Joel Mowbray Book: DANGEROUS DIPLOMACY

Townhall ^ | Out 9/8/03 | Joel Mowbray

[Elkiejg]

BOOK REVIEW:

Fighting to send arms to Saddam, resisting post-9/11 attempts to toughen visa requirements, struggling to keep American parents from rescuing their kidnapped kids in foreign countries, doing everything it can to shut down the Iraqi democracy movement -- amazingly enough, this is the record of the U.S. State Department, an often out-of-control organization that acts at odds with our nation's best interests more often than most Americans realize.

In Dangerous Diplomacy, seasoned investigative reporter Joel Mowbray explores the seldom-seen inner workings of the State Department. Relying on exhaustive interviews with State Department personnel and extensive research into State's publications, procedures, and recent history, Mowbray reveals an astounding pattern of short-sighted and misguided policies, compounded by an ingrained resistance to self-criticism and correction.

Mowbray documents a State Department in dire need of reform -- and he has helped make that reform possible by revealing here for the first time just how far State has strayed from its intended role as the primary agent of U.S. interests abroad.

Mowbray has them quaking at State as he exposes:

How State's obsession with global "stability" has led it to support bloodthirsty dictators (including many who would rejoice at the demise of the United States)

State's arms-for-tyrants program -- and how it very nearly succeeded in providing Saddam Hussein's Iraq with nuclear capability

How State was narrowly prevented from selling valuable chemical weapons technology to Iraq in 1988 (technology that could have made a huge difference in the first Gulf War)

State's herculean efforts to cover up the lax visa policies that allowed the September 11 hijackers to enter the U.S. legally -- while keeping those policies in place as long as possible

The State/Saudi alliance: why State bends over backwards to keep the Saudis happy despite the Kingdom's clear support for global terrorism

How Foggy Bottom came to have inverted priorities, believing that the job of the diplomatic corps is to represent foreign interests in America, not America's interests in a foreign country

Kind words and reassurances: why that's about all that American parents whose children have been kidnapped by foreign nationals can expect from State

The odd story of how State was persistently reluctant to acknowledge that Saddam Hussein had gassed 500,000 Kurds

State's strange and long-standing fondness for brutal radical Muslim regimes

How State's entrenched culture promotes sycophants and punishes dissenters, making reform of the organization virtually impossible

State's secret contact with the government of North Korea: how it torpedoed a Bush Administration plan to aid refugees from Kim Jong-Il's bloody regime

Why State prevented the FBI from apprehending three members of an official Saudi delegation to the U.S., even though one member was wanted by U.S. law enforcement authorities -- and two others were on the terrorist watch list!

The Iranian democracy movement: why it soldiers on with no help from the State Department

Reagan-era Secretary of State George Schultz's simple test designed to remind new State employees of their loyalty to the United States -- and its alarming results

The State official who gushed, "They have wonderful senses of humor" - about the Taliban!

How State bureaucrats convinced Colin Powell that he had no choice but to allow Yemen to receive a clandestine shipment of Scud missiles that American authorities had seized from a pirate ship (on the same day the White House announced a new policy getting tough on illicit weapons transfers)

The head of a Muslim extremist group who was denied entry into the U.S. after being linked to terrorist activity -- whereupon the Ambassador to Jordan apologized to him for the inconvenience! (After all, State had given him a visa)

The sorry record of how State not only has declined to discipline incompetent and corrupt immigration officials who let terrorists and other criminals into the U.S., but rewarded them

How canny diplomats in Saudi Arabia make State officials reluctant to act against their Kingdom, despite its numerous ties to radical Muslim terrorist groups

The lobbyist, influential at State, who said of the Taliban: "They are the same sort of people that spawned William Jennings Bryan. They're populists"

How State has actually fought against families victimized by evil regimes who are trying to recover damages

Why the anti-Saddam Iraqi National Congress found in the State Department not an ally, but one of its foremost obstacles

Visa fraud: the appalling details behind the fact that between 1989-1999, only one U.S. diplomat was prosecuted for visa fraud -- despite a mountain of evidence that this is a problem of immense and global proportions

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"Many Americans, including particularly those who have served with pride in the State Department as I have, will read this strong indictment with a heavy heart. But there is too much here to ignore about a bureaucratic culture that has seemingly become dysfunctional in dealing with tyrannies. At the very least a major, objective, outside assessment of this role of the State Department seems in order." -- James Woolsey, former director of Central Intelligence

