The Foreign Service Journal, May 2015

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PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION MAY 2015

MANAGING RISK FOR EFFECTIVE DIPLOMACY

FROM THE DG: A FOREIGN SERVICE FOR 2025 AND BEYOND

TIPS FROM THE BELLY OF THE PYTHON

FOREIGN May 2015 SERVICE Volume 92, No. 4

AFSA NEWS COVER STORY AFSA Co-Sponsors ‘Distinguished Building a Foreign Service for 2025 and Beyond / 21 Diplomat’ Lecture / 49 From the Director General, a look at plans for harnessing talent for the front lines of Scholarship Fund Receives diplomacy in an increasingly complex world. Record-Breaking Gift / 49 State VP Voice: Improving Quality BY ARNOLD CHACÓN AND ALEX KARAGIANNIS of Work and Life / 50 USAID VP Voice: Eligible Family Member Employment / 51 FOCUS ON MANAGING RISK Retiree VP Voice: Life After the Effective Diplomacy After Benghazi / 25 Foreign Service—It’s All Write / 52 New Online Memorial Tribute Adjusting to regularly changing threat levels while still engaging with society Page / 52 and getting diplomacy done in one of the world’s most dangerous cities— AAD Report: ‘American Diplomacy it’s all in a day’s work at Consulate General Karachi. at Risk’ / 53 BY MICHAEL DODMAN State Proposes Danger Pay Changes / 53 AFSA and HECFAA Welcome Diplomatic Security Triage in a Dangerous World / 29 the New DG / 54 Security professionals must balance risks against the requirements AFSA Governing Board Election / 54 of diplomatic engagement. AFSA Adds Two Names to Memorial Plaques / 55 BY ANTHONY C.E. QUAINTON Webinar with Post Reps / 56 AFSA Hosts Chiefs of Mission / 58 Keeping Embassy Security in Perspective / 33 AFSA Community: A New Way to Engage / 58 A veteran FSO takes a critical look at risk tolerance—or the lack thereof. AFSA Staff Discuss FS Careers / 59 BY JAMES L. BULLOCK It’s Flying Cats and Dogs / 60 You and Your Packout / 62

FEATURE COLUMNS President’s Views / 7 Women Who Make a Difference: Two Steps in Support of Reflections of a Foreign Service Wife in 1982 / 39 Career Development BY ROBERT J. SILVERMAN An FS spouse reflects on her experiences during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, when struggles for independence from colonial rule exploded throughout Letter from the Editor / 8 the developing world. Security and Engagement BY SHAWN DORMAN BY PATRICIA B. NORLAND Speaking Out / 18 A Strategic Approach to FS KNOW-HOW Public Diplomacy BY JOE B. JOHNSON Tips from the Belly of the Python / 45 Reflections / 77 How can we optimize our own professional development and strengthen Coming Out of the Cold the Foreign Service while negotiating a challenging mid-level passage? BY JIM OWEN Here are some suggestions. BY JOHN FER DEPARTMENTS Letters / 9 Talking Points / 12 In Memory / 63 Books /68 Local Lens / 78

MARKETPLACE On the cover: Yemeni protestors climb the gate of U.S. Embassy Sana’a on Sept. 13, 2012, Classifieds / 69 during a demonstration about a film mocking the Prophet Muhammad. Two days earlier, Real Estate / 72 Islamic militants had attacked a U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya, killing Ambassador Index to Advertisers / 76 J. Christopher Stevens, Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith, Diplo- matic Security Agent Tyrone S. Woods and Glen Doherty, a former Navy SEAL assigned to a State Department security detail. AP PHOTO/HANI MOHAMMED.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 5 FOREIGN SERVICE

Editor Shawn Dorman: [email protected] Managing Editor www.afsa.org Susan Brady Maitra: [email protected]

Associate Editor Debra Blome: [email protected] CONTACTS AFSA Headquarters: LABOR MANAGEMENT Editorial/Publications Specialist (202) 338-4045; Fax (202) 338-6820 General Counsel Brittany DeLong: [email protected] State Department AFSA Office: Sharon Papp: [email protected] Ad & Circulation Manager (202) 647-8160; Fax (202) 647-0265 Deputy General Counsel Ed Miltenberger: [email protected] USAID AFSA Office: Zlatana Badrich: [email protected] (202) 712-1941; Fax (202) 216-3710 Labor Management Specialist Art Director FCS AFSA Office: James Yorke: [email protected] Caryn Suko Smith (202) 482-9088; Fax (202) 482-9087 Senior Staff Attorney Neera Parikh: [email protected] Editorial Intern GOVERNING BOARD Staff Attorney Shannon Mizzi President Raeka Safai: [email protected] Advertising Intern Robert J. Silverman: [email protected] Staff Attorney William Read Secretary Angela Dickey: [email protected] Andrew Large: [email protected] Treasurer Hon. Charles A. Ford: [email protected] Labor Management Counselor Contributing Editor State Vice President Colleen Fallon-Lenaghan: Steven Alan Honley Matthew K. Asada: [email protected] [email protected] USAID Vice President Editorial Board Labor Management Assistant Sharon Wayne: [email protected] Jim DeHart, Chairman Jason Snyder: [email protected] FCS Vice President Hon. Gordon S. Brown Executive Assistant Steve Morrison: [email protected] Stephen W. Buck Lindsey Botts: [email protected] FAS Vice President Ruth M. Hall USAID Senior Labor Management Adviser Mark Petry: [email protected] Richard McKee Douglas Broome: [email protected] Retiree Vice President Beth Payne USAID Staff Assistant Lawrence Cohen: lawrencecohenassociates@ John G. Rendeiro Jr. Chioma Dike: [email protected] hotmail.com Duncan Walker State Representatives MEMBER SERVICES Tracy Whittington Ronnie Catipon Member Services Director Chuck Fee (AFSA Governing Board liaison) Todd Crawford Janet Hedrick: [email protected] Chuck Fee Membership Representative THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS Neeru Lal Natalie Cheung: [email protected] PROFESSIONALS The Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E Ken Kero-Mentz Retiree Counselor Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is pub- Ronita Macklin Todd Thurwachter: [email protected] lished monthly, with combined January-February and Elise Mellinger Coordinator, Retiree Counseling July-August issues, by the American Foreign Service Homeyra Mokhtarzada and Legislation Association (AFSA), a private, nonprofit organization. Material appearing herein represents the opinions of the Nancy Rios-Brooks Matthew Sumrak: [email protected] writers and does not necessarily represent the views of Daniel Spokojny Administrative Assistant and Office Manager the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries USAID Representatives Ana Lopez: [email protected] and submissions are invited, preferably by email. The Jeri Dible Journal is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, COMMUNICATIONS photos or illustrations. Advertising inquiries are invited. Jeffrey Cochrane All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. FCS Representative Director of Communications AFSA reserves the right to reject advertising that is not William Kutson Kristen Fernekes: [email protected] in keeping with its standards and objectives. The appear- Director of New Media ance of advertisements herein does not imply endorse- FAS Representative David Mergen ment of goods or services offered. Opinions expressed in BBG Representative Andre de Nesnera Ásgeir Sigfússon: [email protected] advertisements are the views of the advertisers and do APHIS Representative Mark C. Prescott Publications Manager not necessarily represent AFSA views or policy. Journal Retiree Representatives Shawn Dorman: [email protected] subscription: AFSA member–$20, included in annual Online Communications Specialist dues; student–$30; institution–$40; others–$50; Single Marshall Adair issue–$4.50. For foreign surface mail, add $18 per year; Hon. David Greenlee Jeff Lau: [email protected] foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid F. Allen “Tex” Harris Communications and Press Specialist at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. Hon. Edward Marks Allan Saunders: [email protected] Indexed by the Public Affairs Information Services (PAIS). Special Awards and Outreach Coordinator Email: [email protected] STAFF Perri Green: [email protected] Phone: (202) 338-4045 Executive Director Fax: (202) 338-8244 Ian Houston: [email protected] ADVOCACY Web: www.afsa.org/fsj Executive Assistant Advocacy Director Patrick Bradley: [email protected] Javier Cuebas: [email protected] © American Foreign Service Association, 2015 Senior Legislative Assistant PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. BUSINESS DEPARTMENT David Murimi: [email protected] Director of Finance Professional Issues and Policy Adviser Postmaster: Send address changes to Femi Oshobukola: [email protected] Janice Weiner: [email protected] AFSA Controller Attn: Address Change Kalpna Srimal: [email protected] SCHOLARSHIPS 2101 E Street NW Washington DC 20037-2990 Assistant Controller Scholarship Director Cory Nishi: [email protected] Lori Dec: [email protected] Scholarship Senior Associate Jonathan Crawford: [email protected]

6 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL PRESIDENT’S VIEWS

Two Steps in Support of Career Development

BY ROBERT J. SILVERMAN

s I write in early April, the AFSA ment initially put the London position in as ambassadors there and rose to the top award nominations have come the Overseas Development Program for of the Service) would include: USNATO in, and I am so pleased that we civil servants, a new program created by (Toria Nuland, Nick Burns), Russia (Bill A have another record number the 2010 QDDR. When this AFSA Board Burns, Tom Pickering), Israel (Dan Kurtzer, of nominations. I hope many of you will came in, the department wanted to double Tom Pickering), South Korea (Kathy Ste- attend the awards ceremony on June 9 at the program from 20 to 40 Foreign Service phens, Chris Hill), South Africa (Princeton the State Department to recognize our col- positions, but we pushed back out of Lyman), Argentina (Tony Wayne) and leagues’ principled dissent and outstand- concern for the lack of adequate overseas India (Nancy Powell, Frank Wisner). ing performance. positions at the mid-levels of the Service. This is a different problem than sending I am in the last months of a two-year Eventually we settled the grievance on bundlers to pleasant postings in Western tour as AFSA president, realizing that there favorable terms—the London position was Europe, and should be easier to reform. is much more work ahead to promote and returned to the Foreign Service bidding How can we effectively advocate for defend the Foreign Service, but pleased pool for this cycle, and we are finalizing the nomination of career FSOs rather than that there are great candidates ready to procedures with the department for this NSC staffers (in addition to appealing to serve as AFSA president and carry on with program going forward. good stewardship of the career ranks)? the fine team here at AFSA. Given the current deficit of mid-level Many NSC policy experts possess knowl- One strategic goal of this Governing overseas positions, we should reconsider edge of the languages, cultures and institu- Board has been to strive to ensure that the putting any positions into the program. tions, which are illustrative qualifications next generation of the Foreign Service is We want to support the careers of our Civil for ambassadors noted in the Foreign afforded the same career opportunities Service colleagues, but we need to ensure Service Act of 1980. that we enjoyed. Those opportunities are that there are a sufficient number of posi- AFSA’s Guidelines for Successful not assured. Here are two of the steps we tions for the Foreign Service in the system Performance of Chiefs of Mission provides took toward that goal. now and in the future. an answer. It fleshes out what the Foreign First, we established criteria with Second, we pushed back against one Service Act means when it calls for all the State Department for taking Foreign aspect of the increasing politicization of nominees to possess “clearly demon- Service positions out of the bidding pool the department’s senior positions. As I strated competence.” The guidelines state for a cycle and granting them as devel- noted in last month’s column, “How to a nominee must have the “capacity to lead opmental assignments to Civil Service Find the Next Bill Burns,” we need to keep the operations of a diplomatic mission employees. Based on past practice and our policy jobs in the career ranks as incuba- effectively.” This is an area where FSOs reading of the rules, we asserted that the tors for our future leaders. are better qualified than NSC experts. The department needed AFSA approval of such One area where the Foreign Service is latter often have little or no leadership actions. When the department denied this being severely challenged is the increasing experience in overseas settings. assertion, we filed transfer of the most important embas- So, this AFSA Board has provided a a grievance citing sies (in terms of U.S. policy) to political couple of new tools to our successors to the case of the appointees, who are usually not campaign continue the ongoing advocacy work. Embassy London bundlers but rather National Security Be well, stay safe and keep in touch, Iran Watcher posi- Council staff members. Bob tion. A partial list of such posts (with exam- [email protected] n The depart- ples of career FSOs who previously served

Robert J. Silverman is the president of the American Foreign Service Association.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 7 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Security and Engagement

BY SHAWN DORMAN

he April focus on Vietnam risk option other than closing up shop was, we are almost certain, altogether, so the efforts of security and the largest FSJ focus in 90 diplomatic professionals alike T years, and included a first- must be on finding the best ever FSJ online supplement. In my way to support engagement do not become less introduction, I quoted from the June while minimizing and mitigat- compelling just 1975 FSJ editorial calling for a post-mor- ing risk. What level of risk is because some dan- tem of the Vietnam era from the career tolerable? How is that deter- ger is involved.” Foreign Service and noted that there is mined? When and where do the In our cover story, “Build- little evidence such an assessment was lines change? ing a Foreign Service for 2025 undertaken. In “Effective Diplomacy after and Beyond,” Director General Then we heard from retired Ambassa- Benghazi,” FSO Michael Dod- Arnold Chacón and Senior Advi- dor David Lambertson, who reported that, man, consul general in Karachi from 2012 sor Alex Karagiannis offer an overview of actually, such an evaluation was done in to 2014 and winner of the first Ryan C. the challenges facing the Foreign Service 1975 at the request of the White House, Crocker Award for Outstanding Leader- and the Bureau of Human Resources’ and the resulting memo—“Lessons of ship in Expeditionary Diplomacy, offers goal: to recruit, retain and sustain a Viet-Nam”—brought together the views of his take on how to conduct effective diverse workforce. dozens of FSOs. He was the drafter. diplomacy in a high-threat environment. On a related note, in “Tips from the However, that document apparently In “Diplomatic Security Triage in a Belly of the Python,” FSO John Fer offers died on Secretary of State Henry Kiss- Dangerous World,” Ambassador Anthony suggestions for how to optimize profes- inger’s desk, and instead quite a different Quainton, who has served as assistant sional development and strengthen the memo went forward to the White House. secretary for diplomatic security, evalu- Foreign Service while negotiating a chal- Wouldn’t it be fascinating to see both ver- ates where security priorities fall today lenging mid-level passage. sions? Look for them in the July-August and how much has changed since the Speaking of challenges facing the Journal. Inman Commission recommendations Foreign Service, please see AFSA News This month, we consider an issue that were made 30 years ago in the wake of for coverage of the American Academy is on everyone’s mind today but is also the 1983 Beirut bombings. He points of Diplomacy’s new report, “Diplomacy evergreen, as shown by these covers from to responses at other critical moments, at Risk,” which was released as we went past years of the FSJ: managing risk. The following the 1998 East Africa embassy to press. The full document is available critical question of how to do diplomacy bombings; Sept. 11, 2001; and Benghazi, at academyofdiplomacy.org, and is well and development in a dangerous world— Sept. 11, 2012. worth reading. the tension between protection and Finally, in “Keeping Embassy Security We will feature a more in-depth look engagement—must be in Perspective,” veteran FSO James at the study in our July-August focus on constantly considered Bullock takes a critical look at risk toler- diplomacy as a profession. In the mean- and reconsidered, ance—or the lack thereof. He argues that time, we look forward to hearing your balanced and rebal- FS personnel “sometimes find ourselves thoughts on the report and its recom- anced. in harm’s way because that is the only mendations. Please write to journal@ There is no zero- way we can do our jobs. Our objectives afsa.org with subject line “AAD Report.” And please, remember to vote in the Shawn Dorman is the editor of The Foreign Service Journal. AFSA election before June 4. n

8 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Ambassador Picks: A Fix? on “other officers of the United States,” in A Dubious Rationale Anyone who has completed the A-100 practice only the top two tiers (three- and I cannot be the only loyal Foreign course or worked for more than a week four-star officers) of military appoint- Service Journal reader to have been both at Main State knows of the tribulations ments are for positions that attract the shocked and filled with gratitude at find- endured by career diplomats nominated scrutiny of the Senate. ing AFSA President Robert J. Silverman’s to be ambassadors. Their wait (some- I propose that career Foreign Service deservedly high praise for the book by times many months) for Senate nomina- officers go directly to their posts when Gary Bass, The Blood Telegram: Nixon, tion hearings and votes of confirmation named by the president. Exceptions for Kissinger and a Forgotten Genocide, and by the entire Senate cause me to wonder: certain high-visibility posts could be its clear indictment of both the policies Why is it that a Marine Corps major spelled out from time to time by the Sen- and character of former National Security general can assume command of a divi- ate. These exceptions might Advisor and Secretary of State sion with 19,000 Marines and sailors, include our major trading Henry A. Kissinger in the tanks, artillery and other weapons of partners, such as Canada and March FSJ. smaller caliber, without Senate confir- Japan; enduring military allies, Serious criticism of the mation—while a Senior Foreign Service such as the United Kingdom, man commonly considered a officer with a couple of decades of tenure Australia and the Republic of foreign policy genius and an must be confirmed by the Senate before Korea; and missions where we American hero of the Cold assuming leadership of an embassy with a have extraordinary national War era is a rarity. Bass’ diplomatic staff of a dozen or so, in a coun- interest, such as the United book and Silverman’s review try with a population of less than a million? Nations, Russia and China. are focused on Kissinger’s Each has been selected for promo- The same principle of assum- standby role in the Pakistani tion to a senior grade by boards of senior ing duties without Senate confirmation military’s massacre of some 300,000 Ben- officers in their services. Each has been could hold for those appointments within gali Hindus in 1971, while attending to nominated for promotion by the presi- the State Department, such as Director other business he and his boss, President dent to the Senate. And each has been General of the Foreign Service and other Richard Nixon, thought more worthy of confirmed for duty at the selected grade. posts traditionally filled by career FSOs their time. The Senate has already “advised and that are also akin to assignments in the We know of the massive death and consented” to the president’s recommen- military for one- and two-star officers. destruction that accompanied the deci- dation that the officers on the promotion Political nominees would continue to sion to prolong the Vietnam War rather list are worthy of increased responsibility. face the inquiry of Senate hearings and than complicate Nixon’s quest for a The difference is this: After Senate votes by the full Senate. second term in 1972. And we know of confirmation for promotion, the com- Speaking as someone who served as the failure to oppose the 1974 invasion mandant of the Marine Corps has the a colonel in the U.S. military and had an and subsequent occupation of some 40 authority to assign personnel to suit the opportunity to serve as Marine attaché percent of Cyprus by Turkey after the needs of the service. One day the major at Embassy London (1991-1994) and to unelected Greek military government, general is at a desk at U.S. Marine Corps participate in the Senior Seminar, I think itself supported by Nixon and Kissinger, headquarters; the next, he is com- this is an idea worth consideration. failed in its attempt to incorporate that manding a division in the field. Neither It would be a major departure from independent United Nations member the Secretary of State nor the Director the way that ambassadorial nominations state. General of the Foreign Service has such have been handled in the past. But times I accidentally discovered the rationale authority. have changed since 1815, when we had for these and other policies while reading Of course, the U.S. Constitution speci- presidential representatives in only six Kissinger’s review of John Lewis Gad- fies that the Senate must “advise and European capitals. dis’ George F. Kennan: An American Life consent” on presidential nominations for Robert B. Newlin in the Nov. 13, 2011, edition of The New ambassadors. Yet, while the Constitution Marine Corps colonel, retired York Times Sunday Book Review. Midway also provides for advising and consenting Arlington, Va. through this six-page review, apropos of

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 9 Take AFSA With You! Change your address online, nothing in particular, this unbe- lost and the huge economic lievable credo appears: impact. visit us at www.afsa.org/ “The challenge of statesman- In the summer of 2002, address ship is to define the components prior to my posting to Or of both power and morality and Bahrain, I was enrolled Send changes to: strike a balance between them. in the Foreign Service AFSA Membership This is not a one-time effort. It Institute’s Arabic area requires constant recalibration; it studies course. One day Department is as much an artistic and philo- Phebe Marr, an American 2101 E Street NW sophical as a political enterprise. It expert on Iraq, addressed Washington, DC 20037 implies a willingness to manage nuance our class on, among many other things, and to live with ambiguity. The practi- the possible consequences of our going tioners of the art must learn to put the to war in that country. She came out attainable in the service of the ultimate strongly against doing so. I recall her and accept the element of compromise words still, nearly 13 years later: we inherent in the endeavor.” would open up a Pandora’s Box, with It was this discovery that compelled unforeseeable consequences, she said. me to submit an article, “Partners in Several years after that class, when Capital Crime,” to the online journal things began to unravel in Iraq, I heard American Diplomacy in 2012. The article one of the key people involved in the is a documented account of Kissinger’s decision to invade on TV saying some- role in forgiving Yasser Arafat’s 1973 mur- thing to the effect that “No one was tell- der of the American ambassador and his ing us that this mess might be the result deputy in Khartoum while condemning of our actions.” the Sudanese leadership for its supposed My reaction was this: “In fact, some- weakness in the face of terrorism. An one—perhaps one of the best-informed earlier, less detailed version of that article experts—told you precisely that. You appeared in the June 2009 FSJ. chose to disregard the advice.” Leaving aside that shameless self- Thanks again, FSJ, for reminding us promotion, I wish to thank Bob Silver- how important it can be to “mind the man again for openly calling attention to gap,” as the British say. (I love the cover Kissinger’s sins, as well as for his vigorous picture of the broken bridge, by the way!) AFSA leadership, and to praise FSJ Editor George Wilcox Shawn Dorman for injecting new life and FSO, retired quality into our house organ. Tucson, Ariz. Alan D. Berlind Senior FSO, retired Remembering Mary Bordeaux, France Both my husband, Tony Allitto, and I want to thank Bob Silverman for the Moving? Mind the Gap wonderful column about Mary Ryan (“A I really enjoyed the articles in your Doyenne of the Old School”) in the March January-February issue on “Teach- Journal. As Foreign Service personnel, ing Diplomacy Across the Divide.” It we met Mary in the early 1980s in Buenos reminded me of one case where failure to Aires when she was there as part of an bridge that divide had devastating conse- inspection team. We became fast friends. quences, both in terms of countless lives I worked for Mary Ryan when she was

