YEARS LATER Where Does Diplomacy - 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 SEPTEMBER 2021
20
YEARS
LATER
Where Does
Diplomacy
Stand?
September 2021 Volume 98, No. 7
Focus on 9/11, Twenty Years Later
22
Getting Off the X
In a compelling personal account
of the 9/11 attacks, one FSO offers
tactics for surviving when
catastrophe strikes.
By Nancy Ostrowski
26
The Global War on Terror
and Diplomatic Practice
The war on terror fundamentally
changed U.S. diplomacy, leaving a trail 39
of collateral damage to America’s
readiness for future challenges. Intervention: FS Know-How
By Larry Butler Unlearned Lessons,
or the Gripes of
a Professional 46
31 The State Department’s failure to Whistleblower
effectively staff and run interventions Protections:
America and 9/11: has a long history. Four critical A Nonpartisan
The Real-World Impact of lessons can be drawn from
Necessity
Terrorism and Extremism the post-9/11 experience.
As old as the United States itself,
In retrospect, 9/11 did not foreshadow By Ronald E. Neumann whistleblowing has protections
the major changes that now drive worth knowing about.
U.S. foreign policy and national
By Alain Norman and
security strategy. 43 Raeka Safai
By Anthony H . Cordesman
From the FSJ Archive
9/11, War on Terror, Iraq
35 and Afghanistan FS Heritage
The Proper Measure
of the Place: 48
Reflections on the Diplomats Make
Afghan Mission a Difference:
Drawing from two tours, a decade The U.S. and Mongolia,
apart, a veteran diplomat explores the
competing visions for Afghanistan.
1986-1990
In the 1992 FSJ, Ambassador
B y K e i t h W. M i n e s Joe Lake describes setting up the
U.S. embassy in Ulaanbaatar.
Today he and his son explore
how that relationship was built.
By Joseph E. Lake and
Michael Allen Lake
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2021 5
FOREIGN
SERVICE
Perspectives
Departments
7 86 10 Letters
President’s Views Family Member Matters
Reform Can’t Wait: No Time to Waste An Old Friend 13 Talking Points
By Eric Rubin By Brianna Hogan
72 In Memory
9 88 78 Books
Letter from the Editor Reflections
When Everything Changed Right of Boom: A Bomb and a Book
By Shawn Dorman B y S t e p h e n G . M c Fa r l a n d
19 90 Marketplace
Speaking Out Local Lens
The Remonstrating Official Lake Elmenteita, Kenya 82 Real Estate
B y Te d O s i u s By Laura Merz
84 Classifieds
85 Index to Advertisers
53
AFSA NEWS THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION
53 New AFSA Board Takes Office 58 Meet the 2021-2023 AFSA Governing Board
53 Announcing the 2021 AFSA Award Winners 63 2021 Kennan Award Winner: Valerie O’Brien
54 State VP Voice—Revitalizing the Core Precepts 64 Meet the 2021 Merit Award Winners
55 USAID VP Voice—The Future of USAID: 68 AFSA Selects High School Essay Contest Winner
Three Scenarios 69 AFSA Pushes for Change on CDC Dog Import
56 Retiree VP Voice—Retiree Agenda for 2021-2023 Restrictions
56 Unexplained Health Incidents: 70 AFSA Speaker Series Reaches New Audiences
AFSA Advocates for Members 70 AFSA Statement on New Federal COVID-19 Measure
57 FSJ Wins Publication Awards 71 DACOR: Remembering Fallen FSOs
57 Child Tax Credit News 71 AFSA Governing Board Meeting Resolutions
On the Cover—Illustration by Brian Hubble.
6 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL
PRESIDENT’S VIEWS
Reform Can’t Wait: No Time to Waste
BY ERIC RUBIN
A
s I write, we are six months ment was finally announced at the end due process, ongoing challenges such as
into the Biden administra- of July, six months after the start of the the UHI that have affected our members
tion. We are still wrestling administration. It will likely be months in Cuba, China and elsewhere, painfully
with the traumatic impact before he is confirmed and can start work. slow progress on diversity and inclusion,
of the COVID-19 crisis on The nominee for Director General of the and some of the lowest promotion rates
our world, our country and our profes- Foreign Service was selected months in the modern history of the Service, and
sion. There are also some hopeful signs: ago, but as of this writing has not moved we are looking at a recipe for attrition and
a developing bipartisan consensus on toward confirmation. We stand to lose unhappiness. That is no way to win any
increased foreign affairs funding, hir- most of the first year of the administration kind of “war for talent.”
ing and overseas staffing, as well as on before the conversation on change and I believe that this administration,
expanded training and professional reform can even begin. like most of its predecessors, wants to
education, and an overdue return to hav- Meanwhile, COVID-19 continues to support the career employees who are
ing senior career officers nominated and warp and obstruct our ability to accom- the backbone of our federal govern-
confirmed for top-level positions. plish our mission for the American ment. Words are not enough, however.
Much is not right, however. As of the people, and new obstacles—some self- We need to begin now on an ambitious
end of July, only one new ambassador inflicted—keep popping up. From the and comprehensive effort to fix what is
had been confirmed by the Senate since CDC dog ban—a real crisis for our mem- broken, address the causes of low morale
the start of the Biden administration. bers with beloved canine companions— and attrition, and create a proud, truly
More than 90 countries have no U.S. to reduced official support for families, diverse and well-led corps of profession-
ambassador in place. tandem couples, singles and others in the als who are committed to staying on, and
Dozens of nominations have been Foreign Service family, it keeps getting who love what they do.
placed on hold, primarily by one sena- harder to pursue the challenging career The Foreign Service had some of the
tor, damaging the national interest. path that our members have chosen. highest career satisfaction ratings in
Dozens of jobs have yet to be filled or One-third of them, according to both the federal government for decades. It
even have nominees, including a long State Department statistics and a survey no longer does. If we don’t identify the
list of ambassadorships, more than half we helped sponsor, have considered reasons, and commit to fixing them, we
the assistant secretary of State positions, leaving this year. Thankfully, attrition is will see more attrition, more discourage-
nearly all of the USAID assistant admin- nowhere near that level. But numbers like ment, and a loss of the talent we need
istrator positions and most of the senior that are a clear warning sign of unhappi- to help our country deal with a very
jobs in our other foreign affairs agencies. ness and a perception that the future is not unstable and troubling world.
