HUMANITARIAN DIPLOMACY - AID TO AFRICA - TIME FOR PLAN B? - American Foreign Service Association
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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 APRIL 2016
HUMANITARIAN DIPLOMACY
AID TO AFRICA –
TIME FOR PLAN B?
FOREIGN
SERVICE April 2016
Volume 93, No. 3
FOCUS ON HUMANITARIAN DIPLOMACY AFSA NEWS
Secretary Kerry on Overseas
Comparability Pay / 47
Humanitarian Diplomacy / 19
VP Voice FCS: Life After the
An experienced practitioner addresses today’s unprecedented challenges. Commercial Service / 48
A N I N T E R V I E W W I T H K E L LY C L E M E N T S ,
Governing Board Meeting / 48
U. N . D E PU T Y H I G H CO M M I SS I O N E R FO R R E F UG E ES
VP Voice Retirees: Salaries and
Retirement—Foreign Service vs,
On the Ground in Turkey / 23 Private Sector / 49
These notes from the diary of an FSO refugee coordinator in Turkey convey AFSA Memorial Plaques Criteria / 50
the realities of the humanitarian crisis spreading from the Middle East. AFSA and the Public Diplomacy
B Y M AT T H E W J O H N S O N Council Team Up / 50
2016 Global Ties Conference:
Partnering to Meet Urgent Needs / 28 Promoting the Foreign Service / 51
Corporate-government partnerships can make a great difference My Encounter with the
in times of need, argues this former FSO. IVLP Village / 53
BY LAURA LANE AFSA on the Hill: The President’s
FY 2017 Budget Request / 54
ADST Awards Gala / 55
How Refugee Resettlement in the
Engaging High School Students:
United States Actually Works / 32 Model UN Conference / 56
Historically, the United States has permanently resettled more refugees Book Notes: Learning from Our
than all other countries combined. Here’s what is involved. Successes, Not Our Mistakes / 58
BY CA R O L C O L LOTO N
COLUMNS
President’s Views /7
Pitching In to Do Vital Work / 36 Building the Deep Bench
A distinguished ambassador describes work in the world of refugee resettlement. BY BARBARA STEPHENSON
B Y J O H N N Y YO U N G Letter from the Editor / 8
Mass Migration Matters
FEATURES BY SHAWN DORMAN
Speaking Out / 16
Development Aid to Africa: Time for Plan B? / 39 The Department of State:
Mission and Vision Examined
Fifty years and trillions of dollars of foreign aid has yet BY EDWARD MARKS
to put the African continent on a real growth trajectory.
Reflections / 73
BY D O N LOT T E R
Into the Desert
BY KATE CARR
Ethnic and Sectarian Conflict—Two Core Issues / 43
DEPARTMENTS
Successful solutions will invariably include equal application of the Letters / 9
rule of law and an effort to ensure “parity of esteem” between the parties. Talking Points / 12
B Y A N D R E W D. S E N S Books / 63
Local Lens /74
APPRECIATION
MARKETPLACE
Classifieds / 66
AFSA’s Very Own Santa Claus: Real Estate / 69
Carl Edward Dillery, 1930–2016 / 59 Index to Advertisers / 72
Ambassador C. Edward Dillery served as AFSA’s elected retiree vice president
from 1991 to 1993 and as chair of the Scholarship Committee from 1997 to 2012.
BY ST E V E N A L A N H O N L E Y
On the Cover: Yezidi refugees recall their harrowing escape from the so-called Islamic
State group at a December 2014 meeting in Mardin, Turkey, with FSO Refugee Coordinator
Matthew Johnson, at right. Photo courtesy of Matthew Johnson. Below—2013 graduates
from Simad University in Mogadishu, Somalia. Photo: AMISOM Public Information/
Ilyas A. Abukar/Wikimedia Commons.
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2016 5
FOREIGN
CONTACTS
SERVICE
Editor in Chief, Director of Publications
www.afsa.org
Shawn Dorman: dorman@afsa.org
Managing Editor
Susan Brady Maitra: maitra@afsa.org
Associate Editor
VACANT
Publications Specialist AFSA Headquarters: Controller
VACANT (202) 338-4045; Fax (202) 338-6820 Kalpna Srimal: srimal@afsa.org
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Ad & Circulation Manager (202) 712-1941; Fax (202) 216-3710 LABOR MANAGEMENT
Ed Miltenberger: miltenberger@afsa.org FCS AFSA Office: General Counsel
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Art Director
Deputy General Counsel
Caryn Suko Smith GOVERNING BOARD Zlatana Badrich: BadrichZ@state.gov
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JeongEun “Jessie” Shin Hon. Barbara Stephenson: James Yorke: YorkeJ@state.gov
Koen Valks stephenson@afsa.org Senior Staff Attorney
Secretary Neera Parikh: ParikhNA@state.gov
Contributing Editor
William Haugh: billhaugh@hotmail.com Staff Attorney
Steven Alan Honley
Treasurer Hon. Charles A. Ford: ford@afsa.org Raeka Safai: SafaiR@state.gov
Editorial Board State Vice President Staff Attorney
Beth Payne, Chair Angie Bryan: BryanA@state.gov Andrew Large: LargeA@state.gov
James Bever USAID Vice President Labor Management Counselor
Angela Bond Sharon Wayne: swayne@usaid.gov
Hon. Gordon S. Brown Colleen Fallon-Lenaghan:
FCS Vice President FallonLenaghanC@state.gov
Stephen W. Buck
Steve Morrison: Steve.Morrison@trade.gov Labor Management Advisor
Eric Green
FAS Vice President Jason Snyder: SnyderJ@state.gov
Kara McDonald
John G. Rendeiro Jr. Mark Petry: mark.petry@fas.usda.gov Executive Assistant
Duncan Walker Retiree Vice President Lindsey Botts: BottsLK@state.gov
Tracy Whittington Hon. Tom Boyatt: tdboyatt@gmail.com USAID Staff Assistant
Tricia Wingerter (Governing Board Liaison) State Representatives Erika Bethmann: ebethmann@usaid.gov
Lawrence Casselle
THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS Susan Danewitz MEMBER SERVICES
PROFESSIONALS John Dinkelman Member Services Director
The Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E Ramón Escobar Janet Hedrick: hedrick@afsa.org
Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is pub- Eric Geelan Membership Representative
lished monthly, with combined January-February and
July-August issues, by the American Foreign Service Josh Glazeroff Natalie Cheung: cheung@afsa.org
Association (AFSA), a private, nonprofit organization. Margaret “Nini” Hawthorne Retiree Counselor
Material appearing herein represents the opinions of the Peter Neisuler Todd Thurwachter: thurwachter@afsa.org
writers and does not necessarily represent the views of
the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries
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All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval.
