Eva Fedderly writes: Sarah Chayes has become a key player in the attempt to bring about a sea change in US foreign policy by showing how what some see as an innocuous crime – corruption – is actually a serious threat to international security. She has seen it at work not only in Afghanistan but in other places with violent insurgencies, such as Syria, Nigeria, and Iraq.

Within the past two years, Chayes has influenced a paradigm shift in US foreign policy, Nathaniel Heller, cofounder of Global Integrity, an independent, nonprofit organization tracking governance and corruption trends around the world, told the Monitor. “She singlehandedly got a crucial dialogue going at the highest levels of government on corruption…. She opened up a space in politics for dialogue and debate regarding corruption as a serious threat to international security.”

According to several diplomats, Chayes also has affected the diplomatic rules of engagement.