re: "Why State is Incompetent at Development"

Josh Rogin at The Cable ("Reporting Inside the Foreign Policy Machine") reported on Amb. Crocker's return to Kabul and a turf battle to resolve (as of this weekend, he's still there).

Money quote(s):

"One of his first tasks in his new job will be to repair the dysfunctional relationship between U.S. diplomats in Kabul and Afghanistan-based USAID officials, which has hampered U.S. development assistance in the country."

In light of recent developments, this doesn't seem like that big a deal. But given the monetary amounts involved, that perception would be, perhaps, short-sighted.

"(A)ccording to a recent report by the State Department Inspector General's office, the relationship has suffered from bureaucratic and communications issues between aid workers and diplomats.

The report found that the problems between the embassy and USAID in Kabul stem in part from the State Department's idea that chiefs of mission should be in charge of all development issues in their country, as envisioned by the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) that State released earlier this year."

Where could the State Dept. possibly have gotten this idea, considering that ambassadors are the personal representatives of the president and responsible for all U.S. Government activities in their country-of-assignment (unless there's a MOU or SOFA to the contrary)?

(CAA is being disingenuous, of course.)

"The report went on to say that bureaucratic differences "exacerbate feelings of professional misunderstanding" between CDDEA and USAID, and that officials in Washington need to step in to impose a resolution to these problems."

CAA loves his USAID colleagues, wishing them well even to the extent that he mourns the ever-tightening and anaconda-like envelopment of USAID by the State Dept. It never fails to remind of the similar fate of USIA/USIS.

That being said, if D.C. is called upon to knock-heads on this issue, it's fated to go only one way.

"USAID personnel in Kabul chafe at the embassy's demands for lots of briefings and explanations of their financial management. They also feel like second-class citizens because the embassy doesn't provide them with the best housing and office space, the report said.

On the other hand, the embassy folks don't believe the USAID personnel are on board with the "whole of government" approach, the report states. They think USAID withholds information from them and sometimes creates political messes they are then forced to clean up."

Hmm. Color CAA unsympathetic about USAID personnel not getting the "best housing and office space" in a war zone.

7/27