12 JUNE 2025 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL a self-sustaining, modern economy. That included my work to upgrade Indonesia’s antitrust enforcement but also to conduct such diverse capacity building as streamlining business licensing, modernizing Indonesia’s banking system, and fighting corruption and money laundering. The goal was not to turn Indonesia into a version of the United States but to help the country build a stable democracy and modern economy. In 2004 Indonesia was emerging from the 1997-1998 Southeast Asian economic collapse. It was five years removed from a 30-year military dictatorship. It had recently held its first nationwide popular election for president. It was also in the throes of a small but dangerous Islamist insurgency; and, three years after 9/11, there was serious concern about a Muslim-majority country of 250 million people becoming a breeding ground for Islamic extremism. That was reflected in USAID’s presence but also in the presence of similar missions from developed Pacific Rim nations, including Australia, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. Media coverage has focused on USAID’s humanitarian and public health programs. Images of starving children, food rotting in warehouses, and closed hospitals and treatment centers show the ugliest immediate consequences of emasculating this agency. But USAID’s mission is broader and more strategic than humanitarian and medical assistance alone. It includes direct financial support and technical advice and training in areas as diverse as socioeconomic development, education, and environmental issues. It is the boots on the ground worldwide for other agencies, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency. In the global contest of values between democracy and authoritarianism, the best way to help democracy flourish is to provide tangible support to countries, like Indonesia in 2004, that are at their tipping points. Despite federal court rulings to reinstate USAID programs and staff, the administration’s outrageous and unlawful efforts to gut USAID will cause incalculable damage to its mission and the employees, contractors, and organizations that carry it out. The administration’s attack on USAID is short-sighted, based on the false belief that USAID is rife with fraud and abuse and support for a left-wing policy agenda. While there may be programs that should be reviewed for efficacy, those are trivial compared to USAID’s success in saving lives, improving health, fostering social and economic development, fighting corruption, and supporting democracy. However imperfect and inconsistent the United States may be in living up to our ideals, we are still the world’s most important advocate for democratic values and the rule of law. USAID’s soft diplomacy is a critical part of that advocacy. Its role in promoting our values and interests may be off the radar for Americans concerned about the price of gas and eggs, but we in the United States are safer and more secure because of USAID’s work. That’s why I care, and why I am so grateful for the work that the members of the Foreign Service do. David Newman Senior Attorney, retired Federal Trade Commission San Francisco, California The Value of FSOs in the Field To anyone who might question the value of Foreign Service officers and embassies in the field, I provide this link to journalist Nick Davidson’s article, “The Balloon That Fell from the Sky,” which recently appeared in The Atavist Magazine (https://bit.ly/Atavist-Davidson). Davidson had interviewed me and other officers familiar with an incident in which a racing balloon carrying two Americans was shot down over Belarus in 1995. Both individuals were killed. It was among three balloons carrying Americans that had crossed into Belarus and were forced to land. The true hero of the story was U.S. Consular Officer Janine Boiarsky, who deftly, tactfully, and ultimately successfully dealt with the Americans, both the living and the dead, and the Belarusians. It is a story familiar to many Foreign Service officers who have helped Americans in crises abroad but were perhaps not appreciated by many of our fellow citizens. Although I had left U.S. Embassy Minsk as deputy chief of mission shortly before this incident and dealt with it from my new position in Washington, I am proud to have served with Ms. Boiarsky, who was the epitome of a dedicated, professional Foreign Service officer. George A. Krol U.S. Ambassador, retired Middletown, Rhode Island n Share your thoughts about this month’s issue. Submit letters to the editor: journal@afsa.org
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