The Foreign Service Journal, April 2005

A P R I L 2 0 0 5 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 7 Freedom to Dissent It’s bad enough when pundits and politicos take cheap shots at FSOs, alleging widespread “disloyalty” and calling for wholesale purges of State Department officers. What’s worse is when former colleagues pile on with their own baseless charges, such as FS retiree Peter Rice’s assertion that the primary problem with State is the “indiscipline of well over 85 percent of FSOs” and the “majority of the rest of the American employees of the department.” (“All Carrot, No Stick,” in “Thoughts from the Field,” FSJ , February 2005.) Sorry, Peter, but I take it personal- ly when someone shotguns nearly all FSOs with charges of “rogue con- duct” and claims that we’re a bunch of “elite intellectual diplomats” whose “disdain” for the U.S. some- how doesn’t measure up to the mili- tary’s “culture of duty, honor, coun- try.” Such smears are wrong, unfair and disgraceful. We enthusiastically embrace our duty to “create a more secure, democratic and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international commu- nity.” We — and our families — often endure hardship assignments to do so. Many put their lives on the line by volunteering for hazardous assignments. Some don’t return. We honor our solemn oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, for- eign and domestic.” Therein lies our primary loyalty as public servants; it is not with political parties, personali- ties, ideologies or creeds. We carry out legitimate orders and we have the discipline to publicly advocate and defend U.S. policy, even if we do not always agree with it. Just as disagree- ments need not prompt spouses to divorce, neither should disagreement with official policy be cause for purges or reprisals like those we abhor in totalitarian regimes. Is not the right to dissent at the very core of the freedom we espouse for all? As Natan Sharansky argues, “Free societies are societies in which the right of dissent is protected. In contrast, fear societies are societies in which dissent is banned.” How are we to advance freedom abroad if we foster a “fear society” at home? Should not our policies and actions match the founding ideals of this great nation? It is the height of honor to either resign over matters of con- science or to dissent and work fear- lessly to promote constructive change from within the system. We are second to none in our love of country, which is why we choose to serve and are humbled by the privi- lege of doing so. As students of his- tory, we have seen how drinking the Kool-Aid of groupthink advances the “march of folly.” So we choose not to confuse mindless obedience with loy- alty or constructive dissent with dis- loyalty. Nor do we express our deeply felt patriotism through jingoistic slo- gans like, “my country, right or wrong.” Instead, we take our inspira- tion from the sentiment expressed by former Senator Carl Schurz of Missouri: “My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right.” Tim Lattimer FSO Washington, D.C. An Abhorrent Attack on Powell Was it necessary for Dennis Jett to malign a great American like Colin Powell in order to get across his polit- ical bias? Jett’s article (“The Failure of Colin Powell,” FSJ, February 2005) takes on the Bush administration in toto. His abhorrent attack on Colin Powell also took swipes at Vice President Dick Cheney, CIA Director Porter Goss and Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and Alexander Haig. Not satisfied with bashing Powell and others on matters of foreign pol- icy, Jett links diplomacy abroad to domestic policies. I’ve known Colin Powell for 25 years and have served in two administrations as ambas- sador (Jamaica and Greece) when Powell was at the NSC and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. For Mr. Jett’s information, Powell earned those positions and his four stars because of his abilities, intellect and hard work. All of us who know, respect and admire Colin Powell were revolted by Jett’s biases. I wonder if Mr. Jett has considered becoming an adviser to new DNC Chairman Howard Dean? Michael Sotirhos Ambassador, retired Pompano Beach, Fla. L ETTERS