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.

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? 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.

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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...

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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 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.

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