US embassy cable - 05MUSCAT1475

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 07 MUSCAT 001475 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR R, P, NEA, NEA/PI, NEA/ARPI, NEA/PPD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/13/2015 
TAGS: KDEM, KPAO, KMPI, PREL, EAID, PHUM, PGOV, ASEC, MU, Domestic Politics, Terrorism 
SUBJECT: COMBATING EXTREMISM IN OMAN 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 159129 
     B. SECSTATE 152818 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard A. Baltimore III. 
Reason: 1.4 (d). 
 
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Summary 
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1. (S) The Embassy's outreach and public diplomacy efforts, 
filtering down into every social strata and region of the 
Sultanate, have promoted a consistently positive image of 
U.S. society and culture that have complemented the Omani 
government's own effective actions to counter or prevent 
extremist tendencies.  As a result of this, and by virtue of 
the Sultanate's unique cultural and historical legacy of 
tolerance and peaceful coexistence, extremism is rare in 
Oman.  The Omani government's careful monitoring of religious 
and political discourse, and its control over the media, 
greatly facilitate our ability to provide a positive 
alternative to the negative images of the U.S. so common in 
other Arab and regional media.  The USG has some excellent 
programs in play that effectively discourage extremism in the 
long run and some of them should be significantly expanded. 
This message contains six recommendations how we could better 
apply our resources to combat extremism.  End summary. 
 
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Extremism 
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2. (S) Extremism is a rarity in Oman.  A key factor is Oman's 
embrace of disparate cultures and races through centuries of 
proud maritime commerce and the countless trade outposts 
established by intrepid Omani mariners throughout South Asia 
and the rich East African coast.  Immigration from these 
areas and neighboring states brought Sunni, Shia, Hindu and 
other minority populations into Oman, contributing to an 
innate Omani tolerance for ethnic and religious diversity 
that prevails to this day.  Sultan Qaboos and his government 
have further amplified this trend in their policies, public 
pronouncements, and actions.  Oman remains the only state in 
history to have a majority population that adheres to the 
Ibadhi branch of Islam, known in the Muslim world for its 
unshakable allegiance to principles of tolerance and 
compassion.  Born in the earliest decades of Islam, when 
ideological clashes frequently led to death or repression, 
the early Ibadhi followers fled to distant Oman to practice 
their faith in peace.  In the rare instances when extremism 
has reared its head in Oman, either among individuals or 
cells, the local security services detected them and thwarted 
any hostile actions. There have been no major terrorist 
attacks either within Oman or involving Omanis. 
 
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Embassy Efforts 
--------------- 
 
3. (S) The Embassy employs a wide and effective array of 
engagement strategies that, combined with Omani government 
efforts, have achieved an impressive record in preventing and 
combating extremism. 
 
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IVLP: The Golden Formula 
------------------------ 
 
4. (U) The single most effective tool in the USG,s arsenal 
of programs to foster more human ties is the International 
Visitor Leadership Program.  Sustained feedback over the 
years has been nearly universally positive.  The IVLP is 
probably the most efficient vehicle to counteract the many 
distortions in circulation about American society and to 
build "human ties" with the American people.  We should not 
underestimate the power of showing foreigners who we are and 
how our society really works.  For example, a Ministry of 
Commerce and Industry official visited Texas and met with 
some Americans involved in a "halfway house" for battered 
women.  The Omani woman was so impressed with what she saw 
that she is now planning to open a similar facility here in 
the Sultanate.  Another young lady was so moved by the 
involvement of women in the American political process that 
after she returned to Muscat she declared her candidacy for 
the Omani parliament and launched a highly enthusiastic 
campaign.  In FY-05, Oman was allotted 15 IVLP slots, up from 
11 in FY-04. The 15 participants constituted about a quarter 
of all official exchange program participants.   Demand here 
for participation in IVLP programs has always exceeded 
supply. 
 
Recommendation: Seek funding to double the number of IVLP 
slots for all NEA countries. 
 
