"Track-one" diplomacy is the government-mediated activity seeking cooperation and communication with another nation. "Track-two" diplomacy is typically non-governmental and includes initiatives such as cultural diplomacy.

While diplomats cycle in and out of posts every 2-3 years, it is the local FSN staff that remains over the years. It is truly the local staff that maintains the institutional memory for public and cultural diplomacy programming.

Many Kurds showed me mementos from their service with the U.S. Army, or simply gave me thumbs-up when they found out I was American. When learning that I am Jewish, both Iraqi Kurds and Iraqi Arabs expressed warmth and curiosity.

Our decentralized culture, soul-making that depends more on the private sector than government, will not fly everywhere. Think China or Russia. Better to pass along the fruits of our tradition of innovation in the arts, to explain the philosophies and practices in which such creativity can grow and thrive.

As investigations continue into what really happened in Libya it will also be important that steps be taken to ensure that U.S. diplomacy efforts and our diplomats do not once again retreat behind ever higher embassy walls in the name of added security.

The embassy, and its sibling the consulate, is not only meant to function as a practical means to conduct the business of diplomacy; these buildings are representations of the very identity of their nation of origin.