A DIPLOMATIC DISSIDENT SPEAKS OUT I THE PEACE TABLE AFSA Annual Report Inside! $3.50 / MARCH 2004 OREIGN ERVICE FJ O U R N A L STHE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS WALKING THE TIGHTROPE Iraq, One Year Later CONTENTS March 2004 I Volume 81, No. 3 F OCUSON I RAQ OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM: THE ARAB REACTION / 50 20 / IRAQ, ONE YEAR LATER: EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION The war against Iraq has greatly exacerbated an already By Steven Alan Honley widespread mistrust of the U.S. in the Arab and Muslim worlds. Here is the view from Egypt. 22 / BLUEPRINT FOR A MESS By Khaled Abdulkareem The war in Iraq was a triumph of planning and imple- mentation, but the postwar situation is a mess. ON THE GROUND IN POSTWAR IRAQ / 54 Here’s how it happened. Foreign Service personnel and their family members By David Rieff who have served in postwar Iraq share some of their experiences. 29 / RESTORING A SHATTERED MOSAIC By Steven Alan Honley A veteran FSO who served in Baghdad for six months following C OLUMNS the war explains why he is PRESIDENT’S VIEWS / 5 optimistic about Iraq’s future. Iraq: A Place for Professionals By Hume Horan By John Limbert AN THE NITED TATES 38 / C U S SPEAKING OUT / 13 EXPORT DEMOCRACY TO IRAQ? U.S. Diplomacy and Other Struggling to implant a democratic system in Iraq, the Sacrifices U.S. is being forced by political By John Brady Kiesling reality to make significant concessions. Page 20 By Marina Ottaway REFLECTIONS / 76 By John Buzbee 44 / FROM INTELLIGENCE ANALYST TO “CITIZEN WATCHDOG” Intelligence professionals were misused, both by the D EPARTMENTS senior leadership of the CIA and by the political LETTERS / 7 leadership of the country — not the other way around. CYBERNOTES / 10 By Greg Thielmann BOOKS / 62 IN MEMORY / 64 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS / 74 AFSA NEWS / CENTER INSERT THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS OREIGN ERVICE Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is published FJ O U R N A L S monthly with a combined July/August issue by the American Foreign Service Association, a private, non-profit Editor Editorial Board organization. Material appearing herein represents the opinions of the writers and does not necessarily represent STEVEN ALAN HONLEY the views of the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries and submissions are invited, preferably by Senior Editor JUDITH BAROODY, SUSAN B. MAITRA CHAIRMAN e-mail. Journal subscription: AFSA Members - $13 included in annual dues; others - $40. For foreign surface mail, Associate Editor add $18 per year; foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mail- SHAWN DORMAN MARK W. BOCCHETTI ing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Foreign Service Journal, 2101 E Street N.W., Washington, D.C. Ad & Circulation Manager STEPHEN W. BUCK 20037-2990. Indexed by Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS). The Journal is not responsible for unsolicited ED MILTENBERGER TATIANA C. GFOELLER manuscripts, photos or illustrations. Advertising inquiries are invited. The appearance of advertisements herein Business Manager does not imply the endorsement of the services or goods offered. FAX: (202) 338-8244 or (202) 338-6820. E- MIKKELA V. THOMPSON CAROL A. GIACOMO MAIL: [email protected]. WEB: www.afsa.org. TELEPHONE: (202) 338-4045. © American Foreign Service Art Director WILLIAM W. JORDAN CARYN SUKO SMITH LAURIE KASSMAN Association, 2004. Printed in the U.S.A. Send address changes to AFSA Membership, 2101 E Street N.W., Editorial Intern HOLLIS SUMMERS Washington, D.C. 20037-2990. DWIJEN JAYDEV MEHTA BILL WANLUND Advertising Intern TED WILKINSON WEI TAN Cover and inside illustrations by Adam Niklewicz MARCH 2004/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 3 PRESIDENT’S VIEWS Iraq: A Place for Professionals BY JOHN LIMBERT It is altogether rebuild their society. We will also need fitting that we have Our work in Iraq is Middle East expertise and Arabic and devoted this issue of Kurdish language skills in a quality and the Journal to Iraq just more evidence of quantity that we have not required and what has hap- why we are proud of before. pened there. The • Resourcefulness. There’s no Iraq question is dif- what we do and why rule book for Iraq. Service there will ficult and divisive, as we do not tolerate require the maximum in improvisa- you will see in the Speaking Out col- tion, creativity and imagination. For a umn by John Brady Kiesling (p. 13), cheap shots from those long time communication was via one of our colleagues who resigned who would question satellite phones (that worked only out- because of disagreement with our doors) and via personal Hotmail and actions there. Iraq will be at the center our professionalism Yahoo accounts. Those constraints of our national