The Washington Diplomat - January 2020

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VOLUME 27, NUMBER 01 United States

Foreign Policy Polls Show Americans Want Restraint

If there’s one word that will never be used to describe the Trump presidency, it’s “predictable.”

Yet on foreign policy, Trump has been relatively consistent, embracing a transactional, “America First” approach. And while the prevailing narrative is that most Americans support this global retrenchment, the picture is more nuanced, according to several new polls. PAGE 4

South Asia

The Other Crisis In Myanmar’s Rakhine State

JANUARY 2020

WINDOW INTO

BHUTAN Bhutan is one of only a handful of countries without an embassy in Washington, D.C., or even diplomatic relations with the U.S.But what the Maryland-size Buddhist nation does have is an ambitious nonprofit that seeks to strengthen bilateral ties and teach Americans about this isolated yet intriguing Himalayan mountain kingdom. PAGE 11

As the world’s attention turns once again to the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, another conflict is brewing in the troubled state — this one between government forces and Buddhist guerillas known as the Arakan Army. PAGE 6

Culture United States

Duchamp: Art’s Ambivalent Objector Famous for his utilitarian found objects, Marcel Duchamp reveled in confusing people — and the art world. PAGE 28

Envoy Stresses Reliability Of U.S. Weapons Sales R. Clarke Cooper, who oversees security assistance as head of politicalmilitary affairs at the State Department, acknowledges that doubts have emerged about American reliability, but he insists that the U.S. remains an indispensable and dependable security partner. PAGE 8

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ON THE COVER

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Contents

THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | JANUARY 2020

11

4

30

31

14

17

PHOTO: JBOOTS / PIXABAY

NEWS 4

AMERICAN ATTITUDES

Polls show Americans support a less-interventionist U.S. foreign policy, particularly when it comes to Afghanistan and Iran, but the picture is mixed.

6 RAKHINE CONVULSES, AGAIN

Overshadowed by the Rohingya crisis, the Arakan Army’s insurgency against Myanmar forces in the state of Rakhine is intensifying.

8 U.S. WEAPONS SALES PITCH

R. Clarke Cooper tries to sell weapons, and dependability, to America’s foreign partners.

11

COVER PROFILE: BHUTAN

In the absence of formal relations, Bhutan has a small but ambitious nonprofit in D.C. to help Americans get to know this isolated kingdom.

LATIN AMERICA’S WOMEN Fresh instability combined with long-held stereotypes threaten Latin America’s women.

14

EDUCATION 17

GLOBAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE

Diplomats, university representatives, U.S. officials and others gathered for the Global Education Conference at the French Embassy.

CULTURE 28

THE AMBIVALENT ARTIST

Marcel Duchamp rejected tradition, blurred lines and confused people with his conceptual art.

IMPORTANT DELIVERY “None Swifter Than These” reveals the little-known but vital work of diplomatic couriers.

29

SWEEPING ‘TOUCH’ “The Touch of Color” surveys the use of pastels since the Renaissance to the present day.

30

CALMING EFFECT Lee Ufan’s stone and steel sculptures offer quiet contemplation in a chaotic capital.

31

REGULARS 32

CINEMA LISTING

34

EVENTS LISTING

36

DIPLOMATIC SPOTLIGHT

38

CLASSIFIEDS

39

REAL ESTATE CLASSIFIEDS JANUARY 2020 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 3

WD | United States

What Voters Think Polls Show Americans Support Less-Interventionist U.S. Foreign Policy, But with Caveats

BY ANNA GAWEL

I

f there’s one word that will never be used to describe the Trump presidency, it’s “predictable.” Yet in terms of foreign policy, Trump has been relatively consistent, embracing a transactional approach to diplomacy in line with his “America First” governing ethos.

This has meant rebuking allies, embracing autocrats and bucking the international consensus on issues such as climate change, trade and the Iran nuclear deal. Perhaps most notably, Trumpian foreign policy has been built around disentangling the U.S. from the Middle East and ending what the president calls America’s “ridiculous endless wars.”

Yet even in the foreign policy realm, Trump still manages to surprise everyone, including his own diplomats and generals, as evidenced by his abrupt announcement to pull 1,000 U.S. troops from northeastern Syria who had been protecting Kurdish allies against a Turkish invasion. As expected, the withdrawal paved the way for a Turkish incursion into Kurdish-controlled territory, although a few weeks later, U.S. troops resumed large-scale counterterrorism operations with the Kurds against the Islamic State, leading to more confusion.

While the prevailing narrative is that most Americans support Trump’s global retrenchment — and indeed, surveys consistently show that Americans of all political stripes favor a less-interventionist U.S. foreign policy — the picture is mixed, according to polls conducted by the University of Maryland that surveyed American public opinion on recent events in the Middle East. In fact, on the issue of Trump’s withdrawal from Syria, only 24% of respondents said they supported the move.

At the same time, Americans appear united across party lines on certain issues concerning Afghanistan, with 61% supporting a decreased U.S. military presence in the war-torn nation, including 71% of Republicans and 53% of Democrats. (At the time of the poll, the U.S. had about 13,000 troops deployed in Afghanistan, after about 2,000 were quietly withdrawn over the last year.)

AMBIGUITY ON AFGHANISTAN

But Shibley Telhami, a professor in the University of Maryland Department of Government and Politics who is the director of the University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll, said the results on Afghanistan were “more nuanced than I expected.”

Once the figures were broken down, 34% said the U.S. should maintain current troop levels there, 23% said they should be decreased, 22% wanted all 4 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | JANUARY 2020

CREDIT: U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY TECH. SGT. SHARIDA JACKSON

U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters arrive at a mission support site in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, on June 13, 2018. Roughly 13,000 U.S. troops are currently stationed in Afghanistan to assist and train Afghan forces. According to a recent poll, 61% of Americans support a decreased U.S. military presence in the war-torn nation, including 71% of Republicans and 53% of Democrats.

“

The Iran question shows a majority of Americans think it’s our fault that we’re in this mess today. They’re right.

troops out by the end of the year, 18% didn’t know and 3% supported an increase in troops.

And when it comes to whether America’s military involvement in Afghanistan has been successful in achieving U.S. strategic objectives, “again, people are all over the place,” Telhami said at an Oct. 22 panel discussion on the polls at the Brookings Institution, where he is a nonresident senior fellow at the Center for Middle East Policy.

A plurality — 38% — of respondents described America’s involvement as neither successful nor unsuccessful, although more deemed it unsuccessful (33%) than successful (19%).

Those numbers, however, could very well change in light of “The Afghanistan Papers,” a major investigation by The Washington Post that came out nearly two months after Telhami’s poll.

The confidential trove of documents obtained by the newspaper after a threeyear legal fight “reveals that senior U.S. officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18year campaign, making rosy pronounce-

BRUCE RIEDEL

senior fellow at the Brookings Institution

ments they knew to be false and hiding unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable,” wrote The Post’s Craig Whitlock.

It remains to be seen how the bombshell report will affect Trump’s stated desire to resume peace talks with the Taliban and extricate U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

According to the poll, while far more Republicans than Democrats said the U.S. military intervention was the right choice (49% versus 26%), far more Democrats than Republicans (60% versus 30%) say the U.S. has an obligation toward the Afghan government and people impacted by that intervention.

When it comes to what form this obligation should take, roughly half of respondents (both Democrats and Republicans) agreed the U.S. should use its leverage in peace talks to protect the interests of Afghans. On the flip side, 41% disagreed that the U.S. should negotiate with the Taliban.

“To me, this is kind of a no-brainer.

Of course, we have to negotiate with the Taliban. Otherwise how are we ever

”

going to get out?” said Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow at Brookings, during the Oct. 22 discussion. “I understand, yes, the Taliban is a loathsome organization, engages in terrorism, has been killing Americans for 18 years. But we negotiated with the Soviet Union, we negotiated with communist China, President Trump is negotiating with North Korea and so were his predecessors. The Taliban is part and parcel of this, and we will have to negotiate with them.”

Riedel added that the question of whether the mission in Afghanistan was accomplished is also a “no-brainer,” pointing out that the reason U.S. forces went into Afghanistan was to eliminate the threat posed by al-Qaeda, which has since been reduced to a shell of its former self.

“The more complicated problem is the secondary war — the war against the Taliban,” he said. “And that’s far from being resolved, and that’s I think the reason why Americans are so confused frequently about why we’re in Afghanistan and why we continue to need to be there.”

The conflicting opinions on Afghanistan in the University of Maryland poll were in line with another national poll conducted by the Eurasia Group Foundation, which found that 40% of those surveyed want the U.S. to end the Afghan war immediately; roughly 30 percent oppose negotiating with the Taliban and think the U.S. should remain in Afghanistan until all enemies are defeated; while another 30 percent support negotiations and want to stay until a peace deal is reached.

While Democrats and Republicans diverged on certain issues such as whether it was a mistake to send U.S. troops to Afghanistan in 2001, Telhami said he was surprised that overall, both parties had similar views on Afghanistan.

Likewise, there was strong bipartisan disapproval of Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, effectively abandoning the Kurds who were key in helping to quash the Islamic State in that country. Telhami and his team added the question about Syria at the last minute, asking it at two different intervals several days apart to gauge changing reactions. They found that the more Republicans criticized Trump’s decision, the more respondents reacted negatively to it as well.

STRONG CONSENSUS ON IRAN

But the consensus on sticking it out in Syria was an outlier. Another timely event that took place shortly before the University of Maryland

CREDIT: OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BY JOYCE N. BOGHOSIAN

President Donald Trump displays his signature on an executive order to place further sanctions on Iran on June 24, 2019.

According to a University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll, roughly 40% of Democrats and Republicans say the imposition of new U.S. sanctions on Iran has been the most important factor in driving up regional tensions in the Gulf.

survey — the drone attack on Saudi oil facilities in September that was widely blamed on Iran — reinforced the notion that the American public has little appetite for war.

Before the oil field attack, 76% of respondents said that U.S. goals visà-vis Iran did not warrant U.S. military action; after the attack, 75% said the same thing, with firm majorities among both Democrats and Republicans rejecting the idea of going to war with Iran.

In a follow-up poll, respondents were asked whether they would they

support a military response if evidence revealed that Iran was indeed responsible for the attack, and twothirds said no, including 53% of Republicans.

Ironically, while the findings seem to indicate support for Trump’s overarching goal of extricating the U.S. from the Middle East, the polls also show that Americans overwhelmingly blame Trump — not Iran — for rising tensions in the Gulf, although on this point there were clear partisan divisions.

When asked whether they ap-

proved or disapproved of the U.S. government’s handling of Iran, 82% of Democrats and 58% of independents said they disapproved, while 76% Republicans voiced strong support for the administration’s Iran policy.

Democrats also overwhelmingly cited Trump’s decision to abandon the Iran nuclear accord as the main factor in ratcheting up tensions in the Gulf (51%) versus blaming the nature of Iran’s theocratic regime (14%). Republicans weren’t as critical of Trump’s withdrawal from the

nuclear accord (20%), although 40% did say that the imposition of new U.S. sanctions on Iran was the most important factor in driving up regional tensions, on par with the percentage of Democrats who blame the sanctions as well.

Likewise, the Eurasia Group Foundation survey found that reviving diplomatic negotiations was the most popular choice to address the resumption of Iran’s nuclear program — more popular than economic sanctions and far more popular than a preventative strike.

“The Iran question shows a majority of Americans think it’s our fault that we’re in this mess today. They’re right,” Reidel said to laughter. “As my colleague Kenneth Pollack used to like to say, ‘If you like the war in Iraq, you’re going to love the war in Iran,’ because Iran is three or four times bigger than Iraq, both in terms of geography and in terms of people. And while they may like American jeans, they don’t like American soldiers and we would be bogged down in a mess.

I think the American public has gotten that.”

Reidel also pointed out that Americans have no desire to go to war to defend Saudi Arabia, even though the country is America’s oldest ally in the Middle East.

“Americans have never been that crazy about Saudi Arabia — Sept. 11, of course, plays a big part of that, so does the oil embargo of 1973 — but what we’re seeing in this poll, I think, is that support for Saudi Arabia has really diminished almost completely SEE POL L S • PAGE 38

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WD | Southeast Asia

Rakhine’s Other Conflict Overshadowed by Rohingya Crisis, Arakan Insurgency Against Myanmar Forces Intensifies

BY JONATHAN GORVETT

A

s Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s de facto prime minister, defends her country against allegations of genocide at the International Court of Justice at The Hague, international attention is once again focusing on the horrific events in Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine.

That’s where U.N. investigators say the army launched a brutal crackdown with “genocidal intent” that forced over 730,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to neighboring Bangladesh in 2017.

Yet, while the court deliberates, the volatile, poverty-stricken state is facing a new horror: a rapidly escalating insurgency between the Myanmar military, known as the Tatmadaw, and the guerillas of the Arakan Army (AA).

While Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority has long been marginalized and attacked by the country’s Buddhist majority, which regards them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh despite their centuries-long presence in the region, the Arakan Army is composed of fellow Buddhists who make up the majority of the population in Rakhine.

But Rakhine Buddhists are distinct from the dominant Bamar ethnic group that governs Myanmar, and they consider their state — once part of an independent kingdom known as Arakan — separate from the land that until recently was known as Burma. In fact, Rakhine Buddhists share the Burmese military’s hatred of Rohingya Muslims, even though the military has persecuted Rakhine’s Buddhists and Muslims alike.

The Arakan Army was formed in 2009 to fight for greater autonomy from the central government. In recent months, the guerilla force, which reportedly numbers anywhere from 4,000 to 10,000 troops, has stepped up its recruitment and attacks, prompting the Tatmadaw to unleash a violent counteroffensive.

This fresh conflict in Rakhine has already claimed many lives, while creating a new surge of people fleeing their homes. It also illustrates the complex history and deep-seated ethnic grievances that lie behind much of this region’s turmoil.

Indeed, while the International Court of Justice proceedings concern the fate of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims, there are other perceived injustices that many in Rakhine would also like to see placed under the international microscope.

In an Aug. 26, 2019, report by Al Jazeera English, the Arakan Army’s deputy commander lamented that their struggle is being overlooked because of the plight of the Rohingya as he urged the international community to “feel for us, too.”

WAVES OF VIOLENCE

Rakhine, also known as Arakan, is

6 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | JANUARY 2020

PHOTO: VOA ASIA

Hundreds of young army recruits train to fight in the Arakan Army in camps in Myanmar’s Kachin state, on the border with China.

Formed in 2009, the Arakan Army has stepped up its recruitment and attacks against Myanmar’s army over the last year in its fight for greater autonomy for Buddhists in Rakhine state.

“

We have observed an increasing number of civilian casualties, including victims of landmines, armed clashes and shelling…. Tens of thousands of people have lost, to various degrees, access to their land or livelihoods due to fighting, especially in central Rakhine.

STEPHAN SAKALIAN

”

resident representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Yangon

the poorest of the states that make up the Union of Myanmar. According to a 2014 World Bank report, 78% of the population live below the poverty line — twice the national average.

Yet, Rakhine is also rich in natural resources, with its offshore oil and gas fields serving as one of Myanmar’s top export earners. Its highly fertile river and coastal lands also once made it a major producer of rice, seafood and other agricultural products.

A land of winding rivers, coastal villages, densely jungled hills and ancient temples, it also has an important geostrategic location, lying on an east-west corridor between mainland Southeast Asia and the Bengal region, as well as a north-south corridor between China and the open sea.

The city of Mrauk U in central Rakhine was once the capital of a powerful Arakanese kingdom, which dominated

the Bay of Bengal for centuries. Under its Buddhist kings, the wealthy court was also home to Christian Portuguese warlords, Dutch traders, Muslim Bengali poets and Hindu brahmins.

In 1784, however, the neighboring Burmese empire invaded, conquering Arakan and sending a wave of refugees fleeing over the frontier into thenBritish controlled Bengal. Some 40 years later, in the First Anglo-Burmese War, the British then annexed Arakan to their Indian empire – opening the frontier to large-scale population movements from neighboring, mainly Muslim Bengal.

Later, Arakan was the scene of brutal fighting between Japanese and British imperial troops during World War II. The state then stayed part of the British Empire until 1948, when it was placed together with Britain’s Burmese possessions and given its independence as

part of the new Burma, now known as Myanmar.

This historical background is important because many in Rakhine see it as highlighting their difference from the Bamar, or Burmese, ethnic group that dominates Myanmar’s political, military and economic establishment and — Arakan nationalists argue — continues to exercise colonial-style control over their territory.

Many Rakhine Buddhist nationalists also argue that this history shows they are different from those described as “Bengali,” the derogatory term that Myanmar Buddhists use for the Rohingya, whom they see — often wrongly — as recent immigrants or descendants of Bengali workers brought in during British times, even though they have lived in the country for generations.

Rakhine is thus a three-cornered crisis, with Rakhine Buddhist nationalists

increasingly strident against both Rohingya trolled,” the Sittwe businessman told us. “Their an internet blackout and curfew since fighting Muslims and the central Burmese authori- attitudes never change.” intensified. ties, be they the government of Aung San Suu “We have observed an increasing number of Life Is No Longer One Dimensional Kyi and her National League for Democracy civilian casualties, including victims of landYou’re invited to visit our NEWLY renovated space OUTBREAK OF INSURGENCY (NLD), or the Tatmadaw army. mines, armed clashes and shelling,” Stephan Fueling this animosity, too, has been the History is also important in Rakhine be- Sakalian, resident representative of the Interglaring dichotomy of a state rich in resources cause it was an annual rally commemorating national Committee of the Red Cross in Yanbut mired in poverty. the fall of the Rakhine kingdom to the Bur- gon, told The Washington Diplomat. “Tens of “We have oil and gas,” one local business- mese, held in January 2018 in Mrauk U, that thousands of people have lost, to various deman, who did not want to be named, told The triggered the current unrest. grees, access to their land or livelihoods due to Washington Diplomat during a visit to the Police attempted to ban the rally and, when fighting, especially in central Rakhine.” state capital of Sittwe in October 2019. “But it it went ahead anyway, at least seven people This is the area where the Myanmar govall goes into a pipeline to China. The money for were killed and many injured when police ernment has encouraged some of the 700,000 it then comes back not to us, but to the Myan- opened fire.

Rohingya refugees currently in Bangladesh mar government. We don’t see a penny.”

