. She husband, whose job during the pandemic ence for these parents is which college had to stay at post when global authorized is essential, stayed behind and, con- their kids are attending, as each school departure was offered; as a result, she sequently, hasn’t seen his family in six has different issues and different policies hasn’t seen her freshman in nine months. months. Since he’s due to leave soon for in place. Tsoniki Crazy Bull, who is cur- And, she continued, the situation was an unaccompanied tour, the family will rently posted in West Africa, has a student

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 85 EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT

LOOKING FOR RESOURCES?

hile they don’t specifically focus on college students or their families— Wnobody does!—the Foreign Service Institute’s Center of Excellence in Foreign Affairs Resilience (CEFAR) has a list of resources available at http:// bit.ly/CEFAR-resources, including an article about how to support your high school senior as he or she transitions to college (see http://bit.ly/supporting- hs-senior). In addition, check out the “COVID Coach” mobile app (see http://bit.ly/ COVID-coach). Developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, this free app has self-care tools, including meditation prompts, and trackers to check your mood and help you set daily goals. To learn about non-COVID State programs for college students that will be helpful both now and when things get back to normal, go to the Family Liaison Office’s webpage College and Beyond (see http://bit.ly/FLO-college-and-beyond). —DSG

who graduated high school last spring The Dreaded “R” Word and planned to attend the Institute of Spend enough time with FS family American Indian Arts in the fall. members, and you’ll hear somebody But “IAIA is a tribal college, and grumble about the “R” word: resilience. these schools are all located on or near Too often, that word is directed at reservations, which have been hit very spouses and children who are expected hard during the COVID-19 pandemic,” to step up and deal with all manner of explains Tsoniki, so the university quickly problems and insufferable situations, made the decision to change to an online some of which could reasonably be learning format. expected to break a person. Their freshman wasn’t interested in Most of us have dealt with serious taking a gap year, and so she adjusted her illnesses, horrible moves, housing we sleep schedule—she’s six hours ahead of hate, absentee spouses and posts with no the school in Santa Fe, New Mexico—to access to decent junk food. Through it all, allow her to join classes remotely. “I’ve we’re often told we just need to be more said it’s like practice for when she gets to resilient. So we smile on the outside even leave for college,” her mom laughs. “We when we’re wondering how the heck hardly see each other.” we wound up in this place, crying in the The family is transferring to Europe bathroom at noon on a Tuesday because soon, which means their freshman will we couldn’t find our way to the grocery once again have to adjust her clock to store, let alone ask for the right laundry keep up with her peers. Says her mom, detergent once we finally got there. however, “I have been very thankful as It turns out, though, that this resil- to how IAIA has handled this transition. ience, which many of us have spent … Tribal colleges have really stepped up years cultivating, is what’s getting all to be leaders during this time, showing of us FS parents through these crazy what can be done.” times. Most of the parents I spoke with

86 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL were maintaining a positive perspective even in the face of all the unknowns. And while it would be easy to blame the State Department, nobody seemed to know how the department could have done things differently. Christina says that her kids are “used to me traveling far away, but for me this was different: No way to return in an emergency is hard!” Her children are now settled, well, as settled as they can be during this global upheaval. One is living with a friend, while the other has found employment in her hoped-for field. The family has been lucky, she says, but she hopes that in the future the department will have “better back-up planning” to help families like hers.

What’s Next? As for us? We finally got our son back to post on a State Department OpMed (Operational Medicine) flight. He’s tak- ing a gap semester (or year? Who really knows?) and working at the embassy— something that certainly wouldn’t be available to him if we were in the States. So the initial negative—feeling like our son was stranded and out of reach—has turned into a positive as he works to make this gap time meaningful. I’ve been grateful for the supportive community of parents I’ve found since the start of the pandemic. The Foreign Service College Bound Facebook page is full of parents like me, all going through this together and finding different ways to reach that light at the end of the tunnel. My son’s university has a fairly robust parents group, and I was touched by the number of parents, whom I’ve never met and never will, who learned of our situation and immediately raised their hands with offers to help my son move, or to help him safely stay at school if he chose that option instead.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 87 EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT

Friends from past posts reached out to offer to move him out, move him in, store his car, feed him. (No small task, that last one. Gone are the days when my baby turned up his nose at foods that touched on the plate; he can now destroy your monthly food budget over the course of a long weekend!) I have no idea what’s next, for my col- lege kid, for my next-in-line child, who is applying to colleges right now, or for the rest of our family, still locked into Phase 1 here in Moscow. I’m pretty sure the State Department as an institution isn’t coming to save us any time soon. But like many of the parents who spoke with me for this article, I’m feeling more okay as the days pass. We’ll figure it out somehow, COURTESY OF SEAMUS GORMAN SEAMUS OF COURTESY together. n The Gorman family in Red Square after Seamus’ 14-day quarantine.

88 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 89 EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT

90 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION AT A GLANCE Go to our webpage at www.afsa.org/education.

Gender International Holiday Annual Tuition, Page Percent Percent Levels TABS common Accept Miles to School Enrollment Distribution AP/IBu Students Break Room & Board Number Boarding Int’l. Offered application ADD/LDuu Int’l. Airport M/F Orientation Coverageuuu (US $)

n ELEMENTARY/JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH

Garrison Forest 80 520 All Girls 30 8 PK-12 AP N Limited 20 Y N 62,015- School 66,810b

Ridley College 82 667 54/46 52 34 K-12, PG IB N Y 41 Y Y 54,260abcdef

St. John’s 86 150 87/13 88 21 K-12 AP N Y 35 Y Limited 14,000- Northwestern 44,000abg Academies

Stuart Hall School 4 326 52/48 24 23 PK-12 AP Y Y 143 Y Y 55,000bd

TASIS – The 85 700 50/50 35 75 PK-12 AP/IB N Limited 40 Y Limited 96,000bcdef American School in Switzerland

n JUNIOR HIGH/SENIOR HIGH

Grier School 90 300 All Girls 85 40 7-12 AP Y Y 120 Y N 55,900- 56,900ad

Saint James School 88 225 55/45 75 25 8-12 AP N N 60 N Limited 51,000b

St. Margaret’s 4 101 All Girls 70 22 8-12, PG AP Y Y 50 y Y 42,240- School 52,250abd

Wilbraham & 89 415 56/44 49 30 6-PG AP Y Y 28 Y Limited 62,300b Monson Academy

n SENIOR HIGH

Christchurch 4 210 60/40 70 25 9-12 AP Y Y 50 Y Y 52,750d School

EF Academy 89 450 53/47 98 95 9-12 IB N Limited 40.5 Y Limited 58,500a New York

Kimball Union 89 340 55/45 75 25 9-12, PG AP Y Y 125 Y Limited 66,700 Academy

The Madeira School 82 320 All Girls 51 15 9-12 AP Y Limited 16 N N 64,500be

New Hampton 87 336 55/45 75 20 9-12, PG AP/IB Y Y 95 Y Limited 64,700b School

St. Timothy’s 85 185 All Girls 70 30 9-12, PG IB Y Limited 20 Y N 33,900- School 59,900bde

n OVERSEAS

American Overseas 87 560 50/50 NA 70 PK-12 AP/IB N Y 20 Y Y 6,075- School Rome 30,700bc

Berlin Brandenburg 90 740 50/50 20 65 K-12 IB N Y 15 Y N 42,000c International School

EF Academy Oxford 89 185 42/58 100 100 11-12 IB N N 48 Y Limited 56,000ac

Frankfurt 96 1,800 50/50 NA 80 K-12 IB N Limited 12 Y N 28,760bc International School

John F. Kennedy 93 1,617 50/50 NA 47 K-12 AP N Limited 15 Y N NA School Berlin

Leysin American 95 310 50/50 100 85 7-12, PG AP/IB Y Limited 75 Y N 88,000abd School in Switzerland

St. Stephen’s School 81 294 47/53 15 64 9-12, PG AP/IB N Y 12 Y N 44,380b

uAdvanced Placement/International Baccalaureate uuAttention Deficit Disorder/Learning Disabilities uuu Dec. 25-Jan. 1 NA, Not applicable aSibling discount b Financial aid available c Dollar value subject to exchange rate d Aid for federal employees eGap year f Need-blind admissions; will meet full financial need g Host families

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 91 EDUCATION AT A GLANCE Go to our webpage at www.afsa.org/education.

