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US Mission Iraq/INL: Sexing-up Them “Engagement” Numbers in Iraq?
Here is part of the SIGIR report that talks about the number of meetings (on the Iraqi side) and engagements (on the US Embassy Iraq/INL side) during the first three month period of 2012. In late...
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Snapshot: US Mission Iraq Staffing as of July 2012
The following numbers and info from the July 30 SIGIR report: As of early July, according to DoS, 15,007 personnel were supporting the U.S. Mission in Iraq: 1,235 U.S. government civilian employees...
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US Mission Iraq: Get ready for BLISS… no, not perfect happiness — just...
Bliss is an emotional state that is characterized by perfect happiness (feelings of enjoyment, pleasure, and satisfaction). The State Dept announced last month that it intends to solicit replacement...
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US Mission Iraq: Twelve Things You Might Not Know About the Largest Embassy...
— By Domani Spero State/OIG recently released its inspection report of U.S. Embassy Baghdad and its constituent posts in Erbil and Basrah. Here are a few things that you may not know about our...
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Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa Program: Potential Termination on September 30,...
— By Domani Spero Section 1244 of the Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, authorizes the issuance of up to 5,000 Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) annually through fiscal year (FY) 2012 to...
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US Embassy Baghdad Issues 9/11 Anniversary Warning
– By Domani Spero On July 6, the WSJ reported that the U.S. has intercepted an order from Iran to militants in Iraq to attack the U.S. Embassy and other American interests in Baghdad in the event of...
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Iraqi Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) Program To End on December 31, 2013
– Domani Spero We previously posted about Iraqi SIVs in September. (See Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) Program for Iraqi Nationals to End Sept 30, Or How to Save One Interpreter At a Time). The...
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$6 Billion Alert. What Does The Spox Say? Goring-ding-ding-ding … “Grossly...
– Domani Spero Last week, State/OIG issued a Management Alert on Contract File Management Deficiencies at the State Department. The Alert is reportedly intended to well, alert senior Department...
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US Mission Iraq: Now on Partial “Temporary Relocation” To Basra, Erbil &...
– Domani Spero On June 15, the State Department issued a statement that Embassy Baghdad “remains open and will continue to engage daily with Iraqis and their elected leaders.” Also that the embassy is...
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U.S. Embassy Iraq: By The Numbers — Still The Post With the Mostest
– Domani Spero The New Embassy Compound (NEC) in Baghdad was the most expensive construction in the world in 2009. Although a fixed amount is hard to come by, it is estimated that the construction...
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U.S. Relocates More Baghdad/Erbil Staff to Basrah and Amman (Jordan), Updates...
– Domani Spero On June 15, 2014, the State Department went on partial “temporary relocation” of USG personnel in Embassy Baghdad to Basrah, Erbil and Amman, Jordan (see US Mission Iraq: Now on...
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Burn Bag: If a T-wall tips over in Baghdad but there’s no media around to...
Posted: 10:31 am EDT Via Burn Bag: “If a T-wall tips over in Baghdad but there’s no media around to hear it, will it make a sound? What if it crushes a local national contractor working on a USG...
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State Dept Seeks Potential New Contractors for $234M Medical Service Support...
Posted: 5:58 pm EDT The State Department is seeking information for the availability of a new medical service provider for U.S. Mission Iraq. There is an incumbent contractor, CHS Middle East, LLC...
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Ambassador Nomination: Douglas Silliman — From Kuwait to Iraq
Posted: 1:23 am ET On May 19, President Obama announced Douglas Silliman as his nominee for the next Ambassador to the Republic of Iraq. The WH released the following brief bio: Douglas Silliman, a...
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@StateDept Summer Rotation Brings New Faces to the U.S. Mission in Iraq
Posted: 2:48 am ET The 2016 summer rotation brought in new faces at the U.S. Mission in Iraq. On September 1, the U.S. ambassador designate Douglas Silliman arrived in Baghdad. As far as we can tell...
View ArticleMandatory Evacuation On For US Consulate General Basrah in Southern Iraq
In June last year, we blogged about the Tillerson State Department’s plan to close down the U.S. Consulate General in Basrah (see U.S. Consulate General #Basrah, Iraq: Six-Year Old Diplomatic Outpost...
View ArticleSources: Major Personnel Cuts Coming For U.S. Mission Iraq
Posted: 4:28 am EST Updated: 5:01 am EST It looks like US Mission Iraq is in for another big round of staff reduction. Sources indicate that staff cuts could be as much as a third. People reportedly...
View ArticleU.S. Senate Confirms Matthew Tueller as U.S. Ambassador to Iraq
Confirmed by Voice Vote: Executive Calendar #185 Matthew Tueller to be Ambassador of the U.S. to the Republic of Iraq @StateDept — Senate Cloakroom (@SenateCloakroom) May 16, 2019 While in Iraq, I...
View ArticleAmbassador Matthew Tueller Presents His Credentials in Baghdad
Help Fund the Blog | Diplopundit 2019 — 60-Day Campaign from June 5, 2019 – August 5, 2019 ______________________________________ New U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Matthew Tueller arrived in Baghdad in...
View Article@StateDept FOIA: Trump’s January 2017 EO: Protecting the Nation From Foreign...
Help Fund the Blog | Diplopundit 2019 — 60-Day Campaign from June 5, 2019 – August 5, 2019 ______________________________________ On January 27, 2017, Trump issued an Executive Order that suspends...
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