Since then, the conflict has escalated. The to return to, although so far no refugees have Indeed, oil and natural gas pipelines from AA, which wants self-determination for Ara- willingly returned, justifiably fearing for their the offshore Shwe field do snake across the kan, has seen its support surge, with gueril- lives. The government is also keen to increase state these days from the southern Rakhine las now commanding around 10,000 troops, foreign investment in Rakhine, a key part of port of Kyaukpyu, on the Bay of Bengal. Part including a growing number of women who the CMEC, with Kyaukpyu set to become the of the Chinese Myanmar Economic Corridor have joined the fight after losing loved ones. venue of a deep sea port and industrial zone in (CMEC), this trade is worth billions of dollars Starting from bases in neighboring Chin state, China’s Belt and Road Initiative. to Myanmar’s coffers. they launched a wave of hit-and-run attacks in But instability in the state continues to Meanwhile, many villages in Rakhine do not Rakhine in January 2019, on Myanmar’s inde- mount, as the Arakan Army forges alliances even have electricity. “We catch fish and have pendence day. Suu Kyi’s response was to order with several other ethnic armed groups in vari· American small plates and cocktail-centric menu · Dinner served 5PM to 10PM. Bar open to Midseafood farms,” Zaw Chew, a market trader liv- the Tatmadaw to “crush” the AA, whom she ous parts of Myanmar, such as the Kachin Innight. ing near the coastal town of Myebon told this labeled “terrorists.” dependence Army. AA commander Maj. Gen. · Sign up at www.thesallydc.com correspondent, “but with no power for refrigNow, there are daily reports of clashes be- Twan Mrat Naing has also sworn that in 2020, eration, we can’t transport any of it to markets tween the Tatmadaw — which Amnesty Inter- he will set up his headquarters in Mrauk U, a further away than our local one.” national has accused of committing atrocities move likely to further enflame tensions.

Meanwhile, Myanmar’s 2015 elections, such extrajudicial killings and arbitrary arThus, while Myanmar faces the Internawon by the NLD and heralded as ushering in rests — and the AA — which is also accused tional Court of Justice and a string of other · Grab & Go or Sit & Sip for breakfast, lunch, or lite fare and beverages in the evening a new era of democratization, only reinforced of committing abuses against civilians — as international tribunals and potential economic · Breakfast and/or Swing’s coffee 6AM. Lunch at the view of many in Rakhine that the Burmese artillery, helicopter strafing, ambushes and as- sanctions for its treatment of the Rohingya, 11AM. Service until 10PM still want to control their land.

Arakan bombard central northern Rakhine. in who have and longcontent since fledit the area, Rakhine NOTE: Although everyWhile effort is madesaults to assure your ad and is free of mistakes spelling is ultimately up to the customer to make the final proof. nationalist parties won a majority of the local A number of hostages, including one national continues to burn, its centuries-long history of The first two changes made at cost to the advertiser, changes will unhappily be billedfar atfrom a rate of W$75 per faxed alteration. Signed ads are considered approved. votes, Suufaxed Kyi appointed anwill NLDbesupporter as noparliamentarian, have been subsequent taken by the AA, D conflict over. governor of the state — a position with major which reportedly buys some of its weapons · Relax by the fireplace and unwind, read a book, Please Mark Gorvett any changes to your isad. work on your computer, play a game policymaking powers. Suu Kyi’s attempts to through the drug trade.check this ad carefully.

Jonathan (jpgorvett.com) a forge a ceasefire with all of Myanmar’s ethnic Meanwhile, thousands of villagers have fled contributing writer for The Washington If the ad is correct sign and fax to: (301) 949-0065 needs changes Join us where Classic Elegance Meets Modern groups have also stalled. the fighting, seeking shelter in Buddhist mon- Diplomat and a freelance journalist “They [theDiplomat Burmese] always (301) see us933-3552 as a asteries and camps for the internally displaced specializing in Near and Middle Eastern 2100 Massachusetts Avenue, NW | Washington, D.C. 20008 The Washington Approved __________________________________________________ (202) 293-2100 | www.fairfaxwashingtondc.com province of their kingdom that has to be con- around the state. Rakhine has also been under affairs.

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WD | United States

Selling Dependability U.S. Envoy Who Heads Military Sales Seeks to Reassure Partners of American Reliability

BY SARAH ALAOUI AND ANNA GAWEL

W

hile the United States has long been accustomed to being the de facto premier security partner for nations around the world, the current administration’s actions — whether it’s withdrawing troops from Syria or chiding NATO allies to increase defense spending — have increasingly placed U.S. dependability into question.

Meanwhile, strategic competitors China and Russia are eager to capitalize on those doubts and offer an alternative to U.S. military supremacy.

“For the first time, perhaps, since the Cold War, many nations look at partnering with America on matters of defense and security not as an imperative, but as one of several options,” said R. Clarke Cooper, U.S. assistant secretary for political-military affairs at the State Department, who spoke to ambassadors, embassy military attachés and others at the Meridian International Center on Oct. 31 as part of an Insights@Meridian briefing.

Cooper acknowledged doubts about “our reliability as a partner at a time where the debate in Washington about our assistance and arms transfers appears more politicized than ever,” but he insisted that the U.S. remains an indispensable and dependable security partner.

America’s obvious advantages remain the same: The U.S. still dwarfs other nations in terms of security assistance and foreign military sales, which include not only equipment and hardware, but also training and exercises. Moreover, President Trump has loosened restrictions to boost arms sales abroad in an effort to spur jobs back home.

But as the market for arms sales and security aid becomes more competitive, with rivals such as China and Russia seeking to enhance their own military influence, the United States faces the tough task of winning over governments that are both looking to save money and wary of the unpredictability of U.S. politics and the more stringent rules that come with U.S. weapons sales.

Winning over those governments is the mission of Cooper’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, which serves as the State Department’s primary liaison with the Department of Defense. The bureau’s portfolio includes security assistance — which includes training and joint exercises as well as supporting peacekeeping operations — and serving as the lead on military sales. From this vantage point, political-military officials working with the Defense Department also pinpoint and address gaps for interoperability with partners. Recently, some of the biggest hurdles have been

8 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | JANUARY 2020

PHOTO: KRIS TRIPPLAAR / MERIDIAN INTERNATIONAL CENTER

R. Clarke Cooper, U.S. assistant secretary for political-military affairs at the State Department, speaks to reporters following a briefing at the Meridian International Center.

“

For the first time, perhaps, since the Cold War, many nations look at partnering with America on matters of defense and security not as an imperative, but as one of several options.

R. CLARKE COOPER

”

U.S. assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs

partners purchasing defense systems from U.S. rivals, as NATO ally Turkey did with its contentious acquisition of Russian S-400 missile systems.

THE GLOBAL ARMS TRADE

Military sales are a big — and growing — business. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the volume of international transfers of major arms between 2014 and 2018 was 7.8% higher than in 2009 to 2013 and 23% higher than in 2004 to 2008. The five largest exporters were the United States, Russia, France, Germany and China, while the five larg-

est importers were Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt, Australia and Algeria.

According to SIPRI, the United States accounts for the largest share of arms exports in the world — 36% between 2014 and 2018 — a figure that has grown significantly in recent years. Meanwhile, Russia accounted for 21% of global arms exports while China stood at just over 5%, with both countries working to ramp up those numbers.

Since 2008, China has exported more arms overseas than it imported, and as of 2018, it was the fifth-largest arms supplier in the world, with conventional arms sales totaling $1.04 billion (from $645 million in 2008). The bulk of these sales targeted China’s neighbors

in Asia, with Pakistan leading the pack, followed by Bangladesh and Myanmar.

However, as China’s economic footprint in Africa expands, so has its military presence there, with the continent comprising 20 percent of China’s conventional arms sales.

Meanwhile, despite a drop in arms exports to key countries such as Venezuela, Russian companies have experienced significant growth in their arms sales since 2011, according to SIPRI, which said that in 2017, Russia surpassed the United Kingdom as the world’s second-largest arms producer.

The country’s main recipients include India, China and Algeria, but as it seeks to grab a larger share of the global weapons market, Russia is increasingly focusing on the Middle East, which has been on a weapons buying spree over the last decade.

In August, Russia delivered an order of S-400 long-range air defense systems to Turkey, raising the ire of the United States. In response, the U.S. cut off Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program, citing interoperability issues and concerns that the S-400 would place U.S. technology at risk. Turkey recently announced it is in “advanced negotiations” to finalize acquisition of Russian Su-35 fighter aircraft, while India has made an

advance payment of $800 million as part of a $5 billion deal to buy Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile system.

Despite gains by Russia and China, the U.S. is still by far the number-one arms exporter in the world, sealing more than $41 billion in government-negotiated arms deals in 2017 alone.

That same year, commercial arms sales by U.S. companies reached $226.6 billion. (For comparison’s sake, Russian companies sold $37.7 billion that year.)

INCREASING U.S. WEAPONS SALES

But President Trump, true to his business background and his “America First” governing ethos, wants those numbers to be even bigger.

Last year, he introduced a new Conventional Arms Transfer (CAT) Policy to increase American weapons sales by adding U.S. “economic security” as a factor in considering whether to approve U.S. arms exports. Previously, such exports were approved largely on the basis of national security interests and foreign policy objectives, but the administration argues that national security encompasses economic prosperity.

CAT is designed to speed up arms transfers and cut red tape to make it easier for U.S. defense companies to sell weapons abroad. According to a State Department fact sheet, the goal is to support America’s defense industrial base, create more jobs, maintain a technological edge over potential adversaries and strengthen partnerships with both traditional allies and new partners “that preserve and extend our global influence.”

At the Meridian talk, Cooper — whose bureau has been empowered by CAT to more forcefully advocate for U.S. arms sales — said that “our competitors are turning to arms sales

PHOTO: BY CANCILLERÍA DEL ECUADOR - HTTPS://WWW.FLICKR.COM/PHOTOS/DGCOMSOC/12960728535/IN/SET-72157641934319794, CC BY-SA 2.0

U.S. Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs R. Clarke Cooper cited the deaths of “dozens of Kenyan personnel” in Chinese-made Norinco VN-4 armored personnel carriers — seen above during a March 2014 march in Caracas, Venezuela — as evidence that governments should be wary of buying “high-tech, low-cost defensive capabilities” from countries such as China and Russia.

and security assistance as key tools to build their own influence around the world, and to weaken ours.”

He warned that as countries eagerly explore arms sales from China and Russia that appear to be more affordable and come with fewer strings, this bargain-hunting approach could end up jeopardizing their own national security.

“We have seen countries around the world leap at the chance to obtain high-tech, low-cost defensive capabilities, only to see their significant investments crumble and rust in their

hands,” he argued.

Cooper cited several incidents, including: the crash of a Harbin Z-9 attack helicopter purchased by Cameroon in 2015; the deaths of “dozens of Kenyan personnel” in Norinco VN4 armored personnel carriers, “vehicles that China’s own sales representative declined to sit inside during a test firing”; and instances in which Middle East countries purchased CH-4 armed drones from China only to soon discover their inoperability.

Moreover, according to Cooper, joint military training programs at China’s International

Military Education Exchange Center place trainees with counterparts of “varying quality,” whereas the U.S. International Military Education and Training program trains foreign officers directly alongside U.S. personnel.

Cooper summed up the appeal of partnering with the U.S. in three words: quality, transparency and accountability.

“U.S. arms transfers are not a matter of secrecy, and rarely are the decisions surrounding them. Unlike the determinations made in Beijing or Moscow, our major foreign military and direct commercial sales are managed via a process whose policies are clear and transparent, and whose approvals are public,” he said, noting that CAT publicly outlines factors taken into consideration during the vetting process.

He added that while the U.S. is often criticized for having a costly and lengthy arms transfer process, over the past year, CAT has made “foreign military sales process faster and cheaper,” reducing the time between request to offer by 9% and cutting overhead fees and transportation rates to produce a savings of $180 million for foreign partners.

CAT CONTROVERSIES

But the new CAT Policy has come under fire for putting money above morals and prioritizing economic interests over national security and human rights considerations. Some have also questioned whether it should be the job of diplomats like Cooper to promote arms sales that could fuel conflicts and weapons proliferation around the world.

President Trump, who has made personal sales pitches to sell weapons to countries such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia, is often criticized for cozying up to authoritarian regimes while SEE M IL ITARY • PAGE 10

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Military CONTINUED • PAGE 9

disregarding human rights.

“Trump’s lack of concern about human rights and harm to civilians caused by U.S. arms trade partners is not, however, surprising. The Conventional Arms Transfer Policy his administration issued in April 2018 dangerously elevated economic arguments as a driving motive for arms transfer approvals,” argued the Arms Control Association in a Jan. 15, 2019, brief. The group added that more recent updates to CAT “again stress his administration’s desire to expedite the sale of increasingly more weapons, citing as success agreements to supply American arms to repressive regimes in not just Saudi Arabia, but also Bahrain and Nigeria.”

The Arms Control Association also warns that selling weapons with less oversight and transparency increases the risk of those weapons ending up in the hands of terrorists or criminal organizations.

Echoing that sentiment, Rachel Stohl wrote in an April 30, 2018, article for Just Security that a “focus on short-term economic benefits overlooks the realities of the global arms trade, in which the wares being sold and transferred endure long after the transfer is completed and can be used to promote or undermine U.S. interests. Recent transfers of weapons and vehicles supplied to the Iraqi military, which were then seized by ISIS and used against U.S. troops and interests, is but one in a long book of cautionary tales.”

Thus, experts have urged the administration to balance all U.S. interests — economic, security and humanitarian — when evaluating arms requests and to be more transparent about the rationale behind its decisions.

NATIONAL AND ECONOMIC SECURITY IMPERATIVE

But the Trump administration has defended its approach, arguing that expedited arms sales that benefit America’s security and economy don’t have to come at the expense of human rights abroad.

“We will not provide arms where we believe they will be used to conduct a gross violation of human rights,” said Tina Kaidanow, Cooper’s predecessor at the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, during an Aug. 18, 2018, discussion held at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“For sure, there can be complexities in any sale,” she said. “For that reason, the new CAT Policy requires us to work proactively with partners to reduce civilian casualties in their military operations. We also regularly use sales as an opportunity to engage with partners to address the human rights conduct of their military. These are often imperfect situations, but we always work to reduce the chance of the misuse of U.S. arms.

The same simply cannot be said for most other suppliers of military

PHOTO: BY MSGT JEREMY LARLEE - HTTPS://WWW.DVIDSHUB.NET

Above, two U.S.-made Theater High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) system launchers are shown after being flown into South Korea in March 2017. Below left, a U.S. Navy F-35C takes off from Eglin Air Force Base and below right, a Russian S-400 Triumf launch vehicle is seen during a 2015 parade. In August, Russia delivered an order of S-400 long-range air defense systems to Turkey. In response, the U.S. cut off Turkey, a NATO ally, from its F-35 fighter jet program, citing interoperability issues and concerns that the S-400 would place U.S. technology at risk.

CREDIT: U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY SAMUEL KING

equipment around the world.”

At the same time, Kaidanow said “we care deeply about creating U.S. prosperity,” noting that government and commercial defense sales help support over 2.4 million American jobs.

“We’re expending every effort to maintain America’s status as the preeminent global exporter of defense goods. By specifically recognizing the link between economic security and national security, among other changes, the new CAT Policy provides us the tools to continue this important work.”

Administration officials also say CAT will bolster the security not only of the U.S., but of its allies as well.

“Partners who procure American weaponry are more capable of fighting alongside us, and ultimately more capable of protecting themselves with fewer American boots on the ground," Peter Navarro, White House director of trade and manufacturing policy, said in an April 19, 2018, CNN article. “Providing our allies and partners with greater access to American arms will also reduce their reliance, not just on Chinese knock-offs, but also on Russian systems.”

To that end, Cooper stressed the quality of American equipment during his Meridian talk. He said the American defense industry continues to surpass rivals in terms of workmanship and cutting-edge technology, producing superior military

10 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | JANUARY 2020

hardware such as the F-35 aircraft and the Theater High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) system.

Yet U.S. military equipment is hardly infallible.

For example, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II, the most expensive military program ever, has been consistently plagued by design flaws and massive budget overruns.

Following an attack on Saudi Arabian oil processing facilities, Russian officials taunted the U.S., saying “the brilliant U.S. air defense systems could not repel an attack.” President Vladimir Putin also urged the Saudis to consider purchasing Russian missile defense technology, an option that may be appealing given the deteriorating relations between U.S. lawmakers and Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

THE POLITICS OF WEAPONS SALES

To that end, U.S. arms sales are subject to politics, as seen in the bipartisan congressional pushback against arms sales to Riyadh in the wake of the Saudi-sanctioned murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the humanitarian crisis in Yemen caused by the Saudi-led military campaign to oust Houthi rebels.

Congress has repeatedly tried to restrict U.S. support for the Saudi war in Yemen, but Trump successfully bypassed lawmakers earlier last year

PHOTO: BY СОКОЛРУС - OWN WORK, CC BY-SA 4.0

by using an emergency declaration to push through $8 billion worth of arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo argued that America’s allies in the Middle East needed the contracts to counter Iranian influence.

Cooper lamented that the backlash on Capitol Hill could cause U.S. allies to question America’s dependability.

“Congressional opposition was sufficient for passage of three joint resolutions of disapproval, and while these fell far short of the votes needed to overcome the president’s veto, it is no secret that such opposition contributes to doubts about the U.S. as a supplier in times of need,” he said.

Yet doubts about American reliability have been fed not by Congress, but largely by a president whose unpredictable, transactional approach to foreign policy has proven to be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it has benefited countries with less-than stellar human rights records. On the other, it has kept some of America’s closest allies off-kilter.

The most recent allies caught up in Trump’s crosshairs were the Kurdishled Syrian Democratic Forces. They had been working with 1,000 U.S. troops who were stationed in northern Syria to act as a deterrent against a Turkish invasion of Kurdish-controlled territory until the president’s abrupt decision to pull those troops out in October.

Abandoned and facing a Turkish onslaught, Kurdish forces had little choice but to retreat and turn to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for protection. Russia promptly stepped in to fill the security void, establishing joint patrols with Turkey in a newly created buffer zone along Turkey’s border.

Trump’s withdrawal from Syria not only further cemented Russian influence in the war-torn country, but it also gave a major boost to Putin’s efforts to re-establish Russia’s power on the world stage.

And while Russia is still no match for American military might — the U.S. spent almost as much on its military in 2018 as the next eight largest-spending countries combined — Moscow has made significant military inroads around the world.

Cooper admits that the security landscape has dramatically shifted in recent years.

“We have come a long way since the AK-47 became the ubiquitous symbol of Soviet-backed insurgencies from Southeast Asia to Africa.

Today, Russia is working hard to foist variants of its S-400 air defense system around the world, while China is supplying everything from armored personnel carriers to armed drones,” he told the audience at the Meridian Center.

But he added that “if we scratch the surface of the offers laid out by our adversaries, we find failed systems, flawed training, false bargains.

And it is important countries around the world understand the risks of choosing to procure systems from China or from Russia.”

Cooper said those risks include not only “cut-price systems such as unmanned aerial systems, predatory financing mechanisms and sometimes outright bribery,” but also efforts by China to use arms transfers “as a means of getting its foot in the door — a door that, once opened, China quickly exploits both to exert influence and to gather intelligence.”

