The Foreign Service Journal, September 2014

10 SEPTEMBER 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL The association also worked with the department to find creative solutions for those officers who were in temporary duty limbo between overseas assignments. Those efforts broke the logjam for more than 1,000 Foreign Service officers and spe- cialists awaiting promotions and tenure, and helped smooth the way for progress on individual confirma- tions. I have been at post for a month now, and remain honored and humbled to serve my country here. I owe a debt of thanks to a very long list of people who helped me along the way. However, in this time of politi- cal polarization, the importance of an organization to advocate for those who have dedicated their lives and careers to the service of America’s national security interests has never been greater. AFSA is fulfilling that vital role. Brian A. Nichols Ambassador Embassy Lima Irreplaceable Reporting Having reported from embassies in Vietnam, Korea and the Congo at critical junctures, I read the July-August issue on political and economic reporting with intense interest. I was glad for the chance to find out how technology has affected the reporting process in the 29 years since my retirement. I was also grateful for the issue’s affirmation of the continu- ing importance of reporting officers. Two things, however, appeared not to be included. One was identification of the essence of overseas reporting. The other was why reporting from Foreign Service posts has superior value. About them I would say the following. Overseas reporting consists essen- The Weight of Waiting Three hundred and sixty. It’s a nice round number, but a long time to wait when counting the days. I had the honor of being nominated as the U.S. ambas- sador to Peru in June 2013 and was con- firmed in June 2014—360 days later. During that year, I heard a lot about the unprecedented political and proce- dural battles in the Senate that saw some 250 executive branch nominees wait end- lessly for confirmation. Secretary of State John Kerry, the Bureau of Legislative Affairs and many senior State Department officials advo- cated for us—first behind the scenes and then very vocally. Individual senators, in my own case two superb Rhode Island home-state senators, did everything they could to be supportive. However, the disputes on the Hill often appeared intractable. The wait took a major toll on my family and on U.S. foreign relations. As I write this, there are still numerous highly qualified career officers awaiting confirmation for posi- tions overseas and in Washington. Those who might doubt the signifi- cance of the American Foreign Service Association’s decision to confront this problem should know that AFSA con- tinues to play a vital role advocating for some three dozen career ambassado- rial nominees waiting for confirmation. Through its network of contacts and vigorous advocacy, AFSA has engaged numerous congressional staff, senators and department officials to promote a solution. In my case, AFSA provided invalu- able advice on time-in-class regulations, allowances, tactics and options. AFSA also mobilized key constituencies like businesses and civil society to advocate for the critical work of ambassadors and senior officials. LETTERS tially of taking the welter of data assail- ing one in such a setting and relating it to an underlying theme, giving it coherence in place of confusion. This theme needs to emerge from the data themselves rather than being imposed from outside. Allowing it to emerge entails risks. But only through its emergence does reporting become truly policy-relevant—and likely to be read. As for the superior value of reporting from overseas posts, reporting officers have been entrusted with the interests of the United States in a way that journalists and others have not. It should be noted that the disciplines of reporting have further applications. With those skills, I’ve been able to widely share my analyses of developments in the worldwide Anglican Communion. And they have enabled me to write the forthcoming book, Theology and the Disciplines of the Foreign Service , which is concerned with the major contribu- tion that such disciplines can make to theology. The Rev. Theodore L. Lewis FSO and FSR, retired Germantown, Md. Education on the SAT Thanks to the FSJ and always-excel- lent author and all-around-nice-person Francesca Kelly for her terrific article on the newly revised SAT in the June Educa- tion Supplement. It is very helpful to par- ents like us with children just departing middle school . Joe Costantino Information Management Specialist Embassy Ljubljana n