Gender International Holiday Annual Tuition, Page Percent Percent Levels TABS common Accept Miles to School Enrollment Distribution AP/IBu Students Break Room & Board Number Boarding Int’l. Offered application ADD/LDuu Int’l. Airport M/F Orientation Coverageuuu (US $)

n SPECIAL NEEDS

The Gow School 97 135 80/20 93 10 6-12, PG N/A N Y 30 N Limited 72,500

n DISTANCE LEARNING

TTU-K-12 93 1,970 48/52 NA 54 K-12 AP N Limited NA N NA 3,000- (Texas Tech) 4,600

n HIGHER EDUCATION

Thunderbird 79 388 53/47 13 45 NA NA NA NA 19 Y Y 70,000- School of Global 110,000b Management

n OTHER

AAFSW 92 Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide; Publisher of Raising Kids in the Foreign Service. A volunteer organization that supports Foreign Service employees, spouses, partners and members of household. www.aafsw.org. See FSHub.org.

DACOR 96 D ACOR Bacon House Foundation offers Dreyfus Scholarships to children and grandchildren of FSOs attending Yale or Hotchkiss. Contact [email protected] or go to www.dacorbacon.org/scholarships_fellowships.php.

FLO 97 F amily Liaison Office: Information and resources for Foreign Service families.Con tact [email protected].

FSYF 92 Foreign Service Youth Foundation: A support network for U.S. Foreign Service youth worldwide. Go to www.fsyf.org.

uAdvanced Placement/International Baccalaureate uuAttention Deficit Disorder/Learning Disabilities uuu Dec. 25-Jan. 1 NA, Not applicable aSibling discount b Financial aid available c Dollar value subject to exchange rate d Aid for federal employees eGap year f Need-blind admissions; will meet full financial need g Host families

92 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 93 EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT

COLLEGE OPTIONS Community College with a Guaranteed Transfer Program

With online learning now a prevalent alternative, many students are finding a different path toward their degree. Is it right for you?

BY FRANCESCA HUEMER KELLY

t may be college application time, but young people are turning to community Aside from those exceptions, there it’s feeling, well, just a little different colleges for their first two years of univer- are some economic and other advan- Ithis year. Because of the uncertainty sity-level courses. They and their parents tages in spending your first two years surrounding COVID-19 and the timing are figuring, Why pay top dollar for what at a community college that offers a and effectiveness of a possible vaccine, might well be an online education? guaranteed transfer to an acceptable many high school seniors are wonder- That’s a good question, and there four-year university. ing what exactly they are applying to. If is not just one good answer. If you’re they’re lucky enough to get into the col- offered admission to an excellent school What Is a Guaranteed Transfer? lege of their dreams, can they actually that offers a “name,” such as Harvard or Public and even some private attend there in person? Stanford, accept the offer. You may not be universities partner with certain com- This is one of the reasons—cost being able to immediately move into your dorm munity colleges, accepting transfer another—that an increasing number of room or go to a campus party, but you students after two years if they maintain will nevertheless be getting a top-notch a certain grade point average and fulfill Francesca Huemer Kelly, the education from renowned professors. other requirements. This initiative has spouse of a retired Foreign The same may be true of selective elevated the status of participating com- Service officer and ambas- liberal arts colleges: The small classes munity colleges, and two-year colleges sador, counsels students on and availability of mentors will still be such as Montgomery College (linked to their college application a plus, even online. And if you receive the University of Maryland and other essays through www.essayadvantage.net. a large financial-aid package from any institutions) and Northern Virginia A freelance writer, co-founder of Tales from four-year institution, there is probably Community College (NOVA, linked to a a Small Planet and former editor of AFSA not an appreciable financial benefit in variety of VA universities) are now fairly News, she has also served as a college coun- turning that down in favor of attending competitive in the quality and range of selor at two international schools. community college. their course offerings.