Most importantly, despite concerns over President Trump’s erratic foreign policy, Cooper stressed that the United States is still a reliable partner — one that offers countries not only short-term weapons deals, but the “total package.” This includes long-term training, a strategy built on shared security interests and “the reassurance that comes with our friendship.”

He also stressed that the United States remains the undisputed global leader in supplying military equipment for every warfighting domain — both in terms of quality and quantity.

“It is true that the United States remains far and away the greatest provider both of direct security through the deterrence of our alliances and the presence of our global forces, true we remain the single greatest provider of grant security assistance — to the tune of over $10 billion a year between State and Defense — and, true we remain far and away the most significant source of defensive equipment for countries around the world.” WD Sarah Alaoui (@SarahAlaoui_) is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat. Anna Gawel (@diplomatnews) is the managing editor of The Washington Diplomat.

Cover Profile | WD

Discovering Bhutan Himalayan Kingdom Gradually Raises its U.S. Profile, Even Without an Embassy in D.C.

BY LARRY LUXNER

T

he Himalayan mountain kingdom of Bhutan is so remote that as late as 1980, it had just 1,200 phone lines in service. Television came to this isolated Shangri-La only in 1999, and even today, fewer than 300,000 tourists visit Bhutan annually.

It also happens to be one of only a handful of countries without an embassy in Washington. Bhutan doesn’t even maintain diplomatic ties with the United States, putting the Marylandsize Buddhist nation in dubious company with bad boys Iran, Syria and North Korea.

What Bhutan does have, however, is an ambitious nonprofit organization that seeks to strengthen bilateral cultural, economic and educational links in the absence of formal relations.

The Bhutan Foundation, located on the 7th floor of an office building in Dupont Circle, is the only Bhutanese presence of any kind in the nation’s capital.

Running it is Tshewang Wangchuk, the charity’s 50-year-old executive director.

“This foundation started in 1986, and it’s the result of a friendship among three women who went to school in London in the 1940s,” Wangchuk told The Washington Diplomat. “One of them, Kesang Choden Wangchuk, went back and married the king of Bhutan, becoming the third queen. Another friend married John Goelet, and both of them wanted to stay engaged with Bhutan and support a few projects, starting with agriculture.”

At last count, Bhutan had relations with 52 countries — a list that includes Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba.

“We approach all of this with mindfulness,” Tshewang Wangchuk told us.

“We are a small country, having just barely graduated from low-income to middle-income status, so any embassy or mission abroad comes at a huge economic burden to the country. Our policy has always been to have relations that are meaningful, but without economic implications.”

He added: “We are living in an increasingly interdependent world and will definitely have to establish relations. But just because there’s no political presence doesn’t mean that peopleto-people relationships don’t exist.”

CAUTIOUS OPENING

In 1974, Bhutan opened its doors to foreign tourists — but only for a very wealthy few.

“There wasn’t a lot of infrastruc-

PHOTO: LAWRENCE RUGGERI

“

We are living in an increasingly interdependent world and will definitely have to establish relations. But just because there’s no political presence doesn’t mean that people-to-people relationships don’t exist.

TSHEWANG WANGCHUK

executive director of the Bhutan Foundation

ture that could handle mass tourism,” Wangchuk said. “As we opened up, we saw what was happening in the neighborhood. Other countries were being culturally swamped [by foreign visitors]. We saw some positives in tourism, but also a lot of negatives, and that led to Bhutan’s policy of low-volume, high-value tourism.”

The Bhutanese hope to avoid the fate of nearby Nepal — whose 30 million people struggle with natural disasters, corruption and civil unrest — and which is the perfect example of a country ruined by mass tourism. Air pollution in Kathmandu has reached toxic levels, the capital city’s Bagmati River has become an open sewer and the ever-increasing number of mountaineers attempting to scale Nepal’s Mount Everest is gradually turning the world’s highest mountain into a garbage dump.

At present, Bhutan has a few exclusive hotels in the $1,500 to $2,000-anight range, but this country of 800,000

people has no plans to pursue anything more than that.

“There is an attempt to avoid mass tourism, but rather to regulate tourism so that it’s manageable,” Wangchuk said. “We are a small country that can easily be swamped by a huge number of tourists in a very short time.”

To keep $10-a-day backpackers and hippies out, the government of Bhutan started requiring visitors to spend a minimum $200 daily in low season and $250 in peak season. And visas are required for citizens of all nations except India, Bangladesh and the Maldives.

“You must come through a certified tour agent, but there’s a misconception,” Wangchuk said. “People think that $250 is a fee on top of expenses. However, it’s all-inclusive; it includes a guide, hotels and all meals. From that amount, $65 a day is automatically transferred to the government treasury as a sustainable tourism fee.”

While tourism has steadily increased,

”

with over 270,000 travelers visiting the country in 2017, the numbers are still nothing compared to other popular destinations (Venice alone is inundated by over 30 million tourists a year), and the government is determined to promote a model built around sustainable tourism.

MONASTERIES, NOT MCDONALD’S

The appeal of Bhutan, named the best place to visit in 2020 by Lonely Planet, is obvious. Sometimes called the “Switzerland of Asia,” the tiny Himalayan kingdom sandwiched between China and India boasts a landscape of lush forests, fertile valleys and craggy mountain passes punctuated by remote monasteries and red-cloaked monks.

Situated along the ancient Silk Road and isolated for centuries, Bhutan was SEE B HUTAN • PAGE 12 JANUARY 2020 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 11

At right, Bhutan only opened its doors to foreign travelers in 1974, and tourism remains limited to sites such as the Paro Taktsang, or Tiger’s Nest Monastery, a prominent Buddhist temple complex built along the Himalayan cliff-side.

PHOTO: KARUTOPIA / PIXABAY

Situated along the ancient Silk Road and isolated for centuries, Bhutan developed a distinct national identity based on Buddhism.

Bhutan CONTINUED • PAGE 11

never colonized and developed a distinct national identity based on Buddhism. It has gradually opened up to the world, establishing relations with the British Empire in the 19th century and, more recently, forging a strategic partnership with neighboring India during the Cold War. In 2008, the country transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a democratic constitutional monarchy and has worked to develop its economy, in part through tourism but also hydropower and trade with India.

But the sparsely populated country has retained its unique character — and quirks. Even though for years Bhutan didn’t even have a postal system, philatelists the world over revere the Buddhist kingdom for the outrageous postage stamps it issues, including aluminumfoil stamps, three-dimensional stamps, scratch-and-sniff stamps and stamps that played the Bhutanese national anthem when placed on a 45rpm turntable.

And while not as ubiquitous as they once were, paintings, sculptures and gifts depicting erect penises — intended to ward off evil spirits and promote acceptance — can still be found throughout the country.

Amazingly, the kingdom has managed to remain free of Starbucks, McDonald’s, 7-Eleven and Walmart, although there is one BaskinRobbins ice cream outlet in Thimphu. There’s also the internet. Both Facebook and WeChat are quite popular among Bhutanese youth, and even farmers now use smartphones to exchange photos, prayers and funny videos.

LAND OF GROSS NATIONAL HAPPINESS

Despite these advances, the country does not mea-

sure success by traditional indicators such as GDP but rather by its unique philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH), introduced in 1972 by the fourth king of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck. The premise of GNH is that the true development of a nation shouldn’t be based on technology or economic prosperity, but on a holistic model that places people at its center — very much in line with the country’s embrace of Buddhist-inspired peacefulness, respect for nature and the preservation of cultural traditions. As such, every five years, citizens are surveyed about their interactions with neighbors, the quality of their sleep, whether they meditate and other questions related to their wellbeing.

But how happy Bhutan’s 800,000 people really are is a matter of debate. In the 2018 United Nations World Happiness Report, Finland scored highest of 156 countries, with Bhutan down in 97th place.

NPR correspondent Julie McCarthy, who visited the country in early 2018, found that its people are growing a bit cynical of GNH. “Bhutanese generally seem to derive happiness from the fact that, in a region beset by conflict, their country is at peace,” she wrote, noting that Bhutan’s last Gross National Happiness survey — conducted in 2015 — found that 8% of respondents were “deeply happy,” 35% “extensively happy” and 48% “narrowly happy.”

“If those numbers are anything to go by, Bhutan would actually be a ringing success — with more than 90% considering themselves ‘happy’ to one degree or another,” McCarthy wrote. “But with nearly half of the Bhutanese falling into the ‘narrowly happy’ camp, that’s a sizeable chunk who are well short of bliss. And that might mean that Bhutan is just about as content as the rest of us.”

But the government has made commendable efforts to make its citizens more content.

Education and health care services are free. Despite being on the U.N.’s list of “least devel-

12 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | JANUARY 2020

PHOTO: SUKET DEDHIA / PIXABAY

eracy rate is 75%. Annual percapita GDP has jumped from $400 in 1988 to about $3,100 today — more than twice the average for South Asia overall.

So while happiness is a nebulous concept, there is something to be said about Bhutan’s GNH philosophy and the four pillars on which it rests: good governance, equitable and sustainable development, preservation of culture and conservation of the environment.

FROM WILDERNESS TO WASHINGTON

PHOTO: SAURABH_DEL / PIXABAY

Bhutan has experienced annual GDP growth of 7.5% since the early 1980s, making it one of the fastestgrowing economies in the world. However, the government does not measure success by traditional indicators such as GDP but rather by its unique philosophy of Gross National Happiness, a holistic model that tries to gauge people’s well-being.

PHOTO: JAMESDALY1954 / PIXABAY

oped countries,” Bhutan plans to graduate from this status in 2023. It also ranks high in economic freedom, ease of doing business and transparency.

The World Bank notes that poverty in Bhutan has been cut by two-thirds over the last decade and the country has experienced annual GDP growth of 7.5% since the early 1980s, making it one of the

fastest growing economies in the world.

In addition to tourism, Bhutan’s major source of revenue is the sale of hydroelectric power to its energy-starved neighbor, India. At present, Bhutan generates about 1,500 megawatts of hydropower, a number likely to exceed 10,000 megawatts by 2020. India is also helping Bhutan build its first railroad

link to the outside world.

As a result, the country has experienced impressive progress (although it still must diversify away from its dependence on India). In 1982, a baby born in Bhutan could expect to live 43 years, and only 10% of its people could read or write.

These days, life expectancy stands at 66 years and the lit-

On that last point, environmentally conscious Bhutan, where plastic bags and cigarettes are both illegal, is in fact carbon-negative, absorbing more than 6 million tons of greenhouse gases annually but producing only 1.5 million tons. And the Bhutanese constitution requires that at least 60% of the country’s 14,824 square miles must remain under forest cover.

It’s an issue that’s deeply personal for the executive director of the Bhutan Foundation. A wildlife biologist by training, Wangchuk was previously the director of two national parks in Bhutan. He came to the United States to study at the University of Maryland in College Park and worked at California’s Yosemite and Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Parks during the summers. After graduating, he went on to earn a doctorate from the University of Montana; for his doctoral research in wildlife biology, he trekked the mountains of Bhutan collecting snow leopard scat for genetic analyses.

Wangchuk started advising the Bhutan Foundation on conservation issues and became its full-time executive director in early 2010. He’s also the first National Geographic Explorer from Bhutan and serves on the board of the

Snow Leopard Conservancy.

The foundation he runs employs 13 people — five here and eight in Thimphu, Bhutan’s tiny capital — and operates on an annual budget of $4 million. First located in Georgetown and then on Pennsylvania Avenue, it’s been at its current location for less than two years.

“Across the board, we work on capacitybuilding in various fields. We facilitate partnerships between U.S. and Bhutanese institutions,” he said. Current partnerships link Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., and the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Conn., with emergency room physicians at Thimphu’s main hospital.

Yet Bhutan maintains no official ties with the United States.

“Our policy has always been to start with our friends and neighbors first,” Wangchuk explained. “During the Cold War, we always remained non-aligned, avoiding relations with any of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. Later, we slowly began establishing relations with nearby countries, beginning with India and then Southeast Asia.”

While Bhutan is extremely close with India, the same can’t be said for its other large neighbor.

Wangchuk conceded that tensions with China have led to a “general paranoia” over the years. Those tensions stem from border disputes between the two countries and China’s 1959 invasion of Tibet, with which Bhutan shares strong cultural, historical and religious ties.

“We have two big neighbors, so there’s reason for us to be wary and paranoid,” he said. “That’s also why we joined the United Nations in 1971, because it was at the heels of all this going on.”

DARKER SIDE OF SHANGRI-LA

Like China, however, Bhutan has a spotty

ENGAGING AMERICANS

Bhutan at a Glance Independence Day Dec. 17, 1907 (became a unified kingdom under its first hereditary king) Location Southern Asia, between China and

Flag of Bhutan

India

Capital Thimphu Population 766,397 (July 2018 estimate) Ethnic groups Ngalop (also known as Bhote)

50%, ethnic Nepali 35% (predominantly Lhotshampas), indigenous or migrant tribes 15%

Religious groups Lamaistic Buddhist 75.3%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 22.1%, other 2.6% (2005 estimate)

GDP (purchasing power parity) $7 billion (2017 estimate)

human rights record, even though it officially became a democracy in 2008.

Since the early 1990s, according to Amnesty International, some 108,000 refugees of ethnic Nepalese origin — members of the Lhotshampa minority — have been living in squalid camps in eastern Nepal after they were “arbitrarily stripped of their nationality” and forced to flee Bhutan. These refugees — none of whom have been allowed to return — constitute about one-sixth of Bhutan’s population.

“The Bhutanese refugee situation has become one of the most protracted and neglected refugee crises in the world,” said the New Yorkbased NGO. “Despite many rounds of bilateral talks between the governments of Nepal and

GDP per-capita (PPP) $9,000 (2017 estimate) GDP growth 7.4 percent (2017 estimate) Unemployment 3.2 percent (2017 estimate) Population below poverty line 12 percent (2012 estimate)

Industries Cement, wood products, processed

fruits, alcoholic beverages, calcium carbide, tourism SOURCE: CIA WORLD FACTBOOK

Bhutan, a durable, rights-respecting solution to the plight of the Bhutanese refugees does not seem close. Amnesty International also remains concerned about continuing reports of discrimination against ethnic Nepalese living in Bhutan.”

After languishing in the camps for years or even decades, many Lhotshampa refugees were resettled in third countries, including the U.S. In fact, despite the lack of relations between Bhutan and the U.S., Bhutanese refugees have a sizable presence in America. Since 2008, over 76,000 Bhutanese refugees from Nepalese camps have come here to make a new life for themselves.

Not surprisingly, Wangchuk’s office prefers to highlight the more positive side of people-topeople contacts between Bhutan and the U.S., even though those interactions remain fairly limited.

In 2008, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival featured a Bhutanese temple built on the National Mall; after the event was over, the temple was donated to the University of Texas in El Paso.

In addition, every Labor Day weekend, a Bhutanese archery tournament takes place on the Baltimore estate of one of the foundation’s 19 board members. And in December, Bhutan’s mission to the U.N. in New York hosted a National Day reception.

In addition, many Bhutanese (including several of the country’s recent prime ministers) have studied at U.S. universities. One of them is Yeshey Tshogyal, who’s pursuing a double major in psychology and intercultural communications at New York’s Baruch College.

She told us that despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, both countries maintain informal contacts through their respective embassies in New Delhi. Yet she concedes that her native land is still virtually unknown to the vast majority of Americans.

“Bhutan is never mentioned in any American news channels or digital media platforms.

As a Bhutanese living in New York, I can’t count the number of times I’ve had to explain where my country is,” said the 23-year-old student. Nevertheless, she said “the U.S. and Bhutan are still capable of having significant interactions without formal relations, so I think we’re in no rush to establish ties.” WD Tel Aviv-based journalist Larry Luxner is news editor of The Washington Diplomat.

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JANUARY 2020 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 13

WD | Latin America

Women under Threat Political Instability, Entrenched Stereotypes Imperil Gender Equality Gains in Latin America

BY SARAH ALAOUI AND ANNA GAWEL

A

fter decades of colonialism and military coups, Latin America has made tremendous strides in ushering in democracy and economic reforms. But those gains have been imperiled by a global downturn in commodities, which had driven much of the recent economic growth in the region, and the current wave of protests raging in countries from Bolivia to Ecuador fueled by a deepening sense of inequality and mistrust of government.

The unrest has focused international attention on the fragility of Latin America’s economies and democratic institutions, even those once considered bedrocks of stability, such as Chile and Colombia (also see “Inequality, Corruption, Other Grievances Fuel Unrest Throughout Latin America” in the December 2019 issue).

But another important area of Latin American life is often overlooked: the progress — or lack thereof — of its women.

Many Latin American countries have a long history of male chauvinism, often called machismo, in which women are expected to take care of the home and be subservient to men. These patriarchal attitudes are still pervasive throughout the region and continue to hold millions of women back — preventing them from getting an education, joining the workforce, earning equal pay or holding top positions of power.

In recent years, governments across the region have adopted laws to increase the representation of women in politics, address gender-based violence and encourage more women to participate in the workforce.

But women’s gains are under constant threat not only because of the general instability that has wracked the region — from poverty and drug trafficking to the growing gap between rich and poor — but also because of the unique challenges that women face, from domestic violence to shouldering the burden of child care.

In light of this climate of uncertainty, the Organization of Women of the Americas

PHOTO: INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION OF WOMEN

From left, Permanent Representative of Paraguay to the Organization of American States (OAS) Elisa Ruiz Díaz; Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the OAS Montserrat Solano Carboni; Inter-American Commission of Women Executive Director Alejandra Mora Mora; Permanent Representative of Mexico to the OAS Luz Elena Baños Rivas; and Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the OAS Lou-Anne Gaylene Gilchrist headline the discussion “Women Diplomats in a Time of Uncertainty” at the OAS.

“

I come from Central America. Everybody knows that Latin America has the stereotype of machismo, but the region has progressed.

MARÍA DOLORES AGÜERO LARA

ambassador of Honduras to the United States

(OWA) — which is known for its fundraising work to support disadvantaged women and children in the Americas — hopes to educate the public on how gains made on issues affecting women are increasingly under threat.

On Nov. 18, OWA teamed up with the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM) of the Organization of American States for the discussion “Women Diplomats in a Time of Uncertainty: A Conversation with Permanent Representatives to the Organization of American States.”

CIM Executive Secretary Alejandra Mora Mora said that women are often placed in “the least relevant roles” in the diplomatic arena, where their unique perspectives are excluded from key decision-making negotiations in areas such as security, peacekeeping and jus-

14 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | JANUARY 2020

tice. This underrepresentation has a negative impact on policy development, particularly as it relates to issues that disproportionately affect women, including conflicts and natural disasters, climate change and poverty.

This inequality at the policy level often stems from deeply entrenched gender stereotypes.