10 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL the assistant to then-Under Secretary for tion resource management specialists Management Ronald Spiers from 1987 to knowledgeable in information technol- 1989. She was everything an FSO should ogy and records policy, DTS is the only be. I will never forgive Colin Powell for, authorized system for classified process- in my view, not having the guts to fire her ing by all Foreign Service personnel— personally. Silverman’s word “scapegoat” including the Secretary. is exactly what she was. Sec. Clinton has stated that no clas- Mary was happy and content in retire- sified information was processed on her ment. We stayed in touch, and she visited home system, and that she used it as a us in Albuquerque. There are times when matter of convenience. Indeed, in a world I see things on the news, and I want to call increasingly dominated by millions of her up for a discussion. She usually saw small black screens which accelerate our things the way we did and had interesting pace of thought and frame new global views on what was going on in the world. perspectives in seconds, DTS is at a real Thanks for refreshing my fond memo- disadvantage. One could argue that it is ries of Mary Ryan. a relic of diplomacy’s past as the promise Kathy Allitto of social media and the value of conve- FS Secretary, retired nience dominate societal trends. Dillon, Colo. Still, DTS remains the only option for protecting our nation’s diplomatic The Secretary’s Email secrets (see my Speaking Out column, and the Diplomatic “Protecting the Realm: The Past Must Be Telecommunications Prologue,” in the January-February 2014 Service FSJ). Equally important, it greatly facili- As a Foreign Service employee who tates records management and archiving served as a communicator, an informa- obligations via practical application of tion management officer, management tags, terms and other “official record” counselor and Freedom of Information responsibilities stipulated in the Records Act officer during 26 years of service Management Handbook. overseas and in Washington, I paid close As we rush headlong into a new digital atention to the news of Secretary Hillary world of instant access and global reach, Rodham Clinton’s very “personalized” we should not forget that DTS has long use of email. But the hullabaloo over played an important foundational role in it misses a larger and more important the department. By its very design, when point about the State Department as an properly used, DTS protects our national institution. security while also preserving the official At considerable taxpayer expense, the narrative of U.S. foreign relations for department has operated and main- history. tained the Diplomatic Telecommunica- Timothy C. Lawson tions Service for many decades. DTS Senior FSO, retired remains in existence today, part of every Hua Hin, Thailand n post’s Information Programs Center, where secure satellite, terrestrial and data links, as well as classified systems like SMART, are installed. Managed by Foreign Service informa-

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 11 TALKING POINTS

(the embassy in Syria was closed in Feb- ruary 2012 and one in Libya in July 2014). At the State Department press briefing following the announcement of the embassy’s closure, one reporter asked, “Is the U.S. being run out of town in the Arab world?” While perhaps an uncharitable question, the reporter is not the first to draw this conclusion. In an opinion piece published in the English-language Al Arabiya on Feb. 12, Joyce Karam, the Al-Hayat Newspa- per’s Washington correspondent, wrote: “Evacuating and closing U.S. embassies has become a hallmark of the ‘Arab Spring’ since the street demonstrations JEFF LAU broke out in 2011.” The Arab Spring and the Iraq war, she writes, “unleashed a Pandora’s box of extremism and military strife across the Foreign Service Feeder to see that a number of state schools are broader Middle East” that gives the “upper Schools high on the list, as is Brigham Young Uni- hand” to militias over central govern- FSA is very interested in under- versity. (Note that the data is not granular ments. Astanding and distilling the demo- enough to discern nuances; for instance, When Tunisian fruit vendor Mohamed graphics of the Foreign Service. We if one person received a B.A., M.A. and Bouazizi set himself on fire in December keep close tabs on specialist/generalist Ph.D. from the same institution, it counts 2010, setting off the massive protests numbers, cone and backstop designa- three times.) and uprisings that would bring down the tions, gender and ethnicity ratios, and This information was clearly of inter- reign of autocrat Zine el-Abedin Ben Ali, share many of these details on the AFSA est to our members and others—the few expected the movement to spread website at www.afsa.org/statistics. chart quickly became the most popular throughout the region the way it did, to Until recently, we did not have a good social media posting in AFSA’s history. Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya and Syria. sense of which institutions of higher The schools on the list seemed particu- Each of these states has had varying education produce the highest numbers larly interested in sharing it. (Imagine!) degrees of success in ushering in new gov- of Foreign Service members. In close col- We are working with the Office of ernance. “There was the hope four years laboration with the Department of State’s Human Capital and Talent Manage- ago that we were seeing the beginning of a Bureau of Human Resources, AFSA was ment at USAID to put together a similar democratic transition that was spreading able to produce the infographic you see infographic about our development col- across the region,” said Matthew Wax- on this page. (Our wonderful online com- leagues, and hope to share it soon. man, a Columbia Law School professor munications specialist, Jeff Lau, designed —Asgeir Sigfusson, of international law and national security the infographic.) Director of New Media law, speaking on “The Charlie Rose Show” The old “pale, male and Yale” image on Jan. 27. no longer holds, according to these num- Arab Spring, Waxman noted that in some Arab bers. In fact, Yale doesn’t crack the top 10 Arab Winter? Spring countries, there wasn’t “enough of today. The fact that Georgetown Univer- he embassy in Sana’a, Yemen, is the a basic infrastructure of a state to govern sity holds the #1 spot is perhaps no rev- Tthird U.S. mission to close in “Arab effectively,” after the initial uprisings. elation, but we were pleasantly surprised Spring” countries in the past three years “When that happens, people are going to

12 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL look to other kinds of allegiances, whether the disintegration,” he writes, “nor has it’s sectarian, tribal or other, to try to pro- American retreat.” tect themselves.” The conclusion to draw from this, The Arab Spring failures were “a long which he calls “so obvious we sometimes time in the making,” The Economist con- overlook it,” is that “this history is being cludes in its July 5, 2014, article “Tethered written by the Arabs, not outsiders.” by History.” It sees the Arab Spring being Fawaz Gerges, a professor at the Lon- a “region-wide rerun of the Algerian don School of Economics, speaking experience,” where “a flurry of freedom Feb. 5 on “Here and Now” with Robin in the late 1980s gave way to a vicious Young and Jeremy Hobson on WBUR civil war in the 1990s that left as many as in Boston, agrees but sees reason for 200,000 dead and Algeria’s Islamists more optimism. or less defeated, but not eradicated.” “There is no going back in the Arab With voices calling for reform almost Middle East,” he says. “Setbacks are to be always too weak to effect change, The expected. Counterrevolutionary forces are Economist points out, only Tunisia has doing their best to return to the old order,

emerged as truly changed: “Elsewhere but the psychology and the mood of the DIVISION PHOTOGRAPHS AND PRINTS CONGRESS, OF VECHTEN/LIBRARY VAN CARL William Faulkner. the result has been either a reprise of Arab people has changed.” the ancien régime, as in the Egypt of Gerges calls for patience, saying that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, or civil revolution takes “decades,” not three or William Faulkner, war.” David Ignatius, writing in The Wash- four years. “It’s going to take some time,” Cold War Diplomat ington Post on Jan. 27, opines that there Gerges says, “for the dust to settle on ne of the stranger tasks certain For- is not much the United States can do to the battlefield.” Oeign Service officers were charged steer the course of the Arab Spring. “U.S. —Debra Blome, Associate Editor with during the Cold War was wrangling military intervention hasn’t checked William Faulkner, says Greg Barnhisel in a Feb. 26 posting on The Vault, Slate’s history blog. Faulkner, the Southern writer and Nobel Prize winner perhaps most famous for his novels As I Lay Dying and The Sound and the Fury, was an important figure in cultural diplomacy from the mid-1950s to the early 1960s. He traveled exten- sively through Latin Amer- ica and Asia at the request of the U.S. government, as part of a public diplomacy campaign to win hearts and minds abroad, and combat anti-Americanism in areas vulnerable to WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/POPOWIKIMEDIA CHIEN LE Protesters hold a banner in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, February 2011. communist ideology.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 13 Contemporary Quote

Do we need hard power in Afghanistan? Absolutely, unfortunately. But the long game is diplomacy and development. You need both those things. When you bring hard and soft power together, you create smart power. That’s what I would advocate. To try and do defense without diplo- AFSA Scholarship macy and development, I’ll simply repeat the quote that Senator [Lindsey] AFSA.org/Scholar Graham gave us earlier, as my good friend [retired Marine Corps General] Jim Mattis will tell you: If you scrimp on the development and the diplomacy, Arlington Court Suites you’re going to end up buying more ammunition. And as Secretary [Robert] arlingtoncourthotel.com Gates, who was interagency before interagency was cool, would tell you, we cannot kill our way to victory in these situations. We need hard Clements Worldwide clements.com power, but we need these tools, development and diplomacy, as well. —Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret.), Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, Embassy Risk Management 2009-2013, and Co-Chair, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition National Security Advisory Embassyrisk.com Council, testifying at the March 26 hearing held by the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs. The Hirshorn Company Hirshorn.com/USFS Faulkner, and artists and intellectuals Faulkner is remembered as one of the Inside A U.S. Embassy like him, were tasked with demonstrating most successful and beloved public dip- afsa.org/Inside to foreign populations that there was a lomats of the Cold War era. depth and vibrancy to the United States —Shannon Mizzi, Editorial Intern McGrath Real Estate Services that was not represented in Soviet pro- McGrathRealEstate.com paganda, which often accused American What On Earth Is Going Peake Management, Inc. democracy of promoting shallow mate- On in the Maldives? www.peakeinc.com rialism and mindless consumption, and n March, the first democratically suppressing creativity. Ielected president of the Maldives and PROMAX Management Inc. Though Faulkner was an engaging an international figure in the fight against promaxrealtors.com figure, he was also, by all accounts, a dif- climate change, Mohamed Nasheed, was ficult charge for the FSOs who fielded his arrested, tried and sentenced to 13 years WJD Management trips. A notoriously heavy drinker, he was in prison. The case has raised interna- wjdpm.com occasionally unable to attend events on tional concern and caused turmoil in this his itinerary. tiny Muslim-majority, strategic archipel- To deal with the problem, FSO Leon ago in the Indian Ocean that is a popular Picon created a handbook, “Guidelines ecotourism destination for wealthy for Handling Mr. Faulkner on His Trips Westerners. Abroad,” that proved so helpful that it Nasheed’s March 13 sentencing fol- was disseminated to all posts before lowed a trial conducted hastily and based Faulkner’s arrival. Among the point- on what appear to be trumped-up terror- ers were “Put someone in charge of his ism charges, according to reports in The liquor at all times so he doesn’t drink too New York Times and other major media. quickly” and “Do not allow him to ven- “Nasheed’s trial is of Alice-in-Wonderland ture out on his own without an escort.” proportions,” former president of Timor With help from the guidelines, l’Este and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose

14 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 50 Years Ago

New Horizons, 1965 uring the last few years new political horizons Dhave been opening up in surprising ways and places, and it is no longer sufficient to do the same things in order to achieve the same results. Some well-tested and unexceptionable American doctrines no longer seem so universally persuasive or prag- matic as they were a short time ago. All this is naturally frustrating to the American people who thought that they had, in the course of 20 years, won both the greatest hot war and the greatest cold war in history, and now find some of their victories apparently called in question, and even, in some cases, a less clear assurance as to just who is on whose side. In moments of discouragement, it sometimes seems that Vietnam is insoluble, the Congo is unviable, de Gaulle is incomprehensible, Afro-Asians are ungrateful, Arabs are intractable, Europeans are unpredictable, Russians are irreconcilable and Chinese unregenerate. What is required of us in foreign affairs, as in any other kind of affairs, is (a) a sober, persistent reassessment of the realities we face; (b) a recognition that while we are intelligent we are not omniscient, and while we are strong we are not omnipotent; and (c) a sense of poise, of proportion, of confidence undiminished but adjusted to our capabilities on the changing scene… It may prove that one of the most effective things we can do abroad at this time will be to create at home a Great Society which will serve as a reminder everywhere of what America physically can do and politically and morally intends to do—in other words a reminder to us and everyone else of what we stand for. With this might go a somewhat more selective approach to the problems of the world as a whole and our responsibility toward them. … We may not have as much responsibility as we supposed, or as much capability as we had, to ensure that nothing unpleasant happens anywhere or that the natural turbulence of new states and new societies is always and everywhere restrained. —By Charles Yost, from “New Horizons in Foreign Affairs,”FSJ , May 1965.

Ramos-Horta wrote in The Guardian. obligations…but also made a mockery of The United States, the United King- the State’s own Constitution.” dom, India, the European Union and Maldives Foreign Minister Dunya the United Nations have all spoken out Maumoon has dismissed the interna- on the trial. As U.N. Special Rapporteur tional criticism as “ignorant and biased” Gabriela Knaul put it: “Nasheed’s trial and warned that Nasheed’s fate is an was not only a clear violation of the internal matter. Maldives’ international human rights Elected in 2008 in the first democratic

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 15 figure in 2009, when he held an underwater cabinet meeting to bring attention to climate change. He founded the Climate Vulnerability Forum in 2009 to bring together other vulnerable countries and put in place a government commitment for the Maldives to be carbon-neutral within a decade (by 2019). The award-winning 2011 documentary “The Island Presi- dent” tells the story of the former president’s quest to convince the world community to act on climate change: “After leading a

20-year pro-democracy move- OFFICE OF PRESIDENT NASHEED PRESIDENT OF OFFICE ment against the brutal regime of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, surviv- ing repeated imprisonments and torture, In April, 100 divers held an underwater elections in the Maldives, Nasheed demonstration in the Maldives calling for replaced the autocratic Maumoon Abdul Nasheed became president at age 41, only the release of former President Mohamed Gayoom, who had been in power for 30 to encounter a far more implacable adver- Nasheed. years. sary than a dictator: climate change.” Nasheed became an international

SITE OF THE MONTH: longform.org

ince 2010, Longform.org has been a valuable resource content every day; Longform.org S for those who enjoy reading long-form magazine helps you find the best pieces, articles from many different publications, but perhaps from both large and small media cannot subscribe to every magazine they would like to outlets, without having to search peruse. Longform’s curators select five to six high-quality each publication’s website. articles, running 2,000 words or more, from well-known The site does a great service to readers who are short media outlets each day. on time or are looking to discover new authors and publi- While recommendations are mostly current, they cations. The free phone/tablet app allows offline reading, occasionally choose classic nonfiction reports and and gives the reader the option to follow their favorite essays, as well. Both newspaper and magazine articles writers and publications by keeping a record of new con- are considered, from all over the Web and all over the tent from those sources. world. The site also releases a weekly podcast featuring a Past selections are organized into collections: arts and conversation with a well-known journalist or nonfiction culture, business, crime, media, science, sports, technol- writer on their writing process and past publications. ogy, politics and war. The articles are often investigative Guests have included Gay Talese, Susan Orlean, Janet in nature, but the site also features personal narratives, Reitman, Rukmini Callimachi, Lewis Lapham and Ta- feature stories and opinion pieces. Nehisi Coates. Many publications release “longform” journalistic —Shannon Mizzi, Editorial Intern

16 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL A time of service…a time of need Help for Seniors May As the lowest country on earth—sit- ting an average of 4 feet, 11 inches above Be Just a Phone Call Away— sea level—the Maldives could be the first The Senior Living Foundation may be country rendered entirely uninhabit- able to help you or someone you know. able due to the effects of climate change, Some examples of assistance are: writes Jake Flanigan for Quartz. Lying close to critical trading routes N Home Health Care in the Indian Ocean, the archipelago has N Adult Day Care & Respite Care had a close relationship with India his- N Prescription Drug Copayments torically. In recent years China has been a growing presence. With a strong inter- N Transportation to Medical Appointments est in gaining a foothold in the Indian N Durable Medical Equipment Ocean, the Maldives is an obvious target for Beijing to court. But recent develop- For more information, please contact the SENIOR LIVING FOUNDATION ments have given Beijing pause, and OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE planned major projects are now on hold. 1716 N Street, NW N Washington, DC 20036-2902 Reports that an estimated 200 Maldiv- Phone: (202) 887-8170 N Fax: (202) 872-9320 E-Mail: [email protected] N Web Site: www.SLFoundation.org ians—out of a population of 359,000— have joined the Islamic State group in SPONSORED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION Iraq and Syria raise concern as to the penetration of Islamic fundamentalism in the country. Nasheed was ousted in 2012 in what appears to have been a coup. In 2013, a new election marked by irregularities put power back into the hands of the Gay- oom family: former president Gayoom’s half-brother Abdulla Yameen was elected president. The regime has gone after other potential political rivals in recent months. Supporters protesting the Nasheed verdict have been attacked while police stand by. Three journalists covering the story in Maldives were arrested in Malé on March 25 and held without charge. Nasheed’s supporters are concerned about his safety and hope international attention might save him. Nasheed’s legal team was joined in April by well-known human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, founder of Freedom Now Jared Genser and former U.N. Special Rapporteur on Counterterrorism and Human Rights Ben Emmerson. n —Shawn Dorman, Editor

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 17 SPEAKING OUT

A Strategic Approach to Public Diplomacy

BY JOE B. JOHNSON

n Santo Domingo, U.S. Ambassador and an alliance with Berlitz. She also campaigns and broadcasting programs. Raul Yzaguirre believed that educa- opened the embassy’s Information The report reviewed major past proj- tion was the key to economic devel- Resource Center to the public, gaining ects like the “Advancing Public Diplomacy Iopment and social stability in the 1,100 members with cultural events, and Impact Study,” which a few years ago Dominican Republic, and that improve- proactively engaged with news organi- compared favorability toward the United ment in education required an increase zations to publicize selected embassy States among PD program participants to in the country’s budget. So Todd Haskell, initiatives in country. that of nonparticipants in seven countries. the public affairs counselor, developed Ambassador Henry Ensher said It looked to future improvements in Web a strategic plan that included training Bethea’s work during a three-year assign- and social media analytics, and made con- and support for pro-education groups, ment enhanced the overall political and crete recommendations: more research a focused social media and traditional commercial relationship between the staff and money, exemptions from laws media campaign that supported educa- United States and Algeria. that restrict government surveys and data tion, and forward-leaning speeches and There should be no question that these collection, and systematic data sharing articles by Amb. Yzaguirre to endorse examples demonstrate effective public among State and other agencies, notably the efforts of a civic coalition. diplomacy. Yet many in government are the Defense Department. The goal was to build political support dissatisfied with how the global PD enter- The report marks an important step for a long-ignored constitutional require- prise is measured and evaluated. forward, and its recommendations are ment that 4 percent of national income compelling. However, I think it’s fair to be devoted to education. Eventually, both The Challenge of say that the commission’s viewpoint is major political party presidential can- Measuring PD Work Washington-centric. In my estimation, didates endorsed the concept; and after The State Department and its one improvement also described and a closely fought election, the legislature predecessors have been trying various endorsed by the commission outweighs enacted implementing legislation. One measurement and evaluation techniques all the others: making public affairs sec- commentator called the ambassador’s for nearly a century. In 2006, the Office tions more strategic. vocal support a “tipping point” for its of Management and Budget rated public The heart of public diplomacy resides passage. diplomacy field operations as “not per- in U.S. embassies, advancing U.S. inter- In Algiers, Public Affairs Officer forming—results not demonstrated.” The ests and improving bilateral relations. Tashawna Bethea used English study first problem, according to OMB, was that Yes, there are important cross-cutting to cultivate young leaders throughout there was no “master strategy” to evalu- global issues that appeal to multilateral Algeria. Her strategy incorporated schol- ate. If you don’t have clear objectives, audiences, and they are being addressed arships, educational exchange programs how can you evaluate performance? in Washington and in the field. But In September 2014, the United States most key decisions are still made in the Joe B. Johnson teaches courses Advisory Commission on Public Diplo- capitals and major cities of the 189 coun- in public diplomacy at the macy issued a report, “Data-Driven Public tries where the United States maintains Foreign Service Institute after a Diplomacy,” that analyzed this challenge embassies and consulates. Every mission career in the Foreign Service and and made specific recommendations has a specific list of priorities to protect seven years with CSC, a global on how the State Department and the American security and national interests, information technology and business services Broadcasting Board of Governors could and most of those priorities require sup- company. use research to inform and evaluate PD port from sectors of the national public.

18 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL In my work as an instructor at the Many in government are dissatisfied Foreign Service Institute, I have been able to look at scores of public diplomacy with how the global public diplomacy projects and programs around the world. enterprise is measured and evaluated. I’ve seen very impressive work. But too often, public affairs sections seem dis- connected from specific policy initiatives. or favorable developments that can be ences, programs and topical themes. That Many PD staffers have trouble articu- linked to the event). The MAT has been imposes uniform standards of practice lating the links between their work and around for more than 10 years, and has and promotes accountability. PD expen- policy advocacy. Media activities too been improved to the point where it is ditures at posts are now coded by catego- often do little more than repeat generic intuitive and easily searchable. While ries to indicate how outlays correlate with messages from Washington and promote there is no formal evaluation report, the stated priorities. embassy events. PD professionals feel implementation plan is to be reviewed • The plans enable Washington to that the approach is too reactive, and and resubmitted annually. know much more concretely what posts some complain that their mission’s front Most posts submitted plans last year, have prioritized. That sets up a basis for office changes priorities unexpectedly, and reaction from PD professionals has tactical decisions and evaluation, as well. appearing to be most interested in pub- been constructive, judging from my All good news. So what’s the problem? licity and representational resources. interaction with FS and local staff. The great majority of them also feed data into Nurturing Needed An Important Initiative the tracker. The “strategic cycle” (Washington’s Harnessing public diplomacy more The new system has the potential to term for the planning suite) is new and effectively to substantive mission priori- provide Washington more granular and fragile, and it is planted on stony ground. ties is the focus of an important initiative realistic evaluations at the same time While compliance was good the first that is neither well known nor under- that it makes public affairs sections more year, deeper buy-in is far from guaran- stood. effective. Consider these benefits: teed. There is a school of thought that In 2013, the under secretary for public • Until now, most mission strategy “you just can’t measure success” when diplomacy and public affairs (called R papers have adopted broad PD goals trying to change attitudes; so why try? on State’s organization chart) asked all about increasing mutual understanding It is easy to treat the scheme as merely public affairs sections to draft a Public or shaping the media narrative, without a paperwork exercise. Creating and fol- Diplomacy Implementation Plan. For its specifying which bilateral issues they lowing a strategy is a new discipline for plan, each PA section is asked to: address. The new document focuses on most PAOs—one that has been neglected • Select objectives from the mission’s missionwide objectives. since State took over the PD function Integrated Country Strategy; • Both the planning documents and in 1999. Planning and logging activities • Explain how the public affairs office the activity tracker can be viewed by involves the whole section—Foreign will advance each chosen objective, using anyone who has access to State’s unclas- Service and local employees—and takes all resources—from social media and sified but protected OpenNet network. time, which is in scarce supply in the PD grants to educational exchanges; and This allows PAOs to compare notes business. • Describe what results can be with other posts or read in on a future The electronic tools are being expected from the effort. assignment. Desk officers can search and improved, but will require further The mandate doesn’t stop with a analyze reported activities across one or refinement. And that involves long-term plan document, but involves reporting many posts. Some bureaus already use budget support. throughout the year. The Mission Activity MAT entries instead of cables or email for This second year of the initiative is Tracker, a companion Web-based data routine reporting. critical. PAOs in the Near East and South system, allows staff to record significant • The entire MAT suite (including a Asia are only now submitting their first activities that follow from the plan, as couple of tools still in development) uses implementation plan. The Integrated well as results (e.g., audience feedback a standard set of categories for audi- Country Strategy exercise, a missionwide

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 19 It’s a campaign approach—setting a getting people to like America. It is an instrument to promote change and sway strategy to solve a problem and evaluating audiences in ways that benefit the United progress at regular intervals. States: an investment treaty, perhaps, or military cooperation, or action to combat disease or limit damage to the environ- prerequisite for the PD Implementa- a problem and evaluating progress at ment. tion Plan, was due last January for those regular intervals. The entire country team has a stake in regions. Public affairs officers will need Instances of this new approach have making PD more strategic. The pub- incentives and training to adopt the new been evident over the past few years. lic affairs section is meant to be a full mindset. Regional bureaus will need to For example, the under secretary’s office partner with the political, economic and enforce compliance and use the system’s has allocated extra funds to posts on the other mission elements. The new tools capabilities. And R will need to continue basis of competitive proposals specifying and approach of the PD strategic cycle providing both thought leadership and desired outcomes. That rewarded strate- enhance the capabilities of the embassy money. It will take several years for the gic thinking. This past year, the Washing- at large. new system to become the norm. ton PD bureaus have been conducting Leaders in Washington, and especially The payoff will be a more muscu- campaigns to advance global policy those posted abroad, should give public lar public diplomacy. It’s a campaign issues and cultural exchange initiatives. diplomacy’s strategic cycle the support approach—setting a strategy to solve Public diplomacy is about more than that it needs. n

20 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL COVER STORY

Building a Foreign Service for 2025 and Beyond

From the Director General, a look at plans for harnessing talent for the front lines of diplomacy in an increasingly complex world.