94 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL And then there’s mental health. If you which can be just as stressful as the Know ahead of time that certain choose to apply only to community col- freshman application process. As long majors, such as nursing, have easier leges with a guaranteed transfer, and not to as you meet the requirements dictated pathways to guaranteed transfer than four-year colleges, you will most likely find by your eventual four-year institution, other majors. And flagship campuses an enormous reduction in the stress usu- you’re guaranteed admission. of state universities tend not to offer ally associated with the college application guaranteed transfers nearly as often as process—and with college tuition bills. What Can I Do Now? satellite campuses do. (Or you can apply to a few four-year If this sounds intriguing, visit the Most likely, any community college colleges but relax knowing you have “Transfer Student Admission” pages of that takes part in a guaranteed transfer the community college backup plan. a few of your favorite four-year universi- system will be accredited, but it’s always That said, many students and parents ties to determine if they offer guaranteed good to check. You can learn more about are willing to trade autumn stress and transfer programs from certain community the seven regional accrediting organiza- higher tuition costs for that coveted colleges. You can also search under the tions on the U.S. Department of Education four-year-college sweatshirt or bumper term “articulation agreement,” which is the website and find out if a college is accred- sticker come April.) agreement between a community college ited at http://bit.ly/accredited-schools. The guaranteed transfer system is and a four-year college that paves the way also appealing because, in two years’ for easy transfer. Be aware, however, that Resources to Check Out time, you won’t have to go through some articulation agreements include Below are listings of some of the the usual transfer application process, guaranteed transfer, while others do not. colleges taking part in the guaranteed

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 95 EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT

transfer system in the MD-VA-DC area, three of many Maryland community Virginia: A popular choice for many as well as a mention of some well- colleges that offer guaranteed transfer Northern Virginia residents is NOVA regarded guaranteed transfer programs to the University of Maryland, as well as (Northern Virginia Community Col- in a few other popular states. to other colleges both in Maryland and lege). NOVA offers guaranteed admis- Remember to check residency out of state. sions agreements, where you are able to requirements well ahead of time, espe- Note: As with all guaranteed transfer transfer to a multitude of colleges and cially if you are considering community programs, transferring with your major universities (some outside Virginia), college outside your home state. You of choice may not be available at all including William and Mary and the will need to factor in additional living universities or campuses. (See http:// University of Virginia. Each university costs if you will not be living with family bit.ly/transfer-moco for Montgomery has its own requirements to guarantee members. College; http://bit.ly/transfer-pgcc for transfer, and not all majors are available. Maryland: The University of Mary- Prince George’s Community College; Find out more at http://bit.ly/VA-gaa. land takes part in the Maryland Transfer and http://bit.ly/transfer-aacc for Anne For a full picture of all Virginia com- Advantage Program (MTAP), guaranteeing Arundel Community College.) munity colleges that offer transfer agree- transfer from various Maryland commu- Maryland’s Higher Education Com- ments with universities, please visit nity colleges (http://bit.ly/MD-MTAP). mission offers a comprehensive guide Virginia’s Community Colleges website Montgomery College, Prince on community colleges and transfer to at http://bit.ly/VA-transfer-agreements. George’s Community College and Anne four-year institutions at http://bit.ly/ Washington, D.C.: The community Arundel Community College are just MD-hec. college at the University of the District of

96 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Columbia (UDC) does not offer guaran- nity Colleges network brings you a pro- information about articulation agree- teed transfer programs. Most D.C. resi- gram called “A Degree With a Guarantee,” ments at http://bit.ly/IL-itransfer. dents seem to gravitate toward commu- which lists all participating community New York: The State University of nity colleges in Virginia and Maryland. colleges and state universities (see http:// New York (SUNY) branches offer one of Georgetown University, The George bit.ly/CCC-degree-guarantee). the better-known guaranteed transfer Washington University and other uni- In addition, private universities such programs in the United States: http:// versities in the district have guaranteed as Loyola Marymount partner with some bit.ly/SUNY-gt. transfer agreements with area commu- community colleges in both California These are just a few of the most popu- nity colleges. and Arizona in guaranteed admissions lar guaranteed transfer programs. There California: The transfer admission programs. This serves as a reminder are many more across the United States. guarantee (TAG) program guarantees that even private universities may offer To find community colleges in any state, transfer to several of University of Cali- guaranteed transfer. visit the American Association of Com- fornia’s excellent universities (note that Illinois: The College of Lake County, munity Colleges’ website: http://bit.ly/ UCLA and Berkeley do not take part in in the Chicago suburbs, offers guaran- AACC-gtp. this program). Check requirements at teed transfer to a long list of colleges and Finally, the website collegexpress. http://bit.ly/CA-tag. universities, both in and outside Illinois com publishes guaranteed transfer California state universities accept (see http://bit.ly/IL-gt). programs and articulation agreements even more guaranteed transfers than the Illinois’ statewide transfer program, for most states. Search the website for UC system does. The California Commu- called iTransfer, offers comprehensive “articulation agreements.” n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 97 BOOKS

