The Foreign Service Journal, December 2013

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2013 47 AFSA NEWS Mongolia: Many Mountains Still to Climb country and the Ambassa- dor’s Fund for Cultural Pres- ervation has been successful. In his closing remarks, before taking questions from the enthusiastic audience, Addleton addressed the chal- lenges Mongolia faces in the near future. “This has been a tough year for Mongolia, for all kinds of reasons, but I think that no country can ever reach the mountaintop. And if it does, there are still many mountains to climb.” To view the event online, go to www.afsa.org/afsavid- eos.aspx. n dent Joseph R. Biden and almost every Secretary of State has visited Mongolia since 1988 underlines the importance the U.S. attaches to maintaining close bilateral relations between the U.S. and Mongolia. Peop l e - t o - Peop l e Addleton’s book offers many examples of the people-to-people aspects of our relationship with the country over the past 25 years. He notes that there are hundreds of Mongolian students studying in the U.S., the Peace Corps has made a tremendous impact in the people relationships and security. Mongolia has part- nered with the United States in military peacekeeping mis- sions in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Darfur and elsewhere. Fa s t - Gr ow i ng Economy “When I first visited Mon- golia in 2001, it was a billion- dollar economy, with a $400 million budget. By the time I left last year, it was a $10 billion economy, with a $4 billion annual budget,” Addle- ton remarked. He added, “Per capita income rose from $400 in 2001, to $4,000 11 years later. It is still tough for Mongolia, but you’ve got to give them credit for their efforts on the business side.” In fact, Mongolia is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. The fact that President George W. Bush, Vice Presi- On Oct. 21, AFSA’s Book Notes program welcomed Ambassador Jonathan S. Addleton, who spoke about his book, Mongolia and the United States, A Diplomatic History . Addleton served as ambassador to Ulaanbaatar from 2009 to 2012, and pre- viously served in Mongolia as the U.S. Agency for Interna- tional Development mission director from 2001 to 2004. U. S . -Mongo l i an Re l a t i on s Amb. Addleton’s book was first published in 2012, partly to celebrate the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of U.S.–Mon- golian relations. He originally thought the book would only be published in Mongolian, but its publication in English gives many more readers a comprehensive view of U.S.– Mongolian history. During his presentation, Amb. Addleton made the point that Mongolia’s foreign policy relies on a “third neigh- bor policy, ” concentrating on good relationships not only with such powerful neighbors as China and Russia, but also with other democracies around the world. Ame r i can E f fo r t s American diplomatic efforts in Mongolia concen- trate on five areas: develop- ment, commerce, democracy and governance, people-to- AFSA BOOK NOTES BY JULIAN STEINER, AFSA COMMUNICATIONS INTERN Amb. Jonathan S. Addleton signs copies of his book after his presentation at AFSA on Oct. 21. well as others. In 1995, in appreciation of the Clements’ long history with the Foreign Service, the company offered funding to establish an award in the name of M. Juanita Guess. This exemplary performance award is given to a Commu- nity Liaison Office coordina- tor. Since then, 21 recipients have been so honored. The CLO, a Foreign Service family member, addresses quality-of-life issues for the official American communi- ties at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world. The program, administered by the department’s Family Liaison Office, requires the incumbent to cover eight areas of responsibility, from security and education to cri- sis management and events planning. Each year, a panel of judges comprised of AFSA staff and employees of the State Department, select the winner of the Guess Award. This year, two CLOs were so honored: Jessica McVay (Khartoum) and Elizabeth Jenkins (Caracas). On June 4, Jon Clements presented the awards during AFSA’s annual awards cer- emony, held in the Benjamin Franklin Diplomatic Recep- tion Room in the Department of State. n Clements continued from page 43 ASGEIRSIGFUSSON