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DS: GETTING THE WHOLE (PERSON)STORY I MADRAS, 1956 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT INSIDE $3.50 /MARCH 2009 OREIGN ERVICE FJOURNAL STHE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS GOING IT ALONE How the Foreign Service Copes with Separation OREIGN ERVICE FJOURNAL S CONTENTS March 2009 Volume 86, No. 3 F OCUSON Going It Alone EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION / 18 By Steven Alan Honley SUPPORT FOR UNACCOMPANIED ASSIGNMENTS / 20 The Family Liaison Office and other State Department elements offer help to Foreign Service families before, during and after unaccompanied tours. By Bridget Roddy COPING WITH SEPARATION:TANDEM COUPLES / 29 Besides the obvious personal difficulties, separated tandem couples face an expensive tour with minimal financial aid. Cover and inside illustration By Annie Simpkins by Jeff Moores AN EVACUATION SURVIVAL GUIDE / 31 Chances are that most Foreign Service families will undergo an ordered departure. Here are some tips on how to make the best of it. By Kelly Armstrong PRESIDENT’S VIEWS / 5 INSIGHTS FROM THE FIELD / 36 To Your Health AFSA members and their families share their By John K. Naland experiences managing long-term separations. By Steven Alan Honley SPEAKING OUT / 13 Twelve Recommendations to Improve the Security F EATURE Clearance Process By Daniel M. Hirsch THE LEPROSY CLINIC:MADRAS, 1956 / 43 REFLECTIONS / 76 More than a half-century before the term “transformational diplomacy” Precious Time was coined, it was the norm for American diplomats in the field By John K. Naland to be engaged in changing lives. By Susan Ingraham LETTERS / 6 AFSAN EWS CYBERNOTES / 10 AFSA WELCOMES SECRETARY CLINTON TO STATE / 49 MARKETPLACE / 12 PRESIDENT OBAMA AND VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN VISIT STATE / 49 NEWS BRIEFS / 50 BOOKS / 69 VP USAID: THE FOREIGN SERVICE’S POOR COUSIN / 51 INDEX TO VP FAS: WHY FAS ADOPTED THE FOREIGN SERVICE SYSTEM / 52 ADVERTISERS / 74 SEC.CLINTON ADDRESSES USAID EMPLOYEES / 53 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT 2008: TURNING THE TIDE / 54 CLASSIFIEDS / 67 MARCH 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 3 OREIGN ERVICE FJOURNAL S Editor STEVEN ALAN HONLEY Senior Editor SUSAN B. MAITRA Associate Editor SHAWN DORMAN AFSA News Editor FRANCESCA KELLY Ad & Circulation Manager ED MILTENBERGER Business Manager ALICIA J. CAMPI Art Director CARYN SUKO SMITH Advertising Intern HANS MULDER EDITORIAL BOARD TED WILKINSON Chairman JOSEPH BRUNS STEPHEN W. BUCK JULIE GIANELLONI CONNOR JIM DEHART JEFF GIAUQUE GEORGE JONES LAURIE KASSMAN YVETTE N. MALCIOLN DAVID MCFARLAND AL PESSIN QUESTIONS? Not sure whom to contact? THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 LETTERS TO MEMBERSHIP E Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is THE DITOR For changes of address and other published monthly with a combined July-August E issue by the American Foreign Service Associa- Printed letters may be edited for questions about AFSA membership, tion (AFSA), a private, nonprofit organization. space. E-mail to [email protected] or e-mail [email protected]. Material appearing herein represents the opin- ions of the writers and does not necessarily rep- mail to FSJ, 2101 E Street NW, resent the views of the Journal, the Editorial Washington DC 20037. Board or AFSA. Writer queries and submissions FasTrax DVERTISING A are invited, preferably by e-mail. Journal sub- For details about placing either scription: AFSA members – $13 included in an- LASSIFIEDS a display or classifed ad, nual dues; others – $40. For foreign surface mail, E-C add $18 per year; foreign airmail, $36 per year. www.afsa.org/classifieds e-mail [email protected], Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and [email protected]. at additional mailing offices. Indexed by Public Affairs Information Services (PAIS). The Journal FSJ is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, OPYRIGHTS photos or illustrations. Advertising inquiries are C & invited. The appearance of advertisements REPRINTS herein does not imply the endorsement of the To obtain permission to reproduce services or goods offered. TELEPHONE: (202) 338-4045 FSJ material, e-mail FAX: (202) 338-8244 or (202) 338-6820 [email protected]. E-MAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.afsa.org; www.fsjournal.org © American Foreign Service Association, 2009. ONLINE Printed in the U.S.A. Send address changes to: www.afsa.org AFSA Attn: Address Change www.fsjournal.org 2101 E Street N.W. Washington DC 20037-2990 FSJ is audited by Business of Providing Au- dits, which had the largest membership of any Printed on 50-percent recycled paper, media-auditing organization in the world. of which 10 percent is post-consumer waste. 