FOREIGN SERVICE - MAPPING THE FUTURE Iraq, Five Years Later
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
VALUING M EMBERS OF H OUSEHOLD M ORE ON C LIMATE C HANGE FS B LOGS
AFSA ANNUAL REPORT INSIDE
F S
$3.50 / MARCH 2008
OREIGN
J O U R N A L
ERVICE
THE MAGAZINE FOR F OREIGN AFFAIRS PROFE SSIONALS
MAPPING THE FUTURE
Iraq, Five Years Later
FOREIGNSERVICE
J O U R N A L
CONTENTS
March 2008 Volume 85, No. 3
F O C U S O N
I r a q , F i v e Ye a r s L a t e r
AFTER THE SURGE: TOWARD AN 18-STATE FEDERATION / 22
Four major proposals for a way forward have been advanced,
but they all ignore Iraq’s political center of gravity.
By Keith W. Mines
HELPING THOSE WHO HELPED US / 28
State has been slow to expedite immigrant visas for Iraqis who have assisted
the U.S. government. But there are, at long last, signs of movement.
By Shawn Zeller
WORKING AND LIVING IN IRAQ / 35
Cover and inside illustrations by Members share experiences from current or recent service in Iraq.
Adam Niklewicz
F E AT U R E S
PRESIDENT’S VIEWS / 5 WELCOME TO THE FS BLOGOSPHERE / 41
Defending Our Future All but unheard of even five years ago, blogging is now well established among
By John K. Naland members of the Foreign Service.
By Marc Nielsen
SPEAKING OUT / 15
Member of Household Policy: DON’T REINVENT THE FOREIGN ASSISTANCE WHEEL / 46
Failing Our Families The F process is half a loaf, and only half-baked at that,
By Michael Guest but still an important first step toward meshing U.S. foreign assistance
spending with our strategic goals.
IN RESPONSE / 18 By Gordon Adams
Toward a Post-2012 Approach
to Climate Change
By Paula J. Dobriansky
AFSA N E W S
REFLECTIONS / 84 AFSA ANNUAL REPORT 2007 / 51
The Managua Earthquake of 1972
YEAR IN REVIEW / 52
By Stuart Lippe
STATE VP: SHOOTING THE MESSENGER / 61
AN INSIDE VIEW OF THE FS GRIEVANCE BOARD / 62
LETTERS / 6 USAID VP: AN OPEN LETTER TO ADMINISTRATOR FORE / 63
CYBERNOTES / 11 CROSSING THE RUBICON ON THE OVERSEAS PAY GAP / 64
STATE OFFICIALS BLAST AFSA SURVEY / 65
MARKETPLACE / 12 AFSA NEWS BRIEFS / 66
BOOKS / 70 FAMILY MEMBER MATTERS:
THE WAY OF THE DIPLOMATIC PRINCESS / 67
IN MEMORY / 73 CLASSIFIEDS / 68
INDEX TO
ADVERTISERS / 82
MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 3
FOREIGNSERVICE
J O U R N A L
Editor
STEVEN ALAN HONLEY
Senior Editor
SUSAN B. MAITRA
Associate Editor
SHAWN DORMAN
Ad & Cirulation Manager
ED MILTENBERGER
Business Manager
ANDREW KIDD
Art Director
CARYN SUKO SMITH
Advertising Intern
TIGER TORELLE
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
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
annual 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 offered.
TELEPHONE: (202) 338-4045
FAX: (202) 338-8244 or (202) 338-6820
E-MAIL: journal@afsa.org
WEB: www.afsa.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/MARCH 2008
PRESIDENT’S VIEWS
Defending Our Future
BY JOHN K. NALAND
Thirty years ago, a group of roles that AFSA plays, both Coordinator Bonnie Brown is constant-
Foreign Service members sued for active-duty and retired ly working to assist individual retirees.
the U.S. government, charging members, is to keep our eyes Her 2007 casework count shows she
that the mandatory retirement and ears open for potential assisted 452 individuals. For example,
age for the Foreign Service moves to trim back the she helped 103 people with health care
amounted to unconstitutional Foreign Service’s well-earned questions or problems, 46 people with
discrimination. The case went retirement benefits. Clearly, annuity questions or problems, and 46
all the way to the U.S. Supreme any cutback aimed at all others who needed help getting a
Court, which ruled 8-1 in Vance v. federal employees would also be satisfactory response from some State
Bradley, 440 U.S. 93 (1979), that resisted by the large Civil Service Department office. She also publishes
Congress was justified in setting a unions and by groups such as the retiree guidance in plain English on a
mandatory retirement age in recogni- National Active and Retired Federal variety of helpful subjects and assists
tion of the fact that Foreign Service Employees Association. But, if a survivors when retirees die.
members are subject to uncommon benefits cut were to be aimed just at As you can see, the value of AFSA
wear and tear by extended overseas the Foreign Service, it would be up to membership does not decline upon
duty under difficult and often hazard- AFSA to lead the opposition. retirement. In fact, it is hard to imagine
ous conditions. For AFSA to exercise such long- who would need AFSA more than a
If anything, that Supreme Court- term vigilance, we must continue to retiree living far from Washington
certified “wear and tear” factor has maintain our small but talented faced with sorting out some problem
increased in recent decades. Violent legislative affairs and retiree affairs with a non-responsive government
crime, health risks, terrorism and other staffs. To do that, we rely on member office.
difficult living factors have turned dues. Thus, it is alarming that only 25 The bottom line, therefore, is that
nearly two-thirds of our overseas posts percent of Foreign Service retirees pay AFSA needs your help now (via
into hardship assignments. An unpre- AFSA dues. membership dues) so we can be there
cedented number of posts have been There are several reasons for this to help you in the future. We need
designated as unaccompanied or “limit- low percentage. One is that AFSA active-duty employees to continue their
ed accompanied” due to extreme physi- membership does not automatically membership after they retire. We need
cal danger. carry on into retirement; instead, retired members to maintain their
I mention this to underscore the fact retiring employees are asked to rejoin AFSA membership. And we need
that Foreign Service members really do AFSA by filling out a form during their lapsed members to rejoin.
