The Foreign Service Journal, December 2007

State and the other foreign affairs agencies, especially when you are trying to resolve a problem; and updates on how AFSA is working to improve working and living condi- tions for Foreign Service employees and their families. Much of that coverage is found, of course, within the pages of AFSA News (now part of the magazine’s “white pages”). That section offers many different ways for members to share their experiences, thoughts and concerns regarding professional is- sues, including the following depart- ments: Family Member Matters, Of Special(ist) Concern (a forum for specialists), Where to Retire, Memo of the Month and The System and You (notes from inside the bureauc- racy). Contact Associate Editor Shawn Dorman for more information at dorman@afsa.org. Another place to look for such items is our periodic FS Know-How department (which ran five times in 2007, I’m happy to say). We welcome contributions on topics ranging from managing one’s career and cutting red tape to parlaying one’s professional skills in retirement, as well as financial information and guidance for Foreign Service personnel. The Speaking Out department is your forum to advocate policy, regulatory or statutory changes to the Foreign Service. These columns (approximately 1,500 words long) can be based on personal experience with a professional injustice or present your insights into a foreign affairs- related issue. Our Reflections page presents short commentaries (approximately 600 words long) based on personal experiences while living or traveling overseas. These submissions should center on insights gained as a result of interactions with other cultures, rather than being descriptive “travel pieces.” We are also pleased to consider poetry and photographs for publication, either in that section or as freestanding features. Please note that all submissions to the Journal must be approved by our Editorial Board and are subject to editing for style, length and format. For information on how to submit a column, article or letter, please contact us at authors@afsa.org , and we will be delighted to respond. For other inquiries — changes of address, subscriptions, etc. — e-mail us at journal@afsa.org . Finally, I hope you will share your reactions, positive and negative, not only to this issue but to what you read every month, by contributing to our Letters section. Just bear in mind that, as with all periodicals, the briefer and more focused your letter is, the more likely we’ll be able to print it in full. (In general, 200 to 400 words is a good target.) Let us hear from you. D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 7 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 19 L E T T E R F R O M T H E E D I T O R 2008 EDITORIAL CALENDAR for the FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL JANUARY Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the Foreign Service FEBRUARY The Diplomacy of Climate Change (PLUS AFSA Tax Guide) MARCH Iraq, Five Years Later (PLUS AFSA Annual Report) APRIL Political Islam MAY Democratization and Transformational Diplomacy JUNE Future of the Foreign Service Personnel System (PLUS semiannual SCHOOLS SUPPLEMENT) JULY-AUGUST Africa SEPTEMBER Foreign Policy & the U.S. Presidential Election (PLUS AFSA Awards coverage) OCTOBER The Peace Corps & the Foreign Service NOVEMBER COVER STORY: “In Their Own Write” (annual roundup of books by FS-affiliated authors) DECEMBER New Foreign Policy Ideas for the Incoming Administration (PLUS semiannual SCHOOLS SUPPLEMENT)