BY ARNOLD CHACÓN AND ALEX KARAGIANNIS

n recent years The Foreign Service Journal has pub- of the Future;” the Foreign Affairs Council’s biennial reports; the lished admirable analytic studies examining the State American Academy of Diplomacy and the Stimson Center’s 2008 Department’s human resources, budgets and diplo- report, “A Foreign Affairs Budget for the Future;” and AAD’s 2012 matic capacity. To cite just a few: “Pursuing the Elusive “Diplomacy in a Time of Scarcity.” AAD’s newest report, “Ameri- Training Float” and “Fostering a Professional Foreign can Diplomacy at Risk,” released in April, recommends additional Service” by Shawn Zeller and Ambassador Ronald ways to strengthen the State Department. Neumann, respectively (July-August 2012); “The Hir- The department values and draws from these insights. To ing Pendulum” by Shawn Dorman (October 2012); enhance our institutional and human resource capacity, we and “A Midterm Management Assessment of Secretary look to shape and strengthen the Foreign Service workforce we Clinton” by Ambassador Tom Boyatt (November 2011). will need for 2025 and beyond. It is essential we do so, urgently IOther useful reports include McKinsey & Company studies; and smartly, if we are to advance America’s values, interests the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ “The Embassy and national security goals—broadly defined—over the next quarter-century. Arnold Chacón, a career member of the Foreign Service, was sworn in on Dec. 22, 2014, as Director General of the Challenges Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources. Prior Looking at the landscape ahead of us, the United States— to that, he served as ambassador to Guatemala (2011- and more particularly the State Department and the Foreign 2014), deputy chief of mission in Madrid (2008-2011) and Service—confronts three separate but interrelated challenges. deputy executive secretary in the State Department’s Executive Secre- First, we face an unprecedented array of external threats tariat (2005-2007). He has also served in Latin America and Europe and and dangers that demand our attention and leadership. Today’s at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York. international environment is characterized by forces of disrup- Alex Karagiannis is a senior adviser to the Director tive change—messy, fast-paced and producing instability and General. A career member of the Foreign Service, he has unpredictability. Although the dangers of Cold War-era nuclear previously served as DCM in Sofia, as an office director in confrontation are not as great and immediate as they once the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (twice) and were, other challenges have arisen that are more complex, viru- as a visiting associate professor at The George Washington lent and dynamic than even just a generation ago. University. Some are urgent and acute, requiring immediate action; oth-

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 21 We face an unprecedented array of external threats and dangers that demand our attention and leadership.

ers are chronic and protracted, but still require relentless attention, the State Department’s preeminence in foreign policy has tion. Some must be contained and managed; and others require waned. Executive-legislative dynamics—notably, in regard to concerted, collaborative intervention over a sustained period of prerogatives, authorities, policy priorities and budgets—have time. Even a partial list of the challenges is dizzying: affected the role and capacity of State and other departments in • Interstate conflicts, border incursions and so-called “fro- foreign policy. zen” conflicts that threaten established norms of interna- Since 1945, and particularly since 2001, many more federal tional behavior and longstanding negotiated agreements; departments and agencies participate in foreign policy advo- • Intrastate conflicts, including civil wars, and the flows of cacy and execution. Congress, with its committees, powerful refugees and internally displaced persons they generate; chairs, caucuses and activist individual members, is a conse- • Failed and failing states that affect a wider region; quential player. • Nonstate actors, many of them lethal and capable of desta- Other actors have entered the foreign policy arena, as well: bilizing whole regions (e.g., the Islamic State group, Boko states, cities and localities; nongovernmental organizations, Haram, al-Qaida in Yemen and al-Shabaab in Somalia); policy advocacy groups, and constituency, trade and commer- • Transnational threats, most notably terrorism and violent cial groups; the media; and the courts, usually via cases brought extremism; before them contesting prerogatives, legislative acts, obligations • Narcotics trafficking, organized crime and trafficking in and rights, and compensation for terrorist acts. persons; The department must take that complexity into account. • Cyberthreats, an increasingly acute risk; • Nuclear, biological, chemical and missile proliferation; Institutional Growing Pains • Economic and financial challenges, including disruption to Third, the State Department has internal stresses arising energy supplies and extractive industries; from feast-and-famine hiring and from institutional growing • Challenges to the rule of law, internal governance and civil- pains. Over the past 15 years, the department has undergone ian justice, including human rights abuses; a significant transformation. Even more than before, we need • Environmental and climate changes, which put pres- great employees from diverse backgrounds, who are prepared to sure on food security, supplies of water and other natural serve in tough places and do tough things. resources; and We have gone through institutional shifts, folding in the • Health-related issues, including pandemics and virulent U.S. Information Agency and the Arms Control and Disarma- pathogens that ravage populations and sow fear. ment Agency and forging a new relationship with the U.S. Given the speed of transportation and information, the Agency for International Development. After 9/11, we added relentless news cycle and the social media revolution, we bureaus for Energy, Conflict Stabilization and Counterter- often face very short response times—whether to address the rorism. We restructured other bureaus, shifting personnel to substance of the challenge or to get out our message about what where they were most needed and staffing “mega” embassies. we are doing. In many cases, analyzing the problem is relatively We added 500 Arabic-language speakers and 40 Pashto speak- easy; devising prescriptions is harder, and applying a remedy ers. And we opened 20 posts in Muslim countries and focused harder still. greater attention on religious freedom, anti-Semitism, trafficking in persons, global health and global women’s issues. A Crowded Arena Since 2002, the Foreign Service has grown 42 percent, with Second, we must deal with a more complex domestic 22-percent growth since 2008. (On a parallel track, State’s Civil environment. From a high point during the Truman administra- Service has grown 45 percent since 2002.) One-third of the Foreign

22 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL From a high point during the Truman administration, the State Department’s preeminence in foreign policy has waned.

Service now has fewer than five years of experience, and more unique and consequential for our nation—is essential for our than two-thirds have served or are now serving at hardship posts. conversations with Congress and the American people. We not That earlier surge in hiring has now screeched to a halt, only want to forge a more capable FS 2025 workforce, but also barely keeping pace with attrition. And the outlook is for con- communicate our accomplishments strategically and well. tinued fiscal tightness, even as we risk losing seasoned employ- Second, we are focusing on improving operational effec- ees with exceptional experience and expertise to retirement, tiveness. One component is workforce flexibility: tapping into selection-out or resignation as the economy improves and large and expanding family member employment; and better using cohorts compete for a relatively static number of promotion limited non-career hiring to meet short-term needs, notably for opportunities at higher grades. The large intakes from the Dip- consular responsibilities. Another component is work-life well- lomatic Readiness Initiative and Diplomacy 3.0 now confront ness that builds employee empowerment and boosts morale the predictable tightening of promotion rates as the number and productivity. of higher-graded positions naturally tapers at mid- and senior We will also push greater Service efficiencies through levels. standardization, regionalization and centralization of support All these trends put a premium on more, and better, functions, with an emphasis on impact—attaining diplomatic employee engagement. and foreign policy goals. By reducing structural rigidities, bottlenecks and complexity, employees can devote less time Foreign Service 2025 to internal coordination tasks and more time to delivering on We can predict with high confidence that over the next goals. quarter-century, the world will continue to be a messy place Third, we want to devote greater resources to professional that requires U.S. leadership. We can also forecast that more, development. Partnering with the Foreign Service Institute not fewer, U.S. stakeholders will look to participate in foreign and the Management Bureau’s Office of Management Policy, policy formulation and execution. That means we as a depart- Rightsizing and Innovation, we are using the Culture of Leader- ment must be much better managers, especially with regard to ship initiative to better align recruitment, training, bidding and our talented employees. assignments, and employee performance management. FSI is The diplomatic knowledge, skills and competencies that revamping many of its courses to concentrate on concrete, prac- have always marked Foreign Service excellence will be in tical training and coaching, not just mentoring. greater, not lesser, demand. At the same time, President Barack Within HR, we are advancing in three areas: Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have challenged us to • Recruiting and developing talented employees with diverse be more flexible—to adapt and learn at a much more acceler- backgrounds (through internships and fellowships, and disabil- ated pace—and achieve results that matter. ity hiring), expanding our marketing strategies and underscoring With that mandate in mind, the Bureau of Human Resources our merit-based system; is committed to an overarching goal: to recruit, retain and sus- • Enhancing and integrating leadership and management tain a diverse workforce geared to succeed in 2025 and beyond. skills (mandatory supervisory training, coaching for chiefs of We are moving forward on three tracks. mission and their deputies); and First, we are partnering with AFSA to develop and imple- • Undertaking performance management and assignment ment a professional code of ethics for the Foreign Service, based reform (new FS employee evaluation form, overhaul of selection on our core values of accountability, character, community, board operations, improved recognition and rewards, modern- diversity, loyalty and service. Bringing these values into sharper ized assignment system, and targeted details beyond State). relief—and tying them to who we are and to what we do that is In overhauling the performance management system, we

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 23 The State Department has internal stresses arising from feast-and- famine hiring and from institutional growing pains.

want to return time and value to employees, and accentuate personal growth and development. We are switching from a model that evaluates the six current competencies to one that appraises effectiveness, which integrates and implements the competencies, in three areas: people, policy and programs. Our goal is not merely evaluative, but to build employees’ professional development, providing training and support so they become effective leaders, managers and diplomatic prac- titioners.

Continuity and Transformation The Foreign Service is America’s front line. We are in the information business: identifying, analyzing, disseminating and making recommendations to prevent, preempt or solve problems. We are also in the networking business: identifying and cultivating programmatically influential people in all fields. And we are in the advocacy business: discussing, negotiating, persuading and convincing others to act with and for us. None of that will change. We will continue to equip our employees with the resources and tools to succeed in an increasingly turbulent world. At the same time, we know we are not the Foreign Service of 1950, 2001 or even 2010. More than ever, we need the very best people: the ones who see past the horizon; who are curious, innovative, tenacious; who show initiative, judgment, resilience, adaptability and perseverance. We’ve always had those employees, but it’s more important than ever to attract and prepare a workforce for the future, bearing in mind that such attributes are often best learned and honed through real-life experience. The reforms we are launching are designed to do just that: build capacity, experience and perspective. We will retest, reeval- uate and refresh policies and programs constantly. Our partnership with AFSA can both drive and smooth these changes. A Foreign Service geared to and equipped for 2025 is not built in a day. But we are committed to that transformational goal. n

24 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FOCUS ON MANAGING RISK

CG Dodman discussing American democracy with local students on election night, November 2012.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS/CONSULATE GENERAL KARACHI Effective Diplomacy After Benghazi

Adjusting to regularly changing threat ust as they did on Sept. 11, 2001, the events levels while still engaging with society of Sept. 11, 2012, changed the operating and getting diplomacy done in one of environment for overseas posts. New procedures put in place after the tragic events in the world’s most dangerous cities— Benghazi led to changes that continue to be it’s all in a day’s work at felt in the field today. Consulate General Karachi. I was an active player in that process as the newly arrived consul general in Karachi in the BY MICHAEL DODMAN fall of 2012. We had to adjust our daily operations based not just on changing threat levels, but also on shifting Jperceptions of what constituted acceptable risk. By some counts, there were more demonstrations against the anti-Islam video “Innocence of Muslims” in Karachi than anywhere else in the world. A Sept. 21, 2012, march by more than 100,000 protesters not only shut down the city of 20 million people but resulted in many casualties, prompting the State Department to briefly draw down half our staff. While no other day during my

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 25 two years in Karachi quite compared to that By some counts, there were more one, it was not that far from our daily reality. One of the world’s most dangerous cities, demonstrations against the anti-Islam with a large Taliban presence and a history video “Innocence of Muslims” in of violent conflict along ethnic, linguistic, sectarian and political lines, Karachi is also Karachi than anywhere else in the world. Pakistan’s business hub and home to the port that is critical to the country’s economy and to U.S. engagement in Afghanistan. town needed advance security inspections and coordination As befits a country as complex as Pakistan, there is a strong with local officials. undercurrent of anti-Americanism in Karachi. But it exists With roughly 50 permanent American staff positions in Kara- alongside a respect for the opportunities and values that the chi, this level of effort required significant resources: American United States represents, as well as nostalgia for the close rela- and local security personnel, trained drivers and bodyguards, tions the two countries have enjoyed at various points over the sufficient armored vehicles, and the budget to support all this. We last 60 years. were lucky. With Pakistan a high priority for the United States, we Karachi is a city that matters to the United States. That is had the budget and personnel to maintain the tempo of opera- reflected in our large consulate general, and in our robust tions we thought appropriate. We could also take people off com- development, counternarcotics and public diplomacy programs. pound for shopping, recreation and cultural events. Doing our job requires getting out into the city and province to I should note that all of the procedures above were in place report on developments and trends, conduct oversight, engage well before the Benghazi attacks, so we didn’t have to reinvent the media and students, and promote American business. the wheel. That enabled us to respond appropriately to changes And that is what we did. As the threat level fluctuated, we in threat levels, and assure Washington that we were taking all sometimes had to cancel or postpone trips and meetings, or go necessary precautions. into lockdown. Perhaps we overreacted to some situations. But In Karachi we were lucky to occupy a purpose-built, secure the point is that despite the increased level of post-Benghazi and comfortable compound that had been constructed after scrutiny from Washington, we were able to travel regularly in the attacks on our old facility during the previous decade. This city and the province. As a result, we conducted and monitored allowed us to conduct operations effectively, but also to hunker large public diplomacy and assistance programs and engaged down safely when external threats required. Having the tools civil society; we supplied Washington with analysis on what was at our disposal to manage threats gave me the confidence to happening; and we supported many official visitors. approve off-compound travel and permit incoming visits, and to Here are some lessons about conducting effective diplomacy argue against drawing down staff. in a high-threat environment that I took away from this experience. v Set Clear and Consistent Procedures Consulate General Karachi’s rules governing travel and v Mitigate Risks with the Right Resources engagement reflected local conditions, which differed from Every movement an American staff member made in Karachi, those in Islamabad, Peshawar and Lahore. As long as everyone whether to the barber shop, a national day reception or a ribbon- understood and adhered to these policies, our operations could cutting ceremony, was planned in advance. Every trip out of proceed with a good degree of predictability and an expecta- tion of safe movement. Of course, life isn’t always that simple, Michael Dodman, a Foreign Service officer since 1988, particularly with a large stream of temporary staff, regular staff was consul general in Karachi from July 2012 to August turnover and the vicissitudes of Karachi. We compensated for 2014, and won the 2014 Ryan C. Crocker Award for those variables in the following ways: Outstanding Leadership in Expeditionary Diplomacy for ■ Strict adherence to standard operating procedures from the his work there. He is currently director of the entry-level top down; career development and assignments section of the Bureau of Human ■ Concrete and specific briefings for all new staff from a Resources. Regional Security Office that understood that positive customer

26 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Consul General Michael Dodman opening a USDA- sponsored promotion of American food products at a Karachi supermarket, July 2014. PUBLIC AFFAIRS/CONSULATE GENERAL KARACHI GENERAL AFFAIRS/CONSULATE PUBLIC service helps deliver improved security outcomes; Doing our job requires getting out ■ Regular communication with offices into the city and province to report on at Embassy Islamabad (the origin of most of our visitors) about conditions and pro- developments and trends, conduct cedures in Karachi, coupled with support oversight, engage the media and students, from the front office; and ■ Consistent messaging from the and promote American business. consul general in town halls and other settings emphasizing the importance of security procedures, and warning that violations would have mission was and the conditions under which we were operating. consequences. Town halls, all-hands emails, regular Emergency Action Com- mittee meetings and lots of management-by-walking-around v Build Resilience and Common Purpose made sure of this. Despite the difficult operating environment, Karachi enjoyed ■ Work-life balance. I not only encouraged all American staff high morale. As a result, the restrictions imposed by our security to take their R&Rs and any other leave they needed, but strove to procedures, and the impact of inevitable setbacks—lockdowns, model the behavior I expected of others by limiting work on the trips cancelled after exhaustive preparation, etc.—had a less weekend. I also partnered with the local employee association, negative impact. the Community Liaison Office and (especially when we didn’t Many factors contributed to this. Some I inherited, including have a CLO) a committee of volunteers to plan and sponsor strong local employees, a secure and comfortable compound, and social events: happy hours, cricket matches, holiday baskets for ready access to an airport that made rest-and-recreation trips and our 600-person local staff and parties for their families, cooking weekend getaways convenient. But I also made fostering resil- classes, trivia nights, etc. ience in my team a priority every day, in the following ways: Paying for these sorts of morale-builders often required me to ■ Communication. Everyone in Consulate Karachi—Ameri- go out of pocket, but it was well worth that personal investment can or Pakistani, permanent or temporary staff—knew what our to strengthen Team Karachi’s resilience.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 27 Every movement an American staff constantly taking the pulse of Washington, and anticipating information demands— member made in Karachi was planned both to avoid surprises and (hopefully) in advance. head off directives you disagree with. I thought I had done a good job meeting the key Washington players during consultations before I went to post. But v Form a Seamless Partnership with the RSO events in September 2012 and later, Consulate General Karachi’s security team was an integral particularly the spring 2014 attack on Karachi Airport, made me part of everything we did. Our success would not have been realize I hadn’t even scratched the surface in terms of everyone possible without the unity of vision and purpose that I shared who had a say in operations at my post. with my regional security officers, in particular. I was lucky to Success in navigating the shifting waters of Washington, par- have enough RSO staff, but also the right people. They looked ticularly from a constituent post, required: for every opportunity to say “yes,” even when saying “no” would ■ Regular and open communication with the desk; have been easier. And they ■ Understanding the State shared my commitment to Department and interagency customer service and commu- decision points, and the impor- nication. tance of EAC cables and other But beyond resting on the channels of communication; comfort of having strong RSO ■ Earning the trust of Wash- staff, we made sure that we care- ington decision-makers; and fully managed post-Benghazi ■ Building and maintaining security requirements by: a close partnership with the ■ Looping in the RSO. Every embassy front office and coun- trip, visit and engagement try team, including spending required advance planning, and a few days every month in the someone from the RSO shop capital. was always present from the PUBLIC AFFAIRS/CONSULATE GENERAL KARACHI GENERAL AFFAIRS/CONSULATE PUBLIC start, so there were no surprises. CG Dodman enjoying a performance by Sufi musicians during a Success Is Possible ■ Running effective EAC visit to northern Sindh province, February 2013. The robust diplomacy we meetings. As you might imagine, carried out in Karachi used all our Emergency Action Committee met very often. Before each the tools at our disposal. Our team developed political and civil session, the RSO and I conferred to set the agenda for the meeting, society contacts, promoted U.S. business interests and our core focusing on the messages Washington needed to hear coming out development objectives, facilitated legitimate travel to the United of it. This kept the gatherings efficient and made them as useful as States, and touched countless lives through education programs, possible. social media and even televised cooking shows. The tragic events of September 2012 altered our operating v Coordinate Closely with Washington environment, just as emerging local and global threats did. These The most important thing I learned from my two years leading often affected what we could do from day to day, but they didn’t Consulate General Karachi is this: Successful diplomacy in a high- stop us from doing our job. Nor, I believe, did they appreciably threat post depends on understanding Washington—and, for a limit the impact of our work. constituent post, the embassy as well. The main lesson I took away from my time in Karachi was There is no use complaining about the “10,000-mile screw- that, even in the post-Benghazi era, U.S. diplomats can success- driver.” Today’s technology guarantees that no overseas post will fully engage in high-threat environments—if they have the right ever operate with the sense of autonomy and distance from the resources, foster a strong and unified team, and understand flagpole that we once did. The key to managing and succeeding is Washington. n

28 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FOCUS ON MANAGING RISK

Diplomatic Security Triage in a Dangerous World

Security professionals must balance risks against the requirements of diplomatic engagement.