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Battle of the Bulge 
------------------- 
 
5. (U) By definition, the IVLP program is aimed at those whom 
we believe are poised to assume some sort of leadership role 
in the future.  As in the rest of NEA, Oman has a demographic 
bulge, with the majority of its population under the age of 
25.  An exceedingly small percentage of this bulge enters the 
higher educational system.  Most of them either try to join 
the workforce after high school or opt for vocational 
training.  When it comes to the image of the United States, 
few in this group have an opportunity to personally know an 
American.  Their parents probably were not educated abroad, 
and embassy activities are most likely perceived as aimed at 
the wealthier "haves" of Omani society.  Yet, they are just 
as exposed to and remain vulnerable to the false sirens of 
radical extremism and distortions about the U.S., especially 
from regional media sources such as Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabia. 
 In a discussion about this situation with the former head of 
ECA, the Ambassador proposed taking a "man in the street" who 
would not fit the IVLP criterion and see what would happen if 
he visited the U.S.  ECA agreed to fund the experiment on a 
trial basis if we could identify a typical, small-town Omani 
citizen who would be willing to be our guest in the U.S.  We 
selected a middle manager of a small textile plant who 
believed he "knew" what the U.S. was about but was willing to 
take the trip and test his views.  The experiment was a 
success.  His attitude began to change after he discovered 
some jeans made in his factory in Oman for sale on the 
shelves of a Gap Store in Washington.  Now that he has 
returned, he is eager to share his changed worldview with his 
countrymen and his enthusiasm has not waned.  For example, he 
recently flew over 600 miles from the south of Oman just to 
attend a reception at the EMR for all participants in 
USG-funded programs.  Without losing the excellent focus that 
the IVLP program has, initiating a program for people like 
this blue-collar worker could broaden the target pool and 
reach an audience that merits attention. 
 
Recommendation:  Include a non-traditional participant 
component in the existing IVLP. 
 
6. (SBU) The Embassy uses various other exchange and 
educational programs to expose Omanis to America's tolerant 
and democratic traditions. 
 
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English Training 
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7. (U) We have used the ACCESS Microscholarships program to 
provide English language training in FY05 for 120 
economically disadvantaged Omani youth throughout the 
Sultanate.  In FY06, the number of participants will grow to 
320.  This program will have long-term impact, particularly 
as English-language skills are key to future employment 
opportunities.  Oman is hungry for English language 
instruction.  With more funding, we could double the size of 
this key outreach program again.  The fact that it reaches 
underprivileged children multiplies its positive impact on 
Omani society and the positive impression of the U.S. it 
leaves with people throughout the Sultanate.  By working with 
the Ministry of Education to identify the neediest students, 
we have also sown goodwill with teachers around the country, 
who have considerable influence over their students.  Upon 
learning details of the program, the Under Secretary for 
Foreign Affairs personally committed himself to overcoming 
any obstacles the Embassy might encounter with 
implementation. 
 
Recommendation: Provide additional funding for another 
significant broadening (no less than 50%) of the ACCESS 
Microshcolarships program. 
 
8. (U) Another hugely successful training program was 
directed at Omani judges.  We sponsored an English Language 
Fellow at the Ministry of Justice to conduct a course in 
Legal English for 17 Omani justices.  The Ministry was so 
impressed with the training that it has contributed $13,000 
of its own funds to support a second English Language Fellow 
in FY06.  This is a long-term project that will help expose 
often conservative, Islamic Shariah-trained justices to 
broader precepts of international law. 
 
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Cornering the Market 
-------------------- 
 
9. (U) We have established NEA,s first &American Corner8 
plus four more throughout the Sultanate.  The Corners are 
stocked with publications and audio-visual material dealing 
with U.S. culture, history and literature.  The potential 
positive, long-term impact of these Corners is tremendous. 
During the course of a one-year anniversary at one of the 
earlier Corners in a private university, an official stood by 
beaming as a group of young Omani women explained how only 
the USG-donated computers had the capability of handling a 
software program that they were developing. 
 
10. (U) We also use the Corners to host visiting U.S. 
speakers and for digital videoconferences with experts in the 
U.S.  One visiting speaker at the Corners this year was an 
American Fulbright scholar who spoke to youth about Muslim 
life in America, dispelling noxious assumptions of America as 
hostile and antipathetic toward Muslims.  Other speaker 
programs included the State Department's Deputy Spokesman, 
plus programs on foreign direct investment, the Iraqi 
elections, and Black History Month. 
 