Once More—Never Again its majority Bosniak population demonized as “Turks” and large Croat community who had betrayed Eyewitness: My Journey to The Hague were prerequisites to link- their fellow Slavs. Isak Gasi and Shaun Koos, Brandylane ing the northern and eastern In Gasi’s estima- Publishers, 2018, $29.95/hardcover, components of their envisioned tion it was Milosevic e-book available, 270 pages. “Republika Srpska.” who wielded Serbian Gasi’s eyewitness accounts grievances into jus- Review by George W. Aldridge were so credible and irrefutable tifications for mass that he was eventually called to murder. Milosevic Shortly after the euphoria of the collapse testify on six occasions before captivated his fellow of the Soviet Union and the end of the the International Criminal Serbs, capitalized on their Cold War, Europe once again witnessed Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at The historic grievances and convinced them a genocide of noncombatants: Bosniaks Hague—at the trials of Slobodan Milo- they had to right past wrongs by taking (Muslim Bosnians) were targeted for sevic, Radovan Karadzic, Ratko Mladic, revenge on their neighbors. being an ethnic and religious minority, Momcilo Krajisnik, Vojislav Seselj and Although Bosnian Serbs were rou- like European Jews 50 years earlier dur- Dusan Tadic. tinely threatened by Serb paramilitary ing World War II. In May 1997 Tadic would become the units like Arkan’s Tigers, not all partici- Isak Gasi, a well-known Yugoslav first person convicted of war crimes in pated in the pogroms. Gasi mentions international canoe and kayak champion Europe since the end of World War II. several, including his beloved neighbor who was one of the victims, has written Thereafter, guilty verdicts were eventu- Mira Lazic and longtime teammate Mirko a book about his experience: Eyewit- ally reached in every trial that Gasi gave Nisovic, who risked their lives protecting ness: My Journey to The Hague. Written in testimony. Bosniaks and Croats. collaboration with his friend and fellow As Gasi recounts in the book, he was Others openly shared Gasi’s regret that avid canoeist Shaun Koos, the book was repeatedly assaulted and nearly executed nationalist hatreds had destroyed Yugo- published in connection with the 25th as a prisoner at the Serbs’ Luka death slavia. And it was Serbs, he notes, who anniversary of Gasi’s release from the camp. He knew many of his torturers; protected Admir Karabasic, one of the few Serb-run Luka prison camp, where he was several were local acquaintances. survivors of the Koricani Cliffs massacre. brutally mistreated. In it, Gasi interweaves Others he met during his years travel- Besides offering a chilling account his personal ordeal with the tragic events ing throughout the country as a top-flight of Yugoslavia’s demise, Eyewitness: My of the Bosnian War. Yugoslav athlete who had carried the Journey to The Hague provides a useful As a second-tour junior officer in Olympic torch into Bosnia for the 1984 timeline of Balkan history and a glos- Copenhagen from 1993 to 1995, I never Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, a city con- sary of key characters and places with a expected to see concentration camps in sidered to showcase former president of pronunciation guide. southeastern Europe, much less meet Yugoslavia Marshal Tito’s vision of inter- “Unless societies are vigilant,” Gasi emancipated detainees such as Isak Gasi. ethnic and communal harmony. warns in conclusion, “there is no such But the State Department’s instruc- In lamenting the dissolution of thing as ‘never again.’” n tions to me were straightforward: find Yugoslavia, Gasi and Koos reflect on the Gasi, and escort him to an undisclosed extremist ideology that justified the Serbs’ During more than 27 years as an FSO, George location to provide federal investiga- war crimes against the Bosniaks and the W. Aldridge served in Jamaica, Denmark, tors and forensic artists with firsthand Croats. While Gasi dismisses Karadzic, Ethiopia, Belize, Morocco, Kenya, Tunisia, accounts of Serbian atrocities in his Mladic, Seselj and others as mindless, Sudan and Lebanon. Prior to entering the hometown of Brcko, an ethnically mixed prejudiced killers, he regards Milosevic as Foreign Service in July 1990, he was a political port city near the geographical intersec- a brilliant demagogue who mesmerized science instructor at three Texas junior colleges tion of Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia. the Serbian masses, convincing them they and the director of the southwest office of the For the ultranationalist Bosnian Serbs, had been historically wronged by their National Association of Arab Americans. Mr. capturing Brcko and ethnically cleansing fellow Yugoslavs. Bosniaks, in turn, were Aldridge is from Belton, Texas.