BY ANTHONY C.E. QUAINTON

he buck stops at the regional security officer’s desk. All security officers know that, yet few of their colleagues acknowledge it. This dichotomy is at the heart of the ongoing tension between security professionals and the diplomatic staff of our embassies and consulates. When there are failures, the security officer will be at the center of after-action investigations, Tincluding Accountability Review Boards. These investigations will start with the assumption that in some way the RSO was negligent in carrying out assigned responsibilities. The recent dramatic attack on Ambassador Mark Lippert in Korea and the REUTERS U.S. Ambassador to China James Sasser peers through the ongoing debate about what happened in Benghazi are but the heavily-damaged door of Embassy Beijing on May 10, 1999, latest examples of this phenomenon. following two days of attacks by Chinese protesters over Outside critics want to know whether the RSO took all NATO’s May 7 bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. appropriate steps to protect Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens protect himself as he carried out his duties as chief of mission? in Benghazi. And did Amb. Stevens take all appropriate steps to While it isn’t useful to get into the substance of that highly charged debate, several senior Diplomatic Security Bureau Anthony C.E. Quainton, a retired Senior Foreign Service heads did roll in the aftermath of Amb. Stevens’ death, and a officer, is currently a Distinguished Diplomat-in-Res- great deal of attention was focused on specific security mea- idence at American University. From 1992 to 1995 he sures that were (and were not) taken at the facility in Benghazi. was assistant secretary of State for diplomatic security. The same may now be true with the attack in Seoul. He also served as ambassador to the Central African Such incidents should give us pause and prompt us to ask Republic, Nicaragua, Kuwait and Peru. how security professionals can do their jobs in an extremely

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 29 dangerous world, particularly when so much We all know there is no perfect security; second-guessing goes on? We all know there is no perfect security; we cannot protect all of our we cannot protect all of our overseas overseas personnel all of the time everywhere. personnel all of the time everywhere. Some element of risk goes with the practice of diplomacy. It is, however, the security professional’s job to minimize that risk, making possible the conduct of diplomacy while protecting information, controls. Their purpose is to address the vulnerability of facilities and personnel as much as possible. embassies and consulates to street-level truck and car bomb- The solution is triage: balancing risks and threats against ing, as well as a general lack of focus on security in many the requirements of programmatic and diplomatic activity in overseas missions. dangerous foreign environments. Although State pushed for substantial additional resources to construct new embassies in the most vulnerable locations in Conducting Triage the Middle East and Latin America, Congress never appropri- For many years, the United States government has tried to ated enough funds to build all the chanceries needed to carry calculate risk in a systematic way. As early as the 1990s, every out Inman’s recommendations. As a result, disaster struck post in the world, whether large or small, was placed in a series again in August 1998 with the bombing of our missions in Nai- of threat categories (critical, high, medium, low) related to ter- robi and Dar es Salaam. rorism, crime, political instability and technical vulnerability. A new task force was appointed under the leadership of These designations were worked out by DS professionals in Admiral William Crowe. His report reiterated many of the same collaboration with the intelligence community and diplomatic recommendations contained in the Inman report, but empha- personnel abroad. sized the need to move embassies from vulnerable downtown These early efforts were designed primarily to assist locations to new premises where enhanced security measures decision-makers in determining what resources, both human could be put in place. and financial, should be deployed and where they were most Notwithstanding massive increases in the DS budget and the needed. It was assumed that meaningful distinctions were pos- construction of dozens of new embassies, many vulnerabilities sible and that threats were not universal. remained. Even after applying diplomatic security triage, the Unfortunately, since then it has become clear that terrorist department struggled to identify the posts which were most at threats exist virtually everywhere, from Ottawa and London risk or where the facilities were most lacking in state-of-the-art to Tripoli and Sana’a. Some are more obvious than others, or protection. more likely to happen, but the reality is the same: Terrorists In fact, resources have never been adequate to do all that can carry out a unilateral attack almost anywhere in the world needs to be done to protect all U.S. staff overseas. To be sure, if they are willing to sacrifice their own lives to take the lives of we have made real progress, so that it is now very difficult for others. Good intelligence can minimize that risk; good security criminals, terrorists or hostile security services to gain access can mitigate the damage in terms of both physical destruction to our facilities. Yet weaknesses remain, particularly when host and loss of life, but no system is fail-safe. governments do not live up to their responsibility to protect In the 30 years since Admiral Bobby Inman completed diplomatic premises. his report on diplomatic security for the State Department in To the great frustration of many security professionals, the aftermath of the 1983 Beirut embassy and Marine bar- efforts to tighten security often meet resistance at overseas racks bombings, there has been a steady reinforcement and posts. During my time as assistant secretary of State for dip- strengthening of embassies and consulates around the world. lomatic security in the 1990s, ambassadors frequently com- The Inman Commission recommended a multibillion-dollar plained if their threat levels were raised even one notch. They program of embassy construction. simply did not subscribe to the new reality of pervasive threat, The new facilities, officially known as New Embassy Com- worrying more that their staff would not be able to carry out pounds, are characterized by increased setback, blast walls, their assigned responsibilities if all DS recommendations were strict fenestration standards for windows and myriad access put into place.

30 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL A U.S. Marine talks with an FBI investigator in front of Embassy Dar es Salaam on Aug. 15, 1998. Eight days earlier, bombs had exploded almost simultaneously there and at Embassy Nairobi, killing 224 people and wounding more than 5,000. AP PHOTO/BRENNAN LINSLEY PHOTO/BRENNAN AP

Striking a Proper Balance Congress never appropriated enough Despite those objections, freedom of movement has already been severely funds to build all the chanceries needed constrained in many high-risk countries, to carry out the Inman Commission's many of which have even been designated unaccompanied posts. Heavy recommendations. travel restrictions are in place for U.S. government employees, and whole cities and regions are off-limits. This, then, is the dilemma the Foreign Service faces: Does would have to say such concerns are somewhat exaggerated. modern security make diplomacy too difficult, if not impos- When I was ambassador to Lima from 1989 to 1992, at the sible? height of threats from Shining Path insurgents, our designation Do access controls, designed to keep malefactors out, also as a critical terrorist threat post never prevented me from car- keep out our own citizens, critical sources of information or the rying out my responsibilities. wider foreign public whom we seek to influence? Does a preoc- Yes, I chafed under much of the protection and the occa- cupation with security outside the official compound lead to sionally intrusive steps required when I wished to travel unnecessary travel restrictions? outside the capital or attend a social event. But even though my Does the need for all staff to travel in fully armored vehicles, entire staff and I were living under the constant threat of rocket or for an ambassador to have bodyguards, inhibit the practice attacks, car bombs and kidnappings, our team of RSOs made it of diplomacy? In short, is it now too difficult for officers to get possible for us to do our jobs and even travel to remote parts of out to gather the information they need or to interact with Peru. foreign officials whom they wish to influence, or to carry out Similarly, as DS assistant secretary, I traveled to critical- essential program management and oversight? threat posts on every continent to see for myself how our Based on my experience in the field and in Washington, I enhanced security policies operated in real life. I found that

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 31 This, then, is the dilemma the Foreign Service faces: Does modern security make diplomacy too difficult, if not impossible?

RSOs were committed to meeting the needs of chiefs of mission and their staff members to conduct diplomatic business, and I am confident that is still true today. To be sure, sometimes complex special procedures were in place which imposed delays, but at the end of the day most officers acknowledged and supported the security policies. These arrangements were not perfect, but the essential business of diplomacy carried on even in circumstances where there were very real dangers.

Not an Impossible Task That said, there is an unavoidable price to be paid for enhanced security measures. Some foreign contacts are turned off from visiting what they sometimes call “fortress embassies,” and even those willing to run the security gauntlet have a hard time creating the easy and open relationships of the past. Lim- ited resources can make staff travel more difficult. One should not be Panglossian about the situation. There are tensions. There are resentments. And there can be unnecessary rigidity. However, protecting our diplomats must be our top priority. We can never eliminate all threats, but we can minimize them. Several U.S. ambassadors have been kidnapped and murdered, and numerous embassies rocketed and bombed. As the attack on Amb. Lippert demonstrates, our diplomats will remain targets. Security officers and diplomats are all in the diplomacy business together, and must work for the collective good and safety of our missions. Diplomats must accept some restrictions, just as security officers must accommodate mission requirements. Diplomatic security triage will be needed to balance risks and requirements in a world where America’s active role remains crucial. In short, we must manage risks in a dangerous world. Fortunately, this is not an impossible task. n

32 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FOCUS ON MANAGING RISK

Keeping Embassy Security in Perspective

A veteran FSO takes a critical look at risk tolerance—or the lack thereof.

BY JAMES L. BULLOCK

never met the late U.S. employees of nongovernmental ambassador to Libya, J. organizations who work alongside us Christopher Stevens, but in the field, we sometimes find our- along with many friends and selves “in harm’s way” because that colleagues I deeply mourn is the only way we can do our jobs. his untimely death. By all Our objectives do not become less accounts, he was a gifted compelling just because some danger diplomat and a steadfast is involved. colleague, whose active I watched this over-emphasis on engagement, language skills and minimizing risk grow steadily during Icultural sensitivity demonstrated the my three-decade Foreign Service COURTESY OF JIM BULLOCK very best of the Foreign Service and A pre-departure reception for Tunisian YES career, and the phenomenon contin- are traits we should both honor and exchange students in 2013. Jim Bullock is at right. ues today. One way it manifests itself transmit systematically to our new is in the “creeping militarization” of FS colleagues. Instead, in their zeal to minimize the risks inher- our diplomacy. For a variety of reasons, soldiers are increasingly ent in representing our country overseas, some are drawing being asked to take over civilian functions overseas, and not just precisely the wrong lessons from Chris Stevens' sacrifice. in countries with a significant U.S. military presence. Even func- To put it bluntly, Amb. Stevens died because violent extrem- tions that remain under State’s control, like embassy security, are ists attacked our consulate facility in Benghazi three years ago now heavily influenced by military priorities and requirements. and killed him. Let’s not blame him for doing his job. As Foreign Embassies now have “force protection.” Service personnel, together with other government civilians and But not all problems have military solutions. I say this as someone who hasn’t always been a civilian. In both high school and James L. Bullock’s Foreign Service career with the U.S. In- college I was in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, and I later formation Agency and the Department of State spanned spent several years as a naval officer before joining the Foreign almost 30 years, largely in the Bureau of Near Eastern Service. During all my years in the Foreign Service, I often worked Affairs, including several unaccompanied and danger- with the military, as I do now in my work as a rehired annuitant. pay assignments. After retiring from State in 2009, he moved to Egypt to serve as vice president for institutional A Trend Gains Momentum advancement at the American University in Cairo. He is now back at When the U.S. embassy in Beirut was bombed in April 1983, State working part-time as a rehired annuitant, and also teaches, writes killing 63, I went there on temporary duty to replace the wounded and volunteers. public affairs officer. Despite a fluid and dangerous situation,

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 33 primary goal. I am not sure we all share that consensus anymore. As other terrorist incidents followed, our security apparatus continued to expand—and became an increasingly public concern. In December 1988 Pan Am 103 was destroyed by a bomb, killing 243 passengers, 16 crew members and 11 civilians on the ground in Lockerbie, Scot- land. An anonymous warning, transmit- ted in a State Department cable, had been posted at the U.S. embassy in Moscow, where journalists had access. Following complaints after the crash that the U.S. government should have shared the threat information more widely, a “no double standard” policy was adopted, resulting in more public scrutiny of embassy security decisions.

COURTESY OF JIM BULLOCK Ten years later, in August 1998, when The April 2013 rededication of a plaque in memory of temporary staffers from Tunis killed in the 1983 bombing of Embassy Beirut. Presented by Beirut locally employed truck bombs went off simultaneously at staff members to their colleagues in Tunis, the original was destroyed by the mob that the U.S. embassies in Dar es Salaam and attacked Embassy Tunis in September 2012. Viewing the plaque, at front left to right, Nairobi, hundreds were killed or wounded. are Information Officer Stephen Kochuba, PAO Jim Bullock and Ambassador Jacob Again, DS received additional resources, “Jake” Welles. at the expense of funds for programs. And after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by I was allowed to drive myself around the city to keep our many al-Qaida, President George W. Bush launched the “Global War on U.S. Information Service programs on track. Terror,” and everyone was talking about security. A new Depart- A few months later, after suicide bombers struck the Multina- ment of Homeland Security began operations in March 2003. tional Force barracks in Beirut, killing 299, Navy Admiral Bobby Then, as I noted at the beginning of this piece, on Sept. 11, Inman chaired a commission to review our 2012, militants attacked a small, makeshift overseas security procedures. His commission consulate compound in Benghazi, killing recommended, among other things, new con- Amb. Stevens and three other American struction standards for diplomatic compounds employees. Ever since, overseas security and expansion of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic has been a club for politicians to use against Security. one another. After the State Department’s DS was reorganized, and regional secu- Accountability Review Board sharply criticized rity officers began reporting directly to their State for “systemic failures” and “deficien- deputy chiefs of mission rather than through cies” at senior levels, increased security was their administrative (now called management) ordered worldwide. officers. RSOs were given larger budgets to manage, with broader liaison responsibilities. The View Is Different from Outside They focused on ensuring safe environments in Meanwhile, I had retired in 2009 from my which they and their colleagues could operate COURTESY OF JIM BULLOCK final Foreign Service posting, as public affairs Flowering cactus plants are a effectively. Everyone understood that being traditional security barrier in officer in Paris. I had grown accustomed to all of secure, by itself, could never be any mission’s semi-arid Tunisia. the security procedures that had grown up over

34 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Everyone understood that being secure, replies. “You must be born in there.” My former colleagues, however, could by itself, could never be any mission’s easily visit me at AUC, even though it, primary goal. I am not sure we all share too, was a “high-value target” for those opposed to any U.S. presence in Egypt. that consensus anymore. The U.S. government continues to pour large amounts of grant money into the university and other NGOs to run the years. Subjecting our visitors to searches and metal detectors, programs that Foreign Service personnel formerly would have and requiring them to leave their electronic devices at the door had managed. The difficulty in gaining access to embassy or USAID become routine for us “on the inside.” compounds is not, of course, the only reason for outsourcing; but But when I went to work for the American University in Cairo it surely is an argument for working through outside partners. and returned to visit my former colleagues at the U.S. embassy When I returned to Washington, I signed up to work as a When there, I experienced those same layers of security “from the out- Actually Employed reemployed annuitant. In late 2012 the Bureau side.” Gaining entry to a U.S. embassy, even as a recently retired of Near Eastern Affairs asked me, along with several other WAEs, U.S. diplomat, was a real ordeal; it reminded me of a cartoon to help staff our embassy in Tunis, which had been on “ordered that ran in the FSJ following the release of the Inman Report. It departure” since a violent mob attack on Sept. 14, 2012, that had showed a walled compound with no doors or windows, only a left both the embassy and the nearby American School seriously U.S. flag rising from within. Two puzzled locals are walking the damaged. The embassy’s core chancery building, recently built perimeter. “How do you get in?” one asks. “You don’t,” the other to Inman Commission standards, had kept the mob out, and not

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 35 Ever since Benghazi, overseas security sent to Tunis. Otherwise, almost all public programs and other routine operations has been a club for politicians to use were suspended. against one another. In addition to a small number of permanent American staff brought back, without dependents, a few others, including WAEs like myself, were gradually a single embassy employee had been physically injured during brought in on temporary duty, mostly in security and construc- an hours-long siege. The real problem was political, not physical: tion-related positions. Tight restrictions were placed on official The Tunisian government had failed to respond effectively to the visitors, with prior authorization from State’s under secretary initial attack. for management required. All public diplomacy-related visits to Nevertheless, still spooked by the news from Benghazi just Tunisia, including by regional support staff, were halted. three days earlier, Washington had ordered the evacuation of Outside, relative calm prevailed, even as the birthplace of the Embassy Tunis. Three months after that, I arrived to find one of Arab Spring was undergoing the most important political transi- the strictest security regimes I had ever experienced outside of a tion in its history. Inside, priority was going to security construc- combat zone. tion and to maintaining a low profile. Temporary staff were The embassy’s Tunisian employees had shown amazing resil- initially lodged in remote hotels (some were later put into vacant ience and resourcefulness following the attack, working from houses) and driven to and from work in armored shuttles. In- their homes via email and fax to close out the fiscal-year books country travel was discouraged, and representation was minimal. far from their evacuated American colleagues. For the public I wanted to get out, to see old friends and contacts from my affairs section, that closeout involved hundreds of thousands of two earlier assignments in Tunis, and I felt I could really accom- dollars in grants, which, despite the attack, continued to be dis- plish something important in that way—but there was little bursed. Managing those programs was one of the reasons I was encouragement to do so. Reduced staffing severely curtailed most public outreach.

Security As the Primary Goal? The one thing that was not limited was the security operation. Throughout my six months in Tunis, our staff meetings typi- cally focused on security and construction issues. Across the entire mission, relatively few U.S. employees had outside contact work as their primary responsibility. Off duty, I was generally able to move about Greater Tunis more or less freely. Thanks to email and Facebook, I found many old friends and contacts. Some had become “ancien régime,” but they none- theless offered an important window into our understanding of what was happening in Tunisia. Meanwhile, official Wash- ington still had Benghazi in its teeth, and the focus was on security, not outreach. Repeated requests by the embassy to COURTESY OF JIM BULLOCK go off ordered-departure status and bring USIS staff with departing PAO Jim Bullock, center in striped shirt, in the courtyard of the American Center, Tunis, in 1996. back dependents were rebuffed. Yet just

36 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL across the highway, the American School had put itself back into operation within days. Sure, there was still credible threat reporting—but we saw very little violence. Nearby,

JIM BULLOCK our posts in Morocco “Fortress America” looms along Tunis’ were still open, as was main highway, with high blank walls awaiting concertina wire, in 2013. the embassy in Cairo, surely a more dangerous place. The net effect of this continued security-first posture was to reduce the U.S. government’s presence and operational effectiveness in Tunisia at a crucial time. What program outreach we were doing was largely in the hands of NGOs, who could bring in staff and program support without an explicit green light from M. The embassy’s public library (Information Resource Cen- ter) was essentially closed to the general public, both because advance clearance through the RSO was required for access and because the space itself had been requisitioned as the embassy’s training classroom. The public affairs section’s multipurpose room had likewise been taken over by temporary security staff. Since even routine access for outside visitors required 24-hour advance notice, I often met contacts at cafés just beyond the barbed-wire barriers. Barbed wire atop and alongside high blank walls, running parallel to one of the country’s main highways, gave the embassy compound the look of a federal penitentiary. Once, I suggested to the construction folks that we use cactus (a traditional Tunisian security barrier) in place of the concertina wire, and add color- ful “Info-USA” panels on the side of the perimeter wall facing the highway. The cactus, I was told, would be too expensive. (Com- pared to the overall cost of maintaining that huge compound on top of a reclaimed swamp?) The murals? Maybe, someday. (If anyone from the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations is reading this, please consider!) Before I left for home in July 2013, I managed to hold one successful representational event—at a hotel. Shortly after that, at the embassy’s Fourth of July reception, I heard the ambassador assure a small and tightly controlled assembly that the United States would “never be chased from Tunisia” and that we were “there to stay.” I hope he’s right about that, but the temporary closure of 19 U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide the next month in response to various security concerns was not encouraging.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 37 The net effect of this security-first posture “sending in the Marines” (or the 101st Airborne), let’s admit that it is almost was to reduce the U.S. government’s never practical or desirable to apply purely presence and operational effectiveness in military solutions to diplomatic security issues. Tunisia at a crucial time. We need to maintain good “force protection,” of course, and we need to minimize mistakes, but we also need to get out Getting Real Value for Risks Taken of our offices to do our jobs. That means tolerating a certain level When we decide to put diplomats and other civilian workers of risk. As the recent knife attack on Mark Lippert, our ambassador into a country, we need to ensure they have the tools they need to in Seoul, demonstrates, we can never completely take the danger accomplish the tasks set for them. And because risk can never be out of diplomacy. What we can do is take a critical look at security’s eliminated, it must be managed. increasing share of our limited resources, and ensure that we get Somehow few challenge the risks we face from tropical disease real value for the risks we do take. or endemic crime, only from politically motivated violence. For If, as I have read, our overall budget for security is now four that, host governments have the primary responsibility to protect times our budget for public diplomacy, let’s reexamine our goals. our official facilities under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Dip- Just “staying safe” cannot be primary. Let’s transmit to our next lomatic Relations and the parallel 1963 Convention on Consular generation of diplomats those virtues and values Amb. Stevens Relations. As politicians and pundits club each other with talk of gave his life for—and achieve real benefits for the nation.n

38 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FEATURE

Women Who Make a Difference: Reflections of a Foreign Service Wife in 1982

A Foreign Service spouse reflects on her experiences during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, when struggles for independence from colonial rule exploded throughout the developing world.

BY PATRICIA B. NORLAND

he life of a Foreign Service spouse problems. Most young wives now are interested in careers of offers one of the more interesting their own, both for their personal satisfaction and, increas- and rewarding pursuits—not without ingly, to supplement the family income. However, pursuing a moments of sheer horror to be sure, career in law or biochemistry in Ouagadougou is not a simple but satisfying and raptly absorbing. matter. That remains true today, in 1982, Moreover, some young wives are not interested in—or do as the Foreign Service undergoes a not have time for—the social aspects of diplomatic life: the period of strain and change. Salaries, entertaining or the philanthropic projects which have long been never excessive, have fallen behind considered valuable contributions to the U.S. image abroad. The in the upper grades; and, as always, many choice diplomatic question has even been tentatively broached as to whether the Tposts go to non-career appointees. Faced with this prospect, a diplomatic social round is any longer truly effective. number of good officers in their middle years are reassessing Perhaps the most dramatic change of all is in the physical their onward opportunities and the advisability of remaining danger that now lurks in many a foreign assignment; in the indefinitely among the “genteel poor” as school tuition and modern world, diplomats and their families are on the firing other expenses mount. line. Few will soon forget the national trauma of the seizure of For wives, in particular, Foreign Service life presents new American hostages in Iran. During these years of change and upheaval abroad, hundreds of Americans have been evacuated Editor’s Note: Patricia Bamman Norland passed away in May 2014 at from besieged embassies, and the list of U.S. diplomats killed in the age of 94 (her obituary appears in the September 2014 FSJ).Wife of the line of duty is still growing: Ambassador Cleo Noel and his the late Ambassador Donald Norland, she accompanied her husband to deputy, Curt Moore, in Khartoum; Ambassador Frank Meloy in posts abroad for 30 years and is the mother of three children who gradu- Lebanon; Ambassador Adolf “Spike” Dubs in Afghanistan; and ated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and them- others in our far-flung missions. selves became diplomats. This article is excerpted from an unpublished Young Foreign Service officers and their spouses are appar- essay Mrs. Norland wrote in 1982 that her daughter Patricia (Kit), a ently thinking twice about serving in these areas, as well they career FSO presently serving in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural might. The very value of the Foreign Service itself is being ques- Affairs, recently shared with the Journal. tioned: Would skeleton staffs and electronic diplomacy suffice?

