The Foreign Service Journal, March 2004

gram, a stream of targeting data, and someone’s electoral calendar. In that brutally competitive universe, for- eigners are playing cards of limited value. In that universe, the Iraq war was a triumph of power politics. I am not qualified to say when and how the State Department lost the bureau- cratic struggle for the president’s ear. We lost, and we chose to be good losers. In the Real World But there is also a real universe, a more subtle one, in which the real, permanent interests of the American people must be defended. In this universe, humiliation and powerless- ness are a cause of terrorism, not its cure. Here, when we put forth our power, states go catastrophically limp, as Iraq went limp. In this universe, where we cannot truly democratize or profitably blackmail even the most servile client state, it is not the State Department but America that has suffered a costly defeat in Iraq. Global threats require global alliances. Sacrificing allies to domes- tic politics is bad policy. The State Department used to fight and occa- sionally win policy battles in the corri- dors of Washington on behalf of our allies. Perhaps my limited experience misleads me, and we do not really crumple at each jeer of “clientitis.” But even by the crudest ancient mea- sure of power, the ability to help our friends and harm our foes, we have failed to reward British Prime Minister Tony Blair for his loyalty to us. Much less can we reliably identi- fy our friends in Iraq and bolster them against our foes. Any respect for the Foreign Service is earned by accurate under- standing of the real universe and honest recommendations about real human beings. By admitting the obvious about Iraq, we make our- selves stronger. We cannot adopt M A R C H 2 0 0 4 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 17 S P E A K I N G O U T 2400 Virginia Ave., N.W Washington, D.C., 20037 Tel: (202) 293-2000 E-mail: leasingoffice@columbiaplaza.net Office Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8:00 AM-5:30 PM Sat 10:00 AM-4:00 PM 24 Hour Front Desk Garage Parking Avaliable Controlled Access Potomac River Views Minutes to Fine Dining Newly Renovated Kitchens Directly across the street from Main State, minutes to Kennedy Center and Georgetown Beautiful and Spacious: Efficiency $1,100 - $1,250 1 Bedroom 1,400 - 1,700 2 Bedroom 2,100 - 2,700 Utilities Included Complimentary Voice Mail Courtyard Style Plaza Polished Hardwood Floors Private Balconies Huge Walk-in Closets Toll Free 1-888-240-5131 Capital Living With Comfort and Convenience 24 Hour Fitness Center columbia plaza apartments