The Foreign Service Journal, December 2014

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2014 5 December 2014 Volume 91, No. 12 FOREIGN SERVICE AFSA NEWS Call for Nominations: 2015-2017 AFSA Governing Board / 41 Proposed BylawAmendment to Rightsize AFSAGoverning Board / 42 State VPVoice: Mental Health and the Foreign Service / 44 USAIDVPVoice: Promotions, ‘Promo-gate’ and Progress on Transparency / 45 Retiree VPVoice: It’s That Gift-Giving Time of Year / 46 AFSA on the Hill: Advocacy Builds Relationships / 47 Reflecting on Good Stewardship / 48 Pres. Silverman Addresses Local Groups / 49 AFSAActs to Protect Integrity of FSAssignments System / 50 Why Ethics Matter / 55 COLUMNS President’s Views / 7 The Departed BY ROBERT J . S I LVERMAN Letter from the Editor / 8 Engagement BY SHAWN DORMAN Speaking Out / 17 Twitter Is a Cocktail Party, Not a Press Conference (or, Social Media for Reporting Ocers) BY WREN ELHAI Reflections / 101 Unpacking Memories BY DOUGLAS E . MORR I S DEPARTMENTS Letters / 10 Talking Points / 12 Books / 90 Local Lens / 102 MARKETPLACE Classifieds / 94 Real Estate / 97 Index to Advertisers / 100 On the cover: Some of the 6,000 spectators who filled the newly built Afghanistan Football Federation stadium to watch the home side defeat Pakistan 3-0 on Aug. 20, 2013. Less than a month later, the national team defeated India to capture the 2013 South Asia Football Federation Championship. The success of the soccer team has been one of the bright spots and a point of pride and national unity for the country. Credit: Casey Garret Johnson. More of his photos are at caseyjohnson.photoshelter.com. FOCUS ON AFGHANISTAN Will History Repeat Itself? / 20 Afghanistan is at another turning point. Though the challenges are great, the nation cannot a¢ord to cycle back into civil war. BY EDMUND MCWI L L I AMS Five Things We Can Still Get Right / 26 E¢ective U.S. leadership is more important than ever in Afghanistan. What policies should we adopt to help as Afghans take the reins of their own country? BY DAV I D SEDNEY What U.S. Policymakers Should Know About Afghanistan Today / 33 Afghanistan’s emergence as a modern nation will involve negotiating a cultural transition that integrates enduring traditions with viable change. BY SCOTT SM I TH EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT American College Rankings: How They Work and What They Mean / 56 This in-depth look at U.S. college rankings o¢ers a fresh perspective on the high school student’s college search and a wealth of resources to help find the “right” school. BY FRANCESCA KE L LY Have You Considered Boarding School? / 80 The boarding school option has much to o¢er Foreign Service kids. BY LAWRENCE J ENSEN Schools at a Glance / 74, 76, 78