The Foreign Service Journal, October 2004

Embassy Baghdad Hit We need no reminders that service in Iraq is dangerous. But lest anyone forget, AFSA has posted photos from the August mortar attack that hit Embassy Baghdad’s communications unit. Two colleagues were injured in the attack: fortunately, neither injury was life-threatening. To see the pho- tos, go to www.afsa.org/ baghdadpics.cfm. Calling AFSA Reps As AFSA post representatives, you are in the best position to know the current concerns at your post and what issues AFSA should be paying attention to in order to better serve members and the broader Foreign Service community. To use the currently fashionable military- speak, you are AFSA’s “boots on the ground” around the world. We plan to initiate a semi-regular fea- ture in AFSA News focusing on the work of AFSA post reps, member concerns and the association’s advocacy on behalf of members in the field. We want to hear from you, so please send input to Foreign Service Journal Associate Editor Shawn Dorman at dorman@afsa.org. Briefs • Continued on page 6 2 AFSA NEWS • OCTOBER 2004 AFSA NEWS BRIEFS Welcome to New Board Members AFSA welcomed three new Governing Board members in August, following the depar- tures of State reps Ray Maxwell and Cynthia Efird, and IBB Rep Alex Belida. The new State reps are Tulinabo “Tuli” Mushingi and Elizabeth Horst, and the new IBB rep is Laurie Kassman, also a member of the Foreign Service Journal’ s Editorial Board. Laurie Kassman joined the Voice of America in 1983 and has served in Mexico City as correspondent for Mexico and Central America; Washington; Paris; Cairo; and London (covering crises in the Middle East and Eastern Europe). She is now based in Washington, and has done stints in Baghdad and other hot spots. Before joining the Foreign Service in 1991, Tuli Mushingi worked for the Peace Corps and taught at sever- al universities, including Dartmouth College and Howard University. He has served in Kuala Lumpur, Maputo, Casablanca and Washington. He was the featured admin offi- cer in AFSA’s best seller, Inside a U.S. Embassy . Elizabeth Horst is a new-entry profes- sional who joined the Foreign Service in 2001 after serving in the Peace Corps. Her first FS assignment was to Lahore, and she is now serving in the State Department Operations Center. Welcome to all! AFSA and Politics: Remaining Non-Partisan There has been much buzz recently about groups of retired Foreign Service and military personnel joining the election-year political debate. (See Cybernotes for details on the various groups.) AFSA recognizes that our retired colleagues have the right to express freely their views concerning American foreign policy and American politics in what- ever forums they wish. In fact, such expressions can make a valuable contribu- tion to a more informed national discussion on foreign policy. AFSA wishes to remind members that the association takes no position con- cerning foreign policy questions or political candidates. We remind active-duty Foreign Service personnel that they, as all federal employees, are enjoined by the Hatch Act of 1937 from participation in partisan activities of any political party. For further information on Hatch Act provisions, see the Legal Affairs Bureau’s Web page on the State Department site, www.state.gov. Staff: Executive Director Susan Reardon: reardon@afsa.org Business Department Controller Kalpna Srimal: srimal@afsa.org Accounting Assistant Steven Tipton: tipton@afsa.org Labor Management General Counsel Sharon Papp: papps@state.gov Labor Management Attorney Zlatana Badrich: badrichz@state.gov Labor Management Specialist James Yorke: yorkej@state.gov USAID Senior Labor Management Advisor Douglas Broome: dbroome@usaid.gov USAID Office Manager Asgeir Sigfusson: asigfusson@usaid.gov Grievance Attorneys Charles Henderson: hendersonch@state.gov an d Neera Parikh: parikhna@state.gov Office Manager Christine Warren: warrenc@state.gov Law Clerk Marques Peterson: petersonmo@state.gov Member Services Director Janet Hedrick: hedrick@afsa.org Representative Cory Nishi: nishi@afsa.org Web site & Database Associate Meijing Shan: shan@afsa.org Administrative Assistant Ana Lopez: lopez@afsa.org Outreach Programs Retiree Liaison Bonnie Brown: brown@afsa.org Director of Communications Thomas Switzer: switzer@afsa.org Congressional Affairs Director Ken Nakamura: nakamura@afsa.org Corporate Relations/Executive Assistant Austin Tracy: tracy@afsa.org Scholarship Director Lori Dec: dec@afsa.org Professional Issues Coordinator Barbara Berger: berger@afsa.org AFSA HEADQUARTERS: (202) 338-4045; Fax: (202) 338-6820 STATE DEPARTMENT AFSA OFFICE: (202) 647-8160; Fax: (202) 647-0265 USAID AFSA OFFICE: (202) 712-1941; Fax: (202) 216-3710 FCS AFSA OFFICE: (202) 482-9088; Fax: (202) 482-9087 AFSA WEB SITE: www.afsa.org AFSA E-MAIL: afsa@afsa.org AFSA NEWS: afsanews@afsa.org FSJ: journal@afsa.org PRESIDENT: limbert@afsa.org STATE VP: cranelk@state.gov RETIREE VP: jones@afsa.org USAID VP : wcarter@usaid.gov FCS VP: charles.ford@mail.doc.gov FAS VP: Laura.Scandurra@usda.gov AFSA News Editor Shawn Dorman : dorman@afsa.org (202) 338-4045 x 503; Fax: (202) 338-8244 On the Web : www.afsa.org/news How to Contact Us: Governing Board: PRESIDENT: John W. Limbert STATE VICE PRESIDENT: Louise K. Crane USAID VICE PRESIDENT: Bill Carter FCS VICE PRESIDENT: Charles A. Ford FAS VICE PRESIDENT: Laura Scandurra RETIREE VICE PRESIDENT: George F. Jones SECRETARY: F.A. “Tex” Harris TREASURER: Danny Hall STATE REPRESENTATIVES: Pamela Bates, Elizabeth Horst, Scot L. Folensbee, Tulinabo Mushingi, John C. Sullivan, Jim Wagner USAID REPRESENTATIVE: Thomas Olson FCS REPRESENTATIVE: William Crawford RETIREE REPRESENTATIVES: Gilbert Sheinbaum, David E. Reuther, Theodore S. Wilkinson, III, Stanley A. Zuckerman IBB REPRESENTATIVE: Laurie Kassman FAS REPRESENTATIVE: Michael Conlon