AFSA reserves the right to reject advertising that is not Jeffrey Cochrane
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Phone: (202) 338-4045 Hon. John Limbert
Fax: (202) 338-8244 PROFESSIONAL ISSUES
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© American Foreign Service Association, 2016 Ian Houston: houston@afsa.org
PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Executive Assistant to the President ADVOCACY
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6 APRIL 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL
PRESIDENT’S VIEWS
Building the Deep Bench
BY BA R BA R A ST E P H E N S O N
I
wrote in my very first column of the joy The training acquired through assignments is
of receiving members of the 183rd A-100
class at AFSA headquarters, in my first
the primary means by which the Foreign Service
act after being sworn in as president develops the next generation of leaders.
in July. Their excitement and enthusiasm
about their careers was contagious. personnel system is to produce a deep the short-term challenge give due weight
Recently, I shared lunch and a consid- bench of experienced, seasoned leaders to the long-term well-being of our com-
erably more somber conversation with year after year. petitive up-or-out Service.
members of the 185th A-100 class. They How are those leaders produced? Here is the good news. The current
are ready to serve, but concerned. Primarily through a series of varied and staffing challenge pales in comparison to
Their concern: that the recent surge in increasingly responsible assignments. The past challenges and can be easily over-
demand for entry-level consular adjudi- rule of thumb is 70-20-10: that is, 70 per- come—without sacrificing access to the
cators will lead to back-to-back consular cent of career development comes from varied assignments key to career develop-
tours that will distort their career paths a carefully thought out series of assign- ment.
and hinder their development into well- ments; 20 percent from mentoring; and 10 Let’s do some quick math. Workload
rounded Foreign Service officers. percent from formal training. projections indicate that 600 entry-level
One thoughtful member of the class On-the-job training, through assign- consular adjudicators are needed this
followed up with me in writing, describ- ments designed to master the core busi- year. About 365 positions will be filled with
ing the impact of the “present crushing ness and develop a leader, is not just nice new entry-level officers, leaving a gap of
demand” for consular staffing and urging to have if circumstances permit. On the 235 positions.
expanded use of the limited non-career contrary, it is the primary means by which How does filling 235 LNA positions
appointment (LNA) adjudicator program. the Foreign Service develops the next in cities like São Paulo, Guadalajara and
The current A-100 class, he wrote, generation of leaders. Shanghai stack up against past challenges?
“consists of 93 members, all of whom will A consular tour—for all officers, of As deputy coordinator for Iraq in Janu-
serve in the consular section during their every cone—is an important step in ary 2007, I found myself with less than a
first tour. It is highly likely that a majority mastering the core business of the Foreign year to get more than 600 trained civil-
will serve their second tour in the consular Service, including leader development, ians to Iraq, then experiencing horrific
section, as well. Of those 93, only 20 are a signature strength of Consular Affairs. violence. It was the largest deployment of
actually consular-coned officers. If the That said, when the one or two years of civilians to a war zone since the Vietnam
desired end state is well-rounded officers, consular work slip to four, five or six years, War, and we filled every position.
the remaining 73 individuals are being put we are putting career development at risk. To my new colleagues in the 185th
at a disadvantage.” AFSA recognizes the short-term chal- A100 class, I say: Fear not. You joined a
AFSA agrees lenge of filling a sharply higher number of strong, resilient organization, one that
that the desired entry-level consular adjudicator slots and has faced down bigger challenges in the
end state is well- will engage constructively with depart- past. Count on AFSA to advocate cease-
rounded officers. ment management to address it. lessly and effectively for a career path that
In fact, a key As the principal advocate for the long- ensures that you too can develop into
purpose of the term institutional health of the Foreign the seasoned, well-rounded leaders the
Foreign Service Service, AFSA will insist that solutions to Foreign Service needs. n
Ambassador Barbara Stephenson is the president of the American Foreign Service Association.
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2016 7
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Mass Migration Matters
B Y S H AW N D O R M A N
T
here are more than 60 million gee Coordinator Matt Johnson brings us to Up front, AFSA President Ambassador
people in the world today who the front lines through his personal expe- Barbara Stephenson discusses a vital
have been forcibly displaced, rience setting up an office for the Bureau topic in “Building the Deep Bench.” She
according to the United Nations. of Population, Refugees and Migration at emphasizes AFSA’s determination—as
Millions are on the move, the major- Consulate Adana. He monitors, advocates the principal advocate for the long-term
ity fleeing war and disintegration in their and reports on the situation from the field. strength of the Foreign Service—to ensure
home countries. At the epicenter of the In “Partnering to Meet Urgent Needs,” that solutions to short-term challenges
present crisis are the war-torn nations of former FSO Laura Lane, now president of do not erode the long-term health of the
Syria and Iraq, from which a mass migra- global public affairs for UPS, describes the career.
