A buddy of mine wrote this past week to ask, “What *do* embassies do? If the only answer is “notarize papers and renew passports” then my follow-up question is: Why does it take a building the size of a football field to notarize papers and renew passports?” Actually, I thought he had a pretty good point. A quick check at the US State Dept. turned up this definition: “An embassy is a permanent diplomatic mission with the purpose of improving the national interests between the host country and the United States.” But that still doesn’t seem to explain the football-field sized buildings. Can anyone offer any insight for my buddy and me? :-) If so, just click “Comment” following the posting of this item on the web. We’d greatly appreciate the explanation.
Every nation has the full range of interests and concerns as does the U.S. These occupy the same range of issues addressed by the U.S.’ 2 mllion+ federal civilian employees led by all the new Secretaries in the confirmation process by the Senate. The U.S. is an ‘evangelistic’ nation trying to spread the gospel of ‘representative democracy’ and thus having personnel trying to impact every other nation in the areas of health, education, commerce, the arts, legal and economic development, security, etc. Thus it’s personnel at each embassy interface with national leaders in each of these fields reflecting its desire to impact the host nation in each of these areas.
Embassies serve political interests,not god’s interests. However, they do come in handy in time of need. For example, when I was robbed in Brazil, they loaned me enough money to get me through until money arrived from the states. Embassies differ around the world. Some are very efficient and humane, and others may be inefficient or corrupt. However, we sometimes have to deal with them, for example, to get visas for locals that want to visit our church in the U.S. It is better to try to work with them than to fight them. They are a law unto themselves. They basically do not have to answer or be accountable to anyone. Ken
I'm not sure that I know that the answer to why the football-field sized buildings, but I did learn a few things about embassies in my years overseas. An embassy's primary function, as I understand it, is to be primary contact between the American government and a foreign government, and serve as a clearing house for citizens of the house country who wish to visit or immigrate to the U.S. I don't think their primary purpose is to provide services or security to the American citizens living in that country. They do that, but not always to the level that American citizens (including myself) seem to expect.
Having said that, I have seen the embassy spring into action, marshaling, it seemed, all the power and resources of the U.S. people, to aid our citizens who were in crisis. When a mission teammate was severely injured and subsequently died in an accident, embassies from three countries (Togo, Benin, & Cote d'Ivoire) went above and beyond the call of duty to help with both medical and logistical arrangements. Still, the medevac plane could not be dispatched until the missionary could provide proof of insurance coverage. The embassy will help, but it will not take over individual responsibilities.
Somewhat more disappointing was the embassy's availability when the West African country we were living in was in political turmoil. The embassy had a system for contacting American citizens in crisis situation, but it was all based on the availability of telephones. In the crisis, the government cut off local telephone service. We were able to make international calls, but even calls to the embassy routed through the U.S. went unanswered. Still, we were in the country at our own risk, and the embassy is not obligated to provide security for private American citizens.
Speaking as missionaries who have been living in a central African country since 1991 my husband and I can testify to the usefulness of “our” embassy. The U.S. citizens who work at our embassy continually stress to we Americans (both missionaries and others) that their number one function is our security. They do not simply say these nice words but they indeed put our needs ahead of all other business in time of crisis, both personal and national. We have been the recipient of “beyond the call of duty” assistance on numbers of occasions. During a more recent time of national crisis an embassy officer phoned us daily to check on our security and to hear our report of the security of other Americans in our part of the city. I might point out that neither my husband nor I are “big” people in our mission or in the eyes of the world. Humanly speaking there was no reason for us to be receiving the attention we did. We are just ordinary people out here trying to make an impact for the Kingdom. We know that no embassy is perfect and perhaps embassies in other countries function a bit different than our own, but we personally have a lot of respect for the U.S. Embassy system that we know and benefit from on a regular basis.
Signed,
An Ordinary Missionary
The US embassy has a military attache and all his supporting staff. They are basically there to do two things… sell US military goods to the country, and also to observe and report back to the Pentagon the state of the host country’s military. That takes quite a few people. I knew one of these guys once, he was a believer…. They have a commercial attache. He promotes commerce between the two countries. Usually he has a large supporting staff. They also have a consulate, that issues visas. That staff is large. They also have other attaches that represent other areas, such as aid. It all depends on the nation where the embassy is, and what the government feels is necessary. The embassy is there for their government, NOT for individual citizens. If you are an American, please don’t assume the embassy is there for you. They are not. They view you as a problem. When you need help, they may HAVE to help you, hence you interrupt their daily lives and schedules.
