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P U B L I S H E D BY T H E A M E R I CA N F O R E I G N S E R V I C E A S S O C I AT I O N M AY 2 0 2 1
ARCTIC DIPLOMACY
CLOSING THE
EDUCATION GAP
RAQQA’S INFERNO
FOREIGN
SERVICE May 2021 Volume 98, No. 4
Cover Story
Focus on Arctic Diplomacy
20
Revitalizing State—
Closing the Education Gap
To reclaim leadership in handling
international problems, State
must increase investment in
professional development of its
greatest asset: its people.
B y D a v i d C . M i l l e r J r. ,
Thomas R. Pickering
and Rand Beers
24 34
Feature Advancing U.S. Setting Up Shop in Nuuk
Diplomacy in the Arctic In June 2020 U.S. diplomats
Despite challenges posed by Russia reestablished a consulate in
46 and China, the Biden administration Greenland in what is now a fast-
has a chance to further constructive, growing city that is coming into its
Raqqa’s Inferno— cooperative relations among nations own as a center for Arctic issues.
A Diplomat Reads concerned with the Arctic. By Eavan Cully
Dante in Syria By David Balton
For this FSO, Dante’s imagery
in The Inferno seemed to capture
the depth of suffering and
38
destruction he saw. 30 Toward a
By William Roebuck A Balanced Approach Sustainable Arctic
to the Arctic— Iceland has worked to address
A Conversation with priority challenges—economic
growth, social inclusion and
U.S. Coordinator for
FS Heritage the Arctic Region
environmental protection—during its
chairmanship of the Arctic Council.
James P. DeHart By Einar Gunnarsson
53 The Arctic is a place of cross-cutting
interests—security, science and
A Victory Against
McCarthy—The Bohlen
economic development, among
others—and the different pieces
42
Confirmation need to fit together. Arctic Exceptionalism
Nominated as U.S. ambassador to Can the Arctic’s unique distinction
Moscow by President Eisenhower, as a zone of peace be maintained?
Charles E. Bohlen met resistance “The Arctic Senator” explains
head-on from Republican senators what it will take.
during the Red Scare. By Lisa Murkowski
By Av i s B o h l e n
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2021 5
FOREIGN
SERVICE
Perspectives
Departments
7 84 10 Letters
President’s Views Reflections
Our Priorities—and Yours Rescuing a Peace Corps 11 Talking Points
By Eric Rubin Volunteer in Sarh
69 In Memory
B y Pe t e r H a rd i n g
9 74 Books
Letter from the Editor 86
Arctic Diplomacy Briefing Local Lens
By Shawn Dorman Koh Samui, Thailand
B y To m Fe n t o n
17 Marketplace
Speaking Out
How the 1619 Project 76 Lodging
Can Help Public Diplomacy
78 Real Estate
B y J o h n Fe r
82 Classifieds
83 Index to Advertisers
AFSA NEWS THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION
59 Inside Diplomacy Event: 65 AFSA Announces New School Partnership
Boosting America’s Global Presence 66 V
iew from Washington Webinar:
60 State VP Voice—The Importance of A Foreign Service Ripe for Change
Leadership Training 66 FSI Leadership Course Offerings in FY21
61 USAID VP Voice—What a Difference a Year Makes 67 AFSA Outreach: A Full Slate of Events
61 Foreign Service Spouses: Share Your Stories! 68 Biden Administration
62 Retiree VP Voice—Staying Connected with Issues Workforce Protection
Colleagues Guidance
62 Annual Report: Legal Defense Fund 68 AFSA Governing Board
63 AFSA Webinar: Fostering Constructive Dissent Meeting, March 17, 2021
64 Diplomats at Work: Telling Foreign Service Stories
64 W
ebinar: All About Federal Long Term Care
Insurance 59
On the Cover—The Arctic Region. Map by U.S. Department of State, 2015.
6 MAY 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL
PRESIDENT’S VIEWS
Our Priorities—and Yours
BY ERIC RUBIN
T
his is a time of positive and American people. We need to resume officers used to play a major role in policy
hopeful change. AFSA welcomes our position as the world’s biggest and formation, not only in the departments
the public commitment of most influential diplomatic and foreign and agencies but also on the National
President Biden to work coop- assistance corps. Security Council staff. While the erosion
eratively and constructively with federal We must ensure that we have suf- of influence did not start with the Trump
unions, federal employee groups and the ficient time and resources for training administration, it certainly was exacer-
entire federal workforce to deliver results and professional education throughout bated under a president who saw career
to the American people we serve. our careers. We need to address the public servants as the “deep state.”
We have been pleased to see a signifi- concerns of all members of our Service: Our colleagues are now back at the
cant number of active-duty career officers single, tandem, married, employees with table where they belong, offering the
nominated for and appointed to senior children, and employees with disabili- benefit of their extensive experience to
leadership positions, and we hope to see ties, to name a few. our elected policymakers who ulti-
many more in the months to come. A Foreign Service that feels appreci- mately make the decisions. We hope to
Our Service, across all six depart- ated and well supported is a Service that see many more from the career Service
ments and agencies, faces a daunting will stay and do the best possible job for named to senior positions this year, with
set of challenges in the areas of morale, the American people. the balance restored between political
diversity, recruitment, inclusion, reten- Diversity, Inclusion and Equity: In and career ambassadors.
tion, resources, promotions, evaluations, recent months, AFSA has conducted a We will also insist that all political
assignments and benefits. Here I would series of member town halls across the appointees be fully qualified, not simply
like to highlight some of our top priorities globe in addition to deep-dive consulta- appointed in exchange for campaign
for the rest of 2021 and beyond. tions with employee affinity groups at donations.
Morale and Retention: The best way to both State and USAID, starting with the Equality of Benefits: There is no
stem the uptick in attrition (which varies Thursday Luncheon Group, the first State reason why members of the Foreign
greatly by agency, specialty and grade) Department affinity group (est. 1973). Service should be denied full overseas
is to address the systemic problems our Our goal is to draw up a list of objectives comparability pay, denied in-state col-
members report to us daily. We need to and suggested reforms based on the best lege tuition for their kids in their state of
fix the problems in our workplace culture thinking and analysis from our member- residence, denied their full pensions if
and in the way people are treated. ship and from the affinity groups. they take a Civil Service position with the
This is not just about bias and dis- We will be sharing our ideas with you, federal government after retirement, or
crimination, although that occurs all too with members of Congress and with the denied the ability to break leases and cell
often. It is also about building a culture leadership of all the foreign affairs agen- phone contracts without penalty when
of respect, collegiality, mutual support, cies, with a view to making significant they receive official change of station
shared commitment progress toward a Service that is truly orders. We will work hard to get redress
and accountability. representative of our country. on these issues this year.
The Foreign A Seat at the Big Table: The Foreign These are just some of the priorities
Service also needs Service Act of 1980 was written at a time on our agenda for the rest of 2021
to expand so it can when it was assumed that career officers and beyond. Please keep your ideas,
get the job done would make up a significant portion thoughts and suggestions coming to
properly for the of our top policymakers. Senior career member@afsa.org. n
Ambassador Eric Rubin is the president of the American Foreign Service Association.
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2021 7
FOREIGN
CONTACTS
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8 MAY 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Arctic Diplomacy Briefing
B Y S H AW N D O R M A N
W
elcome to your per- and his role as the first person to hold FSO John Fer, in the Speaking Out
sonal Arctic diplomacy this new position. column, “How the 1619 Project Can
primer, featuring some Intrigued by the U.S. reopening of a Help Public Diplomacy,” advocates
of the people who consulate on the island of Greenland in that U.S. diplomats do more to engage
know Arctic issues June 2020 after having closed Consulate foreign audiences on difficult topics,
best. They include “the Arctic Senator,” Godthaab (now Nuuk) in 1953, we asked problems and questions, including and
the State Department’s Coordinator the folks at the new consulate to tell us maybe especially those that we are grap-
for the Arctic Region and our friends at about “Setting Up Shop in Nuuk.” FSO pling with at home.
the newly reopened Consulate Nuuk, Eavan Cully brings us that story from the In this month’s feature, we take a
Greenland, as well as two ambassadors fast-growing center for Arctic issues and dark journey into northeastern Syria. In
(one American, one Icelandic) who activity. “Raqqa’s Inferno—A Diplomat Reads
have served on the Arctic Council. In “Toward a Sustainable Arctic,” Dante in Syria,” Ambassador (ret.) Wil-
Our timing is fortuitous as foreign Ambassador Einar Gunnarsson, chair of liam Roebuck, assigned there from 2018
ministers and special envoys head to the Arctic Council’s Senior Arctic Officials to 2020, finds that Dante’s imagery in
Reykjavík for the May 19-20 ministerial from 2019 until this month, fills us in on The Inferno captures the depth of suffer-
meeting of the council, the vehicle for how Iceland has worked to address prior- ing and destruction he saw there.
coordination and cooperation in the ity issues—economic growth, social inclu- FS Heritage takes us back to the Red
region since 1996. sion and environmental protection—dur- Scare of the 1950s and the contentious
This is an exciting and opportune ing its chairmanship of the council. but ultimately successful confirmation
time to visit Arctic issues, a time of And, finally, we are thrilled to have a process for Charles E. Bohlen to become
urgent need for multilateral efforts to view from Capitol Hill on “Arctic Excep- U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union.
combat climate change and stem the tionalism” from Senator Lisa Murkowski His daughter, Ambassador (ret.) Avis
tide of melting ice. It is also a time to of Alaska, a prominent Arctic champion. Bohlen, tells the story.
identify and home in on U.S. political, She urges that the United States treat the In Reflections, retired FSO Peter
economic, social and other national region as a “front-and-center” issue and Harding recounts the unusual day-in-
security interests and responsibilities in build capacity for serious and dedicated the-life-of-a-diplomat story of a 1997
the Arctic region. U.S. Arctic diplomacy for the future. incident in Chad in which he helped
Ambassador David Balton, now a Speaking of building capacity, our rescue a Peace Corps volunteer from
senior fellow at the Woodrow Wilson cover story takes aim at how the United Sarh.
Center’s Polar Institute, sets the scene States can reclaim a leadership position in And in the President’s Views column,
with an overview on “Advancing U.S. managing international problems. Ambas- Ambassador Eric Rubin discusses some
Diplomacy in the Arctic.” sador (ret.) David Miller Jr., Ambassador of AFSA’s current priorities, including
I was able to catch up with U.S. (ret.) Thomas Pickering and former FSO advancing diversity and boosting morale
Coordinator for the Rand Beers—all three of whom helped and retention in the U.S. Foreign Service.
Arctic Region James establish and lead the U.S. Diplomatic As this edition illustrates well
P. DeHart for a con- Studies Foundation—argue that more through the lens of Arctic diplomacy,
versation about U.S. investment in professional education for the United States is back at the table on
plans and initiatives diplomacy is essential in “Revitalizing a wide array of diplomatic efforts. We
in the Arctic today State: Closing the Education Gap.” look forward to hearing your thoughts
on how it’s going. Please write to us at
Shawn Dorman is the editor of The Foreign Service Journal. journal@afsa.org. n
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2021 9
LETTERS
Risk Management Well done, Credit is due, as well, to the Harvard
Required American Academy Belfer Center report, “A U.S. Diplomatic
Congratulations on the Ron of Diplomacy and FSJ. Service for the 21st Century” (by Nick
Neumann and Greg Starr arti- I hope that something Burns, Marc Grossman and Marcie
cle in the March FSJ, “Chang- constructive is done Ries), which suggests such a name
ing a Risk-Averse Paradigm at about security. It is change in its list of 10 actions.
High-Threat Posts Abroad”! necessary, like any tool. AFSA has a large number of major
Finally, finally, the issue Earl Kessler issues to deal with, as the “Notes” make
of the security takeover of FSO, retired clear. But this one is not only likely to
development and diplo- Santa Fe, New Mexico have a very beneficial effect; it should
macy is out in the open. The be relatively easy to implement because
cause—OK, who’s responsible—has An Excellent Suggestion it will not generate a political struggle.
been identified, and the need to change I am reasonably sure that there Ed Peck
that makes eminent sense. will be a number of comments on the Ambassador, retired
As part of the team for shelter after extensive, thoughtful, rational and rea- Chevy Chase, Maryland
the 2010 Haiti earthquake, I was given sonable collection of “Notes to the New
a map of areas that were off limits for Administration” in the March Journal. Father-Son Ambassadors
security reasons. It was almost the There is one, in particular, that prom- Further to Stephen Muller’s engaging
entire city, and so what could one do? ises to have a significantly meaningful article on father and son ambassadors
Ignore it. effect if instituted, and I would like to (“Like Father, Like Son: The Francis
We are adults. We are not foolish; very strongly support it. Ambassadorships,” March FSJ), I would
yet we also know that we need to be out On page 53, Alexander Titolo recom- add that London was host to a three-
seeing what is happening and engag- mends that the name “Foreign Service” some: John Adams (1785-1788), his son
ing with those we want and need to be changed to “United States Diplo- John Quincy Adams (1815-1817) and
work with. Had there been a rational matic Service” to give the public an his son Charles Francis Adams (1861-
approach to identifying the truly unsafe idea of what our small and out-of-sight 1868) all headed up the U.S. mission in
places, that would have been useful. organization does. London.
That Haiti experience reminded me Think about it. Many other agen- And, to add a fourth generation,
of the Sri Lankan government’s declara- cies, with names that clearly describe Charles’ son, Pulitzer Prize–winning
tion of no-build zones that made no what they do, have employees assigned author Henry Brooks Adams, was his
sense at all after the 2004 tsunami. It abroad, engaged in, yes, “foreign ser- father’s secretary during those seven
was also ignored. vice.” years in London. n
Had it been made to point out (There are other grounds for confu- Robert Fretz
the truly unsafe areas, it, too, would sion, too. When I told my boss I was FSO, retired
have been useful in working with the leaving Shell Oil to join the Foreign Edmonds, Washington
communities on relocation—always a Service, he asked why in the world I
sensitive issue. How does one relocate wanted to be in the French Army. I
fishing communities into the hills, said, “Foreign Service,” not “Foreign
miles away from their livelihood? Legion”—which, of course, went right
Share your
The issue of face time is the impor- past him.)
thoughts about
tant one, for it conveys to those we work Given that our nation is not generally
this month’s issue.
with that we are with them and need to considered to have a population broadly
work together where they are. To invite and deeply knowledgeable about and Submit letters
partners, nationals and others, as well, interested in much of the rest of the to the editor:
to come to our safe havens is only to world, the name “Diplomatic Service” journal@afsa.org
make them vulnerable and targets. would at least provide a clue.
10 MAY 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNALTALKING POINTS
Foreign Policy for the • Securing a U.S. position of leader-
American People ship in technology.
I n his first major foreign policy speech,
Secretary of State Antony Blinken
sought to connect American foreign pol-
• Managing the U.S.-China relation-
ship.
Blinken said turning around COVID-19
icy to the everyday needs of Americans. is the top priority, because no one “will
“More than at any other time in my be safe until the majority of the world is
career—maybe in my lifetime—distinc- immune.” He said the United States would
tions between domestic and foreign work with partners “to keep the global
policy have simply fallen away,” Secretary vaccination effort moving forward.” He
Blinken said in the March 4 speech at emphasized the importance of improving
the State Department. “Our domestic the economy, noting that the pandemic
STATE DEPARTMENT
renewal and our strength in the world are has “laid bare inequalities” in America.
completely entwined. And how we work “So we’ve got a double challenge:
will reflect that reality.” to protect Americans from a lengthy
Secretary Blinken said the Biden Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks downturn, and to make sure the global
on March 4 at the State Department.
administration is setting foreign policy economy delivers security and opportu-
priorities by asking three questions: nity for as many Americans as possible in
“What will our foreign policy mean for • Turning around the economic the long term,” he said.
American workers and their families? crisis and building “a more stable, Blinken stressed the importance of
What do we need to do around the world inclusive global economy.” developing a “just plain decent solution”
to make us stronger here at home? And • Renewing democracy, which is to immigration problems. The United
what do we need to do at home to make under threat. States must adhere to its core principles
us stronger in the world?” • Creating a “humane and effective in the immigration discussion, he said,
In his speech, Blinken outlined eight immigration system.” adding that “cruelty, especially to chil-
priorities: • Revitalizing ties with U.S. allies and dren, is unacceptable.”
• Stopping COVID-19 and strength- partners. View the speech at bit.ly/blinken-
ening global health security. • Tackling climate change. speech.
Truman Center Offers and former State Depart- retention of employees from under-
Midlevel Perspectives ment officials. represented groups, and strengthen
on Reform The report recom- and enforce accountability for super-
T he United States has a “once-in-a-
generation opportunity to remake
the State Department” by making it
mends strengthening
equity and transpar-
ency in promotions and
visors who are the subject of harass-
ment investigations.
