The Foreign Service Journal, October 2013

14 OCTOBER 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 50 Years Ago: Short Form of Service to Be Used in Government Offices L et us pray: O Lord, grant that this day we come to no decisions, neither run into any kind of responsibility; but that all our doings may be ordered to establish new and quite unwanted departments, for ever and ever. Amen. Hymn: O Thou who seest all things below, Grant that Thy servants may go slow, That they may study to comply With regulations until they die. Teach us, Lord, to reverence Committees more than common sense; Impress our minds to make no plan, But pass the baby when we can. And when the Tempter seeks to give Us feelings of initiative, Or when alone we go too far, Chastise us with a circular. Mid war and tumult, fire and forms, Thus will Thy servants ever be A flock of perfect sheep for thee. —“A Bureaucrat’s Orisons” (Letters to the Editor) by “Ahmen;” FSJ , October 1963. Comrade Bob Moves to Rebrand Himself O n Aug. 3 President Robert Mugabe was declared the re-elected leader of Zimbabwe, claiming 61 percent of the 3.5 million votes cast in July 31 bal- loting. His main rival, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, picked up just 34 percent, a far cry from his previous result. The rest was shared among three fringe candidates. As The Economist ruefully reported, “The man Nelson Mandela mockingly called Comrade Bob, who has already ruled Zimbabwe for 33 years, had clinched yet another election victory. His Zanu-PF party secured a similarly large majority in parliament.” There was little violence this time, at least compared with the previous presi- dential campaign, back in March 2008. But the unexpectedly large margin of vic- tory still makes the result hard to credit for observers—and hard to stomach for many ordinary Zimbabweans. The chaotic electoral process did have one bright side, however. It inspired Nigerian-British viral video-maker Ikenna Azuiked to put together a video titled “What’s Up, Africa?” Washington