The Foreign Service Journal, April 2006

T HE M AGAZINE F OR F OREIGN A FFAIRS P ROFESSIONALS Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is published monthly with a combined July/August issue by the American Foreign Service Association, a private, non-profit organization. Material appearing herein represents the opinions of the writers and does not necessarily represent the views of the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries and submissions are invited, preferably by e-mail. Journal subscription: AFSAMembers - $13 included in annual dues; others - $40. For foreign surface mail, add $18 per year; foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mail- ing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Foreign Service Journal , 2101 E Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037-2990. Indexed by Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS). The Journal is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos or illustrations. Advertising inquiries are invited. The appearance of advertisements herein does not imply the endorsement of the services or goods offered. FAX: (202) 338-8244 or (202) 338-6820. E-MAIL: journal@afsa.org . WEB: www.afsa.org . TELEPHONE: (202) 338-4045. © American Foreign Service Association, 2006. Printed in the U.S.A. Send address changes to AFSA Membership, 2101 E Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037-2990. Printed on 50-percent recycled paper, of which 10 percent is post-consumer waste. J O U R N A L OREIGN ERVICE S F Editor S TEVEN A LAN H ONLEY Senior Editor S USAN B. M AITRA Associate Editor S HAWN D ORMAN Ad & Circulation Manager E D M ILTENBERGER Business Manager M IKKELA V. T HOMPSON Art Director C ARYN S UKO S MITH Editorial Intern S HAWN G UAN Advertising Intern M IHO K URISHIMA Editorial Board T ED W ILKINSON , C HAIRMAN K ENT C. B ROKENSHIRE S TEPHEN W. B UCK A NTHONY S. C HAN L ILLIAN DE V ALCOURT -A YALA J OSH G LAZEROFF W ILLIAM W. J ORDAN L AURIE K ASSMAN J OYCE W. N AMDE K AY W EBB M AYFIELD C HRISTOPHER L. T EAL F O C U S O N L A T I N A M E R I C A 20 / P RESSURE G ROWS FOR C HANGE IN THE A MERICAS The left’s recent advances in the region come even as most of the hemisphere’s economies are performing better than they have in years. By George Gedda 27 / B RAZIL : L ATIN A MERICA ’ S S UPERPOWER ? The U.S. and Brazil are fated to work for accommodation, certainly in the hemisphere and perhaps in the broader international sphere. By Mark Lore 33 / C OLOMBIA I S C OMPLICATED Colombians don’t find it easy to define what went wrong in their country, or how America can help them rectify it. By Phillip McLean 39 / T HE U.S. AND M EXICO : W HAT ’ S N EXT ? Whoever he is, the next Mexican president will have a keen appreciation of the complexity of managing the bilateral relationship. By Deborah L. Riner 46 / S ENSING S ENSIBILITY IN THE F ALKLAND I SLANDS Today’s Falkland Islanders — visibly prosperous, wired and well educated — stand on the fringe of globalization. What lies ahead? By Jim Dorschner 54 / B OLIVIA AT THE C ROSSROADS Will Bolivia’s new president be a force for positive change or lead the country backward? This is the key question. By Peter DeShazo C ONTENTS A p r i l 2 0 0 6 Vo l ume 8 3 , No . 4 F E A T U R E S T HE P OLITICS OF H AVING A M AID / 61 The decision to hire household help when posted overseas may seem a no-brainer. But for many FSOs, it is quite complex. By Alexis Ludwig L IFE AFTER THE FS: R ETIREES H AVE THE L AST W ORD / 66 More stories and advice about retirement from the Foreign Service. By Susan Maitra Cover and inside illustrations by Elizabeth Lada C O L U M N S P RESIDENT ’ S V IEWS / 5 The Pay-for-Performance/ OCP Trade-Off: Poisoned Chalice or Win-Win? By J. Anthony Holmes S PEAKING O UT / 15 Opening Embassies: A New Approach Needed By Joseph Schreiber FS K NOW -H OW / 18 Make the Most of Your Thrift Savings Plan By Steven Alan Honley R EFLECTIONS / 84 The Streets of Nuevo Laredo By Michael E. Kelly D E P A R T M E N T S L ETTERS / 6 C YBERNOTES / 11 M ARKETPLACE / 12 FSJ G UIDE TO E XTENDED S TAY H OUSING / 50 B OOKS / 72 FSJ G UIDE TO P ROPERTY M ANAGEMENT / 76 I NDEX TO A DVERTISERS / 82 AFSA N EWS / C ENTER I NSERT A P R I L 2 0 0 6 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 3