the air we breathe living with air pollution election 2016 views from abroad travels with the champ

84 Pages·2016·9.71 MB·English

PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION OCTOBER 2016
THE AIR WE BREATHE
LIVING WITH AIR POLLUTION
ELECTION 2016
VIEWS FROM ABROAD
TRAVELS WITH THE CHAMP

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FOREIGN
SERVICE
October 2016 Volume 93, No. 8
Cover Story
Features
43
Travels with
The Champ in Africa, 1980
The late Muhammad Ali was a diplomat
20 extraordinaire, as this firsthand
account of a mission to Africa attests.
By L annon Walker
20 25
48
The Air We Breathe: Breathless in Jakarta—
Living with Air Pollution A Cautionary Tale An Invisible Tide:
Many Foreign Service families spend Pollution can lead to serious health Undocumented
a significant portion of their lives issues, and dealing with that can be a U.S. Kids in Mexico
assigned to cities with unsafe air. bureaucratic nightmare. The problem of undocumented U.S.
What are the effects, and By Deborah Lynn kids in Mexico is a facet of the
what can be done about it? immigration tangle that is putting
By Nicole Schaefer-McDaniel pressure on both sides of the border.
By Amelia Shaw
Focus on The U.S. Election Through a Foreign Lens
28 35
The U.S. Election
How India Sees
Through Brazilian Eyes
U.S. Elections
The contest between two colorful
The old formula for evaluating the
personalities has drawn unprecedented
U.S. presidential contest has
attention and some concern here,
given way to complexities.
but there is little fear of changes
in the bilateral agenda. By Ruchir Joshi
By Carlos Lins da Silva
39
31 Mexico, NAFTA
You Are Not Alone, and Election 2016
Believe Me Though it is not the first U.S. election
that has really mattered to Mexico,
Donald Trump might be uniquely
there may be more at stake this
American in his demeanor and rhetoric,
time than ever before.
but to Austrians the factors behind
his startling success are not. By Xenia V. Wilkinson
By Verena Gleitsmann 43
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2016 5
FOREIGN
SERVICE
Departments
Perspectives 10 Letters
13 Talking Points
7 81
72 Books
President’s Views Reflections
Forging Strategic Partnerships Halloween at a Polish Cemetery
By Barbara Stephenson By Kelly B. Midura
9 82
Marketplace
Letter from the Editor Local Lens
Pollution and Politics U.S.A.
By Shawn Dorman By Beth Payne 75 Classifieds
17 78 Real Estate

Speaking Out 80 Index to Advertisers
Safeguarding a Nonpartisan
Foreign Service
By Matthew V. Tompkins
81
AFSA NEWS
THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION
53 H igh School Essay Contest Winner 60 AFSA Interns Visit Embassy of
Visits Washington Bosnia and Herzegovina
54 State VP Voice—The Human Touch 60 Career Ambassadors Discuss
AFSA Legislative Strategy
55 USAID VP Voice—Taking Care of Our People
61 AFSA Hosts Diplomats in Residence
56 FAS VP Voice—Realistic Expectations
62 Foreign Service Grievance Board: A Q&A
56 AFSA Secures Awards Funding
64 Retiree Corner—Beyond the Beltway
57 Retiree VP Voice—Turbulence in
Long-Term Care Insurance 65 AFSA Celebrates Job Search Program Graduates
59 A TLG Intern’s Experience 65 LM Welcomes New Intern
59 FLTCIP Counseling at AFSA 66 AFSA Staff Changes
66 Diplomats Engage Road Scholars
53 67 Marine Corps Embassy
Security Guards Honored
67 AFSA Engages Consular Fellows
68 AFSA Governing Board Changes
69 AFSA Governing Board Meeting Notes
70 Amb. Stephenson on the Future of Diplomacy
71 Sister Cities International—
Creating Peace Through People
On the Cover: An aerial view of chemical smog over Mexico City. Photo: Fidel Gonzalez/Wikimedia Commons.
