Trump Administration Criticized for Lack of Evacuation Planning for Americans in Middle East

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The article criticizes the Trump administration for failing to plan and prepare for the evacuation of U.S. diplomats and citizens from the Middle East as tensions escalated with Iran. It argues the administration should have given sufficient warning to embassies and civilians to allow for orderly departures, but instead there was 'disarray and confusion' as many were left to fend for themselves. The article contrasts this with a successful 2006 evacuation from Lebanon, highlighting the administration's lack of preparedness and coordination with regional partners.

Why it matters

The lack of evacuation planning by the Trump administration has put hundreds of thousands of American lives at risk in the Middle East, as the Iranian response to the U.S. military campaign has targeted 'soft' civilian targets like airports and hotels. This highlights the administration's failure to fulfill its 'first duty' of protecting American citizens overseas.

The details

The article notes that for weeks there had been talk of the possibility of war, yet the Trump administration failed to give embassies sufficient warning to plan for departures of staff and civilians. When evacuation orders did come, they lacked details on how the U.S. government would assist. The administration also appears to have failed to coordinate with regional partners to protect their citizens. In contrast, the authors describe a successful 2006 evacuation from Lebanon they were involved in, where professionals across the government worked around the clock to move nearly 15,000 Americans to safety.

• The Trump administration did not authorize the departure of diplomats and their families until the day before the war started - and that was only in Israel and Lebanon.
• Mandatory departure for most countries in the region did not begin for days into the war.

What’s next

The article does not mention any clear next steps, as the focus is on criticizing the administration's lack of preparedness for the evacuation.