NATO AT 70 THE TRAGEDY OF VENEZUELA STRAIGHT TALK - ON BIDDING - American Foreign Service ...
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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 2019
NATO AT 70
THE TRAGEDY
OF VENEZUELA
STRAIGHT TALK
ON BIDDING
FOREIGN
SERVICE April 2019 Volume 96, No. 3
Focus on NATO at 70 Message from the Hill
12
BUILDing Better
Development Financing
B y R e p r e s e n t a t i v e Te d Yo h o
NATO
23 30
Reinforcing NATO Working with NATO to
for the Future Address Hybrid Threats
At 70, the Atlantic alliance is a Globalization—the worldwide system
unique triumph of inter-state of instant communication, finance
cooperation. What should be its and commerce—has given a dramatic
“to-do” list for the future? boost to the phenomenon of hybrid
By George Robertson threats, one of today’s central
security challenges.
By Chris Kremidas Courtney
35
From the FSJ Archive:
Perspectives on NATO
Feature
38
The Tragedy
26 of Venezuela
Global Shifts and Misguided tropical socialism
destroyed one of Latin America’s
American Political Will most promising countries.
as NATO Turns 70 Here’s how.
In a difficult moment, NATO’s historical
By Oliver Griffith
success, together with current
operational advances, will once again
see the alliance through.
By Steven Keil
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2019 5
FOREIGN
SERVICE
Perspectives 60
Reflections
Departments
7 The Achille Lauro Affair, 1985
10 Letters
President’s Views B y To m L o n g o
Time to Refund the Iraq Tax 14 Talking Points
By Barbara Stephenson
62
Local Lens 53 Books
9 Guilin, China
Letter from the Editor By Andrea Nagy
NATO: An Enduring Alliance
By Shawn Dorman
Marketplace
20 55 Classifieds
Speaking Out
Straight Talk on Bidding: 57 Real Estate
What You Need to Know Before 59 Index to Advertisers
Trying for That Heavily Bid Job
B y P a u l Po l e t e s
AFSA NEWS THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION
45 AFSA Seeks Award
Nominations for 2019
50 Retiree Corner:
Change Your Health
45
46 State VP Voice: Plan?
Foreign Service 50 Webinar: Planning
Furlough Stories for Retirement
47 FAS VP Voice: 51 AFSA Welcomes
Government Newest FSOs
Shutdowns Shut Out 52 FS Day: Letters to
U.S. Farmers the Editor Are Back
48 AFSA on the Hill: 52 AFSA Greets Newest
Advocacy in a Divided FS Specialists
Congress
49 AFSA Retirees:
From International 52
Careers to Local
Engagement
On the Cover—NATO Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs meet at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Oct. 14, 2010, to
prepare for the 2010 NATO summit in Lisbon, Portugal. Credit: U.S. Department of Defense. Inset: President Harry S Truman signs the
Washington Treaty establishing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on April 4, 1949, in Washington, D.C. Credit: Abbie Rowe/National
Archives and Records Administration. Composition by Driven By Design LLC.
6 APRIL 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL
PRESIDENT’S VIEWS
Time to Refund the Iraq Tax
BY BA R BA R A ST E P H E N S O N
A
s news circulates about a The evidence is clear: we have too few
significant reduction in Foreign
Foreign Service positions in the field.
Service positions in Iraq, and
the State Department’s new
Five-Year Workforce and Leadership Suc- percent budget cuts and 8 percent staffing This is what great power competition
cession Plan reports on pages 4 and 49 cuts. Members will recall that Congress looks like. This is why nearly 100 Ameri-
“abolishing a large number of positions rejected these cuts as tantamount to a can business associations wrote to Secre-
in warzone areas,” members have begun “doctrine of retreat” and fully restored tary Pompeo in October asking for more
to ask me if it is finally refund time for the funding for FY 2018. FSOs at embassies and consulates. “We
“Iraq tax” levied more than a decade ago. The evidence is clear: we have too few urge you to send more diplomats over-
Members of the Foreign Service vividly Foreign Service positions in the field. seas,” they wrote. “Foreign competitors
recall being asked during the height of the Why does it matter that American are continually extending their economic
“civilian surge” in Iraq to identify posi- embassies are operating with depleted reach into markets where America’s dip-
tions our embassies could sacrifice for Foreign Service teams, with too few play- lomatic presence is limited.”
the cause of ensuring that every position ers to cover all the bases? This has long Congress also takes seriously the
in Iraq was filled with a Foreign Service been a suboptimal situation that has led threat of rising competition. That is at
volunteer. Now, well over a decade later, to missed opportunities and too little least part of the reason why Congress
we still find ourselves struggling in short- mentoring. But in the face of competition voted by such wide margins to reject pro-
staffed political and economic sections at from rapidly rising powers such as China, posed cuts and again restore funding for
embassies around the world. the cost of leaving American embassies the FY 2019 International Affairs Budget.
The most recent report of State HR’s short-staffed has rapidly risen to danger- The appropriations bill passed on Feb.
Overseas Staffing Board validates the ous levels, jeopardizing America’s global 14 increases funding for “Diplomatic
concern members express about being leadership. Programs,” including $84 million for the
short-staffed. The model showed a deficit Members, especially those serving in “overseas programs” line item, which
of almost 200 overseas positions in “core Africa, report that they are outnumbered covers overseas support costs for mov-
diplomacy” (the term the Overseas Staff- four or five to one by Chinese diplomats ing FSO positions from Washington to
ing Model uses for political, economic working on economic and commercial the field. Congressional language firmly
and front office positions). Deficits in issues. Lest we be tempted to discount prohibits reducing staffing.
other categories were also flagged by the the impact of being so outmatched, How do we begin to reclaim lost
OSB report. consider what retired Ambassador Stuart ground and reassert American global
These deficits would be even higher if Jones recently shared during an AFSA leadership? For starters, it is time to
accurate plan- panel on “Economic Diplomacy Works”: refund the Iraq tax, especially given the
ning assumptions According to Engineering Digest’s annual announced reduction of positions in Iraq.
had been used global survey of the top engineering and It is time to make a serious effort to restore
instead of those construction firms, in 2008, there were no positions overseas—in advance of the next
derived from the Chinese firms in the top 10. By 2018, Chi- bidding season—and give embassies and
administration’s nese firms occupied eight of those slots. consulates the full teams needed to pro-
2017 budget pro- Bechtel, which had always been in the top tect and defend American interests. n
posal, namely, 32 10, had slipped to number 12.
