The Foreign Service Journal, December 2013

8 DECEMBER 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL tation of the law into line with that of U.S. Citizenship and Immi- gration Services. From now on, parents applying for a passport for their children must furnish proof that they are, in fact, “residing in” the United States. The guidance also explicitly prohibits posts from recommending to parents that they “apply for an immigrant visa for the child solely for the purpose of the child enter- ing, but not residing in, the United States and then simply return to post to apply for a U.S. passport for the child pursuant to [the Immigration and Naturalization Act Section] 320.” The process of publishing the article reminded us that The Foreign Service Journal is perhaps the most effective venue for expressing constructive dissent and connecting with colleagues all over the world on key issues that affect us all. I encourage everyone to continue to read it and contribute to it. James Rider FSO Embassy Tel Aviv Shane Myers FSO Washington, D.C. More than a Photo Op I know Spike Stephenson, respect his work in Iraq and agree with most of what he wrote in his article, “Paying the Price of Expeditionary Diplomacy” (October Journal ). However, he misses the mark when he describes the mission of the group that was attacked in Zabul, Afghanistan, this past April as “essentially a photo op.” LETTERS Dissent Leads to Change Thanks to the FSJ for publish- ing our article, “What Makes Someone an American Citi- zen?” (September), in the iss ue honoring the AFSA dissent and performance award recipients. Not only did we receive encouraging e-mails from col- leagues all over the world dealing with the same issue, but the article’s pub- lication undoubtedly helped us achieve our main goal. Not long after the issue came out, State sent a cable (13 State 140282) to all posts offering clear guidance on how to implement the Child Citizenship Act, bringing the State Department interpre- Yes, this visit to Zabul was part of a larger public affairs initiative involving outreach associated with the distribu- tion of high-quality Pashto- and Dari- language books across Afghanistan. And yes, it involved local Afghan journalists and included a press conference aimed at a national audience. But the schedule that day also entailed meetings with teachers and students, as well as lunch with a provincial governor who, over the past several years, has demonstrated a strong commitment to education in a part of the country that previously had almost no schools. As Stephenson points out, we “cannot lock ourselves in bunkers.” In some cir- cumstances, Foreign Service officers take on difficult assignments that inevitably place them in harm’s way. But rightly or wrongly, our country made a policy decision to deploy embassy staff for direct engagement with local communi- ties on a face-to-face basis, including in remote parts of Afghanistan. Those of us who volunteered to carry out that policy undertook such trips many times over the course of a year. As Stephenson surely knows from his own experience in Iraq, it is not unusual to include “photo ops” as part of any out- reach effort—but this does not necessar- ily mean that they are the only, or even most important, part. Jonathan Addleton USAID FSO Embassy Almaty n You Are Our Eyes & Ears! Dear Readers: In order to produce a high-quality product, the FSJ depends on the revenue it earns from advertising. You can help with this. Please let us know the names of companies that have provided good service to you — a hotel, insurance company, auto dealership, or other concern. A referral from our readers is the best entrée! Ed Miltenberger Advertising & Circulation Manager Tel: (202) 944-5507 E-mail: miltenberger@afsa.org