The Foreign Service Journal - March 2018

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2018 7 57 AFSAMemorial Ceremony and Rolling Moment of Silence 57 Foreign Service Day Is May 4 58 State VP Voice—Find Your Inner Advocate 59 USAID VP Voice—Senior Leadership Must Support Its Workforce 60 FAS VP Voice—Training Should Not Be a One-Time Event 60 The “Bidder’s Matrix” for Same-Sex Spouses 61 WhereWe Stand—Engaging AFSAMembers 61 AFSAWelcomes COO Russ Capps 62 AFSA: 2017 Treasurer’s Report 64 AFSA Outreach: 2017 in Review 66 Notes from Labor Management—Know Your Rights: Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment 67 A Housing Victory 67 2017 AFSATax Guide— Corrections 68 Call for Nominations: 2018 Constructive Dissent Awards 68 Last Call for AFSA Scholarship Applications 69 Call for Nominations: 2018 Performance Awards 70 Notes from Labor Management—Answers to All of Your LM Questions 71 Retiree Corner—Meet Your Retiree Counselor 72 AFSA Governing Board Meeting, December 2017 72 Book Notes— Peacemakers: American Leadership and the End of Genocide in the Balkans 73 AFSA Governing Board Meeting, January 2018 AFSA NEWS THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION On the Cover: Cover design and composition by Caryn Suko Smith, Driven By Design LLC; Backgound—iStockphoto.com/asafta. Top left —Foreign Service Specialist Matt Roy and daugh- ter Malosi learn to make dumplings at Mahota Farm on Chongming Island, China. Photo by Kelly Roy. Top right —Wesley and Emmeline McIntyre, children of FS member Dominic McIntyre, celebrate their birthday in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, with family members back home in the States via Skype. Photo by Melinda McIntyre. Bottom —Regional Medical Officer Chad Faber says goodbye to his daughter Elena at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei,Taiwan, as she returns to college in the United States following the Christmas holidays. Photo by Kris Faber. Departments 11 Letters 15 Letters-Plus 20 Talking Points 50 FS Know-How 74 In Memory 81 Books 94 Local Lens Reykjavík, Iceland By J a n i c e An d e r s o n Marketplace 85 Classifieds 87 Real Estate 90 Index to Advertisers FOREIGN SERVICE 8 President’s Views Does America Spend Too Much on Diplomacy? By Ba r ba r a S t e p h e n s o n 10 Letter from the Editor Checking In with Foreign Service Families By Sh awn Do rma n 26 Speaking Out Families with Special Needs Kids Need Support By Ka t h i S i l v a Perspectives 91 Reflections Lucky That Time: Escapes fromAnimals By J o h n P i e l eme i e r 64