"What Joel Mowbray uncovers about the State Department is truly shocking. He has performed a unique and invaluable service in shining light on State's record. Every American should heed the lessons of Dangerous Diplomacy." - Sean Hannity, Fox News

"Pit-bull journalist Joel Mowbray was the first to reveal how the State Department rolled out the red carpet for the September 11 hijackers. Now, in his explosive first book, he digs deeper to expose State's corrosive and corrupted culture-a culture that has coddled terrorists, tyrants, and other America-haters. If you care about national security, Dangerous Diplomacy is a must-read." -- Michelle Malkin, bestselling author of Invasion and nationally syndicated columnist

[Elkiejg]

I can't begin to find the words to describe my disgust with the State Dept. As far as I'm concerned, they are no better than the terrorists who are plotting to ruin America.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

"How Foggy Bottom came to have inverted priorities, believing that the job of the diplomatic corps is to represent foreign interests in America, not America's interests in a foreign country "

This was a shocking realization for me. i saw 2 ex American diplomats to SA interviewed in the last 7 months, and they appeared to make overwhelmingly positive statements about SA, while downplaying Wahhabism to a nuisance.

I knew right there that they were dirty. Then I read that the Saudis basically set up former Diplomats financially through various means for the rest of their lives. I noticed that Clinton diplomats, overall, seemed almost hostile to the exercise of US power. I don't know if this is true, but it sure made me think...

[marktwain]

The "culture" at the State Departement tends to be quite leftist leaning. I suspect that we are dealing with the legacy of WWII and Roosevelt's appointments during the war, but maybe this book would be enlightening on the subject.

[Diogenesis]

Where is the info about the State Dept leaking US technology
to foreign countries while attacking the US researchers.

Below are today's authors of Yesterdays', Todays' and Tomorrows' Terrorism.

Evil is as evil has done.

[rightazrain]

"How Foggy Bottom came to have inverted priorities, believing that the job of the diplomatic corps is to represent foreign interests in America, not America's interests in a foreign country"

I read this and it brought to mind how I've heard State Dept. spokesmen refer to other countries as "clients". At the time I thought it sounded like they were working for these "clients", not for us.

[maica]

***How State bureaucrats convinced Colin Powell that he had no choice but to allow Yemen to receive a clandestine shipment of Scud missiles that American authorities had seized from a pirate ship (on the same day the White House announced a new policy getting tough on illicit weapons transfers) ***

Looks like a Must Read!

[Tunehead54]

I appreciate your posting skills - you rival kattracks on finds but this is really just an ad - no facts.

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[CyberAnt]

Hmmmm? Isn't this what Newt has been saying for months now ..??

[Diplotot]

I am a Foreign Service Officer who has been an employee of the Department of State for ten years. I recently heard of Mr. Mowbray for the first time because of Pat Robertson's widely quoted comments in an interview of Mr. Mowbray. I have not read his book on the State Department, but after reading the review published here and the reactions to it, I feel compeled to offer another perspective. The State Department that is described is not the State Department I know and work for. Let me tell you a little about that State Department:

Foreign Service Officers take the same oath to uphold the Constitution that military officers do. Since World War II more Ambassadors have been killed in the line of duty than have generals or admirals.

The Department of State answers directly to the President. The President controls the Department by selecting and appointing its leadership down to the Assistant Secretary levels. Working with Congress, the President and his administration set our priorities, structure, and funding. The American people don't just elect a President, they get a whole new leadership team in the State Department.

The Foreign Service has no uncertainty that its sole purpose is to represent the interests of the United States. Our assignment and performance review processes reinforce this and prevent "clientitis" or loosing our focus on U.S. interests. We love our country and are dedicated to serving it. We have all made numerous personal sacrifices in service to the United States, and many of our members have died for it.

The U.S. as a large and diverse democracy has many interest groups with often conflicting aims. These conflicts are often reflected in the directions we receive from the White House and from Congress.

While the value of the State Department may be in doubt to many Americans, it isn't to our enemies. The current War on Terror didn't start on 9/11, it started August 1998 when Al Qada bombed our embassies in Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam. Every Foreign Service Officer overseas knows he/she is a walking target 24 hours a day.

The State Department does have numerous real problems which have been well documented in several studies carried out in the last ten years. Change in any institution is not easy, and the State Department has been molded through experience over a long history. Tearing it down or gutting it won't change the dynamics of Washington/national politics or the logistical requirements of conducting a global operation.

Please don't let misinterpretations and misperceptions cloud the true issues or besmirch fellow citizens doing their honest best to serve our country.