THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2024 73 AFSA NEWS 2024 AFSA Strategic Writing Award Winner: Mark Gul Mark Gul, a Foreign Service officer and recent National Defense University (NDU) graduate, has been awarded the prestigious AFSA Strategic Writing Award for his insightful and timely paper, “Lessons from the Russo-Finnish and Serbo-Croatian Wars for the Battlefields of Ukraine.” The AFSA Strategic Writing Award (formerly known as the George F. Kennan Strategic Writing Award) recognizes the best essay on strategy or policy from among the current Foreign Service cohort of NDU graduates. AFSA President Tom Yazdgerdi presented Gul with the award at AFSA headquarters on June 26. In 2006 Gul joined the State Department as a civil servant. He was an operations specialist in the Operations Center before becoming an operations officer in State’s Crisis Management Support Office, covering the Near East and SouthCentral Asia portfolios. He entered the Foreign Service as a political officer in 2010 and has served in Moscow, Tel Aviv, Lisbon, and Belgrade. His next assignment is as political-economic chief at the U.S. embassy in Ashgabat. Gul’s essay explores the Russo-Finnish War (Winter War) of 1939-1940 and the Serbo-Croatian War (1991), drawing parallels between the two and extracting lessons for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. He argues that while each conflict is uniquely influenced by local contexts and geopolitical realities, historical case studies provide invaluable insights for modern strategists and policymakers. Gul highlights the Russo-Finnish War as a pertinent case study for Ukraine, providing lessons in leveraging local knowledge, speed, mobility, and guerrilla tactics to counter a superior adversary. He draws comparisons to Ukraine’s current defensive strategies and stresses the critical role of external support, paralleling the aid Finland received with Ukraine’s international backing, writing: “The war reminds us of the critical role of external partners, both in warfighting and in conflict resolution.” Similarly, Gul examines the Serbo-Croatian War, illustrating how Croatia built up its military strength and reclaimed occupied territories despite facing a superior military. The deployment of UN peacekeeping forces in Croatia provided critical breathing room for the country to rebuild and prepare for future phases of the conflict. Originally from L’viv, Ukraine, Gul grew up in Virginia Beach, Va. He earned his BS from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service (2006) and his MS from the Joint Advanced Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College, National Defense University (2024). Gul speaks Ukrainian, Serbian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian. He and his wife, Olya, have two children, Sofiya and Nestor. n Guidance on In-State College Tuition The AFSA-supported 2021 federal law granting in-state college tuition rates to Foreign Service members, their spouses, and dependents in their state of domicile is now fully in effect. While some states implemented the policy last year, all remaining states are required to comply starting with the first college enrollment period after July 1, 2024. Foreign Service families seeking in-state tuition in their state of domicile should review guidance on the AFSA website regarding domicile determination. If applicable, families are encouraged to take steps to strengthen their case for qualifying. Additionally, AFSA provides a fact sheet on its website to assist members in explaining their qualification for in-state tuition to public college admissions offices. AFSA members who receive an adverse determination regarding in-state tuition from a public college or university, despite presenting clear evidence of past and continuing ties to their state, can ask AFSA to write a letter on their behalf to help make the case for in-state tuition in accordance with federal law. Contact AFSA at member@afsa.org for assistance. n AFSA/MARK PARKHOMENKO Mark Gul (right) receives his award from Tom Yazdgerdi at AFSA HQ on June 26.
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