earn their keep, including retirement hectic final weeks on duty. Another If you know retirees whose mem-
benefits. But, looking forward another reason is that some employees believe bership has lapsed, please urge them to
30 years, it is safe to predict that the that retiring will mean an end to ever join you in supporting AFSA. They are
baby boomer retirement wave will put needing AFSA’s help to rectify some benefiting from our advocacy of issues
pressure on Congress to re-examine bureaucratic glitch or investigate some affecting Foreign Service retirees but
federal retirement benefits. question. Unfortunately, that is often are not contributing to the operating
Thus, one of the most important not the case. budget that funds that advocacy. Their
As documented in the AFSA An- support, added to yours and mine, will
John K. Naland is the president of the nual Report contained in this issue of strengthen AFSA’s ability to defend the
American Foreign Service Association. the Journal, AFSA’s Retiree Affairs future of us all.
MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 5
LETTERS
Ambassadorial Power ment of heads of agencies. Though there who have rejected State as an
in NSDD-38 the line of authority from the presi- option because of its hiring and
I greatly appreciated the articles on dent to ambassadors is mostly illusory, promotion policies. I am one of them.
country team management in the De- NSDD-38 and the president’s “Letter Good luck meeting your staffing
cember FSJ. Although Ed Peck is of Instructions” gives COMs all the needs.
absolutely correct in describing the de power they need to effectively man- Dr. Robert Hickey
jure line of authority from the presi- age their missions. FSJ subscriber
dent to the chief of mission, while Tibor P. Nagy Jr. Ellensburg, Wash.
serving in that position I certainly Ambassador, retired
recognized that my de facto line was Ransom Canyon, Texas Counterinsurgency and
much more modest: i.e., my instruct- National Security
ions — with only a few exceptions — Those Who Never Apply Counterinsurgency doctrine, policy
originated with the assistant secretary I’d like to comment on issues and programs, usually referred to as
for African affairs, and my perform- brought up in Mark Johnsen’s Decem- COIN, are all the rage in U.S. govern-
ance evaluations were drafted by my ber article, “One Hand Clapping: The ment security circles these days.
desk officers. Sound of Staffing the Foreign Ser- Sarah Sewall’s article in your Septem-
I did find, however, one very ef- vice,” and a letter in the same issue, ber issue and Alfred Barr’s December
fective instrument which, when deftly “Modernize Hiring.” letter are thoughtful examples of the
wielded, left no doubt that the COM I’m a geography professor special- discussion under way. However, a bit
was fully in charge of the entire izing in geospatial techniques. About of caution is called for. That is, we
mission. The National Security Deci- a year ago, I decided it was time to must constantly keep in mind the
sion Directive 38 process, requiring start looking into different career distinction between military opera-
chief-of-mission approval for “any options. My shortlist included State, tions and governance on the one
proposed changes in the size, com- USAID, the National Science Found- hand, and the difference between
position or mandate” of all agencies at ation and the plethora of intelligence locals and outsiders on the other.
post, gives ambassadors tremendous agencies. To learn more, in addition We should remember that the last
leverage. to visiting Web sites, I subscribed to a time the United States conducted a
While a COM needs to be judi- number of periodicals, including the successful COIN operation on our
cious in applying NSDD-38 to Foreign Service Journal. own was in the Philippines in the early
preclude being viewed as an irrational One thing I quickly learned was 20th century — an experience we have
obstructionist by Washington, neither that State was not an option, and the forgotten about. The U.K. experi-
should he or she be a doormat. I content of the Journal only served to ence in Malaysia, commonly used as a
found that by holding firm to my solidify that opinion. It is not that I model among the cognoscenti, was in
objections when I believed some don’t find the agency and its work a colonial situation where the British
agency‘s plans were inconsistent with interesting or important, but rather were the government. Attempting to
overall U.S. government priorities or that there is no way that I am going to conduct such operations where one is
exceeded administrative support capa- step back from an M.S. degree, a not the governing authority is danger-
bilities, the agency would eventual- Ph.D. and 13 years of professional ous: witness the French and American
ly back down. The same applied to work experience (some of it inter- experiences in Vietnam, the Soviet
country clearance requests for non- national) so I can start at the bottom episode in Afghanistan and, one could
routine visitors (do you really need a and stamp visas. Not a chance. argue, our efforts in Iraq, at least up
five-person Defense Department team My point is to verify what has been until very recently.
to conduct a 30-minute briefing?), and stated frequently in the FSJ: there are What the U.S. and other govern-
for approving (or blocking) the assign- many mid-career professionals out ments can do in such situations is
6 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008
LETTERS
assist a government in conducting out of kilter. Not because our Yet even if the PNSR crowd comes
COIN in its territory, as with the Huk intelligent, serious, well-educated up with a reasonable draft proposal for
rebellion in the Philippines in the military professionals are over-reach- a new national security structure,
1950s. The difference between doing ing, but because our political leaders there are enormous political obstacles
and assisting is not a minor one; it is apparently too often think of the mili- to implementing it — President Eisen-
fundamental. Unfortunately, too tary option as the preferred option and hower’s military-industrial complex to
much current commentary on the our military professionals are, in ad- begin with. Also, where will we find
subject — including the Army’s new dition to their other virtues, fervently today’s Truman and Vandenberg? Any
COIN doctrine publication — does obedient to civilian rule. nominations?
not make this important distinction They are also, by and large, Type A Edward Marks
clear. Yet it is crucial to recognize, as activists who always feel obliged to “do Ambassador, retired
Clausewitz insisted, that war is a something” in their areas of assign- Washington, D.C.
