Peace for the World

Peace for the World
First democratic leader of Justice the Godfather of the Sri Lankan Tamil Struggle: Honourable Samuel James Veluppillai Chelvanayakam

Sunday, December 18, 2016

Palestinian killed after alleged Jerusalem screwdriver attack


Hamad Khader al-Sheikh was a law student at Al-Quds University. (via Quds)

Young man wearing blazer sits at law college desk
Maureen Clare Murphy-15 December 2016


Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man in Jerusalem’s Old City on Thursday after he allegedly stabbed a Border Police officer in the head, causing him light injuries.


A 13-year-old bystander was also wounded during the incident.

The alleged assailant, Hamad Khader al-Sheikh, 21, a law student from the nearby Beit Surik village, was reportedly armed with a screwdriver.

Al-Sheikh was evacuated to a Jerusalem hospital in critical condition, according to an Israeli police spokesperson, where he died of his injuries.

Witnesses told the Ma’an News Agency that al-Sheikh was left on the ground bleeding for 20 minutes. 

Video from the scene shows Israeli forces pushing away a Palestinian doctor before giving him access to al-Sheikh to administer first aid:

اعتداء جنود الاحتلال على طبيب حاول إسعاف منفذ عملية الطعن في البلدة القديمة بالقدس المحتلة قبل قليل.

The wounded bystander, identified as Fahmi Juwilis, was walking home from school with his brother when he was hit with a stray bullet fired by Israeli forces, the boy’s father said. The teen “sustained fractures and superficial head wounds,” Ma’an reported, adding that the boy was operated on and his condition is now stable.

100 Palestinians slain

More than 100 Palestinians have been slain by Israeli forces so far this year, 75 of them during actual and alleged attacks. Palestinians have killed eight Israelis, including a girl, during the same period.

This year’s deaths follow a new phase of confrontation that peaked in the last quarter of 2015, with fatal incidents occurring at checkpoints and settlements throughout the West Bank.

Israel is currently withholding the bodies of several Palestinians killed by its forces.

It was reported on Thursday that Israel was set to return the remains of Khalid Bahr Ahmad Bahr to his family in the occupied West Bank village of Beit Ommar the following day.

The Israeli rights group B’Tselem stated that occupation forces “acted without any justification and did not face lethal danger” when they shot Bahr, 15, as he was running away from them in October.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian woman at the Qalandiya checkpoint between the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Jerusalem, accusing her of attempting to run over soldiers.

No injuries were reported.

Evidence contamination

Human rights groups have long decried the impunity afforded to Israel’s forces. Only in exceptionally rare cases are soldiers prosecuted for the killing or injury of a Palestinian.

Senior prosecutors and police officers told the Israeli military that it is often difficult to investigate incidents in which Palestinians are shot because of evidence contamination.

“Nor is this just a problem for the law enforcement agencies, they warned,” the Tel Aviv newspaper Haaretzreported this week. “It could also become a serious problem for the army itself, because it could make it harder to defend soldiers in civil or criminal proceedings overseas.”

Israeli prosecutors began examining West Bank incidents in which Palestinians were shot to “prepare for the possibility” of legal proceedings at the International Criminal Court, according to Haaretz.

Israel has a complex legal system with mechanisms for investigating alleged rights abuses committed by the military.

Earlier this year, the rights group B’Tselem called these mechanisms “a fig leaf for the occupation” 
and stated that it would no longer refer complaints to or cooperate with Israel’s military investigators.

Not even in cases with “overwhelming video and forensic evidence,” such as the shooting death of Nadim Nuwara, 15, in May 2014, are Israeli soldiers punished in accordance with the gravity of their crimes.