tion of refugees larger than any since complex challenge of playing a construc- Looking back to the January-February
World War II emanates. tive role in the midst of today’s climate of focus on mental health services, I am
That is our focus this month, but what “anxious apprehension” about refu- pleased to report that it—in particular, the
can the Journal contribute to the discus- gees. Sharing her own experiences from compilation of FS member comments—
sion of an ongoing crisis that is making Rwanda to Iraq, she argues for govern- has led to discussion inside the foreign
headlines daily and figures in domestic ment-corporate partnerships to provide affairs agencies of the need to address
political discourse around the world? humanitarian assistance more effectively. problems you raised, including access
We illustrate the breadth and enormity Retired FSO Carol Colloton offers a to care, privacy, transparency about the
of the challenge from a unique vantage primer on refugee resettlement in the clearance process and toxic workplaces.
point—the perspectives of practitioners United States in “How Refugee Resettle- Help keep the conversation going
of humanitarian diplomacy, those in the ment in the United States Actually Works.” by continuing to share your views with
field assessing needs, managing refugee The United States, historically, has per- the Journal. In January, we promised
issues and delivering assistance. manently resettled more refugees than all a separate look at mental health and
Although the United States holds other countries combined, she notes, ask- special needs services for Foreign Service
the distinction as the largest provider of ing whether the American commitment to children.
humanitarian assistance, the unprece- assisting refugees may be fading. That topic emerged as a serious con-
dented dimensions of today’s needs weigh In “Pitching In to Do Vital Work,” cern for FS families, with some reporting
heavy on all who work in this field. Career Ambassador (ret.) Johnny Young that it is becoming more difficult to obtain
Our look at the current situation begins shares his experiences working on refugee the services they need. We will publish
with a Q&A with Deputy High Commis- resettlement in a post-Foreign Service readers’ comments on this in June and
sioner for Refugees Kelly Clements. She position as executive director for the anticipate an in-depth look at the issue by
offers an overview of the refugee crisis and Office of Migration and Refugee Ser- the end of the year.
the practice of humanitarian diplomacy, vices for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Looking ahead, the May focus on life
explaining the role of UNHCR in address- Bishops. after the Foreign Service will offer inspir-
ing “both root causes Elsewhere, in Features, educator ing insights into what people do once they
of refugee movements Don Lotter proposes a shift in focus for leave the Foreign Service, and ideas to
and immediate threats development aid to Africa and retired FSO consider. So many people responded to
to their safety.” Andrew Sens identifies two essential ele- our question “what are you doing now?”
In “On the Ground ments for resolving ethnic and sectarian that we will run that compilation over
in Turkey,” FSO Refu- conflict. several months. n
Shawn Dorman is the editor of The Foreign Service Journal.
8 APRIL 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL
LETTERS
Retiree Access Tales document from 1951 would be accept- ment is trying to achieve. For instance,
Mary Gilroy’s saga about renew- able over a government-issued photo ID why issue cards with a chip and mag-
ing her State retiree card sounded (even if it wasn’t American or Canadian) netic strip that have no purpose? And,
very familiar (Speaking Out, January- still has me befuddled. why make retirees pick up yet another
February). At least at the end of her So I had to leave, frustrated after a card in the C Street lobby after passing
several hours at Main State fruitless afternoon, without that retiree through visitor security?
she left with some reward for ID card, and still do not As Gilroy notes: “Given the restric-
her efforts, a compensation I have one. tions, the fact that it isn’t fully activated
didn’t obtain a few years ago. It would be helpful if and the complicated procedure for
I retired from State in AFSA could get the latest renewal, one has to wonder why State
March 2007 from overseas information from the Bureau can’t do better.”
(after just over 30 years with of Diplomatic Security Beatrice Camp
the U.S. government). I regarding which documents FSO, retired
didn’t return to Washington, are acceptable to support a Arlington, Virginia
D.C., until October 2011, at request for an initial retiree
which time I thought that a card. Yes, I would still like one. FS Mental Health Care,
retiree photo ID card would be Finally, again in agree- A Historical Note
useful. ment with Ms. Gilroy, if the retiree Thank you for spotlighting FS mental
Checking beforehand with the card is merely a gesture to the depart- health issues in the January-February
Office of Retiree Services (and, like Ms. ing employee, why not include one FSJ. I appreciated both the discussion
Gilroy, finding even as early as 2011 that of the more impressive old-style ones of current issues and the review of the
AFSA had the most information on the along with the Main State flag, a career Office of Mental Health Services’ evolu-
process), I knew the route I had to fol- achievement award and a copy of the tion, and would like to add some notes
low and thought I had the documents I Atlas statue from the HST Building court- on Dr. Rigamer’s tenure as medical
needed. yard when one is being sent off? director.
I first went to SA-1 to have the And while one is at it, perhaps State Retrenchment and downsizing were
DS-1838 approved. No problem there. could include one’s last “real” ID photo government watchwords during that
However, at the Diplomatic Security on the card? That might give overseas time, and MED was no exception. Dr.
office at Main State, I found that even retirees a certain little cachet when they Rigamer oversaw several initiatives,
though Retiree Services had signed off need to visit a U.S. embassy or consulate. including stopping the practice of the
on the DS-1838 and seen my photo IDs, I Steve Flora department acting as a secondary payer
still couldn’t be issued a retiree card. FSS, retired for inpatient medical expenses linked to
DS wouldn’t accept the second photo Canberra, Australia overseas service.
