The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2014

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2014 5 July-August 2014 Volume 91, No. 7-8 FOREIGN SERVICE AFSA NEWS Gala 90th-Anniversary Celebration / 45 State VP Voice: Bidding and 360s / 46 USAID VP Voice: FS Benefits–How Do State and USAID Compare? / 47 AFSAWelcomes New Staff Members / 48 Two New Reps Join AFSA Board / 48 Speaker Partnership with USC / 49 2014 AFSA Award Winners / 49 Issue Brief: The COM Guidelines / 50 Expert on Professions Kicks Off New AFSA Forum / 53 The 2014 Kennan Writing Award / 56 2014 Merit Award Winners / 57 AFSA Files MSI Implementation Dispute / 61 On the Hill: Who Said It’s All About Congress? / 62 USAID Mission Directors’ Happy Hour / 63 Inside a U.S. Embassy : Yet Another Press Run / 63 Why You Need a Household Inventory / 64 Federal Benefits Event Draws a Full House / 65 COLUMNS President’s Views / 7 The New QDDR Offers Hope BY ROBERT J . S I LVERMAN Letter from the Editor / 8 Reporting Matters BY SHAWN DORMAN Speaking Out / 17 How to Get Better Ambassadors BY DENN I S J ETT Reflections / 81 Spy vs. Spy, Romanian Style BY LUC I ANO MANG I AF I CO DEPARTMENTS Letters / 9 Talking Points / 11 Books / 66 In Memory / 68 Local Lens / 82 MARKETPLACE Classifieds / 73 Real Estate / 77 Index to Advertisers / 80 On the cover: (1) In the tiny settlement of Igaliku in southern Greenland, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell (far right), Greenland Home Rule Minister of Foreign Affairs Josef Motzfeldt (cen- ter) and Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller sign an agreement in August 2004. Assisting Sec. Powell is Foreign Service political officer Dan Lawton (second from right). Photo: FSO Jonathan M. Berger. (2) The DVD cover for the 1949 indie classic movie, “State Department File 649.” (3) Secretary of State John F. Kerry addresses dinner guests at AFSA’s gala celebra- tion for the 90th anniversary of AFSA and the Foreign Service in the State Department’s Ben- jamin Franklin State Dining Room on May 22. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of State. FOCUS EMBASSY REPORTING TODAY The Art of Political Reporting / 22 Despite the challenges, reporting from the field—in whatever form it takes— is still the indispensable ingredient of any meaningful foreign policy discussion. BY DAN LAWTON Diplomatic Reporting: Adapting to the Information Age / 26 While technology enhances brainpower, it is no substitute for the seasoned diplomat’s powers of observation and assessment, argues this veteran consumer of diplomatic reporting. BY JOHN C . GANNON A Selection of Views from Practitioners / 31 Hitting the Ball CHR I STOPHER W. B I SHOP Bring in the Noise–Using Digital Technology to Promote Peace and Security DAN I E L F ENNE L L The Value-Added of Networking CHR I STOPHER MARKL EY NYCE The Three Amigos–South Korea, Colombia and Panama Trade Agreements I VAN R I OS Political Reporting: Then and Now–and Looking Ahead KATHRYN HOF FMAN AND SAMUE L C . DOWN I NG The #Twitterfication of Political and Economic Reporting TRAV I S COBERLY FEATURES It Deserved an Oscar / 38 For those of us in the Foreign Service, “State Department File 649” is our cinematic showcase, William Lundigan our star, and Virginia Bruce our Best Actress. BY DONALD M . B I SHOP Westgate: The Other Nairobi and the Future of Kenya / 41 In the shock and tragedy of the terrorist attack, the outpouring of charity from Kenyans toward all those affected demonstrated the power of the “Kenyan Spirit.” BY JOASH OMOND I