Both the administration and the Senate bright for those who stay in the Service. AFSA is eager to begin serious, in-
bear responsibility The lack of visible engagement from our depth work with senior officials of all of
and need to move top leadership on issues like the dog ban, our member agencies on the urgently
quickly to break “unidentified health incidents” (UHI) and needed process of reform and modern-
these logjams. Foreign Service reform does not help. ization. We have no time to lose.
A nominee for Add capricious and nontransparent Please share your thoughts and ideas
under secretary of security clearance suspensions that con- on what such a dialogue should include:
State for manage- tinue for years without any semblance of member@afsa.org. n
Ambassador Eric Rubin is the president of the American Foreign Service Association.
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2021 7
FOREIGN
CONTACTS
SERVICE
www.afsa.org
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GOVERNING BOARD
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President
Caryn Suko Smith Aleksandar “Pav” Pavlovich:
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8 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
When Everything Changed
B Y S H AW N D O R M A N
W
e turn our attention into a go-bag of lessons for how to make voices, and it’s clear there is no substitute
this month to one it through when catastrophe strikes. for these primary sources.
of the United States’ We asked Ambassador Larry Butler Ambassador (ret.) Ted Osius speaks
grimmest anniversa- to consider the impact of the global war out on “The Remonstrating Official,”
ries—Sept. 11, 2001. on terror on the practice of diplomacy. warning that as democracy is in retreat
Twenty years later, we ask, where does He writes that the war fundamentally in parts of the world, diplomats must
U.S. diplomacy stand? changed U.S. diplomacy, leading to an be prepared to raise tough questions,
The answer isn’t pretty. In fact, it’s overly cautious risk-averse overseas offer dissenting views and speak truth to
rather depressing, and complicated, and presence in which security and the fight power.
very difficult to sum up neatly. against terrorism pushed other issues And for those who might put them-
Although this is not a particularly aside. selves on the line by reporting on
uplifting FSJ edition, there is wisdom Anthony H . Cordesman picks up the misconduct or abuse of power, two
in the compelling set of articles here, thread in a startling way. In “America and attorneys—Alain Norman and Raeka
and hopefully we can take away some 9/11: The Real-World Impact of Terrorism Safai—offer notes on “Whistleblower
lessons. and Extremism,” he argues that 9/11 did Protections: A Nonpartisan Necessity.”
Learning lessons is not a strong suit not represent a new fundamental threat In FS Heritage, Ambassador (ret.) Joe
of the U.S. government, as evidenced by to U.S. national security; the Afghani- Lake and son Michael team up to tell
the wars and interventions over the past stan and Iraq wars were, he continues, the story of building the U.S.-Mongolia
decades. less about terrorism, and more faltering relationship in “Diplomats Make a Differ-
As this issue goes to press, the efforts to transform the political and ence: The U.S. and Mongolia, 1986-1990.”
Taliban have overtaken Kabul—and economic systems of those countries. In Family Member Matters, Brianna
that question is all the more poignant: In “The Proper Measure of the Place,” Hogan writes about “An Old Friend,” puz-
Where does diplomacy stand today? veteran FSO Keith Mines reflects on zling over letting go in times of transition.
We all remember where we were his two tours in Afghanistan (2002 and In a moving extended Reflection,
when news came that the first, and then 2012) and offers his perspective on “Right of Boom: A Bomb and a Book,”
the second, tower had fallen, the Penta- the U.S. efforts in Afghanistan and the Ambassador (ret.) Steve McFarland
gon was hit and United Airlines Flight 93 repeating patterns of engagement and explains how the separation between life
went down. In this issue, we start there, abandonment. and death can be paper thin.
with a story of survival. In “Intervention: Unlearned Lessons, In President’s Views, Ambassador
In “Getting Off the X,” FSO Nancy or the Gripes of a Professional,” Ambas- Eric Rubin urges the administration to
Ostrowski gives a very personal account sador (ret.) Ron Neumann laments the work with AFSA to begin making needed
of escaping from the Marriott World “persistent unwillingness to learn from reforms and presses the administration
Trade Center, a hotel situated between our own past,” and offers four critical les- and Congress to fill ambassadorial and
the twin towers, on sons to consider. other top positions without further delay.
9/11, and how she Closing the focus section are excerpts And to end on a peaceful note, pink
persevered that day from the FSJ Archive that relate to 9/11 flamingos of Kenya await in Local Lens
and all the days that and what followed. Over the past 20 from Laura Merz.
followed. She trans- years, we’ve regularly shined a light on Please respond to this edition by
lates that experience these issues and featured on-the-ground writing to journal@afsa.org or going to
our LinkedIn page. n
Shawn Dorman is the editor of The Foreign Service Journal.
