May 2002

The May Journal offers a wide range of articles illustrating different aspects of the topic, "Private Lives, Public Policy: Foreign Service Families And Children."

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In "A Career Built For Two," Tatiana and Michael Gfoeller explain that the "bicycle built for two" celebrated in song is a good image not just for tandem couples but for just about any cooperative relationship around.

The tragic events of Sept. 11 have underscored for all Americans an aspect of life abroad that Foreign Service personnel and their families have long lived with: the sheer dangerousness and vulnerability of serving one's country overseas. So it is fitting that the next three articles all deal with different facets of this subject:

"Deathwatch:" Service to one's country may be moral compensation for being away from one's family, but that knowledge doesn't always help in times of crisis, observes FSO Herbert L. Treger.

Pamela C. Benson explains in "The Coup: A Family Story" that even though her family has rarely spoken about witnessing massive death and anarchy in Monrovia, Liberia over 20 years ago, that experience is a vital part of who each family member is today.

"Coming Home:" As a child, Margaret Cheney lived all over the world - until her father's death. Years later, on a trip back to Washington, she finally understood what it means to belong when she saw her father's name added to the AFSA Memorial Plaque last year.

AFSA News editor Shawn Dorman, a former FSO, reports in "The Reality Of Foreign Service Spousal Employment" on one of the top concerns for today's Foreign Service families. She offers a detailed look at the real situation for spouses who want their own careers.

The State Department's Family Liaison Office is a key source of information and support for Foreign Service families. Associate Editor Susan Maitra finds out what that office is up to in "Going With the FLO: A Talk with M/FLO Director Faye Barnes."

Last but certainly not least, Pat Olsen explains in "The Foreign Service Spouse Network: A Global Resource" that spouse networks at each post are now linking together online to form a cyberspace network that provides support for all interested in overseas life, wherever they are.

May features include:

"Globalization As Political Theater:" Analyzing the Quebec City performance of this play of the new century from different perspectives yields insight into the globalization phenomenon and its voluminous literature, says Donna Marie Oglesby.

"U.S. Policy Toward Cuba: Is Change Coming?" Veteran Associated Press correspondent for the State Department George Gedda notes there hasn't been a serious debate over Cuba policy in years but says that could be changing, with soft-liners in Congress arrayed against an administration that is ready to take anti-Castro policy to new heights.

The April Journal addresses the question, "How is the war selling?" beginning with commentaries by five Washington-based foreign journalists. Like their nationalities, their responses vary, but they all agree that much of the world harbors serious doubts about both the objectives and conduct of the anti-terrorist campaign:

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Khaled Abdulkareem, the Washington correspondent for Egypt's Middle East News Agency, reports in "The U.S. War On Terror -- A Middle Eastern Perspective" that skepticism and cynicism about the U.S. continue to prevail on the Arab street.

Nor is that view limited to the official Egyptian media. In "Sound Bites, Islam and Foggy Bottom," Thomas Gorguissian, the Washington correspondent for the opposition daily newspaper Al-Wafd, urges Americans to review and reshape the way they see the world to counter such skepticism.

In "The War's Missing Front," Yasemin Congar, the Washington bureau chief of the Turkish newspaper Milliyet, and the CNNTurk TV Network, argues that to fight terrorism effectively and keep the bin Ladens of the world from gaining ground, the U.S. must strive to understand the psychology of despair and take appropriate steps.

Paulo Sotero, the chief North American correspondent for O Estado de S. Paulo, a Brazilian daily newspaper, explains that "Trade And Other Factors Fuel Brazil's Perception Of U.S." As he explains, Brazilians are concerned that the war against terrorism will distract Washington from engaging with their concerns.

And Russian commentator Andrei Sitov, the Washington bureau chief for ITAR-TASS, the Russian News Service, expresses the hope in "Universal Moral Standards: Is The U.S. Above Them?" that America is finally beginning to understand that it needs to listen to the rest of the world in order to lead the war on terrorism.

In addition, FSO Matt Lussenhop explains in "Creativity and Patience -- Public Diplomacy Post-Sept. 11" that our public diplomacy efforts in the war on terrorism will necessarily be a slow and steady campaign.

"A Call to Arms: Jump-Starting Diplomacy:" Elise Labott, the State Department producer for CNN, says the Bush administration got off to a slow start in reaching out to the Arab and Muslim world after Sept. 11. But despite some missteps, it has made headway since then.

April features include:

"Automotive Interludes In Diplomacy:" Retired FSO Peter Bridges takes the wheel to demonstrate that while the quest for the perfect automobile, like the perfect posting, is often elusive, driving any car abroad can bring pleasures and adventures.

And Robert Gerald Livingston, a Senior Visiting Fellow at the German Historical Institute, makes the case that "Sept. 11 Transformed German Foreign Policy," giving Berlin a newfound willingness to engage politically, economically and even militarily in world affairs.

And finally, "Cybernotes" premieres in this issue, replacing the Clippings section. As Steven Alan Honley notes in his "Letter from the Editor," this new department offers a broad selection of useful and interesting Foreign Service- and foreign affairs-related Web sites, as well as reviews of TV shows, movies and music CDs about or by Foreign Service personnel.

