The Foreign Service Journal, September 2009

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 9 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 63 bassy Podgorica. Ms. Gallardo has taken her responsibilities at post far beyond her job description, revamping operat- ing systems, arranging for staff training, creating a new financial system for the ambassadorial residence and even teach- ing English to the local guard force. Caldwell Harrop, representingmembers of the Harrop family, who administer both the Delavan and the Harris awards, presented the award to Ms. Gallardo. Awards for Constructive Dissent Barron I. Rosen strenuously ob- jected to a liability waiver that Miami- based couriers were forced to sign before taking flights on old cargo planes. His persistence in questioning the legality of the waiver continued even after it was met with fierce resistance frommanage- ment. Ultimately the waiver practice was discontinued, the U.S. government replaced travel on old cargo planes with commercial airliners and the situation was vastly improved forMiami couriers. The TexHarrisAward (established with the support of the Delavan Foundation) honors FS specialists like Mr. Rosen for speaking out and challenging the status quo at risk to their career. After receiving the award from Mr. Harrop, Mr. Rosen spoke eloquently on the merits of dissent, quoting Senator J. WilliamFulbright:“In a democracy, dis- sent is an act of faith.” Rosen went on to explain, “After all, at the time that we dissent, we cannot know the outcome. That is why I’m pleased that AFSA and the Delavan Foundation find it worthy to recognize those who have the courage to speak out and the moral clarity to be right.” The William R. Rivkin Award , named for the late ambassador to Lux- embourg, Senegal and The Gambia, is awarded to a mid-level Foreign Service officer who has exhibited extraordinary accomplishment involving initiative, in- tegrity, intellectual courage and con- structive dissent. This year, the Rivkin family and other members of the award committee felt there were two highly qualified candidates for this recognition. Charles and Robert Rivkin, sons of WilliamR. Rivkin, presented the awards. Jeffrey Collins (Embassy Ankara) immersed himself in human rights is- sues during his tour in Turkey, creating a large and effective network of human rights activists, embassy colleagues, gov- ernment officials, local citizens and counterparts from other diplomatic missions. Through interaction with this network, Mr. Collins was able to raise awareness of human rights deficiencies and even successfully urge the govern- ment to provide police protection for at- risk activists following the assassination of human rights defender Hrant Dink. Mr. Collins also worked hard to change the way the U.S. government re- ports on human rights. He pointed out the weaknesses and redundancies in the current process of producing an array of congressionally mandated human rights reports, made concrete proposals to streamline the process, and then lobbied the State Department at various levels to adopt his proposals. During his accept- ance speech, Mr. Collins highlighted the declining amount of dissent in the de- partment during recent times, and urged senior leaders to take steps to reinvigo- rate the culture of dissent that Ambassa- dor Rivkin valued and nurtured. Like many who ultimately choose to voice their dissent, Michael C. Gonza- les (Embassy Addis Ababa) found him- self between a rock and a hard place when the U.S. administration was will- ing to overlook human rights violations in Ethiopia because of that country’s role as a peacekeeper in the region. Mr. Gonzales doggedly reported on the sti- fling of political dissent as well as a growing economic instability that was leading to hyperinflation and food shortages, and urged the State Depart- ment to rethink its policy toward Ethiopia. He was also instrumental in opening the way for humanitarian as- sistance in Ethiopia’s Ogaden region. Despite his concern and dedication to this issue, or perhaps because of it, Mr. Gonzales encountered opposition from some senior U.S. officials, to the point of risking his career. In accepting the award, Mr. Gonza- les pulled no punches in addressing the importance of dissent, and objective re- porting, declaring that the Rivkin Award “highlights a vulnerability that our foreign policymaking institutions face.” He continued, “Throughout my decade in the department, I have ob- served officials with an agenda attempt to suppress information to perpetuate a particular narrative within the U.S. government. These practices under- mine U.S. interests by denying the in- teragency access to complete informa- tion upon which to make decisions.” Mr. Gonzales concluded his remarks with his belief “that American diplo- macy should be mythic — demon- strating U.S. values, integrity and leader- ship — not mythical.” For individual profiles of each award winner, please see the July-August issue of AFSA News , available in print or on- line at www.fsjournal.org . The AFSA Awards and Plaques Committee will soon begin soliciting nominations for the 2010 year. For more information on the awards, in- cluding how to submit a nomination, please contact Barbara Berger at berger@afsa.org , or visit the Web site at www.afsa.org/awards/index.cfm. ❏ A F S A N E W S DCM Addis Ababa Deborah Malac, right, con- gratulates Rivkin Award winner Michael Gon- zales after the ceremony, June 18. Rivkin Award winner Jeffrey Collins is flanked by Robert Rivkin (left) and Charles Rivkin (right) at the AFSA annual awards ceremony, June 18. MIKKELA THOMPSON MIKKELA THOMPSON