The Foreign Service Journal, November 2004

N ovember in a year of national electionsmarks an excel- lent time to look forward and assess the challenges and opportunities facingour profession. For those engaged in that part of diplomacy working to advance our commer- cial interests, I would put forward the belief that we are enter- ing a time of profound change and need to take maximum advantage of the moment tohelp shape anewmission statement, withnewprograms thatmore effectively advance our interests in an increasingly integrated global economy. AFSA is in the early stages of working with partner organizations to put together a symposium for early next year, with the notional title of “The Foreign Commercial Service at 25: Lessons Learned to Guide the Future of Our Commercial Diplomacy.” I encourage you to send inyour thoughts onappropriate goals andcontent for this event. Many of you responded tomy September column that foreshadowed this one, ask- ing whether FCS had met the goals that led to its creation in 1980. There was general agreement about two fundamental points: first, that it was hard to be generous about the overall management of the agency by Commerce; and second, that in this Internet age, we need a fundamental review of our core mission. We must consider our strat- egy and relevancy for meeting U.S. national interests in a world where these interests and those of global companies are not the same as they were 25 years ago. In order to stimulate the discussion, I would point to an excellent newbook by for- mer FSOHarry Kopp, Commercial Diplomacy and the National Interest. Published by the Business Council for International Understanding and the American Academy of Diplomacy, the book advances the following thesis: “TheUnited States is theworld’s leading exporter, theworld’s leading importer, and the world’s primary source and destination of funds for foreign investment. Our posi- tion as the best place to do business … is the cause, not an effect, of American global leadership. Protecting and expanding theU.S. role as theworld’s supplier and customer of choice for goods, services, ideas, capital and entrepreneurial energy should be a for- eign policy objective second only to securing the homeland.” Agreeing with this thesis that makes the case for why it is good policy to have pub- lic programs supporting private sector economic transactions, I believe that we need toevaluate current programs on their success inaccomplishing thismission. Our rhetoric today about exports and export promotion is sadly out of date in a global economy wiredby the Internet. Our goal shouldbe toplace commercial diplomacy in the broad- er discussionof enhancingU.S. competitiveness in this global economy, looking at both trade and investment. The ultimatemetric should not be export expansion or increas- ing the number of exporters but contributing, alongwithother domestic economic pro- grams, to enhanced U.S. competitiveness in the global marketplace. If all stakeholders can come together to create a newmission statement and corre- sponding new programs and products for the range of federal agencies that lead our commercial diplomacy programs, questions of structure and turf will surface andneed tobe addressed. With reformof government alreadywell advanced in themilitary, intel- ligence and homeland security areas, it only makes sense to undertake the same fun- damental, zero-based viewof government programs in the economic and internation- al affairs area. I hope our idea for an AFSA event early next year will contribute to this process, and would very much welcome your thoughts. ▫ V.P. VOICE: FCS  BY CHARLES A. FORD The Future of Commercial Diplomacy 4 AFSA NEWS • NOVEMBER 2004 CFC: Support American Diplomacy AFSA would like to remind you that it is time to make selections for your Combined Federal Campaign contribution. AFSA urges members to consider donating to one of the two AFSA CFC funds. AFSA SCHOLARSHIP FUND: CFC #2422 The AFSA Scholarship Fund pro- vides over $150,000 each year to Foreign Service children to help meet college expenses. Support Foreign Service families by donating to this fund. AFSA FUND FOR AMERICAN DIPLOMACY: CFC #2460 AFSA strives to build a constituen- cy for the Foreign Service through the activities of the Fund for American Diplomacy. Through nationwide education programs — including the Speakers’ Bureau, Elderhostel, the AFSA High School Essay Contest, the Inside a U.S. Embassy book, the award program and more —AFSA shows the American public how U.S. diploma- cy promotes America’s interests abroad. For more information on the pro- grams supported by these funds, go to theWeb site at www.afsa.org/ scholar/index.cfm for scholarships, and www.afsa.org/pubresources.cfm for FAD. Information is also avail- able fromAFSA CFC Coordinator Lori Dec, reachable by phone at (202) 944-5504, or by e-mail at dec@afsa.org. AFSA thanks you in advance for your support. AFSA NEWS BRIEFS Continued from page 2