The Foreign Service Journal, January-February 2017

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2017 35 of the United States of America and have no other agenda but to serve the administration. The Foreign Service’s representational tradition is steeped in honest and clear reporting to the host government, as well as to the Department of State. This is the central focus of the Service; officers are trained to call it as they see it. Reporting in this manner provides the administration with a solid basis for making critical policy decisions that could impact U.S. interests in a foreign region. George V. Corinaldi FSO, retired Potomac, Maryland Bridge Divisions E pluribus unum . That is the motto that points the way to making America great again. Seek compromises that bridge the divisions in our society, not “solutions” that only make them worse. On foreign policy, “offshore balancing” beats “right to pro- tect” every time. Carleton S. Coon Jr. Ambassador, retired Woodville, Virginia We Tell You What You Need to Hear As your own foreign policy preferences have figured only mini- mally in your campaign, I hope you will give consideration to the views of the professionals in the U.S. Foreign Service who will be entrusted to carry out White House guidance. The Foreign Service is not stacked against you. Career Foreign Service officers entered into public service not to promote a particular agenda, but to promote the considered goals of official U.S. foreign policy as determined by the president and foreign policy advisers. They want to serve their country, and they join the Foreign Service with the expectation that they will serve under various administrations with varying political goals and interests. The Foreign Service has a record of accurate reporting. Do not be surprised if your Secretary of State tells you that the Foreign Service overemphasizes negative views. Traditional diplomacy effects change in incremental steps, and there are more than 190 countries that our diplomats will be informing of your wishes. They each have to be addressed in ways that will make them understand—and hopefully accept—any new directions you wish to take; and, undoubtedly, there will be pushback, both from friends and from adversaries. When your embassies inform you of such pushback, please don’t “shoot the messenger.” The Foreign Service will tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. When Foreign Service officers suggest modifications or even changes in your policies, you will need to hear those points expressed loudly and clearly, and as accurately as possible. Such messages may be annoying, but they are essen- tial to help you gain the full benefit of the Service’s expertise in various substantive and geographical areas. As a matter of fact, we have institutionalized such disagreement with a “dissent channel.” Our professional association, AFSA, can tell you more about this mechanism. Leon Weintraub FSO, retired Potomac, Maryland We Are Not Your Enemy In honesty, President Trump, you were not our choice. Hill- ary Clinton, despite the campaign hyperbole, was a reasonably effective Secretary of State—given that President Barack Obama essentially made foreign policy. But Secretary Clinton advanced U.S. interests in human rights and particularly women’s rights around the globe. She paidmore attention and gave more sympa- thy to Foreign Service personnel and issues than has often been the case for Secretaries of State. We appreciated her. That said, however, it does not make Foreign Service personnel your enemies. We are professionals in assessing, analyzing, pre- dicting and addressing the policies and attitudes of foreign govern- ments, nonstate actors and those opposed to U.S. interests. We want you to be successful. We want the United States of America to advance its interests withmaximum effectiveness, leav- ing friends and allies reassured and enemies deterred fromhostile action. If you have a leaky basement, you call a plumber. If you have a pain in your gut, you see a doctor. If you want to build a house, you hire an architect. The plumber, doctor and architect are profession- als; they don’t care about your politics or personality. You get the point. If you want foreign policy expertise, the For- eign Service consists of consummate professionals. Use us. David T. Jones Senior FSO, retired Arlington, Virginia