The Foreign Service Journal, March 2023

AFSA NEWS 52 MARCH 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA President Talks Diplomacy in California AFSAGoverning Board Meeting, January 18, 2023 The board met in person at AFSA headquarters. The board authorized the retiree vice president to support the creation of an additional Foreign Service Grievance Board position and agreed to allow for a vote by email. The board approved the “AFSA 118th Congress Advocacy List” with one item excluded. The Board approved the “AFSA-Supported Bills for the 118th Congress” as presented. Associate Member: The Governing Board approved the application of one new associate member. n In November 2022, AFSA President Eric Rubin traveled to the Golden State for a series of events and speak- ing engagements centered on the Foreign Service and diplomacy. At his first stop, the Uni- versity of California, Berkeley campus, Ambassador Rubin spoke to students about a career in the Foreign Service. He revisited this topic with students at the University of California, Davis. He also met with interna- tional policy master’s degree candidates (including two Pickering Fellows) from Stan- ford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for Interna- tional Studies, where he led a talk titled “The State and Future of the Foreign Service.” Attendees were offered complimentary copies of recent issues of The Foreign Service Journal as well as Inside a U.S. Embassy (FS Books, 2011). As the featured guest at the World Affairs Council’s “Fireside Chat” event in San Francisco, Amb. Rubin further discussed the state of diplomacy and the future of the U.S. Foreign Service in conversation with the forum’s president, Philip Yun. During the exchange, Amb. Rubin said he believes FS members feel frustrated by limited resources and inadequate staffing, as gov- ernment funding for foreign affairs and assistance has been reduced drastically since the end of the Cold War. “We have to get our best people out there, and we need to earn the leadership role [in the world] to be ready for the 21st century’s chal- lenges,” he told the audience. A recording of the event can be found at www.bit.ly/ WAFiresideChat. Other highlights from the trip included spending an afternoon with mem- bers of the retiree group Foreign Service Association of Northern California to discuss issues pertinent to retired FS members, and meeting with high school students from the Global Citizenship Certificate Program. Hailing from underserved schools in the San Francisco Bay area, these students showed a passion for foreign affairs and interest in the Foreign Service that was particularly inspiring. Finally, satellite events arranged throughout the trip allowed Amb. Rubin to meet with others in the foreign affairs community, including Rose Gottemoeller, former NATO deputy secretary general; Amb. Mike McFaul, director of the Freeman Spo- gli Institute for International Studies; Amb. Steven Pifer, former U.S. chief of mis- sion in Ukraine; Amb. Scot Marciel, former U.S. chief of mission in Myanmar and Indonesia; and Amb. Sheila Gwaltney, former U.S. chief of mission in Kyrgyzstan. n World Affairs Council President Philip Yun (left) interviews AFSA President Eric Rubin about the future of the Foreign Service at a Nov. 17 event in San Francisco, Calif. JOYKOO AFSAGoverning Board Meeting, December 7, 2022 The board met in person at AFSA headquarters. Associate Member: The Governing Board approved the application of one new associate member. n