4 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2009 PRESIDENT’S VIEWS To Your Health BY JOHN K. NALAND Availability for worldwide MED does have some health the persistent disconnects between service is a defining characteris- promotion efforts, they are not MED and the Bureau of Human Re- tic of the Foreign Service. Of comprehensive, are not well sources when it comes to assigning em- course, not all employees can be publicized, and primarily ben- ployees with medically restricted avail- worldwide-available at all times efit only domestic employees. ability. AFSA frequently hears from during their career. Like every- • More recently, I attended members frustrated when MED vetoes one else, Foreign Service mem- the Army War College, where assignments based on criteria that bers can have bad luck with accidents students are intellectually prepared for members do not understand or do not or disease. Nevertheless, without a senior leadership. Students also benefit agree with. large enough corps of diplomats and de- from an executive health and fitness pro- President Barack Obama has pledg- velopment professionals available for as- gram aimed at ensuring that middle- ed to expand America’sdiplomatic pres- signment at locations with difficult aged officers are physically able to con- ence “in difficult corners of the world.” climates and rudimentary medical facil- tinue to serve the nation. The program For that to be possible, increased focus ities, our nation could not consistently seeks to reduce the risk of cardiovascu- must be placed on making sure there are staff our 267 embassies and consulates lar disease by helping participants im- enough Foreign Service members who around the globe. provenutrition,managestress,stopsmok- are physically available for such assign- Thus, it has always surprised me that ing, lower blood pressure and increase ments. the State Department, through its Of- flexibility, strength and aerobic fitness. Toward that end, MED should in- fice of Medical Services, has not done State offers no comparable program. vest in prevention, early detection and more to promote health and wellness. • It has been a decade since MED education. MED and HR should bet- Let me give some examples: stopped the longstanding practice of ter coordinate the assignment of em- • Early in my career, I did a Corpo- requiring full medical examinations ployees with limited medical clearances. rate Exchange Program detail assign- prior to all overseas transfers. While the And State should establish fitness cen- ment with a large U.S. manufacturer. current policy of self-certification may ters at overseas posts where commercial The company had just finished a major be appreciated by those of us who dis- facilities are inadequate or unsafe. cost-cutting exercise, but still offered its like physical exams and prefer to ignore I am not a health expert. However, employees a comprehensive and well- new aches and lumps, one wonders if were MED to survey the best practices publicized health and wellness pro- there has been a drop in the early de- from elsewhere in government and the gram. The program included regular tection of medical conditions among private sector, I have no doubt that a individualized assessments to identify Foreign Service members. If so, that world-class wellness program could be health risks. It also provided health club would result in more serious illnesses crafted. Such a program would benefit discounts, medical Web search tools and increased numbers of disruptive not only individual employees, but and information, and weight loss and medical evacuations from post. would also assure that our foreign affairs smoking cessation programs. While • A January article in the Foreign agencies have sufficient numbers of Service Journal describing problems worldwide-available employees to meet John K. Naland is the president of the with Class 2 clearances (i.e., post-spe- the foreign policy challenges of the American Foreign Service Association. cific assignment limitations) highlights coming years. I MARCH 2009/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 5 LETTERS Thirty Years Ago in Kabul sources and better strategies are need- out-of-touch decisionmakers’ illusions Feb. 14, 2009, marked the 30th an- ed to improve the lives of Afghans and can be implemented. But they gener- niversary of the kidnapping and mur- cement our diplomatic ties. Although ally have no idea as to why and how the der of U.S. Ambassador Adolph “Spike” three decades have passed, we do not new staffing programs evolved. Shawn Dubs at the Kabul Hotel in the center seem to be much closer to a stable gov- Dorman’s “Global Repositioning in of the Afghan capital. It was the worst ernment and a prosperous country. Perspective” (January FSJ) masterfully day in my Foreign Service career, for I This dismaying situation would trouble explains the many ways the global knew him and served as his press and Amb. Dubs just as it does many of us repositioning initiative failed to meet information officer. It was a time of who know the people and the country. its goals and why the idea of American great vulnerability for the American We who have served there know Presence Posts could not be realized. diplomatic community as the stability that most Afghan people are friendly The eloquent testimony of Ralph of the Marxist Taraki regime seemed and peaceful and would rather build Falzone and others in the field shows very shaky.