The Foreign Service Journal, September 2003

28 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3 ho in the embassy trav- els most frequently, meets the most local citizens, and has the widest and deepest reach into local society? You might be tempted to answer “The ambas- sador, of course,” but in some countries it could be the Regional English Language Officer. RELOs comprise a small specialist corps who spend most of their time outside the embassy working on a regular basis with Ministry of Edu- cation officials; university rec- tors, deans, and professors; school board members; admin- istrators, teachers, and others involved in preparing future generations of citizens in the national education system. There are very few places in the world where English is not an obligatory subject from primary through secondary school, and the language of instruction in higher education. Even in countries hesitant to embrace American policies, English language teaching is generally perceived as “policy- neutral,” and an indispensable tool for greater economic and professional success. Marshaling embassy and Washington resources for public diplomacy programming, RELOs can help build a foundation for long-term cooper- ation with influential figures and institutions sometimes inaccessible to other embassy officials. Regional English Language Officers are Foreign Service specialists in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs who work in the public affairs sections of selected embassies around the world. In broad terms, they plan and implement exchanges and other programs targeted to government officials, education administra- tors, professors, teachers, and students from the public and private sectors in the host country. Their Washington home is the Office of English Language Programs (ECA/A/L). Currently there are 24 RELOs: 15 overseas, four in Washington, three on excursion tours as cultural affairs officers, and two in training at NFATC. As specialists, RELOs bring specific academic creden- tials and professional experience to the department. Minimum requirements include an M.A. in language teaching, linguistics, or a related discipline, plus some international teaching and administrative experience. Nine are former Fulbright schol- ars, seven are former Peace Corps Volunteers, and of the last eight RELOs hired, six have Ph.D.s. As a group they average eight years of international work experience before joining the Foreign Service. The RELO’s Work and Resources As the job title indicates, RELOs have regional respon- sibilities and all 15 positions overseas require frequent and extended travel. The geographic coverage may be rela- tively small — such as Central America for the RELO based in San Jose and Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, and the Caucasus for the RELO in Kiev — or it can be enormous. The RELO in Pretoria is responsible for 11 countries in southern Africa, and the RELO in Budapest covers 16 countries in central and eastern Europe. To carry out their work, RELOs are given a modest budget from ECA for their own travel and programs. Major program costs are shared with posts and the public diplomacy offices of the geographic bureaus. By necessity, RELOs become F O C U S O N F S S P E C I A L I S T S P UBLIC D IPLOMACY ’ S “S ECRET W EAPON ”: RELO S B Y W ILLIAM A NCKER R EGIONAL E NGLISH L ANGUAGE O FFICERS CAN BUILD COOPERATION WITH INFLUENTIAL FIGURES AND INSTITUTIONS SOMETIMES INACCESSIBLE TO OTHER EMBASSY OFFICIALS . W