The Foreign Service Journal, March 2008

F O C U S O N I r a q , F i v e Y e a r s L a t e r A FTER THE S URGE : T OWARD AN 18-S TATE F EDERATION / 22 Four major proposals for a way forward have been advanced, but they all ignore Iraq’s political center of gravity. By Keith W. Mines H ELPING T HOSE W HO H ELPED U S / 28 State has been slow to expedite immigrant visas for Iraqis who have assisted the U.S. government. But there are, at long last, signs of movement. By Shawn Zeller W ORKING AND L IVING IN I RAQ / 35 Members share experiences from current or recent service in Iraq. F E A T U R E S W ELCOME TO THE FS B LOGOSPHERE / 41 All but unheard of even five years ago, blogging is now well established among members of the Foreign Service. By Marc Nielsen D ON ’ T R EINVENT THE F OREIGN A SSISTANCE W HEEL / 46 The F process is half a loaf, and only half-baked at that, but still an important first step toward meshing U.S. foreign assistance spending with our strategic goals. By Gordon Adams A F S A N E W S AFSA A NNUAL R EPORT 2007 / 51 Y EAR IN R EVIEW / 52 S TATE VP: S HOOTING THE M ESSENGER / 61 A N I NSIDE V IEW OF THE FS G RIEVANCE B OARD / 62 USAID VP: A N O PEN L ETTER TO A DMINISTRATOR F ORE / 63 C ROSSING THE R UBICON ON THE O VERSEAS P AY G AP / 64 S TATE O FFICIALS B LAST AFSA S URVEY / 65 AFSA N EWS B RIEFS / 66 F AMILY M EMBER M ATTERS : T HE W AY OF THE D IPLOMATIC P RINCESS / 67 C LASSIFIEDS / 68 C ONTENTS March 2008 Volume 85, No. 3 Cover and inside illustrations by Adam Niklewicz P RESIDENT ’ S V IEWS / 5 Defending Our Future By John K. Naland S PEAKING O UT / 15 Member of Household Policy: Failing Our Families By Michael Guest I N R ESPONSE / 18 Toward a Post-2012 Approach to Climate Change By Paula J. Dobriansky R EFLECTIONS / 84 The Managua Earthquake of 1972 By Stuart Lippe L ETTERS / 6 C YBERNOTES / 11 M ARKETPLACE / 12 B OOKS / 70 I N M EMORY / 73 I NDEX TO A DVERTISERS / 82 M A R C H 2 0 0 8 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 3 J O U R N A L OREIGN ERVICE S F