DIPLOMATIC MYOPIA I MORE PEACE CORPS STORIES I TRIUMPH IN TRIESTE $3.50 / N OVEMBER 2008 OREIG N ERVI CE FJ O U R N A L STHE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PRO FESSIONALS IN THEIR OWN WRITE Books by Foreign Service Authors OREIGN ERVICE FJ O U R N A L S CONTENTS November 2008 Volume 85, No. 11 m OVER TORY o C S c . o t o h P k IN THEIR OWN WRITE : B OOKS BY FOREIGN SERVICE AUTHORS / 16 c o t S Once again we are pleased to feature our annual compilation of recently i / i k s published books by Foreign Service-affiliated authors. w o k t By Susan Maitra a i w K f o t z s y z r F EATURES K y b o t o h AMERICA IN THE WORLD : M R. M AGOO AT THE HELM / 45 p e r Far from providing diplomatic leadership, o t s k o the Bush administration’s myopia has o B wreaked havoc on the global stage. Cover and inside photo illustration By Chas W. Freeman Jr. by Caryn Suko Smith FROM THE PEACE CORPS TO THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS , P ART II / 52 FS employees and family members who have served with the Peace Corps and Foreign Service offer more insights on the two organizations. By Steven Alan Honley PRESIDENT ’S VIEWS / 5 Professional Responsibility FS H ERITAGE By John K. Naland LLEWELLYN E. T HOMPSON AND SPEAKING OUT / 12 THE TRIESTE NEGOTIATIONS / 59 It’s Time for State to Resolving the Trieste dispute before it became a Cold War flash point Educate Senior Officers was a highlight of Ambassador Llewellyn Thompson’s career. By Robert B. Newlin By Jenny and Sherry Thompson REFLECTIONS / 92 FS F ICTION Kabul — Bottled Water: Sanitation Assessment #08-018 ZAHRA ’S CHRISTMAS / 64 By Matthew Asada A local employee’s enthusiasm and hope throw a stark light on the uncertainty and turmoil of the American intervention in Iraq. By Rachel Schneller LETTERS / 7 P AND ME / 68 One newly minted FSO learns more than she bargained for CYBERNOTES / 9 in an unusual A-100 experience. MARKETPLACE / 11 By Mary Grace McGeehan BOOKS / 85 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS / 90 NOVEMBER 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 3 OREIGN ERVICE CONTENTS FJ O U R N A L S Editor STEVEN ALAN HONLEY AFSA N EWS Senior Editor SUSAN B. M AITRA BLUEPRINT FOR STRENGTHENING DIPLOMACY / 75 Associate Editor SHAWN DORMAN FIRST CALL FOR AFSA D ISSENT AWARDS / 75 AFSA News Editor FRANCESCA HUEMER KELLY CALL FOR AFSA G OVERNING BOARD NOMINATIONS / 75 Ad & Circulation Manager NEWS BRIEFS AND AGGELER / 76 ED MILTENBERGER Business Manager VP S TATE : W AR -Z ONE ASSIGNMENTS / 77 ALICIA J. C AMPI VP R ETIREE : R ETIREMENT INSURANCE NEEDS / 78 Art Director CARYN SUKO SMITH CLASSIFIEDS / 83 Advertising Intern HANS MULDER EDITORIAL BOARD TED WILKINSON Chairman JOSEPH BRUNS STEPHEN W. B UCK JULIE GIANELLONI CONNOR JIM DEHART JEFF GIAUQUE GEORGE JONES LAURIE KASSMAN YVETTE N. M ALCIOLN DAVID MCFARLAND AL PESSIN THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is published monthly with a combined July-August issue by the American Foreign Service Associa- tion (AFSA), a private, nonprofit organization. Material appearing herein represents the opin - ions of the writers and does not necessarily rep - resent the views of the Journal , the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries and submissions are invited, preferably by e-mail. Journal sub - scription: AFSA members – $13 included in an nual dues; others – $40. For foreign surface mail, add $18 per year; foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. Indexed by Public Affairs Information Services (PAIS). The Journal is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos or illustrations. Advertising inquiries are invited. The appearance of adver - tisements herein does not imply the endorse - ment of the services or goods offere d. TELEPHONE: (202) 338-4045 FAX: (202) 338-8244 or (202) 338-6820 E-MAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.afsa.org; www.fsjournal.org © American Foreign Service Association, 2008. Printed in the U.S.A. Send address changes to: AFSA Attn: Address Change 2101 E Street N.W. Washington DC 20037-2990 Printed on 50-percent recycled paper, of which 10 percent is post-consumer waste. 