The Foreign Service Journal, March 2016

40 MARCH 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Al-Nahayyan loved to tell off-color jokes, so my presence in his company—and comprehension of Arabic—would be embarrass- ing! Ambassador Quincey Lumsden and DCM David Ransom were 100-percent supportive of my work. The economic officer and I traveled to all the emirates, called on rulers and key people, drank camel’s milk and had a great time. Iranair had two flights a week to Dubai, and with the bloody Iran-Iraq war in full swing, the first stop for many Iranians was the U.S. consulate general. Many Iranians had relatives in the United States, and parents were fearful of their sons being drafted into fighting in a brutal war. The junior consular officer there, Michael Matera, and I decided to question successful visa applicants to try to find out what was happening inside Iran, as the department at that time had very little information. The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs was so pleased with our initiative that they sent a cable with the questions we should ask. We sent in a series of reports that were very gratefully received. As the years passed, and increasing numbers of female officers joined the Service, the problems that I had experienced diminished. However, one issue still dogged me. I had always wanted to work on Israel-Palestine issues, so at one point I bid on a political position in Amman. I later heard from a friend that the DCM there declared in a staff meeting that he did not want a woman with a Palestinian husband in the political section. In 1992, I was assigned to Tunis as political counselor. At that time, U.S. officials were not permitted to have any substantive contact with Palestine Liberation Organiza- tion officials then based in Tunis. With the signing of the Oslo Agreements in September 1993, everything changed: Embassy Tunis was instructed to initiate significant relation- ships with key officials, including PLO leader Yasser Arafat. This was the pinnacle of my FS career. My deep familiarity with the issues and Arabic-language capability made me the designated principal embassy contact with the PLO. While Oslo ultimately was a failure, at the time the agreements seemed full of promise. I helped arrange and participated in the first meeting between a U.S. Sec- retary of State—Warren Christopher—and Yasser Arafat. On Reflection During my career I had the good fortune to serve in the most conservative Middle Eastern country for women, Saudi Arabia, and in the most progressive one, Tunisia, and I have wit- nessed significant change. By now, every country in the Arab world except Saudi Arabia has had a female U.S. ambassador. Female officers are accepted everywhere, and that is a real victory for women in the U.S. Foreign Service. In reflecting on my experience, two thoughts come to mind. First, I would very much like to see a career woman—with Arabic ability—nominated as U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia. At this time of great ferment in the Arab and Islamic world, such a move would serve as a beacon to all progressives in the region. Second, as my career experience illustrates, language capa- bility is extremely important, indeed critical. Without this, the officer walks in a bubble, restricted to English-speaking elites and cut off from the society in which she is trying to function. n In Tunis, after the signing of the Oslo Agreements in Septmber 1993, FSO Andrea Farsakh was the designated embassy contact with the Palestine Liberation Organization. Here she greets Yasser Arafat. COURTESYOFANDREAFARSAKH My gender and language skills gave me entree into the strictly segregated world of Saudi women.