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 39 Mrs. Norland, husband Donald, and children (L to R) David, Kit and Richard, soon after arriving in the Netherlands in 1965. COURTESY OF KIT NORLAND

Congress has offered some relief for the problems of career, safety and family in the Foreign Service Act of 1980.

Now for the Good News expiring; more likely, it is, as usual, evolving. Fortunately, there also seems to exist a rather firm belief Since our first assignment in Morocco in 1952, changes have that America will have ever greater need for effective diplomacy occurred more rapidly than ever in the Foreign Service way of life. and a talented Foreign Service. And Congress has offered some From the beginning, one of the most appealing moments to me relief for the problems of career, safety and family in the Foreign came when all the preparations for departure to a new assign- Service Act of 1980. In such projects as the Family Liaison Office, ment were complete and the front door closed behind us for the with its many branches in embassies, the State Department last time—a moment we were to experience some 14 times in all. continues to seek solutions for the unique problems confronting Then sweet relief replaced fatigue. The difficult part was over; the its diplomats. And on the sidelines but vociferous, the American great adventure lay ahead. Foreign Service Association and Diplomatic and Consular Offi- First came the initial stage of the trip, usually to pier side, along cers, Retired (DACOR), maintain a vigilant and effective stance. which lay the S.S. United States (the swiftest), the Constitution or It is also encouraging to note that the numbers of persons Independence (the most cruise-like) or the America (the most fun). taking the Foreign Service entrance exams are in the thousands A Foreign Service friend has long contended that there are only and increasing every year. And statistics seem to indicate that, for two ways to travel: “First-class and with children.” The S.S. America all her independence, the Foreign Service wife, with family, is still came closest to combining the two. Unfortunately, these floating accompanying her husband abroad approximately 90 percent of hotels have sailed away forever, and Foreign Service families must the time. Thus, it seems improbable that the Foreign Service is now fly on U.S. airlines, except in rare circumstances.

40 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL The problems in being children abroad seemed far more But distinct advantages for children in Foreign Service life awesome in the 1950s than now. Ever since our daughter, Kit, remain: new languages, friends of all nationalities and visits was born in a small, reasonably immaculate French clinic in to such far-off places as the lagoons of the Seychelles, the high Abidjan, my own conception of health conditions in foreign Atlas, the canals of Friesland and the incomparable Okavango. countries has become more realistic. And there is also the opportunity to live in different cultures, The logistics of raising a family abroad have nevertheless not as a tourist but as a privileged resident. The latter is not increased in complexity. Where an international or American something to dwell upon. One can only hope the family, both school or other accredited form of education is not available, parents and children, will live up to and enhance the image of the biggest wrench comes when the Foreign Service child must the nation that has sent them abroad. leave the family circle for school, usually in the United States. As for the Foreign Service wife herself, the diplomatic The British have long since adjusted to this problem as, seem- life can offer infinite rewards: good friends (both foreign ingly without a tremor, they send their young ones off as early and from the embassy “family” itself), theater, shops, travel as the age of 8. For most Americans, there are sleepless nights and, of course, a variety of excellent cuisines. While a recent and many sinking sensations. The problems of school, travel, symposium has concluded that “the role of the husband friends, vacations, jobs, medications and other considerations depends in no small part upon the wife,” much also depends for Foreign Service children are all real, and the Family Liaison on her husband’s position on the career ladder and where Office has an important role to play. they reside.

A Daughter Remembers When Dad died suddenly in December 2006, my Foreign Service spouse and I were studying language for a tandem assignment in Asia. We wanted Mom to come with us. That included packing two small plastic bins Dad had compiled of medical and other documents. Mom lived with us for five years, and then spent her last 15 months with my brother Dick and his wife, Mary, at the embassy in Tbilisi. After she died on May 20, 2014, I took a closer look at the bins—especially a brown file folder Dad had labeled “Pat’s Essays and Poems.” The folder included a mix of writings. An essay penned at age 16 on the importance of the Merchant Marine that earned Mom her first foreign trip: England in 1937. A startlingly prescient 1941 college essay suggesting that “the great problem of our times is not how [a nation] becomes strong, but, rather, how to remain strong.” A poem, “To My Plane,” in which she asserts: “your wings make of me a god, stronger than a thousand straining horses, swifter than the wind, and free as hope to rise above war, peace, soil and sea, hate, laughter, love.” A hand-scrawled speech she gave at a school in Serowe, Botswana, in which she lauds “Sesame Street” to underscore the value of early-childhood learning. And this 1982 essay, reflecting on 30 years of being “married” to the Foreign Service. Mom intended to—but never did—submit this essay for possible publication by her alma mater, Wellesley College. Throughout her life, she was an ardent advocate of Wellesley and its mission to provide an excellent liberal arts education for women who will make a difference in the world. She took delight when two other Wellesley grads, Madeleine Albright and Hillary Rodham Clinton, became U.S. Secretary of State. When we lived in Laos from 2011 to 2012, then-Ambassador Karen Stewart, another Wellesley graduate, would come to our home, and she and Mom would dredge up lyrics to Wellesley songs. Our parents instilled in their kids such a profound appreciation for the profession of diplomacy that the three of us joined the Service. Mom’s essay portrays the “public” part of public service on which our profession depends; she embraced her role and represented our country with poise and devotion. And, in her time, without remuneration. She loved the Foreign Service life. She made lifelong friends. And she found it “raptly absorbing,” as this essay describes. —Kit Norland, FSO

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 41 It was not the difference in weather between north and south, but the political climate that had the deepest influence on our lives and lent great interest to the years we spent in Africa.

From Africa to Europe, and Back The usual heavy pall of heat had descended on the afternoon, Our itinerary has taken us all over Africa and Europe, two and it was necessary to prepare the hors d’oeuvres for 200 guests continents offering distinctly different lifestyles. While in the with only one small refrigerator to keep things cool. But it was northern European sphere, the procession of social events well worth the effort when the president himself came to the continued apace; the great surprise to me was to fall, as Ameri- reception—a rare honor and a signal that he wished to under- cans seem to do, under the spell of history. In Paris we occupied take friendly relations with the United States. part of an 18th-century country house, three blocks from Marie Our first close brush with violence came later, in Guinea, Antoinette’s “Hameau de la Reine” in the park of Versailles. where President Sekou Toure, a supposed Marxist who has Later, during our five years in the Netherlands, we wandered nevertheless proved to be his own man, had chosen indepen- along the cobblestone streets where the Pilgrims lived before dence from the French community. Here, during a surprise setting sail; it was unexpectedly moving to hear the American attack on Nov. 22, 1970, by a small invading flotilla, apparently ambassador speak on each Thanksgiving Day in the church from Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea-Bissau), we found our- where the Pilgrims worshipped. The days were filled with much selves, throughout an entire night, stretched flat on the floor in activity, but living in Europe made it possible to observe up close the company of some equally prone members of the staff and its weathered bones and to look into the shadows of its history. Peace Corps, as bullets flashed past the windows and across the By contrast, in Africa, history was being made in the full glare garden into the palm trees. The months of terror that followed of a hot sun. It was not the difference in weather between north were worse than the invasion. Except for diplomats, who were and south, but the political climate that had the deepest influ- presumably immune to arrest, the residents of Guinea could not ence on our lives and lent great interest to the years we spent be certain who would end up in the sinister Camp Boiro Prison. there. This was the era of the African struggle for independence; It is to be hoped that Pres. Toure’s current efforts to develop this between 1952 and my husband’s retirement in 1981, the Third potentially rich country with Western aid will yet bring benefits World literally exploded. During this period, 50 new nations to a patient and gifted population. were delineated on the map of Africa. Our introduction to this powerful force came in Morocco, our Fond Memories first post and among the first African countries to gain indepen- A happier meeting came in 1976 when my husband became dence. When we arrived, the French masters of the country were ambassador to three very beautiful countries in southern Africa: in the process of exiling the popular Sultan Mohammed V to Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland. We found three indepen- Madagascar. Three years later, before leaving, the most violent dent countries, nurtured in the English parliamentary tradition uprisings and massacres by the local populace took place outside and devoting their energies to the modernization process. In the capital, Rabat. But it was possible one sunny day to wheel our this they were abetted by a large and dedicated expatriate staff first baby to the cliff overlooking the Bou-Regreg River and witness of experts from Europe, the United States (with extensive U.S. the triumphant return of Mohammed V to independent Morocco Agency for International Development programs), China and where his son, King Hassan, now reigns. elsewhere, and by surprisingly generous grants of aid from Scan- In the Ivory Coast (now Cote d'Ivoire), the political climate dinavian countries. Everyone, it seemed, wished to help, and the was quite different. Here, President Felix Houphouet-Boigny had resulting spirit of cooperation and energetic drive reminded one chosen the path of conciliation with France and development of of the frontier days of America. his country. Our first Fourth of July reception was a milestone. From these relatively peaceful lands, the wartorn country of

42 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL COURTESY OF KIT NORLAND Patricia Norland, seated at center, joins daughter Kit, second from right, and Vietnamese-language teachers for the Tet festivities at the Foreign Service Institute in February 2007. In March 1980, five months after our arrival in N’Djamena, civil war again broke out in the dead of night, with great ferocity.

Chad—our next and last assignment—brought us again into the cious people, haunts the memory of all who were there. It was vortex of evolving Africa. After the struggle for independence typical of this era that our view as we flew out of the capital was and a long civil war, the country was now poverty-stricken and of explosions and mounting plumes of smoke. unstable. Hundreds of uniformed African soldiers on the streets, The period in which Africa has achieved independence is all bearing Kalishnikov rifles, underscored a deep sense of fore- drawing to a close. On lonely mountain slopes of the countries boding felt throughout the country. we came to know and in the dusty villages of the African bush, In March 1980, five months after our arrival in N’Djamena, small health clinics and rural schools are beginning to blos- civil war again broke out in the dead of night, with great feroc- som—albeit, tentatively. Now the battle to survive in the modern ity. Members of the embassy staff, unable to leave their homes, world, and to progress, is being waged. hastily erected barriers of furniture and mattresses, while machine guns were fired from positions in their gardens and Getting Involved in Local Communities mortar rounds fell indiscriminately. Fortunately, foreigners and As many a Foreign Service wife has found, the almost unlim- diplomats were not a target. Three days after the fighting began, ited needs of developing countries offer abundant opportunities a lull made possible an escape by car to the French air base on to participate in the life of the local community. In Botswana, the edge of the city, with white flags on broomsticks signaling a small, enthusiastic American Women’s Club and the sturdy neutral status. All our possessions, with the exception of one support of the embassy wives enabled the American community handbag each, were left behind. to join effectively in various health, educational and cultural Those who were evacuated felt inordinately grateful to be projects, and to undertake some of their own. alive, but the continuing plight of the Chadians, a kind and gra- Several American wives had full-time positions in the field of

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 43 Throughout our time abroad, it was our privilege to know many women who, in one way or another, were in the forefront of the hardships and drama of this period.

health and education that required them to balance domestic life with travels, near and far. One successful project, introduced under American auspices during the ‘Year of the Child,’ was a program whereby pre-school Botswanan children were given a kind of “Sesame Street” glimpse of school life by their first- and second-grade brothers and sisters. The approach has since been incorporated into the Botswanan school system. Throughout our time abroad, it was our privilege to know many women who, in one way or another, were in the forefront of the hardships and drama of this period. When I think of the overburdened ministers in these emerging countries, the faces of their wives come also to mind: Gladys Masire, wife of Botswana’s vice president; and Lena Mogwe, wife of its peripatetic foreign minister; as well as Mamie Kotsokwane and others in Lesotho and Swaziland. The memorable times we shared were only a part of the duties they had long been performing: attending graduations and award ceremonies, and participating in activities of the Red Cross, YWCA, Professional Women’s Association and other charitable organizations. There were also the fairs, benefits and bazaars, the military parades of the small defense forces, the official trips and receptions, the celebrations and funerals. Then, as now, in recalling the remarkable individuals we have known in these young countries, there glimmered through my mind a familiar phrase from the past: Non ministrari sed minis- trare (Not to be ministered unto but to minister), Wellesley Col- lege’s motto. Over the years, the women we met and worked with have been fully engaged in encouraging their countrymen to join in moving, for better or worse, into the modern world. Beneath their modesty lie strength and a great willingness to serve. The same, I dare say, is true of Foreign Service spouses, as well. n

44 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FS KNOW-HOW

TIPS FROM THE BELLY OF THE PYTHON

How can we optimize our own professional development and strengthen the Foreign Service while negotiating a challenging mid-level passage? Here are some suggestions.

BY JOHN FER

any of us in the mid-level ranks We are tenured and we’re no longer wide-eyed, but we prob- of the Foreign Service at the ably don’t have much more responsibility than we did as junior State Department face a pro- officers. Moreover, we can expect to spend a significantly longer fessional challenge. Admitted time at the FS-3 and FS-2 levels than has traditionally been the to the corps during the hiring case. surge, we are now suffering the If, like me, you are looking at the next decade as an abnor- fate of “the pig in the python.” mally long series of lateral moves until promotion, I’d like to Our large numbers have offer a few tips, things that we can do ourselves to optimize overwhelmed the Foreign Service promotion pathways, slowing our own professional development and at the same time help Mmovement through them to a crawl. strengthen the Foreign Service.

John Fer joined the Foreign Service in 2009, and Recognize the Unsung Heroes has served in New Delhi as a consular officer, in As a band of Type-A overachievers, we know how important it Managua as cultural attaché and in International is to be recognized for our efforts, but how much time do we put Information Programs at the State Department as a into keeping an eye out for the quiet, less visible contributions to regional policy officer. Presently, he covers Russia as the mission? While there is a wealth of information on general a public diplomacy desk officer at State. employee recognition, finding the unsung heroes can require

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 45 Until our organization focuses How closely is your professional development following the more on leadership, it’s up to the language of the employee evaluation report precepts? Speaking of EERs, how many of the programs for which you were lauded mid-level employees to improve on your past EERs are still in effect today? things from within. Confront Corridor Rep Gossip with Kindness A friend of mine retold an adage she’d heard from a Senior FSO: “The EER system doesn’t work, so all we can do is gossip to a little more research and observation. Which processes run keep bad people from getting good jobs.” Organizations inevi- smoothly and why? Are the people doing the less “sexy” jobs like tably discuss individuals informally, as is the case at State; but grants management, accounting, customer service and adminis- employees can avoid the toxicity of gossip by asking thoughtful trative support given their due? questions when negative chatter and speculation arises. Perhaps even more importantly, do your Foreign Service Better to try to understand and measure the perceived colleagues get the recognition they deserve? In a hyper-compet- negative actions against State’s leadership principles and core itive, walk-on-water organization like ours, some genuine peer values, than to descend into conversations that will hurt others. recognition can go a long way to boost morale and productivity. Avoid the “let me give you a call” moments (when employees do not want to put anything negative in an email) by construc- Learn from Those with Institutional Knowledge tively describing fellow employees instead of bashing them. If Locally employed staff, Civil Service members and contrac- we must gossip, let us gossip about the great things that people tors are essential to the functioning of the Foreign Service. Dur- are doing. Sure, it’s not as intriguing, but it will strengthen our ing my tour in Managua, I learned more about the embassy from organization. the senior custodian and motor pool supervisor than from anyone else in the mission. In the Bureau of International Informa- Don’t Wait to Practice Leadership tion Programs, the Civil Service and contractors have served as a In an organization that only requires three leadership vital continuity mechanism despite frequent reorganizations. courses, it is a vital imperative for grassroots groups to join forces We may complain about facing a promotion bottleneck, but and better the Service through peer-led discussions and case what about our locally employed staff colleagues, who frequently studies. Until our organization focuses more on leadership, it’s face pay freezes, currency devaluation and other setbacks yet up to the mid-level employees to improve things from within. continue to support our missions around the world? Have you Find peers who also want to make the department a better been to a locally employed staff association meeting? Do you place to work. Go beyond the brown bag and seek to chal- know the names of the contracting companies that support your lenge each other professionally. Measure your discussions organization? against the department’s new leadership principles, and hold your supervisors accountable to the organization. It’s okay Master Your Craft to express a healthy sense of outrage in the face of egregious The mid-level years are the time to achieve mastery over the offenses such as yelling at employees, practicing “kiss up and work of your career track, learn the art of “completed staff work” kick down” and spreading “D.C. doesn’t care about us” apathy, (see www.govleaders.org/completed-staff-work.htm), develop among others. strong program management skills and practice leading teams. This trio can seriously compromise the Service. The harm of Straddling the boundaries between followership and leadership, yelling is obvious; kiss up, kick down is more subtle, but still a while precarious at times, can also open new avenues for per- tremendous problem and one that many feel sheepish to even sonal and professional development. Seeking an in-cone men- identify, much less fight against. And “D.C. doesn’t care about tor, gathering peers in the same career track and helping locally us” can bring entire missions to their knees (conversely, an employed staff members to understand the hows and whys of empowered officer who fights against that mentality can really U.S. policy are all great opportunities to develop as an officer. shake things up). Are you the person that everyone wants to be a control officer Targeting these behaviors may seem a bit edgy, but we need to or a site officer for visits and special events? Why or why not? be that way if we want to encourage the healthy sense of owner-

46 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL We may complain about facing Character: Maintenance of the highest ethical standards and a promotion bottleneck, but integrity. Service: Excellence in the formulation of policy and program what about our locally employed management with room for creative dissent. Implementation of staff colleagues, who frequently policy and management practices, regardless of personal views. Accountability: Responsibility for meeting the highest per- face pay freezes, currency formance standards. devaluation and other setbacks? Community: Dedication to teamwork, professionalism and the customer’s perspective. Diversity: Commitment to having a workforce that represents the diversity of America. ship for the State Department Foreign Service for which I argue. When someone betrays them, we should not be afraid to say, In the Air Force, when someone crossed the boundary of our “Not in my State Department!” core values, we were encouraged to stand up and say, “Not in As State continues to develop its culture of leadership, we my Air Force!” This notion, probably borrowed from the Marine should look at the bulge in the python as rippling core muscles Corps, gave us all a sense of ownership in the organization. of human capital—an unprecedented peer network poised to The State Department’s core values are as follows: lead by example in honing a profession of diplomacy which Loyalty: Commitment to the United States and the American values every member of the organization. I sincerely hope that people. these ideas inspire productive discussion. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 47 48 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION

AFSA Co-Sponsors ‘Distinguished Diplomat’ CALENDAR Lecture by Amb. Pickering

May 1 Ambassador Thomas Picker- Foreign Affairs Day, ing delivered the second bien- AFSA Memorial Plaque nial Distinguished Diplomat Ceremony, and AFSA Retiree Reception Lecture at La Colombe d’Or Hotel in Houston, Texas, on May 3-9 March 19. Public Service The American Foreign Ser- Recognition Week vice Association and the Cen- May 6 ter for International Studies at 12-2 p.m. the University of St. Thomas AFSA Governing in Houston jointly estab- Board Meeting lished the lecture series in 2013 to promote and deepen May 8 12-2 p.m. the region’s knowledge and Film Screening understanding of the Foreign “Last Days in Vietnam” Service. The Center for Inter- national Studies is the oldest May 10 formal center for international 9 a.m. Third Annual Public Service studies in southeast Texas. 5K Run/Walk The Distinguished Diplo- mat Lecture is held soon after May 11 each federal election and is AFSA Book Notes

COURTESY OF THE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS ST. OF UNIVERSITY STUDIES, INTERNATIONAL THE CENTER FOR OF COURTESY “The Blood Telegram” given by an eminent retired Career Ambassador Thomas Pickering delivers the second biennial Distinguish- ambassador, who is asked to ed Diplomat Lecture, which was co-sponsored by AFSA and the Center for May 17-21 Continued on p. 57 International Studies at the University of St. Thomas, in Houston, Texas. AFSA Road Scholar Program Washington, D.C.

