The Foreign Service Journal, May 2009

leaders’ complicity in U.S. efforts to misrepresent the case for war. In conclusion, Wright and Dixon observe that “(a)cts of conscience like these not only hold administrations ac- countable. They put future adminis- trations on notice that there will always be some government insiders who, on behalf of their fellow citizens, will ex- pose wrongdoing to try to prevent tragedies like the invasions of Vietnam and Iraq.” Dissent: Voices of Conscience both discourages and heartens. At a time of what many believe to have been a frontal assault on U.S. and interna- tional law and fundamental societal values, relatively few government offi- cials demonstrated the courage to speak out. Perhaps that should not be surprising: the State Department’s Dis- sent Channel has been moribund for a long time, with fewer than 10 dissents a year being filed. And despite AFSA’s heroic efforts to publicize its own an- nual awards for constructive dissent — a program that started more than 40 years ago, and remains unique — it frequently does not even receive nom- inations for some of the four cate- gories. Still, these lonely, loyal dissents — like isolated stars in a black firmament — shine all the more brightly for their singularity. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should encourage use of the Dissent Channel by giving greater attention to submissions and greater career protec- tion to those who dissent. The Obama administration and Congress should also consider avenues to recognize and rehabilitate those federal employees, civilian and military, at all levels who have suffered because of their princi- pled dissents. And AFSA members should respond to the many calls to nominate colleagues for the association’s annual constructive dissent awards. Principled dissent is a tradition Amer- ica needs now more than ever. ■ Edmund McWilliams, a Foreign Ser- vice officer from 1975 to 2001, received AFSA’s Christian Herter Award for constructive dissent by a Senior FSO in 1998. Since retiring from the Serv- ice, he has worked with various U.S. and foreign human rights NGOs as a volunteer. B O O K S 54 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A Y 2 0 0 9