The Foreign Service Journal, March 2014

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2014 5 March 2014 Volume 91, No. 3 FOREIGN SERVICE AFSA NEWS F. Allen “Tex” Harris Receives Human Rights Award / 45 State VP Voice: Working to Make Travel Easier / 46 USAID VP Voice: ePerformance Is On the Horizon / 47 AFSA President Meets FS Retirees / 48 Memorial Plaque: The Forgotten, Found / 49 A Thought Experiment / 50 AFSAWelcomes Spring Interns / 51 AFSA Tax Guide 2013 Correction / 51 AFSA Kicks Off 90th Anniversary / 52 Life in the Foreign Service / 52 Upcoming Events / 53 ASFA Supports Volunteerism / 54 Celebrating Amy Ostermeier / 54 Active After Active Duty: A Desire to Serve / 55 COLUMNS President’s Views / 7 Are Social Media Overrated? BY ROBERT J . S I LVERMAN Letter from the Editor / 8 Coming Home BY SHAWN DORMAN Speaking Out / 19 Hispanic Representation at USAID: Why So Low for So Long? BY JOSÉ GARZÓN Reflections / 77 A Quote for My Marquee BY DONALD M . B I SHOP DEPARTMENTS Letters / 9 Talking Points / 14 Books / 57 In Memory / 61 Local Lens / 78 MARKETPLACE Classifieds / 68 Real Estate / 72 Index to Advertisers / 76 On the cover: “Ben Cool,” the iconic emblem of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, is the model for our main cover image, designed by Jeff Lau. Benjamin Franklin, the “First American” and America’s original diplomat, remains a source of inspiration for today’s practitioners. FOCUS Telling Our Stories: The Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection / 23 Excerpts from the oral histories of six diplomats, one from each decade from 1940 to 2000, give a flavor of the challenges, as well as the lighter moments, of a Foreign Service career. COMP I L ED BY SUSAN B . MA I TRA 1940s—Diplomat and World War II Heroine CONSTANCE RAY HARVEY 1950s—The McCarthy Witch Hunt: Who “Lost” China? JOHN S . SERV I CE 1960s—More Talk than Peace PH I L I P C . HAB I B 1970s—Nixon Goes to China CHAS FREEMAN 1980s—Stranded in Siberia E I L EEN MAL LOY 1990s—Prelude to Disaster PRUDENCE BUSHNE L L FEATURES Some Dreamers of the Impossible Dream / 35 Is it possible that the various ethnic groups in the Balkans might finally be in the process of overcoming the region’s fractious history? BY JAMES THOMAS SNYDER A “Trailing” Spouse? / 40 A millennial commentator shares her reaction to joining the ranks of the Foreign Service community. BY J ESS I E BRYSON