The report’s authors also advo-
more inclusive and innovative, says a assignments at State by cate creation of an entry program for
new report from the Truman Center for ensuring gender parity and midcareer Foreign Service specialists
National Policy. racial equity in promotion panels; pilot- focusing on new areas such as global
“Transforming State: Pathways to a ing blind review in employee evaluation health, technology, data literacy and
More Just, Equitable, and Innovative reports; and conducting a data-driven climate change.
Institution” is the latest of many reports analysis on barriers to promotion. Noting that knowledge of diplomacy
recommending reforms for State. It It calls for empowering the State and global affairs outside foreign policy
is different, however, in that it was Department’s new chief diversity officer circles is sorely lacking, the report recom-
authored by dozens of midlevel current to dismantle barriers to recruitment and mends establishing an “Office of State and
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2021 11Continuing USAID’s Record HEARD ON THE HILL Foreign Service Families Act
USAID has a successful record of responding to Senator Sullivan and I [will] soon be
emergencies, and we will count on the next Admin- reintroducing legislation we introduced
istrator to put dollars provided for humanitarian last year, the Foreign Service Families Act.
assistance to good use. The agency has also done It’s to provide Foreign Service spouses
tremendous work in combatting food insecurity, and families serving overseas with the
expanding access to water, and empowering same opportunities that we rightly
women to participate in their economies. provide now to military spouses.
—Senator James Risch (R-Idaho), ranking —Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.),
member of the Senate Foreign Relations at the SFRC nomination hearing for
JOSH
Committee, at the March 23 confirmation hearing Brian McKeon on March 3.
for USAID Administrator Samantha Power.
Local Diplomacy” to expand diplomatic Filling Top Jobs holds on top nominees in March, say-
engagement across the United States.
“This office would serve as the connec-
tive tissue between state and local officials,
T he Biden administration and Con-
gress are slowly filling top foreign
policy positions, with nominations lag-
ing he would lift them only when the
State Department said it would punish
entities involved in the Nord Stream 2
urban and rural communities, and foreign ging for many senior posts at the State Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline.
policy leaders at the federal level,” the Department and USAID. Cruz released his hold on Brian
report states, and it would help make On March 26 President Biden McKeon—and the Senate unanimously
foreign policy more relevant to America’s announced his intent to nominate confirmed him for Deputy Secretary for
middle class. two career FSOs to top positions at management and resources on March
The report also recommends the State: Daniel J. Kritenbrink as assistant 18—but said he would maintain the
establishment of an “Office of Innovation secretary for East Asian and Pacific hold on Deputy Secretary nominee
Diplomacy,” connecting “decentralized affairs (EAP), and Brian A. Nichols Wendy Sherman until further sanctions
innovation hubs across the country.” as assistant secretary for Western are imposed against ships and compa-
In her introductory letter, Truman Hemisphere affairs (WHA). nies involved in the pipeline.
Center CEO and President Jenna Ben- Uzra Zeya, a retired FSO, has been Some positions that don’t need Sen-
Yehuda, a former Civil Service officer, says nominated to serve as under secretary ate approval have been filled. On March
the report provides “concrete recommen- for civilian security, democracy and 19, the State Department announced
dations grounded in the lived experience human rights. that Ambassador Pamela Spratlen, a
across the full range of State Department On March 17 the president nomi- career FSO, will oversee an investiga-
employment.” nated Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins as tion into illnesses reported by diplomats
The report’s goals and recommenda- under secretary for arms control and serving in Cuba in 2017.
tions are mixed with powerful personal international security, and Jose Fernan- On Feb. 4 President Biden named
testimonials to give context. Co-chairs dez—a former assistant secretary for career FSO Tim Lenderking—who
Representative Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), economic, energy and business affairs— previously served as deputy assistant
Ambassador (ret.) Gina Abercrombie- as under secretary for economic growth, secretary for Gulf Affairs—as special
Winstanley and Senator Chris Murphy energy and the environment. envoy for Yemen.
(D-Conn.) point to the need for a culture Secretary of State Antony Blinken On March 22, career SFS officer
change at State that will require long-term announced on Feb. 24 that the depart- Ricardo Zuniga was appointed to be
bipartisan commitment. ment would create a new chief diversity special envoy for the Northern Triangle.
Read the full report at bit.ly/truman- officer position. On March 15, USAID announced
report. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) placed that 19 political appointees had joined
12 MAY 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNALits team, including agency Chief of Staff
Gideon Maltz. Contemporary Quote
On the ambassador front, The New
The prevalence, and pervasiveness, of racial discrimination might
York Times reported on March 19 that
make the situation look hopeless. But let me be clear: I remain
hundreds of political donors and former
hopeful. I am hopeful because I have seen how communities and countries
lawmakers were vying for 35 political can enact change. And I have experienced that progress in my own
ambassador slots, as the administration lifetime.
looks to decrease the number of political
—Linda Thomas-Greenfield before the March 19
appointees in State Department positions.
UN General Assembly Commemorative Meeting for
The administration was expected
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
to name its first slate of ambassadorial
nominees by mid-April. News on ambas-
sadorial appointments is tracked by AFSA gains, “imperiling progress on everything Speaking Out Against
at https://afsa.org/list-ambassadorial- from food security to gender equality and Assignment Restrictions
appointments. News about the status
of top federal positions can be found at
https://ourpublicservice.org/political-
access to education.” She pledged that
USAID would support efforts to improve
health infrastructure in developing
T he March 16 murders of six Asian
American women in Atlanta drew
attention to the rise of “hate incidents”
appointee-tracker/. countries. against members of that demographic
On climate change, Power said in the United States and sparked new
Power to Address countries are facing a “surge in droughts, attention to long-standing complaints
“Gargantuan” storms, food shortages and climate- from Asian American Foreign Service
Challenges at USAID associated humanitarian emergencies.” personnel that they face security clear-
A t her March 23 Senate confirma-
tion hearing, USAID Administrator
nominee Samantha Power promised to
She added that USAID can help countries
become resilient “while supporting their
efforts to reduce carbon emissions.”
ance discrimination based on ethnicity.
