Foreign Service Journal
By Donald Bishop
When my paper copy of the Foreign Service Journal arrives, I set aside time to go through it from cover to cover. There’s always something about foreign affairs that I haven’t seen in the various newspapers, newsletters and electronic sources I receive.
The American Foreign Service Association has announced recently an electronic archive going back 99 years. You’ll see from one of the first covers that in 1919, the Journal called itself the American Consular Bulletin and was published by the American Consular Association.
You can find articles by diplomatic superstars like George Kennan or delve into the arcana of visa policy or embassy technology, as well as amusing “day in the life” stories from our diplomats abroad. Each edition is clearly marked with a thumbnail of its cover. Click, and a Flipbook opens.
I’m having fun with this. Join me by going to http://www.afsa.org/fsj-archives
Donald M. Bishop is the Bren Chair of Strategic Communications in the Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Creativity at Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia. Mr. Bishop served as a Foreign Service Officer – first in the U.S. Information Agency and then in the Department of State – for 31 years.
