The Washington Diplomat - December 2018 by The Washington Diplomat

Luxury Living GIFT GUIDE

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December 2018

2018

VOLUME 25, NUMBER 12

Neutral Oman Under Pressure To Choose Sides Oman has long played a quiet but influential role in the region as an honest broker, walking a fine line between competing interests. But as the U.S. and Saudi Arabia increasingly put the squeeze on Iran, Oman is finding it harder to maintain this precarious balancing act. PAGE 14

DECEMBER 2018

BY STEPHANIE KANOWITZ

Give the Gift of Lasting Memories This Year, Plus a Few Extras

Envoys to Myanmar Take Nuanced View Of Rohingya Crisis

Middle East

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Southeast Asia

In an exclusive report, ambassadors from the U.S., European Union and Japan reflect on the difficulties of responding to the atrocities committed against Myanmar’s Rohingya minority without derailing the country’s fragile democratic transition. PAGE 8

Holiday S

YAKOVLEVA / PIXABAY ure, good things come in small packfew ideas for making ages, but sometimes a donation in amazing things someone’s name — a can’t be contained. This way to reverse some year’s gift of the negativity that guide shines some (holiday) seemed particularly light on experi- pervasive ences — memory-maker in 2018. s you can share and However you choose savor long into 2019 to celebrate, we and beyond. hope you and yours Of course, we still have have a very happy plenty of tangible holiday season! treats to wrap and hand over, too. And for the first time, we included a section with a PHOTO: DARIA

EUROPE SEE GIFT GUIDE • PAGE 26

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| DECEMBER 2018 | 25

CZECH MATE Hynek Kmoníček, an ex-musician who collects hot sauces and has killed a crocodile, isn’t your typical ambassador. Then again, neither is his Czech homeland, as the prosperous former Soviet satellite seems to be turning its back on the European Union in favor of Russia. But Kmoníček insists that a strong Europe is still in Prague’s interest and that the current populist tide is no threat to Western democracy. PAGE 17

Culture

Artists See Japan Through New Eyes “Japan Modern” shows how the country’s artists embraced, and documented, change. PAGE 32

People of World Influence

Diplomatic Spouses

Veteran Ambassador Warns Against U.S. Retreat

Portuguese Wife Budgets Her Time in D.C.

As a career diplomat who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and as a former Army infantry officer who fought in Vietnam, Ambassador Ronald Neumann has seen firsthand how American defense and diplomacy can succeed and fail. He’s also seen U.S. administrations often fail to finish what they started. PAGE 4

Isabel Fezas Vital, wife of Portuguese Ambassador Domingos Fezas Vital for 33 years, has worked as an economist for most of their diplomatic life together. But she’s taking a break from math and trade policy to enjoy museums and other D.C. diversions. PAGE 33

"Essential and entertaining reading." —Betty K. Koed, Historian

RISING STAR, SETTING SUN: Volume 25 "Essential and entertaining reading." —Betty K. Koed, Historian

RISING STAR, SETTING SUN: Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and the Presidential Transition that Changed America

Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and the

| Presidential | www.washdiplomat.com that Changed America Issue 12 | Transition December 2018

Rising Star, Setting Sun is a riveting new history that explores the complicated, poignant, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Victor Shiblie and consequential transition of power from Dwight D. Eisenhower to John F. Kennedy.

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The exchange of leadership between the Managing Editor Gawel thirty-fourth and thirty-fifthAnna presidents of the United States marked more than a succession of leaders. Larry Luxner News EditorIt symbolized—and triggered—a generational shift in American politics, policy, and culture. Cari Henderson Graphic Designer Drawing extensively from primary sources, Account Manager Rod Carrasco including memoirs and memos of the time, Rising Star, Setting Sun paints a vivid Photographer picture of what Time called Lawrence a "turning Ruggeri point in the twentieth century."

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"The presidential transition from Kennedy starkly contrasted the JohnEisenhower Brinkley,toJonathan Gorvett, parties, temperaments, and generations of the two leaders, yet the transfer of power proceeded amicably inStephanie the national Kanowitz, interest. John Shaw's Rising Star, Setting Sun slips behind the veil of civility to take the measure of both men and Ryan Migeed, Kate Oczypok, assess their personal antagonisms."

Gail Scott, Brendan L. Smith, Aileen Torres-Bennett, Books, hardcover, May 2018, ISBN: 9781681777320 LisaPegasus Troshinsky, Mackenzie Weinger, Karin Zeitvogel

—Donald A. Ritchie, Historian Emeritus of the United States Senate and author of Electing FDR: The New Deal Campaign of 1932

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Rising Star, Setting Sun is a riveting new history that explores the complicated, poignant, and consequential transition of power from Dwight D. Eisenhower to John F. Kennedy. The exchange of leadership between the thirty-fourth and thirtyfifth presidents of the United States marked more than a succession of leaders. It symbolized—and triggered—a generational shift in American politics, policy, and culture. Drawing extensively from primary sources, including memoirs and memos of the time, Rising Star, Setting Sun paints a vivid picture of what Time called a "turning point in the twentieth century." Praise: "The presidential transition from Eisenhower to Kennedy starkly contrasted the parties, temperaments, and generations of the two leaders, yet the transfer of power proceeded amicably in the national interest. John Shaw's Rising Star, Setting Sun slips behind the veil of civility to take the measure of both men and assess their personal antagonisms." —Donald A. Ritchie, Historian Emeritus of the United States Senate and author of Electing FDR: The New Deal Campaign of 1932

"Shaw vividly portrays the generational clash between the upstart former lieutenant and the iconic general. Following a campaign marked by raw personal attacks, they overcame their disdain, with a passing of the torch and stirring rhetoric that became a high point in each president's career." —Richard Cohen, Chief Author of The Almanac of American Politics

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Pegasus Books, hardcover, May 2018, ISBN: 9781681777320

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address 1921 Florida Ave. NW #53353 • Washington, DC 20009 phone 301.933.3552 • fax 301.949.0065 web www.washdiplomat.com • editorial news@washdiplomat.com advertising sales@washdiplomat.com The Washington Diplomat is"Essential published monthly by The Washington and entertaining reading." Diplomat assumes no responsibility The Washington Diplomat, Inc. The newspaper is dis- for the safe keeping or return of unsolicited manu—Betty K. Koed, Historian tributed free of charge at several locations through- scripts, photographs, artwork or other material. out the Washington, D.C. area. We do offer subscripSTAR, SETTING tions for homeRISING delivery. Subscription rates are $29 for The informationSUN: contained in this publication is in no way 12 issues and $49 for 24 issues. to be construed as a recommendation the Publisher Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and by the of any kind or nature whatsoever, nor as a recommendaPresidential Transition that Changed America To receive The Washington Diplomat at your embassy tion of any industry standard, nor as an endorsement of or business or to receive past issues, please call Fuad any product or service, nor as an opinion or certification Rising Star, Setting Sun is a rivShiblie at 301-933-3552. regarding the accuracy of any such information. eting new history that explores the complicated, poignant, and If your organization employs many people from the inconsequential transition of powternational community, may qualify for free bulktodeer fromyou Dwight D. Eisenhower livery. To see if you qualify, please contact Fuad Shiblie. John F. Kennedy.

The exchange of leadership between the thirty-fourth and thirty-fifth presidents of the United States marked more than a succession of leaders. It symbolized—and triggered— a generational shift in American politics, policy, and culture.

Drawing extensively from primary sources, including memoirs and memos of the time, Rising Star, Setting Sun paints a vivid picture of what Time called a "turning point in the twentieth century."

ON THE COVER Photo taken at the Czech Embassy by Lawrence Ruggeri of Ruggeriphoto.com.

"John Shaw's Rising Star, Setting Sun slips behind the veil of civility to take the measure of both men and assess their personal antagonisms." —Donald A. Ritchie, Historian Emeritus of the United States Senate and author of Electing FDR: The New Deal Campaign of 1932

1/2 page vertical print 2 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

Contents

THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

16 2018

Holiday GIFT GUIDE

25 NEWS 4

PEOPLE OF WORLD INFLUENCE Veteran U.S. ambassador cautions against giving up on Afghanistan and Iraq — or diplomacy.

8 THE COMPLEXITIES OF CRISIS EU, Japanese and U.S. envoys offer a more nuanced take on Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis.

14 SHAKY BALANCING ACT Oman’s ability to balance competing interests is coming under increasing pressure.

NORDIC VANTAGE POINT

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize Laureates embody all that the prize aspires to be.

MEDICAL

British artist Rachel Whiteread gives shape to negative space.

DISCO AND DEBAUCHERY

The Swedish Embassy offers a rare look inside New York’s iconic Studio 54 nightclub.

LUXURY LIVING

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

DANCING TO A DIFFERENT BEAT

Billy Elliot shatters stereotypes in British coal country and dances into our hearts.

Give the gift of lasting memories this holiday season, plus a few other goodies.

CULTURE 32

PICTURE OF CHANGE

COVER PROFILE: CZECH REPUBLIC An unusual ambassador navigates uncertain times.

“Japan Modern” shows how evolving art forms captured an emerging nation.

THE IMMIGRANT DREAM The Mahmoods: Pakistani immigrants become Washington power players.

FILLING EMPTY SPACES

The CDC examines the rise of a mysterious polio-like illness in children.

HUNGARY’S ECONOMIC ARGUMENT

As political criticisms mount, Hungary touts its economic record.

DIPLOMATIC SPOUSES

A Portuguese economist takes a break from math to enjoy museums and other D.C. diversions.

REGULARS 38

CINEMA LISTING

40 EVENTS LISTING 42 DIPLOMATIC SPOTLIGHT 46 CLASSIFIEDS 47 REAL ESTATE CLASSIFIEDS THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018 | 3

WD | People of World Influence

Keeping Up the Fight Veteran Ambassador Says U.S. Shouldn’t Give Up on Afghanistan, Iraq — Or Diplomacy BY RYAN R. MIGEED

s a career diplomat who served in Afghanistan, Iraq and other Mideast hotspots, and as a former Army infantry officer who fought in Vietnam, Ambassador Ronald Neumann has seen firsthand how American defense and diplomacy can succeed and fail. He’s also seen past U.S. administrations often fail to finish what they started. Today, as president of the American Academy of Diplomacy, he understands the importance of diplomacy in protecting our national security interests — and the threats that U.S. diplomacy faces from within, as resources and morale at the State Department consistently come under fire from the Trump White House. For Neumann, this neglect hits close to home, whether in Baghdad or Foggy Bottom. President Trump has not only relegated the U.S. Foreign Service to the sidelines, but has also continued what Neumann says is a failing strategy in Afghanistan and Iraq, where Trump is determined to end American involvement in both long-running conflicts. Ironically, both nations have finally begun making real democratic progress. In October, Afghanistan held long-delayed parliamentary elections. Despite the threat of violence by the Taliban and logistical problems, millions waited hours to cast their votes, including a large number of women. While the Taliban still holds large tracts of territory and regularly stages deadly attacks that have killed thousands of civilians this year, the relatively successful election has sparked tepid hopes that the elusive effort to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table may finally be gaining steam. Meanwhile, in Iraq, Adel AbdulMahdi was sworn in as Iraq’s new prime minister in late October after months of political wrangling following that country’s parliamentary election in May. Under a power-sharing agreement, the prime minister position goes to a Shiite, the president is Kurdish and the speaker of parliament is Sunni. Abdul-Mahdi, an independent Shiite, is widely seen as a compromise candidate after Haider al-Abadi, America’s preferred choice, and Iran’s top picks, Nouri al-Maliki and Hadi al-Ameri, failed to make the cut. Abdul-Mahdi is still waiting on parliament to approve his nominees for key cabinet posts, and much of Iraq remains in shambles after the years-long battle to dislodge the Islamic State. But the fact that Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, once a fiercely anti-American militia leader and now a political kingmaker, vowed that Iraq would be led by a pragmatic, broad-

4 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

*This interview has been lightly condensed and edited for clarity. THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT: Based on your experience, where you’ve served, I’d like to start with getting your opinion on how the Afghanistan War is going at the moment. RONALD NEUMANN: I would call it a declining stalemate. That is, the insurgency is doing better. The reason I don’t say winning is because I don’t think — as long as we maintain our involvement — they can actually win. They can take more ground, but they can’t take over major cities or take over [the country], which is why I call it a declining stalemate. We are not doing well. TWD: Both wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have dragged on for years. President Trump entered office on a pledge to pull American troops out of foreign entanglements. Do you think he has a point? And on the same token, are you concerned that pulling out several thousand troops will have negative consequences for the fight against the Islamic State? PHOTO: AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DIPLOMACY

“

Whether you like a policy or not, you get better results if you have good diplomatic work carrying it out. And in cutting budgets or not having enough training, we’re losing experience by pushing people out the door. RONALD NEUMANN president of the American Academy of Diplomacy

based government — beholden to neither Washington nor Tehran — has stirred hopes that the war-torn country can finally begin to move past its sectarian divisions. These tentative gains are part of the reason why the U.S. should remain invested in Afghanistan and Iraq, Neumann told us in a wide-ranging conversation about foreign policy under both Presidents Trump and Obama. Neumann served three times as ambassador, to Algeria, Bahrain and finally to Afghanistan from July 2005 to April 2007. He previously served in Baghdad shortly after the U.S. invasion began in October 2003, working with the Coalition Provisional Authority and then as the U.S. Embassy’s liaison to the Multinational Command, where

”

he was deeply involved in coordinating the political strategies behind military actions. Prior to working in Iraq, Neumann was deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Near East Affairs, with responsibility for North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Earlier in his career, he was posted to the UAE, Yemen, Iran and Senegal. He is currently president of the American Academy of Diplomacy, founded in 1983 to support and strengthen U.S. diplomacy. Neumann published a memoir, “Three Embassies, Four Wars,” in 2017 and authored the 2009 book “The Other War: Winning and Losing in Afghanistan,” which is where our conversation began.

RN: I think one has to integrate your diplomatic strategy and your military strategy. They don’t look terribly wellintegrated to me. For Afghanistan, I think we’re right to stay in for a lot of reasons. With Syria, I have difficulty connecting what the mission is — getting Iran out of Syria, and these things that are talked about now — with keeping 2,000 troops there. That doesn’t seem adequate to the mission. TWD: Would you agree that that’s a worthy goal in the region — RN: — to diminish Iranian influence? Yes. TWD: So is President Trump right in learning the lesson from Iraq not to set a timetable and not to pull out of Afghanistan before the country can defend itself, before its forces are ready for that? RN: I believe he’s correct. That’s really a lesson from Afghanistan much more than Iraq. Remember, you might say I have skin in the game, I’ve been involved in this policy. I’m not a completely disinterested observer. But yes, the Obama timelines in Afghanistan were terribly damaging. They encouraged the Taliban to wait us out, they led Afghans to believe we were leavSEE N EU MAN N • PAGE 6

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gets, of course, there are lots of different views on individual issues. It’s very difficult for Congress to play a strong oversight role on foreign policy because they have two real tools: the budget and confirmations. This administration has not wanted as much money as Congress wants to give them, so the budget’s not much leverage. And the administration’s been very slow with its nominations, so withholding confirmation hasn’t been a very useful tool. Those are blunt instruments. The Congress has, beyond that, they have hearings and ways of bringing pressure and focus. But it’s difficult for Congress to exert a lot of control over the administration in foreign policy. It’s partly the way the Constitution is set up.

Neumann CONTINUED • PAGE 4

ing even faster and more completely than we were, and they resulted in our pulling out people before places were ready for us to do so. So they set us back a great deal. TWD: What do you think needs to happen at the moment? Where’s the gap between where we are and where we need to be? RN: On our side, we need to take the time to do the training that we were supposed to do before, but rushed. The training was well-resourced in money and equipment, very badly under-resourced in time and personnel. Only for one year did we even reach 50 percent of the required training teams as defined by NATO. And we tried to do this whole massive building of an Afghan army in three years and start pulling out. That was wildly unrealistic. On the Afghan side, they have to improve the efficiency of their commanders, de-politicize it, and they have to improve the governance of the country, to rally people. So we have to do our part, but they have to do theirs. TWD: To that point on NATO, do you see friction between the Trump administration and our NATO allies spilling over into our work in Afghanistan with them? RN: No. NATO has been remarkably strong in its support. After all these years, and with so many other crises in the Balkans and Russia and Ukraine, it’s actually kind of remarkable how NATO has stayed with Afghanistan. And in fact the British have recently somewhat increased the numbers they’re going to put in Afghanistan — the Germans also, the Italians are still maintaining a base in the northwest. It’s one of the interesting things that people hardly ever look at, is when they’re busy debating our policies to note that NATO members have continued to believe also that Afghanistan is worth maintaining. TWD: What are your reflections on Afghanistan’s election? RN: Mixed. The good side [is] a lot of Afghans came out to vote. I found last week when I was talking to journalists and others in Afghanistan that actually people thought more had come out to vote than they had expected. Administratively, it was very badly handled. A lot of people couldn’t find where their names were on the voter list, all kinds of stuff. So administratively, it was chaotic. It was the first election the Afghans held [that] they had secured completely [on their own]. So there were lots of security problems. On the other hand, the number of incidents were not too similar from the last parliamentary election when we had 100,000 troops in country. TWD: Did the election provide any hope or any further insight into the potential peace process with the Taliban?

PHOTO: U.S. AIR FORCE / SENIOR AIRMAN SEAN CARNES

Kandak commandos conduct small arms barrier firing drills in Afghanistan’s Kunduz province on Jan. 13, 2018, part of an effort to thwart Taliban gains in the country’s northern region. Former U.S. Ambassador Ronald Neumann calls the situation in Afghanistan a “declining stalemate,” whereby the Taliban can take more ground but not major cities — so long as U.S. troops remain in the country.

RN: That was not a subject in the election and no, I wouldn’t say it was particularly helpful there…. [The election] doesn’t tell you anything about that. TWD: Moving over to Iraq. Any reflections on the kind of political wrangling that’s been going on — still not a full cabinet obviously and the failure of the budget to pass as well. RN: They have a good start at a better cabinet with Abdul-Mahdi and [Kurdish President] Barham Salih, but how far they get I just can’t tell. TWD: I was always curious about what might have once been called the “Biden Plan” for Iraq: three states, one for a future Kurdistan. Is this still a reasonable alternative? RN: It was never a reasonable alternative. I always thought it was a very bad idea. It misunderstands that these areas are not cleanly divisible. They’re enormous. Even after a lot of fighting and ethnic cleansing that’s gone on, there are still a lot of interwoven areas. To bring a plan like that into being — which virtually all Iraqis, first of all, refuse, so you can’t make it happen — you would have an enormous amount of bloodletting and ethnic cleansing in order to produce such a division.

Ronald Neumann was a former Army infantry officer who fought in Vietnam before becoming a career diplomat, serving as U.S. ambassador to Algeria, Bahrain and Afghanistan, along with a stint in Baghdad shortly after the U.S. invasion began in October 2003.

Basques? Do you cut up France? It’s not just Iraq and the Kurds. There’s no end to the process. At some point, people actually have to live with each other. TWD: Which is the whole goal of diplomacy, right?

TWD: Do you see that as a general concern as a solution to sectarianism, creating states specifically for just one ethnic group?

RN: Sometimes. Well, a large part of diplomacy is to get other people to do things your way — and like it.

RN: You have to look at each situation individually. But, in general, if you go with ethnic nationalism, what you end up finding is that you are reducing states into smaller and smaller and less viable fragments. So, do you cut up Spain into the

TWD: At the American Academy of Diplomacy, your focus has largely been on maintaining adequate funding for State and USAID. What are your thoughts on the dramatic budget cut proposals we’ve seen from the Trump administration?

6 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

RN: We’ve had two main focus areas. One is money, but the other is the quality of American professional diplomacy. The budgets proposed by the administration have been woefully inadequate, but the budgets passed by the Congress have been reasonable. It’s one of the rare areas of bipartisan consensus in Congress when you think about it. TWD: What does that say to you about Congress’s role in foreign policymaking? RN: There’s a certain amount of realism in Congress. And overall, Congress has acted responsibly on the foreign policy budgets. Once you get away from big issues like bud-

TWD: Speaking to the Foreign Service specifically, I wanted to ask you about representation as well. In 2015, Thomas Pickering and Edward Perkins wrote an op-ed arguing that our foreign policy presence abroad needs to look more like our population at home and that we need to do a better job recruiting women and people of color into the Foreign Service. Do you agree with this, and how do you think the Foreign Service has done on this score? RN: I agree with it. The Foreign Service has done reasonably well in recruiting. As I remember, more than half now are women entering. They’re fairly close on the number of black Americans proportional to the population. Asians and Latinos are a little bit low. Where they’re still deficient is at the senior ranks, and that got worse at the beginning of this administration when they pushed aside a number of senior people who were African Americans and Latinos. I think it’s maybe coming back into balance with [Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo. It’s a little early to say. I’m actually more concerned that they don’t want to use serving career officers in senior positions at State. You have the notable exception of Ambassador David Hale, who’s now been confirmed as undersecretary of state for political affairs. Other than that position, you have almost no serving senior officers being used in Washington. They’re going out as ambassadors. I think that’s a larger phenomenon in this administration, that there’s a distrust of professionals. TWD: Any thoughts on the future of diplomacy and how we can craft a more effective one in the future? RN: I would differentiate a little between policy, which ultimately is the domain of the elected administration, and carrying out policy, which requires an efficient, professional diplomacy. Whether you like a policy or not, you get better results if you have good diplomatic work carrying it out. And in cutting budgets or not having enough training, we’re losing experience by pushing people out the door — we damage the professional institution of diplomacy, which is nonpolitical, nonpartisan and which like a nonpartisan professional military, the nation needs. WD Ryan R. Migeed (@RyanMigeed) is a freelance writer based in Boston.

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WD | Southeast Asia

The Myanmar Conundrum Exclusive: EU, Japanese and U.S. Envoys Discuss Complexities of Myanmar’s Rohingya Crisis

CREDIT: UN PHOTO / CAROLINE GLUCK

Members of a U.N. Security Council delegation visit the Kutupalong Refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, on April 29, 2018. The camp hosts around 600,000 Rohingya refugees who fled attacks by security forces in neighboring Myanmar. On Sept. 18, a U.N. Human Rights Council fact-finding mission published a damning report detailing atrocities and crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingya population in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

BY PAIGE AARHUS

n Sept. 18, a U.N. Human Rights Council fact-finding mission published a damning report detailing atrocities and crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingya minority in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. The three-man mission was established to investigate a wave of violence that kicked off on Aug. 25, 2017, when members of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army attacked a government military base, killing 12. The response that followed, described by the U.N. mission as “immediate, brutal, and grossly disproportionate,” saw Myanmar’s military, the Tatmadaw, launch a series of coordinated attacks targeting villages across Rakhine’s Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung districts. By August 2018, nearly 725,000 had been forced to flee to neighboring Bangladesh, with the U.N. reporting extreme violence perpetrated during the Tatmadaw’s “clearance operations,” including the murder of thousands of civilians, forced disappearances, mass gang rape and the burning of at least 392 villages. The fact-finding mission called on the U.N. Security Council to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court (ICC), or to establish an ad hoc international tribunal to hold seven senior commanders, including Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the Tatmadaw’s commander in chief, to account. It also recommended targeted individual sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, as well as

8 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

“

There’s a struggle underway here, as there has been for some time, between people and groups that are trying to build real democracy and end the conflict … and elements that are less enthusiastic about that. And I think, generally speaking, isolation probably favors that latter group, and more integration and engagement probably favors that former group. SCOT MARCIEL ambassador of the United States to Myanmar

an arms embargo on Myanmar. Meanwhile, Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning icon of the struggle for democracy in Myanmar, has seen her global reputation tank in the wake of the Rohingya crisis, which the U.N. called a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing.” Some governments have gone so far as to declare it a genocide. But other governments and experts have gone against the grain by urging caution instead of condemnation. They point out that the military — not Aung San Suu Kyi — still controls the government. And that government is constrained by domestic politics, with many in the Buddhist-majority nation having little sympathy for the Rohingya, a largely Muslim population with its own distinct dialect and culture that has lived in the region for generations. The current crisis is a complicated one rooted in centuries-old hatreds, not only in Myanmar but in neighboring nations, where Rohingya refugees also face discrimination. As such, some officials argue that the best way to help Myanmar’s deli-

cate transition from dictatorship to democracy is to work with the military, not against it. They note that the regime has survived decades of isolation and sanctions in the past, and that alienating Myanmar’s military could push it closer to China and erode whatever leverage the West has over it. But others counter that the international community cannot stay silent in light of the recent atrocities — including eyewitness testimony of children with slit throats and elderly being pushed into burning houses — committed against the Rohingya, who are often called the world’s most persecuted minority.

INTERNATIONAL OUTCRY International outrage and condemnation followed the U.N. report and calls for accountability and justice have grown louder in recent weeks. Two days after the report was published, Canadian members of parliament unanimously agreed to declare the violence in Rakhine state a genocide. On Oct. 3, Canada’s parliament

”

formally stripped State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of Myanmar’s ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) civilian government, of honorary Canadian citizenship — a first for the country. The U.S. followed suit on Sept. 27, when the House Committee on Foreign Affairs introduced a bipartisan measure to declare the conflict a genocide, reporting that “the evidence supporting such a declaration is overwhelming.” Two days earlier, a State Department investigation found that Myanmar’s military had orchestrated a “well-planned and coordinated” campaign against the Rohingya. The State Department detailed gruesome attacks such as prisoners being mutilated, women gang raped in front of their husbands and children, and soldiers dismembering or bulldozing bodies into graves or pits. “One refugee reported that the military put acid into victims’ eyes so they could not be identified,” the State Department said,

SEE R OHIN GYA • PAGE 10

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THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018 | 9

Rohingya CONTINUED • PAGE 8

although it stopped short of labeling the atrocities a genocide. Perhaps most significantly, the European Union announced on Oct. 5, that it would send a monitoring mission to Myanmar to examine evidence of atrocities, potentially triggering a six-month process that could culminate with the withdrawal of Generalized Scheme of Preference (GSP) trade privileges. Those privileges have directly supported the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs, particularly in the garment industry, and added millions of dollars to Myanmar’s export receipts.