branch (not an extension) of politics. ment. When called upon, they will go,
It is the first obligation of political and go and go. Told to run the world, Local Staff Kept
leaders to understand what kind of military professionals will make an Embassy Kabul Standing
war they are intending to embark effort to do so. If you don’t believe Thomas Eighmy notes in his
upon as well as being careful to this, then you haven’t spent any time December article, “Remembering
identify the political objectives. For around them. They have the faults of USAID‘s Role in Afghanistan, 1985-
instance, although they may not have their virtues. 1994,” that Embassy Kabul “closed”
started out that way, Afghanistan and The new Africa Command is only before the Soviet military withdrew
Iraq now appear to be experiments in the latest example of the expansion of from that long-suffering country in
conducting warfare (in this case the military instrument. It is supposed February 1989. In fact, Embassy
COIN) while attempting to jump-start to be a new sort of bureaucratic Kabul never closed. On Jan. 31, 1989,
local governance (as opposed to creature not focused on military the embassy officially suspended
profiting from local conflict to install a affairs; but if so, why is it in the operations and Chargé Jon Glassman
colonial regime). The historical Defense Department and headed by a lowered the flag. The American staff
record of this type of activity is not military officer? departed Afghanistan shortly there-
encouraging. Expansion is the main issue, as after, citing security concerns as
It is likely that many military pro- military affairs have always been and making it too risky to maintain an
fessionals understand this. I am not always will be a significant part of American official presence.
sure that our political leadership does. foreign affairs, despite the traditional Even with the Americans gone, the
After all, the American public and its American view that peace was one U.S. held on to its diplomatic facilities
leadership have grown up in a popular thing and war the other and they and continued to recognize Afghani-
culture of movies, TV programs and should not be intermingled — the so- stan‘s sovereignty. Local staff main-
popular novels that identifies only two called American Way of War. The key tained the chancery‘s exterior and
heroic actors in foreign affairs: the is the relationship between the mili- other embassy facilities through-
soldier and the spy. (Diplomats are tary option and the other instruments out the tumultuous years of the Naji-
those stuffy characters who sternly of national power, which many believe bullah regime, mujahedeen rule and
warn Our Hero or Our Heroine that is currently out of balance. the Taliban. A local consular assistant
what they want to do is illegal, dan- A major political question for the at the embassy, supervised by Con-
gerous and probably immoral.) United States is how to arrive at a sulate Peshawar in neighboring Paki-
With this mindset, COIN (and the sustainable equilibrium. One ap- stan, provided limited services to the
equally fashionable Post-Conflict Sta- proach is to replace the National handful of American citizens living in
bilization and Reconstruction con- Security Act of 1947 and the resulting Afghanistan.
cept) can seem to emphasize the role organization of the U.S. government Throughout those dark years
of the military option in a successful for foreign and security affairs with a Embassy Kabul‘s local staff, at great
foreign policy. new National Security Act of 200X. In personal risk and with exceptional
However, as Gerald Loftus points fact, there is a movement, the Pro- bravery and honor, did everything in
out in his insightful Speaking Out gram for National Security Reform their means to ensure that the U.S.
column (December), the military- (www.pnsr.org), that is attempting to mission‘s facilities would be in the best
diplomatic dynamic is currently badly do exactly that. possible condition when conditions
MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 7
LETTERS
allowed American personnel to return was ISI/embassy pressure to restrict One sentence in what was other-
to the country and resume embassy provision of food to some of the wise a thoughtful and respectful
operations, as they did in December mujahedeen parties deemed not to be obituary piece made me laugh out
2001. sufficiently cooperative in the project loud, however. The author stated that
We should not forget our dedi- to create the ill-fated Afghan Interim while in high school — obviously in
cated local colleagues who, often at Government. I recall also that when the early 1950s — Dick “came to love
tremendous sacrifice and scant re- the Kandaharis failed to rally to film and music, especially classical,
ward, look after our country‘s in- Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a fundamen- show tunes, jazz and anything by
terests in places and times where it is talist who was the favored leader of Stevie Wonder.” If my slightly pre-
deemed just too dangerous to put both the ISI and the U.S. embassy, as baby boomer memory serves me
American lives in harm‘s way. he marched toward Kandahar, the right, “Little” Stevie Wonder had his
David J. Katz flow of aid to the area was restricted in first hit record, “Fingertips (Part 2),”
FSO retaliation. in 1963, when he was 13 years old.
State Department Faculty This should not be read as criticism That would mean he was 3 years old
Adviser, Naval War of the O/AID/Rep team, but rather as when Dick Scissors graduated from
College a testament to their dedication in the high school. I know Stevie Wonder
Newport, R.I. face of political pressures. Notwith- was a child prodigy, but I don’t think
standing such pressures, the office’s he was that precocious!
Assistance for Afghanistan, leadership and staff accomplished Nicholas Stigliani
Then and Now their humanitarian mission. FSO, retired
Kudos to Tom Eighmy for his Eighmy is correct in assessing that Falls Church, Va.
article on USAID’s role in Afghani- the 1992 decision not to reopen Em-
stan (December). The USAID team bassy Kabul was a very serious mistake Utilizing Mental
for Afghanistan, based in Pakistan, that forfeited the opportunity O/Aid/ Health Services
was in many ways unique in the Rep had created and maintained. On balance, MED/Mental Health
agency’s annals. The O/AID/Rep’s That choice revealed an overly risk- Service and the Employee Consulta-
leadership and staff were remarkably averse posture by the Bureau of tion Service are to be congratulated for
innovative, dedicated to their mission Diplomatic Security, as he suggests. their steadfast attention and concern
of assisting the Afghan people, and But it also constituted a truly short- for employees suffering reactions from
both bureaucratically and sometimes sighted strategic decision by policy- extremely stressful postings. I was
physically courageous. As special makers and U.S. intelligence analysts most distressed, however, to read the
envoy to Afghanistan, I relied heavily at senior levels to leave Afghanistan’s account of unresponsive care back in
on their expertise and perspective. fate to the tender mercies of Pakistan 2006 as described in “Recovery: When
Eighmy rightly credits the team’s and, particularly, the ISI. Survival Isn’t Enough” by Rachel
director, Larry Crandall, for the team’s Twenty years later, it is vital that we Schneller (January), who experienced
accomplishments, though he himself not abandon Afghanistan again. exposure trauma while serving abroad.
deserves much credit. But Eighmy Edmund McWilliams I hope more options were offered to
does not mention one area of the FSO, retired her than are listed in the article. As a
team’s work which was to my mind White Oaks, N.M. therapist and former ECS staff mem-
important: building from scratch a de- ber, I offer a sincere apology to any
mining effort that undoubtedly saved Remembering Dick Scissors employee who believes that their
many Afghan lives. The appreciation of the life of Dick PTSD treatment needs have gone
Eighmy describes the team’s “good Scissors in the December Journal unheeded.
relations” with Pakistani intelligence brought back fond memories. Mr. From time to time the institutional
(the Inter-Services Intelligence Di- Scissors was consul general in Cape memory of the State Department
rectorate). However, I recall from my Town during the middle 1980s, when wavers, but there has been a con-
time there (August 1988 to July 1989) I served at Consulate General Johan- sistent commitment to employee
that the ISI, with full backing from the nesburg. I made several reporting health and wellness by MED and
U.S. embassy, periodically sought to trips to Cape Town during that period ECS. During the years I served as a
manipulate aid flows to serve political and Dick was invariably helpful and clinical social worker in the Employee
purposes. In the fall of 1988, there generous with his time. Consultation Service, the other clini-
8 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008LETTERS
cal social workers and I assisted Beirut employees and family members and the welfare of its employees. I
bombing victims, Iranian and Kuwaiti offered pre-departure training for encourage all employees to persist in
hostages, evacuees from Rwanda and high-risk posts. We were available for utilizing these services for themselves
other posts, those who experienced follow-up on an as-needed basis. And and their family members, and in
natural disasters while serving abroad at no time was medical information lobbying vigorously for policy change
and those who were individual targets shared with Diplomatic Security. when it is needed. It is the least that is
of crime or terrorism. Dr. Raymond De Castro’s article owed those professionals who serve
We were well trained in PTSD and on PTSD in the same issue was written with sacrifice and represent all of us.
the strategies to mitigate it. We of- before the release of important new Rita Siebenaler, Licensed
fered expert short-term counseling, information recently provided by the Clinical Social Worker
support groups and referrals to military, the Institute of Medicine and MED/ECS Staff, 1984-1994
employees and to their families. We the U.S. Department of Veterans Arlington, Va.
provided this assistance in person in Affairs in the January 2008 issue of the
our offices at State, SA-1 and FSI, and American Psychological Association’s Human Rights
also consulted by phone and, in those Monitor on Psychology. We now and the Courts
days, by cable. We routinely referred know that the manifestation of PTSD Responding to Craig Murray’s
employees to appropriate treatment may, in fact, be delayed and some of excellent article “The Folly of a Short-
providers and maintained contact un- the treatments previously thought to Term Approach” in the September
til we were assured that the employee be effective are not. Journal, I would say that no progress
felt that the help was sufficient. The good news is that treatments can be made on human rights in the
Along with MED psychiatrists, we for PTSD are available and that the U.S. or overseas until the composition
also did outreach to affected groups of department appears recommitted to of the Reagan-Bush Supreme Court is
Home Suite Home
The next time you’re going to be in DC for an extended stay, make yourself at home at
Georgetown Suites. With our discounted monthly rates and large, comfortable suites,
you’ll feel right at home. Plus we’re near the State Department. Call today!
Georgetown Suites
www.georgetownsuites.com
sales@georgetownsuites.com
the fun place to stay in DC 1-800-348-7203
MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 9LETTERS
changed. I suggest that the future A number of current and former stories over time; and, with their loss,
President Clinton pack the Supreme volunteers recently organized “Peace important details about the experience
Court with 11 justices as FDR wanted Corps at 50” to honor the upcoming may also be lost.
to do. The Reagan-Bushites’ recrudes- anniversary. We are now actively We are, therefore, looking for well-
cence in the lower federal courts seeking nonfiction stories to include in told tales that reflect the entire range
should be dealt with by limiting a four-book 50th-anniversary project. of experiences in the Peace Corps —
federal judges to 10-year terms. The four volumes — Africa and the whether uplifting, scary or ethically
David E. Henderson Middle East; After the Cold War murky — including the familiar
FSO, retired (focusing on Central Asia and Eastern dilemma of just what you do when
El Paso, Texas Europe); Asia and the Pacific; and presented with a plate of freshly fried
Central America, South America and crickets by a smiling girl from Chad.
Call for the Caribbean — will feature Complete information on the pro-
Peace Corps Stories contributions from past and present ject and the editors’ and writers’
In three years the Peace Corps will volunteers, staff and instructors. guidelines is available at www.peace
be 50 years old. I know there are Everyone who has served in the corpsat50.org. The deadline for
many ex-volunteers among active- Peace Corps has a story. We tell them submission is April 1, 2008. I urge
duty and retired FSOs; indeed, it has when we get together; indeed, our anyone interested to visit the Web site
become something of an old-school tie families know them only too well. We and contribute his or her own story.
within State and USAID. I thought sometimes share them during job Bernard Alter
some might be interested in the pro- interviews and when we meet new FSO, retired
ject described below. friends. But we can lose even the best Washington, D.C
10 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008CYBERNOTES
Rent-a-Corps? local citizens alike.
rotecting our nation from the
The Department of Defense is
working on a $19 million pilot project
to create a new corps of individuals
P dangers of a new century
requires more than good intelli-
After a decade of lobbying by the
families of the victims, on Oct. 2 the
House of Representatives passed
fluent in critical foreign languages gence and a strong military. It the Foreign Service Victims of Ter-
who could be called upon in an emer- rorism Act of 2007 (H.R. 2828)
also requires changing the con-
gency (www.govexec.com). If all almost unanimously. The legislation
goes according to the 2007 Defense ditions that breed resentment institutionalizes a comprehensive
Authorization Act mandate, at least and allow extremists to prey on compensation scheme for the vic-
1,000 people will be members of the despair. So America is using its tims of the 1998 attacks. The mea-
National Language Service Corps by influence to build a freer, more sure also enhances death-gratuity
2010. hopeful and more compassion- compensation provisions for current
So far, a concept of operations, Foreign Service employees killed by
ate world. This is a reflection of
including how to recruit, test and cer- acts of terror.
