The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2023

20 JULY-AUGUST 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL T his weekday podcast by Federal News Network explores current issues facing the executive branch through inter- views with federal executives and government contractors. Hosted since 2006 by TomTemin, a government informa- tion technology journalist, episodes range in length from 45 minutes to an hour and don’t shy away from granular topics. Temin addresses such issues as barriers to digital transformation in government agencies, the case for evidence-based policymaking on Capitol Hill, and how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could improve pandemic readiness. For commuters literally making a “federal drive,” the podcast can also be heard on the airwaves at 1500 AM in the Washington, D.C., region. In her opening remarks before HFAC and SFRC, the Administrator said the new budget would help the agency promote democracy abroad, bolster broadly shared economic growth, and meet grow- ing humanitarian needs. The funding would also go toward USAID’s workforce, funding the staff necessary to carry out the agency’s ambitious agenda. She spoke at length about the reversal of previously positive trends, noting that the pandemic damaged health systems and economies, and that rising inflation has been exacerbated by Russia’s war in Ukraine, pushing more communities toward poverty. She said the new budget is needed to address these challenges, thereby also bolstering America’s national security and prosperity. Diplomats Respond to “The Diplomat” R eleased on April 20 to an eager “worldwide available” audience, Netflix’s new series “The Diplomat” takes some liberties in its portrayal of life in the U.S. Foreign Service. Nevertheless, we FACEBOOKSCREENSHOT Site of the Month: Federal Drive (http://bit.ly/FederalDrive ) The appearance of a particular site or podcast is for information only and does not constitute an endorsement. know many of you have been bingeing— and airing your takes. Here, members of the FS community respond to the show: Kate and Hal felt emblematic of two types of Foreign Service officers: Kate, the hard working, behind-the- scenes bureaucrat who would rather be in Kabul mitigating the fallout of a multi- decade foreign policy crisis. And Hal, the ego-driven, calculating counterpart who craves the spotlight, wanting power for the sake of power. Like any institution, the State Department has its fair share of Hals, which prompts the question: how do we recruit and retain more Kates? —Maryum Saifee, FSO As a diplomat, it’s difficult not to be a purist while watching the show, but I realize some creative license is needed to sell this to a wider audience. (Not sure clearing demarche talking points makes for good TV, for example.) That said, I’d compare diplomats watching “The Dip- lomat” to pilots watching “Airplane”—a hilarious stretch of the imagination, but still very entertaining. —Anthony Eterno, FSO I was very disappointed in this show. I don’t know why Hollywood feels the need to portray high-powered women as frazzled and high strung instead of poised and in control, like most ambassadors I have worked for. —Jane Vizzi, former FSO It’s great to see diplomacy foregrounded in a Hollywood production about national security. There are basically no pop culture images of heroic diplomats, but Keri Russell’s Amb. Kate Wyler character is courageous, razor-sharp, and has a strong sense of purpose. She reminds me of a lot of the women (and men) I know at the State Department. We should celebrate our diplomats. They are shaping history in real time and rarely get any credit. The show also does a great job show- casing the mechanisms of diplomacy. Foreign policy expresses itself in the subtleties of private messages and public statements. The ambassador is shown chess- piecing high-level visits, managing com- plicated alliances, interpreting uncertain intelligence, and generating least-bad strategies to avoid what the show suggests is a slippery slope toward nuclear war. —Dan Spokojny, former FSO This edition of Talking Points was compiled by Julia Wohlers. n In a Facebook post, FS spouse Gunner Hamlyn shares his thoughts on how the Netflix show could have been titled. EFM (eligible family member) is the official designation for a Foreign Service family member.