Israeli police accuse Arab MP of giving prisoners phones

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says if Ghatos was engaged in illegal activity he should be 'severely punished'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (AFP/file photos)
Sunday 18 December 2016 
Israeli police on Sunday accused an Arab Israeli opposition lawmaker of providing cell phones to two jailed Palestinians.
Police said several cell phones were found in the possession of lawmaker Basel Ghatos when he visited the Ketziot prison in southern Israel last week.
Ghatos belongs Balad, a small nationalist Arab party allied with the Joint List, which holds 13 of the 120 seats in parliament, and is the third-largest bloc in the legislature.
Arab Israelis - who make up around 18 percent of Israel's population - are the descendants of Palestinians who remained on their land after the creation of Israel in 1948. They hold Israeli citizenship, but Arab Israelis largely see themselves as Palestinians.
Police tried to question Ghatos about the devices but he initially refused, citing parliamentary immunity.
The government's legal adviser then authorised them to pursue their investigation, police said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a statement released by his office, said if the investigation proves that Ghatos was engaged in illegal activity he should be "severely punished".
Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman denounced Ghatos on his Facebook page.
"This is extra proof that the Joint List is in fact a unified list of traitors and spies," he said.

Gunmen burn buses, hindering Aleppo evacuation deal


 By Lisa Barrington and Suleiman Al-Khalidi- Sun Dec 18, 2016

Armed men burned five buses that were supposed to be used for an evacuation near Idlib in Syria on Sunday, holding up a deal to allow thousands to depart the last rebel pocket in Aleppo, where evacuees crammed into buses for hours, waiting to move.

In return for the evacuation of fighters, their families and other civilians from Aleppo, mostly Sunni insurgents have agreed that people in the villages of al-Foua and Kefraya, Shi'ite villages they have besieged near Idlib, should also be allowed to leave.

Videos posted on social media showed bearded men with guns cheering and shouting "God is great" after torching the green buses before they were able to reach the villages and pick up the evacuees.

State media said "armed terrorists", a term it uses for all groups fighting against President Bashar al-Assad, carried out the attack. Pro-Damascus Mayadeen television blamed the rebel group formerly known as the Nusra Front.
People walk past the old customs buildings (L) and Peoria restaurant (R) near Aleppo's historic citadel, in the government controlled area of the city, Syria December 17, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki-People take pictures in front of the old Customs building in the government controlled Old City of Aleppo, Syria December 17, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki-A woman sits with her child reading the Koran while waiting to be evacuated with others from a rebel-held sector of eastern Aleppo, Syria December 17, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail

Injured and sick people wait inside a hospital to be evacuated from a rebel-held sector of eastern Aleppo, Syria December 17, 2016. The arabic on the wall reads: 'The people want to bring down the regime' (R) and 'Curse your soul, oh Hafez' (L). REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail-Rebel fighters and civilians wait to be evacuated from a rebel-held sector of eastern Aleppo, Syria December 17, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail-People wait to be evacuated from a rebel-held sector of eastern Aleppo, Syria December 16, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail

Rebel officials said an angry crowd of people, possibly alongside pro-government "operatives", was responsible.

Hours after the incident, as the Aleppo evacuees waited on their buses, it was still unclear what impact the bus burning near Idlib would have on the wider agreement.

The commander of forces allied to Assad said on Sunday there was still a chance for states with influence over rebel groups to find a solution to evacuate civilians safely.

In a statement carried by a military news outlet run by Damascus's ally, the Lebanese group Hezbollah, the allied forces leadership said responsibility for the delay in the evacuation falls with "terrorists and their state sponsors".

Some 40 km (26 miles) to the northeast, hundreds of fighters and their families in Aleppo sat or stood in buses after a deal on Sunday to resume evacuations after a three-day hiatus.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there was no sign the buses had left Aleppo or the villages, and a passenger on one told Reuters he had been on the bus for four hours and was still in the city's rebel enclave.

Syrian state television, citing its correspondent in the city, said buses had started to leave east Aleppo where over 15,000 people had gathered in a square to wait. Many had spent the night sleeping in the streets in freezing temperatures.

Some buses and Red Crescent vehicles arrived at the entrance to al-Foua and Kefraya shortly after the deal was announced, according to al-Manar television, a broadcaster affiliated with Hezbollah.