In a March 18 Politico article,
“Foreigners in Their Own Country:
address what she called four “gargan- The world is seeing more conflicts Asian Americans at State Department
tuan” challenges: the COVID-19 pan- today than at any time since the Cold Confront Discrimination,” Ryan Heath
demic, climate change, conflict and state War, Power said. USAID can help by miti- describes the process of “assignment
collapse, and democratic backsliding. gating suffering, she said, and “working restrictions” at the State Department
The former U.S. ambassador to the with U.S. diplomats and our international and the efforts to overturn it.
United Nations testified that COVID-19 partners to address the root causes of In 2017, AFSA conferred its William
has shattered decades of development such crises.” R. Rivkin Award for Constructive Dis-
Power said she sent by a Mid-Level Officer on Christina
supports restoration of T. Le, Thomas T. Wong, Mariju L. Bofill
funds for programs cut and Cecilia S. Choi for taking on this
by the Trump admin- issue.
istration that would Le and Wong, successive presidents
address the causes of of the Asian American Foreign Affairs
migration, including Association, described their efforts in a
violence and corrup- September 2017 Foreign Service Journal
tion, in Central Ameri- article, “In Pursuit of Transparency in
can countries. Assignment Restriction Policies.”
U.S. MISSION KOREA
Power also pledged Four years later, however, the situa-
to “urgently address” tion persists. “While we appreciate the
diversity, equity and department’s efforts to codify an appeals
Then-USUN Ambassador Samantha Power at the United
Nations in 2016. inclusion at USAID. process,” AAFAA president Shirlene Yee
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2021 13wrote in “Notes to the New Administra- Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) spoke out Democracy Under Siege
tion” (March FSJ), the problem has not
yet been solved, leaving “many employ-
ees, disproportionately of Asian Ameri-
against the assignment restrictions when
Secretary Blinken testified before the
House Foreign Affairs Committee on
”A s a lethal pandemic, economic
and physical insecurity, and
violent conflict ravaged the world in
can descent, still trapped in a cycle of March 10, noting that he had recently met 2020, democracy’s defenders sustained
fighting perceptions of disloyalty.” with AAFAA. He said in an interview that heavy new losses in their struggle against
In a March 18 statement, “Asian- diplomatic discrimination and violence authoritarian foes, shifting the inter-
Americans and Pacific Islanders in against members of Asian American national balance in favor of tyranny.
National Security Statement on Anti-Hate communities are “different manifestations Incumbent leaders increasingly used
and Discriminatory Practices,” hun- of the same issue: the inability of our gov- force to crush opponents and settle
dreds of national security professionals ernment and some people to distinguish scores, sometimes in the name of public
appealed for an end to the discrimina- between a foreign government and Ameri- health, while beleaguered activists—lack-
tion, which has been perpetuated and cans of Asian descent. It was that inability ing effective international support—faced
accelerated, they say, under the COVID- that caused the American government to heavy jail sentences, torture or murder in
19 pandemic and concentration on great- intern over 120,000 Americans of Japanese many settings.”
power competition. descent [during World War II].” That is the opening paragraph of
Several members of Congress are Freedom House’s “Freedom in the World
speaking out. One of them is Rep. Andy ARB to Review Murder 2021” report, issued on March 3, docu-
Kim (D-N.J.), who before his 2018 elec- of Local Employee menting the 15th consecutive year of
tion to Congress spent several years
working for the State Department.
In March media interviews and
T he State Department announced
on March 9 that it is convening an
accountability review board (ARB) to
decline in global freedom.
Ominously, the countries experienc-
ing deterioration outnumbered those
in a related Twitter thread, Rep. Kim study the October 2020 murder of Edgar with improvements by the largest margin
described his own experience while Flores Santos, a local staff member at U.S. recorded since the negative trend began in
working for State. Consulate Tijuana who worked for the 2006. With India’s decline to “Partly Free”
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Ser- status, less than 20 percent of the world’s
vice (see December 2020 Talking Points). population now lives in a “Free” country,
The ARB, to be headed by Ambas- the smallest proportion since 1995.
sador (ret.) George Staples, will submit The annual report evaluates 195
its findings and any recommendations to countries and 15 territories, assessing
Secretary of State Antony Blinken. the electoral process, political pluralism
Meanwhile, Mexican authorities and participation, the functioning of the
confirmed the capture of two men sus- government, freedom of expression and
pected of involvement in the homicide, of belief, associational and organiza-
Telemundo 20 reported Feb. 2. The men tional rights, the rule of law, and personal
are thought to be part of a criminal cell autonomy and individual rights in each.
involved in the distribution of narcotics in Despite the Jan. 6 insurrection and
Tijuana. other disquieting developments, the
Police discovered the body of Santos United States not only maintained its
in October 2020 in a field outside Tijuana, 2020 democracy score of 83 out of 100,
a few days after he was reported missing. but inched up three spots on the Freedom
Police said he had been shot nine times. House list. However, that feat reflects the
“What confused me more is that I His work truck was found at the crime fact that other democracies fared even
didn’t even apply to work on Korea,” one scene. worse, not that the U.S. improved. As the
tweet read. “State was proactively telling Santos is survived by his wife and two study’s authors note, “The long demo-
me they didn’t trust me.” young children. cratic recession is deepening.”
