April 2013

■ TRAVEL & HOTELS

A World of News and Perspective

AND LUXURY LIVING SECTIONS INSIDE

LIVIN L U X U

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■ A Special Section of The Washington Diplomat

■ VOLUME 20, NUMBER 4

■ WWW.WASHDIPLOMAT.COM

■ April 2013

■ APRIL 2013 The 21 M Lounge at the St. Gregory Luxury Hotel and Suites

POLITICS

As Venezuela Votes, Hugo Chávez Gone But Not Forgotten Venezuelans head to the polls this month to elect a new leader but for the first time in 14 years, they can’t cast their vote for the fiery populist who inspired religious devotion and equally fervent disdain. Yet neither his detractors nor his disciples know what Venezuela will look like without Hugo Chávez. PAGE 13

LATIN AMERICA

Colombia at PeaCe?

IN MEMORIAM

Embassy Row Mourns Death of Photographer Albert Francis Mogzec

the

Pink

P.J. Crowley Speaks Up For Transparency

by Karin Zeitvogel

Behind Flourish of Cherry Blossoms Lies Rainbow of Spectacular Sights

April 2013

TRAVEL & HOTELS

Continued on next page

The Washington Diplomat

23

Former State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley lost his job after speaking out against the military’s treatment of WikiLeaks leaker Bradley Manning. Today, Crowley, who joined the Air Force at the height of the Vietnam War, is as vocal as ever, arguing that one of the biggest mistakes a government can make is to not be forthright with its own people. PAGE 4

Dutch-Finnish Couple Ahead Of the Curve

This could very well be the year

Dr. Hidde Ronde, who researches scientific innovations, and his wife, Finland’s first female ambassador in D.C., juggle life at the forefront of their careers.

PAGE 37

Colombians mark the end of Latin America’s longest-running guerrilla war — a nearly 50-year-old conflict between the government and FARC rebels that has left hundreds of thousands dead and countless millions displaced from their homes. PAGE 15

The Everyday Gets Redone, By Design The first-ever Washington, DC International Design Festival spotlights achievements in contemporary industrial design. PAGE 36

t’s funny how many similarities there are between cherry blossom season and choosing Take this similarity: In Rome, a new pope. locals rub shoulders with huge crowds of tourists from around world in Saint Peter’s Square, the watching for white smoke to rise from what’s probably famous chimney in the world the most to signal the election of a new pontiff.

In Washington, meanwhile, throngs of locals and tourists flock to the National Mall and to admire some of the most Tidal Basin famous cherry trees in the world, checking them for signs reached “peak bloom.” that they have Another parallel is that nobody knew when the conclave of cardinals would elect a pope, one knows exactly when the just as no cherry blossoms will be at their finest. Yes, National Park turalists go out on a limb every Service horticulyear and say, around a month in advance, when they think bloom” will be. This year, they “peak originally pegged it in the period between March 26 revised it to April 3 to 6, although to 30 but later with cold temperatures and even snow at the tail end buds may hide a bit longer. of March, the When we asked Hector Torres, general manager at the Beacon Hotel and vice president of and marketing for Capital sales Hotels & Suites, if the official peak prediction is when out-of-towners head to Washington, his answer should was an adamant no.

“It’s almost comical but whatever the prediction for the peak is, is when it’s likely not to said. But it doesn’t really matter, be,” Torres he added.

“There’s a two-week span when the blossoms are at their most magnificent, and things to do in Washington there are enough — besides the blossoms — that everyone is guaranteed ful time,” he said. to have a wonder-

DIPLOMATIC SPOUSES

It has almost become cliché to say that someone is a fixture on the diplomatic scene, but Albert Francis Mogzec, the suave, silver-haired shutterbug who took 50 years’ worth of photographs, truly was a beloved fixture on Embassy Row. PAGE 19

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The Washington Diplomat

April 2013

CONTENTS THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

April 2013

8 Social media

[ news ] 4

dIPlOMaCy Embassies in Washington have waded into the realm of social media to engage “friends,” “followers” and “fans” in a conversation that’s taking diplomacy to new places.

11

ThE rOTuNda

Anna Ancher

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37

POlITICS Patrick Duddy, the U.S. ambassador who was kicked out of Venezuela by the country’s fiery anti-American president, reflects on Hugo Chávez’s complicated legacy.

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20

17

[ hotels & travel ] 23

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INTErNaTIONal affaIrS

COvEr: Photo taken at the Embassy of Colombia by Jessica Latos.

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39

42

dININg The Melrose Hotel is complementing its fresh new look with a restaurant that focuses on — what else — freshness.

[ luxury living ] aMbaSSadOr rESIdENCES

45

dESIgN

arT Danish painter Anna Ancher and her colony of artists have set up shop in Washington as part of Nordic Cool 2013.

44

The first-ever Washington, DC International Design Festival is showcasing how innovative industrial design is elevating everyday objects into extraordinary pieces of art.

arT The Australian Embassy is eschewing traditional, often clichéd, depictions of the country in favor of contemporary artists who paint a more multihued portrait of life down under.

TravEl

[ culture ]

arT “Angels, Demons, and Savages” is a fitting tribute to the “savage” style of Jean Dubuffet, the “angelic” iconography of Alfonso Ossorio and the “demonic” gestural force that permeates Jackson Pollock’s art.

40

glObal vaNTagE POINT John P. de Jongh Jr., governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, offers a rebuttal to Caribbean ambassadors who argue that U.S. rum excise taxes are an illegal subsidy.

38

As visitors flock to D.C. hoping to catch the cherry blossoms as they turn a perfect shade of pink, the nation’s capital offers plenty of other spectacular sights to take in beyond this annual rite of spring.

With spring around the corner, one book goes behind the gated walls of ambassador residences to unearth some of the most magnificent gardens in the city.

dIPlOMaTIC SPOuSES While Ritva Koukku-Ronde serves as Finland’s first female ambassador to Washington, her husband, Dr. Hidde Ronde, is working on an East Coast bio-economics business plan for a major Finnish research center.

SIghTSEEINg

Montreal is a bit of France without crossing the Atlantic — an accessible cultural gem that’s only a one-hour flight from Washington, D.C.

More and more Americans are questioning the war on drugs, echoing their southern neighbors who say the U.S. government is waging a losing battle.

18

MEdICal Parents are subject to an endless parade of messy moments, from poop to projectile vomiting, but that doesn’t compare to a revolting yet common childhood ailment that no one likes to talk about.

COvEr PrOfIlE: COlOMbIa Colombian Ambassador Carlos Urrutia says peace talks now under way are the country’s best chance in decades to negotiate a settlement to end nearly 50 years of bloodshed once and for all.

IN MEMOrIaM Longtime diplomatic photographer Albert Francis Mogzec, 84, died March 2 in a North Carolina hospital after a long illness.

How fast can a political issue go from third rail to full sail?

We might soon find out as the push for immigration reform sinks or swims in the next few months.

13

40

Cherry blossoms

PEOPlE Of WOrld INfluENCE Philip J. Crowley lost his job at the State Department after speaking out against the military’s treatment of Bradley Manning, but he hasn’t lost his candor about the need for government to communicate honestly with its own people.

8

23

fIlM rEvIEWS A young African child soldier weaves together a haunting tale for her unborn child in the gripping drama “War Witch.”

fIlM fESTIvalS Filmfest DC returns for its 27th year with more than 80 features, documentaries and shorts from around the world.

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CINEMa lISTINg

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EvENTS lISTINg

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dIPlOMaTIC SPOTlIghT

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WOrld hOlIdayS

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ClaSSIfIEdS

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rEal ESTaTE ClaSSIfIEdS

P.O. Box 1345 • Silver Spring, MD 20915-1345 • Phone: (301) 933-3552 • Fax: (301) 949-0065 • E-mail: news@washdiplomat.com • Web: www.washdiplomat.com Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Victor Shiblie director of Operations Fuad Shiblie Managing Editor Anna Gawel News Editor Larry Luxner Contributing Writers Martin Austermuhle, Michael Coleman, Audrey Hoffer, Rachel Hunt, Stephanie Kanowitz, Luke Jerod Kummer, Sean Lyngaas, Ky N. Nguyen, Gail Scott, Dave Seminara, Gina Shaw, Gary Tischler, David Tobenkin, Karin Zeitvogel Photographers Jessica Latos, Lawrence Ruggeri account Managers Chris Smith, Patrick Thomas graphic designer Cari Bambach The Washington Diplomat is published monthly by The Washington Diplomat, Inc. The newspaper is distributed free of charge at several locations throughout the Washington, D.C. area. We do offer subscriptions for home delivery. Subscription rates are $25 for 12 issues and $45 for 24 issues. Call Fuad Shiblie for past issues. If your organization employs many people from the international community you may qualify for free bulk delivery. To see if you qualify you must contact Fuad Shiblie.

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April 2013

The Washington Diplomat Page 3

PEOPLE OF WORLD INFLUENCE

Philip J. Crowley

Ex-State Department Spokesman: A Communicator by Choice

by Sean Lyngaas

“T

he United States is most effective when we lead by example. And this was a case where, whether or not our actions were legal, they weren’t smart,” former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Philip J. (P.J.) Crowley recently told The Washington Diplomat.

He was speaking about the ongoing saga that led to his departure in 2011 as spokesman for the State Department, the saga of Private Bradley Manning versus the United States military.

A few days before our conversation, Manning pled guilty to providing the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks with hundreds of thousands of battlefield plans, State Department cables and other files in the biggest leak of classified information in American history.

Despite the voluntary guilty plea on 10 charges, Pfc. Manning still faces more serious charges that carry a sentence of life without parole. To his detractors, the Army intelligence analyst compromised national security and endangered American diplomacy. To his supporters, he’s a persecuted whistleblower who sparked an overdue debate about U.S. foreign policy — and who’s been subject to harsh treatment disproportionate to his crime, including long bouts of solitary confinement.

Crowley, a 26-year veteran of the Air Force, chuckled when asked if he stands by the comments — that Manning’s treatment was “stupid” — that led to his sacking. “Of course,” he stood by them because “the Bradley Manning case was a perfect example of” the United States needing to “recognize what we communicate. The last thing that the United States needed was another issue involving the U.S. military and detention policy,” Crowley said with the conviction that first led him to government service.

“I walked into a government in 1973 that was unable or unwilling to communicate with its own people and people overseas. We’re better than we were 40 years ago, but we’re not as good as we need to be,” he said. When told that this sounded like a good argument for his return to government, Crowley just wrinkled his eyes and smiled. His last act at the State Department may not be written, but he’s right at home as a deliberate, loquacious professor at George Washington University for the time being.

Feeling Disconnect of Vietnam Crowley hails from Needham, a quiet suburb of Boston, and his accent still shows a bit. He joined the Air Force 20 days after graduating college amid the national reckoning that was the Vietnam War. “The most influential element of my college experience was the turbulence that the Vietnam War caused on college campuses at that time,” Crowley said.

Into that chasm between military and civilian life Crowley stepped in 1973. He said he “could see right away that a challenge for anyone who was going to make the military a career and be a strategic communicator is, how do you find a way to repair that breach?”

The Vietnam War was a Rorschach test for a generation of American leaders. Former Vice President Dick Cheney thought the war was lost because Congress undercut execu-

Page 4

Photo: Pennsylvania State University

“

I walked into a government in 1973 that was unable or unwilling to communicate with its own people and people overseas. We’re better than we were 40 years ago, but we’re not as good as we need to be.

— P.J. Crowley

”

former assistant secretary of state for public affairs

tive power. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) came to define American values by what he saw as their opposite in his torture at a Vietnamese prison camp. P.J. Crowley learned, among other things, that one of the biggest mistakes a government can make is to not be forthright with its people.

And so, years later, at the State Department podium, Crowley made it his personal mission to “tell the people as much as you can about what’s happening” behind government doors.

Crowley is quite familiar with what’s behind those doors, both on the civilian and military side. He is a veteran of the 1990-91 Gulf War and worked with the NATO secretarygeneral during the 1998-99 Kosovo conflict, after which he retired from the Air Force with the rank of colonel. Crowley was also a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, with a focus on homeland security in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the 2011-12 General Omar N. Bradley Chair of Strategic Leadership at Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law. Two of Crowley’s mentors in building a career in public affairs were fellow wordsmiths Pete Williams and Ken Bacon, spokesmen for the Department of Defense under Presidents

George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, respectively. It was Bacon who recommended Crowley to serve as director of public affairs for Sandy Berger, President Clinton’s national security adviser from 1997 to 2001.This stint made Crowley a natural addition to Hillary Clinton’s team when her former political rival, President Obama, tapped her to be secretary of state in 2009.

“It took a little while for the stresses and strains and bruises from the campaign to heal,” Crowley said.“They eventually did.”

The staffs of the Obama and Clinton camps were more bitter about reconciling than the former candidates themselves, as the two indicated in a recent interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes.”And while President Obama and Hillary Clinton may now have a genuine friendship, there was at least one high-profile casualty of their campaign tension.

“We were all devoted to Richard and he was not treated well. The secretary [of state] had to protect him more than once,” Crowley said of the late Richard Holbrooke, a hardcharging diplomat and close friend of Hillary Clinton whom Obama enlisted to broker a political resolution to the Afghan war. According to Crowley, the president never seemed to trust Holbrooke, repeatedly cutting him out of high-level meetings. Holbrooke was a “force of nature, and our policy [in Afghanistan] lost some momentum when we lost him,” he said.

As State Department spokesman, Crowley was often tasked with briefing the irrepressible diplomat. One day in the briefing room, Holbrooke singled out an issue he was certain reporters would bring up. Crowley assured him they wouldn’t. Holbrooke bet him a dollar they would. He then took the podium and gave an open-ended talk about the issue in a way that made it impossible for the press not to ask a question. When the press took the bait, Holbrooke turned to Crowley and said,“You owe me a dollar.”

The Washington Diplomat

See Crowley, page 6 April 2013

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he teaches in his course on public diplomacy at George Washington University. And if there is one thing that Crowley wants to impress upon his students, some of them future diplomats and strategic communicators like him, it is that diplomacy is increasingly conducted not in smoke-filled SEqUESTER SPEAkS rooms but out in the open, in front of a larger and VOLUMES OVERSEAS more participatory audience.

-$ “In some cases, there’s an impulse within govCrowley was State Department spokesman at ernment today, particularly [an] impulse since the height of the WikiLeaks scandal.

Today, he’s on -$ the other side of the media coin, appearing as a 9/11, to communicate less,” he said.“My argument, national security commentator on TV networks because of the global media environment, is we’re As the flagship newspaper of the diplomatic community, each issue regularly features in-depth, such as Al Jazeera English and the BBC, along with going to have to communicate more.” exclusive interviews with foreign ambassadors as well as U.S. and foreign heads of state. The He opened his laptop to reveal a map of the penning a regular column for the Daily Beast.

Washington Diplomat also has incisive news stories on the latest developments in international At the moment, the airwaves in Washington are most active Twitter users on the subject of Egyptian thick with chatter about the domestic political President Hosni Mubarak’s fall in February 2011. affairs, business, diplomacy and other timely topics. Our monthly culture section offers reviews consequences of “the sequester,” the automatic “That network is waiting for us,” Crowley said, ranging from art and photography exhibits to film, theater and dining and our Diplomatic Spotlight spending cuts of $85 billion that took effect pointing at the screen. “We can try to put a fence section offers a glimpse into the busy Washington social scene. Don't miss out... subscribe today.

March 1 because Congress could not reach a deal around that network or we can try to engage that to trim the federal deficit. But more pundits have network. I think we’re going to be far more effecName ________________________________________________________________ their eyes on how the perpetual fiscal impasses tive in … having our actions be seen as appropriCompany Name_________________________________________________________ are playing in quaint congressional districts than ate and legitimate if we engage that network.”

Crowley himself has a robust Twitter presence, with America’s allies and adversaries abroad.

Street _______________________________________________________________ “One of the pillars of our foreign policy is to be with more than 52,000 followers keeping up with City ____________________________________________________________________ able to go to other governments, particularly his candid tweets.Among his recent musings:“The struggling governments, and say,‘You guys have to crazy comments in #Kabul reflect the simple fact State _______________________________ Zip Code __________________________ make difficult decisions, work together, solve the U.S. has been in #Afghanistan too long and Telephone: Day ____________________ Evening ____________________________ problems, rise above your petty politics,’” Crowley #Karzai has been in office too long,” and “‘Dennis said.“And we can only be credible and deliver that Rodman: I ate a lot of pig in North Korea…’ He Method of payment: Money Order Check Credit Card obviously swallowed a lot of it as well.” message if we are leading by example.”

Visa MasterCard Amex Exp. Date: / Crowley wouldn’t have it any other way than to The sequester is not only bad press overseas, it’s also “likely to exacerbate the imbalance be competing in the contested space of billions of Billing Address _________________________________________________________ between the military component and the diplo- tweets. He says greater openness allows nations to Name on Card ________________________ Signature__________________________ matic component for the foreseeable future,” reveal their true colors, and with WikiLeaks testing Crowley opined. “If you’re whacking $45 billion that openness like never before, he is comfortable NOTE: Although every effort is made to assure your ad is free of mistakes spelling andyou’re content it is ultimately to how the customer with he handled himself behind the podium out of ain defense budget, whacking some fat, up to make the final proof. but with a tight budget like the diplomatic budget, in Washingon.

“There’s no happy ending to WikiLeaks. It did you’re hitting more muscle,” he said. (Pentagon The first two faxed changes will be made at no cost to the advertiser, subsequent changes the will Afghan be billed at comes a rate to of $75 per faxed alteration. do damage, ” Crowley reflected.“That said, I think, spending, including war, A World of News and Perspective Signed ads are considered approved. roughly $600 billion a year, while the entire for- for the most part, the world was surprised that what we were saying in private and what we were eign affairs budget is to about one-tenth Send check or money order to: THE WASHINGTONPlease DIPLOMAT check this ad carefully. Mark any changes your ad. of that.)

Crowley’s belief that just military force should saying in public were pretty consistent.”

P.O. Box 1345 • Silver Spring • MD • 20915 powerful and delicate words If the ad is correct sign and fax to: (301) 949-0065 needs changes be complemented The by Washington Diplomat (301) 933-3552 For credit card or delivery outside the continental United States, call (301) 933-3552. that communicate the strength of that force has Sean Lyngaas is a contributing writer been a constant throughout his career. It is what for The Washington Diplomat.

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Diplomacy

Social Media

Tweet This: Embassies Embrace Digital Diplomacy

by Martin Austermuhle

I

n January 2013, the Washington Post published an article titled “The secret behind Israel’s dysfunctional political system.” That same day, the Embassy of Israel in Washington responded, taking to its Twitter account — which has more 36,000 followers — with a snarky rebuttal: “Based on the actual article text,” tweeted the embassy, “may we suggest a new headline: The secret behind Israel’s functional political system.”

That the embassy responded to news that could have painted Israel in a negative light wasn’t newsworthy — but the means and voice with which it did so were.

In a new era of social media tools that allow individuals and organizations to communicate and interact directly with online “friends,” “followers,” “fans” and “supporters,” foreign embassies based in Washington, D.C., have started expanding the means by which they tell their side of the story. No longer do embassies have to rely only on letters to the editor that appear days later or press releases that are easy to ignore, but as the Israeli Embassy did, they can now submit instantaneous responses and engage more easily in conversations — all for free, with unlimited audiences and with the potential that their message could go viral.

These new tools — Twitter, Facebook,Tumblr, Pinterest and others — have changed how the world communicates, whether it’s a head of state making a headlinegrabbing declaration, rebels trying to foment a revolution, or just old friends living continents apart reconnecting.

But these tools have also changed the language of local diplomacy, allowing embassies to be more relaxed and approachable than what traditional diplomatic protocol often requires.

Just a few years ago, only a handful of embassies and ambassadors had a presence on social media. Today, Washington-based embassies from across the globe have jumped with gusto into this emerging realm of digital diplomacy.

The British Embassy has close to 20,000 followers on Twitter and over 5,400 “likes” on its official Facebook page, while Israel’s combined reach with both popular services exceeds 100,000. The Embassy of Canada tweets to over 6,500 followers and regularly posts photographs on its Flickr ALSO SEE: page. The Polish Embassy is on YouTube. The Social Media United Arab Emirates not only employs Starter Tips Facebook and Twitter, but also created its own iPhone and iPad app, the only embassy PAGE 10 to do so.The European Union Delegation just launched a new website in part to better showcase its Twitter efforts, interactive maps and photo galleries. And the Dutch Embassy recently took to Storify, using the service to aggregate tweets and Facebook postings to create minute-by-minute summaries of events it hosts.

The move toward social media is in many ways motivated by necessity more than desire. According to a December 2012 report by the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, 67 percent of all

Page 8

“

You want to be where the conversation is taking place, and for any company, for any embassy, for any country — no matter the entity — the conversation is taking place out there whether you like it or not, and you need to engage in that conversation.

— Peter LaMotte

”

senior vice president and digital practice chair at Levick

Internet users in the United States regularly turn to social media. Of that number, 67 percent use Facebook, 16 percent use Twitter, 15 percent use Pinterest, 13 percent use Instagram, and 6 percent use Tumblr. Globally, it is estimated that there are more than 1.5 billion social media users, with close to 1 billion people using Facebook alone.

Communications professionals say that entire conversations and interactions — especially among the critical 18-29 demographic — take place via social media, making it a tool of incomparable importance and reach for institutions seeking to spread their message.

At a recent discussion on social media at the Meridian International Center, Bob Boorstin, public policy director of Google, pointed out that digital diplomacy is still in its infancy, with only one-third of the world’s population hav-

ing access to the Internet. He also said that while social media can supplement traditional diplomacy, it cannot replace face-to-face encounters and a diplomat’s social skills.

But it does open up a direct line of access to the public in a way old-fashioned diplomacy never could.

“You want to be there. You want to be where the conversation is taking place, and for any company, for any embassy, for any country — no matter the entity — the conversation is taking place out there whether you like it or not, and you need to engage in that conversation.

[Y]ou need to be represented across many social media platforms to make sure that if the conversation is there, they have someone to turn to,” said Peter LaMotte, senior vice president at Levick, a Washington-based PR firm that has worked with embassies on using social media tools to further their political and communications strategies in Washington.

The conversation can take many forms and include a diversity of content. While some countries rely on social media as another outlet to express political viewpoints, many use it to promote culture, tourism and elements of public diplomacy that expose their audiences to aspects of the country that may not be well known (and that sidestep touchy political issues).

The British Embassy’s most popular social media tool is its visually rich Tumblr page, which it uses for cultural promotions, while the British Council used Facebook to share a Halloween picture of its staff dressed up like the characters from “Downton Abbey.” Given the popularity of the TV show, the images were quickly and widely shared among thousands of people — a boon in the promotion of British heritage. Likewise, the British Embassy’s Flickr page features photos of “Downton” cast members hanging out at Ambassador Peter Westmacott’s residence during a

The Washington Diplomat

April 2013

December reception. The Flickr photos offer a glimpse inside exclusive parties with Washington VIPs such as White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett and Arianna Huffington, while others show a more down-to-earth side of diplomacy, like embassy staff training for a bike ride they’ll do with U.S. wounded war veterans from Paris to London.

For the United Arab Emirates, social media tools offer the embassy an opportunity to communicate a variety of messages, from the political to the cultural to the economic.

“We absolutely mix it up as much as we can.We try not to make it about politics all the time, because there’s more to the United Arab Emirates than just that,” said Haitham Al Mussawi, the embassy’s digital diplomacy editor. “So we try to inform and educate as much as we can about the U.S.-UAE relationship, about women’s rights, about education, about culture and heritage, and about the philanthropy between United Arab Emirates and the U.S.” He noted that the embassy was recently able to use social media to correct an assumption that the United States buys oil from the UAE; it doesn’t, said Al Mussawi, but the UAE does do roughly $20 billion of annual business with the United States.

For the Greek Embassy, Facebook and Twitter are avenues to inculcate positive sentiments in an era of difficult political and economic news for the country.“Our main objective is to create a positive sentiment around Greece. So we focus on culture, travel and good news about Greece. Especially now with the crisis, we want to promote — in an interactive way — good stories that do exist back home,” said Maria Galanou, the embassy’s press officer.

This, said LaMotte, is one of the core benefits of social media. “Every country has a positive message, every country has something that they can share about their country of what they’re doing on education, what they’re doing on diplomacy. All of them have those stories.Those are the stories that

NOTE: Although every effort is made to assure your ad is free of mistakes in spelling and is ultimately to the customer to who make the final Vale de Almeida, recently took proof. on his own Boorstin itand Facebook’s up Katie you want to engage in. Because people can be Google’s Bob content turned around,” said LaMotte, whose PR firm Harbath that social media is more effective when Twitter account (and provided live tweets during firstan two faxedwith changes will” rather be made noU.S. cost to the advertiser, presidential inauguration).subsequent “One-third of itchanges engaging audience a “persona, than atthe recently hosted the EU Delegation and embassy The be billed at a rate of $75 per faxed are two-thirds considered is of a moreSigned personalads nature, of itapproved. are a faceless mouthpiece dictating reworked press alteration. representatives from Austria, Peru, Sweden the aswill UAE and others during a Digital Diplomacy Open releases and official statements. For example, by more professional. I think Twitter has to be perotherwise no interest. ” ad. and often in Spanish, Celycarefully. puts sonal, House as part of Social Media Week, a worldwide tweeting informally Please check this ad Mark any there’s changes to your Of course, social media can’t merely be another event exploring the social, cultural and economic a personal touch on her professional observaway for institutionsneeds to talk atchanges people, but rather has tions. impact of social media.

If the ad is correct sign and fax to: (301) 949-0065 While some ambassadors clearly do their own to be a means of talking with them, and therein lies In addition to amplifying cultural or political messages, social media is also used to convey more tweeting, not everyone will admit as to whether a fundamental challenge. An interactive dialogue Washington Diplomat chiefs of mission are the real voices (301) behind 933-3552 the takes manpower, and not every embassy has the basic information, communicating with localThethe diasporas, for example, or providing timely infor- tweets, though envoys who are hands-on see resources to constantly maintain websites, let __________________________________________________________ social media as a means to break down the walls alone multiple social media sites. And not every mation to nationals traveling in the United StatesApproved comment merits a response. of protocol that tend to surround embassies. should events warrant it. During Hurricane Sandy,Changes ___________________________________________________________ On that note, many embassies admit they have “Sometimes I make personal comments about said Al Mussawi, the embassy was able to use the weather or how I feel or how happy or unhap- to balance when and how to respond to the public.

Twitter and Facebook to get in touch with UAE___________________________________________________________________ tourists visiting the United States, as did the Italian Embassy.

“We assign great importance to social media — for example, broadcasting information on Hurri­ cane Sandy last fall, providing updates on the situation, and a list of emergency numbers of our diplomatic network for Italian tourists in the U.S. and any nationals needing assistance,” said Italian Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero.

Various embassies have divided up their social media presence into institutional and personal — both the embassy and the ambassador can maintain individual Twitter accounts, for example.

Indonesian Ambassador Dino Patti Djalal and former Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan — both of whom embraced Twitter early on — each boast more than 100,000 followers. Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren has his own Twitter account with 10,000 followers, while Ecuadorean Ambassador Nathalie Cely Suárez has 31,500 followers of her own.

Cely spoke at the Meridian International Center on Feb. 21 for another Social Media Week discussion, “Power to the Tweeple: Best Practices in Digital Diplomacy,” co-hosted by Google. The Ecuadorian envoy agreed with panelists such as

py I was with something. I make my own my own personal appreciations,” said EU Ambassador João

Continued on next page

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SIDEBAR

Social Media Starter Tips Be Present, But Have a Plan Social media is a reality that exists out there, and millions of people already use it to communicate. If you’re not on it, you’re already behind the curve. Fortunately, it’s easy, widely accessible and, best of all, free. That being said, it’s easy to get lost in all the noise; without a proper plan of how to use tools as diverse as Twitter and Facebook to Pinterest and Tumblr, your message will not only be forgotten — it could never be noticed at all. Jump into social media, but know what you want to achieve with it.

