The Foreign Service Journal, October 2005
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KATRINA’S TOLL I OP-ED WRITING 101 I STATE’S GLASS CEILING $3.50 / OCTOBER 2005 OREIGN ERVICE FJ O U R N A L S THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS NO EASY ANSWERS How Should the U.S. Deal with “Rogue” States? CONTENTS October 2005 Volume 82, No. 10 F OCUS ON “ROGUE” ST ATES F EATURE: 25 / THE BUSH DOCTRINE FOR THE RECORD: BREAKING THROUGH AND “ROGUE” STATES DIPLOMACY’S GLASS CEILING / 53 Bush administration policy Secretary of State Rice can give well-qualified aims to tame “rogue” states Foreign Service women more opportunities to serve or, failing that, destroy them. in key countries and in senior positions not previously Will it be judged a success? offered them. By Christopher Preble By Ann Wright 31 / WAR WITH IRAN, OR WITH THE FACTS? C OLUMNS D EPARTMENTS Efforts by the British, French and Germans offer PRESIDENT’S VIEWS / 5 LETTERS / 7 hope that the day Tehran Liberia in Louisiana CYBERNOTES / 14 acquires nuclear weapons By J. Anthony Holmes MARKETPLACE / 16 can be put off indefinitely. BOOKS / 63 By Henry Precht SPEAKING OUT / 17 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS / 70 Let’s Use International 37 / A ROGUE BY ANY OTHER NAME AFSA NEWS / Organizations to Ruled by a brutal dictator who threatens the whole CENTER INSERT Fight Terrorism world, North Korea looks like the perfect foe. By Leon Weintraub But that isn’t the whole story. By Leon V. Sigal FS KNOW-HOW / 21 Tips for Getting Op-Eds 45 / LIBYA: AN ALTERNATIVE PARADIGM Published The U.S.-Libya détente promises great mutual benefit, By Dennis Jett provided the forward momentum is maintained. By David L. Mack REFLECTIONS / 72 By Steven Mendel 49 / INEXTRICABLY LINKED: THE U.S. AND SYRIA The Bush administration could advance its objectives not only in Syria but throughout the Middle East by offering carrots instead of wielding sticks. By Murhaf Jouejati THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS OREIGN ERVICE Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is published FJ O U R N A L S monthly with a combined July/August issue by the American Foreign Service Association, a private, non-profit Editor Editorial Board organization. Material appearing herein represents the opinions of the writers and does not necessarily represent STEVEN ALAN HONLEY Senior Editor HOLLIS SUMMERS, the views of the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries and submissions are invited, preferably by SUSAN B. MAITRA CHAIRMAN e-mail. Journal subscription: AFSA Members - $13 included in annual dues; others - $40. For foreign surface mail, Associate Editor add $18 per year; foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mail- SHAWN DORMAN KENT C. BROKENSHIRE ing offices. 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SMITH Advertising Intern CHRISTOPHER L. TEAL WILLEM HOFSTEDE TED WILKINSON Cover and inside illustrations by PJ Loughran OCTOBER 2005/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 3 PRESIDENT’S VIEWS Liberia in Louisiana BY J. ANTHONY HOLMES After a three- for a long time. The direct effects on In moral terms, our power is year posting in a global energy and commodity markets, based on the degree to which the dynamic but im- the physical flow of trade, and U.S. eco- United States itself embodies the val- poverished African nomic growth are already apparent. ues that it preaches and can demon- country, I spent Longer lasting will be the impact of the strate the justice, empathy and demo- August on home images of Katrina’s aftermath on our cratic nature of our society and its leave reconnecting ability to use our power to influence institutions. Europeans are well with American so- other countries’ decisions and behavior. aware of the racial and socio-econom- ciety to be able to better represent our I can think of no other purely domestic ic divides in American society, but country abroad. Home leave this year event during my 26 years in the these issues were much less familiar reaffirmed a core truth in our business: Foreign Service with such a significant to the rest of the world. Virtually there is a huge, fundamental link image-altering effect on how foreign everyone abroad was shocked and between U.S. domestic events and peoples and governments view the appalled by the live news footage of issues and our national security and for- United States, easily surpassing the Katrina’s aftermath, images we have eign policy. Florida vote count fiasco during the grown callously inured to when they No one in the U.S. foreign affairs 2000 presidential elections. arrive from such places as Liberia or community needs to be told about the Based on my service overseas it is eastern Congo. power of images. We spend billions obvious to me that most Americans, in It is no less misguided, of course, annually to hone and project the government and outside, misunder- to draw broad conclusions about the images of the United States we want to stand the true sources of U.S. power. U.S. based on the Katrina images than convey abroad. We constantly battle The oversimplified post-Cold War it is to overlook Africa’s many success- negative stereotypes and hostile propa- view of our sole-superpower status as es and focus only on its trouble spots. ganda. The fight is difficult enough largely based on military power is no The difference is that we seek to lead when right is on our side. Distortions, longer valid, if it ever was. More the world and effect profound change half-truths and missing context are important are our economic might through moral suasion. We jumped at even tougher to counter. If there is a and, particularly, our moral stature. In the chance to show our generosity and disconnect between the images we pro- economic terms, in addition to the global relief capabilities in responding ject and the underlying reality, the real- sheer size of our economy, this to the Southeast Asian tsunami, earn- ity inevitably wins out and our credibil- depends on two things: our willingness ing real credit. But our planning and ity and ability to alter perceptions to practice what we preach and live by relief failures at home, in a situation abroad suffer. In this context, the the rules that we have so effectively where the victims were seen to be footage I’ve been watching of events had put in place to govern internation- poor and black, are far more visible. unfolding in New Orleans, and of offi- al economic relations; and our willing- Nothing better serves our power and cials’ reactions to them, is haunting. ness to forgo the temptation to sacri- influence abroad than an image of Hurricane Katrina is already having fice our long-term competitiveness for strength at home. But that strength a significant foreign policy impact, both short-term exigencies by, for example, must be real. If it takes a natural dis- direct and indirect, that will continue investing in our infrastructure, main- aster to remind us of this, our nation- taining R&D spending, and bearing al security interests demand that we J. Anthony Holmes is the president of some domestic political heat as we learn this lesson and make major, the American Foreign Service Associa- teach our citizens that future prosper- long-term investments to address our tion. ity often requires near-term sacrifices. weaknesses. I OCTOBER 2005/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 5 In Re: Personal Banking from Overseas (Peace of Mind Is at Hand!) Dear Journal Reader: There are many exciting experiences while on overseas assignment, but managing your finances isn’t typi- cally one of them. Actually, it can be quite challenging.Managing your pay, meeting financial obligations, maintaining a good credit rating at home, and sustaining and growing one’s financial portfolio can all become a challenge. Additionally, once settled-in at your country of assignment, local obligations arise, requiring the need to transfer funds, be it in US Dollars or in Foreign Currency. A seamless solution exists, which not only provides all of the necessary tools to efficiently manage your Personal Banking but, more importantly, provides “Peace of Mind.” The Citibank Personal Banking for Overseas Employees (PBOE) program delivers this Peace of Mind and so much more. Citibank PBOE has been the provider of choice and industry leader servicing inter- national assignees for over a third of Citibank’s century-plus history. Citibank PBOE offers a product and solution set designed specifically for the client on overseas assignment. Citibank PBOE provides a simpli- fied, practically paperless way to manage your Banking by establishing a comprehensive, globally accessi- ble banking relationship that includes access to credit and also to alternative banking products and ser- vices.