Luxury Living and Hotels & Travel Special Sections
INSIDE
Luxury Living
A Special Section of The Washington Diplomat
April 2019
APRIL 2019
WWW.WASHDIPLOMAT.COM
VOLUME 26, NUMBER 04
Finding the Right Realtor
Middle East
As Spring Market Heats
S
Up, Experts Offer Tips
pring has finally arrived in the Washington, D.C., area. For residents and visitors, this means blooms, allergens and warmer temperatures, but for homebuyers and sellers, it likely also means an uptick in the marketplace. In general, this season has the highest number of new
Nowhere to Go: Syria’s Refugees Live in Limbo
Africa
Africa has some of the longestserving leaders in the world — and some of the richest, while many of their people live in poverty — all of which begs the question: How long is too long to stay in power? PAGE 12
Culture
Moldovan Ambassador Cristina Balan is proud of the recent economic strides her government has made. Nevertheless, she remains concerned about her country’s future in the wake of Russian muscle-flexing in the region, the frozen and costly conflict in Transnistria and multibillion-dollar banking scandals that have exposed how entrenched corruption is in the former Soviet Republic. PAGE 17
MOLDOVA’S SHAKY FUTURE SPECIAL REPORT
Women in Diplomacy Cuban-Born Artist Is Her Own Island
“Soy Isla (I Am an Island)” showcases the work of 92-year-old Zilia Sánchez, a mostly unknown but visionary artist. PAGE 34
In December 2018, the
number of
a Home •
PHOTO: DAVID MARK /
PIXABAY
Colorful rowhouses line the D.C. neighborhood of Foggy Bottom.
BY STEPHANIE KANOWITZ
units for sale in Virginia’s Arlington County and the city of Alexandria increased by 20 percent year-over-year, according to Long & Foster, the country’s largest privately owned real estate company. SEE REALTORS • PAGE 26
APRIL 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT
After eight years of war, around half of Syria’s population is now displaced. But as the welcome mat for these struggling masses begins to wear thin in overburdened countries, Syria’s refugees face an impossible dilemma: stay where they’re not wanted or return to a home that no longer exists. PAGE 10
Africa’s Leaders Have a Hard Time Letting Go of Power
on Buying and Selling
listings, according to Zillow Research, and after Amazon’s November 2018 announcement that it will open a second headquarters in Arlington’s Crystal City neighborhood, it’s likely that the already healthy marketplace will strengthen.
The #MeToo movement has exposed sexism in all walks of life, from Hollywood to the halls of Congress. But progress in tackling gender inequality has been uneven — and that extends to the male-dominated world of diplomacy. In an in-depth report, we talk to Washington’s female ambassadors to gain their personal insights on what it’s like to be a woman in diplomacy today. PAGE 4
| 25