Be Creative, Funny, Risky Given the high noise-to-content ratio in much of the social media world, you’ll have to be creative in how you communicate, engage, and get your point across. Use Tumblr and Pinterest for more visually compelling content, and use Twitter and Facebook to decipher

Account Manager Continued from previous page As much as Twitter or Facebook are useful soapboxes, they also offer critics a chance to comment — and often abrasively. The more controversial the topic or country, the more difficult that balance can be to achieve.

“Israel is sometimes perceived as a controversial topic, so there’s a lot of back and forth between people who love Israel and are very in favor of it and a few people that are against it.You have to have a balance between the people you’re going to respond to and the people that you won’t,” said Jed Shein, who directs social media efforts for the Israeli Embassy. “I think what we really look at are what are the main issues, what do people want to hear? We’re willing to react and respond to people.”

But maybe the biggest challenge faced by embassies isn’t so much what they can say — but rather what they can’t. Social media tools are freewheeling and often anonymous; conversations and comments can move much faster than what traditional institutions, especially embassies, are able to respond to. Embassies are still bound by the political imperatives and messages of the ministries or cabinet secretaries they answer to, and sensitive diplomatic topics often have to be left off of social media. One badly worded tweet can easily create a diplomatic firestorm. In a sense, this leaves embassies at a disadvantage, especially when dealing with hot-button political issues: Users of social media can easily tell when they’re being fed canned responses, and don’t often take kindly to them.

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Page 10

some of the traditional codes and conceptions surrounding diplomacy. If an ambassador or senior embassy official is on Twitter, they should liberally mix in personal observations with professional obligations. Social media can be risky, but risks pay handsome rewards.

Speak With People, Not At Them Social media tools enable conversations.

Use them as such. While it could be easy to simply tweet out rehearsed talking points or post embassy press releases on a Facebook page, social media tools should be used to engage people who are already out there. That doesn’t mean you have to avoid making a point, but you should be willing to go back and forth with people — respectfully — when they engage. Additionally, listen to what people are saying and what they might want and respond in kind.

— Martin Austermuhle

Yet finding a voice — even in the midst of crisis — is important. For Shein and the Israeli Embassy, being a focus of controversy can often help. “We’re not afraid to be a little edgy. That’s what we’re really proud of. We get a lot of frontpage headlines — some of them in favor, some of them not in favor — but it’s how we’re going to grab the attention of people and kind of break through the filter of the media that won’t write everything that you might be interested in,” he said.

For LaMotte, the benefits of using social media far outweigh some of the drawbacks in navigating what can be said, how it can said, and when it can be said. “The fact of the matter is that whether it’s a corporation or a country, their hesitancy comes from pretty much the same place, which is, this is an incredibly powerful tool that we’re not sure we fully understand, and if things go poorly, we can control,” he said. “We educate them first that getting engaged is the most important piece.”

Martin Austermuhle is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat and editor

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The Washington Diplomat

April 2013

The RotunDA

Foreign Affairs on Capitol Hill

Race for Immigration Reform May Face Hurdles in the House

by Luke Jerod Kummer

H

ow fast can a political issue go from third rail to full sail? We might find out with the push for immigration reform that appears to be gaining momentum in Congress.

A little more than a year ago, the possibility of passing legislation that would include a path to citizenship for America’s estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants seemed remote, if not akin to political kryptonite.

Now that very point is at the heart of intense conversations in Washington — and an elusive deal may finally be within reach.

A year ago, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who was maneuvering to outflank fellow contenders for the GOP presidential nomination, suggested “self-deportation” for illegal immigrants, a concept with inherent logistical challenges. He also vowed to veto the Dream Act, a proposal to allow certain immigrants who came to America as children to remain in the country legally.

But tough talk on immigration didn’t work out well for Romney or for the Republican Party in the election.As the cliché goes, elections matter — and the Republicans know they have a demographic time bomb on their hands.

According to the Pew Hispanic Center, Hispanics will account for 40 percent of the growth in eligible U.S. voters between now and 2030, at which time 40 million Hispanics will be eligible to vote, up from 23.7 million now.

And even though Hispanics only comprised 10 percent of all U.S. voters in the 2012 contest, Republicans received a drubbing by this critical slice of the electorate. Their candidate claimed a mere 27 percent of Hispanic voters — down from the 33 percent Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) got in his 2008 presidential bid. Latino voters rejected Romney by a 3-1 majority over President Obama, as did Asian Americans. Both groups are among the fastest growing segments of the electorate, and an overwhelming majority of them have responded in polls that immigration reform is a key issue.

So it was no surprise that just days after the election, hangdog GOP leaders began singing a very different tune on immigration reform. Suddenly, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the charismatic, youthful son of Cuban-American immigrants, began sparkling like never before under an intense spotlight. He was thrust into the role of the party’s intellectual leader, and potential savior, on immigration issues — and his name has already been floated as a favorite in the next presidential race (still four years away, mind you — a political lifetime).

Despite the dramatic shift in rhetoric, what is still murky is whether Congress can actually clinch a deal on immigration reform. Movement on the issue has taken different routes in the two chambers, and even within those bodies several parallel efforts are happening.

The most prominent negotiations have occurred among the bipartisan “gang of eight” in the Senate, which includes Rubio, McCain, Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).

McCain and Flake worked together on reform legislation during the Bush administration while Flake was a congressman. Each helped to introduce a bipartisan bill in their respective chamber, with McCain teaming with the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Flake with longtime

Photo: Larry Luxner

Despite the feverish work in the Senate, House Republicans may be cooler to the idea of immigration reform.

A protest sign at an Arizona desert camp tries to raise awareness about Mexican migrants suffering from dehydration and other illnesses. In 2006 and 2006, immigration reform sparked heated opposition across the country; today, however, a recent poll showed that nearly two-thirds of Americans favor giving illegal immigrants a chance to earn a pathway to citizenship.

reform advocate Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.).

In January, the gang revealed outlines for a broad plan but, as this article headed to press, it had yet to introduce a bill (though reports indicate the group will reveal its bill in early April). Time is of the essence. A protracted debate could erode public support and political will for reform. A March poll by the Brookings Institution and Public Religion Research Institute showed nearly two-thirds of Americans favor giving illegal immigrants a chance to eventually obtain citizenship. Also, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), whose committee must clear any immigration bill, has indicated he might put forth a more liberal proposal by President Obama if the gang of eight doesn’t produce something soon.

According to the Los Angeles Times, however, the contours of a deal regarding the status of 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the country — the crux of any immigration law — are coming into shape.

Among the possible requirements: Illegal immigrants would have to register with the Homeland Security Department, file federal income taxes for the time they’ve been in the country, pay a fine, and have a clean criminal record. Once given probationary legal status, the immigrants could work but would not be eligible for federal benefits such as food stamps and Medicaid — and they would need to wait in line for a green card, possibly a decade or longer.

The conditions track roughly with President Obama’s proposal of “earned” citizenship. But an even bigger sticking point may be increasing visas for high- and lowerskilled workers, a thorny issue that pits big business against labor unions. Companies in Silicon Valley, for instance, want more H1B visas for science and technology workers,

while other businesses are looking to hire immigrants for lower-skilled agriculture, construction and restaurants jobs. But labor groups warn against giving away jobs that Americans could fill, especially in a weak economy. Unions also want basic legal protections for immigrant laborers.

The two sides have been working to hammer out a compromise, which includes the possibility of a sliding scale that would raise or limit the number of visas based on economic conditions. But disagreement over a “guest worker” provision for lower-skilled workers is precisely what scuttled talks in 2007.

Interestingly, a bipartisan compromise was reached in 2006 when the Senate, controlled by Democrats, approved the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, a bill that featured tougher border security and a pathway to citizenship.

But it could not be signed into law because when it was sent to a conference committee — the process by which bills in the House and Senate are merged — the House’s corresponding legislation was too far apart from what the Senate had produced. (The House bill contained strict new regulations that were fiercely opposed by immigrant-rights groups.)

In fact, that’s the missing element in the current debate: the House, which in the last two years has derailed bipartisan legislation on everything from budget accords to international treaties. Its role in immigration has largely flown under the radar — so far. But if the Democraticcontrolled Senate musters enough support to pass a bill, the make-or-break moment for immigration reform could occur in the Republican-controlled House. The House could even surprise many and release its own bill first.And

April 2013

Continued on next page The Washington Diplomat Page 11

Continued from previous page then it wouldn’t be GOP celebrities like Rubio who’d be the crucial players, but rather lesserknown names like Bob Goodlatte and Raúl Labrador.

Yet despite the feverish work in the Senate, House Republicans may be cooler to the idea of immigration reform. One reason why is the structural differences between the two chambers, whereby senators almost always represent much larger populations and areas of land. That means their states are more likely to have significant populations of Hispanics or groups sympathetic to immigrants. House Representatives are focused on smaller districts, which may not include many immigrants.This phenomenon is particularly acute in Republican-held districts, where the average Hispanic share of the constituency is just 11 percent.

In fact, many Republican-held districts are disproportionately dominated by white conservatives, who, as a group, have a less favorable view of immigration reform — in particular pathways to citizenship. National Journal, which has written a series of articles looking at how America’s changing demographics are affecting politics, detailed in January how 111 of 233 House Republicans still represent districts that are more than 80 percent white. Part of this can be attributed to recent redistricting efforts, which have further homogenized — and polarized — House districts. States, on the other hand, can’t be easily redrawn and are becoming increasingly diverse.

In contrast, with the rise of the tea party, some Republican districts have become increasingly conservative — with voters who may not reward moderation or compromise with Democrats, and might be more than happy to toss out a representative for voting in favor of any immigration bill.

That’s why for members of the House, all politics really is local. National, or even state opinion polls can diverge sharply from local sentiment, and representatives have a vastly different political calculus than their Senate counterparts. Given this, it’s

“The very same hateful right-wing talk radio that propelled Labrador’s beloved tea party to power in 2010 made legitimate, pro-immigrant reform impossible in 2007,” said AFL-CIO spokesman Jeff Hauser.

The Chamber of Commerce has been at odds with the AFL-CIO over the guest-worker program.

Yet even if an immigration bill emerges from the dust, there’s another significant obstacle to passage.

Since taking over the gavel in 2011, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has hewed closely to the “Hastert rule,” which says no bill will be put up for a vote in his Republican-led chamber unless the “majority of the majority” supports it. This means that unless more than half of the 232 House Republicans back an immigration bill, it will not be brought to the floor, effectively killing it.

But Boehner has on several occasions broken the Hastert rule, allowing votes on the “fiscal cliff” deal, the Hurricane Sandy relief bill and the PHOTO: LARRy LUxNER Violence Against Women Act even though most not surprising that immigration efforts appear to Business and labor groups are trying to hammer out Republicans opposed it. The legislation was then be moving at a faster clip in the Senate. a compromise over visas for both high- and lower- able to pass with support from House Democrats.

William Frey, a scholar at the Brookings skilled workers in any immigration reform legislation.

Since those votes, however, Boehner has come Institution who has studied the intersection of under growing pressure by Republicans to adhere demographic trends and politics, told The Diplomat director of the National Immigration Forum, to the Hastert rule. Still, others who have had their that senators tend to be less “microfactionalized” recently told ABC News/Univision. eyes fixed on immigration, such as Mary Giovagnoli, than representatives. However, he also said that Yet Goodlatte, who’s also received high marks director of the pro-reform Immigration Policy many House Republicans have adjusted “attitudi- from staunchly anti-immigrant groups, has ruled Center, say there are various other procedural tacnally” to the new political realities of the country’s out citizenship for illegal immigrants, though he’s tics Boehner can use to push through controversial morphing demographics and what this means for open to offering some type of legal status. legislation. their party.

One possibility is that Boehner could introduce But that’s not a minor distinction — Democrats The House has waded into the issue of immigra- and reform groups say citizenship, even if it’s years a series of related bills that would be voted on in tion, albeit more quietly than the Senate. Public away, must be at the heart of any immigration bill. quick succession and then sent together as a packhearings have been held by the House Judiciary For many House conservatives, however, citizen- age to the conference committee, where it could Committee, which is chaired by Rep. Bob Goodlatte ship conjures up the reviled “amnesty” association, be reconciled with whatever the Senate produces.

(R-Va.), a former immigration lawyer for 13 years.

In this piecemeal approach, each separate House which could doom any chances for a bill.

Immigration reform groups have been guardedSo just like in 2006, the Senate seems set to bill would cover a different part of “comprehensive ly optimistic that the tone of those hearings has produce legislation that would include a citizen- immigration reform” such as border security or a been far less heated than in the past. ship component while even the proclaimed mod- path to citizenship. A border security bill would “I think that Chairman Goodlatte is engaging in erates among House Republicans,such as Goodlatte almost certainly receive an overwhelming endorsean intellectually honest process to arrive at a posi- NOTE: mentyour fromad theisRepublican majority; citizenship Although every effort have is made to assure free of mistakes in spelling and and Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-Idaho), repeatedly tion on immigration reform, but also bringing his denounced that not. In that case, Boehner couldproof. suspend the option.it is ultimately up to themight content customer to make the final colleagues along with him,” Ali Noorani, executive Is there room for middle ground? It’s not out of Hastert rule just for that specific vote.

In this way, the overall package could progress the question. One option the Senate is reportedly The first two faxed changes will be made at to noa cost to that the isadvertiser, subsequent final bill signed into law while still dechanges mulling that might provide political cover for will be billed at a rate of $75 per faxed alteration.

Signed ads are considered approved.

House Republicans is tying green cards — not facto observing the Hastert rule and providing outright citizenship — to border security, sidestep- cover to Republicans in districts where support for might open them to primary chalMark any changes to up your ad. ping the issue ofPlease amnesty.check this ad carefully.citizenship And just like in the Senate, a group of House lenges.

Alfonso Aguilar, a GOPchanges strategist at the Latino conservatives working If theliberals ad is and correct sign andhave fax been to: (301) 949-0065 needs behind closed doors to craft immigration legisla- Partnership for Conservative Principles, and other tion. In February, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) insiders point out that immigration reform has The told Washington Diplomat (301) 933-3552 become so important for both parties in both the the Hill newspaper that the group is making “incredible progress” on legislation. “I am now House and Senate that a consensus — including a more sure than ever that we’re going to have a majority of the majorities and the minorities — can Approved __________________________________________________________ bipartisan bill,” the longtime reform advocate said, still be had and no rules will need bending.

Changes ___________________________________________________________ “The Republicans really want to neutralize this although he stressed there is no timetable for issue,”Aguilar told The Diplomat. ___________________________________________________________________ action.

That means one way or another, immigration A few weeks later, however, Labrador seemed to quash hopes for a bill at the 2013 Conservative reform may finally have its day in Congress — Political Action Conference, claiming that labor sooner rather than later. unions were going to sink legislation, just as they did in 2007 over a guest-worker program. Labor Luke Jerod Kummer is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat. quickly pushed back against the charges.

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April 2013

Politics

Latin America

Former U.S. Envoy to Venezuela Reflects on Hugo Chávez’s Legacy

by Larry Luxner

W

hen it comes to American diplomacy, Patrick Duddy is indeed a rare breed: He’s one of only half a dozen U.S. ambassadors since World War II who’ve been unceremoniously booted out of the countries in which they were serving.

“

In Duddy’s case, the top U.S. envoy to Venezuela happened to be in Washington with his wife, Mary, who had just been admitted to a local hospital.

“I was actually sitting in the waiting room during her surgery when we heard that Evo Morales had expelledAmbassador Goldberg from Bolivia,” Duddy recalled, referring to Philip S. Goldberg, who was accused by the leftist Bolivian president of fomenting antigovernment unrest. “I was with another Foreign Service friend and we said, ‘That’s interesting, let’s see what Chávez does now.’ Only two days later, Chávez went on national television and said that in solidarity with Evo Morales, he was giving me 72 hours to leave the country.”

Duddy heard the news as he was driving his wife home from the hospital, though the veteran Latin America specialist — no stranger to the anti-American rhetoric of Hugo Chávez — wasn’t altogether shocked by his sudden persona non grata status.

Within Latin America, he will be remembered by his admirers for having advocated for social programs for the poor, and for having defied the United States….

His critics will focus on the damage he did to the country’s democratic institutions and economy.

In short, he’ll be viewed from a variety of perspectives.

”

— Patrick Duddy former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela

“My expulsion was specifically characterized at the time as a gesture of solidarity with Evo Morales. But I had, in fact, been threatened with expulsion some weeks before, after expressing my disappointment that we had not been able to renew cooperation on counternarcotics,” Duddy told The Washington Diplomat in

a recent conversation.

“I had specifically said drug traffickers were taking advantage of the breach that had opened up between the U.S. and Venezuelan governments,” he said. “I was warned then that I had better be careful, lest they send me packing.”

Strangely enough,the State Department sent Duddy back to Caracas following the 2009 Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago. During that event, Chávez exchanged a friendly handshake with President Obama — and the ice was broken, albeit temporarily.

“At the summit, the possibility of restoring relations at the ambassadorial level was raised. Subsequently, that spring, the issue was explored further. I then returned to Caracas and [Venezuelan Am­­ bassador] Bernardo Álvarez returned to Washington,” he explained. “I left when I was originally scheduled to leave in mid2010. Alvarez stayed on in Washington until problems erupted over Larry Palmer’s nomination to succeed me.”

In that diplomatic fracas, Chávez said he’d reject Palmer’s nomination because Palmer had suggested that morale in Venezuela’s military was low and that Caracas was sheltering Colombian rebels.

All of these spats are suddenly irrelevant, of course, in the wake of Chávez’s March 5 death from an undisclosed form of cancer at the age of 58.

Since then, Duddy’s phone has been ringing incessantly. Everyone, it seems, wants the former ambassador’s opinion on what’s likely to happen in Venezuela — where an April 14 special election will pit Chávez’s handpicked successor, 50-year-old bus driver and chavista loyalist Nicolás Maduro, against Henrique Capriles Radonski, an ambitious, articulate state governor whom Chávez defeated in last October’s elections.

We asked Duddy if Chávez, who in­­ spired equally fierce devotion and animosity, would be treated kindly by history.

“Within Latin America, he will be remembered by his admirers for having advocated for social programs for the poor, and for having defied the United States,” Duddy replied. “His critics will focus on the damage he did to the country’s democratic institutions and economy. In short, he’ll be viewed from a vari-

Photo: Duke University

ety of perspectives. Over the last five or six years, there has been much more interest in the Brazilian experience than in the Venezuelan one. Peru has one of the highest economic growth rates in the region, and Chile continues to do well.

There are lots of models out there now.”

Duddy, 62, is now retired from the Foreign Service. He teaches two courses at North Carolina’s Duke University: one on post-Cold War relations between the United States and Latin America (at the Sanford School of Public Policy), and the other on business trends in South America (at the Fuqua School of Business).

Duddy was officially ambassador for three years, from 2007 to 2010, but was absent for nine months of that time following his Sept. 11, 2008, expulsion by Chávez.

“It was a difficult environment, to be sure, made more difficult from time to time by the tendency of President Chávez and some of his closest associates to publicly criticize our leaders, and sometimes in very personal terms — beginning with President Bush but running the gamut of all our senior leaders,” Duddy told The Diplomat.

April 2013

Few will forget Chávez’s 2006 speech during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, when he infamously declared that the green marble podium at which he stood smelled like sulfur right after George W. Bush had spoken; in that address, he repeatedly referred to Bush as “el diablo” — the devil.

Duddy presented his credentials to Chávez less than a year later.

“As a recently arrived American ambassador, I heard the rhetoric and I believed President Chávez’s antipathy toward the United States was real,” he said. “At the same time, you look around and see American brands, American autos on the road — many of them made in Venezuela,

by Venezuelan workers — and they’re of the highest quality. It certainly didn’t look like Venezuelans had rejected the U.S. The enormous number of non-immigrant visas applications the mission processed every day also reflected this.”

Duddy said he met Chávez three or four times during his assignment in Caracas.

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Continued from previous page “The last conversation I had with him was on July 5, 2008, on the margin of celebrations for their national day,” he said. “Chávez spoke to me for a few minutes, in public, about the possibility of improving our relations, specifically on counternarcotics efforts. But when we tried to follow up, unfortunately we were rebuffed. I never spoke with him again.”

Since Duddy’s expulsion, the U.S. Embassy in Caracas has remained open, headed by a series of charges d’affaires.

A native of Bangor, Maine, Duddy joined the Foreign Service in 1982. Over the course of his career, he served in the Dominican Republic, Chile, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Panama, Bolivia, Brazil and Venezuela. He’s also been posted to Washington several times, most recently as deputy assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs.

But as a New Englander, Duddy’s also a diehard Red Sox fan — and that didn’t change once he got to Caracas.

“I used to pick up the paper every morning and read the baseball box scores from the major Photo: Larry Luxner leagues during the winter season,” he said. “That’s how I tracked the progress of some of my favorite A leftist banner hangs in front of the Símon Bolívar baseball players.” statue in downtown Caracas. The “Sí” refers to a failed Strange as it may seem now, Chávez threw the 2007 referendum bid by President Hugo Chávez to first pitch at a Yankees game during a 1999 visit to change the constitution and declare Venezuela a New York City. Duddy said that he, too, threw the socialist state. Despite that failure, Chávez instituted a opening pitch at a Venezuelan baseball game. raft of generous social reforms underwritten by oil And while Chávez later decided he didn’t want to “play ball” with the United States, that didn’t revenues. mean he didn’t want its business. estimated at 67 per 100,000 inhabitants, making “Obviously, we still have an energy relationship, Venezuela one of the most violent nations on Earth. which is of fundamental importance to the That compares to neighboring Colombia, whose Venezuelans and, while not as important to the U.S. murder rate last year was 38 per 100,000 inhabitas it once was, is still significant,” he said.“They are ants, and Mexico, with 15 per 100,000. still the fourth-largest foreign supplier of oil to the Moreover, Venezuela’s economy appears to be United States, and we are their largest customer by tanking, with annual inflation now running at 22 a significant margin.” percent — the highest in Latin America — even In fact, more than 95 percent of Venezuela’s though oil remains above $100 per barrel. In early export earnings and about 50 percent of the gov- February, the government was forced to devalue ernment’s budget come from oil revenues.

Venezuela’s national currency, the bolívar, by nearly Duddy said that during his 14 years as president, a third. That will make imported goods more Chávez did little to lessen Venezuela’s dependence expensive, sparking even worse inflation and exacon petroleum export earnings — but that was erbating the country’s intermittent food and power hardly the point. shortages.

“The real issue is this: Was Chávez try“Beyond the shortcomings in the ing to diversify the economy, or diversify Bolivarian approach to economic polimarkets? Basically, it was only the latter,” cy, the fact is Venezuela’s circumstanche said. “They are selling significantly es can’t be replicated elsewhere more oil today to China than they did because no one else has the oil before, but the relative weight of the U.S. resources they do. At the same time, market to Venezuela is still very signifiVenezuela has become more depencant. The U.S. pays full price, and dent on oil in recent years,” said Duddy.

Venezuela’s Petrocaribe partners get con“While some have continued to admire cessionary funding. So, the relative weight Hugo Chávez Hugo Chávez because they sympaof what they sell to the United States is thize with his very aggressive stance even greater, even if the volume we purchase has toward the United States, it seems to me Venezuela declined somewhat.” is no longer the reference point for good policy to Meanwhile, under Chávez, China has become the degree other economies in the hemisphere Venezuela’s largest creditor, having loaned the are.” country around $40 billion to date. Because the Capriles in particular is known for admiring the only way to repay the Chinese is through oil, this Brazilian approach to fighting poverty. He favors makes boosting oil production a high priority for the market-friendly economies policies pursued by any future Venezuelan government, Duddy pointed Brazil’s former president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, out. and describes himself as a centrist and a human“In recent years, production has been largely ist. stagnant,” he said.“A portion of their future producYet Duddy said Capriles heads into this election tion is already committed to China. So they have with significant disadvantages, the biggest being already received some of their future revenue in the fact that Chávez personally endorsed Maduro the form of loans.” as the successor to his Bolivarian Revolution.

Chávez used the country’s oil revenue to under“Maduro has subsequently served as head of a write expansive socialist reforms that improved life caretaker government and has enjoyed all the for many Venezuelans, endearing himself to large media attention typically accorded an incumbent. segments of the population that had felt disenfran- Moreover, the chavista media dominates the free chised, while alienating himself from others who broadcast media,”he pointed out.“So while Capriles say the generous policies are ruinous and unsus- will have some limited access to the media for tainable. campaign advertising, obviously Maduro will be According to the World Bank, per-capita GDP covered as president, in addition to whatever camskyrocketed from $4,105 in 1999 (the year Chávez paigning he does. Furthermore, the country will be assumed office) to $10,810 in 2011. Meanwhile, voting while still in a state of mourning for the poverty rate was slashed from 49.4 percent in Chávez.”

1999 to 29.5 percent in 2011, according to the U.N. Another point: Capriles, a self-professed devout Economic Commission for Latin America. Likewise, Catholic, is the grandson of Jewish Holocaust survithe World Bank shows that unemployment plunged vors. Maduro supporters have wasted no time from 14.5 percent in 1999 to 7.6 percent in 2009. subjecting him to anti-Semitic slurs; in 2009, a proInfant mortality also went down, as did illiteracy.

Chávez mob spray-painted Nazi swastikas on the At the same time, however, the incidence of violent crime has soared, with a homicide rate now See Venezuela, page 55

The Washington Diplomat

April 2013

COVER PROFILE

Ambassador Carlos Urrutia

Colombia’s Ambassador Hopeful Peace Talks Will End Rebel War

by Larry Luxner

T

his could very well be the year Colombians mark the end of Latin America’s longest-running guerrilla war — a nearly 50-year-old conflict between the government and Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) rebels that has left hundreds of thousands dead and countless millions displaced from their homes.

Carlos Urrutia, Bogotá’s ambassador in Washington, says peace talks now under way offer Colombia’s best chance in decades to negotiate a settlement to end the bloodshed once and for all.

“FARC is much weaker than ever before,” he said of the guerrilla group that was established in 1964 as a communist agrarian reform movement and is now classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, Colombia, Canada, Chile, New Zealand and the 27-member European Union. “This time, it’s the strength of the state rather than its weaknesses that have brought both sides to the table.”

On March 5, the peace talks were suddenly overshadowed by the death of 58-year-old Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, the fiery populist whose antiAmerican rhetoric put him at direct odds with Colombia — long considered one of Washington’s strongest allies in Latin America.

The day after Chávez’s passing, two Colombian journalists were attacked by a screaming mob of chavistas outside the Caracas military hospital where the late president was being treated. Dramatic TV footage of the attack shows Carmen Andrea Rengifo, a correspondent for Colombia’s RCN television network — blood pouring down her face — running away as the angry crowd chases her with shouts and insults.

The unfolding political drama in Venezuela is of extreme importance to Colombia not only because the two share a lengthy border, but also because Venezuela, along with Chile, is an observer to the FARC talks (Norway and Cuba are guarantors).

Asked to comment on the Chávez legacy and its possible impact on Colombia, Urrutia treaded very carefully.

“First of all, Venezuela is really not within my scope of work. Having said that, clearly many people in Venezuela are experiencing the death of President Chávez as an immense loss, and that feeling is certainly present in many places throughout the region,” he said.“I’d like to point to the article published in the New York Times by former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva that highlights the role President Chávez played in the

context of regional integration.”

As far as Bogotá is concerned, the ambassador said Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Chávez “had constructed a relationship of mutual respect that, among other things, contributed significantly to creating the right level of trust to engage the FARC in ongoing peace talks.”

Urrutia, a corporate lawyer from Bogotá, had never held a diplomatic post before Santos sent him to Washington, where he presented his credentials to President Obama on Sept. 5, 2012.