Luz Elena Baños Rivas, Mexico’s permanent representative to the OAS, said that “cultural disdain” for women is still prevalent in her country, where there is a persistent belief that women do not have the same intellectual rigor as men. Despite the adoption of gender quotas for legislative candidates in some countries, these political mechanisms often cannot override the power of culture in discouraging women from running for office.

Lou-Anne Gaylene Gil-

”

christ, the permanent representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, used a simple example to show how cultural biases can subtly seep into a professional setting and undermine a woman’s authority.

“When I refer to my male colleagues, I use ‘your excellency’ — not ‘dear’ or ‘querido,’” she said, referring to Spanish term for “darling.” “These terms may facilitate rapprochement, but they have no place in a professional environment.”

While these kinds of patriarchal biases can make life harder for working women, at their worst, they foster a culture of gender violence. In 2017, at least 2,795 women were murdered because of their gender in 23 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.

These types of murders, known as femicide (the killing of a woman or girl on account of her gender, often at the hands of a man), are usually prosecuted as homicides. “This is a phenomenon that takes place in numerous Latin American countries and conveniently allows states to overlook the scale and gender component of the violence,” according to a 2015 report by the Inter-American Dialogue, which noted that more than half of the countries with the highest number of femicides are located in the Americas.

“In Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador and even countries like Argentina, one woman every day is killed because of her gender,” said Johanna Godoy Baily, regional director for Latin America at Gallup, in a SEE OAS • PAGE 16

JANUARY 2020 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 15

OAS CONTINUED • PAGE 14

March 8, 2018, brief for the polling organization. “Studies in Brazil show that one in three women have experienced a violent episode in the past year. In general, a ‘machismo’ mindset is still very present in most of the countries in this region.”

And one of the deadliest countries in the world to be a woman is Honduras, where poverty, drug trafficking and gang violence have prompted tens of thousands to flee the country. “[A] 2015 survey ranked it in the top five [deadliest] countries, with El Salvador and Syria. According to official statistics, 380 Honduran women were murdered last year (slightly fewer than in recent years), in a country with roughly the population of New York City. But no one believes the government’s numbers. The number of women who have ‘disappeared’ continues to rise,” wrote Sonia Nazario in the April 25, 2019, report “Someone Is Always Trying to Kill You” for The New York Times.

“Unlike in much of the world, where most murdered women are killed by their husbands, partners or family members, half in Honduras are killed by drug cartels and gangs. And the ways they are being killed — shot in the vagina, cut to bits with their parts distributed among various public places, strangled in front of their children, skinned alive — have women running for the border,” Nazario wrote.

María Dolores Agüero Lara is Honduras’s first female ambassador to the United States.

She joined her colleagues from Albania and Iceland for The Washington Diplomat’s latest Ambassador Insider Series (AIS) discussion, which looked at women in diplomacy.

PHOTO: DAVID DIAZ / PIXABAY

A woman stands by her market stall in Honduras, one of the deadliest countries in the world in which to be a woman.

At the Dec. 5 event held at 1331 Residences, Agüero acknowledged that Honduras has “a long way to go” in closing the gender gap.

“I come from Central America. Everybody knows that Latin America has the stereotype of machismo, but the region has progressed,” she said, noting that 40% of Honduran ministerial cabinet posts are filled by women — who are in charge of portfolios such as finance, trade and development, human rights and migration — while 58% of the staff in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are women.

As an anecdote, she recalled entering a U.N. negotiation in which the other nations’ teams consisted of mostly men, “who saw the table of Honduras with 80% of women. I was always very proud of that,” said Agüero, a former foreign minister whose own embassy is mostly

16 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | JANUARY 2020

staffed by women. “That example of commitment and results has definitely been inspiring to other women to get involved in decisionmaking.”

Indeed, Latin America has made significant progress at the governmental level. Some 19 countries across the region have adopted some form of legislative quotas for women, according to the World Bank. Four of these — Bolivia, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Mexico — are among the top 10 countries worldwide in female representation in national parliaments.

And in recent years, Latin America has elected more female presidents than any other part of the world. But these gains have not always trickled down to the masses.

While polling women in the region for Gallup, Godoy Baily recalled instances when “we

had to finish the interview suddenly because the man of the household would not allow his wife or girlfriend to be interviewed. We have had to interrupt interviews because the man of the household arrived after drinking alcohol and turned verbally violent toward the women in the house, and even toward the interviewers.”

Agüero acknowledged that gender violence is still an enormous problem in Honduras but said that her government is working to tackle the issue by, among other things, incorporating femicide into the criminal code. She also noted that Honduras is one of only five Latin American countries to join the U.N. Spotlight Initiative to Eliminate Violence against Women and Girls and that her government has adopted various local programs such as those designed to boost women’s access to heath care.

“With small initiatives, you change definitely attitudes,” she said.

But Agüero believes that changing attitudes starts at home. “In my personal experience, family makes a big difference,” she said, noting that her parents encouraged her and her sister to pursue an education and prioritize their career goals. “So policymaking is important. We are committed to that. But a lot has to do with changing attitudes in the society.”

Martha Bárcena Coqui, Mexico’s first female ambassador to the U.S., told us that one powerful change that has helped drastically improve women’s rights is simply being able to talk about women’s rights.

“It is no secret that women around the world, including notable thinkers, have historically faced a series of structural obstacles that are now identified and discussed publicly.

This has allowed societies around the world to understand the value of concepts such as feminism, gender equality or women’s empowerment, even when they were rarely discussed or even acknowledged more than 30 years ago SEE OAS • PAGE 39

Special Section of The Washington Diplomat

MANAGING EDITOR THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

ANNA GAWEL

Photography by Jessica Latos

Education has always been considered the key to a nation’s future success, but in a world united by globalization yet fractured by politics — one where technology is upending our traditional notion of what a 21st-century workforce looks like — education is in an unprecedented state of flux and transition.

At The Washington Diplomat, we are known for our bread and butter, which is analyzing world affairs and politics, ambassador interviews and covering the local diplomatic scene. But from our very beginning, we’ve also regularly featured education stories because we recognized the importance of education to virtually every field, whether it’s diplomacy, defense or business. And likewise, we’ve understood the enormous impact education has on everyone’s daily life at the local, national and international levels.

But over the last 25 years that our newspaper has been in existence, that impact has significantly grown and evolved. Now, smartphones have replaced the trapper keeper, we can talk to professors half a world away and even the jobs we know of today may be nonexistent or unrecognizable five years from now.

It’s a daunting time but also an exciting one.

GLOBAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE

t

On Nov. 12, The Washington Diplomat hosted its inaugural Global Education Conference (GEC) at the French Embassy to explore the latest trends and developments affecting international students, both here in the U.S. and abroad.

The all-day conference brought representatives from over three dozen embassies together with U.S. government officials, businesses, universities and other educational institutions to examine a variety of critical topics, including: visa and immigration issues; future learning trends such as artificial intelligence; lessons in leadership; 21st-century skills; women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math); and how embassies promote foreign exchange and study abroad programs.

The conference took place just before the Institute of International Education (IIE), in conjunction with the State Department, released its 2019 Open Doors report on international students and scholars.

The report showed that the number of international students in the United States hit an all-time high in the 2018-19 academic year, which marked the fourth year in a row with more than 1 million international students in the U.S.. According to data from the Department of Commerce, international students contributed $44.7 billion to the U.S. economy in 2018, an increase of 5.5% from the previous year.

For the 10th consecutive year, China remained the largest source of international students in the U.S., with 369,548 students studying here — a 1.7% increase from the previous year. India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Canada rounded out the top five.

A little over half of these students pursued STEM fields, and much of the growth in international education in the U.S. in recent years is due to policy changes that allow STEM students to remain in the U.S. for 36 months after completing their studies. The number of students enrolling for the first time at a U.S. institution in 2018-19 actually declined by 0.9%, a slight recovery from sharper declines the year before.

Meanwhile, over 340,000 U.S. students participated in study abroad programs, a 2.7% increase over the previous year, with Europe remaining most popular destination for American students.

The latest numbers illustrate both the enduring importance of international education as well as the complexities and changes taking place throughout the field — all of which was touched on by GEC speakers.

Featured are highlighted excerpts from the various discussions and speeches. To view more of the conference, visit https://bit.ly/2t2RU1S or like The Washington Diplomat on Facebook.

That’s why it’s important to talk not only about the revolutionary developments that are on the horizon, but also the real-world applications of innovations that are already fundamentally reshaping our lives.

And that’s why we’ve organized this event, to offer an eye-opening, exciting lineup of speakers and topics who can talk about the education issues that matter today, ranging from the current immigration climate, to the future impact of AI and STEM studies, to more traditional foreign exchange programs that are continually redefining global education as we know it.

AMBASSADOR OF FRANCE TO THE UNITED STATES

PHILIPPE ETIENNE France takes great pride in being one of the largest points of entry to Europe for American students, making it possible every year for nearly 20,000 young men and women to get a taste of Europe. But we also believe that it is essential for French students today to include in their curriculum exposure to American academic culture.

The French and the Americans have a long tradition of such exchange. La Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson discussed democracy, slavery and higher education in Monticello, and Alexis de Tocqueville was the best French student there ever was of American politics and democracy.

We live in a time of challenges. When doubts emerge, this is always a time to go back to the drawing board in the classroom. This is what France has been doing in the last few years — for example, by promoting programs that place students in community colleges.

At the same time, my country is engaging in a special effort to encourage our students to expose themselves to American education not only in its most prestigious schools, but also to explore academic paths less traveled to engage in programs which combine STEM disciplines and social sciences around, for example, sustainable development, smart cities, defense, security and intelligence, environmental sciences — all programs with possible extensions in public policymaking.

[The goal] is to build bridges across cultures and nations to make higher education accessible to all across borders and languages.

JANUARY 2020 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 17

WD |

Global Education Conference Over 1 million students studied in the United States last year, and that was our third consecutive year at over 1 million students, and it was a 1.5% increase over our previous year.

U.S. DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE

The United States has a tremendous capacity to offer a worldclass education from our 4,700 universities and colleges across the country, but we’re not taking this advantage for granted. As we face competition, the State Department is working harder than ever to recruit international students and help millions more students achieve their dream of studying in the United States.

FOR ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

CAROLINE CASAGRANDE

Why does the State Department spend so much time promoting student mobility? The benefits I think are very clear. As the top host of international students, America is very proud of our role in global higher education, helping to develop the next generation of leaders around the world.

We think businesses of the future need international understanding. American businesses benefit from these students studying in the United States. We also believe that advancements in science and technology are driven in no small part by having the best and brightest minds from around the world in our laboratories.

Our next generation of global leaders who understand the United States and appreciate American values like academic freedom and the rule of law, things that become part of your DNA in an American classroom, are also another important reason why we focus on international students — for those shared foreign policy goals.

DIRECTOR GENERAL AND DEAN THUNDERBIRD SCHOOL OF GLOBAL MANAGEMENT AT ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

DR. SANJEEV KHAGRAM

I’m of Indian descent. My great grandparents moved from Porbandar, India, which is where Gandhi was born, in the late 1800s, when we still had British colonial rule.

They moved to East Africa at the time — Kenya and Uganda — where Indian laborers were being brought to help build railroads. So my great grandparents moved to build the railroads in East Africa, and then became traders and merchants and entrepreneurs and businesspeople, and over the subsequent decades, became very wealthy, both in Kenya in Uganda.

By the time I was born, we were the 20th or so wealthiest families in Uganda, with sugar refineries and cotton ginneries and pharmaceuticals and insurance. In 1972, you might know there was a dictator named Idi Amin who was in power in Uganda, and my family along with 100,000 Asian-Indian families were expelled then. We lost everything … and went from being quite wealthy and powerful, having lots of opportunities, to having to leave overnight. We were given 48 hours to leave the country, our land was expropriated and bank accounts frozen.

We fled across the border to Kenya and then were taken out of East Africa by the International Rescue Committee to refugee camps in Italy. After quite a long time in those refugee camps, my parents were given the option of immigrating to the United States, U.K. or Canada, and they chose the United States, this great country of ours.

We flew into JFK on a wintry night in December — the first time we saw snow, the first time we experienced a North American Christmas — and we were welcomed by a wonderful family [with seven children of their own].

But in their great and wonderful hearts, they were able to take us in, a family of four.

As many of you know, the Fulbright Program is our flagship program, and it has produced unbelievable results. Since 1946, 390,000 people have earned the title Fulbrighter in more than 160 countries, and I don’t think any other program in the world can boast among its alumni 60 Nobel Prize winners, 37 heads of state, 72 MacArthur Foundation fellows and 86 Pulitzer Prize winners.

And while we gladly take credit for these Fulbright scholars, we rely very much on our international and bilateral partnerships to make this program a success. More than 100 countries contribute financially or in-kind to the Fulbright Program.

The assistant secretary and I have been traveling extensively, meeting with foreign governments, higher education institutions and students to let the message be known that the United States welcomes international students. I’ve just returned from China and earlier this year I was in India, Australia, Indonesia, Colombia and the Bahamas, and next month I’ll be in Europe conveying this message.

I can say that this administration this year has invested more in international education and international student recruitment than any other administration in history.

At the White House two weeks ago, President Trump reiterated this commitment and welcomed multicultural international students when he said, “Our universities are available. The world comes in. They use our universities. We have the greatest system in the world.”

really is remarkable how few get access to that level of quality.

I was always increasingly frustrated by higher education institutions in the United States and around the world because I thought that we were just not inclusive or innovative enough to have an impact at a global scale.

And going back to my personal story, I just knew that we could do better.

And so that really is part of my journey to ASU and Thunderbird — the number-one university for innovation and the number-one school for global leadership and management. What a great combination.

Thunderbird is the jewel in our crown.

Borders frequented by trade rarely need soldiers, and that was the founding principle of Thunderbird.

I’ve traveled now to 48 countries over the last 16 months in our mission to truly be a global institution, and everyone I meet knows about Thunderbird.

We have 45,000 alumni in 140 countries around the world. We brought the world to Thunderbird. It’s really remarkable to think that out in Glendale, Arizona, of all places, we had 45,000 international alumni come and go.

The university is now the top choice for international students. We hosted more international students than any other public university in the U.S. for the last three consecutive years — 13,000 international students in 2016-17; students from more than 130 countries around the world.

And this has all happened over the last 15 years and shows the kind of transformation that’s possible in higher education.

They put my sister and I into schools. They helped my father and mother get jobs…. And that’s where the next part of our journey began.

We measure ourselves by who we improve and not by who we exclude, and that’s a very powerful premise and one that’s so relevant to my own personal story.

But I never realized how exclusive and privileged that education was. It

And I really believe that global education is so critical to expressing that generosity.

I went to school in New Jersey … and started my first company when I was 13. By the time I graduated from high school, I was running a chain of gift stores in hotels — five of them. I was lucky enough to get a Fulbright Scholarship to Stanford, went out there during the Silicon Valley boom in the mid-1980s and had a wonderful education.

18 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | JANUARY 2020

What has always made the United States such a special place is that we welcome people from all over the world and give people a second chance, or a third chance. And for me, that great spirit of generosity is what makes us truly a great country.

Global Education Conference

PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT AND FOREIGN SERVICE

DIRECTOR OF WORLDWIDE EDUCATION PROGRAMS

ANTHONY CLARK AREND

KEN EISNER

People may have certain innate qualities that make them inclined to be good leaders, but leaders need to be trained, leaders need to be educated.

Cloud computing has been the number-one LinkedIn skill for four years in a row. Does education move at the speed of the cloud?

Ethics is another way in which we train leaders.

I see the future of learning as being heavily career-aligned. The second thing about the future of learning is that it needs to be hands-on.

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

WD

AMAZON WEB SERVICES (AWS)

Modeling is one of the best ways to understand and learn about leadership is to see what successful leaders have done, when they have achieved something and when they have failed.

Are we encouraging failure and risk-taking, or are we being punitive inside the classroom?

Everyone operates out of a certain ethical framework of what they believe to be good, what they believe to be just and what they believe to be right. And one thing we want our students to do is to better think through their own framework.

What is it that they believe? How does the student choose between competing goods, and competing bads? How will the student go about making decisions when there is no good decision?

Amazon is not hiring people with purely theoretical skills. Even Ph.D.s, we want them to have applied behavior around skills.

The goal is to make people better leaders, meaning to equip them to do no less than change the world. Because after all, that’s what leadership is about, whether it’s in the private sector, public sector or nonprofit sector. It is about changing the world for the better.

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The future of learning also involves new competencies. Some of these new competencies that we find important are: dealing with ambiguity. Jobs change. Industries change at rapid speed.

Are we preparing students to be ready for this ambiguous world?

I have to retrain people when they come into my team constantly to be comfortable and deal with ambiguity. When an interviewer comes into my office and I ask them what questions do they have, one of the first ones is generally, “What’s your average day like?” They haven’t studied Amazon deeply enough.

Things change too rapidly. There is no average day at Amazon.

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JANUARY 2020 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 19

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Global Education Conference

PANEL

The Ins and Outs of Student Visas

DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL SERVICES OFFICE

VISA POLICY ANALYST

THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

JENNIFER DONAGHUE

LAUREN ARMENISE We actively do campaigns where we’re overseas trying to explain to foreign students, before they even start the process of applying for visas, how the process is, make them comfortable with what’s going to happen and try to demystify the process. I think there are a lot of unfortunately unscrupulous third parties who are very active in the student visa process overseas in any country, and so we’re really trying to send our people out in the field and work directly with international students to let them know the correct information about the fees, the interviews, etc.

International students bring diversity to our campus, crosscultural exchange, global learning and global interactions. We are trying to increase study abroad, but traditionally there’s a certain contingent of students who go abroad and a certain contingent that doesn’t, so we’re importing international students so that they can have those global conversations in the classroom.

The other piece is that international students bring in revenue to an institution; they often pay full price. And as you may often see, the sticker price of an institution changes from what American students are getting — they’re getting financial aid, they’re getting scholarships, they’re getting some sort of extra revenue that offsets what the family actually pays. Our international students aren’t getting that financial aid, they may or may not get a scholarship or a grant to a university, so they’re paying full cost, which allows American students to go to college. So that brings forward this need and reliance on international students in higher ed.

It’s becoming more challenging … with the overall trend of 2016, 2017 and the rhetoric that was being spread was kind of rejectionist to certain countries, making it difficult for recruitment in those particular areas. China is one of our top-sending countries at GW. We have over 4,000 international students. About half of that is from China, so if we were to lose our Chinese international students, it would be catastrophic for our institution. So, it was great to hear [from the State Department] that we are working to keep our relations with China strong, especially around international education.

20 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | JANUARY 2020

A lot of students are seeking third-party advice and paying thousands of dollars to a person who has provided them with extremely robotic answers, like here are the 10 questions you’re going to be asked and this is the exact answer you’re going to say. That is not what we want.

