PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION DECEMBER 2018 WHAT LOCAL STAFF WANT YOU TO KNOW HONORING EXCELLENCE FOREIGN SERVICE December 2018 Volume 95, No. 10 Cover Story: AFSA Annual Awards 2018 21 Working to Strengthen U.S. Diplomacy Ambassador Ronald E. Neumann, the recipient of AFSA’s 2018 Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award, talks with the FSJ about his career at the center of some of America’s toughest foreign policy challenges. Focus on FSN Perspectives Message from the Hill 10 32 Through the Lens of Working Together an FSN: Foreign Service for a Smart in Pictures Foreign Policy A retired FSN reflects on By Senator Chris Coons his experience working for the United States in Nigeria. Education Supplement By Idika Onyukwu 37 95 Advocating for Get a Head Start on the Foreign Service Nationals College Admissions The FSN Advocacy Council has been Process representing USAID’s global FSN Getting into college is a complicated employees since 2005. 46 and daunting process. Here is a plan By Safia Al-Saad In the Field with for circumventing the stress. USAID FSNs By Francesca Kelly 42 Get Ready for Merit Based 53 108 Compensation What Local Staff Want Schools At a Glance The new performance management You to Know program for Locally Employed staff Locally employed staff around the offers many benefits for staff and world offer their perspectives on 112 supervisors alike. working for U.S. missions. Opportunities By Elizabeth LaMontagne for Students A selection of government programs for students interested in foreign policy and international affairs. THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018 5 FOREIGN SERVICE Perspectives 124 Reflections Departments 7 Maps Are Useful— President’s Views But Can Be Misleading 13 Talking Points Regaining Lost Ground By Edward L. Peck By Barbara Stephenson 90 In Memory 9 116 Books Letter from the Editor It’s the People By Shawn Dorman 17 Marketplace Speaking Out A Worldwide FSN Association 119 Classifieds at State—Advancing a 126 121 Real Estate Practical Dream Local Lens By Eddy Olislaeger Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea 123 Index to Advertisers By Sabrina Beauchamp AFSA NEWS THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION 78 W. Averell Harriman Dissent Award: Elena C. Augustine 69 79 AFSA Achievement and Contributions to the Association Award: Patricia A. Butenis 80 Avis Bohlen Award: John Anderson Warner 81 M. Juanita Guess Award: Marisol Angela Garcia 82 Mark Palmer Award: David Bargueño 83 Mark Palmer Award: Kelly Anne Billingsley 84 Nelson B. Delavan Award: Margaret Kennett 69 AFSA Awards Honor Foreign Service Excellence 85 Award Runners-Up 72 State VP Voice—Thanks to AFSA, Local Hires Win Big 86 AFSA Welcomes Newest FS Members 72 AFSA Hosts TSP Seminar 87 Coming Soon: Call for Governing Board Nominations 73 FAS VP Voice—Overhauling Our Washington Assignment Process 87 Thank You to Our Awards Intern 74 PPI—Another Kind of Stewardship 87 Thank You to FAS VP Kim Sawatzki 75 Christian A. Herter Dissent Award: 88 Outreach—Virtual and in Person Thomas A. Shannon Jr. 88 Success in the Foreign Service: A Panel Discussion 76 F. Allen “Tex” Harris Dissent Award: Joseph S. Conners 89 AFSA Talks Economics on the Hill 77 William R. Rivkin Dissent Award: Roshni Mona Nirody 89 Governing Board Meeting, October 17, 2018 On the Cover—Design by Caryn Suko Smith, Driven By Design, LLC. Map: iStockphoto.com/Dmytro Yashchuk. Location Icon: iStockphoto. com/hkeita. Top: Some of the FSNs featured in this month’s Focus on FSN Perspectives. Second Band: 2018 AFSA Award recipients. 6 DECEMBER 2018 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL PRESIDENT’S VIEWS Regaining Lost Ground BY BARBARA STEPHENSON uring my first tour, as an eco- claimed by competitors such as China. Because this letter marks such an nomic then political officer in After a dozen hearings in Congress important step in AFSA’s ongoing work Panama, our office wall held about rising competition from China, it is to grow a domestic constituency for the Da map showing the march of increasingly clear that ceding one busi- Foreign Service, the entire letter, with all democracy across Latin America. Coun- ness deal after another to the competition 96 signatories, is carried in this edition of tries with democratically elected govern- affects not only prosperity here at home the FSJ on page 13. ments were shown in green; countries still but also America’s leadership role around The recently approved BUILD Act gives under military dictatorships in brown. the globe. Taken cumulatively, com- us a new tool in the fight to regain lost That map—with its imperative to support mercial transactions have geostrategic ground. (For more on this, see the mes- the transition to democratic governance— ramifications. sage from Senator Coons on page 10). I inspired my generation with its vivid The erosion of funding for America’s know mid-level FSOs at State are eager to portrayal of our mission. core diplomatic capability is proving to get to