The Foreign Service Journal, September 2015

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 61 AFSA NEWS Constructive Dissent in Uncertain Times THE CHR I ST I AN A . HERTER AWARD FOR A SEN I OR FORE I GN SERV I CE OF F I CER THOMAS DUFFY “I believe the world is at a strategic inflection point. The essentially unipolar world of my generation is transition- ing to a multipolar norm. And I think many of the advances we have made in the interna- tional space over those last 25 years are at risk. “Paradoxically, the way to preserve the gains of the last 25 years is to realize we can no longer do business the same way we’ve done it since the end of the Cold War. Constructive dissent, or as the U.S. military would like to put it ‘disruptive thinking,’ will be essential as we navigate the way forward.” Those were the words spoken by this year’s recipi- ent of the Christian A. Herter Award, Thomas Duffy, as he accepted his award in front of an audience comprised of distinguished diplomats, members of Congress, friends and family. Duffy received this year’s senior-level AFSA award for his actions to revive the relationship between the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York and the State Department’s Bureau of Inter- national Organization Affairs. Collaboration between the two offices had suffered since the 2009 decision to accord Cabinet-level rank to the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations. As director of IO’s Office of U.N. Political Affairs, Duffy recognized that this rift had been detrimental to efforts to advance U.S. multilateral policy. Believ- ing the United States is at its best when IO and USUN are pulling in the same direc- tion, he wrote a memo to IO’s then-new assis- tant secretary, Sheba Crocker, detailing the challenges caused by the competitive atmosphere. Motivated by Duffy’s memo, Assistant Secretary Crocker invited Permanent Representative Samantha Power to Washington, D.C., to address IO leadership. It was during that meeting that the intrepid director pitched his diagnosis of and proposed solutions to the problem. Duffy’s constructive but tough and well-timed mes- sage paved the way for an honest discussion between top USUN and IO principals. Spurred by his actions, the U.S. permanent representa- tive and the IO assistant secretary now have regular conversations, and USUN and IO coordinate early to ensure advancement of U.S. goals in places such as Libya and Yemen. Speaking at the June 9 awards ceremony, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Heather Higgin- bottom credited Duffy’s actions with setting a standard for transparent and inclusive informa- tion sharing: “The application of his ideas makes us a better advocate for the American people, and that is something to which we should all aspire.” Duffy joined the Foreign Service in 1991, and has served in Bogota, Riyadh, Baghdad, Jerusalem, Manama and Jeddah. He and his wife, Anne, have two children. n Profiles of award recipients compiled by Maria C. Livingston. GOVERN I NG BOARD APPROVES SECOND TRANCHE SUPPORT FOR U. S . D I PLOMACY CENTER At its final meeting on July 1, the 2013-2015 Ameri- can Foreign Service Association Governing Board approved a second contribution to the Diplomacy Center Foundation in the amount of $100,000. This follows AFSA’s first disbursement of $50,000 to the foundation in July 2014 (see the March 2015 AFSA News). The money is being used to sup- port construction of the U.S. Diplomacy Center, a museum that, when completed, will highlight the critical role of diplomacy and development in promoting U.S. national security and economic prosperity. n NEWS BRIEF AFSA/JOAQUINSOSA Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Heather Higginbottom (left) presents FSO Thomas Duffy with this year’s Herter Award. AFSA CONSTRUCT I VE D I SSENT AWARDS