11. (U) With increased funding, we could extend the Corners 
into the vocational training colleges, a large and untapped 
audience that to date has English-language materials solely 
from the United Kingdom.  The Omani authorities have already 
asked us to assist in providing American publications, texts 
and reference material into their vocational system; if we 
had the adequate resources, we estimate that we could easily 
open two new American Corners per year. 
 
Recommendations: (a) Study the prospect of securing 
less-expensive American Corners for vocational students and 
(b) Investigate the prospect of corporate funding of 
additional Corners. 
 
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Exchange Visits 
--------------- 
 
12. (SBU) We have had considerable success in our initial 
experiences with MEPI-related exchange visits. For instance, 
a small grant offered under the Middle East Partnership 
Initiative (MEPI) sent five young Omani student council 
leaders from a Muscat college to U.S. universities in three 
states to share student leadership as well as cultural 
experiences.  The Dean of the Muscat college is so delighted 
with the results that he is organizing a press conference to 
publicize the tremendous benefit that the exposure to the 
U.S. has brought to his campus. The program's impact is 
medium/short-term. 
 
13. (U) In 2004, we sent over 40 Omanis to the U.S. on 
various exchange programs, such as the MEPI-funded Business 
Internships for Young Middle Eastern Women, and the Youth 
Exchange and Study (YES) program, which sends Omani high 
school students to an American high school for one year.  One 
of these Omani YES participants returned so enthralled with 
the program that he insisted on participating in the 
pre-departure orientation for a subsequent batch of Omani 
students.  Another student who spent a year in Virginia set 
up "orientation sessions" for interested Americans in his 
town in which he outlined the traditions, history and culture 
of Oman.  He held his sessions in the basement of a local 
church.  The mother of yet another student reported that her 
daughter struggled academically at first and had trouble 
relating to the local community, but eventually got her 
bearings and "became a much more responsible young woman" 
while successfully completing her one year of American high 
school education. 
 
14. (U) In 2005, we expect the total number of Omani exchange 
participants to grow to 50.  The impact of this program is 
long-term, given the transformative impact that spending a 
year in a U.S. high school or interning at a corporation like 
Disney has on young Omanis.  Moreover, we keep in contact 
with alumni of these programs through representational 
events.  We also hosted a group of ten U.S. military 
chaplains in August 2005 as they attended lectures and 
seminars with Muslim intellectuals and discussed interfaith 
tolerance issues at the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious 
Affairs. 
 
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Rule of Law 
----------- 
 
15. (C) In response to an initiative launched by Senator 
Hutchinson of Texas, and in conjunction with Dallas-based 
Southern Methodist University, Oman was the first country to 
send a large high-level delegation to Washington, New York, 
and Dallas to participate in a "Rule of Law Forum" as well as 
the first country to repeat the experience the following 
year.   In FY04 and FY05, the Ambassador accompanied 
high-ranking delegations of Omani officials and 
private-sector leaders that included several conservative 
officials from the judicial and legislative branches of Omani 
government who had been schooled in Islamic jurisprudence. 
One such participant was the president of the lower house of 
parliament.  A conservative Sunni Muslim who never let down 
his guard in previous meetings with any U.S. official, the 
Sultan himself had to convince the parliament leader to 
participate in the SMU program.  Other Omani participants 
cautioned us that the president was too old to change his 
surly attitude toward the U.S.  Our gamble paid off. 
Subsequent to his return, he routinely greets the Ambassador 
with a warm embrace and speaks glowingly of his travel in the 
U.S.  Omani colleagues of his have told us that they are 
amazed how much he has changed since returning from the U.S. 
It was indeed a telling moment when this same fellow who 
could rarely be moved off his Palestine diatribes accepted an 
invitation from the Ambassador earlier this year to dine 
aboard a visiting U.S. Navy warship. 
 
16. (SBU) Other members of the delegation, including the 
president of the Supreme Court and the dean of Oman's law 
school, were so taken by what the U.S. has to offer in terms 
of commercial legal training that they are eager for us to 
provide more training under the Middle East Partnership 
Initiative.  Another participant was appointed as a new 
Minster shortly after her return.  The impact of these two 
"Rule of Law Forum" visits will be long-term, though the 
program itself is of limited duration. 
 
