U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE JANUARY 2004 ^ <■-•; "-V r. K m I* OVERSEA SCHOOLS Secretary Powell joins awardees at 2003 Departmental Awards Ceremony. , INOURNEXTH^UE: ^ Ceremony Recognizes Awardees v '' State Magazine (ISSN 1099-4165) is published monthly, except bimonthly in July and August, by the U.S. Department of State, 2201 C St., N.W., Washington, DC. Periodicals postage State paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing locations. MAGAZINE Send changes of address to State Magazine, HR/ER/SMG, SA-1, Carl Goodman Room H-236, Washington, DC 20522-0108. You may also e- Eoitor-in-Ciiihf mail address changes to [email protected]. Paul Koscak State Magazine is published to facilitate communication Writfr/Editor between management and employees at home and abroad and Dave Krecke to acquaint employees with developments that may affect WRiTFR/EorroR operations or personnel. 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CONTENTS JANUARY 2004 RUSSIA MISSION OF THE MONTH The gold-domed Church of the Annunciation in Moscow. 10 MISSION OF THE MONTH: RUSSIA 2 From the Secretary rhe country, with 11 time zones, is mysterious and fascinating. 3 Letters to the Editor 16 OFFICE OF THE MONTH: OVERSEAS SCHOOLS The office supports 188 schools in 132 countries enrolling 98,000. 20 SUDAN RISES 9 Direct From the D.G. Official finds country eager for peace and international respect. 31 State of the Arts 23 STRENGTHENING THE CHAIN New approach integrates supply and financial systems. 24 HELPING HAND FSN relief fund needs your help. 35 Education and Training 26 CONFERENCE CALL FSNs hold 2nd annual conference despite hurricane’s intrusion. 40 Appointments 28 WITH HONORS 43 Obituaries Secretary rushes iiome to honor retirees. 44 Personnel Actions 36 BEHIND THE NUMBERS What do the 2003 Foreign Service promotion statistics mean? t;. FROM THE SECRETARY Secretary Colin L. Powell Account Advances Developnnent, Democracy and National Security Sometime this month, Congress fair, so that free people may use their talents and drive to will approve start-up funds for the prosper. A free and fair economic system presupposes a Millennium Challenge Account. That political system where all citizens have access and voice, action is likely to make little news, as so that government may be wise, accountable and legit¬ weightier and more urgent concerns fill the papers. But imate. when we look back on this winter from the vantage The essential policy implication for development is point of January 2005 or 2006, MCA’s transformation clear: The best way to eliminate poverty is to spur eco¬ from vision to reality may be the key event of the season. nomic growth, and the best way to do that is to encour¬ Thanks to President Bush’s leadership, the interna¬ age good governance—and that’s why the Millennium tional community is reshaping the development policy Challenge Account represents a revolution in American landscape in accord with the Monterrey Consensus. development assistance thinking. The MCA offers the That consensus has shaped a new development strategy developing world a contract modeled on the free market with three basic pillars. itself: We’ll provide generous assistance if recipient gov¬ First is a shared commitment to economic develop¬ ernments commit themselves to advance societies of ment based on sound methods that emphasize good free minds and free markets. governance and economic freedom. Second is a com¬ The MCA is not a charity account, but an incentive mitment to social development, for sound institutions system for good governance. It will advance economic can work only if people are healthy and educated processes that put a country’s productive assets into the enough to make use of them. Third is sound steward¬ hands of efficient ownership. It will help unleash the ship of natural resources. To be sustainable, develop¬ creative potential of free people by providing them with ment must be a trans-generational process that plants as the basic tools of their own prosperity. We will use the well as harvests, invests as well as spends. MCA not only as a development tool with countries that The key to the first pillar is the MCA—a new way of are already eligible, we’ll help countries to become eligi¬ getting results for development. Ami we need to get ble—if they want our help. results. Taken together, our three-pillar development policy We care about poverty for obvious moral reasons, but constitutes the most ambitious approach to alleviating we care about it for practical reasons, too. As President poverty since the Kennedy Administration. If fully fund¬ Bush wrote in the National Security Strategy, “A world ed by Congress over the next few years, the MCA alone where some live in comfort and plenty, while half of the would increase U.S. development investments more human race lives on less than two dollars a day, is nei¬ than the Marshall Plan. By FY 2006, total U.S. develop¬ ther just nor stable.” Nor is that world safe. ment assistance would be up 75 percent from FY 2001 Poverty and stark inequality are not “soft” policy levels. issues but core national security concerns. There is a It is hard to exaggerate what is at stake here. It tran¬ definite relationship between the war on terrorism and scends even the war on terrorism. That stake is whether the challenge of development. While poverty by itself global economic integration can be made to work for does not cause terrorism, it does breed frustration, enough people in enough ways to produce a stable and hopelessness and resentment—and ideological entre¬ prosperous world. preneurs know how to turn those emotions into either We know it can, but it won’t happen by itself. We have support for terrorism or acquiescence to it. to make it happen. We now have a policy to alleviate More important when it comes to policy is the recog¬ poverty that matches creativity and resources to the task nition that much poverty is man-made. Natural endow¬ at hand. It will take a sustained and determined collec¬ ments matter, certainly; but social injustice and the bad tive effort, however, to make that policy a success. We government that perpetuates it often matter even more. will all need to put our shoulders to the wheel. Our Economic systems work when access to opportunity is national security depends on it. ■ 2 STATE MAGAZINE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Impressive! A Team Effort Benjamin Franklin Room was in The State Department is to be For three years I have had the tip-top shape. The Bureau of commended for the attention paid privilege of organizing the Administration folks ran the elec¬ to its retiring employees. The Department’s annual retirement tronic cables, arranged the video retirement semi¬ ceremony. The feed and, with Public Affairs, took nar followed by Secretary hosts photos. Diplomatic Security put the job search is the event and he the “Diplomatic” in Diplomatic an outstanding deserves most of Security, with low-key but thorough service for State the thanks and and thoughtful scrutiny of our dis¬ employees. credit for its tinguished colleagues and guests. Then, the pomp and good HR support staff arrived by 6:30 November 21st fellowship. a.m. to set up chairs and make other retirement cere¬ Because my logistical arrangements. mony hosted by name is on the It was truly a team effort much Secretary Powell response card, 1 appreciated by our guests. in the Benjamin get many thanks Franklin Room from retirees Peter Whaley was very impres¬ who don’t know Retired FSO/WAE sive. Most strik¬ about all the oth¬ Bureau of Human Resources ing to me was the ers who pitch in. fact that the Secretary had returned For the most recent ceremony, I LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters should not exceed 250 words that morning at 3:30 a.m. from an had 29 volunteers from the Bureau and should include the writer's name, overseas trip. Yet he was on time to of Human Resources who checked address and daytime phone number. the office and hosted the ceremony. folks in and helped them find their Letters will be ^ited for length and places. The Office of Protocol pro¬ clarity. Only signed letters will be Lloyd C. Stevenson vided food and entertainment, considered. Names may be withheld upon request. You can reach us at Retired FSO turned out the calligraphy for the [email protected]. Fairfax, Va. invitations and made sure the With but a few hours sleep after returning from a second annual conference. The diverse group repre¬ trip with the President to the United Kingdom, sented 40 countries—large and small—and skill sets Secretary Powell warmly greeted 142 retirees with a of all kinds. The mix prompted some lively discus¬ combined 4,000 years of service at a special ceremony sions at the gathering designed to strengthen the role in the Benjamin Franklin Room.