COMPLEX HISTORY The situation is complex and challenging: Anti-Rohingya sentiment is high among much of Myanmar’s majority-Buddhist population, and the conflict is not new — violence in Rakhine state has been ongoing since at least 2012. It is not limited to Rakhine state either, and the U.N. fact-finding mission detailed equally stomach-turning violence carried out in Kachin and Shan states, which share a border with China. Prior to the most recent exodus, about 1.1 million Rohingyas lived in poverty-stricken Rakhine state, where they could not leave without government permission. Even so, various crackdowns in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s forced hundreds of thousands to flee, mainly for Bangladesh as well as Malaysia, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. While Bangladesh has been hailed for its humanitarian response to the waves of Rohingya refugees, like many of its neighbors, it refuses to grant the Rohingya citizenship and other rights, insisting they go back to Myanmar. (A plan to repatriate Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to Myanmar has so far been scrapped because officials cannot find anyone willing to return.) Myanmar also denies the Rohingya citizenship, even though they have been living in Rakhine state for centuries, with many having migrated from the Indian subcontinent. During the 19th and early 20th century, when the British administered Myanmar as a province of India, Rohingya laborers from Bangladesh and India also migrated to the country, fueling resentment among the local Burmese population, which stills considers the Rohingya to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. A 1982 citizenship law effectively rendered the Rohingyas in Myanmar stateless, restricting their freedom of movement, education and employment. Perhaps most importantly, the Tatmadaw still exerts considerable control over much of the country. Between 1962 and 2011, Myanmar was almost totally closed to the world under a military dictatorship. The NLD’s historic 2015 election victory was a major step forward in the long-awaited shift to civilian rule, but the process is far from complete. Democracy in Myanmar is fragile,

PHOTO: MARO VERLI / EUROPEAN UNION EMBASSY TO MYANMAR

The European Union plans to invest €220 million in Myanmar’s education sector through direct budget support over the next three years. Many EU-funded development projects aim to improve access to education, in particular in Myanmar’s conflict-affected and most remote areas.

“

We are extending €220 million in support of education because as everyone knows, when you emerge from a military dictatorship, education is one of the most urgent priorities. Dictators do not want an educated population, but democracy does. KRISTIAN SCHMIDT, the EU ambassador to Myanmar

and if the NLD government fails, it could have profound consequences for the country’s political transition. Diplomats are wrestling with these issues as they seek to determine the best path forward, and major world powers have found themselves at odds over how best to address the crisis. The Washington Diplomat spoke with EU, U.S. and Japanese envoys in Myanmar about what should be done next.

”

THE EU’S PRINCIPLED STAND Days after the EU announced it was considering suspending GSP privileges, the EU ambassador to Myanmar, Kristian Schmidt, was in Yangon awaiting the arrival of the European monitoring mission. He was frank when describing the EU’s position. “The possible suspension of GSP privileges is something that has already been discussed with the government since October last year. The crisis is not new, and the EU Commission, in writing, recalled that the very generous trade regime extended to Myanmar is conditional on respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, so the government knows that,” he said. But loss of GSP privileges will have far-reaching consequences for Myanmar’s economic development. As highlighted by a recent report in Frontier Myanmar, textiles and garments accounted for 72.2 percent of Myanmar’s exports to

10 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

PHOTO: EUROPEAN UNION EMBASSY TO MYANMAR

Textiles and garments account for 72 percent of exports from Myanmar to the European Union, which have seen a sharp rise since the reintroduction of trade preferences in 2013. The rapidly growing garment industry currently employs around 450,000 workers, of whom over 90 percent are women. EU-funded projects like SMART Myanmar aim to work directly with producers to ensure labor rights and safe working conditions.

the EU in 2017. Myanmar’s €1.02 billion trade surplus with the EU is an anomaly — it runs a deficit with China, Singapore and Japan, three of its top four trading partners — and the country’s exports to Europe rose from just €165 million in

2012, the year before GSP privileges were extended, to hit €1.56 billion in 2017. The Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association reports that the sector employs 450,000 people at more than 600 factories, selling

to major international buyers including Primark, H&M, Adidas and Gap. The growing threat of trade sanctions has already rattled investor confidence, with local NGO SMART Myanmar reporting that only 18 new garment factories commenced operations in the country during the first half of 2018, compared to 70 during the first half of 2017. Loss of GSP privileges would disproportionately affect young, female garment workers who comprise 94 percent of the industry workforce, according to a 2017 survey commissioned by European clothes retailer C&A. Garment factory job losses put many young female workers at risk of being pushed into the sex trade. Furthermore, 19 percent of garment workers surveyed are from Rakhine state and “are known to send a big share of their salaries to their families,” according to Frontier Myanmar, making the garment industry a critical economic lifeline for the conflict-stricken region where poverty rates are twice the national average. Significantly, the U.N. itself has recommended applying targeted sanctions to culpable individuals, rather than broad-based economic sanctions that could push the country back into isolation, weaken the NLD government and threaten the country’s tenuous democratic transition. But for European stakeholders, inaction and impunity are unacceptable. “The EU Commission has made it very clear … that we need to see decisive actions on these issues. It is not the end of the process. It’s the beginning of enhanced engagement and enhanced dialogue. And so, the monitoring mission here will come to discuss, assess the situation and make sure that any decisions that will ultimately be taken in Brussels are well-informed by realities on the ground,” said Schmidt. In the absence of tangible progress — the fact-finding mission noted the Myanmar government’s refusal to engage with the U.N. investigation — the EU will continue to focus on assisting with election monitoring and governance reforms, as well as providing funding for education, which Schmidt identified as key to changing the public perception of the Rohingya. “We are extending €220 million in support of education because as everyone knows, when you emerge from a military dictatorship, education is one of the most urgent priorities. Dictators do not want an educated population, but democracy does,” said Schmidt. He also stressed that a decision to withdraw GSP privileges would not necessarily be permanent. “Throughout the process, there is always opportunity for dialogue. Even if the commission should decide to withdraw GSP, it’s a temporary withdrawal; it’s not necessarily irreversible. It really is up to the government of Myanmar to decide whether they want to address these things that are not EU concerns, but concerns raised in U.N. reports, upon which our trade concessions are conditional.”

The U.N. fact-finding mission’s report supported these assertions, One country stands out in its postating that “the violence, particusition on the crisis. Japan has been larly the ‘Rohingya crisis,’ has been vocal in its support for the governused by the military to reaffirm itself ment of Myanmar, arguing that the as the protector of a nation under country’s fledgling democracy is threat and to cement its political dependent on international support role further. This is remarkable conand robust economic growth. sidering its appalling human rights On Sept. 25, Japanese Foreign record and the long struggle of the Minister Taro Kono wrote an editodemocracy movement against its rial in The Washington Post urging rule.” Western powers to maintain strong The challenges are exacerbated diplomatic and economic ties with by limitations to the civilian govMyanmar. The message took some ernment’s authority and influence, by surprise, and Japan’s staunch supwhich often go unrecognized by port for Myanmar left it isolated at the international community. Althe most recent U.N. General Asthough she has been increasingly sembly. vilified abroad for failing to stop the But Japan’s ambassador to Myanviolence, Aung San Suu Kyi — who mar, Ichiro Maruyama, argued there spent 15 years under house arrest is more to the situation than meets prior to November 2010 — mainthe eye. tains a tenuous hold on power deMaruyama had just returned to spite her status as a national hero PHOTO: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT Yangon from a visit to Tokyo when and figurehead of the country’s he met with The Washington Dip- U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar Scot Marciel presents his credentials to President Htin Kyaw in May 2015. Marciel says that for now, the democratic transformation. MiliU.S. will continue to emphasize targeted sanctions — as opposed to blanket trade sanctions — against individuals named in the U.N. lomat. He traveled there for the tary leaders continue to dictate the fact-finding mission report as perpetrators of violence against the Rohingya in 2017. “We’re not exploring trade measures at this point 10th Mekong-Japan Summit, where state of affairs across much of the for a variety of reasons,” he says. “What we and many others are trying to do is persuade the government and the military to pursue Aung San Suu Kyi met with Prime accountability in a credible way, which hasn’t been done to date, and to address the underlying problem, which is the severe country. Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss bi- restrictions on fundamental rights for the Rohingya community in Rakhine.” A new constitution was adopted lateral ties and the Rohingya crisis. in Myanmar in 2008. It was designed A Japan-Myanmar investment event government…. If we could improve in Myanmar’s history and contem- in this country from a military re- by the military, however, enabling it was held during her visit — 400 the situation by imposing sanctions porary politics. gime to a democratic country. This to retain a dominant role in politics companies attended — and Suu Kyi then yes, we’d join, Japan would According to him, one of the means that the domestic voice and and governance. The Tatmadaw apNOTE: everyinvited effort isjoin made assure yoursanctions ad is free mistakes in spelling and content it international is ultimatelyvoice up towere thetotally customer to make the offinal was the sole Although Mekong leader problems in addressing the the that.toBut imposing is ofbiggest points 25 percent seatsproof. in both of to a private dinner with Abe during counterproductive. We don’t want crisis is that domestic and interna- the same. But today, the people of Myanmar’s legislative bodies, and The firstthe two faxed changes will be made at no cost to the advertiser, subsequent changes will be billed at a rate of $75 per faxed alteration. Signed ads are considered approved. five-day event, underscoring the to impose sanctions and increase tional views have become increas- Myanmar don’t like the Rohingya. holds the power to select candidates critical position Myanmar occupies pressure on the government the international community for the key defense, border affairs ingly in recent of this Please check addivergent carefully. Markyears. any changesAnd to your ad. in Japanese foreign policy. “Before 2011, every local person is always the same about human and home affairs ministerial posts, Myanmar; we want to work togethe Japanese So, the voice of the local as well as at least one of two vice in Myanmar opposed the military rights. ” Maruyama told The Diplomat. If the ad is“Th correct signgovernment and fax to:wants (301) er, 949-0065 needs changes to provide full support to the MyanNow on his fifth posting to Myan- government, and of course the in- people in Myanmar and the interna- presidents. The Washington Diplomat __________________________________________________ mar government, despite the (301) threat 933-3552 ternational community was the tional community are totally differmar, and fluent in theApproved local Burmese sanctions and criticism of the language, Maruyama is well-versed same. We all expected the change ent,” he said. SEE R OHIN GYA • PAGE 12 Changesof______________________________________________________________________________________________________

JAPANESE PRAGMATISM

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PHOTO: EUROPEAN UNION EMBASSY TO MYANMAR

Agriculture contributes to nearly 40 percent of Myanmar’s economy and 70 percent of its labor force.

Rohingya CONTINUED • PAGE 11

According to the U.N. fact-finding mission, “this is sufficient to control the National Defence and Security Council and the entire security apparatus, and to block constitutional amendments,” allowing the military to act without civilian oversight. Current and former Tatmadaw officers continue to occupy positions of authority across all branches of government, as well as within the civil service, judiciary and in state-owned enterprises. For Japan, this means that while its position is unpalatable internationally, it will continue to encourage both sides — military and civilian — to engage with each other. Maruyama said that Aung San Suu Kyi and Senior General Min Aung Hlaing are “both managing their respective realities. In public, they are both careful never to criticize each other. Many NLD members were arrested when this country was under military government, so the NLD does not trust the military. During this time, the military was also severely criticized, particularly by NLD members, so the military does not trust the NLD. But the transition of power was held very peacefully; both have worked together to improve stability. The peace combination of military and civilian leadership is essential. That’s why our Japanese government policy is clear — we’d like to facilitate such collaboration between both,” he said. Japan’s position is also a response to rising Chinese influence in the country, much of it under the auspices of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an expansive global development agenda that aims to revive historic trade routes linking China to Europe, the Middle East and Africa. China has announced billions of dollars of infrastructure investment across key BRI waypoints in the Pacific, Southeast Asia and Africa

since launching the policy in 2013. Myanmar, which occupies a critical position at the crossroads of China and India, could be the lynchpin to BRI’s success. “Myanmar’s location is very important for BRI implementation, particularly with regards to accessing the Indian Ocean. Myanmar is in fact essential for China, which is why China is planning the deep-sea port in Kyaukphyu, as well as highways between Chinese borders and Kyaukphyu,” said Maruyama. Maruyama was referencing a planned deepwater port at the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone in Rakhine state. The port would offer strategic access to the Indian Ocean via the Bay of Bengal, cutting 5,000 kilometers of sailing distance between China and India. In January 2016, a consortium of Chinese companies led by CITIC Group won a contract to build the port, a deal worth $7.2 billion. However, similar projects elsewhere in Asia have been debt traps for developing countries, which borrow heavily from China to build BRI infrastructure, only to find themselves unable to repay once construction has finished. For example, a $1.4 billion port project in Sri Lanka was one of several Chinesefinanced infrastructure projects that failed to deliver anticipated revenues. In December 2017, struggling to repay its debts, the government of Sri Lanka sold a 70 percent stake in the port and 15,000 acres of surrounding land to China for $1.1 billion under a 99-year lease. The transaction barely dented Sri Lanka’s debt to China, which stood at nearly $13 billion in mid-2018 — out of a forecasted revenue of $14 billion that year. Developing transport infrastructure will be critical for future economic growth in Myanmar, and with BRI looming large, Japan’s overseas development assistance (ODA) is focusing primarily on three sectors: transportation, energy and electricity, as well as developing the city of Yangon.

12 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

PHOTO: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

Then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets with Aung San Suu Kyi in November 2017, when he urged her government to investigate “credible reports of widespread atrocities” against Rohingya Muslims. Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning icon of the struggle for democracy in Myanmar, has seen her global reputation tank in the wake of the Rohingya crisis, but she has no say over the country’s security forces and the military retains overall control of the government.

“

Before 2011, every local person in Myanmar opposed the military government, and of course the international community was the same. We all expected the change in this country from a military regime to a democratic country…. But today, the people of Myanmar don’t like the Rohingya. And the international community is always the same about human rights. So, the voice of the local people in Myanmar and the international community are totally different. ICHIRO MARUYAMA, ambassador of Japan to Myanmar

”

commitment to democracy in Myanmar. He acknowledged, however, that the two powers are pursuing very different strategies in sustaining the country’s democratic transition. “The EU is saying they don’t expect any regime change. But if you’re imposing economic sanctions, how can the regime survive? If we want to see Myanmar achieve steady and healthy economic development, Western engagement is essential. That’s why, as much as possible, Japan invites its allies, particularly the U.S., to engage in Myanmar,” he said. PHOTO: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

USAID Administrator Mark Green, center left, joined by U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar Scot Marciel and a U.S. delegation, hears residents’ views during a trip to Myanmar.

Japan is Myanmar’s largest source of ODA, and the Japanese government has committed $8 billion over five years to projects including rail line construction and rehabilitation, urban transit, and upgrades to the national grid. As the Japanese view it, continued engagement with Myanmar and transportation investment will help counter-

balance Chinese influence. “From 1988 to 2011, this country was totally dominated by China, economically and politically,” Maruyama said. “We hope Myanmar understands the geopolitical importance of its own location, and I believe Myanmar has enough information regarding what happened in Sri Lanka.”

It appears that the country does: On Oct. 1, authorities announced the successful renegotiation of the Kyaukphyu port project, after downscaling its price tag to $1.3 billion and cutting CITIC Group’s stake in the project from 85 percent to 70 percent. Like EU Ambassador Schmidt, Maruyama also strongly emphasized Japan’s

THE AMERICAN BALANCING ACT At the U.S. Embassy in Yangon, Ambassador Scot Marciel finds himself striking a delicate balance between taking a stand against gross human rights violations, protecting a tenuous process of democratization and juggling an array of complex geopolitical interests. Marciel is a career diplomat who joined the State Department in 1985. Prior to

his appointment as ambassador to Myanmar in March 2016, he served as the State Department’s principal deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, as well as ambassador to Indonesia. He offered a measured assessment of America’s strategy in Myanmar, which will not include suspension of similar trade privileges extended under the GSP system. “We’re not exploring trade measures at this point for a variety of reasons. What we and many others are trying to do is persuade the government and the military to pursue accountability in a credible way, which hasn’t been done to date, and to address the underlying problem, which is the severe restrictions on fundamental rights for the Rohingya community in Rakhine. The government has said it’s committed to doing both of those things, but obviously we need to see real progress,” he said. Marciel recognized the challenges facing governments attempting to bring alleged war criminals to justice while minimizing harm to the broader population. For now, at least, the U.S. strategy will continue to emphasize targeted sanctions against individuals named in the U.N. fact-finding mission report. “We’re trying to put pressure on the key actors, but also, as much as possible, avoid measures that hurt farmers in Shan state, for example. We’re trying not to punish the country as a whole. A lot of my friends in the human rights community — rightly, deeply upset about what they’re seeing — are cautious about broader sanctions,” he said. Marciel noted that international condemnation has gotten the government’s attention and will continue to play an important role in alleviating the crisis, but pointed out that much of the pressure on authorities in Myanmar is coming from the private sector. Tourism numbers and foreign direct investment (FDI), for example, have both dropped in the wake of the Rakhine conflict. On Aug. 27, the Myanmar Investment Commission reported that FDI inflows fell by $900 million during the 2017-18 fiscal year, sinking to $5.75 billion. Foreign tourist arrivals also have fallen, with the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism attributing the decline to negative publicity. “That’s not official pressure, but it’s real pressure. More and more people are saying, ‘We have to do something to get out of this mess,’ and I think that’s an important factor,” said Marciel. He also recognized the risks of diminished economic and diplomatic ties. “There’s a struggle underway here, as there has been for some time, between people and groups that are trying to build real democracy and end the conflict … and elements that are less enthusiastic about that. And I think, generally speaking, isolation probably favors that latter group, and more integration and engagement probably favors that former group,” said Marciel, stressing that while inaction is not the answer, most stakeholders working to improve women’s empowerment, equal rights, democracy and media freedom have urged the world to stay engaged with Myanmar. Like Maruyama, Marciel argued that the peace process will also take much longer than many in the international community would hope. He also argued that progress is possible, identifying short-term measures such as improved accountability and human rights, including freedom of movement and citizenship, for the Rohingya still in Myanmar. “If every three months you could say, ‘OK, well, during these three months we saw some tangible progress,’ that would be really meaningful. It would allow us to say, ‘The government is doing its best. It’s not perfect but things are getting better.’ I think that’s what we would hope to see,” said Marciel. Accountability is the most pressing and likely most challenging issue. Myanmar is not a member of the International Criminal

CREDIT: UN PHOTO / KM ASAD

Then-U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres traveled to Bangladesh on July 2, 2018, to highlight the continuing plight of nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees driven from their homes in Myanmar. For decades, the Rohingya, a largely Muslim population with its own distinct dialect and culture, have faced widespread persecution in Myanmar, a majority-Buddhist country.

Court, and the office of President Win Myint has dismissed a Sept. 6 ICC ruling that it can prosecute Myanmar for crimes against humanity. Trials at The Hague for any accused Tatmadaw war criminals are unlikely. However, the government of Myanmar announced in August 2018 it had formed an independent commission, a four-member body led by Rosario Manalo, a former deputy foreign minister of the Philippines. It will be assisted by national and international legal experts, according to media reports, with the government of Myanmar repeatedly stating that if the commission finds evidence of human rights violations, action will be taken. Many among the diplomatic and humanitarian community doubt the commission will make an impact, but Marciel has adopted an optimistic approach. “Given what we’ve seen to date with previous investigations and government denials, there’s certainly skepticism about this, but it’s an opportunity … to address the issue in a way that is credible, or certainly much more credible than what’s been done in the past. Should the commission be able to do a credible investigation and a credible report with a credible outcome, that would be a big positive. If it’s not, then we can expect the pressure from the international community to continue to mount,” he told us. Further down the road, the most pressing challenges will likely concern resettlement, reintegration, and restoration of basic human rights. Here too, more problems. On Oct. 13, Frontier Myanmar published a cache of leaked documents detailing concerns among the humanitarian community that the government plans to replace Rohingya refugee camps with permanent shelters for internally displaced people, sustaining a policy akin to apartheid. “The government has not been clear. On the one hand they’ve built these particular areas and centers, and on the other hand they’ve said people will be able to return to their original villages or places very nearby,” said Marciel. “What we’ve been focused on as a necessary first step is improving conditions for the 500,000 to 600,000 Rohingya who are still in Rakhine state. These people, for the most part, still are not enjoying fundamental rights: freedom of movement, access to education, health care, citizenship or other legal documentation.” This is reflected in recent spending announcements, and on the same day the State Department released its report on the crisis,

the U.S. nearly doubled its aid to displaced Rohingya, allocating $185 million in humanitarian assistance, in addition to $156 million already committed to host communities in Bangladesh. Citizenship is another major challenge. Although the government has claimed a planned national verification process will act as a pathway to citizenship for the stateless Rohingya, many have refused to participate in the scheme due to widespread distrust. Freedom of movement requires citizenship, but reports have emerged that those Rohingya

who have applied for citizenship face extremely lengthy delays in obtaining it. Others who have received citizenship remain unable to exercise the rights that it entails, including the right to education, health care, livelihoods and voting. One major issue has been the use of the word “Rohingya” to identify a community that most in Myanmar view as Bengali. Marciel acknowledged the problem. “That’s going to be one of the tougher issues, and there are different ideas out there about that. Some have suggested, and I don’t know if this would work, but some have suggested separating out the term by which people call themselves from what their political rights are. Because in this country it’s connected, and that’s part of why the name issue has become so sensitive,” he said. It seems at times as though the peace process is facing insurmountable odds, but Marciel stressed that despite their different approaches, the U.S. and its allies remain committed to a core common principle: supporting Myanmar’s transition to democracy. “Generally speaking we are all really, really troubled by the human tragedy of Rakhine, and also see that it’s taken the whole country off course, and so we are very focused on trying to help them address it both on a humanitarian level, but also in a way that allows the country to move forward,” he told The Diplomat. “Most of the differences are really tactical and concern how to phrase things and so on, rather than fundamental differences. We all face the same challenges here. There’s no magic bullet, there’s no ‘if we just did this, everything would be better.’” WD Paige Aarhus (@paigeaarhus) is a freelance writer working in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

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WD | Middle East

Oman in the Middle Peacemaker Sultan Qaboos Faces Growing Pressure from Saudi Arabia, U.S. to Pick Sides BY JONATHAN GORVETT

USCAT — With the punishing new wave of U.S. sanctions against Iran now underway — alongside the heated rhetoric between Tehran and Washington — this may not seem the ideal time for any government to be inviting its Iranian friends over for dinner. Yet that is exactly what continues to happen here in Muscat, capital of the Sultanate of Oman, which has long been close to both the U.S. and the Islamic Republic. Thus, while President Trump has been urging all nations to isolate Iran after he ditched the nuclear accord negotiated under President Obama, National Iranian Oil Company officials were also heading to the Omani capital to discuss a boost in cooperation over drilling. Omani oil and gas officials also routinely discuss these dynamics with U.S. hydrocarbon giant Occidental, which has been active in the sultanate for over 30 years. They also routinely discuss a planned $1.2 billion IranOman gas pipeline with their Iranian counterparts. If constructed, this would pass outside the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key oil chokepoint watched over by the U.S. Navy and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Navy uses bases in Oman to support this role and indeed, the new Omani port of Duqm, in the center of the country and on the Indian Ocean, is already being used by the U.S. 5th Fleet for repairs and maintenance. Yet at the same time, up above the harbor, discussions are also ongoing for the construction of a major Iranian car plant. Oman has thus long performed a skillful, albeit low-profile, balancing act between Washington and Tehran, as well as among a host of other international and regional rivals. Duqm, for example, is also a major focus for Chinese investment — yet Oman has granted China’s rival, India, naval basing rights there, too. It has also recently been promoting the port during an investment road show in Japan. Oman has also quietly maintained unofficial ties with Israel for decades, a relationship that came into public view late October when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Muscat, along with Mossad chief Yossi Cohen — a move that disturbed some in the Arab world but not Oman’s pragmatic ruler, Sultan Qaboos bin Said. The meeting was part of Israel’s efforts to improve ties with the Arab world and isolate Iran. Tehran denounced the visit but did not 14 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

PHOTO: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

Then-Secretary of State John Kerry walks with Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman on May 21, 2013, in Muscat. Qaboos has deftly managed competing interests in the region, maintaining good relations with Iran along with the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, although the sultanate has come under increasing pressure to sever ties with Tehran.

“

Oman has largely attempted to work behind the scenes and to emphasize their neutrality on controversial conflicts…. It’s a strategy that makes a lot of sense for a small state with large and powerful neighbors. JESSIE MORITZ

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lecturer at the Australian National University Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies

follow up publicly with any action, likely in recognition of its reliance on Qaboos. The 78-year-old leader had been careful, too, to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmood Abbas just a few days before he met Netanyahu, possibly to soothe Palestinian fears that Israel is cozying up to Arab leaders to sideline the Palestinians in any eventual peace deal. Some have even speculated that the visits may be a sign that Oman might play a backchannel role in President Trump’s envisioned “deal of the century” between the Israelis and Palestinians, or act as a conduit to Iran for Israel.

SWITZERLAND OF THE MIDEAST This ability to walk both sides of the line is testimony to the diplomatic adroitness of Oman’s leaders, and in particular its now aging and ailing

ruler, Sultan Qaboos. Steering a neutral course through decades of regional conflicts has helped the sultanate keep a high degree of independence from its more powerful and richer neighbors. It has also won Oman many friends in the wider world, with Qaboos acting as an honest broker and mediator in a range of disputes, stretching back to the 1970s. That in turn has helped transform Oman from a desolate backwater prior to Qaboos’s bloodless coup against his father in 1970 into a modern nation with a high-income economy, relative stability and regional influence (also see “Oman Assumes Low-Key but Influential Role in Mideast Affairs” in the January 2015 issue of The Diplomat). Now, though, questions are being raised as to how much longer the country can keep up this precarious balancing act.

Oman’s role as a neutral arbitrator is under threat as the sultanate faces a looming succession crisis, along with a protracted economic downturn. At the same time, its openness to all sides is also becoming increasingly wwwirksome to Oman’s Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) partners, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Their proxy war against Tehran has become a defining feature of the contemporary Middle Eastern security and diplomatic landscape, from Yemen to Iraq. Yet Oman has so far refused to join them in this regional power struggle. “Oman has largely attempted to work behind the scenes and to emphasize their neutrality on controversial conflicts,” said Oman expert Jessie Moritz of the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Australian National University. “It’s a strategy that makes a lot of sense for a small state with large and powerful neighbors.”

