The Foreign Service Journal, September 2013

50 SEPTEMBER 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL message from a mid-level diplo- mat in Budapest was not going to change our course. I believe that a later Dissent Channel message I wrote after return- ing from Iraq, at a time when we were more open to new approaches, got more attention and perhaps more traction. What was the impact of the dissent on your career? The impact was all posi- tive, as far as I know. I’ve had good jobs since then, and one job might even have resulted from the respect I received for showing courage at a difficult time. I think there is a pretty solid understanding that this is a protected space, and we need to allow for this sort of engage- ment on policy by those who have a different understanding of things. What was the impact of the dissent award on your career? Similarly, I don’t detect any negatives, and certainly have not felt any blowback by potential bosses who might be nervous about having a “dissenter” on their team. But then I don’t think I have a reputation as the guy who nips at man- agement’s heels over every little decision. Iraq really was an anomaly. In hindsight, was dissenting the right choice? Why or why not? It was; and in the end I think I drew attention, at least on the margins, to the evolving situation in Iraq. And it may have been good for the integrity of the Service to have someone speaking out on an issue that so many knew was about to go sideways. The Washington Post actu- ally covered the AFSA awards ceremony that year, which led to far more attention to the issue than the cable itself. I did realize that simply publishing would, in most cases, be more effective than the Dissent Chan- nel, since the message would reach more people and be out for debate, not contained within a single office. Dissent Channel messages are handled by the Policy Planning staff, and there is wide discretion in how much attention they are given. The AFSA awards program, by rewarding all avenues for dissent, can play an important role in encouraging officers to use whatever venue they believe will get the most traction when they see something can be better. There is an extreme reticence among FSOs to pub- lish and, frankly, an aversion to creative thinking that needs constant prodding. Where are the constructive FSO-produced memoirs of the Iraq and Afghan Wars to match the 20-plus accounts by military officers? Where is today’s Mr. X to fill the gaping hole left by the retirement of the containment doc- trine? Or will it be Major X for this generation? n Keith W. Mines is currently political counselor at Embassy Tel Aviv, where he started his Foreign Service career. Prior to this posting he was the U.S. senior civilian representative and consul general in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, overseeing U.S. assistance and out- reach to the nine provinces of northern Afghanistan. Mr. Mines has also served in San Salvador, Port-au-Prince, Washington (Brazil Desk), Budapest, Ottawa and Mexico City. He has also done short tours in Mogadishu, Kabul, Anbar province (Iraq) and Darfur. “This is a protected space, and we need to allow for this sort of engagement on policy by those who have a different understanding of things.” —Keith Mines Mines with Admiral James G. Stavridis in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, 2012. Mines with wife, Cecile, in Mexico City.