The Foreign Service Journal, June 2013

22 JUNE 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL many deals depend on artful ambiguity or creative vagueness. And both sides know that geography matters greatly: lawmak- ers represent their home turf vigorously, just as diplomats represent their home countries’ interests and reflect their regional perspectives on who are allies and adversaries. Still, on Capitol Hill everything is political, and “all politics is local.” In contrast, FSOs are required to avoid partisan political activities. Government officials are supposed to advocate official policy in dealing with other nations, not their personal views. Another area where the two cultures seem to differ is in personality type. Tests for the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator show nearly half of all FSOs are INTJs, a type found in only 1 percent of tested Americans. (The MBTI typology contrasts Introversion and Extroversion, iNtuition and Sensation, Thinking and Feeling, and Judging versus Perceiving.) INTJs are “theory-based, very independent, with a high need for competency.” Strong individuals, they aren’t necessarily good team players. Politicians, by contrast, tend to be ENFPs: “people-oriented, creative, seeking harmony, the life of the party, most optimis- tic, with more starts than finishes.” What FSOs Need to Know about the Hill Congress wants to be consulted about foreign policy decisions. The classic formulation was expressed by Senator Arthur Vanden- berg, R-Mich., who was an isolationist before World War II but became a key partner with President Harry Truman in the late 1940s. Vandenberg said, “We want to be in on the takeoff, and not just the crash landing.” Many of the restrictions written into law were put there by angry lawmakers who hadn’t been consulted, or heeded when they objected to some administration’s policy. Congress wants to be treated as a co-equal branch of govern- ment. It can be hard for an official to suffer fools gladly when an ill-informed member of Congress raises a dumb question in a hearing, but arrogance and condescension invite blowback from people with the power of the purse and the ability to make life miserable for a mere bureaucrat. Yes, it may seem demean- ing for a respected career ambassador to have to explain some- thing to a Hill staffer barely out of college. But those staffers usually have the respect of their bosses and the power to advise them, so beware. Appropriators are different from authorizers. This is one example of why FSOs need to learn as much as possible about Anne Wernikoff Capitol Hill staffers register for AFSA’s April 26 educational session on the Foreign Service in the Cannon Building. U.S. diplomats should use Congress as the “bad cop” that must be appeased so that the “good cop” ambassador can maintain friendly relations with the host government.