The Foreign Service Journal, March 2015

8 MARCH 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL LETTER FROM THE EDITOR When There Is No Relationship BY SHAWN DORMAN A Shawn Dorman is the editor of The Foreign Service Journal. the current talks prove immediately fruit- ful or not, the examples of China, Viet- nam and, more recently, Cuba, remind us that, as Ambassador John Limbert puts it, “no estrangement lasts forever.” Jillian Burns starts us off with “The Iran Watcher Program: A Different Kind of Teleworking,” a look at the work of the Iran watchers, those Foreign Service offi- cers who work on the Iran portfolio from places far from Tehran. The Iran Watchers program is rela- tively new at 10 years, but may serve as a benchmark for success as the State Department builds a cadre of Iran experts, helping Washington better understand Iran and all the complexities in the relationship. (The need to build Iran expertise within the Foreign Service helps explain why AFSA has protested the selection of a non-Foreign Service State employee for the London Iran watcher position. See AFSA News, p. 53). The move from “watching” to constructive interaction with Iran is addressed by Amb. John Limbert—truly the Iran expert within the U.S. govern- ment, with 45 years of related experi- ence. In “The Road Back to Tehran: Bugs, Ghosts and Ghostbusters,” Limbert discusses the requirements for effective engagement, including contending with the ghosts that haunt both Washington and Tehran. He offers guidelines to help the United States “get it right” this time. My favorite: Don’t do or say stupid stuff. The hostage crisis played a deci- sive role in the collapse of U.S.-Iranian relations back in 1979. So that today’s Foreign Service members do not forget this important chapter, we bring you an up-close look at what it was like to be a “guest of the regime.” Michael Metrinko—perhaps the first (and only) prisoner evicted from the Iranian prison of Evin for bad behavior—describes his 14 months in captivity. Ambassador Willard DePree takes us back to the newly independent Mozam- bique of the 1970s with the story of a time when diplomacy made a difference in a dicey situation. It is a case study on the benefits of having diplomatic relations not only with friends but with those who might not be “natural allies” of the United States. Retired FSO Luciano Mangiafico brings the little-known tale of “Our Man in Fiume: Fiorello LaGuardia’s Short Diplomatic Career.” Our Speaking Out takes a glass half-full look at the Foreign Service today. AFSA President Robert Silverman remembers Mary Ryan, “A Doyenne of the Old School,” as a Foreign Service hero. As always, we welcome your feed- back on this issue and all things Foreign Service. Next month’s issue promises to be a special one as we remember the fall of Saigon 40 years ago and consider the Foreign Service in Vietnam, then and now. n s we went to press, we heard the sad news of the passing of the wonderful, retired Senior FSO Ted Wilkinson. During a lifetime of dedication to the Foreign Service and to AFSA—as president in 1989 and later as retiree representative and then FSJ Editorial Board chair for six years (2005-2011)—Ted was a dear friend to many, and he will be deeply missed. Please look for an Appreciation in the April issue. This month we take a look at the For- eign Service and Iran—not the Foreign Service in Iran, but rather in connection with Iran. The U.S. has not had a diplo- matic presence in Iran since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and before that had not made Iran expertise a priority. Our focus is on the challenge of doing diplo- macy where the United States has no in-country representation, where there is no relationship. Eyes are on Iran today because, after more than three decades of animosity and alienation, groundbreaking diplo- matic talks have been underway between Washington and Tehran in the context of the U.S.-led six-power negotiations with Iran on the country’s nuclear program. Hope for an agreement thrives alongside calls from Congress to instead expand sanctions against Iran. Whether