The Foreign Service Journal, September 2013

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2013 15 The July 8 [ Washington Post ] editorial “Pursuing a Narrow Peace” was too narrow. Secretary of State John F. Kerry’s diplomatic efforts are the best strategy for addressing the complex chaos in the Middle East. There is nothing “nar- row” about trying, after all these decades, to achieve a better outcome than the inevi- table conflict and danger to both Israel and the Palestinian Authority from unending confrontation Furthermore, it is wrong to think that Mr. Kerry has neglected the Syrian and Egyp- tian crises, which are interconnected with the peace process. There is much more going on diplomatically than is credited. It is an effort that is also related to a wide grouping of Arab states that must be part of any long-term peace in the region. President Obama, Mr. Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel realize the signifi- cance of the peace process and the centrality of the two-state solution, without which there will be no peace for anyone. The proffered “economic” prize for all sides shows how serious this effort is. In sum, the Obama administration clearly sees a wide range of solutions and challenges in the region. It is the Post that seems to be looking through a narrow and, frankly, too negative lens. —From an op-ed in the July 12 Washington Post by retired FSO Harry C. Blaney III, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy. Contemporary Quote small-town activist and political party operative who is moving higher in non- elective politics. Leon Strummer is a high-powered Washington lawyer. Whether operat- ing behind the scenes or in public, he is always a major player in power circles. He is profane, arrogant and abrasive. Gretta (no last name given), whom we meet in the second act, is a maid in the home of the Danish minister of sport and recreation. She is sometimes casual about what is hers and what is not. In the first act, set in the Butts’ fam- ily room in Union, Ill., Valerie (played winningly by Patsy Magno) hatches her scheme to escape her Midwestern “pur- gatory” and return to political life. The second act unfolds in Embassy Copen- hagen, where we watch Ambassador Valerie Butts juggle several overlapping crises. “Madam Ambassador” began life as a one-act play written for two performers. After a successful public reading, Ryan expanded it to two acts, and restructured the play to bring three characters on stage who were originally offstage. The new ver- sion received appreciative public readings in the Washington, D.C., area and London before coming to the Fringe Festival.