THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2026 51 AFSA NEWS A Profession Worth Defending Much has changed in Foggy Bottom and the world since I left the AFSA presidency in July 2025, and retired soon thereafter. AFSA’s collective bargaining rights were taken and USAID, our secondlargest member organization, was eviscerated. Many foreign affairs professionals have been summarily fired, reducing our size and capacity. The nonpartisan career Foreign Service has been belittled and sidelined. Near daily attacks on our profession have left us all a bit numb. I want to recognize President John “Dink” Dinkelman, current Governing Board members, and the amazing AFSA staff for their efforts under these unprecedented circumstances. What has caused this administration to act this way? What have we done to deserve this? There is no evidence to support the argument that the Foreign Service is rife with agents of “wokeness,” with those whose liberal orientation will not permit them to faithfully carry out the foreign policy priorities of this administration. Members of the U.S. Foreign Service have always carried out the priorities of every administration, regardless of political orientation, though it is true that almost everyone at some point in their career will have to implement a policy with which they do not personally agree. I had my share with both Democratic and Republican administrations. But if we want to serve, we must stay true to what we learned on day one in A-100 orientation: You are not your own Secretary of State; you implement the policies of the administration in charge. If you cannot, you should look for other work. We all know, however, that there is more to it than that. Of course, we implement policy. But we were also hired to think, to ask questions, to challenge assumptions, to reconcile policy made in Washington, D.C., with facts on the ground worldwide—all with the overarching purpose to advance America’s interests, as defined by whichever administration is in power. We used to make our views known through our chain of command and, if necessary, through the Dissent Channel. These days, it is far more difficult, if not impossible, to express an alternative viewpoint. Rational arguments, buttressed by facts and lived experience, are no longer the order of the day. And our role in providing dispassionate foreign policy advice has suffered greatly as a result. As a professional association and labor union, AFSA has striven to support this nonpartisan, professional orientation—to make the Foreign Service stronger and a better place to work. AFSA has more than proven its worth over the years to State and other foreign affairs agencies in finding ways to benefit the workforce. Because nearly 80 percent of Foreign Service members are also AFSA members, AFSA has helped management by essentially sharing the burden to jointly arrive at creative solutions. During my tenure as president, AFSA was successful in getting an unprecedented 10-year authorization for Overseas Comparability Pay and finally, after decades of trying, got per diem for all new employees—including those hired locally. For the entire federal workforce, AFSA convinced the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to start health benefits from the first day on the job. Sadly, before the comment period in the Federal Register ended, the current administration axed it. I discussed the benefits of AFSA with the Deputy Secretary of State last year on several occasions, when senior leaders at State still talked with us. I emphasized that AFSA helps the department deal with employee issues more effectively than the department could ever do on its own. In other words, a healthy AFSA means a healthy workforce, resulting in a healthy foreign affairs agency. Unfortunately, nothing came of it. In my retirement, I often talk with people who are interested in joining the Foreign Service. Naturally, I encourage them, eagerly relating my experiences in this uniquely challenging and rewarding career. Against the backdrop of what is happening to our proud profession, it is now a tough pitch to make. But I remain convinced that one day we will once again have an administration, whether Republican or Democratic, that sees the benefits of what AFSA and the Foreign Service do and moves to restore our collective bargaining rights, provide funding necessary to carry out our duties, and renew the partnership that has created the finest diplomatic corps in the world. In the meantime, please do all you can to support AFSA. If your membership has lapsed, please renew it. And if you can donate to the Legal Defense Fund, please do. In this 250th anniversary year of our beloved nation, I am reminded of the poignant line often attributed to Benjamin Franklin at the signing of the Declaration of Independence: “We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.” n —Tom Yazdgerdi, AFSA President, 2023–2025 n
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