The Foreign Service Journal, October 2008

F O C U S O N T h e P e a c e C o r p s T HE P EACE C ORPS AT M IDDLE A GE / 20 The number of Peace Corps Volunteers has grown significantly in recent years, but is the agency living up to its promise? By Shawn Zeller R ESTORING AN A MERICAN I CON FOR THE 21 ST C ENTURY / 27 The Peace Corps should never be considered an instrument of day-to-day U.S. foreign policy. But it is a significant element of soft power. By James R. Bullington T HE S ILK R OAD TO W ASHINGTON / 34 One FSO describes his transition from the Peace Corps to the Foreign Service. By James Waterman F ROM THE P EACE C ORPS TO THE D IPLOMATIC C ORPS / 39 FS employees and family members who have served with the Peace Corps and Foreign Service offer their insights on how the two organizations compare and contrast. By Steven Alan Honley F S F I C T I O N S AMMY AND I / 46 Events in Palavaria take an unexpected turn just after prospective embassy personnel learn its language, in this spoof about the vicissitudes of FSI training. By Michael D. Quinlan F E A T U R E S F ROM K HARTOUM TO C ONCORD / 52 A stint as a politician was never part of my vision for life after the Foreign Service — and certainly not beginning at age 77. By Don Petterson C UBA AFTER F IDEL / 55 So far, not much has changed since Fidel Castro’s retirement as Cuba’s president. What are the prospects for the next U.S. administration? By George Gedda C ONTENTS October 2008 Volume 85, No. 10 Cover and inside illustrations by Philippe Béha / i2iart.com P RESIDENT ’ S V IEWS / 5 A Professional Issue By John K. Naland S PEAKING O UT / 13 Mid-Level Hiring and the War for Talent By Kevin D. Stringer FS K NOW -H OW / 16 Maximizing the Value of the Political Adviser Function By John D. Finney and Alphonse F. La Porta R EFLECTIONS / 88 Earth to Earth, Ashes to Ashes By Jonathan Rickert L ETTERS / 6 C YBERNOTES / 9 M ARKETPLACE / 11 B OOKS / 71 I N M EMORY / 73 I NDEX TO A DVERTISERS / 86 O C T O B E R 2 0 0 8 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 3 J O U R N A L OREIGN ERVICE S F