The Foreign Service Journal, October 2009

74 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9 “real” publisher or continue to publish it ourselves? Initial queries to several publishers brought strong interest. And, whenDorman attended an international studies con- ference inNewYork City, she found enthusiastic interest from a number of academic publishers there. But she had what she describes as an“aha!”moment —“a little like the end of The Wizard of Oz ,” as Dorman puts it — as she sat with an editor from a small publishing house look- ing out over the exhibit hall filled with dozens of publishers. “But you’re already a publisher,” the wise editor said. “Why would you want to give your book away? They’ll give you $1 a book, when you could be making $10.” Still, it took several months of research and negotiations with a number of publishers, leading to five firmoffers, to con- vince AFSA that, indeed, there’s no place like home. “I realized that not only do we know the core market for this book, but we’re probably already reaching it,” explains Dorman.“Having embraced the fact that AFSA is a small pub- lisher — now called ‘Foreign Service Books’ — we are plan- ning to consider more book projects after the next edition of Inside a U.S. Embassy is completed.” And, of course,AFSAwill continue, as it has for the past 85 years, to publish the Foreign Service Journal. AFSA did not altogether abandon the idea of working with a publisher to help give the book a wider reach, however. As of Aug. 1, Potomac Books, Inc., took over distribution of the current edition of Inside a U.S. Embassy , in an arrangement that should provide the best of bothworlds. Potomac will also be the exclusive distributor for the new edition. Potomac Books is a good fit for AFSA. Formerly part of the British publishing house Brassey’s Ltd., the NorthernVir- ginia-based company publishes books on U.S. and world his- tory, intelligence studies, sports, security studies and inter- national affairs. Inside a U.S. Embassy is one of AFSA’s best outreach tools, and helps fulfill AFSA’s mission to educate the public about the role of the Foreign Service and diplomacy. The book is on the syllabus formore than 40 university courses and is used for a number of military training courses, as well. AChinese pub- lisher wants to issue aMandarin-language edition of the book. In addition, U.S. embassies have purchased hundreds of copies for representational use, and the State Department’s recruiting division uses the book for outreach and education. Their bulk orders have helped sustain the book program, and AFSA is grateful for their longstanding support. Finally, the book has inspired those curious about a Foreign Service career to take the next crucial steps in getting hired. At our July recruitment lunch for newlyminted Foreign Serv- ice generalists, where AFSA was offering complimentary copies of Inside aU.S. Embassy , an entry-level officer was over- heard commenting to his friends, “That book changed my life.” Find more information about Inside a U.S. Embassy and a link to Potomac Books at www.afsa.org/inside. ❏ advance of personal travel to any country with a critical HUMINT threat post. State Department employees sta- tioned domestically should directly notify DS’s Office of Counter Intelligence. Domestic employees of other foreign affairs agencies should contact their agency’s security of- fice. Reporting Requirements for Employees with SCI Access Please see 12 FAM264.2(g) about the special security ob- ligations required of employees having access to sensitive compartmented information. Reporting Requirements for Employees Who Intend to Marry or Cohabit with a Foreign National DS has shortened the time period for reporting intent to marry to 90 days. Reporting your intent to marry or cohabit with a foreign national is intended to allow DS to provide you with a determination on whether the intended relation- ship may have an adverse impact on your security clearance, and for HR to do the same for your career — before you take action. 12 FAM 275 contains new details. Employees must submit a security package and obtain approval from the chief of mission or principal officer prior to cohabiting with a foreign national (or a U.S citizen who is not on your orders) in U.S. government-provided housing. (Domestic employees must submit a security package to DS within 30 days from the start of a cohabitation relationship with a foreign national.) Seeking approval to cohabitate is separate and distinct from declaring a member of household to the COM under 3 FAM 4181. Regardless of duty location, DS will conduct appropriate checks on the intended foreign national cohabitant or spouse. Other Reporting Requirements There are several additional reporting requirements of which employees should be aware, including financial issues, such as bankruptcy; arrests; and applications for foreign cit- izenship. Please see 12 FAM 270 for details. Possible Consequences of Not Reporting Failure to report foreign contacts, travel to a critical- threat country, or intent to marry/cohabit may result in the employee’s curtailment from post, suspension/revocation of security clearance, and/or disciplinary action. Accordingly, when in doubt report the contact or call one of AFSA’s at- torneys for confidential guidance. If you wish to speak with an AFSA attorney about any of these situations, please direct your questions to General Counsel Sharon Papp or AFSA Labor Management Attor- ney Zlatana Badrich at (202) 647-8160 or papps@state.gov or badrichz@state.gov . ❏ A F S A N E W S Publisher • Continued from page 67 Foreign Contacts • Continued from page 71