January 1999
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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE January 1999 StateStateMagazine Vientiane One of Asia’s Hidden Treasures Coming in February: San José State Magazine (ISSN 1099–4165) is published monthly, except bimonthly in July and August, by the U.S. Department of State, 2201 C St., N.W., Washington, DC. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, State DC. POSTMASTER: Send changes of address to State Magazine, Magazine PER/ER/SMG, SA-6, Room 433, Washington, DC 20522-0602. State Carl Goodman Magazine is published to facilitate communication between manage- ment and employees at home and abroad and to acquaint employees EDITOR-IN-CHIEF with developments that may affect operations or personnel. The Donna Miles magazine is also available to persons interested in working for the DEPUTY EDITOR Department of State and to the general public. Kathleen Goldynia State Magazine is available by subscription through the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, DESIGNER Washington, DC 20402 (telephone [202] 512-1850). The magazine can be viewed online free at: www.state.gov/www/publications/statemag ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS The magazine welcomes State-related news and features. Informal James Williams articles work best, accompanied by photographs. Staff is unable to CHAIRMAN acknowledge every submission or make a commitment as to which issue it will appear in. Photographs will be returned upon request. Sally Light Articles should not exceed five typewritten, double-spaced EXECUTIVE SECRETARY pages. They should also be free of acronyms (with all office names, Albert Curley agencies and organizations spelled out). Photos should include Colleen Hope typed captions identifying persons from left to right with job titles. Material may be submitted on disks, e-mailed or faxed, in 14-point Kenneth Hunter type, to (703) 812-2475. The mailing address is State Magazine, Stevenson McIlvaine PER/ER/SMG, SA-6, Room 433, Washington, DC 20522-0602. Wayne Oshima Contributions may also be left in Room 3811, Main State. The maga- Gary Pergl zine’s main number is (703) 516-1667. Deadline for copy is the 15th of each month. StateState Magazine January 1999 Contents No. 421 Department of State • United States of America COLUMNS Vientiane’s 12 Office of the Chief of Protocol Victory Following protocol is this office’s charter. 2 From the Undersecretary Monument. 16 Post of the Month: Vientiane 4 Direct From the D.G. Those assigned there call it one of Asia’s hidden treasures. 11 Ask Dr. Dumont 21 Helping Put Dar Back on Track A Foreign Service officer relates her experience serving on temporary duty in Dar es Salaam. 23 Civil Service Opportunities Overseas DEPARTMENTS Civil Service employees now work at U.S. Embassies and 3 Letters to the Editor Consulates around the world, thanks to several new programs. 25 Third Culture Kids 5 Appointments Mobility and changing international environments shape the 9 In the News lives of Foreign Service children. 38 People Like You 30 USIA Director Holds Town Hall Following passage of the Foreign Affairs Reform and 42 Obituaries Restructuring Act, Director Joseph Duffey talks to his troops. 16 43 Education & Training 33 State’s Two-Hatted Workers Photo by Will Lawson These employees serve the Department and the military. 44 Personnel Actions 40 Promotion Statistics Tables summarize results of the 1998 promotion board. President Clinton addresses Secretary Albright and Department officials in the Benjamin Franklin Room, one of State’s diplomatic reception rooms. 12 White House photo On the Cover Wat Si Saket in Vientiane. A Message on the Reorganization Although any change of this magnitude causes person- Undersecretary for Management Bonnie Cohen. al uncertainties and anxieties, I hope to allay some of them now, and I will continue to share information with you as we move forward. Although we expect that over time integration will yield efficiencies and savings as well as improve effectiveness, there are no plans for a reduction in force. We will consider “best practices” from all agencies for wider adoption and operate in a spirit of partnership. I am pleased to report that under the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998, all personnel will be transferred to the Department at the same grade or class and the same rate of basic pay or salary and with the same tenure as held prior to integration. Some flexibility is needed to align people and positions most effectively. The act gives us authority to do this sensibly. For up to six months after the transfer, the Secretary is authorized to assign transferring personnel to positions or sets of duties in the Department, except that by virtue of such assignment neither grade or class nor rate of basic pay or salary will be reduced, nor will tenure be changed. The