The Foreign Service Journal, September 2013

38 SEPTEMBER 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL WHATMAKES SOMEONE AN AMERICAN CITIZEN? The idea that American customs and values should be a factor in determining who becomes a U.S. citizen may soon be a thing of the past. BY JAMES R I DER AND SHANE MYERS James Rider, an FSO since 2009, is assistant cultural affairs officer in Tel Aviv. His first posting was Caracas, where he encountered the issue for which AFSA named him this year’s winner of the W. Averell Harri- man Award for constructive dissent by an entry-level FSO. Shane Myers, an FSO since 2009, was Mr. Rider’s supervisor in Caracas and joined him in pursuing his dissent. H ere’s a question they don’t ask on the Foreign Service Exam: What is an American? If you haven’t thought about that, you should. As diplomats, we represent the interests of Americans to foreign govern- ments, help protect and serve Americans living or traveling abroad, and explain “American” policy to foreign publics. So what exactly makes someone an American? If you’re a consular officer, your answer to this question is likely legalistic: An American is anyone who has U.S. citi- zenship or fulfills the legal requirements for acquiring U.S. citizenship. If you are a public diplomacy officer, your answer is probably more philosophical: An American is someone who adheres to the fundamental customs and values that make America what it is: diversity, love of freedom, respect for democracy and an appreciation of fundamental civil rights. Both definitions are correct, of course. In fact, for most of our history U.S. immigration law has used the philosophical FOCUS AFSA’S AWARDS PROGRAM