Egyptian Diplomat Abducted

If violent insurgent groups want to truly Arabicize (not to be confused with aerobicize) the conflict in Iraq, this would seem to be a pretty sure-fire way to do it:

Ihab el-Sherif was snatched by gunmen from a Baghdad street on Saturday days after Iraq indicated he was soon to become the first Arab diplomat with the rank of ambassador since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

I can't imagine that a sovereign power, no matter what its true sympathies, takes too kindly to having its diplomats abducted. More diplomats will be sure to follow. Next time, I wonder if they'll be escorted by a more heavily armed cadre of soldiers. There's probably a very fine line between guarding one's diplomats and active engagement in an anti-insurgency campaign. If the insurgents forsake the tacit support of neighboring countries via a tactically ill-advised strategy of kidnapping foreign ministers, they may find themselves cut off completely. For U.S. interests, that would be a welcome backlash indeed.

Diplomats say Sherif may have been kidnapped by insurgents to send a message to Arab countries not to strengthen ties with the U.S.-backed government in Baghdad.

Washington is hoping to counter the Sunni Arab insurgency in part by winning legitimacy for Baghdad's government in the wider Arab world, where virtually all governments are led by Sunnis. It hopes recalcitrant Sunni groups within Iraq will also join the political process.

Diplomacy must play a central role in resolving the conflict in Iraq. Getting as many Arab foreign ministers as possible into Iraq is an excellent first step. Getting them kidnapped by insurgents may be an unfortunate, but effective, second step. Not to say that the U.S. would facilitate violence towards diplomats, just an acknowledgement that the personal risk that a foreign minister endures is probably directly proportional to a shift in allegiance by the Arab country that sent him.