Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Go where? part II: Insurrection

So, since last weeks fun in the US foreign service, the 300 odd diplomats selected for Iraq have, um, made their views known:

About 300 angry diplomats attended a meeting at the state department, at which one labelled the decision a "potential death sentence".

...

Senior diplomat Jack Croddy, who once worked as a political adviser with Nato forces, highlighted safety fears of staff who would be forced to serve in a war zone.

"It's one thing if someone believes in what's going on over there and volunteers, but it's another thing to send someone over there on a forced assignment," Mr Croddy said.

"I'm sorry, but basically that's a potential death sentence and you know it. Who will raise our children if we are dead or seriously wounded?

"You know that at any other [country] in the world, the embassy would be closed at this point."


Let's look at the math from last weeks article. 11 500 total Foreign Service membership. 1200 have been to Iraq. 300 are on the shortlist to go next. That's about ten per cent of the total strength. And that proportion can only increase if one discounts the number of foreign services officers that can't be posted to Iraq for other reasons. And, being a small institution, it sure isn't only the 300 that are rebelling; the entire Service knows.

This isn't a labour dispute, this is a fucking mutiny.

Keep your eye on it.

The United States Foreign Service: another casualty of Neocon policy and highlight of the Bush legacy.

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