By Mary Beth Sheridan, Published: June 10
In a windowless attic in Washington, under a maze of exposed pipes, a group of U.S. diplomats is working on Libya. They study maps. They scan Arabic-language TV. They reach out to their contacts in embattled villages.
...
This makeshift office in a State Department annex, reachable by a freight elevator, is a ghost of the mission the diplomats were forced to abandon in February as Tripoli erupted in gunfire. “We have constituted, in effect, an Embassy Libya-on-the-Potomac,” said Gene Cretz, who still holds the title of U.S. ambassador.
...
Among rebels, familiar faces
As the U.S. government struggled to understand who the Libyan rebels were, the diplomats recognized some surprising old contacts. A number of opposition leaders, it turned out, had participated in the U.S. Embassy’s archaeology, education and commercial law programs — even its space camp aimed at children.
“The public-affairs section knew them best,” said Natalie A. Baker, the political officer. “It’s been really interesting to see how our embassy has evolved.”
...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/national-security/at-us-embassy-in-exile-anguished-diplomats-watch-libyan-conflict/2011/05/26/AGzOYkNH_print.html