The Foreign Service Journal, March 2004

It is altogether fitting that we have devoted this issue of the Journal to Iraq and what has hap- pened there. The Iraq question is dif- ficult and divisive, as you will see in the Speaking Out col- umn by John Brady Kiesling (p. 13), one of our colleagues who resigned because of disagreement with our actions there. Iraq will be at the center of our national political debate for a long time to come. For the Foreign Service, particular- ly our active-duty and retired col- leagues in State and USAID, Iraq has also been an opportunity to demon- strate once again that we are ready to serve our country under the toughest conditions. In fact most of us needed no such opportunity, having already proven ourselves in such settings as Beirut, Jerusalem, Kabul, Nairobi, Port-au-Prince, Lagos, Khartoum, Bangui and Monrovia. Such places, with their accompanying isolation, family separations and dangers, are unfortunately becoming more and more the norm of our careers. They may sound exotic, but the realities of living and working there are anything but glamorous. Staffing our mission in Iraq means more of the above for more of us. As it has already, it will continue to demand the best from the Service. Specifically, working there will require of us: • Self-sacrifice. Service in Iraq is sweaty, tedious and dangerous. The hours are long and the distractions are few. An assignment there will disrupt family life and, at the end of the day, will bring few rewards beyond the sat- isfaction of having served the American people under difficult and dangerous conditions. Will you get a promotion or a dream assignment out of Iraq service? Maybe, but don’t count on it. • Experience and Expertise. Iraq is difficult and complicated. The inter- and intra-communal disputes are the stuff of major headaches. Even among fellow Arabs, Iraqis have the reputation of being fractious, proud, violent and difficult to rule. Hume Horan’s article in this issue shows just how vital experience, patience and understanding are in helping Iraqis rebuild their society. We will also need Middle East expertise and Arabic and Kurdish language skills in a quality and quantity that we have not required before. • Resourcefulness. There’s no rule book for Iraq. Service there will require the maximum in improvisa- tion, creativity and imagination. For a long time communication was via satellite phones (that worked only out- doors) and via personal Hotmail and Yahoo accounts. Those constraints placed a high premium on self-reliance and initiative. For example, what do you do when a dissident group of Shia from the hawzah (seminary) has occu- pied part of a government ministry for which you are responsible? The FAM isn’t much help! And how do you build an effective team made up of Iraqis, members of the regular military, reservists, Foreign Service personnel, contractors, and officials frommultiple agencies of the U.S. government? Very carefully. From AFSA’s point of view, our work in Iraq is just more evidence of why we are proud of what we do and why we do not tolerate cheap shots from those who would question our professionalism and our devotion to service. Our colleagues — active-duty, retired, specialists, generalists and civil servants — are working side by side with the U.S. military and with like- minded Iraqis in carrying out the mis- sion of rebuilding Ambassador Horan’s “shattered mosaic.” They deserve our (and the public’s) full support and respect. P RESIDENT ’ S V IEWS Iraq: A Place for Professionals B Y J OHN L IMBERT 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 5 John Limbert is the president of the American Foreign Service Association. Our work in Iraq is just more evidence of why we are proud of what we do and why we do not tolerate cheap shots from those who would question our professionalism and our devotion to service.