“Until six months ago, I was managing partner for one of the leading law firms in Colombia,” Urrutia told The Washington Diplomat. “The president felt I was the right person for this job. It has a lot to do with the fact that our bilateral relationship with the U.S. is at the highest level one can think of. Our agenda goes way beyond the traditional topics such as defense and security matters.”

Photo: Jessica Latos

“

FARC’s prospects going forward are certainly grim. This could well be the last opportunity for a negotiated settlement with Colombian society.

— Carlos Urrutia ambassador of Colombia to the United States

But it’s difficult to divorce security from Colombia’s stunning transformation over the last 15 years from a drug haven wracked by violence to a Latin American tourist destination with a growing economy and stable democracy. Whether you agree with the government’s military approach to cracking down on the drug cartels, backed by massive U.S. aid under Plan Colombia, the difference between Colombia of 1993 and 2013 is night and day.

The FARC rebels have also experienced a dramatic turnaround, although in their case, it was in the exact opposite direction.Today, the group is a shadow of its former self, which is precisely why hopes are high that a peace breakthrough between the Santos government and an increasingly desperate FARC is imminent.

While it may have the upper hand, the

”

government isn’t taking any chances and has vowed not to let up on the rebels, refusing to agree to a ceasefire until a definitive deal is reached.

“FARC’s prospects going forward are certainly grim. This could well be the last opportunity for a negotiated settlement with Colombian society,” the ambassador said. “With this in mind, our government restored contacts with FARC leadership that had already been made by the previous administration [of President Álvaro Uribe]. Based on prior experiences and mistakes, we decided that any talks would necessarily have to be confidential and take place outside Colombia. A suitable venue was required, and it was concluded that the best place was Havana.”

Negotiations have been going on for more than five months, Urrutia said, noting that “this is really the first time FARC

April 2013

has been willing to agree in writing to negotiations.”

The agenda for those talks consists of five specific topics: an end to the conflict; reform of Colombia’s agrarian policy; demobilization of FARC guerrillas and their legitimization as a political entity; reparation to victims; and a solution to the drug trade.

Urrutia conceded that his government has entered into peace talks with FARC rebels before, only to see them collapse.

The last embarrassment came during the administration of President Andrés Pastrana, who handed FARC a Switzerland-size haven of jungle that the RELATED STORY: terrorist group subseDebate Over Legalizing quently used to traffic Drugs Grows Louder cocaine and train comin Latin America mandos. Pastrana later went on to become PAGE 17 Colombia’s envoy here (also see “PresidentTurned-Ambassador Battles Colombia’s Drug Image” in the May 2006 issue of The Washington Diplomat).

It was a mistake Santos appears determined not to repeat.

Continued on next page The Washington Diplomat Page 15

the most ironclad agreement negotiated completely in good faith runs the risk of breakdown and failure,” said the event’s moderator, Eric Farnsworth, “We have gone through at least three prior vice president of the Council of the Americas.“It is rounds of negotiations with FARC, once in 1982 to here that the international community can and ’85, a second time in 1991, and a third time should be expected to play a meaningful role. between 1998 and 2002. All of these exercises Nevertheless, Farnsworth said prospects for a were miserable failures because FARC never underbinding peace agreement may be as good as stood that they had a true opportunity to demobithey’ve ever been. lize,” Urrutia told us.

“This is the best moment in a generation — and “What they tried to do in all three cases was some would say ever — to think about a final resotake advantage of the negotiations and ceasefires lution of the conflict,” he said.“But we won’t even to strengthen their ranks and widen the scope of get to the implementation phase if the parties cantheir activities. They perceivedNOTE: wrongly that they Although every effort is made to assure your ad is free of mistakes in spelling and content it is ultimately up to the customer not conclude a peace agreement themselves.” had the opportunity to take power from civil socito make the final proof.

But David Spencer, assistant professor of nationety.” al security affairsalteration. at the Center for Hemispheric But it’s not the same anymore, he two said.Colombian The first faxed changes will be made at no cost to the advertiser, subsequent changes will be billed at a rate of $75 per faxed Defense Studies, had a less optimistic view of the society “has no tolerance for their barbarity and Signed ads are considered approved. current talks. abuses.” Indeed, FARC’s steady diet of kidnappings “FARC does not think like Western governments for ransom (holding prisoners captive for a decade Please check this ad carefully. Mark any changes to your ad. do,” Spencer said. “They have a very different or longer), drug trafficking, bombings and other … and the organization has a number of If the popular ad is correct andthe fax to: (301) 949-0065 needs changes The Washington Diplomat (301)approach 933-3552 tactics have turned opinionsign against characteristics that make them an extremely frusgroup’s stated mission to end poverty, imperialism trating opponent to deal with.” and injustice. Approved _____________________________________________ Changes _____________________________________________________________________ Spencer also said the Colombian state and FARC PHOTO: LARRy LUxNER Urrutia also points to the fact that FARC’s numChanges ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ bers have dwindled dramatically since the last February, FARC negotiator Rodrigo Granda also Colombian soldiers wait to board a military transport have very different ideas of what a successfully sounded an optimistic note, telling reporters that at a highway rest stop just outside the coffee-growing negotiated peace settlement would look like.“The round of peace talks a decade ago.

“FARC is now cornered by the Colombian discussions were on the right track and moving “at department of Quindío. Current talks between the state defines end of conflict as demobilization, disarmament and reintegration,” he explained. “FARC armed forces. The general consensus is that they the speed of a bullet train.” government and FARC rebels will address reform of claims the guns will stop firing when society is “We need to wait and see what happens,” cauprobably have around 8,000 men in arms. It used Colombia’s agrarian policy, as well as demobilization to be 30,000,” Urrutia said. “Before, there was a tioned the ambassador.“Progress is being made, but of FARC guerrillas, solutions to the drug trade and transformed into a socialist state.”

Spencer suggested that FARC leaders only demilitarized zone of close to 40,000 square kilo- the negotiations remain completely confidential. other areas. agreed to negotiations to regain lost political legitimeters. This time around, there is no DMZ. Also, The negotiating teams are not allowed to disclose there is no ceasefire. The Colombian armed forces the terms of what’s going on.”

Negotiations,” featured Urrutia as well as retired macy at home while playing to their supporters That didn’t deter experts from debating the Colombian Army Gen. Carlos Alberto Ospina Ovalle abroad.“If I had to predict today what the outcome are continuing their operations.”

Urrutia said Santos is “cautiously optimistic” FARC talks at a Feb. 6 conference at the National — now a professor at the center — and several of the negotiations are going to be, I would say they are going to fail,” he said. “Currently, how the about the talks in Havana, and that his president Defense University’s Center for Hemispheric Washington-based specialists on Latin America. has the “unqualified support” of the White House Defense Studies. The symposium, titled “As we’ve seen from peace processes across the and senior Obama administration officials. In “Hemispheric Forum on the Colombia Peace Americas, without effective implementation, even See CoLoMBiA, page 54

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April 2013

International Affairs

Drugs

Debate Over Legalizing Drugs Grows Louder in Latin America

by Larry Luxner

A

proposal by FARC rebels in Colombia to legalize the cultivation of coca, poppy and marijuana for medicinal and cultural reasons was only the latest salvo in an increasingly vocal debate on drug policy reform taking place throughout Latin America.

FARC’s proposal is unlikely to gain much traction in a nation whose government has vowed to wipe out the drug trade, with significant military backing from the United States. But increasingly, countries from Colombia to Mexico to Uruguay are questioning the U.S. model of uncompromising drug enforcement.

There’s also been a dramatic shift among Americans, with a December 2012 Quinnipiac poll showing that a majority of U.S. voters (51 percent versus 44 percent) support legalizing marijuana possession. Two U.S. states — Colorado and Washington — recently chose to do just that, legalizing it for recreational purposes and not just medical purposes (as 18 states plus the District of Columbia already do). The moves echo a growing chorus of politicians and lobbyists urging governments throughout the region to change what was once seen as a sacrosanct approach to the possession and sale of illicit drugs.

Critics of America’s war on drugs say it’s a losing battle, draining billions of dollars and incarcerating millions of people, including many low-level offenders (the United States has the highest prison population in the world) — all while doing little to stem the flow of illegal drugs over the last four decades.They argue that money would be better spent treating drug addiction as a public health issue, freeing up resources to focus on violent crime — not to mention generating much-needed tax revenues for state governments that regulate the sale of marijuana.

Tim Lynch, director of the Criminal Justice Project at the CATO Institute — a libertarian think tank that has studied drug legalization for years — said the past decade has seen a “rethinking of drug policy” around the world, but especially in this hemisphere.

“For many years,Washington, D.C., wanted to maintain a united front, taking a hard-line criminal approach,” Lynch said. “The policy was simply how much more money should we put into the program next year. That’s what’s beginning to change. More and more, government officials here at home and abroad are rethinking that approach.

That’s why we’re seeing some countries actually taking steps to turn away from the drug war.”

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox publicly called the global war on drugs “an absolute failure.” In 2009, the Mexican Congress approved legislation decriminalizing possession of small amounts of narcotics, including marijuana.America’s neighbor to the south has long argued that the United States needs to focus more on the demand side of the drug equation to curb the profits of violent crime syndicates that have wreaked havoc on the region.

Even Fox’s security-oriented successor, Felipe Calderón, who spearheaded a tough U.S.-backed military crackdown against drug cartels, has urged the adoption of “market alternatives” to stanch the growing level of drug-related violence in Mexico and along the U.S. border.

Calderón along with leaders from Honduras, Belize and Costa Rica have been pushing the United Nations General

“

For many years, Washington, D.C., wanted to maintain a united front, taking a hard-line criminal approach…. More and more, government officials here at home and abroad are rethinking that approach.

That’s why we’re seeing some countries actually taking steps to turn away from the drug war.

— Tim Lynch

”

director of the Criminal Justice Project at the CATO Institute

Assembly to hold a special session on drug prohibition by 2015. Meanwhile, the Organization of American States is studying the impact of current drug policy on Latin America; an OAS review is expected to be finished by this June.

Christopher Sabatini, senior director of policy at the Americas Society/Council of the Americas, said he’s surprised at how quickly the debate has shifted on this issue.

“Five years ago, and certainly 10 years ago, not a lot of mainstream political leaders were talking seriously about this,” he told The Diplomat.“Now, the former presidents of Colombia, Mexico and Brazil said governments should explore the possibility of decriminalization. They didn’t actually say legalization.”

Whatever you call it though, Sabatini suggested it won’t have as big of an impact as people think. For one thing, the U.S. government hasn’t shown any inkling to reverse its

April 2013

Four ounces of low-grade marijuana is usually referred to as a quarter pound, or QP. Several Latin countries and now two U.S. states have made possessing small amounts of marijuana for recreational purposes legal.

longstanding drug policy, with Vice President Joe Biden saying last year that legalization creates more problems than it solves (including possibly a new generation of addicts).

Moreover, Sabatini argues that legalizing small amounts of pot in a few U.S. states won’t deter sophisticated — and creative — drug-running operations that peddle everything from cocaine to sex slaves.

“It’s unclear to what extent Mexican or Colombian marijuana will come to be the main source of consumption in Washington and Colorado,” he said.“My understanding is that a lot of it is grown locally. So I’m not sure it’s going to put much of a dent in trafficking or profits. And most of the narcotics production in RELATED STORY: Colombia is cocaine. In Mexico, 60 Colombia’s Envoy to 70 percent of criminal syndiConfident Peace cates’ profits come from cocaine, Talks Will End FARC not marijuana. And no one is talkInsurgency ing about legalizing cocaine, a far more serious drug.”

PAGE 15 A recent study, however, suggested that the new laws enacted

by Colorado and Washington voters would slash Mexican drug cartels’ profits by up to 30 percent, given the likely emergence of cheaper, U.S.-produced marijuana. But Sabatini disputes those findings.

“The effect it’ll probably have is to stop the arrest and punishment of kids for relatively minor drugs. I don’t think it’ll change the nature of the drug wars in these countries.”

Eduardo Vergara, the founder of Asuntos del Sur, an influential Chilean think tank that supports the decriminaliza-

See legalization, page 22 The Washington Diplomat Page 17

Global Vantage Point

Caribbean

Op-Ed: ‘A Misguided Attack

By Caribbean Ambassadors’

by John P. de Jongh Jr.

A

s the elected governor of the United States Virgin Islands, I am charged with growing our economy and increasing our treasury’s revenues.

Unfortunately, the recent Washington Diplomat article titled “Caribbean Rum Wars: Brewing Tax Battle Stirs Frustration With U.S.” in the February 2013 issue fails to accurately portray both the underlying legal and economic bases for the initiatives I have undertaken on behalf of our territory.

For almost 60 years now, rum produced in the U.S.Virgin Islands and sold into the United States market paid an excise tax that was, in turn, returned (or “covered over”) to the American jurisdiction where it was produced. We are a political jurisdiction of the United States, and the U.S. Constitution places the obligation to administer its territories squarely on Congress. This is precisely why Congress enacted the U.S. Rum Cover-Over Program, to establish a consistent and reliable means of funding our local territory governments.

However, spearheaded by Barbados, the Caribbean ambassadors interviewed for The Diplomat article claim that the U.S. cover-over program is in violation of World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.They maintain that, because the U.S.V.I. is not a part of the United States, the shipments of our rum to the mainland are prohibited exports.Yet their entire argument is founded upon falsehoods.

There is no prohibited export subsidy involved in the U.S. cover-over program and the U.S. Virgin Islands’ use of it.

When the United States joined the WTO, it did so on behalf of its 50 states and territorial possessions, including the U.S.V.I. Therefore, rum shipped from the U.S.V.I. to the U.S. mainland is not an “export.” And without an “export,” there simply cannot be an export subsidy.

Everyone in business knows that in order to make money, you must invest money; capital is essential for economic growth and stimulus. What I have done as governor is to utilize a longstanding U.S. economic tool in an innovative way, generating millions of dollars in new revenues during a period of intense economic stress and contraction.

When I first took office, I understood the key to economic growth in our islands, and indeed the entire Caribbean region, lay in the government coordinating its efforts and aligning its policies with the goals of those in the private sector, businesses that could provide the employment and revenues we desperately need. In our public-private partnership with Diageo, which produces Captain Morgan, and Beam, which produces Cruzan Rum, among others, we teamed up to ensure that these companies could commit to producing their fine products in the U.S.V.I., both now and for many decades to come.

As a result, their expansion has returned millions of dollars of additional tax revenues to the U.S. Virgin Islands, money that is going directly to fund our public needs and responsibilities.And it is no exaggeration to say that without our partnerships with Diageo and Beam, many Virgin Islanders would have suffered far worse during the years of the Great Recession and the global financial crisis of 2007 to 2009.

Over the past few years, we have floated hundreds of millions of dollars of bonds based on future rum cover-over revenue to make up for the dramatic loss of revenues, a

Page 18

Trunk Bay is one of the most famous attractions in the U.S. Virgin Islands National Park.

Photo: Ben Whitney

“

We are a political jurisdiction of the United States, and the U.S. Constitution places the obligation to administer its territories squarely on Congress.

This is precisely why Congress enacted the U.S. Rum Cover-Over Program, to establish a consistent and reliable means of funding our local territory governments.

”

— John P. de Jongh Jr. governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands

direct result of the global economic collapse felt so acutely here in the Caribbean. These bonds are now keeping our schools and hospitals open, police on the streets, and supporting essential capital projects.And these bonds are being repaid with the cover-over revenue generated by Diageo and Beam rum sales within the U.S. market.

Although the U.S.V.I. has been able to weather the recent economic storm, we now face an equally dire crisis: the closure of the Hovensa oil refinery on St. Croix, our largest employer, and the elimination of more than 2,000 jobs.The results have been a nearly 5 percent jump in year-to-year unemployment and a loss of as much as $100 million in government revenue. Because of this economic blow, the rum cover-over program is playing an essential role in helping us to invest in key health care and infrastructure initia-

tives, maintain solvency, and pay for urgent social services.

Everyone in our territory knows that without the growth in our rum cover-over revenues, we would not be able to survive this latest crisis.

While the ambassadors included in The Diplomat’s article eagerly disparage the U.S. cover-over program, they see no contradiction in accepting money from tax and incentive programs in which the U.S.V.I., as a U.S. territory, cannot participate. I can only imagine their displeasure were I to publicly object, let alone mount a legal challenge, to any of the programs of assistance and aid now in place between those island nations and their former colonial possessors, Great Britain and France.

Moreover, I take special regional pride in the fact that Caribbean rum producers are now selling even more of their products in the United States. While CARICOM (the Caribbean Community) as a whole saw a 17 percent increase in its rum exports to the United States last year, Barbados in particular has enjoyed significant growth. The country is now riding a 31 percent leap in the volume of its U.S. rum exports. So much for the ambassadors’ claims that our expanding sales of rum to the U.S. mainland, promoted by our use of the cover-over program, are detrimental to the Caribbean.

So, to those who criticize our use of a congressionally established program that has been in place since 1917 without objection, I simply say that I am proud of what we have done and grateful that we did it when we did.To Diageo and Beam, I wish ever-greater success. And to all private businesses, including those in the rum industry, I would say that we in the U.S. Virgin Islands welcome all who come to our shores seeking to succeed in ways that are consistent with our laws and public policies, and are respectful of our people, our history and our culture.

John P. de Jongh Jr., raised on St. Thomas, is the seventh elected governor of the United States Virgin Islands. He has also served as executive director of the Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority, commissioner of finance, and member of the Industrial Development Commission. The views expressed here are his own.

The Washington Diplomat

April 2013

Diplomacy

In Memoriam

International Photographer Albert Mogzec Dies at 84

by Anna Gawel

I

t has almost become cliché to say that someone is a fixture on the diplomatic scene, but Albert Francis Mogzec, the suave, silver-haired shutterbug who took photographs at countless receptions, galas and gatherings over the years, truly was a beloved fixture on Embassy Row — whose largerthan-life presence will be missed.

For 50 years, Albert Mogzec took photographs of the many heads of state and dignitaries who passed through the White House.

Mogzec, 84, died March 2, 2013, in a Fayetteville, N.C., hospital after a long illness. He is survived by two daughters, Amanda of Goldsboro, N.C., and Wanda of Centreville, Va., as well as three sons, Nick and Julian, both of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Albert of Westminster, Md. He also leaves behind his brother Apolinary Mokrezk of Canada and sister Wanda Linsk of Poland, as well as 10 grandchildren. A funeral was held in Fayetteville on March 7.

Mogzec was born Sept. 7, 1928, in Poland, where he was captured by the Nazis during World War II and sent to the Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany. In April 1945, American troops liberated him from the camp.

After working in Paris for a few years, Mogzec immigrated to the United States on June 15, 1950, aboard the USS General M. L. Hersey. While living with his sponsor in Connecticut, he took night classes to learn English.

He eventually become a U.S. citizen and joined the Army, fighting in the Korean War as part of the 101st Airborne Division. Ever the ladies’ man, Mogzec’s interest in photography was sparked when he saw a pretty girl behind a sales counter and he purchased his first camera to talk with her.

He also took advantage of a traffic citation he issued to his future wife Alice while he was a military police officer in Fort Bragg, N.C., to ask her out on a date.The two married in 1954 and moved to Washington, D.C., four years later.

Mogzec worked for the Pentagon in the photography lab, where he learned to process film. But when a friend asked him to shoot his wedding, he realized that freelance photography was more enjoyable than going to the lab every day.

In the ensuing decades, Mogzec made a name for himself photographing ambassadors, heads of state, dignitaries, politicos and socialites at functions large and small. Most Washingtonians, in fact, knew him only by his first name. Albert could often be seen snapping pictures at a receiving line, shaking hands with a president or flattering the ladies.

He was a member of the White House News Photographers Association and a personal photographer to King Hussein I of Jordan in the 1980s. He also photographed for various publications, including The Washington Diplomat, which had the privilege of knowing him for the last 15 years.

Albert took his craft seriously but always enjoyed his work, relishing every event and opportunity to meet new people. His heap of business cards is exceeded only by the mounds of photographs he had gathered over the years, depicting everyone from U.S. presidents to Pope John Paul II. Age only seemed to invigorate him, and he could always be relied on for the latest diplomatic scoop or a friendly laugh.

In 2008, more than 100 of his admirers, including various ambassadors, turned out for an 80th birthday party at the home of Judith Terra, who today serves as chair of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities.Terra called Albert “a real legend in this city.” He even received a proclamation from then-D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty on behalf of the city.

Jan Du Plain, who helped to organize the party and was a longtime friend, said Albert “left an indelible mark in our nation’s international community.”

“When I walk through any embassy door in the nation’s capital today, I feel Albert’s beautiful laughing smile and cheerful spirit. He was the heart of the diplomatic corps for over 50 years and his photographs kept a record of our lives,” Du Plain said.“For those who knew him, we loved him dearly and he will forever be in our hearts. May his light continue forever.”

Albert Mogzec, center, gets a kiss from Jan Du Plain, left, and Judith Terra, who helped to organize an 80th birthday party for the popular photographer that was attended by more than 100 friends and family.

At left, Albert Mogzec poses for a portrait with his wife Alice and his two daughters Wanda and Amanda.

Albert Mogzec stands with his granddaughter Bella Hartt — one of 10 grandchildren he had — at his daughter Wanda’s house in Centreville, Va.

memorial SERVICE

Albert Mogzec embraces his three sons: from left, Albert, Nick and Julian.

A memorial service will be held in Washington, D.C., on Thu., April 18, at 12 noon at St. Ann’s Catholic Church, 4400 Wisconsin Ave., NW. A memorial celebration is also being planned for April. For details, please contact Wanda K. Mogzec at (703) 673-8408 or wanda.mogzec@gmail.com.

Anna Gawel is managing editor of The Washington Diplomat.

April 2013

The Washington Diplomat Page 19

MEDICAL

Pinworms

The Childhood Ailment No One Talks About

by Gina Shaw

F

air warning: You probably do not want to read this column while eating. If you are a parent, you’ve probably had your fair share of experience with things that are, well, gross.

From poopy diapers to projectile vomiting, raising small children entails seemingly never-ending exposure to bodily fluids and other revolting goop.

But you really haven’t hit the gross-out jackpot until the night when you find yourself sitting under the brightest bathroom light you can find, armed with tissues, suppressing your gag reflex, and digging tiny white worms smaller than the tip of your fingernail out of your child’s rear end.

I’m talking about pinworms. These parasitic worms set up housekeeping in the human intestine. At night, the female worms make their way out to the skin around the anus and lay their eggs there. (I warned you. You really might want to put that sandwich down now.)

When a child either doesn’t want to go to bed or wakes up soon after going to sleep, crying and scratching and complaining, “My butt itches!” you may think it just means they’re not wiping well enough. But these signs also point to pinworms, especially if the itching only happens at night.

Pinworms are the most common type of worm infection in the United States. It’s thought that pinworm infections affect as many as 40 million people in the United States and Canada, most commonly children around school age. It’s thought that as many as half of children in some schools may be infected with pinworms.

But while most people with kids in day care or public schools have probably been through at least one lice outbreak, you may never have heard much about pinworms. That’s probably because it’s even grosser and more embarrassing, given that it involves the nether regions. Seriously, who wants their child to be known as the kid with worms in his butt? They’re also easier to hide, since the itching usually happens at night.

But pinworms are extremely contagious.The eggs can live for up to two weeks outside a human host! What usually happens is something like this: A child with pinworms scratches his bottom. He gets eggs under his fingernails. He touches something else and leaves microscopic pinworm eggs behind. Somebody else gets their hands on that same spot and then puts fingers in their mouths — and the cycle continues. Yes, you get pinworms by swallowing pinworm eggs. Let’s not dwell on that too much. (Oh, and don’t blame the family pet: Dogs and cats do not get or transmit this particular type of worm.)

Here’s the good news: Other than causing that horrific itching, there’s not too much else that pinworms do.You still really want to get rid of them, of course! So what can you do?

First, you should confirm that it’s pinworms. If you actually see the small, white, threadlike worms wiggling around just outside your child’s anus, you can be pretty sure that’s what it is. But the best way to confirm is to apply a piece of transparent tape around the child’s anal

Page 20

Photo: Martin Reed / BigStock

While most people with kids in day care or public schools have probably been through at least one lice outbreak, you may never have heard much about pinworms. That’s probably because it’s even grosser and more embarrassing, given that it involves the nether regions. folds to catch worms or eggs, then put it in a sealed plastic bag and take it to the doctor. (Do the tape test as soon as your child wakes up in the morning.)

Your doctor will prescribe an anti-worm medication.

One dose is to be taken right away, to kill the adult worms and the other dose usually about two weeks later, for when the eggs hatch. Some doctors will prescribe the medication for the whole family, even those who don’t have symptoms, since the worms are so contagious; others will suggest waiting to treat until other family members show symptoms.After having gone through this first with my older daughter and then with my toddler, I’m firmly in the “treat early, treat often” camp.

At home, you have a big job to do. Wash all bedding, towels, underwear and pajamas (not just the infected child’s, although you should start with those) on the highest temperature setting your wash machine has; I use the “sanitize” setting. For items that you can’t run through the washer, like pillows and many stuffed ani-

mals, stick them in the dryer on high heat for a good 40 minutes.

Repeat this process frequently — even more frequently than you think you need to. When we were on round two with pinworms, I laundered the infected child’s sheets and blankets daily, and the rest of the family’s every few days. Vacuum or wet mop the bedroom floors frequently too — the eggs can get spread around very easily.

This is also the time to reinforce all those lessons about hand washing. Be militant about washing hands before meals, after using the bathroom and before brushing teeth. Clip fingernails short, and if your child is stubborn about nose picking, thumb sucking or any other habit that gets hands in the mouth, redouble your efforts to put a stop to that as well.

Does a child with pinworms need to stay home from school? Most medical experts say there’s really no reason to keep them home. Since the worms exit at night, a child may be most contagious in the morning, so be sure they (and any siblings) do a thorough, surgeon’s-quality job of hand washing before leaving the house.

All of this is not to say that your child got pinworms because you kept a less-than-clean home. They could have ingested the eggs almost anywhere. School, day care, playground, a friend’s house — the list is endless.

But once pinworms get a foothold in your household, you can definitely help to get rid of them by getting just a wee bit obsessive-compulsive about sanitation for a few months.

And you’ll stop freaking out every time your rear end itches a little. Eventually.

Gina Shaw is the medical writer for The Washington Diplomat.

The Washington Diplomat

April 2013

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The Washington Diplomat Page 21

from page 17

Legalization tion of marijuana possession, adamantly disagrees.

He says the war on drugs has become one of the biggest obstacles to development in Latin America.

“Prohibition, along with a war on producers, sellers and mainly users, has had irreversible negative effects on the region. Thousands have died and millions have suffered, while organized crime continues to gain enormous profits that serve to finance terror,” Vergara told The Diplomat in an email from Santiago. “Yet above all, drug use has increased in quantity and diversity, while prisons all over the region are overcrowded with smallscale drug law offenders. There is no doubt that prohibition will be remembered as the most inefficient and expensive policy in modern history.”

Asuntos del Sur recently conducted a survey that it says reveals that “younger generations of Latin Americans are breaking from traditional views and are much more open” to changing their government’s current approach to drug policy.

The lowest level of support for legalization and regulation of marijuana was found in El Salvador (23 percent), while the highest was in Argentina (80 percent) and Chile (79 percent). Seven out of 10 people polled in those two countries said recreational use is an individual right. Meanwhile, respondents across the region expressed low opinions of the effectiveness of government campaigns aimed at reducing drug use; 52 percent of Chileans and 46 percent of Mexicans disapproved of these campaigns.

In Chile, senators have submitted a bill to decriminalize marijuana use, growth and possession. Meanwhile, small amounts of marijuana for personal use have been legalized in both Colombia and Mexico.

Mexico’s former ambassador in D.C., Arturo Sarukhan, says similar moves by Colorado and Washington to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes have muddied the drug-fighting waters.

Photo: rusty dodson / bigstock

A sign on the U.S.-Mexico border warns against smuggling. The Mexican government has long said that in addition to Washington’s enforcement-heavy approach to curbing the drug supply, Americans need to address the demand side of the drug equation.

