PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION JULY-AUGUST 2017

ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES WHAT DIPLOMACY DELIVERS

OUT IN THE COLD FAMILY MEMBER EMPLOYMENT

THE VALUE OF U.S. DIPLOMACY

FOREIGN SERVICE July-August 2017 Volume 94, No. 6

20 44

Focus on Environmental Diplomacy

20 32 Features An Existential Threat The Path to PACE: That Demands Greater FS How U.S. Diplomacy Engagement Accelerated Clean Energy For more than 25 years, negotiators Cooperation with India 44 have worked around the world to meet A foreign affairs practitioner offers Making It Work: the climate change crisis. The need to a ground-level guide to changing Conversations with deepen this work will only increase, and the world, one clean energy market greater FS engagement is essential. at a time. Female Ambassadors Seven female ambassadors By Tim Lattimer By Jason Donovan candidly discuss the challenges and successes of building both 26 36 career and families. It’s Not Just about Paris: Solar Overseas: Interviews Conducted International Climate Harnessing the Sun to by Leslie Bassett Action Today Power U.S. Embassies There is a great breadth and depth of With the significant, steady drop in 61 official and unofficial activity around the cost of solar energy systems, the Out in the Cold: How the world aimed at meeting the climate State Department has moved to take change challenge. advantage of this environment-friendly the Hiring Freeze By Karen Florini & Ann Florini investment. Is Affecting Family By Todd Evans Member Employment Employing family members overseas isn’t just good for morale. 41 It makes financial sense, too, From the FSJ Archive: and helps keep our embassies Decade of the Environment functioning. A feature from the May 1978 FSJ traces By Donna Scaramastra accomplishments from the previous decade. Gorman By Fitzhugh Green

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 5 FOREIGN SERVICE

Perspectives 78 Local Lens Departments Pernik, Bulgaria 7 By Jenny Cobble 10 Letters President’s Views Sustaining America’s Global 13 Talking Points Leadership 65 In Memory By Barbara Stephenson 70 Books 9 Letter from the Editor Climate Change Diplomacy Marketplace By Shawn Dorman 17 72 Classifieds Speaking Out 75 Real Estate The Value and Purpose of 74 Index to Advertisers American Diplomacy By William J. Burns 78

AFSA NEWS THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION

49 2017-2019 Governing Board Election Results 60 AFSA Announces High School Essay Contest 50 State VP Voice—I Couldn’t Have Done It Winner Without You 60 Join Us for Happy Hours 51 USAID VP Voice—The Future of Foreign Assistance 52 FAS VP Voice—Looking Forward 52 AFSA Governing Board Meeting, May 2017 53 Assignment Restrictions: An Update 54 AFSA Outreach—Our Successes So Far 55 Senate Foreign Service Caucus Launched 56 99 Years of the FSJ Now at Your Fingertips 56 2017 Summer Interns Arrive at AFSA 57 2017 AFSA Award Recipients 58 Retiree Corner 56 60 iLead Speaker Series Features AFSA President

On the Cover: A woman portrayed against a backdrop of dramatic deforestation in the hills of Haiti. Photo by Ron F. Savage, a USAID FSO cur- rently serving in the Dominican Republic. More of his photographs can be found at http://sierravistaimages.zenfolio.com.

6 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL PRESIDENT’S VIEWS

Sustaining America’s Global Leadership

BY BARBARA STEPHENSON

s I prepared to write this, the final among members a sophisticated under- Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), column of my two-year term as standing of the unique demands of our chairman of the Senate Appropriations AFSA president, I reviewed all service so that members are themselves Subcommittee on State, Foreign Opera- A19 columns published since I equipped to be effective advocates. tions and Related Programs, had this to say took office in July 2015. By the time you Workforce planning, the creation of about the proposed cuts to the budget for read this, the results of the elections for staff capacity so that AFSA can fulfill its State and USAID: “A 29 percent cut means the 2017-2019 AFSA Governing Board and role as the Voice of the Foreign Service you really have to withdraw from the world officers will have been announced, and and generate informed arguments about because your presence is compromised. we will know if I will be back in this space what choices contribute to the long-term That may be the goal of this budget. It’s not writing President’s Views columns for the well-being of the Foreign Service as a my goal. This guts soft power as we know next two years. vital instrument of national security and i t .” I told you at the outset of my tenure that prosperity. Make no mistake about it: what you do I would use this column as an accountabil- I am pleased to report that we have matters. In addition to being effective and ity tool to report openly and transparently made enormous progress in all three informed advocates for the Foreign Ser- about AFSA’s goals and plans, all funded by areas, and I invite—indeed encour- vice, I want to ask you to double down on you, the more than 16,500 members who age—you to read AFSA’s annual report doing your jobs. For the two-thirds of you voluntarily pay dues to run this organiza- for further details about the work we have who are deployed abroad representing our tion so we can serve as the Voice of the undertaken on your behalf. great nation at 270 American diplomatic Foreign Service, your voice. As we face a proposed 30 percent posts around the world, please keep our I reported to you that the AFSA Gov- cut to the foreign affairs budget, along flag flying proudly. Reinforce patterns of erning Board would structure its work with a major reorganization, I am, while cooperation. Encourage partners in your around three pillars: profoundly unsettled about what all this host country to continue to look to the Outreach, to tell the proud story of the means for America’s global leadership, American embassy for leadership and Foreign Service to the American people equally grateful that we at AFSA had the problem solving. so they understand what we do and why foresight to prepare and mount a credible Double down on your contact work. it matters to them—and are then ready defense of the Foreign Service as both Keep information channels flowing and to champion our vitally important work indispensable to global leadership and patterns of security cooperation robust. to help make our country secure and the most cost-effective tool in the national Pay into the bilateral relationship, build- prosperous through sustaining America’s security toolkit. ing up the metaphorical bank account global leadership role. I am more convinced than ever of by reminding your host country what Inreach, both the vital role the Foreign Service plays in they love about America, whether that’s to gain a nuanced sustaining America’s global leadership astronauts or jazz, and of the ties that bind understanding of role—a role supported by nine in 10 of our us, whether of shared sacrifice or kinship members’ aspira- fellow Americans. So are other leading or history. tions and concerns voices—from our country’s most respected And take care of each other. as the basis for our generals and admirals to business and Remember: America’s global leader- advocacy agenda religious leaders, as well as many members ship role rests in large measure on your and to reinforce of Congress from both sides of the aisle. shoulders. n

Ambassador Barbara Stephenson is the president of the American Foreign Service Association.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 7 FOREIGN SERVICE

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

Associate Editor CONTACTS Gemma Dvorak: [email protected] AFSA Headquarters: BUSINESS DEPARTMENT Publications Coordinator (202) 338-4045; Fax (202) 338-6820 Director of Finance Dmitry Filipoff: [email protected] State Department AFSA Office: Femi Oshobukola: [email protected] (202) 647-8160; Fax (202) 647-0265 Controller Ad & Circulation Manager USAID AFSA Office: Kalpna Srimal: [email protected] Ed Miltenberger: [email protected] (202) 712-1941; Fax (202) 216-3710 Assistant Controller Art Director FCS AFSA Office: Cory Nishi: [email protected] Caryn Suko Smith (202) 482-9088; Fax (202) 482-9087 Editorial Intern LABOR MANAGEMENT GOVERNING BOARD THROUGH JULY 15 Andrea Philbin General Counsel President Sharon Papp: [email protected] Editorial Board Hon. Barbara Stephenson: Deputy General Counsel Beth Payne, Chair [email protected] Raeka Safai: [email protected] Randy Berry Secretary Senior Staff Attorneys James Bever William Haugh: [email protected] Neera Parikh: [email protected] Angela Bond Treasurer Hon. Charles A. Ford: [email protected] Hon. Gordon S. Brown Zlatana Badrich: [email protected] State Vice President Stephen W. Buck Labor Management Counselor Angie Bryan: [email protected] Lawrence Casselle Colleen Fallon-Lenaghan: Eric Green USAID Vice President [email protected] Kara McDonald Sharon Wayne: [email protected] Grievance Counselor John G. Rendeiro Jr. FCS Vice President Jason Snyder: [email protected] Steve Morrison: [email protected] Senior Labor Management Advisor FAS Vice President James Yorke: [email protected] THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS Mark Petry: [email protected] Labor Management Advisor PROFESSIONALS Retiree Vice President The Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), Patrick Bradley: [email protected] Hon. Tom Boyatt: [email protected] 2101 E Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is Executive Assistant published monthly, with combined January-February State Representatives Jaya Duvvuri: [email protected] and July-August issues, by the American Foreign Service Lawrence Casselle USAID Staff Assistant Association (AFSA), a private, nonprofit organization. Susan Danewitz Material appearing herein represents the opinions of the Vacant writers and does not necessarily represent the views of Jason Donovan the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries Ramón Escobar MEMBER SERVICES and submissions are invited, preferably by email. The Josh Glazeroff Journal is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, Director of Member Services photos or illustrations. Advertising inquiries are invited. Keith Hanigan Vacant All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. Donald Jacobson Membership Representative AFSA reserves the right to reject advertising that is not Kara McDonald Natalie Cheung: [email protected] in keeping with its standards and objectives. The appear- Erin O’Connor ance of advertisements herein does not imply endorse- Retiree Counselor ment of goods or services offered. Opinions expressed in Alison Storsve Todd Thurwachter: [email protected] advertisements are the views of the advertisers and do Tricia Wingerter Administrative Assistant and Office Manager not necessarily represent AFSA views or policy. Journal USAID Representatives subscription: AFSA member–$20, included in annual Ana Lopez: [email protected] dues; student–$30; institution–$40; others–$50; Single Ann Posner issue–$4.50. For foreign surface mail, add $18 per year; Lorraine Sherman COMMUNICATIONS foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid FCS Representative Director of Communications at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. Suzanne Platt Indexed by the Public Affairs Information Services (PAIS). Ásgeir Sigfússon: [email protected] FAS Representative Stephen Wixom Online Communications Manager Email: [email protected] BBG Representative Steve Herman Jeff Lau: [email protected] Phone: (202) 338-4045 APHIS Representative Mark C. Prescott Outreach and Communications Specialist Fax: (202) 338-8244 Retiree Representatives Allan Saunders: [email protected] Web: www.afsa.org/fsj Hon. Patricia Butenis Awards Coordinator © American Foreign Service Association, 2017 Hon. Al La Porta Perri Green: [email protected] Hon. John Limbert Outreach Coordinator PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Catherine Kannenberg: [email protected] Postmaster: Send address changes to STAFF AFSA, Attn: Address Change Executive Director PROFESSIONAL POLICY ISSUES 2101 E Street NW Ian Houston: [email protected] Director of Professional Policy Issues Washington DC 20037-2990 Special Assistant to the President Julie Nutter: [email protected] Jennie Orloff: [email protected] Policy Analyst Speechwriter Geneve Mantri: [email protected] Mary Daly: [email protected] Program Assistant Erika Bethmann: [email protected]

SCHOLARSHIPS Scholarship Director Lori Dec: [email protected]

8 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Climate Change Diplomacy

BY SHAWN DORMAN

Climate change and shifting weather patterns are not the Tinker Bells of science or of policy. FSO Jason Donovan shares the Disbelief, or denial, or a suspension of research will not make melting icecaps, rising sea ground-level story of the “Path to PACE,” levels, desertification and floods go away. …There is change, and it affects human security. how the Partnership to Advance Clean —Ambassador (ret.) Barbara Bodine in her foreword to Energy, a bilateral agreement between “New Challenges to Human Security: Environmental Change and Human Mobility,” the United States and India, helped an April 2017 report by Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy. create a $4 billion bilateral clean energy market. Then Todd Evans, an energy manager in the Bureau of Overseas a Buildings Operations, shows how the ast fall, some eight months ago, the that climate change and environmental State Department has adopted solar FSJ Editorial Board selected envi- challenges more broadly are going away. power in “Solar Overseas: Harnessing the ronmental diplomacy as the focus And we can still hope that the United Sun to Power U.S. Embassies.” Ltopic for this July-August issue. The States government will continue to play Finally, an article from the May 1978 Paris Agreement on climate change had a constructive role in bringing people FSJ, “Decade of the Environment,” gives been signed by the United States and all and countries together. U.S. engagement an account of the early U.S. leadership other countries of the world but two, and will continue, through the states and on environmental diplomacy, including had entered into force in November 2016. cities, through governors and mayors, the Nixon administration’s 1970 creation Then-Secretary of State John Kerry was non-government organizations and U.S. of the Environmental Protection Agency personally involved in the intense all-night businesses. and how that inspired other nations to negotiations that led to the final accord. It We begin with FSO Tim Lattimer’s follow with their own national EPAs. was a great story of diplomatic success and account of how the United States led the In one of two great features this of U.S. global leadership in cooperation way to the Paris Agreement. Lattimer month, “Making It Work: Conversations with allies and adversaries alike. argues that no matter what this adminis- with Female Ambassadors,” Leslie Bas- Last fall we were not thinking that tration’s posture is on the agreement, the sett shares excerpts from extensive inter- as we put the issue together the U.S. climate change challenge will loom larger views she did with seven ambassadors. president would announce that the and larger, affecting vital U.S. interests And we asked writer and frequent Jour- United States is withdrawing from the around the world—and U.S. diplomats nal contributor Donna Gorman for an Paris Agreement. We did not foresee that must be involved. update on how Foreign Service families environmental diplomacy would become In “It’s Not Just about Paris: Inter- are coping with the current hiring freeze. a toxic topic, rather than a natural place national Climate Action Today,” former Her “Out in the Cold” describes the crisis for U.S. leadership. Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change for family members and embassies. Even with today’s uncertainty, and Karen Florini and public policy professor In Speaking Out, Ambassador (ret.) because of it, we think this month’s focus Ann Florini lay out the many ways that Bill Burns shares his remarks from is timely and a good non-U.S. government entities are becoming Foreign Affairs Day, his perspective on reminder of diplo- deeply engaged on climate change, includ- “The Value and Purpose of American macy’s critical role in ing cities and businesses. The world is Diplomacy.” meeting international moving forward on climate change with or As always, we want to hear from challenges. without USG involvement, they argue, and you. Respond to the articles in this Few would argue the United States should not leave the table. issue or raise another topic of interest by sending in your letters and article Shawn Dorman is the editor of The Foreign Service Journal. submissions. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 9 LETTERS

Reading the FSJ are often overlooked. foreign policy community, Congratulations on making the entire I hope the Journal especially FSOs from State, archive of FSJ issues available online. will consider publish- USAID and associated organi- This will make a valuable asset easily ing a follow-up article zations—including contractors. accessible for academicians and for any- on the need to include To answer Mr. Hutson’s one interested in exploring the history of mental health in our question—“I wonder whether our profession and our country. discussions on global this image [the cover photo] I sincerely hope, however, that you health diplomacy. bothers anyone else?”—I offer a will not follow the example of State Mental health truly resounding “No!” Magazine and replace the print edition knows no boundaries. A multiagency mission includ- of the FSJ with an online one. Susan Gurley ing six men (one with a loaded assault I used to read State Magazine avidly Executive Director, Anxiety and rifle), three women and a third-country every month, always wanting to know, Depression Association of America helicopter and crew in a rugged landing even in retirement, what my colleagues Silver Spring, Maryland zone reinforces my pride in what we were doing to advance our interests at are trying to accomplish in a very harsh home and abroad. Alas, I have not read A Strong Image environment. This is a key reality of the a single issue since the magazine aban- The comments by Thomas Hutson in Foreign Service mission in 2017. doned its print edition. The monthly his letter in the May FSJ regarding the A more positive approach to the photo email link goes unopened. cover of the March issue, which focused might highlight the factors above to sup- The cold light of my computer is no on diplomatic security, took me aback— port the best in us as a nation seeking equal to my comfortable reading chair in more than just a bit. to operate in areas where our presence our sun room, where I hold each month’s The “On the Cover” explanation on might be controversial, but where our FSJ in my lap, leaning back, not forward, page 6 of the March FSJ describes the principles require the kind of commit- turning the pages as I read in the soft roles of the individuals in the photo, ment that I would call exceptional. light coming through our windows. raising questions for me about Mr. David Rabadan Please stick with print. The Journal Hutson’s characterization of the image FSO, retired is a wonderful magazine. My wife and I as demonstrating “the folly of our cas- Annandale, Virginia look forward to reading it every month. trated foreign policy mechanisms.” Charles O. Cecil The outskirts of Kabul constitute No Place for Derision Ambassador, retired dangerous territory. In the photo are I was shocked that the FSJ chose to Alexandria, Virginia an armed contractor supporting the DS publish the letter from Thomas Hutson, contingent at post, a USAID specialist, “The Wrong Image,” in its May issue. Global Health Includes the USAID mission director for Afghani- Did the editorial team not consider his Mental Health stan and the embassy’s deputy chief of mocking reference to female FSOs as I want to thank The Foreign Service mission. The two women stepping off “fluttering female officers” or his implica- Journal for focusing the May 2017 issue the helicopter are not identified, but tion that the lives of female officers in on global health diplomacy. Having might well be State officers accompany- Afghanistan are not worthy of protection? previously worked at USAID, I read the ing the group. An eighth person stands With sadness I reflect on Anne magazine diligently and was pleased to behind the security contractor. Smedinghoff, who sacrificed her life see global health featured. Mr. Hutson’s critical, gratuitous and engaging in the courageous work of I wish, however, that the Journal had disrespectful comment on the “diplo- public diplomacy in Afghanistan. For- noted that May is mental health month. mats” and “development specialists” eign Service women and men continue It was a missed opportunity to highlight (his quotation marks) are beneath the to put their lives at risk in support of the the fact that mental health issues asso- standards of the Journal, especially at U.S. mission to Afghanistan, and their ciated with famine, refugees, natural a time when AFSA is making the case efforts should not be disparaged. disasters and communicable diseases in defense of all members of the U.S. I am consoled by the fact that Mr.

10 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Hutson is no longer a part of our Service, ing with foreign audiences. but I expect a higher standard from Again, I applaud the inspiration Ms. AFSA. Lively discourse and self-criticism Shaw has provided with her article. I are certainly welcome, but please do not hope that it is just a beginning. allow the FSJ to be a platform for deri- Jon W. Stewart sion and outdated gender stereotypes. USIA FSO, retired Laura Malenas Bothell, Washington FSO Washington, D.C. Practicing Public Diplomacy Let’s Talk about Modern Amelia Shaw makes some good Public Diplomacy points about embassies’ social media I retired as a Senior Foreign Service participation in her May Speaking Out. information officer with the U.S. Infor- Too many practitioners are “using mation Agency at the end of 1988. I was Facebook as a signboard on which to educated as a journalist and earned a cut and paste media content created in master’s degree in international relations Washington.” before joining the Foreign Service in 1963. At FSI, we teach embassy staffers to I was pleased to see the Speaking Out do better in our information tradecraft in the May Journal, “Digital Diplomacy: and other courses, as well as in multiple Will State Ever Take the Plunge?” courses specifically on social media. I congratulate Amelia Shaw on her Every year, hundreds of FSOs and Locally sensitive and thoughtful observations and Employed staff members learn social conclusions. There is no doubt that, to be media strategies, techniques and analytics. effective, the tools of modern-day public As I work with PD professionals in diplomacy must involve the so-called strategic planning workshops and learn social media. Digital and/or electronic of their products and methods, I think media would be a more accurate term. that most of them do take engagement We did not have those tools when I seriously. We talk a lot about capturing was in the Service, but I see how effec- audience reaction to the full spectrum tive they can be. I would hope, as Ms. of programs to evaluate results. Shaw suggests, that State will find a way When Ms. Shaw gets into her first to make the public diplomacy func- public diplomacy assignment in Vien- tion more effective through the use of tiane, her production and marketing modern methods. Our diplomats, in skills will doubtless improve the Public particular those serving abroad, deserve Affairs Section’s performance. all the help they can and should get. However, she will also learn that Though the atmosphere at the posts, tweets and videos are tools, not moment is likely not conducive, I also the end product of a PAS. believe that it would be better for PD Diplomacy is a different business to be, once again, made independent from journalism. n from the State bureaucracy. In any case, Joe B. Johnson it should have a director who is knowl- FSO, retired edgeable, if not currently involved with Instructor, Public Diplomacy digital media, and personally aware of Division, FSI the complicated nature of communicat- Arlington, Virginia

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 11 Two Separate Things President Donald Trump recently admonished many of our NATO allies for not meeting the target of spending 2 percent or more of GDP on military expenditures. But the shoe is on the other foot when it comes to economic and social development expenditures (foreign aid). The United States is among the worst in not meeting the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Devel- opment’s target of 0.7 percent of GDP for such expenditures. We are only at 0.17 percent, ranking 20 out of 28 member countries. Our rep- resentatives at OECD, including myself some years ago, attempt to justify our poor record partly by stressing that we meet our military obligations. But our friends invariably reply that these are “two separate things.” Military expenditures represent hard power. Development expenditures, along with diplomacy, are soft power. It is the latter—backed up from time to time by the former—that are the best tools for dealing with the conflicts of our times. The bulk of our politicians and citizenry do not understand that. Raymond Malley Senior FSO (State and USAID), retired Hanover, New Hampshire

CORRECTION The June Talking Point on the 70th anniversary of the Marshall Plan mis- takenly states that Secretary of State George C. Marshall received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1949. He received that award in 1953. We regret the error. n

12 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL TALKING POINTS

Paris Agreement— been uniformly negative. German, French the Paris Agreement (the other two are U.S. Withdraws, and Italian leaders issued a rare joint Nicaragua, who felt the terms did not go the World Reacts statement shortly after the president’s far enough, and Syria), and some nations resident Donald Trump announced announcement, in which they regretted are questioning whether America wishes Pon June 1 that the U.S. would pull out the president’s decision and stated: “We to retain the United States’ unofficial title of the Paris Agreement on climate change. deem the momentum generated in Paris as “leader of the free world.” The United States’ role in the in December 2015 irreversible.” In the meantime, non-U.S. govern- agreement had been under discus- Describing the Paris Agreement as a ment actors in the United States—promi- sion throughout the president’s recent “vital instrument for our planet, societies nent U.S. companies, numerous mayors, overseas trip to the Middle East and and economies,” European leaders also the state of California and others—are Europe. From the Vatican, where Pope rejected the president’s suggestion that issuing statements of support for the Francis presented Pres. Trump with a the agreement could be renegotiated with agreement, and promising to abide by it. signed copy of a papal encyclical calling terms more favorable to the United States. —Gemma Dvorak, Associate Editor for cooperation in combating climate China and India both took the oppor- change, to the NATO summit in Brussels, tunity to reaffirm their commitment to Business Leaders climate change remained at the forefront. the Paris Agreement and cooperation Back State Department In a speech announcing his deci- with the European Union in economic and USAID sion, Pres. Trump declared that the Paris and technological matters. n May 22, 225 business leaders from Agreement was a “bad deal” for the Apart from the environmental consid- Oacross the United States joined the United States and that compliance with erations, there are also concerns that the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition in send- “the onerous energy restrictions it has decision will damage the United States ing a letter calling on Secretary of State placed on the United States” would cause in the eyes of the international com- Rex Tillerson to support a strong budget damage to the U.S. economy. munity. The United States is now one of for U.S. foreign affairs agencies. The reaction from world leaders has only three countries not to be a part of Recognizing that 95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside the United States, the letter reminded Sec. Tiller- Heard on the Hill “There’s nothing ‘soft’ about what son of the role played by diplomats and FSA continues to see an the State Department does and what development experts in opening up new Aoutpouring of support for the they can do for American security.” markets for U.S. exports, strengthening Foreign Service, the Department —Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), America’s economic interests abroad and of State and USAID. Many public in an interview at the Council on supporting jobs within the United States. figures are stepping forward to Foreign Relations, April 10 “Strategic investments in diplomacy defend diplomacy and development and development make America safer as the most cost-effective national “A 29 percent cut [from the State and more prosperous,” the letter con- security tools. Here are just a few: Department’s budget] means you tinues. “Our embassies and consulates really have to withdraw from the around the world are essential partners “The work that our diplomats do in world because your presence is com- for American businesses to ensure we can the field to advance American inter- promised. That may be the goal of compete on a level playing field. Trade ests under difficult circumstances is this budget. It’s not my goal. This guts promotion programs have helped drive undervalued. I salute members of the soft power as we know it.” American exports, which today make up State Department because they put —Senator Lindsey Graham almost 13 percent of America’s $18 trillion their lives on the line.” (R-S.C.), chair of the Senate economy and support about one in five —Representative Gregory Meeks Appropriations Subcommittee on American jobs.” (D-N.Y.), at a House Foreign Affairs State, Foreign Operations, Chris Policinski, president and CEO Committee hearing, May 18 and Related Programs, May 23 of Land O’Lakes, Inc., a farmer-owned agricultural cooperative, said: “The bang