June 3 AFSA Scholarship Fund Receives 12-2 p.m. AFSA Governing Record-Breaking Gift Board Meeting

By all accounts, Linda K. When Ms. Fitzgerald State Department in 1962, June 4 AFSA Election Ballot Tally Fitzgerald loved Foreign died in December 2013 at and served as the political Service life. Her 21-year the age of 82, she left a gift section secretary in Tehran June 9 career as a Foreign Service of $950,000 to the AFSA for her first tour. Two years 4-6 p.m. specialist took her around Scholarship Fund, to be used later she transferred to the AFSA Awards Ceremony the world, to posts in Europe for undergraduate college United States Information (Helsinki, Paris and Warsaw), awards for children of Foreign Agency, where she worked Asia (Saigon and Tokyo) and Service employees. It is the until her retirement in 1983, AFSA ELECTIONS Africa (Tunis). It was not the largest memorial gift ever providing all aspects of man- DON’T FORGET typical path for a woman given to the AFSA Scholar- agement support for USIA TO VOTE! born in 1931 in the small town ship Fund. programs as an executive of Elyria, Ohio, but, it seems, Fitzgerald graduated from assistant. (SEE P.52) Linda Fitzgerald was not a Miami University in Oxford, “Linda was an incredibly typical person. Ohio, in 1953. She joined the Continued on p. 56

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 49 STATE VP VOICE | BY MATTHEW ASADA AFSA NEWS

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

Improving the Quality of Work/Life

One of AFSA’s key priorities, One of AFSA’s key priorities is to improve the quality of as reflected in its 2013-2015 work/life for Foreign Service employees. strategic plan, is to improve the quality of work/life for Foreign Service employees approached AFGE to learn without leaving the career dents, staff and faculty—Cap- at all of our foreign affairs more about its plan and see and the Service they care ital BikeShare. Thousands of agencies. if it would be appropriate for so passionately about. bicycle trips have been taken This month, I discuss what our members located around AFSA worked closely with since, resulting in improved AFSA has done at the Depart- the world. We also spoke with Quadrennial Diplomacy and employee wellness, reduced ment of State. From making the American Foreign Service Development Review Special parking congestion and less it easier to donate, receive or Protective Association, the Representative Tom Perriello carbon emission. use leave to getting to and third-party partner that and his office to include this AFSA also partnered with from work and taking care offers the Foreign Service initiative in the upcoming Arlington County to survey of one’s child, AFSA is there Benefit health plan, to see QDDR report. employees using FSI to see working on behalf of you and whether AFSPA might be Child Care Expansion: how we could make individ- your family. able to offer a product for our AFSA has been a strong ual commutes easier, shorter New Employee Leave members. We hope to be able proponent of expansion of and more environmentally Bank: In March AFSA signed to make an announcement State’s child care options friendly. the charter as a found- about a new product offering to meet the needs of its AFSA has proposed a ing member of the new soon. transient Foreign Service number of improvements, employee leave bank (STATE Extended Leave Without population. Recent AFSA and including a new eastern cam- 22056). The bank provides a Pay: Spousal employment, State Department surveys pus pedestrian and bicycle new mechanism for employ- an employee’s own profes- (for State results of the AFSA entrance, and is working with ees to donate and receive sional development and survey see the April 2015 FSJ, the department to incor- annual leave in addition to familial or personal obliga- the State survey results are porate the ideas into future the existing leave transfer tions are all valid reasons available on the intranet). master plans and capital program. for requesting leave without have confirmed that child projects. AFSA partnered with the pay. However, the current care availability is a factor in AFSA’s work resulted in two Civil Service unions, system limits such time to deciding whether to return to FSI being recognized as the AFGE Local 1534 and NFFE one year, and State often Washington, D.C. The surveys department’s first build- Local 1998, to negotiate takes a narrow view in decid- also show that employee ing to be acknowledged by the most employee-friendly ing which applications to satisfaction with the depart- Arlington County as a Gold provisions possible, includ- approve. AFSA has advocated ment’s child care facilities transportation champion. ing waiving the caps on a more expansive program dropped significantly last year AFSA’s focus on quality individual leave contributions that would enable employees among generalist officers. of employee work/life has to maximize the number of to take multiple years off AFSA’s number-one child already made it easier for hours available in the bank. and plan for that time off in care priority is expansion of employees to get to and Dozens of employees have advance. FSI child care facilities, and from work and ensured that been able to take advantage Such an extended leave- the association is pleased to employees will have more of the bank since it opened without-pay program could be working with the depart- options for leave, child care for business in March. enable an employee’s spouse ment on a project to double and transportation in the Short-Term Disability to accept a two-year assign- the number of childcare future. AFSA looks forward Insurance: Many AFSA ment in the private sector, spaces there. to hearing from you on this members have expressed an employee to pursue a FSI Transportation important employee prior- interest in third-party short- two-year graduate degree, Options: Last summer AFSA ity. n term disability insurance to or a colleague to care for a inaugurated a new transpor- Next month: Congressional cover maternity leave. AFSA relative for multiple years tation option for FSI stu- Advocacy

50 MAY 2015 | 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

Eligible Family Member Employment

Ensuring adequate employ- Having employment options for spouses who want to work is ment opportunities for For- critical to employee morale and retention. eign Service family members is becoming increasingly important, both for morale and retention. Unlike the period prior to of benefits highlighted in the partner) serve in an FMA Coordinator Lindsey Johnson 1972, when an FSO’s effi- survey feedback is that EFMs position for 52 weeks, or up at [email protected]). ciency report included an working at USAID are often to 2,087 hours (if part-time), Training. USAID is seeking assessment of how well his not entitled to non-competi- they earn non-competitive to expand training opportu- wife supported her hus- tive eligibility for federal jobs eligibility status for future nities for its eligible fam- band’s career by entertain- in the United States—a ben- federal employment through ily members. Toward that ing as many local officials efit that State Department Executive Order 12721. end, OHCI is working with as possible, today’s Foreign EFMs readily receive. USAID recognizes and the Center for Professional Service mirrors the chang- To delve into this and encourages EFMs who have Development at USAID to ing demographics of the other issues, USAID has cre- non-competitive eligibility to identify training that would United States, in which both ated the Office for Overseas apply to status-eligible posi- support the agency’s EFM spouses often want their own Human Capital Initiatives, tions (i.e., Civil Service posi- positions. careers. dedicated to EFM initiatives, tions) in Washington, D.C. USAID also reimburses Eligible Family Member it is led by Executive Officer OHCI’s goal is to use the tuition costs for both in- employment was on the Ann Posner. lessons learned in this long person and distance courses minds of many of you who OHCI is working in part- pilot period to formalize the at the Foreign Service participated in the last AFSA nership with State’s Family program and clarify the roles Institute. Finally, USAID gives USAID survey. Because of Liaison Office and the Office governing USAID and State’s EFMs access to career devel- what that survey showed of Human Resources/Over- partnership. With better opment resource services. and what we learned from seas Employment to iden- clarification and enhanced USAID and State’s FLO other sources, USAID now tify better ways to support procedures, OHCI hopes to office are sponsoring an EFM views EFM initiatives as a top USAID’s EFMs. facilitate USAID’s increased event in May; information will priority—not only for FSO For example: use of this mechanism. be posted on FLO’s website. retention and morale, but Family Member Appoint- Direct Communication. Like most changes, there also because it makes fiscal ments. USAID is partner- OHCI also seeks to estab- will be issues that need to sense. ing with State to formalize lish direct lines of commu- be ironed out. For example, Many EFMs are highly the FMA program from its nication with EFMs, so all could some EFM positions be skilled professionals, and 2004 pilot. FMA is the State information doesn’t have to filled by FSOs? employing them allows Department hiring mecha- flow through the employee. I encourage you to share USAID to optimize its budget nism for Appointment-Eligi- This would allow the spouse your suggestions, concerns resources. ble Family Members. to feel more plugged in and and thoughts on this topic In the AFSA survey, USAID can hire using the supported through all the to help mold these exciting increasing EFM employment FMA mechanism in collabo- changes and challenges initiatives to make USAID a came in as the fourth-highest ration with State, previously, associated with life as a For- better place to work. priority. Ensuring equal ben- it has more commonly used eign Service spouse. OHCI has also created an efits among Foreign Service other hiring mechanisms, Communications are FSO Telework Initiatives unit, officers was the highest such as personal service already taking place through which I look forward to explor- priority labor management contracts. orientation with the newly ing in a future column. n issue. When EFMs (an unmar- hired C3 officers, virtual Significantly, however, ried child under age 23, town halls and USAID’s EFM one difference in the parity a spouse or a domestic listserv (to join, contact EFM

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 51

RETIREE VP VOICE | BY LARRY COHEN AFSA NEWS

Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA Retiree VP. Contact: [email protected] or (703) 437-7881

Life After the Foreign Service: It’s All Write

From where does this lan- the ability to write well is per- Transition Center, the “Writing Back to books. If you’re a guage come? ceived as essential. after Retirement” panel is one Civil War history buff, look to “To write concise, well I’ll go out on a limb. Com- of the Job Search Program’s former FSOs Steve Muller and organized, grammatically cor- pared to the U.S. population at most popular offerings. Panel- Gene Schmiel for inspiration. rect, effective and persuasive large, Foreign Service retirees ists speak to such topics as Steve recently wrote Troy, N ew English in a limited amount of tend to be good writers. Over fiction/non-fiction writing, York, and the Building of the time.” our Foreign Service careers strengthening writing skills, USS Monitor and Gene wrote If you said it is one of the 13 many of us wrote and edited getting published, grant Citizen General: Jacob Dolson dimensions the Department prodigiously. Written com- proposal writing and blogging. Cox and the Civil War Era. Or of State Board of Examiners munication skills were vital. Post-Foreign Service writ- how about Civil War fiction? uses in its Foreign Service Oral In general, Foreign Service ing opportunities are more Try Chris Datta’s meticu- Assessment checklist, you retirees still possess the writ- diverse and less constraining lously researched slave story would be correct. For Foreign ing bug. than, say, the country human Touched with Fire. Service candidates, at least, According to the Career rights report or mission pro- Put a book out there on gram plan. Plus, as a retiree virtually any subject and you you may now possess two can be featured in the FSJ’s AFSA Creates Online ingredients possibly missing annual book roundup issue, before: motivation and time. “In Their Own Write,” and can Memorial Tribute Page Post-retirement writing be invited to sell your book at comes in many forms. In his the annual AFSA Book Market. The American friends, and join February 2010 Foreign Service For those interested in Foreign Service us in honoring and Journal article, “Writing As a memoir writing, consider the Association has remembering those Second Career,” David T. Jones Association for Diplomatic created an online who served in the highlighted writing opportuni- Studies and Training oral memorial page as U.S. Foreign Ser- ties within the State Depart- history program. More than a way to honor col- vice. Biographical ment—including When Actu- 1,800 of your colleagues leagues who have information and pic- ally Employed work. David already have. passed away. tures of deceased cites community and profes- The transcript ADST The online AFSA colleagues can sional association newslet- creates can be crafted into Memorial Tribute be submitted by ters as examples of impact a memoir or autobiography. will offer a place sending informa- writing: Write about what you And it gets published online: to honor all Foreign Service tion to [email protected] with know, what you care about. As www.adst.org/oral-history. members—those who died the subject line Online AFSA David notes, “it doesn’t have Books and journal articles while on active duty as well as Memorial Tribute. to be a book,” although since seem overwhelming? Take those who died after retire- To visit the online AFSA retirement he has written four your writing skills elsewhere. ment—and to recognize their Memorial Tribute site please of them. A local issue needs to be service, regardless of the go to: www.afsa.org/tribute. Hobbies and research addressed? Write a letter to circumstances of their deaths. Note: To log in for the first interests offer plenty of your local newspaper, your The names of nearly 2,000 time, use your primary email opportunities to contribute to mayor or county representa- Foreign Service members address and your last name periodicals. Since retirement, I tive. Upset with some stupid- (active-duty and retired) have in all lowercase letters for have written four cover stories ity in Richmond, Annapolis or already been included on the the password. Please be sure for the American Philatelist. Tallahassee, or on Capitol Hill? AFSA Memorial Tribute site. to update your address and And as many of you know, Don’t hold it in; advocate! We now encourage you other contact information as retired FSOs already craft And while you’re at it, write to share your memories needed. If you have questions, a substantial share of the your legislators to support and stories of your FS col- please email member@afsa. content in each issue of The the professional, active-duty leagues, family members and org. n Foreign Service Journal. Foreign Service. n

52 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS

American Academy of Diplomacy Releases Report: ‘American Diplomacy at Risk’

The American Academy of our defenses—is in trouble.” ous examination’ (as stated in Diplomacy released a major The report details the the [Foreign Service] Act [of report, titled “American threat: “There is an increas- 1980]), promotion on merit, Diplomacy at Risk,” on April ingly politicized appointment and advice to the political 1 at a press conference held and policy process in the level based on extensive expe- between the Foreign Service at The George Washington State Department, resulting in rience, much of it overseas, as and the Civil Service,” the University’s Elliott School of a steady decrease in the use well as impartial judgment at report states. “We call upon International Affairs. Ambas- of diplomacy professionals a time when we need it most.” those in the department who sador Ronald Neumann, with current field experience The second factor AAD have misused calls for unity of president of the AAD, as well and long-term perspective identifies is the department’s effort as a chance to promote as report co-chairs Ambas- in making and implementing effort to “break down all their vision of amalgamation sador Thomas Pickering and policy,” it asserts. institutional, cultural and legal to end this campaign to un- Ambassador Marc Grossman, “This is reversing a barriers between the Foreign name the Foreign Service and presented the document. century-long effort to create a Service and the Civil Service.” de-commission FSOs. These “A strong State Depart- merit-based system that val- The report says this effort actions weaken the Foreign ment, based on a strong ued high professionalism. It is was identified in official press and Civil Services. Both ser- Foreign Service and a strong both ironic and tragic that the guidance issued by the State vices are indispensable to a Civil Service, is a critical com- United States is now moving Department in April 2013. strong State Department and ponent of America’s security,” away from the principles of a “The Academy calls on the the proper conduct of foreign the report states in its open- career professional Foreign Secretary and his manage- policy.” ing paragraph. “But America’s Service based on ‘admission ment team to honor the The report also highlights diplomacy—the front line of through impartial and rigor- distinction in law and practice Continued on p. 62

State Proposes Changes to Danger Pay, Act of 1980, the State Depart- ment is required to consult Hardship Differentials AFSA on matters affecting the rights, benefits or obligations The State Department is pro- list (SETL) process. Under hardship differentials, which of individuals, and to negotiate posing changes to its method the new system, a post would is also under review. The net the impact and implementa- for determining danger pay at be considered for danger pay effect on posts’ overall allow- tion of changes to conditions all overseas posts. In a recent based solely on that coun- ances (danger plus hardship) of employment. cable (STATE 25786), Under try’s SETL scores for political is not yet clear, although it AFSA is concerned about Secretary for Management violence and terrorism. appears that the impact will these proposals, both in Patrick Kennedy writes that According to a briefing be negative. process and substance, and the changes will be made to State officials recently con- AFSA is concerned about will continue to engage with ensure compliance with the ducted for AFSA’s leadership, how elimination of the danger State’s leadership on this law governing allowances (5 the new system would replace pay incremental levels might topic. USC 5928) and to promote an the current danger-pay struc- affect negotiated conditions The world is not getting implementation process that ture—5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and of employment: e.g., benefits any less dangerous, and it is is “consistent, transparent, fair 35 percent—with levels of 15, (Student Loan Repayment important that benefits reflect and repeatable.” 25 and 35 percent. Program), bidding (fair share that harsh reality. n The proposed process Conditions no longer evalu- and equity) and Senior For- —Stephan Skora, AFSA for calculating danger pay ated under the new definition eign Service eligibility (Career Labor Management Intern will make use of the existing of danger pay will now be con- Development Program). security environment threat sidered under the category of Under the Foreign Service

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 53 AFSA NEWS

AFSA and HECFAA Welcome the New Director General

On Feb. 25, the American Foreign Service and Director of State Antony Blinken gave Amb. Chacón remarked that Foreign Service Association of Human Resources at the remarks paying tribute to as DG, he seeks to empower and the Hispanic Employee Department of State. Amb. Amb. Chacón, a career mem- the workforce and aims to Council of Foreign Affairs Chacón is the first Hispanic to ber of the Foreign Service for build on what HECFAA has Agencies co-hosted a recep- hold the post of DG. 33 years, for his dedication to already done. “I fully embrace tion to welcome Ambassador Following a welcome the institution of the Foreign this responsibility,” he said. Arnold A. Chacón as the from AFSA President Robert Service. He also described his goal new Director General of the Silverman, Deputy Secretary Deputy Secretary of to increase diversity in the For- State for Management and eign Service in the broadest Resources Heather Higginbot- sense, from race to gender tom also spoke, following an and those with disabilities. introduction by AFSA State VP Amb. Chacón previously Matthew Asada. She praised served as ambassador to Amb. Chacón’s enthusiasm Guatemala, deputy chief of and support for the mentor- mission in Madrid and deputy ing of young staff. HECFAA executive secretary in the President Francisco Palmieri Executive Secretariat. He introduced Amb. Chacón and has also served in Honduras, reflected on the early talks he Mexico, Chile, Italy, Peru and and Amb. Chacón had with Ecuador, as well as the U.S.

AFSA/DEBRA BLOME AFSA/DEBRA Secretary of State Hillary Mission to the United Nations From left: HECFAA President Paco Palmieri, Deputy Secretary of State for Clinton’s transition team on in New York. His wife, Alida Management and Resources Heather Higginbottom, Director General of diversity and Hispanic under- Chacón, is also an FSO. n the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources at the Department of State Ambassador Arnold Chacón, Deputy Secretary of State Antony representation at State. –Brittany DeLong, Blinken and AFSA President Robert Silverman. Taking the microphone, Assistant Editor

DON’T FORGET TO VOTE IN THE AFSA GOVERNING BOARD ELECTION MAKE SURE YOUR VOICE IS HEARD!

The 2015-2017 AFSA Governing Board election and proposed bylaw amendment is underway. Details and rules can be found at www.afsa.org/elections. All members should have received candidates’ statements with the ballot and may also view the campaign material on the AFSA website. Campaigning NEWS BRIEF through an employer email by any member is prohibited with the exception of the three pre-approved candidate email blasts. • Ballots: Ballots were mailed on or about April 15. If you do not receive a ballot by May 6, please contact [email protected]. • Ballot Tally: On June 4, at 9 a.m. Eastern time, the printed ballots will be picked up from the post office in Washington, D.C. Only printed ballots received in the post office will be counted. Online voting will be available until 8 a.m. East- ern time on June 4, after which point the voting website will close. • Election Information: Written requests for a duplicate ballot should be directed to [email protected] or AFSA Committee on Elections, 2101 E St. NW, Washington DC 20037. Please include your full name, current address, constituency, email address and telephone number. n

54 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS

AFSA Adds Two Names to Memorial Plaques on Foreign Affairs Day

Each year on Foreign Affairs tion of two new names: David nomic section of Embassy Day, the American Foreign Collins and Rayda “Raydita” Kuwait City from 2008 to Service Association honors Nadal will become the 246th 2010, then served as a rover the sacrifices of those who and 247th names on the in Kabul. Following a year in died while serving abroad in AFSA Memorial Plaques. Nassau, she worked from pursuit of the highest goals David Collins joined the 2011 to 2013 in the Office of American diplomacy, and Foreign Service in 2009 as a of Protocol in Washington, development in a memo- financial management officer. D.C., where she was an OMS

rial ceremony in front of the FAMILY NADAL OF COURTESY He served in Pretoria from for Ambassador Capricia AFSA Memorial Plaques. Rayda “Raydita” Nadal 2009 to 2012, and then as a Marshall. In 2013 she began On May 1, AFSA President financial management officer an assignment as an OMS Robert Silverman will lead at the U.S. consulate general with the Office of Engineering the ceremony in front of the in Lagos from 2012 to 2013. Services in Moscow. plaques in the Department Prior to joining the Foreign Described by friends and of State’s C Street lobby. Service, Collins, an ordained colleagues as “a ray of sun- Secretary of State John minister with the Assem- shine,” Nadal was an upbeat Kerry is scheduled to offer blies of God, worked for the and positive person who, remarks honoring the fallen denomination in Illinois from according to an OMS class- diplomats. The ceremony 1988 to 2003, and for its mate, “lived this crazy and will recognize the 245 people Brussels office from 2003 to unusual lifestyle with pride whose names have been 2009. His family describes and always with a smile.” She inscribed during the past 82 him as having been moti- was an avid reader, writer COURTESY OF COLLINS FAMILY COLLINS OF COURTESY years and will mark the addi- David Collins vated by a love of God and and collector of books. She country. was also known for a quick His co-workers remember wit and a ready smile. him as a team player who Ms. Nadal was injured in a embodied ingenuity, integrity gas explosion in her Moscow and commitment to excel- apartment on May 22, 2014. lence. He was respected for She died four days later at his leadership and seen as a a hospital in Sweden, at the friend by his colleagues. age of 37. She is survived Mr. Collins died in a by her parents, Jimmy and drowning accident off the Rayda, and sister, Lisa. coast of Nigeria in 2013, at We ask that all members the age of 58. He is survived of the Foreign Service com- by his wife, Donna, and their munity take a moment on four children; Danelle Spalla, the morning of May 1, Foreign Daniel Collins, Deanna Collins Affairs Day, to remember and David Collins; and one David Collins, Rayda Nadal granddaughter, Danelle’s and the 245 men and women daughter, Eloise. who preceded them on the Rayda Nadal joined the AFSA Memorial Plaques. n Foreign Service in 2008 as an –Leo Martin and office management special- Kavanaugh Waddell, AFSA/DEBRA BLOME AFSA/DEBRA The AFSA Memorial Plaques. ist. She worked in the eco- Awards Interns

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 55 AFSA NEWS

Scholarship Gift continued from p. 49 ald became active in her intelligent woman who could community. She served at take care of herself and had one time as the correspond- strong convictions,” says ing secretary for the Ohio Denise Herrmann, a friend chapter of the American and neighbor whom Fitzger- Association of University ald designated as the execu- Women, supported historic tor of her estate. preservation and green initia- Nancy Prass, an Ohio tives, and spent much of her University classmate and sorority sister

of Linda’s at BLOME DEBRA AFSA/ Alpha Omi- On March 31, AFSA officials, staff, and Scholarship Committee members, as well as previous scholarship recipients and parents of scholarship cron Pi, and a recipients, attended a lunch in honor of Linda K. Fitzgerald, who had Foreign Service bequeathed the largest-ever gift to the AFSA Scholarship Fund. AFSA colleague in presented Denise Herrmann (front row, left), Ms. Fitzgerald’s friend and executor of her estate, with an AFSA commemorative coin and a memorial Saigon in 1970, marker that can be affixed to Ms. Fitzgerald’s burial headstone. recalls her as an “independent woman.” time helping senior citizens. when the first memorial

Settling in PRASS NANCY OF COURTESY “She was a shrewd investor scholarship was established Hamilton, Ohio, Linda Fitzgerald (top row, third from right) and her in the stock market and a by the mother of Oliver FS colleague Nancy Prass (top row, left) were Alpha after retire- very generous person,” Herr- Omicron Pi sorority sisters at Miami University in the Bishop Harriman, an FSO ment, Fitzger- early 1950s. mann says. who died suddenly while AFSA will now offer the serving in Copenhagen. The $2,000 Linda K. Fitzgerald Harriman scholarship is still AFSA WEBINAR REACHES OUT Community Service Award bestowed annually. TO POST REPS as part of its annual Merit AFSA now has 77 of these On March 10, 30 overseas AFSA post representatives Awards Program. This com- perpetual and annual named took part in our second annual post rep webinar. petitive award will be given scholarships, each with its During the webinar, AFSA President Robert Silver- to the high school senior of a own story that we share with man and AFSA State Vice President Matthew Asada Foreign Service AFSA mem- the recipient. discussed the current revamping of the post repre- ber for his or her community With Linda Fitzgerald’s sentative program, the new Foreign Service Institute service achievements. gift, AFSA’s scholarship NEWS BRIEF course module on labor management, and AFSA’s In addition, AFSA will endowment now totals $7.3 congressional advocacy agenda. bestow at least $20,000 million. AFSA has awarded In particular, Silverman and Asada reviewed AFSA’s annually in need-based more than $4 million in col- requests in the State authorization process, the Sec- undergraduate financial aid lege aid to Foreign Service tion 326 workforce development report, and proposed scholarships in perpetuity in children in the last 25 years. changes to danger pay and hardship differential (see Linda’s name to children of No AFSA member dues go p. 53). Foreign Service employees towards the scholarship fund. AFSA would like to thank all post reps for their who are AFSA members, For more information service. If your post is currently without a post repre- beginning with the 2015- on the AFSA Scholarship sentative, please consider serving today. Contact the 2016 academic year. Program, please contact, Lori membership department to volunteer (member@ Linda Fitzgerald’s bequest Dec, at [email protected] or (202) afsa.org). n is just one example of how 944-5504, and visit www. –Lindsey Botts, Labor Management generous donors have afsa.org/scholar n. Executive Assistant helped the AFSA Scholarship –Lori Dec, Program flourish since 1926, Scholarship Director

56 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS

Distinguished Diplomat continued from p. 49 speak on those foreign policy the public, though issues that he or she believes a private recep- will most engage the president tion and dinner and Congress over the next with the speaker two years. Ambassador John is held for major Negroponte gave the first donors. lecture in 2013. “The Univer- In his talk, Amb. Pickering sity of St. Thomas offered his thoughts on the and the Houton key foreign policy challenges community facing the U.S. administration gained a deeper

and the new Congress up to appreciation of THOMAS ST. OF UNIVERSITY STUDIES, INTERNATIONAL THE CENTER FOR OF COURTESY the 2016 elections. U.S. diplomacy AFSA Executive Director Ian Houston meets with students from the Center for Amb. Pickering, who overall and the International Studies at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. retired from the Foreign professional role Service after more than 40 played by the career Foreign years with the rank of Career Service, which is a funda- Ambassador, served as under mental mission of AFSA,” said secretary of State for political AFSA Executive Director Ian affairs, the third-highest post Houston after the lecture. at State, as well as ambas- To learn more about the sador to the United Nations, University of St. Thomas and the Russian Federation, India, the Distinguished Diplomat Israel, Nigeria, Jordan and El Program, visit www.stthom. Salvador. edu/DistinguishedDiplomat- According to the Center for Donations. The University International Studies, the goal of St. Thomas welcomes of the endowed Distinguished donations from AFSA sup- Diplomat Lecture series is porters. n COURTESY OF THE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS ST. OF UNIVERSITY STUDIES, INTERNATIONAL THE CENTER FOR OF COURTESY to educate and inspire the –Debra Blome, From left: Dr. Hans Stockton, director of the Center for International country’s future diplomats. Associate Editor Studies; FSO John C. Roberts, diplomat-in-residence for Southeast Texas- Louisiana; Ambassador Thomas Pickering, who delivered the second The lecture is free and open to biennial Distinguished Diplomat Lecture; retired FSO H. Richard Sindelar, assistant professor at the Center for International Studies, and Ian Houston, AFSA’s executive director.

