FS RETIREES SPEAK OUT n LOCATION, LOCATION n REACH > GRASP 2005 TAX GUIDE INSIDE! $3.50 / FEBRUARY 2006 OREIGN ERVICE FJ O U R N A L S THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS ON THE RIGHT TRACK? Surveying Condoleezza Rice’s First Year CONTENTS February 2006 Volume 83, No. 2 FOCUS ON SEC. RICE’S FIRST YEAR FEATURE 17 / TRANSFORMATIONAL DIPLOMACY: LIFE AFTER THE FS: MORE RETIREES SPEAK UP / 45 A WORK IN PROGRESS Retirees share stories and advice about retirement from For many at State, the Foreign Service. Condoleezza Rice’s focus on By Susan Maitra policy has come at the expense of management. By Shawn Zeller C OLUMNS D EPARTMENTS 29/ ANYWHERE, ANYTIME LETTERS / 6 PRESIDENT’S VIEWS / 5 DIPLOMACY CYBERNOTES / 10 Changes in institutional Transformational Diplomacy Takes Shape, but Basic MARKETPLACE / 12 culture and an improved IT BOOKS / 59 infrastructure will help realize Questions Remain By J. Anthony Holmes INDEX TO Secretary Rice’s vision. ADVERTISERS / 66 By Peter S. Gadzinski SPEAKING OUT / 14 AFSA TAX GUIDE / It’s Not Who You Know, 33 / PEACEBUILDING: CENTER INSERT A NEW NATIONAL SECURITY IMPERATIVE It’s Where You Serve Despite Sec. Rice’s support, the Office of the By John Allen Quintus Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization REFLECTIONS / 68 has not gotten off to a strong start. Exceeding One’s Grasp, By Peter H. Gantz Marine-Style By William V. Roebuck 39 / MCKINSEY REDUX: WHAT IT GETS RIGHT AND WRONG The McKinsey and Company management consulting firm’s latest report, “Winning the Next Phase of the War for Talent,” generally gives State high marks. But much more remains to be done. As this issue of the Foreign Service Journal went to By Louise K. Crane press, Secretary of State Rice was scheduled to deliver a major speech on Jan. 18 elaborating her vision of “trans- formational diplomacy” and what it means for the Department of State. For AFSA’s response to the Secre- tary’s proposals, please consult the AFSA Web site at www.afsa.org. THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS OREIGN ERVICE Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is published FJ O U R N A L S monthly with a combined July/August issue by the American Foreign Service Association, a private, non-profit Editor Editorial Board STEVEN ALAN HONLEY organization. Material appearing herein represents the opinions of the writers and does not necessarily represent Senior Editor TED WILKINSON, the views of the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries and submissions are invited, preferably by SUSAN B. MAITRA CHAIRMAN e-mail. Journal subscription: AFSA Members - $13 included in annual dues; others - $40. For foreign surface mail, Associate Editor add $18 per year; foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mail- KENT C. 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Printed on 50-percent recycled paper, of which 10 percent is post-consumer waste. CAITLIN STUART KAY WEBB MAYFIELD Advertising Intern CHRISTOPHER L. TEAL WILLEM HOFSTEDE Cover and inside illustration by Darren Gygi FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 3 PRESIDENT’S VIEWS Transformational Diplomacy Takes Shape, but Basic Questions Remain BY J. ANTHONY HOLMES “Transformation- work not directly related to democracy level of involvement in the day-to-day al diplomacy.” Sec- promotion, as well as consular and workings of other governments (“It’s retary Rice’s new management officers carrying out vital kind of hands-on diplomacy”) that rais- term penetrated my tasks, the concept created major issues es some fundamental issues. Perhaps consciousness last of raison d’etre and angst over whether the three biggest are: How do we get summer. I began they were included in the new para- sovereign governments to buy into our trying to find out digm. USAID officers, particularly agenda and permit this? And, if they what it meant upon those doing democracy/governance do, what are the resource implications arriving at AFSA after Labor Day. No work, wondered if the leaders at State and where will the money come from? one was quite sure. Everyone knew it were aware of them. People working at Last month I outlined our bleak was important and that the focus was embassies in developed countries and budgetary outlook. Congress passed a on promoting democracy in the Middle in existing Third World democracies FY 06 international affairs budget that East. Beyond that, though, it seemed saw themselves relegated to the