I remember doing interviews with students in Kolkata, India, and trying to snap them out of the robotic answers and say, “No, no, please you don’t need to keep on the script. I just really want to hear from you. Why did you decide on this program? What did you find interesting about it? Tell me why you’re going to such and such city in the United States? What do you know about it?”

An extremely common myth … is that if you didn’t get into Harvard or Yale, that we’re not going to approve your student visa. That’s absolutely not the case.

The visa interview focuses much less on the specific university and much more on the prospective student’s plans. So credibility and the ability to explain why they chose the institution, their familiarity with the program they chose, that’s much, much more important than the actual school.

Our main goal is to identify those legitimate students, which are the absolute vast majority of applicants, and send them through to the United States as fast as we can.

The actual interview and printing of the visa is quite quick. We could do that in a matter of days. The problem is that we have very long wait times sometimes for the actual appointment, so our website, travel.state.gov, has the current visa wait times for every consulate in the world…. We would encourage people too though to take advantage of contacting us and requesting expedited appointments if they need them.

One of my most important messages is that we issue the vast majority of student visas and exchange visitor visas … over 74% of student visa applicants and more than 92% of exchange visitor applicants, so we absolutely recognize the benefit those individuals are bringing to the country.

Global Education Conference

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WD

The Future of Education

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

JULIE GREENWOOD Access is an important thing that we do. We have over 200 degree programs, and over 55,000 students online, and we expect to exceed 100,000 students by 2025. So how do we do that and what are some of the innovations? And I think corporate partnerships are a big part of that.

You’ve probably heard about Uber and you’ve heard about Starbucks — these are partnerships that we’ve developed to allow employees of those companies to use an education benefit where they can get an undergraduate degree at Arizona State completely for free.

Over 36 million individuals in the United States that have attempted higher education did not complete their degree, so this is a large majority of the ASU online population.

The future of education is going to be personalized.

In the classroom, we’re finding that many students are having a difficult time completing some of the basic math courses, algebra courses for example, that are pathways to the degree and career opportunities that the student would like to obtain.

So at ASU, we’re no longer blaming the student for that. That’s our responsibility for the students to be successful in our courses. And so we’ve taken on redesign efforts. We’re partnering with some of our corporate partners such as McGraw-Hill Education, and we’re using an adaptive platform called ALEKS, which uses artificial intelligence to provide each student a personalized path with the support they need to be successful within college algebra.

The expectation is that the need for access to higher education will probably increase to over 400 million individuals over the next 25 years. A big part of our goal is not only to provide access to ASU, but also to support other institutions in terms of implementing models that will provide global access, not only within the states but around the world. And certainly corporate partnerships are an important part of that.

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY LEADER IBM CORPORATION

JEFF WEST At IBM, we believe that 100% of jobs are going to be impacted and changed by AI ... but we also think that it’s going to create more jobs than it actually does replace. I think that’s the most important thing to focus on. A lot of these jobs do not exist yet. We don’t know what they’re going to look like, but we are very confident in saying that they will.

So we believe, as a global company that’s partly responsible for helping to drive that change, that we’re also responsible for investing in solutions to educate professionals entering the workforce and also to help reskill mid-career professionals.

I think this is the first time on record that we have more jobs in the U.S. than we have unemployed active job-seekers. And right now, there are more technology jobs than we can fill.

At IBM what we really try to stress is skills and not really degrees. We know that a lot of these jobs in the technology sector can be filled by people who don’t necessarily have to have a four-year degree. So we’re partnering with community colleges, with school districts, with over 600 corporate partners to build these [IT training] programs.

PANEL

EDPLUS VICE DEAN FOR EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES

DIRECTOR OF EXECUTIVE EDUCATION & COACHING GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC LEADERSHIP

INA GJIKONDI The French philosopher Voltaire said, ‘Judge a person by the questions they ask, not by the answers they’re giving you.’ So that’s the way we look at education, that’s the way I think the world is going toward more complex problems.

JANUARY 2020 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 21

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Global Education Conference

SENIOR FELLOW COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

Women and STEM

MEIGHAN STONE

There are over 100 countries in the world that have some sort of legal restriction that’s gender-based about what kinds of jobs women can hold. If a woman wants to start a company in a lot of countries, she still needs her husband or male guardian’s permission to do things like get a business license or open a banking account.

So it’s not enough to say, “You go girl. You go start your entrepreneurship. Go learn to code.” They’re like, “Hey, I need capital.

I need thoughtful training that’s going to help me run a business in a real way.”

I think part of that also gets to how we structure U.S. foreign aid. We still give so much money through USAID to contractors and not enough money to local organizations led by women themselves.

We also need to measure inputs and outputs. Right now, the U.S. government doesn’t really even know how much we spend in total across all of our aid programs…. So sometimes we give pep talks, but is it working or not? The same kind of thoughtfulness that we would apply for creating a dating app in the United States — it’s more investment, more testing and analysis than most tech experiments do in developing countries. So why don’t we have the same level of excellence and scrutiny that we would have for other tech ideas?

I have to give a shout-out to Congress because even though President Trump has proposed a number of cuts, they’ve always been saved, and not because of one side of the aisle or the other, but because there’s strong bipartisan, bicameral leadership who believes that foreign aid makes for a better, safer world for all of us and is a worthy way for us to spend our money.

We have to deal with today and the future, and I feel like that’s what we need to do for girls’ education. We can’t keep training girls in developing countries and economies with skills that are in no way going to empower them to have jobs in the next several years.

PANEL

If you’re not training girls to be part of a modern digital economy, they are basically guaranteed to be left behind.

We’re already seeing this not just in jobs like robotics, but we’re seeing automation that is upending industries like textiles.

So talking about the future can sound far away. This is not far away. Automation and the digital economy, it’s here now.

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL VISITORS

TETA MOEHS

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY FELLOW AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE (AAAS)

KATE FURBY

I always thought that to be a scientist, you to be the valedictorian or super-good in math, and so I was excited to learn as an adult that science could be more about exploring and that’s what drew me in.

22 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | JANUARY 2020

Since 2011, we’ve had over 600 participants [in the TechWomen program] come to the San Francisco Bay and Silicon Valley area for four weeks and then come to Washington and work with mentors. What it does is empowers people who are already working in STEM to exchange information, learn new skills, learn how to do pitches and go beyond your comfort zones.

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The Embassy Perspective

HIGHER EDUCATION OFFICER

DIRECTOR

EMBASSY OF CHINA

EMBASSY OF FRANCE

SAUDI ARABIAN CULTURAL MISSION

XINYU YANG

MICHAEL VALLEE

NAHLAH AL-JUBEIR

This year we’re celebrating 40 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

We’re also celebrating 40 years of student exchange. It’s really played an important and positive role in the bilateral relationship.

If [French] students do not come here within a study abroad program, one of the challenges for example is the cost of U.S. institutions. As we all know, the cost of U.S. institutions can be $60,000 or $70,000 a year for a bachelor’s degree. In France, education is almost free, so for example, you might end up paying only $200 or a BA or $300 for an MA.

We encourage [Saudi students], while they are in the United States, to do internships or postgraduation training so not only will they have been exposed to the academic life through the universities and have been exposed to the cultural side through interactions with the communities, we want them to go into the business world to interact with people on a professional basis. We want them to go home and … have acquired or at least understand the way Americans do business.

The U.S. ambassador to China just published an article talking about how America welcomes Chinese students, and he said there was no change in U.S. visa policy.

But there are cases [of denied visas]. Even though the number is not many, a few created an atmosphere that students might not be welcome and the parents are worried about, “Why should I send to an America that doesn’t welcome my kids?” So this has created some fear.

China is actually the third destination now for international students.

The number of American students in China actually decreased last year by 12%, which we really don’t like to see. So my office here at the embassy, we try to work very hard to attract more U.S. citizens to study in China.

Another challenge is the way culturally that French people interact is different, too.

American people are usually more free about their emotions and feelings, the way they talk about themselves, the way they see themselves, and French people are usually more reserved, so those cultural differences can impact learning in the classroom.

PANEL

MINISTER COUNSELOR

We also want them to interact on those three levels with the host countries so that the know who we as Saudis are — not what you see in the media and the stereotypes, but actually who we are and that we are just like anybody else. We have the same hopes and dreams.

We also welcome students to come to our country, experience with us the changes that we’re undergoing and hopefully have a positive experience.

Whether it’s to our country or to China or to France or to any other country, I would say if somebody has the opportunity to study abroad, don’t pass it up.

JANUARY 2020 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 23

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Global Education Conference

Victor Shiblie, publisher of The Washington Diplomat, right, shares a laugh with French Ambassador Philippe Etienne.

Rachel Shaw and Steve Romano of Cigna.

Joann Ng-Hartmann and former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Esther Brimmer, both now with NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

Karine Médecin, deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of Monaco, Nicholas Hurtado of the Embassy of El Salvador and Jennifer Simpson of the International Student House-Washington, D.C. Former U.S. Deputy Chief of Protocol Lawrence Dunham and Manal Elmenshawy of the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission.

At left, Jason Vokral of International University Alliance/Shorelight; Shelley Landry of Shorelight; Gabrielle Grubka of the Embassy of Canada; and Kira Vikman of the Embassy of Finland.

At right, Inad Abdou of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Mamotebang Nkeane of the Embassy of Lesotho and Elodie Shami of the Embassy of Rwanda.

Vladislav Nastas of the Embassy of Moldova, Ursula McNamara and Maia Robakidze, both of the InterContinental Washington D.C. – The Wharf.

PHOTOS

by Jessica Latos

Jay Thorne of Arizona State University and Dr. Sanjeev Khagram, Director General and Dean of the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University.

Ewelina Tunia of the Embassy of Poland and Ugo Della Croce of the Embassy of Italy.

Neil Parsan, former ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago, seated, talks with a guest.

Stacey Bustillos from Northern Virginia Community College speaks to an attendee.

Lauren Armenise of the State Department and Mahamat Allamine of the Embassy of Chad.

24 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | JANUARY 2020

Steve Romano of Cigna; Taweel Tawil of Sahouri Insurance; Ali Almayahi of the Embassy of Iraq; Amir Aziz of Cigna; and Mohamed Makhani of Cigna.

Mindy Corriher and Kopphorn Persse of American University ELTA.

Alexander Shkut of the Belarus Liberal Democratic Party and Arthur HallettWest of Georgetown University.

Ian Piper of the British International School of Washington talks with Fuad Shiblie of The Washington Diplomat.

Retired U.S. Ambassador Edward O’Donnell of the McCain Institute, left, and Luke Knittig of the McCain Institute.

Ciro Argentino of the Embassy of Italy and Mahamat Allamine of the Embassy of Chad.

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At right, Sam Hale from the Miller School of Albemarle talks to an attendee.

Asel Yusupova of the Embassy of Kyrgyzstan and Jan Du Plain of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.

Maria Vicuna and Luis Chang of PromPerĂş Houston.

At right, Aristides Adriano of the Embassy of Mozambique talks with Taweel Tawil of Sahouri Insurance.

At right, Christina Fuernschlief of the Embassy of Austria, Yang Cheng and Tania Wei, both from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO).

Taras Moskalenko and George Dubynskyi, both from the Embassy of Ukraine.

Maria de Lourdes Dieck-Assad of the University of Miami and Fernando Valenzuela of the Aspen Institute Mexico.

At right, Emmanuel Guerrier and Ashleigh Bowers, both from the McCain Institute.

Vera Luxner of Children’s National talks with guests.

Jan Du Plain of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Popy Rufaidah of the Embassy of Indonesia and Vladislav Nastas of the Embassy of Moldova.

Amy Rutherford, Alex Smith and Patrick Holden, all from Education New Zealand.

Ariel Miller and Silvia McLeod, both from the Oneness-Family Montessori School.

Xinyu Yang and Ying Zou, both from the Embassy of China.

Karen Sykes of Goucher College talks with Jennifer Donaghue of The George Washington University.

Lotte Vanharen of the Embassy of Belgium and Alyse Harris of APCO Worldwide.

Marcel Bolintiam and Regan Carver, both from the Georgetown University English Language Center.

Dalit Parsser of the Embassy of Israel and Keletso Brenda Dijeng of the Embassy of Botswana.

Victor Caro and Adriana Carvajalino, both from the Embassy of Colombia.

JANUARY 2020 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 25

The Washington Diplomat

Global Education Conference

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

To participate in future Global Education Conferences, call 301-933-3552 or email events@washdiplomat.com

Salisbury University Academic excellence. National recognition. Ideal setting.

Part of the University System of Maryland, Salisbury offers an authentic American experience and a diverse, studentcentered campus known for its smallschool feel. Some 8,700 students from 32 states and 66 countries enjoy support from outstanding faculty mentors and friendly, helpful staff.

Innovative Facilities

Academic Excellence

Beautiful Campus

The campus has opened over $350 million in new, cutting-edge facilities in recent years, including an Academic Commons, Perdue Hall and a medical simulation center. An English Language Institute offers comprehensive programs for non-native speakers.

Located in a small city on Maryland’s scenic Eastern Shore, SU is just 30 minutes from Atlantic beaches and 2.5 hours from Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia.

With 60 graduate and undergraduate programs, SU has majors in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields and is home to the AACSB internationally accredited Perdue School of Business.

For information, contact Agata Liszkowska in the Center for International Education: axliszkowska@salisbury.edu 410-677-5495

National Recognition

SU consistently ranks among the nation’s best in The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report.

To find out more, visit www.salisbury.edu

A Maryland University of National Distinction 26 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | JANUARY 2020

Culture arts & entertainment art

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diplomatic spouses

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theater

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photography

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music

The Washington Diplomat | January 2020

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history

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dining

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film

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events

HISTORY

Precious Cargo: America’s Couriers “None Swifter Than These” at the National Postal Mu-

seum looks at how the U.S. Diplomatic Courier Service

carries the sensitive materi-

als, equipment and information that have made diplo-

macy possible over the last century. PAGE 29

ART

Power of Pastel Pliable, practical and eye-popping, pastel can deliver color,

texture and line —

and is the subject of a new exhibition at

the National Gallery

of Art that gives the underappreciated medium the deep survey it deserves. PAGE 30

SCULPTURE

Carving Out Quiet Time In a ring of sculptures crafted from steel and stone, Korean artist Lee Ufan has created a rare place of quiet contemplation on the Na-

tional Mall, halfway between the warring factions in the White House and Capitol. PAGE 31

DUCHAMP OBJECTS ART

At its heart, is art an object or an idea? For centuries, art was defined as an object.

But what happens when a porcelain urinal or a wood hat rack (seen above) become art simply because the artist says so? That shocking (and confusing) break from artistic tradition began with Marcel Duchamp, whose long career arced across various art movements without fully embracing any of them. PAGE 28

CREDIT: HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN, D.C.; PHOTO: CATHY CARVER© ASSOCIATION MARCEL DUCHAMP / ADAGP, PARIS / ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK 2019

JANUARY 2020 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 27

WD | Culture | Art

Confusing Objectives Marcel Duchamp Bucked Tradition, Blurred Lines with His Conceptual Art, Found Objects •

Marcel Duchamp: The Barbara and Aaron Levine Collection THROUGH OCT. 15, 2020

HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN INDEPENDENCE AVENUE AND 7TH STREET, SW

(202) 633-1000

| WWW.HIRSHHORN.SI.EDU

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BY BRENDAN L. SMITH

The Hirshhorn Museum explores deeply into the enduring, confounding legacy of FrenchAmerican artist Marcel Duchamp with works such as “Comb (Peigne),” at left, “With Hidden Noise (À bruit secret),” bottom left, and “Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 (Nu descendant un escalier n° 2),” bottom right.

or centuries, art was defined as an object — the prehistoric Lascaux cave wall paintings in France, Michelangelo’s soaring Sistine Chapel ceiling or Van Gogh’s vibrantly bright sunflower paintings.

But what happens when a porcelain urinal or a wood hat rack or a steel comb become art simply because the artist says it is so? That shocking (and confusing) break from long-held artistic traditions began PHOTO: LEE STALSWORTH with Marcel Duchamp, whose long career arced across various art movements without fully embracing any of Duchamp’s readymades bethem. His “readymades” — everyday mass-produced came influential for testing the products that became art if you let them — influenced bounds of art, or “anti-art” as it CREDIT: HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN, D.C.; PHOTO: CATHY CARVER generations of artists through the birth of conceptual © ASSOCIATION MARCEL DUCHAMP / ADAGP, PARIS / ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NY 2019 was championed by Duchamp and art and the use of utilitarian found the Dada movement. “My idea was to choose objects. an object that wouldn’t attract me either by its Throughout his career spanbeauty or its ugliness, to find a point of indifning more than 50 years, Duchamp ference in my looking at it,” Duchamp said in reveled in confusing people, often a 1966 BBC interview. “It’s hard and difficult leaving viewers floundering to find when after a while it becomes very interesting some meaning in his work or anand you can like it, and the minute I liked it, I gry that it didn’t make sense. The would discard it.”

French-American artist dodged The Hirshhorn exhibition features several and weaved, contradicting himself readymades, including 1964 editions of Duchwhile tossing puns into artwork amp’s 1916 “Comb (Peigne)” and his 1917 “Hat titles. In Duchamp’s world, you find Rack (Porte-chapeaux).” These later editions your own meaning or nothing at all. make the definition of art, or anti-art, even blurThe Hirshhorn Museum exrier when it comes to readymades. Is an edition plores Duchamp’s legacy in “Marof eight hat racks that Duchamp deemed to be cel Duchamp: The Barbara and art in 1964 any different from the original hat Aaron Levine Collection” featurrack in 1917, other than the price tag attached ing more than 35 readymades, by the art world? What if it was an edition of paintings, sketches and other work 1,000 hat racks? Does the number make them

by Duchamp that were gifted to less important even if they are all still just identhe museum by the Levines. The Hirshhorn, which previously had only one work by tical hat racks? What if Duchamp bought a facDuchamp, now ranks among the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Museum of tory and cranked out thousands of hat racks Modern Art with prominent public collections of Duchamp’s work. The Levine collecand sold them all at a mark-up after saying they tion, acquired over more than two decades, also includes letters and working notes by were art? When does the idea of art as an idea Duchamp along with portraits of him by Man Ray, Diane Arbus and others. reach the preposterous or absurd? I think Duchamp would have laughed at the questions.