HISTORICAL LINKS

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Sharing opposite sides of the Strait of Hormuz, the vital narrow waterway through which around a third of the world’s sea-born oil and gas ships daily, Oman and Iran’s relationship stretches back centuries. In more recent times, in the 1970s, prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Shah Pahlavi sent troops to help the then-young sultan put down a Marxist revolt in the southern province of Dhofar. During the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, Muscat was the venue for secret peace talks, while the sultanate has also mediated disputes between the U.K. and Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iran, as well as the U.S. and Iran. In fact, Oman was key in laying the groundwork for the Iran nuclear deal, hosting a number of backchannel talks between the Obama administration and Tehran that later evolved into the landmark agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. NOTE: Although everyhaseffort is made to assure your ad is free of mistakes in spelling and Now that Trump dumped the nuclear it sweeping is ultimately up to the customer to make the final proof. deal and content reimposed U.S. sanctions on Iran’s energy and banking sectors, Oman will have treadchanges carefully to avoid The first two to faxed will be angering made at no cost to the advertiser, subsequent changes will the be Trump billed administration. at a rate of $75 per faxed alteration. Signed ads are considered approved. PHOTO: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT Oman was not among the eight countries — Then- Secretary of State John Kerry sits with foreign ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) including Japan, China and this Indiaad — carefully. granted inMark Bahrainany on April 7, 2016. Since then, the Please check changes to your ad.GCC has become fractured over the Saudi-led blockade against temporary exemptions from the U.S. oil sanc- Qatar and military campaign in Yemen, two areas where Oman has tried to remain neutral. tions. And it will likely come under mountIf the ad correct sign and fax to: needs ingis pressure from Washington and(301) Riyadh949-0065 to presence may help it flychanges under Trump’s radar. sanctions will have much impact,” said redistance itself from Tehran. “Regional rivals and external powers prob- spected Omani commentator and academic The Washington Diplomat (301)should 933-3552 Some observers say the White House ably do not regard the country’s posture as Abdullah Baabood. “Oman doesn’t want not alienate Oman because it can still serve being vital to the achievement of their aims,” any more malignant action in the region, as a valuable intermediary with Iran and said John Calabrese, scholar-in-residence at so it needs to keep good relations with Iran. Approved __________________________________________________________ its proxies in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere. the D.C.-based Middle East Institute. “So, Economically, there’s not a lot of trade going Changes ___________________________________________________________ Oman’s influence, however, has waned be- Oman might be spared some of the pressure on right now, and the natural gas pipeline is cause unlike Obama, Trump seems to have that would presumably be exerted on others.” something people have been talking about ___________________________________________________________________ little interest in engaging with Iran. “In terms of political relations between for a long time without it happening, even On the other hand, Oman’s quiet, unassuming Oman and Iran, I don’t think the new U.S. without the sanctions.”

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Yet Oman’s neutral mediating role has made it enemies, as well as friends. Yemen is a major case in point. Oman declined to join the Saudi- and Emirati-led intervention in 2015 and instead has tried to help U.N. efforts to mediate in the conflict, which has killed at least 10,000 people and wrought misery on the Arab world’s poorest country. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have since alleged that Oman has been dragging its heels in enforcing security along its border with Yemen, allowing Iranian arms to be smuggled across to Houthi rebels — a charge Oman vehemently denies. In 2017, Oman also refused to join the Saudi- and Emirati-led blockade of Qatar. Instead, Muscat joined Kuwait in efforts to mediate the dispute. Since then, Oman’s economic relations with both Qatar and Kuwait have expanded, as relations with Saudi Arabia and the UAE have deteriorated. The furor over the murder and dismemberment of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul has injected another element of uncertainty into the region’s dynamics — and contributed to growing fears over Saudi ambitions under its brash young heir, Mohammed bin Salman. Indeed, many ordinary Omanis have become wary of the increasingly aggressive posture of both Saudi Arabia and the UAE. This sentiment goes back at least to a 2011 spying case in which Omani intelligence uncovered what was allegedly an Emirati espionage ring in Muscat. Another “sign” often talked of in Muscat is the more recent unveiling of a map in the Louvre Abu Dhabi that showed SEE OMAN • PAGE 46

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WD | Europe

It’s the Economy, Stupid Spokesman Defends Hungary Against Criticism, Touting Economic Successes BY KARIN ZEITVOGEL

s Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán comes under now-routine fire among critics in the West for his embrace of “illiberal democracy,” his government spokesman has embarked on a charm offensive to counter the criticism and paint a very different picture of his boss. During a recent visit, Zoltán Kovács reminded Washingtonians that Orbán and his right-wing nationalist Fidesz party have won three elections and generated enviable economic statistics as he tried to redirect the conversation about Hungary away from a rote of accusations, ranging from stifling political dissent to discriminating against migrants. The visit marked Kovács’s third or fourth to the U.S. — he wasn’t sure of the exact number — as the government spokesman joined a parade of highranking Hungarian officials who have come to the nation’s capital to defend Orbán against charges that he’s taking Hungary down an authoritarian path à la Russia and China. Kovács said he’d come on a mission to dispel what he called the many myths and misconceptions that have been making the rounds about Hungary since Orbán returned to power in 2010. “Myth busting is something we’ve been trying to do for the last eight years,” Kovács told a friendly audience at the D.C. residence of Hungarian Ambassador László Szabó on an unusually hot, humid day in midOctober. “I truly believe that the tone of the attention on Hungary is changing, due to the new administration [in Washington] … but also, we believe, it’s the result of those myth-busting messages, materials, meetings, discussions and lectures that we’ve been trying to use to talk about what we really think in Hungary.” Much of the attention Hungary has received in recent years has focused on the erosion of independent institutions under Orbán, including the judiciary, civil society and media, as well as Orbán’s demonization of immigrants from Muslim and African nations, bureaucrats in Brussels and Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros. Orbán’s denunciations of Soros and other foreigners who he says meddle in his country’s internal affairs have energized his populist base and shaken up politics across the EU. Less publicized, however, are Orbán’s economic policies — or, as his government refers to them, “Orbanomics.” This economic agenda rests on four pillars: competitiveness, a workfare society, good demographics and identity-based politics, accord-

PHOTO: © EUROPEAN UNION 2017 - EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT / NONCOMMERCIAL-NODERIVATIVES CREATIVECOMMONS

Political leaders in the European Parliament talk with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán about Hungary’s new education law — perceived as targeting the Central European University — as well as the tightening of rules for NGOs and asylum seekers and a new anti-government survey. Despite the frictions between Budapest and Brussels, Hungary’s economy continues to grow at a steady pace.

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There’s a cautious optimism and self-assurance that what we do is right and what we do is good. ZOLTÁN KOVÁCS Hungarian government spokesman

ing to an information sheet written by Kovács. After the 2008 financial crisis, Orbán adopted a more interventionist approach that remains controversial but by many measures significantly improved Hungary’s economy. Among other things, Orbán nationalized private pension savings and introduced a flat income tax while taxing banking, energy, telecom and other sectors. The moves drew the ire of EU officials and foreign investors but also allowed Orbán to slash public debt and cut the budget deficit to meet EU-mandated targets. Since then, the country’s credit ratings have improved, unemployment has dropped and the economy has steadily expanded, buoyed by a construction boom, increased domestic consumption, foreign investment and EU development funds. Orbán was also able to institute popular measures such as lower utility prices, a rise in the minimum wage and a public works program, while at the same time easing

16 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

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up on banking and other taxes. Yet income disparity remains high, corruption is pervasive and hundreds of thousands of Hungarians have left the country in search of better-paying jobs elsewhere in Europe. Nevertheless, Kovács said his country is on the right path. “There’s a cautious optimism and self-assurance that what we do is right and what we do is good,” he said. To see exactly what’s right, we broke down Hungary’s economy according to the government spokesman and other sources.

GROWTH KOVÁCS: Orbán’s Fidesz party returned to power in 2010 “with an economy that was on the brink of collapse, in ruins. It had to be refurbished and by now I can tell you that the Hungarian model, as we say, is really working. Just to tell you and repeat the usual macroeconomic numbers, we started with economic growth of minus 6.5 percent.

Today, it’s 4.9 percent, and it’s going to be well above 4 percent by the end of the year.” THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND: “The Hungarian economy is expected to achieve another year of strong growth in 2018. Staff projects GDP to grow by around 4 percent, similar to last year. The strong economic expansion will continue to be supported by robust private consumption and EU funds-related investments,” according to the IMF. “However, the output gap has closed. It will turn positive over the medium term, and growth is projected to gradually decelerate starting in 2019 as the utilization of EU funds tapers off unless substantial structural reforms are implemented to boost productivity and potential growth.” As observers like the IMF have pointed out, Hungary’s GDP has been heavily reliant on EU funds. But as Orbán increasingly butts heads with Brussels over issues such as immigration and the rule of law, some EU members have proposed cutting Hungary’s share of the next tranche of funds in the 2021-27 budget, which could threaten the country’s growth (also see “European Union Seeks to Influence Hungary, Poland Through Budget Funds” in the August 2018 issue). SEE HU N GARY • PAGE 22

Cover Profile | WD

Czech Mate Ambassador Charts Country’s Future in an Uncertain Europe BY LARRY LUXNER

Jewish prayer book and a Koran. A wooden plaque from the Nebraska National Guard. A display of women’s shoes by Spanish-Czech fashion designer Manolo Blahnik. Photos with Henry Kissinger, Yasser Arafat, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Aung San Suu Kyi and Michael Bloomberg. All these are artifacts a visitor might expect to find proudly displayed throughout the official residence of Hynek Kmoníček, the Czech Republic’s ambassador to the United States. But the hides of a Mongolian wolf, an Australian kangaroo and a Sudanese crocodile? “The crocodile was really killed by me, but obviously on a farm, not in a river,” Kmoníček quickly explains when asked about the trophy animals. “I was in a situation where I had to show I was tough. So I did what I had to do.” An ambassador who hunts is unusual. A Jewish ambassador from the Czech Republic who hunts — a bit more so. Yet nothing about Kmoníček is typical. In 2008, as Prague’s envoy to India, he helped Emil Kučera, a Czech entomologist who had been arrested by officials in the Indian state of West Bengal for illegally collecting rare beetles. In 2015, Kučera discovered a beetle in China and named it Anthaxia Kmoníček in the ambassador’s honor. This musician-turned-diplomat, who speaks fluent English, Russian, Hebrew and Arabic in addition to his native Czech and a smattering of other languages, enjoys gourmet cooking and collecting hot sauces. He’s headed the Czech Embassy on Washington’s Spring of Freedom Street since March 2017. Kmoníček agreed to be interviewed on Oct. 29, the day before welcoming hundreds of dignitaries to celebrate 100 years since the establishment of Czechoslovakia — a political entity born in 1918 that outlived communism and ended with the “Velvet Divorce” of 1993 that split the former Soviet satellite into separate Czech and Slovak republics. We asked Kmoníček what that 100th anniversary means to him and the world. “It means that we succeeded in one very difficult task: just surviving. That’s our major achievement,” he replied. “As a small Western nation living in the center of Europe, we could have ended up as Germans. And as Slavs, we could have easily been eaten up by the Eastern powers.

PHOTO: LAWRENCE RUGGERI

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In total, out of the last 1,100 years of history, we’ve had only 35 years of true democracy…. This has taught us some lessons: We must rely on ourselves, but it’s not enough without powerful friends because most of the tragic decisions of our national destiny were not taken by us. HYNEK KMONÍČEK ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United States

So the basic task of Czech diplomacy since 1945 has been to stay Western without becoming Bavarian — and to stay Slavic without becoming Russian.” More broadly speaking, said the ambassador, Czech history over the last millennium or so can be roughly divided into three periods: 700 years as an independent kingdom; 300 years as part of the Austrian monarchy; and the last 100 years as a republic. “In total, out of the last 1,100 years of history, we’ve had only 35 years of true democracy,” he said. “This has taught us some lessons: We must rely on ourselves, but it’s not enough without powerful friends because most of the tragic decisions of our national destiny were not taken by us.”

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Rather, they were taken first by Germans during World War II and then by the Soviets after Moscow and the U.S. “liberated” Czechoslovakia and the country became a one-party communist state until the government’s collapse in 1989. Under the 1938 Munich Agreement that allowed Nazi Germany’s annexation of western Czechoslovakia — an act of appeasement that led to Hitler’s rise to power — the ambassador argued “it was France and England that decided we were not worth fighting for, and communists would never have taken power in 1948 had there not been an Allied understanding that [after the war], we would be in the Soviet zone of influence.” The ambassador’s blunt talk may stem in part from the fact that he had no intentions of becoming a

diplomat. Kmoníček, 56, originally studied to be a musician. His abilities as a lute player and classical guitarist allowed him to join an orchestra, which gave him the chance to go abroad. “Under socialism, you could travel if you performed classical music because there was no lyrics — and it’s hard to make protests out of Bach,” he quipped. After studying at Charles University in Prague and Israel’s Hebrew University in Jerusalem — he holds a degree in classical Koranic Arabic — Kmoníček joined the Czech Foreign Ministry. His previous ambassadorial postings include India (where he was also responsible for Czech relations with Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) as well as Australia and New Zealand. Before coming to Washington, Kmoníček represented Prague at the United Nations in New York; it was there that he met his Uzbek-born Muslim wife, Indira Gumarova. He has a son and three daughters. In addition to his overseas experience, Kmoníček was chief foreign policy advisor to Czech President Miloš Zeman, a populist leader who this past March unleashed angry protests after he used his inauguration speech to attack the media for criticizing his anti-immigrant, proRussia rhetoric. In October 2017, Zeman brandished a replica gun inSEE CZECH REPUBLIC • PAGE 18 THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018 | 17

PHOTO: EL MAN STUDIO LLC / WASHINGTON PERFORMING ARTS

U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic Stephen B. King; Ambassador of Slovakia Ivan Korčok; former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; and Czech Ambassador Hynek Kmoníček attend a performance of the Czech Philharmonic orchestra at the Kennedy Center to mark the 100th anniversary of Czech and Slovak independence.

Czech Republic CONTINUED • PAGE 17

scribed with the words “for journalists” at a Prague press conference. Earlier that year, he joked with Russian President Vladimir Putin that some journalists need to be “liquidated.” He has also likened Muslims who believe in the Koran to anti-Semitic Nazis; doubts the existence of climate change; and supports holding referendums on Czech membership in the European Union and NATO. But Zeman’s divisive rhetoric and cozy ties with Putin, which have caused a schism with the EU and alienated Muslims, hasn’t hurt him at the polls. He was narrowly re-elected in January, bolstered by his popularity in the Czech countryside. Despite the tensions between the Czech Republic and the EU, the country is firmly entrenched in Europe’s political, economic and social landscape, with universal health care and education, as well as high rankings for quality of life, democratic governance and ease of doing business. In fact, considering its chaotic history, Czechia — as the country is informally known — isn’t doing badly at all. “Currently, we are in the best shape we’ve been in the last 100 years. We’re in the EU, we’re in NATO and we easily rank among the fastestgrowing economies in the EU,” Kmoníček told The Diplomat. “We are the sixth safest place in the world. Every year, we attract more tourists than our entire population, and we produce one car every 23 seconds.” Last year, Czech GDP expanded by 4.3 percent, even as unemployment held steady at 2.9 percent — the lowest among the EU’s 28 member countries. The growth stems in part from government tax incentives for foreign investors and companies, along with a strong manufacturing

base. With 10.6 million inhabitants in its 79,000 square kilometers of territory, the Czech Republic is roughly equivalent to Nebraska in size and Georgia in population. Demographically, it’s not likely to change much over the next 30 years. “Many countries east of us are shrinking in population, some by as much as a third,” said Kmoníček. “But our birth rate is growing, even though for political reasons immigration has disappeared. Also, our demography is changing because of the conflict in Ukraine. Of our 14 national minorities, the Slovaks used to be the biggest. Now it’s the Ukrainians.” The Czech-American relationship is strong and has been bolstered over the years by the strength of its immigrant communities across the United States. As a result, the Czech diaspora flourishes in some pretty unusual places. In absolute numbers, Texas is home to the nation’s largest ethnic Czech population (about 120,000 people), but an estimated 5.5 percent of Nebraskans claim Czech ancestry. For this reason, the Czech army has official ties with the National Guards of both states. And the Iowa city of Cedar Rapids is home to the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. This year, Kmoníček logged 12,000 miles driving through the Midwest and checking in on various Czech communities, some of which had never been visited by a Czech ambassador. Both the United States and the Czech Republic have long shared common values such as freedom, respect for human rights, a free-market economy and the rule of law. But both have also been shaken by a rising tide of populism and anti-immi-

18 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

PHOTO: PIXABAY

The historic capital of Prague, including its historic Old Town Square, below, has become one of Europe’s most popular tourist attractions, drawing millions of visitors each year.

PHOTO: PIXABAY / KIRK FISHER

PHOTO: THE CHANCELLERY OF THE SENATE OF THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND, CC BY-SA 3.0 PL

Czech President Miloš Zeman attends a meeting at the Polish Senate in May 2013. Zeman, a populist leader who won re-election earlier this year, has been criticized for his anti-immigrant, pro-Russia rhetoric.

grant sentiment. In December 2016, a month after Trump’s election but before his inauguration, Kmoníček predicted that the new administration would be “a combination of the aggressive isolationism of An-

drew Jackson together with the strategy of Richard Nixon minus Kissinger.” He told The Diplomat that both Trump’s election and Zeman’s re-election victories prove that “established political parties, over the years,

have lost touch with their own electorate. This is because the topics changed. For example, the left-wing socialist parties used to be the parties of the working class. But the working class — the blue-collar guy who goes to

the steel mill every day — has virtually disappeared. How many of them are left? They’ve been replaced with mid- and high-level educated IT designers and engineers.” Burdened by political correctness, socialists in the Czech Republic as well as Democrats in the United States “basically lost the ability to be understood,” according to the ambassador. “So even if they speak about the correct topics, the voter feels alienated. As political parties get weaker and weaker, somebody must fill the vacuum.” Asked why authoritarianism is gaining strength across the formerly communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe that suffered under Soviet domination, Kmoníček said the answer is partly based on reality, and partly on misunderstanding and ignorance. “It’s very hard to define how to measure liberalism. I would go by the World Justice Project, whose most recent Rule of Law Index ranked the Czech Republic 17th in the world, France 18th and the United States 19th,” he said. Poland, meanwhile, dropped to 25th. “I understand there’s been some backsliding, and we are not happy about that. But I do not buy that this represents a threat to Western democracy. I can look at that same chart, which says Greece went up to 39th place, and this shows you the complexity of the discussion. Should I praise Greece but criticize Poland?” Kmoníček would not comment, though, on Viktor Orbán, the controversial prime minister of Hungary (which ranked 50th on the index of 113 countries and territories). In mid-September, the European Parliament over-

whelmingly voted to condemn the Orbán government’s brand of “illiberal democracy,” citing concerns about judicial independence, corruption, freedom of expression, academic freedom and the rights of minorities and migrants. “We have very close ties with Hungary, and we prefer to discuss these things directly with them, and not through the media,” Kmoníček said. “The Czech role is to talk to everybody without naming, shaming or prejudice. We do this through the Visegrád Group, and we think this is the only productive way.” Like Hungary, the Czech Republic under Zeman has taken a very hard line against immigrants, angrily opposing the EU’s refugee quotas and taking in just 12 of the nearly 2,700 refugees allotted by the European Commission. “We were not a target country anyway, but a transit country,” Kmoníček argued. “There was no real appetite on the part of these immigrants to settle in the Czech Republic. Our social subsidies are lower than in Germany, the language is much harder to learn and our annual beer consumption — 138 liters per capita — is the highest in the world. Beer is cheaper than bottled water — not exactly something you’d advertise in Afghanistan.” For these reasons and others, the Czech Republic is today home to no more than 20,000 Muslims, or barely 0.02 percent of the population. And they face widespread discrimination, according to a recent Al Jazeera report. While anti-Islamic sentiment runs strong in the Czech Republic, curiously anti-Semitism is not a major problem, said Kmoníček. The country’s relations with Israel are excellent — so excellent, in fact, that it intends to become the first in Europe to follow Trump’s lead and move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. During a Nov. 27 visit to

Czech Republic at a Glance Independence Day Oct. 28, 1918 (from the Austro-Hungarian Empire) Location Central Europe, between Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Austria

Flag of the Czech Republic

Capital Prague Population 10.6 million (July 2017 estimate) Ethnic groups Czech 64.3 percent, Moravian 5 percent Slovak 1.4 percent, other 1.8 percent, unspecified 27.5 percent (2011 estimate) Religious groups Roman Catholic 10.4 percent, Protestant (includes Czech Brethren and Hussite) 1.1 percent, other and unspecified 54 percent, none 34.5 percent (2011 estimate) GDP (purchasing power parity) $375 billion (2017 estimate)

Israel, Zeman is to officially inaugurate the Czech House as part of his government’s goal of completing the embassy transfer to Jerusalem by year’s end. While that would certainly make the Trump administration happy, an even bigger priority — some would say obsession — of the 45th president is making Europe pay for its own defense. Even back during his presidential campaign, Trump was castigating NATO member states that spend less than 2 percent of their GDP on military expenditures. That would include the Czech Republic, which at present spends just over 1 percent on defense. “We know it’s not enough,” Kmoníček said, noting that the Czech government is dramati-

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PHOTO: © MICHEL DE VRIES - © MICHEL DE VRIES., CC BY-SA 3.0 DE

GDP per-capita (PPP) $35,500 (2017 estimate)

Škoda Auto is one of the largest car manufacturers in Central Europe. The Czech economy relies heavily on its manufacturing sector, producing one car every 23 seconds.

GDP growth 4.3 percent (2017 estimate) Unemployment 2.8 percent (2017 estimate) Population below poverty line 9.7 percent Industries Motor vehicles, metallurgy, machinery and equipment, glass, armaments SOURCE: CIA WORLD FACTBOOK

cally stepping up its military spending. “We will get to the 2 percent mark by 2024.” Meanwhile, Czech soldiers continue to serve with NATO allies in both Iraq and Afghanistan, where they have suffered heavy casualties. “NATO, for us, means promoting security far away from our borders to make sure that the danger doesn’t come closer,” said Kmoníček. “When you live in the place where two world wars started, you never take your security for granted.” But Kmoníček said all this talk about immigration, illiberalism and unfair defense burdens is off the mark. “For me, the major discussion we should be

having is what kind of European Union we are creating. That will be the crucial discussion of the next 20 years. Are we creating a political animal in the shape of the United States of Europe? Or an economic zone bound by the same interests, same currency and part of the same law? These two things are dramatically different.” Some 80 percent of the Czech economy depends on exports, and 80 percent of those exports go to other EU member states. A strong European Union is definitely in Prague’s interest, Kmoníček emphasized. “We are not happy with Brexit,” the ambassador noted, although he added that Great Britain’s departure from the EU is unlikely to encourage more countries to abandon ship. “Quite the opposite. After everybody sees what Brexit means in real terms, it will lower the appetite of some political powers to play that card.” WD Tel Aviv-based journalist Larry Luxner is news editor of The Washington Diplomat.

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THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018 | 19

WD | United States

Immigrants to Influencers Pakistani Immigrants Work Their Way Up to Become Washington Powerbrokers BY JOHN LENNON

he pomp and circumstance of college graduations have faded for most who walked the stage; by now the focus is on jobs and building a future. But for one recipient of an honorary doctoral degree in business from Catholic University, the memory of graduation day remains vivid. Rafat Mahmood, a former Pakistani ambassador-at-large, was one of four honorees on May 12 who was recognized for his success as a businessman and for his interfaith leadership. “A great honor,” he said in a recent interview, “for the Catholic University of America to give a Muslim an honorary doctorate!” Most who get honorary doctorates are recognized for academic achievement or success in politics; Calvin Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson all received honorary degrees from Catholic University. Rafat Mahmood (everyone calls him “Ray”) stands out as an exception — a man born in Pakistan, who came with his wife Shaista to put down roots in the United States in the 1970s. They arrived with few belongings, not much English and little money — very little. Whatever they lacked, however, they made up for with a strong desire to make a new life in the United States. And make a new life they did. Today, the Mahmoods are among an elite group of well-connected, self-made powerbrokers in Washington. While he doesn’t hold any official political position, Ray, a successful real estate developer, has been a longtime fundraiser for Democratic candidates (they personally know the Clintons), although they’ve also made it a point to reach across the political aisle. In addition, the couple often works to bridge the perpetual schisms in U.S.-Pakistani relations, while also bringing different faiths together. Their home in Virginia — the largest in the tony neighborhood of Mount Vernon — has been the site of countless fundraisers and receptions featuring a parade of Cabinet officials, members of Congress, Supreme Court justices and other Washington luminaries.

IMMIGRANT SUCCESS STORY The story of the Mahmoods is a familiar one: newly arrived immigrants looking for opportunity; scrambling like so many before them to get a foothold; eager to realize the American dream. Ray had known Shaista and expressed an interest in marrying her, so their two fathers — longtime friends — arranged the couple’s engagement. Three years of courtship followed while Ray looked for a jumpingoff spot. Ray’s father — a Pakistani diplomat who established the country’s first foreign office after the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan — had hoped his son would join Pakistan’s army or the diplomatic corps, or get a job with the World Bank. Instead, his son started from scratch in the U.S., working as a cashier and other jobs during the day while taking graduate school classes at night. Lured by the prospect of getting a green card as a business owner, Ray seized an opportunity in a rundown neighborhood in Alexandria, Va., and bought a gas station. It was the late 1970s, a time when Western economies were reeling from an oil embargo and cars were lined up at gas pumps around the block. The timing 20 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

Shaista and Rafat Mahmood, a successful real estate developer, have held countless events at their Mount Vernon home on the banks of the Potomac, attracting politicians from both parties, including former Vice Presidents Joe Biden and Al Gore, former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Grover Norquist, founder of Americans for Tax Reform.

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Now that we are Americans, we are helping Pakistan — it’s goodwill for the U.S., and these people-to-people connections can make the future. RAY MAHMOOD former Pakistani ambassador-at-large to the U.S.

was right, and so was the price — $5,000. Ray and Shaista made it work. The gas station was the first in a series of investments in the years that followed, and they wound up owning the whole block in what became Alexandria’s up-and-coming neighborhood of Del Ray. Real estate classes, American citizenship, the birth of four children and the purchase of more land and more buildings all laid the groundwork for success. By the time Ray was 30, he and Shaista had made $1 million. The Mahmoods had been transformed from impoverished immigrants to upper middleclass American citizens, known and respected mem-

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bers of the Alexandria community. Recalling those days decades later, they remembered their sense of wonder that they were well on their way toward “living the American dream.” It didn’t end there.

LIVING THE DREAM Today Ray and Shaista live in Mount Vernon on the banks of the Potomac, in a gated home they built on land that used to belong to George Washington. Ray says the site is on one of five farms that made up the holdings of the first American president. It was sold by Washington’s heirs in the mid-19th century

to an immigrant family of Russian fishermen whose heirs, in turn, sold it to the Mahmoods about 20 years ago. By that time, Ray and Shaista had become wealthier than they ever expected, largely on the strength of sound investments made during years of steady economic growth and a lot of hard work. In the 20-plus years of living on the shores of the Potomac, the Mahmoods have hosted more parties and dinners than they can count. Many friendships have been cultivated over the years — from Jim Moran, the longtime Democratic congressman and early mentor, to George Allen, the former Republican governor who lives just down the shoreline. Guests at their home have included former Vice Presidents Joe Biden and Al Gore, former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Grover Norquist, founder of Americans for Tax Reform. Dozens of rich and famous guests have been seated at dinner next to scores of the not-so-rich and not-sofamous. Ray and Shaista say that anyone is welcome in their home regardless of wealth, political views, station in life or religious beliefs. They have become just as well known in the region for their support of interfaith activities, and once a year they put together a large guest list for an iftar dinner — a celebration, they say, of all the Abrahamic faiths. It’s a tradition that started after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, just a couple of years after they had moved into their new house. The tradition has continued and caught on, as high-level guests have subsequently hosted interfaith iftars in their own corporate, political and social circles. The importance of recognizing people of

Ray and Shaista Mahmood are financial supporters of the Community School in Islamabad, which provides meals, clothing, shelter and an education for 120 Pakistani boys and girls.

all religious faiths is one of the principles that brought Ray to Catholic University, where his youngest daughter studied. He’s a humble man, but he’s quietly proud of his honorary degree.

REMEMBERING THEIR ROOTS In the wake of 9/11, the Mahmoods — like millions of practicing American Muslims — became very aware of the sudden growth in

antagonism toward Islam. “There was a lot of negative media,” Ray said, noting that Shaista worried that people might be reluctant to come to their home. But that apprehension diminished with time, and when then-Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Karen Hughes came for a visit, they asked what they could do to relieve tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan. Ray suggested taking a group of Pakistani-Americans to Islamabad (at no cost to the U.S. govern-

ment) to talk about life in the U.S. and “dispel negative rumors.” Hughes, who worked under President George W. Bush, voiced gratitude, calling the Mahmoods “citizen ambassadors.” The suggestion gave rise to another idea. Ray and Shaista, by then American citizens for many years, had never forgotten their origins in Karachi and Lahore, and they quickly decided to take a trip back to Pakistan with a two-fold agenda. The first item on that agenda was to play a small part in easing the animosity and suspicion between the U.S. and Pakistan by dispelling misconceptions and doing what they did at their Mount Vernon home: diminishing apprehension of the unfamiliar. In the post-9/11 era, being suddenly confronted with someone who looks, talks and worships differently than you had given rise to “the fear factor,” Shaista told us — “the fear of the unknown. If you’ve never met a Muslim, and all you see is the negative news on some TV networks, your opinion is formed by that, rather than what you’ve experienced.” In Pakistan, they decided to address the same apprehension they had witnessed in the United States, and did so by creating new experiences as “citizen ambassadors” in Islamabad — hosting colleagues, neighbors, politicians and friends just as they had at iftar dinners in the U.S. The second item on their agenda was realizing that even though they had been living the American dream, most of the rest of the world did not. “Look at these houses that we live in,” said Shaista, with a sweep of her hand SEE MAHMOODS • PAGE 47

7TH ANNUAL EMBASSY SH OWC ASE

WINTERNATIONAL

AT T H E RO N A L D R E AGA N B U I L D I N G

Thursday, December 6, 2018 11AM – 2PM • Atrium, Atrium Hall Crafts | Travel | Exhibits | Tastings | Music 55+ Embassies and Free To The Public Register at www.itcdc.com

THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018 | 21

Hungary CONTINUED • PAGE 16

JOBS KOVÁCS: “We inherited an economy where only every second able-bodied Hungarian worked. The employment rate was somewhere around 53 to 54 percent. Today it’s at 69 percent, so close to 70 percent, which is a little bit beyond the European average,” he said. “The target is to go well beyond 70 percent because we believe we shall build a ‘workfare’ society, as we call it, instead of a welfare society by the classical means. Accordingly, unemployment numbers have come down. We inherited an unemployment rate of 11.4 percent. Today it’s at 3.6 percent” — a record low, Kovács said. He also points out that much of this job growth has occurred in the private sector, while the number of people employed in the public sector has shrunk. EUROSTAT: The employment rate in a country measures the percentage of working-age adults who performed work for pay, profit or family gain during a reference week, even if they only worked for one hour, according to the European Union’s statistics agency, Eurostat. Growth in the employment rate has occurred across the EU, reaching 72.2 percent in 2017 — the highest rate since the bloc began keeping track in 2001. As might be expected, statistics posted by the Hungarian Central Statistical Office match those given by Kovács. Eurostat puts Hungary’s employment rate for 20- to 64-year-olds at around 73 percent, while Trading Economics says the rate increased slightly in August this

year from the previous month but was in the low 60s. The Washington Diplomat contacted Trading Economics to obtain clarification on the discrepancy but had no immediate response. CIA AND OECD: The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development puts Hungary’s unemployment rate at 4.2 percent, while the CIA World Factbook estimates the 2017 unemployment rate to be 4.4 percent. Either way, Hungary’s unemployment level has gone down significantly. It was over 11 percent in 2010, the year Orbán introduced his unorthodox economic policies. Like other Central and Eastern European countries such as Poland, Hungary’s unemployment rate also stands in stark contrast to still-ailing EU economies such as Spain (14.5 percent) and Greece (19.5 percent).

WORKFARE Hungary’s good and growing employment rate has been boosted, some experts would say artificially, by Orbán’s controversial “workfare” program. An April 3, 2018, article in The New York Times said “more than 200,000 Hungarians — nearly 4 percent of the country’s work force — participated in the government’s workfare program and were therefore counted as employed” in 2017. Some of those workers did jobs that “did not really need to be done,” the article said. Others worked for an hour a day and then went home. In Siklosnagyfalu, the village near Hungary’s southern border that was the focus of the Times article, participants in the workfare program were paid $175 a month — better than any unemployment benefits they would have received but still less than half the minimum wage. Gyorgy Molnar, a specialist in workfare at

22 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

the Institute for Economics at the Hungarian Academy of Science, told The Times that the real unemployment rate in Hungary in 2017 was probably around 7.3 percent — “lower than when Mr. Orbán entered office, but far higher than the official rate of 4.2 percent.” The Times article did give Orbán and his Fidesz party credit for reshaping Hungary’s economy and said the workfare program has helped places like Siklosnagyfalu but argued that “things are not as rosy as the traditional macroeconomic measures suggest.” The downward slide of health care in a European ranking system and the sharp uptick in corruption were two of the less-than-rosy factors in Hungary, according to the article. But Kovács, writing in an Oct. 4 blog for the government, argues that Hungary’s recordlow unemployment rate and other economic achievements prove that the concept of a “workfare economy” works. “Many critics doubted Prime Minister Viktor Orbán when he laid out his comprehensive plan to transform Hungary into a workfare society, a market where everyone who wants to work can find a job and earn enough to make it worthwhile,” Kovács wrote. “As investment continues, wages increase and GDP continues to grow, that goal, something that seemed impossible back in 2010, now appears within reach.”

EXPATS Also boosting the employment rate is Hungary’s declining population, which is due in part to an exodus of workers seeking higherpaying jobs in other countries. “Although the economic reforms in Hungary introduced after 2010 appear to bring impressive results (reduction of the unemployment rate, stable growth of GDP, increase of salaries, etc.), the constant population out-

flow, particularly that of the younger generation, needs to be taken into account as well,” wrote Michal Kowalczyk in the Central European Financial Observer in 2017. “On the one hand, the emigration evidently helped to reduce the unemployment rate, but on the other, it can cause significant problems for Hungary’s economy and social system in the future. The Hungarian government has already taken steps towards encouraging Hungarians to stay in the country and to have more children.”

DEMOGRAPHICS Indeed, emigration, a low birthrate and the inevitability that a certain number of Hungarians are going to die every year mean Hungary’s population has fallen from just over 10 million in 2010, the year Fidesz returned to power, to around 9.85 million in July 2017. Kovács said during a Q&A session at the ambassador’s residence that increasing the birthrate of Hungarians was one of the government’s top three priorities. Tax exemptions ranging from $400 to $1,500 per child were introduced in 2011 to encourage more Hungarians to have babies. Taking into account the differences in cost of living, this would be equivalent to giving Americans tax breaks per child of up to $16,000. In 2015, the government announced generous subsidies for couples who buy or build a home. These financial incentives would increase depending on the couple’s marital status and the number of children they had. At the World Congress of Families in Budapest last year, Orbán said his government aimed to increase the birth rate from 1.5 children per woman to 2.1 by 2030. Economists point out that another solution to Hungary’s looming labor shortage — SEE HU N GARY • PAGE 45

Nordic Vantage Point | WD

Noble Cause Op-Ed: Two Women’s Rights Advocates Show Enduring Importance of Nobel Peace Prize BY NORWEGIAN AMBASSADOR KÅRE R. AAS

he Nobel Peace Prize will be presented this month in Oslo to Nadia Murad and Denis Mukwege for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict. Both have taken great risk to give a strong voice and a helping hand to the victims of unimaginable horrors. Murad was captured by the Islamic State in Iraq in 2014 and forced to serve as a sex slave to militants alongside thousands of other Yazidi women. She escaped, fled to Germany has since pushed through the trauma of being raped and tortured — and losing her mother and six brothers — to become a global activist against rape and human trafficking. Mukwege, a world-renowned gynecologist working in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has risked his life to perform operations on thousands of women who’ve been violently raped and mutilated. Among the injuries he’s treated: digestive tracts ripped apart and bullets fired into women’s genitals. Murad’s brave testimony before the United Nations, and Mukwege’s unshakeable dedication to treating women and girls in his hospital, confirm the importance of the U.N. agenda on women, peace and security, as adopted through Security Council Resolution 1325. Women and girls are more vulnerable. And they are affected by war and conflict in a different way than men and boys are. Reactions to the decision this year by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, an independent institution with members elected by the Parliament of Norway, have been overwhelmingly positive throughout the world. The topic is seen as timely, and the candidates could hardly be more worthy. The committee hasn’t always been praised for its choices. Contrary to the prizes in, say, physical science or chemistry, “everyone” has an opinion on who deserves the Peace Prize — and who doesn’t. One of the reasons is that Alfred Nobel — a 19th-century Swedish scientist and inventor of dynamite — never defined clear and specific criteria for choosing a candidate. In his will, Nobel merely stated that the Peace Prize is to be awarded to “the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” As there are no objective truths as to “who has done the most” for mankind, the selection will inevitably be influenced by personal opinions. Not all recipients of the prize have been awarded

PHOTO: BY PINAULT/VOA - VOA FRANÇAISE

Yazidi women’s rights advocate Nadia Murad and Congolese gynecologist Denis Mukwege, seen above at his hospital in Panzi, were awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

“

Contrary to the prizes in, say, physical science or chemistry, ‘everyone’ has an opinion on who deserves the [Noble] Peace Prize — and who doesn’t.

”

KÅRE R. AAS

ambassador of Norway to the United States

for achieving peace. In fact, most of them have not. The Nobel Peace Prize has time and again been awarded as an acknowledgement of the efforts of an individual or institution to achieve peace, rather than for a successful result. The Peace Prize is, more often than not, used as a tool to encourage the promotion of peace. The Nobel Peace Prize continues to enjoy remarkable prestige to this day. One explanation for this may be that, in the course of its century-long existence, it has obtained a position of seniority among the many prizes that exist today. And, contrary to most other awards and recognitions, the Nobel Peace Prize belongs to a family of prizes. Together the five prizes instituted by Alfred Nobel carry an enormous weight. I’m often asked why Alfred Nobel, a Swede, wanted a Norwegian committee to select the laureates of the Peace Prize. There are several possible answers to this question. Some point to the fact that Nobel was a true internationalist, having spent part of his childhood in Russia and later living and working in many countries. National borders mattered little to

him. Besides, throughout Nobel’s life, Norway and Sweden were united under one king. One theory then is that Nobel found it fair to leave one of the five prizes to Norway, generally thought to be the “little brother” of the union. Some also point to Nobel’s admiration for the independence-minded Norwegian writer Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson. What is certain is that the world continues to watch with intense interest every time when, in early October, the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee exits the door to the committee’s meeting room to announce the Peace Prize Laureate or Laureates. And people throughout the world will continue to have strong opinions on who is most deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize, sparking a healthy debate on our ever-changing notions of global peace. WD Nordic Vantage Point is a series of columns written by Kåre R. Aas, who has served as Norway’s ambassador to the U.S. since September 2013, prior to which he was political director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Oslo. THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018 | 23

WD | Medical

Growing Mystery CDC Probe Continues as Cases of Polio-Like Illness Rise in Kids

BY DENNIS THOMPSON

ases of a mysterious polio-like illness continue to mount in the United States, and health officials are scrambling to figure out the cause. There are now 252 patients under investigation for acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), an increase of 33 patients since last week, said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC researchers have confirmed 90 cases in 27 states, an additional 10 since last week, Messonnier said. Most patients are children between the ages of 2 and 8, she said. The CDC still hasn’t figured out what is causing AFM, which typically leads to weakness in the arms and legs. “Almost all patients reported fever and/or respiratory illness in the three to 10 days before limb weakness,” Messonnier said in a recent media briefing. “In almost all patients, an upper limb was involved. About half had only upper limb involvement.” Noting that this is the cold and flu season, Messonnier sympathized with parents who are regarding their child’s

24 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

“

As a mom, I know what it’s like to be scared for your child, and I understand parents want answers…. CDC is a sciencedriven agency. Right now, the science doesn’t give us an answer. DR. NANCY MESSONNIER

”

director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases

sniffles with growing concern. “It is important for parents to realize this is still a relatively rare condition,” said Messonnier. “If parents have concerns about their child, they should reach out quickly to their physician and get their child evaluated. “As a mom, I know what it’s like to be scared for your child, and I understand parents want answers,” she said. “CDC is a science-driven agency. Right now, the science doesn’t give us an answer.” At least half of patients do not recover from AFM, Messonnier said, although she added that public health officials have not been tracking the long-term progress of patients as carefully as needed. It’s possible AFM is caused by a virus. Enteroviruses and rhinoviruses were found in about half of respiratory or stool specimens taken from patients

with confirmed cases of AFM, Messonnier said. In addition, researchers found one each of two leading viral suspects — enteroviruses D68 and A71 — in spinal fluid samples taken from two patients with confirmed AFM, Messonnier said. One patient was an adult on immunosuppressive drugs, and the other a child who had very rapid progression of paralysis. “When a pathogen is found in the spinal fluid, it is good evidence that it was the cause of a patient’s illness,” Messonnier said. But the CDC cannot rule out other infections as potential causes. “It’s possible it’s a direct effect of one of the viruses that we’ve already found,” Messonnier said. “It’s possible it’s a virus we haven’t found yet. It’s also possible the infection is triggering the

LEARN MORE: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about acute flaccid myelitis at www.cdc.gov/ acute-flaccid-myelitis/index.html. body’s own immune response, and it’s actually the immune response that’s causing AFM.” This is the third wave of AFM to strike the United States. Acute flaccid myelitis first appeared in 2014, when 120 children across 34 states were stricken with mysterious muscle weakness. Another wave hit in 2016, with 149 patients affected in 39 states. Talking about potential causes, Messonnier noted that the AFM spike in 2014 was associated with an outbreak of enterovirus D68. But in 2016, there was no large outbreak of either D68 or A71. Because what’s behind AFM is not known, “there are currently no targeted therapies or interventions with enough evidence to endorse or discourage their use,” Messonnier said. WD Dennis Thompson is a HealthDay reporter. Copyright © 2018 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Luxury Living A Special Section of The Washington Diplomat

•

December 2018

2018

Holiday GIFT GUIDE

PHOTO: DARIA YAKOVLEVA / PIXABAY

BY STEPHANIE KANOWITZ

Give the Gift of Lasting Memories This Year, Plus a Few Extras

ure, good things come in small packages, but sometimes amazing things can’t be contained. This year’s gift guide shines some (holiday) light on experiences — memory-makers you can share and savor long into 2019 and beyond. Of course, we still have plenty of tangible treats to wrap and hand over, too. And for the first time, we included a section with a

few ideas for making a donation in someone’s name — a way to reverse some of the negativity that seemed particularly pervasive in 2018. However you choose to celebrate, we hope you and yours have a very happy holiday season! SEE GIFT GUIDE • PAGE 26 THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018 | 25

WD | Luxury Living | Gift Guide

GIFTS WITH

Class HIGH-END

Yearly Membership to Barton & Gray Mariners Club

With 21 harbors from Nantucket to Miami, this club recently added another at D.C.’s Wharf. Popular outings include a Potomac cruise to see some of the capital’s famous sights and stops in Georgetown and Old Town Alexandria for shopping and dining. The premiere yachting club gives members unlimited access to a nationwide fleet of captained Hinckley yachts year-round. Yachts come staffed with 50-ton Coast Guardcertified captains who can cater to any plan, such as an onboard clam bake, champagne toast, trips to private islands and harbor cruises. Starting at $29,500 WEB BARTONANDGRAY.COM

ADDRESS 735 WATER ST., SW

MODERATE

Neon Light Sculpture Class through Smithsonian Associates Explore the mesmerizing qualities of neon light and create your own illuminated object with this six-session evening course. Held at instructor Craig Kraft’s D.C. studio, it covers how to bend glass tubing and the process of tube bombarding and rare-gas filling. Kraft has been creating sculptures for 35 years and has participated in international sculpture exhibitions in South Korea and Mexico. $215-$265 WEB SMITHSONIANASSOCIATES.ORG

ADDRESS 1239 GOOD HOPE ROAD, SE

HIGH-END

Big Night D.C. New Year’s Eve Gala at POSE Club This bash has 15 themed party areas, five dance floors, bands, DJs, food and party favors. POSE Club tickets buy access to all main event and VIP party areas plus the Pose Ultra Club on the 18th and 19th floors at the hotel. Cuisine selections include chicken lemongrass pot stickers, a chop salad station, braised short ribs, crab cakes and assorted mini desserts. All beverages are also included in the price between 9 p.m. and 2 p.m.; other ticket options available. $249.99 WEB BIGNIGHTDC.COM

GIFTS FOR

Shows MODERATE

Concerts at The Anthem

Check out D.C.’s newest concert venue at The Wharf. Shows during the holiday season include a Dec. 15 show by O.A.R. ($45-$75), an American rock band that started right here in Rockville, Md., and the 31st Annual Zinzi Christmas Party on Dec. 16 ($125), which includes an open bar and gourmet cuisine. All proceeds from that event benefit the St. Ann’s Center for Children, Youth and Families, as well as the Doctor Bear’s Closet at Children’s t National Medical Center. In the past 20 years, this event has raised $980,000 for local and national charities. Starting at $45

GAYLORD NATIONAL RESORT & CONVENTION CENTER 201 WATERFRONT ST., NATIONAL HARBOR, MD.

WEB THEANTHEMDC.COM

PHOTO: JOHN SHORE

ADDRESS 901 WHARF ST., SW

INEXPENSIVE

Concerts at the Wine Garden at City Winery This new space offers concert-friendly plates of food and a full drink menu featuring City Winery’s own concoctions. This month, the venue welcomes China Crisis (Dec. 6, 8 p.m., $20-$25) an English pop/rock band formed in 1979; a sensory-friendly holiday singalong (Dec. 16, 11:30 a.m., $20); country musician Chely Wright (Dec. 20, 8:30 p.m., $24); and D.C.’s premier “old-school” go-go ensemble, the Proper Utensils Band featuring Jas. Funk (Dec. 28, 8:30 p.m., $20). Starting at $20 WEB CITYWINERY.COM

ADDRESS 1350 OKIE ST., NE

Fitness GIFTS

INEXPENSIVE

Gift Card to Squash on Fire It’s game on for a round of squash — one of America’s fastest-growing sports — at this new eight-court, high-end facility (housed inside one of D.C.’s oldest fire stations — hence the name). Gift cards are available in various amounts, and there’s an onsite café where players can refuel after duking it out in the best possible way. Participants pay as they go or opt for package deals or even private and semi-private lessons. Youngsters can also get in on the action with Junior Academy packages ($545-$1,780). $25-$750

HIGH-END

The Extended Retreat at Veritas

Send a loved one on a three-day retreat to recharge in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. This hiking and yoga retreat program partners with Veritas Vineyards & Winery and the Farmhouse at Veritas Bed and Breakfast to offer a range of wellness options. The threeday, four-night getaway includes yoga, hiking, a cooking class, a wine tasting class and a vineyard tour. It also includes all meals paired with wine. Upcoming retreat dates are Jan. 3, 4 and 5, as well as Feb. 15, 16 and 17. $2,000 WEB VERITASRETREAT.COM

ADDRESS 72 SADDLEBACK FARM, AFTON, VA.

MODERATE

ClassPass Membership

Know someone with a sweet tooth who also loves to bake? The fully customizable Milk ID baking class lets students select from various Milk Bar cake flavors to create their own special multilayered confection chock full of icing, filling, crumbs and toppings. $95-$125

As one of the country’s fittest cities, there is no shortage of exercise class options in D.C. If you know a gym rat who’s always looking for something new, a ClassPass membership is just the thing. It lets members try out all kinds of classes — yoga, cycling, barre, high-intensity interval training — in person at local gyms and from anywhere through streamed videos. ClassPass works in 50 cities, so frequent travelers can stay on point with their fitness routines. The $125-per-month deal gets 75 credits to eight to 13 classes, while the $45-per-month deal gets 25 credits to two to four classes. $45-$125

WEB MILKBARSTORE.COM

WEB CLASSPASS.COM

WEB SQUASHONFIRE.COM

INEXPENSIVE

Baking Class at Milk Bar

ADDRESS 1525 15TH ST., NW

26 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

ADDRESS 233 M ST., NW

ADDRESS 50 CITIES NATIONWIDE

Gift Guide | Luxury Living | WD

Pamper GIFTS TO

MODERATE

One Year of Monthly Facials at Skinfit by Blush

HIGH-END

Holiday Refresh Package at KARMA by Erwin Gomez Available through the end of December, this package combines the spa’s most popular services: the Total Hydration facial and eye treatment; Ultimate Marine manicure and pedicure; shampoo and blow-dry; full makeup application; and a skincare gift to take home. The total value of the package is $510 to $570. The higher price reflects a session with Gomez himself. $460-$498 WEB VERITASRETREAT.COM

ADDRESSES 12430 PARK POTOMAC AVE., SUITE R-13, POTOMAC, MD.

Winter and summer weather can a toll on the skin. To keep your loved one fresh-faced year-round, the professionals at Blush Med Skincare provide curated monthly “Skinfit” facials that stimulate your skin to exfoliate, hydrate and repair at a cellular level. Designed to combat the harmful effects of UV radiation, humidity, pollution and more, the monthly treatments aim to restore pH and hydration levels. $69-$175 WEB BLUSHSKINFIT.COM

ADDRESSES 4915 CORDELL AVE., BETHESDA, MD. 1924 8TH ST., NW, SUITE 135

40 DISTRICT SQUARE, SW, SUITE 215

1104 24TH ST., NW

MODERATE

The Mall Recovery Massage at Ritz-Carlton After a holiday shopping spree, return aching muscles to peak condition with this tension-relieving treatment, which uses cooling spearmint and therapeutic rosemary to refresh and revitalize the body, along with exfoliation, a full body massage and foot reflexology. $215 for 80 minutes WEB RITZCARLTON.COM/EN/HOTELS/WASHINGTON-DC/TYSONS-CORNER ADDRESS 1700 TYSONS BLVD., MCLEAN, VA.

Organic, Humane, Pasture-Raised, Heritage Breed Meats Delicious Prepared Sides | Delectable Desserts Crowd-Pleasing Party Platters

INEXPENSIVE

Luxe Lane Manicure at Varnish Lane Founded by a motherdaughter team, this nail and waxing salon is waterless, which removes the risk of waterborne infection and saves up to 15 gallons of water per service. Fingers and toes are instead cleaned with all-natural oil cleansers and warm towels. This particular treatment starts with that and is followed by nail shaping, buffing and cuticle care. Next, the technician exfoliates the hands with a natural sugar scrub and moisturizes with paraffin wax, all followed by a massage before the polish is applied. Extras include gel polish for an additional $16 and an extended massage for $10. $44

U.S.A.

NON GMO

Project VERIFIED

nongmoproject.org

WEB VARNISHLANE.COM

ORDER IN-STORE • BY PHONE • ONLINE

ADDRESSES 5236 44TH ST., NW and 1201 24TH ST., NW

8372 West Main St., Marshall, VA • 540.837.4405 • GentleHarvest.com SEE GIFT GUIDE • PAGE 28 THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018 | 27

WD | Luxury Living | Gift Guide

Food

MODERATE

Ayrshire Farm Humane-Certified Smoked Ham by Gentle Harvest This whole, bone-in or boneless spiral-sliced ham comes from the company’s own heritage breed pigs raised on Ayrshire Farm in Upperville, Va. During production, the team sugar-cures and slow-smokes the ham so it can simply be heated and served at holiday dinner. Order it online and pick up in the store or have it shipped.

GIFTS

HIGH-END

$19.50 per pound

Tasting Menu at Métier

WEB GENTLEHARVEST.COM

ADDRESS 8372 WEST MAIN STREET, MARSHALL, VA.