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 13 empowered diplomats and aid workers. Contemporary Quote If Americans want to keep the reputa- If someone leaves a void, I guarantee someone will fill it… Today, tion the country has built over the years the economy and social aspects are linked to the environmental as a beacon of hope to the world, Powell aspects, but they are also linked to the security aspects, they are linked argues, then the conversation has to begin to the risks of conflict. …If you leave a void to others to occupy, you by acknowledging that it can’t be done on might be creating a problem to your own internal security. the cheap. —U.N. Secretary General António Guterres, responding to a —Gemma Dvorak, Associate Editor question on climate change after a speech at New York University, May 30. Justice Delayed, Justice Denied? we get for this small 1 percent of the his experience in the military working ive years ago, in the May 2012 Journal federal budget is unmatched. When the alongside diplomats and aid workers to F(“The Power of Video”), we reported State Department and USAID have the strengthen America abroad. on the international campaign to capture resources they need to create stable and While agreeing that it is necessary to Joseph Kony, one of Africa’s most brutal growing markets for American goods, it’s review, reform and strengthen the State warlords. Since its 1987 founding, Kony’s truly an American jobs program.” Department and USAID, the former Sec- Lord’s Resistance Army has forcibly Signatories include a number of retary of State said that gutting the foreign recruited approximately 100,000 children Fortune 500 companies—Walmart, affairs budget would, in effect, lower our to serve as soldiers or sex workers, killed or Coca-Cola, Nike, Land O’Lakes, Cargill, flag at outposts around the world and maimed hundreds of thousands of people Loews, UPS, Kellogg, DuPont, Microsoft, make us less safe: Confronting the chal- throughout Central Africa, and displaced Mars, General Electric, the U.S. Chamber lenges of the modern world needs more at least two million others. of Commerce, Pfizer, Proctor & Gamble than just a military that is second to none, We noted that Invisible Children, Inc., and Marriott—alongside dozens of local but also well-resourced, effective and a nonprofit founded to raise awareness of chambers of commerce and businesses from all sectors and regions. —Gemma Dvorak, Associate Editor SITE OF THE MONTH: www.http://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/executiveabroad/

Colin Powell Speaks Out he Executive Abroad is an on the 2018 Budget Tinteractive map showcasing n a May 24 op-ed for The New York the history of international travel by ITimes, former Secretary of State and presidents and Secretaries of State. former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Produced by the Digital Scholar- Staff Colin Powell spoke out in opposition ship Lab at the University of Rich- to the Trump administration’s 2018 bud- mond, which focuses on research get proposal to reduce State Department and development of innovative digital and foreign assistance spending. humanities projects, the map is part cities, users can see the meetings The proposed budget would be “inter- of DSL’s project, American Panorama: that took place during each visit. nationally irresponsible, distressing our An Atlas of United States History. “Executive travel represents an friends, encouraging our enemies and Users can search by the name of important form of soft power, and undermining our own economic and a president or Secretary of State to this map projects its growth during national security interests,” Powell said. find out where in the world they have what’s been called the American Powell spoke from his experience as visited, and how often visits to that Century,” the authors of the website Secretary, rebuilding the department city or country have taken place. By state. after a decade of budget cuts that had clicking on the various highlighted —Andrea Philbin, Editorial Intern left it unable to function effectively, and

14 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Kony’s savagery and pressure the United And sure enough, for the first time States to take military action, had released in five years, on June 7 40 LRA rebels a 30-minute documentary, “Kony 2012.” kidnapped 61 civilians in the Tanganyika It drew 100 million views in its first week mining area near Garamba National Park alone, making it the fastest-growing viral in the DRC’s Haut-Uele province. Though video in history up to that point. The group the villagers were released unharmed also gathered 3.7 million signatures on a call after being forced to transport goods and for international action to end the conflict. food the group had looted, an unknown In a September 2013 update (“Kony number of them have fled the area. At 2013”), we reported that the Obama least one NGO involved in protecting administration had deployed 100 U.S. civilians has already suspended work in Army Special Forces soldiers to Central the province due to insecurity, and others Africa, to train local troops and assist in may follow. the manhunt. Their efforts effectively —Steven Alan Honley, reduced the LRA to a shell of its former self Contributing Editor and drove Kony into hiding, most likely in South Sudan. Annual PDAA Awards Noting that the State Department was Winners Hailed offering a $5 million reward for informa- for Creativity and tion leading to Kony’s capture, the Talking Innovation Points item saw “reason to hope that 2013 he 2017 winners of the 20th annual will be the year he and his followers finally TPDAA awards for excellence in face justice.” public diplomacy were honored at a May Alas, our optimism proved premature. 7 celebration in Washington, D.C. On April 22, Associated Press reporter PDAA is a volunteer, nonprofit Rodney Muhumaza broke the news that organization of current and former State Uganda and the United States had called Department, broadcast, academic and off the manhunt, claiming that the LRA was private-sector public diplomacy profes- only a nuisance, not a regional menace. sionals (formerly known as the USIA In a May 9 follow-up, Muhumaza cites a Alumni Association). December 2016 United Nations report on sex- ual violence in conflict, which states that the LRA remains a regional menace: “The Lord’s Resistance Army con- tinued its decade-old pattern of abduction, rape, forced marriage, forced impregnation and sexual slavery” in the Central African Republic and has a presence in Congo and U.S. CONSULATE GENERAL NAHA GENERAL CONSULATE U.S. South Sudan.” Dolores Prin, second from right, at a school in Okinawa.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 15 50 Years Ago

New Responsibilities for an Old Service by John M. Steeves

s Director General of the Foreign Service, I have eign affairs establishment, one Abeen doing considerable thinking these past months reaches for parallels by way of concerning the future role and the ever-increasing responsi- illustration with some trepidation, for no bilities of the Foreign Service. two situations are sufficiently alike to provide an absolute …When all possible alternatives are examined one cannot precedent. There is, however, sufficient similarity to our escape the conclusion that the arguments supporting the armed services to warrant a comparison. maintenance of a professional, merit-oriented, highly moti- …The fact that the career Foreign Service does not wear vated career system is more valid today than at any time in uniforms or handle visible weapons does not essentially the history of our nation. The question is really not whether change the facts. Continuing and timely consideration needs we should continue to opt for a career system, but what new to be constantly given to the techniques of recruitment, concepts must be employed to meet new demands. training, raising of professional standards, together with pro- …We should focus our attention to a recruitment system viding conditions of service and disciplines to be observed which hires talent from whatever source that may be avail- and rewards to be granted in recognition. able to meet the requirements of the moment. The mainte- But the removal of this stiffening in our foreign affairs nance of a highly professional career corps does not in any establishment by muting or weakening the career Foreign way disparage the collateral need for a variety of talent from Service can only be inimical to the country’s fortunes. government sources and elsewhere, bringing a wealth of ­­—Ambassador John M. Steeves entered the Foreign experience to bear upon our total foreign affairs problem. Service in 1947. He was Director General of the U.S. Foreign In fact, the two concepts are complementary rather Service from 1966 to 1969. Excerpted from the August than antagonistic. …In developing this concept of our for- 1967 Foreign Service Journal.

This year’s awardees include Public Award winners Lydia Barraza and economic growth, wrote Deputy Chief of Affairs Officer Dolores Prin at the U.S. Justen Thomas significantly influenced Mission Julie Chung. Consulate General in Okinawa, Deputy the public narrative in support of nor- Education Adviser Alia Alkhraisha Public Affairs Officer Justen Thomas at malizing U.S.-Cuban relations. “Their organized and participated in more Embassy Havana, Miami Media Hub ability to ‘fill the media space’ allowed than 60 major outreach events on behalf Director Lydia Barraza, Public Affairs us to build a consistent narrative on our of EducationUSA in Dubai, reaching an Officer Jay Raman at Embassy Phnom terms,” Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis audience of more than 38,000 students, Penh (all of whom are AFSA members) said. Their work helped frame messages educators and university representa- and Educational Adviser Alia Alkhraisha that reached tens of millions of viewers tives. in Dubai. around the world and led to the relaunch As a result, for the first time the United Dolores Prin redefined how the U.S. of important State Department programs States can do educational outreach in consulate reaches out to the Okinawan in the country. UAE public schools. Alkhraisha’s example public, which has long been hostile to Award recipient Jay Raman’s initia- is now being used by other EducationUSA the American presence on the island. tives to implement strategic cultural heri- centers across the 19 countries in the Her citation read: “For highly innovative tage preservation programs significantly region. and creative initiatives to engage tens contributed to U.S.-Cambodian relations For full coverage of the PDAA awards of thousands of Okinawans and foster a because of the high importance that gov- and a complete list of award winners since positive image of America in a challeng- ernment places on its cultural heritage 1993, visit www.publicdiplomacy.org. n ing environment.” as a source of pride and as an engine for —Susan B. Maitra, Managing Editor

16 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL SPEAKING OUT

The Value and Purpose of American Diplomacy

BY WILLIAM J. BURNS

This piece is excerpted from Ambassador At a moment when international order is Burns’ remarks at the May 5 Foreign Affairs Day luncheon at the Department under severe strain, power is fragmenting of State. and great-power rivalry has returned, the values and purpose at the core of the ear aftera year for more than American idea matter more than ever. a half-century, we’ve come together on the first Friday in of domestic upheaval and global disor- every morning—challenges that are relent- YMay. We’ve come together during der, and a time of deep doubt about the less and choices that have to be made Republican and Democratic administra- value and purpose of American diplo- under unforgiving time pressures and tions, during times of war and peace, and macy. After more than 15 years of war with inevitably incomplete information. I during moments of promise and moments in Iraq and Afghanistan, and almost a have immense respect for what they must of reckoning. We’ve come together to decade removed from the Great Reces- cope with, and for the professionalism mourn after gut-wrenching loss and hard- sion, Americans feel a profound sense of and decency that they bring to the task. ship and heartache. We’ve come together insecurity about their future and fatigue I miss the people I served with, and the to celebrate diplomatic triumphs, as well about engagement with the world. Baffled unique fulfillment of public service; but as those less heralded examples of good and battered by the dislocating forces of I must admit that my nostalgia is under professionals wading through risk and dif- globalization, the sense of identity that has control for yet another meeting in the ficulty to make our imperfect world a little long animated us as a nation is fraying. White House Situation Room to debate the less threatening. Fed a narrative of carnage and chaos at tortured policy possibilities of North Korea We’ve come together to honor those home, and of decline and danger abroad, or Syria, or to worry about the next big who came before us, and to remind our- Americans wonder whether we can—and global health or humanitarian crisis. Ours selves of our obligation to new generations whether we even should—continue to play is a hard business. of diplomats. And we’ve come together at a leadership role on an endlessly compli- But I worry, really worry, that we’re moments of growth and revitalization, as cated international landscape. … about to make diplomacy a lot harder. well as moments of austerity and bureau- I am still close enough to my time Thirty percent budget cuts, substantial cratic consolidation, and even amputation. in government to understand vividly reductions in both the Foreign and Civil We come together this year at an what Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Services, disruptive fantasies about deep undeniably difficult moment—a time everyone in this department wake up to states and the particularly pernicious

William J. Burns is president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Ambassador Burns retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2014, after a 33-year diplomatic career, with the rank of Career Ambassador. He is only the second serving career diplomat in history to serve as Deputy Secretary of State. Prior to his tenure as Deputy Secretary, Amb. Burns served as under secretary for political affairs (2008-2011), ambassador to Russia (2005-2008), assistant secretary of State for Near Eastern affairs (2001-2005) and ambassador to Jordan (1998-2001). He also served as executive secretary of the State Department and special assistant to former Secretaries of State Warren Christopher and Madeleine Albright; minister-counselor for political affairs at Embassy Moscow; acting director and principal deputy director of the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff; and special assistant to the president and senior director for Near East and South Asian affairs at the National Security Council.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 17 practice of questioning the loyalty of indi- Our foreign aid barely makes a dent in the vidual career public servants because they worked in the previous administration federal budget, but gutting it guarantees are troubling phenomena. And I fear they the kind of state failures and conflicts reflect dismissiveness about the role of that often drag in the U.S. military, at far diplomacy and diplomats that is not only regrettable, but deeply counterproductive. greater cost in blood and treasure. What we’re risking—despite the fine and capable people at the top of this administration’s national security team ity of the post-World War II era. Of course diplomacy enabled by the vast potential and the truly heroic efforts of our career … we got a lot wrong and made our share of the American military, as well as our colleagues under extremely tough cir- of serious mistakes. And, of course, we rich array of economic, development and cumstances—is the hollowing out of the need to make significant adjustments in soft-power capabilities. ideas, initiative and institutions on which a world in which the United States is no Of course we have to substantially American leadership and international longer dominant but still pre-eminent. reform domestic and international agen- order rest. But too many people in today’s Wash- cies. No one is more familiar with—or ington seem to see the United States been more frustrated by—the imperfec- American Leadership and as a hostage to the very international tions and inefficiencies of this depart- International Order order it created. Alliances are millstones, ment than we are. Substantial streamlin- The idea of America has been at the multilateral arrangements such as the ing is long overdue. And it’s about time heart of our success in the world for Trans-Pacific Partnership and NAFTA that we took effective aim at the balloon- 70 years. For all our imperfections, we are constraints rather than opportuni- ing of seventh-floor staff, the endless have embodied political and economic ties, and the United Nations and other layering of bureaucracy, the bottomless openness, respect for human dignity and international bodies are distractions, if clearance pages, and the proliferation of a sense of possibility. The power of our not irrelevant. We’re Gulliver, in their special envoys and offices. And I haven’t example has mattered more than the view, and it’s time to break the bonds of even mentioned travel orders and other power of our preaching, and enlightened the Lilliputians. byzantine administrative processes, a self-interest has driven our strategy. That is more than just an attitude, and form of self-flagellation that we are espe- But what we see bubbling to the more than just a new articulation of a cially adept at in this department. surface at this moment of uncer- recurring isolationist instinct in U.S. poli- But reform ought to be motivated by tainty is far more focus on “self” than tics. It’s already proving corrosive, by cre- an interest in strengthening American “enlightened”—a nasty brew of mercan- ating a trade vacuum in Asia that China diplomacy, not sidelining it. Long delays tilism, unilateralism and unreconstructed is eagerly filling; threatening to squander in filling bureau and embassy leadership nationalism. At a moment when interna- hard-won gains in our own hemisphere posts eviscerate morale and undermine tional order is under severe strain, power and Africa; and unnerving European our capacity to promote our interests, is fragmenting and great-power rivalry allies by indulging populist nationalists defend our policies and ensure the safety has returned, the values and purpose and encouraging more Brexits. and security of American citizens. And at the core of the American idea matter At the same time, we risk the decay of draconian reductions in assistance pro- more than ever. institutions that translate American ideas grams are penny-wise but pound-foolish. American initiative—the willingness and initiative into action. By continuing Our foreign aid barely makes a dent and ability to mobilize others to deal to rely so heavily on hard power, we con- in the federal budget, but gutting it with shared problems—is another crucial tinue to reinforce a calamitous pattern in guarantees the kind of state failures asset at risk. From regional challenges to which we have often inverted the roles and conflicts that often drag in the U.S. wider global dilemmas such as climate of force and diplomacy. Force becomes military, at far greater cost in blood and change, U.S. leadership has been critical our tool of first resort, with diplomacy treasure. That is not just the self-serving to the unprecedented peace and prosper- its under-resourced enabler, rather than view of the diplomatic community, but

18 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL also of the men and women in uniform write new rules of the road to maximize and throughout our intelligence agencies the promise of technological innovation who have seen firsthand the indispens- while mitigating its risks. And we need to able role the U.S. Agency for International pursue tough-minded engagement with Development and other development our adversaries—a mark of American agencies play in preventing and mitigat- strength and confidence, not weakness. ing crisis and conflict. Now more than ever, we need to recruit and invest in the talent and What the Moment patriotism of young Americans eager for Demands of Us the opportunity to serve their country We need to guard against those illu- as diplomats and development profes- sions. We shouldn’t want to find our- sionals. Turning them away today will selves a few years down the road with prove to be a devastating self-inflicted hollow institutions. Now is not the time wound from which it will take decades to to hunker down and wait for the world’s recover. troubles to pass. We can either try to And now more than ever, all of us shape an international landscape that have a role to play in making the case for addresses the ills upending societies American diplomacy—not just to admire and regions and protects our values and the problem or carp from the sidelines, or interests, or watch as it is shaped for us worse yet, as I already find myself doing, by other powers and other players with boring those still laboring in the depart- starkly different visions for the century ment with stories of how things worked unfolding before us. when giants walked the earth. Now more than ever, we need Ameri- We need to be a source of ideas and can diplomacy to open markets, expand initiative and encouragement, and exports overseas and ensure a level and sometimes honest concerns, as well as high-quality playing field for American active and committed advocates for the companies. We need to enhance—not profession and the department to which roll back—cooperation to combat terror- we and our families dedicated so much ists, reduce nuclear weapons and prevent of our lives. their proliferation, and ease the eco- I am often reminded these days of nomic troubles and unresolved conflicts Winston Churchill’s saying that the thing on which violent extremists feed. he liked best about Americans was that Now more than ever, we need Ameri- they always did the right thing in the can diplomacy to support the rule of law end—they just liked to exhaust all the and advance a wider agenda of better alternatives first. While I worry a lot that global health, better opportunities for we will spend inordinate amounts of women, better prospects for food and time over the next few years exhausting water security, and better possibilities all the alternatives, I remain hopeful that for dealing effectively with climate and we can still get this right, and still ensure energy challenges. the priority for American diplomacy that Now more than ever, we need our country needs, that this moment in American diplomacy to tend partner- history requires. And I will always remain ships, alliances and coalitions. They are deeply proud to have shared with all of what set us apart from lonelier powers you the remarkable experience of being like China and Russia. We need to help an American diplomat. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 19 FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENTAL DIPLOMACY

AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT That Demands Greater FS Engagement

For more than 25 years, negotiators have worked around the world to meet the climate change crisis. The need to deepen this work will only increase, and greater FS engagement is essential.

BY TIM LATTIMER

hough it was slow to unfold, the that the burning of fossil fuels and other human activities are emerging crisis posed perhaps the already driving significant changes to Earth’s climate. As a result, gravest potential threat ever to human overall global average temperature has risen by about 0.85 civilization. It menaced human health, degrees Celsius (about 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit) since the dawn of economic development, social cohe- industrialization in the late 1800s. sion and the security of nations around While no increase is deemed safe, an increase of 1.5 to 2 the world. The only way out was to pull degrees Celsius is widely viewed as the upper limit of what we together a cooperative effort involv- might tolerate. Beyond that, we would likely face greater risks ing the entire global community. This of catastrophic impacts. If left unchecked, this planet—still our meant undertaking the most complex, painstaking diplomatic only home—is on track to experience a global temperature rise Tprocess in history, with far-reaching implications. Are we talking of 4 degrees Celsius or more by 2100. Regardless of the Trump about an impending attack by space aliens? No. Thermonuclear administration’s posture on the Paris Agreement, FSOs will have war? Nyet. Viral pandemic? Nope. Climate change? Yes, absolutely. to contend—for better or worse—with the very real and endur- Climate change is one of the gravest dangers facing the world ing challenges and opportunities posed by climate change. These today, with profound implications for the future of all humanity. issues will long remain central to U.S. security and economic Notwithstanding the specious denials put forward by self-styled interests and will likewise remain of great interest to our partners “experts” and the seeds of doubt sown by fossil fuel–funded around the world. We ignore them at our peril. think-tanks and pundits, the weight of scientific evidence shows We are already seeing the effects of this change. Without a decisive shift to low-carbon energy sources, the impact will be Tim Lattimer is an FSO who has served in multiple even more devastating, threatening the very existence of some assignments in the Bureau of Oceans and Interna- nations. Among other things, climate change brings: tional Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES), • Increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events most recently as deputy director of the Office of (e.g., prolonged droughts, killer heat waves and intense episodes Global Change (2012-2016). He received the State Department’s of rain or snow); 2016 Frank E. Loy Award for Environmental Diplomacy. His • Changes in water patterns or flows, undermining agricul- past overseas assignments include the Philippines and a variety tural production and food security; of economics and environment, science, technology and health • A rise in sea level, inundating coastal communities, destroy- (ESTH) posts in Latin America. An environmental planner in ing infrastructure, salinating sources of fresh water and submerg- California for 10 years prior to joining the State Department in ing low-lying islands and prompting mass migrations; 1994, he will return to the private sector later this year. • Ocean warming and acidification, which will destroy coral

20 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL COURTESY OF TIM LATTIMER TIM OF COURTESY Delegates to the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference assemble in the plenary hall in Paris. reefs, weaken marine food chains and threaten the food security of the world’s countries to reach consensus decisions with far- of the billion or so people who depend on the sea for most of reaching implications for how economies are structured and how their protein; we will maintain a habitable planet. While Civil Service experts • Spread of diseases (e.g., dengue fever, West Nile virus and have done most of the heavy lifting on U.S. negotiating teams, Lyme disease) to previously untouched areas; and career Foreign Service officers also play a vital role in the field, • Mass extinctions of species, with one in six species at risk of engaging with counterparts from around the world to cultivate disappearing in this century, thus tearing apart the interdepen- relationships, build trust and explore possible compromises to dent web of life that sustains us all. overcome seemingly impossible differences. As a consequence of potential climate-related social upheaval and economic disruption, successive secretaries of Defense, A Global Response, Born in the USA both Republicans and Democrats, have stressed that climate Climate change is much more than an environmental issue. It change poses serious security risks. Most recently, this past is fundamentally about how our economies are powered, i.e., the March, Defense Secretary James Mattis said that “climate change energy sources we use to drive economic expansion and job cre- is a challenge that requires a broader, whole-of-government ation. In essence, international climate negotiations have been a response.” Private-sector executives and local authorities are also “design and build” process, restructuring 21st-century economies increasingly focused on taking prudent steps to avoid or mini- so that we can move beyond fossil fuel-based development to mize their exposure to the risks posed by climate change. Why? low-carbon or zero-carbon development. No one country can Because it is clearly in their business and community interests solve the global challenge that is climate change, but the United to mitigate risks and seize the opportunities presented by the States has an outsized role in finding a solution, both substan- emerging clean energy economy. tively and symbolically. Much of the world looks to the United In 1988, amid a growing body of scientific evidence and media States for leadership, not simply because of our political, military hype about climate change, the United Nations created the Inter- and economic might, but because of the historic responsibility governmental Panel on Climate Change to provide authoritative we have as the largest historic emitter of greenhouse gases. scientific and economic analyses, thereby laying the groundwork The State Department started laying the official U.S. govern- for eventual negotiation of an international climate agreement. ment groundwork for climate negotiations in 1988. At that time, Ever since, the U.S. State Department and American diplomacy the Bureau of Oceans and International Scientific and Environ- have often led the way in meeting this challenge. mental Affairs (OES) moved Daniel Reifsnyder, a career civil For more than 25 years, climate change negotiators across servant, from its bilateral scientific cooperation office to lead a the globe have worked to bridge deep divides among virtually all new office, the Office of Global Change (OES/EGC). Stephanie

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 21 Kinney, then a mid-level (the so-called “Annex 1” FSO, joined the office in Pres. George H.W. Bush countries). 1989. In August 1990, State signed the United Nations pulled in Robert Reinstein, The Kyoto Protocol: a veteran trade negotiator Framework Convention DOA in the USA from the Office of the U.S. By the mid-1990s, the Trade Representative with on Climate Change at the realization that rising a strong science and energy June 1992 U.N. Conference on global emissions would background, installing him blow past the convention’s as the OES deputy assistant Environment and Development initial goal—returning secretary for environment. (the “Earth Summit”) greenhouse gas emissions The OES Bureau’s first cli- to their 1990s levels by mate negotiating team—the in Rio de Janeiro. the end of the decade— trio of Reinstein, Reifsnyder prompted calls from the and Kinney—enlisted the support of a career lawyer in State’s European Union and others for stronger action. Developing Office of the Legal Adviser, Sue Biniaz. countries continued to resist emission targets for themselves, In June 1990, President George H.W. Bush surprised every- arguing that it would be unfair to expect them to give up eco- one—including the State Department—by announcing that the nomic growth and poverty reduction because of a global problem United States would host the first round of negotiations for a that was not of their own making. United Nations climate agreement in February 1991. With little Faced with growing economic competition from rising powers time, no money and no venue, the small OES team scrambled like China and India, many Americans feared that higher (clean) to pull together an event in Chantilly, Virginia, that would host energy costs would put the United States at a severe economic hundreds of diplomats and scientists from around the world. disadvantage to rivals having no emission limits. In July 1997, From the beginning, developing country negotiators argued six months before the conclusion of the Kyoto negotiations, that climate change was a problem caused by industrialized the U.S. Senate adopted the Byrd-Hagel Resolution by a vote of nations, and that developing countries would be the primary 95-0, expressing Senate opposition to any agreement that would victims. They maintained that it would be unfair for developing harm the U.S. economy and that did not require emission limits countries to forego the fossil-fuel driven lifestyles enjoyed in the for developing countries. Developing countries did not budge, United States, Europe, Japan and other developed nations. And, despite the efforts of then-Vice President Al Gore in Kyoto. in what ultimately became history’s greatest shakedown, devel- Faced with the unhappy choice between blowing up a deal or oping countries sought to condition their support for climate going along with it in hopes of later overcoming domestic opposi- action on receiving, technology and capacity building from devel- tion, the United States went along with UNFCCC adoption of the oped countries. Kyoto Protocol, which imposed specific GHG reduction targets Following 18 months of tough negotiations, Pres. Bush only on “Annex 1” (developed) countries to be achieved by 2008- signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate 2012. During its final three years, the Clinton White House never Change at the June 1992 U.N. Conference on Environment and sent the Kyoto Protocol forward for Senate advice and consent. Development (the “Earth Summit”) in Rio de Janeiro. The U.S. In April 2001, President George W. Bush announced that he Senate gave its advice and consent promptly in October 1992, would not seek the Kyoto Protocol’s ratification, effectively pull- reflecting a bipartisan consensus that is virtually unheard of ing the plug on a deal that had in any case been dead on arrival in today. The UNFCCC set forth the ultimate objective of stabiliz- the United States three years earlier. This move angered much of ing greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the atmosphere the world, prompting blowback in other arenas. Still, Russia’s rati- so as to avoid “dangerous [manmade] interference in the fication of the protocol in October 2004 put it into force in 2005; it climate system.” Among many other provisions, it articulated was a clever move by Vladimir Putin that was less about combat- the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities ing climate change and more about isolating the United States. and respective capabilities.” In essence, this justified putting the Despite real U.S. progress on climate and emission reductions burden for emission reductions squarely on developed countries in the ensuing years, much of the world saw the United States as

22 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL a “deadbeat dad”—the top historic carbon polluter ducking its obligations.