work in the field alongside Foreign Decades later, as deputy chief of mis- be a classic case of “penny-wise, pound Commercial Service colleagues to make a sion in London, I heard with concern foolish.” To squeeze out minor savings— success of the BUILD Act and, more gen- about a different kind of map. Great deployed diplomats don’t cost much, erally, to regain lost commercial ground. American companies with their EMEA but they deliver a major bang for the Fortunately, Secretary Pompeo does (Europe, Middle East and Africa) opera- buck—we have left American embassies not need much convincing. He spoke tions headquartered in London told me and consulates around the globe with too during a visit of the need to work together about maps on their office walls show- few diplomats to do the job, especially the with Panama (which recently established ing continents with countries grayed crucial job of leveling the playing field for diplomatic relations with China) to make out, indicating that conditions in those American businesses. As the competi- sure “China cannot gain an unfair com- countries did not permit the American tion rises, the cost of this approach—lost petitive advantage in our hemisphere.” In company to compete for business there. ground—becomes ever more evident. Mexico, he elaborated to Voice of America, Why? Typically, because rule of law was American businesses have noticed, speaking of China’s “right to go compete weak, making government procurement and they are rallying to urge Secretary in the world.” processes opaque and subject to bribes, Pompeo to send more Foreign Service In what I take as a vote of confidence in and contract enforcement unreliable. officers to overseas posts. In a remark- us, the U.S. Foreign Service, the Secretary Regular readers of this column will able letter signed by 96 business associa- concluded: “I’m convinced that if we com- know that I have, for several months, tions, ranging from the U.S. Chamber of pete with them all over the world, we’ll do focused on putting more members of the Commerce and the National Association incredibly well.” U.S. Foreign Service in the field, arguing of Manufacturers to local associations, So am I. Put additional members of that the Foreign the business associations hail the work of the Foreign Service in the field, and let us Service offers a FSOs as “instrumental in advancing the prove Secretary Pompeo right. I am cer- “shovel-ready,” interests of American companies around tain that, with adequate numbers posted highly cost-effec- the world.” They state: “U.S. businesses to embassies and consulates around the tive way to regain need their help engaging with foreign world, the Foreign Service will do incred- commercial, eco- governments to level the playing field so ibly well—improving transparency and nomic and political that American companies can compete legal frameworks so our companies can ground now being and win in the global market place.” compete and win. n Ambassador Barbara Stephenson is the president of the American Foreign Service Association. THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2018 7 FOREIGN SERVICE Editor in Chief, Director of Publications Shawn Dorman: [email protected] www.afsa.org Managing Editor Susan Brady Maitra: [email protected] Associate Editor CONTACTS Donna Gorman: [email protected] AFSA Headquarters: ADVOCACY Publications Coordinator (202) 338-4045; Fax (202) 338-6820 Director of Advocacy Dmitry Filipoff: [email protected] State Department AFSA Office: Kim Greenplate: [email protected] (202) 647-8160; Fax (202) 647-0265 Advertising Manager Legislative Fellow USAID AFSA Office: Allan Saunders: [email protected] Drew Donaher: [email protected] (202) 712-1941; Fax (202) 216-3710 Art Director FCS AFSA Office: BUSINESS DEPARTMENT Caryn Suko Smith (202) 482-9088; Fax (202) 482-9087 Director of Finance and Facilities Femi Oshobukola: [email protected] Editorial Board GOVERNING BOARD Controller Alexis Ludwig, Chair President Kalpna Srimal: [email protected] James “Jim” Bever Hon. Barbara Stephenson: Controller, Accounts Payable and Fred Boll [email protected] Angela Bond Administration Secretary M. Allyn Brooks-LaSure Cory Nishi: [email protected] Karen Brown Cleveland Hon. Tom Boyatt: [email protected] Administrative Assistant and Office Manager Shawn Kobb Treasurer Ana Lopez: [email protected] Harry Kopp Hon. Earl Anthony “To ny ” Wayne: Scholarships and Events Coordinator John G. Rendeiro Jr. [email protected] Theo Horn: [email protected] Priyadarshi “Pri” Sen State Vice President Dinah Zeltser-Winant Ken Kero-Mentz: [email protected] COMMUNICATIONS AND MEMBERSHIP USAID Vice President Director of Communications and Membership Jeff Levine: [email protected] THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS Ásgeir Sigfússon: [email protected] FCS Vice President PROFESSIONALS Communications and Marketing Manager The Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), Daniel Crocker: [email protected] Allan Saunders: [email protected] 2101 E Street NW, Washington, D.C.