Role of the US Ambassador in a Muslim Country

After seeing the news this morning mentioning another failure of US Foreign Policy, which caused the death of Ambassador Chris Stevens in Libya, I felt the need to respond. I did not know the man, but I can say he was appointed to the job because of his ability to raise money, and not because of any political affiliation with various US Government Agencies.

The US Government itself can be looked at from various perspectives. My perspective is to segment it into 3 parts; Legislature, Executive, and Judiciary. From this, the focus is on the Executive. Within the Executive are 15 Departments, of which all deal with American access to Government Information and Money. I have said many times before that an American-Muslim would do a better job as Ambassador in a Muslim country, but irrespective of future appointments, the primary job of any Ambassador is to create a budget. 

If you compare a Muslim country with a State of the USA, the Ambassador would be the Governor. Just as any politician in the United States, the Ambassador needs to build a base of support. This is where the 15 Departments come into play. I will list them for the viewer, and provide my advice to those Ambassadors who want to succeed in their mission.

1. Department of State- The Ambassador must use this Department to get a broad picture of the country, including; the type of Islam practiced, the way Government Policy is created, and the Domestic Issues of the People. This requires meeting the Religious Leaders, the Elected and Appointed Officials, and the Journalists.

2. Department of Justice- The Ambassador must use this Department to find the best way to improve the relationship between the two nations through Comparing and Contrasting the style of the Administration of Justice. This is done through; the Courts, the Law Firms, and the Legal Process.

3. Department of Defense- The Ambassador must use this Department to understand the Historical Process of the Government. Every nation has a military backbone. The question is finding the rib cage of the nation in order to listen to the heart of the Military Leadership.

4. Department of the Interior- The Ambassador must use this Department to understand the Internal Structure of the Country. Imagine being a young man or woman in the country and picture the process from Potential Leader to Current Leader. Every Government Official has a Success Story.

5. Department of Education- This Ambassador must use this Department to build an Investment Profile for Future Leaders of the Country. Helping the students in their quest for knowledge will pay off in the next 20 years.

6. Department of Health and Human Services- Many Muslim Nations suffer from Health Issues that can be drastically cut through a comprehensive package of; Communication between US Medical Staff and the Nations' Medical Leadership, Research between the Medical Universities and the Nations' Future Medical Leadership, and the Medical Logistics involved with transporting Medical Equipment and Personnel.

7. Department of the Treasury- The Ambassador must use this Department in order to understand how the Nation creates a Budget with the money they Generate from the People.

8. Department of Energy- The Ambassador must use this Department to create a model of the country that can be looked at as if the Ambassador was back home. Questions such as, "Would I use electricity or gas to heat my water?" or "Would I build a factory here or somewhere closer to that landmark over there?" Understanding the Nations' Power Grid can be useful to see how the People look for opportunities as their lives are improved.

9. Department of Labor- This Department is very important for the Ambassador to use. First, there are Economic Challenges the Nation faces. Secondly, there is a system in-place of which gender tends to do what jobs. Instead of rocking the boat with questions such as, "Why couldn't these people do those jobs?" The questions should sound more like, "If given these tools, could this be accomplished faster and better?"

10. Department of Homeland Security- Every Muslim Nation has a similar Department based on the Historical Development of the Country. The Ambassador uses this Department to simulate Emergancies that help build the confidence of the Nations' Leadership. The United States suffers from issues that Muslim Nations suffer from. Looking at the solutions will give a more robust picture that all parties can benefit from.

11. Department of Transportation- Everyone talks about Muslim Oil and American Transportation. The future might be Chinese Electricity and Muslim Transportation. There is a missing piece of the puzzle. The issue of Interstate Commerce will continue to grow in Muslim Countries. This Commerce in itself is a challenge, with issues such as; Refugees, Terrorism, Drugs, WMD's, and of course the most important being the Pilgrimage. The Ambassador must use this Department to create relevant models of cost-effective growth for these Transportation Issues. Providing this information to the Government will build better trade in all areas related to Transportation.

12. Department of Housing and Urban Development- The Ambassador must use this Department to build relevant models of the housing issues. The most important housing issue for any nation is the effect of the environment on the homes. Are there such things as Associations or Insurance Companies? These are important questions once you consider the relationship between the Mosque and the Neighborhood. As the Neighborhood improves, the Mosque will improve as well.

13. Department of Agriculture- The Ambassador must use this Department to build a Market in which to buy food from the Country and sell it to the United States Muslim Communities. The Ambassador might not know which Americans travel to the country, but every American from that country knows who the Current Ambassador is. Food is food. But some food is more familiar to some people. The ideas that combine Religion with Diet are not the same as the ideas that combine Diet with Labor. Both are important for a variety of Political Reasons.

14. Department of Commerce- The Ambassador must use this Department to build an Economic Strategy of Success. The goal is not just for the Ambassador, but also for the Leaders of the Nation including; the Military Leadership, the University Professors, the Religious Leaders, and the Merchants. As I wrote earlier, the Ambassador is the Highest Authority in the Nation representing all of America's interest in the country. Some Americans might not be that interested in a Muslim Nation, but, there are many American-Muslims who are. And there interests are far more important than the views of those who don't. 

15. Department of Veterans' Affairs- The Ambassador must use this Department to find those Americans who have served their country proud and have a continued interest in building better relations between the United States and the Muslim Nations. I myself am one of them!