14 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2025 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL I n this month’s edition, we spotlight SoftPower/ FulStories, a new podcast launching September 5. This weekly show brings listeners into the human side of U.S. soft power through the stories of those who have lived it. Created and hosted by former U.S. diplomat Christopher Wurst, the series moves beyond policy discussions to share personal stories from Peace Corps volunteers, USAID workers, Fulbright scholars, and others whose work abroad has left a lasting mark. The debut season will feature 40 narrative-driven episodes, beginning with four launch-day releases. Guests include former USAID health worker Carl Henn, entrepreneur Elizabeth Gore, returned Peace Corps volunteer Glenn Blumhorst, and former U.S. Ambassador Pamela White. From village life in Guatemala to public health crises in Africa, these stories illustrate how foreign assistance and cultural exchange shape communities and the people serving in them. Episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other major platforms. Learn more at www.softpowerfulstories.org or follow @softpowerfulstories on Instagram. Podcast of the Month: SoftPower/FulStories The appearance of a particular site or podcast is for information only and does not constitute an endorsement. The biscuits, stored in a Dubai warehouse, were ready for handoff to the World Food Programme, which typically handles such distributions. But following a Trump executive order that froze nearly all foreign aid and dismantled USAID as a stand-alone agency, career staff were stripped of the authority to act. Requests to release the food, sent repeatedly from January to April, went unanswered. When Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured Congress in May that he would ensure food aid reached its intended recipients, the destruction order had already been issued. The administration offered no public rationale for withholding aid from Pakistan and Afghanistan but previously cited “terrorist risk” as a reason for halting aid to Yemen. In Afghanistan, the World Food Programme now reaches only one in 10 people in urgent need. According to one USAID estimate, the biscuits alone could have fed every child facing acute food insecurity in Gaza for a week. USGLC Releases “Blueprint for America” On May 7, the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition unveiled a 10-point “Blueprint for America” that urges the next administration and Congress to treat international assistance as a core pillar of a renewed “Peace Through Strength” strategy. Ten proposals call for giving the private sector a “meaningful seat at the table,” expanding development-finance tools and negotiated compacts, and requiring greater burden-sharing from allies to stretch every U.S. dollar abroad. To sharpen competition with China, Russia, and other rivals, the document recommends aligning aid with U.S. strategic interests: securing critical minerals, fortifying supply chains, and integrating economic statecraft into embassy operations. USAID, and other foreign affairs personnel from unjustified reductions in force (RIFs). The bill responds to Trump administration plans for widespread cuts in the federal workforce. Endorsed by AFSA, the bill aims to preserve a strong, professional diplomatic corps at a time of rising global instability. The legislation requires agencies to justify major RIFs, assess their impact on U.S. competitiveness and mission readiness, and ensure decisions are based on performance. It also mandates adequate notice to affected employees and advance congressional notification before changes to personnel policies. On July 11, the State Department laid off more than 1,300 staff in a RIF, including approximately 250 Foreign Service personnel. See page 59 for more details. Read the full text of the act at https:// bit.ly/RIFbill. It also presses for faster, betterbranded humanitarian responses, streamlined global-health programs, and data-driven accountability, arguing that $1 in conflict-prevention spending can save $16 in crisis costs. The coalition notes that U.S. foreign assistance has fallen to 0.2 percent of GDP—a third of the Reagan-era level— and contends that “modernizing, retooling, and strongly deploying” diplomacy and development alongside defense is essential to keep America “stronger, safer and more prosperous.” Read the full document at https:// www.usglc.org/blueprint2025/. Safeguarding the Workforce On July 1, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and nine Democratic colleagues introduced the Protecting America’s Diplomatic Workforce Act (S.2204) to shield State Department,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODIyMDU=