The Foreign Service Journal, April 2012

A P R I L 2 0 1 2 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 69 the growing importance of increasingly technical matters? Amb. Rana discusses all of these questions from a refreshingly cosmo- politan perspective. He brings his own Indian experience into play, of course, and frequently references U.S. practices. But he also cites examples from many other sources: Botswana’s use of performance management meth- ods; Canada’s creation of a “Team Canada, Inc.,” network of federal de- partments; Thailand’s introduction of a corporate method; the United Kingdom’s strict selection method for junior-level promotions; and the concept of the “hub” (regional) em- bassy that a number of countries are pursuing. Learning on the job will always be vital to the developing officer, but as this book shows, well-designed train- ing and education can do a good deal to help. I urge the Foreign Service Institute to adopt 21st-Century Diplo- macy for its tradecraft courses at all levels. In addition, State and the other foreign affairs agencies should issue this book to all new Foreign Service employees as soon as they are hired. I am quite sure that each officer’s copy will become well-thumbed as the years pass. Edward Marks spent 40 years in the U.S. Foreign Service, including an as- signment as ambassador to Guinea- Bissau and Cape Verde. A senior mentor at various military institutions, Ambassador Marks currently serves as a retiree representative on the AFSA Governing Board, a member of the American Diplomacy board and a Dis- tinguished Senior Fellow at George Mason University. B O O K S