6 OCTOBER 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL
PRESIDENT’S VIEWS
Forging Strategic Partnerships
BY BARBARA STEPHENSON
As I write on Labor Day, the sum- We are developing a comprehensive 50-state
mer rotation cycle is behind
strategy to engage with the American public.
us and, in our household and
many of yours, a new school
year is beginning. This seems like a great 50-state strategy to engage with the Ameri- leaders of tomorrow and inreach to help
time to provide an update on the progress can public, especially those prepared to us gain a nuanced understanding of your
we have made over recent months estab- vouch for the value of the Foreign Service, aspirations and concerns.
lishing and cementing a series of strategic in every state. Work continues on all three pillars.
partnerships that form the foundation of AFSA has been working quietly and “Structured conversations” with members
AFSA’s outreach efforts. diligently over a number of months to resume this month as we begin hear-
I know from conversations with mem- forge strategic partnerships, so we can ing from USAID and specialists at State,
bers that many of us dream of earning the tap into nationwide networks to amplify informing AFSA’s advocacy work with
national recognition and respect our col- the story of the Foreign Service to an both management and Congress. We hear
leagues in the military enjoy. That remains ever-wider audience around the country. you loud and clear, for example, on lateral
a long-term goal for the Foreign Service, For example, following successful joint entry, and we will continue to oppose
but we must work toward that goal with outreach with AFSA in 2015, Global Ties, efforts in Congress to parachute new
clear eyes. which hosts international visitors across entrants into State’s already full mid-levels,
Our numbers are small (just 16,500 the country, has invited me to join its even as we work constructively to address
active-duty FS, compared to well over a advisory board, connecting AFSA to its the staffing shortages at entry level.
million active-duty uniformed military globally engaged members and affiliates in In our mission to advocate for a strong
and another half-million reserves) and our 45 states. Foreign Service, we’ve formed a strategic
financial resources are limited. The World Affairs Councils of America, partnership with the Lyndon B. Johnson
We generally spend more than two- with local councils in 40 states, has given School of Public Affairs at the University of
thirds of our careers serving abroad, so ties AFSA a prime speaking slot at its annual Texas at Austin to conduct a benchmarking
to our home states grow tenuous; and we conference in November. And after a suc- exercise comparing the U.S. Foreign
have nothing like the military’s network of cessful pilot year, the U.S. Institute of Peace Service with eight of the largest, most influ-
bases across the country to keep us con- signed on to partner with AFSA again on ential diplomatic services in the world.
nected. our signature high school essay contest. We aim to capture global best practices
If we are going to make serious progress AFSA has also secured much-needed— on recruiting, early assignment patterns,
toward our goal of having the Foreign and much-appreciated—funding for addi- tour length and a number of other issues
Service widely recognized and respected, tional outreach initiatives. During the last for the purpose of making recommenda-
we need friends three months, AFSA signed agreements tions to ensure the U.S. Foreign Service is
and partners with for funding in excess of $85,000 to sustain equipped to lead America’s foreign policy
deep roots in their outreach efforts. in the 21st century. Expect to hear more
communities to Outreach is, of course, only one of over the course of the next few months
influence elected the three pillars in the AFSA Governing as AFSA’s work with the LBJ School’s 14
representatives. Board’s work plan, alongside comprehen- graduate students and two respected inter-
We are developing sive workforce planning to ensure you have national affairs scholars and practitioners
a comprehensive a healthy career path to develop into the progresses. n
Ambassador Barbara Stephenson is the president of the American Foreign Service Association.