Named D.C.’s best restaurant by Washingtonian magazine, this French eatery by chef Eric Ziebold and Célia Laurent sits in a building that dates to 1907 and seats only 36 guests who access the restaurant by private elevator. The menu changes regularly, but to get an idea, the recent online one listed Maine bluefin tuna sashimi, braised oysters and seared foie gras, and a dessert called Moroccan Memory with orange-scented semolina cake, poached quince, pomegranate and honey-almond ice cream. $200

INEXPENSIVE

16 Brigadeiros Box from June B Sweet Former Brazilian lawyer June Drummond brings tiny brigadeiros (bree-gah-DAY-ros) — small Brazilian desserts similar to a bonbon — to the nation’s capital. This box of 16 tiny treats includes up to four flavors, such as milk chocolate, pistachio, rose water and salted caramel. The boxes are available for shipping, delivery or in-store pickup. $32

WEB METIERDC.COM

ADDRESS 1015 7TH ST., NW

WEB JUNEBSWEET.COM

ADDRESS 3807 MCKINLEY ST., NW

MODERATE

Holiday Tea at the Hay-Adams u

This all-inclusive tableside presentation is available only on Dec. 2, 9, 16 and 23 and includes teas from the Mighty Leaf Tea Co., a glass of Taittinger Champagne and a tiered tray with savory and sweet treats. Tea sandwiches include an English cucumber with tomato and mint, farmhouse egg salad with Bibb lettuce, and salmon and lemon chive cream cheese. Confections include warm orange and cherry scones with Devonshire cream and organic strawberry preserve, chocolate choux puffs, and salted caramel macarons. Children 12 and younger are welcome for $35 per person and get their own menu of hot chocolate, fruit teas, ham and cheese sandwiches, and peanut butter and marmalade sandwiches. $75 WEB HAYADAMS.COM ADDRESS 800 16TH ST., NW

HIGH-END

Opus One at ZachysDC This 2013 red blend wine made in Napa Valley is one of the most expensive at ZachysDC, a wine store that opened last year. It is 79 percent cabernet sauvignon, 7 percent cabernet franc, 6 percent merlot and the rest petit verdot and malbec. Flavor descriptions say it has aromas of berries, wood, flowers and sweet tobacco. $6,000 WEB DC.ZACHYS.COM

ADDRESS 3521 V ST., NE

MODERATE

Tasting Menu at Columbia Room

Drink GIFTS

INEXPENSIVE

Spirits Gift Set from Republic Restoratives

This James Beard-nominated craft cocktail bar offers a seasonal menu of light bites paired with signature drinks. They include a martini made with gin, coconut oil and dry vermouth, along with a Manhattan made of bonded whiskey, dry vermouth, Amaro liquor, turmeric and beets. Meanwhile, the “Battle of the Beltway” combo pits a Maryland concoction — made with rye, bonded applejack, Yellow Chartreuse, apricot, grapefruit and lemon — against its spirited Virginia rival, which features Brandy de Jerez, Verdelho Madeira, Jamaican rum and mint. $85

This woman-owned and -operated craft distillery offers a special spirits gift set for $49, with a percentage of proceeds going to Giffords, an anti-gun violence nonprofit that’s close to co-founder Pia Carusone’s heart. She was chief of staff to Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who survived a gunshot wound to the head in 2011. The set includes 200-milliliter bottles of Borough Bourbon and CIVIC Vodka plus a branded glass. $40

WEB COLUMBIAROOMDC.COM

ADDRESS 1369 NEW YORK AVE., NE

ADDRESS 124 BLAGDEN ALLEY, NW

28 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

WEB REPUBLICRESTORATIVES.COM

Gift Guide | Luxury Living | WD

GIFTS FOR

Women

INEXPENSIVE

Jason Wu X ELOQUII Tux Pant Designer Jason Wu teamed with ELOQUII, a trend-driven brand for sizes 14 to 28, for a holiday collection of eveningwear that launched Nov. 1. The Tux Pant draws on the menswear trend for women by giving the traditional men’s look a feminine flair with sleek lines. The pants are made with medium-weight bi-stretch woven fabric and have four pockets. Other pieces in the collection include a matching tux blazer ($119.95) and a one-shoulder sequin down ($189.95). $89.95

HIGH-END

Harry Kotlar Sunflower Bloom Earrings

The 70-year-old Harry Kotlar brand of hand-fabricated diamond jewelry recently partnered with D.C.’s iconic jewelry store to create the first and only Harry Kotlar boutique on the East Coast. The boutique will feature one-of-a-kind museum pieces, each representing seven decades of world artistry. But for some not-quite-everyday sparkle, the Sunflower Bloom vault diamond cluster earrings are just what Santa or Hanukkah Harry ordered. Set in platinum, the diamonds weigh 3.58 carats. $20,920

WEB ELOQUII.COM

WEB TINYJEWELBOX.COM

TINY JEWEL BOX 1155 CONNECTICUT AVE., NW

MODERATE

Delsey Luggage Chatelet Soft Air Shoulder Bag This vintage-inspired bag with a chevron pattern fabric and vegan leather trim is lined with Bordeaux fabric and has a hidden, zipped front pocket for quickly and safely storing travel documents. The shoulder bag also has three zippered compartments plus a laptop sleeve. It’s available in gray or white and at of press time was on sale for half off. $280 WEB SHOP.DELSEY.COM

MODERATE

Knockdown Club Collar Golf Sweater at Bonobos Keep your favorite golfer comfortable on the course with this 60 percent cotton, 40 percent Coolmax sweater. Ribbed details make it interesting, and the quarter zip at the collar lets the wearer customize the look. The slim-fit sweater is available in charcoal marl and pale gray. Please note that shopping is available by appointment. $128 WEB BONOBOS.COM

GIFTS FOR

Men

HIGH-END

The Neiman Marcus Secret Agent Experience

INEXPENSIVE

Grooming Lounge Our Best Smeller Kit Available in time for the holidays, this kit includes the Our Best Smeller body wash and Our Best Smeller Cologne. The scent draws on notes of Italian bergamot, Meyer lemon, cracked clove, black peppercorn, leather and vanilla. The kit also comes with sample-size packets of the body wash, a face scrub, Beard Destroyer Shave Cream, Best for Last Aftershave, and the Shavior for razor burn and bump relief. $60 WEB GROOMINGLOUNGE.COM

ADDRESS TYSONS GALLERIA, MCLEAN, VA.

This is Washington, home to the greatest number of spies in the world, so if you can’t beat them, maybe it’s time to join them. Give it a try with this Secret Agent Experience in which four participants (or, rather, adrenaline junkies) fly to Las Vegas on a private jet for a three-day adventure organized by The Invictus Experience. It includes activities such as skydiving and racing cars alongside Special Operations Forces veterans who are free-fall parachutists, combatant divers and reconnaissance Marines. Then they recharge at the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas for the night. With the purchase of each of these packages, Neiman Marcus will donate $25,000 to the Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation and Invictus will donate $5,000 to Mission Volant and another $5,000 to Warfighter Made. $315,000 WEB NEIMANMARCUS.COM

SEE GIFT GUIDE • PAGE 30

THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018 | 29

WD | Luxury Living | Gift Guide

GIFTS FOR

ech

Children

GIFTS

HIGH-END

Electric Scooter by Ferrari

Available in black, red and yellow, this aluminum scooter with a battery-powered motor can go up to 20 miles per hour and has a brake and front headlight. Fully charged, the lithium battery lets riders zip around for 30 miles before it needs to be recharged. $1,999.99

INEXPENSIVE

WEB NORDSTROM.COM

Challenge Courses at Zavazone

MODERATE

American Girl Package at the Watergate Hotel HIGH-END

Samsung QLED Smart 8K TV This 85-inch TV with 8K resolution and HDR technology provides brilliant color that makes watchers feel like they’re inside the screen. The TV optimizes sound for each scene, adjusts brightness to the room and customizes content recommendations. What’s more, users can set it to ambient mode in which the set mimics the wall pattern behind it. $14,999.99 WEB SAMSUNG.COM

MODERATE

FeiyuTech G6 Plus This portable gimbal is built to support all cameras in the 800g range and is compatible with GoPro, smartphones, pocket video cameras and micro-single lens reflex cameras. It has a “magic focus ring” to control zoom, and its three axes mean the tool can pan, roll and tilt as needed. $269 WEB STORE.FEIYU-TECH.COM

INEXPENSIVE

SIRIScan Mouse It looks and feels like a regular computer mouse, but it also has a portable 300 dpi resolution scanner that can be activated with the push of a button. Users swipe the mouse over a paper document and the images appear on the computer screen. They can be converted to PDF and Microsoft Word and Excel formats, and the device recognizes 130 languages. When it’s not scanning, it works as a mouse normally does. $69 WEB IRISLINK.COM

30 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

Know someone uber girly? Get them a night in the Watergate Hotel’s Rose Celebration Suite, including the American Girl doll brand package. The 14th-floor, two-room suite features pale pink tones, and the package includes a take-home doll bed and access to the brand’s Grand Hotel set of dolls and outfits. Options include an afternoon tea for kids and dolls, mommy-and-me manis and pedis, and an American Girl movie and popcorn night. $799 per night WEB THEWATERGATEHOTEL.COM

ADDRESS 2650 VIRGINIA AVE., NW

Donation GIFTS

Got a kid who wants to be an American Ninja Warrior? Take them to this multi-attraction indoor playground and let them test their skills on a warped wall, rock walls, trampolines, and low- and high-ropes courses. Equipment is designed for children age 5 and up. $19.50 for one hour WEB ZAVAZONE.COM

ADDRESSES 40 SOUTHLAWN COURT, ROCKVILLE, MD. 45685 OAKBROOK COURT, #110, STERLING, VA.

PAY IT FORWARD BY MAKING A DONATION IN SOMEONE’S NAME TO A CHARITY THAT MATTERS TO THEM. HERE ARE A FEW OPTIONS:

Doctors Without Borders

Second Annual Light Up The Season On Dec. 16 from 12 to 4 p.m., the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown hosts the Second Annual Light Up The Season event to benefit Children’s National. This family-friendly community fundraiser highlights collaborations between Children’s National patients and nearly two dozen notable area designers and artists. Together, they will create holiday trees, mantelpieces, wreaths, menorahs and artwork — all available for purchase. Proceeds benefit Children’s National. activities for all ages including holiday cookie decorating, ornament making, musical performances and visits from Santa and Dr. Bear. Varies

provides medical and mental health care to tens of thousands of families affected by violence. The group also vaccinates millions of children worldwide against diseases such as pneumonia and measles. A $25 donation covers the cost of medication to prevent and treat life-threatening hemorrhages in 47 new mothers; $50 can purchase chlorination equipment to give 650 people clean drinking water for a week after an emergency; and $100 can provide therapeutic food to treat four children suffering from severe malnutrition. Starting at $25 WEB DOCTORSWITHOUTBORDERS.ORG

EMAIL LIGHTUPTHESEASONDC@GMAIL.COM

Global Giving

Jewish National Fund

Not sure where to give? Check out Global Giving which vets organizations and presents them by theme and country. Choose from more than 4,000 projects and they’ll send the honoree a personalized card. Varies

Plant a tree in Israel in someone’s honor through the Jewish National Fund. It costs $18 per tree and the honoree will receive a certificate stating that a tree has been planted, why and from whom. $18

WEB GLOBALGIVING.ORG

WEB USA.JNF.ORG/JNF-TREE-PLANTING-CENTER/

Culture arts & entertainment art

•

diplomatic spouses

•

theater

DIPLOMATIC SPOUSES

Trading Places Economics has been her lifelong passion. But Isabel Fezas Vital, wife of Portuguese Ambassador Domingos Fezas Vital for 33 years and mother of their two grown sons, is taking a break from trade policy to discover newfound passions in D.C. PAGE 33

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photography

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music

The Washington Diplomat

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history

•

dining

•

December 2018

film

PICTURE of CHANGE

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events

Two companion exhibitions titled “Japan Modern” at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery explore how the country’s artists experimented with both new and old forms of art to capture a rapidly changing society.

PAGE 32

PHOTOGRAPHY

The Party Goes On Studio 54 was a shrine to disco, decadence and debauchery. Supermodels, musicians, politicians, actors, artists and anyone in the know converged on the exclusive nightclub during its brief heyday. The party may have ended, but the good times live on at the House of Sweden, where a new exhibit features rare photographs of the infamous club. PAGE 36

THEATER

Intricate Dance Billy Elliot the musical exposes the political turmoil of a British coal town in the 1980s alongside the personal struggles of a young boy breaking the mold and discovering his true identity through dance. PAGE 37

PHOTO: © SHOJI UEDA OFFICE

Shoji Ueda’s “Boku To Neko (The Cat and Me”) THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018 | 31

WD | Culture | Art

Japanese Evolution Complementary ‘Japan Modern’ Exhibits Document Rapidly Modernizing Nation •

BY BRENDAN L. SMITH

Japan Modern THROUGH JAN. 24 ARTHUR M. SACKLER GALLERY 1050 INDEPENDENCE AVE., SW

(202) 633-1000 | WWW.FREERSACKLER.SI.EDU

hen people think of Japanese prints, Utagawa Hiroshige’s iconic crashing waves or beautiful landscapes with straw-hatted rice farmers come to mind. Modern Japanese prints aren’t remembered as well because the advent of photography caused the printmaking industry to collapse, forcing printmakers to adapt or face unemployment. Meanwhile, photographers increasingly embraced the new medium to document the social and economic changes upending their homeland. Two companion exhibitions titled “Japan Modern” at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery explore these evolutions through Japanese photographs and prints, illustrating how artists experimented with both media to capture a transformed nation. The photography portion celebrates the acquisition of over 400 photographs from the Gloria Katz and WilPHOTO: © SHOMEI TOMATSU – INTERFACE lard Huyck Collection and includes nearly 80 works by a dozen seminal 20th-century photographers, whose images “Japan Modern” examines the evolution of photography in 20th-century Japan with works such as, from clockwise top: Shomei Tomatsu’s “Yokosuka, Kanagawa”; Eikoh Hosoe’s “Kamaitachi #8”; range from nostalgic landscapes to the harsh realities of postwar Japan. As photography became more common in the early 20th century, Hosoe’s “Simmon: A Private Landscape (#1)”; and Shoji Ueda’s “My Wife on the Dunes.” amateur Japanese photographers ventured out of the cities into the countryside, creating unique images that more accurately represented the real world than idealized pastoral woodblock prints. The limitations of early cameras in the 1920s and ’30s resulted in blurry gelatin silver prints that resembled a fuzzy snapshot from a half-remembered dream. One image by Ishikawa Noboru reveals a simple scene of a woman and her two children bundled in winter clothes trudging through the snow, while Hirogane Yoshiro captures a barge plying its way down a canal past a blurry row of buildings. As their expertise developed, Japanese photographers experimented with light exposure, unusual compositions and tonality, adopting styles popular among their American and European counterparts. In a hand-colored print in the exhibition, farmers are seen stooped over picking rice, their shadows reflected in PHOTO: © SHOJI UEDA OFFICE the submerged fields. The image recalls Hiroshige’s prints but in a decidedly less romantic form, showing back-breaking work by real people, not just anonymous props in a pictorial scene. Some photographers shifted to photojournalism after World War II, documenting the horrific aftermath of atomic blasts, the plight of poverty-stricken families and the unwelcome presence of U.S. soldiers at newly constructed military bases. An image by Tadahiko Hayashi taken in 1947 is aptly titled “Mother and Child in Wasteland Burned Out by War.” Seen from behind, the lone woman is carrying a small child on her back next to a jagged brick column that is the only surviving remnant of a building that once stood there. Another image by Tadahiko in 1946 shows two boys wearing filthy rags, their bare feet black with dirt, while one boy smokes a cigarette. PHOTO: FREER GALLERY OF ART AND ARTHUR M. SACKLER GALLERY PHOTO: FREER GALLERY OF ART AND ARTHUR M. SACKLER GALLERY The image raises more questions than it answers. Where are these boys’ parents? feline friend. How will their lives unfold after their childhoods have been scarred by war? The smaller exhibition of Japanese prints feels like an afterthought or a concession In the late 1950s, Shomei Tomatsu traveled to U.S. military bases across Japan, documenting the uneasy tensions triggered by a former enemy now encamped in to a once-revered art form that has passed its prime. During the Edo period from their communities. One photograph from 1959 shows a Japanese girl blowing up 1615 to 1868, woodblock prints were extremely popular but their archaic representaa large balloon while a black American sailor stands behind her near a clutter of tions of a changing country fell out of favor as photography developed. Hiroshige’s building signs written in English, not Japanese. In another image, a prostitute glares death in 1858 marked the beginning of the end as many printmakers were forced to at the camera with smoke exhaling from both nostrils like a fiery dragon. One long turn to the tourist market in the early 20th century, creating nostalgic prints with garish colors that lacked any soul or depth. eyebrow traces a line across her forehead while the rest of her face lies in shadows. It took decades for printmakers to develop more modern artistic styles that delved Other photographers took a different tack with staged scenes that created surreal moments. Shoji Ueda photographed his friends and family amid the rugged beauty into abstraction and nonlinear forms. Even then, the work on display in this exhibiof the remote Tottori and Shimane districts. In “My Wife on the Dunes,” his wife tion seems derivative of Western art movements. Japanese photographers had forged is pictured in the corner of the frame with three men standing at different angles ahead with their own innovative work while printmaking was still mired in the past, on a stark white sand dune that cuts a sharp diagonal against a pitch-black slice of a relic of an earlier time. WD sea. In another humorous triptych reminiscent of photos by Salvador Dali, Ueda is crouched next to his cat, holds it by the scruff of the neck and finally sits in a chair Brendan L. Smith is a freelance writer and mixed-media artist next to the cat. The images feel like stills cut from a film about a man’s love for his in Washington, D.C.

32 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

Diplomatic Spouses | Culture | WD

Budgeting Her Time Portuguese Economist Enjoys Multicultural Diversions of D.C. While Promoting Homeland •

BY GAIL SCOTT

sabel Fezas Vital goes by the numbers — when it comes to her profession Economist Isabel Fezas Vital and her husband, and lifelong passion. “I knew I wantPortuguese Ambassador Domingos Fezas Vital. ed to be an economist. I was always sure. I liked math from the time I was little. As an older student, I liked macroeconomics best. I’m lucky I knew. So many people don’t know what they want to do, what they want to study.” Fezas Vital, wife of Portuguese Ambassador Domingos Fezas Vital for 33 years and mother of their two grown sons, has worked as an economist for most of their diplomatic life together. Among her jobs, she has worked at the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on common trade policy and the implementation of free trade agreements. She also served as head of the Asia Oceania and Africa Division at the ministry, where she helped formulate Portugal’s positions on FTAs with South Korea, India and ASEAN, as well as a partnership and cooperation agreement with China. Her final posting before coming to Washington was with the European Commission’s Directorate General for Trade in Brussels, where Fezas Vital focused on trade dealing with the specific sectors of pharmaceuticals, tools and cutlery. It’s fitting that Fezas Vital — who earned her postgraduate degree in European economics from Lisbon’s Portuguese Catholic Although this is her husband’s first assignUniversity — chose economics as her cament in the U.S., he and his wife have been reer path, given Portugal’s own turbulent here many times on official trips for the Poreconomic journey and dramatic turntuguese Foreign Ministry. around. In 2010, the country was sucked As a family, they came to the U.S. on vacainto the eurocrisis and forced to take a $90 tions. “We took our sons to California on our billion bailout with harsh austerity strings first trip and to New York City and D.C. the as joblessness surged and hundreds of second time,” Isabel Fezas Vital told us. thousands fled the nation of 10 million. “The first time, we flew to San Francisco But after a new government in 2015 rewith another family who also had two sons. ISABEL FEZAS VITAL versed some of those austerity measures Our boys were 10 and 12 then. We rented a and continued to enact much-needed wife of Portuguese Ambassador Domingos Fezas Vital big car at the airport and drove all over for structural reforms, the economy reboundtwo weeks. We drove down the coast to Cared (also see “Bucking Austerity, Portugal’s Socialists Bring Economy Back from mel, went to L.A. and saw Disneyworld, of course, and your big movie studios. Then Brink” in the June 2018 issue). Unemployment was slashed and the economy has we went to San Diego, where there is a large Portuguese community. Many Portucontinued to grow above the European Union average — driven largely by tourism guese fishermen immigrated there as they did along the coast of New England,” she and investment from China and elsewhere. said. “From San Diego we drove to Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Lake Tahoe and While Fezas Vital understands the economic travails and triumphs perhaps better Yosemite. We were four adults and four boys. We had a wonderful time. The second than most, she hasn’t been called on to use her economic skills in Washington — but trip was during New Year’s Eve. In New York, we went to see Times Square during rather her diplomatic ones. the day and celebrated New Year’s Eve by walking in Central Park. The boys were “Here in Washington, I have no time to work,” she told us. “Immediately when we teenagers then.” arrived, I had 1,000 things to do. Your society is so lively and dynamic that days are Today, their sons are 32 and 30. Diogo is an economist in London with J.P. Morgan very busy. Now I don’t know how I would have time to work.” and regularly commutes to see his wife Margarida in Madrid. She is with Uber, and Fezas Vital said that among other things, she keeps busy with a monthly book club he hopes to move to Madrid soon to join her. Miguel lives in Belgium and works in for diplomatic spouses and monthly lunches with other EU spouses. human resources. “I have lots of invitations to cultural events and museums. I love museums and For Christmas, everyone meets at the family home in Lisbon. “For us, Christmas you have so many good ones in Washington. Of course, our own embassy func- is less about giving presents and more about being together,” Fezas Vital said. “We tions are very important to me,” she said. “Every day goes by very quickly here. In usually celebrate with our relatives and several other families who are our friends. Washington, there are so many things to discover, so much to do. I like having the My mother always brings Bacalhau, a dried and salted codfish that she has soaked. opportunity to be part of the conversation. I am curious about multicultural places.” My sister-in-law brings King Cake, which has crystallized fruit and pine nuts. In my Her husband also appreciates D.C.’s multicultural character. A fan of all kinds childhood, there was always a small toy hidden inside.” of music — jazz, pop, classical — he enjoys going to concerts and the theater. He For gifts, she told us, “I have my sons’ and nephews’ measurements. Young peohimself has a multicultural background, having been born in Angola, a Portuguese ple in Portugal like American brand names like Ralph Lauren, Converse, Nike and colony at the time and the country where his father worked, returning to Portugal Levi’s. They may find them in Europe but they will be more expensive.” and then growing up as a teenager in Angola again and Brazil. While many Portuguese are familiar with American brands and culture, more and He was also posted to Macau when the territory known as the “Las Vegas of the more Americans are now discovering Portugal’s treasures thanks to a boom in tourEast” was formally handed over from Portuguese rule to Chinese rule in 1999, mark- ism. ing the official end of what is considered to be the longest-lived colonial empire in “My goal while I am here is to present Portugal to everyone — the best of Portugal, the world. (A few years earlier, his wife served in Macau’s Office for Trade Affairs in to visit, to study and to live there,” Fezas Vital said. “Now, Americans are very curious Brussels.) After that, Domingos Fezas Vital worked as Portugal’s permanent repre- about Portugal.” sentative to the European Union at the height of the eurozone crisis before coming to Washington in 2015. SEE DIPLOMATIC SPOUSES • PAGE 34

“

Every day goes by very quickly here. In Washington, there are so many things to discover, so much to do. I like having the opportunity to be part of the conversation.

”

THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018 | 33

Diplomatic Spouses CONTINUED • PAGE 33

Located on the Iberian Penunsula, nearly 13 million foreigners visited the country in 2016 to see historic cities such as Lisbon and Porto and a wide variety of beaches In fact, Portugal’s long western border along the Atlantic Sea has become the latest hotspot in the world for extreme surfing. This country’s archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores have also become popular destinations. “Portugal has mountains and sea. If you drive for two hours, you can be in a totally different place,” Fezas Vital said. “Many people are attracted by our style of living even though we don’t eat until 9 p.m.” The laidback lifestyle, picturesque scenery and rich culture have drawn average tourists and big names alike. “Madonna lives in Lisbon, the old town, and her kids study in schools there…. French interior designer Philippe Starck and French shoe designer Christian Louboutin both have Portuguese homes,” Fezas Vital noted. “Many other foreigners prefer Cascais, the lovely sea village just outside of Lisbon. People are able to live there and make the short commute to work in Lisbon. “Our nice hotels are not expensive and you can eat well,” she added. “Many Americans are buying properties. We are welcoming foreigners with special tax rates. American retirees are coming over with their pensions and retirement savings. They are attracted to our rich culture, which goes back almost nine centuries, our fado — haunting music sung in an intimate venue — and our very good food. We have fresh fish, of course, wonderful olive oil and Mediterranean cuisine. Our Port and Madeira wines are world famous and our red and white wines are highly regarded.” In fact, after signing the Declaration of Independence, America’s Founding Fathers toasted the country’s hardwon independence with a glass of Madeira wine. “Portugal was the third country to recognize the independence

Isabel Fezas Vital is pictured with her two sons, Miguel, left, and Diogo.

of the United States,” the ambassador told us in a June 2018 interview, describing the U.S. as Portugal’s “neighbor across the ocean.” “I am very proud to be Portuguese,” the ambassador’s wife told us. “Portugal is one of the oldest nations in Europe with one of the oldest universities, the University of Coimbra. In school, we studied our long history and the history of the world.” That history dates to long before America’s founding and encompasses a global empire that stretched from Africa to Asia to South America. In fact, after highly successful seafaring exploration during the 15th and 16th centuries, this small kingdom became the largest empire in the world. As a result of this

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expansion by sea during the “Age of Discovery,” Portuguese is spoken not only in Brazil but also in southern India, Macau, Angola, Cape Verde, East Timor and Mozambique, among many other places. In fact, Portuguese is the sixth most widely spoken language in the world, with some 300 million Portuguese speakers spread out across the globe. That includes 1.5 million Portuguese natives who live in the U.S., split roughly between the East and West Coasts. Because of the country’s enduring global footprint, Portugal has a special cabinet secretary in Lisbon who serves as the liaison to these communities of Portuguese descendants. As the embassy’s website points out, “This might have been the beginning of globalization.” “In comparison to Spain, our Iberian Peninsula neighbor, we are much smaller and much older,” Fezas Vital said. “Yet today’s Portugal is lively and young at the same time. We have a rich history, both on land and on the sea, and our borders are very well defined; they never changed. In fact, at one point, we were part of Spain for about 60 years, or three generations. Now we are independent, good neighbors.” That neighborly vibe extends all the way to Washington, D.C. “We often get together with the Spanish ambassador and his wife here. We have so much in common. A new Spanish ambassador and his wife recently arrived and we have already met them,” Fezas Vital said. “There is a real connection between Portugal and Spain. It is so easy for us to be together even if we didn’t know each other before. This Spanish ambassador speaks perfect Portuguese; he sounds just like me. I understand Spanish but don’t speak it fluently. When we are all four together, we mix it all up — Portuguese, Spanish and English, all at the same time!” Fezas Vital said that she and her husband, as well as Portugal itself, are fortunate to have such wonderful neighbors, both near and far. “Our closest neighbors are Spain, and on the other side of the Atlantic, the United States. We have very good relations with both.” WD Gail Scott is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

Sculpture | Culture | WD

Spaces In Between British Artist Rachel Whiteread Gives Shape to Negative Space •

BY MIKE CROWLEY

Rachel Whiteread THROUGH JAN. 13 NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART ON THE NATIONAL MALL BETWEEN 3RD AND 9TH STREETS AT CONSTITUTION AVENUE, NW

