American diplomats were our primary eyes and ears on the ground in the Middle East, and while some were entrepreneurial, managing to explore the societies in which they lived, others were out of touch with what was referred to as “the street”: students and young adults, people who lived outside of major cities, and those with lower socioeconomic status. The security regulations put in place after the September 11th attacks compounded the disconnect, as diplomats were sometimes also restricted in their movements.
