I am happy to have this opportunity to share what I know about American Embassies as I was very disappointed in what I learned.
I had always thought that the embassies, as part of their work, helped American Citizens who were in trouble. Here are two stories where they totally failed.
My dearest friend was on a cruise when her husband died suddenly in Hong Kong. Of course they left the ship and were at a hotel. No matter what they did the American Embassy did nothing. Finally they found a local Rabbi who was able to accomplish what had to be done.
Story 2: Two women who were traveling from Rome to Citaviccia to board a cruiseship had their passports, money and credit cars stolen at the train station. Desperate they went to the American Embassy. They told me the embassy told them to get money or they could not help them. The only thing they did was allow them to make a phone call to one woman's husband to request an immediate money transfer and did very little after that to assist them in being able to get to the ship.
It just makes me wonder why we spend as much as we do supporting these huge staffs and real estate.
I do undersatnd diplomacy and all that , but still.