The Foreign Service Journal

04/02/2025

Weakening or eliminating USAID will only help those who seek to undermine American leadership.

Read the full statement: https://afsa.org/statement-afsa-decision-dismantle-usaid

30/01/2025

High in the Andes Mountains and two hours from Santiago, Chile, FSO Martin Claessens shot this image of the Inca Lagoon.

❄️ See it in the January-February (link below).

29/01/2025

Members of the often face unique tax situations—and we understand that it can get complicated. Check out our 2024 Federal in the January-February for valuable information on:

✅ The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE) ✅ New tax updates that could impact your filing ✅ Key deadlines and tips for avoiding penalties. Link in comments, below!

11/01/2025

🖋️ Call for input: President Jimmy Carter left an indelible impression on so many in the community. Please share your remembrances for an Appreciation in an upcoming edition of the .

📧 Send up to 300 words and related photos (with your name and Foreign Service affiliation) to [email protected] by Friday, January 17.

Note: All submissions will be attributed. Submissions will be edited for style and clarity. AI-generated content will not be accepted. We cannot guarantee all submissions will be featured, but we will print as many as possible.

08/01/2025

📨 The first Foreign Service Journal edition of 2025 is now out!

In this , we dive into the dynamics of U.S. presidential transitions, with:

🔹 insights on the future of in “Liberate the Future” by Amb. Tom Shannon

🔹 inside perspectives from Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST)’s oral history collection in “Working a Presidential Transition: First-Person Accounts”

🔹 a fresh collection highlighting the significance of elections for the U.S. , “A Look Back—The Foreign Service and Presidential Elections”

+ more. Read the full edition here 🔗 https://afsa.org/foreign-service-journal-januaryfebruary2025

01/01/2025

As we bid farewell to 2024 and welcome 2025, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to all our readers. This new year, we're excited to continue bringing you insightful content and inspiring stories from practitioners of across the globe.

🎉 Have a safe & happy New Year! 🎉

14/12/2024

CLOSING SOON— members: active-duty and retired, we want to hear from you.

As a part of our “Notes to the New Administration” compilation for the March 2025 edition, we welcome your thoughts in response to this prompt:

How can diplomacy and development practitioners of the Foreign Service best serve and advance America’s foreign policy interests for the new administration? What are your specific recommendations?

✍ Share your recommendations (400 words or fewer) by sending them to [email protected] with the subject line: "Notes to the New Administration" by this Monday, December 23.

Note: All comments will be attributed. Submissions will be edited for style and clarity. AI-generated content will not be accepted. We cannot guarantee all submissions will be featured, but we will print as many as possible.

10/12/2024

2024 American Foreign Service Association award winners’ stories are here!

Closing out the centennial year for and the , the December profiles this year’s awardees, plus:

🏆 A conversation with Award for Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy winner Ambassador Marc Grossman on “Building a Better Diplomatic Service”
🏆 Search for Common Ground founder and veteran FSO John Marks discusses “Social Entrepreneurship and the Professional Diplomat”
🏆 A copy of the FSJ reaches adventurous new heights (!) with regional refugee coordinator Nathan Tidwell in Tanzania

+ more. Read (and share) the full edition here: https://afsa.org/foreign-service-journal-december2024

23/11/2024

🐧 Check out FSO Justin Franklin’s encounter with an Adélie penguin on Horseshoe Island, Antarctica.

Learn more about the adorable Adélie—one of only four penguin species to nest on the Antarctic continent—in the November : https://afsa.org/sites/default/files/flipping_book/1124/82/

07/11/2024

The November is out! 📖 In this issue:

➡️ U.S. Ambassadors to NATO, including Permanent Representative Julianne Smith, reflect on the alliance’s 75th anniversary
➡️ Veteran FSO Dan Spokojny and scholar/researcher Thomas Scherer discuss “The Marginalization of Career Diplomats”
➡️ Find a new roundup of books written by and for the Community in our “In Their Own Write” and “Of Related Interest” catalogs

+ more. Read (and share) the full edition here: https://afsa.org/foreign-service-journal-november2024

05/11/2024

This here in the U.S., team + our noble mascot, Bark Twain, encourage you to get out and VOTE, if you haven’t already!

26/10/2024

“The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, UAE, is a sight to behold.”

Take a closer look at this incredible work of art and architecture in the October by Carole Fenton, here: https://afsa.org/sites/default/files/flipping_book/1024/82/

17/10/2024

“Currently, in security clearance and discipline cases, the department collects facts and information, sometimes without informing individuals that their conduct is under review. It prepares its conclusions of fact in a Report of Investigation and then determines whether misconduct has occurred. ...

“Only after making these decisions does the department allow an employee to offer their own evidence.”

FSO Jennifer Davis tells her story of enduring “every Foreign Service officer’s worst nightmare” and advocates for change in “The Case for Reforming State’s Discipline Procedures.”

Read her October article, here: https://afsa.org/case-reforming-states-discipline-procedures

05/10/2024

“As the team and Editorial Board put together the editorial calendar ... we welcome your input and ideas. What issues do you want us to cover more, or less, in the Journal?”

Editor in Chief Shawn Dorman introduces the October edition and invites feedback in her October , “Looking Ahead” ➡️ https://afsa.org/looking-ahead

We welcome your thoughts on what you’d like to see in the FSJ in 2025. Leave a comment below or send a message to [email protected]!



[Photo 📍Steall Falls in Glen Nevis, Scottish Highlands]

01/10/2024

Our October edition has landed, and with it a wealth of perspectives on today. In this issue:

➡️ FSO David Schlaefer writes about “15 Minutes That Mattered: Wartime Assistance to Ukraine”

➡️ Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) Program Director David H. Young discusses “Foreign Assistance Lessons from Afghanistan: How to Balance Accountability and Learning”

+ more. Read (and share) the full edition here: https://afsa.org/foreign-service-journal-october2024

30/09/2024

Good morning from team ! How do you take your coffee? ☕

Take a closer look at a special Taiwanese preparation process for this beloved beverage in the September by FSO Noah Rose: https://afsa.org/sites/default/files/flipping_book/0924/102/

14/09/2024

On the latest episode of the American Diplomat podcast, FSO Chad Houghton talks about his work on climate change issues with John Kerry as well as with Sue Biniaz, current lead climate negotiator and September contributing author.

Listen to the full episode, “The World is Burning,” here: https://americandiplomat.libsyn.com/the-world-is-burning

And read Sue Biniaz’s article, “The Climate Crisis: How the U.S. Is Leading the Global Response,” here: https://afsa.org/climate-crisis-how-us-leading-global-response

As climate change alters our planet, the U.S. is leading the way in developing sound global policies to combat the crisis.

11/09/2024

As we remember those who perished in the horrific attacks that took place in September 2001, find thoughtful reflections in the September 2021 from Ambassadors Larry Butler, Ronald Neumann, and more.

Read the full award-winning edition— “9/11, Twenty Years Later: Where Does Diplomacy Stand?”—here, in the : https://afsa.org/foreign-service-journal-september2021