bout de papier, Vol. 15, No. 4 (1998-1999) — Winter 1998/99 // Hiver 1998/99, p. 2
This issue of bout was being prepared as Canada took its place as president of the UN Security Council early on in our two-year term on the Council. As our political leadership and the Canadian public enjoy the prestige and heightened international profile afforded us by the seat on the Council, I would be remiss not to recognize the contributions of Foreign Service Officers overseas and at HQ, and of some retired FS ’emissaries’ as well, in the intense lobbying campaign that led to Canada’s winning the seat. Since then, officers at 125 Sussex and at the UN mission have done yeoman service in gearing up for our term on the Council, while over the next two years many officers will put in long and stressful hours, away from family and friends, as Canada seeks to make the world a better and safer place from its perch on the Council. Recognition of outstanding officers is the theme of our first Feature article this issue which reports on the success of last year’s sold-out PAFSO awards ceremony where four outstanding FS — Deborah Chatsis, Patricia Fortier, Donald McGillivray and Roman Waschuk — were honoured by their colleagues. We also describe special recognition for two other outstanding FS — James Bartleman and Robert Peck.
Another Feature article, by Renata Wielgosz, provides a poignant, firsthand account of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Mitch on the people of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, written in the hope that Canadians will not soon forget those who perished from Mitch and those who now seek to rebuild the region. We also present first-time bout contributor Christopher Brown’s reflections on shared moments with former Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere.
Our second “PAFSO Forum/Forum de L’APASE” provides provocative comment by a group of new FS on career prospects and life in the Department from the FS-1 perspective. We have also included excerpts from a panel discussion between new FS and media that took place at the Department’s first Open House last November, where our newest recruits talked about their backgrounds and aspirations in the foreign service. The next issue of bout will feature excerpts from an Open House panel featuring retired Heads of Mission.
In “Commentary”, itinerant notetaker Sam Hanson looks at how electronic writing tools are affecting diplomatic note-taking, while Daryl Copeland asks whether Canada has the requisite diplomatic strategies and tools to meet the challenges of globalization.
For those who enjoy touring the globe with bout, in this issue we explore the historical and architectural heritage of southeastern Turkey with Michael Grant, while Bill Bottomley takes us to rural Haiti, potholes and all.
For “From the Archives”,, bout editorial board member Hector Mackenzie has again dug into the dusty files to come up with excerpts from the Mackenzie King diaries relating to King’s participation in the August 1928 signing of the Kellogg-Briand pact. We also offer an excerpt from John Starnes’ new memoir, Closely Guarded: A Life in Canadian Intelligence and Security, which provides insight into the world of Canadian intelligence in the 1960s and 1970s.
For contributions to “Books in Review” we thank Jean-Pierre Juneau for his review of Henri Froment-Meurice’s Vue du Quai, and Hector Mackenzie, who examines We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History, the newest release from John Lewis Gaddis. Jane Anido has also contributed a review of Mary Taylor’s If Only I Had Known.
In a lighter vein, newly-discovered comedy writer Michael Kaduck provides a hilarious account of his first day in the Department, with details and ironies familiar to those who joined last year, or 40 years ago.
“In Memoriam” contains tributes to a number of outstanding former members of the Department, including Marion McPherson, Lucien Lamoureux, Keith MacLellan, and longstanding PAFSO Executive Director Leo Martin.
Finally, A Aalto, recently back from posting and taking advantage of the long Ottawa winters to further refine his art, presents a gastronomic enigma — “Murder by Cuisine”
Material for bout keeps coming in and we thank you for it. If you want to write for Canada’s magazine of diplomacy and foreign service, or be part of the bout editorial team. please let us know.
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Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 15, No. 4 (1998-1999) — Winter 1998/99 // Hiver 1998/99, p. 2. Read the rest of this issue →
