[Prarnenoexpog]

Kosovo is perhaps safe (I have no idea), but it's a hole with nothing to see or do. It's also not that close to Greece, Italy, or, say, Croatia. Roads are shitty and it's a long drive to any of the nice locations in the neighbourhood so you're not likely to go around much if you have to drive yourself.

Learning Albanian is pretty useless too. It's a dead end language with no close relatives, sounds awful to the ear, is difficult to learn and as such probably won't be useful to your career at all. This perfectly sums up all my fears about a tour there. Balancing them is my strong interest in the Balkans and the fact that a Kosovo tour would give me entree into State's coveted European bureau. But I'm not sure that's enough.

[quote]I would consider Iraq or Afghanistan, if there was a career boost attached. I'm guessing that hazard duty would be looked upon favorably, no matter the ultimate outcome in either place or the changing political winds.

Of course, your wife is a special consideration. But I bet she knew what she was getting into when she married a diplomat, if she's not a diplomat herself. You're right, Iraq's the fast track to promotion. But if there's anything I've learned at my brief time at State, it's that putting career ahead of family is always the wrong decision -- and State is littered with the casualties of such decisions. It's hard to imagine the circumstances in which an unaccompanied (i.e., no spouse) post would be acceptable.

Failing that, French Subsaharian Africa. There are some stable countries there, where safety is not as critical an issue as in other hellholes. And if you're lucky enough to be sent to Bamako, it's a pretty safe city still. These tend not to be the critical-to-fill places, though. Think Abidjan or Brazzaville.