2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: An American Ambassador died on Hillary Clinton's watch. He was HER employee; MURDERED. [View all]cheapdate
(3,811 posts)We had a consulate and a CIA station in Benghazi.
Less than one year before Christopher Stevens was murdered, Libya had fought an all-out civil war. That war ended with the total destruction of Gaddafi's army by U.S. airpower on the highway outside of Benghazi. Benghazi was an insecure and risky place for Americans. Everyone was aware of the risks and dangers.
The American government decided that it was important to immediately establish an official diplomatic presence in the city. A property was found and arrangements were quickly made to open a consulate. The consulate was less secure than established diplomatic offices in other places, but it was opened quickly for specific purposes -- notwithstanding the known risks.
The American government and the State Department chooses to operate in dangerous places. We could choose not to and then no State Department employees would ever be put at risk.