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Religious Themes 
---------------- 
 
17. (SBU) Virtually all of the Embassy's outreach and 
engagement activities include Muslim participants, who form 
the vast majority of the local population.  We have 
nevertheless gone out of our way to form close ties to the 
Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs and other 
institutions to spread positive information about tolerance 
and religious diversity, particularly as it exists in the 
U.S.  On the heels of a recent visit to the U.S. that was 
hosted by an interdenominational organization, the Minister 
invited the Ambassador for a private dinner at the 
Minister,s home.  In the course of the evening, the Minister 
signaled his willingness to work with the embassy to promote 
religious tolerance in Oman. 
 
18. (U) We engage in special public diplomacy efforts during 
the holy month of Ramadan, and the Ambassador routinely 
includes statistics and images of Muslim life in America in 
his annual addresses to the Omani Command and Staff College 
and to the Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Institute. 
 
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Study USA 
--------- 
 
19. (SBU) Another means of dispelling the falsehoods 
incumbent in extremist ideology is to encourage Omanis to 
experience America first hand by studying in the U.S.  The 
Embassy invests great effort to get Omani families to send 
their young students to U.S. colleges and universities.  To 
further this goal, the Embassy provides full-time educational 
advising services free of charge, and we employ a number of 
Omani graduates of U.S. universities among our Embassy staff 
to help promote the advantages of a U.S. education.  In 
September alone we assisted the visits of two large U.S. 
university fairs, exposing Omani students to over 40 American 
higher education institutions.  We are also facilitating 
philanthropic initiatives by some visiting U.S. businessmen 
to reserve spots for Omani students at one of America's 
leading schools of business and in a private preparatory 
school.  This is a long-term program. 
 
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More MEPI 
--------- 
 
20. (SBU) Our numerous programs under the Middle East 
Partnership Initiative (MEPI), spanning educational, 
political, economic, and legal fields, combat extremism by 
helping to generate a modern, prosperous Omani economy and 
educational system, and promoting democratization.  For a 
number of years now, the Embassy has provided MEPI Small 
Grants, typically in the amount of $25,000, to Omani civil 
society organizations.  One program in 2004 promoted the 
economic empowerment of Bedouin women, another helped promote 
the rights of the disabled community, and a third went to a 
civil society organization spreading awareness about road 
safety.  Small grants this year are going to civil society 
organizations that support environmental and consumer 
protection rights.  A vibrant, engaged, civic-minded Omani 
society is one that will be less susceptible to the spread of 
extremist influences.  The small grants program is long-term. 
 
21. (SBU) Another active MEPI program involves our close work 
with the Ministry of Education to help reform schooling in 
the Sultanate.  Omani and U.S. experts have undertaken 
reciprocal visits to help finalize our "Partnership Schools" 
initiative that will modernize curriculum in Omani middle 
schools.  Another MEPI project, working through the NGO 
Children's Resources International, has been successful in 
transforming childhood education at primary schools around 
the Sultanate.  MEPI is likewise deeply engaged in legal 
reform in Oman.  A training program offered by the U.S. 
Department of Commerce's Commercial Law Development Program, 
combined with our "Rule of Law" forum (above), helped spark 
Oman's decision to transform the country's lone College of 
Shariah and Law.  Seeking to reduce the overtly Islamic 
nature of its curriculum, the school is now simply the 
College of Law, and has been brought under the nation's 
leading public university.  The College is seeking USG help 
in creating an entirely new commercial law curriculum, both 
for new students as well as for remedial training of judges 
and lawyers.  This is a long-term program. 
 
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Cultural Preservation 
--------------------- 
 
22. (SBU) The Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation has 
been a very successful program in reaching Omanis with the 
message that America respects and seeks to preserve their 
cultural heritage.  In the context of combating extremism, 
this is particularly important insofar as we can play a 
constructive -- and public -- role in helping preserve Oman's 
Islamic heritage.  The positive effects of this program are 
long term.  Although we have gotten excellent mileage out of 
this program, we have also found the nomination and selection 
process exceedingly burdensome and protracted.  Furthermore, 
because of the name of the program, there is a local 
assumption that the embassy has the final say in what awards 
are granted. 
 