Duchamp’s career wasn’t always illustrious and was shaped by some early rejections Unlike some artists who produce the same body of work for their entire careers, Duthat made him suspicious of the egotistical and commercial trappings of the art world. champ kept pushing forward, experimenting with optical art in his Rotoreliefs, disks with Born in France in 1887, Duchamp was embarrassed when he was asked to remove his colorful spiraling designs that created spinning optical illusions. He collaborated with Cubist-inspired painting “Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2” from the Salon des In- May Ray on a 1926 film titled “Anemic Cinema” featuring the spinning disks. dépendants in Paris in 1912. The organizers didn’t think the repetitive fractured bodies In the 1920s, Duchamp abandoned painting and slowly withdrew from the art world that shift fluidly into each other really looked like a nude descending a staircase because to play chess, which he said “has all the beauty of art” but is “purer than art in its social it didn’t fit their tradition-bound representational view of painting. But when the work position” because it can’t be commercialized. However, he kept making art in private and was shown a year later in the influential Armory Show in New York, the controversy later emerged into the spotlight as his work gained prominence and influence in other surrounding it cemented Duchamp’s reputation as an iconoclastic provocateur. A 1937 artists’ work, such as Robert Rauschenberg’s “combines” and Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s collotype of the original oil painting is featured in the Hirshhorn exhibition.

Soup cans. But through it all, Duchamp was still ambivalent about art to the very end.

After moving to New York in 1915 to avoid World War I, Duchamp tested the com“I don’t care about the word ‘art’ because it’s been so discredited. I really want to get mitment of the newly established Society of Independent Artists to show any work in a rid of it. There is really this unnecessary adoration of art today,” he said in a 1966 BBC jury-free exhibition in 1917. Duchamp, who helped organize the show, anonymously interview two years before his death. “This is a difficult position because I’ve been in it submitted a porcelain urinal titled “Fountain” that was signed “R. Mutt” after he bought all the time, but I still want to get rid of it. I cannot explain everything I do because I do it from J.L. Mott Iron Works in Manhattan. It also was a step over the line for the exhibi- things or people do things and don’t know why they do it.” WD tion leaders, who broke their own rules and hid the urinal behind a partition, prompting Duchamp to quit from the society in disgust. The original “Fountain” was lost but a pho- Brendan L. Smith (www.brendanlsmith.com) is a contributing writer tograph by Alfred Stieglitz was featured at the time in “The Blind Man No. 2” journal, a for The Washington Diplomat and a mixed-media artist and curator in the D.C. area (www.brendanlsmithart.com). copy of which is on view at the Hirshhorn.

28 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | JANUARY 2020

History | Culture | WD

Delivering on Diplomacy Exhibit Reveals Little-Known but Vital Work of Diplomatic Couriers •

BY KATE OCZYPOK AND ANNA GAWEL

None Swifter Than These: 100 Years of Diplomatic Couriers THROUGH JAN. 26

NATIONAL POSTAL MUSEUM 2 MASSACHUSETTS AVE., NE

(202) 633-1000

| WWW.POSTALMUSEUM.SI.EDU

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mail might dominate our day, but mail — the old-fashioned kind — has always been, and will continue to be, an integral part of our lives, whether it’s in the form of a letter from a loved one fighting on the front in World War II or an Amazon package with the latest tech gadget at your doorstep for the holidays.

Diplomacy is no different, except that it relies on an exclusive cadre of couriers to transport and safeguard some of America’s most important secrets — a service that has endured for over a century through wartime, peacetime and even the advent of the inbox.

“None Swifter Than These: 100 Years of Diplomatic Couriers” at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum, developed by the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, looks at how the U.S. Diplomatic Courier Service carries the sensitive materials, equipment and information that make diplomacy possible.

The title of the exhibit is derived from the Greek historian Herodotus, who coined the phrase “none swifter than these” to pay homage to ancient Persian messengers who were known for their speed and reliability.

The U.S. Diplomatic Courier Service has its own storied and unique history, dating back to December 1918, when the U.S. Army courier detachment (dubbed the “Silver Greyhounds”) was established at the U.S. Embassy in Paris to support the American Commission to Negotiate Peace at the end of World War I. This handpicked group of Army messengers traveled by car, motorcycle, biplanes, trains, ships, horses, bicycles and on foot to carry diplomatic pouches across war-torn Europe and into Bolshevik Russia.

Today, 100 badged diplomatic couriers from the State Department use more modernday modes transport to whisk classified equipment and documents to nearly every nation where U.S. diplomats work, crisscrossing the globe and troubleshooting problems to ensure that complex logistical supply chains run smoothly.

Despite the vital role these couriers play, many Americans are unaware of their existence. The exhibit at the National Postal Museum (another hidden gem that many locals are unaware of, even though it boasts one of the largest stamp collections in the world) sheds light on this critical — and at times dangerous — profession.

The exhibit was inspired by papers and artifacts belonging to Maj. Amos J. Peaslee, who was originally tasked with dispatching the Silver Greyhounds across Europe during World War I. “In April 2018, the family of Major Peaslee donated his papers and artifacts to the U.S. Department of State. Many of the pieces in the Peaslee collection originated in Paris a century ago and traveled across Europe,” according to the State Department.

The display showcases Peaslee’s personal, engraved copy of the Treaty of Versailles, as well as historic photos and travel documents from throughout his career (including items from his time in Russia during the Russian Revolution).

Russia played an important role in expanding the Diplomatic Courier Service, as mistrust between Western and communist nations rose during the Cold War, prompting the need for more covert communications. In fact, diplomatic couriers were among the few Americans who regularly ventured behind the Iron Curtain.

“During the final decade of the Cold War, the courier workload began shifting from

PHOTOS: NATIONAL POSTAL MUSEUM

“None Swifter Than These” at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum looks at how the U.S. Diplomatic Courier Service has carried the sensitive materials, equipment and information that have made diplomacy possible for the last century.

documents to cargo shipments as a result of discoveries of listening devices at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow,” according to the State Department. This meant that even materials as large as concrete pillars were sometimes sent via classified diplomatic pouches to ensure that construction materials were secure. “The listening devices on display at the museum illustrate Soviet techniques to embed surveillance equipment into the very fabric of diplomatic buildings during the Cold War,” according to the department.

This includes one of at least 16 “bugged” IBM Selectric typewriters discovered in the U.S. Embassy in the Soviet Union in the early 1980s, as well as a carved Great Seal of the United States presented by Soviet officials to the U.S. ambassador in Moscow in 1948. It hung in the ambassador’s residential study until 1952, when a security sweep revealed a cavity resonator microphone embedded in the center of the seal.

In another fascinating historical tidbit, comedian Harpo Marx was tapped to become a secret diplomatic courier in 1933 during a six-week goodwill tour of the Soviet Union, where he ferreted confidential messages taped tightly to his leg back to the U.S. Given the secrecy surrounding their work, diplomatic couriers in the 1950s and ’60s were portrayed as debonair jet-setters and rugged loners in movies and television shows.

Actor Cesar Romero played a diplomatic courier in the 1950s TV series “Passport to Danger.”

But beneath this adventurous, globetrotting image, diplomatic couriers face very real dangers.

Six diplomatic couriers have died in plane crashes over the past century. The first courier, James N. Wright, died in 1943 aboard an aircraft that crashed in Portugal — his diplomatic briefcase reportedly still handcuffed to his wrist. More recently, in 2008, Andy Perez was on a plane that crashed at the end of a runway in Brussels with 4,000 kilograms of regional classified material bound for Manama on board.

But these diplomatic deliveries also save lives, particularly in today’s age of global terrorism, wrote James B. Angell, a veteran courier, in the November 2018 issue of The Foreign Service Journal.

“After the Paris attacks on Nov. 13, 2015, a Diplomatic Courier Service team worked late into the evening and over the weekend to transport critical shipments to France….

Just a week later, terrorists attacked a hotel in Bamako, Mali, killing 20 people. Once SEE COUR IER S • PAGE 33 JANUARY 2020 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 29

WD | Culture | Art

Delicate ‘Touch’ National Gallery Surveys Use of Pastels to Create Soft Yet Stunning Works •

BY MACKENZIE WEINGER

The Touch of Color: Pastels at the National Gallery of Art THROUGH JAN. 26

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

ON THE NATIONAL MALL BETWEEN 3RD AND 9TH STREETS AT CONSTITUTION AVENUE, NW

(202) 737-4215

| WWW.NGA.GOV

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new exhibition at the National Gallery of Art gives an underappreciated medium the deep survey it deserves.

“The Touch of Color: Pastels at the National Gallery of Art” offers a broad, but intimate, look at the material’s use since the Renaissance to the present day. Pliable, practical and eye-popping, pastel can deliver color, texture and line. It also makes works that are extremely delicate, soft yet powerful — and this show features several pieces that have not been shown in decades, according to curator Stacey Sell.

“They often are too fragile to go out on loans, so the fact that we have a broad enough collection that we can show the whole history of pastel, we’re really lucky,” she told The Washington Diplomat. “Every major period is represented in this exhibition. And you can see how differently artists chose to use it.

“Artists have considered them paintings at some times in history, and drawings at some times,” Sell added. “We tend to think of a pastel as a drawing, but during the 18th century, finished pastels were considered paintings and they’re almost always done on paper, which is then glued to a canvas, just like an oil painting. Pastel is so velvety and soft — you always want to touch it.”

While that is definitely not advised, one recommendation Sell does have is to start your tour in the middle of the show. The exhibition is best appreciated by understanding pastels — which are formed using powdered pigment and a binding medium — and the middle room features a helpful glass case that goes into details about the material, what it can do and how artists like to use it.

Then, returning to the first room of the small but packed three-room exhibition, visitors can venture chronologically through the medium, traversing from the pastel preparatory sketches of the 1500s to the stunning portraits of the 18th century. It’s fascinating to trace how pastel thrives on the continent, and then gets another new life after it comes to England through travelers returning from the Grand Tour.

“The 18th century, especially in France, was sort of the high point of technical brilliance — all different textures, fabrics,” Sell said. “You get so drawn in. You have to figure out what exactly makes that look like satin.”

The room also highlights how women artists were able to make an impact with the medium, becoming renowned pastelists like Venice’s Rosalba Carriera, whose fame helped promote pastel portraits all over Europe. Pastel was considered appropriate for women because “it was thought of as cleaner than oil paint” and “was easy to master,” Sell said, adding that pastel studios also could be run on a small scale without the help of assistants.

The middle room delves into the 19th century, careening from Jean-François Millet’s revolutionary focus on hatching (a technique used to create tonal or shading effects), exposed paper and depictions of the working class, to Claude Monet’s exquisite “Waterloo Bridge,” a whisper of fog and light. “[Pastel] went out of style at the end of the 18th, early 19th century, but one of the groups of artists who kept using it through that period were the artists working outdoors, the landscape artists. And when you think about that, it’s the perfect medium because you’re applying color and line all at one time,” Sell noted. “And in some ways it was kind of the perfect medium for the Impressionists. It’s the exact opposite of the highly finished, academic oil paintings that they were rebelling against. It really draws your attention to the process of making art.”

In Millet’s pastels — which were rarely exhibited during his lifetime and which he 30 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | JANUARY 2020

PHOTOS: NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

“The Touch of Color” looks at the deft use of pastel in works such as, from top clockwise, Paul Huet’s “A Meadow at Sunset,” William Merritt Chase’s “Study of Fresh Color and Gold” and Claude Monet’s “Waterloo Bridge.”

dubbed dessins rehaussés, or enhanced drawings — line becomes the most dominant part of the medium in these seemingly simple drawings that captured the attention of Impressionists. They also suggest a significant shift from the concept of pastel as paintings that is so clear in the previous room. Along with the Monets on offer, the show also features several pieces by Edgar Degas, with fascinating technical aspects that allow you to see how he applied pastel in different ways and worked with watercolor and other materials in the same images.

Amid the blockbuster names, don’t pass over Paul Huet’s small but brilliant “A Meadow at Sunset,” which packs powerful colors in a small rapid sketch.

The third room offers a wealth of highlights as visitors enter into the 20th century.

Here we see James McNeill Whistler’s Venice pastels, which are remarkably displayed in the striking original frames that he designed. His “The Church of San Giorgio Maggiore” offers a sense that subject and material have perfectly collided — how else could the brilliant blues and subtle reds of Venice be captured other than in these small, memorable pastels?

William Merritt Chase’s “Study of Flesh Color and Gold” is spectacular in person, blurred, blunted and delicate, with astonishing drapery and almost devastating softness.

There’s a boldness to this work, though, that is belied by the beauty. This piece also suggests exactly what the medium can do, mixing strong lines, blurred, brilliant colors and vivid textures. It pops the minute you enter the room.

There’s another glorious piece in this space, Henri Matisse’s “Woman with an Exotic Plant,” a rarity for the artist who only experimented with the material for a few brief periods. But it highlights the throughline from the first room, a return to the portraiture of the 18th century combined with a new way to embrace the focus on material and texture.

This not-to-be-missed pastel embodies how artists ran with the possibilities of the medium, employing thick lines, rich colors and an array of patterns. It also speaks to the pioneering techniques that artists try when using pastel, as Matisse drew it on paper covered with sawdust to allow the thick lines to transfer immediately — and almost flimsily — onto the page. There’s a swiftness to this approach, but it doesn’t ignore detail or sharpness.

It’s easy to see the fragility of these works, but that also lends them a power and a specific, unforgettable beauty. WD Mackenzie Weinger (@mweinger) is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

Sculpture | Culture | WD

Elemental Connections Lee Ufan’s Stone and Steel Sculptures Offer Quiet Contemplation in Chaotic Capital •

BY BRENDAN L. SMITH

Lee Ufan: Open Dimension THROUGH SEPT. 13, 2020

HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN INDEPENDENCE AVENUE AND 7TH STREET, SW

(202) 633-1000

| HIRSHHORN.SI.EDU

I

n a ring of sculptures crafted from steel and stone, Korean artist Lee Ufan has created a rare place of quiet contemplation on the National Mall, halfway between the warring factions in the White House and Capitol.

Lee’s work isn’t political but the outdoor location at the Hirshhorn Museum serves as a counterpoint to the chaos consuming the nation’s capital. It marks the first time in the museum’s 45-year history that its four-acre plaza has been devoted almost entirely to a site-specific installation by one artist.

The 10 sculptures, including one that transforms the plaza’s central fountain, aren’t grand or monumental. If you do a quick lap around the museum, then you’ll just see some boring rocks cast onto the ground amidst steel panels like those used in street repairs or construction projects. But a closer inspection reveals intimate connections as Lee juxtaposes these natural and manmade materials in relationships that are as important as the objects themselves. The exhibition’s title, “Open Dimension,” refers to Lee’s exploration of the intricate ties that bind people to the manmade world and nature. All of the sculptures are part of the artist’s signature and ongoing series titled “Relatum” (with subtitles to distinguish the pieces) to highlight these interrelated connections.

Born in 1936 in Korea, Lee has worked primarily in Japan and France as an artist, poet and philosopher. In the 1960s and ’70s, he founded the Mono-ha (“school of things”) art movement, which embraced art as a mode of meditation to reveal the world “exactly as it is,” often through the use of natural materials. “By limiting one’s self to the minimum, one allows the maximum interaction with the world,” Lee has said.

Due to that minimalist approach, viewers will need to take some time at the Hirshhorn and bring their own interpretations to the work because Lee doesn’t provide a road map or obvious clues about his intent. Above the concrete steps connecting the Hirshhorn to the Mall, two white angular stones rest in a shallow pool contained in a black stainless steel box, reflecting part of the museum and the changing sky. The rippling reflections in “Relatum-Box Garden” provide some life and vibrancy to the Hirshhorn’s depressing “Brutalist donut” design.

Lee found the stones on Long Island in rocky fields created by a glacier that bulldozed rocks in front of it before receding again more than 20,000 years ago. All of the sculptures in the Hirshhorn exhibition were created this year, an impressive output by an 83-year-old artist whose work has been featured in more than 140 solo exhibitions during his lifetime, including at the Venice Biennale and Guggenheim Museum. These sculptures also mark Ufan’s largest single outdoor sculpture project in the U.S. and the first exhibition of his work in the nation’s capital. In addition to the outdoor sculptures, the Hirshhorn display features four large minimalist paintings from his “Dialogue” series. The large acrylic canvases feature vessel-like shapes in gradually shifting colors that seem to float on a blank beige background.

Walking counterclockwise outside the Hirshhorn, the next sculpture titled “Relatum-Ring and Stone” features two stainless steel rings, one upright with a stone at its base while the other rests sideways on the grass with another rock

CREDIT: COURTESY LEE UFAN AND PACE GALLERY. PHOTO BY CATHY CARVER

The 10 sculptures by Korean artist Lee Ufan that ring the Hirshhorn Museum mark the first time in the museum’s 45-year history that its four-acre plaza has been devoted almost entirely to a site-specific installation by one artist.

near it. Two gigantic construction cranes at a nearby building site tower over the sculpture, adding another dimension or contrast between the manmade and natural materials.

The title of “Relatum-Come In” offers an invitation to enter a small, curving stainless steel sculpture next to a boulder. The claustrophobic interior’s polished surface creates a disorienting carnivalesque mirror in a space that seems private and intimate even though it’s only separated from the plaza by a few inches of steel. Another sculpture titled “Relatum-Open Corner” features a curving stainless steel arc resting against the museum’s wall like a manmade waterfall. Visitors can walk behind the panel, again creating a private space inside a larger public space.

“Relatum-Horizontal and Vertical” is one of a few sculptures utilizing fields of white gravel to separate the work from the surrounding grass or concrete. A tall, thin stainless steel spike rises more than 20 feet in the air above a steel ring and a stone on the ground. The juxtaposition resembles an antenna, connecting unseen satellites orbiting thousands of miles above the earth to the ground, unseen and buried beneath the crushed gravel of a parking lot.

As one rounds the museum back toward the Mall, “Relatum-Dialogue” utilizes the same white gravel in a circle that covers part of the plaza’s concrete surface before extending over a curb into the grass. One boulder rests on the concrete with another in the gravel-covered grass section. Both stones have false shadows of brown acrylic paint that are locked in place, impervious to the changing angles of the sun.

The first (or last) installation titled “Relatum-Fountain Plaza” has enclosed the plaza’s bland traditional fountain inside a ring of interlocking stainless steel panels with two entrances on opposite sides of the plaza. Inside the waist-high wall is a narrow walkway offering an open dimension between cold steel and rippling water, a simple labyrinth without a set purpose or destination. WD Brendan L. Smith (www.brendanlsmith.com) is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat and a mixed-media artist and curator (www.brendanlsmithart.com).

JANUARY 2020 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 31

WD | Culture | Film

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

ENGLISH

based on the true story of the real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod.

ANGELIKA MOSAICATLANTIC PLUMBING CINEMA THE AVALON THEATRE

LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA

63 UP

Directed by Michael Apted (U.K., 2019, 180 min.)

Director Michael Apted returns with the latest installment of his groundbreaking documentary series, unmatched in the history of cinema for its astonishing and revelatory longevity. The original “7 UP” was broadcast in 1964 and featured 14 British children talking about their hopes and dreams for the future. Subsequent visits every seven years over six decades have documented the group as they grew up, became adults and entered middle age, dealing with everything life has thrown at them in between.

LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Directed by Marielle Heller (China/U.S., 2019) Tom Hanks portrays Mister Rogers in this timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism,

Bombshell

Directed by Jay Roach (Canada/U.S., 2019, 108 min.)

A group of women decide to take on Fox News head Roger Ailes and the toxic atmosphere he presided over at the network.

AFI SILVER THEATRE ANGELIKA MOSAIC OPENS FRI., DEC. 20

The Curious World of Hieronymous Bosch

Directed by David Bickerstaff (U.K., 2016, 87 min.)

Who was Hieronymus Bosch?

Why do his strange and fantastical paintings resonate with people now more than ever?

How does he bridge the medieval and Renaissance worlds?

Where did his unconventional and timeless creations come from? Discover the answers to these questions and more with this remarkable film directed by David Bickerstaff.

THE AVALON THEATRE SUN., JAN. 12, 10:30 A.M., TUE., JAN. 14, 10:30 A.M.

Dark Waters

Cunningham

Directed by Alla Kovgan (Germany/France/U.S., 2019, 93 min.)

The iconic Merce Cunningham and the last generation of his dance company is stunningly profiled in Alla Kovgan’s 3D documentary, through recreations of his landmark works and archival footage of Cunningham, John Cage and Robert Rauschenberg.

LANDMARK’S THEATRES OPENS FRI., JAN. 3

Directed by Todd Haynes (U.S., 2019, 126 min.)

Inspired by a shocking true story, a tenacious attorney uncovers a dark secret that connects a growing number of unexplained deaths due to one of the world’s largest corporations. In the process, he risks everything — his future, his family and his own life — to expose the truth.

The Washington Diplomat

A Hidden Life

Directed by Terrence Malick (Germany/U.S., 2019, 173 min.)

Based on real events, Franz Jägerstätter refuses to fight for the Nazis in World War II. When the Austrian peasant farmer is faced with the threat of execution for treason, it is his unwavering faith and his love for his wife and children that keeps his spirit alive (English, German and Italian).

AFI SILVER THEATRE

Directed by Taika Waititi (Germany/U.S., 2019, 108 min.)

This World War II satire follows a lonely German boy named Jojo whose worldview is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a young Jewish girl in their attic.

LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA

LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

ANGELIKA MOSAIC

The Kingmaker

LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA

LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA OPENS FRI., DEC. 20

The Irishman

Directed by Martin Scorsese (U.S., 2019, 209 min.)

ANGELIKA MOSAIC

Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci star in Martin Scorsese saga of organized crime in postwar America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century.

LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

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Jojo Rabbit

LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA

Directed by Lauren Greenfield (Denmark/U.S., 2019, 101 min.)

Centered on the indomitable character of Imelda Marcos, “The Kingmaker” examines, with intimate access, the Marcos family’s improbable return to power in the Philippines. The film explores the disturbing legacy of the Marcos regime and chronicles Imelda’s present-day push to help her son, Bongbong, win the vice presidency.

|

January 2020

Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is mysteriously enlisted to investigate (English and Spanish).

ANGELIKA MOSAIC

ATLANTIC PLUMBING CINEMA LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA

The Lighthouse

Directed by Robert Eggers (U.S./Brazil, 2019, 109 min.)

This is the hypnotic and hallucinatory tale of two lighthouse keepers on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.

WEST END CINEMA

Little Women

LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

Directed by Greta Gerwig (U.S., 2019, 134 min.)

Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.

Knives Out

ANGELIKA MOSAIC

Directed by Rian Johnson (U.S., 2019, 130 min.)

When renowned crime novelist

AFI SILVER THEATRE

THE AVALON THEATRE

LANDMARK’S THEATRES OPENS WED., DEC. 25

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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."

"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."

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32 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | JANUARY 2020

Film | Culture | WD

Richard Jewell

Directed by Clint Eastwood (U.S., 2019, 129 min.)

American security guard Richard Jewell saves thousands of lives from an exploding bomb at the 1996 Olympics, but is vilified by journalists and the press who falsely report that he was a terrorist.

ANGELIKA MOSAIC

LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Directed by J.J. Abrams (U.S., 2019, 142 min.)

The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more in the final chapter of the Skywalker saga.

ANGELIKA MOSAIC

ATLANTIC PLUMBING CINEMA OPENS FRI., DEC. 20

The Song of Names

Directed by François Girard (Canada/Hungary, 2019, 113 min.)

Tim Roth and Clive Owen star in an emotional detective story spread over two continents and a half century. Beneath the film’s stunning and pulsing musical revelations burn the horror of a war and the lost souls extinguished from history.

ANGELIKA MOSAIC OPENS FRI., JAN. 3

The Two Popes

Directed by Fernando Meirelles (U.K./Italy/Argentina/U.S., 2019, 125 min.)

Behind Vatican walls, the conservative Pope Benedict and the liberal future Pope Francis must find common ground to forge a new path for the Catholic Church (English, Latin, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese and German).

(Japan, 1966, 121 min.)

Tatsuya Nakadai and Toshiro Mifune star in the story of a wandering samurai who exists in a maelstrom of violence. A gifted swordsman plying his craft during the turbulent final days of shogunate rule in Japan, Nakadai kills without remorse or mercy — a way of life that ultimately leads to madness.

THE AVALON THEATRE

LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

Uncut Gems

Directed by Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie (U.S., 2019, 135 min.)

A charismatic New York City jeweler, always on the lookout for the next big score, makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime.

FREER GALLERY OF ART WED., JAN. 8, 2 P.M.

THE AVALON THEATRE

KOREAN

ANGELIKA MOSAIC

LANDMARK’S THEATRES OPENS WED., DEC. 25

Parasite

When Lambs Become Lions

Directed by Jon Kasbe (U.S., 2018, 79 min.)

In the Kenyan bush, a small-time ivory dealer fights to stay on top while forces mobilize to destroy his trade. When he turns to his younger cousin, a conflicted wildlife ranger who hasn’t been paid in months, they both see a possible lifeline.

WEST END CINEMA

FARSI Filmfarsi

Directed by Ehsan Khoshbakht (Iran/U.K., 2019, 84 min.)

Before the 1979 revolution, Iran was home to a thriving popular film industry packed with violence and melodrama, and populated with sexy starlets and macho action stars. Most of these films are now lost, but for a few surviving underground VHS tapes. Taking as its starting point the 1978 arson attack the Cinema Rex movie theater in Abadan, which killed over 400 people, Ehsan Khoshbakht’s exhaustively-researched documentary reconstructs this lively era of Iranian cinema history — one which few outside of Iran were aware of until now.

Couriers CONTINUED • PAGE 29

again, diplomatic couriers went into action, formulating and executing a plan to support shipments to a remote U.S. mission that is difficult to service even during normal times,” wrote Angell, who himself was once on a tarmac in Kenya just 36 hours after being dispatched to support protective teams at the U.S. Embassy in Juba during civil unrest in South Sudan.

“Such an urgent mission is indicative of the swift global response the Diplomatic Courier Service is capable of making and showcases how essential our role is in protecting the department’s personnel,” he wrote.

He added that couriers also help advance the nation’s strategic objectives, providing logistical support for milestones such as the reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Havana.

Today, diplomatic couriers spend tens of thousands of hours annu-

CREDIT: EL DESEO. PHOTO BY MANOLO PAVÓN / SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

Antonio Banderas plays an aging film director who reflects on his past as his present comes crashing down on him in “Pain & Glory.”

FREER GALLERY OF ART SUN., JAN. 19, 1:30 P.M.

Gholam

Directed by Mitra Tabrizian (U.K., 2018, 94 min.)

Set in London’s Iranian exile community during the 2011 Arab Spring, this film features a mesmerizing performance by Shahab Hosseini as a taxi driver with a mysterious past. He is drawn into Iran’s political turmoil, no matter how hard he tries to resist (Farsi and English).

FREER GALLERY OF ART FRI., JAN. 31, 7 P.M.

Old Men Never Die

Directed by Reza Jamali (Iran, 2019, 85 min.)

This dark comic fable takes place in a rugged mountain village where, for forty-five years, no one has died, but not for lack of trying. Crotchety old men, some over a century old, spend their days smoking, bickering,

ally delivering millions of pounds of classified diplomatic cargo material by air, sea and land to more than 275 diplomatic missions around the world.

For all the globe-trekking, however, the job isn’t exactly glamorous.

“In a far cry from the first-class seats of decades gone by, today’s diplomatic couriers frequently fly in jump seats on cargo planes with ‘pouches’ that can fill the entire cargo hold. Increasingly, though, you’ll find couriers on cargo ships, ferries, trains and trucks — whatever is most efficient,” wrote Angela French, a State Department public affairs officer, in the November 2018 Foreign Service Journal article.

Couriers begin their journey at the “vault,” a secure storage facility for classified materials, and then follow a meticulous checklist of procedures that includes being escorted to and from planes. Throughout the process, diplomatic couriers must also double as logistics experts.

“Getting the shipments to their destination is a feat requiring an expert level of familiarity with weight restrictions and flight schedules for

soaking in the bathhouse, and trying to figure out how to commit suicide without being stopped by the detachment of exasperated soldiers in charge of keeping them alive.

FREER GALLERY OF ART SUN., JAN. 19, 3:30 P.M.

The Warden

at Iran’s Fajr Film Festival, Narges Abyar weaves a spellbinding, harrowing drama based on the true story of a woman who unwittingly married into a family of terrorists (Farsi and Baluchi).

FREER GALLERY OF ART SUN., JAN. 5, 2 P.M.

Directed by Nima Javidi (Iran, 2019, 100 min.)

On the day that a prison is being emptied so it can be demolished to make way for an airport runway, its vain, authoritarian warden discovers a prisoner is missing. With time running down, the warden struggles to find the fugitive before his superiors discover his mistake.

FRENCH

FREER GALLERY OF ART SUN., JAN. 12, 2 P.M.

ANGELIKA MOSAIC OPENS FRI., JAN. 17

When the Moon Was Full

JAPANESE

Directed by Narges Abyar (Iran, 2019, 137 min.)

The winner of four major awards

LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA

LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

(France, 2019, 102 min.)

A cop from the provinces moves Paris to join the Anti-Crime Brigade of Montfermeil, discovering an underworld where the tensions between different groups mark the rhythm.

Directed by Kihachi Okamoto

PHOTO: STATE DEPARTMENT

“None Swifter Than These” chronicles the work of diplomatic couriers, who whisk classified equipment and documents to nearly every nation where U.S. diplomats work.

commercial and cargo airlines, as well as an encyclopedic understanding of entry requirements — from vaccinations to visas — for every country,” French wrote.

It’s a carefully choreographed dance that Angell, who joined the State Department in 1933, mastered

ANGELIKA MOSAIC

Les Misérables

The Sword of Doom

over his decades of service, which included Secretary of State John Kerry’s tenure that logged a recordbreaking 1.3 million miles of travel.

Angell recalled that “our team always delivered his secure communications gear to post three days prior to each visit. This perfect record in-

Directed by Joon-ho Bong (South Korea, 2019, 132 min.)

Meet the Park Family: the picture of aspirational wealth.

And the Kim Family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Masterminded by college-aged Ki-woo, the Kim children expediently install themselves as tutor and art therapist to the Parks.

Soon, a symbiotic relationship forms between the two families. But when a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims’ newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out.

SPANISH Pain & Glory

Directed by Pedro Almodóvar (Spain, 2019, 113 min.)

Antonio Banderas plays Salvador Mallo, a film director in physical decline who reflects on his past as his present comes crashing down around him.

LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA WEST END CINEMA

cluded [Kerry’s] final trip to Davos, in January 2017, for which a diplomatic courier had to purchase 400 euros worth of tire chains at the base of the Alps to ensure the equipment reached the icy resort on schedule.”

Despite the demanding, unpredictable nature of the job, Angell said the rewards are well worth it.

“After spending a quarter-century in the Diplomatic Courier Service, I still believe it is not only one of the best jobs in the U.S. government, but perhaps in the entire world. Even a flight I recently took from Birmingham back to Frankfurt while squashed into the jump seat of a small cargo plane, to escort Secretary [Mike] Pompeo’s classified communications equipment, reminded me what an adventure this job continues to be,” he wrote.

“What other line of work offers this gift of global travel and living abroad while serving one’s country?” WD Kate Oczypok (@OczyKate) is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat. Anna Gawel (@ diplomatnews) is the managing editor of The Washington Diplomat.

JANUARY 2020 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 33

WD | Culture | Events

Events Listings *Please check the venue for times. Venue locations are subject to change.

ART THROUGH JAN. 3

Recollection: Reinterpreting Tradition and Heritage

In this group exhibition of painting, photography and sculpture works, five Korean artists radically reinterpret a variety of classic forms into the visual language of contemporary art.

Through vastly different artistic approaches, materials and subject matter, Jaehyug Choi, Soomin Ham, Hyeon Suk Her, Doo Yeon Jung and Yoohyun Kim each grapple in personal terms with the apparent contradiction of a modern Korean society still deeply rooted in its cultural history. Whether those bonds to the past are merely added weight or a strengthening foundation is up to each artist to decide.

KOREAN CULTURAL CENTER

THROUGH JAN. 5

By the Light of the Silvery Moon: A Century of Lunar Photographs

The year 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969.

Photography played a significant role both in preparing for the mission and in shaping the cultural consciousness of the event. An exhibition of some 50 works will include a selection of photographs from the unmanned Ranger, Surveyor, and Lunar Orbiter missions that led up to Apollo 11.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

THROUGH JAN. 5

Ginny Ruffner: Reforestation of the Imagination

Imagine an apocalyptic landscape. It appears barren, devastated and hopeless. It is not. At the Renwick Gallery, internationally renowned artist Ginny Ruffner creates a seemingly bleak environment that suddenly evolves into a thriving floral oasis by combining traditional sculpture with augmented reality (AR) technology.

RENWICK GALLERY

THROUGH JAN. 5

A Monument to Shakespeare

The Folger Shakespeare Library is throwing back the curtains on its origins and exciting future in an exhibition where visitors are invited to play, lounge, be curious and see more of the Folger Shakespeare Library than ever before. Among the treats: rummage through Henry Folger’s desk and read the correspondences that brought the Folger to the nation’s capital; explore large scale reproductions of Cret’s detailed architectural drawings, newly digitized for this exhibition; and visit the first complete edition of Shakespeare’s plays published in 1623.

FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY

THROUGH JAN. 12

Everything is Palpitating: Rodolfo Abularach

From 1957, when the Art Museum of the Americas’ (AMA) founding director José Gómez Sicre acquired several pieces by Guatemalan master Abularach for its collection, the artist has been prominently interwoven within the institution’s history, as well as that of Guatemalan and Latin American art in a broader sense.

This exhibition is an opportunity to gather one of the larger samplings of Abularach’s works representing 60 years of his output. It surveys not only the artist’s impact on the direction of art of the hemisphere in the 1950s to the 1970s, but also the role that AMA has played in its development.

THROUGH JAN. 20

Live Dangerously

“Live Dangerously” reveals the bold and dynamic ways in which female bodies inhabit and activate the natural world. Twelve groundbreaking photographers use humor, drama, ambiguity and innovative storytelling to illuminate the landscape as means of self-empowerment and personal expression. A major section of the exhibition showcases the performative and fantastical works of Janaina Tschäpe. For the first time, NMWA will exhibit all 100 large-scale photographs in the series “100 Little Deaths” (19962002), in which the artist stages her own body within sites from her travels around the world.

The Washington Diplomat timedia painting and sculpture but puts climate change at the center of its meaning.

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY MUSEUM

JAN. 25 TO MAY 24

Robert Franklin Gates: Paint What You See

“Robert Franklin Gates: Paint What You See” showcases an adventurous artist who greatly influenced the course of Washington art from his arrival from Detroit in 1930, at the age of 24, until his death in 1982 as an AU Professor Emeritus. He was a muralist, painter, printmaker, draftsman, and professor at the Phillips Gallery School and then American University for over 40 years.

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY MUSEUM

ART MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAS

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WOMEN IN THE ARTS

THROUGH JAN. 12

JAN. 23 TO APRIL 26

Volkmar Wentzel

Intersections: Los Carpinteros – Cuba Va!

Los Carpinteros (Marco Castillo and Dagoberto Rodríguez) is an internationally acclaimed Cuban artist collective best known for merging architecture, sculpture, design, and drawing. From the outset in the early 1990s, Los Carpinteros’s work has reflected on social transformations in post-revolutionary, socialist Cuba, offering critical commentary of dominant ideologies and power structures with humor and artistry.

THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION

THROUGH JAN. 12

Mid-Century Master: The Photography of Alfred Eisenstaedt

When he photographed her for the November 5, 1965 issue of Life magazine, Alfred Eisenstaedt cemented Marjorie Merriweather Post’s place among the most notable people of the 20th century. Featuring nearly fifty Eisenstaedt photographs and ephemera from his career in photojournalism, focusing on his timeless images of life in the mid-20th-century and the era’s most celebrated figures, this special exhibition will explore the relationship between Post and Eisenstaedt and the broader body of Eisenstaedt’s work documenting life in the midtwentieth century.

HILLWOOD MUSEUM, ESTATE & GARDENS

JAN. 17 TO APRIL 19

Delita Martin: Calling Down the Spirits

Multimedia artist Delita Martin (b. 1972) makes largescale prints onto which she draws, sews, collages and paints. Martin’s meticulous, multilayered works create a powerful presence for her subjects: black women and men depicted on a monumental scale. Through her imagery, Martin forges a new iconography that is rooted in African tradition, personal recollections and physical materials.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WOMEN IN THE ARTS

34 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | JANUARY 2020

Dialog: Landscape and Abstraction – Freya Grand and AMA’s Permanent Collection

This exhibition pairs important 20th-century abstract works by artists in the OAS Art Museum of the Americas’s permanent collection with works by contemporary landscape painter Freya Grand. The pairings of Grand and artists living and working in the Americas (1960-73) convey a common dialogue through their shared forms, textures, symbols, color and composition. Here, Grand’s immersive landscapes derived from her experiences in remote regions of Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands intermingle with those of such stalwarts of the OAS AMA’s art collection as Maria Luisa Pacheco (Bolivia), Angel Hurtado (Venezuela) and Anibal Villacis (Ecuador).

ART MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAS

JAN. 25 TO MARCH 15

Heroes & Losers: The Edification of Luis Lorenzana

Luis Lorenzana (b. 1979) is a selftaught Filipino artist whose background in politics has infused his work with a cynicism that belies his longing for a kinder, more equitable world. The exhibition thus touches on the themes of a desperate kind of selfless heroism — and the all-too familiar failure of a democratic political system. These are works that will have relevance to the current American landscape; indeed, to anywhere in the world.

