May 2014

The Foreign Service Journal covers foreign affairs from an insider's perspective, providing thought-provoking articles on international issues, the practice of diplomacy and the U.S. Foreign Service. Including the AFSA News section, The Journal is published monthly (January-February and July-August issues combined) by the American Foreign Service Association.

This month, we celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Foreign Service and the American Foreign Service Association. In his article, Foreign Service, Civil Service: How we Got to Where We Are, former FSO Harry Kopp looks at the delicate Foreign Service-Civil Service balance over time. Then, retired FSOs Jim Lamont and Larry Cohen take a close look at how the Foreign Service Act of 1924 came to be with In the Beginning: The Rogers Act of 1924. To conclude this month’s focus, we offer a selection of vignettes from AFSA members, active-duty and retired, on some of the best moments of their Foreign Service careers, followed by a timeline of highlights from AFSA’s history.

In this month’s feature, The American Way of Diplomacy, Robert Hutchings addresses challenges U.S. foreign policy is facing, such as how the Foreign Service should deal with increased militarization. Elsewhere, Robert Hunter calls for Getting State and the Foreign Service Back in the Game, and Felicity O. Yost offers a fascinating account of her father’s tenure as Ambassador to Morocco during the Cold War. In his monthly column, AFSA President Robert J. Silverman defends nation-building as a foreign policy strategy.

We always welcome short, focused letters about FSJ content; please send them to journal@afsa.org.