The Foreign Service Journal, February 2007

single Indonesian security official. The understandable unwillingness of East Timor’s weak new government to confront its powerful neighbor with demands for justice has undermined its credibility with its own people. And the failure of the international com- munity to act in the face of the very predictable failure of the Indonesian courts to render justice was emblemat- ic of its abandonment of East Timor. In Afghanistan, as early as March 2002, Afghans told me (during a pri- vate visit there) that it was essential that the U.S. and the U.N. set in motion a process that would bring war criminals to justice. There was parallel concern that corrupt warlords not be allowed to force their way into govern- ment. Nearly five years later, the jus- tice system in Afghanistan remains dysfunctional. Moreover, senior indi- viduals identified by reputable Afghan and international human rights organi- zations as war criminals now occupy key positions in President Hamid Karzai’s government. The weak and falling credibility of the Karzai admin- istration among Afghans is a conse- quence of its inability to ensure securi- ty, provide services and afford justice. Respect for human rights requires more than lip service from the U.S. and U.N., particularly in vulnerable new states where the credibility and effectiveness of new governments de- pend in significant measure on their capacity to create societies that their people perceive as just. Edmund McWilliams FSO, retired White Oaks, N.M. Somaliland Deserves Independence The article “Somaliland: A Demo- cracy Under Threat” ( FSJ , November 2006) brought back fond memories of my trips to that emerging democracy when I served as U.S. refugee coordi- nator for the Horn of Africa from 2001 to 2003. Based in Addis Ababa, I trav- eled to Somaliland several times, visit- ing Hargeisa and other cities and towns to monitor our refugee programs. On each visit, I was struck by the heartfelt hope the Somalilanders ex- pressed in a future as an independent and stable state. I was struck by a peo- ple proud of their de facto indepen- dence and fiercely opposed to revers- ing that status quo. Somalilanders on numerous occasions told me that to reunite with southern Somalia would be, in effect, the equivalent of “going back to live in a burning house.” In Hargeisa, the capital, I stayed at a hotel that supplied, for a fee, elec- tricity to the surrounding neighbor- hood — the free-market economy in action. Although still in its infancy, the rule of law was reflected in Hargeisa’s gold market, where Somali women hawked thousands of dollars worth of gold as bridal dowry, without an armed guard in sight. The Somalilanders I met invariably were friendly toward the United States. They ached for U.S. recogni- tion of their achievements in securing peace and stability in their small cor- ner of the Horn of Africa. I also met with human rights activists during my visits, and found that major human rights concerns in Somaliland included poor prison con- ditions and inequities in the judicial system. Other than those concerns, however, I did not hear complaints about torture, police abuses or other human rights violations. I recall meeting some International Republican Institute staffers who were helping the Somalilanders prepare for the 2003 elections. The subsequent success of those elections could have set a standard for many independent states in Africa. Today, I wonder why we do not take the lead in rewarding Somali- land’s success, especially in a region where so many recognized states have failed as democracies. Why would we not bolster a friendly regime in a region besieged by religious fanatics and terrorist influence? Why would we not give the Somalilanders the status they enjoyed for five days in 1960, when Somali- land’s independence was recognized by 35 countries, including the United States? What could be more “trans- formational” about our diplomacy than U.S. recognition for a small state that has dared to defy the odds and has, by all accounts, succeeded in building democracy in the Horn of Africa? Somaliland deserves independence. Steve Hubler FSO Embassy Skopje Public Diplomacy: Bullhorn or Bulwark? Thanks for the great issue on public diplomacy, and kudos to Patricia Kush- lis and Patricia Sharpe (“Public Diplo- macy Matters More Than Ever,” Octo- ber 2006 FSJ ). Their article raised an important and still-debated decision —USIA’s subsumation by State. Years later, many still believe the agency should have been strengthened and diversified by adding new communica- tions specialists instead of taking on cautious, ‘experience-challenged’ offi- cers who didn’t quite understand the art of cultural diplomacy. I fear we are steadily ‘taming down’ our cultural diplomacy at a time when we ought to be trumpeting our diversi- ty. We gain no purchase from walk- ing the unassailable middle ground. American culture needs to be fully represented and explained overseas. We need more public diplomacy and more qualified civilian diplomats to help our FSOs spread the word about the real America. State cannot do it alone. I would also suggest that other countries are not as naive as we some- times believe. Anyone who thinks that F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 7 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 7 L E T T E R S