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The Foreign Service Journal, November-December 2026

Cover 1
Contents 4
Cover Stories 22
What to Know About International Election Observation 22
Beware the Trolls: How Bad Actors on the Internet Influence Elections 27
Focus on Foreign Service Authors 33
In Their Own Write 33
Of Related Interest 42
Feature 54
Only What You Can Fit in Your Lap 54
FS Heritage 58
Building A Constituency for U.S. Diplomacy 58
Education Supplement 75
Adulting 101: What FS Teens Need to Know—and How to Teach It to Them 75
Education-at-a-Glance Chart 80
Perspectives 7
President’s Views—On the Shoulders of Giants 7
Letter from the Deputy Editor—Books, Elections, and More 9
Speaking Out—Democracy Has No Finish Line: Lessons from Nicaragua 18
Reflections—Lucien Horowitz and the 500 Lei Banknote 100
Local Lens—Bergen, Norway 102
Departments 10
Letters 10
Talking Points 12
In Memory 87
Books 94
AFSA News 61
AFSA Awards Recipients 61
State VP Voice—This Is Not Normal 62
USAID Representative Voice—The World Still Needs Us 63
Retiree VP Voice—Neither Fish Nor Fowl, but Not Toast 64
End-of-Year Advocacy Update 65
Meet the 2026 AFSA Essay Contest Winner 66
Popsicles with Dink 67
AFSA Opens Its Doors 67
Changes to Discipline, RIFs, Assignments 68
Facing Discipline? AFSA Is Here to Help 69
AFSA Governing Board Meetings, July 15 and August 19, 2026 70
2027 AFSA Governing Board Elections Are Coming 70
AFSA Webinar—What Comes Next for Foreign Assistance? 71
AFSA Webinar—Beyond the Numbers 71
Strong Fiscal Stewardship in FY 2025 72
Mark Matthews Joins FSJ Editorial Board 72
AFSA Hits a Home Run at Nationals Park 73
AFSA Autumn in Chautauqua 73
Foreign Service Departures for 2025–2026 74
Missing Your FSJ? 74

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