The Foreign Service Journal, July/August 2018

16 JULY-AUGUST 2018 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL T his powerful research and data visualization tool from Harvard University’s Center for International Develop- ment offers users insights into the structure of national economies and their potential, based on the dynamics of global trade flows across markets and over time. The Atlas debuted online in 2013 as a companion tool to The Atlas of Economic Complexity: Mapping Paths to Prosperity , a book published in 2011, and is a collaboration between CID’s Growth Lab and MIT’s Media Lab. CID’s mission includes working “to advance the under- standing of development challenges and offer viable solu- tions to problems of global poverty.” The goal in building this online systemwas to turn com- plex economic equations and Greek symbols into a user- friendly platform, thereby creating a measurement tool that helps trade and economic decision-makers make better- informed decisions more easily. The Atlas pulls its raw data, which includes goods but not services or other nontradable activi- ties, from the United Nations Comtrade database; the data is then cleaned by a unique CID method that accounts for inconsistent reporting standards and presents a specific point of view of how trade data predicts economic growth and new opportunities. The tool’s last U.N. data update was 2016, including data from the previous 50 years. From the homepage, users can explore trade data by country, products, imports and exports, as well as rankings of growth by country or product and projections for interna- tional growth. The results can be viewed in a variety of ways. CID publications and research can also be accessed, as well as key concepts behind The Atlas and tutorials on its use. A glossary and FAQ are also available. SITE OF THE MONTH: THE ATLAS OF ECONOMIC COMPLEXITY : ATLAS.CID.HARVARD.EDU TALKING POINTS Participating in the cake-cutting ceremony at NDU’s Foreign Affairs Day on May 9 are, left to right: AFSA President Ambassador Barbara Stephenson; Ambassador Mark Pekala, deputy commandant of the National War College; Major General John Jansen, commandant of the Eisenhower School; Ambassador Mike Hammer, NDU senior vice president; Ambassador Makila James, director of the International Student Management Office; and Ambassador Tom Daughton, deputy commandant of the Eisenhower School. NDU Honors the U.S. Foreign Service O n May 9, the National Defense University celebrated its first Foreign Affairs Day by inducting NDU alumni Ambassador William Brownfield, National War College graduate class of 1993, and Ambassador Joyce Barr, gradu- ate of the Industrial College of Armed Forces class of 2001, into the National Hall of Fame. (ICAF was renamed The Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy in 2012.) Deputy Secretary of State John Sulli- van was in attendance and gave remarks. The ceremony concluded with a ques- tion and answer session moderated by Ambassador Ron Neumann, National War College class of 1991. Both Ambassadors Brownfield and Barr emphasized how their education at NDU enhanced the interagency dynamic and provided them with lasting relation- ships that served them well throughout their careers. The session was followed by a recep- tion and cake-cutting, where AFSA President Ambassador Barbara Stephen- son gave remarks on the complementary relationship between military power and diplomacy. (See page 12 for a message to the Foreign Service from NDU President Vice Admiral Fritz Roegge.) NDU/KATIEPERSONSLEWIS