The Foreign Service Journal, March 2006

wear bulletproof vests and helmets that complicate movement. There is no such thing as casual movement, so you can never stop in a store, grab a sandwich or get in a cab. Thus, it’s almost impossible to talk to the ‘man in the street.’ There are whole parts of the country we can’t get into, or only with the Army, which then makes us a bigger target.” Another FSO comments on security restrictions: “The message is mixed. Get out, but don’t get out. It makes things tough.” “Getting Red Zone moves ap- proved is a big problem,” says an FSO in Baghdad. “Many of our contacts won’t come to the embassy or the International Zone because they don’t want others to know they are talking to the U.S. embassy or because they don’t want to put up with the search procedures at the checkpoints.” “Security limits my ability to work,” writes one officer serving in Baghdad. “Iraqis don’t want me to visit their ministry with my personal security detail in town because that makes them a target. At the same time it is such a hassle to put in for and be approved for a Personal Security Detail and to coordinate the movement. There is very little flexi- bility, so no spontaneous action is ever possible.” The situation is the same for those serving in the regional embassy offices, except they do not have a protected interna- tional zone. An FSO at a regional post writes that secu- rity precautions “definitely” limit her ability to do her job. “Our meetings frequently get canceled at the last minute because of security threats. … We have to plan weeks in advance for some meetings. Getting outside F O C U S M A R C H 2 0 0 6 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 25 “Security limits everything. ... There is no such thing as casual movement.” — An FSO who has served in Baghdad