The Foreign Service Journal, October 2021

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2021 11 LETTERS Kabul, Tehran: The Helplessness We All Felt Regarding Ambassador Eric Rubin’s Aug. 17 statement on events in Afghani- stan, I remember my fate-filled year in Kabul (1978-1979) and the abduction and murder of our ambassador Adolph “Spike” Dubs on Valentine’s Day 1979. I remember the helplessness we all felt at the embassy, and I remember the helplessness that Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and others in Washington felt in not being able to convince Afghan police and political leaders to wait and negotiate with the hostage-takers. We all felt naked, exposed and at the mercy of the Marxist regime under Nur Muhammad Taraki that did not seem to be in control of events—and wasn’t. Now, decades later, thanks to the investigative research of Canadian war correspondent Arthur Kent, we know that the Soviets played a much bigger role in the ambassador’s abduction and murder (see Murder in Room 117: Solving the Cold Case That Led to America’s Longest War , Skywriter Communications, 2021). Diplomatic and military hubris, coupled with White House hubris about the power and influence of the U.S. over- seas, has, once again, been exposed, as it was after our diplomats were seized at the embassy in Tehran (where I had also served) on Nov. 4, 1979. President Jimmy Carter was exposed as helpless, though Ambassador Wil- liam Sullivan had warned that allowing the shah to enter the U.S. for whatever reason would precipitate uncontrollable events that would endanger the lives of our diplomats. Here we are again, almost 20 years after President George W. Bush ordered troops into Afghanistan to capture Osama bin Laden. That mission failed; bin Laden survived for 10 more years presumably under the protec- tion and tolerance of the Pakistan army and govern- ment. Now we are faced with another failed mission after thousands of American and Afghan lives have been lost and the once-van- quished Taliban are back in control in Kabul. In any future dealings with Taliban leaders, we will negotiate from a much weaker position. Bruce K. Byers FSO, retired Reston, Virginia Counter the Tendency to Retreat Major congratulations to the FSJ for the magnificent September issue featur- ing, in particular, four articles inspired by Afghanistan (bolstered by selections from earlier FSJ editions). The articles by retired Ambassador Larry Butler and by well-known profes - sor Anthony Cordesman succinctly describe U.S. misadventures mainly in the larger Middle East going back to the “End of History” after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In the next two articles FSO Keith Mines cites specific, on-the-spot experiences of U.S. mismanagement in Afghanistan and Ambassador Ron Neumann, president of the American Academy of Diplomacy, presents four incisive and valuable lessons Americans should learn from. Even a cursory glance at recent university and think-tank publications today indicates a natural but unfortunate movement once again toward American retreat from the world. And this does not just derive from the “MAGA” illusion that opposes necessary domestic improvements at home to those of American policies abroad. Having entered my 90th year on this earth, I cringe as I recall the panic that grew after American isolation from the world following World War I as we became aware of the threats rising from World War II—until Pearl Harbor rescued us from the menace of hostile powers conquering the developed world on our eastern and western frontiers. This tendency to retreat must be countered. And the Foreign Service, with its ongoing experience dealing directly in the field with foreign govern- ments and cultures, is best equipped to lead the effort. Our clear message must be the overwhelming importance of being there . We must explain the need for ongo- ing, widespread presence among our allies as among our potential opponents or failing states if we are to notice and prepare for problems abroad that easily spread to hurt us. But this effort must be led by diplomats, not the U.S. military, unless and until military involvement proves necessary. A recent op-ed in The International New York Times made the interesting suggestion that some of our woes derive from the constantly growing U.S. military budgets that have created the immense military hammer that leads policymakers to the easy conclusion that every interna- tional threat looks like a nail. The suggestion was that some of that budget be devoted to other U.S. agen- cies abroad for this work. And, of course, who better than the State Department? I urge my serving and recently retired Foreign Service colleagues to put their