The Foreign Service Journal, December 2003

I t has been painful, in recent months, to watch events unfold in the Middle East. And it has been frustrating to note the number of instances where a lack of under- standing of the cultural environ- ment, or just plain bad judgment, has resulted in regrettable and entirely avoidable misunderstand- ings. The decisions made regarding all sorts of issues — from those as fundamental as choosing to go to war, to those as transitory and tacti- cal as how to conduct a home search — have resulted in unnecessary costs and lingering hostility. These missteps highlight the impor- tance of acquiring and efficiently using, within each unique context, accurate and reliable intelligence. Estimating Saddam Hussein’s real intentions, and the seriousness of the threat he posed to the United States, placed heavy demands on our intelligence appara- tus. Predicting Turkey’s response to our requests that it facilitate our mil- itary campaign was an equally seri- ous challenge, as is foreseeing the likely Iraqi response to inviting Turkish troops to join coalition forces inside Iraq. Planning for a postwar Iraq, or building a unified Afghanistan with an effective central government, requires profound knowledge of Iraqi and Afghani soci- ety. It also calls for an understand- ing of the likely reactions of the peo- ple and governments of Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, and other interest- ed countries. Role of the Foreign Service Throughout my career I always defined my work as “facilitating cross- cultural communication in pursuit of our national interests.” By that I mean not only conveying the U.S. position on an issue and seeking to influence the actions of another government, but also seeking to understand why other people, and their governments, believe what they do and behave the way they do. This is not to become apologists for the other side, but rather to enable us to change foreign behav- ior and attitudes to achieve our own goals and objectives. To accomplish this we have to immerse ourselves as much as possible within these societies when we are assigned abroad. “Immerse” doesn’t mean “going native” or abandoning American val- ues. Rather, like a sponge, we soak up the substance of the other society while maintaining our own shape and form. Immersion in another culture requires that we learn to move freely within it, and that we achieve some degree of acceptance by its members — hence the importance of represen- tational activities. Real understanding only begins to be achieved when we build personal relationships, the kind that lead to invitations to people’s homes, where we can participate in and observe local attitudes and discus- sions of important questions of the day. It is in these informal get-togeth- ers for family and friends that the most valuable opportunities for learning about a foreign culture often arise. Language competency, comple- mented always by a sincere interest in foreign beliefs, habits, and traditions, is the foundation upon which true understanding — real intelligence — rests. In-country travel is another important key to real understanding of another country. Even knowledge of popular music can add significantly to one’s understanding of current ten- sions within a country. For example, the songs of Ivorian reggae singers Alpha Blondy and Serges Kassy dealt with economic inequities and political tensions in Cote d’Ivoire in the 1990s, years before what had been a stable society nearly imploded. But even the most pointed song lyrics won’t reveal much to the listener with just 2+ com- petency. Fortunately, Foreign Service man- agement over the last couple of decades has become aware of the need for deep understanding of for- D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 3 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 15 The Foreign Service and the Quality of Intelligence B Y C HARLES O. C ECIL S PEAKING O UT Throughout my career I always defined my work as “facilitating cross-cultural communication in pursuit of our national interests.”