(202) 737-4215 | WWW.NGA.GOV

ritish artist Rachel Whiteread wants to change our perspective on space. Her work centers on the spaces we don’t actively occupy. It creates solid forms around forgotten areas — the space under a chair, the interior of a closet — and those forms invert our perspective. The first comprehensive exhibit of Whiteread’s work currently on view in the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art demonstrates how she developed her distinct approach over the years with 100 objects incorporating an increasing diversity of scale, medium and color. When it risks becoming an impersonal exploration of shape and form, the exhibit descriptions and accompanying film relate some of the family connections behind her creations. Like many contemporary artists, Whiteread seems to build her work intelPHOTO: © RACHEL WHITEREAD lectually around an idea, shifting a viewer’s perBritish artist Rachel spective. Even when Whiteread’s sculptures are Whiteread creates minimal and often based on ordinary domestic sculptures from objects, the inspiration behind them feels highly empty spaces in personal and complex. works such as, National Gallery regulars will be most familfrom clockwise iar with “Ghost,” a landmark 1990 work in Whittop, “Ghost,”“LOOK, eread’s career that is part of the gallery’s permaLOOK, LOOK” and nent collection and appears here near the start “Untitled (Twentyof the exhibit. “Ghost,” Whiteread’s first architecFive Spaces).” ture-scale sculpture, casts the interior of a Victorian parlor in an effort to, in Whiteread’s words, PHOTO: © RACHEL WHITEREAD / “mummify the air in the room.” PHOTO: © RACHEL WHITEREAD / COURTESY THE ARTIST/ GAGOSIAN, LONDON/ LUHRING AUGUSTINE, NY/ GALLERIA LORCAN O’NEILL COURTESY THE ARTIST AND MIKE BRUCE The resulting initial impression is of a white mausoleum. Whiteread painstakingly plastered casts of the parlor walls, door room, my eye was often drawn to the variety of color on display (and, appropriand window in gridded sections that were assembled on a metal frame, facing ately, to the often large amount of space between the works). “Untitled (Library)” (1999) uses color subtly to brighten what might otherout toward the viewer. The result is a positive form shaped by negative space. Some small but crucial touches draw the viewer’s eye to piece together what’s wise be a desolate image. Whiteread casts the negative space of a section of book going on. Black ash stains near the bottom of one wall of the piece highlight the stacks in a library, with strips of subtle color representing the traces of book bindbackside of an old fireplace. Without this critical clue, we might be permanently ings on the shelves. The choice of space again evokes solitude, but the color differentiating the books gives the piece a sense of the intellectual abundance within puzzled about Whiteread’s intent. With it, we have a window into her vision. For all of its focus on space, Whiteread’s works are very tactile. “Ghost,” which it. The eye is drawn not to the empty gap between the library shelves, but to the looks like marble, is cast from plaster, as are many of her works. Making my spine of the books themselves; not to the structure, but to its contents. The stacks way through the exhibit, I was drawn to pieces wondering not only what they of a library can seem either desolate or inviting, depending on one’s personality. represented, but also what they were made of, which seems to be a part of her Whiteread evokes both emotions here. In “Ghost, Ghost II” (2009), Whiteread revisits the seminal work that helped intent as well. A work near the opening of the exhibit, “Untitled (Twenty-Five Spaces),” looks cement her name in the art world, casting an entire mansion in purple polyureat first glance like a group of large caramel candies arranged in a square on the thane. The change in both material and color makes this a more hopeful work. floor. Formed out of resin in shades of brown and dark green, we learn that the She doesn’t seem to be “mummifying” her subject here so much as salvaging it, lovingly, for posterity. blocks represent the space beneath chairs. Moreover, in the exhibit film, Whiteread explains that the purpose was to capNear its end, the exhibit discusses Whiteread’s 2001 work “Plinth.” In it, a seeture the absence of an audience. “Untitled” resonates, intentionally or uninten- through resin cast made of the inside of a granite plinth (a heavy base on which tionally, against a background of solemn memorials such as the Oklahoma City a statue or other structure is based) is placed upside down on top of an actual National Memorial that use empty chairs to evoke absence. Whiteread, however, plinth in the middle of London’s Trafalgar Square. At its unveiling, the BBC regives us shades of color rather than uniformity, which starts to suggest individual ported British Culture Secretary Chris Smith saying the work “creates a moment identities within the space itself. of peace” within frenetic central London. The exhibit film gives works like “Untitled” a deeper meaning as well. In it, Therein lies the duality of Whiteread’s work, which on the one hand forces Whiteread describes a pleasant, but detached, childhood. From her description, us to re-examine the everyday objects around us, often in ways that challenge her parents, while loving, gave her solitude, which she sought more of on her our assumptions, and on the other inspires peace and reflection within whatown. It’s an important insight from an artist choosing to focus on empty, over- ever spaces we happen to occupy — busy or still, prominent or obscure, real or looked spaces. imagined. WD Some of Whiteread’s work conveys a bleak tone, but elsewhere her varied use of color engages the viewer and lightens her approach. Going from room to Mike Crowley is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat. THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018 | 35

WD | Culture | Photography

Never-Ending Party Swedish Photographer Offers Rare Look Inside New York’s Iconic Studio 54 •

BY DAVID JAHNG

Studio 54 Forever THROUGH DEC. 16 HOUSE OF SWEDEN 2900 K ST. NW

(202) 467-2600 WWW.SWEDENABROAD.SE/EN/ EMBASSIES/USA-WASHINGTON/ CURRENT/CALENDAR/STUDIO-54-FOREVER/

tudio 54 was a shrine to disco, decadence and debauchery. Supermodels, musicians, politicians, actors, artists and anyone in the know (including Donald Trump) converged on the exclusive nightclub during its heyday in the late 1970s — until its owners were arrested for tax evasion and the club was shut down. The party may have ended, but the good times live on at the House of Sweden, where a new exhibit features the work of acclaimed Swedish photographer Hasse Persson, the only photographer granted access to the club after press hours. “Studio 54 Forever” showcases not only Persson’s pioneering camera technique, but also offers a rare peek inside the legendary New York hotspot. Visitors to the exhibition’s opening night got the full Studio 54 experience as they were treated to a disco-themed party inside the glass-enclosed embassy. Persson was also on hand to talk about how he spent his nights documenting the epic partying that took place both on and off Studio 54’s dance floor. Persson’s black-and-white photographs offer snapshots of life behind the velvet rope. Some pictures capture near-naked men and women lost amid the frenetic hedonism; others depict celebrities before they were famous. We get a glimpse of Calvin Klein and Andy Warhol in the music booth, Michael Jackson on the dance floor and a man whom some believe to be Freddie Mercury smoking a cigarette. Persson said he often “worked with luck” to capture the right moment. He spent many long nights disappointed by his original photos. But he soon developed a new camera technique whereby the flash was left on to freeze the subject while the shutter remained open for up to 30 seconds. He said this let him capture the movement and light that made his pictures look alive, mirroring the vitality of the club-goers. Meredith Wohl, a D.C. photographer, told us that the exhibition gave her an intimate look inside a cultural phenomenon that was seldom preserved in pictures. She was impressed by how bright and vivid Persson’s photographs were, even though they were taken in a dark environment. “I love stylistically the technical aspects of how beautiful they are,” said Wohl. “It’s just the chaos and color of the time without any of the color at all.” The scenes of blurred motion and fractured light take viewers back to a time before the AIDS epidemic struck New York, to a club where people left their inhibitions at the door. Sex in the bathrooms or on the balconies was to be expected at Studio 54, said Persson, while drugs such as cocaine, Quaaludes and poppers were passed around like candy. Once, there was even a live horse, which supermodel Bianca Jagger rode across the dance floor. “It was mankind at its wildest,” said Persson. “But you still had to behave … everything was elegant.” Studio 54 was also a place of acceptance for the gay community, which was still largely ostracized by society at the time, said Persson. The club’s owners specified that 20 percent of the handpicked public who attended each night be gay

36 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

PHOTOS: EMBASSY OF SWEDEN

Rare photographs of the iconic Studio 54 nightclub taken by Swedish photographer Hasse Persson, above, are on display at the House of Sweden, which held a disco-themed party for the exhibition opening.

men, and 10 percent be lesbians and transgender. To Persson, this meant the club was a “symbol of divisions melting away.” “It was like a private party with 1,000 people every night,” he said. “I went home with a smile on my face every time.” Despite the club’s notoriety for debauchery and drugs, Persson said the late ’70s were a more innocent time with healthier relationships between men and women. He also noted that the New York feminist movement was bolstered by the three years that Studio 54 was in existence. After the artist talk, the House of Sweden cleared the floor for a Studio 54-inspired party where visitors young and old danced to classic disco tunes. Visitor Mat Smead said disco is just as relevant now as it ever was, if not more so. He said he and his friends still hold Studio 54-themed mixers and parties centered around the music and fashion of the era. “Even today we’re trying to replicate that free spirit of Studio 54 in dance clubs,” said Smead. “We’re trying to recreate that connection to the music.” Monica Enqvist, press counselor at the Embassy of Sweden, said she wanted “Studio 54 Forever” to offer a window into that brief but free-spirited time. “This exhibit will take guests as close as they could get to Studio 54,” Enqvist said. Studio 54 was only open for 1,000 nights and Persson was there to document 100 of them. He captured the essence of the club right up to its closing party, after it was discovered that owners Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager had swiped $2.5 million from the cash registers. “It was a magical era and I’m glad I was part of it,” said Persson. “And I’m glad you can share it with me.” WD David Jahng is an editorial intern for The Washington Diplomat.

Theate | Culture | WD

Leap of Faith Billy Elliot Shatters Stereotypes While Dancing into Our Hearts •

BY LISA TROSHINSKY

Billy Elliot the Musical THROUGH JAN. 6 SIGNATURE THEATRE 4200 CAMPBELL AVE., ARLINGTON, VA.

(703) 820-9771 | WWW.SIGTHEATRE.ORG

he tale of Billy Elliot was ahead of its time. Today, LGBTQ youth are in the forefront of the news when teens who don’t fit traditional gender categorizations are given a wide berth of freedom to explore themselves. Eleven-yearold Billy Elliot isn’t so lucky. He is a boy (who it is suggested is questioning his sexuality) trying to find himself in 1980s coal country in northeast England, where gender stereotypes ruled and veering away from traditional paths brought shame. Billy Elliot the musical, now showing at Signature Theatre, is based on the 2000 British dance drama film that was adapted for the stage and swept the Tony Awards in 2008. The book and lyrics were written by Lee Hall, music composed by Elton John and here it is aptly directed and choreographed by Matthew Gardiner. The plot is two-fold and exposes both political and personal struggles. The first is the story of the infamous coal miners’ strike that is weighing heavily on Billy’s poor small town. The play takes place in England coal country in the early 1980s during a long and violent struggle between the coal union and the British government. A good historical background of the era helps. The coal industry had been nationalized in 1947. The mining work provided steady income for many working-class citizens and improved the recovering post-World War II economy. However, after coal towns sprung up across Britain and communities thrived, beginning in the 1960s, the mining industry started to die, as coal was considered dirty fuel. Mines closed and jobs were lost. When Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s government proposed more closures and created legislation to limit the union’s legal protections, a massive nationwide strike ensued, further crippling the industry and sparking violent clashes with police. The miners eventually lost their struggle and in 1985, the strike ended. Gardiner does a fine job of bringing this battle to life and illuminating the overwhelming tension in a small mining community. Dramatic lighting effects and angry fight choreography mimicking the clashes between striking workers who chant “Solidarity Forever” and law enforcement illustrate the chaotic conditions thrust upon Billy’s family and community. The second and more prevalent plot line is the trajectory of 11-year-old Billy himself, who instead of longing to follow in his father and brother’s footsteps of becoming a miner, stumbles upon a different, more controversial life that he must keep secret in order to survive. While his broken family (his mother has died) fights to stay alive financially, Billy is up against assumed gender stereotypes he can’t fulfill. Instead of joining the boxing class his father sent him to, Billy secretly finds joy in a girls’ ballet class, where he dominates in skill, talent and passion. If not for his caring and open-minded teacher Mrs. Wilkinson, played brilliantly by the talented Nancy Anderson, Billy would have become lost or worse. As it turns out, Billy has more artistic acumen than all the girls in class combined, and Wilkinson takes him under her wing for private lessons, which is when Billy’s talent soars. When Billy’s gruff coal miner father, played by Chris Genebach, discovers Billy

PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER MUELLER

“Billy Elliot” tells the story of a young boy — played alternately by Owen Tabaka, above, and Liam Redford, bottom — who defies gender stereotypes to pursue his dreams of becoming a dancer in 1980s British coal country.

has traded in his boxing gloves for ballet slippers, all heck breaks loose as he attempts to stop Billy from auditioning for the revered Royal Ballet School in London. Many times, both the miner strikes and Billy’s ballet lessons take place simultaneously onstage, which heightens the tension between the two worlds. Undoubtedly, the best parts of the musical are the sequences where Billy dances, which are many throughout the play. The unassuming Liam Redford and Owen Tabaka PHOTO: MARGOT SCHULMAN alternate playing the title role of Billy, who starts off a diamond in the rough and matures into a top-tier dancer. He spins, twirls and leaps into our hearts, ensuring the audience’s investment in the play. Rivaling Billy’s stage appeal is the doting but unsentimental Mrs. Wilkinson, who preaches tough love but whose heart is opened by Billy’s innocence and determination. Also mesmerizing is Grant Richards, who plays an older version of Billy, in a breathtaking pas de deux with the young lad. Besides the abundant dancing prowess, the actors showcase capable singing talent. Billy’s PHOTO: MARGOT SCHULMAN mother, who comes back from the grave in his memory, is played by Crystal Mosser, who boasts a clear, pleasing soprano. Even Billy’s grandmother, played by Catherine Flye, belts out a strong one with “Grandma’s Song” in which she reminisces about the trials of living with her late husband. In the end, it is Billy’s vulnerability set against the toughness of his outer world that is the epicenter of the play’s power. The fact that Billy’s at-risk pipedream comes true, as the hardened resilience of the strikers fails, is a poignant twist. WD Lisa Troshinsky is the theater reviewer for The Washington Diplomat. THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018 | 37

WD | Culture | Film

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

BULGARIAN Omnipresent (Vezdesushtiyat) Directed by Ilian Djevelekov (Bulgaria, 2017, 120 min.) Emil has it all. He is a successful writer and owner of a small ad agency, with a wife and teenage son. But when his ailing father asks him to install a hidden camera after a few antiques go missing, Emil is hooked. With cameras now in his home, office, bathroom and even his wife’s therapy practice, Emil knows more than he should (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Dec. 16, 9:05 p.m., Mon., Dec. 17, 9:10 p.m.

CATALAN Distances (Las distancias) Directed by Elena Trapé (Spain, 2018, 99 min.) When longtime friends Olivia, Eloi, Guille and Anna travel to Berlin to surprise their college classmate Comas for his 35th birthday, he is less than pleased to see them. During their weekend together, the group tries to revive the closeness of their student years, but contradictions and tensions emerge as they slowly come to realize that Comas’s life in Berlin is not what he’d made it out to be (Catalan, English, Spanish and German; European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Tue., Dec. 4, 7:15 p.m., Wed., Dec. 5, 9:10 p.m.

CROATIAN The Eighth Commissioner (Osmi povjerenik) Directed by Ivan Salaj (Croatia, 2018, 139 min.) an ambitious politician embroiled in a front-page scandal is shipped off to a remote island, where, as its newly appointed state commissioner, he must organize the local elections and whip the government into shape on an island without internet or phone service (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Dec. 9, 7:05 p.m., Fri., Dec. 14, 2:30 p.m.

CZECH Winter Flies (Vsechno bude) Directed by Olmo Omerzu (Czech Republic/Slovenia/Poland/ Slovakia/France, 2018, 85 min.) In the dead of winter, the naïve and energetic Heduš runs into his stoic pal Mára and convinces him to go on a road trip to nowhere in a stolen Audi in this coming-of-age, comedic road movie

(European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Dec. 16, 11:05 a.m., Tue., Dec. 18, 7:15 p.m.

DANISH Becoming Astrid (Unga Astrid) Directed by Pernille Fischer Christensen (Sweden/Denmark, 2018, 123 min.) Astrid Lindgren, the author of numerous children’s books and creator of Pippi Longstocking, struggles for independence in 1920s Sweden. Dying of boredom on her strict family’s farm, she entertains her many siblings with tall tales, roaming the forests and fields instead of doing her chores. She jumps at the chance to work at the local newspaper office, where she is romanced by the handsome, married, but soon-to-be-divorced editor Blomberg. Learning some hard life lessons, Astrid nevertheless finds within herself the courage to carry on, creating new worlds through her empathy and talent for storytelling (Danish and Swedish). Landmark’s Theatres Opens Fri., Nov. 30

That Time of Year (Den tid pa aret) Directed by Paprika Steen (Denmark, 2018, 101 min.) Katrine prepares to host her annual Christmas Eve family dinner, but this year is shaping up to be the most stressful yet: her teenage daughter is giving her more attitude than usual; her divorced parents start bickering immediately; while her other sister, just out of rehab, surprises everyone by showing up with a brand-new husband and stepdaughter (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sat., Dec. 15, 3 p.m.

ENGLISH On the Basis of Sex Directed by Mimi Leder (U.S., 2018, 120 min.) This is the true story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, her struggles for equal rights and what she had to overcome to become a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Angelika Mosaic Opens Tue., Dec. 25

Bohemian Rhapsody Directed by Bryan Singer (U.K./U.S., 2018, 134 min.) “Bohemian Rhapsody” is a footstomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury, who defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. Angelika Mosaic Angelika Pop-Up Atlantic Plumbing Cinema

At Eternity’s Gate Directed by Julian Schnabel

38 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

(Switzerland/U.K./France/U.S., 2018, 110 min.) “At Eternity’s Gate” is a journey inside the world of a man who, despite skepticism, ridicule and illness, created some of the world’s most beloved and stunning works of art. It is based on Vincent van Gogh’s (Willem Dafoe) personal letters and common agreement about events in his life that present as facts, hearsay and moments that are just plain invented. Angelika Mosaic Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Directed by David Yates (U.K./U.S., 2018, 134 min.) The second of five all-new adventures in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World finds the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America). But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings (English and French). Angelika Mosaic Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema

THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | December 2018 In a world where journalism is under attack, Marie Colvin is one of the most celebrated war correspondents of our time. After being hit by a grenade in Sri Lanka, she wears a distinctive eye patch and is still as comfortable sipping martinis with London’s elite as she is confronting dictators. Colvin sacrifices loving relationships, and over time, her personal life starts to unravel as the trauma she’s witnessed takes its toll. Yet, her mission to show the true cost of war leads her to embark on the most dangerous assignment of their lives in the besieged Syrian city of Homs. Angelika Mosaic Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema Landmark’s E Street Cinema

Directed by Teemu Nikki (Finland, 2017, 85 min.) Pitch-black humor meets Nordic noir and animal rights advocacy as a reclusive mechanic with a second job as a black-market pet euthanizer engages in a side project doling out vigilante justice to neglectful animal owners (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Dec. 9, 9:40 p.m., Mon., Dec. 10, 9:30 p.m.

FRENCH Angel (Un Ange)

Directed by Richard Billingham (U.K., 2018, 108 min.) Inspired by his own upbringing in the Black Country, west of Birmingham, Britain, this film is named for Richard Billingham’s highly dysfunctional parents and comprises three episodes in the family’s life, spanning the early 1980s to the late 2000s (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sat., Dec. 15, 10 p.m., Wed., Dec. 19, 7:15 p.m.

Directed by Koen Mortier (Belgium/Netherlands/Senegal, 2018, 105 min.) After a drug scandal calls his reputation into question, world-famous Belgian cyclist Thierry goes on holiday with his brother to Dakar, where he meets a headstrong Senegalese sex worker who eschews the labels given to her profession and works to unite her colleagues against social stigmas (French and Wolof; European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Mon., Dec. 10, 7:05 p.m., Tue., Dec. 11, 9:25 p.m.

The Favourite

Robin Hood

Eva

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (Ireland/U.K./U.S., 2018, 119 min.) In early 18th century England, a frail Queen Anne occupies the throne and her close friend Lady Sarah governs the country in her stead. But when a new servant Abigail arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah. Angelika Mosaic

Directed by Otto Bathurst (U.S., 2018, 116 min.) A war-hardened Crusader and his Moorish commander mount an audacious revolt against the corrupt English crown in a thrilling action-adventure packed with gritty battlefield exploits, mind-blowing fight choreography and a timeless romance. Atlantic Plumbing Cinema

Directed by Benoît Jacquot (France/Belgium, 2018, 100 min.) Gaspard Ulliel is a hot young playwright with a potentially career-destroying skeleton in his closet. Isabelle Huppert is the mysterious call-girl with whom he begins a series of meetings, initially for “research” purposes but increasingly for more dangerous games of cat and mouse (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Fri., Dec. 14, 7:15 p.m., Sun., Dec. 16, 1:05 p.m.

The Girl in the Spider’s Web Directed by Fede Alvarez (U.K./Germany/Sweden/Canada/ U.S., 2018, 117 min.) Young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist find themselves caught in a web of spies, cybercriminals and corrupt government officials. Atlantic Plumbing Cinema

Mary Queen of Scots Directed by Josie Rourke (U.K., 2018, 124 min.) Queen of France at 16 and widowed at 18, Mary Queen of Scots defies pressure to remarry. Instead, she returns to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne. But Scotland and England fall under the rule of the compelling Elizabeth I. Each young queen beholds her “sister” in fear and fascination. Rivals in power and in love, and female regents in a masculine world, the two must decide how to play the game of marriage versus independence. Angelika Mosaic Opens Fri., Dec. 14

Ray & Liz

Stan & Ollie Directed by Jon S. Baird (U.K./Canada/U.S., 2018, 97 min.) Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly bring their brilliant comedic chops to bear as legendary comedy duo Stan “Laurel” and Ollie “Hardy” in this hilarious road movie recounting the pair’s famed 1953 “farewell” tour of Britain and Ireland (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sat., Dec. 15, 7:30 p.m.

Widows Directed by Steve McQueen (U.K./U.S., 2018, 129 min.) Set in contemporary Chicago, amid a time of turmoil, four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities, take fate into their own hands, and conspire to forge a future on their own terms. Angelika Mosaic Angelika Pop-Up Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema

A Private War

FINNISH

Directed by Matthew Heineman (U.K./U.S., 2018, 110 min.)

Euthanizer (Armomurhaaja)

A Faithful Man Directed by Louis Garrel (France, 2018, 75 min.) When Abel is abandoned by his girlfriend Marianne for his best friend Paul (the father of her unborn child), the hapless young man accepts the devastating news and moves on. Years later, Paul unexpectedly dies, and the two meet again. As they begin to rekindle their romance, however, Paul’s alluring younger sister and Marianne’s highly suspicious young son throw things off course (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Fri., Dec. 7, 5:30 p.m., Tue., Dec. 11, 7:15 p.m.

Girl Directed by Lukas Dhont (Belgium/Netherlands, 2018, 109 min.) Lara is a 15-year-old ballet dancer doing her best to fit in while standing out. Among her peers, family and friends, her trans identity is rarely an issue as she transitions from her assigned gender into adulthood (French and Flemish; European Union Film Showcase).

AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Dec. 2, 12:15 p.m., Tue., Dec. 4, 9:45 p.m., Thu., Dec. 6, 7:05 p.m.

Knife + Heart (Un couteau dans le coeur) Directed by Yann Gonzalez (France/Mexico/Switzerland, 2018, color, 110 min.) This campy erotic thriller is set in the seedy milieu of the gay porn demimonde of Paris in the 1970s, where director/producer Anne aspires to be an underground auteur, working closely with her stock company of carefully selected “real men” actors and a former lover with whom she’s still self-destructively obsessed (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sat., Dec. 8, 10:20 p.m., Thu., Dec. 13, 10 p.m.

Non-Fiction (Doubles vies) Directed by Olivier Assayas (France, 2018 108 min.) Olivier Assayas’ smart dramedy set in the publishing world deftly balances a serious, informed debate about the future of publishing in the digital age against the romantic foibles, workaday stresses and crazy-making tendencies of the characters’ messy lives (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sat., Dec. 8, 8 p.m., Sun., Dec. 9, 2:10 p.m.

GERMAN Angelo Directed by Markus Schleinzer (Austria/Luxembourg, 2018, 111 min.) Angelo Soliman is kidnapped from sub-Saharan Africa as a child in the 1720s, purchased from the slave market by a wealthy Austrian countess and raised and educated to be a “court Moor,” a courtier/entertainer/exotic status symbol for the household (German and French; European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Dec. 9, 4:25 p.m., Wed., Dec. 12, 9:15 p.m.

The Interpreter Directed by Martin Sulík (Slovakia/Czech Republic/Austria, 2018, 113 min.) Octogenarian translator Ali is on a quest for vengeance after stumbling across the identity of the former SS officer he believes murdered his parents. But instead of finding the man who pulled the trigger, he meets the officer’s son in this poignant odd-couple dramedy (German, English, Slovak and Russian; European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Dec. 9, 4:45 p.m., Tue., Dec. 11, 7:05 p.m.

Joy Directed by Sudabeh Mortezai

Film | Culture | WD

(Austria, 2018, 99 min.) Joy is a Nigerian immigrant working as a prostitute in Vienna who reluctantly has taken the newest arrival at the brothel, Precious, under her wing (German and English; European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Fri., Dec. 14, 5:10 p.m., Sun., Dec. 16, 7 p.m.

Never Look Away Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (Germany/Italy, 2018, 188 min.) Kurt, a talented young artist from Dresden, finds the GDR and its totalitarian state machinery stifling to his art. Emigrating to Düsseldorf in the West, Kurt makes a new life for himself, but finds that events, and people, from his past will always have a grip on him (German and Russian; European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Dec. 16, 3:15 p.m.

Styx Directed by Wolfgang Fischer (Germany/Austria, 2018, 94 min.) In this taut and timely nautical thriller, a German doctor encounters a wrecked trawler filled with refugees while on a solo sailing trip to Ascension Island. Alone, save for an SSB radio, she quickly becomes torn between maritime law and her own moral compass (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Dec. 2, 9 p.m., Mon., Dec. 3, 9:35 p.m.

Transit Directed by Christian Petzold (Germany/France, 2018, 101 min.) This exquisite adaptation of the 1942 novel about German refugees trying to escape Nazi-occupied France gains additional resonance from Christian Petzold’s decision to eschew any ’40s period trappings, instead telling the tale in modern-day Marseille (German and French; European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sat., Dec. 8, 4:30 p.m., Mon., Dec. 10, 7:10 p.m.

The Waldheim Waltz Directed by Ruth Beckermann (Austria, 2018, 93 min.) After serving as U.N. Secretary General from 1972 to 1981, Kurt Waldheim was elected president of Austria in 1986. But it was a controversial election, as new details about Waldheim’s service in the Nazi Wehrmacht in Greece and Yugoslavia during World War II came to light (German and French; European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Mon., Dec. 3, 7:05 p.m., Wed., Dec. 5, 7:05 p.m.

GREEK Pity Directed by Babis Makridis (Greece/Poland, 2018, 97 min.) With his wife in a coma and his life in a rut, a sullen, nameless everyman soon finds himself addicted to his own sadness — with those around him

continually throwing pity his way. But what will he do if his wife wakes up? (European Union Film Showcase) AFI Silver Theatre Wed., Dec. 5, 7:15 p.m., Sat., Dec. 8, 12 p.m.

Smuggling Hendrix Directed by Marios Piperides (Cyprus, 2018, 93 min.) Loafing man-child Yiannis is about to leave his fading music career and broken relationship on the Greek Cypriot side of Nicosia for a new life in Holland. But his dog, Jimi, has other plans. When the pup wanders across the U.N. buffer zone and into the Turkish side of the divided city, Yiannis is forced to enlist a trans-border band of misfits to skirt EU law and get the pooch back (Greek and Turkish; European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sat., Dec. 1, 5:10 p.m., Wed., Dec. 5, 5:10 p.m.