Ambassador Barbara Stephenson is the president of the American Foreign Service Association.
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2019 7
FOREIGN
CONTACTS
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8 APRIL 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
NATO: An Enduring Alliance
B Y S H AW N D O R M A N
O
n April 4, 1949, in the wake of from FSJ articles about NATO from 1949 to
World War II, the leaders of 12 the present.
European and North American This month’s feature is timely. In “The
countries met in Washington, Tragedy of Venezuela” retired FSO Oliver
D.C., to establish and sign the North Atlan- Griffith presents a cautionary tale of how a
tic Treaty. This new military alliance guar- nation that was once one of Latin Amer-
anteed that any member country would ica’s most prosperous and promising has
protect any other in the event of aggression devolved into dysfunction and crisis.
from an outside country. And the Speaking Out is a blunt but
In 1955, the Soviet Union and affiliated useful take on bidding. If you’ve ever won-
communist countries in Eastern Europe dered how the “deciders” determine who
created the Warsaw Pact in response. gets those plum posts overseas, look no
Today NATO has 29 member countries, further. In “Straight Talk on Bidding,” FSO
including 10 former Warsaw Pact mem- Paul Poletes lifts the curtain on the process
bers and three from the former Yugoslavia. and gives you insider advice on whether
On its 70th anniversary, experts are and when to bid on that popular post.
asking: How has the alliance changed, and In her President’s Views column,
what might its future hold? Is NATO in Ambassador Barbara Stephenson suggests
crisis? Are NATO’s days numbered? that it’s time to get a refund on the Iraq tax.
As more than one of this month’s Rather than abolish the positions that were
authors point out, the survival of NATO has created to staff up Iraq and Afghanistan
regularly been pondered. Yet it remains in during the height of the wars, those posi-
force and relevant. tions should be moved back to the posts
In this issue of the Journal, we take a that lost them—and still need them.
look at the evolution of the alliance. Lord Thank you to those of you who joined
Robertson, secretary general of NATO from us for the FSJ centennial exhibit at the U.S.
1999 to 2003 and British defense secretary Diplomacy Center last month. The exhibit
from 1997 to 1999, offers an alliance to-do will be on display through Foreign Service
list in “Reinforcing NATO for the Future.” Day on May 3, so do stop by. Hopefully it
Steven Keil from the German Marshall will inspire you to dig deeper into the his-
Fund writes about “Global Shifts and tory of diplomacy and the Foreign Service.
American Political Will as NATO Turns Please visit the FSJ digital archive at
70.” And NATO expert Chris Kremidas www.afsa.org/fsj-archive. And consider
Courtney looks at new submitting your own Foreign Service story.
alliance initiatives in Author guidelines are at http://www.
“Working with NATO afsa.org/fsj-author-guidelines. Drop me
to Address Hybrid a line to pitch an article, share something
Threats.” We also share interesting you find in the archive or let us
a selection of excerpts know what you think of this issue. n
Shawn Dorman is the editor of The Foreign Service Journal.
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2019 9
LETTERS
On Economic/Commercial 1980. Among our findings was that the and Adams families have produced
Diplomacy commercial officers at State were largely father-and-son ambassadors. Not so!
I’d like to make two comments regard- ineffective at selling U.S. goods and ser- The Francis family of Troy, New York,
ing the excellent article by Shaun Don- vices abroad, and that the “commercial also produced a father-and-son team:
nelly and Dan Crocker, “Six Elements of cone” was the least desirable career path John M. Francis and his son Charles S.
Effective Economic/Commercial Diplo- at State. Francis. Furthermore, like the Adams
macy,” in the January-February FSJ. After exploring several options, Bill family, they followed each other to
First, I agree with the authors’ recom- and I decided to legislate removal of this represent the United States in the same
mendations. When I went to Mexico as function from State and pass it over to the country a generation apart.
ambassador in 1993, I had six objectives Commerce Department as the FCS. That According to the State Department’s
I wanted to accomplish. At the top of the has been largely successful. Office of the Historian, John M. Francis
list was to grow the commercial relation- James R. Jones served as minister resident in Greece
ship between our countries. I would note Chairman, Monarch Global from 1871 to 1873; as minister resident/
that at this time, the Secretary of State, Strategies LLC consul general in Portugal from 1882 to
Warren Christopher, was fully supportive U.S. ambassador to Mexico, 1993-1997 1884; and as envoy extraordinary and
of elevating commercial development as Member of Congress (D-Okla.), minister plenipotentiary in Austria from
a top priority at U.S. embassies. This was 1973-1987 1884 to 1885.
a fundamental change. Washington, D.C. His son Charles was envoy extraor-
As CEO of the American Stock dinary and minister plenipotentiary to
Exchange and Economic Diplomacy Greece from 1901 to 1902, with accredita-
before that on the Stories Inspire tion to Romania and Serbia. Later, like his
House Ways & I’m up reading the January-Feb- father, he was ambassador extraordinary
Means Committee, I ruary FSJ at 1:30 a.m. I loved the Tay- and plenipotentiary to Austria, from 1906
had concluded that lor guitar story, which I’ll share with to 1910.
