The Foreign Service Journal, April 2022

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL 2022 13 Fatah-instigated violence decreased mark- edly; and, even more amazingly, security cooperation with our encouragement and support was initiated. This past January marked 50 years since Bloody Sunday in Derry, Northern Ireland—arguably the most appalling incident of The Troubles. It unleashed a tit-for-tat period of wanton violence that took the lives of numerous innocents throughout Northern Ireland and Great Britain. That tragedy was commemorated by the Irish bandThe Cranberries in an anguished and haunting lament, “Zombie.” I believe our entry-level officers should have a session listening to that song, along with “Peace Train” by Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam) before having a heavy-duty discussion on whether there are tools other than wanton violence to achieve nationhood or address irredentist claims. Hopefully, a future FSJ edition will debate the merits of negotiating with sub- national separatist organizations or having nothing to do with them. George W. Aldridge FSO, retired Arlington, Texas Seeking Monrovia School Alums On Jan. 7, 2022, Liberia kicked off a year of events to mark the bicentennial of the arrival of free Black settlers from the United States. These settlers, many of whomwere born into slavery, would join indigenous Liberians and other Black immigrants to found Africa’s first indepen- dent republic. Liberia: The Land of Return , as the initiative is called, hopes to commemorate Liberia’s shared history with the United States and attract visits and investment by the diaspora and others, with a special focus on African Americans. The American International School of Monrovia became a part of that shared history when it opened in 1960 as the American Cooperative School. Liberia’s brutal civil wars, and later Ebola, forced the school to close several times over the decades. Today, despite setbacks fromCOVID- 19, AISM is reenergized and focused on the future. This year, AISM accepted its first high school students, with plans in place to expand to a fully accredited high school within just a couple of years. As part of the bicentennial initia- tive, AISMwill also launch a scholarship program beginning with the 2022-2023 school year. At this historic moment, AISM seeks to reconnect with alumni, especially those who attended the American Coopera- tive School. If you or your family member attended ACS or AISM, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact administration@ aismonrovia.org with the subject line “Alumni”. Sunshine Ison FSO Monrovia, Liberia n CORRECTION In the March book review on Vision or Mirage , the name of the national security adviser dispatched to Riyadh should be Jake Sullivan. We regret the error. Share your thoughts about this month’s issue. Submit letters to the editor: journal@afsa.org