Diplomatic Mutiny at Foggy Bottom

Some news outlets including the NBC nightly news reported on a mutiny of U.S. diplomats over forced assignments in Iraq. Trawling the major news sites didn't provide too much in the way of detail although I was able to find this brief story on the BBC site (of course). Even though NBC news with Brian " My nose was once broken and it really shows up in HD" Williams did a segment with Andrea Mitchell, there is no video or text posted at NBC. Probably because right off the bat Mrs. Greenspan referred to one hundred diplomats refusing to accept assignments in "Vietnam". Oops, wrong country same inescapable foreign policy nightmare. She quickly corrected herself but it was a great Freudian slip.

Back to the protests by those in the diplomatic corp faced with being sent to Surgeland. State has forty-eight postings to fill and almost nobody willing to take them. One staffer describes assignment to Iraq as a potential death sentence. Another observation was that in any other country the embassy would have been closed by now. What is telling is how this is a reliable marker on the status of the surge. The reports on the decreased troop casualties and pockets of security have gained steam over the past month. In the end short term gains in force protection and limited security where we have a large presence are not materializing into the strategic goals set out by war backers. The force required to maintain this status quo is not going to be sustainable in the long run (try spring). The diplomats being sent away to the Emerald City know this and realize that as they start arriving the surge will be starting to wane in numbers and effectiveness out of necessity. There is a good chance the country could continue to decline into a Hobbesian state in the coming year. Will they have to grab the last helicopter ride out of Saigon, err Baghdad?

Update 11/1/2007: The Washington Post has a story on the revolt in today's edition. It goes into more detail than the BBC story. The surge success is looking like more of an illusion in the eyes of the diplomatic corp.