The Foreign Service Journal, March 2022

26 MARCH 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Leadership will review the submissions and ask relevant bureaus and offices to act on the most promising initiatives. Like with the Dissent Channel, authors can choose to have their identity protected, and we will ensure no employee suffers any retribu- tion for having the courage to put their idea forward. FSJ: What, if any, plans are there to revive the Open Forum? Director Ahmed: We plan to relaunch the Open Forum in 2022 as another venue to enrich the intellectual life of the department, bring diverse perspectives to bear on our work, and stretch our collective imagination about over-the-horizon challenges and opportunities for American diplomacy. The Open Forumwas cre- ated in 1967 during the intense policy debates around the Vietnam War to promote discourse and debate. It has taken many forms over the years, and we will endeavor to ensure it is relevant and responsive to the consequential choices and challenges before us. FSJ: What wasn’t working with the Dissent Channel that led to the recent emphasis on “revitalizing” it? Director Ahmed: The Dissent Channel serves an essential function. It enables employees to convey policy disagreements directly to the attention of the Secretary and his leadership team. But the Dissent Channel is about more than just employ- ees using the channel and their substantive disagreements—it is also about the department’s leadership, who have a respon- sibility to seriously weigh dissents, respond to them in a timely fashion, protect the confidentiality of the authors and ensure there will be no retribution against them. The Dissent Channel, therefore, is a two-way street. Dissent should be welcomed and protected. And dissenting views should be conveyed internally through the channel. Our goal is to reinforce this sense of confidence in the Dissent Channel and demonstrate that when employees and leadership each live up to their end of the bargain, it canmake a real dif- ference. At every opportunity, the Secretary has made clear he believes dissent is patriotic andmakes our institution stronger. He personally reviews each dissent and reply, and asks for updates on follow-through actions when we’ve committed to take them. Part of the revitalization effort is about doing a better job explaining to the State Department and USAID community how and when to use the Dissent Channel, and how to appropriately support and protect those who do. We are grateful to AFSA and President Eric Rubin for their leadership and partnership in this endeavor and to President Rubin for emphasizing the importance of “constructive internal dissent.” The Secretary has alsomade clear that dissenting views should not be reserved for the Dissent Channel alone. Constructive, respectful disagreement should be part of the work we’re all doing, every day. I know the Secretary looks to everyone to weigh in when they disagree with a decision or want to propose an alterna- tive approach—during meetings, in policy memos and at other moments in our everyday work. And he’s said to his leadership team and to chiefs of mission that he expects them to create a culture where dissenting voices are heard and valued. FSJ: Can you give any examples of recent policy ideas or dissent messages that have led to policy changes? Director Ahmed: We’ve received more than a dozen dissent messages over the past year that recommend significant policy changes. At a minimum, each recommendation received a full hearing. In some cases, they helped to provide further confi- dence to move ahead on policy changes already being contem- plated. In others, they prompted a second look at the policy, even if not ultimately leading to the change recommended. In others, leadership did not agree with the recommended action, because they had a different perspective and broader consider- ations to weigh, which was conveyed in the response. In the case of the Policy Ideas Channel, it’s too early to expect concrete changes to have arisen as a result of the more than 10 submissions received in the first 30 days alone. We’re still engaging with the drafters on a number of these and look forward to receiv- ing more submissions in the weeks andmonths ahead. FSJ: S/P is closely involved in the Secretary’s broader mod- ernization agenda. Beyond the Policy Ideas Channel, how else will that agenda promote innovation within the department? Director Ahmed: I would encourage all your readers, if they have not done so already, to watch or read the Secretary’s Octo- ber speech at FSI on modernizing American diplomacy. One of the pillars of the Secretary’s modernization agenda involves elevating new voices and fostering a climate of initiative and innovation. This includes launching the Policy Ideas Channel, revitalizing the Dissent Channel and reviving the Open Forum. Beyond these specific initiatives, we’re looking at creating a cul- ture of innovation across the department. This includes prioritizing collaboration across regional and functional lines to ensure we can harness the combined strength of the entire department tomake progress on the challenges that matter most, because the reality is that many of the issues that are now among the most central to our national security—from climate to economics to technology—are functional issues that have not historically had primacy in our