HUNGARIAN The Butcher, the Whore and the One-Eyed Man (A hentes, a kurva es a felszemu) Directed by János Szász (Hungary, 2017, 105 min.) In this moody true crime story from 1920s Budapest, local meat-packing magnate Ferenc falls madly in love with Mici, a former prostitute married to disabled former gendarme Gusztáv, who now toils in Ferenc’s plant. For a while, the couple extract a fee from Ferenc for Mici’s services, but then attempt and fail to kill him (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Fri., Dec. 7, 9:30 p.m., Thu., Dec. 13, 9 p.m.

Jupiter’s Moon (Jupiter holdja) Directed by Kornél Mundruczó (Hungary/Germany/France, 2017, 129 min.) Syrian refugee Aryan is crossing the border from Serbia into Hungary with his father when he’s suddenly gunned down by a trigger-happy border guard. In his wounded state, he discovers he can now mysteriously levitate at will. How should he use these new powers? (European Union Film Showcase) AFI Silver Theatre Fri., Dec. 14, 9:20 p.m., Wed., Dec. 19, 9:30 p.m.

ITALIAN Boys Cry (La terra dell’abbastanza) Directed by Damiano D’Innocenzo, Fabio D’Innocenzo (Italy, 2018, 95 min.) Manolo and Mirko are pizza delivery boys on the outskirts of Rome, itching for something to happen. And then it does. When the pair are involved in a hit and run and learn they have killed a marked man, inadvertently doing the local mafiosi a great service, Manolo’s wannabe-mobster father jumps at the chance to get his son in with the crime bosses (European Union Film Showcase).

AFI Silver Theatre Wed., Dec. 5, 9:30 p.m., Thu., Dec. 6, 9:30 p.m.

Dogman Directed by Matteo Garrone (Italy/France, 2018, 103 min.) In a picturesquely dilapidated seaside town outside of Naples, a gentle dog groomer deals cocaine on the side in order to make ends meet and raise his young daughter (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Fri., Dec. 7, 7:15 p.m., Tue., Dec. 11, 9 p.m.

Loro Directed by Paolo Sorrentino (Italy/France, 2018, 150 min.) In this eye-popping, surreal skewering of early 21st-century Italy, Media scandal-plagued ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s milieu of unfettered wealth, raucous “bunga bunga” parties and cutthroat political power games are told in counterpoint to that of an ambitious wannabe desperate to impress Berlusconi and enter the big time (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Dec. 9, 6:45 p.m., Thu., Dec. 13, 7 p.m.

Lucia’s Grace Directed by Gianni Zanasi (Italy, 2018, 110 min.) Pressed to rush things through so that an ambitious architect’s new building can break ground, single-mom land surveyor Lucia grinds things to a halt first after the Virgin Mary appears to her in the field and commands her to build a church instead (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Dec. 2, 4:45 p.m., Wed,. Dec. 5, 7 p.m.

JAPANESE 11/25: The Day Mishima Chose His Own Fate Directed by Koji Wakamatsu (Japan, 2012, 119 min.) Like “United Red Army,” Koji Wakamatsu’s final film looks back at political extremism in Japan during the height of his “pink” film career. Where “United Red Army” looked at the far left, 11/25 examines the far right by recreating the day of novelist Yukio Mishima’s failed coup and suicide by seppuku. Freer Gallery of Art Sun., Dec. 9, 2 p.m.

Dodes’ka-den Directed by Akira Kurosawa (Japan, 1970, 144 min.) Tragic and transcendent, Akira Kurosawa’s first color film follows the daily lives of people barely scraping by in a slum on Tokyo’s outskirts. Freer Gallery of Art Wed., Dec. 5, 2 p.m.

Ecstasy of the Angels Directed by Koji Wakamatsu (Japan, 1972, 89 min.) After being betrayed by their leaders, a group of radical political activists

turns on each other in a paranoid frenzy in this ultimate expression of Koji Wakamatsu’s distinct blend of extreme politics, sex and experimentation. Freer Gallery of Art Fri., Dec. 7, 7 p.m.

KOREAN Burning Directed by Chang-dong Lee (South Korea, 2018, 148 min.) “Burning” is the searing examination of Jongsu, an alienated young man whose already difficult life is complicated by the appearance of two people into his orbit: Haemi, a spirited woman who offers romantic possibility, and Ben, a wealthy and sophisticated young man she returns from a trip with. When Jongsu learns of Ben’s mysterious hobby and Haemi suddenly disappears, his confusion and obsessions begin to mount, culminating in a stunning finale. Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema

LATVIAN Homo Novus Directed by Anna Viduleja (Latvia, 2018, 123 min.) In 1930s Riga, if you aren’t part of the in-crowd of the bohemian art scene, you might as well put away your brushes. A poor young artist from the rural outskirts is determined to break into the scene, and finds the love his life at a party on his very first night in town in this hilarious and touching historical tale (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sat., Dec. 1, 12 p.m., Fri., Dec. 7, 3 p.m.

POLISH

AFI Silver Theatre Sat., Dec. 15, 5:15 p.m., Tue., Dec. 18, 9:05 p.m.

PORTUGUESE Diamantino Directed by Daniel Schmidt (Portugal/France/Brazil, 2018, 92 min.) Portuguese soccer star Diamantino makes an unforgivable error at the 2018 World Cup, letting down his country and ending his career. As the guileless former icon starts to look for a new purpose in life — much to the dismay of his scheming twin sisters — a truly bizarre and wonderful odyssey unfolds, touching on the refugee crisis, the rise of nationalism and, of course, a delightfully unconventional romance (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sat., Dec. 8, 2:15 p.m., Wed., Dec. 12, 7:15 p.m.

RHAETIAN Iceman (Der manna us dem is) Directed Felix Randau (Germany/Italy/Austria, 2017, 97 min.) More than 5,300 years ago, Kelab returns from a hunting trip to find his family murdered, his home burned and his holy amulet stolen. He sets out through the freezing mountains to wreak vengeance on the killers, and the result is mankind’s first unsolved murder case (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Dec. 9, 12 p.m., Wed., Dec. 12, 7:05 p.m.

Another Day of Life (Jeszcze dzien zycia)

ROMANIAN

Directed by Raúl de la Fuente, Damian Nenow (Poland/Spain/Germany/Belgium/ Hungary, 2018, 85 min.) Based on the eponymous memoir by famed Polish war correspondent Ryszard Kapuściński, this stunningly crafted, graphic-novel-style biopic traces the journalist’s experiences of the 1975 Angolan civil war during a three-month period in which he travelled from the capital of Luanda across the war-torn country in search of a renowned rebel (Polish, English, Portuguese and Spanish; European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sat., Dec. 8, 12:30 p.m., Thu., Dec. 13, 7:05 p.m.

I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians

Mug (Twarz)

Lemonade

Directed by Malgorzata Szumowska (Poland, 2018, 91 min.) Jacek is a carefree, heavy-metal-loving laborer working on the construction site of what is to be the tallest statue of Jesus in the world. When a terrible fall disfigures him, the media and everyone around him are whipped into a frenzy as he undergoes Poland’s first ever facial transplant (European Union Film Showcase).

Directed by Radu Jude (Romania/Germany/Bulgaria/France/ Czech Republic, 2018, 140 min.) Mariana is a young theater director working to stage a production about the ethnic cleansing on the Eastern Front of 1941, in which Romanian soldiers executed 10,000 Jews. As tempers flare in rehearsals and city officials ramp up the pressure to tone down the portrayal of the massacre, Mariana must ask herself if she is willing to compromise her art (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Dec. 2, 7 p.m., Tue., Dec. 4, 7:05 min.

Directed by Ioana Uricaru (Romania/Canada/Germany/Sweden, 2018, 88 min.) Mara is a young Romanian woman working in the U.S. as a physical therapist while awaiting her green card. Having recently married, Mara brings her 9-year-old son from Romania to live in their new home, but when she is accused by an immigration officer of falsifying paperwork and suffers an inexcusable abuse of power, a spiral of

injustice unfolds (Romanian and English; European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sat., Dec. 15, 1 p.m., Mon., Dec. 17, 7:15 p.m.

SLOVENIAN Consequences (Posledice) Directed by Darko Stante (Slovenia, 2018, 93 min.) When Andrej’s youthful criminal tendencies look set to spiral out of control, he is packed off to a center for troubled young men, where he quickly falls in with Zele, the center’s bordering-onpsychopathic alpha male gang leader (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Mon., Dec. 10, 9:10 p.m., Wed., Dec. 12, 9:10 p.m.

SPANISH El Angel Directed by Luis Ortega (Argentina/Spain, 2018, 118 min.) In 1971 Buenos Aires, Carlitos is an angelic-looking 17-year-old with movie star swagger, blond curls and a baby face, who discovers his true calling as a thief. When he meets the handsome, slightly older Ramón, the two embark on a journey of discovery, love and crime, which randomly escalates to murder. Landmark’s E Street Cinema

SWEDISH Border Directed by Ali Abbasi (Sweden/Denmark, 2018, 110 min.) Tina has a secret: She can smell guilt, which makes her an amazingly successful customs border agent, respected but also feared by her colleagues. Her physical differences make her a loner, until she meets a mysterious traveler who is attracted to her. Landmark’s E Street Cinema

YAKUT Aga Directed by Milko Lazarov (Bulgaria/Germany/France, 2018, 96 min.) In the barely populated snowy wilderness of northeastern Siberia, an elderly Yakut couple lives in a yurt, continuing to practice centuries-old ancestral traditions in the face of climate change and increasing scarcity. Their one constant is the dream of reuniting with their only daughter, Ága, who left their slowly vanishing way of life to work at a diamond mine in a distant town (European Union Film Showcase). AFI Silver Theatre Sun., Dec. 9, 2:45 p.m., Sat., Dec. 15, 11 a.m.

FOR MORE: To see the complete list of international cinema listings, visit www.washdiplomat.com

THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018 | 39

WD | Culture | Events

Events Listings *Unless specific times are listed, please check the venue for times. Venue locations are subject to change.

ART Through Dec. 6

Holocaust Survivors in Argentina Photojournalist Pablo Cuarterolo has compiled portraits and memories of Holocaust survivors in Argentina, capturing the ruins of concentration camps as a metaphor that reflects on the suffering of the post-war generations that arrived in the country seeking a new life. Embassy of Argentina Dec. 7 to April 14

Ambreen Butt – Mark My Words This is the first solo exhibition in Washington, D.C., for PakistaniAmerican artist Ambreen Butt (born 1969). Featuring 13 mixed-media works on paper, “Mark My Words” reveals the connection between the artist’s global consciousness and the physical mark-making techniques that she uses to create her works. National Musuem of Women in the Arts Dec. 12 to Feb. 1

Joy in Colors The selection of paintings in Alexandra Arata’s “Joy in Colors” comes after more than two years of studies on the latest research into the psychology of color and the impact that its use has on our way of living and feeling. Arata taps into her creative energy to discover the “aesthetics of happiness” and how to surround ourselves with shapes and colors that increase our motivation and creativity. Embassy of Argentina Dec. 14 to Nov. 17, 2019

Portraits of the World: Korea Pioneering feminist artist Yun Suknam (born 1939) uses portraiture to gain insights into the lives of women, past and present. A wood assemblage portrait of her mother is the centerpiece of this exhibition, which includes portraits of American artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Louise Nevelson, Marisol, Kiki Smith and Nancy Spero. National Portrait Gallery Through Dec. 15

Rashwan Abdelbaki: One Eye Open, One Eye Closed Rashwan Abdelbaki is a multi-medium artist who was born in Damascus, Syria, and has been featured in several solo and group exhibitions in Lebanon, Syria, Italy, Britain and the U.S. Abdelbaki’s large and mid-sized canvases present rich allegorical studies of human relationships using stark abstracted figures and bold colors. Syra Arts

Through Dec. 16

Through Dec. 17

Tribe: Contemporary Photography from the Arab World

Women Who Make Ibero-America

This display highlights a selection of artists published in Tribe, a magazine founded in Dubai that covers developments in photography and new media from the Arab world. By expanding our appreciation and understanding of the variety of photographic practices creatively deployed by artists from throughout the Arab world, Tribe aims to place these accomplished artists on a global stage within the larger sphere of contemporary photography. American University Museum Through Dec. 16

Without Provenance: The Making of Contemporary Antiquity Artist Jim Sanborn provides a critique of the contemporary art market that sells stolen or forged antiquities. The artist’s imagined world, which would make complete sense to an ancient Roman, is one wherein the skilled artist-craftsmen of contemporary Cambodia (who we now call forgers and who muddle the art market) would be understood to be what they are: gifted copyists. Their works would be bought for what they are — copies — and valued for what they offer: powerful evocations of the artistic genius of Khmer art of the distant past. American University Museum Through Dec. 21

Folding the Future: Theoretical Origami Devices For hundreds of years, the art of folding paper — origami — served two entirely aesthetic purposes: as an entertaining craft and as a symbolic decoration. In the middle of the 20th century, however, the practice underwent a renaissance as artists and craftspeople developed new and innovative methods of designing and folding their intended forms. The practice also underwent another change: Origami entered the world of science and engineering, and both fields have since been immeasurably enriched. Japan Information & Culture Center Through Dec. 25

Visionary: Viewpoints on Africa’s Arts More than 300 works of art from the museum’s permanent collection are on view within this exhibition. Working in media as diverse as wood, ceramics, drawing, jewelry, mixed media, sculpture, painting, photography, printmaking, and video, these works of art reflect the visionary ideas and styles developed by men and women from more than half of Africa’s 55 nations. The installation is organized around seven viewpoints, each of which serve to frame and affect the manner in which African art is experienced. National Museum of African Art

40 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

Presented in partnership with the Ibero-American Cultural Attachés Association (AACIA), this exhibition features work by contemporary photographers from countries across Latin America, Spain and Portugal. The works show how women contribute to the cultural, economic, scientific, educational, social and inclusive development of their countries, often provoking positive social changes, continuity of traditions and social values. Hillyer Art Space Through Dec. 31

Corot: Women Camille Corot is best known as the great master of landscape painting in the 19th century. His figure paintings constitute a much smaller, less well-known portion of his oeuvre, but arguably are of equal importance to the history of art. Dressed in rustic Italian costume or stretched nude on a grassy plain, Corot’s women read, dream, and gaze, conveying a mysterious sense of inner life. His sophisticated use of color and his deft, delicate touch applied to the female form resulted in pictures of quiet majesty. National Gallery of Art Through Jan. 6

Churchill’s Shakespeare A towering leader during World War II, Prime Minister Winston Churchill was also a lifelong admirer of Shakespeare. Compelling materials from Cambridge’s Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill’s home Chartwell, and the Folger collection show the man himself and trace Shakespeare’s influence on his speeches and ideas. Folger Shakespeare Library Through Jan. 6

Sense of Humor Humor may be fundamental to human experience, but its expression in painting and sculpture has been limited. Instead, prints, as the most widely distributed medium, and drawings, as the most private, have been the natural vehicles for comic content. Drawn from the National Gallery of Art’s collection, this exhibition celebrates this incredibly rich though easily overlooked tradition through works including Renaissance caricatures, biting English satires, and 20th-century comics. National Gallery of Art Through Jan. 6

Trevor Paglen: Sites Unseen Trevor Paglen is an award-winning artist whose work blurs the lines between art, science and investigative journalism to construct unfamiliar and at times unsettling ways to see and interpret the world. This is the first exhibition to present Paglen’s early photographic series alongside his recent sculptural objects and new work with artificial

THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | December 2018 intelligence. Smithsonian American Art Museum Through Jan. 13

Fabergé Rediscovered Designed to delight and surprise, the treasures created by the firm of Carl Fabergé have inspired admiration and intrigue for over a century, both for their remarkable craftsmanship and the captivating stories that surround them. The fascination with Fabergé continues to uncover new discoveries about the storied jeweler to the tsars and his remarkable creations. This exhibit unveils recent research and explore how the 2014 discovery of a long-lost imperial Easter egg prompted new findings about Hillwood’s own collection. Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens Through Jan. 13

Nordic Impressions “Nordic Impressions” is a major survey of Nordic art spanning nearly 200 years and presenting 53 artists from Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden, as well as the self-governing islands of Åland, Faroe and Greenland. The exhibition celebrates the incredible artistic diversity of Nordic art, from idealized paintings of the distinctive Nordic light and untouched landscape to melancholic portraits in quiet interiors and mesmerizing video works that explore the human condition. The Phillips Collection Through Jan. 20

The Chiaroscuro Woodcut in Renaissance Italy Chiaroscuro woodcuts — color prints made from the successive printing of multiple blocks — flourished in 16th-century Italy, interpreting designs by leading masters such as Raphael, Parmigianino and Titian, while boasting extraordinary craft and their own often striking palette. National Gallery of Art Through Jan. 21

Japan Modern: Photography from the Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck Collection Celebrating the Freer|Sackler’s recent acquisition of a major Japanese photography collection, this exhibition features a selection of works by groundbreaking 20th-century photographers. Whether capturing evocative landscapes or the gritty realities of postwar Japan, this presentation focuses on Japanese artists’ search for a sense of place in a rapidly changing country. The images highlight destinations both rural and urban, in styles ranging from powerful social documentary to intensely personal. Freer Gallery of Art Through Jan. 21

No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man Each year in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert,

a city of more than 70,000 people rises out of the dust for a single week. During that time, enormous experimental art installations are erected and many are ritually burned to the ground. Cutting-edge artwork created at Burning Man, the annual desert gathering that is one of the most influential events in contemporary art and culture, will be exhibited in the nation’s capital for the first time this spring. Renwick Gallery Through Jan. 27

Roberto Huarcaya: Amazogramas Just over two years ago, Lima-born artist Roberto Huarcaya began a project that took him to a national park in the Amazon jungle in southeastern Peru. Throughout the first year, Huarcaya found it impossible to “depict” the vast web of emotions that the Peruvian jungle inspired. To solve this dilemma, Huarcaya discarded the sophisticated cameras he used on his initial journeys and chose to go back 175 years, resurrecting one of the first procedures used in photography: the photogram — a technique that, without a lens or a camera, allows for accurate reproductions of objects. The result are large-scale photo-based installations that demonstrate the landscape´s superiority over those trying to capture it. OAS Art Museum of the Americas Through Jan. 29

Vested Values “Vested Values,” a selection comprising more than 40 works of various Mexican contemporary artists, explores the representation of nature and its sociocultural environment. Each of the works reveals how particular methods of production, implementation and execution of contemporary art can offer a complex impression of the diverse elements that define a society, which in turn promotes a continuous dialogue on both experience and perception. Each of the works originates through an arrangement with Mexico’s Tax Administration Service that allows Mexican artists to pay their taxes with their artwork. Today, artists can pay their income tax using media that ranges from digital art to photography. Mexican Cultural Institute

Through Feb. 8

Roberto Fernandez Ibañez: Visions and Reflections Curated by Fabián Goncalves Borrega, this exhibition features four of Uruguayan artist Roberto Fernandez Ibañez’s photographic series addressing the human impact on the environment: Earthy Resilience, Melting Point, The Hand and Rara Avis. His photographic material not only changes when it is exposed to light, but it can also be transformed, tuned and textured by techniques and laboratory processes. Fernandez Ibañez says he harnesses the environment’s capabilities to transform to shape his own artwork. OAS Art Museum of the Americas F Street Gallery Through Feb. 10

Rodarte The celebrated American luxury fashion house Rodarte, founded by sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy, are featured in the first fashion exhibition organized by the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The display explores the distinctive design principles, material concerns and reoccurring themes that position the Mulleavys’ work within the landscape of contemporary art and fashion. Spanning the first 13 years of Rodarte, nearly 100 complete looks, presented as they were shown on the runway, will highlight selections from their most pivotal collections. National Museum of Women in the Arts Through Feb. 18

Gordon Parks: New Tide, Early Work 1940-1950 During the 1940s American photographer Gordon Parks (1912–2006) grew from a self-taught photographer making portraits and documenting everyday life in Saint Paul and Chicago to a visionary professional shooting for Ebony, Vogue, Fortune and Life. For the first time, the formative decade of Parks’s 60-year career is the focus of an exhibition, which brings together 150 photographs and ephemera. National Gallery of Art Through March 1

Sean Scully: Landline

Shane Pickett: Djinon Djina Boodja Look at the Land I Have Travelled

Sean Scully’s “Landline” series, which first captivated international audiences at the 56th Venice Biennale, will make its museum debut at the Hirshhorn, featuring never-before-seen artworks from the renowned series. With thick, gestural brushstrokes and loose bands of color, the works look toward the land, sea, and sky (and the indistinct lines between them) to navigate the elemental relationships that compose our world. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

During his lifetime, Shane Pickett (1957-2010) was one of Western Australia’s most significant contemporary Aboriginal artists. “Djinong Djina Boodja (Look at the Land That I Have Travelled)” features works from the most radical and significant phase of his career. Balancing innovation with tradition, modernity with an ancient spirituality, they are complex visual metaphors for the persistence of Nyoongar culture against the colonizing tide of modernity. Embassy of Australia Art Gallery

Through Feb. 3

Events | Culture | WD

Through April 28

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Pulse Innovative Mexican-Canadian artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer brings the largest interactive technology exhibition to the Hirshhorn. “Pulse” takes up the entire second level, with three major installations using heart-rate sensors to create audiovisual experiences from visitors’ biometric data. Together, the biometric signatures will create spellbinding sequences of soundscapes, lights and animations. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Through May 20, 2020

Waterfall The Hirshhorn presents the largest site-specific exhibition to date by the acclaimed abstract painter Pat Steir. An expansive new suite of the artist’s signature “Waterfall” paintings spans the entire perimeter of the museum’s second-floor inner-circle galleries, extending nearly 400 linear feet. The 28 large-scale paintings, when presented together as a group, will create an immense color wheel that shifts hues with each painting, with the pours on each canvas often appearing in the complementary hue of the monochrome background. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Through Sept. 29, 2019

Good as Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women In the cities of the West African nation of Senegal, stylish women have often used jewelry as part of an overall strategy of exhibiting their elegance and prestige. Rooted in the Wolof concept of sañse (dressing up, looking and feeling good), “Good as Gold” examines the production, display, and circulation of gold in Senegal as it celebrates a significant gift of gold jewelry to the National Museum of African Art’s collection. National Museum of African Art Through September 2019

Shaping Clay in Ancient Iran Potters in ancient Iran were fascinated by the long-beaked waterfowl and rams with curled horns around them. This exhibition of ceramics produced in northwestern Iran highlights animalshaped vessels as well as jars and bowls decorated with animal figures. Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

DANCE Dec. 5 to 9

Ballet West: Nutcracker Ballet West returns to perform the D.C. premiere of its whimsical new production of “The Nutcracker,” which was unveiled in Salt Lake City last year. Pairing reimagined designs with beloved choreography, the opulent production delivers treasured moments and surprising new delights. Tickets are $59 to $215. Kennedy Center Opera House Through Dec. 28

charmingly D.C. production set in 1882 Georgetown is a holiday tradition. With General Washington as the Nutcracker, George III as the Rat King and other historical figures, the story comes to life with over 100 dancers, stunning set designs and original costumes. Please call for ticket information. Warner Theatre

Through Dec. 16

Cry It Out Jessie is a corporate lawyer in a Manhattan firm. Lina is a communitycollege dropout and born-and-bred Long Islander. They don’t seem to have anything in common, but marooned at home with infants, they strike up a fast friendship. Tickets are $20 to $80. The Studio Theatre

MUSIC

Dec. 18 to Jan. 6

Thu., Dec. 6, 6:45 p.m.

The Play That Goes Wrong

The String Quartets of Julián Carrillo Known for his so-called “Sonido 13,” one of the earliest theorizations about microtones in the Western art music tradition, Mexican composer and music theorist Julián Carrillo (1875-1965) composed 13 string quartets between 1903 and 1964. But this repertory has received little attention from performers and musicologists. This lecture/ recital offers an assessment of the historical and aesthetic importance of Carrillo’s string quartets and a performance of some of his most representative works. To RSVP, visit www.instituteofmexicodc.org. Mexican Cultural Institute Thu., Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m.

Susan Gaeta and Gina Sobel Sephardic ballad singer Susan Gaeta accompanies her new apprentice, multi-instrumentalist and Strathmore artist-in-residence alum Gina Sobel, for an evening of Sephardic music, which originated among Jews in pre-medieval Spain and picked up influences from Portugal, Yugoslavia, Greece and Turkey after they were forced into exile in the 1400s. Tickets are $20. Music Center at Strathmore Thu., Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m.

Two Poets in Music: Whitman and Pushkin The Russian Chamber Art Society continues its homage to poets with a tribute to Walt Whitman (1819-92), whose bicentennial will be celebrated in 2019. Performed by soprano Shelley Jackson, baritone Kevin Wetzel and pianists Michael Sheppard and Vera Danchenko-Stern, this wide-ranging program pairs the free verse of this most American of poets with the elegant stanzas of the most Russian of poets, Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837). Tickets are $55; for information, visit thercas.com. Embassy of France Dec. 7 to 22

The Washington Chorus: A Candlelight Christmas The Washington Chorus brings the music of Christmas to the Kennedy Center with its enormously popular holiday program. “A Candlelight Christmas” features traditional carols, contemporary compositions, and sing-alongs of your favorites. Tickets are $18 to $75. Kennedy Center Concert Hall Mon., Dec. 10, 6:45 p.m.

The Washington Ballet: The Nutcracker

Francisco Montero: New York Dreams

Set to Tchaikovsky’s magical score, this

Francisco Montero has performed in

PHOTO: SCOTT SUCHMAN

Stephen F. Schmidt as Jacob Marley, left, and Craig Wallace as Ebenezer Scrooge star in this year’s production of “A Christmas Carol” at Ford’s Theatre.

some of the most important halls in the U.S., the U.K, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Spain. He recently participated in the new radio series “The Piano in Spain” and won first prize at the Windsor International Piano Competition in London, among many other accolades. To RSVP, visit www.spainculture.us/ city/washington-dc/. Former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain Mon., Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m.

Julia Angelov, Piano Violinist Julia Angelov, a senior at National Cathedral School, has been a fellow at the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) Youth Fellowship Program at the Kennedy Center since 2013. She performs a program of Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Schedrin. Tickets are $60, including reception and wine; for information, visit www. embassyseries.org. Embassy of Bulgaria Wed., Dec. 12, 6:45 p.m.

