The Foreign Service Journal, December 2020

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2020 31 THE FOREIGN SERVICE CAREER FSJ: You were ambassador four times, a great accomplishment. Any secrets to your success you can share? EJP: Knowing oneself is very important. Eastern philosophy has also been the key to my success. When I first came across the Bushido code, which is a way of understanding oneself, and the writings of Sun Tzu and Miyamoto Musashi, I took the elements that would help make a difference in my life. These elements helped me get up in the morning, prosper in my work and go to bed peacefully at night. I return to these works often; they have always helped me understand my place in the universe. FSJ: How successful have the State Department and the For- eign Service been in increasing diversity and inclusion? EJP: The State Department and the Foreign Service have been partially successful; not nearly enough has been done. It shouldn’t be the responsibility of one office (management), but of the entire department and both Foreign Service and Civil Service communities. We represent all elements of this nation wherever we go, and we need to make sure all elements of the United States are also represented overseas. FSJ: What advice would you give foreign affairs agencies on how to retain diplomats of color once they are in the Foreign Service? EJP: Every effort should be made to ensure that diplomats of color become part of the Foreign Service family, part of the Foreign Service as a whole. We bring diplomats of color into the Service to fill a void needed to represent and support the mission; if this void isn’t filled, then the mission isn’t being fulfilled. We need to be “whole” to successfully carry out the words and the meaning of the Constitution and the Foreign Service Acts of 1924, 1946 and 1980. FSJ: What are the essential ingredients for a successful diplomat? EJP: Know yourself, and make sure that you keep yourself open to learning about the outside world and its communities while applying yourself to new situations. And do it often. FSJ: What would be your advice to college students and recent graduates seeking to enter the Foreign Service or government service generally? EJP: First is to recognize that we have a government that did not spring from the head of Zeus, but was created and developed through trial and error, ultimately with the goal of promot- ing a better way of life. My advice is to know why you want to join, and continually educate yourself on the evolution of our constitutional system and why the Foreign Service was created to promote our interests abroad. You also need to read and educate yourselves on how to be effective in this changing world. FSJ: Are you optimistic about the future of professional diplo- macy? EJP: Yes, I am optimistic—probably more so now than ever before. The system of communication has improved drasti- cally, making it easier now to send cables, guidance memos and reporting from the field than when I began in the Foreign Service. The ease of communication also makes it more danger- ous to miscommunicate, so you must think of what the message is and why you want to convey it before you send it because mes- sages reach a wider audience than before. We have an increas- ingly qualified corps of officers who are ready to go into the world and represent all of the people behind the Constitution of the United States. n On Graduation Day at the University of Oklahoma, May 1997, Ambassador Edward J. Perkins, center, then director of the International Programs Center at the university, with former President George H.W. Bush, at left, and University of Oklahoma President David Boren. President Bush gave the commencement address. Inset: Ambassador Perkins and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan meet on March 15, 1999.