4 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/NOVEMBER 2008 PRESIDENT ’S VIEWS Professional Responsibility BY JOHN K. N ALAND Last month, my column sion requirements (notably • Several senior career officers ended by posing a question: in Iraq) far exceeded the launched a public attack in January What are the professional re- available staffing. The result - against an AFSA survey that showed sponsibilities of senior career ing staffing gaps are so harm - deep dissatisfaction within the For- officials and what should hap - ful to national security that eign Service over inadequate resour- pen to those who fail to fulfill concerned outsiders such as ces. Nearly 40 percent of the State those duties? As I explained, Secretary of Defense Robert Department’s active-duty FS person - the context of that question is Gates are calling for sharply nel participated in the online survey. the widespread view that — due to expanded resources for diplomacy Despite that high response rate, the timidity or careerism — some senior and development assistance. While senior officers dismissed the survey career diplomats in recent years have the Bush administration’s final budget findings as being non-representative not fulfilled their professional respon - requested significant new resources, and non-credible. They then lauded sibilities to provide their political they should have been sought years the job their political superiors had superiors with frank, expert advice earlier. The fact that they were not done in obtaining resources, without behind closed doors. was due in part to a failure by some mentioning the serious budget and What are examples of such fail - senior career officials to insist — if staffing gaps then facing the State ures? Future historians may point to necessary at the point of resignation Department. In response, one em- any number of foreign policy deci - — that more resources must be ployee noted that great courage must sions in recent years. However, I will requested from Congress. be required for senior officials to “go leave such judgments to history since • To fulfill the desire of their polit - on the record to say that they love any criticism by me of foreign policy ical superiors that Embassy Baghdad their boss.“ decisions made by sitting officials be fully staffed regardless of other These examples show senior offi - might hamper those officials in their concerns, senior career officials cers failing to stand up for the career dealings with foreign governments unnecessarily raised the specter of Service. Instead of speaking up to during the remainder of their term of ordered assignments in the fall of their political superiors about likely office. But I see no professional con - 2007 instead of allowing the normal negative consequences of the pending straint on citing leadership failures by assignment process to take its course. dec isions, some officers became com - senior career officials that have weak - In so doing, they undermined con - pliant yes-men and yes-women. Some ened diplomatic readiness to the point gressional and public confidence in crossed the divide between nonparti - that the next president will face seri - the Foreign Service by leaving the san career officials and political ous logistical constraints in imple - mistaken impression that employees appointees by allying themselves with a menting his foreign policy. Examples were refusing to answer the call to politically appointed patron. As a include: duty, despite the fact that the Foreign result, they reaped personal gains such • Secretary Powell’s hard-won Service has stepped up every year as obtaining or retaining a plum assign - gains in reversing the ill-advised 1990s since 2003 to volunteer for Iraq. The ment leading to a pay-grade promotion downsizing of the Foreign Service fact that Foreign Service members, or performance-pay bonus. evaporated in recent years as new mis - including myself, have now volun - These trends must be arrested. teered to fill all 2009 vacancies in Iraq Were it to become accepted practice John K. Naland is the president of the proves how unnecessary the earlier for career officials to ally themselves American Foreign Service Association. ordered assignment threats were. with political appointees, then every NOVEMBER 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 5 P RESIDENT ’ S V IEWS change of presidential administration to insist on apolitical career officials would be accompanied by the kind of who live up to their professional AGREE? DISAGREE? wholesale turnover in diplomatic responsibilities. staffing that our nation wisely aban - I must stress that some senior Let us know if you have com - doned more than a century ago. If career officers in recent years have ments on this or other columns, arti - future political appointees cannot rely understood that true loyalty some - cles or letters appearing in the on career diplomats for frank advice, times requires telling bosses that they Journal . Send us your comments by then the number of foreign policy fail - are wrong. Other senior officers rec - e-mail to [email protected] or by mail ures could increase, due to decisions ognized that errors were being made to Editor, Foreign Service Journal , being made entirely by political outside of their areas of responsibility, 2101 E Street N.W., Washington DC appointees who lack the overseas and but lacked the standing to attempt to 20037-2990. Letters may be edited domestic experience to see potential influence events.