How Do You Close An Embassy?

Protesters gather outside the U.S. embassy in Sanaa September 13, 2012. Hundreds of Yemeni demonstrators stormed the U.S. embassy in Sanaa on Thursday in protest against a film they consider blasphemous to Islam, and security guards tried to hold them off by firing into the air. Yemen's embassy in Washington said no casualties were reported when the protesters stormed the U.S. embassy compound in Sanaa on Thursday. REUTERS-Khaled Abdullah

How Do You Close An Embassy? Ambassador Ryan Crocker Explains -- National Geographic

Closures in the Mideast and North Africa may become more commonplace.

What does it mean to "close" an embassy? It's not simply a case of flicking off the lights and locking the door.

The United States temporarily closed nearly two-dozen embassies and consulates last week, mostly in North Africa and the Middle East, with 19 set to remain closed for the rest of the week. The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama cited intelligence about potential terrorist attacks by al Qaeda in Yemen. On Tuesday, Washington stepped up security precautions in Yemen by ordering all nonemergency embassy personnel to leave the country and urging all U.S. citizens to depart immediately as well. Similar actions were taken by Great Britain.

To find out what closing an embassy actually means, we spoke with Ambassador Ryan Crocker, a career diplomat who most recently served as U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, after previous stints as ambassador to Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait, and Lebanon. Today, Crocker leads the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University and is a career ambassador, the highest rank in the U.S. Foreign Service.

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My Comment: Ambassador Ryan Crocker obviously does not go into details .... but an embassy closing will not mean that the embassy will cease operations (i.e. flicking off the lights and locking the door) .... it will still continue to function and take care of diplomatic and civilian needs.