The Foreign Service Journal, June 2007

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, 2007. 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 A NDREW K IDD Art Director C ARYN S UKO S MITH Editorial Board T ED W ILKINSON , C HAIRMAN K ENT C. B ROKENSHIRE S TEPHEN W. B UCK A NTHONY S. C HAN J OSH G LAZEROFF W ILLIAM W. J ORDAN L AURIE K ASSMAN K AY W EBB M AYFIELD J OHN K. N ALAND J OYCE N AMDE C HRISTOPHER L. T EAL F O C U S O N I R A N 20 / T HE U.S. AND I RAN : M YTHING THE P OINT Past clashes have led Americans and Iranians to assume mutual enmity, and later events have proved the argument. But it need not be so. By John W. Limbert 26 / B ET ON THE O PTIMISTS : P ROSPECTS FOR D EMOCRATIC R EFORM A society where the genie of dissent has been let out of the bottle cannot remain silent in perpetuity. By Mehrzad Boroujerdi 32 / G RASPING THE N ETTLE : I F D IPLOMACY F AILS IN I RAN Should diplomacy fail to deal with the threat of a nuclear Iran, policymakers will have to choose between preventive war and deterrence. By Justin Logan 41 / N EGOTIATE WITH I RAN FROM S TRENGTH U.S. threats are proving hollow — but, if not balanced by a viable negotiating strategy, they could still have highly negative consequences for all concerned. By George B. Lambrakis F E A T U R E 47 / W OMEN ’ S H EALTH U NDERCUT BY A DMINISTRATION P OLICIES Comprehensive health programming in developing countries is being scuttled, along with the Constitution, under the Bush administration’s ideological agenda. Sub-Saharan women are among the immediate casualties. By Tamera Fillinger C ONTENTS J u n e 2 0 0 7 Vo l ume 8 4 , No . 6 S C H O O L S S U P P L E M E N T H OW TO C HOOSE THE C OLLEGE T HAT ’ S R IGHT FOR Y OU / 73 Foreign Service teens can jump-start their college search with this handy guide. By Francesca Huemer Kelly T HE ABC S OF E DUCATION A LLOWANCES / 78 By Pamela Ward S CHOOLS AT A G LANCE / 89 Essential data on educational choices. L EARNING TO D RIVE A S AN FS K ID / 97 How can Foreign Service teens learn to drive if their parents are posted overseas? Here are some first-person tales and practical advice for kids and their families. By Ingrid Ahlgren Cover and inside illustrations by Julia Vasker C O L U M N S P RESIDENT ’ S V IEWS / 5 Tobias, Transformational Diplomacy and the Evisceration of USAID By J. Anthony Holmes S PEAKING O UT / 15 Working It Out with the Military: The View from Kabul By Thomas E. Johnson Jr. R EFLECTIONS / 108 One Year and Counting ... By Caroline Gredler D E PA R T M E N T S L ETTERS / 7 C YBERNOTES / 11 F AX T RAX / 12 M ARKETPLACE / 13 AFSA N EWS / 53 B OOKS / 66 I N M EMORY / 67 I NDEX TO A DVERTISERS / 106 J U N E 2 0 0 7 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 3