He told an Inter-American Dialogue discussion last year that the United States cannot push his country into waging all-out war against cannabis producers while individual states have themselves legalized marijuana consumption.

But Sarukhan also cautions that legalization is a complex issue that needs to be studied more. He points out that even if cartels are shut out of the marijuana trade, they will simply “muscle into other illicit activities.”

Carlos Urrutia, Colombia’s ambassador to the United States, agrees that legalization should be examined carefully and says only a cohesive approach can tackle a transnational scourge like drug smuggling.

“The time has come to reconsider drug policy, not in a unilateral exercise by one government,

but in the context of a global problem. This is something that requires a consensus,” he told The Diplomat. “We’ve achieved significant results in diminishing the area of coca under cultivation, and we’ve had record drug seizures by our security forces. The problem is that once a country is successful, the drug business goes elsewhere.”

But not everyone is waiting for consensus on the issue. Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina, a military veteran who’s no slouch when it comes to strong security measures, has been outspoken in calling for the wholesale regulation and taxation of drugs, saying that today’s drug policy is based on the “false premise” that global drug markets can be eradicated.

But the most ambitious legislation of all comes from Uruguay.

Marijuana is already legal for personal use in the small country of 3.4 million wedged in between Argentina and Brazil, but a bill proposed

by Uruguay’s Congress would legalize growing and selling the drug within certain restrictions.

Among other things, it would establish a government office to issue licenses for the production, distribution and sale of marijuana. Adults would have to register with that office to buy up to 40 grams of pot per month. Uruguayans would also be allowed to grow cannabis at home, but would be limited to six plants per household. In other words, the government would become the first in the world to sell marijuana directly to its citizens.

Pollsters say the legalization bill would easily pass Congress if put to a vote, but 64 percent of Uruguayans oppose the current plan. That’s why President José Mujica recently told the bill’s supporters in December to slow things down.

“There is no reason to vote on a law just because it has the majority in parliament,” said Mujica, an ardent supporter of decriminalization.

“The majority has to come from the streets. The people have to understand that with violence and putting people in prison, the only thing we are doing is helping the drug trafficking market.”

That reasoning by Uruguay’s 77-year-old head of state earns kudos from Vergara, who calls the decriminalization bill “the most advanced and honest proposal” ever made by a Latin American head of state on the drug issue.

“President Mujica’s pragmatism surprised us all. He had the courage to promote a bold reform to regulate cannabis use in his country,” Vergara said. “Mujica decided to slow down his proposal, looking to get broader public opinion support, which is a good thing. Public opinion needs to be supportive of these measures, but above all, it needs to understand what regulation means and what it will imply for the future of the country.”

Larry Luxner is news editor of The Washington Diplomat.

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The Washington Diplomat

April 2013

T R A V E L &

HOTELS ■ A Special Section of The Washington Diplomat

■ April 2013

The 21 M Lounge at the St. Gregory Luxury Hotel and Suites

Beyond Pink the

by Karin Zeitvogel

Behind Flourish of Cherry Blossoms Lies Rainbow of Spectacular Sights

PHoTo: WWW.HeRASTudIoS.CoM / CAPITAl HoTelS ANd SuITeS

I

t’s funny how many similarities there are between cherry blossom season and choosing a new pope.

Take this similarity: In Rome, locals rub shoulders with huge crowds of tourists from around the world in Saint Peter’s Square, watching for white smoke to rise from what’s probably the most famous chimney in the world to signal the election of a new pontiff.

In Washington, meanwhile, throngs of locals and tourists flock to the National Mall and Tidal Basin to admire some of the most famous cherry trees in the world, checking them for signs that they have reached “peak bloom.”

Another parallel is that nobody knew when the conclave of cardinals would elect a pope, just as no one knows exactly when the cherry blossoms will be at their finest. Yes, National Park Service horticulturalists go out on a limb every year and say, around a month in advance, when they think “peak bloom” will be. This year, they originally pegged it in the period between March 26 to 30 but later revised it to April 3 to 6, although with cold temperatures and even snow at the tail end of March, the buds may hide a bit longer.

When we asked Hector Torres, general manager at the Beacon Hotel and vice president of sales and marketing for Capital Hotels & Suites, if the official peak prediction is when out-of-towners should head to Washington, his answer was an adamant no.

“It’s almost comical but whatever the prediction for the peak is, is when it’s likely not to be,” Torres said. But it doesn’t really matter, he added.

“There’s a two-week span when the blossoms are at their most magnificent, and there are enough things to do in Washington — besides the blossoms — that everyone is guaranteed to have a wonderful time,” he said.

Continued on next page

April 2013

TRAVEL & HOTELS The Washington Diplomat

23

“If money’s no object, a lot of things can happen. But if introduced to hidden gems on Barracks Row, around Eighth Street in they’ve come as a family and are paying on their own and Southeast Washington.

Exactly what visitors choose to do “Not many guests go there,” she said. not a multimillionaire … I say they will either have to wait in D.C. — other than looking in awe The tour took in four established restaurants, with the gastroin line, or send Mom out to pick up passes for the National at the century-old cherry trees as Bureau of Engraving when she goes on her morning run” nomic tourists enjoying a small meal at each before moving on to the they turn a pastel shade of pink — next one. to cut the wait down a bit. depends on them, what their inter“By the time you’re finished, you’re full and you’ve learned about Adams, who’s originally from Japan but has been in ests are, and whom they ask for Washington for nearly 30 years, also has a few favorite the culture of Capitol Hill, the residents, how the neighborhood has advice. changed.” things to do in D.C. that are off the beaten path.

Torres would advise what he To burn off the effects of the dining tour, which takes place during One is the Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens, described as “the younger, hipper founded by the late Marjorie Merriweather Post, an heiress the slow hours at the restaurants —3 to 6:30 p.m. — Adams recomcrowd” to head to the Adams Morgan mends heading to the other side of town to the Thompson Boat who “loved unique and beautiful things.” area, the U Street Corridor, Dupont “The older generation especially would enjoy seeing Center in Georgetown to rent a kayak, canoe, rowboat or even a Circle or Penn Quarter-Chinatown the collection of portraits and paintings from the Romanov bicycle.Those red bikes on the corners near Metro stations, you have for the vibrant nightlife and array of era,” said Adams, referring to the dynastic family that ruled to buy an annual pass for. restaurants. Ben’s Chili Bowl, which The Willard InterContinental Washington, meanwhile, has packagRussia from the 1600s until the turn of the 20th century. is famous for its half-smokes and its An exhibition titled “Pageant of the Tsars,” showing the es for history buffs and cherry blossom gazers. On the heels of Steven clientele, including President Barack lavish albums chronicling the over-the-top pomp of the Spielberg’s award-winning film “Lincoln,” the hotel is offering a Obama and comedian Bill Cosby, is “Lincoln at the Willard” package that is available year-round and feaRomanov coronations, runs at Hillwood until June 8.

Photo: Destination DC across the street from the U Street But that’s not the only reason to go to the Hillwood, tures a weekend night in a deluxe room where President Abraham Metro and is must-do for tourists. says Adams. Visitors can also “learn about a fascinating Lincoln and his family stayed in 1861 just before they took up resiThe three-week National Cherry Blossom Torres said he did not feel quali- Festival features an array of events for the socialite” and visit the sumptuous gardens, complete with dence a the White House; breakfast at Café du Parc; valet parking; and fied to recommend places that more than 1 million people who visit D.C. a tour of the cottage where Lincoln the kitsch lawn furniture favored would suit the younger crowd, but to watch the pink flowers bloom. spent a fair amount of time during the

by Merriweather Post. he did advise checking out the site Civil War. A record 66,000 people visitwww.dcclubbing.com before heading out on the town.

Lincoln Cottage is, like many of the ed Hillwood last year, “but a lot of people The “more adult, more sedate crowd” will doubtless linger under miss all that it has to offer because they go places that are recommended for a visit the cherry blossoms and in the evening could mix it up with a theat- to the Smithsonian” museums on the in this article, off the beaten path, in the rical performance in D.C. Petworth area of Washington. The National Mall instead, said Adams.

“The Kennedy Center is no longer the only place to go for theater,” Willard provides transportation to and The Hillwood Estate got 192 “excellent” said Torres, rattling off a list of smaller theaters including the Woolly and 36 “very good” ratings on Trip Advisor, from the cottage, which has only been Mammoth at 7th and D Streets, NW; Ford’s Theatre on 10th Street, and no negative ratings. Run as a nonprofit, open to the public since 2008. where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated; and Arena Stage, Hillwood charges a fee to enter unless For blossom buffs, the Willard offers which Torres described as “a world-class theater complex.” Arena you’re under 6 or a member.

“Cherry Blossom Afternoon Tea” in its Stage is located near the Waterfront Metro station in Southwest Peacock Alley with pastries and For the younger set and the young at Photo: Willard InterContinental Washington Washington.

Japanese-inspired savories, all against heart, Adams recommends a guided tour of Chiaki Adams, the concierge at the Ritz-Carlton in D.C., took time some of the eateries on Capitol Hill with When the weather becomes nice, Café du Parc’s outthe visual backdrop of blossoms and between phone calls with guests seeking advice on where to go, to DC Metro Food Tours. the “soothing sounds of koto, a tradidoor patio at the Willard InterContinental Washington give The Washington Diplomat some tips for where to go. tional Japanese stringed harp-like instru“A lot of young guests want to visit becomes packed with diners.

And like Torres,Adams says it all depends on the person, their age, ‘neighborhoods,’ not just Georgetown and ment” playing in the background. whether they’re traveling with little ones or solo, and what their Dupont Circle. I picked the tour of Capitol Hill for the great potential Reservations for afternoon tea can be made by calling (202) 637budget is.

7350, or for the Lincoln package at (202) 628-9100. for neighborhood color,” she said.

“A lot of people don’t want to wait in line but want to visit everyAdams went on the tour herself and was pleasantly surprised to be thing,” she said. taken off the main drag in Capitol Hill — Pennsylvania Avenue — and See Spring, page 26

Continued from previous page

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TRAVEL & HOTELS The Washington Diplomat

April 2013

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25

When Welcoming the Diplomatic Community The Choices Are Clear

“There’s a two-week span when the blossoms are at their most magnificent, and there are enough things to do in Washington — besides the blossoms — that everyone is guaranteed to have a wonderful time.”

— Hector Torres general manager of the Beacon Hotel and vice president of sales and marketing for Capital Hotels & Suites

from page 24

“They do something every year for the festival, but they’re worth taking the kids to any time during the year. I always recommend the National Building Museum to families.”

“They do something every year for the festiThe cherry trees that burst into bloom each spring in D.C. were a gift from Mayor Yukio Ozaki val, but they’re worth taking the kids to any time of Tokyo to the city of Washington, D.C.This year during the year. I always recommend the marks the 101st anniversary of the first trees’ National Building Museum to families.”

But the real cherry on the festival cake, as it planting by first lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinda, the wife of the Japanese ambassador in were, is the 53rd annual Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival on the last day of the 1912.

The first cherry blossom “festival” was held in three-week bloom watch. For $5 for those over age of 12, visitors the festival can eat, in spelling an 1927, when aAlthough group of American schoolchildren NOTE: every effort is made tothe assure your ad istofree of mistakes watch a kimono fashion show, meet re-enacted the planting of the trees. It has content it isfirst ultimately up todance, the customer to make the final proof. grown over time and today attracts more than 1 Japanese NASCAR racer Akinori Ogata, and million visitors to D.C., who rub shoulders with watch a shodo group as it dances and draws The first two faxed changes will be made at no cost to the advertiser, subsequent change the many locals who are rightly proud of the calligraphy on the street at the same time. will be billed at a rate of $75 per faxed alteration.

Signed adswant aretoconsidered And for those who don’t wait in line approved capital’s springtime flora.

This year, the National Cherry Blossom to get into the festival, tickets are available check this14ad any changes to your ad. www.sakuramatsuritickets.com.

Festival runsPlease from March 20 to April andcarefully. fea- online atMark tures everything from a kite festival on the to specialsign eventsand at the Smithsonian Karin Zeitvogel is a contributing writer changes IfNational the adMall is correct fax to: (301) 949-0065 needs for The Washington Diplomat. museums. try to spread events over (301) 933-3552 The“They Washington Diplomat the three weeks so that everyone can get out and enjoy the cherry blosFor more information on all the events associApproved __________________________________________________________ soms,” said Adams of the Ritz-Carlton, ated with the National Cherry Blossom Festival, who recommends the National Changes ___________________________________________________________ visit www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org.

Building Museum, near the Judiciary ___________________________________________________________________ Square Metro, for families.

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April 2013

[ travel ]

Move Over Paris A Quick Jaunt from Washington, Montreal Has Francophone Flair

by David Tobenkin

M

ontreal is a bit of France without crossing the Atlantic.The commercial and cultural capital of the Canadian province of Quebec, bounded by the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers, the city lies just 40 miles north of the U.S.-Canadian border and a one-hour flight from Washington, D.C. Average temperatures in the winter dip down to 22 degrees Fahrenheit, but in the spring and summertime, they range from a pleasant 65 degrees to 79 degrees, offering a temperate escape from Washington’s unpredictable spring and typically sweltering summer.

What awaits visitors is remarkable cuisine and couture, style, history and a francophone city where nearly everyone still speaks English — and, unlike Paris, doesn’t resent speaking it to help tourists.

If not a world capital in the league of Paris, Montreal has its own distinct advantages. Perhaps, most important, one won’t feel daunted by seeing all of the city’s A-list sights, a real dilemma for those visiting the City of Lights for brief jaunts. Everyone agrees on the top 10 to 15 tourist sights in Montreal and there is no Louvre-like blockbuster among them.

In a long weekend of three days, one can see many of the Montreal’s best sights, and — well-fed, well-entertained and well-rested — pledge to come back for those you missed. Finally, Montreal is just plain comfortable — just foreign enough to be interesting, yet similar to large North American cities.

Here are some highlights from our trip:

Photo: Alto as supplied by Tourisme Montréal

Above, the Bonsecours Terraces offer a spectacular vista of Old Montreal against the St. Lawrence River. At left, cafés and art shops dot the intersection of Saint-Paul and Commune Streets.

Saint-Paul at Olive and Gourmando restaurant, where we enjoyed a delicious pasta and bean salad with eggplant and pesto dressing for about $10, as well as one of the best tomato soups we’ve ever had, Day 1 with chipotle peppers, salsa verde and olive oil pooled on it. A glass Photo: Tourisme Montréal, Pierre-Luc Dufour Vieux-Montréal (Old Montreal) is the perof excellent pinot noir rounded out a first-class meal. We picked out a window corner fect part of town to set up camp, near many of the historic sights, retail areas, and close where we could watch romantic horse carriages amble by as we bit into the soup’s side to downtown.The city radiates outward from this original European settlement, a square of artisanal bread, which was perfectly crisped. warren of centuries-old buildings and narrow streets, many reclaimed from industrial use For dinner, we headed to a small bar on Rue Crescent, one of Montreal’s eating and and converted into condominiums, hotels or shops. bar hubs downtown, and discovered a surprisingly good Indian restaurant, Devi. We Le Petit Hôtel, where we stayed, is conveniently situated on Rue Saint-Paul, just blocks enjoyed piping-hot spinach-laden lamb saagwala, aloo gobi, a cauliflower and potato dish, from the gorgeous Basilique Notre-Dame Catholic church and the St. Lawrence River. Soft and butter chicken so sweet and good it almost qualified as dessert. down sheets, stylish rooms with exposed brick, and just enough distance from the business and tourists on the street below made the property an ideal choice.

A stunning centerpiece of Old Montreal, the Basilique Notre-Dame is a must-see. Day 2 Swearing off our meager breakfasts at home, we launched into our hotel’s lavish Designed by a Protestant architect who later converted to Roman Catholicism, the church features a ceiling of brilliant blue and gold stars and a nontraditional rectangular breakfast buffet, then headed past innumerable art galleries and up the block to a poster layout unlike the typical cross configuration of Roman Catholic ecclesiastic architecture. shop, L’Affichiste Vintage Poster Gallery, with beautiful vintage and reproduction postThe stained glass windows are remarkable for their scenes depicting the history of ers.

We walked to the nearby subway at Place d’Armes and zipped to Jardin Botanique, Montreal, rather than typical biblical imagery.

A couple of blocks away from the hotel is Pointe-à-Callière, Montreal’s Museum of the city’s botanical garden. The ride was almost as pleasant as the destination, with a Archaeology and History, a rarity that is both enlightening and educational. On the very clean, functioning subway system that featured cars running like clockwork every few spot of the museum, the fortress village of Ville-Marie was founded in 1642 and French minutes. There was no lurching, no track work, no unexpected schedule adjustments.

D.C. Metro — take note. colonists fought hand-to-hand battles against hostile Iroquois tribes.

Located some distance from the city center, near the futuristic 1976 Olympic Stadium, Nearby, in 1701, Louis-Hector de Callière led an enormous conference with numerous Indian tribes that ended for a considerable period the settlers’ conflict with the natives, which looms over the horizon like an abandoned Star Wars spaceship, Jardin Botanique highlighting the noticeably more progressive attitude of the French toward the indige- is a fantastic green expanse with a variety of themed gardens. They include a Japanese garden punctuated by tranquil ponds with well-fed koi, a sprawling Chinese garden nous tribes, as compared to the English and Spanish royal governments.

Quebec, formerly called New France, fell into British hands in 1760 at the conclusion highlighted by a palace-like Chinese pavilion decorated with somewhat kitschy paperof the French and Indian War, and its citizens were subjected to British mercantile mâché warriors, dragons and animals for an impending lantern festival, and a rose gardominance.The following century of British dominance left a curiously dualistic nature den that seems to stretch for blocks.

Lunch was at Marché Atwater, a block-long series of indoor and outdoor farmers’ marto the city, with many downtown streets named after British heroes, such as Lord Horatio Nelson, within a larger sea of French ones. Even the architectural styles are different, with kets located west of Old Montreal that feature gourmet food stalls with high-quality British buildings using square limestone blocks, while French ones use irregular field- produce, milk, meats, chocolates and other specialties. We bought duck terrine, fresh stones.

Pondering all that history makes for a healthy appetite. We had a late lunch on Rue Continued on next page

April 2013

TRAVEL & HOTELS

The Washington Diplomat

27

Continued from previous page bread and well-priced Pyrenees sheep cheese and enjoyed an impromptu picnic at one of the many open, immaculate tables. Another alternative would have been the larger and more famous open market, Marché Jean-Talon, which is a bit further out.

But Marché Atwater is close to the antique row along Rue du Notre-Dame, an up-andcoming neighborhood with trendy eateries and endless antique shops, many specializing in different goods, such as chandeliers and East Asian wares.

But back to food, which, of course, is always on the minds of most tourists. Fortunately Montreal is chock full of excellent restaurants. That night, we dined at Brasserie T!, the less expensive sibling to premier Montreal restaurant Toqué!. Located near the Place des Arts, the city’s central entertainment complex, Brasserie T! is perfectly situated for a fabulous meal before a night at the theater or symphony hall.We sat outside and watched a dazzling spectacle of red-and-white water fountains dancing to a computer-programmed cadence, as the rainbow of theater lights were reflected in the pools. It was a spectacular sight and meal — venison with truffles and baby carrots was only $27, and the flank steak $20. Our profiterole of incredibly rich chocolate over ice cream and brioche bread rivaled anything we’d ever had in France.

Altogether, the bill came to a reasonable $107.

We later slowly walked a few blocks to the House of Jazz, gorgeously decorated in the fashion of a 1920s speakeasy, but with a somewhat institutional air. Evenings in Montreal are also made for strolling, with all of the historic areas, such as Place d’Armes, beautifully illuminated. As a result, figures on the Maisonneuve Monument, which honors Paul de Chomedey, the founder of Montreal and its military defender, throw ominous, foreboding shadows across the pavement.

What awaits visitors to Montreal is remarkable cuisine and couture, style, history and a francophone city where nearly everyone still speaks English — and, unlike Paris, doesn’t resent speaking it to help tourists.

Day 3 A city tour of Old Montreal with Guidatours revealed the eastern portion of the old city.

I asked our tour guide René whether Quebec would secede from the rest of Canada, as it has nearly voted to do in the past, but René dismissed the constant political tug of war:“We

Photo: MTTQ / Linda Turgeon as supplied by Tourisme Montréal

Quebecers have everything, so nobody wants to withdraw.They Vieux-Montréal (Old Montreal) are just making noise.” is a hub of the city’s historic But the city is noisy — with a vibrant contemporary culture sights, restaurants and retail. that stands alongside its more traditional historic treasures.

While walking back to the hotel, we passed an artistic cooperative, L’Empreinte Coopérative, with lovely souvenirs crafted by local artists that were reasonably priced. After that, we perused gallery after gallery of striking original art.

Later, we headed downtown to the city’s premier museum of fine arts, the Musée des Beaux Arts de Montréal, home to an enormous collection. We had only a few hours before dinner, so we limited ourselves to the Bourgie Pavilion, which offers multiple floors detailing the evolution of Canadian art, from slavish imitation of European masters juxtaposed with the first Native American arts, all the way up to modern Canadian artists.

For a less high-minded diversion, there’s always shopping.A few blocks away is La Maison Ogilvy, a posh, pricey Old World-style department store. Examining gorgeous $600 leather winter jackets with fur collars, I was momentarily tempted to part with my beloved 15-yearold Eddie Bauer jacket, but somehow stayed true.

But we did splurge for our final night on a nine-course dinner at nearby Europea, one of the finest restaurants in the city. Inside, the exclusive, candle-lit tables were elegant and the service was impeccable, as they sped us through their prix-fixe menu so we could make our 8 p.m. symphony date.

We were spoiled with numerous surprises, including a delicious lobster and truffle bisque, as well as calamari cut like tagliatelle pasta, the tenderest version of that mollusk I have ever had, swimming in tiny salmon roe that approximated caviar.

At the end of this sublime experience, the waiter delivered another surprise — “for madame,” it was a basket full of delicate and buttery madeleine cookies.The waiter then turned to me.“And for monsieur,” he handed me an envelope with a dramatic pause and flourish — “Oh, I am sorry monsieur, this is the bill.”With a fair tip, it came to about $300, but was well worth the splurge.After all, as Downton Abbey’s dowager countess quipped on the hit TV show, “Nothing succeeds like excess.”

But with our symphony starting in 18 minutes, we were cast out from our gastronomic Eden.The recently constructed La Maison Symphonique de Montréal is breathtaking, featuring curved walls of golden Quebec beech with such outstanding acoustics that you can hear a pin drop. A triumphant performance by conductor Kent Nagano’s Photo: ourisme Montréal, Stéphan Poulin Montreal Symphony Orchestra of Mahler’s The Pointe-à-Callière, Montreal’s Museum Symphony No. 2 yielded three standing ovaof Archaeology and History, sits atop the tions. fortress village of Ville-Marie, where French We were tired but there was one final treat in colonists fought hand-to-hand battles store for us. It was Fashion Night Out just outside against hostile Iroquois tribes. the hotel room on Rue Saint-Paul, coinciding with the New York version.

The beautiful people — and the not quite as beautiful tourists — sashayed up and down for several blocks.A street artist used colored chalks to deconstruct the street into geometric forms, while shows also took place inside various industrial buildings.

But the aloof models, gorgeous as they were, stood in stark contrast to the warmth and down-to-earth appeal of everyday Montrealers.

This was, in fact, the overriding factor that made the trip a success: the people themselves.Throughout our visit, innumerable Montrealers asked us how we were enjoying the city. Returning to the inevitable Paris comparison, I cannot recall any Parisian ever asking me the same in my several trips there, the clear assumption being that you are enjoying that magnificent city and, if you are not, then the problem is clearly you.

But with Montreal, the constant vibe was,“Bienvenue, we hope you are enjoying it, and please come back soon!”We will.

David Tobenkin is freelance journalist in the greater Washington, D.C., area.

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TRAVEL & HOTELS The Washington Diplomat

April 2013

LIVING Green Envy L U X U R Y

■ A Special Section of The Washington Diplomat

■ April 2013

with

by Audrey Hoffer

‘Diplomatic Gardens’ Offers Lush Look at Privileged Backyards of Ambassadors

S

oon another glorious spring in the nation’s capital will break forth. Then the city will be in full bloom, and waves of people will flood the streets to enjoy the color, imbibe the fragrance, and bask in the botanical beauty of Washington, d.C. There are also many magnificent private gardens behind the residence walls of the ambassadors who call Washington home. Now, thanks to the imagination and keen eyes of a local couple, everyone can take a peek behind those walls with a coffee-table book laden with color photographs of these private gardens. “diplomatic gardens of Washington,” a photography book by Ann Stevens, with accompanying text written by her husband giles Kelly, is an exclusive glimpse at the stunning personal backyards of ambassadors. The horticultural photography book, released last year, features historical anecdotes and details about a dozen residences, ranging from Australia to France to South Korea.

GerminATion of An iDeA It all started in May 2007 on europe day, when the european union embassies in Washington hold annual open houses for the public.

Princess Irene tulips at the Royal Netherlands Residence

Continued on next page

PHoTo: ©ANN STeVeNS, dIPloMATIC gARdeNS oF WASHINgToN

LUXURY LIVING April 2013

The Washington Diplomat Page 29

and would they allow them to be photographed?

“Let’s write them letters introducing ourselves and our idea,” Stevens suggested — which they promptly did and not much later reached the surprising conclusion that 12 ambassadors were open to their project.

“Then we knew the idea was viable,” she said.

ripe ConDiTionS

PHoTo: ©ANN STeVeNS, dIPloMATIC gARdeNS oF WASHINgToN

Continued from previous page “We were at the Danish Embassy and the ambassador greeted us before the crowd came,” said Stevens, a professional photographer and co-author with her husband of the book “Sequoia Presidential Yacht.”“He took us onto the terrace balcony” at the back of the residence “and we could see the garden.”

Dwarf Alberta spruce trees in ceramic pots lined the flagstone terrace, which is bookended on one side by a wall of colorful bas-relief ceramic-sculpted birds native to Denmark. The lush space was also home to an expansive rose garden in which two grass strips cross in the center to mimic the cross in the Danish flag. Near one corner of the rose garden is a child’s life-size wood playhouse replete with a mini porch, front door, window boxes and a Danish flag flying over the roof.

The scene was breathtaking.

That’s when “we thought we should do a book about gardens,” said Kelly, a retired U.S. diplomat and naval officer.

One question led to another, such as how many ambassadors have gardens

One aim of the book “was to show the beauty and horticultural variety in these private gardens,” said Stevens, who consulted horticulturists to obtain the generic and Latin names of all the plants depicted.That way, if someone wants a certain specimen for their garden, the book can be useful resource, she said.

Another goal was to share these private gardens, which are not open to view, with the public.The couple knew firsthand that there is a lot of curiosity about embassy properties in D.C. “People want to know what’s over the garden wall,” said Kelly, who noted that even ambassadors are curious about how their neighbors live. Several of the envoys who escorted them on embassy property tours expressed enthusiasm about seeing the gardens of colleagues.“I’ll be looking in your book,” more than one said.

“These aren’t just ordinary gardens,” Kelly added.“They are part of the infrastructure of the ambassador’s residence,” offering a wonderful retreat for entertainment, relaxation and contemplation.

The photographer-writer team juggled three equally important variables as they planned their garden visits:The light had to be right — not too bright, not too cloudy and no rain.

Second, the garden had to be in pristine condition, with full blooms of select flowers and grass free of remnants from the previous evening’s entertainment. Finally, the day and time needed to be convenient for the ambassador and embassy staff.

PHoTo: ©ANN STeVeNS, dIPloMATIC gARdeNS oF WASHINgToN Ultimately, all the conditions came together, as evidenced by the more than At left, a stone pagoda graces the South Korean ambassador’s residence, while a pine cone sculpture stands in the courtyard of the Holy See ambassador’s residence, above.

