The Foreign Service Journal, December 2015

18 DECEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL “Our Diplomats Must Continue Representing Us in Dangerous Places…” O n Oct. 22, in an appearance before the House Select Committee on Benghazi, former Secretary of State Hillary RodhamClinton took the opportunity to reflect on the critical role of diplomacy an d diplomats in national security. The tragic Sept. 11, 2012, incident has been investigated by seven congressional committees and a nonpartisan Account- ability Review Board, in addition to U.S. law enforcement agencies. In her opening statement, Clinton said she was appearing to honor the service of Daniel Pearl Music Days Event at State O n Oct. 19, a musical performance was held at the State Department in honor of the 14th annual Daniel Pearl World Music Days. Two State Department “house bands” played for a small crowd in the Dean Acheson Auditorium: the Lost Agency Ramblers and the T-Tones. The Music Days’ events are held each October as “Harmony for Humanity” concerts in memory of Wall Street Journal reporter Dan- iel Pearl, who was kidnapped and murdered by extremists in Karachi in 2002. Friends and family formed the Daniel Pearl Foundation in 2002 to “promote cross-cultural understand- ing through journalism, music and innovative communications.” The Lost Agency Ramblers call themselves “a loose confederation of current and former denizens of State’s public diplomacy bureaus who gather at noon on Fridays to have fun making music.” For the last eight years, they have dedicated their weekly sessions to the memory and music of Daniel Pearl. Ahead of the Oct. 19 gig, the band warned: “Your presence at this event might be construed as membership in the Ramblers.”This band absolutely has fun playing music together. T-Tones is the choral ensemble that originated in the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency in the mid-1990s before the agency was absorbed by the State Department as the new “T Bureau” for Arms Control and International Security. —Shawn Dorman, Editor the four Americans who died that day— Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods. “As Secretary of State, I had the honor to lead and the responsibility to support nearly 70,000 diplomats and development experts across the globe,” Clinton stated. “I knew and admired Chris Stevens. He was one of our nation’s most accomplished diplomats. … Losing any one of them, as we did in Iraq, Afghanistan, Mexico, Haiti and Libya during my tenure, was deeply painful for our entire State Department and USAID family, and for me personally.” Clinton offered several lessons from the Benghazi tragedy. “First, America must lead in a dangerous world, and our diplomats must continue representing us in dangerous places,” she said. “Chris Stevens understood that diplomats must operate inmany places where our soldiers do not, where there are no other boots on the ground, and safety is far from guaran- teed. In fact, he volunteered for just those assignments.” “Make nomistake, the risks are real,” she added. “Terrorists have killedmore than 65 American diplomatic personnel since the 1970s andmore than a hundred contractors and locally employed staff. Since 2001, there have beenmore than 100 attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities around the world. But if you ask our most experi- enced ambassadors, they’ll tell you they can’t do their jobs for us frombunkers.” “Retreat from the world is not an option,” Clinton stated. “We need creative, confident leadership that harnesses all of America’s strengths and values. Leadership that integrates and balances the tools of diplomacy, development and defense.” … Second, Clinton observed, “We have a responsibility to provide our diplomats with the resources and support they need to do their jobs as safely and effectively as possible.” Finally, Clinton evoked the long history of bipartisan cooperation on foreign policy and national security in America. “Not that we always agree—far from it—but we do come together when it counts,” she said. n —Susan Brady Maitra, Managing Editor The Lost Agency Ramblers play at the State Department, Oct. 19. AFSA/SHAWN DORMAN Chris Stevens understood that diplomats must operate in many places where our soldiers do not, where there are no other boots on the ground, and safety is far from guaranteed.