18 OCTOBER 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL It is clear that there is a group [of women] that should be respected who oft-repeat, “But I didn’t join the Foreign Service. My husband did.” Everyone who has had several posts in the Foreign Service knows that the quality of life at the posts depends on the women and the extent to which they organize themselves to keep it high. Doubtless we still have enough wives at each post who are willing and able to undertake the responsibility so that no one need participate who prefers another occupation. What is important is that we somehow revive the system for having their enormous contribution recognized for what it really is: an essential ingredient in the smooth functioning of all our overseas missions. —Carroll Russell Sherer, wife of career FSO Ambassador Albert Sherer Jr., in an excerpt from her proposal for a new system that allows wives to opt in or out of Foreign Service responsibilities at post under the “Sherer Plan,” from the October 1973 FSJ. 50 Years Ago Resolution of the Wives’ Dilemma 56,500 to 86,500 civilians and killed and wounded dozens of U.S. servicemembers. Representative Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) denounced the decision, saying: “We’ve seen Russia’s horrific use of cluster munitions in Ukraine, and we shouldn’t cede the moral high ground by criticizing their actions and then sending cluster munitions ourselves. … [They] prevent the successful economic rebuilding and recovery that’s needed to ensure a prosperous Ukraine and maintain anticorruption gains.” Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) praised the announcement: “For Ukrainian forces to defeat Putin’s invasion, Ukraine needs at least equal access to the weapons Russia already uses against them, like cluster munitions. Providing this new capability is the right decision.” U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S. will send a version of the munition that has a reduced “dud rate,” meaning fewer of the smaller bomblets fail to explode, wrote the Associated Press. At an Aug. 17 press conference, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel reiterated that “the U.S. will continue to support to Ukraine for as long as it takes so Ukraine can defend itself from Russian aggression and be in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table when the time comes.” Wagner Group Leader Dies in Plane Crash Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the mercenary Wagner Group, died on Aug. 23 when the private jet on which he was traveling crashed north of Moscow. All 10 people on board were killed, including two other senior Wagner figures, Prigozhin’s four bodyguards, and a crew of three. The crash occurred exactly two months after Prigozhin and his paramilitary forces staged an armed rebellion against the Russian defense establishment, taking control of the city of Rostov in late June. The event ended with an ambiguous arrangement in which Prigozhin received immunity from prosecution in return for leaving for Belarus. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the uprising “treason” and said that those who organized it would “face unavoidable punishment.” Based on preliminary intelligence reports, U.S. and European officials believe an explosion on board brought down the aircraft rather than a mechanical failure, The New York Times reported. At the Aspen Security Forum on July 20, CIA Director William Burns, a former Deputy Secretary of State and former ambassador to Russia, had predicted that Putin would bide his time, NBC News reported. “I would be surprised if Prigozhin escapes further retribution for this,” he added. Shadow Diplomacy with Iran On Aug. 22, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a press briefing that a deal is in the works with Iran to secure the release of five American citizens who have been detained in the country. In exchange, $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue stuck in South Korea would be unfrozen to use for humanitarian purposes, and the U.S. would release some Iranian nationals from American prisons, according to Reuters. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Aug. 15 that the deal would not lead to sanctions relief. “Nothing about our overall approach to Iran has changed. We continue to pursue a strategy of deterrence, of pressure and diplomacy,” he said.
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