The Foreign Service Journal, September 2017

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2017 59 “six-star” hotel the Qatari sovereign wealth fund will install at the Grosvenor Square location. Security and Design In the spring of 2009, the principals from the four finalist firms in the architectural competition gathered in London to get a better feel for the site and the complex require- ments of building there. As chargé d’affaires during the transi- tion period between the Bush and Obama administrations, I was asked to address them as they finished their initial survey. The new U.S. Embassy London up close. The lightweight plastic scrims that give a soft and billowy look to the exterior are embedded with photovoltaic cells that can convert sunlight into energy. At the same time, they will act as sunscreens to keep interiors from overheating. U.S.STATEDEPARTMENT/OBO Security must never be the only objective. Our diplomatic missions need to reflect the open society they represent. I told them a story: When I was ambassador to Kuwait, I made a habit of asking guests who visited my embassy office if they were treated with courtesy as they entered our mission. In one case, I asked an older gentleman whether the security measures (which included a Kuwaiti armored personnel carrier) had made him nervous. His response: “Oh, no, Mr. Ambassador, I wasn’t ner- vous. I was scared!” I challenged the architects to turn that story on its head: when