ID—my Australian driver’s license. (I I was posted in MED at the time, and
needed two because, unlike Ms. Gilroy, State Could Do Better we were asked to look into shifting that
I was getting my retiree card for the first Many thanks to Meg Gilroy for her role to the Office of Workers’ Compen-
time.) It seems that a valid U.S. driver’s gracious account of the absurdities of the sation Programs in the Department of
license would have been accepted. Even retiree badge! Labor.
a valid Canadian license would appar- Having just acquired one while still However, it quickly became appar-
ently have worked. on active duty, I hadn’t given much ent that OWCP would be unable to
The DS officer could not give me thought to the issues of renewal. At least respond in a timely fashion to our
a reason why a Canadian document I could get to the retiree office unes- overseas patients’ needs, and the idea
trumped the Australian. I was advised corted and cut through the building was dropped.
that my birth certificate would also have rather than walk around. Another initiative involved restrict-
been acceptable. But the process raised similar ques- ing regular direct-hire MED personnel
Why a Xeroxed copy of a non-photo tions in my mind about what the depart- to a small managerial group and shifting
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2016 9
other positions into a limited non- Given the FSJ’s secular orientation, I
career appointment category. can understand why it did not feature this
New hires came in under that pro- approach. But should it not be noted?
gram, but resistance both within and Rev. Theodore L. Lewis
outside of MED led to a cessation of the FSO, retired
practice after a few years. Germantown, Maryland
Michael Nesemann
Regional Medical Manager The FS Profession Debate
Consulate General Frankfurt As we start a new year, a few of us who
are Foreign Service officers serving at the
Mental Health Treatment: Foreign Service Institute want to weigh
The Faith Alternative in on articles that have appeared over
The FSJ has not lost its willingness to the course of the past year in the FSJ and
tackle delicate issues. This is evident from elsewhere featuring commentary about
the January-February issue focusing on whether the U.S. Foreign Service consti-
the supersensitive issue of mental health tutes “a profession.”
in the Foreign Service. Some commentators reached the con-
In “Foreign Service Members Weigh clusion that it does not, and a piece in the
In,” some members tell of how their con- October FSJ (“Working with the U.S. Mili-
ditions of service caused them psycho- tary: 10 Things the Foreign Service Needs
logical problems, support for which was to Know,” by Ted Strickler) went so far as
often not forthcoming. to assert that the Foreign Service “could
These accounts confront us with some be described as a pseudo-profession,
of the harsher realities of the Foreign with elitism passing for professionalism.”
Service life, and resonate with me. I, too, We disagree. Today’s Foreign Service
experienced such conditions of service: is increasingly professional and elite—as
difficult and dangerous postings, small- we want America’s diplomats to be—but
minded supervisors, a son’s mental ill- not elitist.
ness, break-up of the family and eventual The Foreign Service does reflect many
mandatory retirement. aspects of a profession, including its rigor-
Yet I neither applied for psychological ous entry process, peer-reviewed progres-
treatment nor felt it would be desirable. sion and training programs that provide
Perhaps I was aided by the links I discov- foreign affairs practitioners with the
ered between my Foreign Service experi- knowledge, skills and attitudes they need
ence and theology, which I describe in to perform at a professional standard.
my book (Theology and the Disciplines of We do agree, however, that the area
the Foreign Service, 2015). of “long-term learning” deserves further
If so, this leads to a further point. The attention, and we are happy to say that
inability to find conventional treatment this essential element of professionalism
within official structures is unfortunate. is developing robustly at FSI.
But, sadly, even if found, such treatment Senior-level leaders across FSI are
is not always successful; in my son’s case working to tie lifelong learning more
it failed despite a years-long effort. clearly to professional advancement and
An alternative and potentially more career opportunities. Foreign Service
effective remedy lies in religious faith, with education is an exciting field to work
its healing prayer, worship and fellowship. in right now, as we collectively develop
10 APRIL 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNALa strategic framework to keep assigned to a working
our training up to date with the group that included a
rapidly evolving international man from Israel. “I was
environment. tempted to withdraw from
It will be up to all of us in the the grant. In growing up, I
Foreign Service to continue to had learned terrible things
promote a culture of lifelong about the hated Jews.”
professional training in this But he decided to see
organization—across service how things would work out.
backgrounds and with the commitment “You will never believe what happened
of mentors, supervisors and learners—so then,” he recounted. “It wasn’t long
that our diplomacy works most effec- before I came to appreciate the mind and
tively for the interests of the American character of this fellow. Working together,
people. he and I became close colleagues, even
Note: The views expressed here are friends.”
those of the authors and not necessarily Before he left my office he asked,
those of the Department of State or U.S. “Would you please mail a letter that I
government. have written to my Israeli friend? It’s
Alicia Allison, FSO impossible for me to communicate
David Gehrenbeck, FSO directly with him from here.”
Paul Kreutzer, FSO Robert R. Gibbons
Arlington, Virginia FSO, retired
Mesa, Arizona
The Power of Exchanges
Following the December FSJ focus CORRECTION
on the International Visitor Leadership Our FS Heritage in the
Program, I’d like to share a story of the March issue, “FS Personnel
impact of one exchange. Evaluations, 1925-1955: A
Back in the mid-1980s, U.S. Informa- Unique View” by Nicholas
tion Service Lahore identified a candidate J. Willis, did not include a
for the International Visitor Program, a photo of the author.
young man with a promising future in Instead, the photo on page 60 of the
Pakistani business and good political print edition is of Maxwell J. Hamilton,
connections. He participated in a month- an FSO and co-author of the October FS
long program in the United States with Heritage piece, “Taking Stock of Secretary
grantees from around the world. of State Charles Evans Hughes.”
In the debriefing following his return Nicholas Willis, shown here, is the
to Pakistan, he enthusiastically praised nephew of Frances Elizabeth Willis, the
the content and organization of the visit third woman to join the Foreign Service
and could find no real negatives. and the first woman to make it a career,
When the formal debriefing ended, rising to the rank of Career Ambassador in
after making sure my office door was 1962. Willis is the author of Frances Eliza-
closed, he said, “Now, let me tell you beth Willis (2013), a biography of his aunt.
about the most wonderful part of my visit.” We apologize to Nicholas Willis, Max-
He proceeded to describe how he well J. Hamilton and our readers for the
had been aghast to find that he was mix-up. n
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2016 11TALKING POINTS
State’s Convening Power Syrian refugee children in Turkey, only and private-sector institutions to identify
Helps Syrian Refugee 300,000 have access to education. Some ways to collaborate on the delivery of
Children have likened the challenge of sending humanitarian assistance.