Quest for a Deal “Applicable to All” When President Barack Obama took office in January 2009 UNFCCC negotiators faced the looming expiration of the Kyoto Protocol’s 2008-2012 commitment period. The chaotic December 2009 climate negotiations in Copenhagen, dubbed a failure by many, actually brought into bold relief a fundamental truth: putting the onus for action only on developed countries COURTESY OF TIM LATTIMER TIM OF COURTESY was no longer viable. Even if all developed countries met their Secretary of State John Kerry confers with U.S. negotiators on ambitious targets, we would still be endangered by unchecked the final text of the Paris Agreement. developing country GHG emissions, particularly driven by major emitters like China and India. took the reins at State in 2013. Secretary of State Kerry elevated Cobbled together by Pres. Obama and other heads of state climate to the top of our diplomatic agenda, issuing his first in a last-ditch effort to salvage the Conference of the Parties, the department-wide policy memo focused on climate and includ- brief “Copenhagen Accord” reset the foundations for interna- ing the issue as a regular fixture in his public statements. He and tional climate diplomacy. It was the first-ever agreement calling Pres. Obama pressed the U.S. agenda routinely in bilateral calls on both developed and developing countries to articulate GHG and meetings, as well as multilateral fora. Likewise, other top emission targets for 2020, removing the first bricks from the Obama administration officials lent their strong support on cli- “firewall” that previously shielded developing countries from mate issues, including Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, Agricul- setting quantified goals. In ture Secretary Tom Vilsack, so doing, Copenhagen set EPA Administrator Gina the stage for the effort to Cobbled together by President McCarthy and Science develop a new deal by 2015 Advisor to the President for the post-2020 period. Obama and other heads of Dr. John Holdren, among Given domestic U.S. state, the brief “Copenhagen others. politics, we had to have Several years of out- an agreement that, Accord” reset the foundations reach and bargaining set among other things, was the stage for the closing “applicable to all” and for international climate run-up to Paris. At the 2014 that strengthened long- diplomacy. U.N. climate negotiations term ambition, ensured in Lima, UNFCCC parties transparency with regular chose State Department reporting and review, and was based on country-determined Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment Daniel Reifsnyder to (“bottom-up”) targets and timetables rather than “top-down” co-chair the committee charged with drafting the Paris Agree- ones imposed by others á la Kyoto. Led by then-Special Envoy ment. Thanks to his long history with the UNFCCC dating from for Climate Change Todd Stern, the State Department’s team its first days, Reifsnyder offered much more than his negotiating composed primarily of career civil servants carefully crafted a skills and his credibility as a fair arbiter. He also brought to bear new “pledge and review” approach that ultimately became the his encyclopedic knowledge of climate issues and the extended basis for the Paris Agreement. Stern relied heavily on two career tribe of UNFCCC players from around the world. With little civil servants—Office of the Legal Adviser’s lawyer Sue Biniaz fanfare, Reifsnyder teamed with his Algerian co-chair, Ahmed and Office of Global Change Director Trigg Talley, whom Stern Djoghlaf, also a veteran climate negotiator, to shepherd the later tapped as his deputy special envoy. fractious parties through an intense succession of negotiations The State Department climate team felt the impact when throughout 2015. In reconciling the incredibly diverse interests long-time climate champion and then-Senator John Kerry of nearly 200 parties, they developed a balanced package that

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 23 ministers picked up to hammer out the final Paris Agreement. The Role of the Foreign Service Remarkably, Sec. Kerry participated actively throughout Historically, State’s career civil servants have been the core most of the final two-week Paris conference, huddling with the of the U.S. government’s climate team supporting politically U.S. negotiating team, prodding other ministers and interven- appointed lead negotiators. Their expertise encompasses ing from the floor at critical junctures during round-the-clock multilateral negotiations as well as the many dimensions of negotiations over the final text. Such strong and sustained politi- climate such as clean energy, forestry and land use, adaptation cal firepower from Pres. Obama and Sec. Kerry on down gave a and climate finance. Their creativity and skill in developing huge lift to rank-and-file negotiators, particularly during the final and implementing climate assistance programs led directly to stages of the UNFCCC’s relentless series of meetings heading fostering positive impact on the ground with developing coun- into and at Paris. tries, thereby building the goodwill and mutual understanding

AN ESTH OFFICER’S TRICKS OF THE TRADE

nvironment, Science, Technology & Health (ESTH) ine attentiveness to their concerns, not just those of the jobs offer great opportunities for our best FSOs to United States, can open up possibilities for closer coopera- Eshine. You need not be a scientist or a physician to tion and win/win outcomes. tackle these issues. You already have the requisite intel- Be entrepreneurial. Yes, budgets are tight. But you lectual and communications skills to be an FSO. Here can still exploit opportunities to harness and showcase are some tips on how to be an effective ESTH officer, and American know-how. For example, pay attention to country maybe also have some fun along the way. clearance requests. You may discover an impending visit Connect your ESTH work to broader U.S. govern- of a U.S. expert or a routine port call by American research ment and mission goals (e.g., security, prosperity and vessels that could open up greater opportunities for official democracy). Help your front office see the links between engagements or public outreach. ESTH issues and other priorities. You may also find syner- Make friends with your Public Affairs Section. ESTH gies where you least expect them (e.g., your Mil Group or issues often offer a bright spot in what might otherwise be Narcotics Affairs Section might have assets that can help difficult bilateral relations. Turn those pro forma scientific in combating illegal wildlife traffickers, not just the usual exchanges, document signings, ribbon-cuttings and the like suspects). And pay attention to what top U.S. government into opportunities to drive ESTH-oriented public diplomacy leaders are saying and doing. You can bet that host country messages. ministers and other counterparts do the same. If you’re in a separate ESTH unit, be sure to form Get out and meet people in their own habitat. Find a tight team with your Econ, FCS and FAS colleagues. out their priorities and what they think. Calling on coun- You’ll likely find common interests—e.g., promoting the terparts is about more than expanding your “contacts.” export of U.S. goods and services in clean technology or It is about building relationships and trust. Go to their U.S. know-how in sustainable agriculture. place, and ask about their views and priorities. This helps Rely on and support your Locally Employed staff. you learn about what is really going on and enables you to They can be your secret weapon in advancing U.S. interests provide better-informed reporting to Washington. Build- and avoiding pitfalls. Not only do they have the institutional ing trust quietly with counterparts puts deposits in the memory, but they may also know the technical or contex- “emotional bank account” that you may later need to draw tual issues better than you do. They may also be well- on when the chips are down. connected to their home country’s officials and thought Look for ways that U.S. interests might intersect leaders. with those of your counterparts. Demonstrating genu- —Tim Lattimer

24 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL needed to resolve difficult negotiating issues and set the table macy and development; strengthen staff understanding of and for ministerial-level decisions. engagement in climate issues; integrate climate change into At the same time, however, FSOs have played an important all of our diplomacy and development efforts; designate criti- role throughout the course of the climate change effort. Doing cal countries for in-depth climate engagement; and expand the bread-and-butter work of career diplomats, they built climate and clean energy diplomacy beyond capitals. relationships with a cross-section of host country colleagues, We cannot wish the climate threat away. The need for FSOs advocated forcefully for U.S. interests and positions, reported to step up on climate remains ever more vital. OES leadership insightfully on the domestic needs and pressures affecting a is cognizant of this need, and their efforts to open up greater country’s negotiating positions, and alerted Washington to opportunities for FSOs on these issues deserve strong support changing circumstances that might open the way for closer from the entire FS community. cooperation (or requite greater effort). We see the greatest progress when we have a deep bench This better enabled the special envoy for climate change involving people on all levels and of all skill sets, from chiefs and his team to engage in the meticulous task of building of mission to political, economic and public diplomacy FSOs common cause with traditional and new allies, as well as to engaged on an issue. It is long past time that the department head off possible deal-breakers from players with ideological align its FSO recruitment, training and incentives to create or economic motivations to prolong an international stale- a stronger cadre of FSOs who are eager and fully prepared mate. It also helped Washington optimize the strategic use of to play more active roles in the fight to keep Earth habitable. foreign assistance, as the special envoy and his team designed Implementing the 2015 QDDR would be a good and important and implemented highly effective bilateral and multilat- step in that direction. n eral cooperation under the umbrella of the “Global Climate Change Initiative.” Nonetheless, in an international negotiations process with such far-reaching implications, the relative absence of FSOs remains a problem. “I [was] the only FSO involved in what turned out to be one of the biggest issues and negotiations of the decade,” Stephanie Kinney said, recalling her work in the 1990s in her 2010 interview for the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training’s Foreign Affairs Oral History Project. Nearly a quarter-century later, I was one of only two FSOs who were part of the core delegation in Paris in 2015. We can, and we must, do better. Perhaps few FSOs have taken part in U.S. climate diplo- macy over the past quarter-century because they view climate as too “technical” or strictly the domain of “tree huggers.” Or maybe it’s because the State Department and Foreign Service culture remain stuck in a 20th-century mindset, which holds who the real power (and promotion) rests strictly with State’s regional bureaus. Whatever the reasons, the climate change challenge will loom larger and larger going forward, affecting vital U.S. interests around the world. Recognizing the importance of having more FSOs play a more active, leading role in this fight, then-Secretary Kerry made “mitigating and adapting to cli- mate change” a key strategic priority in the 2015 Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review. Among other things, the QDDR called for State and USAID to strengthen climate diplo-

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 25 FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENTAL DIPLOMACY

IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT PARIS International Climate Action Today

There is a great breadth and depth of official and unofficial activity around the world aimed at meeting the climate change challenge.

BY KAREN FLORINI & ANN FLORINI

he world no longer waits for U.S. Indeed, in the run-up to the Trump administration’s June 1 leadership on climate. In 2014, astute announcement that it would withdraw from the Paris Agree- U.S. diplomacy helped foster a U.S.- ment—an announcement replete with gross mischaracteriza- China joint announcement that in tions of the agreement’s actual provisions—businesses from turn made possible the breakthrough Exxon to General Mills to Intel called for the United States to Paris Agreement in 2015. But with that remain a party to the agreement. They did so not least because agreement now in force, businesses they believe their ability to compete effectively in global markets and cities already deeply engaged will be undercut by Washington’s abandonment of its seat at the and evidence of climate impact more climate-policy table. compelling by the day, U.S. disengagement is unlikely to leave a Climate change is also increasingly seen as a security issue. In Tleadership void for long. Already the European Union is stepping its 2015 report, National Security Implications of Climate-Related into the role of China’s chief dance partner on climate, leaving the Risks and a Changing Climate, the Department of Defense United States on the sidelines of a projected multitrillion-dollar identified climate change as “an urgent and growing threat to market for climate-friendly solutions. our national security, contributing to increased natural disasters, refugee flows and conflicts over basic resources such as food and Karen Florini, a visiting fellow at the University of water.” Moreover, Defense noted that these impacts “are already Oxford’s Oxford Martin School, was deputy special occurring, and the scope, scale and intensity of these impacts envoy for climate change at the State Department are projected to increase,” aggravating “existing problems … that from April 2015 to January 2017. Previously, she threaten domestic stability in a number of countries.” served as managing director for international climate at the Although the Paris Agreement has drawn the lion’s share of Environmental Defense Fund. recent international climate headlines, it is far from the only Ann Florini is a professor of public policy at Singapore forum in which Americans can, and do, address climate issues. Management University, where she focuses on global A glorious profusion of state, non-state and hybrid entities in governance issues including energy and climate, and the United States and elsewhere is demonstrating impressive a Faculty Fellow at American University’s School ingenuity in relevant policy and technology. But this abundance of International Service. She was previously on the faculty of of loosely connected actors and initiatives makes it difficult to the National University of Singapore, the staff of the Brookings understand how many fronts exist in the battle against cata- Institution and the staff of the Carnegie Endowment for Inter- strophic climate change. To help reduce the confusion, this national Peace. article offers a tentative taxonomy. For context, some basics of

26 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL the climate issue and of the Paris Agreement itself are first briefly were curtailed. Socioeconomic factors also make turn-on-a-dime summarized. responses infeasible: Reconfiguring the world’s fossil-fueled infrastructure for energy, transport and industry is the work of The Climate Science Context decades, as is upgrading energy efficiency in billions of energy- and the Paris Agreement consuming buildings and appliances. (While some researchers Despite occasional claims to the contrary, the physical science are exploring “geoengineering”—artificial manipulation of the underlying concerns about climate change is well established. earth’s climate—to rapidly deflect warming, its practicability Carbon dioxide traps heat (i.e., energy) in the atmosphere, a remains unclear, to say nothing of its potential unintended con- physical property readily measured through spectroscopic sequences.) And the argument that our descendants will be rich analysis. Fossil fuels and organic materials such as wood release enough to readily adapt to the consequences of a changing cli- carbon dioxide when combusted, increasing atmospheric carbon mate ignores the very real possibility that severe climate change dioxide levels and trapping more energy in the atmosphere. will itself derail future economic growth. This results not only in higher global average surface tempera- The good news is that the cost of low-carbon energy, particu- tures; it also, in effect, puts weather on steroids, with impacts larly renewables, has plummeted over the last decade, spurring that include more-intense droughts and deluges. In addition, as increased deployment. Globally, renewables now account for the higher temperatures trigger majority of new electric- thermal expansion of water power generating capacity. and melting of land-based The Paris Agreement neither The bad news? Fossil fuels glaciers and ice sheets, today still provide more average sea levels rise. dictates a U.S. emissions than 85 percent of the How big will these target nor imposes financial world’s total energy supply. impacts be and how fast Dramatic emission reduc- will they come? Will they be contributions; targets are tions require not only that modest and slow enough nationally determined, and existing infrastructure be that most societies can reconfigured, but also that adapt (despite dispro- contributions are voluntarily new development take a portionate consequences decided by each country. low-carbon pathway. for some locales and the Growing recognition of poor)? Or will big changes the urgent need for climate come swiftly, with wrenching consequences that destabilize action prompted enough countries to join the Paris Agreement entire regions and eventually the world economy? The answer by October 2016 to reach its entry-into-force threshold—55 coun- depends primarily on how much more carbon pollution is loaded tries representing 55 percent of global emissions—with near- into the atmosphere. Beyond that, the complexity of the planet’s unprecedented speed, even as the world was experiencing the climate system makes precise answers impossible, at least for hottest year on record for the third year in a row. (In September now, so projections of temperature increases and impacts are 2016, President Barack Obama used a combination of inherent best expressed as probability ranges rather than a single point. presidential authority and authority conferred by legislation and The higher but all-too-plausible ends of those ranges paint a pic- treaty to enter into the Paris Agreement, designating it an execu- ture of brutal temperature swings, massive droughts and resulting tive agreement not requiring Senate advice and consent.) food insecurity, and rising sea levels that devastate coastal cities Though by no means perfect, the Paris Agreement consti- around the globe. tutes a major step forward. It articulates a global goal of keeping Nor is it plausible to wait and see whether impacts approach temperature increases to “well below” two degrees Celsius above intolerable levels, and only then start reducing emissions. Excess pre-industrial levels (with efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees), carbon dioxide persists in the atmosphere for centuries and some a target initially proposed by scientists as avoiding the worst effects tipping points, such as large-scale melting of polar ice sheets and of climate change. carbon-rich Arctic permafrost, would be essentially irreversible, Contrary to the assertions President Donald Trump made so impacts would intensify for many years even after emissions when announcing the U.S. withdrawal, the Paris Agreement

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 27 neither dictates a U.S. emis- additional details of the sions target nor imposes The good news is that the structured approach. financial contributions; cost of low-carbon energy, targets are nationally deter- Climate Action mined, and contributions particularly renewables, Beyond the are voluntarily decided by Paris Agreement: each country. Rather, the has plummeted over A Taxonomy agreement’s legally binding the last decade. The Paris Agreement elements essentially involve is the central element of submitting an updated international action on cli- national target on a five-year cycle—a target that is entirely self- mate, but there are innumerable others. Some of these elements determined, and for which there is no penalty if exceeded—and are associated with the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate continuing to provide information that the United States already Change, under which the Paris Agreement was adopted, but makes public. Indeed, the agreement extends emission-reporting state and non-state actors alike are engaged on climate issues in requirements to developing countries (with flexibility for those ways that go far beyond the Paris provisions. Indeed, the variety that need it in light of their capacity), eliminating a prior dispar- of state, non-state and hybrid entities engaging on climate issues ity on information sharing. is cause for both hope and confusion. To help dispel the latter, But though the targets are not legally binding, they can pro- we offer the following somewhat idiosyncratic taxonomy to map vide useful signals to other countries and to investors, inventors the various kinds of activities now underway, with some illustra- and entrepreneurs. And many countries are acting to provide tive but far from comprehensive examples. such signals. Singapore, a country whose economy depends New examples are already arising in the United States in the significantly on oil refining and trading, announced in February wake of Pres. Trump’s Paris withdrawal announcement, such that, as of 2019, it will institute Southeast Asia’s first carbon tax as the United States Climate Alliance comprising U.S. states on the country’s largest emitters. Over the past year, India has that aim to reduce emissions consistent with the national target added twice as much renewables capacity as coal capacity. Even that had been previously announced by Pres. Obama. As of this Saudi Arabia, the world’s top exporter of crude oil, launched the writing, 12 states accounting for more than a quarter of the U.S. first stage of a planned $50 billion renewable-energy procure- population and nearly a third of its GDP had joined this alliance. ment program in early 2017. The taxonomy described below has three main branches: (1) One of the more unusual features of the Paris Agreement (or Paris Agreement “Relatives”—entities that are mentioned in or more accurately, its accompanying Decision) is its emphasis on that are explicitly focused on implementation of the Paris Agree- the role of non-state actors: the private sector, subnational gov- ment; (2) Non-Paris Multilateral Initiatives, some of which also ernments, environmental and development advocacy groups, involve non-state actors; and (3) Non-State Actor Initiatives in the faith community, trade unions, labor, youth groups, aca- the private sector, in the subnational government sector or in demia and civil society writ large. Among other provisions, the civil society (some of these initiatives involve national govern- Decision calls for a high-level event featuring non-state actors at ments, as well). Examples from each of the main branches and each annual climate negotiations conference through 2020. sub-branches follow. In addition, to help strengthen synergies among these groups, the Decision provides that a “champion” will be appointed each w Paris Agreement “Relatives” year by the nation that is taking up the presidency of the annual Clean Technology Center & Network. CTC&N, the operational climate negotiations. Each champion serves for two years, over- arm of the UNFCCC Technology Mechanism, promotes the “accel- lapping for a year with the champion appointed in the prior year. erated transfer of environmentally sound technologies for low- At the 2016 climate negotiations, the inaugural champions (from carbon and climate-resilient development” in response to specific France and Morocco) launched the Marrakech Partnership for requests from developing countries for advice on technologies, Global Climate Action to provide a “consistent and structured capacity building and policy, legal and regulatory matters. approach” for advancing the work of non-state actors. In May NDC Partnership. Launched at the 2016 UNFCCC climate 2017, the current champions (from Morocco and Fiji) issued conference in Marrakech, the partnership is chaired by Morocco

28 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL and Germany. It is a coalition of developing and developed w Non-Paris Multilateral Initiatives countries and international institutions working together to help Formal Agreements. Two other climate-relevant international developing countries achieve their climate objectives. In par- agreements were successfully negotiated in the months following ticular, the partnership aims to help countries navigate the “vast, adoption of the Paris Agreement but independent of it: fragmented array” of technical and financial support through its Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. Adopted in knowledge products such as the NDC Funding and Initiatives October 2016, the amendment provides for a global phase-down Navigator database and the NDC Toolbox Navigator. of certain hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are chemicals used Green Climate Fund. Although launched under the auspices chiefly in refrigeration and air conditioning as substitutes for of the UNFCCC, the GCF operates as an independent organiza- ozone-depleting substances. These HFCs are extremely potent tion with a separate board comprised of 12 developed and 12 heat-trapping gases (up to several thousand times more power- developing nations and its own secretariat in South Korea. The ful than carbon dioxide). Implementation of the amendment will GCF is intended to be a principal mechanism for providing prevent more than 0.5 degrees Celsius of warming this century, developing countries with support for low-carbon, climate- a significant contribution toward the Paris Agreement’s goal of resilient development and adaptation. To date, 43 countries holding warming to less than 2 degrees. have pledged more than $10 billion, including $3 billion from Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International the United States, of which $1 billion has been paid. GCF uses Aviation. CORSIA was adopted in October 2016 by the Interna- multiple financial instruments, including grants, concessional tional Civil Aviation Organization to avoid post-2020 growth in loans, debt, equity and guarantees, and has a dedicated private- carbon dioxide emissions from international civilian flights that sector facility. depart from one country and arrive in another. CORSIA is the first

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 29 aimed at revamping financial regulation to support the transition FURTHER READING to low-carbon sustainability. Its reports and national engage- For more information on global climate change issues ment processes prompted China to set up a Green Finance Study and initiatives, visit the following sources: Group in the G-20 and fostered conversations across the World Bank, IMF and U.N. with the private finance sector. I Beg to Differ: Taking Account of National Circumstances Under the Paris Agreement, the ICAO w Non-State Actor Initiatives Market-Based Measure and the Montreal Protocol’s As with the prior sections, the following examples are not HFC Amendment—www.bit.ly/TakingAccount. comprehensive. Rather, they are illustrative of the range of Debating Carbon Taxes with Oren Cass and Bill Gates— climate-based activities organized by non-state actors. Many www.bit.ly/DebatingCarbonTaxes. more are listed in the Non-State Actor Zone for Climate Action (climateaction.unfccc.int), a database outlining more than 12,000 Climate Change Science and Global Warming commitments by businesses, subnational governments and other Misinformation—https://skepticalscience.com. non-state actors to reduce emissions.

Private Sector Initiatives international agreement to limit the total emissions of an entire Breakthrough Energy Coalition. Announced at the 2015 global industry sector. Paris climate negotiations, the coalition was formed by Bill Gates Additional Forums. In addition to formal multilateral nego- and other wealthy investors to deploy “patient and flexible” capi- tiations, processes such as the annual G-20 and G-7 gatherings tal for new energy technologies. The coalition launched a Break- have often addressed climate and energy topics, as have regional through Energy Ventures Fund of more than $1 billion in 2016 to groups such as the Arctic Council (the eight countries having ter- increase the speed and scale at which promising energy devel- ritory within the Arctic Circle). Specialized entities also focus on opments are brought from the lab to the marketplace, through particular topics. Examples include: long-term investments with the potential to reduce greenhouse Clean Energy Ministerial. CEM is a minister-level forum gas emissions by at least half a gigaton (one billion tons). composed primarily of large emitters (among them the United Oil/Gas Climate Initiative. Led by the CEOs of 10 companies States, China, India, Russia, Japan and Indonesia, as well as sev- that jointly produce 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas, the eral European and Nordic nations). CEM’s 24 member countries initiative organizes collaboration on action to reduce the sector’s account for 75 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions greenhouse gas emissions. and for about 90 percent of global clean energy investments. Walmart. In April 2017, the world’s biggest retailer launched CEM hosts an annual forum for ministers, and sponsors techni- an initiative to work with its suppliers to cut a gigaton of emis- cal programs on key topics such as highly efficient appliances sions by 2030. The company has also pledged to reduce its own and lighting, smart grids and low-carbon cooling, many of which direct emissions by 18 percent by 2025. involve the private sector as well as governments. Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Cli- Subnational Government Initiatives mate Pollutants. Although carbon dioxide is the principal green- Under2 MOU. Known formally as the Subnational Global house gas, other substances also contribute significantly to climate Climate Leadership Memorandum of Understanding, the Under2 disruption. Of these, several are more potent but less persistent MOU provides that signatories will reduce greenhouse gas emis- than carbon dioxide, most notably methane, black carbon (soot) sions by 80 to 95 percent from 1990 levels, or limit their emissions and some HFCs. CCAC—a hybrid of more than 50 countries and to two tons per capita annually, by 2050. A total of 170 jurisdic- more than 50 nongovernmental and intergovernmental organiza- tions from 33 countries have signed or endorsed the MOU, tions—operates seven sectoral programs and several cross-cutting representing 16 percent of the global population and 37 percent programs aimed at reducing emissions of these substances. of the global economy. U.N. Environment Program Inquiry into the Design of a C40 Climate Leadership Group. A network of more than 80 Sustainable Financial System. The UNEP Inquiry catalyzes megacities and innovator cities, C40 emphasizes urban action to engagement of high-level finance policymakers in a process reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Its member cities are home

30 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL to more than 600 million people representing one quarter of the These initiatives also vary widely in resources, from shoestring global economy. operations to well-established organizations with multimillion- dollar annual operating budgets. Increasingly, organizations Civil Society Initiatives founded in developed countries have launched branches or A prodigious array of civil society organizations, from aca- sister organizations in developing nations, particularly those with demic consortia and think tanks to activist NGOs, engages on substantial emissions. climate issues. For many, climate is a primary or exclusive focus, while for others it is part of a broader environmental, develop- What’s Next on Climate Change? ment or faith-based agenda. Such groups also vary considerably The world is moving forward on climate change, with or with- in their geographic scope: some are active locally, others at the out U.S. government involvement. Given the realities of a warming provincial/state level, still others nationally or globally. climate, the United States will not be able to avoid the issue for Most are involved in formal or informal coalitions, or are them- long. Even prolonged inaction is not going to change what the selves coalitions of groups, such as We Mean Business (comprised rest of the world does. Indeed, the U.S. announcement is already of business-facing NGOs that work directly with companies and stimulating action by our own businesses, cities and states. But it investors), the Climate Action Network (an umbrella group of will leave the federal government without a seat at a very big table. more than 1,000 environmental NGOs from around the globe, with Rather than leading, the United States will be scrambling to formal regional networks in multiple locations) and Galvanizing catch up from a withdrawal decision that ignored the Paris Agree- the Groundswell of Climate Actions (a convener of dialogues ment’s actual terms and that has demonstrably undermined U.S. among various cohorts of non-state actors, including academics, credibility internationally, as the world proceeds without us to businesses, cities and non-governmental groups). create the low-carbon economy of the 21st century. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 31 FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENTAL DIPLOMACY THE PATH TO PACE How U.S. Diplomacy Accelerated Clean Energy Cooperation with India

A foreign affairs practitioner offers a ground-level guide to changing the world, one clean energy market at a time.

BY JASON DONOVAN

imagine just about every reader of The Foreign Service From the United States’ vantage point, clean energy repre- Journal has a personal conception of diplomacy. Over sented one of the new Obama administration’s top three policy 18 years in the Foreign Service, I’ve come to see it as priorities. The idea was to push the envelope in developing a process that begins with respecting the aspirations cost-effective clean energy, while capitalizing on the boom in of nations on their own terms, visualizes where they natural gas as a bridge fuel from more- to less-polluting forms of could go in partnership with the United States and power generation. Could Washington’s pursuit of a clean energy then mobilizes them toward realizing that vision. economy also help secure low-carbon, sustainable economic To illustrate this process, I’d like to offer an example growth for partners like India? from the Economic Section of Embassy New Delhi, To chart the confluence of these distinct aspirations and where from 2009 to 2012 I was responsible for the bilateral energy catalyze efforts to realize them, in 2009 New Delhi and Washing- Iportfolio. ton worked together to create the Partnership to Advance Clean India has 1.3 billion people, some 400 million of whom lack Energy. Over the past eight years, PACE has helped create a $4 any source of electricity. Hundreds of millions more have only billion bilateral clean energy market and facilitated multifaceted sporadic access to energy. In 2009 the country’s objective was cooperation in developing clean energy and fighting climate first and foremost to increase energy production and access, change. and only secondarily to maximize energy efficiency and clean energy use. Could India leapfrog over the dirtiest forms of energy Establishing Ground Rules for Collaboration to meet a significant part of its vast energy needs using clean Within the broader context of the ongoing U.S.-India strategic sources? dialogue, Embassy New Delhi worked closely with host-country contacts to design a framework for cooperation on clean energy Jason Donovan directs the State Department’s Office and climate change. While that framework built on a number of Multilateral and Global Affairs. During 18 years of existing, small-scale technical assistance projects, it also in the Foreign Service, he has served in Guatemala, reflected the new administration’s call for a far more ambitious Italy, Malaysia, India and Washington, D.C. The clean energy agenda. views expressed here are the author’s and not necessarily those With that in mind, we negotiated a bilateral memorandum of of the U.S. government. understanding that became one of five pillars of the overall U.S.-

32 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL India strategic dialogue—and marked the formal policy adoption of PACE. As many previous contributors to this magazine have pointed out, official visits represent a fruitful mechanism through which to bring policy ideas over the finish line. This is most clearly visi- ble at the head-of-state level, but the same benefits can flow from trips by Cabinet officials and high-ranking civil servants. During President Barack Obama’s first months in office, senior officials from the Department of Energy, National Security Council, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Export-Import Bank and the Trade Development Agency all traveled to New Delhi to probe the potential for bilateral clean energy collaboration. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/IRRADWIKIMEDIA Some senior Indian officials reciprocated those visits, of course. A solar-powered street light in a village in India. That outreach paved the way for the November 2009 trip to Washington by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh—the first state visit of the Obama administration—and Pres. Obama’s tive research and financial investments both small and large. first visit to India a year later. Embassy New Delhi, Washington In short, the vision and the brand of PACE needed to be many interagency stakeholders and our Indian counterparts used things to many different players, since the figurative, as well as these visits as action-forcing events to deepen the high-level literal, buy-in required myriad champions. commitment on both sides to make the Partnership to Advance While government agencies were the primary drivers of the Clean Energy a reality. initiative, the Indian-American diaspora—tech-savvy and well represented in science and engineering-intensive businesses A Big Enough Sandbox for Everyone and academic organizations—helped mobilize additional Indian From the outset, the NSC played a pivotal role, endorsing the support. PACE concept and using its convening power to bring together all U.S. government stakeholders. In relatively short order, a Setting the PACE dozen U.S. agencies and departments joined the initiative. As we implemented PACE, we identified three distinct lines of Through this process, we learned to frame our objectives broadly effort within the broader initiative: research and development, enough to allow many different organizations to help realize a deployment and financing. The organization with the strongest deliberately ambitious agenda. It was critical for diverse partici- core competency and track record of work in each focus area pants each to be able to add unique value, be mutually support- naturally took the lead in that line of effort and brought along ive and avoid wasting time with turf battles. partner organizations. Over countless conference calls between Washington and The Department of Energy led the clean energy research and New Delhi, we became one U.S. team working to shape PACE development effort, which we nicknamed PACE-R. The U.S. and a coherent strategy for its implementation. Through iterative Agency for International Development and Embassy New Delhi conversations, we identified the resources and expertise that led efforts to supply the policy and technical assistance neces- each stakeholder organization could bring to the table. We used sary to create an enabling environment for rapid and widespread the time in between calls to socialize prospective commitments clean energy deployment: PACE-D. In addition, OPIC, ExIm within our respective organizations and with our Indian counter- Bank and TDA collaborated to set up a Clean Energy Finance parts, reality-checking our aspirations and inevitably recalibrat- Center focused on the specific challenges associated with clean ing as we went. energy finance. All the while, each of these subgroups remained Converting the political will behind PACE into meaningful, open to including new partners, and leveraged their pooled wide-scale dissemination of clean energy technology also meant resources to bring others together in turn. creating an enabling environment for clean energy markets to The example of PACE-R is illustrative. Led by the Department develop. That, in turn, required extensive technical training and of Energy, which oversees the tremendous expertise resident in capacity building, regulatory policy development, collabora- multiple national energy laboratories, the PACE-R team came

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 33 up with an innovative competitive model to spur public-private we could only fund three of the groups, the remaining 24 built cooperation. DOE pledged $25 million over five years to fund up relationships with one another that did not exist before. three consortia with the best proposals to advance break- Four years later, U.S. and Indian officials announced they would throughs in solar energy, biofuels and energy-efficient buildings. extend the existing consortia for another five years and launch a The Indian Ministry of Science and Technology matched the U.S. new, fourth consortium to focus on smart grid and energy stor- investment. age technology. This willingness not only to keep the program Because consortia had to commit their own financial going, but also to expand investment in cooperative clean energy resources (equal to the combined public bilateral commitment), R&D reflects the durability of the collaborative model PACE cre- they attracted labs and academic institutions working with ated. companies seeking to commercialize cutting-edge innovations within a relatively short timeframe. All told, the $25 million con- Diplomacy in Action tribution of each government leveraged a three-part, $100-mil- The success of the R&D prong is perhaps even more appar- lion collaborative research program involving scores of organiza- ent in the proliferation of finance and deployment initiatives of tions and companies from both countries. PACE. Since its inception, multiple new finance mechanisms As this competition got underway, a nongovernmental have been initiated to complement the original Clean Energy organization (NGO) approached Embassy New Delhi to voice Finance Center. These include a finance coordination hub, a concern that the expertise of Indian environmental organiza- finance task force, and investment facilities for everything from tions was not sufficiently included. The NGO was prepared to go large-scale power purchase agreements to smaller-scale financ- public with its condemnation; but instead, we enlisted its aid to ing to improve energy access, rooftop solar uptake and rural spread the word about the funding opportunity. That ultimately micro-grid development. induced many more Indian stakeholders to sign on as consor- For its part, the PACE-D team helped develop the regulatory tium partners. frameworks, skilled labor pool and business models needed A remarkable 27 consortia competed for the awards. While to scale up rooftop solar projects and promoted adoption of energy-efficient building standards, since much of India’s infrastructure has yet to be built. India has since deployed some 230 million energy-efficient lights and is setting global lighting test standards. This extensive joint engage- ment has enabled emerging American clean energy companies to expand their markets, while contributing to a shared clean-energy mission. It is no accident that the same U.S. company that installed India’s first grid-connected commer- cial solar power plant has now installed about one WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/BISWARUP GANGULY COMMONS/BISWARUP WIKIMEDIA The Titagarh Generating Station in Kolkata, built in 1983, is a 240-megawatt coal-fired power plant. gigawatt of solar capacity About 75 percent of India’s electricity is produced by coal-fired plants. (comparable to that of a

34 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/PWRDF A farm in Tamil Nadu uses solar power to run its water pumps and lights.

coal or nuclear power plant). It has mounted solar panels on more than 700 rooftops in India. Similarly, an American startup company furnishing off-grid electricity to rural villages was one of the early recipients of PACE financing, and now supplies some 200,000 people in 300 villages with electricity, where they previously had none. The ambitious scope of PACE has unleashed a wide range of parallel and follow-on initiatives, involving government at all lev- els, international financial institutions, NGOs, labs, universities and businesses. So it is understandable that political support for PACE remains strong in India, even following its change of gov- ernment in 2014. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who previously served as chief minister of Gujarat, a state that is one of India’s most advanced solar power producers, recently announced he would increase his country’s renewable energy target to 175 giga- watts by 2022, 100 gigawatts of it solar. While always aspiring to something broader, the PACE diplomatic initiative helped realize a vision of two countries together creating a vibrant, growing and sustainable clean energy economy. Much remains to be done, both in India and in many other parts of the world, but it is fair to say PACE has gotten off to a good start and has a truly bright future. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 35 FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENTAL DIPLOMACY SOLAR OVERSEAS Harnessing the Sun to Power U.S. Embassies

With the significant, steady drop in the cost of solar energy systems, the State Department has moved to take advantage of this enivronment-friendly investment.

BY TODD EVANS

olar power systems, once a rarity at electricity coupled with the reliability of the local grid. The third diplomatic facilities overseas, have key is having the physical space available on the ground, over become more commonplace in the parking areas or on a roof that is not shaded by surrounding past decade. Once in use at only a vegetation or structures. handful of posts, solar power sys- The final and most important factor in the equation for suc- tems are now installed at 20 posts cess is the interest and commitment of the local community, worldwide, with another 26 systems along with the ability to perform maintenance on the installation on the way. locally. While these arrays are not complicated by moving parts, Construction is nearing comple- they do require regular monitoring, cleaning and, sometimes, tion on systems in Nouakchott, Valletta, London, Port-au-Prince part replacement. Sand Belmopan. Additional systems are funded, under design or have started construction in Curaçao, Harare, N’Djamena, Sunny Skies Bridgetown, Nuevo Laredo, Phnom Penh, Mexico City, Colombo, The first key is dictated by geography. Figure 1 shows how Beirut, Matamoros, Niamey and Hyderabad. much sun energy reaches the earth. If your post is in a bright The increase has much to do with the long-term savings we and clear location, then let’s go ahead and talk about keys two, achieve through these investments. Over the years, we have three and four. If you’re also paying a lot for electricity and you identified four important components to achieving success. have a staff parking lot that could use a cover or an empty lot that To ensure a global return on investment in this technology, isn’t planned for, then your post is probably a good candidate the first key is to install the equipment in areas known for their for a solar power system. But if you live in a dark location, your irradiance—essentially, sun and clear skies (see Figure 1). The power is cheap and reliable, and you don’t have a square meter second consideration is the local cost for municipally supplied that isn’t covered or planned for, then you’re probably better off continuing to get your juice from the grid. (Sorry, Reykjavík.) Todd Evans is an energy manager in the Office of Design and Engineering of the Bureau of Overseas Cost of Power Buildings Operations. He is a licensed architect and The second key requires a careful look at your utility bill. a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Installation and system costs have come down steadily and (LEED©)–accredited professional and certified considerably, making the payback on investment much more energy manager with expertise in renewable energy systems. likely even in locations with lower electricity rates. At the start of

36 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL the program in 2005, it was common to pay $10 to $12 per installed watt of solar power—including panels, invert- ers, wiring, installation and computer systems. At that price—two to three times higher than average U.S. electric- ity costs—systems were only financially profitable in locations where the host government provided a subsidy, where reliance on expensive diesel genera- tion was high—about $0.60 per kilowatt hour per year (kWh)—or where local utility-provided electricity costs were more than approximately $0.30/kWh. Our most recent systems are being

3TIER, INC.3TIER, designed and built closer to $3 to $5 Figure 1. Global horizontal irradiance, or how much sunlight reaches the earth. per installed watt, thanks to advances

Bring on the Solar: A How-To

If you’re interested in bringing solar to your post, where do you start? Is there training available for local maintenance staff who might be put in charge of such a system? If you’re in a sunny location and paying more than $0.15 per kilowatt-hour for electricity, or rely on diesel generators for your electricity, reach out to OBO and we can see if solar power makes sense for you. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, has some public guidance on best practices for solar power system operations and maintenance. Go to www.bit.ly/SolarBestPractices.

What about solar for housing? Is the State Department considering adding solar to overseas housing? OBO makes renewable energy investments with the expectation of a positive return on that investment. In fact, the law (10 CFR 436) requires our return-on-investment (ROI) to be greater than 3 percent. Even in the best of cases, it takes a solar power project seven to 10 years to meet that ROI requirement. Given those financial constraints, two things complicate our ability to invest in renewable energy at our overseas housing. First, although there are exceptions to this, our residences often pay a lower unit cost for electricity than our office buildings. So the value of a renewable energy system at a residence is often lower than it would be just down the street at our embassy or consulate. Second, our housing supply is largely leased. We can’t justify the cost of installing a solar power system that will take 12 years to meet our financial requirements at a location that is only leased for five or 10 years. That being said, we are beginning to see cases where it does make financial sense to install renewable energy systems at housing that we own overseas. Chief-of-mission residences, deputy chief-of-mission residences and staff diplomatic residences are all starting to be evaluated for renewable energy deployment. The housing complex in Port-au-Prince, which is nearing completion, will include solar power. —Todd Evans

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 37 U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT/OBO STATE U.S. Figure 2. The State Department’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations is installing solar and wind power technologies around the world. The three dark blue dots shown on this map represent installed wind turbines. The orange dots represent installed solar systems, and the gold dots are solar systems under construction or being planned. The size of the dot indicates the relative size of the system—larger dots, larger systems; smaller dots, smaller systems. in technology and falling shading vehicles, ease of component prices, such Some posts have areas accessible maintenance as the silicon used to and possible rainwater fabricate the crystalline where nothing can be built— capture make them pre- panels. Current depart- here the array can be mounted ferred sites. Some posts ment-owned systems have areas where nothing are estimated to gener- on the ground, which is the can be built—here the ate electricity for as low least expensive option. array can be mounted on as $0.10 to $0.15/kWh, the ground, which is the making the systems cost least expensive option. effective for posts paying higher than $0.15/kWh for power. The Arrays can be mounted on building roofs, but this complicates lower cost allows for broader worldwide deployment and greater long-term maintenance of both the system and the roof. energy independence and security for our missions. Local Support and Regular Checkups Location For the most part, these systems need little care or feeding The third key is locating a place on government-owned prop- as they passively lower the cost of your electricity bill. Dust will erty to install the array: size matters as much as unobstructed build up, but is often washed away naturally by rain. If not, then sunshine. Canopies over staff parking lots are prime candidates cleaning can improve productivity; but the cleaning may cost for solar arrays. Staff parking lots are typically not candidates more than the increased productivity. Calculate the benefit for future building projects, and even with the added cost of before you bring out the hose. building a structure to support the array, the extra benefits of A general weekly observation tour is recommended to make

38 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL COURTESY OF CON GEN CURAÇAO Solar panels cover a parking area at the U.S. consulate general in Curaçao.

sure all the wiring is neat and tidy, and none of the solar panels panels generate into alternating current electricity. After the themselves are damaged. In West Africa, for example, panels panels themselves, these boxes are the second place mainte- have to be checked frequently because birds often pick up nance staff should look when they suspect a failure. rocks or crustaceans and drop them on the panels. A few posts, Solar panels generally carry a 25-year power production such as Geneva and Managua, have contracts in place to have a warranty. Productivity varies, but even at the end of their life, specialist keep an eye on the equipment and perform preven- you can expect them to generate 85 percent of the electricity that tive maintenance. they did when they were new. Inverters, on the other hand, have Visual inspections aren’t always enough—the best way to tell a much shorter life. Inverters on systems built in the mid- to late- if something’s up is by looking at the system output. All of OBO’s 2000s have warranties of about 10 years. As the technology has systems are equipped with a computer that tracks and shows improved in recent years, though, it is becoming more common their production. Every system gets weaker with age, but if you’re to see inverters with 15- to 20-year warranties. seeing a dramatic drop in production, it may be a sign that something like an individual solar panel or piece of electrical Mid-Life and End-of-Life equipment has failed. As these systems age, facilities staff should regularly check that everything continues to operate effectively. When the sys- Critical Components tem reaches 25 years of use, there are a few choices to consider. When people look at a solar power system, they generally Do we leave the panels in place and continue to harvest what look at the solar panels themselves and assume there’s some power is possible? Or should we invest in a new system that is wiring voodoo that converts all of that sweet sunshine into more efficient and potentially less expensive than the one it is electricity for our use. The biggest part of that “voodoo” is the replacing? We’ll find out together as these systems start to reach inverter. These boxes turn the direct current electricity the solar the end of their useful and productive lives. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 39

FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENTAL DIPLOMACY

FROM THE FSJ ARCHIVES May 1978: Decade of the Environment BY FITZHUGH GREEN

There is just one fragile spaceship Earth, and … if we are to survive, we must all take a world view. –Sen. Harrison Schmitt (R-N.M., 1977-1983)

Eight years ago, America’s virgin environmental movement will- Carter wipes the packing grease off his new administrative ingly entered the embrace of big government. One offspring of this machinery. The incumbents have smoothly grabbed the baton. union was internationalization. Our president laid down a policy They have made no major innovations so far, but they are busily to encourage other nations to fight against pollution. …How has building on the already registered gains in clean air and water and the movement fared since President Richard Nixon signed the grappling bravely with the ever-increasing legions of carcinogens. National Environmental Policy Act in 1970 and entitled this the Overseas the United States assumed an early leadership “Decade of the Environment”? starting in 1971 as its fledgling EPA began to meet, plan, negoti- ate and swap information with dozens of other countries just At Home and Abroad waking up to the eco-peril. Only Sweden (in 1967) had already Many battles have been waged domestically between the formed a national EPA. This country and Great Britain set polluters and the new federal control agency set up on Dec. 2, theirs up in 1970. As of now there are approximately 50 federal 1970—the Environmental Protection Agency. Additional laws have pollution agencies to be found on the five continents. Also, a been passed, and enforced or tested in the courts. The environ- clutch of multinational organizations are busily establishing mental war zone was widened by the Arab oil embargo and fuel pollutant measurement criteria and control guidelines among shortage, and the resultant fight to seek relief from strict control their members. measures. Nuclear energy has been considered and rejected as The magnificent results of the United Nations Conference the perfect oil-gas substitute. Nearly 30 billion federal dollars have on Human Environment at Stockholm in 1972 are still felt. That been earmarked for improving the quality of rivers, lakes and off- autumn the U.N. General Assembly formed another special- shore waters. Yet we now discover that our globally renowned safe ized agency and named it the United National Environmental drinking water is threatened by chlorine, the very substance that is Program. Headquartered in Nairobi, UNEP is largely an envi- supposed to purify it. ronmental monitoring activity but it can and does focus world The air we must breathe has improved somewhat with the attention on major pollution problems. … implementation of the 1970 Clean Air Act, despite some relaxation The conviction that all nations are enmeshed in the planet’s of the automobile emission regulations. But both air and water deteriorating atmospheric and oceanic system has also evoked and living creatures, including man, are menaced by the entry into quite a response from other major multinational organizations— the market of hundreds of freshly manufactured and inadequately NATO, for one. It was Daniel Moynihan’s idea to reorient the examined toxic chemicals every month. North Atlantic Treaty Organization to the ecological concerns of So there are wins and losses on the home front as President its members. This new departure for NATO began slowly. ...

