The Foreign Service Journal, May 2007

enough to raise my concerns internal- ly. As for resignation,” Ross says, “It’s the last resort.” Ross is careful to point out that he means no criticism of his former col- leagues who did not resign: “There were many good reasons to remove Saddam, and governments need good people to work for them. A decision to resign is deeply personal.” He adds, “I simply felt I could not work happily for this government, which I felt had been dishonest with the British people.” A Global Service Independent Diplomat, Ross’ nonprofit organization, was founded on the premise that failing to heed the voices of the marginalized ren- ders conflict and suffering more like- ly. As Ross notes, “In this complex and interconnected era, agreements that fail to take into account the inter- ests of all concerned parties are not good or sustainable, and too often they fall apart. The ultimate effect is a less stable world. If people are ignored, they tend to find ways — sometimes violent — to get heard.” Ross and his team currently advise the fledgling Kosovo and Somaliland governments, as well as the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic inWestern Sahara. Ross believes that empower- ing these and other entities to partici- pate in international discussions per- taining to their regions is a critical form of conflict management: “Our hope is that by helping countries and political groups to use the existing international machinery and interna- tional law, we are helping to reinforce peaceful and lawful means of arbi- trating international business.” Independent Diplomat does not only deal with self-determination cases, however. Ross is conducting talks with several more established states and governments in Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America “to assist and advise in their diplomacy.” Should he succeed in building his organization up to the global service he envisions, more and more U.S. diplo- mats may find themselves talking to non-state and state actors who are ben- efiting from Independent Diplomat’s advice. Some already are. M A Y 2 0 0 7 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 45 Ross came to believe that there were real alternatives to war with Iraq that were not pursued.