April 20, 2003: Headlines: COS - Oman: Diplomacy: Saudi Arabia: Al-Jazeerah: Al-Jazeerah Op-ed says Consul General Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley is a skillful diplomat and very personable in her approach. She was hampered above all by the issue itself, defending as she was an unjust cause

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Oman: Special Report: Diplomat and Oman RPCV Oman RPCV Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley: April 20, 2003: Headlines: COS - Oman: Diplomacy: Saudi Arabia: Al-Jazeerah: Al-Jazeerah Op-ed says Consul General Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley is a skillful diplomat and very personable in her approach. She was hampered above all by the issue itself, defending as she was an unjust cause
RPCV safe after Terrorist Attack RPCV safe after Terrorist Attack
RPCV Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, the U.S. consul general in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia survived Monday's attack on the consulate without injury. Five consular employees and four others were killed. Abercrombie-Winstanley, the first woman to hold the position, has been an outspoken advocate of rights for Arab women and has met with Saudi reformers despite efforts by Saudi leaders to block the discussions.


By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-36-89.balt.east.verizon.net - 151.196.36.89) on Tuesday, December 07, 2004 - 12:05 pm: Edit Post

Al-Jazeerah Op-ed says Consul General Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley is a skillful diplomat and very personable in her approach. She was hampered above all by the issue itself, defending as she was an unjust cause

Al-Jazeerah Op-ed says Consul General Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley is a skillful diplomat and very personable in her approach. She was hampered above all by the issue itself, defending as she was an unjust cause

Al-Jazeerah Op-ed says Consul General Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley is a skillful diplomat and very personable in her approach. She was hampered above all by the issue itself, defending as she was an unjust cause

Defending an Unjust Cause Muhammad Al-Shibani
alshibani@alshibani.net

Caption: Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, a U.S. consul general, has met with Saudi reformers despite efforts by Saudi leaders to block the discussions. (David B. Ottaway -- The Washington Post)

Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, the American consul general in Jeddah, is a bright career diplomat with considerable experience. Posted to Baghdad during an earlier tour, she has been active in attempting to explain her government’s position in the war on Iraq in meetings and discussions. It is a tactic that Arab diplomats should more aggressively pursue to serve their causes in the countries they are assigned to.

Abercrombie-Winstanley is also known to be open to criticism. A recent example was a meeting she held with Saudi students in a girls’ college. The young girls — whose only concerns are thought by many to be putting on makeup, listening to music and running after the latest fad — expressed strong and precocious views. The consul general met with marked national sentiment and strong human concerns. The girls stood united against the US/UK aggression, a conviction not shaken by the temptation of scholarships in America dangled before them.

The consul general is a skillful diplomat and very personable in her approach. She was hampered above all by the issue itself, defending as she was an unjust cause. Her boss Colin Powell himself, an experienced salesman, and the combined power of Washington’s publicity machine, despite offering huge bribes and considerable threats, were after all unable to convince the UN Security Council and even a sizable portion of the American public. So it is perhaps no surprise that the consul general should fail to convince young Saudis, who feel they may have a personal stake in wanting the Americans gone from the region.

Washington will have to try harder to prove its good intentions toward the people of the region before diplomatic efforts can succeed. So far, the impression has not been reassuring. Many feel the US is motivated by a desire to control Iraqi oil as well as to divide the region into small weak states leaving only Israel in place as a force to be reckoned with.

No matter how bright diplomats may be, they cannot be expected to succeed in their mission unless the cause they are defending is a just and fair one. Diplomats should be commended for their efforts to win over local public opinion, but in this case the gap has become too wide.






When this story was posted in December 2004, this was on the front page of PCOL:

Is Gaddi Leaving? Is Gaddi Leaving?
Rumors are swirling that Peace Corps Director Vasquez may be leaving the administration. We think Director Vasquez has been doing a good job and if he decides to stay to the end of the administration, he could possibly have the same sort of impact as a Loret Ruppe Miller. If Vasquez has decided to leave, then Bob Taft, Peter McPherson, Chris Shays, or Jody Olsen would be good candidates to run the agency. Latest: For the record, Peace Corps has no comment on the rumors.

December 4, 2004: This Week's Top Stories December 4, 2004: This Week's Top Stories
Correction: PC to get 3.6% Budget increase 3 Dec
What if Chris Matthews interviewed Bob Dylan? 3 Dec
Bellamy addresses mine-free summit 2 Dec
Donna Shalala says Protect families from HIV 1 Dec
RPCV mentioned as candidate to head NAACP 1 Dec
Bill Moyers wins Environmental Citizen Award 1 Dec
RPCV is designer of Humane Trophies 1 Dec
RPCV Chris Matthews interviews RPCV Chris Shays 30 Nov
RPCV Bruce Anderson is town muckraker 30 Nov
Tony Hall calls for more pressure on Sudan 30 Nov
Peace Corps Census up for Second Straight Year 29 Nov
Peace Corps gets chance in Mexico: 28 Nov
more top stories...

The Birth of the Peace Corps The Birth of the Peace Corps
UMBC's Shriver Center and the Maryland Returned Volunteers hosted Scott Stossel, biographer of Sargent Shriver, who spoke on the Birth of the Peace Corps. This is the second annual Peace Corps History series - last year's speaker was Peace Corps Director Jack Vaughn.
Vote "Yes" on NPCA's bylaw changes Vote "Yes" on NPCA's bylaw changes
Take our new poll. NPCA members begin voting this week on bylaw changes to streamline NPCA's Board of Directors. NPCA Chair Ken Hill, the President's Forum and other RPCVs endorse the changes. Mail in your ballot or vote online (after Dec 1), then see on how RPCVs are voting.
Charges possible in 1976 PCV slaying Charges possible in 1976 PCV slaying
Congressman Norm Dicks has asked the U.S. attorney in Seattle to consider pursuing charges against Dennis Priven, the man accused of killing Peace Corps Volunteer Deborah Gardner on the South Pacific island of Tonga 28 years ago. Background on this story here and here.
Your vote makes a difference Your vote makes a difference
Make a difference on November 2 - Vote. Then take our RPCV exit poll. See how RPCV's are voting and take a look at the RPCV voter demographic. Finally leave a message on why you voted for John Kerry or for George Bush. Previous poll results here.
Kerry reaches out to Returned Volunteers Kerry reaches out to Returned Volunteers
The Kerry campaign wants the RPCV vote. Read our interview with Dave Magnani, Massachusetts State Senator and Founder of "RPCVs for Kerry," and his answers to our questions about Kerry's plan to triple the size of the Peace Corps, should the next PC Director be an RPCV, and Safety and Security issues. Then read the "RPCVs for Kerry" statement of support and statements by Dr. Robert Pastor, Ambassador Parker Borg, and Paul Oostburg Sanz made at the "RPCVs for Kerry" Press Conference.

RPCV Carl Pope says the key to winning this election is not swaying undecided voters, but persuading those already willing to vote for your candidate to actually go to the polls.

Take our poll and tell us what you are doing to support your candidate.

Finally read our wrap-up of the eight RPCVs in Senate and House races around the country and where the candidates are in their races.

Read the stories and leave your comments.






Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

Story Source: Al-Jazeerah

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Oman; Diplomacy; Saudi Arabia

PCOL15231
06

.


Add a Message


This is a public posting area. Enter your username and password if you have an account. Otherwise, enter your full name as your username and leave the password blank. Your e-mail address is optional.
Username:  
Password:
E-mail: