Letter from the Editor

BY SHAWN DORMAN

The FSJ dedicates this month’s cover to AFSA’s “Service Disrupted” public awareness campaign, which launched on May 9. More than 200 members of the Foreign Service community and allies gathered in Washington, D.C., to join a solidarity walk and share messages of support—to #StandUpForService.

It was an inspiring kickoff to sound the alarm about what is lost when the Foreign Service is pulled from the field, and to build awareness and community. Learn more about the campaign and how to get involved at www.servicedisrupted.org.

Be sure to check out the new website and hear the rallying cry of Ambassador Bill Burns, a Career Ambassador who served six presidents of both parties and most recently served as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the first career diplomat in that role:

I’ve never known a more combustible moment than the one we face today. Since January 20, 2025, nearly a quarter of our diplomatic corps has been lost. Hiring is frozen. The Agency for International Development has been dismantled. Voice of America has been silenced. And the future of our diplomatic service is uncertain at exactly the moment when we need it most. It’s time to be worried.

This isn’t about jobs. This isn’t about sensible organizational reforms, which in truth are overdue. This is about national security. A weakened Foreign Service means a weakened America. It’s time to stand up for the people who have dedicated their lives to making America safe. It’s time to stand up against the dismantling of our institutions. It’s time to stand up for service.

The FSJ is working with AFSA’s fantastic communications team to collect and share stories from FS members describing what is lost when offices are shuttered and funds for important work are frozen or eliminated.

Please read the second collection of Service Disrupted stories (see the April-May FSJ for the first set, all from USAID FSOs). Consider submitting your own story (up to 500 words) for a future edition. Write to us at Humans-of-FS@afsa.org.

So much has changed in the world since the FSJ Editorial Board decided that the June focus would be on economic diplomacy and trade. Working in a more complicated environment for authors and a daily-shifting U.S. trade landscape, we are pleased to bring you a strong set of articles.

We begin with a primer for anyone struggling to keep up with the ping-ponging tariff situation: “Advancing U.S. Interests Overseas in an Era of Rising Tariffs,” by former Foreign Commercial Service Officer Dan Crocker. We believe it’s the first tariff explainer focused exclusively on what diplomats need to know and what their role in a tariff tit-for-tat should be.

And with all the talk about critical minerals in China and Africa that the U.S. needs for manufacturing, Mahnaz Khan’s “Fortifying Minerals Diplomacy: Four Nations, Four Solutions” offers a timely look.

FSO Evan Mangino contributed “FAS: Agricultural Economic Diplomacy in Action” to explain how the Foreign Agricultural Service deals with tariffs and other trade barriers to protect and grow the U.S. economy. And FSO Darrow Godeski Merton looks to Cold War export controls for insights that are relevant today.

In the Speaking Out, Foreign Service Specialist Monica Jean Normil pushes back on the status quo in “Not Just Specialists Anymore,” and Senior FSO Robert Hilton’s Reflection shows how State and Defense are “Closer Than You Might Think.”

The June issue also marks the 30th anniversary of the semiannual Education Supplement. Parents of FS high schoolers—and high schoolers themselves—will appreciate Lauren Steed’s look at whether “Earning American Credentials Abroad” is the right move, while parents of younger children will want to read Martin Thomen’s explanation of the French school system as they chart their children’s academic course.

As always, we’d love to hear from you. Send letters and article submissions (or pitches) to us at journal@afsa.org, and join the conversation on AFSA’s social media channels.

Stay safe out there, wherever in the world you are serving. And remember: The work you do makes a difference. Thank you.