[SOC] Fwd: diplomat's letter of resignation

[Paul Bartlett]

Hmmm,

Well written. And addressing many of my own uncertanties. (Despite my
apparent reputation as a right wing warmonger ;-)

Paul.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Lloyd Lachow" <llachow@yahoo.com>
To: "SOC AList" <SOC@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2003 12:20 AM
Subject: [SOC] Fwd: diplomat's letter of resignation


>
> >
> >                    Subject: diplomat's letter of
> > resignation
> >
> >
> >
> > Perhaps you've already seen this, but thought I'd
> > send it around in case
> > not. It's powerful to me.--C.
> >
> > >Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company
> > >
> > >U.S. Diplomat's Letter of Resignation
> > >
> > >February 27, 2003
> > >
> > >The following is the text of John Brady Kiesling's
> > letter of
> > >resignation to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell.
> > Mr. Kiesling is a
> > >career diplomat who has served in United States
> > embassies from Tel
> > >Aviv to Casablanca to Yerevan.
> > >
> > >Dear Mr. Secretary:
> > >
> > >I am writing you to submit my resignation from the
> > Foreign Service
> > >of the United States and from my position as
> > Political Counselor in
> > >U.S. Embassy Athens, effective March 7. I do so
> > with a heavy heart.
> > >The baggage of my upbringing included a felt
> > obligation to give
> > >something back to my country. Service as a U.S.
> > diplomat was a dream
> > >job. I was paid to understand foreign languages and
> > cultures, to
> > >seek out diplomats, politicians, scholars and
> > journalists, and to
> > >persuade them that U.S. interests and theirs
> > fundamentally
> > >coincided. My faith in my country and its values
> > was the most
> > >powerful weapon in my diplomatic arsenal.
> > >
> > >It is inevitable that during twenty years with the
> > State Department
> > >I would become more sophisticated and cynical about
> > the narrow and
> > >selfish bureaucratic motives that sometimes shaped
> > our policies.
> > >Human nature is what it is, and I was rewarded and
> > promoted for
> > >understanding human nature. But until this
> > Administration it had
> > >been possible to believe that by upholding the
> > policies of my
> > >president I was also upholding the interests of the
> > American people
> > >and the world. I believe it no longer.
> > >
> > >The policies we are now asked to advance are
> > incompatible not only
> > >with American values but also with American
> > interests. Our fervent
> > >pursuit of war with Iraq is driving us to squander
> > the international
> > >legitimacy that has been America's most potent
> > weapon of both
> > >offense and defense since the days of Woodrow
> > Wilson. We have begun
> > >to dismantle the largest and most effective web of
> > international
> > >relationships the world has ever known. Our current
> > course will
> > >bring instability and danger, not security.
> > >
> > >The sacrifice of global interests to domestic
> > politics and to
> > >bureaucratic self-interest is nothing new, and it
> > is certainly not a
> > >uniquely American problem. Still, we have not seen
> > such systematic
> > >distortion of intelligence, such systematic
> > manipulation of American
> > >opinion, since the war in Vietnam. The September 11
> > tragedy left us
> > >stronger than before, rallying around us a vast
> > international
> > >coalition to cooperate for the first time in a
> > systematic way
> > >against the threat of terrorism. But rather than
> > take credit for
> > >those successes and build on them, this
> > Administration has chosen to
> > >make terrorism a domestic political tool, enlisting
> > a scattered and
> > >largely defeated Al Qaeda as its bureaucratic ally.
> > We spread
> > >disproportionate terror and confusion in the public
> > mind,
> > >arbitrarily linking the unrelated problems of
> > terrorism and Iraq.
> > >The result, and perhaps the motive, is to justify a
> > vast
> > >misallocation of shrinking public wealth to the
> > military and to
> > >weaken the safeguards that protect American
> > citizens from the heavy
> > >hand of government. September 11 did not do as much
> > damage to the
> > >fabric of American society as we seem determined to
> > do to ourselves.
> > >Is the Russia of the late Romanovs really our
> > model, a selfish,
> > >superstitious empire thrashing toward
> > self-destruction in the name
> > >of a doomed status quo?
> > >
> > >We should ask ourselves why we have failed to
> > persuade more of the
> > >world that a war with Iraq is necessary. We have
> > over the past two
> > >years done too much to assert to our world partners
> > that narrow and
> > >mercenary U.S. interests override the cherished
> > values of our
> > >partners. Even where our aims were not in question,
> > our consistency
> > >is at issue. The model of Afghanistan is little
> > comfort to allies
> > >wondering on what basis we plan to rebuild the
> > Middle East, and in
> > >whose image and interests. Have we indeed become
> > blind, as Russia is
> > >blind in Chechnya, as Israel is blind in the
> > Occupied Territories,
> > >to our own advice, that overwhelming military power
> > is not the
> > >answer to terrorism? After the shambles of post-war
> > Iraq joins the
> > >shambles in Grozny and Ramallah, it will be a brave
> > foreigner who
> > >forms ranks with Micronesia to follow where we
> > lead.
> > >
> > >We have a coalition still, a good one. The loyalty
> > of many of our
> > >friends is impressive, a tribute to American moral
> > capital built up
> > >over a century. But our closest allies are
> > persuaded less that war
> > >is justified than that it would be perilous to
> > allow the U.S. to
> > >drift into complete solipsism. Loyalty should be
> > reciprocal. Why
> > >does our President condone the swaggering and
> > contemptuous approach
> > >to our friends and allies this Administration is
> > fostering,
> > >including among its most senior officials. Has
> > "oderint dum metuant"
> > >really become our motto?
> > >
> > >I urge you to listen to America's friends around
> > the world. Even
> > >here in Greece, purported hotbed of European
> > anti-Americanism, we
> > >have more and closer friends than the American
> > newspaper reader can
> > >possibly imagine. Even when they complain about
> > American arrogance,
> > >Greeks know that the world is a difficult and
> > dangerous place, and
> > >they want a strong international system, with the
> > U.S. and EU in
> > >close partnership. When our friends are afraid of
> > us rather than for
> > >us, it is time to worry. And now they are afraid.
> > Who will tell them
> > >convincingly that the United States is as it was, a
> > beacon of
> > >liberty, security, and justice for the planet?
> > >
> > >Mr. Secretary, I have enormous respect for your
> > character and
> > >ability. You have preserved more international
> > credibility for us
> > >than our policy deserves, and salvaged something
> > positive from the
> > >excesses of an ideological and self-serving
> > Administration. But your
> > >loyalty to the President goes too far. We are
> > straining, beyond its
> > >limits, an international system we built with such
> > toil and
> > >treasure, a web of laws, treaties, organizations,
> > and shared values
> > >that sets limits on our foes far more effectively
> > than it ever
> > >constrained America's ability to defend its
> > interests.
> > >
> > >I am resigning because I have tried and failed to
> > reconcile my
> > >conscience with my ability to represent the current
> > U.S.
> > >Administration. I have confidence that our
> > democratic process is
> > >ultimately self-correcting, and hope that in a
> > small way I can
> > >contribute from outside to shaping policies that
> > better serve the
> > >security and prosperity of the American people and
> > the world we
> > >share.
> > >
> >
>
>http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/27/international/27WEB-TNAT.html?ex=10473690
63&ei=1&en=e013a569bf18b2fe
> >
> >
> > >Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
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