26 DECEMBER 2024 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL because AFSA was (and is) committed to telling our story to the public and to the Congress. That’s what I tell people when I host a table at AFSA as new entry-level classes come to hear about the organization. And I tell them they will value the FSJ. FSJ: You’ve had a great relationship with AFSA over many years, including while you were Director General and beyond. You were an early supporter of AFSA’s Inside a U.S. Embassy introduction to the Foreign Service. In your view, how and where can AFSA add the most value? MG: By living up to and making operationally effective AFSA’s objective of being the “Voice of the Foreign Service.” One hundred years of service to American diplomacy is a great accomplishment. FSJ: AFSA honors dissent within the system through its annual awards. Any advice for colleagues on whether, when, and how to speak up if they disagree with a policy? MG: One of the hardest things to do is to speak truth to power. It is imperative that this happens. I often think of a quote from historian Max Hastings: “Truth should be respected by decision-makers and those who inform them not just as a matter of morality, but instead as an indispensable navigational aid in every field of endeavor.” Post-Retirement Focus FSJ: Is your private sector work with The Cohen Group similar to the Foreign Service? MG: The majority of our effort at The Cohen Group is to help American companies succeed in their businesses abroad. In that sense, it is like the very important commercial work done in U.S. embassies and in Washington, D.C. We appreciate the guidance and advice we receive from U.S. missions abroad and from State Department employees in Washington. FSJ: You’ve made so many contributions to the Foreign Service and diplomacy since “retiring” for the first time in 2005, it’s hard to know where to begin. You’ve been a strong advocate for road safety since the mid-1990s when you were ambassador to Türkiye at the time a young American was killed in a bus crash. Every country, including the U.S., has problems with road safety. Where do you see the issue today, and is there anything that can be done to reduce traffic deaths on a global scale? MG: Aron Sobel, a 25-year-old University of Maryland medical student two weeks from graduation, was killed in a bus crash in Türkiye in 1995. Twenty-two other people were killed. Aron’s mother, Rochelle Sobel, grieving and furious, called me a few days later. Rochelle wanted something done so that Aron’s death was not in vain. We talked about what to do for some months. Rochelle created the Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT). Her first effort was to try to get the State Department to keep statistics on road crashes in which American citizens were killed. It was oddly hard to get anyone to pay attention to road safety at first, but after starting to collect the data, the department has become a strong supporter of Rochelle and ASIRT. With the support of many donors and volunteers, ASIRT has become a leading global road safety organization. Rochelle, who is among the most determined and purposeful people I have ever met, has spoken at international meetings around the I kept looking for a career that would pay me to pursue my curiosity about how other people live and how they decide their priorities.
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