The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2023

14 JULY-AUGUST 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Further, unlike most other employees, visa adjudicators directly generate rev- enue for the department. Thus, expanding the LNA program not only addresses the NIV backlog but also the Bureau of Consular Affairs’ revenue shortfall, a result of the pandemic, with- out creating a long-term staffing problem. While Consular Fel- lows have long been praised for their dedication to the department, it would be great to see that commitment recip- rocated. An important part of State’s Diversity, Equity, Inclu- sion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Strategic Plan is to “examine methods to support the profes- sional development of Consular Fellows.” In pursuit of this, State should give hiring preference to Consular Fellows like it currently does for veterans. Fellows should be awarded additional points on the hiring register after they’ve served a requisite amount of time supporting the department overseas. Consular Fellows bring valuable experience to the FSO ranks and are vital to the DEIA Strategic Plan’s priority to “retain and advance a diverse, high- performing workforce.” Expanding the Consular Fellows LNA program is a win-win. It will reduce NIV wait times, boost the U.S. economy, improve bilateral relations, and support the professional development of Con- sular Fellows. The department should act now to expand the program and ensure that the United States remains a welcoming and attractive destination for international visitors. Eric Bernau FSO U.S. Embassy New Delhi Ethical Challenges News of Justice Thomas’ ethical challenges recalled an experience my wife and I had on assignment in then Communist Slovenia (where we made friends with some of the nicest commu- nists you’d ever hope to meet). The local wood and furniture com- pany asked if we could help by lending our American voices for a commercial they were producing to help export their products internationally. It worked out well, but then they insisted on paying us. We said we could not accept money, but suggested they instead contribute to the Fight Against Cancer ( Boj Proti Raku ). Well and good, but soon a whole large prosciutto ham ( pršut ) worth its weight in gold was delivered to our door. Unfortu- nately, this was shortly before our planned departure; so we (quite reluctantly) gave it to friends in Zagreb who had been kind to us in lonely moments during our tour. Christopher Henze Senior USIA FSIO, retired Neuilly, Franc e “Gaming at State” — The Author Responds I was honored that Fred Hill took the time to write (March 2023 FSJ ) in response to my article on “Why the State Department Needs an Office of Diplo- matic Gaming” (November 2022 FSJ ). Mr. Hill highlighted some of the impor- tant policy games that the Office of Spe- cial Programs conducted before it was disbanded. Much more of this valuable history needs to be shared! We both agree that the State Depart- ment needs far more policy gaming capabilities to enhance foreign policy decision-making and improve diplo- macy. We have some important disagree- ments, however, over the role and scope of gaming in the State Department. Kennan and NATO I read the review of Lee Congdon’s book George Kennan for Our Time in the March 2023 FSJ with interest. In particu- lar, I agree with Joseph L. Novak’s cor- rection of Congdon’s assertion that “U.S. negotiators agreed in 1990 that NATO would not move ‘one inch into the east.’” Assertions that Secre- tary of State James Baker, in his discussions with Gorbachev, had an infor- mal verbal agreement that there would be no expansion of NATO are baseless, as I explained in a 2019 Friends of Europe article and elsewhere. Congdon notes that Kennan opposed NATO enlargement, but does not examine Kennan’s analysis of Stalin in 1947. Stalin was, in Kennan’s view, the successor in a long line of czars, whose territorial expansion by military means led Kennan to develop his containment strategy. In the summer of 2021, Russian Presi- dent Vladimir Putin described himself as a successor to Czar Peter the Great, foreshadowing his imperial Russian ambitions and the invasion of Ukraine. NATO’s opening to East Central Europe and the Baltics, with Finland, too, has blocked Russian territorial aggression in NATO states but not in Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia. Even if Kennan did not agree with NATO enlargement, Congdon could have cited his views on the Russian czars’ terri- torial expansion imperative to challenge Putin’s narrative that NATO threatens Russia. J.D. Bindenagel Ambassador, retired Bonn, Germany