The Foreign Service Journal, September 2022

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2022 23 Speaking Out is the Journal ’s opinion forum, a place for lively discussion of issues affecting the U.S. Foreign Service and American diplomacy. The views expressed are those of the author; their publication here does not imply endorsement by the American Foreign Service Association. Responses are welcome; send them to journal@afsa.org. rate with artists and storytellers—they can spark the imagination of the people you want to reach, certainly better than PowerPoint can. Or look for unusual times to meet with unusual people, like conversations over beer with your adversaries, or tea with the town merchants. You never know where things can lead. Do not be afraid to try something that sounds a bit odd, like a reality TV show, or a rock concert, a telenovela, or sports. Yep, I’ve tried them all. Next, this work requires courage . Sometimes that can mean physical courage, like visiting a dangerous place. But more frequently it requires speaking truth to power, or truth to your skeptical colleagues. Go ahead, speak your mind. Mobilize your evidence and arguments, but take a stand. And, as for Weber’s politician, democ- racy work requires perspective . I said earlier that it is not about you. I take that back. It is about you and about the United States. It’s just not in the way we are accustomed to thinking. How things end depends on our host country. How they begin depends on us. What you are doing reflects who we are. The United States supports democracy because if it did not, it would not be the United States. If, God forbid, we lose our democracy, we cease to be the United States. What you are doing is inherently right, no matter the result. Your work mat- ters. You matter. n How things end depends on our host country. How they begin depends on us.