March 2002

The March Journal focuses on the need to beef up the underappreciated --some might even say devalued -- role of cultural diplomacy:

In "Exchanging Away Our Differences," Michael McCarry (a former FSO who is now the executive director of the Alliance for International Cultural and Educational Exchange) explains how an exchange program in the Islamic world might reap the benefits that other exchange programs have garnered for American foreign policy. But as he points out, that will require not only significant resource outlays but a genuine commitment on the part of the administration.

Looking at the other side of the coin, Sherry Mueller's "The Power Of Citizen Diplomacy" contends that in the post-Sept. 11 world, the power of citizen diplomats and community organizations to shape our collective destinies has never been more apparent.

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"Think Of It As A Blackbird:" FSO Mark Jacobs, currently special advisor to the Coordinator in the Office of Information Programs, offers six and a half ways of looking at culture, and why it might not be a bad idea to have more of it in our embassies.

And in "What U.S. Image Will Linger?" Samuel G. Freedman urges the U.S. to reinvigorate its cultural diplomacy programs instead of letting the free market deliver whatever tacky version of America happens to sell well overseas.

March features include:

"Powell's Magical Mystery Tour:" Veteran State Department correspondent George Gedda gives a behind-the-scenes look at Secretary of State Powell's recent Asia trip.

"Winning The Peace: U.S. Policy Toward South Asia:" Amb. Shirin R. Tahir-Kheli, director of the South Asia program at the Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, contends that just as U.S. leadership was crucial to the military victory in Afghanistan, it will remain essential as the country rebuilds. But she also cautions that Washington also needs to be mindful of the larger regional picture.

"The Cambodian Conundrum:" Journalist Nate Thayer holds up Cambodia as a case study of what can happen when U.S. drug policy and U.S. foreign policy collide.

Unlike most issues, the February Journal does not have a central focus section. However, our cover story, and two of the three feature articles that follow, do continue our coverage of U.S. foreign policy in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.

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Amb. Hume Horan, a distinguished senior retired Foreign Service officer who currently serves as a consultant on Middle East affairs for MSNBC, NPR and Fox News, writes in our cover story,"The U.S. And Islam In The Modern World," that the solution to the current tribulations of Arab Muslim civilization must be found in the inner resources and recuperative powers of Islam itself.

In "Why Do They Hate Us? A View From Mexico," FSO John Dickson offers another answer to the question many Americans have been asking since Sept. 11.

"My 30 Years In Africa: Still Searching For Answers" by Mark G. Wentling: Given Africa's astonishing bounty of resources, and the billions of dollars expended since independence on thousands of development projects across the continent, why aren't the lives of most Africans better? Here is a former FSO's analysis.

"The Case for a Religion Attaché": Douglas Johnston, president and founder of the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy in Washington, D.C., asserts that the U.S. needs to elevate the consideration of religious factors in foreign policy. As he explains, appointing religion attachés to gather information in key countries would be a key step toward this end.

January 2002

Since Sept. 11, the war on terrorism has vastly overshadowed the war on drugs. Yet for several decades now, under Republican and Democratic administrations alike, the U.S. has poured billions of dollars into efforts to keep narcotics out of our country, both by cooperating with and pressuring other countries around the world. The January 2002 issue of the Journal -- The (Perpetual) War On Drugs: Dispatches From The Front - assesses how we are doing.

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In "The Limits Of Drug Control," Peter Reuter, a professor of public policy and criminology at the University of Maryland, notes that U. S. policy aims to increase the price and restrict the availability of illegal drugs imported from abroad. Through a detailed look at the many facets of the problem, he explains why the policy has not worked and why, in fact, it probably can't work.

If there is one country that Americans instantly associate with drugs, it is Colombia. Veteran journalist Don North takes us there in two articles - "The Colombian Drug Quagmire" and "Aerial Spraying And The Siege Of Tibu" -- to support his contention that the country is on the brink of anarchy, largely because of the U.S.-sponsored drug war.

However, in "Why Support Of Colombia Is Crucial to The War On Drugs," Deputy Assistant Secretary of State James Mack explains why Plan Colombia and the Andean Regional Initiative are even more important after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Turning to the Asian side of the equation, Barry Broman discusses the value of resuming cooperation with Burma in the war on drugs in "Rangoon: Key To Stopping The Opium Trade." The U.S. Pacific Command concludes our coverage by describing "The Military's Fight Against The Drug Trade" from Southeast Asia to South America.

Elsewhere in this issue:

Nearly a year into his tenure, in an interview with FSJ editor Steven Alan Honley ("A Talk With Deputy Secretary Of State Richard Armitage"), the Deputy Secretary assesses the Powell team's management record. And FSO Damian Leader describes the insights he gained into diplomacy, British-style, in "Changing Places: A Year In The British Foreign Office."

Finally, AFSA Retiree Vice President Bill Farrand explains in this month's Speaking Out column why it's "Time For State To Draw On Its Reserves" and make better, more systematic use of its retired Foreign Service officers.

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