“H” IS FOR HILL I ABROKEN SYSTEM I SWAN SONG $3.50 /JANUARY 2009 OREIGN ERVICE FJOURNAL STHE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS SLOGAN OR SUBSTANCE? The Legacy of Transformational Diplomacy OREIGN ERVICE FJOURNAL S CONTENTS January 2009 Volume 86, No. 1 F OCUSON T RANSFORMATIONAL D IPLOMACY GLOBAL REPOSITIONING IN PERSPECTIVE / 18 Global repositioning is a key element of Secretary of State Rice’s signature initiative. Here is an in-depth look at the program. By Shawn Dorman THE BRAVE NEW WORLD OF DEMOCRACY PROMOTION / 31 U.S. democracy promotion policy appears to be at a crossroads, with big divisions within both parties over how much of it we should be doing. Cover and inside illustrations By Robert McMahon by David Wink MEPI: ADDING TO THE DIPLOMATIC TOOLBOX / 40 Despite many obstacles, the Middle East Partnership Initiative has come a long way in the past five years. By Peter F. Mulrean PRESIDENT’S VIEWS / 5 Renewing American Diplomacy By John K. Naland F EATURES SPEAKING OUT / 13 Let’s Help “H” MENTAL HEALTH CARE AT STATE:ABROKEN SYSTEM / 46 Make the Case for State Foreign Service employees have incentives to hide their mental health By Stetson Sanders treatment or, worse, to let their problems go untreated. By Anonymous LETTER FROM THE EDITOR / 16 THE BLACK SWAN COMES HOME / 48 By Steven Alan Honley A letter discovered in the Embassy Paris mailroom in 2003 REFLECTIONS / 76 helped solve a 60-year-old mystery. Here is the rest of the story. Dean Rusk and Rolling Thunder By Douglas W. Wells By John J. St. John LETTERS / 6 CYBERNOTES / 10 MARKETPLACE / 12 BOOKS / 67 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS / 74 JANUARY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 3 OREIGN ERVICE CONTENTS FJOURNAL S Editor AFSAN EWS STEVEN ALAN HONLEY Senior Editor SUSAN B. MAITRA Associate Editor AFSA WELCOMES NEW ADMINISTRATION / 55 SHAWN DORMAN AFSA News Editor DISSENT AWARDS NOMINATIONS –LAST CALL / 55 FRANCESCA KELLY SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS DEADLINE / 55 Ad & Circulation Manager ED MILTENBERGER NEWS BRIEFS / 56 Business Manager ALICIA J. CAMPI VP STATE:AMIXED REPORT CARD / 57 Art Director CARYN SUKO SMITH VP USAID: ADVICE FOR THE NEW USAID ADMINISTRATOR / 58 Advertising Intern HANS MULDER ISSUE BRIEF:FILLING NEW MID-LEVEL POSITIONS / 59 FINANCIAL AID SCHOLARS / 60 EDITORIAL BOARD TED WILKINSON 2009 MEMBERSHIP DUES / 65 Chairman JOSEPH BRUNS CLASSIFIEDS / 65 STEPHEN W. BUCK JULIE GIANELLONI CONNOR JIM DEHART JEFF GIAUQUE GEORGE JONES LAURIE KASSMAN YVETTE N. MALCIOLN DAVID MCFARLAND AL PESSIN THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is published monthly with a combined July-August issue by the American Foreign Service Associa- tion (AFSA), a private, nonprofit organization. Material appearing herein represents the opin- ions of the writers and does not necessarily rep- resent the views of the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries and submissions are invited, preferably by e-mail. Journal sub- scription: AFSA members — $13 included in an- nual dues; others — $40. For foreign surface mail, add $18 per year; foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. Indexed by Public Affairs Information Services (PAIS). The Journal is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos or illustrations. Advertising inquiries are invited. The appearance of adver- tisements herein does not imply the endorse- ment of the services or goods offered. TELEPHONE: (202) 338-4045 FAX: (202) 338-8244 or (202) 338-6820 E-MAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.afsa.org; www.fsjournal.org © American Foreign Service Association, 2009. Printed in the U.S.A. Send address changes to: AFSA Attn: Address Change 2101 E Street N.W. Washington DC 20037-2990 Printed on 50-percent recycled paper, of which 10 percent is post-consumer waste. 4 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/JANUARY 2009 PRESIDENT’S VIEWS Renewing American Diplomacy BY JOHN K. NALAND Barack Obama won the pres- that Army officers end their ca- the Foreign Service not only needs to be idency pledging to renew Amer- reers better educated than offered more training but also needs to ican diplomacy. In so doing, he FSOs. be required to actually take it. not only called for changes in As a result of this underin- Toward that end, an October 2008 substantive foreign policy posi- vestment, today’sForeign Serv- report by the American Academy of tions, but also looked beneath ice does not have to a sufficient Diplomacy called for setting new career- the policy superstructure and degree the knowledge, skills long training requirements that Foreign identified the need to strengthen and abilities needed for 21st- Service members would have to fulfill as the platform upon which diplomacy is century diplomacy. There is an urgent a condition for promotion to the senior conducted. For example, he called for need to strengthen the skills that — ranks. Such requirements could include increasing Foreign Service staffing at taken together as a package — uniquely an