The following column by American Foreign Service Association President Barbara Stephenson will appear in the December, 2017, issue of The Foreign Service Journal:
I begin with a reminder that we, the members of the career Foreign Service, have an obligation as stewards of our institution to be effective advocates for why diplomacy matters. That requires some skill in explaining how diplomacy works.
While raising awareness of and appreciation for the Foreign Service is a longstanding goal, one AFSA has pursued with renewed vigor and impact over the past couple years, the need to make the case for the Foreign Service with fellow Americans and our elected representatives has taken on a new urgency. The cover of the Timemagazine that arrived as I was writing this column jarred me with its graphic of wrecking balls and warning of “dismantling government as we know it.” Continue reading “Time to Ask Why”