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Gardens 160 glossy prints in the finished book, which featured the residences of Australia, Denmark, the European Union, France, Germany, the Holy See, Italy, South Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Still, the best-laid plans can always go astray.

“Everyone was cooperative and generous within our parameters,” said Stevens, though they still laugh about one surprise they found in one garden when they showed up on the appointed date, which happened to be a Monday.

A performing arts event was held over the preceding weekend and as a result the lawn was not in tip-top shape, to put it mildly, and flowers edging the lawn had been completely trampled.

Stevens knew she wanted to showcase the space and structure of the garden in its entirety, not just with a couple of plant close-ups.“So we had to wait another year” for all the flowers to fully bloom again, she said,“but when I got what I wanted, it was worth the wait.”

Abundance of Character The gardens that Stevens captured with her camera lens are spacious, light-drenched, dotted with grand old trees, and landscaped with beautiful and abundant annuals and perennials. A mix of trees, shrubs and bordering flowers are integrated with lawn, slate patios, ponds and even flowing water. At every site, distinct features make that garden special. Some are classic and grand, while others are contemporary and restrained.

The sprawling Italian Residence, known as Villa Firenze, boasts a swimming pool with bathhouse and marble benches. A splendid old American elm, unusual for its large size because most elms died years ago from Dutch elm disease, keeps watch over the vast property.

Meanwhile, on the Swedish grounds, a small Photo: ©Ann Stevens, Diplomatic Gardens of Washington greenhouse and a wooden swing hanging from an oak tree overlook that wide lawn.

“Diplomatic Gardens of Washington” features At the European Union Residence, four life-size photographs of a dozen ambassadorial residences.

Photo: ©Ann Stevens, Diplomatic Gardens of Washington

Above, the European Union ambassador’s residence features a fountain, while the Australian ambassador’s residence is home to saucer magnolia trees and golden euonymus shrubs, below.

stone statues, dubbed “the Four Seasons,” depict Greco-Roman women in gracious stateliness and flowing robes, each standing beneath an arched niche in the garden’s pink back wall.

A marble terrace staircase leads from the rear of the French Residence to a semicircular lawn edged with hydrangeas that vary in color across a blue-white-pink spectrum, depending on the changing acidity of the soil.

From high up on the flag stone terrace of the modern German Residence is a gorgeous view of the Potomac River and Rosslyn, Va. The architectural theme of Germany’s ambassadorial home is a repeating motif of squares that appears wherever the eye lands — on the stone walkways, the border around the pool, and even the windowpanes.

The Vatican’s Embassy, edging busy Massachusetts Avenue across from the U.S. vice president’s residence, is also the site of the residence garden. Situated behind the house is a quiet and secluded sanctuary, as one would expect. Two bronze deer are exquisite in their repose on the lawn. A rust-colored statue of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and nature, stands in one corner of the garden while a bas-relief wall sculpture of the Madonna and Child graces a stonewall.

An aura of Asian exoticness pervades the Korean ambassador’s garden, the only one with flowing water. The garden is built on multiple levels and follows the land contours; pathways curve gently and water flows from upper-toPhoto: ©Ann Stevens, Diplomatic Gardens of Washington lower areas of the garden into pools topped with water lilies.

“The Korean people have a great respect for and love of nature,” noted Kelly.

“I love the varying textures of the plants, the granite and stone, the wooden pavilion, and the stone pagoda and the stream that runs through,” said Stevens.

Two playful cherubs decorate the basin of a twirling pedestal fountain in the residence garden of the Netherlands.And a delightful surprise lies nearby as the egg of a little white mourning — Giles Kelly dove egg nestles among the wine-colored panwriter for “Diplomatic Gardens sies in a planter. of Washington” Certainly one of the most unusual features found in the book was a 60-foot-long, six-footwide lap pool at Norway’s embassy residence. Covered by a roof overhang and running along the interior of the privacy wall abutting the 34th Street traffic corridor, it serves the fitness needs of embassy staff in summer and winter.

Norway’s tucked-away pool is a prime example of the richness that lies just outside public view.“Diplomatic Gardens” offers a window into the secrets that lie just behind those walls.

The nation’s capital, of course, is home to many architectural gems. But the ambassador residences have added another layer of treasures, both in visual aesthetics and botanical value, to the city’s history and heritage. Stevens and Kelly shed light on these offerings in a book that proves beauty knows no bounds.

“People want to know what’s over the garden wall….

These aren’t just ordinary gardens.”

Audrey Hoffer is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

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April 2013

LUXURY LIVING April 2013

The Washington Diplomat Page 33

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LUXURY LIVING The Washington Diplomat

April 2013

culture & arts

■ WWW.WASHDIPLOMAT.COM

entertainment

■ APRIL 2013

DIPLOMATIC SPOuSES

Ritva Koukku-Ronde and her scientist husband have perfected their own formula for balancing the demands of career, children and diplomacy. PAGE 37

ART

Three’s Company The Phillips Collection reveals how abstract expressionist Jackson Pollack was heavily influenced by two other important, if less well-known, purveyors of the form: Alfonso Ossorio and Jean Dubuffet. PAGE 38

ART

Depth Down Under Australia conjures images of kangaroos and the Sydney Opera House, but you won’t see either at the current exhibit on display at the embassy — and that’s precisely the point. PAGE 39

FESTIVALS

EvEryday

Finnish-Dutch Chemistry

Design Industrial design may not exactly have an artistic ring to it, but the first-ever Washington, DC International Design Festival hopes to change that impresimpression, revealing how everyday items from toothbrushes to cars are being shaped by contemporary designers who make function fun. PAGE 36

DININg

FILM REVIEWS

Jardenea is a breath of fresh air tucked away inside the revitalized Melrose Hotel. PAGE 42

“War Witch” is a spellbinding tale of African child soldiers enduring the unimaginable. PAGE 44

[ festivals ]

Built by Design First-Ever Festival Showcases Innovation of Industrial design

by Stephanie Kanowitz

H

ave you ever considered why a doorknob is shaped a certain way or why drawers open in only one direction?

Douglas Burton thinks you should.That’s why he curated the first-ever Washington, DC International Design Festival highlighting achievements in contemporary industrial design.

“I think many people don’t know what industrial design is,” said Burton, co-owner of Apartment Zero, a Washingtonbased design studio, retail space and gallery that helps industrial designers worldwide showcase their works and concepts through collaborations with area embassies, museums and universities.“When I heard the words ‘industrial design,’ I thought of something that was made in industry, something that was made out of metal or glass, but it encompasses so many of the things we use and touch and see every single day.”

Industrial design applies to everything from toothbrushes to cars. It combines science and aesthetics to improve these everyday products and entice people to use, keep and admire them.

“I believe that industrial design has become kind of a new art. In every single art magazine or fashion magazine, there’s always a design spread — whoever the new hot star architect is or whoever the new hot product designer is,” said Burton, who partnered with Artisphere, an arts venue in Arlington, Va., to present the festival.“Before, most people would just buy a generic object. Now I think people are seeking out products designed specifically by famous industrial designers” such as Philippe Starck and Jasper Morrison.

Photos: MorgAn hoWArth / WWW.MorgAnhoWArth.coM The festival, which runs through May 19, is produced in collaboration with the embassies of Italy and Spain The centerpiece of the and their cultural arms. In addition to a series of free Washington, Dc International public programs, the main attraction is “The Next Wave: Design Festival is “the next Industrial Design Innovation in the 21st Century,” a Wave: Industrial Design 4,000-square-foot exhibition at Artisphere featuring 150 Innovation in the 21st products made since 2000 in 15 countries, including century,” a 4,000-square-foot Spain, Italy, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, exhibition at Artisphere the Netherlands and the United States. Pieces include featuring 150 products made lighting, tabletops, furniture, textiles, products, electronsince 2000 in 15 countries. ics, house wares, tools and interactive designs. The objects were selected to explore themes such as ecoThere are four trademarks of Italian design, Manai said: details, the marriage of handifriendly design, functionality, minimalism, the conceptual craft and technology, experimentation in materials, and simplicity. “In an Italian design and the avant-garde.

Three items to look out for, Burton said, are a set of dresser drawers called “Raw Edges” object, there are no secondary parts. Every detail is designed and worked on as any other, by the British design and manufacturing company Established and Sons that can be pulled even if it is mostly hidden,” Manai explained.“The cycle of life of a piece of furniture, for out either from the front or back because of a column hidden down the piece’s center; example, was not measured on ever-changing trends, but on generations.”

Corral defines Spanish industrial design as inventive and playful.“Spanish designers love “Big Bang,” a tall, totem pole-style lamp made by the American firm RUX Design, which carved out recycled wood and put in tiny LED lights; and U.S.-made BioLite Stoves that can to look at daily objects and transform them in ways that are stunning, surprising and aesbe used to safely cook with wood indoors because they convert heat to electricity that thetically pleasing, [as] opposed to other schools of design that are more interested in the technological or utilitarian aspects.” can power something else, such as LED lights or a mobile phone.

“I think Americans are much more interested in craftsmanship,” Burton observed.“They “Design, particularly contemporary furniture design, is very important in Spain,” said Guillermo Corral, cultural counselor at the Spanish Embassy. “Big names such as Patricia really want to show that this piece is being handmade, [with] solid woods and honest raw materials like wood and metal and leather.”

Urquiola and Jaime Hayon as well as a number of small comTo explore his theory, the panel discussion “Oh Say panies produce very innovative and exciting pieces. A show The Washington, DC International Can’t You See: What Happened to American Design?” like this is a great way of introducing the American public to Design Festival will take place April 20 at 5 p.m. at Artisphere. Other a key aspect of Spanish creativity.” events include a May 15 talk with Italian industrial For Italy, the festival is also a cultural bridge.“Design is one through May 19 designer Roberto Palomba. field where Italy has given a great contribution, and it is an Artisphere In addition to the exhibition, the festival includes an example of how economy and fine arts can go hand in hand,” 1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va. online competition called “Juxtaposed: An Interactive said Alberto Manai, director of the Italian Cultural Institute.

For more information, please call (703) 875-1100 or Photo Contest,” in which entrants take two or more Indeed, Burton said it is easy to distinguish countries’ signavisit www.artisphere.com or www.apartmentzero.com. seemingly disparate yet relatable products and put ture styles. them together in an unusual way, such as a lawn mower “When you think of Italian design, most people think of something that’s elegant, that’s sophisticated, it’s very minimal, it’s something that’s going over a shag rug or a can opener opening a crystal vase, Burton said. First prize nets designed to be very clean and functional and simple,” he said.“I call it super minimalism. $500.

In the past,Apartment Zero has featured one-person exhibitions, but Burton decided to It’s so elegant, it’s so beautiful, but they achieve so much with so little.

“The Dutch, on the other hand, are all about whimsy, and they love design that is offbeat expand this time around. “There are so many incredible things being designed that I and a little jaded here and there — things that are conceptual — so it’s the idea behind thought if I could pull from many different areas, I could expose people to more unusual the design that’s much more important than the finished product,” he added. “Yes, they and interesting things that then will end up as conversation pieces.” want it to be functional, but they also want it to be unusual and they want to make you think when you look at it.”

Stephanie Kanowitz is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

[

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April 2013

[ diplomatic spouses ]

Down to a Science Finnish-Dutch Couple Perfect Their Work-Life Formula

by Gail Scott

“T

imes have changed,” said Dr. Hidde organizations together to promote Finland’s Ronde, the Dutch husband of economic relations and its national brand.

Ritva Koukku-Ronde, Finland’s first Ronde started working at VTT in 1994, female ambassador to Washington. traveling to Vietnam to consult on energy “The other night, we were singing efficiency and energy auditing.“In Vietnam, I happy birthday in Finnish and Dutch also coordinated the European Union’s demto Elsa, our 17-year-old younger onstration, project ENERFISH, which prodaughter who’s doing her International duced biodiesel from fish waste. Combining Baccalaureate here at Washington our careers at that time was sometimes International School.We were on Skype with quite challenging.” her older sister, 25-year-old Emma, who is Another time was when he was a docent doing her medical internship at the prestiat the Delft University of Technology, the gious medical school at the Leiden University. largest and oldest public technical university We were singing in Finnish and Dutch and in the Netherlands, where Ronde studied then a friend called in to join us from enhanced oil recovery for another EU projGermany, singing to her in German! ect. At a different point in their careers, he “Skype makes all this possible to stay in studied the Baltic Sea and then traveled to touch with your friends and family, Facebook Kenya for the United Nations Environmental too,” Ronde continued. “All the modern Program and the Global Environmental social media gives the solution of making Monitoring System. the world a smaller place for diplomatic Ronde gave a lecture in D.C. in 1992 at families and other family members and the Washington Convention Center and his friends who live all over the globe.” wife made several business trips to New As much as times have changed, however, York, but otherwise Washington is fairly new the fundamentals of hard work and study are to the couple. In addition to his work with as important as ever to this highly educated VTT, Ronde does his best as a diplomatic diplomatic couple. spouse (and one of only about two dozen In Washington, Ronde says, “I’m the only ambassadorial husbands in town) to particione on the homework team. It’s not so easy pate in functions and clubs when he can. to teach your own children. However, when Prior to coming to Washington in 2011, they finish their IB, they are so well trained Koukku-Ronde was undersecretary of state they can go straight from IB to medical or at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she law school.” also served as director-general of the The children certainly have a well-qualiDepartment for Development Policy and fied teacher. Ronde earned a Ph.D. in solid deputy director-general of the European state chemistry from Utrecht University in Affairs Department. Before that period in Photo: Darren S Higgins the Netherlands. To a layman, his CV reads Helsinki, she was deputy chief of mission at like an index of the outer fringes of science: theoretical the Finnish Embassies in Germany, The Hague and chemistry, chemical physics, upstream energy, reservoir Kenya.

Times have changed…. engineering, coal gasification, enhanced oil recovery and She began her Foreign Service career in the Press and fuel cell modeling, among other specialties.

Culture Section of the Foreign Affairs Ministry in 1985 All the modern social media gives His wife, who holds a master’s degree in history from after working as a freelance writer. She financed her unithe solution of making the world a the University of Tampere in Finland, has worked in the versity studies in part through her writing, helping out at Ministry of Foreign Affairs for nearly 30 years. the Finnish Embassy in The Hague as an archivist and smaller place for diplomatic families secretary to the ambassador.

Throughout their two careers, he has at times worked away from his wife and other times found opportunities “We always laugh that she began in The Hague as secto be in the same city. Today, Ronde is working in and other family members and friends retary to the ambassador. Then, she went to diplomacy Washington as a director for the 70-year-old VTT Technical school. So she began as a secretary and ended up as the who live all over the globe.

Research Centre of Finland, which offers high-end technoundersecretary,” Ronde joked, showing a hardy sense of logical solutions and innovation services to improve its humor.

— Dr. Hidde Ronde clients’ competitiveness.

Ronde, in fact, has been by his wife’s side practically husband of Finnish Ambassador Ritva Koukku-Ronde “I am assisting in establishing the East Coast business since the start of her career.They met 33 years ago.“I was plan that will focus on bio economics…. You can call me traveling with a buddy on holiday in Finland. We went to the East Coast scout,” he explained, noting that the center a restaurant where they had dancing. And, she was there. I asked her to dance and to has rented space from the Finnish Embassy. dinner,” he recalled with a wide smile.“I was 29 and she was 23.”

“We have 3,000 academics involved in the Helsinki area to work in bio-tech, energy “I had taken a break from work,” he said.“We were about 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, and pulp and paper with digital information systems. In addition to paper, the forest north of Helsinki in Lahti. I was just about to start at Delft,” which was about an hour’s industry can create high-tech, added-value wood products as performance chemicals commute from Amsterdam. based on lignocellulose [plant dry matter].This is a new era for innovative uses. After all, “I had a normal holiday — four weeks — and we had a good time.After that, we wrote Finland is covered with forests, about 80 percent of the land, and with good management, a lot to each other and finally she decided she could finish her master’s thesis in the amount of wood even increases.”

Amsterdam.”

VTT, a nonprofit, is the largest multi-technological-applied research organization in At the time, she was also freelance writing.“I remember one story she was supposed Northern Europe, with centers all over the world, including California, Brazil, South Korea, to do on the Greenpeace boat. But that didn’t work out so well. She got terribly seasick.

China, Japan, Russia and Belgium.

See spouses, page 43 This research is part of “Team Finland,” a government initiative that brings various

“

”

April 2013

The Washington Diplomat Page 37

[ art ]

Three of a Kind Trio of abstract Expressionists in ‘angels, demons, and Savages’

by Michael Coleman

I

n American art circles, Wyoming-born Jackson Pollock is widely considered one of the most influential of all the abstract expressionists.

The artist’s mercurial brilliance, evidenced by the wild physical action of his paint-splattered canvasses, is the stuff of legend — and multimillion-dollar sales at auctions Photo: the PollocK-KrA PollocK-KrAsner -Kr sner FounDAtIon -KrA FounDAt DA Ion / ArtIsts rIghts socIety, neW yorK DAt around the world.

But a stunning new exhibition at the Phillips Collection reveals that Pollock’s own abstract expressionism was heavily influenced by two other important — if less well-known — purveyors of the form: American artist and patron Alfonso Ossorio and French painter Jean Dubuffet.

The Phillips Collection explores the close and mutually beneficial relationship among the three men in fascinating detail with its latest exhibition, “Angels, Demons, and Savages: Pollock, Ossorio, Dubuffet.”

Featuring 55 paintings and works on paper from 1945 to 1958, the exhibition illuminates a key moment in postwar art and reunites dozens of works by Pollock and Dubuffet from Ossorio’s collection for the first time since their dispersal after his death in 1990.

While Pollock’s work is instantly recognizable and typically satisfying, and Dubuffet’s exemplifies Photo: Allen MeMorIAl Art MuseuM / ArtIsts rIghts socIety, neW yorK / ADAgP, PArIs the “art brut” (raw art) style he invented, Ossorio’s Alfonso ossorio’s “Perpetual sacrifice,” much less celebrated paintings steal the show. Born left, Jean Dubuffet’s “corps de dame – in Manila in 1916 to wealthy Filipino parents, château d’Étoupe (Body of a lady – stuffed Ossorio attended boarding school in England and castle),” above, and Jackson Pollock’s 1951 later the United States, where he attended Harvard “untitled,” top, are among 55 works by the University and eventually settled in the Hamptons, three abstract expressionists on view in N.Y., in 1951.

“Angels, Demons, and savages: Pollock, The deep-pocketed tastemaker entered the art ossorio, Dubuffet.” world as a collector and was a serious patron of both Pollock and Dubuffet. But he also became a Photo: nAtIonAl gAllery oF Art serious painter in his own right, as the Phillips exhi“Number 3” lacks Pollock’s signature splashes of color, bition very ably demonstrates.

Angels, Demons, and Savages: but it is among the most primal and powerful paintings in Ossorio was the central figure among the trio, as an early pollock, ossorio, Dubuffet the exhibition. Simultaneously kinetic, angry and sexy, advocate of Pollock and a close friend of Dubuffet, whose art through May 12 “Number 3” is a powerful testament to Pollock’s passionOssorio collected and prominently displayed in his elegant ate brilliance. but frequently festive Hamptons home. phillips Collection Pollock’s “Untitled” has a similar brute force, and in the “Perpetual Sacrifice” — an ink, wax and watercolor on 1600 21st st., nW abstraction the viewer discerns a whirling dervish of canvas that’s perhaps Ossorio’s most celebrated work — For more information, please call (202) 387-2151 action, or maybe even a barroom brawl, as an outstretched receives front-and-center treatment in the Phillips exhibition, or visit www.phillipscollection.org. arm races across the canvas. and for good reason. The painting is an explosion of compliDubuffet’s work, by contrast to Ossorio’s and Pollock’s, cated color. Like many of Ossorio’s works,“Perpetual Sacrifice” plays on religious themes and Christian iconography, as the Catholic artist uses intricate is more rudimentary, even drab. Dubuffet doesn’t do messy, marvelous color, preferring orange, red and black strokes to create an abstract image of a human form with an exag- instead blunt forms, earth tones and textures on the canvas.That is not to say the Dubuffet gerated heart, at which small figures in black seem to be attempting to claw and tear. works on display here are boring — far from it.

“Corps de Dame Jaspe,” or “Marbleized Body of a Lady” — oil and sand on canvas from Meanwhile, tiny faces of angst and sorrow pepper the remainder of the canvas.

Ossorio’s “Advent,” a work of oil and enamel on canvas, employs a similar abstract 1950 — depicts the abstract, naked body of a woman, but there is nothing sexual or sensuhuman form at its center, but for all the apparent chaos happening on the multicolored ous about the form. Instead it’s a strange, rich, even mad topography that leaves the viewer disconcerted and disoriented. canvas, a deceptive symmetry exists.

Dubuffet’s “La Maison Abandonnée” — translated to “abandoned house” — conjures a Meanwhile,“Red Family” — perhaps the most arresting of all of the Ossorio works on display here — features a large, sprawling, almost octopus-like figure, presumably a melancholy response with its dark browns and oddly tactile surfaces.The French artist was mother, seeming to shepherd her young children. But the canvas has a nightmarish qual- fascinated as a child by illustrations of mentally ill patients and that darkness permeates ity to it, with its blood red and deep black colors implying something almost painful. his work.

“Angels, Demons, and Savages” is a fitting and fascinating tribute to the “savage” style of Childlike figures seem to be pressing out against the canvas. In viewing the dense treatDubuffet, the “angelic” iconography of Ossorio and the “demonic” gestural force that perment of the paints, one can certainly sense the presence of Pollock’s influence.

While Ossorio’s work is the revelation here, Pollock’s presence in the exhibition is meates Pollock’s timeless art. keenly felt, as well. Pollock’s “Number 3” is a fierce representation of the period in the early 1950s that has become known as Pollock’s “black paintings.”

Michael Coleman is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

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[ art ]

Unconventional ‘Points’ australian Embassy aims to dispel down Under Clichés st / KAlIMAnrAWlIns, KKAlIMAnrAW nr lIns, MelBourne AnD gAllery 9, syDney nrAW Photo: the ArtIst

by Audrey Hoffer

A

ustralia conjures images of kangaroos and the Sydney Opera House, but you will not see either at the current art exhibit on display at the embassy — and that is precisely the point of the show.

“There are no koalas, but at the same time the works have an Australian attitude and influence,” said Bree Pickering, curator of “Seven Points (part one),” the exhibition series that opened in February.

Instead, Pickering showcases pieces by three contemporary Australian artists — Marley Dawson, Anna Kristensen and Angelica Mesiti — created while each was residing outside their country. Consequently, there is a global context to the art that is both cutting edge yet inherently Australian.

“In the United States, ‘Seven Points’ will offer a fresh and nuanced view of Australian contemporary culture,” said Australian Ambassador Kim Beazley.

“Marley’s work, for example, is poetic but also kind of funny,” Pickering explained.“It’s as if he announces,‘I’m going to make a big sculpture and it will have noise and be playful.’”

Pickering is describing Marley Dawson’s inclined conveyor belt with rollers, the largest attraction in the small embassy gallery.The structure resembles a miniature roller coaster built at roughly waist height on which an open wood box containing a bunch of tumbleweed goes round and round Photo: the ArtIst / AnnA schWArtz gAllery, AustrAlIA and up and down in an endless loop. Occasionally, the From top, Anna Kristensen’s “christmas Bush,” box goes off-track and stops.Then a kindly guest, castAngelica Mesiti’s “some dance to remember, some ing furtive glances, throws out an arm to gently tap dance to forget,” and Marley Dawson’s “untitled the box back into place. (salsola tragus)” are among the works in “seven “That’s great,” said Dawson, when told that people touch the art and actually move it, not typically an Points,” a two-part exhibition on contemporary accepted policy in art galleries.“We didn’t ask anyone Australian art organized by the embassy. to do that. The box usually sorts itself out. But the an aperture to look through from the gallery space stopping makes people anxious so they help start it.” into another, pictorial, and symbolically natural Dawson, 31, is interested in society’s daily grind, the space, which speaks about both architecture and getting up and going through the same routines every landscape,” she said of “Christmas Bush” and day. “The endless cycles” of our life, he said, “are the “Drumsticks and Hebe,” both hanging in the starting point for a lot of my work.” exhibit.

Tumbleweed is the American component of that In “Drumsticks and Hebe,” the central image, a work. The well-known Australian artist moved to flower arrangement painted on a stretched linen Washington a year ago and set up a studio in the Photo: the ArtIst / roslyn oxley 9, syDney canvas sits wedged in a corner of the gallery, surBloomingdale neighborhood. rounded by an un-stretched, shaped painting on A cross-cultural undercurrent runs through all of Seven points (part one) polyester that is adhered to the walls and wraps around the the pieces. Angelica Mesiti’s video in a gallery anteroom through April 12 corner.The resulting to-and-fro illusion either recedes beyond covers an entire wall with the image of an Algerian man or comes forward from the frame. singing the Eagles’ hit song “Hotel California” in Arabic to embassy of Australia Gallery “I’m giving a different take on the traditional way of lookthe accompaniment of his own music. Mohammed 1601 Massachusetts Ave., nW ing at paintings,” she said, in reference to her incorporation Lamourie is a vision-impaired street performer photoFor more information, please call (202) 797-3383 of the gallery’s architecture into the work. “It’s not static. graphed by Mesiti in Paris, where she lives. or visit www.usa.embassy.gov.au.

Viewers are required to move around the gallery space to Growing up in a diverse Sydney neighborhood, Mesiti, experience the work and its shifting nature.”

36, has a keen eye for cultural performance as an expresShe added:“I’m interested in the coexistence of the abstract and the representational sion of everyday life.The singer piqued her interest when she came upon him performing in the one image.” in the Paris subway.

“Seven Points (part one)” runs through April, while the second series of the exhibit will “He’s a poor street performer who most people walked past and ignored,” Pickering said. But he seemed familiar to Mesiti because many people looked like him in the streets open later this summer and feature four other Australian artists who have been working or are in residency programs in North America, Asia or Europe. where she grew up and she felt a connection.

Throughout its 2013 cultural programming, the embassy will be showcasing contemMesiti’s artistic video is a grand synthesis — an Australian image of an Algerian man in Paris singing an American song translated into Arabic. “Contemporary ideas flowing porary Australian art, eschewing more traditional representations of the country.

Organizers hope the effort, which dovetails past exhibitions that focused on indigenous through contemporary art is emblematic of the show,” said Pickering.

Painter Anna Kristensen, 29, also synthesizes opposing ideas.“I play with spatial depth art, will give Americans a new perspective on the up-and-coming talent from the land in my paintings by contrasting the illusionary or perspectival image space inherent to down under.

“There’s a kind of Australian confidence in all the works,” said Pickering, the curator. figurative images, with the relatively shallow space relationships created by interacting “They have an element of play and a bit of cheekiness.” flat colors, shapes and patterns,” she explained on the phone from the West Coast.

Kristensen paints Japanese-style Ikebana arrangements of Australian wildflowers and surrounds them with an abstract painted frame.“My intent for these works was to create Audrey Hoffer is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

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[ art ]

Colonizing New Ground Led by anna ancher, Skagen Community Found Place in art World

by Gary Tischler

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[ Page 40

anish painter Anna Ancher is not exactly a household name in the United States, but it’s well worth getting acquainted with her — and her colony of artists — courtesy of a large exhibition at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

The show came riding into town as part of Nordic Cool 2013 at the Kennedy Center, a sweeping festival celebrating the culture of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, as well as Greenland, the Faroe Islands and the Áland Islands (also see February 2013 culture cover of The Washington Diplomat).

But the exhibition “A World Apart: Anna Ancher and the Skagen Art Colony” stands apart from the crowd of events at the Kennedy Center.

Likewise,Anna Ancher (1859-1935) herself stands apart and, it’s fair to say, a little above the rest of her peers whose works are included in the display.

That display features 41 paintings and oil sketches by Ancher and more than 20 by artists from the Skagen Art Colony, located in Ancher’s native hometown of the same name, a small coastal village at the tip of Denmark’s remote Jutland peninsula.The community was home to well-known artists such as P.S. Krøyer and Laurits Tuxen, as well as Ancher’s husband Michael.