AFSA WELCOMES NEW STAFF

AFSA welcomes Allan Saunders, our new Communications and Press Specialist. Allan recently graduated from American University with a bachelor’s degree in international studies and psychology. He was an intern at The Foreign Service Journal from September to December 2014, where he assisted the advertising and sales team. He is enrolled in a master’s degree program in international affairs at AU. Born in Wyoming, Allan is also an enthusiastic traveler and spent many childhood summers in NEWS BRIEF Switzerland, where he and his family also hold citizenship. In his free time Allan is an avid reader and enjoys working with his hands, primarily in woodworking and design. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 57 AFSA NEWS

AFSA Hosts Chiefs of Mission

On March 25, AFSA hosted a breakfast for U.S. chiefs of mission—those already serving, as well as nominees—who were in Washington, D.C., for the State Department’s annual global COM conference. Some 40 ambassadors, chargés and designees attended the event at AFSA headquarters. Other guests included Director General of the Foreign Service Arnold Chacón, Director General of AFSA/DEBRA BLOME AFSA/DEBRA the U.S. and Foreign Com- AFSA hosted a breakfast meeting with U.S. chiefs of mission who were in Washington, D.C., for the State mercial Service and Assistant Department’s annual global COM conference. Secretary for Global Markets Diplomacy and Development Retiree Vice President Larry resentative program, congres- Arun Kumar, Counselor to the Review. Cohen, and various AFSA sional advocacy and workforce U.S. Agency for International AFSA President Robert Governing Board members development plans, before Development Susan Reichle, Silverman, State Vice Presi- and professional staff also opening the floor for questions State Department Counselor dent Matthew Asada, USAID attended the breakfast. and discussion. n Thomas Shannon Jr. and Vice President Sharon Wayne, Pres. Silverman and VP —Debra Blome, Thomas Perriello, special rep- Foreign Commercial Service Asada presented a brief Associate Editor resentative for the Quadrennial Vice President Steve Morrison, overview of AFSA’s post rep-

AFSA COMMUNITY: A NEW WAY TO ENGAGE

AFSA has rolled out a new way for members to participate and stay connected with each other and with the association. In the online AFSA Community, members can post comments, exchange ideas and communicate with one another in a closed environment accessible only to other AFSA members. The AFSA Community is now holding its first discussion, on the AFSA 2015 Governing Board election and bylaw amendment. Use the community to discuss a candidate’s platform and positions on issues facing the Foreign Service

NEWS BRIEF or specific career and professional concerns. You can also weigh the pros and cons of the proposed bylaw amendment to rightsize the AFSA Governing Board in 2017. Access this discussion by logging in to the members-only area of the AFSA website and clicking on “AFSA Commu- nity” in the blue navigation tab at the top of the page. (You must have a personal email address stored in your contact information to access the AFSA Community because work email addresses ending in .gov are inaccessible in the AFSA Community.) Once on the AFSA Community page, join the AFSA 2015 Governing Board Election & Bylaw Amendment community to get started. We hope the AFSA Community provides a meaningful way to share your thoughts and collaborate with your colleagues. As our recent survey showed, AFSA members want opportunities to actively participate, particularly when serving outside the Washington, D.C., area. AFSA is optimistic that this new benefit will allow members to participate in AFSA no matter where they are living. Questions and comments can be sent to [email protected], with the subject line “AFSA Community.” n

58 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS

AFSA Staff Take Part in Panel Discussion on Careers in International Relations

Foreign Service Journal Editor- sincerely in-Chief Shawn Dorman and passionate AFSA Executive Director Ian about and Houston recently took part in acquire real a panel discussion for young management people interested in careers experience in foreign affairs. Hosted by whenever American Women for Inter- possible, national Understanding, the because, he event was held at the National said, knowing Press Club in Washington, how to man-

D.C., on March 4. age people, MIZZI /SHANNON AFSA Dorman and Houston budgets and AFSA Executive Director Ian Houston (front row, right) and FSJ Editor-in-Chief Shawn Dorman, (second row, center) with other panelists and audience members. joined other panelists from programs is the State Department, the essential to Federal Bureau of Investiga- career longevity and promo- skills needed to succeed as each year to students and tion and the Department of tion. a Foreign Service officer and recent graduates to kickstart Homeland Security, as well as Ms. Dorman introduced the answered questions about lan- their careers in international representatives from univer- audience to the Foreign Ser- guage training, career cones relations. Each student who sity public health, public policy vice career path, which many and typical tasks for FSOs. attended received a copy of and international relations students were unfamiliar with. State recruiter and retired AFSA’s popular book, Inside a departments. An FSO herself from 1993 FSO Ramona Harper high- U.S. Embassy. n Mr. Houston urged stu- to 2000 before joining the lighted the many internships —Shannon Mizzi, dents to find issues they are FSJ, Dorman described the and fellowships State offers Editorial Intern

17th Annual National High School Essay Contest Receives More than 450 Entries

AFSA’s 17th annual National status of Taiwan and its Most entrants wrote on Sea when the student enrolls High School Essay Contest relationship with the People’s Honduras. Qualified essays in an accredited university. received more than 450 Republic of China; the Syrian moved on to the second round The runner-up wins a full entries from 41 states and refugee crisis and the pres- of judging, which took place scholarship to participate in eight countries. The contest sure it places on Jordan; the in early April. The final round the International Diplomacy asked eligible high school predicament of Kazakhstan as of judging began in late April. program of the National Stu- students to write an essay it seeks an independent role A winner is expected to be dent Leadership Conference. describing how they, as newly beyond that of a former USSR chosen in May. Learn more at www.afsa. arrived diplomats, would satellite; and Ukraine and the The winning essay earns org/essaycontest or contact address one of these issues U.S. response to the ongoing the student an all-expenses Perri Green, AFSA’s coordina- currently facing U.S. diplomats conflict. Their essays were to paid trip with family to tor for special awards and today: Liberia and its response include a discussion of how Washington, D.C., to meet the outreach, at [email protected] to the Ebola epidemic; Hon- or whether social media can Secretary of State, a $2,500 or (202) 719-9700. duras, and the crises of crime be leveraged as part of the prize, and an educational voy- —Leo Martin, Awards Intern and violence; the complicated solution. age courtesy of Semester at

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 59 AFSA NEWS

It’s Flying Cats and Dogs BY DEBRA BLOME, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

I’ve been a Foreign Service As I prepare now to some are downright byzan- and consulates overseas. family member for more than move with my husband and tine in complexity. The rules More details on the OBC and 20 years. I’ve accompanied children to our next post, in governing official travel and its offerings can be found my husband to hardship Jerusalem, I am discovering the recent mergers of Ameri- at www.bit.ly/StateOBC. posts with three children that traveling with a pet on can air carriers make it even The OBC has post-specific in tow, running the airport official orders is a formidable more complicated. information on traveling with gauntlet with a stroller, tod- task. Ask any Foreign Service pets and even offers a class dlers and more luggage than Although the Overseas pet owner for a “traveling on the subject. Resource any single person should Briefing Center does a valiant with your pet” story, and Specialist Maureen Johnston, ever manage. I’ve experi- job of pulling together all the you’ll get an earful—or at who wrote “Traveling with enced unaccompanied tours, logistical pieces, it is still a least a story that makes you Our Pets” in the May 2012 medical evacuations and an tricky (and expensive!) busi- hope you don’t face the same FSJ can help you pull all the ordered departure. And I’ve ness to take your furry family troubles. pieces together. Also check been a Community Liaison members to your onward Here’s one thing I’ve AFSA’s pet resources at www. Office Coordinator. assignment. Even the OBC’s learned: Plan early, even afsa.org/pets. So I used to feel ready checklist is 14 pages long. before you get assigned. In Step 2: Contact your to face any challenge the For one thing, the rules the same way that you might post’s CLO and GSO Travel Foreign Service could throw and regulations governing nix a post because you find and Transportation offices for at me. the shipment of pets differ the school options unaccept- the most up-to-date, specific Then I got a dog. from country to country, and able, you may also want to information. remove from your Step 3: Don’t delay. Get bid list those coun- started on the process of tries with restric- preparing your pet for travel tions on importing now. Some countries have animals that you health requirements that can find too onerous. take months to fulfill. Rabies Next, the minute titer tests, for example, which you are assigned are required in many posts, somewhere, begin can take up to eight weeks to learning as much as complete. you can about the Step 4: Decide how you’ll process of taking travel with your pet and make your pet with you. reservations. Pets can go in Step 1: Visit the the cabin with you, if they are OBC. The OBC is small enough to fit under the part of the Foreign seat and if you reserve early Service Institute’s enough that the airline allows Transition Center it (some airlines have restric- and is open to all tions on the number of pets U.S. government they allow in the cabin at the employees, con- same time). tractors, and family Pets can also go as excess members assigned baggage, though this option to or returning from is not as easy as it once was, AFSA/DEBRA BLOME AFSA/DEBRA The Blomes’ 85-lb Labrador Retriever, Charlie, and his oversized travel kennel. U.S. embassies and can be difficult if you

60 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS

have to change planes (and you must fly on a United/ airlines) along the way. On Lufthansa codeshare, with a some airlines it is not an stop (and change of planes) option if your pet and the in Frankfurt. If you traveled kennel combined weigh more on a United flight for the than 100 pounds. Washington, D.C., to Frank- Or, pets can be shipped as furt leg and then on a Luf- cargo, but that is generally a thansa flight from Frankfurt more expensive option and to your final destination, you usually requires a commer- would be required to claim cial shipper. your pet in Frankfurt and then recheck the animal onto THINGS TO the onward flight. REMEMBER From what I hear from 1. A 2012 change to the fellow Foreign Service family Foreign Affairs Manual (14 members, this is where prob- FAM 543) allows permanent lems are likely to arise. change-of-station travelers to 3. Save all your receipts. use an airline other than the Pet shipment can qualify as a U.S.-contracted carrier when legitimate “moving expense” that airline has no space for for the IRS. These costs can pets as checked baggage. also be considered miscella- This exception allows neous expenses and partially you to take a non-contract reimbursed by the Foreign carrier—even a non-U.S. Transfer Allowance or Home carrier—as long as you pay Service Transfer Allowance. the difference in cost. There I asked my fellow group are a variety of regulations members on an FS family to comply with to make use member Facebook group of this option, and you must to share their pet travel check with your agency’s stories with me. I got a lot travel office or the OBC to of responses. Some stories be sure you are complying— were funny (a plane delayed or you might find yourself because a monkey and a responsible for the full cost dog were not getting along of the ticket. in the cargo hold); some 2. Watch out for “inter- were downright nightmarish lining.” With the recent airline (animals lost, connections mergers, the cutback of ser- missed, months and months vices on American carriers, of planning wasted, thou- as well as the widespread use sands of dollars spent). of codeshare flights, this can One thing I heard was be a real problem for travel- universal, though: the belief ing pets. that there has to be a better Say, for example, that way. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 61 AFSA NEWS

You and Your Packout

It’s getting to be that time of traveler is authorized to ship have cropped up. Be sure to year again: summer transfer 250 pounds of UAB. The speak with the inspector and season is quickly approach- second traveler in the party ask him or her to pay a sec- ing and thousands of Foreign is authorized to ship 200 ond visit later on. At the very Service employees and their pounds; the third traveler least, make sure you are able families are preparing to ship is authorized to ship 150; to contact the inspector in their possessions all over the and any additional traveler case any problems arise. n world. can ship 100 pounds each, –James Yorke, AFSA The Overseas Briefing meaning that a family of six Senior Labor Management Center, part of the Foreign can ship an additional 900 Adviser, and Debra Blome, Service Institute’s Transi- pounds. Associate Editor tion Center, should be the Remember, too, that you 3. Organize and sepa- first stop for anyone facing a cannot transfer unused UAB rate. Make sure you separate move. weight to your household each category of shipment All U.S. government effects allowance. Moving carefully. The packers will employees, contractors, and companies in the United descend on you and will pack family members assigned States do not weigh each box things up faster than you AAD Report continued from p. 53. to or returning from U.S. before loading it on the truck realize. Keep the HHE, the the need for educational embassies and consulates and can only provide a final UAB and the storage items opportunities to strengthen overseas are eligible to use weight once the shipment carefully segregated. You can the Foreign Service and the OBC and take any of the has been consolidated at the mark big items with tape, create a “deep reservoir of Transition Center training warehouse. Which leads us to but you may want to keep top talent,” for support for courses. More details on golden rule number two: the smaller items in separate strengthening Civil Service the OBC and its offerings 2. Take your time. When rooms. career development, and for can be found at www.bit.ly/ planning your packout from 4. Inventory, inventory, a broad review of the State StateOBC. the Washington, D.C., area, inventory! Make sure your Department to “optimize its In brief, the five golden make sure you leave plenty inventory is as comprehen- organization, management rules for a successful pack- of time to check weights sive as possible. Put your and workforce development.” out are the following: and inventory before you smart phone to use and take The report is available to 1. Watch your weight. get on the plane. Remember photos or videos of each download in both abridged Most overseas posts provide that the moving company’s box, if possible. A sketchy and full-text versions at the furnished housing, so the weight estimate is just that, or incomplete inventory will American Academy of Diplo- total weight you are autho- an estimate, and it rarely make it difficult to cull the macy website (www.acad- rized to ship there is 7,200 comes in right on the money. shipment if you’re over- emyofdiplomacy.org/). pounds. That amount is the So it is very important that weight. It will also make it AFSA urges members to same regardless of the num- you have time before you fly hard to know what is missing read the report. The Journal ber of people listed on the out to verify the weights of if items are lost or damaged would like to facilitate discus- travel orders: A single person all your shipments—UAB, en route. So spend a little sion on these issues. To that or a family of six both will HHE and long-term stor- extra time to make sure your end we ask readers to please get the same 7,200 pound age—to make sure that you inventory is as complete as send comments and feedback allotment. are not overweight, and time you can make it. on the AAD report to journal@ A separate weight allow- to remove items if you find 5. Engage the inspector. afsa.org with subject line: ance is also authorized to be that you have exceeded the A State Department’s inspec- AAD Report. We will compile shipped as unaccompanied weight allowance. The 10 tor visits each packout site, comments and publish them air baggage; this amount days of per diem you are probably on the first day of in a future issue. n does change based on the allowed before flying out will the process—which is likely –Debra Blome, number of shippers. A single help you do this. to be before any problems Associate Editor

62 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL IN MEMORY

n Norman Lee Achilles, 79, a retired and a generous supporter of the Senior bobby. While in Norway, she learned to FSO, died on Jan. 27 in Washington, D.C. Living Foundation of the American For- ski and was invited as a special guest to He had Parkinson’s disease. eign Service. attend the opening of Parliament. Mr. Achilles was born in Pittsburgh, Donations in his memory may be Ms. Branch was an active member Pa., on May 12, 1935, to Christy and Ida made to the Senior Living Foundation, of Beta Sigma Phi, the international Ann Achilles. He received a B.S. in civil 1716 N Street NW, Washington DC 20036, professional and cultural society. While engineering from Carnegie Mellon Uni- or to the Sarah Heinz House, 1 Heinz in London, she represented her chapter versity in 1957, an M.A. from the Univer- Street, Pittsburgh PA 15212. at the opening ceremony at St. George’s sity of Edinburgh in 1961 and an MBA Guild Hall at Kings Lynn, England. She from Harvard University in 1962. n Opal Garnet Branch, 100, a retired was presented to the mother of Queen He also attended the Foundation Foreign Service consular officer, died on Elizabeth II and had her name inscribed Nationale des Sciences Politiques in Feb. 24. on a chair in Guild Hall. Paris in 1965 and 1966. Later, Mr. Achilles Ms. Branch was born in Marion In 1961, Ms. Branch was posted to the returned to Harvard and completed a County, Mo., on March 26, 1914, to Department of State, where she served master of public administration degree Samuel and Della (Pendleton) Branch. until her retirement from the Foreign in 1978. She graduated from Monroe City High Service in 1974. She received the War Mr. Achilles joined the Foreign School and received a two-year teacher’s Department Meritorious Service Award Service in 1963 and served in Vientiane, certificate. She went on to attend Kirks- and the State Department Meritorious Hue and Saigon as a political officer. He ville State Teacher’s College and gradu- and Superior Honors Awards. later served in Japan and Australia as ated from Chillicothe Business College. Ms. Branch was involved in vari- an economic officer, and in France and Ms. Branch taught school in Marion ous activities in the Washington area Washington, D.C. County and worked in the private sector including planning for the annual Cherry During his Foreign Service career, in Kansas City, Mo., for several years Blossom Festival, addressing presidential Mr. Achilles participated in the State before entering government service in Christmas cards at the White House and, Department’s Federal-Private program, 1942. on several occasions, meeting presidents, serving in a private-sector assignment From September 1942 to March 1946 first ladies and their guests. at IBM’s American Far East Corpora- she was employed by the War Depart- Ms. Branch served as vice president tion in New York City. There he advised ment at Fort Riley, Kan., as an assistant of the Missouri Society, was a member of senior managers on issues involving to General George S. Patton, and was in AFSA and the oldest member of DACOR. Japan and helped them better under- charge of the officers’ training courses. A deaconess of National City Christian stand how the State Department oper- While there, she also served as a Red Church, she served on its Welcoming and ates to help U.S. companies compete in Cross nurse’s aide at the hospital in Junc- Reception Committee for many years. foreign markets. tion City, Kan. Ms. Branch is survived by her sister, Following retirement in 1994, Mr. Ms. Branch accepted a transfer to the Norma Jean King of Urbana, Ill., and 10 Achilles spent a year as a scholar in resi- Navy Department in San Diego, Calif., as nieces and nephews: Hal Callaway of dence at the Woodrow Wilson School at assistant to Admiral Calvin T. Durgin until Mesa, Ariz.; Stanley Branch of Normal, Princeton University, and for many years her appointment to the Foreign Service in Ill.; Eric Branch and Curtis Branch of was a visiting fellow at the Foundation December 1946. Peoria, Ill.; Kirby Branch of Indianapo- Nationale des Sciences Politiques. He Her posts abroad included Ankara, lis, Ind.; Craig Branch of Haslet, Texas; maintained an apartment on the Isle de London, Oslo, Fukuoka, Tokyo and Paris. Melody Drew of Girard, Ill.; Mark King of France in Paris for many years. Ms. Branch had numerous adventures Sun City West, Ariz.; Kelligay King Crede Mr. Achilles served as a docent at and met many dignitaries and celebri- of Urbana, Ill.; and Matthew King of West Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown and ties during her years overseas. She loved Orange, N.J. loved introducing visitors to the house traveling by ship and enjoyed dining and Memorial gifts in her name may be and gardens. He was a member of the dancing on board. She once got lost in made to DACOR or National City Chris- American Foreign Service Association the London fog and was rescued by a tian Church in Washington, D.C.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 63 n Maudine Conley, 87, a retired N.Y., on March 1, 1926, to Joel Hartman tration. He made an impression on the Foreign Service communications officer, and Mary Weinstein. He served in the French for his conspicuous presence at died on Nov. 21, 2014. Army Air Corps during World War II artistic events such as the opera, and his Ms. Conley was born in Denton, Ga., before receiving a bachelor’s degree from use of his residence as a showcase for on Feb. 9, 1927, to Clayton S. and Ollie Harvard University in 1947. He enrolled American art, borrowed from American Mae Mathis. She began her Foreign at Harvard Law School but left to enter museums. Service career in 1979 with a posting the Foreign Service in 1948 and join the In 1981 President Ronald Reagan to Israel. Other assignments included Marshall Plan administration in Europe. appointed Mr. Hartman ambassador to China, El Salvador, Qatar, Syria, Laos, In a diplomatic career spanning four the Soviet Union, where he served dur- Beirut, Suriname, Honduras and Papua decades, Mr. Hartman held high-ranking ing a particularly tumultuous period of New Guinea. She retired in 1999. posts under Republican and Democratic the Cold War from the death of Leonid Ms. Conley lived in the Middle Georgia administrations and developed a reputa- Brezhnev to the rise of Mikhail Gor- area. She loved entertaining, reading and tion, the New York Times once reported, bachev. He remained in Moscow until growing flowers that often adorned the as “one of the brainiest and most profes- 1987, the longest tenure of any U.S. sanctuary of Joyful Life Baptist Church on sional members of the Foreign Service.” ambassador to the Soviet Union since Sunday mornings. Mr. Hartman’s first post, to France before World War II. Ms. Conley was predeceased by her with the Economic Cooperation Admin- Amb. Hartman led Embassy Mos- son, Thomas Conley; brother, Clayton istration, was followed by assignments cow during events that included the “Bud” Mathis; and sister, Jeana Quick. in Saigon as an economic officer in the historic summits attended by Reagan She is survived by her daughters, 1950s. He returned to Washington in 1958 and Gorbachev in Geneva in 1985 and LaDonne O’Connor (Jim) of Aiken, S.C., to work in the Bureau of European Affairs in Reykjavík in 1986. He contended with and Sherry Wilson (David) of High Point, and was appointed special assistant to crises including the downing of Korean N.C.; grandchildren: Amy Wilson Havlen Under Secretary George W. Ball shortly Air Lines Flight 007 by the Soviet military (Leo) and Michael Wilson, both of High thereafter. in 1983, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster Point, N.C.; Kevin O’Connor (Margaret) Beginning in 1961, Mr. Hartman in 1986 and, later that year, the detention of Aiken, S.C.; Cory O’Connor of Cle served in London as chief of the eco- of U.S. journalist Nicholas Daniloff on Elum, Wash.; Kelly Conley Davis (Travis), nomic section. A return to State in 1968 espionage charges. Kristy Conley and Lesley Conley, all of in Under Secretary of State Nicholas Kat- His challenges also included what he Virginia Beach, Va.; great grandchildren: zenbach’s office was followed by a short described as the restrictive character of Adela, Nora and Karina Havlen, Madison posting to Brussels in 1972 as deputy Soviet society. Jack F. Matlock Jr., who Conley, Riley Conley and Harper Davis; chief of mission to the Common Market. followed him as U.S. ambassador in Mos- three brothers; three sisters; and a host of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger called cow, credited Amb. Hartman and his wife nieces and nephews. Mr. Hartman back to the United States in with developing cultural contacts in the Donations may be given in Ms. Con- 1974 to act as assistant secretary of State Soviet Union, particularly with dissident ley’s memory to Joyful Life Baptist Church for European affairs. artists, including acclaimed Russian-born at 1618 S. Houston Lake Rd., Kathleen In 1977, President Jimmy Carter pianist Vladimir Horowitz, who returned GA 31047, or to Heart of Georgia Hospice named Mr. Hartman ambassador to to his homeland in 1986 for the first time at 103 Westridge Dr., Warner Robins GA France, only the second career diplomat in six decades. 31088. appointed to the Paris post during the After retiring from the Foreign Service 20th century. His tenure straddled the in 1987, Amb. Hartman was a consultant n Arthur A. Hartman, 89, a retired centrist government led by President with APCO Associates. He also served FSO and former ambassador to France Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and the Socialist on many boards, including ITT Hartford and the Soviet Union, died on March 16 administration of François Mitterrand. Insurance, Mellon/Dreyfus Funds, Ford in Washington, D.C., of complications The Reagan administration asked Meter Box Co. and the First American from a fall. Ambassador Hartman to stay on in Paris Bank in New York. He was chairman of a Mr. Hartman was born in Flushing, as a liaison to the Mitterrand adminis- private equity fund that invested in the

