10 MAY-JUNE 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL LETTERS Covering a Fraught Era I would like to thank The Foreign Service Journal for its superb JanuaryFebruary issue honoring excellence and constructive dissent. I appreciated the right-to-the-point frankness of AFSA President John Dinkelman and AFSA State Vice President Rohit Nepal’s columns. Mr. Dinkelman’s comment that there is “little hope that things will improve for the Foreign Service anytime soon” was certainly troubling, as was Mr. Nepal’s remark that “it’s been hard to wrap my mind around the damage and cruelty of the past year.” There is no sense in trying to whitewash what has taken place. Both are correct that the Foreign Service needs to persevere and play the long game. I also want to flag the article focused on Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the recipient of the 2025 AFSA Award for Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy. Ambassador ThomasGreenfield’s manifold accomplishments deserve full recognition. She has left a lasting mark in many areas and, without a doubt, is not done yet. In the accompanying interview, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield correctly noted the trying times that the Foreign Service is going through. I could not agree with her more when she expressed her enthusiastic support for AFSA. On a decidedly lighter note, the article by Dick Virden about an official trip he took to north central Thailand in 1968 was pleasurably diverting. The fact that he was reimbursed for renting an elephant to clear a trail certainly reflected well on his admin unit. We’re living in a fraught era where many of our assumptions are being harshly challenged. The January- February issue is the latest example of the Journal’s consequential coverage of the evolving situation. Joseph L. Novak FSO, retired Washington, D.C. Honoring Moral Courage Thank you for the January-February issue of the FSJ, particularly the “Posthumous Award for Dissent: Honoring Moral Courage in the Face of Injustice.” If only everyone understood the dedication and sacrifices of those who chose the diplomatic life in service to our great country. My grandfather Laurence Steinhardt, a U.S. Foreign Service officer and ambassador to six countries under Presidents Roosevelt and Truman, used to say, “We must put our best foot forward. It is our obligation to God, humanity, our country, and each other”—more casually referred to in our clan as the three C’s: Church (God), Country, and Community. As philosopher George Santayana said: “He who does not study past history is doomed to repeat it.” Never more applicable than currently. Please thank Associate Editor Mark Parkhomenko for this excellent article. Let us hope and pray for our nation that we never again mint the U.S. presidential seal on our currency with the eagle’s head facing a clutch of arrows rather than facing the laurel branch. Laurene A. Sherlock Granddaughter of U.S. Ambassador Laurence A. Steinhardt (1892–1950) Washington, D.C. Resisting Injustice With deep gratitude for your journal, I read the January-February edition on AFSA Awards in which you highlighted the 2025 Posthumous Awards for Dissent. In a compelling article, you honored the 12 U.S. career diplomats who collectively saved thousands and thousands of lives during the Holocaust years. The article challenges on a personal level: Would I have the courage to do today what these diplomats did? This article inspires the honesty to ask the question and offers the courage to remain steadfast in voicing constructive dissent to the situations in America today. The Foreign Service Journal continually resists injustice and inhumanity in steady, quiet, and highly impactful ways. I am an “ordinary” citizen not affiliated with AFSA, but fortunate enough to have signed up for email links to the magazine. Thank you for your moral courage. Mary Ellen Weir Belmont, North Carolina MIA: Leadership Culture Ambassador Eric Rubin’s article in the March-April FSJ, “What’s Wrong with the Ben Franklin Fellowship?,” fails to acknowledge the lack of a leadership culture at State. While it is unclear whether BFF’s expanded role will ultimately strengthen the State Department, our organization suffers from weak leadership, historically dominated by self-interested officers, which leaves us exposed. The minimization of State is a bipartisan effort. We have only ourselves to blame for our abysmal culture of leadership. The Journal has published volumes of well-researched, actionable strategies to strengthen State. Let’s stop complaining until we have our house in order. John Fer FSO Washington, D.C.
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