The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2017

AFSA NEWS 99 Years of the FSJ Now at Your Fingertips On May 11, AFSA hosted a reception to mark the official launch of the FSJ digital archive, covering almost a century of The Foreign Ser- vice Journal . Speaking to the assem- bled guests, including past and present members of the FSJ Editorial Board and For- eign Service Journal authors, AFSA President Ambas- sador Barbara Stephenson expressed her gratitude to all those who worked so hard to bring the project to fruition. The Journal archive is a wonderful resource, allow- ing users to access 99 years of diplomatic history and to see firsthand the critical role played by the career Foreign Service. “The Iran deal, the Paris Agreement—these don’t just happen,” Amb. Stephenson said. “The FSJ pulls back the curtain on diplomacy.” Making back issues of the Journal available to the public for research and edu- cation about diplomacy and 56 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL the Foreign Service became a priority of the 2015-2017 AFSA Governing Board, which voted to support the long-awaited project. Introducing the archive at the reception, Foreign Ser- vice Journal Editor-in-Chief Shawn Dorman spoke of the importance of accessibil- ity for this primary source material, which is unique in providing a history of U.S. diplomacy through the eyes of its practitioners. “It is all online and dis- coverable, a bridge from the past to the future, from gen- eration to generation,” Ms. Dorman said. “We can learn from the past, see what’s been tried before, see how certain issues come around again and again, see how much things change, and how little they change.” That point was echoed by retired FSO Harry Kopp, an early advocate of the digi- tization project and author of the book The Voice of the Foreign Service (Foreign Ser- vice Books, 2015), a history of AFSA. Mr. Kopp noted the unique opportunity for read- ers to experience the history of U.S. diplomacy not only from the present looking back, but also from the time of important events, looking forward. Articulating the future aims of the Journal , Ms. Dor- man quoted former Assistant Secretary of State Wilbur J. Carr, speaking about the Journal and its mission on the occasion of its 10th anni- versary in 1929: “By promot- ing a high idealism and a fine spirit, it can help that orga- nization [AFSA] to render a maximum of public service and attain its proper place in the public estimation.” We hope that the Journal will continue to inform and inspire a new generation of future diplomats about the importance of the role of the Foreign Service. The Foreign Service Jour- nal archive is available via the AFSA website, www.afsa. org/fsj-archive. n —Gemma Dvorak, Associate Editor Publications Coordinator Dmitry Filipoff demonstrates the archive to retired FSOs Harry Kopp and Beatrice Camp. AFSA/GEMMADVORAK 2017 Summer Interns Arrive at AFSA AFSA is happy to welcome our new interns. • Advertising/Publica- tions: Singapore native Windy Tay attends the Univer- sity of London, SIM Campus, where she studies interna- tional relations. • Foreign Service Journal : Andrea Philbin joins the FSJ fromVirginia Commonwealth University. She is studying for a bachelor’s degree in creative and strategic adver- tising. Her hometown is Falls Church, Virginia. • Awards: Sofia Rivera is a senior at Mount Holyoke College, where she studies international relations with a minor in American politics. • Communications: Nicholas Shevchik is a sopho- more at the University of Pennsylvania, where he stud- ies international relations and economics. He is originally fromWashington, D.C. • Executive Office: Originally from Townsend, Delaware, Michael Scott is a senior at Hampton University, studying international rela- tions with a concentration in conflict resolution. We thank departing interns Matt Mitzel, Theo Horn, James Schiphorst, Maggie McMorrow, Benja- min Mooney and Ivàn Esca- milla for their great work this past spring and wish them the best. n