From Exile to Envoy: Iraqís Rend Al-Rahim by Larry Luxner Rend Al-Rahim fled her native Iraq in 1978, just as the lunacy of Saddam Husseinís regime was closing in on her family. ìMy uncle was sentenced to 15 years in prison for writing a letter to a friend abroad, in which he complained about the conditions of life in Iraq,î she says. ìA distant relative of mine was arrested and killed. Friends were beginning to be detained, and in some cases executed. We began to see more and more relatives and acquaintances fall under the grip of this regime, and we knew that if we didnít leave soon, we would also become victims.î Today, 26 years later, Al-Rahim is Iraqís top diplomat in the United Statesóand one of the first women ever to represent an Arab country in Washington. How she ended up here and how she plans to address the enormous challenges that lie ahead for her war-ravaged nation were the main topics of discussion during The Washington Diplomatís exclusive interview with Al-Rahim last month. ìIíve had a very good reception in Washington,î Al-Rahim told us during a one-hour meeting at the Iraqi Interests Section off Dupont Circle. ìWherever I go, whether in the Bush administration or in meetings with other diplomats, I have been overwhelmed by the goodwill expressed toward Iraq, and everyoneís desire to help Iraqis rebuild their country physically, politically and economically. This outpouring of goodwill has been remarkable.î In the absence of full diplomatic relations, Al-Rahimís title is Iraqi ìrepresentativeî to the United States. But her business card already says ambassador, which is what most people are calling her. That would make the eloquent yet assertive human rights advocate somewhat of a novelty because during the 36-year period between 1967 and 2003, Iraq had an ambassador in Washington only from 1984 to 1990. That year, following Husseinís invasion of Kuwait, the United States and Iraq broke relations. For the next 13 years, Algeria represented Iraqi interests in Washingtonóa responsibility that only recently has been turned over to the tiny Persian Gulf emirate of Bahrain. That cumbersome arrangement will last until June 30, when Iraq regains sovereignty over its own territory from U.S. administrators. On that day, Iraqis will celebrate in the streets, and Al-Rahim will become a full-fledged ambassador for the first time in her life. ìI feel very happy about this, and Iím very comfortable representing Iraq,î she says. ìMy task here is to represent the Iraqi Governing Council and speak on behalf of Iraqi policy. I also have the responsibility of rebuilding relationships with other diplomatic missions that were dysfunctional for a long time. I need to reach out to the administration, Congress and the American peopleóto express what Iraq is and what it aspires to be.î Al-Rahim, who came to the United States in 1981, is fluent in Arabic, English and French. She has two masterís degreesóone in English from the University of Cambridge in Great Britain and one in French literature from the Sorbonne in Paris. Before being named to her post last November by Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Al-Rahim was executive director of the Iraq Foundation, a nonprofit group she helped establish in 1991. ìThe Iraq Foundation was in fact the only Iraqi-led institution in the United States, and while I couldnít say we represented Iraq, I like to think we were the voice of the Iraqi people. I do see this new job as a continuation of my previous role, speaking on issues like democracy and human rightsóall the things that Iraqis want their new nation to be.î Why did the foreign minister choose Al-Rahim for the top spot? ìI like to think itís because Iím brilliant,î she jokes before turning serious. ìMy long period with the Iraq Foundation gave me a certain level of understanding of how Washington works. I was also familiar with the Hill, Congress and the State Department,î she says. ìI had also dealt with the press to a certain extent, and even with some of the foreign missions here. So I was not a stranger to Washington. The foreign minister and the Governing Council probably felt I could start working immediately and did not need a long learning curve.î She adds, ìThe fact that Iím a woman had a part to play in that choice. We wanted to show that this is a new Iraq, that we are seeking to join the modern world.î For a major oil-producing nation of 25 million people, the Iraqi Interests Section is surprisingly quiet. The four-story building at the corner of 18th and P streets has only six staffers including the receptionist. All of the diplomats who worked for Saddam Hussein are long gone, and no trace of the old regime can be seen. ìAs an Iraqi citizen, I never came here,î says Al-Rahim, who now holds both U.S. and Iraqi citizenship. ìThis was a den for the Mukhabarat, or intelligence services. It used to be quite customary for people to say, ëIím going to the embassy. If Iím not out of there in an hour, ring the alarm bells.í People were known to have been kidnapped from other Iraqi embassies around the world.î Itís easy to miss the Iraqi Interests Section from the street. And compared to the massive U.S. embassy now being planned for Baghdad, itís downright microscopic. According to the Washington Post, the new mission will house 4,000 employees, making it the largest embassy of any country in the world. ìWeíre very short-staffed,î Al-Rahim concedes, noting that sheíd like to have 26 employees by yearís end. ìI need many more people than I can realistically expect to get. For any country, Washington is the most important diplomatic post in the world. For Iraq, itís doubly important, especially if weíre going to have an American mission with 4,000 people.î One reason why the new U.S. embassy will be so enormous is that it will have to oversee an Iraqi reconstruction budget of $18.4 billion. Another $13 billion to $15 billion is coming from other donor countries, so the total amount of aid pouring into Iraq will come to between $31 billion and $33 billion. ìSome of that money from other donors will be administered by the World Bank, some of it by the U.N.,î Al-Rahim says. ìThe most interesting part is that we now have fully functional Iraqi ministries, which have a greater say in where this money should go. Initially, when this money was appropriated, there really werenít any functioning ministries.î No matter how the $18.4 billion is spent, itís still a big chunk of U.S. taxpayer money going to a country where U.S. soldiers are still dying every day. Yet ìnot once have I come across any resentment,î says Al-Rahim. ìEven people with sons and daughters serving in the armed forces have expressed enormous support.î Given the almost daily reports of vengeful Iraqi suicide bombings directed at U.S. troops and civilians, says Al-Rahim, itís hard to appreciate the fact that most of Iraqís people are actually glad to have the Americans in their country. ìI have not met a single Iraqi who is not grateful to the Bush administration for getting rid of Saddam Hussein and his regime,î she says. ìEvery Iraqi is happy for the change and thanks the United States for bringing about that change. Thatís a universal sentiment. Iraqis also recognized that the U.S. did it at the expense of American blood and money.î She adds, ìThe vast majority recognizes that the United States has achieved a great deal in terms of reconstruction: rebuilding schools, hospitals, reconnecting the phone system, doing a lot of very practical work that helps the Iraqi people. The U.S. has helped to dramatically raise the standard of living in Iraq. People are financially much better off than theyíve been for a very long time.î On the other hand, Al-Rahim admits that many Iraqis are unhappy with certain policies carried out by the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). ìThereís a broadly felt sentiment that sovereignty should have been handed over to Iraqis shortly after the defeat of the regime,î she says. ìThereís also widespread criticism of the disbanding of the Iraqi Army.î Another sore spot seems to be the awarding of lucrative U.S. subcontracting work to U.S. rather than Iraqi companies. ìInitially, during the spring and summer months, there wasnít sufficient reliance on Iraqi expertise,î the envoy says. ìBut Iíve just come back from Baghdad and I spoke to many people who say they now have subcontracts. Over the last three months, both the CPA and the primary contractors have become much more sensitized to this.î Al-Rahim is particularly proud of Iraqís new ìtransitional administrative law.î Several ti mes during our interview, she read from the text of this document, which isnít exactly a constitution because a constitution can only be drafted by elected representatives, and Iraq hasnít yet had elections. ìI think this lawóboth the process that generated it and the law itselfóreally marks the rebirth of politics in Iraq,î she says, citing a chapter-two clause that says, ìDiscrimination against an Iraqi citizen on the basis of gender, nationality, religion or origin is prohibited.î Article seven, meanwhile, respects the Islamic identity of the majority of the Iraqi people but guarantees all individuals freedom of religious beliefs and practice. ìThatís an unambiguous statement of the freedom of religion,î she says. Al-Rahim bristles at the suggestion that Iraqís inhabitants are fragmented along ethnic lines, with Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims, Kurds and others jockeying for power in a country wracked by internal violence. ìI do not call the Iraqi population fragmented,î she says sternly. ìI call it diverse and pluralistic. Fragmentation has negative connotations. If recognized, honored and embraced, diversity can be an enriching quality. Would you describe America as a diverse society or a fragmented society?î Obviously frustrated with negative press coverage of her country, Al-Rahim says that ìwhen youíre outside Iraq and you watch the news, you get a very distorted imageî of whatís really going on in Baghdad and its environs. ìI can assure you categorically that the reality in Iraq is quite different from what you see on TV and what you read in the press,î she insists. ìSitting here in Washington, one imagines that Baghdad has become a city where people are shooting each other in the streets, and everybody is gripped with fear. This is entirely wrong. People are going to work, theyíre going to government offices and jobs, stores are overflowing with merchandise and shoppers are everywhere. Restaurants are full, university students are attending classes, school buses pick up kids.î During her most recent visit back home, Al-Rahim said she and her family traveled around visiting friends and staying out until midnight. ìUp until November, fear still existed. But the capture of Saddam Hussein really dissipated that fear. In my mind, that was the single most important turning point in the psychology of Iraq.î One thing Iraq wonít become, she assures us, is a belligerent country. ìIn this transitional law, thereís complete respect for U.N. resolutions. Iraq has been through so many wars in the last 23 years, and the Iraqi people are exhausted. I donít think thereís any country in the Middle East that has suffered as much. Iraqis really want to tend their own garden. ìIraq has no intention of interfering in anybody elseís internal affairs or forcing any system on anybody else,î she continues. ìBut if we can build a flourishing democracy in Iraq, then I think this could be held up as a model, and no more than that.î Asked if that means Iraq could some day make peace with archenemy Israel, Al-Rahim dismisses the question as premature. ìWe donít even have an elected government yet. We are so focused on getting our own house in order right now that I donít think anybody can address questions like that.î While sheís helping her country do just that, Iraqís woman in Washington vowed to work hard on an issue close to her heart: womenís rights. ìWomen have traditionally enjoyed lots of freedoms in Iraq, yet under Saddamís decree in the late 1980s, no Iraqi women could travel outside the country without a mahram, or male relative that the woman cannot marry,î Al-Rahim says, adding that in 1990, the Iraqi regime even issued a decree legalizing honor killings. ìWomen lost a great deal over the last 20 years, but Iraqi women are strong, capable, educated and professionally engaged. And now, theyíre becoming very active again.î She notes that women now constitute 40 percent of Iraqís university professors and 43 percent of its dentists, although only three out of the 25 members of the Iraqi Governing Council are women. ìMany women including myself have said that this was insufficient,î Al-Rahim says. ìAs a result of lobbying in recent months, the new electoral law aims to have women constitute no less than 25 percent of the members of the 275-member National Assembly.î What should be done with Saddam Hussein? ìHe should be put on trial. Iraq has drafted a statute for a special tribunal to try people of the old regime who have committed crimes. Everybody should read that statute. It upholds due process and has very clear and strict rules.î The new law is based largely on Iraqi criminal code, and crimes that are punishable by execution under this code may therefore qualify as capital offenses. On the other hand, Al-Rahim says, ìThe mood in Iraq is forward-looking. People are concerned about the future, and about rebuilding the country. Those who committed crimes ought to be put on trial, but weíre not obsessed with the past.î Larry Luxner is a news editor of The Washington Diplomat.