The Foreign Service Journal, December 2013

48 DECEMBER 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS Expeditionary Diplomacy When Actually Employed ACT I VE AFTER ACT I VE DUTY Despite Erbil’s favorable operational environment, official vehicular movement outside the compound still requires strictly controlled travel in an armored Chevrolet Suburban. hood of small shops and restaurants. The consulate occupies roughly six square blocks of Ainkawa. In self- imposed isolation from the surrounding city, it is a T-wall- protected enclave, complete with its own corner grocery stores and greasy-spoon restaurants. Despite Erbil’s favorable operational environment, official vehicular movement outside the compound still requires strictly controlled travel in an armored Chev- rolet Suburban. This year, Kurdish security teams have replaced the previously man- datory U.S. protective escort, realizing a significant savings in cost. However, travel elsewhere in Kurdistan still requires a full, four-vehicle convoy. And while U.S. personnel may walk to Erbil’s shops within 100 meters from the main gate, they must travel in pairs and be escorted by two armed Kurdish guards. Here one sees the slow- motion end game of expe- ditionary diplomacy. The consulate’s relative isolation is the legacy of many factors. Most obvious, is our difficulty converting psychologically from a military to a civilian paradigm. Ratcheted security rules and procedures are easy to tighten, but difficult to loosen. Outdated notions, as seen through an Embassy Baghdad optic, about Iraqi violence continues to per- vade thinking. The slog of one-year unaccompanied assign- ments leaves the consulate continually facing ad hoc decision-making. Enormous sunk expenditures, especially the albatross of unmovable infrastructure and security- related contracts, weigh heavily. Policies put in place by predecessors hamstring current management, which raises the question: Where is the sunset clause in our expeditionary diplomacy? Consulate Erbil employ- ees are often excessively cautious about leaving the perimeter, while the city of Erbil is ready for normal family life, as evidenced by its growing expatriate com- munity, including Americans. An assignment there should be an exciting prospect and a great posting for families. Instead we are stuck in the past, circa 2007. Fortunately, the expedi- tionary diplomacy conun- drum is growing less dire. New personnel carry less of the “Iraq in the old days” bag- gage. As expensive contracts expire or get slashed, excess infrastructure, such as the nearby embassy diplomatic support compound, is aban- doned or offered up for other purposes. Our expeditionary diplo- macy as exercised in Erbil will ultimately adapt to meet the reality on the ground. U.S. diplomats will shop where Kurds shop and dine in local restaurants. They will visit Kurdistan’s scenic areas. Family members, and per- haps children, will eventually be allowed at post. Morale will improve. And at the end of the day, U.S. diplomats will perform their mission even more effectively. n One of the most common ways for Foreign Service per- sonnel to remain “active after active duty” is through When Actually Employed assign- ments. Here are some isights I gained during a recent WAE assignment in Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan region in Iraq. Fueled by Kurdistan’s oil-led economy, Erbil is a commercially vibrant, modern city that enjoys a highly secure environment. Its malls, supermarkets, restaurants and cafes are all packed. There hasn’t been an attack against foreigners in the region since 2003 and locals have a hard time nam- ing the year when the last terrorist incident occurred. Crime in Erbil is insignifi- cant, or as one contact put it, “safer than Canada.” As a result, tourism is expanding, with such U.S. brand hotels as Sheraton, Marriott, Hilton Doubletree and Best Western under construction. More than two dozen airlines serve Erbil’s new international airport. Visitors from Europe and the U.S. can obtain a 15-day visa at no cost at the airport. International busi- nesses are pouring in. The world has discovered Erbil and Kurdistan. Everyone, it seems, except American diplomats. The U.S. consulate in Erbil is located in Ainkawa, a religiously mixed neighbor- BY LARRY COHEN Larry Cohen is back home and currently serving on the AFSA Governing Board as the VP for Retirees.