private-sector com- my guitar-playing husband later. The Francis family were newspaper
mercial development Bob Taylor sounds like an amazing publishers in Troy and prominent sup-
should be a major guy who worked so well with the porters of the Republican Party.
part of our foreign embassy to form a great partner- Stephen Muller
policy. It would create ship with Cameroon. He’s replant- FSO, retired
wealth worth defend- ing trees that get used for making Troy, New York
ing and would lead to another important guitars, and doing it with local labor!
objective: promotion of democracy. I The other stories were inspiring too. Responding to Radically
witnessed that in Mexico. And the photos are smashing. A class act. Simple Ideas
After we passed the North American Most people have no idea what our Writing in the November 2018 FSJ,
Free Trade Agreement and commerce embassies do—and do for our coun- Mr. JC Windham raised some creative
flourished between our countries, the try. The Taylor guitar story is a perfect ideas for improving the Foreign Service.
demand for openness in Mexico’s politi- example. I hope it will be widely read. While I do not agree with all his ideas,
cal system took hold. That was the end Linda Michel I applaud his initiative.
of the one-party rule that had governed FSJ reader In particular, he recommended elimi-
Mexico for more than seven decades. Owings Mills, Md. nating management officer positions
My second comment concerns the and having each of the specialist sections
Foreign Commercial Service, which was Father-and-Son report directly to the deputy chief of mis-
created by an amendment I co-sponsored Ambassadors sion (DCM).
with Congressman Bill Frenzel (R-Minn.). The interview with Ambassador Ron I have found that the coordinating
We had led a Ways & Means Task Neumann in the December FSJ includes role of management counselors at post
Force on U.S.-Japan Trade from 1978 to the observation that only the Neumann is absolutely essential, and it’s impracti-
10 APRIL 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNALcal for the DCM to take on well-rounded, FS specialists services officer, a tour as consular officer,
this additional responsibil- would need to have demon- then as senior GSO before becoming
ity. However, I do think the strated experience outside management counselor—with the major
department could look their specialty, including difference that now the department
more creatively at how completing a tour as a con- would have provided an upward career
those management coun- sular officer, just as manage- path for all specialists, whether GSO,
selor positions are filled. ment-coned FSOs do now. office management specialist, financial
I have met many bril- As Mr. Windham suggests, management officer or something else.
liant FS specialists who the department might then I know I tread on dangerous ground,
feel their upward mobility stop taking in entry-level man- given that I am neither a specialist nor in
is limited in their career track. Why agement officers. But with the the management cone. But I have worked
should they not one day run a manage- above process in place, the department with wonderful colleagues in manage-
ment section or be a DCM? could let specialists take these senior ment sections, both FSO and FS special-
To make this happen, I would argue management-level jobs and then backfill ist, and wonder whether the FSO/FSS
that management counselor positions at with new entry-level specialists. split there still makes sense.
posts should only be open to experienced With this change, the overall career Stuart Denyer
FS specialists. This would provide the path of someone in a management FSO
upward mobility. To compete for one of counselor job might be the same as FSI/SPAS/CON
these positions and show that they are today—e.g., a tour as an assistant general Arlington, Virginia n
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2019 11A MESSAGE FROM THE HILL
BUILDing Better Development Financing
B Y R E P R E S E N TAT I V E T E D YO H O
I
was honored to be asked to write foreign assistance changed. I developed
an article for the American Foreign a deeper understanding of how aid
Service Association’s magazine, whose could be an important tool in maintain-
readership is made up of a prestigious ing American leadership while creating
group of Americans whose work has a strong allies in a complicated and unpre-
serious impact around the globe. To all dictable world. As my views evolved, I
current and former Foreign Service pro- better understood the effectiveness and
fessionals, I thank you for your service importance of U.S. foreign aid. In par-
and dedication to our country. ticular, that if it is used properly, it could
You are on the front lines in more transition countries from “aid to trade.”
than 270 U.S. embassies, consulates and Evaluating the way our foreign aid
various posts around the world. It is safe is implemented, I noticed there was
to say that most Americans do not real- plenty of room for improvement. It was
ize or fully understand the importance imperative that we elevate America’s
of your work in assisting other coun- global competitiveness, reform our anti-
tries, problem-solving and promoting
the United States’ interests around the
world—while also improving conditions I developed a deeper understanding of how
in the countries in which you serve. As
aid could be an important tool in maintaining
diplomats and development specialists,
you understand the role soft power—
American leadership while creating strong
especially foreign assistance programs— allies in a complicated and unpredictable world.
plays in remedying issues and advancing
our nation’s interests overseas. more about this very important compo- quated programs and bring development
When I was first elected to Congress nent of our national security apparatus. finance into the 21st century.
in 2012, I must admit, I was one of those When I first arrived, it was no secret That is what led our team to introduce
who didn’t fully appreciate the scope of that I was in favor of eliminating all The Better Utilization of Investments
our Foreign Service community. Soon foreign aid. I had long been skeptical Leading to Development (BUILD) Act,
after my arrival on Capitol Hill, I was of how U.S. taxpayer dollars were spent which was signed into law last year. I
fortunate to be named a member of the overseas, having heard countless stories believe this is the most important reform
House Foreign Affairs Committee, which of America’s generosity being rewarded of U.S. foreign development programs in
provided me the opportunity to learn by wasteful projects and corrupt foreign decades.
bureaucrats enriching themselves at the The BUILD Act consolidates vari-
Representative Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) is a member expense of the U.S. taxpayer and robbing ous federal development programs and
of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs their own citizens of those intended agencies into one full-service, self-
and lead Republican of the HFAC Subcom- benefits. sustaining U.S. International Develop-
mittee on Asia, the Pacific and Nonprolifera- However, the more hearings I ment Finance Corporation. Essentially,
tion. He is also a member of the Committee on attended, testimonies I heard and the IDFC combines the Overseas Private
Agriculture. experts I spoke to, the more my views on Investment Corporation and the U.S.
