The Foreign Service Journal, March 2015

10 MARCH 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Consider Diplomacy: Theory and Practice , now about to emerge in a fifth edition, that is the gold standard in this field. China’s method of assigning scholars to major embassies, to work as political section policy analysts, is one simple device that is worthy of emulation, to permit needed connections between the two streams. Second, we of the non-Western world need to do more to offer our experi- ences, to plug the lamentable domina- tion by the West of diplomacy studies. Several good initiatives by developing country foreign ministries need wider replication. In 2009, Kenya’s Foreign Service Institute organized a two-day con- ference in Nairobi on the country’s pioneering experiences in foreign affairs immediately after independence. It is described in Kenya’s Early Diplomacy: 1963-1993 (MFA Nairobi, 2009). The Singapore Foreign Ministry has captured its own history in two volumes: The Little Red Dot: Reflections by Singapore’s Diplomats (2005 and 2008), recounting a series of definitive events. Two Indian-edited books have used a similar method: Economic Diplo- macy: India’s Experience (2011) and The Ambassador’s Club: The Indian Diplo- mat at Large (2012). Producing oral his- tory records is equally useful (underway in India). Such collections serve training and public diplomacy objectives, inspir- ing new generations of diplomats. Third, given that typically more than half of the executive and policy staff of foreign ministries is posted abroad, e-learning, especially of the intensive faculty-led variety (as distinct frommas- sive open online courses, or MOOCs), is especially appropriate as a learning aid in today’s environment of continu- ous education. While the World Bank, UNITAR and others offer good models, the experience of the nonprofit Diplo- Foundation (www.diplomacy.edu ) is especially relevant for working diplomats. (Disclaimer: I have served on DiploFoun- dation’s teaching faculty for 15 years.) Kishan S. Rana Indian FSO and Ambassador, retired New Delhi Award Winners and Diversity A letter in the December Journal called attention to the fact that the Sep- tember issue featured the four winners of the AFSA dissent awards on the cover. Since all four were white males, the author wrote that this “exhibited very little demographic diversity.” It is generally recog- nized that the Awards Committee (on which I serve) must rely entirely on the nominations it receives to select dissent winners. That is all there is to work with, and AFSA expends considerable effort to advertise this fact and solicit submissions. Vastly more male than female nominations are usually received, and there were none of the lat- ter in 2014. There have been female win- ners; but if none have been nominated, it is certainly illogical to accuse AFSA of demographic discrimination. Edward Peck Ambassador, retired Chevy Chase, Md. Lip Service to Diversity? I read Ms. Rachel Schneller’s letter to the editor in the December FSJ with some confusion. As a current member of the AFSA Awards Committee and a previous chair of the FSJ Editorial Board, I was struck by her complaint that both institutions were essentially “paying lip service to diversity without making any concrete difference.” Could that be true? I searched my memory and my conscience and decided no, the complaint was unfounded, because she has confused roles and missions. Diversity, by which I presume she means demographic in the broadest sense, is the responsibil- ity of the recruiting organs of the State Department and the Foreign Service. They are responsible for a serious, hon- est and effective effort to recruit into the Foreign Service a meaningful represen- tation of Americans. The job of the Awards Committee is to reward exemplary perfor- mance, period. Surely Ms. Schneller does not wish us to institute a quota system for awards? The same for the FSJ , which is responsible for publishing a magazine fea- turing items of interest to our readership; with authorship determined by subject and not by ethnic, racial, reli- gious or other credentials. Ms. Schneller notes herself that the Jour- nal issue that spurred her letter included a serious article about diversity. The “role and mission” of the Awards Committee and the FSJ are to comment on and celebrate our profession and our life. This means to celebrate diversity as one element of that totality, but only one, and only when appropriate. To do otherwise is not to obtain meaningful diversity, but to enshrine separatism and division. Edward Marks Ambassador, retired Washington, D.C.