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2021 9
LETTERS
Arctic Awareness time. I recommend that it be moment, an easy interpreta-
I’d like to commend AFSA’s excellent posted on the website of U.S. tion in the Arctic region.
work in offering insights on the rapidly Embassy Copenhagen and U.S. But the Inuit Circumpolar
changing Arctic region and its wide-rang- Consulate Nuuk to help inform Declaration on Arctic
ing implications for American diplomacy. future visitors to Greenland. Sovereignty (later called the “Inuit Dec-
I particularly enjoyed reading the “Focus Thanks for your good work on increas- laration”), adopted in 2009 by the Inuit
on Arctic Diplomacy” articles in the May ing awareness of U.S. diplomacy regarding leaders of Greenland, Canada and Alaska,
issue. Arctic issues, which is becoming ever more points to the way ahead.
Your contributors, including Senator important given expected Arctic trends. I believe that the road to the legal
Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Ambassador John C. Baker delimitation of these territories and the
(ret.) David Balton and Iceland’s Ambas- Analyst, retired best way to consolidate fair, ethical and,
sador Einar Gunnarsson, explained well Alexandria, Virginia at the same time, strong governance in
the Arctic Council’s critical role in fostering the Arctic region (and contain both Rus-
exceptional regional cooperation. At the Arctic Diplomacy on Target sian and Chinese ambitions there) is to
same time, they appropriately warned of Things really came together when my recognize and support the sovereignty of
the emerging challenges confronting the wife, Diana, and I gave our long-sched- the people who have always lived in the
Arctic nations, their Indigenous communi- uled Great Decisions presentation on the region—namely, Inuit sovereignty.
ties and other interested parties, as they Arctic in mid-May. We could not have The United States can play a very
must adapt to the new polar environment. anticipated that the current FSJ would be important diplomatic card of deterrence
I also enjoyed reading the interview featuring the Arctic, or that the webinar toward foreign and non-NATO powers
with James P. DeHart, the U.S. coordina- with Jim DeHart would occur the day prior and, at the same time, reaffirm the civil
tor for the Arctic region, and hearing his to our event! rights of those populations. International
remarks as the featured speaker for AFSA’s Coupled with my own Greenland expe- laws arising from the rights of natives in
Inside Diplomacy webinar in May. He rience, including my visit to NORAD in the Arctic region could have a greater
clearly outlined U.S. policy priorities in the 2000 (while also working at AFSA) as Dan- value and therefore a greater force of
Arctic while highlighting U.S. government ish interpreter for a Greenlandic delega- law than territorial agreements that only
concerns with the risks posed by growing tion, AFSA’s timely resources enabled us to concern border states such as Russia and
Russian military activities and Chinese give our audience a rare insider look at a China. The latter, in fact, do not involve
economic involvement in the Arctic. topic too often overlooked, as Jim said. the human dimension, namely the history
Finally, I particularly enjoyed Eavan Maybe this convergence had something and culture of the Indigenous people.
Cully’s article, “Setting Up Shop in Nuuk,” to do with the supermoon? But seriously, It is important to study Inuit culture;
on reestablishing the U.S. consulate in thanks to AFSA and the Journal for being methods of approach toward establish-
Greenland after a hiatus of nearly seven ahead of the curve, as usual. ing a good and fair U.S. “protectorate” of
decades. Her article offers a practical Ward Thompson those populations on a diplomatic level;
overview of long-standing U.S. relations FSO, retired and agreements, not only commercial but
with Greenland, which is a part of the Penn Valley, California also those aimed at further investigations
Kingdom of Denmark with a certain in the field of legal, juridical, territorial,
degree of self-rule. Inuit Declaration historical and ethnic issues.
Anyone planning to visit Greenland and the Way Forward If the U.S. is able to juggle this plurality
will benefit from reading Ms. Cully’s infor- I am writing to you regarding the article of aspects well (on the level of rights, on
mative piece. My spouse and I traveled by David Balton, “Advancing U.S. Diplo- the cultural level, on the commercial level,
to Nuuk and other Greenland locations macy in the Arctic,” in the May FSJ. etc.), I believe it will be able to achieve
about three years ago to learn about the The concepts of sovereignty, delimi- much.
people, culture and changing physical tation of marine and terrestrial spaces, Tecla Squillaci
environment. I wish that Ms. Cully’s piece navigation law and other aspects of inter- Teacher
had been available for us to read at the national law do not find, at least for the Catania, Italy
10 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNALProfessional Education observer he wanted in Moscow when a of highly qualified appointees to State,
I greatly enjoyed and appreciated new chapter in U.S.-Soviet relations was USAID and USIA—patronage, without
reading the article “Revitalizing State— opening. money.
Closing the Education Gap” by Ambas- John Foster Dulles was ambivalent A blip by Reagan’s revolutionaries in
sadors (ret.) Miller and Pickering and about Bohlen in part for his role in “20 1981 was smoothed over by George H.W.
Mr. Beers (May). Their observations and years of treason,” the GOP’s label for Bush. His staffing plan worked well and
suggestions were spot on, but there is FDR’s New Deal, and for his determined began to moderate the horizontal zigzags
another angle to this issue that the State defense of the truth about the Yalta and the vertical ups-and-downs common
Department ought to consider. Conference during the Senate hearings. to a participatory democracy.
As we work to improve diversity and Behind the scenes stood the junior sena- Then, in 2016, overnight, aberrance
inclusion, professional development tor from Wisconsin and his hatchet-man, became the norm and professionalism the
in the form of formalized education Scott McLeod, appointed State’s chief of enemy. It was a new game: Good govern-
and training would serve to strengthen security by the blindsided new president. ment based on experience, consultation
this effort. It is accepted that expanded McLeod, in his brief tenure, forced the and research? A hoax. Dulles’ insistence
efforts in education tend to lead to wider resignation of several hundred officers on “positive loyalty”? A quaint precedent.
improvements within a community. and staff, accused of a bizarre list of Elections? Fraudulent. Plugging loop-
Professional development does the same sins—“spies being in short supply,” as Ms. holes? Nonsense—we need more.
within organizations. Bohlen notes dryly. She does not belabor Abroad, where diplomats spend half
Yet it is often pursued haphazardly, recent parallels, but her comment on their lives, the U.S. experiment in democ-
and is often the budget line that is the Senator McCarthy says it all: The case racy, warts and all, has been a global bea-
first or most frequent to be cut in hard illustrates “how a demagogue can manip- con since Emancipation and World War I.
times. If we, as a department, could be ulate a backlash from his loyal supporters Today our friends struggle to explain what
more strategic and farsighted in planning to intimidate his party into silence.” has happened, while our enemies stifle
and implementing professional training, Events like the Bohlen hearing are their glee. After World War II, Americans
it would help to “level the playing field” not uncommon in Foreign Service his- pledged “Never again!” Today the same
of opportunity for all current and future tory—albeit in smaller doses. Her nar- two words sound like a prayer.