Soon afterwards, reports that some of them had been burned began to circulate.

Aleppo had been divided between government and rebel areas in the nearly six-year-long war, but a lightning advance by the Syrian army and its allies began in mid-November following months of intense air strikes, forcing the insurgents out of most of the rebel-held territory within a matter of weeks.

"EVERYONE IS WAITING"

According to Syria's al-Ikhbariya TV news, about 1,200 civilians would initially be evacuated from east Aleppo and a similar number from the two villages.

A document cited by al-Manar television and passed to Reuters by rebels and activists said the entire deal would see 2,500 citizens leave al-Foua and Kefraya in two batches, in exchange for the evacuation of people from east Aleppo in two corresponding batches.

Following this, another 1,500 would leave al-Foua and Kefraya in exchange for the evacuation of 1,500 from the towns of Madaya and Zabadani near Lebanon, which are besieged by pro-government forces.
Once evacuees from the villages have safely arrived in government areas, Aleppo fighters and more of their family members will be allowed to leave, in return for subsequent batches of people departing al-Foua and Kefraya, al-Ikhbariya TV reported.

In the square in Aleppo's Sukari district, organizers gave every family a number to allow them on buses.
"Everyone is waiting until they are evacuated. They just want to escape," said Salah al Attar, a former teacher with his five children, wife and mother.

Thousands of people were evacuated on Thursday, the first to leave under a ceasefire deal that would end years of fighting for the city and mark a major victory for Assad.

They were taken to rebel-held districts of the countryside west of Aleppo. Turkey has said Aleppo evacuees could also be housed in a camp to be constructed near the Turkish border to the north.

UNITED NATIONS VOTE

The chaos surrounding the evacuation reflects the complexity of Syria's civil war, with an array of groups and foreign interests involved on all sides.

The United Nations Security Council is due to vote Sunday on a French-drafted resolution aimed at ensuring that U.N. officials can monitor the evacuations from Aleppo and the protection of civilians who remain.

The draft U.N. text, seen by Reuters on Saturday, also "emphasizes that the evacuations of civilians must be voluntary and to final destinations of their choice, and protection must be provided to all civilians who choose or who have been forced to be evacuated and those who opt to remain in their homes."

However, Russia said it would veto the draft resolution.

"We cannot support it, we cannot allow it to pass because this is a disaster. But there could be another thing which could be adopted today by the Security Council which would accomplish the same goals," Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters.

He circulated a rival Russian text to council members during a closed-door meeting on Sunday ahead of a planned vote on the French draft.

Russia, which has provided military backing to Assad's troops, has vetoed six Security Council resolutions on Syria since the conflict started in 2011. China joined Moscow in vetoing five resolutions.

A crackdown by Assad on pro-democracy protesters in 2011 led to civil war, and Islamic State militants have used the chaos to seize territory in Syria and Iraq. Half of Syria's 22 million people have been uprooted and more than 400,000 killed.

(Additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva and Angus McDowall in Beirut and Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Writing by Anna Willard; Editing by John Stonestreet and Robin Pomeroy)
syria 2


by Latheef Farook-Thursday 15 December 2016.

Genocide of Sunni Muslims has been underway since Monday 12 December 2016 in the historic Syrian city of Aleppo. This heinous crime is committed by AlawiteShite warcriminal Bashar Al Assad in collaborationwith Russian war criminal Vladimir Putin, sworn enemy of Islam and Muslims, and Iran-backed Shia militias worldwide including Lebanese Hezbollah and its Iraqi counterparts.

According toUnited Nations reports“Assad’s blood thirstyShiite murderous thugs indiscriminately gun  down people, commit widespread rapeof  femaledetainees, execute civilians “on the spot”, enter homes and kill those insideincluding women and children and burn alivemen, women and children.

United Nations reports confirmed that at least 82 civilians were summarily executed after shite militias burst into the homes of civilians and slaughtered all inside. Speaking at a news conference in Geneva, the UN’s human rights spokesperson, Rupert Colville, said that atrocities were being committed by the Assad regime and its allies from Iran-backed Shia jihadist groups from around the world.

Colville confirmed that besideskilling 13 children and 11 women, 58 men were also dragged from their homes and summarily executed in the middle of the street.They committed public mass executions, sexual assault and burnt bodies in the streets as they swept through the city on Monday 12 December 2016.

Conditions in the city were "apocalyptic"with dead bodies piling up in the streets and under the rubble of bombed out buildingswhilewomen were raped at regime checkpoints in front of their husbands and children.

Jens Laerke,a spokesman for the United Nations office coordinating emergency relief, described the carnage “a complete meltdown of humanity.”

The United Nation’s top human rights official Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein charged the U.S. and other countries with collectively wringing their hands in the face of the “wanton slaughter of men, women and children” and pleaded the world to take measures to protect those fleeing the Russian,Iranian and Syrian regime onslaught.

“Dozens of bodies litter streets, with residents unable to retrieve them due to  intense bombardment and fear of being shot,” Hussein said. Decrying “the crushing of Aleppo, the immeasurably terrifying toll on its people, the bloodshed, the wanton slaughter of men, women and children, the destruction,” the Jordanian-born U.N. official warned, “We are nowhere near the end of this cruel conflict.”

“What can happen next, if the international community continues to collectively wring its hands can be much more dangerous?" Hussein said the slaughter in Aleppo could repeat itself in Douma, Raqqa and Idlib, referring to other opposition-held areas in the war-ravaged country. “We cannot let this continue.”
The White Helmets, a volunteer rescue group, described Aleppo as being “like hell”and many old men died of the cold weather.

Disgusting state of affairs is such that women started committing suicide to prevent  being rapid by Shite thugs. On Tuesday 13 Decembermorning alone 20 women committed suicide to escape rape.

Activists and residents asked journalists to tell their storywarning of their impending demise. One message said “Doomsday is in Aleppo”.Lina al-Shamy, a 26-year-old woman  posted a video of herself to Twitter said“To everyone who can hear me. We are here exposed to genocide. This may be my last video.
More than 50,000 civilians who rebelled against the tyrant Assad are threatened with field executions or dying under bombing.

Ccallingfor the creation of humanitarian corridorJournalist Bilal Abdul Kareem had this to state;

The Russian air strikes are relentless. Theyuse a "double tap" method designed to kill any Good Samaritans who come to the aid of the injured. They strike once,and then wait a while; then, when people gather to try to remove those stuck under the rubble, they strike again.This grisly report comes after several other UN reports confirmed that hundreds of men trying to escape the violence in eastern Aleppo had gone missing after moving into Assad regime-controlled areas.

Some compared Aleppo genocide to Srebrenica genocide
A massacre is taking place in east Aleppo with 180 people killed by the Syrian regime and many hanged with thousands fleeing without food or medication.

syria 3
Writing on the genocide British journalist Yvonne Ridley had this to state;the heroic resistance inside the besieged walls of eastern Aleppo is coming from the Syrian people themselves, and not foreign fighters as is often portrayed in the Western media.

Fleeing for safety from butcher Bashar Al Assad’s murderous thugs.

Journalist Abdul Karim said”! It is vital for people around the world not to be misled about what is happening on the ground in Aleppo. There are still nearly 300,000 Syrians trapped there, but out of those only 10,500 chose to leave during a humanitarian pause last Thursday.

“If so many people chose to remain in a siege situation without food and comfort and would prefer to face barrel bombs and bunker busters, shells and missiles,” “what does that tell you about the Assad regime?” Nobody was forced to stay. “The fact is, of those who left, hundreds of the men have disappeared. That speaks volumes about the crimes of the Syrian government forces.”

Another myth that Abdul Karim is keen to dismiss is the presence of foreign fighters. “I’ve met three Egyptians and one from Uzbekistan but the rest of the men who stand between Bashar Al-Assad’s forces and the people of Aleppo are local men from Aleppo as well as Syrians from the Free Syrian Army.”

He acknowledged that the rebels are local men. “When I’ve interviewed them they point out their homes or the streets where they lived. There is a narrative put out that the rebels are foreign fighters and that all the fighters are terrorists; it’s simply not true. The only terrorists in Syria are Daesh and they do not have a presence in Aleppo.”

When Russia joined in the war last year, Putin announced that it was to get rid of Daesh,

alpepp 3Abdul Karim asked “If that’s the case, why are the Russians bombing the men, women and children of Aleppo?” The US, he believes, has also played its part in misinformation and he thinks that it is quite clear that Washington is using Daesh to have a presence in the region. “How easy would it be for British and US war planes to drop food and medicine in Aleppo instead?” he asked. “If they can drop bombs on Daesh they can bombard us with humanitarian aid.”

The New York-based journalist dismissed peace talks between Moscow and Washington:Time and again meetings were held inGeneva between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign MinisterSergey Lavrov showing the world that they were trying to solve Syrian crisis.All these talks were to hood wink the world. They allowed the crisis to prolong and reach its present stage. Their talks did nothing to punish Bashar Al Assad for his war crimes. Instead helped himcontinue to commit genocide on his own people and destroy Syria as part of the ongoing Judeo-Christian Crusade.

US, UK, France and Russia together with Israel had their ownagenda todestroy Syria and help create Greater Israel as claimed in public by former US Secretary of State and defeated presidential candidate HillaryClinton.

One should not forget that US and Soviet Union were at loggerheads until Soviet Union’s collapse in 1979. However the two were united like solid rock in their drive to first create and then strengthenIsrael. This continues to date. Now the two have joined hands to destroy Muslim Middle East to create Greater Israel which will rule the region and beyond and ensure Middle East continues to bleed and remains under Judeo-Christian iron grip.

There are more than 20 Muslim countries in the Middle East with more than 20 rulers, His Excellency scoundrels, with their own armed forces equipped with weapons bought from Western war mongers with their poverty stricken people’s money.  No one lifted a finger to help save Sunni Muslims in Aleppo from theongoing genocide.

Those Syrians fled for safety, leaving all their possessions, wentto Christian Europe and not totheir Arabneighbors because they know what is in store for them under these Arab dictators who have sold their souls, dignity and human feelings leave alone the so called Islamic or Arab sentiments.

Thus all of them, from President Barack Obama, former British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Hollande, Russia,Israel and Iran to all Arab dictators including Saudi head choppers and gullible Gulf Sheikhs, remain soaked in innocent Syrian blood. They have all committed war crimes against Syrian people in their worst ever Judeo-Christian CRUSADE against in Islam and Muslims in history.

Syrians rose up peacefully seeking freedom and justice. Champions of human rights in Washington,London, Paris together with Russia ,Iran and Arab dictators gave them death and destruction. Indications are that Muslim blood is likely to flow all over Middle East in the years to come?

In the midst in one of the most disgusting and despicable acts Iranians who call themselves Muslims celebrated the  slaughter, rape and destruction in Aleppo while Iran's President Hassan Rouhani phoned Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday to congratulate him.

Ends- Thursday 15 December 2016.

Saudi Arabia set to execute 150 people for second year in row

Kingdom uses secret courts to impose death penalties on drug offenders, juveniles and political prisoners, says human rights group Reprieve
 The Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir (left), photographed with the US secretary of state, John Kerry, rebutted reports the US is scaling back its arms support. Photograph: Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images

 Diplomatic editor-Sunday 18 December 2016

Saudi Arabia is on course to execute 150 people or more, for a second consecutive year, becoming one of the most frequent users of state executions to carry out judicial sentences, figures compiled by the human rights group Reprieve show.

The group also claims its figures show the kingdom is increasingly using secret courts to impose the death penalty on drug offenders, juveniles and political prisoners.

Many Gulf states use the death penalty and there is concern that executions are becoming the “new normal”. The Reprieve figures show 150 people have been executed this year, close to the 2015 high of 158, and way above the 2014 figures of 87.

Reprieve also suggested that although Saudi Arabia was the Gulf state most likely to use the death penalty, other states such as Kuwait were lowering the age at which the death penalty can be used.

Reprieve also finds that a large number of those killed were “state security” cases, involving people tried in secret courts – this includes political dissidents, and people who were tortured into “confessions”.
Many of those executed were arrested for drug offences, including quite a few foreign nationals, some of whom could well have been trafficking victims.

In January Saudi Arabia executed 47 people all in one day.

The numbers include juveniles – raising fears for those children who remain on death row, including Ali al-Nimr, Dawood al-Marhoon and Abdullah al-Zaher, who were arrested in relation to protests. Al-Mahroon was arrested aged 17 in 2002. Ali al-Nimr will turn 22 next week.

David Cameron, the former British prime minister, publicly called on the Saudi authorities to halt the planned executions of Ali, Dawood and Abdullah last year, and Reprieve understands that the UK foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, raised the cases with his Saudi counterpart as recently as September.

But Reprieve argues the UK should not just be focussing on seeking assurances that the death sentences will not be carried out, but in asking Saudi Arabia to commute the sentences and release the juveniles.
It claimed Dawood al-Marhoon was being seriously mistreated in a death-row prison, adding “we have had reports that he has been beaten and threatened with solitary confinement as payback, after he complained about a previous instance of abuse. It’s also emerged his health and that of other juveniles is suffering in prison. For example, the jail is reportedly ignoring a doctors’ advice on the food that should be given to juvenile prisoners.

Over two-thirds of all countries have now abolished the death penalty in law or practice. In the US, 18 states plus the District of Columbia have abolished it, and seven more have not carried out an execution in at least 10 years.

Nevertheless, 2015 saw a large increase in the use of the death penalty worldwide. At least 1,634 people were executed, a rise of more than 50% from the previous year and the highest number Amnesty 
International has recorded since 1989. This total does not include China where thousands more are likely to have been executed, but the relevant data is treated as a state secret.

The Reprieve research was published as the British foreign office minister Tobias Ellwood along with the US secretary of state, John Kerry, met Saudi King Salman and crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef in Riyadh to discuss peace efforts in Yemen.

They were joined by leaders from Oman and the United Arab Emirates, and discussion focussed on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, as well as efforts to restart the UN-led peace process.

Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir speaking at a joint news conference denied reports the US was scaling back its arms support to Saudi Arabia in protest at the conduct of its air campaign in Yemen.
Jubeir said: “This news that has been leaked contradicts reality. The reality is that converting regular bombs to smart bombs would be welcome because smart bombs are more accurate.” There were also reports that the US was scaling back its intelligence cooperation, but Kerry gave no hint of disapproval of the Saudis in his remarks.

The war in Yemen has also allowed extremist groups to flourish , as the local affiliate of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing on Sunday in the southern port city of Aden that killed at least 49 soldiers lined-up to receive their pay.

Kerry’s visit to Saudi Arabia is probably his last before a new administration led by President Donald Trump takes office.

How to Be a Loyal State Department Bureaucrat in the Trump Administration and Keep a Clear Conscience

How to Be a Loyal State Department Bureaucrat in the Trump Administration and Keep a Clear Conscience
Where do the responsibilities of a loyal civil servant begin and end?

No automatic alt text available.
BY JOSEPH CASSIDY-DECEMBER 14, 2016
It is an important question to consider now, when the incoming Donald Trump administration may be compiling an “enemies list” of Energy Department employees, the person nominated to head the Environmental Protection Agency seems to question its mandate, and the president-elect rejects out of hand the analysis of a foreign government’s actions by career intelligence specialists.

There has been spirited debate among critics of Trump whether potential political appointees should serve in the new administration. Some have argued that it is a moral obligation. Others offer grudging support. Still others counseled in favor but later warned against doing so after meeting with the incoming administration’s representatives.

What about career employees? Rosa Brooks’s advice was that it is “absolutely vital for all decent people currently working within the federal government to stay in place” but advised them to identify “personal red lines” that would necessitate resignation.

At the State Department, where Trump has nominated ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary, there is trepidation among career officers that a politicized workplace could force them to choose among their loyalties to the incoming president, the State Department as an institution, and national interests.

Although career foreign service and civil service personnel are accustomed to operating amid layers of institutional equities, their primary loyalty must be to the Constitution — the subject of the oath, dating in its current form to 1884, that all employees swear.

To friends and former colleagues at State, particularly new officers who have not previously served through a change of administrations, here are a few suggestions regarding how to reconcile professional loyalties:

Engage incoming political appointees. Explain what you do and why. Be helpful during the complicated transition. Don’t roll your eyes if they tell you how much fun they’ve had at Mar-a-Lago. Answer questions forthrightly, especially when they are skeptical or less than well-informed. It is essential for the proper functioning of the department — and for your and your colleagues’ professional happiness — that political appointees who may start off skeptical of State (or government in general) come to appreciate it. Also, although not every new political appointee will be able to find Juba on a map, many will have valuable experience and perspectives you don’t.

Defend the institution.

Most Americans don’t often think about civil service protections, so they value them insufficiently as a bulwark of democracy. Convey to incoming appointees that politicization will ultimately harm both national interests and the administration’s reputation. Support the relevant professional association and union when they defend institutional safeguards, whatever you think about their other activities. At the same time, convey by your example a commitment to providing the best nonpartisan advice you can and a determination to avoid professional entanglement in domestic politics. If you park in the basement garage, lose the election bumper sticker — whether it says “Stronger Together” or “Make America Great Again.”

Fix what’s broken. The Obama-Trump transition could mark a dramatic shift in foreign-policy philosophy and perhaps organizational temperament. Although campaign promises to “drain the swamp” might not have been aimed directly at Foggy Bottom’s marshy topography, at least some Trump supporters would like to take a wrecking ball to the State Department as a symbol of the foreign-policy establishment. And while the transition may pose a challenge for those seeking to portray long-term consistency in U.S. foreign policy, it is an opportunity for institutional reform, if well-channeled. Think about what State does well and what it does poorly. Compile specific recommendations about things that can be fixed and how. Tame the clearance process. Reform entry-level hiring. Flatten the hierarchy. Dream big!

Reconcile yourself to life in a large organization. Working for State is an awesome multiplier of personal foreign-policy influence. That’s why the competition for foreign and civil service jobs at the department is so fierce (well, that and the groovy globe sculpture in the courtyard). The downside of life in a large organization is that you are identified with decisions over which you have no control. I worked for four different administrations during my time at State, and each one of them did something I thought was jackass stupid and something that made me proud. That is the compact accepted by public servants. Also, console yourself that, although now an epithet, “bureaucracy” was initially a great invention — a professional system optimized to handle complex public administration (thank you, Confucius, Thomas Babington Macaulay, Dorman Bridgman Eaton, et al.). The Founding Fathers meant for the gears of government to turn deliberately — even for the all-powerful star of The Apprentice.

If you can’t deal, leave. A public service career in government is a noble calling, but it is not the only valuable thing you can do with your life. Aside from principled resignations (which we’ll get to in a minute), there are many appropriate reasons to leave government service — to pursue career opportunities, develop skills/experience, for family reasons, to make more money, or simply because bureaucratic life isn’t for you. Public service comes in many forms — military service, humanitarian work, teaching, civil rights litigation, consumer protection, environmental investigations, public interest journalism. Pursue a new path that inspires you. See the world outside of the State Department cafeteria! Escort senior citizens across busy intersections. Adopt a pet. Get your dad to give you $1 million to start your own real estate business! Who knows what might happen?

But if you’re going to stay, serve with professionalism. Dissatisfaction is not an excuse to undermine operations through policy sabotage or slowdowns. America deserves government employees’ conscientious best efforts, and a new administration deserves the chance to pursue its vision for American foreign policy. Although civil servants retain freedom of speech rights, public criticism of an administration you serve is not usually consistent with professional duty. Given the stereotype of government workers as partisan and entitled, sniping at the White House would be counterproductive anyway. That would undermine trust in the State Department and the civil/foreign service and could subject you to a “yuuuuuge” POTUS Twitter storm. Anyway, the media will be only too happy to instrumentalize stories of disgruntled bureaucrats. [Ed. Yep…]

Fight for what you believe in. Consistent with loyalty is the obligation to be principled. The State Department is exquisitely structured to foster argument. Although the clearance process is sometimes abused, its original purpose — to carefully scrutinize potentially risky initiatives — was pure. Insist to the staff secretariat that major policies be promulgated in writing. Demand that memos include opposing views or write a separate memo yourself. Be just short of obnoxious if you have to. Make and utilize bureaucratic allies, both from State and other agencies (and Congress as appropriate). For as long as you can, argue the merits of your position. But when a decision can no longer be appealed, respect and implement it, even if you think it imprudent (unless it is unconstitutional, otherwise illegal, or so dangerous you must resign).

Create a paper trail. Leaking classified documents is criminal and, except in grave circumstances, an abrogation of moral responsibility. While policymaking at State is informed by sensitive material, debate over foreign policy in a democracy should be as open as possible. If you can do so while respecting policy sensitivities, reach out to people at universities and think tanks (some of us will even buy you coffee). Consult with congressional staff members. Whether you just want to maintain a tick-tock on a debate that didn’t go your way, or you want to write a memoir someday, preserve key chronologies — classifying them when appropriate. These can facilitate popular oversight of government operations by ensuring the historical record is accurate — particularly important if a policy or decision will be reviewed by either the legislative or judicial branches.

Use the Dissent Channel process. The Dissent Channel offers employees the ability to convey critical views directly to the secretary of state and compel an answer. Its establishment in 1971 was a victory for good government. If you can influence policy in no other way, the Dissent Channel allows you to critique a decision that you believe ill-considered, impractical, unwise, or illegal. It is not meant to be used routinely, however. Particularly regarding charges that a policy might be unlawful, master the legal terrain before you start typing. Understand differences in the relative “bindingness” of international treaties, the Foreign Affairs Manual, other U.S. laws, nontreaty international agreements, executive orders, policy proclamations, guidelines, and precedent. You’ll want to construct a flame-proof argument (that can hold up in the face of “big league” public scrutiny … since, if it leaks, that’s exactly what you’ll get).

Should employment become intolerable, honorably resign.Resignations of civil servants over issues of principle risk ceding even greater control to those who precipitated the departure. But if you’re considering walking away, ground the decision on the threat to American interests or rights, rather than a single lost argument or someone’s latest tweet. Even if you disdain the limelight, do not go quietly. If the cause is so great as to make you give up your career, there should be public debate. Continue to engage on issues you care about from outside government. Although moving directly into immediate post-State employment may to some eyes undercut your argument that your departure was principled, not just opportunistic, civil servants do not take lifetime vows of poverty. Understand your professional options, ensure your skills are up to date and marketable, and have savings to tide you over.

Above all, prevail. Although a martyr’s cloak may offer temporary solace, resignation (even use of the Dissent Channel) marks failure of a sort. It would be far better to succeed, persuading a new administration of your wisdom and utility. I hope the talented and principled career State Department employees I worked with will stay. You don’t have to sit passively and wait for instructions from the White House. Act as your own internal transition team. Craft persuasive arguments and proposals that resonate with the new administration. Be bold — seize the opportunity.

Oh, and also redecorate. As long as a real estate developer used to living in a gilded penthouse is president, State might as well seek funding to replace the linoleum hallway floors and the tired aluminum blinds. In its current dilapidated condition, the Truman building is just sad.

Photo credit: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images