14 MAY 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL50 Years Ago
Home Rule for the District of Columbia
P reoccupation with foreign affairs may not be an
altogether valid reason for remaining aloof from the
complex of conflicting interests at play in the efforts to
of District elections and political
activity connected with them from
the Hatch Act. The new District
achieve some measure of self-government for the District Delegate to the House, Walter
of Columbia. Foreign Service personnel living in the District Fauntroy, has vowed to press for
may be called upon to vote with other residents in a refer- home rule. It seems likely that the move for
endum on home rule and later be free to participate in local self-government will once again gather momentum.
election activity. The subject may be of more than academic The recent achievement of District representation in the
interest to those who have homes in the Washington area House is the latest step in a move for national representa-
and others who plan to retire there. The legislation (S-1118) tion that began in 1882.
that barely failed of enactment in 1965, like others before —Henry B. Day, a retired Foreign Service officer, excerpted
it, called for prior approval by referendum and exemption from an article of the same title in the May 1971 FSJ.
NMAD Features Legacy In the virtual program, subtitled to work at State until resigning on Jan.
of Edward J. Perkins “Reflections on Families in the Diplo- 19, the day before Trump left office.
T he life and legacy of the late
Ambassador Edward J. Perkins was
spotlighted in a Feb. 24 special “Diplo-
matic Service,” NMAD Acting Director
Jane Carpenter-Rock explored Amb.
Perkins’ life and legacy in a conversation
At a March 9 court hearing, federal
magistrate judge Zia Faruqui ordered
Klein to remain in jail pending trial.
macy After Hours” program of the with his daughters, Katherine Perkins On Feb. 26, Politico reported that
National Museum of American Diplo- and Sarah Perkins. Fritz Berggren, a midlevel State Depart-
macy. You can view the video at bit.ly/ ment employee, has used social media
The distinguished American career nmad-perkins. for several years to publicly call “for
diplomat, who served as U.S. ambassa- the establishment of Christian nation-
dor to Liberia, South Africa, the United Trio of State Employees states,” warning that white people face
Nations and Australia, received AFSA’s Under Fire “elimination” and railing against Jews,
2020 Award for Lifetime Contributions
to American Diplomacy. He was inter-
viewed in the December 2020 FSJ.
A trio of State Department employees
has come under fire for espousing
intolerant and racist views in the past
as well as Black Lives Matter and other
social movements.
Berggren is assigned to a State
few months. According to press reports, Department unit that works on special
in early March, former State Department immigrant visas for Afghans and served
official Federico Guillermo Klein was as a financial management officer at
arrested on six charges relating to his U.S. Embassy Bahrain.
participation in the Jan. 6 attack on the “We will not comment on internal
U.S. Capitol—including assaulting a personnel matters beyond saying that
police officer. these are personal views and do not
Klein, a Trump administration politi- represent those of the State Depart-
National Museum of American Diplomacy cal appointee, was assigned to the State ment,” a department spokesperson told
Acting Director Jane Carpenter-Rock Department as a staff assistant in the Politico when asked about Berggren.
(bottom left) discusses Ambassador Office of Brazilian and Southern Cone “As a department, we embrace and
Edward J. Perkins’ legacy with his
daughters, Katherine Perkins (top right) Affairs in January 2017 and held a top champion diversity, equity and inclu-
and Sarah Perkins, on Feb. 24. secret security clearance. He continued sion as a source of strength.”
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2021 15Since the Politico story, Berggren has Site of the Month: ArcticToday
continued to write on his Blood and Faith arctictoday.com
blog, welcoming Politico readers and post-
ing on such topics as “The Unforgivable
Sins of the Jews” and “Jewish Fragility.”
On March 4, CNN reported that Nick
A rcticToday is a comprehensive
digital news source focusing
on the Arctic region. It was founded
Sabruno, the top State Department Dip-
in 2012 to serve as an “Arctic news
lomatic Security official in Afghanistan,
wire,” and features articles about the economy, energy,
was removed from his position for making
tourism, shipping, politics, security and the environment of the
racist comments about Vice President
Circumpolar North.
Kamala Harris and declaring the “death
While its editor is based in the United States, the site features original
of America” in a Facebook post after the
content from ArcticToday’s correspondents and contributors, who are
November presidential election.
scattered throughout Europe and Canada. Its most frequent contributors
CNN reported that after news of the
are located in Copenhagen, Alaska and Washington, D.C.
Facebook post surfaced, Sabruno was sent
A nonprofit, ArcticToday also partners with news organizations in Norway,
back to Washington, D.C. Sabruno’s pro-
Iceland and Canada, and publishes syndicated content from Reuters. It also
file is no longer visible on Facebook. He is
features opinion pieces from Arctic policy experts.
a member of the Senior Foreign Service.
In addition to the website, ArcticToday content reaches readers on several
platforms, including a weekday newsletter and social media channels.
End of Visa Ban
T he State Department announced that
most applicants who were denied
visas under the Trump administration’s civil rights and advocacy organization, but some things may stay virtual. Instruc-
Muslim visa ban may now reapply, said State should do more. tors have learned to be flexible, she said,
Middle East Eye reported on March 9. “We ask the Biden administration to even teaching overnight so diplomats
The move comes after President Joe be creative and work with community- overseas can take online training in their
Biden issued an executive order on Jan. based groups to bring relief to all the time zones.
20 overturning the so-called Muslim ban, families that were separated and harmed FSI has boosted its online training
under which former President Donald because of the discriminatory and xeno- efforts significantly since the start of
Trump banned visa applications from phobic bans,” said CAIR National Gov- the pandemic. As the institute tweeted:
citizens of 13 countries. Biden called the ernment Affairs Director Robert McCaw “Since mid-March 2020, FSI has adapted
ban “a stain on our national conscience.” in a statement. the curricula of 455 in-person classroom
The State Department, in a March 8 As of September 2020, more than trainings for remote delivery & developed
press release, said people who received 40,000 visa applications had been denied offerings specific to the current moment.”
a final refusal on or after Jan. 20, 2020, under the Muslim ban, NBC News FSI also tweeted that it reached more
due to the ban “may seek re-adjudication reported. than 31,000 students virtually in 2020,
without resubmitting their application and that it has supported 256,000 course
forms or paying any additional fees, Virtual Diplomatic enrollments despite the pandemic. More
provided the underlying visa petitions Training than 60 congressionally mandated crisis
remain valid.”
People denied a visa before that date
may apply again, but they will have to
D iplomatic training will remain
mostly virtual until at least October
2021, Foreign Service Institute Director
management exercises were set up for
remote delivery to embassies and consul-
ates around the world. n
pay for the visa application fee again, the Julieta Valls Noyes told NPR on March 4.
department said. Valls Noyes, a former U.S. ambas- This edition of Talking Points was
The Council on American-Islamic sador to Croatia, said that FSI will see a compiled by Cameron Woodworth and
Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim phased-in return to in-person classes, Steven Alan Honley.
16 MAY 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNALSPEAKING OUT
How the 1619 Project Can Help Public Diplomacy
BY JOHN FER
T
o be effective, U.S. public diplo-
There is no reason not to point to the vitality
macy should make a point of pre-
senting how Americans wrestle of democracy on display in this moment.
collectively with acknowledging
our own history, including past sins, and
try to improve along an arc of moral jus- fractions: the three-fifths clause. For a were as varied and frequent as his public
tice that is spelled out in our Declaration moment, my students shed their awk- engagements, a flaw I find indefensible,
of Independence and Constitution. wardness and aloofness to agree in uni- especially after reading his wife’s touch-
An excellent subject for such a pre- son: “That’s messed up, Mr. Fer.” Indeed. ing biography of her husband.
sentation is The New York Times’ 1619 That year, I pledged a graduate Robeson also was a staunch pro-
Project, which was launched in August chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, the country’s moter of Stalin, even when the facts of
2019 to mark the 400th anniversary of the oldest predominantly African American his barbaric reign were revealed and
beginning of American slavery. An ongo- fraternity, and the first one to integrate. verified. To many, this lapse in judgment
ing initiative in print and digital form with Of the organization’s renowned members warrants the treatment Robeson received
articles and photos, “it aims to reframe the (including Martin Luther King Jr., Thur- in life, as well as the lack of attention he
country’s history by placing the conse- good Marshall, Jesse Owens and Duke receives in death. To a smaller group—in
quences of slavery and the contributions Ellington), Paul Robeson was the one I which I count myself—it provides the
of Black Americans at the very center of most admired. opportunity to examine a great person in
our national narrative,” the Times states. Quite possibly the most well-rounded totality, serious flaws and all. While I can-
Not only is the project an important American to ever live, Robeson was the not defend Stalin, I can understand how
focal point in the discussion of the prob- definition of a Renaissance person, truly Robeson, who once charged the United
lem of racism taking place in the United excellent in half a dozen disparate fields: States with genocide against African
States today, but the controversy sur- athletics, drama, singing, activism, lin- American people, could make such a
rounding it illustrates both the complexi- guistics and law. Yet no one in the United difficult choice between the Soviet Union
ties of the issue and the give and take of States seemed to know who he was. and his home country.
vigorous debate in a democracy. Through further reading I discovered As a public diplomacy officer, I’ve
that Robeson’s life was destroyed by the tried to promote opportunities to engage
Recognizing Complexities witch hunts of the Red Scare days, and foreign audiences on such difficult top-
To make clear where I’m coming his legacy carefully erased from history, ics—which exist in the United States and
from with this, I’m going to back up for a ironically just as Stalin did to his rivals in every other country in the world—to
moment. In a previous life, when I taught in the Soviet Union. My research also show how to articulate and evaluate
eighth grade social studies, I began our showed me that Paul Robeson had sig- tough problems, to show how democracy
Constitution module with a lesson on nificant faults. His extramarital exploits works.
In 2013, during my second tour, I sug-
John Fer is the information officer at U.S. Embassy Tbilisi. With the State gested we put together a panel of alumni
Department since 2009, he has served in New Delhi, Managua, Moscow, and American officers to discuss Senator
Riga and Washington, D.C. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, he worked William J. Fulbright, a man who launched
as a firefighter/EMT for Montgomery County, Maryland. He is an Air Force the world’s most renowned scholar-
veteran and a returned Peace Corps volunteer (Nepal). He and his wife, ship with the aim to bridge cultures and
Victoria, have two sons. save humanity, yet also voted against
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2021 17every piece of civil rights legislation that American minds may be too mesmerized by
crossed his desk. I was turned down.
Today the sins of racism in the United
their own media machines to engage each
States and the complexities of the charac- other in liberal discourse, but that doesn’t
ters on all sides are out in the open. There mean we can’t set a better example abroad.
is no reason not to point to the vitality of
democracy on display in this moment.
American contributions should stand problem—and there was—in terms of
The Controversy front and center in the descriptions of the ideals of freedom and the continu-
Some argue that the 1619 Project is America’s development, before and after ation of slavery. It’s that how do people
politically motivated and historically inac- 1776. 2) Ignoring the valid fact-checks of think through that? What were the limits
curate, and that it perpetuates the racism experts is bad journalism. on their thinking? And why did it take so
it claims to reject. In presenting it fairly Thoughtful, discerning, critical assess- long for it to end? … These are important
and most usefully, we need to include crit- ments like those put forward by Leslie Har- questions because we need to under-
ical commentary on some of the project’s ris are exactly what we should be showcas- stand how change happens historically.
assertions, as well as the differing views on ing as the best of America. … We have tales of intergenerational
its purposes, assumptions and effects. struggle and possibility in this country.”
