Ex-C.I.A. Station Chief Andrew Warren has been accused of drugging and raping two women in Algeria in September 2007 and February 2008, respectively. The former official has been charged with sexual assault only for the 2008 allegation, and will face a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted. Warren has denied the allegations, claiming to have had consensual sex with the two women. To the credit of the C.I.A., Warren has been dismissed and the Agency has stated that it will “cooperate with law enforcement in this matter.”[1]
While the allegations, if proven true, represent a serious crime of gendered violence committed by a high level agent in a prestigious and selective government agency, the focus of the media has been largely on how the allegations will affect the United States’ image abroad. The Washington Post reports, “If an assault is confirmed, it will be viewed as particularly serious because it could damage diplomatic relations with Algeria and undermine U.S. efforts to improve its image in the Muslim world, former diplomats and foreign policy experts said.”[2] Robert Baer, a former C.I.A operative in the Middle East and columnist for TIME magazine, expressed concern that the allegations would damage the reputation of the CIA; “Allegations that the C.I.A chief in Algiers… drugged and raped two women is going to hurt badly.”[3] Baer advises readers not to “jump to the conclusion that the CIA is overrun with misfits. CIA employees are still some of the most closely and routinely scrutinized workers in government.”[4]
For more information, see:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/01/world/africa/01briefs-Algeriabrf.html?ref=world
[1] Del Quentin Wilber “Former C.I.A. Officer in Algeria Charged with Sexual Assault” The Washington Post (July 1, 2009), p.A4
[2] Ibid
[3] Robert Baer “The CIA Scandals: How Bad a Blow?” Time. (February 3, 2009)
[4] Ibid.
