They want you!

[image source]

A friend emailed me the following opportunity, in case any readers are interested:

Description: The Foreign Policy Association seeks a volunteer blogger on Russia as part of its Great Decisions 2008 series. Bloggers are expected to post 5-7 times per week, and keep readers up to date on news and analysis related to Russia. Other writing opportunities are also available to bloggers, who receive all the benefits of national membership in the Foreign Policy Association.

Qualification[s]:
-Expert level knowledge of issues related to Russia
-First hand experience with issues related to Russia
-Strong writing skills for the web
-An understanding of blogging software or Web publishing tools
-A knowledge of online resources related to Russia, including other blogs, news sources, and streaming video
-A bachelor's degree (MA preferred)
-The ability to commit to the position for at least one year.

Contact info is here, if you are interested. FPA definitely needs someone to cover Russia, as their Russia blog currently has only three posts since February, all by someone named "admin"! They are serious about Russia, though, as evidenced by their more complete topical page and by the prominent billing Russia receives as one of eight "Great Decisions Topics" in the organization's "Great Decisions Global Affairs Education Program" and on their 2008 "Opinion Ballot." So if you are looking to blog about Russia for a wider audience or provide structure to your posts, it might not be a bad opportunity.

And while searching for a digital version of the famous "Ты записался добровольцем?" poster to adorn this post, I found the image above, illustrating an Izvestiia article about the US government's efforts to recruit Russian-speakers for something called the "National Language Service Corps." Strangely, that poster is nowhere to be found on the NLSC recruitment website, though it may have been part of a press package that was emailed out. Izvestiia's online poll has a plurality of respondents (44%) concluding that the explanation for this program is that the US is "preparing for war" with Russia, and only 5% concluding that the initiative is being undertaken in the event that the US & Russia "become allies again."

No doubt those 44% would also conclude that the US is also planning wars with Indonesia, Vietnam, India and West Africa, since some of the other languages being sought for the program are Indonesian, Vietnamese, Hindi and Hausa. In fact, while parts of the program's website emphasize its civilian nature, the press releases on its website describe the program as a DoD initiative being run under contract by General Dynamics. Nevertheless, the goals of the program as described seem fairly positive:

The NLSC is a public civilian organization made up of volunteers willing to serve as on-call Federal employees (when the NSLC becomes operational), using their diverse language skills across local, state and federal agencies. The opportunities for service include emergency relief as well as service in support of domestic and international crises—wherever language skills are needed. The NLSC strives to connect service-minded individuals who embrace the power of communication and ultimately, envision helping the greater human good.

If you find this inspiring, you can apply here.