Death of US Ambassador Raises Security Questions

The death of Ambassador Chris Stevens has raised questions about how to keep foreign officials safe while still allowing them to do their jobs.

Nick Dowling is president of security consulting firm, IDS International.

His firm is working in Libya.

Anchor Marco Werman asked him about the challenges of protecting diplomats in a country in transition.

“You cannot do diplomacy from behind a 6 foot wall,” Nick Dowling said.

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Marco Werman: Nick Dowling is President of security consulting firm IDS International and he’s a former official with the National Security Council. His firm is working in Libya. Nick, as we heard from that good Libyan friend of the ambassadors, Stevens was the rare type of American official who embraced local culture and met so many the people in the community where he working. Was this a mistake? Can you do this as an American official in the current political climate?

Nick Dowling: Well, first this is a real tragedy. Chris Stevens is exactly the kind of foreign service officer and ambassador you want in a country in transition like Libya. He was a great friend of the revolution and helped Libya achieve its freedom against Muammar Gaddafi and his passion for Libya and his expertise on Libya and Arab culture is part of what made him effective. So not only can you do that, it’s essential to understanding the local culture and embracing that as part of your of your work to effectively represent the United States but also understand the nation that you’re representing the United States to.

Werman: Right, that’s what you’re supposed to do but is that still something you can do?

Dowling: Absolutely. The service of the United States government, whether you’re in uniform, a diplomat like ambassador Stevens, development worker, there’s no exception when it comes to America’s foreign service officers. They have to be out, meeting, talking with the community, talking with other officials, to be affected. In this case my understanding is ambassador Stevens was going to the consulate to help evacuate the people out there and to deal with the protests there and that’s what put him in harms way. That’s what you want a leader to do is to be out front trying to protect his people at a time of crisis.

Werman: The details of exactly what happened are still unclear in Benghazi. I mean we do know that the ambassador was in a convoy so is another real concern travel security?

Dowling: Travel security is a big concern. This is not the first attack on an ambassador in Libya in post revolutionary era. Several months ago there was an RPG attack on the British ambassador’s convoy. But fortunately for them they escaped that attack without harm so that is absolutely a point of vulnerability is moving around. But again, you cannot do diplomacy from behind a 6 foot wall. You need to get out. You need to engage with the foreign officials. You need to engage with the community and our great diplomats do that everyday, putting themselves in harms way, but we need to relook at the security situation in light of these attacks to make sure that we do everything possible to keep our diplomats safe.

Werman: We have heard that there are lots of guns and heavy weapons floating around Libya but I mean these protesters were upset with a movie. Does this mean that when a demonstration like this happens and Libya, the protesters show up with rocket propelled grenades?

Dowling: Well, I think there’s reason to believe that this was more than just a spur a moment protest. The level weapons that they had, the timing on September 11, the targeted that they chose, this is a classic tactic of a militant, of an extremist, to provoke crisis and to polarize a situation.

Werman: It sounds from the way you describe it that the protestors were very deliberate and calculated in staging of what happened yesterday. What’s your source on that?

Dowling: I said there’s reason to believe and think that its more based on you have two attacks simultaneously, one in Cairo, one in Benghazi, and a level of heavy weapons that you saw – it’s more of an analytical judgment based on the types of things that you saw in terms of the level of violence and coordinated attacks.

Werman: Nick Dowling, president of security consulting firm IDS International. Thanks very much.

Dowling: You’re welcome.

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