The Foreign Service Journal, October 2015

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2015 9 Bush 41 and the Collapse of the USSR Like many fellow Americans I was startled to hear that former President George H.W. Bush had again been rushed to a hospital follow- ing a recent fall. Reports indicate that he is recover- ing and that he remains robust despite his 91 years. Nonetheless, the event reminds us how quickly time is passing. The curtain on what was arguably the 20th century’s most far-reaching foreign policy moment—the collapse of the USSR—along with the incumbent U.S. president whose deft leadership steered safe passage through a potentially cataclysmic period of uncertainty, may soon close. Other than the Journal ’s December 2011 issue dedicated to the collapse of the Soviet Union ( When the USSR Fell: The Foreign Service on the Front Lines ), there has been no focused work on the truly extraordinary role that on-the- ground diplomacy played. As a former AFSA president, Tex Harris, describes it, our primary job is to “execute and make real presidential visions.” From 1989 until Christmas Day 1991, President Bush had a vision as he watched events unfold in the Kremlin and across the USSR. His vision was a peaceful USSR transition from “Evil Empire” to newly democratic Russia— a vision that his Foreign Service team helped make real. It would be a shame, indeed a dis- service to our institution and to the honor of President Bush, if we fail to capture this history. I respectfully issue a challenge to the new AFSA Governing Board: Please move ahead with plans to compile all the stories of service and sacrifice, along with the interview with President Bush, found in the Decem- ber 2011 FSJ issue into an AFSA book. (Full disclosure, my essay about the role of information management special- ists at Embassy Moscow was submitted for the collection. The project, as I understand it, has been on the back burner since it was approved in 2012.) AFSA would have the honor of presenting the first book to former President Bush—before the curtain closes. Timothy C. Lawson Senior FSO, retired Hua Hin, Thailand Where Was Everyone? The State Department, on its website, describes Foreign Affairs Day this way: “Each year on the first Friday of May, the Department of State observes Foreign Affairs Day, the annual homecoming for our Foreign Service and Civil Service retirees. This day also commemorates the members of the Foreign Service who made the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives serving the United States overseas. Both a solemn occasion and a celebration, Foreign Affairs Day recog- nizes employees of foreign affairs agen- cies and their dedication and service as they address foreign policy and development chal- lenges around the world.” This past May 1, large numbers of retirees returned to the department to partici- pate in a morning program of remarks and seminars to discuss key foreign policy issues. Alongside the seminar program, AFSA hosted its annual memorial ceremony honoring colleagues who were killed overseas in the line of duty or under heroic circum- stances. Presiding with elegance and dignity, the Director General presented the Director General’s Foreign Service Cup and Civil Service Cup. At the lun- cheon an inspiring speech in praise of the past, present and future of the For- eign Service was given by the featured speaker. All in all it was a lovely affair, notable also for the presence of a number of our most distinguished colleagues, FSOs whose names and reputations are legendary. Yet I have been brooding ever since. Where was our seventh floor leader- ship? Of the nine principal officers of the State Department—one Secretary, two Deputy Secretaries and six under secre- taries—only one was present, the under secretary for management. None of the other principals attended. Would the leadership of any other organization—in the public or private sector—hold such an affair and not show up? Can you imagine the lineup of senior officials at, say, the Depart- ment of Defense or Google or General Motors? Surely this is not what is taught at management schools and leadership programs. Some will reply that their absence was understandable: they were spread around the world doing the nation’s busi- ness. Well, yes. But who was minding the store? Who was on the bridge? Who was at the controls? Every organiza- tion needs top-level strategic leadership and management to be present. There is a real distinction between strategic leadership LETTERS