The Foreign Service Journal, March 2012

M A R C H 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 67 and congressional ineffectiveness.” The Supreme Court is discussed in connection with issues of domestic surveillance and conditions for de- tainees being held (and possibly tried) at Guantanamo. Case studies in the section on lobbyists include the em- bargo on Cuba, the enlargement of NATO to include Poland, trade agree- ments and many other issues. Think-tanks are credited for their contributions to the policy process, but are also described frankly as “hold- ing pens for those who would serve at the most senior levels of government.” And the media chapter discusses Washington-based correspondents, foreign correspondents and war cor- respondents, and delves into the issues created by the “embedding” of jour- nalists in military units. Those of us at State should pay par- ticular heed to the book’s call for “changing the mission and necessarily the culture of the State Department so that FSOs view their role as prob- lem-solvers as much as negotiators.” As a parting shot, the final chapter offers what the editors call the man- darin algorithm of power: J = FTEs + $. In other words, legal jurisdiction over a function or task [J] = the num- ber of full-time equivalent employees + money. Always a good equation to keep in mind! Leon Weintraub, a Foreign Service of- ficer from 1975 to 2004, served in South America, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Washington, D.C. He is currently director of the Univer- sity of Wisconsin’s Washington Semes- ter in International Affairs program. B O O K S Even those Foreign Service personnel who frequently interact with other agencies will learn a great deal in this volume.