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2016 7
FOREIGN
S
SERVICE
T
C
Editor in Chief, Director of Publications
A
Shawn Dorman: [email protected] www.afsa.org
T
Managing Editor N
Susan Brady Maitra: [email protected]
O
Associate Editor C
Gemma Dvorak: [email protected]
Publications Specialist AFSA Headquarters: BUSINESS DEPARTMENT
Vacant [phone]; Fax [phone] Director of Finance
State Department AFSA Office: Femi Oshobukola: [email protected]
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LABOR MANAGEMENT
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General Counsel
Contributing Editor President Sharon Papp: [email protected]
Steven Alan Honley Hon. Barbara Stephenson: Deputy General Counsel
[email protected]
Editorial Board Raeka Safai: [email protected]
Secretary
Beth Payne, Chair Labor Management Specialist
William Haugh: [email protected]
Randy Berry James Yorke: [email protected]
Treasurer Hon. Charles A. Ford: [email protected]
James Bever Senior Staff Attorney
Angela Bond State Vice President Neera Parikh: [email protected]
Hon. Gordon S. Brown Angie Bryan: [email protected] Senior Staff Attorney
Stephen W. Buck USAID Vice President Zlatana Badrich: [email protected]
Lawrence Casselle (Governing Board Liaison) Sharon Wayne: [email protected] Labor Management Counselor
Eric Green FCS Vice President
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Retiree Vice President
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THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS Hon. Tom Boyatt: [email protected]
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PROFESSIONALS State Representatives
The Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E USAID Staff Assistant
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Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is pub- Erika Bethmann: [email protected]
lished monthly, with combined January-February and Susan Danewitz
July-August issues, by the American Foreign Service Jason Donovan
MEMBER SERVICES
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8 OCTOBER 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL
L E T T E R F R O M T H E E D I T O R
Pollution and Politics
BY SHAWN DORMAN
This month’s cover story looks Worldwide availablity doesn’t make exceptions,
at air pollution as a fact of life
at least not yet, based on air quality.
for members of the Foreign
Service. Southeast Asian
“haze” (aka smoke from land-clearing
peat fires in Indonesia); vehicle and air, we dare to take a look at the U.S. tives of four countries: Brazil, Austria,
industrial emissions choking cities presidential election. The FSJ has a India and Mexico.
across India and China; smoke from tradition in presidential election years In another turn of the lens on our-
wood- and coal-burning from Sarajevo of turning the lens on ourselves, asking selves, this month’s Local Lens comes
to Gaborone—all contribute to a global foreign journalists to share views of the from Des Moines, Iowa.
problem experienced locally. contest from their home countries. In Features, Ambassador (ret.) Lan-
Worldwide availablity doesn’t make We have so far managed to do that non Walker shares the story of his diplo-
exceptions, at least not yet, based on within the confines of our role as the matic travels around Africa in 1980 with
air quality. In “The Air We Breathe: Liv- flagship publication of the American Muhammad Ali, heavyweight champion
ing with Air Pollution,” environmental Foreign Service Association, which is and diplomat extraordinaire. And FSO
psychologist and urban health expert committed to remaining nonpartisan. and AFSA dissent winner Amelia Shaw
Nicole Schaefer-McDaniel, also an Members of the Foreign Service is back with a story about the problem
FS family member, gives a lesson on swear an oath to defend the Consti- of undocumented American children
what we need to know—from the risks tution. They take pride in faithfully in Mexico, “An Invisible Tide: Undocu-
involved and where to look for informa- serving the national interest, regardless mented U.S. Kids in Mexico.”
tion to suggestions for coping. of which party wins the White House. In closing, I’d like to share very good
If you’ve been in the Foreign Service And they take the Hatch Act seriously, news from the Journal. We are about
for more than one assignment, chances as well. to become the proud stewards of a
are you have an air pollution story. I This election has tested AFSA’s complete digital archive of The Foreign
found Deborah Lynn’s “Breathless in resolve to remain above politics and Service Journal.
Jakarta—A Cautionary Tale” particularly raised questions about where the lines For at least a decade, FSJ staff and
compelling, as I’d had my own bout are and should be. Our discussion starts the Editorial Board have advocated for
with air pollution challenges while serv- with the Speaking Out, “Safeguarding a fully accessible online archive of the
ing there in the late 1990s (whooping a Nonpartisan Foreign Service” by FSO entire library of 90-plus years of the
cough, smoky flights). Matthew Tompkins, who argues for a Journal. Hurray to the current Govern-
In her story, Lynn describes her baseline standard of political discretion ing Board for giving the green light to go
painful journey through Jakarta pollu- and suggests a conversation on how ahead.
tion to pneumonia to much, if any, political participation is Keep an eye out for news on the
the difficult decision appropriate for the professional Foreign completion of the project and the shar-
to curtail from a great Service. ing of access to this amazing cache of
assignment. Then we offer views on the U.S. primary-source material on U.S. diplo-
Moving on from election from three journalists and one macy. n
air pollution to hot retired FSO writing from the perspec-
Shawn Dorman is the editor of The Foreign Service Journal.
