The Foreign Service Journal, September 2013

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2013 23 Rachel Schneller , the 2008 Rivkin Award winner, spoke out publicly about developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder during her tour in Iraq. As her award citation noted, “Her willingness to bring this issue out into the open has given many other Iraq returnees the courage to seek help for their own post-deployment stress-related issues. It has resulted in the acknowledgement by senior management of the need to invest greater personnel and budgetary resources to deal with this growing problem. Despite personal sacrifice, Ms. Schneller showed enormous courage in challenging the system on an issue of life-and-death importance to career diplomats and their families.” Long before the Arab Spring, Foreign Service officers were not just monitoring the democratization movement in the Middle East, but reaching out to its members. As a political officer in Tunis, Douglas A. Silliman received the Harriman Award in 1988 for “extraordinary initiative and achievement in reporting and analyzing historic changes in Tunisia’s internal political scene.” His citation continued: “He demon- strated intellectual courage in insisting on contacts with the largely underground Islamic fundamentalist groups.” Though the Harris Award for constructive dissent by Foreign Service specialists is a relatively new program, it is already making a real difference. Andre de Nesnera , a 32-year Voice of America correspondent, bureau chief and news director, received the award in 2002 for his efforts to defend VOA’s charter and preserve the integrity of its news broad- casts. As his award citation explains, VOA correspondents work under a congressional charter that requires them to be “accurate, objective and comprehensive” in their news reporting. Even so, the Department of State and International Broadcasting Bureau exerted intense pressure on VOA not to broadcast a report that used excerpts from a post-9/11 interview with Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar. Despite the pressure, de Nesnera authorized the release of the segment, which accurately quoted Omar as saying that Osama bin Laden would not be surrendered and the Taliban was preparing for war. A Unique Professional Opportunity As these examples show, dissenting offers a unique profes- sional opportunity to draw attention to problems, contradic- tions and unproductive policies. What kind of Foreign Service will we have if employees say nothing when they see some- thing that wastes money, endangers health and safety, or damages the nation’s foreign relations? With that in mind, each of us should put dissent alongside our Service’s core values of duty, honor and country. The question should not be, “Will I hurt my career if I dissent?” Instead, it should be, “Why am I not expressing my disagree- ment?” True, taking a contrary position can be uncomfortable in an organization that values consensus and collegiality. It can damage careers and friendships, and even divide families, by forcing us to confront facts we would prefer to ignore. So why dissent? Because as professionals, we have goals beyond advancing our careers. We have a conscience, and care about our country’s fortunes and about the fate of our Service. We also have a duty to point out misguided policies— be they in Iraq or elsewhere—and to propose a constructive alternative. We are also the people on the ground with the training, knowledge, judgment and experience to advise the president and the Secretary of State. We owe it to our country to use what we know and to give our honest views, even when they may differ with current orthodoxy. For if not us, who? When AFSA issues the call for nominations for the 2014 dissent awards this fall, please consider nominating a deserv- ing colleague—or even yourself—for one of these unique awards. You will do us all a great service by honoring the best among us. n To be eligible for an AFSA award, the subject of the dissent does not have to be related to foreign policy. It can involve a management issue, consular policy or personnel regulations.