Fitzhugh Green was with Life magazine in New York before coming to Washington to work for the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Information Agency. He then served on the Hill as adviser on foreign affairs and oceanography to Senator Claiborne Pell and ran for Congress in 1970. After serving as associate administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency for six years, Mr. Green authored A Change in the Weather (see the January 1978 FSJ). He also served as a psywar consultant at American University and is now [May 1978] working on a book on propaganda and doing consulting work on the environment.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 41 NATO’s environmental projects have included comparative choose another's criteria. The Japanese, for example, have incorpo- studies of city air pollution and of industrial effluents into a river rated word for word the automobile provisions of the United States shared by two countries, experiments in low-powered autos, Clean Air Act of 1970. conservation, earthquakes, and geothermal energy. Its program is • Finally, many countries now embrace the “polluter pays” known to participants as CCMS—the Committee on Challenges of principle as the fairest way to fund the repair of ravaged environ- Modern Society. ment. This principle has been promoted by the Organization for On balance I believe these big programs, as well as many Economic Cooperation and Development, which includes 24 others handled routinely by EPA and the State Department, were industrialized nations, but not the Soviet Union or China. … worth the taxpayers’ investment. These activities have resulted in This summarizes the thinking of political leaders supported by considerable publicity each step of the way. They directly involved the scientists and engineers of EPAs everywhere. The politicians thousands of foreigners. …When American and overseas environ- inevitably keep leaving the public stage, but the technical people mental experts share their know-how on the spot, the effect can be keep their act going for the duration of their careers; in the brief immediate. For example in a 1976 meeting between Japanese and seven years we have been dealing with foreign EPAs we have found American experts held at the State Department in Washington, our this to be true in all countries. So the relationships that blossom at people acquired disposal information on PCBs (polychlorinatedbi- the professional level are the important ones (not those among the phenyls) that could be copied directly and promptly. summit types) for they will form the basis for enduring coopera- tion. Without them, nations would be hobbled in the difficult and An International Movement complex arrangements that must be made in the years ahead. Although the Americans are leading in post-Stockholm care of the environment, the movement is prospering in many countries. LDCs Get on Board Indeed, a majority of both developed and developing nations have Looked at globally and nationally in this spring of 1978, the rapidly established legislative, scientific, political and administra- environmental movement shows some new color and form, tive safeguards over the dwindling supplies of usable air, water and particularly in the less developed countries. The euphoria which soil. During an almost flash-fire reaction to the “ecology revolu- followed Stockholm was sadly diminished by the energy short- tion,” nations have come to a growing planetary consensus on the age which has acted, as World Bank President Robert McNamara following axioms. predicted, as a dangerous brake on industrial development in the • It is more practical to industrialize with built-in ecological needy nations. safeguards at the beginning than to install retrofit machinery to Nevertheless, a solid interest has grown up in the LDCs because clean up the mess later, as we are having to do in the United States. they are realizing at last that environmentalism means concern for • Some corrective steps are expensive, such as stack-gas scrub- basic human needs such as potable water, breathable air, livable bers to scour the outflows from fossil fuel-fired power plants; land space—all of which can be ruined by industrial pollution. sewage treatment works; or devices to purify automobile exhausts. This is a big change in attitude since the pre-Stockholm days when (Expense has already slowed the abatement of pollution in many many LDCs feared that the fad for pollution reduction was a sur- poorer countries.) reptitious device of the “have” nations to inhibit the growth of the • The chronic fuel shortage may retard advances in environ- “have-nots.” mental control, but the need to conserve energy goes hand in hand UNEP has encouraged this new view of the LDCs by stressing with good ecological stewardship. New energy enterprises like their programs above others in its worldwide budget. offshore drilling, extraction of oil from shale, or strip mining of coal Another cheery note to keep the LDCs in the ranks of enthusi- can be done with minimal disruption of natural surroundings. astic environmentalists has been an increased U.N. focus on more • Since the earth has but one reservoir of air, water and soil, sophisticated and broader environmental issues. This has been sig- man must strive to save it in concert with his fellows—through nalized by the 1976 U.N. conference of human settlements called bilateral and multilateral cooperation in research, interchange “Habitat.” Habitat spawned a pledge that member states should of technology, and setting mutually satisfactory standards of somehow provide a glass of clean drinking water for every human environmental quality. This last point is a reminder that no nation being from 1990 on; in turn the U.N. Water Conference of 1977 wants to have another nation’s standards jammed down its throat. examined practical schemes to bring this dream to reality. The U.N. This doesn’t rule out the possibility that one nation may voluntarily Conference on Desertification and increasing studies about defor-

42 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL estation are still further steps in the right direction. Along with the own policy of drafting environmental impact-type statements heightened interest of LDCs, USAID is now playing an ever bigger on important treaties such as the Antarctic Convention and the role in the environment. Now all projects with significant environ- Panama treaties. mental effects are evaluated before approval. Barbara Blum, deputy administrator of EPA, reports proudly In 1971, we in EPA discussed with the State Department how that the administration has sent its first “environmental” ambas- we could make a cabal of the “good guy” agencies, including the sador, Rodney Kennedy-Minot, to serve in Sweden. He was a Peace Corps, AID and EPA—the agencies whose mission is to help noted conservationist, she explains, before he became a diplomat. people. At that time we were unable to bring off this group effort, Mrs. Blum also cited her intention to work with the State Depart- but now the new administration appears to be moving more suc- ment toward an increased awareness of environmental issues in cessfully in this direction. U.S. embassies abroad. This is a task that began in 1971, and it is One of the promising plans is to internationalize the new Toxic encouraging to see it continued. ... Substances Control Act by negotiating agreements on marketing In summary, the “Decade of the Environment” has proved and testing overseas—this is necessary to prevent the growth of faithful to its name. Environmental issues are still enmeshed in our pollution havens for these poisons, places where they might be private and commercial life at home as well as our diplomatic and legal once they’re outlawed in the United States. economic involvements abroad. We can see as a nation and as a Another forward motion is the effort to seek conservation of species that ultimate, tidy control of our environment and man’s living marine resources to be agreed to under the Antarctic Treaty industrial effluvia is still being fought for vigorously, and with signed some years ago. Still another plus is the State Department’s increasing effectiveness.n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 43 FEATURE

Making It Work: Conversations with Female Ambassadors

Seven female ambassadors candidly discuss the challenges and successes of building both careers and families.

INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED BY LESLIE BASSETT

uring a recent virtual ambassadors’ prohibited from returning to post. The three-year tour kept us roundtable, initiated by the group apart for 18 months. We had to decide whether I should curtail, Women Ambassadors Serving Amer- or separate the family. I was warned by a colleague that such ica, seven female envoys agreed to separations had ended his marriage and I should consider my share their experiences building both decision carefully. Fear of stalling my career and confidence in their careers and their families, and our relationship led my husband and me to decide we could the specific successes and challenges manage the separation—and to underestimate the impact on they encountered along the way. We our children. recognize that male colleagues face We had early affirmation of the decision as I learned shortly similar challenges and hope the excerpts from these interviews after that I was being nominated as an ambassador based on my Dare insightful for all. performance in Saudi. Nonetheless, our son was angry for years about the separation, and we’ve all had some therapy to deal Amb. Leslie Bassett: Tell us about a time when your profes- with the fallout. sional and family responsibilities came into conflict. Amb. Nina Hachigian: While I am generally decisive, deci- Amb. Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley: Our toughest time sions that weigh family against career priorities take longer and was during my three years as principal officer in Saudi Arabia. feel more wrenching. As an ambassador, I do have some control Our daughter was 6 and our son was 9. In addition to the many over my schedule, and that helps. It was the worst when I was cultural challenges, my family was evacuated twice before being at the National Security Council, working crazy long hours, and couldn’t even talk on the phone with my husband without Leslie Bassett retired recently from the Senior Foreign constant interruption. He had moved to D.C. for me, and our Service. She is a former U.S. ambassador to Para- marriage was tested by that experience. guay. Amb. Bassett has also served as deputy chief of Amb. Deborah Malac: Parenting from thousands of miles mission at the U.S. embassies in Manila, Mexico City away is a particular challenge. Although I felt competent at my and Gaborone. She compiled these interviews in her informal job most of the time, I often did not feel so confident when it role as coordinator of Women Ambassadors Serving America at came to parenting and the things I thought I “should” be doing. the State Department. Particularly when I was working in Washington when my chil-

44 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL dren were small, there was a lot of stigma attached—especially for female officers—to leaving the office at the end of the day to pick up your children from day care (these were the days before Ambassador Deborah Malac Diplotots). We weren’t considered “serious” about our work. Deborah Malac joined the Foreign Ser- My first child was born while we were in Bangkok. Being a vice in 1981. She has served in a variety pregnant political officer who wanted time off was enough of of positions in Washington, D.C., Africa a shock for my colleagues in the section; but when I needed to and Southeast Asia. From 2012 to 2015 extend my time off by a little bit longer, I found out that there she served as U.S. ambassador to the were back-channel communications between the political Republic of Liberia; she has been U.S. ambassador to the counselor and the office director in Washington about my “lack Republic of Uganda since February 2016. Amb. Malac is of seriousness” about my job. married with three grown children. Amb. Amy Hyatt: My biggest work-life challenge was dur- ing an ordered departure in Cairo, where I was the manage- Ambassador Jennifer Zimdahl Galt ment counselor. I was a single mom and had to put my teenage Jennifer Zimdahl Galt was sworn in as daughter on a plane to the States without me. I had no family in ambassador to Mongolia in September the States to send her to, but relied on dear friends to meet her 2015. A career member of the Senior For- at the airport and take care of her, while I focused on helping the eign Service, Amb. Galt served previously embassy deal with the evacuation. It was the toughest thing I as principal officer in Guangzhou. She had to do as a parent in the Foreign Service. has also served in Belgrade, Taipei, Mumbai, Beijing, Amb. Jennifer Zimdahl Galt: I was faced with the choice Shanghai and at the U.S. Mission to NATO in Brussels, as of staying at a post with a toxic work environment or curtailing well as in Washington, D.C. She holds master’s degrees at the risk of interrupting my children’s high school education. from the National Defense University and the Johns After many lengthy family discussions, I chose to curtail. It was Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. the first time in my career that I could not get along with a super- Amb. Galt is married to writer Fritz Galt, and they have a visor, in this case the ambassador. I had not been his choice for son and a daughter, both in college. the position, and he resented my presence from day one and made no effort to pretend otherwise. Our conflict had nothing Ambassador Erica Barks-Ruggles to do with our respective genders—my predecessor had been Erica Barks-Ruggles is U.S. ambassador a woman with whom he got along famously. During our family to the Republic of Rwanda. She and her discussions, it also came out that neither of my children was tandem husband are career Foreign Ser- altogether happy with the school, so while they weren’t happy to vice officers. She previously served as U.S. move three years in a row, they didn’t mind leaving the school. consul general in Cape Town, as deputy to Somehow things always work out. the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and as deputy assistant secretary for Democracy, LB: Have you ever been subject to harassment or discrimina- Human Rights and Labor. Amb. Barks-Ruggles served tion; and, if so, how did you handle it? previously at the National Security Council, as a visiting Amb. Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley: Sexual harassment, fellow at the Brookings Institution and as an international yes. My generation was taught to be careful of male egos (and affairs fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. She has power), so I generally did the usual and laughed it off, avoided also been posted to Norway and India. the person where I could or made excuses to reject the advances. Her mantras: Always ask “What is the right thing to There was one occasion in the department when a boss touched do?” and formulate policy and management around me and I told him if he did it again, I’d knock the s--- out of him. that. Never just do what is expedient, easy, uncontrover- He did not repeat it, but he did try to get me to curtail from the sial or cheaper; do what is right. position. And: Always be courageous in standing up for your On another occasion it happened at the National Security beliefs and values, and in supporting your team. Council. Initially I parried the advance from a senior member of

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 45 where you are the only woman, or women are a minority in the Ambassador Amy Hyatt room? How did you make space for your voice to be heard as you Amy Hyatt is U.S. ambassador to the were rising in your profession, and how can we broaden that Republic of Palau. She is a career Foreign space for others? Service officer of 31 years, who previously Amb. Jennifer Zimdahl Galt: Throughout my career, I have served as deputy chief of mission in Hel- been the only woman or one of the only women in the room at sinki, consul general in Melbourne, man- virtually every meeting. Some of this may have to do with the agement counselor in Cairo, and diplomat-in-residence fact that I’ve served much of my career in the Bureau of East at Arizona State University. Other postings include Asian and Pacific Affairs, where societies continue to be male- Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Prague, Norway and dominated. But the same has been true of country teams at posts Washington, D.C. Prior to entering the Foreign Service, where I’ve served. The largest number of women I’ve ever had she was a litigation attorney in San Francisco. She has on a country team was three out of 12. I’ve never served with a three children. female principal officer or ambassador. Her mantra: Great leaders have a strong moral com- I think the most important thing is to be prepared, so you can pass. They know how to do the right thing, even as others speak authoritatively and there is no question that you are on top falter or succumb to temptation. of your brief. It’s also important to dress professionally, which in my book means wearing a suit at all times. Half of speaking or Ambassador Laura Dogu presenting in a meeting or at country team is listening—being Laura Dogu was confirmed as the U.S. sure to listen carefully to what others have to say so that you’re ambassador to Nicaragua in August 2015. not repeating, but rather amplifying and adding value with your She is a consular-coned officer and career remarks. member of the Senior Foreign Service, Amb. Laura Dogu: I am frequently the only woman in class of Minister Counselor. From 2012 meetings outside the office with the host country, and when I through 2015, she served as deputy chief of mission at have control over the guest list, I insist that we include at least U.S. Embassy Mexico City. Amb. Dogu has received both 30 percent women, if not more. When dealing with the press, I the department’s Award for Outstanding Deputy Chief of always make sure to respond to questions from women, despite Mission and the Barbara M. Watson Award for Consular male reporters often speaking over the top of them. In our Excellence. She is married and has two sons, both in internal meetings, it is less frequent that I am the only woman in college. the room unless I am dealing with law enforcement. At my last large post, I was the only woman among about 20 men in most meetings. I found I had to be forceful when speaking up, but Congress, but when he con- after the first few times, people tinued to call me I reported to I think the most important treated me like everyone else. the NSC’s executive secretary thing is to be prepared, so you Amb. Gina Abercrombie- that it was happening, and told Winstanley: In most meetings him that if I had to do violence can speak authoritatively and over the years, I was the only to repel it, I would. I was let- there is no question that you minority at the table and that ting him know beforehand, I continues to be the case. I am said, because I did not expect are on top of your brief. ­ often one of only two or three to lose my job as a result. After ­—Amb. Jennifer Zimdahl Galt women. After 30 years, it is a moment of shocked silence, still not easy. I have to fight my he said “Thanks for letting me own insecurity, as well as any know.” And the member stopped calling me. unspoken, even unconscious, bias against the value of my con- LB: In an average month, how many meetings do you attend tributions. The recognition of my performance and potential that

46 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Ambassador Nina Hachigian Nina Hachi- gian, a political appointee, was sworn in as the second resident U.S. ambassador to the Associa- tion of Southeast Asian Nations in September 2014 and served through January 2017. During her tenure, the United States and ASEAN became strategic part- While serving as U.S. ambassador to the Association of ners. Previously, Amb. Hachigian was a senior fellow at Southeast Asian Nations, Nina Hachigian visited all 10 ASEAN countries, and took this selfie along the way. the Center for American Progress and served as director of the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy. From 1998 to 1999, she was on the staff of the National Security Council under President Bill Clinton. She is the edi- came from reaching my goal of being an ambassador, however, tor of Debating China: The U.S. - China Relationship in has given me the space to feel like I don’t always have to know Ten Conversations and co-author of The Next American the answer. I have brilliant staff to help me get it right. Century: How the U.S. Can Thrive as Other Powers Rise. Amb. Hachigian holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale LB: Can you share a formative experience (professional or University and a law degree from Stanford University. otherwise) that helped shape your leadership vision and/or style? She is married with two children. Amb. Erica Barks-Ruggles: When I was a teenager, I was Her advice for younger women: Take a risk! a newspaper carrier, and the district manager passed me over for a more junior (male) carrier for an important regional job Ambassador Gina Abercrombie- that would have given me a pay raise. My parents supported my Winstanley protest to the top management of the newspaper. I demanded Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley served fair treatment and the raise I would have gotten had I not been as U.S. ambassador to Malta from 2012 discriminated against (the district manager admitted that the to 2016. A career member of the Senior only reason I did not get the job was because I was a “girl”). Foreign Service, Amb. Abercrombie-Winstanley previ- I got the raise. That taught me to demand equal treatment, not to ously served as principal officer in Jeddah. She has also settle for being passed over, and to always raise your hand and served overseas in Iraq, Israel, Egypt and Indonesia. In ask for the promotion/better job/tougher assignment. Nobody Washington, D.C., she served as foreign policy adviser was going to give it to me just because I deserved it. at U.S. Cyber Command, deputy assistant secretary for Amb. Jennifer Zimdahl Galt: Serving as principal officer counterterrorism and at the National Security Council. in Guangzhou, overseeing a consulate general that more than She holds a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins School doubled in size during my tenure. Because I did not have a of Advanced International Studies. Amb. Abercrombie- deputy and the bureau didn’t support the creation of one, I was Winstanley is married and has a son and a daughter. chief cook and bottle washer. Leading a team of more than 500, Her mantra: I wish I’d known I pretty much knew as including 65 first- and second-tour officers, taught me more much as my colleagues and to voice my ideas more. about management, security and personnel than I had learned in the first 25 years of my career. I loved every minute of it and would do it again in a heartbeat.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 47 I have found low expectations of me as a minority to be a bigger obstacle than low expectations of me as a woman, though they both remain in good supply in the State Department. ­ ­—Amb. Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley

Amb. Laura Dogu: When Mary Ryan was the assistant sec- retary in consular affairs and I was the visa chief in the Middle East during 9/11, Mary sent a message saying she was forced to share the names of the officers who had issued visas to the hijackers. She continued by saying that people should not worry because they did nothing wrong and she would not let anything happen to them. In the end, the only person to lose her job was Mary Ryan. She led by example. She believed suc- cesses belonged to her team but all their failures were hers.

LB: What has been the single biggest factor in your success? What was your most difficult obstacle? Amb. Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley: I do not give up. I’ve been fired twice, though once I refused to go and was able to turn the situation around. I have found low expectations of me as a minority to be a bigger obstacle than low expectations of me as a woman, though they both remain in good supply in the State Department. I struggle against frustration at the lack of seriousness about increasing diversity in the department’s senior levels. We have to be held accountable for the results. Amb. Deborah Malac: I was raised believing that if you work hard and always do your best, recognition will come. This is not, perhaps, the best approach to take in an organization that forces people to be shameless self-promoters in order to find the next assignment or to get that next promotion. Nonetheless, it has paid off for me. I have continued to bring my best every day and to look for new and interesting oppor- tunities and assignments that take me out of my comfort zone, and offer an opportunity to learn something new or to develop a new skill. n

48 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL

AFSA NEWS THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION

Results of AFSA’s 2017-2019 Governing Board Election and Bylaw Amendments

The AFSA Committee on Elections is pleased to announce the Bylaw Amendments results of the 2017-2019 AFSA Governing Board election and bylaw The Governing Board proposed three bylaw amendments to amendments. A total of 4,130 valid ballots were received (3,152 be voted on during the 2017 AFSA election cycle. According to online and 978 paper). The following AFSA members have been Article IX, Section 2 of the AFSA bylaws, for the amendments elected: to pass, affirmative votes of not less than two-thirds of the valid votes received are required. Having met these criteria, the three Board Officer Positions amendments to the bylaws are adopted. President: Ambassador Barbara Stephenson* (1) On the amendment to make the Awards and Plaques Treasurer: Ambassador Tony Wayne* Committee a permanent standing committee: Secretary: Ambassador Tom Boyatt* Total Votes Cast 3,879 State Vice President: Ken Kero-Mentz* Yes/Approve 3,446 (89%) USAID Vice President: Ann Posner No/Do Not Approve 433 (11%) FCS Vice President: Daniel T. Crocker* FAS Vice President: Kimberly Sawatzki 2) On the amendment to change the current residency require- Retiree Vice President: John K. Naland ment for serving on the AFSA Governing Board to a participation requirement: Board Constituency Representatives Total Votes Cast 3,907 State Representatives: Yes/Approve 3,575 (92%) Anne Coleman-Honn * No/Do Not Approve 332 (8%) Tricia Wingerter * Josh Glazeroff * (3) On the amendment to require that active-duty members Lawrence W. K. Casselle * presenting themselves as candidates for AFSA President or Martin McDowell * Vice President hold a security clearance: USAID Representatives: To be determined according to the Total Votes Cast 3,946 AFSA bylaws Yes/Approve 2,817 (71%) FCS Representative: Matthew Hilgendorf No/Do Not Approve 1,129 (29%) FAS Representative: Thom Wright IBB Representative: Steven L. Herman Questions regarding the results should be referred to the APHIS Representative: John J. Hurley AFSA Committee on Elections at [email protected] Retiree Representatives: Ambassador Alphonse F. La Porta * Congratulations to all those who were elected, and to those Philip A. Shull * who demonstrated their dedication to AFSA by declaring as *Member of the Strong Diplomacy slate. candidates. The new Governing Board will be sworn in on July 15.

CALENDAR July 13 August 1-3 August 16 July 4 12-1:30 p.m. AFSA at Minnesota Farm Fest 12-1:30 p.m. Independence Day: AFSA Book Notes: Redwood Falls, Minn. AFSA Governing “Enemy of the Good” Board Meeting AFSA Offices Closed August 7 July 5 July 15 12-1:30 p.m. September 4 12-1:30 p.m 2017-2019 Governing Board AFSA/Public Diplomacy Labor Day: AFSA Governing Takes Office Council: “Public Diplomacy at AFSA Offices Closed the State Level” Board Meeting July 19 September 8 July 10 12-1:30 p.m. August 9 7:05 p.m. 12-1:30 p.m. First Meeting of the 2017-2019 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. The Second Annual AFSA/Public Diplomacy AFSA Governing Board AFSA/Smithsonian Associates: Foreign Service Night Council: “Voice of America “Inside the World of at Nationals Park: and World War II” Diplomacy” Nationals vs. Phillies

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 49 STATE VP VOICE | BY ANGIE BRYAN AFSA NEWS

Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA State VP. Contact: [email protected] | (202) 647-8160

I Couldn’t Have Done It Without You

As my term of office draws to leagues like the leaders of a close, I have been thinking Balancing Act gives me con- I had to get up to speed quickly on a about the colleagues who fidence that the fight will not wide variety of issues and remember to took time out of their jobs to end with my departure. help me better understand Along similar lines, Mark think through the possible implications various issues. The State Evans, head of the recently of each issue for all our members. Department Vice President formed employee organiza- negotiates on behalf of all tion Foreign Service Families State Department Foreign With Disabilities Alliance. Service employees, regard- Transferring from post to post eyes to the issue, but who I cannot end this message less of whether they’re FSOs is challenging for any Foreign then volunteered a significant without also acknowledging or specialists, married or Service family with children, amount of her personal time the AFSA staff who gave me a single, parents or not, and but exponentially more so to drafting an in-depth paper crash course in labor law and so on. when one or more of those on the topic. As a result, hun- saved me from stumbling on As a never-married non- children have special needs. dreds of colleagues around multiple occasions. General parent who is not a minor- Mark founded an organi- the world began discussing Counsel Sharon Papp and ity, I had to get up to speed zation to unite employees the issue and considering Deputy GC Raeka Safai quickly on a wide variety facing those challenges and possible implications for the were at my side through of issues and remember to has served as an effective Foreign Service. every negotiation, providing think through the possible advocate for their con- On the AFSA Governing crucial advice and wording implications of each issue cerns, educating me and Board, retired colleagues that enabled us to protect for all our members, not just being a real partner when Bill Haugh and Dean Haas our members’ rights and a few subsets. In doing so, brainstorming the best way both filled in for me when I interests. I relied heavily on several forward. missed three months of work Labor-management attor- colleagues whom I’d like to I’m also grateful to Regina after emergency open heart neys and advisers Zlatana thank here. Jun and Kerri Hannan of surgery. They didn’t get paid Badrich, Neera Parikh, First, Anne Coleman- GLIFAA, who were invaluable for doing so, but they treated Colleen Fallon-Lenaghan, Honn of Balancing Act— in helping me troubleshoot it like their own job. Jason Snyder, James Yorke frankly, the group’s entire on certain issues. Mary Ellen Lawrence Casselle and Patrick Bradley not only leadership. Anne and her Tsekos-Velez and Charlotte walked me through several handled the bulk of member colleagues consistently Nuanes of the recently issues involving the Bureau inquiries and cases, but also did the heavy lifting for formed employee organiza- of Diplomatic Security; helped me scour proposed me when it came to draft- tion Working In Tandem did Susan Danewitz displayed policies for potential prob- ing proposals to improve the same when it came to extraordinary patience when lems. Executive Assistant conditions for new parents tandem issues. helping me understand Jaya Duvvuri made sure without disadvantaging other Chris Le of the Asian information resource man- nothing fell through the employees, and they repeat- American Foreign Affairs agement issues and Tricia cracks, including my energy edly impressed me with how Association was a close Wingerter did a phenomenal level. quickly they came up with partner in AFSA’s work on job of representing office Without question, the very articulate input when I asked assignment restrictions, as management specialists’ best part of my day every for their perspective. well as our efforts to reduce interests and concerns. day for the last two years has I remain horrified and unconscious bias. Jason Donovan was my been getting to work with embarrassed by how anti- Speaking of unconscious go-to person when it came such incredible people who quated the department’s bias, I would be severely to achieving the right tone genuinely enjoy helping our policies are when it comes remiss if I did not acknowl- in messages to the field, and members. to parental leave and related edge Jennifer Harris Baxter, also stepped in for me on a Thank you, all. n benefits, but having col- who not only helped open my negotiation.