“T his is an unusual event for us,”
said Deputy Secretary of State
for Management and Resources Heather
the remaining children to school to hav-
ing to increase the capacity of New York’s
public school system—the largest in the
Perhaps such events, which lever-
age America’s convening power to find
solutions to today’s global challenges,
Higginbottom, opening a Nov. 16 gather- United States—by 50 percent within a will soon become a hallmark of Ameri-
ing, “Bridging the Education Gap for two- to three-year period. can diplomacy and development efforts
Refugee Children in Turkey,” at the Following remarks by Ali Ozturk, rather than an anomaly.
Department of State. adviser to the deputy prime minister of —Maria C. Livingston,
“In most cases, we host discussions or Turkey who has responsibility for man- Director of Professional Policy Issues
conferences where we ask our partici- aging the Syrian crisis response; Anthony
pants simply to listen instead of problem- Lake, the executive director of UNICEF; Bridging the Gap
solve,” she added. “But not today.” and Meighan Stone, president of the at Georgetown
The event—an initiative spearheaded
by the Office of Deputy Secretary of
State Antony Blinken in partnership
Malala Fund, participants broke into
smaller discussion groups to brainstorm
solutions.
I n January, the Carnegie Corporation
gave an $840,000 grant to the Edmund
A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at
with the Bureau of Population, Refugees Ideas flowed on how to build more Georgetown University’s “Bridging the
and Migration—convened more than schools, arrange for basic transportation, Gap” initiative, with the goal of connect-
100 leaders from government, interna- provide child protection and psychoso- ing practitioners and theoreticians in the
tional financial institutions, nonprofit cial services, and offer vocational train- world of international affairs.
organizations, education foundations, ing to young adults. The grant, titled “From Scholar’s
tech companies and others to explore Many participants commented Theory to Practitioner’s Work, and Back,”
solutions on how to provide roughly on how much they appreciated the will promote diplomacy as a key interna-
400,000 school-aged Syrian refugee chil- opportunity to expand their profes- tional policy tool.
dren in Turkey with access to education. sional networks, and the department is To be shared by the Institute for the
Coming just days after the world had now following up on some of the day’s Study of Diplomacy and the Mortara
witnessed horrific terror attacks in Bei- proposals. Center for International Studies, the
rut and Paris, the meeting added a sense The event mirrored a similar effort in grant monies will fund three major
of urgency to the challenge of prevent- Turkey where the U.S. mission brought “bridging the gap” pillars: (1) educa-
ing the disenfranchisement of an entire together major U.N. organizations, NGOs tion, by updating and expanding ISD’s
generation of Syrian youth.
The United States, primarily through
PRM and USAID’s Office of Foreign
Disaster Assistance, has contributed Contemporary Quote
more than $4.5 billion in humanitar- To me the most important single quality of a diplomat is empathy,
ian aid since the start of the civil war in which is not the same as sympathy; it simply means you understand.
Syria. Turkey alone has received more You take great pains to understand where the other side is coming from.
than $325 million in U.S. funding for its If you’re trying to alter their behavior or adjust their behavior in ways that
humanitarian response to the crisis via are congenial to your own interests, you need to understand that side first.
U.N. agencies and nongovernmental Understanding requires a diplomatic presence; it requires reporting
organizations, including for the opera- officers to help us understand what’s going on in another country.
tions of schools. —Ambassador Robert Hutchings, at the Feb. 18 Book Notes event featuring his new book,
Turkish officials and international Foreign Policy Breakthroughs: Cases in Successful Diplomacy (Oxford University Press,
humanitarian aid organizations esti- 2015). Watch the event at www.afsa.org/video.
mate that of the 700,000 school-aged
12 APRIL 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL230-strong case study library; (2) policy Pakistani Students Apathy to Empathy,” is a multiplatform
and research, by convening a series Challenge Extremism consciousness-raising effort that plays out
of working groups at ISD to explore for P2P Win on social media, using graphics, music
diplomatic challenges, make recom-
mendations for policy-makers and begin
a new Ph.D. fellowship program; and,
I n February, a group of students from
the University of Lahore was declared
the winner of a competition sponsored
and a peace pledge, which students can
sign in solidarity against violence.
The FATE team also held live events,
(3) public outreach, by enhancing the by the State Department, Department such as concerts and workshops, to edu-
Washington Post’s popular and acces- of Homeland Security, Facebook and cate young people over the past several
sible blog The Monkey Cage, which high- EdVenture Partners called “Peer to Peer: months. The team won $5,000 to further
lights social science research in a foreign Challenging Extremism.” expand their campaign.
affairs context. Forty-five teams from universities in According to Assistant Secretary for
Most importantly, the grant signifies 17 countries participated in the competi- Education and Cultural Affairs Evan Ryan,
a huge (and necessary) investment in tion, with the goal of creating a social the goal of the peer-to-peer (P2P) cam-
the study of diplomacy and diplomatic media outreach campaign to reach young paigns is to make young people feel less
history. people who are vulnerable to recruitment isolated and give them a sense of purpose.
The Journal featured ISD’s case stud- by terrorist organizations. “We live in a country that deals with
ies website as the “Site of the Month” in Each team was given $2,000 to design terror on a daily basis. But there’s a tre-
November. and launch a program on their university mendous amount of apathy toward that
—Shannon Mizzi, campuses and in their home communities. violence,” Mashal Imran, a member of the
Editorial Assistant The winning campaign, “FATE: From winning team, said.