Foreign Service officers. ration brings to mind the corruption of During his ordeal, Bohlen was serv-
Curt Whittaker mid-19th-century electoral politics, the ing as head of AFSA. Since its inception,
FSO era of Tammany Hall, Roscoe Conkling AFSA has been the first source consulted
U.S. Embassy Bratislava and the quadrennial auction of govern- by Congress when Foreign Service reform
ment positions, high, middle and low. is discussed. Might it be time for AFSA to
Lessons from Bohlen In 1883 Sen. George Pendleton began take the lead and begin sustained collec-
Congratulations to the FSJ for Ambas- a step-by-step reform process to profes- tive thinking about the state of diplomacy
sador (ret.) Avis Bohlen’s article in the sionalize and protect the civil servants, and foreign affairs today?
May issue. Readers get a glimpse of the joined four decades later by Congressman Minimizing the cyclical zigzags of U.S.
deep impact of Red Scare hysteria on her John Jacob Rogers’ gift to diplomacy, the foreign policy might be the goal. Decent
father, Charles E. “Chip” Bohlen, in March 1924 Rogers Act. The process was gradual foreign policy is stable, flexible, long-last-
1953. The excerpt from her biography-in- and bipartisan—it took a while for pro- ing, consistent and reliable. Our partners
progress tells a tale of relentless allega- fessionalism to become the norm and want—and need—to rely on us; others
tions, inflated to a national media event, patronage the exception. may seek to be future partners. Still others
met by courage and integrity. McLeod’s scythe was a destructive need to know we are not afraid to act. The
There were diplomatic costs. Bohlen’s aberration, a long step backward from first step today is to shore up, preserve
confirmation dragged on, delaying his the kind of bureaucracy worthy of a world and press forward with our democratic
arrival in Moscow until a month after power. A wiser Dulles and Secretary experiment. Our nation must stand tall to
Stalin’s death, depriving President Christian Herter grassed things over; and work alongside the great powers to man-
Eisenhower the experienced and trusted JFK’s New Frontier quickened the intake age the harsh realities the world faces.
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2021 11In his predeparture call on Eisen- The Broadcasting Board of admittedly convoluted
hower, Bohlen donned his AFSA hat and Governors was established under history. I write as a former
shifted from the USSR to the future of U.S. the United States International employee at both BIB and
diplomacy. He spoke frankly to his old Broadcasting Act of 1993. This act USIA, who was involved in
golfing friend, who had insisted on his expanded and renamed the former the lead-up to the 1993 legislation.
rapid move to Moscow. He focused on Board for International Broadcasting, the Gregory L. Garland
“pervasive fear” and its consequences. As independent agency providing oversight FSO, retired
a historic symbol of courage, honesty and of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, by Arlington, Virginia
integrity, he was throwing down a gaunt- removing the Voice of America and several
let. We would be wise to pick it up. regional broadcasters from direct U.S. Seeking Photos of
Richard T. Arndt Information Agency authority and placing Embassy Saigon FSOs
FSO, retired them together under the new BBG. I am seeking photos of the FSOs who
Washington, D.C. The new arrangement placed the new helped me evacuate the staff of the Chase
broadcasting agency nominally under Manhattan Bank during the fall of Saigon
Great Power Competition USIA; but in practice, with its own power- to credit them in my forthcoming book,
Thanks for the excellent articles on ful constituency on the Hill, the BBG was Blue Saigon, to be published by Simon &
great power competition in the June de facto independent. Though packaged Schuster next spring.
FSJ. Emily Goldman’s essay on cyber as a compromise, the legislation was in I was appointed as the manager of the
diplomacy was particularly hard-hitting, fact the culmination of an extended effort Chase Manhattan Bank’s Saigon branch
clarifying the issues for those of us who are with strong, bipartisan congressional in April 1975 and tasked with evacuating
not cyber experts. It really is time for the support to separate VOA from the direct my employees and their families. I’m par-
United States to go on the offensive. control of its longtime parent, USIA. ticularly interested in photos of Shepard
Michael A.G. Michaud The Foreign Affairs Reform and Lowman and Kenneth Moorefield. With-
FSO, retired Restructuring Act of 1998 was a out their clandestine program to evacuate
Lawrence, Kansas very different thing. It provided Vietnamese civilians, my mission would
the statutory basis for the aboli- have failed disastrously.
