The Foreign Service Journal, February 2003

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 3 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 3 T HE M AGAZINE F OR F OREIGN A FFAIRS P ROFESSIONALS Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is published monthly by the American Foreign Service Association, a private, non-profit organization. Material appearing here- in represents the opinions of the writers and does not necessarily represent the views of the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries and submissions are invited, preferably by e-mail. Journal subscription: AFSA Members - $9.50 included in annual dues; others - $40. For foreign surface mail, add $18 per year; foreign air- mail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Foreign Service Journal , 2101 E Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037-2990. Indexed by Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS). The Journal is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos or illustrations. Advertising inquiries are invited. The appearance of advertisements herein does not imply the endorsement of the services or goods offered. FAX: (202) 338-8244 or (202) 338-6820. E-MAIL: journal@afsa.org. WEB: www.afsa.org. TE LEPHONE: (202) 338-4045. © American Foreign Service Association, 2003. Printed in the U.S.A. Send address changes to AFSA Membership, 2101 E Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037- 2990. Printed on 50 percent recycled paper, of which 10 percent is post-consumer waste. J O U R N A L OREIGN ERVICE S F Editor S TEVEN A LAN H ONLEY Associate Editor S USAN B. M AITRA Business Manager M IKKELA V. T HOMPSON Ad & Circulation Manager E D M ILTENBERGER AFSA News Editor S HAWN D ORMAN Art Director C ARYN J. S UKO Editorial Board A RNOLD S CHIFFERDECKER , C HAIRMAN J UDITH B AROODY M ARK W. B OCCHETTI E LIZABETH S PIRO C LARK M AUREEN S. D UGAN C AROL A. G IACOMO L AURIE K ASSMAN C AROLINE M EIRS H OLLIS S UMMERS W ILLIAM W ANLUND T ED W ILKINSON F O C U S : D A N G E R Z O N E S 16 / E DITOR ’ S I NTRODUCTION By Steven Alan Honley 17 / O PS : N ERVE C ENTER FOR C RISIS R ESPONSE The Operations Center plays the central role in crisis management for State. By Susan Maitra 21 / E VACUATIONS 101 No matter what the crisis, the ground rules for evacuating embassy personnel are basically the same. By Mikkela Thompson 25 / R ESPONDING TO C RISES A BROAD : T HE C ONSULAR A FFAIRS R OLE Consular officers train for crises, but nothing can prepare them for some things they will face, as these stories show. By Barbara Ensslin 30 / A C OUP IN G UINEA -B ISSAU : B ISSAU , 1998 What started as a quiet Sunday morning quickly turned into anything but that. By Peggy Blackford 31 / T HE G UINEA -B ISSAU E VACUATION : A N O PS C ENTER V IEW An FSO relates how serendipity played a helpful role in facilitating one particular evacuation. By Raymond Maxwell 36 / FLO: P OINT OF C ONTACT FOR E MPLOYEES & F AMILIES State’s Family Liaison Office is playing an ever-greater role in assisting employees and their families in crises. By Susan Maitra C ONTENTS F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 3 Vo l ume 8 0 , No . 2 C OTE D ’I VOIRE E VACUATION / 39 A Peace Corps director recalls her experience on the State Department task force managing the evacuation of Cote d’Ivoire. By Kristi Ragan L ESSONS L EARNED IN THE 1991 Z AIRE E VACUATION / 44 Over a decade later, USAID’s 1991 Zaire evacuation still holds lessons for other posts. By Linda Rae Gregory R ECALLING P AST C RISES A ND E VACUATIONS / 49 AFSA members and their families share stories of evacuations and life at posts located in danger zones. By Steven Alan Honley F E A T U R E J ERUSALEM D IVIDED / 57 An FSO who first served in Israel in 1966 and has often returned reflects on the changes he has seen there. By Kenneth Stammerman C O L U M N S P RESIDENT ’ S V IEWS / 5 Our Brave Diplomats By John K. Naland S PEAKING O UT / 13 Ambassadors and Post Morale By Tibor P. Nagy Jr. P OSTCARD FROM A BROAD / 76 By Eric Freedman Cover and inside illustrations by Russell Charpentier D E P A R T M E N T S L ETTERS / 7 C YBERNOTES / 10 B OOKS / 64 I N M EMORY / 66 I NDEX TO A DVERTISERS / 74 AFSA N EWS / C ENTER I NSERT