The Foreign Service Journal, March 2017

20 MARCH 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL What Are the New FSOs Like? F or the most part, entering junior FSOs have good under- graduate scholastic records. They participated in extracurricular activities, varying from rigorous sports through esoteric poetry readings. While over half have gradu- ate degrees, two recent entrants did not have a bachelor’s degree. They are preponderantly political science, international affairs, history and government majors. The intake of economic majors is rising slowly. Diversity of educational back- ground is satisfied by the occasional science, mathematics, physics, engi- neering and many other majors. Law- yers outnumber ordained ministers. Over one-third of the entrants have served in the military. About two-thirds have had overseas experi- ence in the Peace Corps, the military, in business and as students or teach- ers. Almost all states are represented, with the most populous, California and NewYork, being the largest sup- pliers. If a measure of the success of the College Relations Staff is the diversity of colleges represented, it has been eminently successful. But to most of us,“best” does not mean just an outstanding scholastic record, wide geographic and col- legiate distribution, etc.“Best” is a vague, indefinable, unmea- surable quality, the definition of which is not universal. Hence, each of us evaluates the incom- ing Junior Foreign Service officer against his definition. For my part, I believe the Foreign Ser- vice, in a highly competitive market, is doing very well indeed. They come to the Service eager to get to work—they are gung-ho. While appreciating the need of some minimal training before going to their first posts, most welcome only that which is orientation or directly related to their first assignment or career advancement (area and language training). Experience leads me to conclude that six months training before reporting on the job is the saturation point. After that the curve is down. They want to go where the action is.We should get them out of the liv- ing room and into the kitchen quickly. —Alexander A. Davit, FSO Coordinator of Junior Officer Training, in “An Answer to the QuestionWhat Are the Entering Junior FSOs Like?” Excerpted from the March 1967 FSJ . 50 Years Ago ingly interconnected and interdependent world.” The privately funded, nonpartisan center has exhibition halls named after Secretary Kerry and his predecessors Hill- ary Clinton, Henry Kissinger and James Baker. Information about the building, the exhibits and the history of U.S. diplo- macy is available at the center’s website: https://diplomacy.state.gov . —Gemma Dvorak, Associate Editor Bid to Relocate U.S. Embassy in Israel O n Jan. 3, Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Dean Heller (R-Nev.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced the Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act, a bill recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and requiring the U.S. embassy to be relocated there from its current home in Tel Aviv. Since the passage of the 1995 Jerusa- lem Embassy Act, every president—both Republican and Democrat—has waived that requirement, invoking national secu- rity considerations. Former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama have each cited their belief that congressional resolutions infringe on the authority of the executive branch of the U.S govern- ment to make and implement foreign policy. One particular concern for the State Department in the current bill is Section 2 (e), which would withhold 50 percent of the amounts appropriated to the depart- ment for embassy security, construction and maintenance in 2017 if the move does not take place. Further, the bill proposes that secu- rity, construction and maintenance funds appropriated in 2018 and 2019 should only be released for construction and other costs associated with the establish- ment of a U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. —Gemma Dvorak, Associate Editor Historic Apology for the State Department’s “Lavender Scare” I n a press statement on Jan. 9, Secretary of State John Kerry issued an historic formal apology on behalf of the Depart- ment of State to all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) govern- ment employees who had lost their jobs