At least this guy has a clue about diplomacy. Just hope he can
coordinate his activities with the military so that they will support
each other.
Hey, nobody's perfect...
*Greyhawk*
Should the US Ambassador to Iraq speak Arabic? Should he have Middle
Eastern experience? Should he have deep background in working with the
military in counterinsurgency operations?
Would two out of three "yes" answers be enough?
How about *zero for three*
<http://abumuqawama.blogspot.com/2009/03/trouble-with-chris-hill.html>?
"I get the sense that the Department of State has never really switched
on to the Iraq War." Says Abu M in something of an understatement. "And
I worry about a fundamental difference between the way the military and
policy-makers in Washington see Iraq and the way the Department of State
sees it."
That will be less an issue in Afghanistan, *where the President*
<http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jRUJueTEOKBBJhr6tuxto-wCfe2wD96S4UI81>
"nominated Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, who served in Afghanistan twice,
including an 18-month tour that ended in 2007 as commanding general, to
be ambassador in Kabul."
*Update:* - counterpont from an *anonymous commenter at Abu M*
<http://abumuqawama.blogspot.com/2009/03/trouble-with-chris-hill.html>:
"Hill's experience in the Balkans and with complex, multiparty
negotiations presumably will be useful in helping to get the political
process moving in Baghdad. The reality is that the nature of the Iraq
War and our influence has changed. The SOFA is not going away and the
emphasis now needs to be on bringing together competing factions and
convincing them to build on the foundation provided by the surge. Hill's
past background suggests he should be able to do this...
"By all accounts, he's had a very successful diplomatic career. He could
happily retire to the private sector. Instead, he's agreed to do this-in
the face of a bunch of people who will, undoubtedly, blame him for the
entire failure of the Iraq War if he does not deliver results."
Here's his *State Department bio*
<http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/44553.htm>:
Christopher R. Hill was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of State for
East Asian and Pacific Affairs on April 8, 2005.
Ambassador Hill is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service
whose most recent assignment was as Ambassador to the Republic of
Korea. On February 14, 2005, he was named as the Head of the U.S.
delegation to the Six-Party Talks on the North Korean nuclear issue.
Previously he has served as U.S. Ambassador to Poland (2000-2004),
Ambassador to the Republic of Macedonia (1996-1999) and Special
Envoy to Kosovo (1998-1999). He also served as Special Assistant to
the President and Senior Director for Southeast European Affairs in
the National Security Council.
Earlier in his Foreign Service career, Ambassador Hill served tours
in Belgrade, Warsaw, Seoul, and Tirana, and on the Department of
State's Policy Planning staff and in the Department's Operation
Center. While on a fellowship with the American Political Science
Association he served as a staff member for Congressman Stephen
Solarz working on Eastern European issues. He also served as the
Department of State's Senior Country Officer for Poland. Ambassador
Hill received the State Department's Distinguished Service Award for
his contributions as a member of the U.S. negotiating team in the
Bosnia peace settlement, and was a recipient of the Robert S.
Frasure Award for Peace Negotiations for his work on the Kosovo
crisis. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Ambassador Hill served
as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon.
Ambassador Hill graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine
with a B.A. in Economics. He received a Master's degree from the
Naval War College in 1994. He speaks Polish, Serbo-Croatian, and
Macedonian.
*More* - remarks by the President *earlier this week*
<http://www.mudvillegazette.com/031646.html>: "The attacks of 9/11
signaled the new dangers of the 21st century. And today, our people are
still threatened by violent extremists, and we're still at war with
terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan who are plotting to do us harm.
"Yet terrorism and extremism make up just one part of the many
challenges that confront our nation. In Iraq, we will surely face
difficult days ahead as we responsibly end a war by transitioning to
Iraqi control of their country."
The nominations seem consistent with that point of view.
I suspect that over the past couple of years Afghanistan/Pakistan (vice
Iraq) /has/ become the greater attraction for the angry young jihadist
wanting a piece of the Crusader - a 180 from years past. I wouldn't
consider that shift to be the sole cause of the divergent trajectories
of the two campaigns, but it's certainly a contributing factor.
*Posted by Greyhawk at 10:43 AM* | *Permalink*
<http://www.mudvillegazette.com/031653.html> | *Comments (3)*
<http://www.mudvillegazette.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-comments.cgi?entry_id=31653>
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