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American Foreign Service Association Championing the U.S. Foreign Service since 1924.

Traditional alliances are being demoted in favor of bilateral relationships and an increasingly transactional U.S. forei...
10/13/2026

Traditional alliances are being demoted in favor of bilateral relationships and an increasingly transactional U.S. foreign policy. Some might say we've entered the diplomatic upside-down.

We’ve asked Ambassador Nicholas Burns, one of our country's most respected diplomats, to help us make sense of it.

Join our conversation: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IjUcHyw0STObmbUqQUct8A #/registration

You never know how people will react when the unthinkable happens.When the attacks on USAID started in early 2025, Randy...
10/08/2026

You never know how people will react when the unthinkable happens.

When the attacks on USAID started in early 2025, Randy Chester, AFSA's USAID Vice President, jumped into action, even as his own career, his life's calling, was being taken from him.

Those of us who have watched him work through his own personal and professional pain can say without exaggeration that Randy has been nothing short of an extraordinary leader.

Randy is now preparing to step back from the spotlight. In his final column as USAID Vice President in The Foreign Service Journal, Randy shares a very Randy message with his USAID constituents and friends: He's still here for you. All you have to do is reach out.

Read “A Last Cup of Tea”: https://afsa.org/fsj/foreign-service-journal/last-cup-tea

Photo credit Reuters

10/02/2026

In his latest Austan Explains, AFSA’s Austan Mogharabi highlights some concerning news from the world of U.S. foreign assistance: the precarious future of FEWS NET, the early-warning system that helps America spot food crises before they become much more expensive emergencies.

If you want to get involved, our friends at Aid on the Hill are tracking this closely and have put together resources, including scripts for contacting your representatives.

The U.S. foreign affairs agencies violated federal law by unilaterally appointing members of the Foreign Service Grievan...
10/01/2026

The U.S. foreign affairs agencies violated federal law by unilaterally appointing members of the Foreign Service Grievance Board, the independent body that reviews challenges to personnel decisions affecting U.S. Foreign Service employees.

AFSA is considering all legal options to challenge these appointments.

Read our statement: https://afsa.org/afsa-condemns-unlawful-appointments-foreign-service-grievance-board

Some good news: last night brought a win for career public service, with the confirmation of 10 career Foreign Service m...
10/01/2026

Some good news: last night brought a win for career public service, with the confirmation of 10 career Foreign Service members as U.S. ambassadors.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen, thank you for being such an unyielding supporter of career Foreign Service and America's diplomacy. 🙏

Many people have been pointing out the interior design changes in the Hall of Flags, i.e. the main lobby of the U.S. Sta...
09/30/2026

Many people have been pointing out the interior design changes in the Hall of Flags, i.e. the main lobby of the U.S. State Department.

We've heard that this was a temporary redecoration to celebrate our nation's 250th and that the international flags, the symbol of our global relationships, would be returned after the UN General Assembly in late September. Our members have expressed concern about what the delay in returning the flags may signal to our global partners.

It's almost October.

At a time of major shifts at the State Department, retired diplomat James Bruno asks the uncomfortable question: "When d...
09/29/2026

At a time of major shifts at the State Department, retired diplomat James Bruno asks the uncomfortable question: "When does following orders become the wrong thing to do?"

Link to the piece in comments.

When diplomacy and baseball come together - is there anything more American than that?Thanks to all the members and fell...
09/28/2026

When diplomacy and baseball come together - is there anything more American than that?

Thanks to all the members and fellow fans of diplomacy who came to Foreign Service Night at Nationals Park last Friday. We even had a surprise guest who, apparently, is a fan of diplomacy himself.

America is best represented by a Foreign Service that reflects the country it serves.This Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re...
09/25/2026

America is best represented by a Foreign Service that reflects the country it serves.

This Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re celebrating the generations of Hispanic Americans who have represented the United States abroad.

That history stretches back at least to 1891, when Romualdo Pacheco (pictured) became one of the earliest Hispanic Americans to serve as a U.S. diplomat. In 1965, Joseph John Jova became the first Hispanic career Foreign Service officer to reach the ambassadorial ranks.

This month, we honor their contributions and celebrate the achievements of the Hispanic Americans carrying that tradition forward today.

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