The Foreign Service Journal, January-February 2019

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2019 19 ...W hy, then, should many minds boggle at the idea of planning an American for- eign policy for the years from now to 2001? There is no logical and reasonable answer, except to say that they shouldn’t. Granted, the world may meet with nuclear catastrophe long before that date. But also, you or I might be run over and killed next week at Twenty-First Street and Virginia Avenue by a dashing young lady in an MG or a Porsche. The possibility of disaster always lurks, in public events as in private lives. The only sensible thing to do is to postulate some reasonable assumptions and go ahead and plan. These assumptions, as we said earlier, must not be too cheerful, or we should not be stimulated to undertake the tough work of planning. But neither should they be too discouraging. It makes no sense to assume a thermo- nuclear holocaust, destroying the industrial parts of the world, because there is no way really to plan in advance for a world in ruins. Our assumptions should be of such a nature that they generate planning requirements, and then we should go ahead and plan. Let us then try to lay down some planning postulates for the next 32 years, and then attempt to work out their implications for American foreign policy from now to the year 2001. —From “Looking Ahead to the Year 2001, ” by Frank Snowden Hopkins, FSJ , January 1969. 50 Years Ago Go Ahead and Plan Secretary James Mattis addressed Con- gress mere hours before the vote took place, urging senators not to vote for the measure because the Saudi-led coali- tion is working to counter terrorism in the Arabian Peninsula and curtail Iran’s regional influence. In his prepared remarks, Secretary Mattis said: “We cannot limit civilian casualties or advance the peace effort commencing early next month in Swe- den by disengaging.” Secretary Pompeo said: “I know the conflict in Yemen is ugly. We are engaged in diplomacy all around the world to make it less so—and have actually made it less ugly. But it’s important to remain involved. Talks are scheduled to hap- pen soon.” On Dec. 12, the Senate voted 57 to 38 to end U.S. military involvement in Yemen, and also voted unanimously to condemn Saudi Crown Prince Moham- med bin Salman in connection with the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. This edition of Talking Points was compiled by Donna Gorman, Ásgeir Sigfússon and Shawn Dorman.