The Foreign Service Journal, June 2017

50 JUNE 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA FCS VP. Contact: steve.morrison@trade.gov or (202) 482-9088 FCS VP VOICE | BY STEVE MORRISON AFSA NEWS Let’s Talk (Commercial) Dialogues According to the International Trade Administration,“com- mercial dialogues” exist to provide opportunities for the United States and its trad- ing partners to explore each other’s regulations and busi- ness climate and resolve by pragmatic means what might otherwise develop into a trade dispute. But are commercial dia- logues getting the job done, helping to settle some deep- seated trade problem or bar- rier, or are they just another excuse to travel? U.S. bilateral commercial dialogues began, arguably, in 1983 with the establishment of the U.S.-China Joint Com- mission on Commerce and Trade. Since then, commercial dialogues have cropped up all over the place including Europe, Latin America and Asia. Even Africa has gotten into the game with two dialogues in place and possibly one more to come soon, if a proposed U.S.-Nigeria com- mercial dialogue gets up and running. Vision 2020, a self-help group of like-minded “futurist” colleagues, is attempting to establish howmany commer- cial dialogues currently exist between the United States and our trading partners. They are asking important questions about the agree- ment, such as: How is the work being done at post tied to the mission of the ITA? What are the benefits to U.S. trade?What are the financial, resource and staffing costs associated with these efforts? The answers to these ques- tions will give future leaders a framework to decide whether to go forward with current or new commercial dialogues. Vision 2020 is also assessing ITA partner, senior management and private sec- tor involvement to ensure that future dialogues have the full backing of key stakeholders. Commercial dialogues are sometimes referenced in Country Commercial Guides prepared by embassies; they appear in forward job plans and EERs; and, until recently, they used to figure promi- nently in ITA industry, regional and country quad charts (remember those?). But in the last few years commercial dialogues have gotten a bad reputation. In some cases, FCS staff at post determined that having an official dialogue would not benefit the host country or the United States, but ITAman- agement inWashington, D.C., overrode those concerns. Some say commercial dialogues are being used as an excuse for increased head- quarters travel.“Hands-on” in-country work, the critics argue, should be reserved for officers at post and not used as a justification for unneces- sary and often duplicative travel by HQ staff. A “sunset” provision for commercial dialogues is also being discussed. After all, the dialogue is a means to an end, not an accomplish- ment itself, proponents say. They see a need to regularly assess whether the dialogue continues to serve the ITA mission and remains the best mechanism to advance our objectives. As the Trump admin- istration demands new approaches to leveling the playing field for U.S. business, commercial dialogues could be one vehicle. Already, there seems to be a new eagerness for host country officials to meet with their U.S. counterparts, as recently confirmed Secre- tary of CommerceWilbur Ross experienced on a trip to Japan. Perhaps now is the best time to have that stock-taking of when and where commer- cial dialogues work best or, as one former under secretary put it,“whether the juice is worth the squeeze.” To that end, I invite your input.What has been your experience of commercial dialogues? How have they affected your work—positively or negatively—promoting U.S. exports or investment into the United States? Please send your responses to me at Steve. Morrison@trade.gov . n NEWS BRIEF WRITE FOR THE JOURNAL ! We welcome your writing on any topic of concern to the FS community, or choose among the focus topics (available on the AFSA website, www.afsa.org/edcalendar) . The Journal is always seeking strong Speaking Out submissions (1,500-1,800 words), Reflections (700 words) and features (1,500-2,000 words). See Author Guidelines for more detail www.afsa.org/fsj-author-guidelines ). We also invite you to share your thoughts on Journal articles by sending a letter to the editor. Please send feedback and submissions to journal@afsa.org. n PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION MAY 2017 THESOCIALMEDIAIMPERATIVE DIPLOMACYFOR GLOBALHEALTH