The Anchers, by virtue of the fact that Anna’s parents owned the only inn and restaurant in Skagen, were integral figures in the artist colony, whose members were attracted to the rural, rugged qualities of the land, where fishing was a dominant economic activity.

The colony also served as a haven from the encroachment of urban life and industrial development.Against this sleepy yet serene backdrop, Ancher and other Skagen painters embraced a late-19th-century aesthetic called “modern breakthrough” — a break from tradition that didn’t abandon it altogether.

And of all the painters who stayed at the colony, it was Ancher whose works feel the most modern, most daring, and most influenced by the roiling tides of impressionism and postimpressionism, the marks of which can clearly be seen in the color and light that illuminate her subjects.

The artists who migrated to Skagen — Carl Locher, Viggo Johansen, Christian Krohg, among others, from 1870 to the early 1880s — were all influenced by ongoing movements and changes in the art world, trying to escape the neoclassical style of the academies in Denmark and Europe, while learning about realist, impressionist and symbolist styles prevalent elsewhere.

As a result, the paintings in the exhibition aren’t easy to categorize, clustered as they are around thematic sections such as interiors, portraits, the great outdoors and coastal fishing. But one category is clear: Ancher herself, the lone A World Apart: Anna Ancher woman and the lone local native and the Skagen Art Colony among the group.

Her husband Michael was a differthrough May 12 ent sort of painter, though it’s clear national Museum of Women in the Arts the two were a close-knit couple, not 1250 new york Ave., nW so much joined at the hip artistically, For more information, please call (202) 783-5000 but joined by a mutual devotion, respect or visit www.nmwa.org. and appreciation for each other’s work.

For instance, when Anna bore their first child, her former teacher at a private art school (women were not allowed to attend the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen), a man named Peter Vilhelm Carl Kyhn, suggested that she should quit painting and attend to her most important task of being a mother. Her husband vehemently defended her.

Michael Ancher was particularly interested in depicting fishermen at work, and his

The Washington Diplomat

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Photos: sKAgens MuseuM

Anna Ancher’s “harvesters,” above, and “Portrait of mother (Mrs. Ane Brøndum),” bottom, along with her husband Michael’s “Fishermen launching a rowing boat” are among the paintings by the skagen Art colony on display at the national Museum of Women in the Arts as part of nordic cool 2013.

energetic, gritty and powerfully realistic paintings stand out in the display. In contrast, softer, more traditional elements of color and brushwork seep into his wife’s paintings of parlors, portraits of women and families, and the countryside.

Yet even though she tended to depict quieter, more humble scenes, Anna Ancher discovered something the others had not: that color and light and their power in tandem make the subjects of her paintings, while less detailed, more emotionally real.

In the evocative “Harvesters,” for instance, the billowing colors of yellow grain and blue sky seem to empower the movement of the three figures.

Likewise, Ancher’s portraits, especially two remarkable paintings of her mother as well as of her husband at an easel, drive to the heart of the matter and the soul of the subject, even though facial details all but disappear.

But in the section called breakthroughs, her true calling comes through — color and light overwhelm and overtake her work, eventually veering into almost total abstraction in one case. The result is a style that in some places recalls Henri Matisse’s most blinding and joyful work. The colors and light that Ancher captures, whether of the evening sun or a blue wall, shine as the true subjects, energizing her paintings and no doubt inspiring her colony compatriots.

It’s not so much that Ancher was better than her fellow artists, many of whom received more training than her, but her restrained yet illuminating canvases clearly set her apart. She broke the mold, all while staying put in the place she called not a colony, but a home.

Gary Tischler is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

April 2013

Mr. & Mrs. Michael Capretti Riea and Steve Lainoff The Mullenholz Family Rick and Myrna Toren Vinfolio

April 2013

The Washington Diplomat Page 41

[ dining ]

Hidden Garden Jardenea’s Farm-to-Fork Approach Checks in to Rejuvenate Melrose

by Rachel G. Hunt

T

here is a well-kept secret in Foggy Bottom.Tucked away in an inconspicuous corner of the newly renovated Melrose Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, Jardenea is a talented newcomer that’s plating out beautiful and flavorful dishes for lucky hotel guests and local diners who have discovered the secret.

When Remington Hospitality Services undertook its distinctive revamp of the Melrose Hotel near Georgetown, they set out to create a restaurant that matched the elegantly chic new feel of the boutique property. To do that, they brought in a team from their One Ocean Resort and Spa in Atlantic Beach, Fla. Culinary Director Ted Peters and executive chef Nate Lindsay, previously from Azurea, the acclaimed restaurant at One Ocean, hope to repeat their success in Washington by making Jardenea a refuge for hotel guests and a destination dining spot for area residents.

Though newcomers to D.C., Peters and Lindsay are well versed in the slow food paradigm prevalent in Washington fine dining.They describe Jardenea’s farm-to-fork take on the concept as “inventive, current and conscientious.” (Jardenea derives its name from the French word for garden, jardin.)

The menu sections called Farm, Fields, Flight and Fins showcase ingredients obtained from local and regional sources that are preferably organic and environmentally sustainable. Chef Lindsay explained that he works with area producers to get what he needs for planned dishes and creates new dishes that highlight what they have available. He acknowledges that sometimes ingredients for a specific dish are not available locally, in which case he looks for sources from outside the area that are produced organically and sustainably. While it is obvious that many farm-to-table restaurants cannot solely rely on locally sourced ingredients, it is nice to see a chef being refreshingly honest about that point.

Seasonality is a key part of the slow food concept, and Lindsay incorporates it on two levels. He uses seasonally available ingredients whenever possible but also builds dishes that are appropriate to the season, and varies the menu accordingly. Currently on the Fields section of the menu, for example, is a rich garnet yam gnocchi prepared with Meadow Creek Dairy Grayson cream (a semi-soft goat milk cheese out of southwestern Virginia), cippolini onions and toasted pecans. With a slight sweetness and hint of cinnamon, the dish has an almost festive feel that is perfect for chilly, wet weather. Although warmer weather will be welcome, it will be a pity to see the gnocchi go when the menu changes to feature spring dishes.

The duck entrée from the Flight part of Melrose Hotel the menu is another hearty dish, with the 2430 Pennsylvania Ave., NW crisp-skinned breast joined by mergueze sausage, braised kale, and a dense black (202) 202-955-6400 eye pea cassoulet. www.melrosehoteldc.com/jardenea-restaurant.aspx Another dish well suited to cold weather, the juniper-scented venison rack Breakfast: Daily, 6:30 - 11:30 a.m. is paired with tart huckleberry compote Lunch: Mon. - Sat., 12 - 2 p.m. and one of Lindsay’s most interesting Dinner: Mon.- Sat., 5 - 11 p.m. creations, a savory brioche bread pudding made with foraged mushrooms.

Small plates: $8 - $16 Lindsay spent several years in tidewater Entrées: $19 - $38 Maryland, which perhaps accounts for his Desserts: $9 inspired handling of the blue crab in his Chesapeake Bay crab bisque. Somewhat Reservations: Accepted and recommended lighter than many versions, it is slightly spicy and, with a touch of roe, ever so faintly fishy. Sliced shitake mushrooms sourced from Basciani farms in Avondale, Penn., impart an interesting flavor and textural contrast to the lump crabmeat, while tracings of chive oil broaden the bisque’s appeal.

Likewise, Lindsay’s Maryland crab cakes, paired with sweet corn, piquillo peppers, cilantro and fried green tomatoes, are more complex than traditional renderings.

Lindsay’s time in coastal Maryland and Florida is also reflected in his skilled handling other fish and seafood dishes. He pairs spiced ahi tuna with a citrus ratatouille, while the grilled wild salmon mignon is served with caponata eggplant and arugula tarragon vinaigrette — both intriguing combinations. But the Hawaiian sea bass is particularly well done.

A pan-seared skin-on filet is dusted with a mix of coriander, fennel and white pepper, and

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Jardenea, which derives its name from the French word for garden, specializes in fresh, local, organic dishes as part of its farm-to-fork approach.

Photos: Jessica Latos

accompanied with blue corn grits made of gorgonzola vin blanc. Among the starters, the Maine scallops — castiron seared and served with fava bean succotash, Indian corn broth and fennel pollen —are a good choice.

On the vegetarian side, several grainbased dishes appear in the Fields section in addition to the gnocchi. The risotto at Jardenea is particularly striking. Instead of rice Lindsay uses golden farro, a short grain type of wheat.

Seasonal vegetables, grapes and Marcona almonds meld nicely together in this satisfying vegetarian option. For an even more decadent offering, the pappardelle, hand rolled in house, is prepared in a rich carbonara style with house-smoked bacon, fresh English peas, Lancaster County eggs and parmesan broth.

Though not from the South (Lindsay grew up and went to culinary school in Connecticut), a southern streak runs through Lindsay’s menu with sides like grits and collards appearing in various dishes. Lindsay’s collards, in fact, are a perfect balance of sweet and sour and are some of the best we’ve ever sampled.

Presentation is a key component of Lindsay’s approach. The Jardenea Caesar salad, for instance, is a deconstructed version with napkin ring-shaped brioche encircling tender, tiny romaine leaves that are finished lightly with a white anchovy-pecorino dressing.

Demonstrating the imaginative side of the Jardenea formula, the BLT starter features lobster salad and avocado puree with a crisped round of pancetta over Bibb lettuce and heirloom tomatoes atop a ciabatta crostini.

Currently desserts are not a major item on the menu, but what is available is good. On a recent visit, a dark chocolate cake with a melting ganache center and an eggy strawberry vanilla crème brûlée were the choices.

The beverage program, on the other hand, is well developed, with original cocktails and martinis crafted using house-made fruit consommé infusions, as well as a wine list that changes seasonally and a small list of beers.

The executive chef at a hotel like the Melrose is responsible for the entire food program

April 2013

Photos: Jessica Latos

Executive chef Nate Lindsay works with area farms and producers to build a menu that uses seasonally available, environmentally sustainable ingredients.

them together help him stand apart from a crowded field of talented chefs in the area. Just as Jardenea refers to the French word for garden, Lindsay has brought a fresh new style to a revitalized hotel.

©2012 Feld Entertainment

Rachel G. Hunt is the restaurant reviewer for The Washington Diplomat.

from page 37

Spouses But, she did write the story anyway!”

Although their professional lives keep them busy, the couple shares a love of nature. In Washington, they enjoy weekend walks that start from their WoodlandNormanstone neighborhood bordering Rock Creek Park and end up at the Phillips Collection or Corcoran Gallery, two private art galleries in Northwest Washington. Of course, all year long they use the official residence’s modern outdoor wood-andglass sauna that sits out by the pool and is big enough for the whole family and several guests. The Finnish Embassy is also home to a large sauna and shower — still the only embassy in town able to practice “sauna diplomacy.”

The Finns have brought over other national traditions to Washington as well.

Their embassy, located across the street from the U.S. vice president’s residence, stands as a symbol of Finnish contemporary design and the country’s devotion to the environment. The striking glass structure effortlessly blends into the surrounding woods and was the first embassy in town to “go green,” earning the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) recognition.

Meanwhile, the residence, built between 1915 and 1919, has undergone extensive renovations over the years.The latest is the redecorating of the main rooms with pieces by some of Finland’s most famous designers, including Eero Saarinen (renowned for his womb and organic chairs), Alvar Aalto and many younger Finnish designers like Tapio Anttila. The new interior plan has been created by architectural and interior design group Protest Design Oy and guided by the Foreign Ministry’s interior architect, Pauliina Jurmu.

Meanwhile, canvases on loan from the Finnish National Gallery’s most famous art-

“MAGICAL” “WONDROUS” “AMAZING”

From left, Dr. Hidde Ronde, who’s married to Finnish Ambassador Ritva Koukku-Ronde, poses with their two daughters, 25-year-old Emma and 17-year-old Elsa.

ists set the scene. Among the most recognized signatures are Eero Jårnefelt, Magnus Enckell, Albert Edelfelt and Caspar Wrede.

Shortly after meeting his future wife, Ronde learned Finnish and Koukku-Ronde learned Dutch. The whole family is now bilingual, though Ronde does admit that “Finnish is an enormously difficult language to learn.”

When asked about the differences between Finland and his native Nether­ lands, he said that beyond the languages, he finds “people are the same — I don’t see the differences. We all need shelter, food and I find that people from both countries laugh about the same things.”

However, he especially appreciates the Finnish “ritual” of going to the family cabin at the lake for one month each summer, an experience he describes as “so peaceful” (even though he says he’s the only one in the family who can never seem to catch a fish, big or small).

“It is no Disneyland,” he said of their remote lakeside cabin.“We have to cut the wood for the fire and sauna and try to catch the fish. And there are always other things to do for the cabin so it ends up being a working vacation. Still, it is so relaxing and so beautiful.”

Gail Scott is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat and Diplomatic Pouch.

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— that means three meals a day in the dining room, ongoing room service and banquets.

Despite the harried schedule, Lindsay is eager to accommodate his diners, adjusting dishes to meet vegetarian, vegan and special dietary requests.

This attention to customer service is present throughout Jardenea. Restaurant manager William Rabil strives to make sure Jardenea is everything a tired traveler would want after the trials of lost bags, long security lines and missed flights, though staff go out of their way to accommodate out-oftowners and locals alike.

To set the mood of this culinary haven, the space is comfortable and understated. Done in subtle shades of cream, gray, taupe, blue and black, the décor blends with the hotel’s art decoinspired theme. Hanging framed opaque glass panels painted with impressionistic chandeliers divide the softly-lit dining areas. Meanwhile, dark wood tables, white dishes and bright green fresh herb plants make an effective backdrop for Lindsay’s creations.

Just about the only challenge with Jardenea is finding it. There is currently no outside signage telling you there is a restaurant inside the hotel, and there is no separate entrance. Moreover, when you enter the hotel, there is no sign indicating where the restaurant is, and the lounge space outside the dining area, with its low tables and long communal tables, flows into the rest of the lobby without clear demarcation.

It would be a pity if this lack of presence prevents potential diners from finding Jardenea and experiencing Lindsay’s interesting work. Farm to table is, by now, not a novel dining approach, but his choice of ingredients and the way he puts

April 2013

Ringling.com The Washington Diplomat Page 43

[ film reviews ]

Spellbinding Tragedy ‘War Witch’ Conjures Horrific Fable of African Child Soldiers

by Ky N. Nguyen

T

he gripping, surreal African child soldier Australia, a country still deeply filled with instidrama “War Witch,” by Canadian writer-directutional racism against Aboriginals, to tour tor-co-producer Kim Nguyen (no relation to this Vietnam and entertain American service memwriter), cleaned up at the 2012 Tribeca Film bers.

Festival, winning Best Narrative Feature (Nguyen) Deep in the Outback, as a bus passes by two and Best Actress in a Narrative Feature (Rachel Aboriginal sisters, Gail (Deborah Mailman) comMwanza). plains, “It’s because we’re black!” Her sister Cinematographer Nicolas Bolduc shot the film’s beauCynthia (Miranda Tapsell) retorts,“No, stupid. It’s tiful images completely in the Democratic Republic of because we’re ugly.” Gail and Cynthia enter a the Congo, quite a rare film shoot location. Written over talent contest in a local pub, where their mel10 years, Nguyen’s script elegantly meshes violence and lifluous performance easily outshines their comsymbolism. As a writer and director, Nguyen avoids slippetition, but they’re stiffed by the bigoted jury. ping into excessive melodrama, an easy trap with such However, Irish master of ceremonies Dave heavy subject matter. His steady direction maintains the (O’Dowd) likes what he hears. Perhaps in part relative objectivity of the story and coaxes haunting, because his brain is muddled by booze, he naturalistic performances from his nonprofessional cast, decides to tackle the unlikely job of transformled by emotional performances by Rachel Mwanza and ing the country and western duo into a soul girl her screen partner Serge Kanyinda. group, managing to overcome Gail’s fiery retiIn the deft framing device utilized by “War Witch,” the cence. As he quips, “Ninety percent of all pregnant 14-year-old heroine Komona (Mwanza) narrecorded music is shit. The other 10 percent is rates her sad story to the unborn child she’s carrying. soul.” They add talented teenage sister Julie Flashbacks show how rebel militants nabbed 12-year-old (Jessica Mauboy), desperate to escape her overgirl Komona from her village, conscripting her into a bearing parents, and befuddled half-breed coushorrific life as a child soldier waging war in the African in Kay (Shari Sebbens) to the roster. bush, where she must both face and commit acts of Julie leverages her stronger voice and striking unimaginable cruelty. To start, she’s compelled at gunlooks to take over as lead singer from Gail.While point to shoot her own mother and father to avoid a on tour in Vietnam, a big shot agent sets Julie’s Photo: Tribeca Film / Item 7 worse fate, being forced to watch the guerrillas cut her sights on greener pastures. Meanwhile, Dave parents to pieces with machetes. Komona is brain- Rachel Mwanza, right, portrays a child soldier who escapes her rebel capand Gail start to fall for each other despite their washed into accepting her AK-47 as her new mother tors along with Serge Kanyinda but cannot erase the horrors of her experimutual doubts and constant bickering. And the ence in “War Witch.” and father. rest is history.

When Komona is given “magic milk” from tree sap, she begins to see visions of the dead.After she escapes a battle as the sole survivor from War Witch Surreal ‘Reality’ her village, her fellow soldiers believe she has powers of sorcery. She (French and Lingala If you are Italian director Matteo Garrone, how do you follow meets Great Tiger, the rebel leader, who appoints her his “war witch” to with English subtitles; 90 min.) up 2008’s hyper-realistic, ultraviolent mob caper “Gomorrah?” His spread her good luck to comrades. She also grows close to Magicien international sensation exposed Mafia links to Italian politicians, West End Cinema (Kanyinda), an albino boy soldier with a comparable title. Komona and an act of bravery that led many in Italy to revere him, but the Magicien manage to escape the rebels — yet she finds it is not so easy ★★★★✩ ensuing threats on his life required him to get a round-the-clock to banish her ghosts and leave them behind. security detail for protection.

His latest film “Reality” is about reality television, an ostensibly far less serious subject.

Sparkling ‘Sapphires’ Yet the witty screenplay he co-wrote still delivers a bitingly sharp analysis of Italian sociAustralian filmmaker Wayne Blair’s ety, critiquing the lowered values of modern Italian culture. lively first feature, “The Sapphires,” “Reality” opens with a garish, highly choreographed wedding that combines elements makes for a rather impressive directo- of realism and Fellini-esque surrealism. Patriarch Luciano (Aniello Arena, in a remarkable rial debut. His irreverent musical is first-time performance) is receiving thick, macabre makeup for his amateur, mediocre quite the crowd pleaser, and Blair’s performance as a drag queen for the guests’ entertainment. But he’s upended by the paid spirited direction keeps the action and appearance of dull, arrogant Enzo (Raffaele Ferrante), an alumnus of the blockbuster laughs coming at a brisk pace. The Italian reality television hit “Big Brother” (“Grande Fratello”), who flies out of the party in ensemble cast members also a helicopter like a president or billionaire. Enzo’s deliver uniformly humorous percelebrity excites the wedding guests, shocking The Sapphires formances, led by familiar Irish Luciano, who thinks he is no less talented than (English; scope; 99 min.) actor Chris O’Dowd (“Bridesmaids,” Enzo, a belief with some validity.

Photo: Lisa Tomasetti / The Weinstein Company “The IT Crowd”) in a tour-deA charming Neapolitan fishmonger, Luciano ekes Theater TBA force, zany portrayal of an alcoholout a living selling fish from his stand. On the side, From left, Jessica Mauboy, Miranda Tapsell, Deborah ★★★★✩ ic, accidental band manager. he dredges up small-time cons, sometimes aided by Mailman and Shari Sebbens play an Aboriginal girl group Cinematographer Warwick his wife Maria (Loredana Simioli). His gregarious in “The Sapphires.”

Thornton’s sparkling photography nature leads him to constantly showboat for his customers and many family members. So brightens the screen with a palette full of oversaturated hues, while the audience’s ears his daughters encourage Luciano to audition for “Big Brother” at the local shopping cenare pleased with a 1960s soul soundtrack featuring solid renditions of songs made ter. He accepts, hoping to escalate his local celebrity into the big leagues of Enzo, which famous by the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding and the like. he expects will completely transform his life.

Collaborating with Keith Thompson, Aboriginal actor-writer Tony Briggs adapted his But Luciano’s obsession with becoming famous leads him to forsake his family in favor own play into a breezy but serviceable movie script full of crisp, lively dialogue. His story of ever-escalating stunts intended to please the judges. He progresses through the audiis based on the real-life experiences of his mother and three aunts. In 1969, their Aboriginal female soul quartet made the unlikely venture beyond a rural outpost in See film reviews, page 47

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The Washington Diplomat

April 2013

[ film festivals ]

Filmfest at 27 ‘Trust No One: Espionage and Thrillers’ Among 80 Festival Screenings

by Ky N. Nguyen

T

he Washington, DC International Film Festival (Filmfest DC) returns April 11 to 21 for its 27th year, offering more than 80 features, documentaries and shorts from around the world. Nearly all films are D.C. premieres; many screenings are presented by special guests, particularly filmmakers, creative talent and embassy officials.

“We’re happy to be doing our film festival in Washington, which means that we have the opportunity to work with international embassies,” said Tony Gittens, Filmfest DC director and founder.“That’s hard to do anywhere else, so we feel very privileged to get their assistance. This year, we’ve benefited from contributions from the embassies of Brazil, Korea, Spain, France and several others — plus [the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office of] Taiwan. They’ve all been very helpful; they are our partners in doing the festival this year.”

Gittens continues,“We have a very good international selection this year. We think they are especially bright, interesting and challenging. We have some highlights that we think people will very much enjoy.”

Special festival programs include “Trust No One: Espionage and Thrillers” and “The Lighter Side,” a collection of global comedies. Cash awards will be presented to winners in the Circle Jury Award Competition as well as the “Justice Matters” and the “First Feature” sidebars.

Attendee ballots determine audience awards for feature and documentary favorites.

On April 11, the Filmfest DC opening night at Regal Cinemas Gallery Place in Chinatown, followed by a gala at Bar Louie, boasts the American premiere of the Australian feature “Underground,” which also kicks off

Repertory Notes

”

— Tony Gittens

Filmfest DC director and founder

the “Trust No One: Espionage and Thrillers” section. The initial narrative film about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange relates his hacking and activism as an adolescent.“Underground,” headlined by Australian movie stars Anthony LaPaglia and Rachel Griffiths, marks the third Filmfest DC appearance for director Robert Connolly (he appeared for the film “Balibo” in 2010 and “The Bank” in 2002).

As of press time, other confirmed titles include the following international selections: •Austria’s “Paradise: Love,”“Paradise: Faith” and “Paradise: Hope,” notorious filmmaker Ulrich Seidl’s edgy new triptych • Canada’s “Laurence Anyways”

Photo: Matchbox Pictures

“Underground” about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is a highlight of the 27th Washington, DC International Film Festival (Filmfest DC).

• Canada’s “Midnight’s Children,” and adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s prizewinning book • Czech Republic’s “In the Shadow,” to the official submission for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar • Denmark’s “A Hijacking” For more information • France’s “In the House” on Filmfest DC, visit • Iceland’s “The Deep,” an official www.filmfestdc.org or submission for Best call (202) 234-FILM. Foreign Language Film Oscar • Norway’s “Kon Tiki,” an Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film

learn

more

Ky N. Nguyen is the film reviewer for The Washington Diplomat.

by Washington Diplomat film reviewer Ky N. Nguyen

Please see International Film Clips on the next page for detailed listings available at press time.

Freer Gallery of Art “The National Cherry Blossom Festival 2013” showcases Naoki Yoshimoto’s film “Sanguivorous” (Wed., April 3, 7 p.m.), starring butoh dancer Ko Murobushi, with live accompaniment by Japanese percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani and Chicago-based saxophonist Edward Wilkerson, Jr. The “National Cherry Blossom Festival Anime Marathon: Samurai Champloo” (Sat., April 13, 11 am; Sun., April 14, 11 am) offers all 26 episodes of “Samurai Champloo,” Shinichiro Watanabe’s classic anime TV series, some introduced by knowledgeble guests. Over the weekend, tours are available of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery’s accompanying exhibit “Hand-Held: Gerhard Pulverer’s Japanese Illustrated Books” and the Freer’s Japanese collection.

Haden Guest of the Harvard Film Archive introduces the retrospective “The Revolutionary Cinema of Ritwik Ghatak,” which kicks off with 1960’s “The Cloud-Capped Star” (Sun., April 28, 2 p.m.), regarded as Bengali director Ghatak’s penultimate work. ((202) 357-2700, www.asia.si.edu/events/films.asp

“

We’re happy to be doing our film festival in Washington, which means that we have the opportunity to work with international embassies.

That’s hard to do anywhere else, so we feel very privileged to get their assistance.

American Film Institute (AFI) Silver Theatre The retrospective “Quentin Tarantino Retro” (through April 13) spotlights “Inglourious Basterds” (Fri., April 12, 9:30 p.m.; Sat., April 13, 7:30 p.m.). The accompanying series “The Roots of Django” (through April 13) repeats the 45th anniversary screening of Italian director Sergio Corbucci’s “The Mercenary” (Thu., April 4, 9:30 p.m.), in a new 35mm print.

The “Opera in Cinema” series showcases “Eugene Onegin” (Sun., April 14, 5 p.m.), director Kasper Holten’s first production for London’s Royal Opera House (composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, conducted by Robin Ticciati). Meanwhile, the “Ballet in Cinema” series presents Frederick Ashton’s production of “La Fille Mal Gardee” (Mon., April 8, 6:45 p.m.) from London’s Royal Ballet.

Other series include “Howard Hawks’ Silent Films” (through April 13), “Howard Hawks, Part 1” (through April 18), “Reel Estate: The American Home On Film” (through April 18) and “Loretta Young Centennial” (through April 18).

(301) 495-6700, www.afi.com/silver

Hirshhorn Museum of Art Corinna Belz’s documentary “Gerhard Richter Painting” (Thu., April 4, 8 p.m.) was created while the octogenarian master was preparing

April 2013

works for his 2011-12 retrospective and interweaves scenes of the artist at work, archival footage and interviews.

Belgian film and installation artist Chantal Akerman’s latest film “Almayer’s Folly” (Thu., April 11, 8 p.m.) is loosely adapted from Joseph Conrad’s first novel.

Video artist Charles Atlas’s documentary “Turning” (Thu., April 25, 8 p.m.) recounts Antony and the Johnsons’ 2006 European tour — for which Charles Atlas created sets and projections — and buttresses concert footage with interviews conducted by bandleader Antony Hegarty of 13 female and transsexual on-stage performers.

(202) 633-1000, www.hirshhorn.si.edu/collection/film-series/

Goethe-Institut Presented in conjunction with the National Gallery of Art s exhibition Albrecht Dürer: Master Drawings, Watercolors, and Prints from the Albertina,” Lorena Baines, museum educator at the National Gallery, introduces East German director Bernhard Stefan s film Jörg Ratgeb, Painter (Mon., April 8, 6:30 p.m.), which recounts German painter Jörg Ratgeb s political awakening to the cause of peasants during a visit to his artistic idol Dürer in 1517.

(202) 289-1200, www.goethe.de/ins/us/was/kue/flm/enindex.htm

The Washington Diplomat Page 45

[ film ]

CINEMA LISTING *Unless specific times are listed, please check the theater for times. Theater locations are subject to change.

Bengali The Cloud-Capped Star (Meghe Dhaka Tara) Directed by Ritwik Ghatak (India, 1960, 143 min.)

Victims of the Partition of India in 1947, a refugee family from East Bengal forges a precarious existence on the outskirts of Calcutta.

Freer Gallery of Art Sun., April 28, 2 p.m.

