The Foreign Service Journal, March 2006

independent, who better understand the interagency process, possess real leadership skills and have the flexi- bility to move quickly and perhaps more frequently. The personnel system will also be forced to change to meet this new dynamic, with a buffer for families, appropriate incentives and career protection for those who are willing to serve, and the ability to quickly identify the right peo- ple for the right positions, rather than just hoping for the best from volunteers. And the systemmay need to devel- op even greater flexibility the further we move away from the vertical, Cold-War-era mega-embassies in favor of a more horizontal model of micro-posts. The immediate reaction to this idea will, of course, be shock and awe— shock from security specialists, and awe from the green eyeshade types. Both reactions can be addressed, however. Security risks can be mitigated through a combination of lowering the operating profile of a post and establishing templates for conducting engagement in a safe, neutral area. It would not be ideal, but could be managed without too great a loss of effec- tiveness. The cost could be worked around largely by shifting people and resources away from large, comfort- able, “legacy”-era posts, and into the new front. This would be painful, but not necessarily more expensive over time. And whatever additional costs and risks are incurred must be considered in the context of what these posts could accomplish. If a $5-million-a-year micro-post turns up a vital link to shut down a terrorist organization or slowly starts to shape the environment against extrem- ism in a key region, it would presumably be worth both the risk and the cost. If we take Barnett’s map, overlay it on Friedman’s flat world, add in the pushpins from Karen Hughes’ public diplomacy campaign, and consider the persistent require- ments for regional teams in Iraq and Afghanistan, we have a revolution in how we are organized and deployed — a horizontal model for transformational diplomacy. According to Woody Allen, 90 percent of success is just showing up. Micro-posts would facilitate our show- ing up in places where we can do some good. n F O C U S 54 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A R C H 2 0 0 6