bout de papier, Vol. 23, No. 2 (2007) — Fall 2007 // Automne 2007, p. 3
any in the Foreign Service will have encountered dilemmas similar to one I recently faced. A great intern was working with me, and then she wrote the Foreign Service Exam and was invited to an interview. She asked whether or not I would recommend a career in the Canadian Foreign Service. This type of question always causes me to pause and reflect.
The downsides of a foreign service career quickly come to mind including major disruptions to family life, many changes of work locations, health issues, variable levels of schooling for children, and numerous spousal issues. But the major downside dominating and affecting all these other concerns are the attitudes of the employing Departments of the Foreign Service towards the future of the Foreign Service and those who have chosen to make it their career. From inadequate FSDs, to the sad managing of the transition to the new imposed FS structure, to the drawn out and often extremely flawed promotions processes, to the lack of recruitment and the chronic shortage of FS’s to do the Departments’ work, much of the joy of working in the Foreign Service is overshadowed by how it is managed.
Dans le présent numéro de bout, nous avons un ravissant article de fond de Scott Slessor, un conjoint du service extérieur, qui nous parle d’un merveilleux projet auquel il a participé durant son séjour au Cambodge. Cet article est rehaussé de photos artistiques.
Former Ambassador and senior Foreign Service Officer, Randolph Gherson has provided us with a timely opinion piece regarding dual nationality and Canadian Citizenship. This is an issue very close to many Foreign Service families and an issue which needs an informed public debate. I have no statistics, but many in the Foreign Service are affected by dual nationality, whether they have a foreign born spouse, or if they themselves were born abroad and immigrated to Canada, or their children were born abroad while on assignment and through the quirks of local citizenship laws became dual nationals.
Roger Lucy has provided us with a timely article regarding the attempts of a superpower trying to occupy and control part of the Middle East. It is a story spanning several hundred years of Rome and the Arab Judean conflict.
Nous retrouvons malheureusement trois inscriptions sous la rubrique « En mémoire de » dans le présent numéro. Nous disons aurevoir à deux anciens membres du Conseil de rédaction sénior de bout, John Hadwen et Ross Campbell. Les deux ont connu de remarquables carrières perpétuant la force historique de la diplomatie canadienne. Nous disons également adieu à Éric Mercier, qui nous a quitté dans la fleur de l’âge. Eric aété lauréat d’un prix des agents du service extérieur canadien de l’APASE en 2004 et, lui aussi, il a, au cours de sa brève carrière, apporté une importante contribution à la force du service extérieur.
Hector Mackenzie has provided us a selection from the archives titled “fantaisiste” which provides another historic insight into a sad chapter in Canadian diplomacy.
In this issue, we also have several book reviews. John Noble has reviewed David Reece’s book on Ambassadorial Assignments. Gar Pardy has reviewed two Rory Stewart books, which are a must read for those interested in the Middle East and recent world events. Gar has also reviewed the second novel by retired FS Adriaan de Hoog.
The entertainment section has a puzzle by A Aalto challenging readers to solve it by following numerous cryptic clues.
This issue of bout has cheered me, seeing the contributions to the magazine by members of the Foreign Service community, and recognizing the high quality of those associated with the Foreign Service including the memories of our three departed colleagues and the contributions they made to Canada through their careers and work. So to get back to the question posed in the first paragraph of this editorial, yes, I would recommend a foreign service career to young people considering the career, because, despite all the drawbacks and frustrations, many imposed by the employer, the Foreign Service is a place where we can do the things we like doing, surrounded by quality people, creative and intelligent people who care about Canada.
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Originally published in / Publié à l’origine dans bout de papier, Vol. 23, No. 2 (2007) — Fall 2007 // Automne 2007, p. 3. Read the rest of this issue / Lire le reste de ce numéro →