tify people with foreign language skills our national interest; it is the The measure is, however, stalled in
has been determined, DOD Director calling of our conscience. the Senate. After it passed through
of the National Security Language — President George W. Bush, committee, a hold was placed on the
Program Robert Slater told Govern- floor by an unnamed senator for rea-
in his Jan. 28 State of the
ment Executive on Jan. 15, and the sons unknown, according to AFSA’s
Union address, www.white
list of languages deemed critical is sources.
being finalized. Arabic — “a heavily house.gov/news/releases/ In a Jan. 29 op-ed in the Washing-
recruited language already,” says 2008/01/20080128-13.html ton Times, Howard C. Kavaler, a
Slater — will not be on the list, how- retired Foreign Service officer and
ever. representative of the victims’ families
Incentives for recruitment include, stand how [other agencies] can use who lost his own wife, FS officer
according to Slater, competitive com- this corps of people and bring them in Prabhi Kavaler, in Nairobi, excoriates
pensation and the advantage of being when there are national needs.” the State Department’s lack of sup-
identified with an organization that port for the legislation.
values foreign-language skills, as well A Step for FS Victims “Absent a comprehensive program
as the use of government-funded soft- of Terrorism to compensate Foreign Service vic-
ware to maintain those skills. On Aug. 7, 1998, terrorists target- tims of international terrorism,” he
According to Gail McGinn, deputy ed the American embassies in Nairobi writes (www.washingtontimes.com),
undersecretary of Defense for plans and Dar es Salaam. It was the most “is it no small wonder that members
and head of the Defense Senior devastating attack ever launched of the Foreign Service with familial
Language Authority, the project has against any U.S. diplomatic facilities responsibilities are not beating down
benefits for the rest of the govern- and, arguably, the opening of al- the doors to serve in wartorn areas?”
ment even though it’s being run with- Qaida’s global offensive against the
in DOD. West. More than 5,000 individuals Foreign Policy and the
“We looked at other agencies to were seriously wounded, and 224 2008 Elections
determine what their needs might be,” people lost their lives — Foreign Ser- With primary campaigns shifting
she said. “We’re working to under- vice, Foreign Service Nationals and gears and the choices in the Novem-
MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 11CYBERNOTES
ber election becoming clearer, it’s not policy advisers and links to sites such
a moment too soon to review the as Real Clear Politics that are moni-
many excellent Internet resources to toring the election process, as well as
help voters choose the right candi- related material on foreign policy-
date. For those who want to make making.
sure they choose a candidate who will
get foreign policy right, in particular, An Urgent Call to Action on
there are a number of helpful sites. Transformational Diplomacy
The Foreign Policy Association’s On Jan. 30, Secretary of State
“Forum for the 2008 Presidential Condoleezza Rice’s Advisory Com-
Election” is a blog that will follow mittee on Transformational Diplo-
developments leading up to the macy presented its final report (www.
November contest, focusing specifi- state.gov/secretary/diplomacy/).
cally on foreign policy and interna- This bipartisan group of lawmakers,
tional affairs issues (http://elect academics, businessmen, FSOs and
ion.foreignpolicyblogs.com/). other foreign policy professionals, led
Hosted by Erin Dian Dumbacher by former Senator John Breaux and
and Mark Dillen, a former senior former Governor John Engler, began
FSO with the State Department, the work in June 2006. Its recommenda-
blog offers candidates’ profiles, with tions are now offered as the basis for
major issues and notable quotes, as action to ensure that American diplo-
well as updated commentaries and macy can effectively meet the chal-
news in more than a dozen categories. lenges of the 21st century.
The Council on Foreign Relations’ Among the recommendations
“Campaign 2008” page features links agreed to unanimously by committee
to a wide variety of news and views on members is a call for “ultimately”
the campaign focused on issues of doubling the work force of the State
international policy (www.cfr.org/ Department and USAID; creating an
campaign2008/index.html). With integrated Global Affairs Strategic
daily analysis, profiles of candidates’ Plan and Budget to facilitate align-
policies and links to relevant speeches ment, joint planning and rational
and the debates, as well as features funding of all government overseas
tracking specific issues such as immi- activities; consolidating the technolo-
gration and nonproliferation, links to gy infrastructure by building a world-
selected polls and election “must class knowledge-management capa-
reads,” the site has much to offer. bility and institutionalizing innova-
Also providing an array of useful tion; developing strategic public-pri-
links is About.com’s “Presidential vate partnerships; consolidating sel-
Candidates and U.S. Foreign Policy” ected bureaus and offices and driving
(http://usforeignpolicy.about.co decisionmaking authority downward;
m/od/2008presidentialrace/a/20 and strengthening performance mea-
08potus.htm). Keith Porter, the surement and analysis (www.state.
director of communication and out- gov/documents/organization/
reach and executive radio producer 99903.pdf).
for the Stanley Foundation and Before introducing individual com-
About.com’s guide for U.S. foreign mittee members attending the cere-
policy, maintains this page. mony, Sec. Rice welcomed the rec-
In addition to profiles of the candi- ommendations. In fact, her office
dates and their positions on various had already begun acting on them,
foreign policy issues, this site contains she said, pointing to the recent cre-
a link to lists of the candidates’ foreign ation of the Global Partnership Cen-
12 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008CYBERNOTES
That the committee felt its mission
50 Years Ago... to be critical is clear throughout the
report, which concludes: “Urgent
Expanding and diversified overseas activities, public and pri- steps are needed to ensure that the
vate, of our energetic nation mean today that 1 percent of all Department of State has the financial
Americans are living in foreign countries and that all government agencies have and human resources necessary to
interests and responsibilities in this microcosm. In this radically changed post- effectively represent America’s inter-
war environment State cannot, although admittedly with prime responsibility in ests in an increasingly complex world.
