The Foreign Service Journal, September 2015

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 65 AFSA NEWS Democracy Promotion: The Greatest Job in the World THE MARK PALMER AWARD FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF DEMOCRACY ANDREW YOUNG In 1998, Foreign Service Officer Andrew Young penned an article titled “A Prayer for Burma” for inclusion in the second edition of the Ameri- can Foreign Service Asso- ciation’s guide to life in the Foreign Service, Inside a U.S. Embassy (Foreign Service Books, 2003). He was Embassy Ran- goon’s political officer at the time, and offered the following reflection: “I’ve met the bravest people in my life here. The Burmese struggle on for democracy despite the repression, despite setbacks. Here the State Department wages a righteous fight for justice. Some day the Burmese people will win their freedom. I pray that change comes soon, comes peace- fully and comes before more lives are destroyed.” It would be another 12 years before the country would see transition from its nearly six decades of military rule to a quasi-civilian gov- ernment. Young is the recipient of the first-ever Mark Palmer Award for the Advancement of Democracy, established in honor of the late Ambas- sador Palmer, a lifelong champion of democracy and human rights. One might argue that an FSO’s success in advancing democracy can be measured by the number of autocratic feathers he or she manages to ruffle. By that standard, Young takes the prize. In Burma, Young irritated a slew of ruling generals in the State Law and Order Restoration Council by aiding those advocating a peace- ful transition to democracy, such as Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and others in the National League for Democ- racy. The former Kim Jong Il called the passage of the ADVANCE Democracy Act of 2007—legislation institution- alizing democracy promo- tion at State, which Young helped draft—an immoral interference in North Korea’s domestic affairs. And in his current assign- ment as deputy chief of mission in war-torn Mali, a once democratic stronghold, Young’s work to foster peace negotiations between gov- ernment officials and rebel leaders is presenting serious roadblocks to al-Qaida-linked extremists in the region. For Young, democracy and human rights promotion is a moral calling: “Being a Foreign Service officer is the greatest job in the world! Where else do we have the privilege of being able to serve our country and promote our core values and to make the world a little bit better?” Arguably, the fight for democracy in Burma, Mali and so many places around the world continues on. The flip side of the marker of success measured by the number of one’s autocratic foes, is the number of one’s friends who are democracy heavyweights. When Suu Kyi was pre- sented with the Congressio- nal Medal of Honor in 2012 for her peaceful struggle against military rule, she per- sonally invited Young to sit in the first row along with other notable allies, including for- mer Secretaries of State and Defense Madeleine Albright and William Cohen. Young joined Embassy Bamako as DCM in July 2013, but has served as chargé d’affaires since 2014. His other tours include Wash- ington, D.C., South Korea, France, New Zealand, Burma, India and Hong Kong. n FSOAndrewYoung recalls the many champions of freedom he’s met throughout his career. AFSA/JOAQUINSOSA Young poses with friends at the June 9 ceremony. AFSA/JOAQUINSOSA AFSA EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE AWARDS