I’m glad to see Gary Johnson bring this up. I just mentioned the idea to my wife the other day.

How much do we spend to maintain these embassies in I assume 100+ countries? Many of them are like small palaces (see Iraq), and the costs to operate them and keep them secure must be staggering. And more importantly, to what end? I can see 100 years ago when you wanted to have an official presence and representative in a far-away country in order to maintain timely relations. But now? What value is an embassy when we have telephones and the internet/Web? What value does the embassy add? And it it worth the cost and headache?

Here’s a list of all U.S. embassies. Mind-boggling. I also wonder if we didn’t have them, we might be slightly less inclined to meddle in other countries’ affairs.

Gary Johnson: “Let’s Get Out of These Embassies Now” – Hit & Run : Reason.com: After his speech Johnson questioned why the United States has embassies at all. “I questions having embassies in other countries, I really do. Everywhere! I understand American tourists and issues American tourists might have with passports but does that involve an embassy? Does that involve having an ambassador?” he said to Reason during an interview.

Misc.
Huge Embassy Keeps U.S. Presence In Iraq : NPR
Embassy of the United States, Baghdad – Wikipedia
Massive U.S. Embassy In Iraq Will Expand Further As Soldiers Leave