64 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL former Soviet Union, president of the in Athens and Seoul. She later taught discovered it was not his calling in life; so Harvard Board of Overseers and the Terra English as a second language to Italians he returned to the University of Texas for Foundation of American Art, and gover- in Naples and, on returning to the United an M.A. in Latin American studies. nor of the American Hospital in Paris. He States, earned a master’s degree in lin- Sadly, polio claimed Mr. Niemeyer’s was a member of AFSA and the Council guistics at American University. first wife in 1956. He earned a Ph.D. from on Foreign Relations and an officer of the On her husband’s retirement in 1985, the University of Texas in 1958 and mar- Légion d’ Honneur. Mrs. Kennedy taught English to newly ried Lala Acosta on May 31 of that year. Amb. Hartman is survived by his wife arrived immigrants in Fairfax County Mr. Niemeyer went on to serve with of 66 years, the former Donna Ford, of public schools and at Northern Virginia the U.S. Information Agency for 24 years, Washington, D.C.; five children: David Community College. She was an active with postings in Honduras, Peru, Guate- Hartman of Rochester, Mich.; John Hart- member of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church mala, Chile, the Philippines, Mexico and man of Vero Beach, Fla.; Sarah Hartman in Annandale, Va., and enjoyed reading Trinidad and Tobago. of Brooklyn, N.Y.; J. Lise Hartman of the New Testament in Greek. He retired in 1979 to Austin, Texas, Paris; and Benjamin Hartman of Manhat- Mrs. Kennedy is survived by her where he worked at the University of tan, N.Y.; 15 grandchildren and seven husband, Charles; daughters, Heather Texas in the Institute of Latin American great-grandchildren. Kennedy, of Seattle, Wash., and Victoria Studies and the International Office for 10 Devereaux, of Arlington, Va.; son, Charles years before retiring again. n Ellen Colburn Kennedy, 80, the Stuart Kennedy III of New York and Los Mr. Niemeyer founded the Central wife of retired FSO and oral historian Angeles; seven grandchildren: Sean, Texas Foreign Service Group, co-founded Charles Stuart Kennedy Jr., died at the Stephen, Alexandra, Charles, Maggie, the East Austin Rotary Club and served in Goodwin House in Bailey’s Crossroads, Merle and William; and one very recent many organizations, usually as president. Va., on Jan. 22, of pancreatic cancer. great-granddaughter, Piper. In 2000, he received the Ohtli Award, Mrs. Kennedy was born in Kansas given by the Mexican government to a City, Mo., on Oct. 16, 1934. Her family n Eberhardt Victor “Vic” Niemeyer member of the Mexican-American com- moved to New England, and she spent Jr., 95, a retired FSO with the U.S. Infor- munity for “service to Mexico and the her childhood in Boston, Mass., Portland, mation Agency, died on March 1. Mexican community.” Mr. Niemeyer was Maine, and Sheffield, Vt. She graduated Mr. Niemeyer was born in Houston, a historian of Mexico, and his two books, from Deering High School in Portland Texas, on Sept. 28, 1919, and grew up in Revolution at Querétaro: The Constitu- and attended Smith College and Boston La Porte, on Galveston Bay. He graduated tional Convention of 1916-1917 and El University, where she met her husband. from high school in 1936 and attended General Bernardo Reyes, were published Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy married in Schreiner Institute in Kerrville, Texas, by the Chamber of Deputies and the Sen- 1955 and proceeded to posts in Frank- and the U.S. Naval Academy for one year, ate of Mexico’s federal Congress. furt, Dhahran, Belgrade, Athens, Seoul, before graduating from the University of In 2011, Mr. Niemeyer received Rotary Naples and Washington, D.C. Mrs. Ken- Texas with a degree in liberal arts in 1941. International’s Service Above Self Award, nedy experienced a major earthquake in In late 1941, Mr. Niemeyer entered the given annually to 100 Rotarians world- Naples, a military coup in Greece and a Northwestern University Naval Reserve wide, in recognition of his collection and bomb in her car in Athens. In Belgrade, training unit. He graduated and was com- shipment of 4,000 pieces of used school she established what was likely the first missioned in January 1942 as an ensign. furniture to Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico. international Girl Scout troop, for daugh- He then entered the U.S. Submarine The project required five boxcars and ters of foreign diplomats and business- Service, where he served in the Atlantic $25,000 for rail shipment. The funds were people. and Pacific during World War II. raised locally by Mr. Niemeyer and oth- Mrs. Kennedy finished her undergrad- In 1944, Mr. Niemeyer married ers, and the local Lions Club distributed uate studies in English at the University Dorothea Hasskarl of Brenham, Texas. the equipment at 40 different schools. of Maryland while Mr. Kennedy served in He returned to college after the war and Family members remember Mr. Vietnam. She taught English in Northern received a B.S. in dairy husbandry. He Niemeyer as genuine and humble. They Virginia and at international high schools took up dairy farming in Brenham, but recall fondly that he relished showing off

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 65 his compost piles and would sneak food Bern. Before retiring in 1971, he served as retary for a number of years. to the deer without Lala knowing it. deputy director of the Office of European A firm believer in activism and volun- Mr. Niemeyer is survived by his wife, Affairs in the Bureau of Educational and teer service, Mrs. Turner was especially Lala; children: Vic, Ruth, Chris and Cultural Affairs at the State Department. interested in working with organizations Steve; nine grandchildren: Travis, Sarah, Mr. Skofield is survived by his wife serving youth. In London, she acted as Michael, James, Cecilia, Carla, Erika, of 67 years, the former Jane G. Phipps of the Girl Scouts representative from the Carl and Sam; 11 great-grandchildren: Walpole; and by four children, William United Kingdom on the North Atlantic Reed, Braden, Chase, Penelope, Lucas, Skofield of Walpole, Margaret S. Winters Girl Scout Board in Heidelberg, and she Sabrina, Timothy, Franco, Nicolás, Lucia of Carlisle, Pa., James Skofield of Walpole, served for many years on the Dogwood and Mateo; and nieces, Meredith Morton and Elizabeth Skofield of Snoqualmie, Trails Girl Scouts Council Board in Moyer and Meme Morton Seay. Wash.; six grandchildren; three great- Springfield. She was an early volunteer Donations may be made in Mr. Nie- grandchildren; a brother-in-law, Ray with Court Appointed Social Advocates meyer’s name to the Rotary Foundation, Rogers, of Ft. Wayne, Ind.; and a nephew, and later served on the CASA Springfield Episcopal Relief and Development and Douglas Rogers, of Virginia. Board. the International Good Neighbor Council Donations in Mr. Skofield’s memory Mrs. Turner was also a Crosslines Foundation. may be made to The Fall Mountain Food volunteer and an early member of Shelf, PO Box 191, Alstead NH 03602; or the Springfield Friends of the Library, n Herman T. Skofield, 93, a retired to Our Place Drop-In Center, 4 Island including helping in the Between Friends Foreign Service officer, of Walpole, N.H., Street, PO Box 852, Bellows Falls VT gift shop at the library center. She was died on March 14 at The Woodward 05101. a member of the Southwest Missouri Home in Keene, N.H. Museum Associates, the Living Arts Born in Manchester, N.H., on Nov. 18, n Patsy Magee Turner, 91, a former Group, the Art Museum Board and PEO 1921, the son of Frank T. and Margaret C. FSO and wife of the late FSO Allen Turner, Chapter IA. A long-time member of South Skofield of New Boston, N.H., Mr. Skofield died on Feb. 13 in Santa Rosa, Calif. Street Christian Church, she served as an graduated from New Boston High School Mrs. Turner was born on May 25, 1923, elder. in 1938. After working for two years, he in Springfield, Mo. She attended elemen- Family members and friends remem- entered the University of New Hampshire tary school in Springfield and went to ber her as a brave spirit who influenced in the class of 1944. high school in Warrensburg, Mo. She many. Following more than three years of graduated from Central Missouri State Mrs. Turner was predeceased by her service in the U.S. Army during World College and joined the United Nations husband, Allen, and her parents, Gladys War II, during which he reached the rank Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, and Russell Magee. She is survived by of captain, Mr. Skofield graduated magna where she was first assigned to the prov- her brother and sister-in-law, Dr. Robert cum laude from UNH in 1947. He then ince of Kiangsu (now Jiangsu) in China and Rosemary Magee, of El Dorado attended Tuft University’s Fletcher School in 1946. Springs, Mo.; daughter, Susan Turner, of of Law and Diplomacy, obtaining his She went on to join the Foreign Ser- West Plains, Mo.; son and daughter-in- M.A. degree in 1948. vice and worked in the consulate general law, Andrew and Judith Turner, of Santa While continuing graduate studies at Shanghai, where she met and married Rosa, Calif.; daughter, Kathleen Turner, of for two more years, he taught part-time Vice Consul Allen Richard Turner in New York, N.Y.; son and daughter-in-law, at a girls’ school in Boston and was an 1949. Following the communist takeover David and Amanda Wolfe Turner, of Wel- instructor in international relations at the in Shanghai, the couple was assigned to lington, New Zealand; granddaughters, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Embassy Tokyo. The pair also served in Rachel Turner Weiss and Molly Turner; Mr. Skofield entered the U.S. Foreign Antwerp, Windsor, Havana, Caracas and step grandchildren, Maya Aaron-Blue Service in 1950 and served in Berlin, London, as well as Washington, D.C. and Noah Aaron-Blue; and sisters-in law, Karachi, Vienna and Bern, as well as After Mr. Turner’s death in London, Sarah Turner of South Carolina and Sally in Washington, D.C. His last overseas Mrs. Turner returned to Springfield in Turner of California. position was as political counselor in 1977 and worked as a certified legal sec- Memorial donations may be made in

66 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Mrs. Turner’s honor to the Brentwood posting, also as political minister-coun- Library Foundation (www.ccclib.org/ selor, was to Brasilia in 1994. friends/bre.html). Mr. Wilkinson continued to contribute his expertise on Latin America by n Theodore “Ted” Stark Wilkinson teaching, writing and consulting after his III, 80, a retired FSO, died on Jan. 25 in retirement. As an arms control expert, Washington, D.C. (See the Appreciation, he served on U.S. delegations to interna- You Are Our “A True Gentleman: Theodore S. Wilkin- tional disarmament conferences. Eyes & Ears! son III, in the April FSJ.) Mr. Wilkinson was elected president Mr. Wilkinson was born in Washing- of AFSA in 1989, serving until 1991, ton, D.C., on Aug. 27, 1934, to Admiral and served as chairman of The Foreign Theodore Wilkinson and Catherine Service Journal Editorial Board from 2005 Dear Readers: Harlow Wilkinson. He received a B.A. to 2011. in political science from Yale University When off duty, Mr. Wilkinson pursued In order to produce a and served as an officer in the U.S. Navy. his passions for racquet sports, bridge, He later earned a master’s degree in chess and backgammon as an active high-quality product, international relations from The George member of the Chevy Chase and Metro- the FSJ depends on the Washington University. politan Clubs. revenue it earns from Mr. Wilkinson joined the Foreign Ser- Mr. Wilkinson is survived by his wife, advertising. vice in 1961. During 35 years in the For- Xenia Vunovic Wilkinson, also a retired eign Service, he had diplomatic assign- FSO; children from his first marriage to ments in Latin America and Europe. Rosalie Ford Wilkinson, Rebecca and You can help with this. He served as an intelligence research Jennifer; grandchildren: Maxwell and analyst at the Department of State from Madeline Rose Wilkinson and Christo- Please let us know 1966 to 1968, when he was detailed to the pher and Ian Schiffgens; and sister, Joan the names of companies Armed Forces Staff College for a semes- Susannah Sadler. ter, and then to the Arms Control and Donations in his memory may be that have provided Disarmament Agency. In 1970, he was made to The Senior Living Foundation of good service to you — posted to Brussels as a political-military the American Foreign Service, The Chesa- a hotel, insurance officer at the U.S. Mission to the North peake Bay Foundation or The Diplomacy company, auto dealership, Atlantic Treaty Organization. Center Foundation. n From 1976 through 1978, Mr. Wilkin- or other concern. son was a desk officer for Tunisia and Morocco, and from 1978 to 1980 he dealt A referral from our readers with multilateral issues, including the is the best entrée! Law of the Sea Treaty, as a political officer at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York. He was posted to Mexico City in 1981 Ed Miltenberger and transferred to Tegucigalpa as political Advertising & counselor in 1984. Circulation Manager From 1986 to 1989, Mr. Wilkinson worked on multilateral environmental Tel: (202) 944-5507 and scientific affairs at State, and in 1991 Email: [email protected] he returned to Mexico City as political minister-counselor. His last overseas

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 67 BOOKS

Nice Guys Really as a Peace Corps Volunteer in key policymakers in your Do Finish First Cameroon in the mid-1970s, own government oppose actually left me wanting to the very concept of nego- Outpost: Life on the Frontlines hear more. (Admittedly, that tiations, as Hill’s frustrat- of American Diplomacy could also be at least partly ing encounters with Vice Christopher R. Hill, Simon & Schuster, 2014, due to the fact that during my President Dick Cheney $30/hardcover, $14.99/Kindle, 448 pages. own Foreign Service career, I and Kansas Senator Sam Reviewed By Steven Alan Honley spent three years as the desk Brownback, among others, officer for that fascinating make painfully clear. Foreign Service memoirs tend to come country.) On a brighter note, one in two flavors. Many retired FSOs While it seems likely to me of my favorite episodes in (legends in their own mind, if not their that someone with Hill’s diplomatic and Outpost comes from Hill’s too-brief stint own time) revel in detailing the myriad linguistic talents would have advanced as ambassador to South Korea (2004- ways in which they were absolutely in any case, the retired ambassador 2005). Determined to get off on the right indispensable to the success of U.S. readily acknowledges that he was highly foot, he asks a group of young Korean foreign policy throughout their distin- fortunate in his mentors, chiefly Larry contacts how Embassy Seoul can guished careers. The more generous of Eagleburger (the only career FSO to improve its website. “Get a new one!” them acknowledge that colleagues and serve as Secretary of State) and Richard is the immediate response. Instead of underlings may have been involved, as Holbrooke. Hill gives us lots of stories being offended or seeking a more palat- well, but only in supporting roles. about the latter figure; indeed, it is rare able answer from another group, Hill Other memoirists choose a humble- for him not to mention Holbrooke at does just that. brag approach, professing to have been just a small cog in the diplomatic machinery—but then quoting slews Still, as Hill observes, some problems remain intractable no of folks who extol their role as actually matter how hard you work. This is especially true when key having been key. That attitude may have been what inspired Golda Meir’s catch- policymakers in your own government oppose the very concept phrase: “Don’t be so humble! You’re not of negotiations. that great.” Four-time Ambassador Christopher R. Hill’s career certainly gave him plenty least once in every chapter, if only in Then, when a Foreign Service of material for a self-congratulatory passing. National employee confirms Hill’s sense memoir in either of those traditions. Over the course of his career, Hill that his inaugural posting on the new Happily, Outpost: Life on the Front- was entrusted with increasingly promi- and improved site is “extremely boring,” lines of American Diplomacy not only nent roles in handling momentous the ambassador asks him to take his adroitly avoids both traps, but stands as negotiations, from the 1995 Dayton chair while he dictates a new message: an exemplar of its genre. Accords to the Six-Party talks with “It was also boring, but at least it came After a short prologue recounting an North Korea a decade later. Though he directly from me and gave the audience especially eventful day during his year is, understandably, no fan of Serbian a sense that they were communicating as ambassador to Iraq (2009-2010), Hill President Slobodan Milosevic, he does with the U.S. ambassador.” employs a straightforwardly chronologi- give the devil his due. The same is true One also gets that strong sense of cal approach for the rest of the book. for other difficult characters with whom connection throughout this masterful Normally, I’m not enthralled to read Hill butted heads. memoir, which is anything but boring! n about the early days of authors, but Still, as Hill observes, some problems his account of growing up in a Foreign remain intractable no matter how hard Steven Alan Honley is The Foreign Service Service family, and spending two years you work. This is especially true when Journal’s contributing editor.

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76 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL REFLECTIONS

Coming Out of the Cold

BY JIM OWEN

I was assumed to be a spy when I was in seventh grade. You see, I was an American living in Moscow, USSR, And the oldest son of an American diplomat. Accordingly, I was believed to be a threat to the Soviet Socialist Republic. There were big, uniformed guards at the entrance to our apartment building, Not so much to protect me from Russians, But to keep track of my coming and going, And to dispatch their spies to watch what I was up to.

You don’t believe me? I was old enough, and had just enough Russian, To go get a haircut on my own. The barber shop was a few blocks away, And I could walk there in just a few minutes. Every time I went my guards would make a call, So that two of their KGB agents could follow me. They wanted me to know they were there, Jim Owen and his mother in Wearing coats on a warm day front of their first apartment The Kremlin Tower and St. Basil’s Cathedral. When everyone else was in shirt sleeves, building. They were forced to move when the building was Just in case I had any funny ideas. condemned.

I did have funny ideas. I subscribed to Mad Magazine, “Spy vs. Spy” was one of my favorite cartoons. I was also reading Tolkien, books about Narnia, And the great spy story, Kim by Rudyard Kipling. Since I was sure my bedroom was bugged, I used to talk and read things to my walls, My very own information counter-offensive. I wanted Them to know That I knew They were there, That I could play the Game too, And I wanted to expose Them to the corrupting influence Of a 12-year-old American Spy. n The view from their new apartment.

Jim Owen is the eldest son of the late FSO Robert I. Owen and Mary Owen. His father joined the Foreign Service at the end of World War II and served in the Dominican Republic, Finland, the Soviet Union, Germany and the former Yugoslavia, retiring in 1971. Born in Ciudad Trujillo (now Santo Domingo), Jim lived in Moscow twice during the 1950s, the second time as a middle-schooler in 1958-1959. Jim and his wife, Jan, settled in Maine in the early 1970s. To his delight, their twin daughters went just to Bangor schools until they left for college. Jim is now retired, and enjoys writing poetry. Photos courtesy of Jim Owen.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 77 LOCAL LENS

BY ÁSGEIR SIGFÚSSON n EASTER ISLAND, CHILE

he Ahu Tongariki is Easter Island’s largest collection of moai (monolithic human figures carved from rock). It sits on the island’s east coast, facing west. These moai, like most of Easter Island’s 887 such figures, were carved at the Rano Raraku quarry Tabout one mile away. Nobody knows why these figures dot the island, or whom they depict, although most suspect they are either deities or local chieftains. The Ahu Tongariki was toppled at least twice—once during tribal warfare on the island in the 17th century, and again in 1960 when a tsunami caused by the enormous Valdivia earthquake swept over the coast. n

Ásgeir Sigfússon is AFSA’s director of new media. He was fortunate enough to visit Easter Island— one of his bucket-list destinations—in March 2015. A native of Iceland, Ásgeir arrived in the United States in 1997 for college and, after finishing graduate school, decided to stay. He’s been with AFSA in a variety of capacities since 2003. He loves to travel and plans on visiting all U.S. states. So far, he’s made it to 29 of them, with plans for 30 and 31 (Maine and New Hampshire) this summer. He took this photo with an iPhone 4S.

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

78 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL