The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2020

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2020 5 July-August 2020 Volume 97, No. 6 FOREIGN SERVICE Focus on Pandemic Diplomacy Feature 73 Russia’s Return to the Middle East The COVID-19 pandemic has not constrained Russia’s activity in the Middle East, but it is unclear whether Moscow has a longer-term strategy for the region. By An ge l a S t e n t 26 Waking Up to a Pandemic: H1N1 in Mexico, 2009 Beyond the shock, no two pandemics are alike, explains the FSO who was deputy chief of mission in Mexico City in 2009, when swine flu swept the world. By Le s l i e Ba s s e t t 29 There’s a Playbook: From Ebola to COVID-19 Jeremy Konyndyk mines his experience leading the U.S. Ebola pandemic response effort to offer insights into meeting the challenge of COVID-19 today. I n t e r v i ew w i t h J e remy Ko n y n d y k 34 COVID-19 and Global Health Governance A career FSO with extensive experience in global health diplomacy discusses the practical problems—all solvable—in bringing the current and future health crises under control. By J i mmy Ko l ke r 42 Rethinking Public Diplomacy for a Post-Pandemic World In a fast-changing world with tensions and needs exacerbated by the pandemic, the practice of public diplomacy demands a swift reconfiguration. By J i a n (J a y ) Wa n g 45 Luanda to Ohio: A Family Journey A COVID-19 evacuation story in photos. By Mo n i c a Ro j a s 50 The Foreign Service Responds to COVID-19 Dispatches from the field show how the U.S. Foreign Service works for the American people. ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/ SVETLANASHAMSHURINA 38 Disinformation Challenges in a Pandemic A recharged public diplomacy needs to join whole-of-government policy deliberations at the highest level. By Do n a l d M . B i s h o p