As an MK who now works alongside an Ambassador helping to run one of our largest Embassies in the third world, I can attest that the work of the Embassy fills the football-field size buildings (and in some places a few buildings):
– First, last, and always we serve the interests of the American people and Americans living in the country in question. Beyond notarizing documents, this involves assisting Americans who have been injured, arrested, the victims of crime. We certify births and help Americans through the adoption process abroad.
– We try to keep Americas borders both open and safe by screening people for visas, some to just visit the US, and some to “make new Americans” as families are reunited and refugees are given refuge.
– A dedicated staff track political and economic developments in the host country, providing reporting and analysis back to Washington. The same staff builds relationships with government officials, business leaders, academics, human rights advocates, and yes, even the missionary community to both keep a pule on what is going on in the country, and to be able to advocate for our policies and interests abroad.
– Public diplomacy officers work to “win hearts and minds” by acting as the spokesmen for the Embassy and US government in the country, bringing US artists and speakers to the country and sending citizens of the host country to the US to learn about our values, culture, and government. Many senior government leaders around the world have participated in exchange programs in the US, and are thus more favorable to our government as a result.
– USAID officers administer our development aid programs, which in many developing countries dwarfs the budget spent by the host country on health, education, and civil society development.
– Most Embassies have a military liason element, which builds ties between the US military and the armed forces of other nations. We often help train other militaries in skills, professionalism, and human rights and build the capacity to operate jointly to address common security challenges.
– A host of other government agencies may be present at any given Embassy, performing specific functions. A few are Department of Commerce officers, who promote US investment abroad and advise US companies on how to invest in the host country. FBI officers follow international criminal cases and assist with prosecutions of interest to the US. Department of Agriculture officers assess food security and work with countries to develop sustainable agriculture programs. FAA staff work to advance airport and airline safety abroad, since Americans fly just about all over the world.
– In addition to all these functions, there are many support staff who help keep the Embassy running (cars, residences, computer networks, building maintenance, medical care…) and keep us safe (the Marine guards and Regional Security Officers).
Finally, it surprises some people to find out that the number of Americans posted to an Embassy is usually only a third or a quarter of the total staff. Locally hired foreign nationals are the bulk of an Embassy’s workforce, and also provide continuity as the Americans rotate every two to four years. They are every bit as valued and valuable as the American officers.
I hope this helps–the large buildings are not intended to be unduly big, ostentatious, or unnecessary, but rather equip the US to engage the host country as effectively as possible.
The last comment sums up the situation quite well. Our embassies are intended to represent the interests of the US and its citizens in a foreign country, across a wide range of issues from security to commerce to human right. They are also considered US territory, so that actions taken in an Embassy, such as notarization of documents are treated as if they occur in the US and do not require the same authentication needed for documents notarized across the street in the same country. On occassion, victims of religious persecution have been given sanctuary in our embassies. There is a political officer specifically charged with monitoring abuses of religious freedom in the country that form the basis of annual reports issues by the Department of State. Other officers monitor other types of human rights abuses. The State Department is allowed to help US citizens in certain ways: when they are arrested, die, need evacuation in times of political turmoil, etc. They can’t do everything but may point you to resources that can help you.
Having lived in both third world countries as well as developed ones and having lived through the revolution in Iran (1978-79), I think I can speak on the subject a bit. First, you must differentiate between an Embassy and a Consulate. An embassy is in a foreign country to represent American interests. In the far past, American citizens could go in embassies for most any contact such as getting a very good cheap meal in their subsidized cafeteria or visit with their personnel. Now, an American citizen cannot get in an American embassy for almost any reason, valid or otherwise. An American Consulate, usually located in another separate building and/or compound, is accessible to American citizens for almost any legitimate reason, IE., passport problems or replacement. In other words, our American government absolutely does not want to see, service or support American citizens in their embassies; American consulates are another subject altogether.
Things I have personally done or seen others do in a US embassy:
1) help local businesses do research on exporting to the US.
2) help local businesses research purchases from the US
3) help local children research the US for school projects.
4) help US citizens with voting issues (absentee ballots, registration, etc).
5) disseminate info to US citizens and other concerned people about local security issues (crime, weather, local customs, etc).
6) help local police solicit tips on lost/abducted children from third countries.
7) help American expats find reliable sources of obscure info on local issues (like how to get a license to use radio equipment not normally used in the host country, or where to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving in a place where folks think of it strictly as a country rather than as an edible bird).
8) help locals to apply for scholarships for foreign students to study in the US.
9) help locals to apply for US government grants to support specialized research of interest to the US government.
10) help locals get official records of things they did in the US (police records & security reports, proof of valid past US residence, etc).
11) educate US citizens residing in their area on how to better their personal health and safety.
12) Brew a decent cup of coffee in a place where coffee is obscure.
13) review visa applications (for study, family visits, transit through the US to third countries).
14) Issue visas.
15) identify dead American bodies and gather personal effects and reports for next of kin.
16) visit incarcerated Americans and help them arrange for legal representation and communication with family (and from what I hear, for food to be delivered in some countries that do not routinely feed prisoners).
17) Visit hospitalized Americans and help them arrange for care, communications with family, their home doctor, and transfer of medical records and possibly money.
18) home school their children and network with other home-schoolers.
19) help foreign officials to solicit US citizens for employment in key jobs that serve US interests (teachers, business advisors, etc).
20) encourage US citizens to network and meet other Americans.
21) verify that Americans taking foreign children to the US to adopt or visit have proper authorization from parents/guardians/relevant legal authorities and confirm that verifications has been made to skeptical officials inside the US.
22) help investigate US citizens who once lived in their area who now are supposed to be reviewed for security clearances.
I could think of more if I thought for a while. Note that in some countries embassies process a thousand sets of documents (tax papers, visa applications, etc) daily.
Can't say that I've ever seen any evidence of notarization of documents, though I am assured that they can and do perform this service for any documents that are for government purposes (tax and citizenship documents for example).
I am both a missionary and a part time employee at one of those football field sized embassies.
As the staff of an embassy grows, the support to keep that staff in a country grows. Much of what is at our embassy is more support to the staff, much of whom are supportive in nature. If an embassy has 150 family units you have the ambassador, the consular folks (to issue visas and new passports), the USAID guys to oversee US aid money to that country/region, the political diplomats, the economic diplmats etc. Then, as in any community you have all the people to make up the infrastructure to support those guys. You have a clinic to take care of staff and families–which can have a physician, nurse practitioner, psychiatrist, nurses and admin staff. All those embassy folks live in some kind of housing. The more houses you have, the more support staff you have–to deliver water, keep the generators running, fix the leaky pipes, maintenance etc.
The motor pool folks maintain the official embassy cars that transport people for official functions and all the VIP dignataries coming to visit.
The travel office is there to take care of all official travel.
There’s the all important IT dept to keep all these folks connected to each other and the rest of the world.
There’s the whole issue of security. The marines are posted to guard the inner sanctum and then theres the Regional Security Officer who overseas staff to guard the greater whole of the embassy.
Then there’s the outter edge of the circle with a commissary, commissary staff, a bus driver to take the embassy kids to school each day…
As you can see the place becomes an entity unto it’s own–really a small town.
I haven’t read all the previous comments so this may be covered, but I have had a recent positive experience with a U.S. embassy. The country of Morocco is going to miss their current U.S. Ambassador. Many citizens of this country have commented about the value that this man and his wife had added to the education system of their country. They listed significant examples of providing educational and medical funding and programming for their country. Kudos to this effort!
Since the citizens of Morocco had such a positive attitude toward the U.S. embassy, my efforts and the initiatives that are important to like minded organizations have benefited greatly.
Furthermore, there are service providers (staff) in each embassy that help with funding, research and education of national education and health concerns.
Another service that we use is to register travel plans when U.S. citizens are going to be in a given country. This is a form of insurance that we have in case there are any problems. This is a service available to all organizations and individuals that is worth the effort.
Other services that our colleagues or we have personally used is help with passport services as well as registering newborns of U.S. citizens.
It’s interesting to read all the good things an embassy does but almost all the functions are those of a consulate, not an emabssy. I dare say that an average, non government affiliated person cannot get a “good cup of coffee” in any major (or even a minor) embassy in the world today. Try your local consulate and you might get it. There is a major difference in an embassy and a consulate that most of you are having trouble seeing.
The previous comments summed up the many valuable functions that US Embassies and Consulates fulfill throughout the world. In some cases there does exist a mutual suspicion between diplomats and missionaries, despite the fact that they have much in common (both on a mission to spread the gospel and the “gospel of democracy”, both have to learn foreign languages and operate in foreign cultures, and both have schooling issues with their children). In my opinion more Christians should apply to the State Department’s Foreign Service and serve as diplomats, especially in closed countries. More bridges of mutual understanding also need to be built between these two communities. These comments have helped to explain the value of the Foreign Service to the Christian community. Now we need to communicate the value of missionaries to our Foreign Service.