Directed by Robert Connolly (Australia, 2012, 89 min.)

Before Julian Assange became a worldfamous whistleblower, before WikiLeaks, and before the Internet even existed, he was a teenage computer hacker in Melbourne who formed a group called the “International Subversives” (opening night of Filmfest DC).

Regal Cinemas Gallery Place

French Golden Slumbers (Le sommeil d’or) Directed by Davy Chou (France/Cambodia, 2011, 96 min.)

Czech In the Shadow (Vestinu) Directed by David Ondricek (Czech Republic/Poland/Slovakia/Israel, 2012, 106 min.)

In 1953 Prague, an honest and determined police captain uses good oldfashioned shoe leather to gradually uncover an elaborate plot by State Security forces to detain and eliminate Jewish citizens (Czech and German).

Filmfest DC April 11 to 21

English Ginger & Rosa Directed by Sally Potter (U.K./Denmark/Canada/Croatia, 2012, 90 min.)

In 1962 London, two teenage girls are inseparable, but, as the Cold War meets the sexual revolution, and the threat of nuclear holocaust escalates, the lifelong friendship of the two girls is shattered.

Landmark’s E Street Cinema

Inglourious Basterds Directed by Quentin Tarantino (U.S./Germany, 2009, 153 min.)

Brad Pitt leads “the Basterds,” a group of hard-bitten, mainly Jewish Americans recruited for the Nazi killin’ business, while fugitive French-Jewish cinephile Mélanie Laurent hatches her own plot to win the war.

AFI Silver Theatre Fri., April 12, 9:30 p.m., Sat., April 13, 7:30 p.m.

Midnight’s Children Directed by Deepa Mehta (Canada/Sri Lanka, 2012, 148 min.)

Salman Rushdie’s adaptation of his own magical realist novel follows the destinies of a pair of children born at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, the very moment that India claimed its independence from Great Britain — a coincidence of profound consequence for both (English, Hindi and Urdu).

Filmfest DC April 11 to 21

Page 46

Underground

Davy Chou’s exceptional documentary blends interviews with surviving filmmakers, classic songs and poetic examinations of former movie palaces to summon the spirits of Cambodian cinema’s Golden Age, which ended during the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror (French and Khmer); screening includes a panel discussion with the filmmaker and other experts.

Hill Center at Old Naval Hospital Sun., April 7, 12 and 4 p.m.

Laurence Anyways Directed by Xavier Dolan (Canada, 2012, 168 min.)

Set in 199’s Montreal, Laurence has just told his girlfriend that he wants to become a woman. What follows is a tumultuous, decade-long odyssey during which the couple fights passionately to salvage their relationship.

Filmfest DC April 11 to 21

Starbuck Directed by Ken Scott (Canada, 2011, 109 min.)

A 42-year-old lovable but perpetual screwup who was a habitual sperm donor in his youth discovers that he’s the biological father of 533 children, 142 of whom are trying to force the fertility clinic to reveal the true identity of the prolific donor codenamed Starbuck.

Landmark’s E Street Cinema

German Jörg Ratgeb, Painter (Jörg Ratgeb, Maler) Directed by Bernhard Stefan (East Germany, 1978, 100 min.)

This East German film, set in 1517, recounts painter Jörg Ratgeb’s efforts as an ancient ally in struggles prefiguring the rise of communism and workers’ movements.

Goethe-Institut Mon., April 8, 6:30 p.m.

Paradise: Faith (Paradies: Glaube) Directed by Ulrich Seidl (Austria/Germany/France, 2012, 113 min.)

In this unsparing look at religion, sexuality and marriage, an Austrian medical technician and fundamentalist Catholic spends

THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT her days in intimate contact with patients at their most vulnerable times, but at home, she will not share a bed with her invalid husband.

Filmfest DC April 11 to 21

Paradise: Hope (Paradies: Hoffnung) Directed by Ulrich Seidl (Austria/Germany/France, 2013, 91 min.)

The Austrian medical technician from “Paradise: Faith” brings her overweight, 13-year-old niece to a diet camp in the mountains, where she enters into an increasingly intimate relationship with the camp doctor, a man more than three times her age.

Filmfest DC April 11 to 21

Paradise: Love (Paradies: Liebe) Directed by Ulrich Seidl (Austria/Germany/France, 2012, 120 min.)

The first film in the Paradise trilogy, “Paradise: Love” gives us an unlikely, unexpected protagonist in Teresa, a middle-age woman who leaves her staid home life in Austria for a vacation that becomes a sex tour of Mombasa, Kenya, where she’s not alone on the journey (German, English and Swahili).

April 2013

Italian The Mercenary aka A Professional Gun (Il mercenario) Directed by Sergio Corbucci (Italy/Spain, 1968, 110 min.)

A Polish mercenary, sensing a business opportunity, falls in with a Mexican revolutionary and over the years, the unlikely pair fight alongside and feud against one another, roaming the country fomenting revolution, liberating money, guns and horses from the Federales, and battling outlaw nemesis Curly.

Fill the Void Directed by Rama Burshtein (Israel, 2012, 90 min.)

In Tel Aviv’s ultra-orthodox Hasidic community, where strict social codes and rabbinical decrees govern the way all members interact, especially men and women — 18-year-old Shira’s cloistered life takes a dramatic turn when her sister suddenly dies, leaving behind a newborn and a bereaved husband.

Washington DCJCC Tue., April 23, 7:30 p.m.

Six Million and One Directed by David Fisher (Israel, 2011, 97 min.)

Past, present and future mix in this eloquent, intense and surprisingly humorous portrait of documentary filmmaker David Fisher and his siblings, as they retrace the footsteps of their late father, a Holocaust survivor who was interned in Austria.

Washington DCJCC Mon., April 8, 7:30 p.m.

Directed by Park Chan-wook (South Korea, 2000, 110 min.)

Juvenile Offender (Beom-joe-so-nyeon)

Landmark’s E Street Cinema Opens Fri., April 5

Japanese

An elderly professor and a beautiful sociology student who moonlights as a high-end escort develop an unexpected connection.

Hebrew

JSA: Joint Security Area (Gongdong gyeongbi guyeok JSA)

Luciano is a charming fishmonger whose unexpected and sudden obsession with being a contestant on a reality show leads him down a rabbit hole of skewed perceptions and paranoia.

The Silence (Das letzte Schweigen)

Landmark’s E Street Cinema

AFI Silver Theatre Tue., April 9, 7 p.m., Wed., April 10, 9:15 p.m.

Directed by Matteo Garrone (Italy/France, 2012, 115 min.)

Reality

Like Someone in Love

On a hot summer day, a bicycle is found in a field of wheat—the exact scene of an unsolved crime committed 23 years ago.

Just as before, a 13-year-old girl is missing, bringing back horrific memories to the mother of the first victim and the nowretired investigating officer of that case.

Veering away from his usual stylized violence, director Park Chan-wook takes a lighter turn with a whimsical tale of love in a mental institution between a boy who thinks he’s disappearing and a girl who thinks she’s a robot.

Structured as a classic whodunit, “JSA” begins with a U.N. investigator looking into the killing of two North Korean soldiers by a South Korean soldier. But flashbacks reveal a surprising truth: The soldiers had developed a cross-border friendship.

AFI Silver Theatre Thu., April 4, 9:30 p.m.

Filmfest DC April 11 to 21

Directed by Baran bo Odar (Germany, 2010, 111 min.)

(South Korea, 2006, 105 min.)

Directed by Abbas Kiarostami (France/Japan, 2012, 109 min.)

Landmark’s E Street Cinema

Sanguivorous: Film and Performance Directed by Naoki Yoshimoto (Japan, 2009, 56 min.)

A young woman suffering from mysterious physical ailments is horrified to discover she’s descended from generations of vampires. Starring renowned avant-garde butoh dancer Ko Murobushi, this transfixing film is accompanied live by Japanese percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani and Chicagobased saxophonist Edward Wilkerson, Jr. Freer Gallery of Art Wed., April 3, 7 p.m.

Korean A Company Man (Hoi-sa-won) Directed by Im Sang-yun (South Korea, 2012, 97 min.)

TV and film heartthrob So Ji-seop plays a hit man who works for an assassination agency structured like a corporate workplace in this sly, action-packed commentary on South Korea’s ruthless business culture.

AFI Silver Theatre Tue., April 2, 9:30 p.m., Wed., April 3, 9:20 p.m.

I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK (Ssa-i-bo-geu-ji-man-gwenchan-a) Directed by Park Chan-wook

AFI Silver Theatre Thu., April 4, 7 p.m.

Directed by Kang Yik-wan (South Korea, 2012, 107 min.)

Good-intentioned but unable to resist getting into a trouble, a teen is reunited with his mother, who gave him up for adoption.

Together they try to pick up the pieces of their broken lives, but when the boy reveals that his girlfriend is pregnant, his mother can’t help but wonder whether a vicious circle is starting again.

Freer Gallery of Art Sun., April 21, 2:30 p.m.

Nameless Gangster: Rules of Time (Bumchoiwaui junjaeng) Directed by Yoon Jong-bin (South Korea, 2012, 133 min.)

In this gangland epic set in and around the port city of Busan in the 1980s and 1990s, a corrupt customs inspector stumbles upon a wayward drug shipment and leverages it into a business partnership with the city’s biggest crime boss.

Freer Gallery of Art Fri., April 5, 7 p.m.

Oldboy (Oldeuboi) Directed by Park Chan-wook (South Korea, 2003, 120 min.)

A man who is mysteriously imprisoned for 15 years and then just as mysteriously released searches for his tormentor in this visually stunning, hyper-violent neo-noir with echoes of classical tragedy that come to a head in its shocking climax.

Angelika Mosaic Fri., April 5, 11:45 p.m., Sat., April 6, 11:45 p.m.

Sleepless Night (Jam-mot deun-eun bam) Directed by Jang Kun-jae (South Korea, 2012, 65 min.)

This intimate portrait of a marriage follows a couple as they contemplate, dream and sometimes argue about bringing a child into their settled life.

Freer Gallery of Art

The Washington Diplomat

April 2013

Korean Film Festival DC The “2013 Korean Film Festival DC” (through April 21) concludes at the Freer Gallery of Art, the AFI Silver Theatre and the Angelika Film Center Mosaic, with support of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the Korean Cultural Center DC. The Freer screens “Selections from the Experimental Film and Video Festival in Seoul,” presented by director Park Donghyun; Yoon Jong-bin’s “Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time”; the anthology “Weird Business 3D” directed by Veronica Chung, Cho Young-joon and Lee Hun-kuk; Jang Kun-jae’s “Sleepless Night”; and Kang Yik-wan’s “Juvenile Offender.”

The AFI Silver shows Im Sang-yun’s “A Company Man”; Park Chan-wook’s “JSA: Joint Security Area” and his “I’m a Cyborg, But That’s Okay”; and Jo Sunghee’s “A Werewolf Boy.” The Angelika Mosaic offers a final look at the 10th anniversary screening of Park Chan-wook’s “Oldboy.” www.asia.si.edu/events/koreanfilm/schedule.asp (202) 357-2700, www.asia.si.edu/events/films.asp (301) 495-6700, www.afi.com/silver (571) 512-3301, www.angelikafilmcenter.com

and explorer Heyerdahl gathers five friends and strangers — none of them sailors — to prove the Polynesian Islands were first settled by Peruvians, not Asians.

Sun., April 21, 1 p.m.

A Werewolf Boy (Neuk-dae-so-nyeon) Directed by Jo Sung-hee (South Korea, 2012, 126 min.)

When a family discovers a feral teenager living in their barn, they take the boy in and train him, but soon his superhuman strength and odd behavior indicate that he is the product of a shady scientific experiment.

Filmfest DC April 11 to 21

Romanian

AFI Silver Theatre Sun., April 14, 7:45 p.m., Mon., April 15, 7:10 p.m.

Beyond the Hills (Dupa dealuri)

Norwegian

Alina tries to convince her childhood friend Voichita to abandon her cloistered life in a remote convent and return with her to Germany in this portrait of dogma at odds with personal liberty in a society still emerging from the shadow of communism.

Directed by Cristian Mungiu (Romania/France/Belgium, 2012, 152 min.)

Kon-Tiki Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg (Norway/Denmark/U.K., 2012, 118 min.)

Rebuffed by academia, young researcher

Landmark’s E Street Cinema READIN’

ART

from page 44

Film Reviews

’RITING ’RITHMETIC

tions, culminating in a final round at the legendary Cinecittà Studios in Rome, made famous by director Federico Fellini, where he believes he will claim the prize that he deserves.

“Reality” won the Jury Prize at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.Arena’s performance received rave reviews, but the debut actor had to miss the premiere and the accolades. Back in the real world, it turns out that Arena is

[

Reality (Italian with English subtitles; scope; 115 min.)

Opens Fri., April 5 Landmark’s E Street Cinema

★★★★✩

]

Royal dukes are squaresville.

They have no rhythm.

And they wear crowns.

Give your kids a chance to succeed. Up their daily dose of art.

Photo: Oscilloscope Laboratories

Aniello Arena goes to great lengths to become famous in “Reality.”

serving a long prison sentence for a double murder. He was given a work pass to leave the prison to shoot his scenes, but he had to return to prison at the end of each day. Perhaps life is stranger than fiction.

Ky N. Nguyen is the film reviewer for The Washington Diplomat.

April 2013

The Washington Diplomat Page 47

[ around town ]

EVENTS LISTING **Admission is free unless otherwise noted. All information on event venues can be found on The Diplomat Web site at www.washdiplomat. com. Times and locations are subject to change.

Unless listed, please call venue for specific event times and hours of operation.

ART Opens March 22

Codex Mexico: The Book as Art

This exposition of artisanal books and printed art showcases both Mexico’s enormous heritage in the arts of printing, and the Mexicans currently working to renew and enrich such an important legacy.

Mexican Cultural Institute April 4 to May 12

LATINO/US Cotidiano

Literally meaning “everyday life,” “Cotidiano” is a dynamic look at the rapidly changing nature of the Latino experience in America, where out of every six Americans is now of Hispanic origin, an impressive social transformation with enormous political, economic and cultural consequences.

Spanish Cultural Center April 6 to May 26

Painting Borges: Art Interpreting Literature

Sixteen visual artists interpret 12 stories by Argentinean Jorge Luis Borges, one of the most prominent and profoundly philosophical literary figures of the 20th century, organized according to three topics: identity and memory, freedom and destiny, and faith and divinity.

American University Katzen Arts Museum April 6 to Aug. 11

Hand-Held: Gerhard Pulverer’s Japanese Illustrated Books

More than 100 volumes reflect on the Edo period Japan (1615-1868) as an age of great social and political change that gave rise to an unprecedented “reading culture” of artists, writers and publishers. Similar to blogging and e-publication in the 21st century, illustrated books (ehon) in Edo Japan opened up a new avenue with which to share ideas, marked by epic levels of publishing and book consumption.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Through April 7

Architecture / Landscape

Eight Austrian artists examine the perception and manipulation of our daily surroundings — worlds at once graspable and utterly alien, in part constructed (or perhaps in turn destroyed) by man, or ones artificially generated, seemingly infinite in their reproducibility.

The Mansion at Strathmore

Corcoran Gallery of Art

exhibition of approximately 100 examples of collage and assemblage, primarily drawn from the Hirshhorn’s collection.

April 10 to Aug. 4

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

as well as that of America’s capital city.

Views of Panama

Photographers Gabriel Benaim, José Manuel Castrellón and Lorena Endara examine the stunning transformation Panama has undertaken in the last few years, manifested into a real estate and building boom that has changed Panama City’s skyline.

OAS Art Museum of the Americas F Street Gallery

Orchids of Latin America

“Orchids of Latin America” highlights the importance of Latin American orchids in local culture and folklore through live flower displays and examines ways in which biological reserves are working to preserve orchid species and habitats today.

Through April 12

gute aussichten: new german photography 2012/2013

Works by seven winners of “gute aussichten 2012/2013,” the ninth annual German competition for graduate photography students, are distinguished by their highly diverse aesthetics and conceptual approaches, providing an insight into the multifaceted themes that form the focus of young artists’ interests today.

April 22 to Jan. 5

Earth Matters: Land as Material and Metaphor in the Arts of Africa

Goethe-Institut

Some 100 exceptional works of art from the late 18th to 21st centuries come together for the first major exhibition and scholarly endeavor to comprehensively examine the rich relationship between African artists and the land upon which they live, work and frame their days.

National Museum of African Art

Through April 12

April 27 to Sept. 2

Seven Points (part one)

Nine Deaths, Two Births: Xu Bing’s Phoenix Project

The timely and vibrant exhibition “Seven Points (part one): Marley Dawson, Anna Kristensen, Angelica Mesiti” launches the Australian Embassy’s 2013 cultural programming and is the first in a series of exhibitions showcasing the work of dynamic and accomplished Australian contemporary artists: Daniel Boyd, Marley Dawson, Newell Harry, Anna Kristensen, Angelica Mesiti, Kate Mitchell, and Tim Silver. Gallery hours are from Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., by appointment (202-797-3383).

Embassy of Australia April 12 to Oct. 13

Out of Southeast Asia: Art that Sustains

The last exhibition presented in the Textile Museum’s historic location before the museum’s 2014 reopening promises to be a beautiful pairing of tradition and innovation, demonstrating how four artists are reinventing traditional Southeast Asian textile techniques, designs and ideology in new and meaningful ways.

The Textile Museum April 18 to May 18

The Fallen Gods

Béatrice Lampla Mellinger integrates her diverse heritage and extensive travels into her vibrant and richly textured paintings. In her newest series, she explores the historical roots of Caribbean society, structuring a lineage that affirms the Amerindian origins of the culture and repudiates the arrival of the Conquistadors as its starting point.

Through April 7

Pump Me Up: D.C. Subculture of the 1980s

April 18 to Sept. 8

Page 48

Through April 21

National Museum of Natural History

International Visions Gallery

“Pump Me Up” is the first exhibition to explore the thriving underground of Washington, D.C., during the 1980s, giving visual form to the raucous energy of graffiti, Go-Go music, and a world-renowned punk and hardcore scene — demonstrating D.C.’s place in the history of street art

THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

Over, Under, Next: Experiments in Mixed Media, 1913-Present

Butterfly wings, glass shards, doll parts, crumpled automotive metal, jigsaw puzzle pieces, clothing, straight pins, furniture, and colored sand — these are just some of the materials in “Over, Under, Next,” an

Chinese artist Xu Bing spent more than two years creating his newest work, “Phoenix Project,” a massive installation that comprises two birds fabricated entirely from materials found at construction sites in Beijing.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Through April 28

Next Stop: Italy

Following a promotional campaign on city buses as part of “The Year of Italian Culture,” photographic works by both established and up-and-coming Italian artists have been paired with a quintessential selection of lines from highly regarded Italian poets.

The Phillips Collection Through May 5

Faking It: Manipulated Photography before Photoshop

In the first major exhibition devoted to the history of manipulated photographs before the digital age, some 200 works will demonstrate that today’s digitally altered photographs are part of a tradition that extends back to the beginning of photography.

National Gallery of Art Through May 12

Angels, Demons, and Savages: Pollock, Ossorio, Dubuffet

This exhibition reveals a rare cross-cultural artistic dialogue between American painter Jackson Pollock (1912-56), American artist and patron of European and American postwar art Alfonso Ossorio (1916-90), and French painter Jean Dubuffet (1901-85).

Approximately 53 paintings and works on paper from 1945 to 1958 highlight visual affinities and inspired friendships among the artists at pivotal moments in their careers.

The Phillips Collection

April 2013

Through May 12

Memories of Stones

Photographer Åsa Nyhlén’s moss-covered stone walls are a testament to an era of profound change in Swedish history. Today, the forest has reclaimed the walls, which echo the exodus of one third of the population to try their luck in the New World, creating a Swedish Diaspora in the Americas.

House of Sweden Through May 12

A World Apart: Anna Ancher and the Skagen Art Colony

The first exhibition in the United States to focus on Danish modern painter Anna Ancher (1859-1935) and the artist colony at Skagen, Denmark, features 41 paintings and oil sketches by Ancher and more than 20 by her fellow Skagen artists.

National Museum of Women in the Arts Through May 19

Nobility and Newcomers in Renaissance Ireland

Focusing mainly on the Irish upper-class, their cultural exchange with England, and their struggle for power during a time of great change, “Nobility and Newcomers” underscores why Irish cultural identity is challenging to define.

Folger Shakespeare Library Through May 26

Color, Line, Light: French Drawings, Watercolors, and Pastels from Delacroix to Signac Some 100 drawings and watercolors from the collection of James T. Dyke showcase the broad development of modern draftsmanship in France, from romanticism and realism through the impressionists, Nabis and neo-impressionists.

National Gallery of Art Through May 26

On Common Ground: Dominican Republic + Haiti

In conjunction with the Embassies of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, this exhibition of works by emerging artists of Hispaniola, the island that these two countries share, offers fresh perspectives on Hispaniola’s cultural scene and addresses misconceptions surrounding the two nations’ complex relationship with one another, imagining a brighter future.

OAS Art Museum of the Americas Through May 26

Un Lugar Sin Reposo | A Place with No Rest

In conjunction with the 43rd regular session of the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly in Guatemala in June, this exhibition of artwork by one of the host country’s finest artists, Luis González Palma, examines the power of communication through the gaze and body language.

OAS Art Museum of the Americas Through May 31

Perceptive Strokes

In honor of the Inter-American Development Bank’s annual meeting in Panama in March, the IDB Cultural Center

presents artwork by women Panamanian artists.

IDB Cultural Center Through June 8

Pageant of the Tsars: The Romanov Coronation Albums

Marking the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Romanov dynasty in 1613, the history and spectacle of Russian tsars’ coronations are revealed through lavish, rarely seen albums and objects from Hillwood’s Russian collection.

Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens Through June 9

Albrecht Dürer: Master Drawings, Watercolors, and Prints from the Albertina

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) has long been considered the greatest German artist, uniquely combining the status held in Italian art by Michelangelo in the 16th century, by Raphael in the 18th and 19th centuries, and by Leonardo da Vinci in our own day. But while Dürer’s paintings were prized, his most influential works were actually his drawings, watercolors, engravings and woodcuts.

National Gallery of Art Through June 30

The Enduring Designs of Josef Frank

Designer and architect Josef Frank, born 1885, was a leading pioneer in modern Swedish design, leaving behind about 200 textile and 2,000 furniture designs, a portion of which are on display in this exhibit.

House of Sweden Through June 30

The Third Room

Maja Salomonsson, in collaboration with Swedish Radio’s Youth Radio Drama Department, has created the sound walk “The Third Room,” a play area that welcomes children into a dream world where time is fluid and the laws of gravity are suspended.

House of Sweden Through July 7

One Man’s Search for Ancient China: The Paul Singer Collection

New Jersey psychiatrist-turned-collector Paul Singer’s bequest to the Sackler Gallery created one of the largest Chinese archaeological collections in the United States.

This exhibition looks at the collector’s contributions to Chinese art history — made largely at a time when contact between China and the West was heavily restricted — and examines how landmark archaeological discoveries have shed new light on his acquisitions and on ancient China.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Through Aug. 4

Arts of Japan: Edo Aviary and Poetic License

Complementary but distinct installations examine two themes of Edo period art: “Edo Aviary,” which traces how depictions of birds were influenced by natural history painting, and “Poetic License: Making Old Words New,” which shows how classical

The Washington Diplomat

April 2013

Japanese and Chinese literary traditions were absorbed into the merchant and artisan classes.

Freer Gallery of Art

DANCE

speaking world. It’s a global fusion of modern literature, contemporary and traditional music, cuisine, visual arts, films and family events — presented by the embassies of more than 70 countries. For more information, visit www.francophoniedc.org.

Various locations

Sat., April 6, 8 p.m.

Russian National Ballet Theatre: Giselle

Experience one of the most venerated works in the classical ballet canon as performed by this celebrated Russian ensemble. Tickets are $27, $46 or $54.

George Mason University Center for the Performing Arts Sun., April 7, 8 p.m.

Russian National Ballet Theatre: Swan Lake

The esteemed Russian National Ballet performs one of the most magical and wellknown works from the classical ballet repertoire, a stunning fantasy inspired by the German legend of Odette, a beautiful princess turned into a swan at the hand of an evil sorcerer. Tickets are $27, $46 or $54.

George Mason University Center for the Performing Arts Fri., April 12, 8 p.m.

Russian National Ballet Theatre: Romeo and Juliet & Chopiniana

In the grand tradition of Russian ballet, this delightful ensemble performs two of the most romantic classical ballets in one spectacular evening. Tickets are $38, $46 or $54.

George Mason University Hylton Performing Arts Center

DISCUSSIONS Tue., April 16, 6:30 p.m.

Found in Translation

A renowned author, Huffington Post contributor and Fulbright scholar in sociolinguistics, Nataly Kelly discusses her new book “Found in Translation,” which examines how translation affects every aspects of our lives. Tickets are $20 (includes a copy of the book).

La Maison Française Wed., April 17, 6:45 p.m.

Hot Flare-Ups in the Cold War

The Cold War was anything but cold when it came to Cuba. The action was hot and heavy over two administrations, with the ill-fated 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, followed the next year by the Cuban Missile Crisis. Chief CIA Historian David Robarge explores the parts played by Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy and their advisors during these critical moments in U.S. history. Tickets are $35; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.

S. Dillon Ripley Center Thu., April 25, 6:45 p.m.

The Peruvian Amazon Forest: A Tropical Hotspot

Conservation biologist Alfonso Alonso investigates the effects of development on the tropical forests in eastern Peru’s Lower Urubamba Region, home to some of the most species-rich and biologically diverse forests in the world. Tickets are $42; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.

S. Dillon Ripley Center

FESTIVALS Through April 13

2013 Francophonie Cultural Festival

The annual Francophonie Cultural Festival celebrates the creativity, passions and intellectual variety of the nations of the French-

Through April 19

Dvorak and America

Through a series of five concerts, PostClassical Ensemble’s “Dvorak and America” festival argues that Czech composer Antonín Dvorak acquired a distinctive and influential “American style” during his time in the United States that was fundamentally different in style from that of the music he had previously composed. The centerpiece is a March 1 concert at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center featuring the “Hiawatha Melodrama” alongside Dvorak’s “String Serenade” and his little-known “American Suite.” For information, visit http://postclassical.com.

Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center Duke Ellington School of the Arts Through May 19

The Washington DC International Design Festival

Artisphere and Apartment Zero present this free three-month-long multidisciplinary celebration of design, anchored by “The Next Wave: Industrial Design in the 21st Century,” a 4,000-square-foot exhibition exploring innovation in product design over the last 13 years. The exhibit of more than 100 objects from around the world will be complemented by a series of public programs. For information, visit www.artisphere.com or www.apartmentzero.com.

Artisphere

GALAS Wed., April 3, 6 p.m.

South African Art Fundraising Reception

Proceeds of this silent auction on South African art go toward the costs of erecting a statue honoring anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela in front of the South African Embassy in Washington. To RSVP, email artsfestival2013@dirco.gov.za.

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center Sat., April 6

Opera Ball

This annual prestigious black-tie celebration, chaired by Washington National Opera board member Constance Milstein de La Haye St. Hilaire, begins with intimate, preball dinners hosted by ambassadors at their elegant residences and embassies around town and continues at Villa Firenze, Italian Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero’s residence, where guests will be treated to an evening of dessert, dancing and opera performances. For ticket information, call (202) 416-8496.

Villa Firenze Fri., April 12, 8 p.m.

88th Annual Diplomatic Ball

The Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service’s Diplomatic Ball is an annual black tie affair uniting students of international affairs, distinguished faculty and diplomats from around the world for an elegant evening of conversation and community-building. Tickets are $75; for information, visit http://dipball.wordpress.com.

Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium Fri., April 12, 7 p.m.