50 Years Ago
Foreign Service Journal In the past there was a division between
Editorial: New Opportunity the responsibility of the desk officer for these
for the Service activities and the authority to carry them out,
T he announcement by President Lyndon
Johnson that he was conferring new
authority on the Secretary of State to super-
which more often lay at the Office Director
or Deputy Assistant Secretary level. With the
proper rank, authority and familiarity with
vise and direct the interdepartmental overseas the situation, the Country Director should
activities of the entire government is of major be in a position to provide leadership over
significance for the Foreign Service … and, we country programs, government-wide. It is to
venture to say, the majority of [the Journal’s] be hoped that the days are past when major
readers welcome this long-overdue step which policy decisions are discussed without the respon-
is so necessary to give effect to the primacy of national sible and knowledgeable officer being present.
policy, as the President sees it, over the specialized inter- Although the authority and machinery now appears
ests of the various agencies of the government. to be established, the system will depend for its effective
The internal reorganization with the President’s direc- operation on the vigor and ability with which it is admin-
tive, introduces the concept of Country Director. It is istered. It is hoped that this momentum can be contin-
designed to provide the Secretary and Under Secretary ued, for the specter of interdepartmental groups which
with the backing they need to staff the new groups and by degenerated into formalistic paper mills is all too familiar
this means carry out their new mandate. The creation of to most of us.
the post of Country Director provides a focus for Wash- The success of the system will depend on the leadership
ington backing for country overseas programs. which the Department and the Foreign Service give to it.
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2016 13“When we’re confronting an issue Department may be able to.” newly created Center for Strategic Coun-
like countering extremist ideologies and This is only the second year of the terterrorism Communications.
messaging, we know that we need to work P2P contest, but similar initiatives have That online campaign, which released
with partners,” Ryan states. “These stu- been launched in the recent past. In 2011, confrontational videos and tweets poking
dents know how to do that better than I Barack Obama announced the “Think fun at the so-called Islamic State group
do, and better than many of us in the State Again, Turn Away” initiative through the in an attempt to discredit it, proved inef-
fective.
SITE OF THE MONTH: Atlas Obscura: http://www.atlasobscura.com/ The State Department hopes to
increase the amount of discussion around
alternatives to extremism
A tlas Obscura aims to be “the
definitive guide to the world’s
wondrous and curious places.” But
Atlas Obscura
events or excur-
sions to interesting
by getting young people
who are not affiliated with
the government involved in
as a living guide, it is more than just places, which are creating online campaigns
definitive: the site gives the lie to the advertised on the tailored for youth at risk of
old adage of the world-weary that website and led radicalization.
“there’s nothing new under the sun.” by Atlas Obscura —Shannon Mizzi,
In the words of Atlas Obscura: “field agents” and Editorial Assistant
“In an age where everything seems members of the
to have been explored and there is Atlas Obscura societies in various Play Sheds Light on
nothing new to be found, we cel- cities. Gender-Based Violence
ebrate a different way of looking at
the world.”
Founded in 2009 by Joshua Foer
Some currently featured discov-
eries include a fascinating line of
60 18th-century mills preserved in
F or anyone with an interest in combat-
ting gender-based violence, promoting
human rights and providing humanitarian
and Dylan Thuras, and with journal- the mountains of Spain; the “Yard of assistance, there is a must-see play making
ist David Plotz as current CEO, Atlas Lost Toys,” an informal museum of the rounds in international policy and
Obscura is a collaborative website. forgotten playthings in Lviv, Ukraine; academic circles: “Neda Wants to Die.”
The site’s production team curates the Othello Tunnels, a collection Since its debut in 2014, this poignant
pictures and stories of curious of railroad tunnels that have been production—commissioned by the World
places around the world submitted converted into hiking paths in Hope, Bank—has been raising awareness on the
by users—a growing “community of Canada; and Tonto Natural Bridge, epidemic of gender-based violence in
explorers.” the largest natural travertine bridge conflict settings.
It’s easy to add your own “undis- in the world, which just happens to The entire play is set in a remote field
covered” locations, whether it’s a be in Pine, Arizona. office of the U.N. High Commissioner
new find in your own hometown or Besides being a fun place to for Refugees and features the testimo-
an exotic spot abroad. The collection spend an hour, Atlas Obscura is a nies of three people who are trapped in
includes natural wonders, unique col- great resource to consult before the middle of a violent civil war: a lone
lections, libraries, museums, places your next vacation or to get to know UNHCR case officer, a female victim and
associated with historical characters, your own city better. Dubbed the a male perpetrator.
crypts, cemeteries, labs, research new National Geographic by some, Their stories are gripping, shedding
facilities, abandoned places, ruins, the website endeavors to prove that light on the secondary trauma experi-
castles, art, architecture and more, exploration and discovery are still enced by humanitarian response workers
along with their fascinating back possible, even in your own backyard. and on the incredibly fine and often
stories. —Shannon Mizzi, blurred lines between fault, emotional
You can also submit ideas for Editorial Assistant dependency, desperation and survival.
“I was blindfolded. They tied my hands
14 APRIL 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNALheadquarters for Africa in
Nairobi and the Frauenmu-
seum (Women’s Museum)
in Bonn. Its most recent
showing was on March 31 at
the Harris Theater in Fairfax,
Virginia.
With a panel discussion
COURTESY OF LUIGI LARAIA
after each performance,
“Neda Wants to Die” has
proven a useful tool for
inspiring open and frank
“Neda Wants to Die” cast members, from left: Karen discussion about gender-
Lawrence, Sean Gabbert and Richard Tanenbaum.
based violence.
and beat me over my head. I thought —Maria C. Livingston,
they were going to kill me. They took me Director of Professional Policy Issues
away.” These are the stirring words of the
play’s main character, Neda, as she pleads State Ranks Second in
for asylum from a country where her Customer Satisfaction
village has been pillaged, her loved ones Survey
murdered, and her own emotional and
physical well-being severely violated.