98 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL REAL ESTATE & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 99 REAL ESTATE & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

100 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS n EMPLOYMENT n REAL ESTATE

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THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 101 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS n TAX & FINANCIAL SERVICES n OTHER

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THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 103 REFLECTIONS

An Unexpected Foray into Albania

BY DOLORES BROWN AND MARIA SILVER

magine walking the long tunnel to the Soon we found our- tricked-out bunker of Albania’s former selves on an unexpected president, Enver Hoxha, who led—and foray into what was Iisolated—his country from 1941 until Europe’s fiercest commu- his death in 1985. We contemplated all the nist state … and poised at human effort expended to satisfy Hoxha’s the entrance to that long paranoia as he held his country in fear. It cold tunnel. Signs warned was unforgettable. that it’s not for the claus- The “we” here are two retired Foreign trophobic. Service officers who, true to our roots, We ventured through remain intrepid. Together, we have more several sets of reinforced than 50 years of experience with the State concrete doors two feet Department. We bonded in the mid- thick and explored tour COURTESY OF DOLORES BROWN 1990s while working together on Belarus, Maria Silver, at right, and Dolores Brown toast their highlights such as “decon- another cloistered European dictatorship. renewed friendship at the Mullixhiu Restaurant. tamination” showers and Dolores was the analyst for Belarus in weird audio recordings of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Hoxha’s harangues and throngs singing while Maria was the desk officer. the national anthem, replete with the line Analyzing declarations by the wily “with pickax and rifle.” Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukash- Hoxha’s five-story hideout, fitted enko, a former collective farm boss, we with secret corridors and escape routes, delighted in each other’s skepticism and was supposed to protect the ruler from wicked sense of humor. It helped that we nuclear, biological or chemical attack were both alumnae of the same college (which never came). In Albania, the (though we just missed each other at Bar- people had bunkers, too. Both urban and nard back in the 1970s) and aficionados rural landscapes are dotted with what of Eastern European history. look like giant beached sea turtles, testa- Twenty-plus years later, we reunited at ments to Hoxha’s delusion that Albania Foreign Affairs Day 2019. Reminiscing, we would be punished for being Europe’s wryly noted that the Belarusian dictator, purest communist state. still in power, had outlasted us on the job. He didn’t allow his population out or

It turned out that Maria, who has done COURTESY OF DOLORES BROWN foreigners in. Adding to the absurdity, A pillbox bunker in downtown Tirana. nearly a dozen reemployed annuitant these bunkers wouldn’t have protected assignments since her 2011 retirement, anyone from anything, except perhaps Dolores Brown, who is AFSA’s retirement was headed to Albania. a stray tornado. Many are now used by benefits counselor, also role-plays as a Dolores’ eyes widened. Long closed to Albanian teenagers for partying. deputy chief of mission for Diplomatic tourists—much less U.S. diplomats—the We shook our heads and agreed that Security’s Foreign Affairs Counter Threat country had transfixed her for years. She we need to give the Albanian people (FACT) training. Maria R. Silver is a reem- jumped at the opportunity to ask Maria if credit for being uniquely long-suffering in ployed annuitant consular officer. she’d like some company. a world that offers extensive competition.