12 APRIL 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNALThe BUILD Act
has reformed
and modernized
America’s approach
to development
finance and made it
more efficient and
effective.
Agency for International Development’s
Development Credit Authority, while at
the same time expanding U.S. develop-
ment finance capabilities.
The BUILD Act has reformed and
modernized America’s approach to
development finance and made it more
efficient and effective. U.S. foreign aid
and development, when properly imple-
mented, is a potent tool of soft-power
diplomacy. As you well know, when used
effectively these funds help improve our
diplomatic, economic and national secu-
rity interests around the world.
When you combine a modern devel-
opment finance system with knowledge-
able and experienced Foreign Service
members such as yourselves, it spreads
goodwill and stability to other countries.
This goodwill leads to partnerships that
help create strong economies, strong
trade agreements and strong national
security.
Thanks to you and your dedication,
the future of U.S. foreign policy and the
U.S. Foreign Service is looking bright.
I cannot wait to hear about how pro-
fessionals such as yourselves go on to
utilize the tools created by the BUILD
Act and witness the positive impact you
create around the world. n
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2019 13TALKING POINTS
GAO Releases Report GAO acknowledges the State Depart- Military Brass Urge
on “Persistent Overseas ment’s various efforts to address the Support for Diplomacy
Foreign Service vacancies and the factor of fluctuating and Development
Vacancies”
I n March, the Government Account-
ability Office released a new report,
appropriations, but points to the fact that
the department lacks an action plan that
is integrated across its relevant offices
I n congressional testimony and in public
statements, representatives of the U.S.
military have been weighing in on plans
“Department of State: Integrated Action and fails to identify the cause of the per- for the 2020 U.S. federal budget, as they did
Plan Could Enhance Efforts to Reduce sistent vacancies. on previous budgets, urging policymak-
Persistent Overseas Foreign Service Even State’s Five-Year Workforce and ers to “continue to protect resources for
Vacancies” (GAO-19-220). Leadership Succession Plan: Fiscal Years America’s International Affairs Budget.”
This is the GAO’s third report in 10 2016-2020, GAO found, lacks such a com- A March 10 statement addressed to
years on Foreign Service staffing short- prehensive focus. “Addressing chronic legislators by retired admirals and gener-
falls, and the findings are striking. Despite vacancies in critical positions at overseas als from all six of the regional combatant
an increase in the number of positions posts requires a thoughtful, coherent and commands states: “We know that the
staffed between 2008 and 2018, as of integrated action plan that defines the military alone cannot keep our nation
March 31, 2018, fully 13 percent of State’s root causes of persistent Foreign Service safe. Diplomacy and development are
overseas Foreign Service positions were vacancies along with suggested corrective essential to combating threats before they
vacant—nearly the same vacancy per- measures,” states GAO. reach our shores.
centage the GAO found in both 2008 and GAO concludes with one recommen- “We stand with and share the perspec-
2012 (see the graph). dation for executive action: “The Secre- tives of our fellow combatant command-
ers who have testified before Congress in
recent days on the strategic importance
of the State Department, USAID, and
other U.S. development agencies as key
partners around the world to protect our
interest and our values.”
The brass conclude: “As Congress
considers next year’s federal budget, we
urge policymakers to continue to protect
resources for America’s International
Affairs Budget. Doing so is critical to
keeping our nation safe and prosperous in
a world of global threats and great power
competition.”
According to State’s data, as of March tary of State should develop an integrated
31, 2018, overseas posts with State’s high- action plan that defines the root causes Former Senior National
est foreign policy priorities had the high- of persistent Foreign Service vacancies Security Officials
est percentages of vacant Foreign Service at overseas posts and provides suggested Oppose National
positions. The data also shows high corrective measures to reduce such Emergency
vacancy rates in regions with security
risks that could threaten U.S. interests.
The vacancies, GAO found, increase
vacancies, including steps necessary to
implement solutions.”
Significantly, GAO notes that its study
O n Feb. 25, 58 former national
security officials issued a statement
in opposition to the president’s Feb. 15
workloads, adversely affect morale did not assess whether the total number declaration of a “national emergency”
and make it difficult to perform some of authorized overseas Foreign Service that would allow him to divert previously
important functions such as training and positions was appropriate or met State’s appropriated funds to build a wall along
improving processes. needs. the southern border of the United States.
14 APRIL 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNALSITE OF THE MONTH – NATO DECLASSIFIED: HTTPS://WWW.NATO.INT/CPS/EN/NATOHQ/DECLASSIFIED.HTM
I t’s NATO’s 70th anniversary and you
just can’t get enough of NATO? Policy
wonks, historians, photographers and
Another section, “NATO Lead-
ers,” gives a short biography of
each NATO leader, from General
students alike will get a kick out of “NATO Eisenhower (1950-1952) to Anders
Declassified,” a section of NATO’s own Fogh Rasmussen (2009-2014). Still
website that bills itself as the place to another section showcases the vari-
“discover the untold stories of NATO, ous symbols that have been used by
from its birth onward.” NATO in the past and explains their
The site is a bit confusing to navi- significance. This section covers
gate, but your patience will be rewarded everything from NATO’s mobile infor-
by numerous historical photos from mation center to the “NATO strap,”
the NATO archives, a video timeline of a watch band first produced by the
significant events in the history of the British Ministry of Defence in 1973.
alliance, links to speeches given at NATO headquarters over “Experts’ Corner” posts declassified NATO documents
the years and stories specific to the Cold War, the fall of the broken down by subject (e.g., the founding treaty, the fall of
Berlin Wall and the post-9/11 period. the Berlin Wall) and provides lists of recommended reading
One section, “The Cold War,” has a subsection that on each specific topic.
focuses on espionage against NATO, including a video Be sure to check out the section “A Short History of
about what motivated people to spy against the alliance. NATO.” In addition to the history lesson, this section is
This section also includes images of security posters sprinkled with photos that span the entire history of the
distributed by the alliance over the years, and information organization.
about how NATO has been pictured in popular movies and The rich visuals alone make “NATO Declassified” a site
books. worth visiting.
