The Foreign Service Journal, May 2014

60 MAY 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS Dangerous Places • Continued from page 51 Persian New Year (“Nowruz”) is celebrated annually on the vernal equi- nox, when Earth is renewed with the coming of spring. Partly rooted in Zoroastrianism, the holiday is enjoyed by people all over the world including Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azer- baijan, India, Paki- stan and Turkey. With Nowruz comes the setting of the “Haft-seen” (seven ‘S’) table, so named because it includes seven meaningful items whose names start with the Persian letter ‘seen’: •Senjed (dry fruit of a lotus tree) denotes love and affection •Sumaq (Sumac) symbolizes sunrise and the warmth of life •Seeb (apple) stands for health and beauty •Seer (garlic) indicates good health and well-being •Samanu (wheat pudding) represents the sweetness of life •Sabzeh (sprouted wheat grass) represents the renewal of life and the rebirth of nature •Sonbol (hyacinth) stands for prosperity and good will in the new year. On the eve of the last Wednesday of the old year, Persians celebrate Chahar Shanbe Suri. They gather, light small bonfires in the streets and jump over the flames say- ing, “May my sickly pallor be yours and your red glow be mine.” The flames symbolically take away all the unpleas- ant things from the past year to prepare one for the New Year. Nowruz lasts 13 days. The last day is called “Sizdeh Bedar,” which literally means “getting rid of the thirteenth.” Families and friends spend the day picnicking outdoors to get rid of bad luck. n –Raeka Safai, AFSA Staff Attorney Feierstein argued. He also deplored the trend toward one-year and unaccompa- nied assignments. “I do not think it is pos- sible for our diplomats to do a good job in only one year,” he stated. He also noted that U.S. missions in dangerous countries are forced to rely too heavily on entry-level personnel. Negative Consequences Another effect is that U.S. missions are becom- ing increasingly militarized. “When I left Yemen, we had 110 Marines at the embassy,” observed Feierstein. “I truly appreciate the work of the Marine Corps. But if you have this number of military [personnel] in an embassy, it is noted by the public.” Restrictions on move- ment for embassy personnel and their families increased dramatically, as well. Feier- stein cited Sanaa, where all employees had to move into a nearby hotel. “Our personnel can’t go anywhere,” Feierstein said. “It is crucial for our diplomatic goals that our FSOs be able to connect with the locals and have host-country neighbors.” Making matters worse in Sanaa, he noted, during the 2013 embassy closings the 15-minute drive from the hotel to the embassy was considered too dan- gerous, and all diplomatic personnel had to sleep in their offices. A Realistic Analysis of Risk Acknowledging that safety is a legitimate priority for our diplomatic posts, Feierstein suggested that “an adult conversation about what we are trying to do, weighing risks and benefits,” is overdue. He pointed to the embassy closings in 2013 as the kind of “knee-jerk reaction” that is not helpful. Feierstein also questioned whether State adequately articulates what the Foreign Service does and why we need to be overseas within the interagency community, given that State officers are often the ones pulled out first in a closure. “This is exactly wrong,” Feierstein commented. “As we go forward, our battle is less in the dangerous posts than it is inWashington. We have to continue convincing the State Department that it is impor- tant to have people there. “I still don’t think that the correct response is to build fortresses and to lock down our diplomats. We need a more nuanced approach.” The large audience, in what was AFSA’s first members- only event, engaged Feierstein in a lively question-and- answer session following his remarks. To view the discussion online, please visit www.afsa. org/video. n –Julian Steiner, Communications Intern RAEKASAFAI “Nowruz Pirooz!”—AFSA Celebrates Persian New Year