political debate for a and our devotion to placed a high premium on self-reliance long time to come. and initiative. For example, what do For the Foreign Service, particular- service. you do when a dissident group of Shia ly our active-duty and retired col- from the hawzah (seminary) has occu- leagues in State and USAID, Iraq has pied part of a government ministry for also been an opportunity to demon- working there will require of us: which you are responsible? The FAM strate once again that we are ready to • Self-sacrifice. Service in Iraq is isn’t much help! And how do you build serve our country under the toughest sweaty, tedious and dangerous. The an effective team made up of Iraqis, conditions. In fact most of us needed hours are long and the distractions are members of the regular military, no such opportunity, having already few. An assignment there will disrupt reservists, Foreign Service personnel, proven ourselves in such settings as family life and, at the end of the day, contractors, and officials from multiple Beirut, Jerusalem, Kabul, Nairobi, will bring few rewards beyond the sat- agencies of the U.S. government? Port-au-Prince, Lagos, Khartoum, isfaction of having served the Very carefully. Bangui and Monrovia. Such places, American people under difficult and From AFSA’s point of view, our with their accompanying isolation, dangerous conditions. Will you get a work in Iraq is just more evidence of family separations and dangers, are promotion or a dream assignment out why we are proud of what we do and unfortunately becoming more and of Iraq service? Maybe, but don’t why we do not tolerate cheap shots more the norm of our careers. They count on it. from those who would question our may sound exotic, but the realities of • Experience and Expertise. professionalism and our devotion to living and working there are anything Iraq is difficult and complicated. The service. Our colleagues — active-duty, but glamorous. inter- and intra-communal disputes are retired, specialists, generalists and civil Staffing our mission in Iraq means the stuff of major headaches. Even servants — are working side by side more of the above for more of us. As it among fellow Arabs, Iraqis have the with the U.S. military and with like- has already, it will continue to demand reputation of being fractious, proud, minded Iraqis in carrying out the mis- the best from the Service. Specifically, violent and difficult to rule. Hume sion of rebuilding Ambassador Horan’s Horan’s article in this issue shows just “shattered mosaic.” They deserve our John Limbert is the president of the how vital experience, patience and (and the public’s) full support and American Foreign Service Association. understanding are in helping Iraqis respect. I MARCH 2004/FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL 5 nce again the FSJ Ois seeking works of fiction of up to 3,000 words for its annual summer fiction issue. Story lines or characters involving the Foreign Service are preferred, but not required. The top stories, selected by the Journal’s Editorial Board, will be published in the July/August issue; some of them will also be simultaneously posted on the Journal’s Web site. The writer of each story will receive an honorarium of $250, payable upon publication. All stories must be previously unpublished. Submissions should be unsigned and accompanied by a cover sheet with author’s name, address, telephone number(s) and e-mail address. Please also note the following: • Authors are limited to two entries. • Entries will only be Deadline is April 1. No fooling. accepted by e-mail (preferably in the form of Word attachments Please send submissions (or questions) to and with the text copied Mikkela Thompson, Journal Business Manager, into the body of the at [email protected]. message). Art by Mikkela Thompson LETTERS Disincentives for Iraq Service? claim more “bodies” in country? the target audience was less important Thank you to all State Department I encourage Secretary Powell to than absolute numbers of listeners, personnel serving in Iraq in spite of clarify whether those who serve in and that the way to build audience many disincentives. Iraq will receive at least equal promo- numbers was to go after Iran’s huge In 1994, tight budgets led to a tion and assignment opportunities as youth population. reduction in hardship and danger pay those who chose to avoid service at our The new radio service, Radio allowances for almost all posts, while most important diplomatic post. Farda, aims to attract Iran’s youths life became increasingly “unpleasant” Peter Rice with a computer-generated mix of cur- at these posts, resulting in fewer bid- FSO, retired rent American and Persian pop music, ders. In contrast, Washington, D.C., Sarasota, Fla. with occasional short features of spe- locality pay grew and grew, and is now cial interest to young people.