the foreign field, singly muster the cohesive pull upon its various peers in The committee believes that its rec-
Washington. ommendations represent a rare and
critically important opportunity for
— Roy M. Melbourne, “Coordination for Action: On the Operations bipartisan institutional reform of our
Coordinating Board,” FSJ, March 1958. foreign affairs institutions. Seizing
this opportunity is an urgent Ameri-
can imperative.”
ter to actively engage the private sec- times approach,” she added. Kenya: Understanding
tor, schools and universities, NGOs In his remarks, retired Ambassador the Election Crisis
and private individuals in the work of Thomas Pickering, who served as co- More than a month after the dis-
diplomacy. chair of the committee’s State De- puted Dec. 27 national election, with
“This is a critical national security partment in 2025 Working Group, more than 250,000 people displaced
priority, and to succeed we will need pointed out that the report increases and about 1,000 dead, unrelenting
the support of the Congress, the the department’s already great re- violence threatens to unravel one of
American people and of concerned sponsibility, giving the Secretary of Africa’s leading nations.
men and women throughout the coun- State four separate organizational At this writing, former United
try,” Rice declared. “We will be saying hats: diplomacy, foreign assistance, Nations chief Kofi Annan had made
more about the need for support from public diplomacy and reconstruction some progress in bringing President
Congress in the next month as budget and stabilization. Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader
Raila Odinga into a structured dia-
logue that aims to resolve immediate
Site of the Month: political issues within four weeks.
www.overseasvotefoundation.org Annan confidently asserted that the
Overseas Americans have a unique new advantage in this year’s election in damage caused by prolonged chaos
the form of the Overseas Vote Foundation and its one-stop, free online and destruction could be resolved in a
resource (www.overseasvotefoundation.org). A nonprofit founded in year.
2005 with the help of a grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts and run on a It is, by all estimates, a tall order, as
volunteer basis since then, OVF’s mission is to increase overseas and uniformed Annan knows. “We must tackle the
services voter access to registration and associated services by safely leveraging fundamental issues underlying the
the Internet. disturbances — like equitable distrib-
The OVF Web site, launched last October, helps guide overseas voters ution of resources — or else we will
through the maze of rules to successfully register and participate in federal be back here again after three or four
elections. OVF promises to do this “faster, more easily and accurately than years,” he told journalists in Nairobi.
ever before” with a user-friendly registration and absentee voter application, an The December election pitted
election officials directory and a voters’ help desk. The site also offers updated Kibaki’s Party of National Unity
news on overseas voting and links to nonpartisan information on candidates against Odinga’s Orange Democratic
and issues. Movement. In addition to the presi-
An estimated four to six million Americans, civilian and military, live and dential contest, more than 2,500 can-
work abroad. Yet a federal study in September found that barely one-third of didates vied for 210 seats in the
the nearly one million absentee ballots requested by Americans overseas in National Assembly. Members of local
2006 were actually cast or counted. councils were also elected. The turn-
out was the highest on record, about
MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 13CYBERNOTES
70 percent of those registered. And it Press Service. serves that a stable and prosperous
was apparently “free and fair” until Kikuyus, who constitute 22 per- Kenya raises the prospects for peace
the last stage, when vote tallying at cent of Kenya’s population and who and development in Uganda, Rwan-
polling stations in more than 35 dominated the post-independence da, Eastern Congo and southern Sud-
parliamentary constituencies broke administration of Jomo Kenyatta, an. Kenyans are being tested to the
down. Kibaki was re-elected with a were favored with loans to purchase limit by the current crisis; yet if a deal
230,000-vote margin. the land left by departing British colo- can be reached, including at least
Though the election dispute ap- nials. As a result, they hold most of minimal constitutional reforms, they
parently follows ethnic lines — with the country’s land, even in the midst may eventually look back on the
Kibaki, a Kikuyu, representing that of other tribes and especially in the events of the first week of January
dominant ethnic group and Odinga, a fertile Rift Valley, which has been the 2008 as the time when their country
Luo, representing the Luo and other, focus of turmoil in every wave of elec- turned the corner and became an
smaller groups — the reality is more toral violence Kenya has witnessed example for the rest of Africa.
complex (http://allafrica.com/stor since introducing a multiparty system There are a number of valuable
ies/200801290020.html). “Access in 1992. online resources for information and
to land, housing and water are the real Nairobi exemplifies the larger, un- analysis of Kenya and the current cri-
issues that appear in the guise of eth- derlying problem: there are no mid- sis. On Jan. 10, the Woodrow Wilson
nicity and are triggered by political dle-class neighborhoods, only slums International Center for Scholars, in
disputes,” a Danish aid worker who and posh localities. Though Kibaki’s collaboration with the Center for
was part of an emergency assessment administration from 2002 to 2006 is Strategic and International Studies,
team in the Rift Valley, told the Inter credited with boosting tourism and brought together a panel of speakers
reaching a per capita economic growth to assess the current situation and dis-
rate of 6 percent in 2006, that is not cuss options for the international
the whole story. The gap between the community to respond to the crisis.
few rich and the vast majority of mar- You can view this event, moderated by
ginalized citizens has widened over Ambassador Johnnie Carson, a retired
the past decade, statistics show. For FSO and ambassador to Kenya from
the majority of the population, the 1999 to 2003, at the Wilson Center
availability of housing and fresh water Web site (www.wilsoncenter.org).
are still urgent, daily concerns. For background, see “Understand-
The way out of the crisis, according ing Kenya” by Garrett Jones (www.fp
to CSIS analyst Joel Barkan (http:// ri.org/enotes/200801.jones.unde
forums.csis.org/africa/?cat=7), rstandingkenya.html) and “Break-
will ultimately depend on Kenya’s ing the Stalemate in Kenya” by Joel
political class recognizing what civil D. Barkan (www.csis.org/media/
society and the diplomatic communi- csis/pubs/080108_kenya_crisis.p
ty has made clear — that Kenya is at df). The Council on Foreign Rela-
the proverbial fork in the road. One tions also provides background and
path leads to continued chaos and the current analysis (www.cfr.org/pub
loss of much of what the country has lication/15322/understanding_ke
gained since the reintroduction of nyas_politics.html).
multiparty politics in 1992, and espe- To follow news developments in
cially since the end of the Daniel Arap Kenya, go to www.allafrica.com.