The statement will be entered into the Anne Patterson and Dana Shell Smith. one reported incident in which immi-
Congressional Record. They wrote: “We have lived and worked grants who had crossed the southern
The bipartisan group of former U.S. through national emergencies, and we border illegally attempted to commit a
officials included many who worked for support the president’s power to mobilize terrorist act.”
the State Department such as former the Executive Branch to respond quickly in In fact, they explain, between October
Secretaries of State Madeline Albright and genuine national emergencies. But under 2017 and March 2018, 41 foreign immi-
John Kerry; former Deputy Secretary of no plausible assessment of the evidence is grants on the terrorist watchlist were inter-
State and former Deputy National Security there a national emergency today.” cepted at the northern border, while only
Adviser to the President Antony Blinken; The statement goes on to explain six were stopped at the southern border.
former Deputy Secretaries of State Bill that there is “no documented terrorist There is no human or drug traffick-
Burns and Strobe Talbott; former Under or national security emergency at the ing emergency at the southern border,
Secretaries of State for Political Affairs southern border,” where “illegal border the statement continues, and redirecting
Ambassador R. Nicholas Burns, Thomas crossings are near forty-year lows.” funds for a claimed emergency will under-
Pickering and Wendy Sherman; former They point to the administration’s mine U.S. national security and foreign
Assistant Secretaries of State Johnnie own recent Country Report on Terrorism, policy interests.
Carson, Eric Schwartz, Andrew Shapiro, which found “no credible evidence” that Lastly, they write, “there is no factual
Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Arturo any international terrorist groups had basis for the declaration of a national
Valenzuela; and Ambassadors (ret.) Ryan established bases in Mexico, and they emergency for the purpose of circum-
Crocker, John Feeley, Roberta Jacobson, note that since 1975, there “has been only venting the appropriations process.”
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2019 15Marking NATO’s 70th
N ATO was founded when the
North Atlantic Treaty was signed
in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 1949,
by the United States, Canada, Britain,
France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Den-
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/BET_NOIRE
mark, Portugal, Belgium, Iceland
and Luxembourg.
Approaching the April anniversary of
its founding, many experts, former poli-
cymakers and academics have been look-
ing back at NATO history, considering its
state today and hypothesizing about what and refocusing NATO partnerships. hearing: “NATO needs to pay more atten-
comes next for the alliance. They emphasize that the single great- tion to China’s increasing influence in
Former U.S. Ambassadors to NATO est challenge for NATO today is “the Europe. ...In the coming decades, NATO’s
Nicholas Burns and Douglas Lute sound absence of strong, principled American importance will only grow because of the
the alarm in their February report from presidential leadership.” U.S. competition with China.”
the Harvard Kennedy School’s Project on During a March 13 House Foreign Lute stated: “I want to point out a
Europe and the Transatlantic Relation- Affairs Committee hearing, “NATO at 70: false narrative that ignores the values
ship, “NATO at Seventy: An Alliance in An Indispensable Alliance,” members of and erodes the cohesion of NATO. This
Crisis.” Congress and witnesses all spoke in sup- false narrative claims that NATO is an
The authors say that “NATO remains port of a strong NATO. anachronism, outdated and obsolete;
the single most important contributor to “We are seeing a rise in authoritarian- that our allies are ripping us off, tak-
security, stability and peace in Europe ism, continued threats from international ing advantage of our generosity. This is
and North America.” They list 10 major terrorism and extremism, and aggres- simply not true.
challenges the alliance faces in 2019, sive attempts by Putin to invade Rus- “The truth is,” he continued, “that the
including internal challenges such as sia’s neighbors and attack democratic U.S. created NATO and has maintained
reviving American leadership of the elections throughout the world,” HFAC the alliance for 70 years because NATO
alliance, restoring European defense Chair Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) stated. “It’s by is in America’s vital national security
strength, upholding democratic values working with our NATO allies standing interest. America benefits economi-
and streamlining decision making; and side-by-side that we can successfully face cally, politically and militarily from the
external challenges that include contain- these challenges head on.” alliance. NATO and our other treaty
ing Putin’s Russia, ending the Afghan War Douglas Lute also testified at the House allies are the single greatest geostrategic
advantage over any peer competitor. Rus-
sia and China have nothing to compare.
Contemporary Quote In short, NATO is indispensable.”
The window for defining America’s pivotal role will not stay open The Center for European Policy
forever. Whether we seize the moment of opportunity before us Analysis announced plans for an April
will depend in large measure on whether this chamber and this committee 3 ministerial forum, “NATO at 70,” at its
can help recapture a sense of shared vision and shared purpose; whether Washington, D.C., headquarters. Attend-
we can recover a sense of diplomatic agility out of the muscle-bound national ees will include the foreign ministers of
security bureaucracy we have become in recent years; and whether Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Lithuania,
we can come to terms with the realities of a new international landscape, Romania and Latvia, in addition to Sena-
and shape it skillfully with our considerable enduring strengths. tor Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member
—Ambassador William Burns, in an opening statement at a Senate Foreign Relations
of the Senate Committee on Foreign
Committee hearing, “Assessing the Role of the United States in the World,” Feb. 27.
Relations.