Recommendation: Within reasonable guidelines and full 
accountability, restructure the program to give Chiefs of 
Mission the authority to select grantees instead of a 
committee in Washington.  Consideration might also be given 
to limit the program to countries that have scant access to 
traditional sources of archeological and cultural 
preservation funding. 
 
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Information Outreach 
-------------------- 
 
23. (SBU) To help counteract misleading regional media, on a 
daily basis the Embassy distributes the Washington File press 
clips to dozens of Omani media outlets and key government 
contacts.  We also launched our new Embassy website earlier 
this year, which offers the latest news from Washington, 
highlights the Embassy's work in the community, and 
advertises educational and business opportunities.  We could 
reach an even larger audience were the Department to provide 
more of this material in Arabic translation.  This is a 
long-term program. 
 
Recommendation:  Provide more Arabic translations of items 
for general dissemination. 
 
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Security Cooperation 
-------------------- 
 
24. (S) While USG assistance to Omani military and security 
agencies is not always tied directly to combating extremism, 
it does substantially improve Omani government capacities and 
capabilities to deter and defeat extremist violence.  We have 
been successful in recruiting Omani journalists to spend a 
day at sea on U.S. naval vessels on patrol in the Northern 
Arabian Gulf.  Those visits have generated numerous articles 
explaining the efforts of the Coalition to help keep Oman's 
maritime boundaries safe and secure.  Our military assistance 
programs focus substantial resources on aiding Omani border 
security to help halt the entry of potentially extremist 
foreign elements by either land or sea.  Assistance includes 
fast boats for maritime interdiction, tactical 
communications, national-level command-and-control 
architecture, and night-vision and thermal imaging gear. 
Through DOD's IMET and FMS programs, over 250 Omani military 
members annually attend U.S. military institutions of 
learning, during which time they and their families are 
exposed to U.S. military ethics of tolerance and diversity. 
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security's Anti-Terrorism Assistance 
program likewise builds confidence and capability among 
Oman's law enforcement agencies.  Specific programs have 
targeted investigative techniques and crisis management. 
Security services confident in their capabilities will be 
more effective in all aspects of their work, including 
combating extremism.  These programs are long-term. 
 
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Monitoring the Media, Religion 
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25. (C) Extremism in a society is often reflected in its mass 
media.  As part of our constant monitoring efforts, the Front 
Office holds a press review every morning, which includes 
reporting sections and military agencies.  The sessions 
include discussion of hot topics on Oman's leading Internet 
message boards.  Visiting officials (such as Assistant U.S. 
Trade Representative Cathy Novelli and CA A/S Maura Harty) 
have conducted some very effective on-line question and 
answer sessions via these same Internet message boards, 
effectively dispelling myths about trade and visa policies, 
for instance, and reassuring a cross-section of Omani society 
that the U.S. genuinely cares about their concerns and 
attitudes.  A number of Omanis contrasted the ready access to 
American officials to their very limited access to the local 
authorities.  Friday mosque sermons prepared by the 
government are published openly and scanned for sensitive 
topics.  Embassy officers are also in regular contact with 
Omanis representing all three locally prevalent sects of 
Islam, as well as the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious 
Affairs. 
 
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VIEWING AMERICA IN THE OMANI PRESS 
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26.(U) Whereas Embassy activities in some Middle Eastern 
states can become lightning rods for public criticism, the 
Omani press has been replete with examples of our good works. 
 The Ambassador is regularly featured in newspaper 
photographs attending charitable, community, and other 
cultural events. While the individual impact of the following 
press coverage may appear short-term, over time they have 
created an enormous pool of goodwill that helps defuse 
extremist tendencies and deflect unfair criticism of the U.S. 
 
27. (U) In recent weeks, for instance, we have received 
enthusiastic credit in the press for bringing an "American 
Voices" jazz quartet to Oman for several free performances 
and workshops for students at two local schools.  Newspaper 
pictures of the jazz musicians' improvisation with an Omani 
folk orchestra were the embodiment of our efforts to build 
bridges of understanding, diametrically opposite to extremist 
ideologies. 
 
28. (SBU) We received extensive press coverage for the 
donation of 280 wheelchairs to Omani charities, arranged 
through the International Wheelchair Foundation.  On another 
occasion, photos and interviews extolled the latest grants 
from the Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation to aid a 
local NGO,s efforts to protect vulnerable archaeological 
sites.  We also received warm public appreciation in 
September from the Al-Noor Association for the Blind during 
festivities marking the &International Day of the White 
Stick8 for our ongoing assistance to that organization. 
 