50 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL USAID VP VOICE | BY SHARON WAYNE AFSA NEWS

Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA USAID VP. Contact: [email protected] or (202) 712-1631

The Future of Foreign Assistance

This is my last column single agency, USAID, to be as USAID VP, so I want to responsible for administer- The benefits to the United States begin by expressing my ing aid to foreign countries from foreign development assistance deepest admiration to my and managing assistance fellow USAID FSOs for their overseas. The act reads: must not be undervalued. focused dedication to the “to promote the foreign agency’s honorable and policy, security and general challenging mission around welfare of the United States the globe. by assisting peoples of the USAID takes great pride informed of the real figure USAID’s duty to help end world in their efforts toward in its role combating issues (less than 1 percent of the extreme poverty and pro- economic development and that drive extremism, federal budget is spent on mote resilient, democratic internal and external secu- including insecurity, injus- foreign aid), surveys show societies worldwide, while rity, and for other purposes.” tice, hopelessness and lack 60 percent of Americans advancing U.S. security and Acknowledging the of opportunity. In our global think that we should either prosperity, is one we can all responsibility of the great- community, USAID works to continue that level of spend- stand proudly behind. est nation in the world, the stabilize countries and bring ing or spend more to reduce As I ponder the next act went on to say that the hope that their citizens can hunger and poverty around phase of my life and what United States should take build a satisfying life in their the world. will make it most meaning- the lead, in concert with home country. The United States ranks ful, I have been considering other nations, to mobilize There is much uncer- 22nd among Development what it is that makes a per- such resources from public tainty in the air as the U.S. Assistance Committee son, an organization, or even and private sources. government reviews USAID member countries in foreign a country, great. Looking USAID programs focus for efficiencies. An updated assistance spending as a beyond oneself and giving on problems so monumental review of USAID programs percentage of gross national for the betterment of others that they cannot be resolved and initiatives is welcome income. comes up as an almost uni- without interagency and and wise. Such a review When reviewing the versal distinguishing quality international cooperation. would not be complete, national budget, a truly of greatness. The 2014 Ebola outbreak however, if it did not con- great nation would seek to When an individual or illustrates the importance of sider the intent of USAID’s increase its strategic invest- an organization is fondly improving health systems in founding legislation that ment in foreign develop- remembered, it is often for Africa to reduce the risk of a the agency be staffed and ment. unselfish acts that improve disease outbreak that could resourced as the country’s The benefits to the the lives of those around easily lead to a global pan- lead development agency, United States from foreign them. For example, when a demic. It also demonstrated consolidating all foreign development assistance business starts contributing USAID’s great strength in assistance under its aegis. must not be undervalued. n positively to the community, mobilizing resources, as For years, USAID has been not only does the neigh- temporary clinics were set understaffed, misunder- borhood benefit, but the up all over the affected area. stood and undersupported. business gains an improved Another example is the According to surveys standing. Power Africa initiative, for such as the Kaiser Fam- It is no wonder that which USAID and other ily Foundation polls, many recognizing the value of agencies have mobilized Americans believe that the foreign assistance in our $43 billion, most of it private United States spends as global community, Congress capital. In Latin America, much as 25 percent of the enacted the Foreign Assis- USAID has leveraged five federal budget on foreign tance Act of 1961. dollars for every one dollar aid, more than Social This act established a invested. Security or Medicare. When

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 51 FAS VP VOICE | BY MARK PETRY AFSA NEWS

Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA FAS VP. Contact: [email protected] or (202) 720-2502

Looking Forward

In my final VP column, I community will not thrive have to take difficult stretch Our first opportunity want to look ahead to the without the willingness to assignments. is apparent. Secretary of Foreign Agricultural Ser- pitch in and selflessly give During this time, the real Agriculture Sonny Per- vice that I hope to see in 10 our time or assistance when challenge will be to exhibit due recently announced years. our friends and colleagues leadership in an agency his intention to follow the I believe that FAS has a need help or must change already dangerously close to congressional recommenda- bright future representing plans unexpectedly. We can being overwhelmed by the tion to reorganize USDA to the Department of Agricul- not and should not expect Civil Service. include a trade under sec- ture and the U.S. govern- to always be immediately We must sharpen our retary. At its best, a force- ment on important global rewarded, but our com- mission focus. Technology ful person in this position issues—not only food trade, munity remembers and is and evolving cooperator can bring USDA a greater but also land use, food willing to extend a hand to dynamics are quickly chang- focus on trade and greater security and climate. I think those who have done their ing the types of services voice inside the agency as a that we must do better at part in the past. that we need to provide. whole. imagining and embracing While we are currently We must be vigilant in While most aspects of our potential, rather than vexed by poor personnel ensuring that we are serving this are out of our control, focusing on what we are decisions made in the past, our constituents in the best it is a great chance to show against. I feel that we can move past way possible. We should our value and influence the One of our best assets is them. Experienced officers continue to fine-tune our future of our agency. our tight-knit community. who take up the challenges unique combination of Moving forward together To sustain ourselves as a caused by past leadership inherently government func- as one community, FAS will healthy workplace, we need decisions will deserve the tions with the value-added remain a great place to work to keep our small-town right to lead our ranks and market services that benefit and serve our country. n feel. I strongly believe that to shape excellent new offi- our industry and make us our FAS Foreign Service cers, who will undoubtedly unique.

AFSA Governing Board Meeting, May 3, 2017

April Minutes: On behalf of the Minutes Approval Commit- supervision of the AFSA general counsel and Labor Man- tee, Retiree Representative Ambassador (ret.) John Limbert agement staff. The motion was approved. set forth the minutes of the April 5 Governing Board meeting. Retiree Coordinator: Retiree Vice President Ambassador There were no amendments from the board. (ret.) Tom Boyatt moved that the Governing Board approve Scholarship Donors: The Governing Board reviewed a pro- the creation of a new Retiree Outreach Coordinator posi- posed Memorandum of Understanding for new scholarship tion. The motion was approved. donors. State Representative Ramon Escobar moved that Committee on Elections: Committee member Curt Whit- the MOU be returned to the Executive Committee for further taker gave a report on the AFSA election cycle to date. review. The motion was approved. Outreach to Agricultural Communities: FAS Vice President Position Description: State Vice President Angie Bryan Mark Petry gave a report on the steps AFSA is taking to reach moved that the Governing Board approve the revised out to agricultural communities and inform them of the work position description for the State vice president to include the Foreign Service does and how it affects them. n

52 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL NOTES FROM LABOR MANAGEMENT AFSA NEWS

Assignment Restrictions: An Update

An assignment restrictions restriction can procedures. The Since publication of the regulations, be placed on any revised regula- AFSA has received many questions Foreign Service tions were issued employee’s secu- on Oct. 21, 2016. from employees. rity clearance by AFSA suc- the Bureau of Dip- cessfully pushed lomatic Security for two changes to prevent target- in the regula- ing and harass- tions: access ment by foreign Colleen Fallon-Lenaghan. for employees ing if they can still obtain the Employees in this situation intelligence to the informa- adjudicative analysis. should be aware, however, services and to lessen foreign tion/grounds for imposition Others who filed a that their request will trigger influence and/or foreign pref- of the assignment restric- request for reconsideration the 30-day deadline for an erence security concerns. tion (specifically, the adju- and have already received appeal submission. For example, DS might dicative analysis), and cre- a decision prior to the FAM Recently, AFSA met impose such a restriction in ation of an appeals process provisions taking effect are with PSS to discuss those a case where an employee for employees who wish to wondering whether they can cases where an assignment and/or his or her family challenge the initial decision still request the adjudica- restriction was imposed members are citizens or to impose a restriction. tive analysis. Still others after a recent security clear- dual citizens of another Under the revised have not yet filed a request ance update, even though country or have substantial regulations, within 30 days of for reconsideration, but an assignment restriction financial interests in that receiving a decision from the received an assignment had not been imposed at the country. The assignment director of the Office of Per- restriction more than 30 time of the employee’s initial restriction would prevent sonnel Security and Suitabil- days ago and are concerned security clearance adjudica- the employee from serving ity to impose an assignment that they have missed a tion (i.e., at the time they in that country. restriction, employees may deadline under the new were hired). While AFSA recognizes request a review of the deci- regulations. Of particular concern are that assignment restrictions sion by the director of the AFSA reached out to the cases in which the restric- can be a useful tool to pro- Diplomatic Security Service. director of PSS, and he has tion was imposed after the tect U.S. national security On Feb. 22, AFSA and confirmed that adjudica- employee had been selected interests, we have pushed the Asian-American Foreign tive analysis requests from for his or her next assign- for greater transparency in Affairs Association co-spon- employees who have already ment, but before departing how assignment restriction sored a well-attended panel filed for reconsideration, for post. Barring a suc- determinations are made, discussion where officials as well as those who have cessful appeal (which can as well as for the introduc- from the DS PSS office already received a recon- take several months), the tion of an appeals process answered questions from sideration decision, will be employee would be forced to for the initial assignment employees regarding the honored. break the assignment, with restriction determination. new assignment restriction Employees who received fewer assignment opportu- Last September, AFSA provisions. a restriction before the the nities remaining late in the and DS completed nego- Since publication of revised FAM was published, cycle. PSS assured AFSA tiations on revisions to the the regulations, AFSA has but who had not filed a that it is giving top priority Foreign Affairs Manual, received many questions from request for reconsideration, to these types of appeals. n specifically 12 FAM 233.5 employees. Some submitted will not be subject to the —Colleen Fallon-Lenaghan (Personnel Security), which a request for reconsideration 30-day timeline specified in Esq., Labor Management included new provisions prior to the FAM provisions the FAM and may request Counselor regarding assignment taking effect, and are wonder- the adjudicative analysis.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 53 AFSA NEWS

AFSA Outreach—Our Successes So Far

As this Governing Board’s has enabled us to grow in their communities—for Compared with July 2015, two-year tenure draws to a our Speakers Bureau and example, with civic and reli- when the current Govern- close, we’d like to highlight establish new strategic and gious groups, high schools ing Board was sworn in, we one of this board’s highest outreach partnerships. and universities. have expanded our roster of priorities—outreach—and Besides increasing speakers and nearly doubled review the progress we’ve AFSA Speakers Bureau the number of speakers the number of events that made in telling the story of The Speakers Bureau has and engagements during featured those speakers. the Foreign Service to the been integral to AFSA’s out- this period, it is critical to American public. reach and is the single most prepare our speakers with Strategic and cost-effective means of reach- quality messaging that Outreach Partnerships ing audiences around the conveys—in every forum AFSA has expanded country. We have successfully and with every audience— its network of strategic mobilized Foreign Service the value of diplomacy and partners. By working with retirees who are enthusiastic development. national organizations that about sharing their expertise We have begun to develop focus on global engagement and experience of life in the talking points that are and have chapters through- Foreign Service. geared to specific audiences, out the country— Global The 50 States Outreach Initia- Beyond satisfying whether they are business Ties U.S., the U.S. Global tive, under the banner of the speaker requests for spe- leaders, students, farmers Leadership Coalition and Fund for American Diplomacy, cific programs or events or Members of Congress. the World Affairs Councils of continues to bring the story throughout the country, we Speakers can build on these America—AFSA’s message of the Foreign Service to the are impressed by how many talking points and personal- can be heard across age public and give our fellow of our Speakers Bureau ize presentations with their groups, political affiliations citizens the opportunity to participants have taken it own “war stories,” as well as and regions. In fact, so far connect with U.S. diplomats upon themselves to iden- share their geographic and this year, our outreach work and gain an understanding of tify speaking opportunities functional expertise. has brought us to 46 states. the work they do. AFSA’s outreach efforts capitalize on results of recent polling that show nine in 10 Americans sup- port strong American global leadership. We know this leadership depends on main- taining a strong, professional career Foreign Service. We also know that diplomacy and development are cost- effective tools for maintain- ing America’s leadership in the world. Thanks to our partnership with the Una Chapman Cox Foundation, AFSA expanded its outreach capacity in March 2016 by adding a part-time position, which

54 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS

Our strategic partnership is an excellent entry point nizations with speakers— AFSA will continue to with the U.S. Institute of for such outreach. Other experienced foreign affairs develop these strategic out- Peace has allowed the AFSA partners include American professionals—to address reach partnerships in ways essay contest to hit record University, Delta Phi Epsilon, chapter events or participate that are self-sustaining and submission numbers for two the National Student Leader- in education, mentoring or help build a constituency consecutive years. ship Coalition, Road Scholar, advisory programs. that understands the criti- AFSA also has a grow- Semester at Sea, Sister We also maintain close cal role that diplomacy and ing network of outreach Cities International, Smithso- relationships with large development play in advanc- partners. Among the most nian Associates, the National lifelong-learning organiza- ing peace and prosperity in promising relationships is Model UN, the United tions such as Osher (at our country. n the one with 4-H. If resources Nations Association of the Johns Hopkins University) —Ásgeir Sigfússon, permit, AFSA’s next goal is National Capital Area and the and Encore, where Foreign Director of Communications, to connect with farm and USAID Alumni Association. Service expertise is in high and Catherine Kannenberg, agricultural groups, and 4-H AFSA provides these orga- demand. Outreach Coordinator

Senate Foreign Service Caucus Launched

In late May, AFSA announced to collaborate and develop the launch of the Senate policy recommendations on Foreign Service Caucus, how to best support them co-chaired by Senators Dan and the U.S. diplomatic mis- Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Chris sion abroad. Van Hollen (D-Md.). AFSA has been working The caucus, first pro- closely with Sen. Sullivan’s posed by Sen. Sullivan, will staff since September to provide a bipartisan forum foster and develop the initia- for members to discuss the tive. AFSA President Barbara challenges facing those who Stephenson and Ambassador serve in the U.S. Foreign Ser- Earl Anthony “Tony” Wayne vice around the world, and met with Sen. Sullivan on COURTESY OF SENATOR SULLIVAN’S OFFICE SULLIVAN’S SENATOR OF COURTESY Jan. 9 to strongly Senator Dan Sullivan (center) meets with AFSA President Ambassador endorse the idea Barbara Stephenson (left) and Ambassador Tony Wayne (right) to discuss the Senate Foreign Service Caucus. and offer AFSA’s support. porter of the work the Foreign launched at a time when Senator Chris Service does. members of Congress are Van Hollen was an Senators Chris Coons more vocal than ever in their early supporter of (D-Del.) and Michael Bennet support for the Foreign Ser- the initiative and (D-Colo.) have also joined the vice and the importance of will co-chair the group. Sen. Coons is a promi- the work carried out world- caucus. Sen. Van nent voice on the Senate wide by our diplomats and Hollen is the son of Foreign Relations Committee, development experts. the late Ambas- and Sen. Bennet’s father was AFSA looks forward to sador Christopher an aide to Ambassador Ches- working with caucus mem- Van Hollen, a ter Bowles and later head bers to highlight and support

PHOTOS VIA WIKIMEDIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS VIA PHOTOS career FSO, and of USAID during the Carter the work of the U.S. Foreign Clockwise from top left: Senator Dan Sullivan, has long been administration. Service. n Senator Chris Van Hollen, Senator Michael Bennet and Senator Chris Coons known as a sup- This caucus has been

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 55 AFSA NEWS

99 Years of the FSJ Now at Your Fingertips

On May 11, AFSA hosted a the Foreign Service became reception to mark the official a priority of the 2015-2017 launch of the FSJ digital AFSA Governing Board, archive, covering almost a which voted to support the century of The Foreign Ser- long-awaited project. vice Journal. Introducing the archive at Speaking to the assem- the reception, Foreign Ser- bled guests, including past vice Journal Editor-in-Chief and present members of the Shawn Dorman spoke of the FSJ Editorial Board and For- importance of accessibil- eign Service Journal authors, ity for this primary source

AFSA President Ambas- material, which is unique in DVORAK AFSA/GEMMA Publications Coordinator Dmitry Filipoff demonstrates the archive to sador Barbara Stephenson providing a history of U.S. retired FSOs Harry Kopp and Beatrice Camp. expressed her gratitude to all diplomacy through the eyes those who worked so hard to of its practitioners. vice Books, 2015), a history ing a high idealism and a fine bring the project to fruition. “It is all online and dis- of AFSA. spirit, it can help that orga- The Journal archive is a coverable, a bridge from the Mr. Kopp noted the nization [AFSA] to render a wonderful resource, allow- past to the future, from gen- unique opportunity for read- maximum of public service ing users to access 99 years eration to generation,” Ms. ers to experience the history and attain its proper place in of diplomatic history and to Dorman said. “We can learn of U.S. diplomacy not only the public estimation.” see firsthand the critical role from the past, see what’s from the present looking We hope that the Journal played by the career Foreign been tried before, see how back, but also from the time will continue to inform and Service. “The Iran deal, the certain issues come around of important events, looking inspire a new generation of Paris Agreement—these again and again, see how forward. future diplomats about the don’t just happen,” Amb. much things change, and Articulating the future importance of the role of the Stephenson said. “The FSJ how little they change.” aims of the Journal, Ms. Dor- Foreign Service. pulls back the curtain on That point was echoed by man quoted former Assistant The Foreign Service Jour- diplomacy.” retired FSO Harry Kopp, an Secretary of State Wilbur nal archive is available via Making back issues of early advocate of the digi- J. Carr, speaking about the the AFSA website, www.afsa. the Journal available to the tization project and author Journal and its mission on org/fsj-archive. n public for research and edu- of the book The Voice of the the occasion of its 10th anni- —Gemma Dvorak, cation about diplomacy and Foreign Service (Foreign Ser- versary in 1929: “By promot- Associate Editor

Delaware, Michael Scott is a 2017 Summer Interns Arrive at AFSA senior at Hampton University, studying international rela- AFSA is happy to welcome from Virginia Commonwealth minor in American politics. tions with a concentration in our new interns. University. She is studying • Communications: conflict resolution. • Advertising/Publica- for a bachelor’s degree in Nicholas Shevchik is a sopho- We thank departing tions: Singapore native creative and strategic adver- more at the University of interns Matt Mitzel, Theo Windy Tay attends the Univer- tising. Her hometown is Falls Pennsylvania, where he stud- Horn, James Schiphorst, sity of London, SIM Campus, Church, Virginia. ies international relations and Maggie McMorrow, Benja- where she studies interna- • Awards: Sofia Rivera is economics. He is originally min Mooney and Ivàn Esca- tional relations. a senior at Mount Holyoke from Washington, D.C. milla for their great work • Foreign Service Journal: College, where she studies • Executive Office: this past spring and wish Andrea Philbin joins the FSJ international relations with a Originally from Townsend, them the best. n

56 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS

2017 AFSA AWARD RECIPIENTS AND RUNNERS-UP

Nancy J. Powell Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy

Constructive Dissent Award

Mariju L. Bofill, Cecelia S. Choi, Christina T. Le, and Thomas T. Wong William R. Rivkin Award for Constructive Dissent by a Mid-Level Officer

Wendy Brafman William R. Rivkin Award for Constructive Dissent by a Mid-Level Officer

Elzar Camper F. Allen ‘Tex’ Harris Award for Constructive Dissent by a Foreign Service Specialist

Exemplary Performance Awards

René Gutel Ambassador Tulinabo Salama Mushingi Maria Elena Barrón (runner-up) Mark Palmer Award for the Advancement of Democracy

Diane Corbin Judith Brown (runner-up) Nelson B. Delavan Award for Exemplary Performance by an Office Management Specialist

Aubrey Dowd Michael Murphy (runner-up) M. Juanita Guess Award for Exemplary Performance by a Community Liaison Officer

Dr. Henry Throop Avis Bohlen Award for Exemplary Performance by an Eligible Family Member

John S. Wood Award for Achievements and Contributions to the Association

Full coverage of AFSA’s June 20 awards ceremony, profiles of the winners and related articles will appear in the September issue of The Foreign Service Journal. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 57 STAY INFORMED. STAY CONNECTED.

