Following an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed along with three other Americans identified as security guards.
Protestors angry over a film that ridiculed Islam’s Prophet Mohammad attacked the consulate with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, according to the Associated Press.
“This is a tragic incident, yet a reminder that many of our U.S. ambassadors are not located in places like Paris, London and Vienna,” Ambassador Tibor P. Nagy, Jr. said.
“What some of the American people don't realize is many of our embassies are on the frontier, in areas that are unstable, areas that require additional security. Ambassadors represent the United States in these areas and are often targets of hostility toward our country. The perception sometimes is ambassadors attend black tie events and shake hands, when in reality the appointment is oftentimes exposed to moments of perilous activity and unrest.”
Stevens was the first U.S. ambassador to be killed in the line of duty since 1979. His death comes a year after Libyan rebels ousted and eventually killed Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, ending his secular autocratic regime.
Ambassador Nagy is Vice Provost for International Affairs at TTU and was the ambassador to Ethiopia from 1999-2002 and ambassador to Guinea from 1996-1999. Among his many other posts, Nagy served the Foreign Service in Togo, Cameroon and Nigeria; as well as in Washington, D.C. as the systems administrator for the African Bureau.