Moi regime in 2002. The other leads The BBC online also carried regular
to the consolidation of democracy, news and feature articles with links to
renewed economic development and background material at http://news.
the continued emergence of Kenya as bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/.
one of the most significant countries
in Africa. This edition of Cybernotes was
As the anchor state of greater East compiled by Senior Editor Susan
Africa, Kenya matters. Barkan ob- Brady Maitra.
14 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008SPEAKING OUT
Member of Household Policy: Failing Our Families
BY MICHAEL GUEST
L
ast November I left the management duties seriously, it
Foreign Service, frustrated by If this administration would have instituted a thorough re-
the State Department’s con- took its management view of MOH policy at some point
tinued failure to revise Member of within its seven years in office. Some
Household policy to reflect the needs duties seriously, it long-overdue revisions should be ap-
of today’s diplomacy and to support would have instituted plied to all MOH categories. For
the families who accompany us in our a thorough review of instance, common sense would surely
duties abroad. MOH policy at some dictate that all Foreign Service
Certainly I never felt ostracism community members be required to
from any of my colleagues, Foreign point within its seven take the Security Overseas Seminar,
or Civil Service, over the fact that I years in office. so they can learn how to avoid ter-
am gay. I very much miss being part rorist threats and intelligence traps.
of the State Department team, and I
miss serving my country in mean-
Yet incredibly, Members of House-
hold are not even allowed to enroll
ingful and tangible ways. My partner for that training, no matter how many
felt the same sense of mission that I spaces are open in the classroom.
did, even moving to a more portable While all MOHs deserve greater
career — in no small part to support was announced in a Dec. 26, 2000, consideration, my particular focus
me in my chosen profession. cable from Secretary of State Made- has been on the unequal treatment
But let’s be clear. MOH policy is leine Albright in one of her final acts. accorded gay and lesbian employees
strikingly out of date with today’s The designation embraces a wide and their partners. After all, parents
workplace dangers, realities and range of individuals: aging parents, who are more than 50-percent
needs. And by not taking action, Sec- adult children and unmarried part- financially dependent on a Foreign
retary of State Condoleezza Rice ners, both straight and gay. All Service employee can be added to
and her senior management team MOHs are allowed to accompany travel orders. Adult, non-dependent
are putting lives at risk. They’re im- their loved ones to any overseas children might be expected to carry
pairing the effectiveness of our posting where spouses and children their own weight in a grown-up’s
diplomatic platforms. They sanction are able to reside with Foreign world. And while some (including
workplace inequalities, in spite of Service employees. me) believe it unwise for personnel
the equal service requirements we Current policy essentially gives policies to force marriage on a young,
all share. And they stand against the ambassadors leeway, within heavily untempered relationship, straight
principles of equality, fairness and drawn limitations, to make modest couples at least have the option of
respect for diversity on which Ameri- accommodations for Members of marriage, by which they can obtain
ca was founded — principles Ameri- Household in our overseas diploma- the spousal benefits that MOHs are
ca’s diplomats are charged with pro- tic communities. Variations abound barred from receiving.
moting abroad. from post to post; in all cases, though, In contrast, gay and lesbian em-
MOH treatment is vastly inferior to ployees are caught in an impossibly
A Catch-22 that accorded “Eligible Family Mem- unfair Catch-22. Though they can-
The creation of “Members of bers.” not marry, their partners are, like
Household” as an official category If this administration took its spouses, core family members. The
MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 15SPEAKING OUT
department’s choice to make mar- having witnessed in Birmingham,
riage the fulcrum on which training, Ala., as a child. But these policies
protections and benefits are bestow- Why is discrimination, nonetheless are discriminatory —
ed thus discriminates against a group and all the more so because the only
of employees who have no recourse, in any form or degree, remedy offered (marriage) is not
yet whose service commitments are available to gay and lesbian employ-
identical in every way to those of tolerated in the ees. Why is discrimination, in any
their straight colleagues. form or degree, tolerated in the
institution that institution that this Secretary leads?
Real Impact
Consider the real impact of the this Secretary of A Leadership Deficit
department’s outdated MOH policy. Those who lead our public in-
Security. Partners aren’t offered State leads? stitutions are accountable for addres-
the protections that diplomatic pass- sing problems that impede the safety,
ports afford. They aren’t guaranteed effectiveness and morale of their
access to embassy medical facilities, organizations. If they truly care about
even in places where State’s own keeping talent, they should want to
medical professionals consider local duty in Iraq and elsewhere, their catch up with America’s private sec-
facilities inadequate. Under current partners don’t receive the separate tor, which is so far ahead of the
rules, Members of Household would maintenance allowances that spouses federal government in these matters.
not be given Tamiflu in an avian flu receive. Are our service and our For three years, a succession of
outbreak, thereby inviting vulner- families’ sacrifices of lesser value? senior State Department “leaders”
ability into our households. And in Although State now generously reim- have told me that I’m absolutely right
places where dangers and uncer- burses the transportation of pets to to call for revisions to MOH policy,
tainty are facts of life, the govern- and from post, gay and lesbian but that the issues are complex.
ment offers gay and lesbian employ- employees’ partners must pay their Recently, they’ve taken to pointing
ees no assurance that their families, own way — a telling suggestion that out that the department doesn’t dis-
too, will be evacuated in hostile the department values domesticated criminate in hiring and promotions.
