As a Foreign Service officer in Libya, I saw firsthand how politics hurt our interests there and beyond.
- by Mieczyslaw P. Boduszynski
- Dec. 1, 2013
- original
Sen. Lindsey Graham and others on Capitol Hill are demanding
further inquiries into the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi,
Libya, apparently convinced that the Obama administration is withholding crucial
information. But I often wonder whether Graham (R-S.C.) and others who exploit
the Benghazi issue
to attack the president realize that their politicking affects the ability of
American diplomats to carry out their work.
I
served as a U.S. Foreign Service officer in Libya before, during and after
the attack, and I saw firsthand how playing politics with Benghazi directly
hurts our interests in Libya and beyond.
At
the time of the attack, on Sept. 11, 2012, I was the public affairs officer at
the Tripoli embassy, responsible for broadening our relations with the new Libya
by forging ties between Americans and Libyans. That kind of bond-building had
been virtually impossible during the 42 years of Moammar Kadafi's rule, but I was able to reach out to members
of the media, academics, writers and other cultural figures, civil society
activists and representatives of women's and ethnic minority groups. They were
generally eager to engage.
U.S.
Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens was a great advocate of such contact, but
that didn't mean we weren't careful. Before the attack, we had a range of
security protocols in place. They were flexible enough, however, to allow us to
meet with Libyans from all walks of life at cafes, restaurants and a variety of
institutions. We visited museums and cultural sites and spent hours at the
university discussing possible academic linkages between American and Libyan
universities. I was scheduled to join the ambassador in Benghazi to
open a small American library on Sept.
12.
Successive
polls have shown that Libyans hold very positive views of the U.S., thanks to
America's support for the 2011 revolution, and Ambassador Stevens was determined
to build on that goodwill. That was good foreign policy. As a largely
pro-American Arab and Muslim country, Libya represents a tremendous strategic
opportunity for the U.S. Building a strong bilateral relationship would help to
reduce the appeal of extremism and further American interests in countless
areas, security included.
But,
in the wake of the attacks, security at the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli (630 miles from Benghazi)
was tightened immeasurably, programs were canceled and American staff were
evacuated. I was one of a small group of people who stayed behind to continue
the diplomatic outreach. But we were vastly, almost comically, outnumbered by
security staff and prevented from leaving the embassy except on the rarest of
occasions. As a result, we were cut off from a regular flow of information vital
to both security and diplomacy.
We
tried to do what we could, but given their history of living under a paranoid
dictator, Libyans were understandably wary about phone conversations. And with
such a scaled-down staff, there simply weren't enough bodies to carry out the
full range of diplomatic functions.
Diplomatic
engagement was reenergized with the arrival of a new ambassador this summer and
the announcement of a U.S.-British-Italian plan to provide much-needed military
training for Libyan troops. But intense political scrutiny in Washington has
continued to prevent the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli from striking the right balance
between mission and security.
As
we have seen in other parts of the world, once an embassy becomes a fortress, it
is hard to change course. Extreme risk-aversion becomes the norm among
decision-makers responsible for security in both Washington and the field. As a
result, embassies are cut off from their operating environment.
Congress provides crucial oversight over foreign policy. It
was appropriate, after the Benghazi attacks,
for Congress to examine the attacks and evaluate security shortcomings and
failures. This was done, and a report was also issued by the State Department's Accountability Review Board. Since then,
there has been no new information, no evidence of conspiracies and no smoking
gun. Special hearings called in May revealed nothing new. It's time to move past
the tragedy and get back to work.
In
November, on what has become known in Libya as "Black Friday," some 40 unarmed protesters were killed
by militia members in Tripoli. Focusing on the past events in Benghazi instead
of finding ways to help Libya overcome such security challenges is a disservice
to the goals of the 2011 Libyan revolution and the support America and its
allies provided to it.
Thousands
of U.S. diplomats do their jobs every day, conscious of the dangers they face
but accepting of the risks that come with the job. Excessive security that
interferes with their jobs doesn't serve our interests abroad or make us safer
at home. The politicians who play political football with Benghazi should
be ashamed of themselves.
Mieczyslaw
P. Boduszynski was a Foreign Service officer with the State Department from 2004
to 2013. He is now an assistant professor of politics and international
relations at Pomona College.
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