academic year of knowledge-expand- State and USAID. equip career diplomats to conduct for- ing formal training (for example, at a AFSA, of course, completely agrees eign policy. Those include: foreign-lan- military war college, a private university, on the need to fix the staffing deficits that guage fluency, advanced area knowl- or a mid-level or senior seminar at the have hobbled our foreign affairs agen- edge, leadership and management abil- Foreign Service Institute) and a hori- cies. Toward that end, we look forward ity, negotiating skills, public diplomacy zons-broadening developmental detail to working with President-elect Obama, know-how, program management skills (for example, at another Cabinet agency, Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clin- and job-specific functional expertise. an NGO or in private industry). State ton and other incoming officials to obtain In AFSA’s November-December could re-establish its yearlong Senior the needed resources from Congress. 2008 survey of State Department For- Seminar and its mid-level course — But as candidate Obama and his eign Service members, 50 percent of re- both of which succumbed to budget cuts campaign policy papers made clear, the spondents said that training shortfalls years ago. mere application of more resources will made it more difficult for them to do I am confident that Foreign Service not be sufficient to strengthen America’s their jobs effectively and efficiently. I members would welcome a “grand bar- international engagement. Instead, our suspect that the true percentage is much gain” that coupled a significant expan- diplomats and development profession- higher and that many of those who could sion of staffing with a re-engineering of als also need increased capabilities. benefit the most from additional train- our personnel system to set new,career- As I have written (www.afsa.org/fsj/ ing do not realize it. You may know such long training requirements. But oct07/training.pdf), testified to Con- people. whether or not such a reform would be gress, and told every journalist who Just as the Goldwater-Nichols Act of universally welcomed, I am convinced would listen, chronic underinvestment 1986 began a period of reform that has that it is necessary. Unless the Foreign in training has long shortchanged For- produced today’sgeneration of well-ed- Service raises the level of its game by eign Service members on career-long ucated, interoperable military officers, sharpening knowledge, skills and abili- professional education. Colin Powell is the Foreign Service today needs reform. ties needed to meet the challenges of said to have remarked that Foreign The first step would be to significantly 21st-century diplomacy and develop- Service officers start their careers better increase our staffing, including creating ment assistance, the president and Con- educated than U.S. Army officers, but more positions for training and intera- gress may increasingly look elsewhere gency details. However, as was the case — including to our already over- John K. Naland is the president of the for the uniformed military after Gold- stretched military — to conduct our na- American Foreign Service Association. water-Nichols, many observers believe tion’s engagement with the world. I JANUARY 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 5 LETTERS Talking with Iran new path in our tortured relations with colleagues — the two in the ministry For the first time in decades, there Iran, which have set a record among with me and the 50 others held hostage is the possibility, indeed the probabil- diplomatic ruptures. In that regard, in the embassy compound on the other ity, of official dialogue between the some historical background may be side of the city. Surreptitiously handed United States and the Islamic Repub- useful. to guards and contacts within the for- lic of Iran. President-elect Barack There has been no formal diplo- eign ministry, the notes may never Obama is on record favoring talks matic contact between the U.S. and have reached their addressees. But the with Tehran, when they are in the Iran since President Jimmy Carter mere act of sending them boosted my American interest and at a time and broke relations in April 1980 over the morale. place of our choosing. That language hostage crisis that had begun on Nov. Today, nearly 30 years later, I re- leaves room for the essential prepara- 4, 1979. After five months of secret main the last senior American diplo- tory diplomatic maneuvering, includ- probes and public frustration, Pres. mat to have been accredited and ing the need for prior consultation Carter finally ordered the closure of resident in Tehran, in direct contact with friends at the United Nations Se- Iran’s embassy in Washington and its with the Islamic Republic. During my curity Council and the European consular presence elsewhere and the time, however, there was no opening Union — a channel where this past departure of all resident personnel for the kind of sustained dialogue es- summer, for the first time, there was within 36 hours.