situations or imminent danger. animals more than it does our family What a clever dodge! That’s never, in
Effectiveness. Partners of am- members. Similarly, visa support for fact, been charged. Rather, it’s State’s
bassadors and deputy chiefs of partners is not offered. discriminatory treatment of a group
mission aren’t allowed to sit in other- As ambassador to Romania, I was of employees that’s at issue, as rights
wise vacant Foreign Service Institute interrogated by a Republican Hill and protections are being accorded
seats to learn the informal com- staffer as to whether my partner’s to families on the basis of a criterion
munity leadership roles expected of socks and underwear were carried to that gay and lesbian employees can in
them — a deficit that’s detrimental post in my household effects ship- no way meet.
not only to them and to us, but to the ment or his luggage. And this was in As the late Rep. Tom Lantos, D-
communities they’re expected to the days after 9/11, when my focus Calif., chairman of the House For-
serve. Partners aren’t taught the lan- needed to be on our nation’s security eign Affairs Committee, said on Dec.
guage and culture of the country in needs. Should anyone have to 19, 2007, with specific reference to
which they, as much as spouses, will endure such demeaning treatment? the Foreign Service: “There is no
cast impressions of America through Diversity. Although Sec. Rice rational explanation for a same-sex
their daily interactions. Without and other senior department leaders domestic partner to be treated as a
spouse-equivalent priority for post say they value diversity, their inat- second-class citizen. … These dedica-
employment, partners can’t compete tention to these matters renders that ted men and women serve their
fairly for jobs for which they may be claim hollow at best. No one, of country, yet our government does not
ideally qualified — depriving mis- course, would suggest that the dis- honor the basic rights of the benefits
sions of the talent match they should criminatory workplace policies I’ve they have earned for themselves and
be seeking. described compare even remotely in their families.”
Service equity. When gay and scope or magnitude to the discrim- The State Department’s failure to
lesbian employees answer the call to ination that she so often recounts address these issues reflects, quite
16 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008SPEAKING OUT
The State
Department’s failure
to address these issues
reflects, quite bluntly,
a seventh-floor
leadership deficit.
bluntly, a seventh-floor leadership
deficit. It’s time for the department
to step up to its leadership responsi-
bilities to colleagues who give our
country their best, yet who are
denied the equal and fair treatment
promised by the flag under which
they serve.
Michael Guest, a Foreign Service offi-
cer from 1981 to 2007, served as
ambassador to Romania (2001-2004),
among many other postings.
Have something to
speak out about?
Send your
“Speaking Out”
column to:
journal@afsa.org.
Note that all
submissions are
subject to editing
for style,
format and length.
MARCH 2008/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 17IN RESPONSE
Toward a Post-2012 Approach to Climate Change
BY PAULA J. DOBRIANSKY
L
ast month’s issue of the For- addressing the challenges of climate
eign Service Journal usefully The United States is change. In the months ahead, we are
highlighted one of the great committed to working firmly committed to advancing the
challenges confronting us in the 21st United Nations-sponsored negotia-
century: global climate change. hard over the next two tions, including a serious and detailed
As understanding of this issue con- years to ensure that contribution to those negotiations
tinues to grow, so, too, does under- the Bali roadmap is through the president’s Major Econo-
standing of the means to address it. mies Process by this summer.
U.S. climate change policy has been fully implemented.
one of constant innovation, action and
flexibility. In his first major speech on Leading by Example
The United States is already lead-
the subject in June 2001, President ing by example, with ambitious nation-
George W. Bush said, “We will act, global, comprehensive and effective al targets for reducing emissions. We
learn and act again, adjusting our approach to climate change. have set mandatory targets in such
approaches as science advances and We had three objectives going into sectors as fuel efficiency and appli-
technology evolves.” the talks: to launch the negotiation ance efficiency. In addition, Pres.
Armed with the recent findings of process; to reach consensus on a com- Bush has signed the Energy Inde-
the Intergovernmental Panel on prehensive roadmap that would in- pendence and Security Act of 2007.
Climate Change, global leaders are clude meaningful actions, not only by The bill responds to the challenge of
increasingly recognizing the impor- developed countries but also by de- the “Twenty in Ten” initiative, which
tance of climate change. As a result, veloping ones; and to agree on a sch- he announced in January 2007, to re-
the world community has never been edule for the negotiations. And on duce gasoline use by 20 percent.
in a better position to create a com- each of these objectives, I am confi- The new law requires fuel produc-
prehensive, effective new path for dent we succeeded. ers to use at least 36 billion gallons of
reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Bali also reflected the importance biofuel in 2022 and sets a national fuel
providing for energy security and sup- of establishing a long-term global goal economy standard of 35 miles per gal-
porting economic prosperity. for emissions reductions, by develop- lon by 2020, which will increase fuel
December’s constructive United ing and financing clean technologies, economy standards by 40 percent and
Nations Framework Convention on assisting countries in adaptation and save billions of gallons of fuel. The
Climate Change discussions in Bali addressing deforestation. energy bill demonstrates U.S. leader-
marked the beginning of a process For the first time in such negotia- ship in setting robust targets and will
toward creating a post-2012 arrange- tions, the developing world agreed to produce dramatic cuts in greenhouse
ment on climate change, and the consider, in the words of the roadmap, gas emissions.
United States is already engaging “measurable, reportable and verifi- As the international community
enthusiastically and constructively in able” actions to mitigate climate develops a new post-2012 approach,
this important work. change. It was in large measure due the United States will continue to
We worked tirelessly in Bali with to the efforts of the United States that highlight several key elements that
both developed and developing coun- developing countries made this must be addressed in any successful
tries to reach consensus, and we wel- unprecedented commitment in Bali. climate arrangement: comprehen-
come the resulting roadmap. We Overall, the results in Bali were a win, siveness, respect for diverse circum-
view it as a critically important first not just for the United States, but for stances and efforts, the accelerated
step in the process of achieving a all participants committed to seriously uptake of clean technologies, sustain-
18 FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL/MARCH 2008You can also read
