The Foreign Service Journal, October 2018

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2018 57 AFSA NEWS Inside theWorld of Diplomacy On Aug. 8, AFSA hosted close to 120 participants in the Smithsonian Associates program “Inside the World of Diplomacy.” Ambassador (ret.) Patricia Butenis and FSO and author Matthew Palmer led the audience through an introduction to the U.S. Foreign Service and to embassies, using their careers as examples of the many things diplomats do every day around the world. This was the fourth year in a row AFSA has collaborated with Smithsonian Associates on this program. Look for our next collaboration, a three-part series on Russia, beginning in mid- October. AFSA/ASGEIRSIGFUSSON gladly, even joyfully.” It was an apt segue into explaining how diplomats use soft power to bridge divides. In the case of jazz diplomacy, FSOs tapped into their relationships all over the world to secure visas, arrange venues and see that instruments made it through security. Going beyond the transactional into what she called “graduate-level diplo- macy,” Amb. Stephenson laid out examples of diplo- mats’ painstaking behind- the-scenes work to advance the Northern Ireland peace process. Those efforts cul- minated in an unexpected breakthrough after a major musical event that brought together police forces from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, ulti- mately leading to a deal that opened the door to lasting peace. The audience gave Amb. Stephenson a lengthy standing ovation. n Diplomacy Through Music Continued from p. 48