Retirees Light Combined, the 40 papers Up the Map have a circulation of more For the second year, AFSA than two million. This initia- encouraged Foreign Service tive will continue next year, retirees to send letters to the and we hope to reach even editor of their local news- more Americans in 2018. paper on the occasion of Foreign Service Day in May. Speakers Bureau Hits AFSA sees this as an oppor- Milestone Seven tunity to bring education and Months Early! understanding of the Foreign Thanks to the willingness Service to our fellow citizens of AFSA retiree members in every corner of the country. to share their expertise and KANNENBERG AFSA/CATHERINE Last year’s pilot project volunteer their time, AFSA Members of the “Florida Super Team” put forward ideas for outreach to the American public, including key audiences and ways to work with strategic resulted in 15 placements; has already hit its year-end partners. this year, we far exceeded goal for Speakers Bureau our expectations with letters membership numbers. towns and make a connec- letters-to-the-editor campaign from retirees being published At the beginning of the tion with AFSA. resulted in eight letters pub- in 40 newspapers across 19 year, the bureau had 382 If you have not yet joined lished in Florida newspapers! states, from Rhode Island to members, and we set a goal the Speakers Bureau but We want to thank Mike California. of 425 members by the end would like to help AFSA tell the Boorstein, Judy Carson, John Newspapers such as the of 2017. To our surprise and story of the Foreign Service, Caulfield, Ambassador Har- Philadelphia Inquirer, San delight, we hit our goal on or if you would like to request riet Elam-Thomas, Ambas- Francisco Chronicle, Portland May 17. The Speakers Bureau a speaker for a school, college sador Samuel Hart, Ambas- (Maine) Press Herald, Tulsa now has more members than or community group, visit sador James McGee, Donna World and Providence Journal at any time previously. www.afsa.org/speaker. Oglesby, Jeff and Linda featured letters from retired We plan to focus on Olesen, Dorothy Watson and diplomats, explaining what increasing speaking engage- Spotlight on Frank Young for their willing- the Foreign Service does for ments for the rest of the year, Florida “Super Team” ness to join us in telling the the nation and why it’s impor- and will rely on members of Retirees Foreign Service story across tant to our national security of the bureau to seek out Last month at our annual Florida, and we invite other and economic prosperity. opportunities in their home awards ceremony, AFSA Florida retirees to join these bestowed the award for con- efforts. tributions to the association to John S. Wood, a leader of Foreign Service The Foreign Service Group– Association of Texas in Austin, Texas. Northern California Here we want to highlight a The Foreign Service Associa- group of Foreign Service retir- tion of Northern California ees in Florida who have risen held a well-attended lun- to the challenge of engaging cheon on May 13 featuring a in local outreach and advo- fascinating presentation on cacy—not just for AFSA, but Korea and the United States in collaboration with our stra- by retired FSO and former tegic partners such as Global Ambassador to Korea Kath- Ties U.S. and the U.S. Global leen Stephens, who is now a Leadership Coalition. Stanford University fellow. Their enthusiasm and FSANC also elected its efforts have already paid new officers and advisory off; it is no accident that our board, including the Honor-

58 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL STAY INFORMED. STAY CONNECTED. AFSA NEWS

able Joseph Sullivan as chair- have mastered the transition man, Karl Sprick as treasurer to retirement and are happy and Amy Madsen as secre- to share their insights. The tary. Members of the Foreign annual Retiree Directory and Service who are interested The Foreign Service Journal in joining the group should keep retirees connected. contact Joe Sullivan at Of course, retiree coun- (925) 954-8294 or seling is a big part of AFSA’s [email protected]. retiree services. With a —Ásgeir Sigfússon, wealth of experience, AFSA’s Director of Communications membership staff can help with situations unique to the AFSA Membership Foreign Service. They also Even More Valuable arrange a number of work- in Retirement shops and presentations Because many AFSA from experts in their fields, members don’t realize that from health services to Thrift their membership does not Savings Plans. automatically carry over into AFSA keeps its retiree retirement, their member- members aware of new pro- ship lapses unintentionally fessional developments with when they retire. But over the The Foreign Service Journal, last few years members have including the powerful new discovered that AFSA mem- online digital archive of all 99 bership may be even more years of publication, as well valuable in retirement. as the “AFSA Retiree News- AFSA is an indispensable letter” and the media digest, partner in navigating retire- a popular daily clipping ment, staying plugged into service of articles on Foreign the foreign affairs community Service topics. and amplifying the voices AFSA encourages all of retirees as they tell the retiree members to consider story of the Foreign Service. joining the Speakers Bureau, In the last two years, well which enables us to actively over half of AFSA members engage our communities on in the State Department’s the importance of a strong Job Search Program signed Foreign Service, no matter up for retiree membership where we live. during or immediately after The most important rea- the course, with a record son to continue AFSA mem- 79 percent joining from the bership in retirement is to August 2016 JSP class. help us educate Americans The JSP teaches that the on the critical role the For- first rule of networking is to eign Service plays in advanc- stay active in a professional ing American interests and association. For diplomats, American global leadership. that’s AFSA, keeping mem- Our voice is stronger when bers in touch with more than we speak together. n 16,000 colleagues, active —Todd Thurwachter, and retired, many of whom Retiree Counselor

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 59 AFSA NEWS

iLead Speaker Series AFSA ANNOUNCES Features AFSA President NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY CONTEST WINNER On April 21, AFSA President her experiences as a leader Ambassador Barbara Ste- throughout her career. It can Nicholas DeParle phenson spoke on commu- be hard to define what leader- 11th grade nication in leadership at the ship is, Amb. Stephenson Sidwell Friends School NEWS BRIEF State Department. The event continued, but it is possible to Chevy Chase, Maryland was organized by the depart- define what a leader does. ment’s Culture of Leadership Amb. Stephenson recom- Nicholas will receive a $2,500 prize, a meeting with Initiative (iLead). mended “active listening” as the Secretary of State and a tour of the U.S. Insti- iLead is a voluntary a first step in leading a team, tute for Peace, and a full-tuition-paid voyage with group of employees work- and emphasized the impor- Semester at Sea on his enrollment at an accredited ing together to strengthen tance of a consistent clear university. leadership skills and practice message when engaging with Coverage of Nicholas’s visit will appear in a future throughout the department. strategic partners. It is also issue of AFSA News. Following its inaugural Leader- important, she said, to listen ship Day in December, the to those partners, who may RUNNER-UP group has organized a series have a different cultural or Manuel E. Feigl of speakers, which began agency perspective, and to 12th grade with a discussion on “model- factor these perspectives into Brashier Middle College Charter High School ing integrity” given by State the overall vision. Simpsonville, South Carolina Department Transparency Following her remarks, Coordinator Janice Jacobs. Amb. Stephenson participated Manuel will receive a $1,250 prize and a full Amb. Stephenson’s talk in a question and answer scholarship to participate in the International Diplo- covered the importance of session with the enthusiastic macy Program of the National Student Leadership communication in leadership. audience. n Conference, held in Washington, D.C., annually. n “Each of us has an obligation —Gemma Dvorak, to lead from where we are,” Associate Editor she stated, and discussed

Join us for Happy Hours

Since fall 2016, AFSA has members, staff and guests at hosted several networking the June 1 happy hour. happy hours, drawing more Non-members are than 60 people to each event welcome to attend future in the first six months of happy hours, where they can 20 17. learn more about the Foreign These events offer attend- Service and the work its ees the opportunity to min- members do. gle, share experiences and Visit the AFSA website, news, and reconnect with the www.afsa.org/events, for Washington, D.C., Foreign information about upcom- Service community as they ing Happy Hours and other come back from assignments interesting events through overseas. At right, AFSA AFSA. n

60 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FEATURE Out in the Cold: How the Hiring Freeze Is Affecting Family Member Employment

Employing family members overseas isn’t just good for morale. It makes financial sense too, and helps keep our embassies functioning.

BY DONNA SCARAMASTRA GORMAN

e knew it was coming. President Jimmy Carter authorized a federal hiring freeze. And But on Jan. 23, when President Ronald Reagan famously signed a memorandum the White House ordering a hiring freeze on federal civilian employees as his first released a memo- official act after his inauguration. The federal pay freeze of 2011, randum regarding an during the Obama administration, continued through 2014. across-the-board gov- While that freeze didn’t stop hiring, it did, combined with the ernment hiring freeze, 16-day government shutdown in October 2013, have a chilling the shockwave rever- effect on State Department morale and staffing. berated throughout The current hiring freeze appears to be the first to have a the State Department’s community of eligible family members. profoundly negative impact on the well-being of the Foreign WEFMs typically feel like the smallest, weakest members of State, Service EFM community. One Foreign Service officer who has powerless to make many decisions regarding their own fates. worked in multiple human resources offices overseas says he This freeze would take away the last thing over which they could is worried about spouses this time around. “The last freeze, in maintain some semblance of control: their job at post. 2011, actually worked to our advantage for EFMs,” he explains. Because State couldn’t hire FSOs, they resorted to hiring EFMs to Hiring Freezes: A History fill critical positions. That opened up a world of new jobs within This isn’t the first hiring freeze the State Department has the Expanded Professional Associates Program, as well as other endured. Back when many of today’s FSOs were still in school, professional-level positions. But this freeze, he warns, “has the potential to damage Donna Scaramastra Gorman is a freelance writer whose EFM job opportunities far into the future.” Jobs that had been work has appeared in Time Magazine, Newsweek, The previously earmarked for EFMs could now be filled as Locally Washington Post and The Christian Science Monitor. Employed staff positions, and the LE staff could then occupy The spouse of a Diplomatic Security agent, she has lived those positions for 10 to 20 years, effectively removing those in Amman, Moscow, Yerevan, Almaty, Beijing and Washington, jobs from the pool of available jobs for EFMs permanently. Also, D.C., where she currently resides. he notes, programs like EPAP, the Consular Adjudicator pro-

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 61 gram and the Family Member Reserve Corps—all of which have members constitute 20 to 30 percent of the American workforce. been helping create jobs for qualified family members—will lose Through their work, they provide oversight and control of embassy momentum as the freeze drags on. resources, ensuring, for example, that unscrupulous contractors don’t skim money from employee association accounts, or making The Freeze Hurts Worldwide Productivity sure that when the embassy buys something like heating oil on the Of course, this freeze doesn’t just affect individual and family local market, the oil is actually delivered as promised. Without this morale. The freeze on EFM hiring has a profound impact on oversight, gas canisters, building supplies, grocery shipments and posts worldwide. Family members typically take on jobs that even cash can go missing, costing the State Department large sums keep posts moving forward. According to statistics compiled by of money. the Family Liaison Office, at the end of 2016 there were 3,501 adult family members employed at missions overseas. (Another Happy Spouses Make Happy Posts 6,688, or 56 percent of EFMs, were unemployed at post, while Not everyone wants or needs to work at post. But for those who just 1,652 found work outside of the mission.) These working do, there is nothing more demoralizing than showing up at post family members manage mailrooms, staff medical units, ensure and being told nobody needs you. Spouses are typically the back- that local housing meets security standards and work as security bone of the community: they are the ones who volunteer in the escorts, overseeing infra- schools, manage the com- structure repairs and main- missaries and welcome the tenance. Without anyone In some bureaus, family newcomers. When spouses to fill these roles, the work lose interest in community will either go undone, or it members constitute 20 to involvement, the entire will fall to Foreign Service 30 percent of the American community suffers. officers themselves to do. Many spouses are cur- FSOs at some posts have workforce. Through their work, rently trading stories of already been asked to they provide oversight and arriving at post and being spend a specified number offered a job, only to be of hours each week helping control of embassy resources. turned away because their out with some of these vital clearances didn't come jobs, taking them away through before the freeze from the work they were hired and trained to do. went into effect. These spouses, who expected to begin work- As the summer transfer season begins, community liaison ing, are now stuck in a frustrating holding pattern, waiting to see officers (CLOs) are packing up and leaving post; when they leave, if something shakes loose in Washington, D.C., in time for them their mission-critical jobs will remain unfilled. A good CLO has to start. Some are considering leaving post and returning to the multiple roles within a community: not only do they help new United States to find employment in their given fields. families transition to post, but they advise on school issues, help Says one spouse, a second-tour EFM who lost a promised job in family members with personal or mental health issues, organize Central America when the freeze began, “I think the biggest hit was community events, work with the regional security office to ensure to my self-esteem. I don’t like being a ‘JEFM’ (Just an EFM). I don’t all family members are accounted for in emergencies, and keep have kids and since this is a very family-friendly post, everyone else the Front Office apprised of situations that could adversely affect who is not working is involved with kid-related activities. It’s lonely morale at post. and harder to feel a part of the larger community when you don’t According to Susan Frost, director of the Family Liaison Office, have a job or a purpose at post.” FLO is actively trying to manage the expected reduction in CLO She says her post’s management team is taking it harder than services. “We are looking at what absolutely must be done by our most of the spouses, “who are used to getting screwed over after CLOs at post. Safety and security; welcome and orientation; these the super-long waits for clearances, so we mostly just shrug and try are the most critical things for us to keep up.” to find other things to do.” But management, she says, is “super Some managers worry that without EFM oversight, there may worried” about the “huge gaps in a lot of offices” after this sum- be increased incidents of fraud and theft. In some bureaus, family mer’s transition.

62 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL It’s Hard Out There for a Spouse situation looks even more dire. If you lined up an EFM job, for If you’ve been a Foreign Service spouse for any length of time, example, in Baghdad, you would be organizing a packout and you know all about resilience and creativity in the face of under- getting ready to uproot your family. But now that your promised employment. You’ve been rejected for jobs that you considered EFM job has disappeared, can you even go to post with your FSO beneath you, given your educational background, but wanted spouse? One couple lined up a job for the FSO and a job for the anyway. You’ve been told to be happy that “your housing is free” spouse before enrolling their children in boarding school and and you don’t “need” to work. You’ve likely spent days prepping making plans to be away for a year. But as of press time, the spouse for an important reception only to be ignored by most of the guests has been told not to come to post. because you’re nobody important. But even the veteran spouses, “We’re straddling options at this point,” says the FSO. The the ones who’ve learned to navigate this strange world with smiles couple is scheduled to depart for post this summer, and they on their faces, say they haven’t seen anything this bad before. decided to “go the boarding school route” for the kids. But then, One spouse laments the “inconsistent and often contradic- says the FSO, “the hiring freeze kicked in”—leaving all of their tory updates and messages” coming out of HR and the front plans up in the air. “At this point, for us, we just need to know so office at her post. Another remarks that she knows of “at least we can make decisions. It’s a whole lot more uncertainty than any two spouses who are seriously considering going on SMA of us would choose.” [separate maintenance One long-term spouse allowance] and returning currently overseas says to the States simply to be Spouses are typically the “there is absolutely no able to work.” In both cases, indication that this admin- she says, “college expenses backbone of the community: istration has any interest are a major factor.” Even they are the ones who volunteer in mission staffing, from overseas, where costs can either a practical or a morale sometimes be lower, it isn’t in the schools, manage the perspective.” She encour- always easy to make ends commissaries and welcome ages spouses at her post “to meet on one salary. be moving to Plan B right And it’s even worse in the newcomers. now: teleworking, freelanc- D.C. One FSO who recently ing, working on the local returned to the States economy or, if those are not planned to stay here for the possible, obtaining certifica- next four years to get his son through high school. But with the tions and degrees toward such a time as they will be able to work.” freeze in place, his wife can’t find a job in her field, and the family “I’ve been a Foreign Service spouse for 24 years, and I can’t can’t afford to live on one salary in Northern Virginia. They are remember there ever being a freeze like this,” writes a D.C.-based looking to bid out again as quickly as possible, before they plow spouse. “It is devastating for families and demoralizing for those through all of their savings. Another spouse, the wife of a D.C.- blocked out of positions.” She says someone needs to “remind based DS agent, says she and her husband bought a house after management that hiring spouses saves money!” she was hired into a Civil Service job. But the freeze went into effect before her job started, and now the couple is trying to figure Hiring Spouses Saves Money out how to make their mortgage payments when half of their But HR already knows that hiring spouses makes financial expected income has suddenly vanished. sense. “We need our family members,” says Mike Tulley, director of the Office of Overseas Employment (HR/OE). He notes that What about Unaccompanied Posts? hiring an EFM is a cost-effective use of resources at post. Family The situation is bad enough if you’re preparing to move to a members, he says, have broad overseas experience and can be traditional post this summer. But for FSOs getting ready to transfer up and running quickly in any new job at a new post. And make to an unaccompanied post, some of whom made the decision to no mistake: the jobs they do aren’t busywork. EFMs overseas do an unaccompanied tour because they knew they could bring maintain and repair both classified and unclassified computer their spouses along if the spouses could find work at post, the networks. They dispense medicines and give inoculations. They

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 63 Surviving the Freeze What can you do if you’re stuck without a job during the freeze? Apply for the CA-AEFM program. There are no jobs available at this time, but the hiring process for the Consular Affairs–Appointment Eligible Family Member Pilot Program is a long one, and it continues during the freeze. If you’re interested in this program, apply now so you’re ready to go once the freeze is lifted. If you’re getting ready to leave a job at post, make sure you enroll in the Family Member Reserve Corps on your way out the door. The program was started to make it easier for spouses to transfer to new posts, taking their experience and clearances with them. Even if you can’t take a job at your new post, you can and should enroll in the corps so you’re in the system when the freeze is lifted. Get credentialed. If you’ve been thinking about getting your teaching credential, your personal training certificate, or any other job certification, now is the time to do it. FLO offers some professional development fellowships to help defray the cost. This year’s deadline to apply was May 1, but start thinking now about whether you can apply for a fellowship next year. Find information on the program at www.bit.ly/ProfDevProgram. Talk to the Global Employment Adviser at your post to find out whether you can work on the local economy or for help finding work remotely. Email [email protected] for information. Look beyond the government for work. Reach out to colleagues on LinkedIn or other social media networks for advice and support.

write press releases, manage complex postal operations and over- spouses, but it would have removed those jobs from the job pool see construction projects. And they do it all for far less than the for a decade or more. cost of a traditional Foreign Service officer. Many spouses have heard the rumor that if a PSA job is HR, says Tulley, wants to make sure that the new administra- announced, and a spouse applies for it, the entire hiring process for tion understands the value that EFMs bring to their positions: not the position will be halted. According to Tulley, the rumor is true, only do they cover positions that are hard to fill, but they cost far but there is a good reason for this. “We’re freezing jobs when this less to hire, because “they are already at post, so we don’t need happens to try to keep them vacant for spouses,” he explains. If no to move them, and we don’t need to provide extra allowances for interested spouses come forward, local staff can be hired. But if a them.” When a Foreign Service officer moves to post, there are spouse applies, the process will shut down in the hope that the job associated expenses for housing, plane fare, shipping a car, paying will still be waiting for a qualified spouse once the freeze is lifted. for school and more. So should spouses apply for these jobs when they are The EFM is already housed, so there are no extra housing costs. announced at post, even though doing so will stop the hiring pro- Medical services and educational support for spouses and chil- cess? Absolutely, says FLO’s Susan Frost. “We are telling people: if dren are covered under the International Cooperative Administra- you see a job you want and are qualified for, apply.” In the interim, tion Support Services, or ICASS, shared services platform whether she recommends that spouses stuck in this freeze take a long-term or not the spouse is working. While no one knows the exact cost approach. “Ask yourself: is there training I can do? A skill I need? savings when it comes to hiring a qualified spouse in place of a Can I freshen up my résumé so I’m ready when it’s time?” Foreign Service officer, everyone agrees that it is far less expensive “There is lots of anxiety and feelings of powerlessness in our to do that. communities right now,” says Frost. “It’s the antithesis of resil- Tulley reaffirms HR’s “commitment to spouses,” promising iency.” There isn’t much FLO can do to make the freeze go away, that the bureau is working to keep EFM jobs open so they will be but she says FLO is working hard to “make sure these issues available once the freeze is lifted. The bureau has told posts that remain ‘at the boil.’” She adds: “We are listening.” they cannot convert Family Member Appointments to Personal Meanwhile, spouses are waiting, hoping that the critical role Services Agreements: doing so would have allowed posts to hire they play at our embassies overseas will soon be recognized and local staff into positions that have traditionally been held by reinstated by department and administration officials.n

64 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL IN MEMORY

n Donald K. Bandler, 69, a retired Paris. Besides the fascinating work, the Amb. Bandler retired from the Foreign Foreign Service officer and former ambas- thrill of becoming fluent in French and Service in 2002 and spent the next six sador, died on Feb. 24 in Bethesda, Md., of spending every vacation visiting all corners years working as a consultant with several complications from early-onset Alzheim- of the beautiful country, his third child, international firms, including Kissinger- er’s disease. Jeffrey, was born in Paris in 1987. McLarty Associates in Washington, D.C. Mr. Bandler was born April 19, 1947, From 1989 to 1993 the Bandler family In 2008 he did a six-month stint at the in Philadelphia, Pa., to Fred and Estelle was posted in Bonn, where Mr. Bandler University of Southern California, Los Bandler. He grew up in Bala Cynwyd, Pa., was minister-counselor for political Angeles, as a diplomat-in-residence. He with his two younger sisters, Beth and and legal affairs. He participated in the donated his collection of Cypriot pho- Amy. He graduated from Kenyon College diplomacy leading to German unification tographs to the Fisher Museum of Art at with a B.A. in political science with honors, and led the U.S. effort to negotiate a new USC, where they were exhibited (“Donald and also earned a J.D. from George Wash- legal basis for the presence of U.S. forces in Bandler: A Roving Eye on Cyprus”) while ington University and an M.A. in liberal Germany. It was a fascinating time to be in he was in residence. arts from St. John’s College. Germany, close to the action as the Berlin He also had an exhibit at Waverly Gal- Mr. Bandler took the Foreign Service Wall came tumbling down. lery in Bethesda, Md., in 2010, and won exam in 1974 at the U.S. consulate in Mr. Bandler participated in the Senior several prizes for his photography from Kaduna, Nigeria, while teaching at Gov- Seminar in 1993. He spoke fondly of the Montgomery County. ernment Teachers’ College in Bida with his many experiences he had during that year In retirement, Amb. Bandler partici- new wife, Jane Goldwin Bandler. He joined reacquainting himself with America and pated in the Boys to Men national organi- the Foreign Service in 1976. its diversity. From 1994 to 1995 he was zation, mentoring boys who needed role Mr. Bandler was attending night law director of Israel and Arab-Israel affairs at models and encouragement. He was an school at George Washington University, State and had an active role in Middle East active member of the Council on Foreign and the State Department allowed him to peace process negotiations that yielded Relations, the Washington Institute of complete his degree before being posted bilateral and multilateral agreements. Foreign Affairs and the American Academy overseas. After serving in the Bureau Mr. Bandler was deputy chief of mission of Diplomacy. of African Affairs (1976-1978), he was (DCM) and then chargé d’affaires in Paris After receiving a diagnosis of early- detailed to the Carnegie Endowment for from 1995 to 1997, serving under Ambas- onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2008, Amb. International Peace to direct the ‘Face to sador Pamela Harriman, who sadly passed Bandler became an active advocate with Face’ program (1978-1979). away during his second year as DCM. the Alzheimer’s Association. He continued He then did congressional liaison work From 1997 to January 1999, Mr. Bandler to travel, taking a trip around the world (1979-1980), and had the exciting experi- was special assistant to the president and (Hawaii, Japan, Malaysia, China, India, ence of traveling with Mohammed Ali on a senior director on the National Security Russia and Portugal) with his wife in 2010. diplomatic mission to many African coun- Council, responsible for U.S. relations He visited Machu Picchu in 2011. tries to encourage them to join Washing- with Europe and Canada. From January to Amb. Bandler received the State ton in boycotting the 1980 Olympics. May 1999, he was special assistant to the Department’s Superior Honor Award In 1980 Mr. Bandler was posted to president and counselor to the National on four occasions, and was awarded the Yaoundé as a political officer. He returned Security Advisor for the 42-nation NATO French Legion of Honor in 1998. to Washington in 1982 to serve as special Summit, the largest gathering of world Amb. Bandler was very proud of his assistant on the Policy Planning Staff, and leaders ever held in Washington, D.C. family. He is survived by his loving wife, went on to the Office of European Security Mr. Bandler was appointed U.S. ambas- Jane Goldwin Bandler; his daughter Lara and Political Affairs in the Bureau of sador to Cyprus from 1999 to 2002. During Hogan (and her husband, Chad) of Los European Affairs in 1983, where he served his tenure, Ambassador Bandler fell in love Angeles; his daughter Jillian Parekh (and as the coordinator for the Conference on with Cyprus and traveled to all corners of her husband, Neel) of New York City; and Security and Cooperation in Europe. the country to photograph its beauty. He his son Jeffrey of Los Angeles; his grand- From 1985 to 1989, Mr. Bandler served held an exhibit of his photos in Cyprus and sons, Jasper, Nikhil and Zion; and his as the head of political-military affairs in also published them in book form. sisters, Beth and Amy and their families.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 65 Donations in his name may be to serve as the senior deputy inspector family according to his father’s assign- sent to the Alzheimer’s Association general of the Foreign Service. ments; Col. Hinton served in the U.S. Army (alz.org) or Us Against Alzheimer’s Ambassador Fox retired in 1984, and in both World War I and World War II (in (www.usagainstalzheimers.org) the Department of State recognized his the 82nd Airborne). service by conferring on him the Wilbur J. Mr. Hinton also served in World War n Richard K. Fox Jr., 91, a retired Carr Award. As former U.S. Ambassador II as a second lieutenant in the Signals Foreign Service officer and former ambas- George Moose recalls, “He was a mentor to Corps, participating in the Italy campaign. sador, died in the company of his family on so many of us, including me.” After the war, he completed his bachelor’s April 9. From 1983 to 1997, Amb. Fox served as degree at the University of Chicago in Richard Kenneth Fox was born in Cin- the vice president and executive director of 1943 and did a year of graduate studies in cinnati, Ohio. From 1944 to 1946, he served Meridian House International. economics. overseas in the U.S. Navy. He received his Amb. Fox was actively involved in a Mr. Hinton joined the Foreign Service bachelor’s degree from Indiana University range of civic and educational institu- in 1946. His first assignment, to Damascus in 1950. He worked for the Urban League tions. He served as a member of the D.C. as a political officer, was followed by a in St. Louis, Mo., and St. Paul, Minn., from Board of Higher Education; trustee of the posting to Mombasa in 1950 as principal 1950 to 1956, when he became assistant University of the District of Columbia officer of the consulate. In 1951 he was director of the Minnesota Commission and Christ Seminary in St. Louis, Mo.; detailed to the Fletcher School of Law and Against Discrimination. president of the board of directors of the Diplomacy at Tufts University to study In 1961 Mr. Fox began his career at the Wheat Ridge Foundation; president of the economics. Department of State as a special assistant Lutheran Human Relations Association of From 1952 to 1956, Mr. Hinton was to the deputy assistant secretary of State America and the American Foreign Service a financial affairs officer in Paris. He for personnel. From 1963 to 1965, he was a Protective Association; and adviser to the returned to the State Department for two special assistant to the deputy under secre- president of Valparaiso University, where years, and was then assigned to the U.S. tary of State for administration and the first he received an honorary doctor of laws Mission to the European Communities director of the Office of Equal Employment degree in 1983. in Brussels as a financial officer. He was Opportunity. He was twice elected to the board of detailed to the former National War Col- In 1965 he was posted to Madrid, serv- governors of DACOR and to the board lege for the 1961-1962 academic year. ing as a deputy administration officer and of trustees of the DACOR Bacon House From 1963 to 1966, Mr. Hinton directed then promoted to counselor of administra- Foundation. the Office of Atlantic Political-Economic tion in 1968. He returned to Washington, Amb. Fox is survived by his daughters, Affairs at State. D.C., in 1970 to serve as executive director Jeanne Fox Alston; Jane Fox-Johnson (and He was seconded to the U.S. Agency for of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural her husband, Mitchell Johnson); and International Development in 1967, where Affairs, where he was promoted to deputy Helen Fox Fields (and her husband, Gary he directed USAID programs in France, assistant secretary in 1973. Fields); and five grandchildren: Kenneth Belgium and Guatemala and then served Mr. Fox was appointed deputy director and Kevin Alston and Rachel, Charlene as USAID mission director and economic of personnel for career counseling and and Briana Fields. counselor in Santiago from 1969 to 1971. assignments in 1974, and then detailed to He was then detailed to the White House the interagency Senior Seminar in Foreign n Deane R. Hinton, 94, a retired For- Council on International Economic Policy, Policy for the 1976-1977 academic year. eign Service officer, Career Ambassador where he served from 1971 to 1973. In 1977 President Jimmy Carter and U.S. envoy to five countries, died on In 1973 President Richard Nixon appointed Mr. Fox U.S. ambassador to March 28 at his home in San Jose, Costa appointed Mr. Hinton U.S. ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, the first FSO to serve Rica, due to organ failure. Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the in that capacity. His tenure witnessed the Deane Roesch Hinton was born in Congo). When relations soured between continuing recovery of the economy due to Missoula, Mont., on March 12, 1923, the Washington and President Mobuto Sese rising prices for petroleum, the country’s only child of Col. Joe A. Hinton and Doris Seko in 1975, Amb. Hinton was declared major export. He returned to State in 1979 Roesch. As a child he traveled with his persona non grata. He returned to Brussels