periph- was $2 billion below the administra- quite vague. tion’s request. The latter’s modest pro- Slowly during the fall, various ele- Unless our agenda has posal for FY 07 reflects acquiescence to ments of the State Department tried to the necessary resources the view that these expenditures for the flesh out the concept. Less observing, necessary programs, personnel, and analyzing, and reporting; more per- behind it, it won’t operating expenses are NOT central to suading, advocating, and effecting amount to more than our national security. Unless our trans- change. Focus on eliminating poverty, empty rhetoric. formational agenda has the necessary reducing disease, promoting democra- resources behind it, it won’t amount to cy. Where have they been, I won- ery of the Secretary’s agenda. They’ve much more than empty rhetoric. dered? These changes began two been enlisting support of their host gov- Sec. Rice has captured the attention decades ago and became mainstream ernments for U.S. policies all along. and earned the admiration of many practice after the end of the Cold War. What about all the other important with her new approach. But to succeed The era of reporting for its own sake work they do? Given the widely-dis- she must find a way to reconcile trans- died in the early 1990s. “We don’t need cussed exercise to review global staffing formational diplomacy with our endur- it; we watch CNN and use the Internet and shift positions from the European ing penchant to try to be a superpower instead.” “Economic reform? Let the Bureau to large developing and other on a shoestring. For it to work, trans- international financial institutions and transitional countries, transformational formational diplomacy must trump the private banks analyze that.” diplomacy seemed more based on eternal tension between our short-term At that point, transformational where one works than what one does. domestic political imperatives and the diplomacy seemed just a new name for Some coherence was needed. inherently long-term nature of the solu- established practice, raising the ques- A little-noticed speech by Secretary tions to the problems it is meant to tion if those promoting it were really in Rice on Nov. 8, 2005, provided more address. But regardless of how this touch with what the Foreign Service definition. Key new elements included process to define the term and recon- has actually been doing overseas the the shouldering by the U.S. of huge cile its inherent tenets with fiscal and past 20 years. For officers doing politi- responsibilities for post-conflict recov- policy realities concludes, one thing is cal, economic, or public diplomacy ery and subsequent nationbuilding, clear. The Foreign Service is both cen- much greater focus by embassies on tral and indispensable to Secretary Rice J. Anthony Holmes is the president of the areas outside capital cities, more and her team of appointees in achiev- American Foreign Service Association. emphasis on public diplomacy, and a ing her goals. n FEBRUARY 2006/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 5 LETTERS Baghdad, Paris and Incentives members being killed. Iraq isn’t the Tacking on a super-hardship assign- Having served briefly in both only place in the world where one ment at the end of an overseas tour in Afghanistan and Iraq, I read Steve can get killed, of course, but is a way that allows family to stay in Kashkett’s remarks in the November among the most likely. And the situ- place would make such tours more 2005 AFSA News (“A Painful Family ation will probably get worse before palatable for some, as would allowing Quarrel”) with interest. For the it gets better. families to reside in nearby friendly record, I have not been promoted I can’t imagine rational people countries. Also, going back to six- lately and am currently serving in an being willing to take these kinds of month tours as the norm (with incen- assignment that was not even on my risks knowing that the rewards are no tives to remain for 12 months), while bid list — I went largely for the T- different than if they had stayed in less operationally effective, is far more shirts. Kashkett appears to be taking Paris. As for bidding, ever try making sustainable over time. Until recently, a toned-down version of the approach a case for a job from Khandahar with it was the standard for peacekeeping that Louise Crane took when she held nothing more than a Hotmail account missions, even for entire military the State VP position.