104 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Located in the Balkans, Albania has been victim to centuries of power politics. Conquered by the Byzantines, Ottomans, Slavs, Serbs, Italians and oth- ers, it boasts a rich mix of Muslim, Greek Orthodox, Catholic and Sufi traditions (in the approximate order of prevalence) among its population of three mil- lion in a country the size of Maryland. COURTESY OF DOLORES BROWN Dolores in front of Hoxha’s bunker, a major Albanian tourist attraction. Despite—or perhaps because of—its history, the country is internationally recognized for protecting Jews during We need to give the Albanian people credit for the Holocaust. being uniquely long-suffering. Albania has probably the most kalei- doscopic mélange of religions, political systems and cultures that we had ever seen in such a small country, which just a few blocks away is one of Tirana’s edly pro-American and great admir- makes it so utterly quirky. main plazas, now named Mother Teresa ers of American values, as the staff at An Albanian history professor who had Square. Embassy Tirana helped us to understand. lived through Hoxha’s reign shepherded We also journeyed to the town of One of the embassy’s locally employed us through Tirana, recounting personal Berat, an Ottoman-era architectural staff members said that the American experiences and historical insights. jewel on the UNESCO World Heritage landmark that most impressed him was He reminded us that Hoxha had been list, overnighting in a centuries-old stone Arlington National Cemetery—for its so upset at Khrushchev’s denunciation of guesthouse found on Airbnb. We climbed palpable display of respect for our fallen Stalin that he broke off relations with the to the Citadel, the fortress that dominates leaders and military members. Soviet Union and informally allied with the town, and gazed across the valley at We capped our trip at Mullixhiu, a Maoist China shortly after. The professor giant letters that had spelled “E-N-V-E- farm-to-table restaurant run by an Alba- described the obligatory Chinese cloth- R,” Hoxha’s first name, before Albanians nian chef who cut his teeth at the interna- ing of that period, one of the most bizarre rearranged them to spell “N-E-V-E-R.” tionally renowned Danish restaurant geopolitical vignettes we had ever heard. We met many Albanians set on over- Noma and returned home to establish We meandered to the Museum of coming the past, such as Elton Caushi, a world-class restaurant in Tirana. We Secret Surveillance, also known as the the owner of Albania Trip, a company enjoyed an amazing dinner: jufka, home- House of Leaves, which opened in 2017 that is deftly promoting the country’s made pasta with wild juniper berry; clay- in the building that served as the Alba- political patrimony and natural beauty. baked quail; and a coffee dessert drunk nian Secret Service’s headquarters during He recounted matter-of-factly how two from tiny pitcher spouts. the communist era. Visitors can view the young female Albanians desperately Albania is now in NATO and a can- tools of oppression of a country that was attempted to swim to Greek Corfu, didate for accession to the European struggling to feed its own people and had covering their heads with hollowed-out Union. As Albanians slowly recover from fewer than 3,000 cars at the time. watermelons to elude capture. decades of isolation and repression, they A foray into central Tirana revealed He and other creative entrepreneurs are transforming one of Europe’s poorest an enormous glass and marble pyramid are at the heart of Albania’s integration countries into a democratic society—and built after Hoxha’s death to honor him into the West. Indeed, T: The New York fascinating tourist destination. and to house some of his possessions, Times Style Magazine named Tirana one We are grateful to Albania. It brought pharaoh-like. Graffitied in a manner of the 10 most enchanting places its writ- us together again, reminding us of the familiar to any New Yorker, it sits empty ers visited in 2019. fortitude of the human spirit and why we while authorities bicker over its fate. And And, indeed, Albanians are unabash- became diplomats in the first place. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 105 LOCAL LENS BY CARILLE GUTHRIE n COLOMBO, SRI LANKA

aturday at Pettah Market. The Sri Lankan government lifted COVID-19 movement restrictions at the end of June. As life in the city of nearly a million residents slowly began to return to normal, I thought it was important to document the revitalization. Without question, the busiest place in Colombo is Pettah Market. The shopping district is about 12 square blocks of wall-to-wall Sgoods—from textiles, to hardware, to fresh fruits and everything in between. If you can’t find what you’re looking for in Pettah Market, then you’re not really trying! n

Carille Guthrie is an avid traveler and self-taught photographer. She serves as the operations and maintenance transition coordinator for the new embassy compound in Colombo. She took this photo with a Nikon D750.

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

106 DECEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL