The Foreign Service Journal, May 2003

A s I write this (lateMarch), the United States has gone to war with Iraq. By the time you see this, if all goes as predicted, the Iraqi armed forces will have been defeated andwewill be deeply engaged inwhat comes after. We will knowwhat sort of reaction the American-led inva- sion stimulated both in Iraq and in the surrounding region. Wewill knowwhether the Iraqi people greeted the coalition troops as liberators or whether they descended into faction- al fighting. Will democracyhave begun to take flower in Iraq, or, to the contrary, will the ranks of al-Qaida have begun to swell? Such questions will fill the air. The Pentagon will, of course, have taken every possible precaution to protect the lives of America’s fighting men and women engaged in the campaign, both before, during and after the hot war. What may be less obvious to the lay observer, howev- er, is that not onlywill our soldiers be at risk, but our diplomats stationed in theMiddle East and elsewhere in the Muslimworldwill also enter an even more dangerous time as those angeredby the Iraqi inva- sion bring U.S. embassies and consulates under even greater pressure. AFSAmust help ensure that the American public knows that members of the Foreign Service have been serving for decades in theMiddle East, and make the case that their safety and security, and that of their families, must remain high on the administration’s agenda. What we, as retirees, can bring to the table is a willing- ness to raise our voices in whichever community we find ourselves on behalf of our diplomatic colleagues in the region. All of us have, to varying degrees, weathered tense times in our careers when a situation demanded drasticmeasures be taken to protect American lives and property. We therefore understand intuitively the broad outlines of what threats to security may be leveled at our diplomatic and consular establish- ments throughout the Middle East and elsewhere in these perilous times. As the voice of the Foreign Service, AFSAneeds our support nowmore than ever. If you haven’t taken the time to join, rejoin or submit your annual dues, I ask you to consider doing sonow. Tobe an effective voice, AFSAneeds numbers, both inmem- bers and in financial contributions. My term ends in July, so this may well be my last VP column. I feel both proud andhumble tohave had the honor of representing youon theAFSAGoverningBoard for the past two years. Frankly, I leave feeling I could have donemore to advance the interests of the retiree community; for example, by traveling tomeetmoreof youaround the country. That said, I have tried to keep faith with what I understood were your broad wishes and what my instincts told me was the right way to go. In any case, it has been a good run and I leave with the sense that AFSA is strong, growing and in good hands. Thanks again for your support and friendship. ▫ Our diplomats stationed in the Middle East and elsewhere in the Muslim world will also enter an even more dangerous time. V.P. VOICE: RETIREE ■ BY ROBERT W. “BILL” FARRAND The FS Troops Are Out There Too 8 AFSA NEWS • MAY 2003 MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION UPDATE AFSA and USAID Support MCC Debate BY JUDY SLATER, AFSA AT USAID FORUMS MANAGER O n March 3, AFSA officers met with Senate Committee on Foreign Relations staff members regarding USAID’s role in the imple- mentation of theMillenniumChallenge Corporation. On March 4 and 6, State Department Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business & Agricultural Affairs Alan Larson; Treasury Department Under Secretary for International Affairs JohnTaylor; USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios; and experts fromthink tanks and foundations spoke before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the House Committee on International Relations. Senators and representatives asked pointed questions regarding procedures for country selection and eligibility for MillenniumChallenge Corporation sup- port. They asked about funding alloca- tion, the need for a separate development agency, corruption, and accountability. The debate will continue for the next few months. There are many practical details to work out. AFSA submittedwritten testimony in advance of the Senatemeeting to remind the committee members that USAID already has expertise and experience on the ground and should play an impor- To encourage cooperation and discussion of the MCC plans, AFSA and the Open Forum at the State Department initiated plans for a town hall meeting . Coninued on page 9