A Moveable Feast: The Hemingway in Paris Ball

The Washington Ballet marks the world

premiere of Septime Webre’s “Hemingway: The Sun Also Rises” with “The Hemingway in Paris Ball,” its annual fundraising gala that celebrates the Washington Ballet’s deep ties with the community and raises critical funds for the ballet’s training and outreach programs. Tickets start at $1,000; for information, contact Elizabeth Sizer at (202) 362-3606 ext. 123 or esizer@washingtonballet.org.

Library of Congress Jefferson Building Sat., April 13, 6 p.m.

WPAS Annual Gala & Auction

A highlight of the spring gala season, the WPAS Gala raises funds to support the Washington Performing Arts Society’s main stage and education programs, with an auction, dinner, dancing and headline performance. The diplomatic chair of this year’s gala is Irish Ambassador Michael Collins and the headline performer is Broadway star Matthew Morrison of the show “Glee.” For ticket information, call (202) 533-1891.

than to revive works that have never been heard for centuries.” Tickets are $25.

April 18 to May 26

La Maison Française

From the barrios of Puerto Rico to his successful seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, to the fateful flight to Nicaragua to deliver humanitarian aid, this insightful musical reveals the man who battled triumphantly on the baseball field and against discrimination. Tickets are $20 to $42.

Wed., April 17, 7:30 p.m., Thu., April 18, 7:30 p.m.

Rafal Bartminski, Tenor George Peachey, Piano

Rising Polish tenor Rafal Bartminski,, accompanied by pianist George Peachey, performs a concert of songs and arias by Schubert, Strauss, Mozart, Verdi and others. Tickets are $85 or $60; for information, visit www.embassyseries.org.

Embassy of Poland (April 17) Embassy of Austria (April 18) Sat., April 27, 7:30 p.m.

Rafal Blechacz, Piano

The Washington Performing Arts Society presents pianist Rafal Blechacz, first Polish pianist in 30 years to win the International Chopin Competition. Tickets are $55.

Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

Ritz-Carlton Washington, D.C.

THEATER

Tue., April 16, 6 p.m.

April 4 to 28

For the Love of Sight Visionary Awards Dinner

The Foundation Fighting Blindness, a nonprofit dedicated to sight-saving retinal research, will honor former Ambassador Tom Korologos and former U.S. Secretary of Labor Ann McLaughlin Korologos with its Visionary Award, in recognition of the couple’s leadership in government and the business and nonprofit sectors, as well as their ongoing support for blindness research, at the 11th annual “For the Love of Sight” Visionary Awards Dinner. Tickets are $1,000; for information, contact Dina Beaumont at (202) 530-4672 or dinabeau@aol.com.

Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. Sat., April 27, 6:30 p.m.

The Magic Flute

The Opera Camerata of Washington, D.C., presents a gala reception, dinner and performance of “The Magic Flute” featuring, among others, Jose Sacin and Elizabeth Treat under the patronage of Colombian Ambassador and Mrs. Carlos Urrutia.

Tickets are $150 or $175 after April 15; for information, visit www.operacamerata.org.

Neville’s Island

Four out-of-condition, middle-age businessmen are sent off on a team-building exercise in England’s Lake District and succeed in being the first people ever to get shipwrecked inland in a tiny island — discovering that their corporate know-how leaves them ill-equipped for survival, from both the elements and each other. Tickets are $35.50 to $65.

Olney Theatre Center April 8 to 20

Histoires Exquises

For the first time, the Alliance Française de Washington (AFDC) is bringing “Histoires Exquises” — an ever-changing performance project that invites French choreographers, visual artists and/or directors to create performances inspired by unusual stories shared by residents of the cities the show visits — to the nation’s capital. The D.C. edition will translate local stories into two dance and two theater pieces under the direction of choreographer Emmanuelle Vo-Dinh and director Charlie Windelschmidt. For ticket information, visit www.francedc.org.

Atlas Performing Arts Center

MUSIC

April 10 to May 5

Diana Damrau

Possessing a “lustrous, agile coloratura soprano voice, and charisma galore” (The New York Times), Diana Damrau makes her Washington National Opera debut with an evening of intimate music accompanied by harpist Xavier de Maistre. Tickets are $40 to $180.

GALA Hispanic Theatre Through April 28

4000 Miles

This gentle, well-observed drama explores the relationship between a grandson who can’t face his life and a grandmother who is starting to forget hers. Tickets are $39 to $82.

Studio Theatre Through April 28

Mary T. and Lizzy K.

Writer-director Tazewell Thompson stitches together an insider’s look at the unlikely friendship between first lady Mary Todd Lincoln and her talented seamstress, the successful freed slave Elizabeth Keckly.

Please call for ticket information.

Arena Stage April 30 to June 9

Twelfth Night

Director Robert Richmond returns to Folger Theatre to direct this romantic and whimsical of tales filled with lovers, lunatics, poets, drunkards, and clowns in the quixotic land of Illyria. Tickets are $30 to $68.

Folger Shakespeare Library

Colombian Residence

Mon., April 8, 8 p.m.

DC-7: The Roberto Clemente Story

How to Write a New Book for the Bible

A man moves in with his ailing but always funny mother when she becomes too frail to care for herself, resulting in a reunion that heals old wounds and opens a heartfelt new chapter in their relationship.

Tickets are $10 to $61.

Round House Theatre Bethesda

Through May 18

Hello, Dolly!

In a bold new production, Signature Theatre joins forces with Ford’s Theatre to reinterpret one of the greatest musicals ever written, which brings to life the tale of Dolly Levi and celebrates the search for love. Please call for ticket information.

Signature Theatre Through June 2

Hero/Traitor Repertory of Coriolanus and Wallenstein In the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s repertory of “Coriolanus” and “Wallenstein,” both plays revolve around military leaders who’ve gained fame through deadly prowess — in Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus,” the title character must re-examine his loyalties when the country he championed turns against him; in Friedrich Schiller’s “Wallenstein,” the main character must choose between the ideal for which he fights and his government’s agenda. Tickets are $43 to $105.

Sidney Harman Hall

Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

CULTURE GUIDE

Tue., April 9, 7:30 p.m.

Gülsin Onay, Piano

Gülsin Onay, who holds the title of “state artist” in her native Turkey and is a soloist for the Presidential Symphony Orchestra in Ankara, performs a program of Beethoven and Chopin. Tickets are $125, including buffet dinner and valet parking; for information, visit www.embassyseries.org.

Turkish Residence Fri., April 12, 7:30 p.m.

Christophe Rousset, Harpsichord

A renowned harpsichordist, conductor, and expert of all things Baroque, Christophe Rousset has gained the intriguing reputation of a musical archaeologist who proclaims that, “There is no greater feeling

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DIPLOMATIC SPOTLIGHT

The Washington Diplomat

April 2013

Embassy Chef Challenge

Photo: Jason Morenz

Photo: Jason Morenz

Chef Nathan Bates of the New Zealand Embassy won the fifth annual Embassy Chef Challenge, taking home top honors at “Challenge Hungary,” a closed-door preliminary competition, as well as the Judge’s Choice Award and the People’s Choice Award for his roasted lamb cutlet — the first time in the event’s history a chef has won all three categories.

Photo: Jason Morenz

Public relations consultant Jan Du Plain, third from left, stands with chefs in the 2013 Embassy Chef Challenge, which featured the embassies of Afghanistan, China, El Salvador, Jamaica, South Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, South Africa, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Chef Viktor Merényi of the Hungarian Embassy, winner of the 2012 Embassy Chef Challenge, attends this year’s event with his wife Zita Merényi-Bolla. As the previous winner, Merényi selected the surprise ingredient in a private preliminary “Top Chef”-style cookoff before the main event.

Photo: Jason Morenz

From left, Shahin Mafi, CEO of Home Health Connection Inc. and benefit chair of the Embassy Chef Challenge, joins Ambassador of Barbados and Mrs. John Beale at the diplomatic cooking competition that’s now in its fifth year.

Photo: gail scott

Norwegian Embassy Chef Simon Liestøl Idsø presents potato leek soup with slow-cooked Norwegian cod served with Linie Aquavit, a native spirit, at the Embassy Chef Challenge.

Photo: Jason Morenz

From left, Cultural Tourism DC Board Chair Timothy Cox, Yvonne Moore, New Zealand Embassy chef Nathan Bates, Ambassador of New Zealand Michael Moore, and Michael Macklin, resident manager of the New Zealand Embassy, celebrate Bates’s win at the Embassy Chef Challenge.

Photo: gail scott

Ambassador of Fiji Winston Thompson and his wife Queenie attend Cultural Tourism DC’s Embassy Chef Challenge, which serves as a prelude to the group’s annual Passport DC embassy showcase.

Photo: gail scott

From left, Ambassador of Norway Wegger Christian Strømmen, Natalia Kislyak, the Rev. Dr. Cecilie J. Strommen, and Ambassador of Russia Sergey Kislyak attend the 2013 Embassy Chef Challenge.

Photo: gail scott

Photo: gail scott

Russian Embassy chef Roman Shchadrin participates in his firstever Embassy Chef Challenge, joining dozens of other embassy chefs who’ve participated over the years.

The South African Embassy serves up national specialties at the Embassy Chef Challenge, where hors d’oeuvres were judged by guests and a panel of celebrity judges.

Diplomatic Culinary Partnership

Photos: Jason Morenz photos: anna gawel

Page 50

From left, Maziar Farivar, chef and owner of Peacock Café; Duff Goldman, chef and owner of Charm City Cakes; Hoss Fuentes, executive chef of DC Palm; and Xavier Deshayes, executive chef of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, who catered the event, attend a Diplomatic Culinary Partnership discussion.

U.S. Chief of Protocol Capricia Penavic Marshall hosts a discussion with members of the American Chef Corps and local embassy chefs at Blair House ahead of the Embassy Chef Challenge as part of the State Department’s Diplomatic Culinary Partnership, which seeks to elevate the role of culinary engagement in America’s public diplomacy.

Kazakh Embassy chef Yerlan Abdrakhmanov talks about food as a public diplomacy tool at a Blair House discussion.

From left, Cultural Tourism DC Board Chair Timothy Cox, Jamaican Embassy chef Sherene N. James, and Cultural Tourism DC Acting Director Lynn Parseghian attend a Blair House discussion on culinary diplomacy ahead of Cultural Tourism DC’s fifth annual Embassy Chef Challenge.

From left, Ismar Reyes, chef for the Embassy of El Salvador, Amanda Freitag and Marc Murphy, both judges on the Food Network show “Chopped” and members of the American Chef Corps, attend a discussion at Blair House hosted by the State Department Protocol Office ahead of the Embassy Chef Challenge.

Photo: u.s. department of state

Pernille Florin Elbech, public diplomacy and press senior advisor at the Danish Embassy, left, and Lars Beese, chef for the Danish Embassy and the 2011 winner of the Embassy Chef Challenge, attend a discussion at Blair House hosted by U.S. Protocol Chief Capricia Penavic Marshall.

From right, chef Carla Hall, host of ABC’s “The Chew” and a “Top Chef” finalist, and Duff Goldman, founder and chef of Charm City Cakes, the Baltimore Bakery featured on Food Network’s “Ace of Cakes,” were among the celebrity judges of the Embassy Chef Challenge.

Embassy of Trinidad and Tobago chef Mukesh Ramnarine (“Chef Tiger”) was one of the participants in the fifth annual Embassy Chef Challenge and a discussion on culinary diplomacy at Blair House the day before, moderated by Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema.

More than 400 guests gathered at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center for the 2013 Embassy Chef Challenge, which benefits Cultural Tourism DC, a nonprofit coalition of more than 230 organizations dedicated to promoting D.C. culture and heritage.

Andrew Gelfuso, director of the Office for Trade Promotion at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, left, and Allyson McKithen, senior operations manager at the Office for Trade Promotion, attend a culinary discussion at Blair House in conjunction with the Embassy Chef Challenge, held at the Ronald Reagan Building.

The Washington Diplomat

April 2013

Prevent Cancer Gala

From left, Diane Jones, wife of former National Security Advisor James Jones; Carolyn “Bo” Aldigé, president and founder of the Prevent Cancer Foundation; former Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.); and honorary patron Laura Denise Bisogniero, wife of the Italian ambassador, attend the Festa Della Donna Gala, where Tauscher, a survivor of esophageal cancer, was given the Cancer Champion Award.

Photos: Gail scott

Ambassador of Italy Claudio Bisogniero and his wife Laura Denise Bisogniero, center, the evening’s honorary patrons, welcome Rear Adm. Susan Blumenthal, left, and Marie Royce to the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s 19th Annual Spring Gala, whose theme, La Festa Della Donna, celebrated women’s rights across the world.

Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), left, talks with Carolyn “Bo” Aldigé, who founded the Prevent Cancer Foundation in 1985 to support cancer prevention programs and early detection research.

President of the Prevent Cancer Foundation Carolyn “Bo” Aldigé, center, welcomes 2011 gala patrons Ambassador of Monaco Gilles Noghès and his wife Ellen, a breast cancer survivor, to the group’s 2013 Spring Gala held at the National Building Museum.

Jovana Kirn, wife of the Slovenian Ambassador, left, and Laura Denise Bisogniero, wife of the Italian Ambassador, attend the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s 19th Annual Spring Gala, which over the years has raised more than $19.9 million in support of cancer research and direct service programs to medically underserved communities.

Global Education Gala

photo: world affairs council-Washington, DC photo: world affairs council-Washington, DC

photo: world affairs council-Washington, DC

From left, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. and Mrs. Martin E. Dempsey, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates and Mrs. Yousef Al Otaiba, and President and CEO of Lockheed Martin Marillyn A. Hewson attend the 2013 Global Education Gala hosted by the World Affairs Council-Washington, D.C. at the Ritz-Carlton, where Dempsey was the keynote speaker and Al Otaiba received the Distinguished Diplomatic Service Award.

Frederick Thomas, founder and CEO of MHz Networks, accepts the Global Communications Award for helping to bring more international television programming into America than all other U.S. broadcast TV networks combined.

From left, Mrs. and Ambassador of Albania Gilbert Galanxhi join Ambassador of Nepal and Mrs. Shankar Prasad Sharma at the Global Education Gala hosted by the World Affairs Council of Washington, D.C., which is a recognized leader in professional development programs for educators.

From left, Maryscott Greenwood of McKenna Long & Aldridge speaks with Ambassador of the Arab League and Mrs. Mohammed Alhussaini Alsharif at the Global Education Gala at the Ritz-Carlton.

Kuwaiti National Day

Retired U.S. Ambassador William Courtney, a board member of the World Affairs Council-Washington, D.C., left, presents the Educator of the Year Award to Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, at the 2013 Global Education Gala.

Tyler Lewis, left, and Miles McNamee attend the Global Education Gala, sponsored in part by companies such as Boeing, ExxonMobil, Lockheed Martin and Leo A. Daly III.

Lloyd Hand, former chief of protocol under the Johnson administration, and his wife, jewelry designer Ann Hand, attend the Kuwaiti National Day reception at the Four Seasons.

Photo: Gail scott

Ambassador of Kuwait Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, right, and his wife Rima welcome Ambassador of Saudi Arabia Adel A. Al-Jubeir to a reception at the Four Seasons Hotel marking the 52nd anniversary of the Kuwaiti National Day.

Rima Al-Sabah, wife of the Kuwaiti ambassador, left, welcomes CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer to the Kuwaiti National Day reception at the Four Seasons.

From left, Ambassador of Barbados and Mrs. John Beale join Chad Rector of Marymount University at the Global Education Gala hosted by the World Affairs Council of Washington, D.C., a nonprofit that provides top-level presentations and discussions of global education and international affairs in the Washington area.

Governors and Indian Business

Ambassador of Lesotho Molapi Sebatane, left, and President of AFGE Council 222 with the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Department Eddie Eitches attend the Global Education Gala at the Ritz-Carlton.

photo: Confederation of Indian Industry-India Business Forum

From left, Delaware Gov. Jack Markell; Director of the Confederation of Indian Industry North America Sandhya Satwadi; Utah Gov. Gary Herbert; Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead; Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer; Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy; Ambassador of India Nirupama Rao; Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad; Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe; and Confederation of Indian Industry-India Business Forum (CII-IBF) Dave Delie attend a CII-IBF corporate reception to coincide with the National Governors’ Association winter meeting.

Muslim Women’s Association

From left, Maha Ibrahim, wife of the Sudanese ambassador; Jumana Areikat, wife of the Palestinian representative; Fügen Tan, wife of the Turkish ambassador; Fatiha Bouhlal, wife of the Moroccan ambassador; Rosa Rai Djalal, wife of the Indonesian ambassador; Iman Al-Sharif, wife of Arab League ambassador; Sultana Hakimi, wife of the Afghan ambassador; and Amani Amin, wife of the Egyptian ambassador, attend the monthly meeting of the Muslim Women’s Association.

April 2013

Photos: Gail scott

Gamila Karjawally, program leader of the Museum Women’s Association, left, joins luncheon hostess Fügen Tan, wife of the Turkish ambassador, for a monthly association meeting held at the Turkish Residence.

The Washington Diplomat Page 51

DIPLOMATIC SPOTLIGHT

The Washington Diplomat

April 2013

Finnish Fête Women

Noche de Pasión

photos: thomas coleman

From left, event co-chairs Judy Heisley Bishop, Pilar Frank O’Leary and Isabel de La Cruz Ernst join Ambassador of Brazil Mauro Vieira at his residence for the Washington Ballet’s Latin celebration Noche de Pasión 2013 Destination Carnaval! — whose proceeds benefit the ballet’s newly established Latino Scholarship Fund.

From left, Ambassador of Colombia and Mrs. Carlos Urrutia, Senior Associate Dean of International Programs at Georgetown University School of Medicine Irma Frank, and wife of the former Mexican ambassador Veronica Valencia-Sarukhan attend the Carnival-themed Noche de Pasión celebration.

From left, David Wessel, Margarita Arroyare-Wessel, and Deborah and Raymond Sczudlo attend the Washington Ballet’s Carnival-themed Noche de Pasión celebration at the Brazilian Residence.

Photos: Gail scott

From left, George and Jessica Springsteen, Victoria Reis, Pilar Frank O’Leary, Darren Thomas, Meaghan Megrath, and Dominic Morrocco attend the Washington Ballet’s Noche de Pasión celebration.

Former Afghan Ambassador Said Tayeb Jawad and his wife Shamim attend the Washington Ballet’s Carnival-themed Noche de Pasión celebration at the Brazilian Residence.

From left, Michael Olding, art collector Mirella Levinas, and the Washington Ballet Artistic Director Septime Webre attend the ballet’s Noche de Pasión benefit for the ballet’s new Latino Scholarship Fund, which will allow it to hire Latino dancers from across the Americas and support dance programs for underprivileged minority children in D.C.

Ambassador of Finland Ritva Koukku-Ronde, left, and Joan Bradley Wages, president and CEO of the National Women’s History Museum, are surrounded by costumed actors at an event hosted by the Finnish Embassy to mark the Suffrage Centennial Celebration, a weekend honoring women who made history by enshrining women’s voting rights in the 19th Amendment of the Constitution.

Rosa Rai Djalal, wife of the Indonesian ambassador and a dentist back home, poses with costumed actors at a Finnish Embassy event marking the Suffrage Centennial Celebration, which highlighted events beginning in 1913 that ultimately secured voting rights for women in the U.S.

Serbian National Day

Ambassador of Serbia Vladimir Petrovic and his wife Adela welcome guests to the Serbian National and Armed Forces Day reception held at the Library of Congress.

Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas), co-chair of the Serbian Congressional Caucus, speaks to guests at the Serbian National and Armed Forces Day reception in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress.

photos: kaitie kovach

From left, Sandra Pejic, Suzana Jolevska, wife of the Macedonian ambassador, and Christina Domm attend the Serbian National and Armed Forces Day reception.

Defense, Military, Naval and Air Attaché at the Azerbaijani Embassy Lt. Col. Aghaverdi Mahmud Oglu Guliyev, left, and Military Attaché at the Israeli Embassy Col. Eyal Rozen attend the Serbian National Day reception.

Counselor at the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina Marinko Avramovic, left, and Biljana Bogicevic attend the Serbian National and Armed Forces Day reception.

Singapore Visit

Oman Mini-Series Palestinian Solidarity From left, Ambassador of Turkey Namik Tan, Palestinian Representative to the United States Maen Areikat, his wife Jumana Areikat, and Fügen Tan attend the Palestinian Solidarity Day reception at Areikat’s residence.

Page 52

photo: this is america

From left, Omani Rawya Saud Al Busaidi, Omani minister of higher education and chair of the Royal Opera House Muscat Board of Directors; television host Dennis Wholey; and Kamil bin Fahad Al Said, assistant secretarygeneral for the cabinet of the deputy prime minister for the Council of Ministers, talk while shooting footage for a mini-series on Oman for PBS’s “This is America.”

Photos: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law of Singapore Kasiviswanathan Shan­mugam, left, greets U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during his U.S. visit to strengthen U.S.-Singapore ties.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law of Singapore K. Shanmugam, center, met with members of Congress during his recent U.S. visit, including Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), right, and Ranking Member Bob Corker (R-Tenn.).

Photo: Anna Dillon

St. Kitts at Church of Scientology From left, Ambassador of St. Kitts and Nevis Jacinth Lorna Henry-Martin, Sandy Taylor, diplomatic liaison for the Welcome to Washington International Club, and Ambassador of Dominica and Mrs. Hubert Charles attend the St. Kitts and Nevis Art and Poetry Night at the Church of Scientology’s Fraser Mansion.

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from page 16

Colombia FARC is viewing the peace process and how the government is viewing the peace process is diametrically opposed. And even though these are the best conditions that have ever existed for peace to happen in Colombia, the positions are still too far apart and there will be more fighting in the next few years.”

Indeed, despite swearing off the kidnapping of civilians — FARC’s cash cow for decades — rebels kidnapped three civilian engineers in February.

Although the hostages were promptly released, the incident stirred fears that the group might revert to kidnappings to replenish its finances.

Rebels have also said they reserve the right to kidnap police officers or soldiers as part of their ongoing battle against the state, and earlier this year they abandoned a unilateral ceasefire. A string of clashes between soldiers and FARC guerillas has ensued,testing the patience of Colombian officials.

That’s why Ray Walser, senior Latin America policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation, said that even though public opinion in Colombia clearly supports the concept of a negotiated peace, it’s important to remember that the FARC is a “narco-terrorist organization that lacks political legitimacy” and is outside the orbit of democratic conversation.

“The FARC has very much a Marxist-based, anticapitalist, anti-U.S. mindset that is not going to be

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Interests, Technology, & Analysis for the "pita-consuming" easy to change,” he said. “Their views range from ists, even tweeting photos of dead policeman region the utopian to the romantic. They want to create recently to hammer that point home. a Jeffersonian agrarian movement in the rural PITAPOLICY Urrutia takesfocuses a more measured approach, sugBody: space of Colombia; they want to take 20 percent gesting that once an agreement is reached, “we on international development; of Colombia’s land and redistribute it. They’ve should be able to absorb 8,000 men and their research writing, as moved from restitution to redistribution, which if &families into such the mainstream of Colombian sociyou represent the Heritage Foundationformulating doesn’t sit ety.policy That’s what the Colombian government is papers; very well.” doing: devising policies and laws that will enable program people to carryand on with a productive way of life Walser added that “the tactics they employ are evaluation; withoutIssue going areas into the of drug business.” evolving, but seizure of power is still survey the objec-design.

They may have no choice in the matter regardtive.” focus for the MENA region Indeed, Colombia’s Ospina, chief of the defense less. Urrutia says that thanks to the superiority of include: chair at the Center for Hemispheric Defense the Colombian military — enhanced by modern Studies, said it would be foolish to underestimate technology and intelligence capabilities — it’s the FARC’s commitment to its mission. “The goal only a matter of time before the insurgents lay ~Human Development of the FARC will not change,” he said. “They will down their arms and agree to deep concessions.

(Indicators, Social “Society Entrepreno longer tolerates its vicious actions, always try to seize power one way or another. ” [Colombian government] concessions that But whether the government shouldneurship) acquiesce and ~ would have been on the table 12 years ago are to its demands is another matter, he said.

“Negotiating with terrorists is not a healthy now unthinkable. FARC’s involvement in the Institutional Development drug trade& and the international practice,” Ospina told his audience.“However, we international of FARC as a terrorist have to admit that it has worked in other parts of labeling Civil Society (Transparency) ~ organization has the world, like Central America and Nepal. So greatly diminished its standing and it has no room Economic for improvement.” maybe it’s not healthy, but it could be useful. ” Even so, the retired general said, “If the peace A negotiated end to Colombia’s protracted guerprocess means impunity for the FARC leaders and rilla war could greatly improve both Santos’s Development (Resource allows them to participate in politics, I will have to approval ratings and the nation’s economy by Management) ~ investor Political strongly oppose the peace process. Justice has to boosting confidence. Foreign direct investbe served, and guilty terrorists have Participation to pay for ment,&which Civicstood at $2 billion in 2002, exceeded their crimes. Peace cannot be obtained at all $16 billion last year and is expected to reach $17 costs.” billion in 2013. “I’m sure the impact [of a peace Engagement (Strategy, would be atOrgaleast a two- or three-point perEven former President Uribe has declared that treaty] centage increase in GDP,” Urrutia estimated. the government should not negotiate with terror-Elections) nizing, ~ Monitoring

Yet even if FARC agrees to lay down its arms, it’s not the only rebel group in town. The feared National Liberation Army, or ELN — which like FARC was established in 1964 as a Marxist rebel group with Cuba’s backing — has a history of kidnappings, bomb attacks and extorting foreign oil and mining companies (the group recently released two German hostages captured late last year).

But whether the ELN would join any talks remains to be seen. Urrutia says all of Colombia’s paramilitaries will have to come clean if they ever want to rejoin society.

“We Colombians are ashamed of what happened,” he said. “The paramilitaries committed atrocities, too. The whole exercise will involve mechanisms so that both the paramilitaries and the guerrillas will be required to tell the truth about what they did, as a precondition of being able to come back into the social mainstream and go into politics.”

Larry Luxner is news editor of The Washington Diplomat.

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from page 14

Venezuela walls of his Caracas home. At 40, Capriles is also unmarried, leading chavistas to imply that the opposition candidate is gay, which he’s consistently denied.

On the other hand, Capriles did defeat a previous vice president, Diosdado Cabello, to win his initial election as governor of Miranda state, as well as a second vice president, Elías Jaua — now foreign minister — to win his second term in office. And he did better against Chávez than any other challenger, picking up 44.3 percent of the vote compared to 55.07 percent for the nowdeceased president.

April 2013

Even so, he still lost to Chávez by 11 points — and the results of a poll published March 19 by Caracas pollster Datanalisis show Maduro with 49.2 percent support versus 34.8 percent for Capriles. Campaigning in oil-rich Zulia state, Capriles vowed to end subsidized petroleum exports to Cuba under which the communistruled island receives between 90,000 and 100,000 barrels per day.

“The giveaways to other countries are going to end. Not another drop of oil will go toward financing the government of the Castros,” Capriles declared. “Nicolás [Maduro] is the candidate of Raúl Castro. I’m the candidate of the Venezuelan people.”

Yet for many Venezuelans, Chávez was their candidate, even savior. Over the last 14 years, the

Venezuelan people handily voted to elect Chávez as their leader four times — and odds are good that they’ll do the same with his anointed successor.

Although U.S. officials may have quietly hoped for a slight thaw in relations under Maduro, Chávez’s protégé seems to have taken a page out of his mentor’s anti-American conspiracy playbook, recently accusing the United States of trying to destabilize the country.

Duddy warned that if Maduro wins as expected, the prognosis for U.S.-Venezuelan relations won’t improve anytime soon. He noted that Maduro kicked out two American military attachés on March 5 — the same day Chávez’s death was announced.

“Since that day, there have been repeated suggestions that somehow the United States or oth-

ers may have had something to do with infecting Chávez — all of which taken together underscore the fact that in the near term, relations will continue to be tense,” the veteran diplomat concluded. “There’s been no movement that would encourage one to think otherwise.”

Larry Luxner is news editor of The Washington Diplomat.

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