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2016 9
LETTERS
Ambassadorships would be found. Pres. Obama’s second with near-term chief-of-mission ambi-
and U.S. Elections term percentage was at just below 29 tions, both the downside risk and upside
I’d like to share a few thoughts about percent in August and won’t go up, given potential are much higher for a President
ambassadorships that anyone in the For- that the congressional appetite for confir- Trump than for a President Clinton.
eign Service might want to ponder during mations withers dramatically as elections One thing about which there is no
this electoral season. approach. doubt is that the foreign policy of the
First, there was considerable kvetch- That raises a second point. What can former would be far more challenging to
ing at the start of President Barack be expected from the president who takes represent than that of the latter. And if
Obama’s second term, including by the office on Jan. 20? Given Hillary Clinton’s one wanted to make American embas-
former president of AFSA, about how experience, and the precedent set by sies and ambassadors bigger targets for
Pres. Obama was appointing a much previous presidents, it seems very likely terrorism, it would be hard to think of a
higher percentage of political appointees that as president she would continue the more effective way to do that than sug-
as ambassadors than the historical aver- 30/70 ratio. gesting policies like banning Muslims
age of the last 50 years (which is around That is not to say there won’t be con- from entering this country, torturing
30 percent). troversial appointments. One prediction: terrorist suspects and murdering their
This is to be expected. All ambassa- Vogue Editor Anna Wintour—high school families.
dors must present their resignations at dropout and British citizen—will be Dennis Jett
the start of any presidential term. Those nominated as ambassador to the United Ambassador, retired
from career ambassadors are almost Kingdom. Professor of International Affairs
never accepted, and they get to finish What would a President Donald Penn. State, School of International
out what is left of their normal three-year Trump do? There is no way to judge. Affairs
tours. One story in the New York Post asserted University Park, Pennsylvania
Those from political appointees are he had promised an ambassadorship to
almost always accepted: the president the publisher of the National Enquirer Writing Skills Required
has a new crop of people to thank for in return for all the favorable coverage In his article “Examining State’s
helping him get elected or reelected. he has received from that epitome of Foreign Service Officer Hiring Today,”
Some want ambassadorships, and that is responsible journalism. in the July-August issue of The Foreign
one way the president can reward them. One could argue that Service Journal, Glenn J. Gui-
So the frontloading of political appoint- with few mega-donors, mond notes: “Those who have
ments early in any term always happens Trump might make fewer worked with the State Depart-
and then quickly decreases until the political appointments. He ment’s entry-level profession-
percentage returns to normal historical is a nontraditional candi- als in recent years can attest
levels. date, the first ever of a major to their outstanding skills and
Foreign Service Act of 1980 guidance party in American history to abilities.”
notwithstanding, the 30 percent is not have no experience in either Yet early on in the article
required by law or regulation. It is more government or the military. he states: “In response to dis-
of a tradition, with the real limitation The anti-insider candidate satisfaction among Foreign
being the number of comfortable embas- might appoint only outsiders Service managers over the
sies, with neither hardship nor danger as ambassadors. Think of the quality of entry-level officers’ writing
pay, to which a political appointee would possibilities for a new reality TV show ability, BEX [the Board of Examiners] is
like to go. called “Ambassador Apprentice.” seeking ways to better measure a candi-
President Ronald Reagan managed On the other hand, lacking any date’s business writing skills.”
to push the numbers up to 38 percent background in foreign affairs, a President Well, now. The ability to write well
by sending non-career ambassadors to Trump might make all his nominations has always been considered one of the
exotic places like Malawi and Rwanda from the career ranks to compensate. critical elements required of a Foreign
where normally only a career officer From the perspective of those FSOs Service officer. One can analyze informa-
10 OCTOBER 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL