Sep 29 2000
Indyk should not come back
Diplomacy is a tricky business. Governments and foreign service departments try very hard to keep their diplomats moving from one post to the other so that they don’t get too attached to one country. The idea being that if a diplomat gets too attached to a single country his or her political vision might get blurred, and that diplomat will start to represent the country he/she is working in rather than his/her own.
It was for this reason of objectivity that for many years the US and other Western countries refused to appoint Jewish diplomats to Israel. For years this rule also applied to major media organs like the New York Times. This rule that was based only on the religious faith of diplomats (and journalists) was wrong. But although people should be judged solely on their performance, governments can’t and shouldn’t ignore the `impression’ factor. Impressions and images often precede individuals and many times never leave them.
The case of two-time US ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk, is a case in point. Continue Reading »