The Foreign Service Journal, May 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 OCUS ON S PECIALIST C AREER D EVELOPMENT 21 / S PECIALIST C AREERS : O NWARD AND U PWARD ? Meaningful training opportunities will go a long way toward convincing specialists that career development is no longer a contradiction in terms. By Steven Alan Honley 27 / S PECIALISTS S PEAK OUT ON C AREER D EVELOPMENT Some reactions from the field to the newly issued Career Development Program guidelines for FS specialists. 33 / M ANY P ATHS , O NE G OAL The Career Development Program for FS specialists emphasizes training and certification to enhance the professional skills and technical qualifications that brought them into the Service. By J. Christian Kennedy 37 / “S EPARATE BUT U NEQUAL ”: T HE IRM C AREER P ATH The CDP for Information Management personnel is a good start, but needs to recognize the differences within the IRM specialty. By David Fierstine 41 / T AKING OMS T RAINING S ERIOUSLY Information management training is integral to the evolving OMS skill code, but additional funding is necessary to implement it. By Elizebeth Veghte 44 / S TATE ’ S G ENERATION X W ORK F ORCE By recognizing the unique workplace characteristics of young IT specialists, the FS can devise strategies for capitalizing on their skills. By Alan Roecks C ONTENTS Ma y 2 0 0 6 Vo l ume 8 3 , No . 5 F E A T U R E S P EACE O PERATIONS AS AN I NSTRUMENT OF U.S. P OLICY / 50 Nearly a quarter-century after its creation, the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai is a model worth adapting for other peacekeeping operations. By Arthur Hughes A PPRECIATION : E DITOR , M ENTOR , F RIEND OF THE F OREIGN S ERVICE / 57 Shirley R. Newhall, 1921 – 2006 By the Rev. Dr. Jeffrey R. Newhall Cover and inside illustration by Yvetta Fedorova C O L U M N S P RESIDENT ’ S V IEWS / 5 Ensuring the Foreign Service’s Relevance: The Baby or the Bathwater By J. Anthony Holmes S PEAKING O UT / 15 What Are We Training IMSers to Do? By Carl E. Stefan R EFLECTIONS / 76 Firecrackers By Rebecca Laeuchli D E P A R T M E N T S L ETTERS / 6 C YBERNOTES / 11 M ARKETPLACE / 12 B OOKS / 59 I N M EMORY / 62 I NDEX TO A DVERTISERS / 74 AFSA N EWS / C ENTER I NSERT M A Y 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