The country setting is never revealed
T he results are in for the annual
American Customer Satisfaction
Index, and Americans are less satis-
in this 75-minute drama, an intentional fied with the services their government
omission to underscore how truly wide- provides for the third consecutive year.
spread this phenomenon is. According The federal government scored 63.9 on a
to the play’s writer and director, Luigi customer satisfaction scale of 0 to 100, a
Laraia, Neda represents the one-in- nine-year low.
three-women who experience physical or Despite the overall negative rating,
sexual abuse in their lifetime. there was improvement in several spe-
“I wanted to create a stage produc- cific areas. One was “clarity and acces-
tion that was ferociously real, to the sibility of information conveyed by the
point of being unbearable, just as gender government,” and another was “efficiency
violence is,” says Laraia. Hats off to Laraia of services provided.”
and his cast, local D.C. actors Richard As far as the individual departments
Tanenbaum, Karen Lawrence and Sean are concerned, Interior received the
Gabbert, for doing just that. highest rating, with 75, while the depart-
The play picked up steam in 2015 and ments of Veterans Affairs, Justice and
has now been performed at the Johns Treasury received the lowest, at 60, 59
Hopkins School of Advanced International and 55, respectively.
Studies, George Mason University’s Center With a score of 71, the State Depart-
for the Study of Gender and Conflict, a ment came in second out of 13 depart-
Vital Voices event, Washington, D.C.’s ments rated, followed by the departments
Capital Fringe Fest 2015, the United of Defense and Homeland Security. n
Nations in New York, the Kenyatta Inter- —Shannon Mizzi,
national Convention Centre and the U.N. Editorial Assistant
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2016 15SPEAKING OUT
The Department of State:
Mission and Vision Examined
B Y E D WA R D M A R K S
T
he drafting and publication of an
State now has two personnel systems,
official mission statement has
become standard practice for all operating on different principles,
sorts of organizations, including undermining the congressional (and
governmental ones. What it is and how
to prepare it are now taught in business
national) decision to create and operate a
schools. distinct professional diplomatic team.
One fairly standard definition of a
mission statement (this one taken from
Wikipedia) is that it is a statement of the ment, while a vision statement describes In other instances, the Department of
purpose of a company, organization or the program. State seems to have a better grip on the
person; its reason for existing; a written distinction. The following is displayed on
declaration of its core purpose and focus. Confusion at State State’s career page on the Web: “The U.S.
A mission statement is different from a The Department of State appears to be Department of State is the lead institution
vision statement. While there are various somewhat confused about this distinction. for the conduct of American diplomacy,
ways to approach this, I would suggest that Here is its mission statement presented in and the Secretary of State is the President’s
a mission statement defines and describes the Fiscal Year 2015 Financial Report and principal foreign policy advisor.”
the organization, while the vision state- shown on the department’s website: “The This is more like a mission statement or
ment is the “road map” that tells us what it [State] Department’s mission is to shape organizational description, although it is
wishes to accomplish at any given point. and sustain a peaceful, prosperous, just curiously inadequate. For instance, it does
Applied to the Department of State, and democratic world, and foster condi- not state the obvious—that State is a U.S.
this tracks with the traditional distinction tions for stability and progress for the government department—even though
between diplomacy and foreign policy. benefit of the American people and people stating “obvious” fundamental facts is the
Using some fairly standard dictionary everywhere. This mission is shared with point of a mission statement. Calling the
definitions, we find that diplomacy is “the USAID, ensuring we have a common path Department of State an “institution” is a
art and practice of conducting negotiations forward in partnership as we invest in the curious bit of terminology that falls short of
between nations” in order to implement shared security and prosperity that will describing its official character.
foreign policy, which in turn consists of the ultimately better prepare us for the chal- Further, this statement does not
subjects, items and objectives of a given lenges of tomorrow.” describe the department’s very special
country at a given time. A very brief overview of American for- organizational model: a headquarters
In other words, diplomacy is the instru- eign policy objectives, this would appear to located in Washington, D.C., with some
ment and foreign policy is the program. A be more a vision statement than a mission 300 fairly small “branches” or offices
mission statement describes the instru- statement. (embassies and consulates) spread around
the world.
Edward Marks spent 40 years in the U.S. Foreign Service, including an assignment as This is the key organizational character-
ambassador to Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde. A senior mentor at various military istic of the State Department and reflects
institutions, Ambassador Marks serves as a member of the American Diplomacy its fundamental role—that of continu-
board and as a Distinguished Senior Fellow at George Mason University. He was a ous interaction with other governments
retiree representative on the AFSA Governing Board from 2013 to 2015. through formal liaison offices and accred-
16 APRIL 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNALited personnel in each other’s country, or for worldwide service to meet the needs of civilians) to conduct war, it is not an ideal
the conduct of diplomacy. the nation. way to conduct the nation’s business.
In essence, the Department of State is This cadre is subject to very specific The State Department has attempted to
about dealing with foreign governments, employment requirements starting with bridge over this growing gap by formulat-
foreign countries, foreign conditions and the entry examination process and includ- ing the slogan “One Team, One Mission.”
foreign citizens—Dean Acheson’s “vast ing tenure, language proficiency, fair-share But that only fudges the issue. Which
external realm.” service, competitive annual evaluation, up team? Congress decided in 1924 that the
or out and mandatory retirement at age 65. United States needed a professional dip-
The Core Professional These are the same principles applied lomatic cadre, recruited and managed in
Staff to employment in other specialized agen- accordance with the principles of merito-
These fundamental characteristics cies of the U.S. government, such as the cratic competition, group discipline and
are crucial for organizational matters military services, the Federal Bureau of worldwide service at the discretion of the
such as budgets, management processes Investigation and the Central Intelligence Department of State.
and, most important, personnel. The U.S. Agency. The Foreign Service, in other Congress reiterated that decision in the
Congress recognized this in creating the words, was intended to be the core profes- Foreign Service Acts of 1946 and 1980. In
professional Foreign Service in 1924 and sional staff of the Department of State. the early 1950s, Congress extended that
reinforced that view in later versions of the This role was clarified and emphasized personnel decision to the headquarters
basic legislation. by the Wriston reforms of the early 1950s of the Department of State itself with the
The latest, the Foreign Service Act that essentially eliminated the separation Wriston reforms, which pointed toward
of 1980, clearly states: “The scope and between foreign and home service by a single personnel system organized on
complexity of the foreign affairs of the merging the international affairs profes- Foreign Service lines and principles.