USAGM: Offering tion of USIA and merged its ele- Others I dealt with extensively were
a Significant ments, along with the BBG, into Conrad LaGueux, Lucien Kinsolving (with
Clarification the State Department. The USIA the ICCS), James Ashida, A. Denny Eller-
Because no debate on at that time had already effec- man, Wolfgang Lehmann and Ambassa-
the current state of “pub- tively lost control of VOA, which dor Graham Martin. Also, USAID officers
lic diplomacy” can be had been under the BBG since the Melvyn Chatman and Robert Lanigan. I’d
taken seriously without United States International Broad- also like photos of Homer Smith and Max
a clear understanding about how casting Act of 1993 went into effect. Lamont. There was a deputy mission war-
we got where we are, permit me to offer a Unfortunately, there has been a ten- den named George White (no relation)
clarification to a piece titled “U.S. Agency dency to conflate VOA’s current problems who helped me, too.
for Global Media” in the July-August with the abolition of USIA. This view is A photo of the inside or outside of the
Foreign Service Journal (p. 72). wrong. As noted above, the two organiza- DAO gym where the Evacuation Control
The final sentence reads: “The VOA tions effectively split in 1993, with VOA Center was located would be icing.
Foreign Service dates back to when the (unlike USIA) generally pleased with its I would greatly appreciate hearing
broadcaster was under the U.S. Infor- new status. Accordingly, VOA was not a from anyone with access to any of these
mation Agency, which was dissolved in significant issue in the breakup of USIA photos, ideally with attached scans of any
1999 and its broadcasting functions were later in the decade. of these photos. n
moved to the newly created BBG.” This is The choice of language in your short Ralph White
misleading. It may appear minor, but the piece is yet another example of the failure ralphwhite@yahoo.com
implications are significant. to understand this not-very-distant and New York, New York
12 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNALTALKING POINTS
U.S. Donates Vaccines
to the World
P resident Biden announced on
June 10 that the United States,
in alliance with COVID-19 Vaccines
Global Access (COVAX), would pur-
chase and donate half a billion doses
of COVID-19 vaccines to 92 low- and
middle-income nations around the
world. By July donations were being
U.S. EMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
dispatched to many countries, includ-
ing Haiti, South Africa, Vietnam,
Tajikistan, Nepal and Argentina.
“These vaccines will not only
save lives and help Nepal emerge U.S. EMBASSY KATHMANDU
U.S. Embassy Buenos Aires Chargé d’Affaires MaryKay
from this pandemic, but they will Carlson and Santiago Cafiero, Argentina’s chief of
also help to recover economic losses cabinet, oversee the arrival of 3.5 million vaccines
donated by the United States to the Argentine people
and regain the opportunity to safely
at Ministro Pistarini International Airport on July 16.
visit with our friends, families and
On July 12, an airplane delivered more
neighbors,” U.S. Ambassador to than 1.5 million doses of the Johnson
Nepal Randy Berry said at a July 12 & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to Nepal, symptoms since late January, according
arrival ceremony at Tribhuvan Inter- a donation from the United States. to a July 16 New Yorker magazine report.
national Airport. The United States Symptoms associated with the sus-
donated more than 1.5 million doses of “Unexplained Health pected directed energy attacks include
the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to Nepal. Incidents” Crisis Widens dizziness, loss of balance, headaches,
The 500 million vaccine doses are
in addition to a $4 billion pledge by the
United States to COVAX for equipment,
A s many as 200 Americans now say
they have been affected by possible
directed energy attacks, according to a
anxiety and cognitive fog.
“In coordination with our interagency
partners, we are vigorously investigating
tests and therapeutics to countries in July 20 NBC News report. The mysterious reports of possible unexplained health
need. illnesses were first reported in Cuba in incidents among the U.S. embassy com-
“The pandemic knows no borders, 2016. munity [in Vienna], and we’re also doing
which makes it essential that we work An unnamed U.S. official told NBC that wherever these incidents are reported,”
together to combat the virus on a global News that “a steady drumbeat of cables State Department spokesman Ned Price
basis. Our collaboration on vaccine has been coming in from overseas posts said during a July 19 press briefing.
distribution is essential to recovery reporting new incidents—often multiple Adam Entous, author of the New
everywhere,” MaryKay Carlson, chargé times each week.” Yorker article about attacks in Vienna,
d’affaires at U.S. Embassy Buenos Aires, Almost half of the cases involve CIA told NPR on July 21 that officials he has
said as she welcomed the arrival of 3.5 agents or their relatives, while 60 were spoken with believe that the Russians are
million vaccine donations at Ministro linked to the Department of Defense behind the attacks. “They believe increas-
Pistarini International Airport on July 16. and 50 to the State Department, NBC ingly that it’s the Russians using some
“We are sharing these doses to help News reported, adding that there are sort of microwave pulse radiation device
people in need and stimulate global possible cases on every continent except that’s somehow been miniaturized and is
economic recovery. The more people Antarctica. very portable and is not easily detected,”
who can be vaccinated around the world, About two dozen U.S. diplomats, Entous said. “And despite all the search-
the safer we all are, and we are in this intelligence officers and other govern- ing that they’ve done, they really have not
together.” ment officials have reported experiencing advanced the ball in terms of finding the
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2021 13device or catching culprits in the act and
things like that.” Contemporary Quote
CIA Director William Burns told
NPR on July 22 that he is redoubling the Now, President Biden has made clear that the United States will lead
with diplomacy. And the Department of Defense will be here to provide
agency’s efforts to determine the cause of
the resolve and reassurance that America’s diplomats can use to help prevent
the mysterious illnesses. He appointed a
conflict from breaking out in the first place. As I’ve said before, it’s
veteran of the CIA’s hunt for Osama bin
always better to stamp out an ember than to try to put out a blaze.
Laden to head a task force looking into
—Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, giving the 40th Fullerton Lecture
the matter.
at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore, July 27.
