The Foreign Service Journal, February 2012

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 2 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 59 titled “The Freakonomics of Piracy.” (I am an economic cone Foreign Service officer, after all.) In it, Bahadur breaks down a recent ransom of $1.5 million among the pirates, cooks, interpreters and the commander of the qat, a newly created rank known only among So- mali pirates, to document how the profits of the enterprise are distrib- uted. (Hint: Those who do the hard work of actually taking over foreign vessels, at the risk of capture or death, do not reap the lion’s share of their ill- gotten gains.) Bahadur predicts that the business of piracy will become more lucrative, the gangs will get better organized, and the encounters at sea will grow blood- ier, all of which is already happening. There are no easy solutions to these developments, and Bahadur does a good job of pointing out the complex- ities of the problem. This combination of background, personal insight and enthralling inter- views makes The Pirates of Somalia well worth reading. David Drinkard is an economic cone Foreign Service officer working in the Economic Bureau’s Office of Intellec- tual Property Enforcement. He has served in Ankara and Tel Aviv. B O O K S Bahadur predicts that piracy will become more lucrative, prevalent and bloody — which is already happening. AFSA believes that our Foreign Service values a culture of honest and vigorous debate in the formation of policies and positions within each of the foreign affairs agencies. AFSA’s Dissent Awards Program was created to encourage those willing to speak out forthrightly, through appropriate channels, to offer alternative points of view on matters of policy, to question the status quo and to challenge conventional wisdom, regardless of the consequences. No other government-related association offers similar awards for dissenters. Winners receive a $2,500 cash prize and are honored at a ceremony in late June at the State Department which is typically attended by the Secretary or Deputy Secretary of State. Please help AFSA continue to honor and recognize independent thinking and honest dissent on matters of foreign policy or management/personnel issues by nominating a colleague for one of our constructive dissent awards: Information on nomination procedures and guidelines can be found at www.afsa.org/awards. There is a link to articles about the 2011 award winners, as well as a list of all past award winners. Again, the deadline for submitting nominations is Feb. 28. Under the supervision of the AFSA Awards and Plaques Committee, chaired by Ambassador John Limbert, all nominations are reviewed and vetted. Submissions that do not meet the stated criteria, as determined by our judges and the Awards & Plaques Committee, will not be considered. All nominations will be acknowledged. Questions about any of the awards may be directed to Perri Green, Special Awards and Outreach Coordinator, at green@afsa.org or (202) 719-9700. Call for 2012 AFSA Dissent Award Nominations Deadline for submitting nominations: Feb. 28 • The F. Allen “Tex” Harris Award for a Foreign Service Specialist • The W. Averell Harriman Award for a junior officer (FS-6 – FS-4)S • The William R. Rivkin Award for a mid-career officer (FS-3 – FS-1) • The Christian A. Herter Award for a senior officer (FE-OC – FE-CA)