The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2011

J U L Y - A UGU S T 2 0 1 1 / F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L 47 O n May 16, the AFSA Book Notes program presented former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Edmund Hull, who discussed his new book High- Value Target: Countering Al Qaeda in Yemen. AsAFSAPresident Susan Johnson stated in introducingHull, the releaseof this book could hardly be timelier, given the recent demise of Osama bin Laden. Amb. Hull laid out three main propositions for effec- tive U.S. diplomacy in the fight against al-Qaida. First, the StateDepartment should place more emphasis on learning fromexperience and tappingbest practices. Draw- ing on his own experiences, Hull explained that the State Department hires smart peo- ple and provides them with training, but much of what FSOs learn is dependent on the leaders under whom they work. Although every FSO cannot work under a great leader, there is a lot they can learnfromwhat has beendone in the past. Hull cited the example of how George Kennananalyzed the sources of Soviet con- duct. Emphasizing thebest practices devel- oped by U.S. diplomats over the years would improve the State Department as a learning institution and allow for greater capacity for growth. Broad Solutions Needed Hull’s second proposition was that an effective counterterrorismstrategy cannot be conceived of as a purely intelligence or military issue— the scope of the solution must be broad enough to cover the prob- lem. During Hull’s ambassadorship in Yemen (2001-2004), thismeant linking the security issues that are important in Washington to thedevelopment issues that are important inSana’a. Hull stressed that it is critical to gain the ‘buy-in’ of the peo- ple, as well as of the government. Finally, Amb. Hull’s third proposition is that the embassy country team is an effective mechanism for a government- wide effort, but it needs effective support. One of Hull’s goals inwriting High-Value Target was to demonstrate howmuch his team accomplished despite having few resources. He maintains that their suc- cesses will save more costly expenditures onmilitary operations in the future. The Foreign Service has taken on many new responsibilities in the area of counterter- rorism, but the resources provided are not yet commensurate with those responsi- bilities. During the subsequent discussion, Amb. Hull faced a series of questions on the future of U.S. policy in the region, the potential impact of theArabSpring and the role of the State Department in counter- terrorism efforts. CNN’s Elise Labott asked how a pos- sible regime change in Sana’a could affect U.S. counterterror efforts inYemen. Hull answered that, althoughPres. Ali Abdullah Saleh was important to U.S. efforts in the country, the partnership between theU.S. and Yemen is broader than any one man, and will continue. The Arab Spring The retired ambassador added that in the long termitwouldbe good for theU.S. —and bad for al-Qaida—if there were a smooth transition from Saleh to a more popular president. Al-Qaida’s goals to establish an Islamic caliphate and imple- ment strict sharia law do not answer the plight of today’s revolutionaries inYemen, and across the region. Rather, the rights beingdemandedby today’s youtharemore in line with the values of democratic gov- ernance. FSJ Editorial Board Chairman Ted Wilkinson asked Hull whether he thought it necessary tomain- tain a “one size fits all” poli- cy toward the protests, or whether the current country- by-country approach is preferable. Amb.Hull agreed that the differences among individual political situations warrant the country-by- country approach, but cau- tioned thatWashington and the international community should not allow Yemen to drift toward al-Qaida. Amb.Hull urged theU.S. toworkwith its allies toprevent the terror network from gaining breathing room. He praised the work of U.S. allies, including the U.K., Jordan, Germany and theNetherlands, for theirworkon training theYemenimilitary and police, and on development issues. He also noted positive growth in the Gulf CooperationCouncil, and stated that he hopes the GCC will take a similar pos- ture towardYemenasEurope took toward, for example, post-Franco Spain: recogniz- ing the long-term importance of stabiliz- ing the countryandbringing it into the fold. Inconclusion, Amb.Hull stated that he believes the Obama administration has a counterterrorismstrategy for the region, is actively addressing theproblemand is allo- cating resources. Thequestionnow, he says, is effective implementationof the strategy. Hull ended with some optimism for the future: the sooner theU.S. acts, the greater its chances of success in the fight against al- Qaida. A F S A N E W S Amb. Edmund Hull discusses his new book at AFSA -HQ event on May 16. AFSA Book Notes: Amb. Edmund Hull on High-Value Target BY DANIELLE DERBES, AFSA STAFF DONNA AYERST