The Foreign Service Journal, January 2009

J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 9 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 27 public diplomacy entry-level position created under the GRP allows for wider personal contact with journalists and broader outreach to Muslim youth groups. Front Office Leadership Embassy leadership and a well-run country team are also critical factors in Mission Indonesia’s success. A morning senior staff meeting ensures all sections know what the others are doing. Cooperation with U.S. military representatives is good, according to the GRP group — though, as one only half-joked, DOD has “the money we should have” for programs. The front office views the suc- cess of the GRP as a priority, and that sets the tone for the whole em- bassy. Heffern co-chaired the GRP Working Group during his last post in Under Secretary Nick Burns’ of- fice, and Ambassador Cameron Hume has been personally involved in making the program work in In- donesia. As one observer who de- clined to be named explains, the DCM was confident enough to im- plement it in a flexible, and thus ef- fective, way. The result allowed everyone to add new dimensions to their jobs. It didn’t hurt that Embassy Jakarta also had a management counselor who was a strong advocate for the program, helping create that suc- cessful mix of policy and management. Consulate Surabaya, for instance, did not gain any po- sitions from GRP, but exemplifies the priority of interac- tions beyond the capital. “I’ve been in the Foreign Service for almost 18 years,” says Surabaya Consul General Caryn McClelland. “For me, the phrase ‘transformational diplo- macy’ simply puts a new name, and perhaps renewed em- phasis, on what FSOs have been doing all along. It’s impossible to understand a country sitting in your office in the embassy. … I just spent four days in South Su- lawesi, speaking with approximately 1,000 students and educators, as well as meeting with religious leaders, gov- ernment officials, businessmen and media. … Outreach pays huge dividends over the long term and FSOs should be encouraged to do more of it. If the department wants to call that TD, that’s great; but we’ve been doing it since I joined the Foreign Service.” Cooperative relationships within the mission are vital. “We work closely with the various embassy sections to ex- pand our outreach activities. We invite embassy officers to join us on trips, and sometimes they take us up on it,” Mc- Clelland tells us. “For example, the DCM and GRP Eco- nomic Officer Scott Kofmehl joined us on a trip to Maluku to look at the impact of regional autonomy policies. We traveled on the Defense Attaché Office plane, and Marine and Navy attachés joined our outreach events, which was great and made a huge impression on the kids.” Lessons Learned “GRP has had a big impact on Mission Indonesia,” says John Heffern. “We have been able to run extensive outreach programs; e.g., on the American elections, allow- ing officers from all over the em- bassy to spread our message and, at the same time, benefit from a real professional development op- portunity. So the entire mission has benefited from the new GRP positions, and many of- ficers have benefited from additional outreach opportuni- ties.” A September 2007 message to Washington from Am- bassador Hume offers several lessons learned that bear repeating: “1) The most important requirement for trans- formational diplomacy is a partner committed to democ- racy, anti-corruption and the rule of law, and determined to improve the standards of governance and service provided to the citizens. 2) Once there is agreement on overall goals, the U.S. government has offered a variety of pro- grams from which the Indonesians can choose, securing buy-in from Indonesian partners. 3) TD works slowly and at times unevenly, so programs must continue long enough, perhaps for a decade or more, so that initial progress is gradually so integrated into the institutions of government that it becomes part of the government’s ge- netic code.” — Shawn Dorman F O C U S The embassy spread the wealth around, taking advantage of the new positions to allow GRP and non-GRP officers to travel more often.