29. (SBU) In the past year, we used two former Georgetown 
University basketball players to hold workshops and connect 
with Omani youth, male and female, in public schools and 
athletic clubs.  Along with thrilling, virtuoso performances 
on the basketball court, they promoted universal themes of 
teamwork and scholarship, leading Oman's Minister of Sport to 
insist that our young athletes' expand their Oman program. 
 
30. (SBU) We were pleased this year with the opportunity to 
bring Mary Wilson of The Supremes to Oman to work with music 
students, offer lectures on American culture, and screen an 
acclaimed documentary film.  We provided U.S. titles and 
speakers for the annual Muscat Film Festival, showcasing the 
more thought-provoking side of the U.S. movie industry. 
Meetings with U.S. screenwriters, producers and directors 
have helped to inspire a member of the Omani Film Society to 
make the very first Omani feature film, which is currently in 
production.  Each year we take advantage of seasonal 
festivals in Oman's largest two cities to offer American 
books and to create a "children's art tent" to reach out to 
the youngest generations. 
 
31. (U) We received considerable press coverage of a "Black 
Inventors USA8 exhibit that made its international debut in 
an Omani provincial city before moving to Muscat.  A number 
of our visitors readily admitted that they had no idea, 
especially from media accounts (including American sources) 
that minority communities have consistently contributed to 
America,s scientific accomplishments. 
 
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Host Government Efforts 
----------------------- 
 
32. (S) The Omani government's policies and actions present a 
formidable bulwark against extremism, and have been very 
successful to date.  In terms of religion, for example, all 
mosque sermons in Oman (regardless of sect) must follow a 
text drafted by the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs 
that rigidly adheres to themes of tolerance and moderate 
thought.  Sermons in non-Muslim places of worship are also 
monitored.  All imams, including the supreme Ibadhi religious 
leader (the Grand Mufti), are employees of the state, closely 
vetted and constantly supervised.  The Ministry further 
promotes religious tolerance by hosting guest speakers from 
foreign institutions (including such notable American 
scholars as Bernard Lewis), and publishing a quarterly 
scholarly journal entitled "Tasamuh" ("Tolerance").  Visiting 
clergy must be sponsored by formally registered local 
religious organizations.  Religious publications are subject 
to strict oversight.  Civil society organizations are 
explicitly forbidden from engaging in religious activities. 
Islamic banking and financial instruments are proscribed in 
the Sultanate. 
 
33. (S) The political realm is likewise constrained.  No 
political parties or organizations are allowed.  Civil 
society organizations are limited by law to activities in a 
small field of subjects, and face a lengthy registration 
process that includes security services' scrutiny of both 
membership and financial resources.  While Oman's media 
includes state and privately owned press establishments, all 
are subject to censorship.  Criticisms directed at internal 
matters, institutions or personalities rarely appear. 
 
34. (S) Nevertheless, the Omani government seeks to apply 
safety valves for public discontent.  Internet message 
boards, while monitored, contain frank expressions within 
certain permissible parameters.  The parliament serves as a 
consultative mechanism between the government and the public, 
and the lower house is freely elected via universal adult 
suffrage.  The government has invested heavily in health 
care, education and infrastructure.  Women enjoy many 
freedoms and are treated equally under the law in many 
respects.  The "Basic Statute of the State" -- Oman's de 
facto constitution -- enshrines basic civic rights and 
responsibilities.  The Sultan typically undertakes an annual 
"meet the people" tour at which time citizens around the 
country can directly petition the head of state. 
 
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Comment 
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35. (S) In combating extremism, there is no substitute for a 
history of tolerance and diversity, such as has long 
characterized the Omani scene.  A government that leads by 
example in promoting women and minorities to high office and 
that uses judicious oversight of potential seedbeds of 
extremism can also be extremely effective.  Active Embassy 
engagement with all segments of Omani society is an effective 
means of countering extremist, anti-U.S. ideologies.  We must 
stress, however, that exchanges, cultural outreach, reform 
efforts, and building security and military ties all require 
time and money.  There is no quick fix. 
BALTIMORE