16 APRIL 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNALThere are more NATO-related events Ambassador Tracker: This is an unusually high number of
and writings to come. The Democratic Checking In on politically appointed ambassadors at the
and Republican House and Senate Appointments midpoint of an administration. Since the
leadership has invited NATO Secretary-
General Jens Stoltenberg to address a
joint session of the U.S. Congress on
A FSA keeps a close eye on appoint-
ments for senior officials and
ambassadors. Here is where the situation
Gerald Ford presidency, career Foreign
Service officers have made up 70 percent
of ambassador appointments on average.
April 3 in honor of the anniversary. stands as of early March. Notably, 28 of the 137 appointees have
And the NATO Secretary-General The Trump administration has to date yet to be confirmed by the Senate.
announced plans for a summit of the made 137 ambassadorial appointments. The diversity of the ambassador picks
leaders of the 29 member-states in Of those, 70, or 51 percent, are career has also come under some scrutiny.
London in December to mark the 70th members of the U.S. Foreign Service and According to media reports, only 15 of
anniversary. 67, or 49 percent, are political appointees. the appointees are non-Caucasian and
50 Years Ago
Russia and the Middle East
...Although Peter the Great has often been cited for ment with the Soviet bloc. This
initiating Russian dreams of influence in the Middle East, led to arms deals with Egypt in
these interests were limited to Iran, Afghanistan and Cen- 1955 which were followed by the
tral Asia. Neither Czars nor Commissars were interested in establishment of economic and
Mesopotamia or the Nile Valley until the start of the war in technical missions.
Europe in 1939. Stalin and Molotov pressed Hitler and then The same pattern took
the allies for a Russian sphere of influence “south of the place in Syria in 1956 and
Soviet Union in the direction of the Indian Ocean.” Iraq in 1958. Nevertheless, the Soviet
At Potsdam, Molotov demanded “bases in the Medi- intervention in Hungary in 1956 made a greater impact on
terranean for its merchant fleet,” and a “trusteeship” for the Arab political mind than millions of dollars of Soviet
Libya. All of Russia’s demands were refused, however, and economic and military aid. Moreover, the instability and
the Montreux Convention of 1936 still regulates traffic in unreliability of Arab governments and their leaders caused
the Black Sea straits and there are no Soviet bases in the the Soviets to proceed deliberately.
Mediterranean. This delicate balance was shat-
The British withdrawal from tered by the 1967 Arab-Israeli war,
Egypt in the 1950s gave Moscow which opened up new military and
its first opportunity in the Middle economic opportunities for the
East. Khrushchev adopted a Soviets.
more moderate line toward “Third —Melvin A. Goodman, from “Rus-
World” countries, including a policy sia and the Middle East in the Wake
of collaboration with “bourgeois of the Mediterranean War,” FSJ, April
nationalism” of the Nasser type. 1969. Goodman, a former Woodrow
The Arabs were developing a more Wilson Fellow, was at the time of
forward policy of “neutralism” at the publication writing his dissertation
same time, allowing for rapproche- on U.S. recognition of the Soviet
Union in 1933 for Indiana University.
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2019 17there are no African-American women the deteriorating situation
among them. in #Venezuela, as well as the
Out of 51 individuals appointed by the conclusion that the presence
Trump administration to senior posi- of U.S. diplomatic staff at
tions at the foreign affairs agencies (State, the embassy has become a
USAID, FCS, FAS and the U.S. Agency for constraint on U.S. policy.”
Global Media) only six are non-Cauca- Fewer than two dozen Ebenezer
sian. Of those, 46 are political appointees, Americans remained in the Bassett, from
two are recalled Foreign Service retirees embassy after the partial the February
2009 FSJ.
and three are active-duty members of the drawdown in January.
Foreign Service.
Only one currently encumbers an First Screening
assistant secretary–level position: Ambas- of “A Diplomat of
sador Carol Perez, the newly confirmed Consequence”
Director General of the Foreign Service.
The other two active-duty FSOs in senior
positions are Ambassador David Hale,
A s a first-tour officer in the Domini-
can Republic in 1999, Chris Teal
happened across a photo of Ebenezer www.facebook.com/EbenezerDBassett
who serves as under secretary of State for Bassett, an African-American and one of and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/
political affairs and Michael Harvey, who the first U.S. envoys to the island of His- ebenezer.bassett.
is USAID’s assistant administrator for the paniola. Intrigued, he began to research
Middle East. Bassett and ultimately wrote a biography, Economic Diplomacy
By historical standards, this number is Hero of Hispaniola: America’s First Black Works: FCS Featured
quite low. At the same point in the Obama Diplomat (Praeger, 2008). This year marks on Podcast
administration, for instance, there were
12 active-duty Foreign Service officers in
under secretary and assistant secretary
150 years since Bassett’s appointment.
Teal was convinced that the sig-
nificance of Bassett’s story—he was
F oreign Commercial Service Officer
and AFSA FCS Vice President Dan
Crocker was the featured guest on a
positions. appointed ambassador to Haiti and the Feb. 4 episode of the “American Diplo-
Dominican Republic in 1869—went far mat” podcast.
Last U.S. Diplomats beyond his breaking the color barrier Mr. Crocker explained the role of
Leave Venezuela and that his work and accomplishments the Foreign Commercial Service both
O n March 12, facing deteriorating
conditions in Caracas, the State
Department pulled its remaining diplo-
deserved a wider audience today. So he
set out to make a documentary film about
Bassett while on a sabbatical fellowship at
overseas and domestically, helping the
audience understand its work assisting
small businesses and building American
mats out of Venezuela. Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite prosperity at home.
A nationwide power outage plagued School of Journalism and Mass Commu- In 1980, Crocker said, the president
the country for a week in mid-March. nication. signed into law “the authority to help U.S.