Department will offer more opportunities for retraining and upgrading skills. The Foreign Service Institute will work with USIA colleagues to integrate public diplomacy into the FSI curriculum. FSI will soon “We are becoming one run a pilot course on public diplomacy intended for a wide audience in the Department and other U.S. govern- team and one family.” ment agencies. FSI also will offer a course for newcomers on how the Department functions. We are becoming one team and one family. By Bonnie Cohen Reorganization is a cooperative endeavor and a big task. Undersecretary for Management If we approach it with a spirit of openness, equality and mutual respect, we can make it the success the American want to reinforce the warm words Secretary people expect. As we go forward, we will emphasize con- Albright has extended to everyone who will be sensus building and communication along with efficient welcomed from other foreign affairs agencies decision making and flexible structures. into the Department of State and to the Assistant Secretary for Administration Pat Kennedy is Department personnel they will be joining. heading the interagency team responsible for this Integrating the Arms Control and Disarmament important undertaking. Pat and his team, composed of Agency and the U.S. Information Agency and senior representatives of each agency, will be sending linking the U.S. Agency for International Development biweekly telegrams to keep you up to date. As imple- Imore tightly to the Department offers a historic opportu- mentation proceeds, we will place information on the nity to strengthen the country’s foreign policy. We must Department’s web site, including the presidential plan not forget, however, that it is the outstanding work of all and report and answers to frequently asked questions. our dedicated employees that will enable America to take You may use e-mail, DG DIRECT, as a hotline to ask fullest advantage of this opportunity. your own personal questions. As reorganization moves ahead, we will never lose Your ideas and questions will be most welcome as reor- sight of the importance all of you have in this effort. ganization enters its implementing stages. I 2 State Magazine LETTERS TO THE EDITOR For the Record From the Editor Dear Editor: Reorganization is the subject of several articles in this issue and a topic I read with interest and pleasure of much discussion since Congress passed the long-awaited Foreign the articles in October’s issue about Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998. The act merges the Arms disabled Foreign Service officers. Control and Disarmament Agency and the U.S. Information Agency with There is an error, however, in the State, with ACDA officially becoming part of the State family on April 1 article “Extraordinary Achievers” and USIA on Oct. 1. But already, as Undersecretary for Management that should be corrected. The article Bonnie Cohen tells us, “We are becoming one team and one family.” states that the first blind officer It takes a lot of teamwork to organize official functions of State, we joined the Foreign Service in 1991. I learn in our feature on the 70-year-old Office of the Chief of Protocol. joined the U.S. Information Agency There’s an interesting sidebar, too, on Blair House, the President’s official in 1983 and am also blind, not to the guest house, operated by the Protocol folks. The amenities are nice, but extent that I need a guide dog, but you won’t find it in a bed-and-breakfast directory. within the legal definition of blind- Vientiane, considered one of Asia’s hidden treasures, is our featured ness. Mine is a visual field deficien- Post of the Month, and many old Asian hands will visit these pages with cy, the result of a head injury, that nostalgia—at least we hope so—and will write us about their own expe- restricts my reading and prevents rience at this hardship post. me from driving. Also in this issue, we meet some “Third Culture Kids,” children of I look forward to the day when all Foreign Service families whose mobility and international environments hurdles to successful participation shape their lives. Always the new kid on the block or in school, these by disabled employees are gone. global nomads have acquired characteristics that set them apart as pio- Roy Glover neers of a new global culture. USIA Program Officer Most of us wear many hats, but some folks among us wear two dis- Educational and Cultural Affairs tinctive hats—military reservist and Department employee. Handling both is demanding, but most of those interviewed consider their military obligation “enriching.” Part of the Team Finally, in this issue, we introduce a new section, “People Like You,” which we hope you will find interesting and support. We’re confident Dear Editor: that there are, indeed, many People Like You among our readers. Do let In his October article about the us hear from you.