I was incredulous when I heard of the September 11th assassinations of US Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Diplomatic Security Officers Glen Doherty, and Tyrone Woods, and Foreign Service Officer Sean Smith. What was a diplomat of Steven’s position doing in Benghazi, separated from the relative security of the Tripoli embassy, and why was he left vulnerable along with his brave yet minimal protection detail? It took three weeks to develop, but the answer is trickling out: For political considerations, the US State Department ignored and denied requests for reasonable and necessary security for their most important personnel in Libya.