The embattled President Nicolás Maduro In February Teal, now on a faculty companies export more overseas, and
blamed the outages on the United States, assignment at the Inter-American defend U.S. companies’ interest, and also
a claim Washington denies. Secretary of Defense College at Fort McNair, held the to promote inward investment—foreign
State Mike Pompeo blamed the power first screenings of his film, “A Diplomat investment.”
outage and Venezuela’s other internal of Consequence,” at the DACOR-Bacon “It’s about creating jobs,” he con-
problems on Maduro, accusing both Cuba House and at George Washington Univer- tinued, explaining that FCS has trade
and Russia of propping up the Maduro sity’s Elliott School of International Affairs specialists in 76 countries that together
government. in Washington, D.C. represent 90 percent of U.S. exports. FCS
Pompeo tweeted on March 11 that the Upcoming screenings of the film “helps about 30,000 U.S. companies every
decision to close the embassy “reflects will be announced on Facebook at year,” and more than 80 percent of those
18 APRIL 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNALBeware of Unintended Consequences Heard on the Hill U.S. Leadership Essential
As former Department of Defense Secre- When the United States scales back or cuts
tary [James] Mattis said, ‘If you don’t fund the our State Department and foreign assistance
State Department fully, then I need to buy budgets, or pushes out career, experienced
more ammunition.’ diplomats, we fatally undermine our ability
With a growing crisis in Venezuela, an to renew and revive our leadership at just
unpredictable North Korea, an aggressive the time when our leadership is more essen-
China and Russia creating mischief around tial than ever before.
the globe, terrorism on the rise in Africa, —Ranking Member Robert Menendez
(D-N.J.), in his opening statement at a Senate
JOSH
and Iran continually threatening Israel, we
must show our strength through a properly Foreign Relations Committee hearing,
resourced and forward leaning diplomacy. … “Assessing the Role of the United States in the World,” Feb. 27.
The president’s budget proposal contains some much-
needed reforms and I welcome cutting waste, fraud and abuse Diplomatic Engagement Critical
from any programs that are not getting the American people With countries like China and Russia working to under-
the results they deserve. But we must be careful that cuts mine democratic values and respect for human rights,
don’t have unintended consequences that cost us more in the American leadership is more important than ever. The U.S.-
medium and long term. This is especially true of impactful cuts led international order has helped populations across the
to humanitarian and developmental assistance. globe enjoy safer, more stable, and more prosperous lives,
—Representative Michael McCaul (R-Texas), lead Republican and I believe American diplomatic engagement is critical to
on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, from his statement leaving a better world for the next generation.
on the administration’s proposed FY2020 International —Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), during her testimony
Affairs Budget, March 11. at the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and
Related Programs members’ day hearing, March 6.
Understanding the Value of Diplomacy
We need to make it clear to these dedicated public Diplomacy’s Unbeatable ROI
servants—and to the rest of the world—that the United States With just about 1 percent of the federal budget, the United
understands the value of diplomacy. And we need to give our States gets no better return on its investment than the work
personnel the support and resources they need to carry out of our diplomat and development professionals, which saves
this important work. millions of lives, builds stronger economics, and creates a
—Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), safer world.
in his opening statement at the House Foreign Affairs —Heather Higginbottom, in her opening statement at the
Committee hearing, “The Trump Administration’s House Foreign Affairs Committee Oversight and Investigations
Foreign Policy: A Mid-Term Assessment,” Feb. 27. Subcommittee hearing, “America’s Global Leadership:
Why Diplomacy and Development Matter,” Feb. 27.
companies are small- and medium-sized about $200 of economic benefit, mostly in studies that help to explain why the work
companies. exports, as a result of every $1 in appro- FCS does has such a positive effect on the
Crocker explained the benefit to U.S. priations. U.S. economy. Listen in at www.amdip-
taxpayers: “When we look at our appro- “It’s a great outcome. It represents stories.org/podcast/more-fun-facts-
priations—this is the money Congress over $63 billion in export benefits for about-trade. n
gives us to operate, right?—these are these companies. It also represents about This edition of Talking Points was com-
taxpayers paying for our jobs, domesti- 328,000 jobs.” piled by Donna Gorman, Ásgeir Sigfússon,
cally and overseas. We know that we drive Crocker provides statistics and case Susan Maitra and Shawn Dorman.
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2019 19SPEAKING OUT
Straight Talk on Bidding: What You Need to
Know Before Trying for that Heavily Bid Job
B Y PA U L P O L E T E S
I
n every bidding cycle, many hun- one job with more than 40 bids. And it’s time you find yourself thinking about
dreds of FSOs and specialists spend definitely not the case across the Euro- joining 30+ other people vying for a job,
untold hours chasing after heavily bid pean Union and at lots of other “nice” or ask yourself: What’s my comparative
jobs. I’m talking about those vacan- “important” places. advantage, and how will I leverage it to
cies in every cone and specialty that If you fancy landing a heavily bid job, get this job? What do I have that most of
attract 20, 30, sometimes more than 40 first consider the odds you face. If 30 the other bidders don’t?
bidders. A few years ago, I bid on a job people bid on a position, you’ve got only If you can’t answer those questions,
against 80 other hungry FS-1s. (I didn’t a 3.33 percent chance of landing on top. you should probably look elsewhere.
