Speak Up, but not too much

Word has been spreading about the 1,000 Foreign Service Officers who have signed a dissent cable protesting the president's recent executive order on immigrants and refugees.

But what IS a 'dissent cable' anyway? Well, let's break it down.

A cable is the method of communication between America's various representative's abroad - ambassadors, diplomats, and other members of the mission - and the 'home base' in Washington. These cables are usually assigned a marker indicating their urgency.

Dissent cables are different. They were created during the Vietnam War as a means for members of the diplomatic corps to express disagreement with official policy without risking their jobs. The most famous example is the Blood Telegram, written by the staff of Consulate General Dhaka (and named for Consul General Archer Blood to protest the Nixon Administration's support of Pakistan during the Bangladeshi war for independence:

 So, are dissent cables effective? That depends on who is in charge - some administrations are more open to different viewpoints. Others simply ignore them, or view dissent as disloyalty. No guesses as to what the current administration thinks.