The Foreign Service Journal, September 2009

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 9 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 25 5. Local economy. What are the principal sources of in- come— legal and illegal — for the local population? What are the main agricultural products grown in the province? Do small-scale industries exist? What is the local unem- ployment rate? What percentage of the working popula- tion goes abroad to find employment? Howmuch do they remit home each year? 6. Public services. What percentage of the population has reliable electricity and potable water? Do certain groups receive preferential access to such services? How is garbage picked up? How is sewage removed? Where do people obtain medical services? What is the quality of the health care? What percentages of school-age children, broken down by gender (and ethnicity, if applicable), at- tend school? The diplomat’s expertise should extend to knowledge about the enemy, as well. A clear understanding of which insurgent groups are operating in a given province — in- cluding information about their leadership, goals, power base, means of recruitment, financing sources and foreign supporters — will help the diplomat-counterinsurgent calibrate a comprehensive political strategy. With this knowledge, it will be possible to identify political actions that will exploit fissures within a group and induce de- fections to the government. A nuanced appreciation of the enemy should facilitate the disarmament and recon- ciliation process and, over time, help reduce the violence levels. By steeping themselves in the history, politics and everyday life of a province, diplomats will develop insights that will contribute positively to the counterinsurgency campaign. In this sense, and to borrow a military term, the diplomat’s deep knowledge and sound judgment will become powerful “force multipliers” in the overall effort. Become a Catalyst for Political Progress To succeed in counterinsurgency warfare, diplomats will need to undertake a fundamental reappraisal of how to op- erate and, concurrently, be prepared to assume a variety of new roles, some unlike any they have ever taken on before. F O C U S