Chapter 10: A New Ambassador

When the newly appointed Ambassador of the United States of America was safely in the Embassy car which had met her aircraft on the tarmac at Kobek International Airport she asked the Deputy Head of Mission, "Are there always this many military around?"

"No," he said, "They are rarely seen in the city, except close to the barracks. I only expected the ceremonial guard for politeness. They are here because of you, personally."

"The U.S. Ambassador is that important?" she asked.

"No. We are no more important than a number of other countries who buy their oil. The Kobekistanis know we need them more than they need us. The problem is, with respect ma'am, that you are a woman. The Emir has declared you to be a man in Kobekistani law, but there will be a Kobekistani military escort everywhere you go, to protect you."

"What in hell are they to protect me from?" she was getting angry.

"No respectable women are ever seen on the streets here, except heavily guarded and in purdah. The only women seen on the streets are ... er..."

"Whores," she supplied.

"Er ... ladies of the night, A few of them do walk on certain streets, but only the lowest grade ones. All the women are effectively owned by men, usually the father, or husband, or the master of the harem they are in."

"We'll see about that. Set me up a meeting with the Prime Minister, or whatever his title is, immediately after I present my credentials to the head man."

'Oh my God, she hasn't been briefed properly, ' he thought.

Indeed she had not been briefed at all, as someone had told the State Department that she was the country's leading expert on Kobekistan, omitting the fact that it was the dialect she knew so well, not the country. Her interest had been purely philological and she had hardly thought about the country at all.

"Madam Ambassador, the 'head man' as you put it is an Emir. He is also the government, complete and entire, executive, legislature, judiciary, the lot, all in one man."

She looked totally bemused.

"Are there no elected officials?"

"None whatever, Madam."

"Well, appointed paid officials then?"

"The most important and sought after post is the Master of Quarry, who supervises the royal hunt. There are some advisors who have no formal titles, though they each have their own special fields of expertise. Other than that there are only minor functionaries, like the airport controller, and the man in charge of road repairs, and the doctor in charge of the hospital, and the executioner. All the real decisions are made by the Emir."

"Executioner? Did you say executioner? God, what a one horse kinda country is this? Do they have piped water yet?"

"Madam, as you will discover, it is a quiet, very efficient state with all the most modern facilities. It is also very easy to deal with, since there is no in-fighting between departments, at least none that is visible to the outside world, and yet very difficult to deal with because decisions, once given, are usually irreversible."