The Foreign Service Journal, January 2003

8 AFSA NEWS • JANUARY 2003 GAINING SUPPORT FOR DIPLOMATIC READINESS FUNDING AFSA Expands Outreach Efforts in 2002 BY TOM SWITZER, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS A FSA greatly expanded its national outreach efforts in 2002 aimedat broadening anddeepeningpublic support for fund- ing for diplomatic readiness. One of ourmost effective out- reach elements is our Speakers Program , which deployed 252 ForeignService speakers in2002 (more thandouble the 110 participants in 2000) to explain the importance of U.S.diplomacyforAmericannationalintereststodiverse audiences in 33 states andWashington, D.C. Audiences ranged frommajorworldaffairs councils anduniversitiestolocalcommunity-serviceorganizations, “TownMeetings,” churches, andhigh schools. Former ambassador toPakistanWendyChamberlinenthralled faculty and students at universities in Boston and Washington, D.C. withher descriptionof the demand- ingprocessourdiplomatsunderwenttosuccessfullycon- vince the Pakistan government to collaborate with the U.S.-led coalition confronting the Taliban and al-Qaida. Shealso impressivelydescribed theattractions and challenges of careers in the Foreign Service, includ- ing insightful considerations of family issues. Another outstanding speaker was Ambassador Vernon Penner, whoelicitedglowingreviewsfromsome200businesslead- ersmeeting inColoradoSprings forhispresentationson U.S. counterterrorism and foreign trade policies. AFSA speakers addressed other topics including: democratization and free markets in the former Soviet UnionandEasternEurope;U.S. initiatives inLatinAmerica, Europe, Africa, theMiddleEast, andAsia;UnitedNationspeacekeeping; pub- licdiplomacy;international environmentalconcerns;populationand migration issues; and human rights. All speakerswereprovidedwith talkingpoints and issueupdates fromAFSA. Speakersstressedthecriticalroleofdiplomacyinadvanc- ingAmerica’s vital securityandeconomic interests around theglobe. They also encouraged audience members to contact their congres- sionalrepresentativestorequestincreasedfundingforU.S.diplomatic readiness. Moreover, speakers reachedout totalentedyouth—espe- cially minority-group members — to encourage them to consider Foreign Service careers. AFSAalso significantly expanded videoconferencing to certain regions of the country that lack retiree speakers by developing two major regional town meetings in northern Indiana. The first pro- gram,featuringAmbassadorPhilWilcox,positivelyinfluencedregion- al educators, students, civic leaders andmedia as to the crucial role played by U.S. diplomacy in waging the war against terrorism. TheseconddialoguefeaturedseniorStateDepartmenttradenego- tiatorRobertCekuta,whoexplainedU.S.globaltradepoliciestosome 300,000 households via a regional cable network. Video conferenc- ing is an inexpensive, convenient outreach tool, which we plan to increasingly utilize to reach wider audiences nationwide, especially in smaller communities not easily accessible to our retired Foreign Service speakers. AFSAprovided substantial advice and facilitative support to the producers of National Geographic’s superb documentary “Ambassador:UnderFireOverseas,”whichairednationallyonSept. 4,andpresentedsomeofthemostpositiveimagesofAmericandiplo- mats seen on U.S. television in recent years. We are screening this excellent programbefore our speaker audiences nationwide. AFSA’s mediaoutreach effortswere also intensive in 2002. We placed, either directly or through AFSA retirees,31op-eds,letters-to-the-editor,andarticlesadvo- catingincreasedpublicandcongressionalsupportforU.S. diplomacy in leading media entities including the Los AngelesTimes,HoustonChronicle,WashingtonPost,Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Portland Oregonian, FederalTimes, AssociatedPress, theBBCand CNN, and others. Amongourbettereffortswastheheaviestmediacov- erage ever arranged for AFSA’s annual Awards Ceremonyheldat the StateDepartment,which includ- edfivenetworkTVcamerasandsome20journalistsfrom majormedia. Thehighlightwas ahalf-pagephotostory inthe WashingtonPost entitled“At State,GivingDissent Its Due.” Additionally, AFSA was the subject of a WashingtonPost editorial for the first time ever onDec. 4 inaneditorial entitled“AForeignServicePAC,”which cited AFSA’s formation of a PAC this year in order to gain a hearing fromkey congressional lawmakers con- cerning essential funding for diplomatic readiness. AllAFSAoutreacheffortswereintensifiedintheafter- mathof September 11, duringwhichperiodwedeployedmore than 100AFSA retiree experts onMiddle East and SouthAsian issues for speaker andmedia programs nationwide, all of whomwere able to emphasizethevitalroleplayedbyU.S.diplomacyintheongoingstrug- gle against terrorism. The director of the State Department’s Office of Public Liaison thankedAFSA for its efforts, sincemanyU.S. gov- ernment officialswere constrainedbypolicy sensitivities fromspeak- ingpublicly. WealsoheldfrequentdiscussionsconcerningAFSAissues withthemorethan35diplomaticcorrespondentsattachedtotheState Department’s press office, as well as with senior editors and bureau chiefs of national media based inWashington. Theseoutreachprogramshavepromoted three importantAFSA goals: broadening theForeignServiceconstituency throughoutreach to thepublic, enhancingpublic awareness of global affairs andof the keyroleoftheForeignServiceanddiplomacy,andactivatingtheAFSA retireeconstituencybyinvolvingitinsignificant programswhichdraw on their backgrounds and on their skills to tell our story to audi- ences nationwide. If you want to be involved with AFSA outreach, contact me at Switzer@afsa.org or call toll-free (800) 704-2372, ext. 501. ▫ “After September 11, we deployed more than 100 AFSA retiree experts for outreach programs nationwide.”