Significantly, one of the historians Popularizing Complexity McWhorter and Harris’ debate over
enlisted to fact-check by The New York In another enlightening exchange, the 1619 Project shows Americans at their
Times, Leslie M. Harris of Northwestern Conor Friedersdorf, a staff writer at best: championing free speech; embrac-
University, said in a March 2020 Politico The Atlantic, hosted a podcast, The ing the marketplace of ideas, complexity
article that the Times ignored her fact- Philanthropy Roundtable, in which Har- and nuance; and neither heaping outrage
checks. ris and Columbia University Professor on nor giving a free pass to controversial
An expert in African American life and John McWhorter, also African American, statements.
slavery in the pre–Civil War era, Professor debated the value of efforts like 1619.
Harris had been asked to validate one of Though he levied significant criticism Media Integrity
lead author Nikole Hannah-Jones’ central at Hannah-Jones’ contention of 1619 as The 1619 Project staff and Nikole
assertions—namely, that protecting slav- the “true founding” of the United States, Hannah-Jones won a Pulitzer Prize for
ery was “one critical reason” the colonists McWhorter said he would tell this to their efforts, but their work should not
declared independence from Britain. young Black Americans and new immi- be exempt from a thorough examination.
Harris “vigorously disputed the claim,” grants to America: “Newspapers should have no friends,”
as she put it, countering that while “In terms of what makes America Joseph Pulitzer said—and therefore, their
slavery was an issue during the Revolu- unique, 1776 or various years there- journalists should have the thick skins,
tionary period, the protection of slavery abouts, are absolutely crucial, beyond the open minds and gracious egos to accept
was not one of the main reasons the 13 flags and the songs. I would tell them that and learn from valid criticism.
colonies went to war. this land was built on the backs of unpaid To her credit, Hannah-Jones told The
Harris’ concern, as she explained, was laborers and enslaved people, and Atlantic that she accepted general criti-
that such “overstated claims” and inac- that went far back beyond 1776. … But cism and planned to better contextualize
curacies could undermine the “spirit of frankly, I would also tell that young Black 1619’s claims in a forthcoming textbook.
1619,” which was to cast Black Americans person to resist the idea of supposing In fact, it was up to her employer, The
in the spotlight they deserved from the that the entire history of the United States New York Times, to have spoken up, to
beginning of settlements in America. must be reduced to a story of how well insist on accuracy. Yet the Times doubled
What a display of Fitzgeraldian people were doing in learning of how to down, revealing another aspect of the
intelligence we’d give if we could hold think of Black people as equals.” 1619 Project controversy: In the environ-
the following thoughts in our mind and Harris largely agreed, adding: “The ment of extreme political polarization in
present them at public events: 1) African message is not just that there was a big the U.S. today, our moneyed and partisan
18 MAY 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNALmedia machines have found it unprofit-
Speaking Out is the Journal’s opinion
able to present both sides fairly. forum, a place for lively discussion of
This pervasive media bias is tough to issues affecting the U.S. Foreign Service
witness from abroad, especially while and American diplomacy. The views
expressed are those of the author; their
championing American democratic ideals publication here does not imply endorse-
in public. Perhaps PD practitioners can do ment by the American Foreign Service
what American media refuse to do: allow Association. Responses are welcome;
send them to journal@afsa.org.
for and encourage open, respectful analy-
sis in the marketplace of ideas.
There are currently hundreds if not
thousands of media literacy programs 100-year-old Bubbie (grandmother) lost
funded, executed and sustained through many of her close and extended family
U.S. diplomatic missions across the in the Holocaust, I am disgusted by
world. We should use these opportuni- people who deny it. But when we restrict
ties to present such difficult issues to the free and open debate of ideas—no
foreign audiences in the spirit (if not the matter how asinine—we put ourselves
practice) of American freedom of speech into dangerous territory that leads to
and the press. arbitrary violations of our liberty.”
Visitors to our overseas PD events
Showcasing the should be able to view rapper Killer
Marketplace of Ideas Mike’s anguished appeal to Atlantans
For example: We frequently criticize after the George Floyd killing, and
countries in which oligarchs control most analyze why he had to say to CNN: “Stop
media outlets and therefore what publics feeding fear and anger every day.”
get to consume. We should accompany They should be encouraged to wonder
the same criticism with the admission why journalists like Matthew Yglesias
that The Washington Post is owned by the and Glenn Greenwald left Vox and The
world’s richest man, The New York Times’ Intercept, outlets they co-founded.
market cap runs in the billions and News This piece, itself, with its pointed
Corp’s billions more. How do the bottom callout of American mainstream media,
lines at those publicly traded companies should be picked apart via critical think-
influence which headlines make it above ing, kindness and cooperation, not agita-
the fold? tion or us-versus-them dismissals.
We rightly champion freedom of American minds may be too mesmer-
religion the world over and immediately ized by their own media machines to
denounce anti-Semitism whenever it engage each other in liberal discourse,
surfaces in public channels. Those are but that doesn’t mean we can’t set a bet-
the right things to do. But should “hate ter example abroad.
speech” be banned? Who determines what During the Cold War, public diplo-
is hate speech? Where does it go once it is macy played an outsized role in showing
disallowed on mainstream platforms? audiences behind the iron curtain that
Foreign audiences should be able values such as free speech and the pro-
to consider venture capitalist Joe motion of a diverse marketplace of ideas
Lonsdale’s argument in defense of free were what made America great.
speech without fear of being shushed Despite today’s political polarization,
or canceled: “As a Jewish man whose it remains a winning formula. n
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2021 19You can also read