“We’re throwing the very best we have
at this issue, because it is not only a very
serious issue for our colleagues, as it is for and Afghan individuals (two-thirds of Ambassador (ret.) Marcie Ries and New
others across the U.S. government, but them family members) have been issued America CEO Anne-Marie Slaughter dis-
it’s a profound obligation, I think, of any SIVs abroad, or been adjusted to lawful cussed ways to improve the department.
leader to take care of your people,” Burns permanent residence status in the U.S. Ries, a senior fellow at the Future
said. On July 23 President Joe Biden autho- of Diplomacy Project at Harvard Ken-
In March, the State Department rized up to $100 million to meet “unex- nedy School’s Belfer Center for Science
appointed Ambassador Pamela Spratlen pected urgent” refugee needs for the and International Affairs, described the
to head a taskforce to investigate the ill- Afghan interpreters, the Voice of America findings of the center’s November 2020
nesses. reported. report, “A U.S. Diplomatic Service for the
In late July, Congress was working on As part of a program called Operation 21st Century.”
bills that would improve support and Allies Refuge, the administration began “Our conclusion was that the For-
access to care for those affected by the flights July 29 to evacuate interpreters and eign Service was facing a crisis that has
syndrome. other Afghans who helped the U.S. war been developing over multiple years and
effort to an American military base. through successive administrations,” she
Afghans Who Helped The flights are to be coordinated by said. “Specifically, we assessed our career
the U.S. Seek Evacuation the State, Defense and Homeland Secu- diplomats lacked the support, funding,
N early 20,000 Afghans who served
as interpreters for the United
States during its war in Afghanistan have
rity departments. FSO Tracey Jacobson, a
former ambassador to Kosovo, Tajikistan
and Turkmenistan, will oversee the State
training, flexibility and leadership devel-
opment opportunities they needed to be
as effective as they should be in policy
applied for evacuation, according to a Department effort. development at home and in represent-
July 16 Agence France-Press report. ing and assisting the American people
The interpreters, who have already Modernizing the abroad.”
applied for special immigrant visas (SIV) State Department Biegun, the Deputy Secretary from
under programs established by Con-
gress beginning in 2006 to help Iraqi and
Afghan partners, are considered at risk
E xperts and former State Department
officials told a Senate Foreign Rela-
tions Committee Subcommittee on State
December 2019 to January 2021, testified
that midcareer FSOs had raised issues of
concern with him, including the pace of
as the United States withdraws from the Department and USAID Management, rotations, accountability for poorly behav-
country and the Taliban seeks revenge International Operations, and Bilateral ing managers, barriers to diversity, and
against them and their families. International Development on July 20 that the challenges of balancing career and
The SIV programs have been mired State must address long-term workforce family needs. Biegun called for enhanced
in bureaucratic opacity and delay for and diversity challenges if it wants to workforce training, adding that about 15
more than a decade. A June report from improve morale among its rank and file. percent of the department’s workforce
the Congressional Research Service cites In the hearing, “Modernizing the State should be in training at any one time.
State Department figures showing that Department for the 21st Century,” former Slaughter called for sweeping changes
through March 2021 almost 100,000 Iraqi Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, to the Foreign Service. “A congressionally
14 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNALmandated overhaul of the Foreign Service “Caseworkers in my district office are rently have a passport may need to make
could create a new Global Service open to swamped with passport requests and are alternate travel plans,” she said.
anyone interested in serving the country not receiving timely updates from pass-
as an official representative abroad who port agencies. This is unacceptable,” Third Gender Option
is willing to sign up for a seven- to 10-year Burchett said. “East Tennesseans deserve for Passports
tour, or perhaps a five-year renewable tour,
at any stage in their career,” she testified.
better than this inadequate passport
service from the Bureau of Consular Affairs.
Congress has no choice but to step in and
R esponding to the needs of nonbi-
nary, intersex and gender non-con-
forming people, the State Department
State Deals with Massive force the State Department to tell the plans to allow passport applicants to
Passport Backlog American people how it plans to fix this select a third gender option. The depart-
D ue to a growing backlog of passport
applications, U.S. lawmakers intro-
duced bipartisan legislation in July to re-
mess.”
At a July 14 press briefing, Rachel
Arndt, deputy assistant secretary of State
ment said it is working to make this hap-
pen as soon as possible.
“With this action, I express our enduring
quire the Biden administration to submit for passport services, said that the agency commitment to the LGBTQI+ community
a plan to address the backlog of passport has a backlog of between 1.5 million today and moving forward,” Secretary of
applications at the State Department. and 2 million passport applications to State Antony Blinken said in a statement
Focused on staffing shortages at State, process, and wait times can be 18 weeks. on June 30, the last day of Pride Month.
the Passport Backlog Elimination Act Expedited passport applications are tak- He added that the United States consulted
would require the agency to ensure that ing up to 12 weeks to process. with other like-minded governments that
processing time is six to eight weeks for Arndt said the State Department is have already undertaken similar changes.
regular passport applications, and two to bringing additional staff to passport agen- Meanwhile, the State Department is al-
three weeks for expedited applications. cies around the country as COVID-19 ready allowing people to change their gen-
The bill was introduced by Represen- restrictions ease, but added that it will take der between male and female, even if the
tatives Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), Carolyn time to get back to pre-pandemic levels. gender they select doesn’t match the gen-
Maloney (D-N.Y.), Adam Kinzinger “U.S. citizens who wish to travel der on supporting documents such as birth
(R-Ill.) and Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.). overseas this summer and do not cur- certificates, previous passports or State ID.
Site of the Month: Cyber Attack Predictive Index (cyberheatmap.isi.jhu.edu)
I n recent months, the United States and other countries
have been hit by a series of cyberattacks, including on
a major U.S. pipeline and schools and hospitals. Cyber-
tute and co-director of
the new Johns Hopkins
University Institute for
security firms report that they are barely able to keep up Assured Autonomy.
with the number of calls from companies looking for help The highest likeli-
fending off attacks. hood of attack, at
In response, a group of faculty and students at Johns this writing, is Russia
Hopkins University has developed the Cyber Attack Predic- against Ukraine
tive Index, an analysis based on common factors compiled (extremely high). In
from cyberattacks over the past 15 years. the “high likelihood”
“The site attempts to anticipate and predict where the category, the heat
next major cyber conflict could break out based on existing index foresees potential attacks against the
data from past attacks,” says Anton Dahbura, executive United States by Russia and China, and attacks
director of the Johns Hopkins Information Security Insti- by the United States against Russia, China and Iran.
