The Foreign Service Journal, March 2006

Those working in Information Resource Management seem to find the work similar to that at other posts. It does not depend on contact with Iraqis, and is primarily done on-site in the office. One IRM employee in Baghdad summed up his views this way: “Less work, longer hours, Baghdad overstaffed.” Are you able to do your job effectively, as one might expect at another post if you had the same portfolio? Can you see or talk to the people you need to? Can you communicate effectively with them (i.e., in Arabic, English)? The most common response to the question about effectiveness was a conditional yes. The security situation is by far the most limiting factor. This includes both the difficulty of arranging meetings outside the Green Zone and the restrictions resulting from traveling to those meetings with armed guards. “I’ve been able to do my job effectively,” explains a management officer serving in Baghdad, “starting at the point that I realized that the paradigm here is complete- ly different from any other embassy.” “Extreme perseverance, determination and stubborn- ness are required to overcome the myriad of difficulties of performing diplomatic duties,” writes an FSO serving in Baghdad. “However, often security restrictions keep us overly locked down and in a bubble, where we can not accurately track or influence events.” “I am able to do my job effectively,” says an officer in Baghdad, “except that everything requires five times the effort, 10 times the time and 20 times the patience as elsewhere.” “Considering the circumstances, we are surprisingly effective,” says an FSO serving in a regional embassy office. “Sometimes it takes a long time to make a meet- ing happen, but eventually it does happen. Communi- cation can be a challenge, but there are always translators around. … The limiting factor here is how thin the FS is spread.” “I don’t think I’m very effective,” writes a first-tour officer serving in Baghdad. “I seem to spin my wheels a lot. I truly believe first-tour officers should not be allowed to serve in Iraq. It’s hard to see the people you need to talk to if they’re in the Red Zone. It’s not effective communication, and I wasn’t given Arabic [-language training] so that’s another problem.” Several other officers expressed frustration at not having Arabic-lan- guage skills. Only 10 respondents reported that they speak Arabic. A number of respondents noted that not having Arabic was a factor, but most explained that interpreters were avail- able as needed. One political officer notes, “I should have had Arabic train- ing for my position. I am hampered by the need to use a Foreign Service National for trans- lation/interpreter purposes. It takes longer to establish a rapport without the language. Access is my biggest beef — there are folks you just can’t get to meet.” Do security precautions limit your ability to do your job, and if so, how? Almost every respondent said yes, sometimes accom- panied by something akin to “Are you kidding?!” The security restrictions have the most impact on reporting officers, who need to meet with Iraqis outside the Green Zone. A number of reporting officers expressed the view that security precautions for meetings in the Red Zone were too restrictive to allow for fully effective job perfor- mance. However, almost all explained that they under- stand the need for these same security precautions. “It is not possible to leave the Green Zone without bodyguards,” says an FSO serving in Baghdad, “and it is necessary to request them at least two days prior to any trip out. Many times security conditions will make it nec- essary to cancel or postpone a planned trip. The heavy security presence that accompanies us into the Red Zone also puts a damper on meetings. These security precau- tions are, however, absolutely necessary. This is a war zone and there are people out there who are actively try- ing to kill us. Anyone who doubts the need for the secu- rity precautions in place should be immediately removed from the mission.” “Security limits everything,” says an FSO who has served in Baghdad and a regional embassy office. “We have to travel to other cities only in helicopters. … We F O C U S 24 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A R C H 2 0 0 6 “Extreme perseverance, determination and stubbornness are required to perform diplomatic duties.” — An FSO serving in Baghdad