The Foreign Service Journal, November 2008

DISSENT AWARDS: UNIQUE TO THE FOREIGN SERVICE First Call for AFSA Award Nominations 2009 BY BARBARA BERGER, PROFESSIONAL ISSUES COORDINATOR W ho among your colleagues has had the courage tochallenge the system—on any subject? In 2008, AFSA celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Constructive Dissent Awards program, which recognizes and encourages constructive dissent and risk- taking in the Foreign Service. A Foreign Service dedicated to individual excel- lence, independent thinking and the intel- lectual courage to challenge conventional wisdom is especially needed now, as the nation faces new and complicated issues both abroad and at home. FS employees at all grades and in all agencies put their lives and the lives of their families at risk toadvanceAmerica’s interests. AFSA’s dis- sent awards offer an opportunity to rec- ognize the critical contributions made by our colleagues over and above their T he next U.S. president needs to hire nearly 50 percent more diplomats and development professionals, according to a landmark study issued last month by the American Academy of Diplomacy and the StimsonCenter. The report, A Foreign Affairs Budget for the Future: Fixing the Crisis in Diplomatic Readiness , finds that the StateDepartment, USAIDand related organizations lack the tools to execute the president’s foreign policies. It calls for urgent investments to rebuild America’s foreign affairs capabil- ity. In releasing the study, project chairman Ambassador Thomas Boyatt stated: “This report will provide Congress and the next president with a blueprint for fixing the human capital crisis that has hobbled United States diplomacy worldwide, crip- pled its response to crises, and inappro- priately thrown additional foreign policy burdens on the military in recent years.” The report’s recommendations in the fourmajor categoriesof foreignaffairs activ- ity — core diplomacy, public diplomacy, economic assistance and reconstruc- tion/stabilization— include: • Increase StateDepartment direct-hire AAD’S LANDMARK STUDY Blueprint for Strengthening Diplomacy BY JOHN NALAND, AFSA PRESIDENT NOV EMB E R 2 0 0 8 / F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L 75 Continued on page 79 American Foreign Service Association • November 2008 AFSA NEWS D o you want to represent your col- leagues andmake sure the voice of the Foreign Service is heard on the Hill and around the country? If so, con- sider joining thenextAFSAleadership team by running for apositionon the 2009-2011 AFSA Governing Board. Please look at the positions available and consider putting your name forward or nominating a colleague. This election is for a board that will take office July 15, 2009, and serve for two years. Below are instructions on how to be nominated and run for the 2009-2011 AFSA Governing Board. Important Dates: Feb. 2, 2009 —Deadline for Nominations March 25, 2009 —Ballots and Candidate Statements Mailed June 1, 2009 —Ballots Counted July 15, 2009 —New Board Takes Office 2009 Election of AFSA Officers and Constituency Representatives Call for Nominations: This election call, issued in accordance with Article VII (2)(a) of the AFSA “What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?” — Thomas Jefferson Continued on page 79 Continued on page 80 YOUR CHANCE TO EFFECT CHANGE FOR THE FOREIGN SERVICE 2009 AFSA GOVERNING BOARD: CALL FOR NOMINATIONS