Goya’s Caprichos Suite by Erizonte Company “Goya’s Caprichos Suite” was inspired by the series of 80 engravings, “The Caprichos,” by renowned Spanish painter Francisco de Goya. This performance includes the projection of the 80 prints, tackling topics such as the abuse of the power, the clergy, gender violence, prostitution and superstitions, all surrounded by a bestiary of witches and fantastic creatures. Erizonte uses symphonic tones, electro acoustic instruments and other sound elements created especially for the project. To RSVP, visit www.spainculture.us/city/ washington-dc/. Former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain Dec. 16 to 24

The Choral Arts Society of Washington: Songs of the Season Holiday carols and seasonal classics are performed by the Choral Arts Chorus and Youth Choir, which combines traditional favorites and choral jewels of the season with masterpieces performed by soprano soloist Esther Heideman. Tickets are $15 to $69. Kennedy Center Concert Hall

Mon., Dec. 17, 6 p.m.

Karel Ruzicka Jr. Prague-born saxophonist Karel Ruzicka Jr. combines his jazz grooves with pianist George Dulin to perform a special program that brings the spirit of the season to Washington. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage Sat., Dec. 22, 7:30 p.m.

The King’s Singers The Grammy Award-winning all-male a cappella sextet The King’s Singers returns to the National Cathedral for the final stop on its 2018 North American Christmas tour. The program, GOLD Christmas, celebrates the King’s Singers 50th birthday, with music that has defined the group’s first half century as well as new commissions from their three-disc anniversary album. Tickets are $25 to $95. Washington National Cathedral

SHOWCASES Dec. 1 to 29

The Puppet Master: The Complete Jiří Trnka The maestro of puppet animation, Czech artist Jiří Trnka (1912-69) came of age in an era of marionette theater, a lively feature of European culture since at least the 17th century. View the first complete retrospective of Jiří Trnka in the United States — six features and 20 shorts — a production of Comeback Company, curated by Irena Kovarova, featuring 35mm prints, two new digital restorations and 11 newly translated works. National Gallery of Art

THEATER Sat., Dec. 1, 6:30 p.m.

From Destruction to Rehabilitation: Wayang Performance Fundraiser Shadow puppet master Marc Hoffman is joined by the Javanese Gamelan Orchestra of the Indonesian Embassy for a performance to benefit survivors of the Sept. 28, 7.5-magnitude earthquake that struck Sulawesi, Indonesia, followed by a tsunami. The disaster killed more than 2,000 people, displaced 80,000 and destroyed nearly

70,000 houses, schools and hospitals. Tickets are $25; for information, visit indonesiatsunamifundraiser. eventbrite.com. Indonesian Ambassador’s Residence Through Dec. 2

King John Secret deals. Threats of mass destruction. Shifting loyalties. Folger Theatre follows its sold-out run of “Macbeth” with “King John,” Shakespeare’s rarely performed history play chronicling King John’s turbulent reign from 1199 to 1216. Tickets are $30 to $85. Folger Theatre Dec. 4 to 31

The Second City’s Love, Factually “Love, Factually” is a holiday satire from the twisted minds at The Second City, which gets to the truth of December life, love and romance. Whether you love or hate the movie “Love, Actually,” you’re going to fall in love with this mashup of parody, original comedy, music, improv and audience participation. Tickets are $49 to $75. Kennedy Center Theater Lab Dec. 12 to Jan. 6

Kings Representative Sydney Millsap rode a Blue Wave into D.C. She arrives armed with her ideals and sense of duty, and refuses to play by the rules of special interests. Kate’s a lobbyist who backs winners. So when she crosses paths with Millsap, she dismisses her as a one-term neophyte, but ends up hearing a call to conscience she thought she’d left outside of the Beltway. Please call for ticket information. The Studio Theatre Dec. 12 to Jan. 13

Miss Saigon In a bar run by a notorious character called The Engineer, a young Vietnamese woman named Kim meets an American G.I. in an encounter that will change their lives forever in this stunning musical. Tickets are $49 to $175. Kennedy Center Opera House

What would happen if Sherlock Holmes and Monty Python had an illegitimate Broadway baby? You’d get Broadway and London’s award-winning smash comedy that is chock-full of mishaps and madcap mania. Tickets are $49 to $149. Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater Through Dec. 23

Anything Goes Cole Porter’s madcap seafaring musical features some of musical theater’s most memorable standards, such as “I Get a Kick Out of You” and the title song, “Anything Goes.”Tickets are $51 to $105. Arena Stage Through Dec. 23

An Inspector Calls Winner of 19 major accolades, the award-winning production of J.B. Priestley’s classic thriller “An Inspector Calls” will kick off a four-city U.S. tour at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Set simultaneously in 1912, post-war society and modern day at the home of the Birlings, a well-heeled British family, the story follows a festive celebration that is suddenly punctured by a mysterious visitor: a grim inspector investigating the death of a young woman. As questions multiply and guilt mounts, the Birlings’s entanglement in the affair shatters the foundations of their comfortable lives. Please call for ticket information. The Shakespeare Theatre Through Dec. 30

A Christmas Carol Join the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future as they lead the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge on a journey of transformation and redemption. The 2018 production of “A Christmas Carol” has selected D.C.’s Homeless Children’s Playtime Project as recipient of this year’s donation drive inspired by the themes of charity in Dickens’s holiday classic. Tickets are $24 to $107. Ford’s Theatre Through Dec. 30

Indecent Inspired by the 1923 Broadway debut of Sholem Asch’s Yiddish drama “The God of Vengeance,” and the controversy that surrounded its themes of censorship, immigration and anti-Semitism, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paul Vogel explores the behind-the-scenes story of the courageous artists who risked their careers and lives to perform this piece of theater under the most challenging circumstances. Tickets are $41 to $95. Arena Stage

THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018 | 41

WD | Culture | Spotlight

Diplomatic Spotlight

December 2018

50th Annual Meridian Ball

Danish Ambassador Lars Gert Lose dances with his wife Ulla Rønberg.

Over 800 diplomats, industry leaders and government officials gathered Oct. 12 to celebrate the 50th Annual Meridian Ball. The evening began with dinners hosted by 35 embassies for over 500 people. Over 300 guests also joined the White-Meyer Dinner and enjoyed their meal in the Meridian’s first-ever dinner pavilion with American Pops Orchestra playing in the background. After the dinners, guests spread between Meridian’s two historic homes to enjoy dancing, dessert and drinks. The jampacked fundraiser raised over $1 million for the Meridian International Center, a bipartisan nonprofit that prepares U.S. and international leaders to meet global challenges and opportunities.

Ambassador of Austria Wolfgang Waldner, Gudrun Faudon-Waldner, Hansjörg Haber and Ambassador of Germany Emily Haber.

Photos: Stephen Bobb Photography/ Meridian International Center From left, Jessica Hogle, Natalie Jones, Jessica Straus, Meridian President and CEO Stuart Holliday, Sarah Venuto, Nora Connors and Diana Doukas.

PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

The Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart, former Export-Import Bank President Fred Hochberg and Cuban Ambassador José R. Cabañas attend a dinner hosted at the Cuban Embassy.

Presidential advisor Kellyanne Conway.

Guests enjoy a pre-ball dinner hosted at the Mexican Cultural Institute.

Ambassador of Mexico Gerónimo Gutiérrez hosts a pre-ball dinner at the Mexican Cultural Institute.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and her husband Bryan Chatfield Sanders.

PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, ball co-chair Loran Aiken, Meridian President and CEO Stuart Holliday and Robbie Aiken of Pinnacle West Capital Corp.

PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

Farah Al-Mughairy, Shaista Mahmood, Ambassador of Oman Hunaina Sultan Ahmed Al-Mughairy, Gail West and Hillary West.

Ambassador of Peru Carlos José Pareja Ríos and Politico CEO Patrick Steel.

Ambassador of Croatia Pjer Šimunović, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Croatian Embassy Lara Romano and Leila Beale of Hollywood Real Estate. PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

Dr. Ivonn Szeverényi and Ambassador of Hungary László Szabó.

PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

CNN’s Jim Sciutto, Ambassador of Poland Piotr Wilczek and Artur Orkisz White House Deputy Press Secretary John Hogan Gidley, of the Polish Embassy. Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and Debbie Meadows.

PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

Ariana Austin Makonnen, Lawrence Jones of Edison Electric Institute, his wife and Ethiopian Prince Joel David Makonnen.

PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

Burim Ramadani, Ambassador of Argentina Fernando Oris de Roa, John Phillips, Bloomberg’s Linda Douglass and former Export-Import Ambassador of Kosovo Vlora Çitaku and Ambassador of Colombia Francisco Santos Calderón. Bank President Fred Hochberg.

42 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

Allyson Browne McKithen and Jan Du Plain of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center join Ambassador of Iceland Geir H. Haarde and his wife Inga Jona Thordardottir. Guests dance to DJ Neekola.

Spotlight | Culture | WD

50th Annual Meridian Ball

PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

CNN State Department correspondent Michelle Kosinski, Lena Boman, Ambassador of the Netherlands Henne Schuwer, Ambassador of Belgium Victor Barbee and Julie Kent, both of The Washington Dirk Wouters, Ambassador of Sweden Karin Olofsdotter and Katrin Van Bragt. Ballet. PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

Didi and Walter Cutler.

Jayne Visser and D.C. Councilmember Jack Evans.

PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

Ambassador of Bulgaria Tihomir Stoytchev, Lubka Stoytcheva and James Connelly of Summit Commercial Real Estate.

Brittany Masalosalo, Daniel Erikson of Blue Star Strategies, Molly Kinder of the New America National Network and Jayme Johnson.

PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

Greta Mulhall, Ambassador of Ireland Daniel Mulhall, British Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Michael Tatham and Belinda Cherrington.

Ramsey Farouki, Stuart Bernstein and Dina Farouki.

PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

Isabel Fezas Vital and Ambassador of Portugal Domingos Fezas Vital.

Journalist Howard Fineman of NBC/MSNBC welcomes guests to the Mexican pre-ball dinner.

The Washington Diplomat managing editor Anna Gawel and Ambassador of Finland Kirsti Kauppi.

Ambassador of Mexico Gerónimo Gutiérrez, his wife Patricia González, Foreign Policy’s Diana Marrero, Facebook’s Zuraya Tapia Hadley and Foreign Policy publisher Andrew Sollinger.

Thomas Coleman of the Department of Homeland Security and Ambassador of Tunisia Fayçal Gouia.

Social Secretaries and Cultural Attachés The Meridian International Center recognized the work of Washington’s embassy social secretaries and cultural attachés at a reception featuring a discussion with Dana Al Marashi, head of heritage and social affairs for the UAE Embassy, and Amanda Downes, the outgoing social secretary at the British Embassy. “Arts and culture, whether it’s music or dance or reaching out to local communities, is a common language that breaks down barriers,” Downes said.

Palette Eremita and Michelle Gibbons of the Embassy of Barbados.

PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

Dana Al Marashi, head of heritage and social affairs for the UAE Embassy, Amanda Downes, former longtime social secretary at the British Embassy, and Meridian CEO and President Stuart Holliday.

Roman Guggisberg and David Nelson, both of the Embassy of Switzerland, talk to Farid Tavos, assistant to the ambassador at the Embassy of Afghanistan.

Caitlin O’Connor poses with her predecessor at the British Embassy, Amanda Downes.

Kimberly Dozier of the Daily Beast, Deborah Ashford, Nurasyikin Azman and Natasha Atmadja, both of the Singapore Embassy, and Kate Panian of the EU Delegation to the U.S.

Adam Wojciechowicz of the Korean Cultural Center joins his colleagues, Deputy Director Seungjin Choi and and Director Joon Suk Hwang, who both work at the Korean Embassy in addition to the Cultural Center.

THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018 | 43

WD | Culture | Spotlight

Diplomatic Spotlight Nelson Mandela Concert

Cellist JacquesPierre Malan and pianist Sahun Hong are greeted by soprano Nteboheng Leboea.

To mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of South African icon Nelson Mandela, the Embassy Series opened its 25th season with a special concert featuring South African cellist Jacques-Pierre Malan at Ambassador Mninwa Johannes Mahlangu’s residence.

PHOTOS: DR. HANS SPIEGEL

December 2018

Sustained Dialogue Institute Awards Gala Russian saxophone virtuoso Igor Butman and nine-time Grammy winning jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis were honored with Global Peacemaker Awards by the Sustained Dialogue Institute on Nov. 1 at the U.S. Institute of Peace. “Jazz is a musical conversation that unites,” Marsalis said. “It requires you to listen to other musicians and play with them even if you don’t agree with what they’re playing.” Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov added that the Sustained Dialogue Initiative “speaks against mutual isolation in case of disagreements and promotes the idea of ‘all-weather’ dialogue even on the most contentious issues.” Ambassador of Russia Anatoly Antonov and embassy liaison Jan Du Plain.

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and philanthropist Earl W. Stafford.

PHOTO: JOE DAVID

PHOTO: IMAGELINKPHOTO

Russian saxophone virtuoso Igor Butman and American jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.

Violinist Nikita Borisevich joins cellist Jacques-Pierre Malan.

Selwa Roosevelt and Susan Carmel, chairwoman of the American-Russian Cultural Cooperation Foundation. PHOTO: JOE DAVID

PHOTO: JOE DAVID

Ambassador of Bulgaria Tihomir Stoytchev, Lubka Stoytcheva and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Beyrle. Philanthropist Annie Totah and Dianne Kay.

Deputy Chief of Mission of the South African Embassy Yoliswa Mvebe, Embassy Series Director Jerome Barry and soprano Nteboheng Leboea.

PHOTO: JOE DAVID

Founder and Director of the Embassy Series Jerome Barry shares a laugh with violinist Nikita Borisevich and cellist JacquesPierre Malan.

Violinist Nikita Borisevich, Ian K. Portnoy and Judy Portnoy.

Armenian Farewell

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs George Kent, left, and Chief of Protocol Sean Lawler, right, join Ambassador of Armenia Grigor Hovhannissian and his family at Hovhannissian’s farewell reception.

PHOTO: JANE PENNEWELL

Russian saxophone virtuoso Igor Butman’s mother and wife joined the festivities.

Argentinean Arts Benefit The Embassy of Argentina and CEDA Washington hosted ArgentinaConnect, a networking event at the Watergate Hotel to raise funds to benefit the Argentina National Endowment for the Arts. Mercedes de Campos, wife of the ambassador of Argentina, served as the fundraiser’s chair. CEDA Washington is a charitable nonprofit created 50 years ago that supports health and education projects to help vulnerable communities in Argentina. PHOTOS: CEDA WASHINGTON

Many ambassadors and their spouses came out to bid farewell to Ambassador of Armenia Grigor Hovhannissian, center, including, from left, envoys from Uzbekistan, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Monaco, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Belgium, Albania, Switzerland and Georgia.

44 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018

Ambassador of Argentina Fernando Oris de Roa talks to Gabriel Lopetegui, alternate executive director of the International Monetary Fund, and his wife Selva Bazzana, a CEDA member.

CEDA Washington Board Member Maria Crovetto; Manuel Abdala; Alex Arata; wife of the Argentinean ambassador Mercedes de Campos; and CEDA Washington Board Member Liana Montero.

Guests enjoy the view at the Watergate’s Rooftop Bar.

Hungary CONTINUED • PAGE 22

besides babies — is immigrants. But Orbán has adamantly ruled out taking in migrants or refugees, arguing that illegal immigration threatens not only Hungary’s economic gains, but also its national security and Christian identity.

SOVEREIGN DEBT Kovács said that because of the government’s strict fiscal policy, Hungary’s annual deficit remains well below the 3 percent limit set by the EU, while sovereign debt continues to fall as well. “From 84 to 85 percent of GDP, today we are down to 73 to 74 percent. By the end of the year it will be closer to 71 to 72 percent. So it’s a slow but steady process. As we say, we never reach beyond the blanket we have, but … all the achievements we have are by the performance of the Hungarian economy, and that is by the Hungarian workforce, the Hungarian people.” According to Trading Economics, Hungary recorded a government debt equivalent to 73.6 percent of its GDP in 2017. The fact that Hungary is not a part of the Eurozone and uses its own currency has also helped curb its debt. “By shifting financing to forint-denominated debt sales, Hungary’s reliance on foreign currency debt and foreign investors has decreased. And after squeezing the banks for years, Orbán started to cut the bank tax this year, improving investors’ mood,” wrote Krisztina Than in a September 2016 Reuters article. Orbán’s supporters say he helped avert a Greek-style meltdown when he came to office in 2010. He inherited a €20 billion IMF bailout program but paid the loans off early by strengthening fiscal discipline and taking advantage of lower borrowing costs. That helped improve Hungary’s credit ratings, which in turn attracted more foreign investment. “Following an in-depth review of investment potential around the globe last May, Global Best To Invest ranked Hungary among the top ten investment destinations in the world, while IBM awarded our country a prestigious seventh place in its 2017 Global Location Trends report. On top of this, it named Hungary’s Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA) the best investment promotion agency in the region,” Kovács wrote in early October, not-

privacy and data protection; academic independence; freedom of religion; the rights of minorities and more. The European Parliament voted in September to initiate punitive actions against Hungary under Article 7 of the EU constitution for eroding democracy and undermining EU values. But Kovács roundly rejected that criticism. Winners have nothing to be ashamed of, he said, and Fidesz has healthily won three elections now. “If someone is victorious, there’s no call for any kind of shyness or shame. Many of our adversaries are trying to suggest that our political victory, the results of our economic turn, the reforms if you like, are coming at the cost of something else. They’re not. They’re coming at the benefit of the country,” he said. NOTE: AlthoughPHOTO: every is made to assure ad is free of mi PIXABAYeffort / SLOVENČINA “There is no your benchmark Hungary’s Parliament is seen along the banks of the Danube River in Budapest. byup which they can measure content it is ultimately to the customer to make the f democracy in Europe,” he 09 recession. ing that jump in investment you present them. government haschanges scored nucontinued, The first two faxed will be made at calling no costEU to critithe advertise has gone hand in hand with a And yet, “for the past eightwill merous — ofat$75 the percisms of Hungary “a political be billedvictories at a rate faxed alteration. Signed ads are steady increase in wages. years, many times we’ve been polls, in the economy — and witch hunt that’s been going OTHER bumping into something deserves to be proud of them on for the past eight years.” Please check this ad carefully. Mark any changes to ‘BENCHMARKS’ strange, and that is that in instead of having to defend “The benchmark should WAGES Kovács also trumpeted the face of our political and itself against the many ac- be reset. The benchmark is If the ad is correct sign and fax to: (301) 949-0065 needs cha KOVÁCS: “The rise of real the fact that Hungary has economic success, we are cusations being leveled at it, the will of the Hungarian wages over the past four the lowest corporate tax rate still measuring ourselves to Kovács said. Those include people and the benefit of the Diplomat 933-3552 thatWashington a crackdown on free speech; (301) Hungarian people,” he said. years now is in double dig- in Europe at 9 percent, is something different andThe is the benchmarks and meafighting tax fraud and sharthe shuttering of newspapers Change Hungarian to its every year. The latest are that___________________________________________________ have expressed opin- American, and the tune is number is 12 percent, which ing the achievements of its surements that othersApproved ” he ions that don’t rhyme with strikingly familiar. WD means the gap is closing be- economic miracle across so- trying to throw on us,Changes ____________________________________________________ the government’s; barring tween Hungarian wages and ciety. Banks are flourishing, lamented. ____________________________________________________________ Hungary’s benchmark, and revenues and profits are migrants from entering; un- Karin Zeitvogel (@Zeitvogel) Western European average salaries. It’s high time for back at levels not seen since Kovács said, is the national dermining the independence is a contributing writer for that,” Kovács said. “We’ve the start of the global 2008- interest of Hungary. Orbán’s of the judiciary; corruption; The Washington Diplomat. also cut a deal with employers nationwide. That is if the increase of real salaries reaches a certain level — the double-digit 10 to 11 percent — we decrease taxation on them by 0.5 percent every year or even more. So we have set a bar by which we decrease the taxes.”

Hotel Guide

TRADING ECONOMICS: Hungarian Central Statistical Office data and Trading Economics both confirm wage growth in Hungary. Figures released around three weeks after Kovács’s visit showed that wages had increased by 10.1 percent year-on-year in August. While that’s a healthy increase, and one that many American workers can only fantasize about, wage growth fell shy of analysts’ expectations and was 2.7 percentage points less than the previous month. This was an opportunity to illustrate how the same figures can be spun differently to send messages with a different vibe: Some headlines bemoaned that wage growth failed to meet expectations while others boasted about the 10 percent spike. Both versions are technically correct — proof that it isn’t what the figures say but the way

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Oman CONTINUED • PAGE 15

the Omani province of Musandam — on the Strait of Hormuz — as part of the UAE. “People notice things,” said Baabood. “For example, when Trump went on his first foreign visit, to Riyadh, he met all the Gulf country representatives, except Oman’s. So this was seen as a sign that certain powers in the region had been influencing the U.S. to support their views and put pressure on Oman to come into line.” This fuels a genuine fear in Muscat that the GCC’s two richest heavyweights are trying to assert control over their neighbors — and undermine Oman’s traditional policy of neutrality and independence. “There has been a lot of discussion over the last year of the likelihood that the GCC’s tolerance of Omani neutrality has come to an end,” said Moritz. E6FZM0026

PHOTO: PIXABAY

The harbor is seen in Muscat, capital of Oman, which has worked to diversify its energy-dependent economy through tourism. The country, in fact, is becoming one of the fastest-growing tourism destinations in the Middle East.

leader in over 20 years — may have been a rechostilities. But Oman’s ruler is getting older and has been ognition by Qaboos that his country’s ties with suffering from a lengthy illness. Childless, his Iran cannot come at the expense of relations successor Bill is unknown, creating worries over 0026_BW_ads to: E6FZM0026 Executive CD: with its GCC neighbors or the U.S. TICKING CLOCKS E6FZM0026 Indeed, the country’s future direction. AtCreative the same Newspaper Director: S. Pytel“The recent visit of Netanyahu has to REQ 58802 Bill has to: E6FZM0026 Executive CD: be seen in this context,” said Baabood. “Oman suff ered more than many GCC Yet Oman has a long0026_BW_ads history of negotiating the time, Oman 12-20-06 Art Director: M. Denais Newspaper Creative Director: S. showing Pytel REQ 58802 was Washington and the other Gulf countries from the recent protracted downturn often-treacherous waters of the Gulf. Color/Space: BW CE: 5/0 Writer: M. Bobryk Art Director: M. states Denaisthat while it has good relations with Iran, gas prices, placing its energy-depenIn the past, the nation of 4.6 million has been in oil and12-20-06 Live: Production Artist: MRS Account: K. Black Color/Space: BWneighbors, dent economy CE: 5/0 Writer: M. Bobryk it also has good relations with Israel. In other under pressure. able to withstand pressure from its Trim: 1.812" (w) x 5.187" (h) Task: Fix and PrintMRS Production: K. Warmack Live: Production Artist: Account: K. Black words, it can be a very useful regional player.” Some have speculated that Netanyahu’s highmaintaining its independence through its Coordinator: Radzinski x7890writing in a Nov. 7 article Bleed:1.812" (w) x 5.187" (h) profile visit Spell checked Task: and Print Production: Steven A. Cook, to Fix Oman — the first by an IsraeliK.J.Warmack moderate, pragmaticTrim: approach to the region’s PA Notes: Page 3 of 7 Bleed: PA Notes: Page 3 of 7

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for Foreign Policy, put it more bluntly, arguing that Qaboos courted the Israelis — and by extension the U.S. — to ensure Oman’s future without him. “Why did Qaboos go so far out on a limb? Essentially, he was taking out an insurance policy,” Cook wrote. “Oman’s new leader — whoever that may be — will need U.S. political and diplomatic backing when Qaboos dies to bolster the country’s stability at a critical moment. Under ordinary circumstances that support would be forthcoming, but given the conflicts and forces — both internal and external — buffeting the Gulf, there are no guarantees. Oman’s role in the region as discreet interlocutor and broker of deals makes Muscat important beyond its size and resources, but it is also vulnerable.” That vulnerability has increased as Riyadh and Republican hardliners seek to contain Iran, but whether Muscat will cave to the pressure remains to be seen. “There is a lot of concern, at an unofficial level, given the leadership issue, [about] the economic situation and questions over the intentions of some who want Oman to support the Saudi and Emirati line and cut ties with Iran,” said Baabood. “But we don’t think their regional policies will lead to more peace and cooperation. They will just add more conflict to a region already beset by it.” WD Jonathan Gorvett (jpgorvett.com) is a freelance writer and journalist specializing in Near and Middle Eastern affairs.

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PAKISTAN AND THE U.S.

Mahmoods CONTINUED • PAGE 21

at the gated homes along the Potomac shoreline, lamenting that elsewhere in the world “people are living in huts.” This stark contrast became all the more striking during that early visit to Islamabad where, Shaista recalled, “I couldn’t stop crying when I saw those children — no father, no mother, no family. They could be our kids.” She and Ray saw a chance to put their money to work and tackle the nightmare of children growing up in the streets of Pakistan by becoming financial supporters of the Community School in Islamabad. Fifteen years later, that support provides meals, clothing, shelter and an education for 120 boys and girls who “get good guidance from the people who work there,” Ray said. He adds with some satisfaction that “a couple of teachers and administrators have come through these schools as kids and have gone back to teach.” Today’s students, he said, “will all succeed — I have no doubt.” But he and Shaista will be going back to check, just to be sure. “We go every year, and see the children grow from one year to the next,” he said. The Mahmoods see these tightly focused efforts as part of a larger picture. “We need to let them know that we Americans are helping. Now that we are Americans, we are helping Pakistan — it’s goodwill for the U.S., and these people-to-people connections can make the future.”

As to the future, we asked Ray — who had been ambassador-at-large to the U.S. under Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari — if he had been in touch with Imran Khan, the recently elected prime minister, about a resumption of those duties or any possibility of a return to politics. Ray and Shaista responded in unison: “No, we don’t want to be in politics.” Looking introspective, Ray said — with Shaista next to him, nodding — “We are U.S. citizens; this is our home.” That is probably a wise move given the cutthroat nature of Pakistani politics and the perpetual friction between Washington and Islamabad. Despite those well-publicized disputes, Ray insists that the two countries have a good working relationship. People should not lose sight, he said, of the “many times the U.S. and Pakistan have worked together.” Looking to the future of Khan’s government, Ray said the opposition to the former cricket star’s leadership has been strong and “he’s got a challenge right from the start. He’s been promoting a big agenda, and if he can get half of it done I think that’ll be great.” Despite the political turbulence, threat of Islamic extremism, poverty and geopolitical rivalries that plague Pakistan, Ray and Shaista have hope for the country and strong ties that bind them to their homeland and its culture, and to their faith. Those same strong ties bind them to the United States and the embrace of values that took root in George Washington’s Mount Vernon farmland centuries ago. They’re living the American dream, with their eyes on the future. WD John Lennon is a former Voice of America program director who is retired and lives with his family in Alexandria, Va.

Washingtonians Ray and Shaista Mahmood have worked to help their native Pakistan by supporting the education of underprivileged children and working to dispel myths about the U.S. THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | DECEMBER 2018 | 47

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