The Foreign Service Journal, March 2005

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 with a combined July/August issue by the American Foreign Service Association, a private, non-profit organization. Material appearing herein 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: AFSAMembers - $13 included in annual dues; others - $40. For foreign surface mail, add $18 per year; foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mail- ing 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. W EB: www.afsa.org. TE LEPHONE: (202) 338-4045. © American Foreign Service Association, 2005. 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 Senior Editor S USAN B. M AITRA Associate Editor S HAWN D ORMAN Ad & Circulation Manager E D M ILTENBERGER Business Manager M IKKELA V. T HOMPSON Art Director C ARYN S UKO S MITH Advertising Intern L INDSEY K NOBLOCH Editorial Board H OLLIS S UMMERS , C HAIRMAN K ENT C. B ROKENSHIRE S TEPHEN W. B UCK P ATI C HAPLIN C AROL A. G IACOMO W ILLIAM W. J ORDAN L AURIE K ASSMAN K AY W EBB M AYFIELD V IRGINIA F. S MITH C HRISTOPHER L. T EAL T ED W ILKINSON F O C U S O N I R A Q , T W O Y E A R S L A T E R 17 / E XTREME D IPLOMACY : E VALUATING E MBASSY B AGHDAD Foreign Service employees work hard in dangerous places all around the world. But nowhere are the risks — and the stakes — higher than in Iraq. By Shawn Zeller 27 / R EALITY C HECK IN I RAQ 2005 promises to be a fateful year for Iraq. Instead of building utopian sandcastles, the U.S. should embrace modest but achievable expectations. By David L. Mack 38 / I RAQI J UDGES C OME TO P RAGUE Thanks to the efforts of U.S. diplomats and international organizations, Iraq is making real progress on promoting the rule of law. By Barbara Dillon Hillas C ONTENTS Ma r c h 2 0 0 5 n Vo l ume 8 2 , No . 3 F E A T U R E S D OING D IPLOMACY D IFFERENTLY : T HE C ANADIAN F OREIGN S ERVICE / 43 Our neighbor to the north has long punched above its diplomatic weight. But there are signs that it may not be able to continue doing so. By David T. Jones T HE C UBAN T HISTLE C RISIS : R ETHINKING U.S. S ANCTIONS / 51 The Cuban embargo is often cited abroad as a prime example of a U.S. unilateral economic sanctions program that has clearly failed to achieve its stated aims, and is now maintained purely for domestic political purposes. By Peter L. Fitzgerald Cover and inside illustrations by Adam Niklewicz C O L U M N S P RESIDENT ’ S V IEWS / 5 Your Retirement Rights and Responsibilities By John Limbert S PEAKING O UT / 13 In Defense of Foreign Service Reporting By Necia Quast R EFLECTIONS / 64 By Josh Glazeroff D E P A R T M E N T S L ETTERS / 7 C YBERNOTES / 10 M ARKETPLACE / 12 B OOKS / 54 I NDEX T O A DVERTISERS / 62 AFSA N EWS & A NNUAL REPORT / C ENTER I NSERT M A R C H 2 0 0 5 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 3