A map of the Czech Republic covered in dots the size of hellers hangs on the wall in the office of U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic William Cabaniss, near a door that gives out onto the embassy's serene back garden.

These mark everywhere Cabaniss, 68, has traveled during his two and a half years in office. It is easy to imagine the map blank, an unknown country greeting him in 2004, when he arrived having never set foot in the Czech Republic before, and having lived overseas only one other time, in Germany in the 1960s, when he was in the Army.

"I wanted to get a feel for the country," Cabaniss said recently, turning to regard the map, "and I did."

Cabaniss is leaving his post and heading back to the United States as another prominent member of the Republican Party, Richard Graber of Wisconsin, prepares to take his place Sept. 23.

Though ambassadors typically serve terms of only three years, one gets the sense that Cabaniss wasn't fully expecting to be replaced, at least not yet, and, when talk turns to memories of the past few years, the smooth Southern cadence of his voice slows a little and he becomes thoughtful.

Cabaniss' voice, of course, is the first thing you notice about him: Pure Deep South (he's from Birmingham, Alabama, where he served in local politics and ran his own business). It's a drawl that challenges words: school becomes skuel; Olomouc becomes Olomoots.

During an interview with The Prague Post Aug. 11, Cabaniss looked back on his time in Prague and considered what's changed, and looked ahead to life outside the diplomatic world.

The Prague Post: Sometimes it's hard for outsiders to see what an embassy is really accomplishing. What are some of the things you're most proud of from your ambassadorship?

William Cabaniss: Might be hard for you, and it's kind of hard for us, too, because there's a lot of it that is ongoing. I hope I've been able to strengthen that partnership by building relationships with the leaders of the political parties, parliamentarian leaders, business leaders, people in the NGO community.

TPP: Your background is in business more than politics. How did that affect your focus here?

WC: I have concentrated on efforts to expand our success in attracting business and investment from the U.S. to the Czech Republic. Just over the last six months, I can just share with you some success stories: Briggs & Stratton, a highly reputable manufacturer of lawn mowers and lawn-mower equipment in the United States, has just opened a plant in Ostrava. The Mayo Clinic has established a collaboration agreement with St. Anne's Hospital in Brno for research in the medical field. IBM continues to hire IT engineers right out of college here. Sun Microsystems has just opened a new operation here in Prague.

TPP: The reality in the Czech Republic is that there is still a lot of corruption, and transparency is an issue. Would the country have to make improvements on these fronts to see an even greater growth in foreign investment?

WC: I think so. There are a lot of opportunities here, and not only for American businesses. If businesses are looking at Central Europe, there are a lot of places they can go. And yes, transparency in government dealings is a factor that they weigh. No company wants to come to a country where the judicial system cannot implement good laws and cannot protect assets. But I think it's getting better in the Czech Republic since I've been here. I see more examples of corruption being highlighted in the press, more investigative reporting, more people losing their jobs, losing their political positions because of corruption allegations. I think the environment is getting stronger.

TPP: Did you focus more on business issues than political issues, which, frankly, are often tougher to nail down, tougher to solve?

WC: I didn't get into, say, domestic politics. But an area that I would like to think I and others here have made some progress on is an issue that I knew was a challenge before coming over here: visas. We have improved the efficiency for Czechs applying for visas [to travel to the United States]. When I came over here, I thought more than half of Czechs who applied for visas got rejected. But then I found out that really 80, close to 90 percent received a visa. And I said, 'Nobody knows this.' Czechs need to know that nine out of 10 do get visas.

TPP: Will the visa issue get rolled into the newer issue of the U.S. anti-missile defense base that could come to the Czech Republic? I can see Czechs asking why their government is saying OK to a missile base without demanding a quid pro quo, a change in U.S. visa policy.

WC: There's not going to be a quid pro quo. I think we've made it very, very clear to the Czech leadership that there can't be, because the visa waiver law is a congressional law. Congress has already authorized the building of an anti-missile defense site in Europe. ... We announced an interest in building an anti-missile site in Europe, and the Czechs came and said, 'Will you look at the Czech Republic?' A lot of editorials have hit the nail on the head about what a missile base would mean for Europe and the Czech Republic. But there is still an image out there of Russian missiles that came in here uninvited, with no input of the Czechs. This is strictly going to be a case that we're invited. We're not going to come if we're not wanted. That's as simple as I can put it.

TPP: When you take a posting as an ambassador, what are you told when you're put on the plane? Keep a low profile?

WC: We go to two weeks of school. People call it charm school. People call it a lot of different things, but that's where we learn about the state department and about what other successful ambassadors have done, what some very unsuccessful ambassadors have done. What not to do.

TPP: Like what? I mean, I imagine you shouldn't go off and create your own policy.

WC: That would be a quick way to go home.

TPP: But are there fine lines of behavior here?

WC: We're given some instructions by the president of the United States. No. 1: Work with the political leadership of a country in explaining our foreign policy. No. 2: Encourage trade and investment in the host country. No. 3: Outreach.

TPP: What do you say to those who view an ambassadorship as a patronage post, a way of rewarding generous campaign contributors? Do you have any feelings on that?

WC: The United States is, I think, the only country that has politically appointed ambassadors. We come out of the private sector from different areas of involvement. Sure, some appointments are made because of friendships. But you can't expect a president to appoint somebody that he really doesn't know. I think that criticism will always be there. I can say we probably have more flexibility than a career foreign service professional. We're not career. I think we have just a little more flexibility to say things and observe things that we don't agree with.

TPP: Can you sum up the ambassador's life in a word?

WC: In a word? Exciting. Challenging and ... let me give you two words. Challenging and exciting. It's challenging and exciting to feel like you are representing your country in a foreign country.

TPP: What are you going to miss most? It's a hell of a life ...

WC: Yeah, it was quite a departure from my life in Birmingham. It's going to be quite a departure going back. [I'll miss] the challenge. My life has never been run more by a schedule. But that schedule is an indication of what you've done every day, what you're going to do tomorrow. I don't get out of bed every morning wondering what I'm going to do. I get out of bed every morning wondering how I'm going to do what I'm supposed to do. It keeps you focused.

TPP: What's next?

WC: I'm really going to offer congressmen and senators to come and share my views on the visa issue and how I think it needs to be changed, modified, reworked. I'll continue to mentor young people about politics and business. I'm selling my business of 35 years to two younger partners, so I'm going to have a lot more freedom to do other things.

TPP: Have there been any particularly funny moments during your time here?

WC: Losing a bet with [Prime Minister Jiří Paroubek] on American history. He talked about Camp David and the question was who established it. He said FDR. We disagreed and did research and found out he was right.

TPP: What was the bet? Beers after hours?