even make the short list.) And that assumes every bidder has an
Most of the time, these bidders’ equal shot, which they don’t. How to Get on
hopes are misplaced. For many, their In reality, on even the most heav- the Short List
dreams of working in Rome or Singa- ily bid jobs, no more than about 10 On heavily bid jobs, deciders feel like
pore are doomed even before bidding people have a realistic chance at getting they own the world. We have so many
season begins, a victim of unrealistic selected, and only about half of those candidates to choose from that we can
expectations and not understanding will get on the short list. In other words, afford to be ultra-picky, especially when
how assignment decisions are made. you had better odds of getting into the making the first cut. This is what you
Think you’ve got what it takes to land Foreign Service than you do of getting face when you take on 40 other people
one of those “dream jobs”? Here’s what that assignment in Australia. for a job. Unless you have a backer
you need to know. Second, and what few bidders who with lots of pull, your resumé, 360s and
have never been in a position to decide everything else need to sparkle. Are you
The Truth About understand, is that the people who get a diamond in the rough? You’ll prob-
Heavily Bid Jobs these jobs almost always have a com- ably stay there, because, at least in the
At some of the places I’ve worked, all parative advantage that sets them apart. beginning of the season, no one has
it took to get on the short list was a pulse Either they have a high-level patron, the need to dive into the weeds looking
and a lack of any recent felony convic- or they are known favorably by the for you. But should you decide to forge
tions. But that’s not the case in Riga, where deciders. Or they have skills or experi- ahead anyway, here’s how to do it:
for the summer 2019 cycle we had 144 ence that sets them apart. Maybe they Details matter. More than once this
bidders on seven positions, including work at the country desk (or, if bidding year I received an introductory email in
on the country desk, are coming from which someone either listed the wrong
Paul Poletes is deputy chief the country itself ). Or they have a 4/4 in position or misspelled my name. Had
of mission at U.S. Embassy the language or prior regional experi- there been only four bidders on these
Riga. He joined the Foreign ence. In some cases, they have all of the jobs, I would have been more forgiving.
Service in 1998, and has above. But when there are 20+, I’m looking for
served in Athens, Dhaka, For heavily bid jobs, you need to do any excuse to trim the list. As carpenters
Bishkek, Tirana and Ashgabat, as well as everything right, have the right qualifi- like to say, “measure twice, cut once.”
three tours in Washington, D.C. The views cations and be a little lucky—and that’s Translated into FS-speak, that means
expressed here are his own. just to get on the short list. So the next “proofread three times, send once.”
20 APRIL 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNALBrevity matters. And while we’re on Lots of bidders hurt their chances because they
the subject of the introductory email: be
brief. Overly long, detailed emails are
refuse to commit to one bid as their top choice.
a turnoff and take too long to read. Tell
me about yourself, lay out your com-
parative advantage and what you bring doesn’t change the fact that you prob-
to my team, and do it all in 300 words Stretch Bids—For the ably have less relevant experience than
or less. Don’t press me for an interview Most Part, Don’t Bother most of the other people vying for the
in our first communication. On heav- Stretch bids are allowed because same job. So unless you have assurances
ily bid jobs, there’s no time to speak they give the department flexibility to from the deciders that they are strongly
to everyone, and pressuring deciders fill jobs that might otherwise sit empty. interested in you, don’t expect much
for an immediate interview makes you But when it comes to hotly contested help from that quarter.
look presumptuous and overly pushy jobs, your stretch bid gambit will almost
(remember, it’s all about interpersonal certainly fail. Unless you have a high- Fear of Commitment
skills). level patron or get clear assurances Lots of bidders hurt their chances
References matter. Assuming your from the deciders that they want you because they refuse to commit to one
introduction didn’t misspell my name and only you for the job, your stretch bid as their top choice. They think being
or get the position wrong, I’ve now bid is a waste of time. coy will keep them in the running for
moved on to your 360s and resumé. Stretches are a dicey proposition for multiple posts at once, and fear that
What matters most for me is that you everyone involved because they don’t clearly identifying a number-one bid will
have good interpersonal skills, relevant go to panel until stretch season, which ruin their chances with everyone else.
experience and strong recommenda- usually takes place months after bid Ranking top choices is a bidding
tions from people I know and trust. season closes (unless you have bid- minefield. Telling me that Riga is your
References that I solicit myself count ding privileges—see below). By then, second or third choice in fact could hurt
more than the plain-as-oatmeal online everyone else on the short list will be your chances, because I don’t want to
360s. I also rely on the advice of the long gone, so if the stretch doesn’t get put someone at the top of my list unless
incumbents, working with them to sort approved by Human Resources, the I’m certain he or she will accept an offer.
through applications. Together, we look decider has no Plan B. But the next time you make a short list
for comparative advantages. Those who For this reason, few deciders or and are dancing around a decider, with
have them make the short list. assignments officers are willing to neither side willing to say “you’re num-
Experience matters. Regional and go through the risk and extra effort ber one,” ask the decider this: “If I were
bureau experience is important. In the required to push through stretch bids to commit to X as my top bid, would that
Foreign Service, we’re expected to be able when so many other qualified, at-grade make a difference in where I am on your
to parachute into any job, in any region, bidders are vying for the same job. short list?”
and succeed. But if you’ve spent your Sometimes it won’t matter. If you’re
whole career in WHA or EUR, don’t expect A Note on Bidding number three on my list, but my number
your bid on a job in India to get the same Privileges one and two have already said Riga is
attention as the person with prior South “Bidding privileges” can give you an their top choice, I probably won’t move
Asia experience. You don’t know French? advantage in some circumstances, but you up. But deciders often face a short
FSI will teach you. But your bid on that on heavily bid jobs they don’t count for list full of people unwilling to commit.
job in Paris probably won’t get the same much. If I’m serious about a stretch bid- I try to be transparent and honest with
consideration as the one coming from the der for a position, I’m more likely to take bidders, and I appreciate the same from
person who already has a 4/4. (Unless the a risk on someone with bidding privi- them. Let me know where I am on your
fluent French speaker has lousy interper- leges, because getting that assignment list, and let me know if you change your
sonal skills, in which case not even a 5/5 through panel is easier. mind. I’ll never think ill of a bidder who
will help them with me.) But simply having bidding privileges calls back and tells me Riga has moved up
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2019 21You can also read
