The Foreign Service Journal, December 2021

28 DECEMBER 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL – CONSTRUCTIVE DISSENT – William R. Rivkin Award for a Mid-Level Officer Anny Vu Countering Chinese Aggression in International Organizations W hile on her first detail to the National Security Council from 2019 to 2020, Anny Vu demonstrated intellectual courage, integrity and initiative in fighting to ensure the United States did not cede additional ground to China in international organizations. She led the interagency in advancing U.S. interests in multilateral institutions during highly challenging times. Ms. Vu’s expertise on China and multilateral affairs helped her see national security threats before they materialized. She argued that multilateral standards-setting bodies had become battle- grounds where China intended to assert its influence. If led prop- erly, she believed, these institutions could be force multipliers for the rules-based international order supported by the United States. In early 2019, she was one of the first to flag the risks of China’s cam- paign to head the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, potentially the fourth U.N. special- ized agency to come under PRC control. While mobilizing the U.S. interagency to block China from winning the election, Ms. Vu ran up against senior political opposition seeking to advance a different policy for personal gain. She quickly raised an alarm. Her concerns were met by fierce resistance, including the threat of professional reprisal. Ms. Vu refused to back down. She convinced NSC leader- ship to advance a policy on the election in support of France’s 2021 AFSA AWARD WINNERS FOCUS AFSA AWARDS: HONORING EXCELLENCE AND CONSTRUCTIVE DISSENT Anny Vu. Award winner profiles compiled by Associate Editors Julia Wohlers and Cameron Woodworth. All images are courtesy of the award winners, unless otherwise specified.