The Foreign Service Journal, March 2021

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2021 29 o Accountability Initiate a Top-Down Mandate on Compassion I believe the new administration has an opportunity to reinvig- orate U.S. diplomacy by injecting constructive kindness into the Foreign Service Institute’s consular training courses and thereby into each nonimmigrant and immigrant visa interview globally. On balance, visa officers set the community tone at any given post for thousands of foreign nationals each day. The sheer vol- ume of interactions provides visa officers with a unique oppor- tunity to bolster host-nation trust, promote American hospitality and preserve international civility. Rapid-fire visa interviews instill fear, distress and despair in the majority of applicants. The consequence of 60-second interviews (the cornerstone of efficient “visa mills”) conducted by exhausted consular officers during an insensitive administration could well be the reduction or even the annihilation of an applicant’s dignity. I believe that the new administration should initiate a top- down mandate on compassion, championed and promoted by the Secretary to help capitalize on the considerable diplomatic value of concerted graciousness through consular work. While I cannot recall more than a handful of the approxi- mately 50,000 nonimmigrant and immigrant interviews I have conducted, I suspect that each of the 50,000 applicants can recall me. For many, especially those from rural villages and with little knowledge of the English language, I was likely the first American they met and possibly the only American they may ever speak to. And I hope that—with or without a visa—each thinks of the United States kindly. Brianna Bailey-Gevlin is a State Department consular officer in Bridgetown, Barbados. Get the State-Defense Relationship Right There is no better U.S. government partner for the Foreign Service than the military in reinvigorating U.S. diplomacy and development. Getting the State-Defense relationship right starts in the field, where U.S. embassies and combatant commands can share assessments, plans and activities. Cooperation between Foreign Service and Special Operations Forces personnel can provide useful pilot programs and lessons learned to build and deepen solid synergies and results. Initial focal points could include the following. Ending forever war s by finding ways (in the words of then candidate Joe Biden last March) to “be strong and smart at the same time.” We can be strong in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere through credible diplomacy and precise special operations. We can be smart by encouraging FS-SOF teams to design more coherent solutions that secure ever-stronger sup- port from host countries. Countering competitors by using FS-SOF cooperation to deter U.S. adversaries and competitors for regional and global influence. Adversaries such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea cannot compete with the advantages of U.S. diplomatic and military professionalism and innovation. At the same time, successful FS-SOF work against nonstate actors sets useful terms for stable and fair economic and other competi- tion, and strong potential exists for similar results against state actors. Reimagining friendships by deepening and expanding past FS-SOF successes with allies, friends and partners to build solidarity and increase coordination. Shared and complemen- tary dialogues, training and actions can yield new access in host countries, including access to military medical and logis- tical expertise against COVID-19 and activities monitoring and improving sanctions enforcement. Getting resources right by building off the shared FS-SOF truth that “humans are more important than hardware.” For example, a $13 billion increase to the State budget could be justified as another national security “enabler,” citing that the Department of Defense spends a similar amount on Special Operations Forces. The same $13 billion equals roughly 2 percent of DOD’s FY2021 budget, a seemingly appropriate amount to help ensure a successful transition from “forever wars” to “sustainable peace.” David Bame, a retired FSO, is a consultant in San Diego, California.