10 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2025 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL LETTERS Why We Need AFSA Congratulations on the recent issues of The Foreign Service Journal with stories, some horrifying, of how our colleagues, especially USAID colleagues and families, have been tormented by sudden and capricious layoffs. Remarkable people and remarkable coverage. These developments and the shattering of the State Department that we watched in early July were a reminder of why we need AFSA. Thank you for what you are doing. As a retiree, I find it painful to witness our successors and our future being torn apart. Tell us what we can do to support you in the fight. Dave Keegan State FSO, retired Alexandria, Virginia Shattered Lives Reading the firsthand accounts from the field by our colleagues and friends working at USAID in the April-May Journal reminds me of the bad memories and shattered lives following the Aug. 7, 1998, East Africa embassy bombings. I was serving as an FSN (Foreign Service National) for USAID Mission Kenya at the time. The decision to freeze funding and reduce projects as we completely shut down USAID missions and recall mission staff in the field back home was quite shocking and depressing, to say the least. Nobody anticipated something like that would happen or the speed at which it happened. It was painful to not only the U.S. ranks or prizes loyalty to Trump, rather than competence and commitment to America, in the hiring process. Finally, an effective Foreign Service is needed to protect Americans abroad. In cities like Damascus and Belgrade, I routinely met with Americans who’d lost passports, fallen sick, been robbed, been arrested, or who were being held hostage—in some cases, without any criminal charges filed against them. It often took great persuasion for a government or regime to allow a person to be escorted to another country. I was effective, primarily, because I’d taken the time to develop working relationships with such figures as the city’s chief of police. What will happen to travelers if the Trump administration goes through with its plans to cut consular personnel and even close embassies, including some in Africa? In 1961, when I was sworn in as a Foreign Service officer, I was inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural message: “Let every nation know … that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty.” Today, our president treats our allies with contempt, and there’s talk of shrinking the programs that help secure international peace and the free flow of travel. I hope current and former Foreign Service members will write to news- papers, call their congressional representatives, and go to the voting booth to protect an agency that actually helps to make America great. Otho Eskin FSO, retired Bethesda, Maryland diplomats and their families but also the USAID FSNs, NGO partners, and the local communities that will no longer receive essential humanitarian assistance or disaster relief to address issues such as food insecurity, health, water, and sanitation. As one of the Foreign Service officers in your June collection put it correctly: “From the ashes of what remains, we will rise again. Stronger. Wiser.” Francis Ywaya FSN, retired USAID/Kenya & East Africa Nairobi, Kenya Diplomacy Imperiled As many of us retired from the Foreign Service know, retrenching the Service imperils our diplomatic efforts and threatens the lives of officers and the Americans they serve abroad. Why? Let’s start with diplomacy: Closing offices leaves the field to other nations such as China and Russia. Why would we forfeit our footholds in countries that don’t share our values? And why would we compromise standards for diplomats entering the field, especially when the world is so unstable? Next, our security. Having long served abroad, I know that the gig isn’t all cocktails and garden parties. Several of my colleagues were killed in the line of duty. Within a few days of arriving in Damascus, I myself had to hole up during an attempted coup d’état. Tanks rolled through the streets, and fighter planes flew at rooftop level. I shudder to think how much more vulnerable my successors will be if the Trump administration slashes their
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODIyMDU=