The Foreign Service Journal, December 2010

DE C EMB E R 2 0 1 0 / F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L 59 R enowned political journalist and authorTomWickerwas the featured speakerattheForeignAffairsRetirees ofNewEngland fall luncheon, heldonSept. 10 at the Three Stallion Inn in Randolph, Vt. Wicker, who was the New York Times Washington, D.C., bureau chief for many years and now resides in Vermont, spoke to about 60 FARNE members and guests on “The Presidency and Foreign Policy in the Modern Era.” FARNE is one of a dozen regional for- eign affairs retiree organizations associat- edwith, but not a part of, AFSA. Formed in 1983, it is an informal organization of former foreign affairs professionals and spouses who, following service with one of the U.S. foreign affairs agencies, now live inNewEngland. FARNE provides an opportunity for its members to come together—at three luncheonmeetings per year held on a rotating basis among the A F S A N E W S Journalist Tom Wicker Addresses New England Retiree Fall Meeting BY CHARLES AHLGREN, FARNE PRESIDENT A FSA kicked off a new pilot speaker series on American diplomacy co- hostedby the expandingUniversity of South Florida in Tampa on Oct. 7-8. Our inaugural speaker was career Foreign Service officer and leading China expert Douglas Spelman, who is currently deputy director of the Kissinger Institute on China at theWoodrowWilsonCenter for Scholars inWashington, D.C. Spelmandiscussed economic, political and security aspects ofU.S.-China relations with deans, professors and students from four USF faculties, and the regional Confucius Institute on China. The high- light was his masterful talk on doing busi- ness in China at a luncheon hosted by the USF business school dean, in which Spelman discussed the complex chal- lenges involved in successful trading with Chinese companies. His candid remarks prompted a vigorous dialoguewithmem- bersof the audience,whichcomprisedbusi- ness school faculty and some 10 regional corporate representatives. A major goal of this new series is to expandAFSAoutreach explaining the crit- ical role of the Foreign Service, as well as to promote possible corporate partner- ships whereby companies can be encour- aged to fundAFSAevents in return for full attribution and recognition. USF is one of the fastest-growing universities in Florida, especially as it pertains to inter- national relations and business. AFSA plans several more such partnership pro- grams in Florida and other states in the year ahead. ❏ AFSA Initiates New Speaker Series in Southwest Florida BY TOM SWITZER, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS Leading China expert Douglas Spelman (left) was the inaugural speaker at AFSA’s new series on American diplomacy that was co-hosted by the University of South Florida on Oct. 7-8. USF Dean Bob Forsythe (center) and AFSA Communications Director Tom Switzer (right) coordinated closely on the program. Continued on page 62 TOM PERERA WALTER ANDRUSYSZYN