Nation have heightened the need for a sionals of the department’s Civil Service However, in the past several decades,
professional foreign service that will serve into the Foreign Service. State management has moved away from
the foreign affairs interests of the United that system and expanded a General
States in an integrated fashion and that can Losing Focus Schedule personnel system without formal
provide a resource of qualified personnel Over the years, however, State’s person- congressional authority or mandate. State
for the President, the Secretary of State nel system has lost this focus as the depart- now has two personnel systems, operating
and the agencies concerned with foreign ment expanded and wandered away from on different principles, undermining the
affairs.” its core mission. Other personnel systems congressional (and national) decision to
The Foreign Service was obviously have grown like Topsy. The extent of State’s create and operate a distinct professional
intended by Congress to provide the divergence from legislative injunction is diplomatic team. (Actually there are now
professional cadre for the conduct of well described in the recent report, “Ameri- four such systems, if you count political
diplomacy, analogous to the role of the can Diplomacy at Risk,” by the American appointees of various stripes, as well as
uniformed military for the exercise of the Academy of Diplomacy. contractors.)
military arm. It follows that the primary This personnel shift was never promul- In doing this, State appears to be
objective of the State Department’s per- gated as official policy by any president or returning to the pre-Wriston days when
sonnel system is to provide an adequate Congress, but appears to have occurred there was a gulf between headquarters
and dependable stream of professional through a gradual process of adminis- and the field (the bane of all large and
experts to work in diplomacy. trative creep. It has produced serious widespread organizations). This is the
The special character of diplomacy management problems with respect to inevitable result of a bifurcation of person-
led Congress to define the characteristics the staffing of both the department and nel between those recruited, employed
of the personnel system required for the its overseas posts, by diminishing the and professionally focused on the main
Department of State. The Foreign Service resources and operational flexibility of the characteristic of international diplomacy,
is to be a professional meritocracy: a corps Foreign Service. on the one hand; and home-based per-
recruited by competitive examination, pro- While this may not be as dangerous sonnel, recruited and employed on Civil
moted by competitive merit and available to the republic as using non-soldiers (i.e., Service standards who largely remain in
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2016 17domestic locations, divorced in practice fessional diplomatic service, recruited What this system is called is irrelevant,
from the essential “foreignness” of the and promoted by competition, obligated but “foreign service” (diplomacy) is what
department’s responsibilities, on the to worldwide assignments for “the good it should be about.
other. of the Service” and focused on the inter- No one would argue that military
national character of diplomacy. officers should be allowed to pursue a
A Clear Personnel Policy The principles of the Wriston Act career exclusively in the Pentagon. Nor
Required should be restated to produce a single should the Department of State’s foreign
What is required instead is a clear personnel system for the department. affairs personnel be permitted to pursue
personnel policy, one that is in line with A reasonable integration period for diplomatic careers solely or largely in
the injunction of the Foreign Service Act currently employed professional staff Washington.
and with the mission statement of the would be required, with the objective of This ongoing change in the quality
Department of State. Given the exis- rationalizing the department staff into a and character of our diplomatic repre-
tence of the FSA, new legislation will not single personnel system in a reasonable sentation, and in the management of
be required; and because the reform will time frame. our foreign affairs, does not appear to
be budget neutral, a seventh floor–led Specialized duties such as the legal be happening as the result of conscious
internal reorganization should be suf- office and, perhaps, departmental bud- national policy. But the trend should be
ficient. geting might require Civil Service incum- of concern not just to Foreign Service
The objective would be to staff the bents, but they should be specifically members, but to our political leadership
department and its field posts with a pro- identified and set aside as exceptions. and the public in general. n
18 APRIL 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNALFOCUS ON HUMANITARIAN DIPLOMACY
Humanitarian
Diplomacy
Q&A with Kelly Clements,
Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees
An experienced practitioner addresses today's unprecedented challenges.
FSJ: What is humanitarian
diplomacy, and how has its practice
evolved since the establishment of
the Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees in
1950?
Kelly T. Clements: From the
perspective of the United Nations
refugee agency, the UNHCR, the
aim of humanitarian diplomacy is
to protect, assist and find solutions
for refugees, internally displaced
persons, stateless persons and other
persons of concern to the agency.
Humanitarian diplomacy does
not have a clear definition in inter-
national law but draws strongly on
UNHCR
the principles of independence,
neutrality and impartiality. It requires U.N. Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees Kelly Clements, second from right, and
members of the UNHCR team in Serbia talk with Syrian and Iraqi refugees stranded on the
advocacy with governments and border between Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on March 8.
engagement with both sovereign states
and non-state actors. It involves persuading state and non-state engages with political actors in a diplomatically sophisticated
actors to keep borders open to gain access to, protect and assist manner to gain and maintain the trust of all parties, taking no
refugees and to work toward durable solutions. side other than that of the refugee. Humanitarian diplomacy
UNHCR is a non-political humanitarian organization, yet thus underpins the work of UNHCR.
there is nothing about the refugee situations it confronts that is During my time in the State Department with the Bureau of
not political in nature. To address both the root causes of refu- Population, Refugees, and Migration, humanitarian diplomacy
gee movements and immediate threats to their safety, UNHCR was embraced, trained and practiced by the bureau’s leader-
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2016 19You can also read