The appearance of a particular site or podcast is for information only and does not constitute an endorsement.
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2021 15FLO Changes Name From the beginning, FLO has promoted FLO’s name might imply that FLO’s ser-
to GCLO job opportunities for family members, vices are not for all employees, and that
T he Family Liaison Office has changed
its name, after more than 40 years,
to the Global Community Liaison Office.
education counseling, evacuation and
personal crisis support, and more. GCLO
will continue these services.
“Community” more accurately reflects
the mission of the office. Thus, the new
name was born.
GCLO says the new name better reflects In considering a name change, FLO Learn more about GCLO at state.gov/
and includes diverse individuals and fam- held focus groups with members of the gclo.
ily types it serves. Foreign Service community, engaged the
The State Department created FLO in worldwide Community Liaison Office Cruz Continues
1978 to advocate for the needs of Foreign corps and interacted with participants Block on Diplomatic
Service families as they cope with the from the various foreign affairs agencies. Appointments
challenges of moving and living overseas. People noted that the use of “Family” in
T he Biden administration has come
under criticism in recent months for
the slow pace of nominations for critical
State diplomatic positions. But through July,
Celebrates Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) continued to
Pride Month block nearly 60 State Department nomi-
I n honor of Pride
Month, Secretary of
State Antony Blinken
JAMES PAN FOR DEPARTMENT OF STATE
nees waiting to be confirmed, accord-
ing to Democrats and Republicans who
spoke with CNN.
took part in a June 21 Since the end of May, the administra-
webinar co-sponsored tion has nominated more individuals
by the Atlantic Council for senior positions in the foreign affairs
and glifaa. agencies, notably including career FSO
Washington Post John R. Bass as under secretary of State
writer/MSNBC com- Raising the Progress Flag on June 25 at the State Department. for management. As of the end of July,
mentator Jonathan only one ambassador had been con-
Capehart moderated also announced that Main State would firmed in 2021.
the event, which included questions fly the Progress Flag on June 26-28, and Cruz has placed holds on the nomi-
from FSOs in Malabo and Kathmandu, reminded the audience that the depart- nations over his opposition to the Nord
among other participants. ment’s Global Equality Fund, a private- Stream 2 pipeline being built from Russia
Secretary Blinken began by giving a public partnership, continues to offer to Germany. “I look forward to lifting
shoutout to glifaa for nearly 30 years of emergency assistance to human rights the holds just as soon as they impose
advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ+ employ- defenders and human rights program- the sanctions on Nord Stream 2 that are
ees and their families at State and other ming support to grassroots LGBTQ+ required by federal law,” Cruz told CNN.
foreign affairs agencies. He repeatedly organizations. Both the Trump and Biden administra-
emphasized that LGBTQ+ rights cannot At a ceremony on June 25, Deputy tions have declined to impose sanctions
be separated from human rights, and Secretary Wendy Sherman, Chief on the pipeline.
noted that just days after taking office, Diversity and Inclusion Officer Gina CNN said lawmakers from both parties
President Joe Biden had issued a memo- Abercrombie-Winstanley and glifaa have told Cruz that the holds are pointless,
randum instructing State to ensure it President Jeff Anderson spoke before the as the Biden administration has made
incorporates that principle into all its Progress Flag was raised over the State clear it won’t change its policy. Construc-
foreign assistance programs. Department. tion of the pipeline is almost finished, and
The Secretary confirmed that he You can view a video of the event sanctions could antagonize Germany.
has authorized all chiefs of mission to or read the transcript at bit.ly/blinken- AFSA’s website features compre-
fly the Pride Flag at U.S. embassies. He council. hensive and frequently updated lists of
16 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL50 Years Ago
Right On!
W ith
Circular
Airgram 3745,
of August 11,
1971, the three
foreign affairs agencies announced
policies designed to offer full equal-
ity of treatment to women employ-
ees, whether married or single.
There will be no further ques-
tioning of women applicants about
marital status or intention to marry,
and this subject will not be included
in performance evaluations.
Women earlier required to resign
from the Foreign Service because of
marriage will be given opportunities
to re-enter. If two Foreign Service
employees marry, and both wish to
continue working, each may retain
regular status, if available for world-
wide assignment, and the agencies
will make every effort to assign hus-
band and wife to the same post in
appropriate positions. Couples will
be consulted on alternatives when
ideal assignments are not available.
The AFSA Board of Directors
congratulates State, AID and USIA
on these progressive new poli-
cies. We will all watch to make sure
they are faithfully implemented in
the fine spirit in which they were
written. The AFSA Board congratu-
lates Elizabeth J. Harper and her
Women’s Program Committee, and
the Women’s Action Organization
and its President, Mary Olmsted.
—Editorial, Foreign Service
Journal, September 1971.
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2021 17ambassadorial nominations at afsa.org/
list-ambassadorial-appointments, and Time for State to Recognize
HEARD ON THE HILL
appointments of senior-level officials Subnational Diplomacy
at the various foreign affairs agencies I’m grateful for South Carolina’s leadership in
at afsa.org/tracker-senior-official- international engagement. American cities and
appointments. states are increasingly engaging in robust diplo-
macy with international partners and stakehold-
ers. It’s time that the State Department formally
recognizes subnational diplomacy and works
to strengthen productive international friend-
ship and cooperation on the city and state level
JOSH
in pursuit of mutual interests. This will not only
strengthen the positive and productive relation-
ships our cities and states develop but also serve to reinforce our friendships
and potentially temper enmities.
—Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), in a July 20 press release
in support of the City and State Diplomacy Act.
Broadening Diplomatic Reach
STATE DEPARTMENT
The world has grown smaller and more interconnected than ever before. By
improving engagement between our cities and foreign nations, and coordi-
Cover of the 2021 TIP Report. nation with the State Department on such engagement, we can bolster our
cultural and economic ties and cooperation, share best practices, and broaden
TIP Report Cites our nation’s diplomatic reach.
Systemic Racism —Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee,
I n its 2021 Trafficking in Persons report
released on July 1, the State Depart-
ment argues that systemic racism in the
in a July 20 press release in support of the City and State Diplomacy Act.
Consulates Help in Florida Disaster
United States and other countries is a As of this evening we have helped the relatives of those missing in Surfside,
driver of human trafficking. from over a dozen countries, get visas to travel to South Florida. Most have
It is the first time that State has either arrived or are now en route. Our embassies and consulates abroad
connected systemic racism to human have done a phenomenal job. Thank you.
trafficking, Reuters reported. The nearly —Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), in a June 25 tweet after the
650-page report tracks trafficking trends Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside, Florida.
in 188 countries, including the United
States.
“In many ways, the United States and of discrimination and injustices if we efforts, resulting in decreased protection
other governments face human traf- hope to one day eliminate human traf- measures and service provision for vic-
ficking challenges and trends today that ficking,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken tims, reduction of preventative efforts,
reflect the living legacy of the systemic writes in his introduction to the report. and hindrances to investigations and
racism and colonization globalized dur- The State Department also focused on prosecutions of traffickers,” the report
ing the transatlantic slave trade through the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on states. n
chattel slavery and regional practices human trafficking.
of indigenous dispossession,” the State “Governments across the world This edition of Talking Points was
Department says in the report. diverted resources toward the pandemic, compiled by Cameron Woodworth and
“We must break this inhumane cycle often at the expense of anti-trafficking Steven Alan Honley.
18 SEPTEMBER 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNALSPEAKING OUT
The Remonstrating Official
BY TED OSIUS
I
n the village of Duong Lam near Son Diplomats also have a second duty, which can
Tay, west of Hanoi, is a quiet, terra
cotta temple dedicated to a diplomat. be equally perilous: to advocate internally for
A decorated scholar-official, Giang Van wise policies and to challenge poor ones.
Minh served as Vietnam’s ambassador
to China starting in 1637. He outsmarted
China’s emperor, ending Vietnam’s
annual payment of a heavy gold and In November 2016, shortly after In one instance, Emperor Wu of the Han
silver tribute. Donald Trump’s victory in that year’s dynasty punished Grand Historian Sima
For his courage in standing up to the presidential election, I learned about the Qian for his dissenting views by offering
Chinese Goliath, Minh paid the ultimate Confucian concept of the remonstrating the historian his choice of punishment:
price. China’s emperor took revenge by official. While struggling with a decision death or castration. Qian chose the latter.
cutting out Minh’s tongue and eviscerat- about whether or not to leave govern- Confucian scholar-officials would
ing him. The emperor then had the dip- ment service, I received a message from remonstrate with a ruler to help him
lomat’s body cast in silver and returned Dave Shear, my predecessor as ambas- become a better ruler, not to overthrow
to Vietnam. China continues to represent sador to Vietnam. Dave sent me a photo him in favor of another. They corrected
an existential threat to Vietnam, as it has of a carving from Hanoi’s 1,000-year-old the ruler out of a sense of loyalty, because
from the country’s birth as a nation. Temple of Literature. their loyalty was to principles greater
The work of a diplomat can be peril- The plaque reads: “Virtue and talent even than the person of the emperor (see
ous. But Giang Van Minh’s example offers are the soul of the state.” Vietnamese Anita Andrew and Robert André LaFleur
another reminder, as well. Diplomats scholars, like their Chinese counterparts, in Education about Asia, Fall 2014).
have a duty to advocate for their country’s Dave explained, pursued the Confucian U.S. officials—civilian and military—
interests overseas; they also have a sec- ideal that a loyalty exists that is greater swear an oath to “support and defend the
ond duty, which can be equally perilous: than that to the emperor, and that loyalty Constitution of the United States against
to advocate internally for wise policies requires officials to speak out when the all enemies, foreign and domestic.” In our
and to challenge poor ones. Catastrophe emperor goes too far. oath, there is no reference to a political
can result when diplomats sidestep that Confucius (551-479 BCE) taught his party or individual leader. In a democ-
duty or are unable to carry it out because students to be loyal to the ruler, but also racy, when policies are debated openly,
the ruler cuts off dissenting voices. to stand up to the ruler when he (or she) there should be space for “remonstrance.”
was wrong. In the Confucian system,
Ted Osius, a career diplomat virtue sometimes required “remon- The Need for
with the State Department strance,” defined by Merriam-Webster as: Remonstrance
Foreign Service for 28 years, (1) an earnest presentation of reasons for After World War II, the United States
served as U.S. ambassador to opposition or grievance; and (2) an act or became obsessed with communism.
Vietnam from 2014 to 2017. instance of remonstrating. In 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy
In October 2021, Rutgers University Press Mencius (372-289 BCE) warned that, announced that he had a list of supposed
will publish his book, Nothing Is Impossi- by standing up to the ruler, the “remon- communists working in the State Depart-
ble: America’s Reconciliation with Vietnam, strating official” risked death—swift exe- ment. Theodore H. White describes
with a foreword by John Kerry. cution or even a slow and painful death. in his masterful In Search of History
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2021 19You can also read