66 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL as the U.S. representative to the European Roesch Hinton, Jeffrey Joe Hinton, Joanna whom he credited with teaching him how Union with the rank of ambassador, serv- Peyraud Hinton, Veronica Jean Hinton, to communicate clearly and succinctly. ing until 1979. Pedro Arrivillaga, Guillermo Arrivillaga, He joined the State Department in 1951, Amb. Hinton served as the assistant Miren Arrivillaga de Aretxabala, Maria serving successively as an administrative secretary of State for economics, energy Louisa Arrivillaga Reglemann, Juan Jose management specialist, deputy director and business affairs from 1979 to 1981, Arrivillaga, Sebastian Asturias Hinton and for administration in postwar Vienna and when he was appointed U.S. ambassador Deane Patrick Hinton); 13 grandchildren; executive director for German-Austrian to El Salvador. He sharply criticized the and five great-grandchildren. affairs. human rights abuses of that government Memorial contributions may be made He was commissioned into the Foreign during the next two years. to the International Rescue Committee. Service in 1954. He became deputy execu- President Ronald Reagan named him tive director of the Bureau of European U.S. ambassador to Pakistan in 1983. n Frederick Irving, 95, a retired Affairs in 1956, moving to acting executive There, Amb. Hinton worked with Pakistan Foreign Service officer and former ambas- director a year later. In 1957 he became President Zia ul-Haq to supply the Afghan sador, died on Nov. 13 in Amherst, Mass. director of the Office of the Budget, and mujaheddin, who were fighting the Red Born in Providence, R.I., on May 2, 1921, two years later was assigned as special Army in their homeland. the sixth child of eastern European immi- assistant to the under secretary of State for In 1987 President Reagan designated grants, Mr. Irving worked full time in high economic affairs. He was then detailed to Ambassador Hinton a Career Ambas- school and college to support his family. the National War College. sador, the highest rank in the U.S. Foreign On graduation from Brown University In 1960 Mr. Irving was posted to Wel- Service, and named him U.S. ambassador in 1943 he joined his four older brothers lington as chief of the economic section. to Costa Rica, where he served until 1989. in the U.S. Army Air Corps, serving as the He returned to Washington, D.C., in 1962 In 1990, he was appointed U.S. ambas- navigator on a B-24 bomber crew based to serve as deputy executive director of the sador to Panama, and worked there to in Italy. On his 37th mission, the plane Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. restore the economy and strengthen was shot down over Hungary. Mr. Irving Mr. Irving’s career at the State Depart- relations following the ouster of Panama credited the Tuskegee Airmen with saving ment was characterized by his passionate President Manuel Noriega. his life because they circled the plane until commitment to equal access to justice, Amb. Hinton retired in 1994 after a the crew could bail out. opportunity and respect for all people, remarkable 49-year diplomatic career. His Captured by Hungarian partisans, Mr. regardless of gender, race, religion, nation- memoir, Economics and Diplomacy: A Irving was turned over to the German ality or country of residence, and to his Life in the Foreign Service, a volume in the Army and interned at Stalag Luft III, the active work to make those values real. He Association for Diplomatic Studies and site of the “Great Escape.” In May 1945 he created the people-to-people programs Training’s Memoirs and Occasional Papers was liberated by Patton’s Army, two of his within the State Department, which Series, was published in 2015. He was brothers among them. He received the included, among other groundbreaking widely considered among the foremost Purple Heart and several other military activities, hosting the first athletic teams Latin America experts in the State Depart- honors for bravery. Mr. Irving maintained from China to visit the U.S.—the famous ment. that experiencing the horrors of war “Ping Pong Diplomacy.” In retirement, Amb. Hinton lived convinced him to spend his life working to In 1965 Mr. Irving was named executive alternately in the United States (mainly prevent wars. director of the Bureau of European Affairs, Washington, D.C., and nearby Pennsylva- After recovering at Walter Reed Army and in 1967 he was posted to Vienna as nia) and in San Jose, Costa Rica. His first Hospital, Mr. Irving earned a master’s deputy chief of mission. He returned to marriage, to Angela Peyraud, ended in degree from Tufts University’s Fletcher Washington a year later to serve succes- divorce. He second wife, Miren de Aretxa- School of Law and Diplomacy and married sively as deputy assistant secretary for bala, died in 1979. his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Petrie. operations and deputy assistant secretary Amb. Hinton is survived by his third Mr. Irving entered federal service in of educational and cultural affairs. wife, Patricia Lopez Hinton; 12 children 1946 as an economist at the Bureau of the President Richard Nixon appointed Mr. (Deborah Ann Hinton, Christopher Budget under President Harry Truman, Irving U.S. ambassador to Iceland in 1972.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 67 In 1976 President Gerald Ford named him Iowa, Mrs. Karp graduated from the peacefully in McLean, Va., with his wife by assistant secretary of State for Oceans and University of Iowa in 1943 with a degree his side on April 22. International Environmental and Scien- in hospital dietetics. She joined the Mr. Lion was born on May 3, 1924, in tific Affairs, and in 1977 President Jimmy Women’s Army Corps the same year New York City, the eldest of three sons. Carter appointed him U.S. ambassador to and served with General Eisenhower’s His parents gave him his unusual name Jamaica. headquarters during World War II as a because they wanted him to be a giver. He Ambassador Irving always acknowl- cryptographer in Algiers; she also served grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and graduated edged his wife Dorothy’s critical, if unpaid, in Caserta, Italy. Mrs. Karp was honor- from Erasmus Hall High School as presi- role in forging and maintaining personal ably discharged from the Women’s Army dent of the senior class. He earned his B. A. and professional ties that supported U.S. Corps in 1946. and Ph.D. from Harvard University and his interests at home and abroad. After the war, Mrs. Karp joined the U.S. M.A. from the University of Buffalo, all in Amb. Irving retired from the Foreign Foreign Service. She was assigned to Ath- economics. Service in 1978 and joined the Kennedy ens, where she met her future husband, Mr. Lion’s first foray into U.S. foreign School of Government at Harvard Univer- who was also working at the embassy. assistance programs was in 1952 in Oslo, sity. With their marriage in 1949, Mrs. Karp where he helped to implement the Mar- He often spoke to schools and civic resigned from the Foreign Service in shall Plan. Two years later, he joined the organizations about his experience as a compliance with the rules of that time. private sector as an economic consultant, prisoner of war, his efforts in the U.S. For- The couple had four children. spending three years at Robert R. Nathan eign Service to promote practical peaceful Mrs. Karp served alongside her hus- Associates in Washington, D.C., and five solutions to disagreements, and the need band throughout the rest of his Foreign years at Booz Allen Hamilton in Chicago. for all Americans to ensure that the free- Service career. During the next 30 years, In 1962, a former Marshall Plan col- doms, justice and prosperity we enjoy are they were posted in Budapest, London league recruited him to join USAID, available equally to all people inside and (twice), Montreal, Kingston, Ciudad fulfilling his parents’ hopes and dreams. outside U.S. borders. Juarez, La Paz, Panama City, Managua, He began his career in Brazil in support His memoir, Mr. President, Do You Hong Kong and Mexico City, as well as of the Alliance for Progress, starting out Think I Have Rocks in My Head?—Expe- Washington, D.C. in Rio de Janeiro for two years and then riences of Frederick Irving, American Mr. Karp retired in 1978, and the cou- serving for five years in Recife. He was the Diplomat, was published in 2015. His oral ple moved to San Marcos, Calif., where first person to hold dual roles as director of history is archived in the Association of they lived for 17 years. They relocated to USAID’s Northeast Brazil Mission and the Diplomatic Studies and Training collec- Walnut Creek in 2005. U.S. embassy’s consul general. Mr. Lion’s tion, in the Brown and Fletcher alumni Mrs. Karp was an avid gardener, mandate was to help develop Brazil’s most magazines, and in the Yiddish Book Cen- reader, cook and bridge player. impoverished region by providing assis- ter. In 2017 the National War College post- She is survived by Samuel Karp, her tance in education, agriculture, health and humously awarded Ambassador Irving its husband of 68 years; her four children— infrastructure. first Distinguished Alumni Award. Daniel, Susan, Larry and Marylou—and In 1971 he returned to Washington, Amb. Irving’s beloved wife, Dorothy, their spouses; and many grandchildren D.C., to attend the yearlong Senior Semi- predeceased him in 2010. He is survived by and great- grandchildren. nar. Mr. Lion spent the next five years in three children: Susan, Rick and Barbara; Mr. Karp would welcome hearing from several senior positions in Washington their families; and many treasured friends anyone who knew his wife in the Wom- in the Bureau for Latin America and the and admirers. en’s Army Corps or the Foreign Service at Caribbean, ultimately rising to the posi- [email protected]. tion of acting assistant administrator. n Rachel Karp, 99, a former Foreign In 1977, Mr. Lion moved to Jamaica, Service officer and the wife of retired FSO n Donor M. Lion, 92, a retired FSO again serving in a dual capacity as USAID Samuel Karp, died in Walnut Creek, Calif., and distinguished Career Minister in the mission director and the embassy’s eco- on Jan. 28. Senior Foreign Service of the U.S. Agency nomic counselor. Here he concentrated Born Rachel Lou Keil in Genoa Bluff, for International Development, died on economic policy, health, family plan-

68 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL ning, education and agriculture. Mr. Lion was preceded in death by his director of the Southern Baptist Semi- During the next 10 years (1979-1989), parents, David and Anna Holstein Lion; nary Extension Department in Nashville, he was the USAID mission director in his daughter Amy Lion; brothers Paul and Tenn. In 1966 he earned a doctorate of Guyana, Pakistan and Peru, with a year Eugene Lion; and former wife, Elizabeth education degree in adult education from (1985-1986) in Washington, D.C., as Kennedy Lion. Indiana University. USAID’s chief economist. He is survived by his wife and best Mr. Whitten joined the Foreign Service Mr. Lion retired from USAID in July friend of 39 years, Linda N. Lion nee with the State Department in 1963. Dur- 1989 after a distinguished career during Kranetz; daughters Ann Lion (and her ing a 24-year diplomatic career, he served which he received numerous awards and husband, Marc Luoma), Kristin Lion in Liberia, Tanzania, Afghanistan and accolades. Torres (and her husband, Juan Pablo) parts of Asia. He retired as a commis- In retirement Mr. Lion did develop- and Karin Lion (and her partner, Bonnie sioned officer from the Foreign Service ment consulting work with, for example, Levin); granddaughters Sara Coleman in 1987, and spent his retirement years in the Ministry of Finance in Hungary and Hernandez (and her husband, Phil), Ali Norcross and Sugar Hill, Ga. the Ministry of Agriculture in the Domini- Coleman and Mia Lion Torres; sisters- Mr. Whitten was also a former pastor can Republic. He was also an adjunct in-law, Barbara Kranetz Green and Jo of the First Baptist Church in Richland, professor in the Economics Department Lechay Lion; nieces Jaime Green Roberts Miss. Artifacts from the Whittens’ time at American University in Washington, (and her husband, Jeff), Jenny Lion (and in Liberia are in collections at Indiana D.C., where he taught a popular seminar her husband, Steve Matheson) and Angel University and Mississippi College. on development assistance. Lion; and nephew Jason Green (Tovah). Mr. Whitten was an active and beloved In 1994, the Lion family moved to Donations may be made in Mr. Lion’s member for many years at First Baptist Bangkok, where his wife, Linda, served name to the Louis August Jonas Founda- Church of Chamblee, which later became as USAID mission director. There Mr. tion in New York. In 1930, that founda- Johns Creek Baptist Church, inspiring Lion enjoyed assignments with the tion established and still operates Camp others through his service as a deacon United Nations Development Program, Rising Sun, an international leadership and Sunday School teacher. Thailand’s National Institute for Develop- program for young adults where Mr. Lion In retirement, he enjoyed serving as a ment Administration and Thommasat spent four very meaningful summers. chaplain for the local chapter of the Good University. He also contributed articles on Sam R.V. Club. His interest in genealogy development to the local newspaper. n Willie A. Whitten Jr., 87, a retired and photography culminated in the 2000 Mr. Lion retired fully in 1996, and Foreign Service officer, died on April 22 publication of Beulah and Beyond: A Story actively pursued his passions: vegetable at the Legacy Personal Care Home in of the Beulah Baptist Church and Commu- gardening, tournament bridge, ping Loganville, Ga., following complications nity in Historical Perspective, 1835-1999, pong, golf and gourmet cooking. Mrs. from pneumonia. about the people, church, school and land Lion retired from USAID in 2002, and the Mr. Whitten was born and raised in of Choctaw County, Miss. couple spent time with their girls and Weir, Miss., the son of Willie Amzie and Mr. Whitten leaves his wife of 68 their families, and enjoyed long trips— to Velma Elizabeth (Eddleman) Whitten. In years, Lucille (Stinnett) Whitten; his son, Turkey, Vietnam, Russia, Eastern Europe, his early years, he helped on the family Warren Allen Whitten; his brother, Rev. Ireland, Egypt, Jordan and Canada. farm. After graduating from Weir High Charles William Whitten; grandsons Wade Family and friends remember Mr. Lion School in 1946, he met his wife, Lucille Allen Whitten and Travis Ryan Whitten; for his trademark bowtie and pipe, fierce Stinnett, at her church in Kentucky, where granddaughter Casey JoAnne Whitten; and intellect, dry sense of humor and his kind, his Uncle Charles served as pastor. The many cousins and close friends. gentle and loving ways. He was admired couple married in 1948. Contributions may be made to Johns and respected by his colleagues, espe- Mr. Whitten attended Mississippi Creek Baptist Church, 6910 McGinnis Ferry cially those whom he mentored over the College, graduating in 1951 with a B.A. Road, Alpharetta GA 30005, or to the W. A. years. However, the love of his family and in sociology. Following his receipt of a Whitten Sr. Memorial Endowment Fund at their accomplishments were his greatest B.D. from Southern Seminary in 1954, he Mississippi College (Attn: Barbara Brown source of satisfaction, pride and joy. served for seven years as the associate King), Box 4005, Clinton MS 39058. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 69 BOOKS

Lessons Worth Learning For these and many retary of Defense was fired—but more prominent person- his bureaucratic skills were rec- Foreign Service: Five Decades on the alities that appear in the ognized. He was placed in charge Frontlines of American Diplomacy narrative, Dobbins pro- of interagency groups engaged James F. Dobbins, Brookings Institution vides quick, incisive por- first in arranging the withdrawal Press, 2017, $29.99/hardcover, $20.22/ traits. Sonnenfeldt was of American forces from Somalia, Kindle, 341 pages. “a more pragmatic and and then in dealing with a refugee Reviewed By Harry Kopp steady version of his and political crisis in Haiti. chief.” General Vernon Haiti embroiled him in domestic James Dobbins’ stellar career began Walters, ambassador to Germany politics. Congressional Republicans in Vietnam and ended in Afghanistan. during reunification, “had remarkably were united in opposition to the admin- His memoir of service spans a period sharp insights but no capacity to explain istration’s policies and constantly on of ebbing, or squandering, of what had how he had arrived at them.” the attack. Representative Dan Burton seemed in his phrase an “inexhaustible President Bill Clinton treated his staff (R-Ind.) came to believe that Dobbins abundance of American power.” It is the “as if we were potential donors and he had lied before his subcommittee in story of a career marked by diplomatic was running for a third term,” but Vice testimony on Haiti, and Senator Jesse successes and darkened in its latter President Al Gore “treated subordinates Helms (R-N.C.) announced his intention years by frustration. curtly and even discourteously. ... He to block Dobbins’ appointment to any Dobbins joined the Foreign Service was also the worst public speaker I ever position requiring Senate confirmation. in 1967, after a stint in the Navy. Many of encountered.” These sketches are among The department, a pushover for congres- his Foreign Service classmates went into the book’s great pleasures. sional bullies, did not defend him. the Civil Operations and Revolutionary European affairs occupied Dobbins Dobbins spent several years and a Development Support program in Viet- from his entry into the Service through good deal of money rebutting Burton’s nam (known as CORDS), but Dobbins’ the collapse of the Soviet Union and its charge, eventually winning a grievance Vietnam experience was already behind immediate aftermath. Then, through the and a “sizable financial settlement” from him—he had served on a carrier in the odd mix of preparation and serendip- the department. In the Senate, however, Gulf of Tonkin—and he went instead ity that marks so many Foreign Service he remained unconfirmable. State took to Paris. “If there is a better place to be careers, he took up the diplomacy of him out of consideration for embassies young, single and gainfully employed,” nation-building in Somalia, Haiti, the in Argentina and the Philippines, and he writes, “I’ve not found it.” Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. struck his name from a promotion list His career really took off, however, Dobbins rose rapidly in the bureaus that required Senate approval. after his marriage to a foreigner forced of Political-Military and European With an ambassadorship no longer his return to Washington. He became an Affairs, with tours as deputy chief of a possibility, he became a candidate for assistant to Helmut Sonnenfeldt, coun- mission in West Germany and appoint- the special assignments that engaged selor to the department and Secretary of ment in 1991 as ambassador to the him in the world’s most difficult trouble State Henry Kissinger’s closest adviser European Union. spots for much of the rest of his career. on Eastern Europe. When communist rule collapsed, he As he had in Somalia and Haiti, Dob- Sonnenfeldt was the first of many argued (as he notes Sonnenfeldt might bins (with the title of “special adviser to mentors and colleagues whom Dobbins have done) for a U.S. assistance pro- the president and secretary”) coordi- credits for much of his success. Their gram to link Russia and Eastern Europe nated interagency efforts in Bosnia and names—Bob Blackwill, Rick Burt, Mike to the West in “mutually beneficial Kosovo, and was deeply involved in McClarty, Dennis Ross, Strobe Talbott, dependency.” His paper on the subject holding allied efforts together, as well. Ray Seitz, among others—will resonate provoked no response. “Critics,” he writes, “refer dismissively with readers of Dobbins’ generation The arrival of the Clinton administra- to the Kosovo campaign as ‘war by com- (this reviewer is one) but may be unfa- tion left Dobbins briefly at loose ends—a mittee,’ as if more unilateral assertion miliar to others. Pentagon job fell through when the sec- of American preferences would have

70 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL yielded a better result. Given that NATO except the few people I knew, who and expecting different results; but in achieved all its original goals and suf- seemed much older.” diplomacy, if one does not keep trying fered not a single casualty… I regarded He also found everything much to solve intractable problems, there is the Kosovo campaign as an unqualified bigger; a staff meeting with Secretary zero chance of success.” That is a lesson success and an unexcelled model of of State John Kerry had more than 100 worth learning. n coalition warfare.” participants, and his own staff was of In 2002, as the Taliban were driven similar size. Despite the resources, his Harry Kopp, a former FSO, was deputy from Kabul, Secretary of State Colin job was frustrating and unrewarding. He assistant secretary of State for international Powell sent Dobbins as an envoy to the left, apparently for good, in 2014. trade policy in the Carter and Reagan Afghan opposition, to produce from Critics of the State Department administrations; his foreign assignments its “various strands” agreement on a often cite an inability to learn from included Warsaw and Brasilia. He is the new Afghan government. This he did, mistakes. Dobbins, reflecting on his author of Commercial Diplomacy and the extracting for a time coherence not career, laments a refusal to learn from National Interest (Academy of Diplomacy, only from Pashtun and non-Pashtun success—in nation-building, coalition 2004) and The Voice of the Foreign Service: elements but from the United Nations, warfare, democracy promotion and A History of the American Foreign Service NATO, the CIA, the Pentagon and the other lately unpopular ideas. Association (FS Books, 2015), and the co- White House, as well. A lack of persistence, he suggests, author of Career Diplomacy: Life and Work The United States did not sustain its is fatal to American efforts: “Insanity in the U.S. Foreign Service (Georgetown effort, and drew down its forces. The [is] doing the same thing repeatedly University Press, 2008, 2011 and 2017). National Security Council considered peacekeeping a failed concept, a belief as unshakable as it was uninformed. “The preceding decade,” Dobbins writes, “had seen successful peacekeeping operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, East Timor, Mozambique, Libe- ria, El Salvador, Namibia, Cambodia, Albania and Macedonia.” But the George W. Bush admin- istration had lost interest. When the president called for “a Marshall Plan for Afghanistan,” there was “no follow-up, no increase in U.S. assistance, and no effort to galvanize a broader interna- tional effort.” Only in his second term, after terrible reversals in Afghani- stan and Iraq, did the administration approve a surge in troop levels and embrace nation-building “with all the zeal of a convert.” Dobbins retired in April 2002 and joined the RAND Corporation. After the death of his wife, however, he returned to State as special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. At State in 2013, “I found everyone much younger

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THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2017 77 LOCAL LENS BY JENNY COBBLE n PERNIK, BULGARIA

Please submit your s we stepped out of our car, we heard the bells. The air was filled with excitement and the smell favorite, recent of homemade Bulgarian banitsa, donuts and grilling meat! There is nothing quite like a Kukeri photograph to be considered for Local Festival, and the most famous of all is the Surva Festival of Masquerade Games in Pernik. More Lens. Images must be than 5,000 performers from all over Bulgaria and a dozen other countries gather together yearly high resolution (at least A 300 dpi at 8” x 10”, or 1 for this colorful, fearsome display of Bulgarian folklore intended to dispel spirits that might otherwise bring MB or larger) and must loshotiya, or ill fortune, to a community. Their performances and costumes can also win them coveted not be in print elsewhere. Please include a short awards and prizes. n description of the scene/ event, as well as your Jenny Cobble is the spouse of Terry Cobble, RSO Sofia. Bulgaria is an amazing place for photographers, she says. There name, brief biodata and the type of camera used, is no other beauty like it! With four seasons, pristine lakes, endless forests, the Black Sea, majestic mountains and strik- to [email protected]. ing historical sights to visit, the choices are endless for photography trips. She took this photo with a Nikon D810.

78 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL