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This exciting account of life inside the workings of empire overseas, from a former USAID worker in Skopje, is an unusually critical and perceptive view of the reality of American behavior and actions in the Balkans. But what will be most interesting for readers is the author’s comments on what American brass know but don’t say – and why – as well as intimations of corruption and unusually tough lobbying practices. Since such an account is decidedly rare, we are delighted to be able to publish it today.

We have bolded the most interesting sections.Reflections of an American who Worked in Macedonia

By “Mark Warner”

As an American citizen who lived and worked in Macedonia for over two years, and specifically for programs funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), I have gained some insights into how Americans view Macedonia and its citizens. Of course, my experiences are limited to the people I’ve met and the programs I am familiar with, which comprise a small number of the total. However, when combined with the many conversations I’ve had with Americans and Macedonians who work together, and taking into account statements and actions of Americans as part of the public record, a very clear picture of the American-Macedonian relationship begins to emerge.

I should also note that I have chosen to use an alias for this essay. The simple reason for this is to protect my identity and the identity of my current and former employer, and also to protect the people I’ve worked with. Many of them are currently in Macedonia and are dedicated to their work and the betterment of that nation. Therefore I would like to avoid creating a negative image of decent individuals who happen to work with a problematic organization.

The Americans Working in Macedonia

The first thing that needs to be understood is that international work, which is manifested in operations like USAID, the American Embassy or in any of the many private American contracting firms in Macedonia, tends to attract a certain type of person. Foreign Service workers, or “ex-pats” as they are often referred to, are typically different from Americans who choose to limit travel disruptions and work in the familiar surroundings of the US. These differences usually are reinforced over time. Ex-pats live a type of nomadic lifestyle, where the concept of “home” diminishes every time the ex-pat packs up for the next assignment.

The second thing that must be noted is that Macedonia is not unique. Americans who work overseas for a living and move from one project to another usually do not behave very differently from one country to the next. The jobs and general interaction with the rest of the staff typically remains similar. My numerous discussions with ex-pats that have worked in Latin America, Africa, Asia and other nations in Eastern Europe has confirmed this observation.

From my experience, the excitement derived from constantly moving between high-paying assignments in the developing world has two major problems. First, once the ex-pat arrives in a new country, he often has very little understanding of the country, its history, culture or language. For career ex-pats the natural initial response is to resort to what one knows, in this case the way things are done in America, or wherever he was previously based. Such a reaction often antagonizes the locals because it projects a lack of respect for their country.

Also, by the time an ex-pat has some comprehension of the country he has been assigned to help “develop”, he can get bored or frustrated with the current assignment, and often becomes irritable. I have seen public displays where an ex-pat will literally scream at a Macedonian who, because of language barriers or a simple misunderstanding, does not understand the situation. Similarly, I have been privy to private conversations where Americans will callously belittle citizens of Macedonian, commenting on how “stupid” the people are, or making jokes at the expense of those on the lowest rungs of the socio-economic ladder, i.e., the Roma. All signs of a stay that should have been terminated sooner.

Some things that happen when an ex-pat first arrives can often be comical. The new chief of party for one USAID program in Macedonia used a local staff member, a middle-aged family man, to personally chauffeur her back and forth between the office and her home, and to take her shopping at the upscale Vero grocery store. This apparently was necessary so that the chief of party did not have to push the cumbersome shopping cart down the air-conditioned store aisles. A more serious problem is that the ex-pats become very insular. Relatively few ex-pats have Macedonian friends or try to integrate into Macedonian life, which seems very counterintuitive for people who’s stated mission is to help the people of Macedonia. How can you help someone who you only know through his ability to drive you around and push your shopping cart?

True Priorities

The reality is ex-pats in Macedonia are primarily there to make money, not because they are idealists working to help Macedonians enjoy the same standard of living as Western Europe, as some locals believe. Examples of the indifference or contempt for Macedonia are plentiful. In one case an ex-pat in a USAID program reneged on a major agreement he made with a Macedonian NGO. This constituted a serious violation of USAID policy. Once the NGO’s project manager contacted USAID to express frustration with the ex-pat, the reaction from USAID was swift: condemn the project manager as ungrateful. Not only were none of the Macedonian NGO staff members offered an apology by either the contractor or USAID, they were not even contacted. This type of behavior is all too common. As long as Americans stand in good stead with their fellow countrymen, who cares what the locals think or do?

In another case an American working for a USAID program discovered corrupt activities within the program. Mostly these involved local staff members taking bribes from local businesses in order to improve the chances of these businesses being awarded contracts. He brought his findings to the attention of both the ex-pats within the program and at USAID, since USAID had long suspected that corruption was rampant. The result? The American was released from his position and the program continued operating as before. For its part, USAID remained silent after the whistleblower was released.

To most ex-pats this is natural, this tendency to not rock the boat when the sailing is so good. After all, many ex-pats make over $100,000 per year and enjoy generous benefits and a pampered lifestyle. Rent stipends of ex-pats alone are often more than ten times the salary of a Macedonian’s entire paycheck. So why would anyone want to get his hands dirty by taking on difficult tasks like making sure the money provided by American taxpayers goes to those citizens of Macedonia who are in greatest need? Why indeed when exposing corruption might cost the American contractor a chance at landing a big project in Iraq, or cause the bureaucrats at USAID in Washington DC to demand Macedonia USAID take unpleasant action against some of the ex-pats they enjoy drinks with at the Irish Pub?

Taking action against corruption and demonstrating that Americans value honesty and hard work is much more unpleasant than basking in the admiration of the locals. The local staff is grateful for the limited number of plum jobs these programs offer, as are the aid recipients who enjoy the few dollars that come their way. And if having to tolerate corrupt activities is the price to pay for having your employees tell you how great you are, or for having a small-town mayor sing your praises at a project’s opening ceremony, well, so be it. It is clear to anyone who has lived in Macedonia since the break-up of Yugoslavia that the standard of living continues to drop off precipitously. Jobs
are scarce, especially those that pay anything resembling a decent wage. Unfortunately this desperation plays right into the over-nourished egos of many ex-pats, who often begin to act like gods that distribute a pile of money. Any dissent on how the program operates is subject to charges of ingratitude by the donors, no matter how legitimate the complaint.

America’s Intentions

Publicly the ex-pats say all the right things, but the real message is quite different. Each month the US Ambassador [Lawrence Butler] meets with representatives of the major American programs in Macedonia. Without the press to record his words, the Ambassador is not confined to normal diplomatic protocol. His sole objective is to let the key Americans in Macedonia know what is really going on. In public, the Ambassador and other ranking American officials strive to emphasize that Macedonia is an independent country and that the US has no intention of meddling in Macedonia’s internal affairs. However, during the meetings the Ambassador often describes how he and others in the American government are putting heavy pressure on the Macedonian government to adopt policies that are favored by American interests.

During my attendance at these meetings, the Ambassador temporarily suspended his public pleading of ignorance as to who was responsible for the sporadic terrorist attacks taking place following the 2001 war by making clear that the actions of ethnic Albanian “terrorists” have made specific areas off limits for Americans.

These insights are indicative of the difference between the rhetoric and reality of American foreign policy in Macedonia. While it may come as no great surprise that what the Ambassador says in public and private are often very different, it was nonetheless eye-opening just how much influence the United States has in Macedonia.

But you don’t have to sit in on the Ambassador’s monthly meetings at USAID to know this. Americans use their visibility to constantly preach about ethnic tolerance, and how Macedonians and ethnic Albanians need to learn how to live together. That is why I found it curious that many ex-pats have Macedonian girlfriends or wives, but almost none have ethnic Albanian companions, though ethnic Albanians constitute 25% of the population and there are many young, attractive ethnic Albanians. Why do ex-pats base all their offices in Macedonian neighborhoods, and not on the other side of the Vardar River, where the vast majority of Skopje’s ethnic Albanian population resides? Why don’t the ex-pats live, dine or spend time in predominantly ethnic Albanian neighborhoods? This hardly seems like a good example of building trust between the two major ethnic groups. Then again, if you’ve already learned how to turn a blind eye to corruption it seems like paying lip service to ethnic integration would hardly present a problem.

Certainly there are many honest, productive and helpful ex-pats working in Macedonia. Now that I am back in America, I still maintain contact with many of them, and I am proud of the work that they do. Unfortunately, these people seem to be in the minority. So, instead of seeing America at its best, what Macedonians see is the arrogant face of American hegemony, where the well-being of the desperate natives is immaterial compared to acceptance of America’s will. This is the mentality that has emboldened the US Government to begin constructing the new American Embassy on the historic and archeologically rich hill that overlooks the city of Skopje. It is only appropriate for a government that is constantly looking down on the people of Macedonia.