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY MUSEUM

JAN. 25 TO MARCH 15

Landscape in an Eroded Field: Carol Barsha, Heather Theresa Clark, Artemis Herber

Depicting nature and the environment is one of the most ancient and elemental expressions of art. From cave painting to Dutch still lifes to social practice incorporating life forms, artists have always been attentive and responsive to the world around them. This exhibition spans landscape painting that takes no social or political stance to mul-

JAN. 25 TO MAY 24

Volkmar Kurt Wentzel (b. Dresden, 1915-2006) arrived in Washington, D.C., in the early 1930s.

When the Great Depression led to prohibitive housing costs in D.C., he moved to West Virginia to join a community with Robert Gates and several other artists who had become close friends.

In 1937, back in Washington, purchased a new camera and began photographing the series “Washington by Night.” First lady Eleanor Roosevelt, out for a stroll one evening, encountered Volkmar and purchased several of his pictures. Volkmar completed his Washington photographs and brought them to National Geographic. The event led to his 48-year photographic career as a National Geographic photographer.

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY MUSEUM

THROUGH JAN. 26

Bonnard to Vuillard: The Intimate Poetry of Everyday Life

This exhibition presents over 60 exquisite, rarely seen works by a leading group of European Post-Impressionist artists who ushered in a new form of artistic expression in the 1890s.

Assuming the name “Nabis” (from the Hebrew navi, meaning “prophet”), its members shared a belief in art’s intimate connection to everyday life.

THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION

THROUGH JAN. 26

The Touch of Color: Pastels at the National Gallery of Art

Featuring approximately 70 exquisite examples drawn entirely from the permanent collection, “The Touch of Color: Pastels at the National Gallery of Art” traces the history of pastel from the Renaissance to the 21st century and examines the many techniques that artists have developed to work with this colorful and versatile medium.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

THROUGH JAN. 31

Oman – A Vision of Modernity

The Sultan Qaboos Cultural Cen-

ter hosts a new photography exhibition featuring a collection of breathtaking photographs from Oman showcasing the convergence of tradition and modernity throughout the sultanate.

SULTAN QABOOS CULTURAL CENTER

THROUGH FEB. 7

In Between and Beyond

In this comprehensive suite of works by Jorge Caligiuri, the artist explores dramatic and engaging compositions, detaching the image from the two-dimensional aspect of the wooden panel to create three-dimensional assemblages that draw the viewer into his world. That world is filled with expressive fearlessness, taking mediums to the edge to change our perspectives on subject, line, color and ideas.

EMBASSY OF ARGENTINA ART GALLERY

THROUGH FEB. 17

Alonso Berruguete: First Sculptor of Renaissance Spain

This is the first major exhibition held outside Spain to celebrate the expressive art of the most important sculptor active on the Iberian Peninsula during the first half of the 16th century, Alonso Berruguete, featuring an impressive range of more than 40 works from across his career, including examples of his earliest paintings from his time in Italy, where he trained.

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January 2020

Japanese American cultural artists and figures of the 20th century. Best known for his majestic views of the American West, Obata brought a distinctive trans-Pacific style to the arts community of California as an artist and teacher. This major traveling retrospective presents the most comprehensive survey to date of his acclaimed and varied body of work, from bold landscape paintings of the Grand Canyon and Yosemite National Park to intimate drawings of his experiences of the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.

SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM

THROUGH JULY 5

I Am… Contemporary Women Artists of Africa

Taking its name from a 1970’s feminist anthem, “I Am… Contemporary Women Artists of Africa” draws upon a selection of artworks by women artists from the National Museum of African Art’s permanent collection to reveal a more contemporary feminism that recognizes the contributions of women to the most pressing issues of their times. With experimental and sophisticated use of diverse media, the 27 featured artists offer insightful and visually stunning approaches to matters of community, faith, the environment, politics, colonial encounters, racism, identity and more.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART

THROUGH MARCH 8

THROUGH SEPT. 7, 2020

Visual Memory: Home + Place

This mid-career survey of multimedia artists Scherezade García and iliana emilia García explores how each artist reflects upon constructed notions of human geography and history in a creative multidisciplinary approach. Generating a provocative and incisive rethinking about the possibilities of visual memory, they engage with timeless universal concerns about global migration, settlement and the spaces we occupy.

ART MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAS

THROUGH MAY 1

Women: A Century of Change

As we approach the 100th anniversary of the U.S. constitutional amendment confirming women’s right to vote, this powerful new exhibition and book from National Geographic showcases iconic women around the world. The exhibition’s stunning photographs, drawn from National Geographic’s unparalleled image collection, span nine decades and feature a myriad of countries.

Pat Steir: Color Wheel

The Hirshhorn will host the largest painting installation to date by the acclaimed abstract painter Pat Steir. The exhibition is an expansive new suite of paintings by the artist, spanning the entire perimeter of the Museum’s second-floor inner-circle galleries, extending nearly 400 linear feet.

HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN

THROUGH SEPT. 13, 2020

Lee Ufan: Open Dimension

“Lee Ufan: Open Dimension” is an ambitious site-specific commission by the celebrated Korean artist Lee Ufan. The expansive installation, featuring 10 new sculptures from the artist’s signature and continuing Relatum series, marks Lee Ufan’s largest single outdoor sculpture project in the US, the first exhibition of his work in the nation’s capital, and the first time in the Hirshhorn’s 45-year history that its 4.3-acre outdoor plaza has been devoted, almost in its entirety, to the work of a single artist.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MUSEUM

HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN

THROUGH MAY 25

THROUGH OCT. 12, 2020

Chiura Obata (1885-1975) ranks among the most significant

Featuring the recent gift of

Chiura Obata: American Modern

Marcel Duchamp: The Barbara and Aaron Levine Collection

Events | Culture | WD over 50 major historical works, including more than 35 seminal works by Marcel Duchamp, this exhibition comprises an unparalleled selection of art, thoughtfully acquired over the course of two decades and offering a rarely seen view of the entire arc of Duchamp’s career. This is the first stage of a two-part exhibition on the life and legacy of Duchamp. The second stage, opening spring 2020, will examine Duchamp’s lasting impact through the lens of the Hirshhorn’s permanent collection, including significant works by a diverse roster of modern and contemporary artists.

HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN

THROUGH OCT. 12, 2020

Portraits of the World: Denmark

“Portraits of the World: Denmark” will feature the painting “Kunstdommere (Art Judges)”

by Michael Ancher (1849-1927), on loan from the Museum of National History in Hillerød, Denmark. The monumental group portrait pays tribute to a tightly knit artists’ community in northern Denmark, which served as the incubator for the Modern Breakthrough in Danish painting. A complementary display of American portraits will highlight the proliferation of artists’ communities in New York City during the first half of the 20th century, which likewise accelerated the development of modern art in the United States.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT MUSEUM

DANCE JAN. 30 TO FEB. 2

The National Ballet of Canada

Canada’s esteemed ballet company returns with two programs: On Jan. 28 and 29, experience two works by William Forsythe: Jiří Kylián’s “Petite Mort” and Alexei Ratmansky’s “Piano Concerto #1.” Then on Jan. 30 to Feb. 2, “The Sleeping Beauty” is the romantic tale of a princess cursed to sleep for 100 years, danced to Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous music.

Tickets are $29 to $149.

KENNEDY CENTER OPERA HOUSE

DISCUSSIONS JAN. 6 TO FEB. 3

Introduction to Western Art: From the Great Pyramids to the Pantheon

Our modern world echoes with the creative vestiges of the past, from the Arc de Triomphe to Wedgwood pottery, from the paintings of Pablo Picasso to the Washington Monument.

The key to understanding the inspiration for these works — and so many more across the centuries—is through an overview of ancient material culture.

In this four-session daytime course from 12 to 2 p.m., art historian Renee Gondek leads an insightful survey of the paintings, sculptures and architecture produced in ancient Egypt and the Greek and Roman worlds.

Tickets are $140; for information, visit smithsonianassociates.org.

S. DILLON RIPLEY CENTER

THE JAN. 8 TO 29

The Making of England: From the Viking Wars to King Cnut

A thousand years ago, Danish king Cnut the Great penned his Letter to the English People following a series of Viking attacks on Britain that began with a small-scale raid in 787 A.D. that extended into two centuries of wars. At the start of these conflicts, Britain was a patchwork of Anglo-Saxon and Celtic kingdoms. By their conclusion, much of Britain was consolidated into a single one, England. In this four-session daytime course from 12 to 2 p.m.,Richard Abels, emeritus professor of history at the U.S. Naval Academy, explores how the Viking wars served as the catalyst for its creation.

Tickets are $140; for information, visit smithsonianassociates.org.

S. DILLON RIPLEY CENTER

THU., JAN. 9, 6:45 P.M.

Marchel Duchamp: Enfant Terrible and Innovative Genius

Regarded as one of the most important, innovative, and influential, artists of the 20th century, Marcel Duchamp (18871968) created paintings, sculptures and objects that go well beyond conventional labels. In a richly illustrated program, art historian Nancy G. Heller traces Duchamp’s life and art, focusing on a selection of his key works and explaining why they were — and still remain — important, in terms of their broader aesthetic, philosophical, economic and political contexts. Tickets are $45; for information, visit smithsonianassociates.org.

S. DILLON RIPLEY CENTER

WED., JAN. 15, 6:45 P.M.

Crafting the Buddha’s Image

The image of Buddha is one of the world’s most recognized religious symbols, but its origins are shrouded in mystery. For 500 years after his death in the fifth century B.C., his followers avoided creating any image of their Blessed One. Where did the famous likeness come from, and why did it take so long to be created? Art history professor Rob DeCaroli delves into these questions. Tickets are $45; for information, visit smithsonianassociates.org.

S. DILLON RIPLEY CENTER

THU., JAN. 30, 6:45 P.M.

Travels with Darley: Exploring Qatar

Emmy-nominated television host, writer, and producer Darley Newman shares insider’s tips on Qatar, which she curated while filming her popular PBS series “Travels with Darley.” Tickets are $45; for information, visit smithsonianassociates.org.

S. DILLON RIPLEY CENTER

MUSIC JAN. 16 TO 19

National Symphony Orchestra: Bronfman Plays Beethovan / Holst’s The Planets

From menacing Mars to enigmatic Neptune, a wondrous cosmic dance comes to symphonic

life in Holst’s “The Planets.”

Recently appointed principal guest conductor of the Dallas Symphony, New Zealand-born Gemma New makes her NSO debut with this uplifting cornerstone of classical music, taking the audience on a transcendent trip through the solar system.

World-renowned pianist Yefim Bronfman joins the program to perform Beethoven’s poetic Fourth Piano Concerto. Tickets are $15 to $99.

KENNEDY CENTER CONCERT HALL

WED., JAN. 29, 8 P.M., THU., JAN. 30, 8 P.M.

International Guitar Night

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of International Guitar Night with its most eclectic lineup yet: Guest host Mike Dawes (England) with his incredible two-hand contemporary style, fretless guitarist Cenk Erdoğan (Turkey), electrifying jazz virtuoso Olli Soikkeli (Finland) and Hawaiian Slack Key master Jim “Kimo” West. Tickets start at $32.

WOLF TRAP

THEATER THROUGH DEC. 29

A Christmas Carol

It’s the 10th Anniversary of Olney’s favorite Christmas tradition, as Paul Morella’s captivating solo performance of the Dickens classic keeps audiences coming back season and after season. Tickets are $40 to $84.

OLNEY THEATRE CENTER

THROUGH DEC. 29

Dear Jack, Dear Louise

When two strangers meet by letter during World War II, a love story begins. U.S. Army Captain Jack Ludwig, a military doctor stationed in Oregon, begins writing to Louise Rabiner, an aspiring actress and dancer in New York City, hoping to meet her someday if the war will allow. But as the war continues, it threatens to end their relationship before it even starts. Please call for ticket information.

ARENA STAGE

THROUGH DEC. 29

Disney’s Newsies

In the summer of 1899, the newsboys of New York City took on two of the most powerful men in the country — Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst — and won. Inspired by true events, the Broadway smash hit is a testament to the power of standing up and speaking out. Please call for ticket information.

ARENA STAGE

THROUGH DEC. 29

The Second City’s Love, Factually

“Love, Actually” — whether you love it, hate it or have never even seen it, you’ll definitely love this romantic romp that parodies the film along with many other classic holiday romcom moments. Back by popular demand following a sold-out run in 2018, this year’s “Love, Factually” is packed with even more parody of the classic holiday film. Tickets are $49 to $79.

KENNEDY CENTER THEATER LAB

THROUGH DEC. 31

An Irish Carol

An original work by Keegan company member Matthew Keenan, “An Irish Carol” is an homage to Dickens’ classic — told as only the Irish can. This comic and touching play, set in a modern Dublin pub, follows one evening in the life of David, a wealthy pub owner who has lost touch with his own humanity in the interest of self-protection and material success. But on this Christmas Eve, three voices may change David’s life forever.

Tickets are $36 to $46.

KEEGAN THEATRE

THROUGH JAN. 1

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.

Originally conceived by Michael Baron, this music-infused production captures the magic and joy of Dickens’s Yuletide classic.

Tickets are $34 to $124.

FORD’S THEATRE

JAN. 4 TO 19

Le Cabaret de Carmen

The IN Series’s “Le Cabaret de Carmen” takes a radical new approach to presenting opera as an intimate and immediate experience. Without the distancing pomp and magnitude of traditional Carmen performances, the raw emotions of Bizet’s score are laid bare by a cast of six performers in a heart-racing 90 minutes. Spectators sit closely at tables as singers and actors emerge from the audience and weave the narrative around them. A minimal tango orchestra plays on stage, infusing the familiar score with the evocative sensuality of bandoneon and cello. Tickets are $46.

SOURCE THEATRE

THROUGH JAN. 5

A Chorus Line

Winner of nine Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize, overflowing with sensational ballet, tap and jazz dance numbers, this nonstop showcase with one of the largest casts in Signature history is the one singular sensation for the holiday season. Please call for ticket information.

SIGNATURE THEATRE

THROUGH JAN. 5

She The People

Since 2009, Woolly Mammoth has partnered with The Second City to bring their signature brand of laughter-fueled activism to D.C. audiences. This brand-new play further satirizes the reality of being a woman in the United States, exploding the myths and misrepresentations surrounding body positivity, bachelorettes, Beyoncé, the 2020 ballot, and exploring the impact of the Trump presidency and the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements. Tickets start at $38.

WOOLLY MAMMOTH THEATRE COMPANY

THROUGH JAN. 5

The Snow Queen

Synetic presents a whimsical, family-friendly adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s be-

loved fairy tale, The Snow Queen.

Join Gerda, a little girl with gumption, a magic mirror, and a quest to save her best friend, as she sets out on a life-changing journey that takes her over mountains and across distant lands to the Snow Kingdom.

Tickets are $15 to $30.

school threatens Omari’s future, Nya has to fight a system that’s against him in any environment.

A searing, eloquent, and deeply compassionate look at a broken education system, the moments we are pushed to our limits, and the ferocity of one parent’s love.

Tickets are $60 to $90.

SYNETIC THEATER

STUDIO THEATRE

JAN. 9 TO FEB. 2

JAN. 17 TO MARCH 1

It is 1939, and Hitler’s assault on Europe has begun. Though much of the world has turned its back on the Jews of Europe, Evelyn and Leonard Kirsch suspect that the menace is real.

This ordinary American couple makes a bold decision that could save the lives of many Jewish children and change the course of history. But first, they must convince their estranged friends to help. What begins as a night of cocktails and conversation becomes a tense negotiation of politics, morality and survival — and the stakes are life and death. Tickets are $25 to $69.

Set in 1992 in war-torn Afghanistan, this gripping story centers around a friendship that develops between two Afghan women following a tragedy. While facing insurmountable odds of a brutal and oppressive way of life, the two form an unlikely bond in a heart-rending fight for survival.

Tickets are $41 to $95.

Sheltered

THEATER J

THROUGH JAN. 12

The Dead

Scena Theatre presents an original musical version of the classic short story by Ireland’s greatest writer, James Joyce. The story opens at a Christmas party where the young Gretta swoons while a renowned tenor sings at the piano. Her husband Gabriel feels amorous while he watches her. Later that night, he’s devastated to learn she was actually moved by the memory of her first love, who died hopelessly obsessed with her. Realizing his marriage lacks such passion, Gabriel feels like a shadow of a person, flickering in a world where the living and “the dead” converge. Tickets are $15 to $50.

THE ATLAS

THROUGH JAN. 12

Peter Pan and Wendy

Bold, budding scientist Wendy Darling dreams of earning a Nobel Prize. When Peter Pan arrives at her bedroom window, she takes a leap and leaves finishing school behind, chasing adventure among the stars.

Facing down fairies, mermaids and the dastardly Captain Hook, Wendy, Peter and their friends discover the power of standing up together for what’s right.

Please call for ticket information.

SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY

JAN. 14 TO MARCH 1

The Merry Wives of Windsor The boisterous Falstaff hatches a dubious plan to woo the wealthy wives of Windsor, pilfer their fortunes and make their husbands green with jealousy.

The scheming plot is met with fun-filled retaliation when the ladies devise a plot to teach Falstaff a lesson he won’t soon forget. Tickets are $42 to $85.

FOLGER THEATRE

JAN. 15 TO FEB. 16

Pipeline

Nya is a single mom and dedicated teacher at a high-poverty city school, determined to give her teenaged son Omari opportunities that her students will never have. When an altercation with a teacher at his private

A Thousand Splendid Suns

ARENA STAGE

THROUGH JAN. 19

My Fair Lady

Boasting such classic songs as “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “My Fair Lady” tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady.” But who is really being transformed?

Tickets are $39 to $159.

KENNEDY CENTER OPERA HOUSE

JAN. 24 TO FEB. 23

Silent Sky

A decade before women gained the right to vote, Henrietta Leavitt and her fellow women “computers” transformed the science of astronomy. In the Harvard Observatory, Leavitt found 2,400 new variable stars and made important discoveries about their fluctuating brightness, enabling fellow scientists to map the Milky Way and beyond. This inspiring drama explores the determination, passion and sacrifice of the women who redefined our understanding of the cosmos.

Tickets are $22 to $72.

FORD’S THEATRE

JAN. 28 TO FEB. 23

Gun & Powder

Inspired by a true story, make way for the sisters Clarke in a dynamic, moving and inspiring world premiere musical of notorious outlaws who ruled the Wild West. To help their mother settle a sharecropper debt, Mary and Martha Clarke — light-skinned African American twins — pass themselves as White to seize the funds by any means necessary. However, their bond of sisterhood is tested when they fall in love with two very different men, one black, the other white. Please call for ticket information.

SIGNATURE THEATRE

JAN. 30 TO FEB. 1

World Stages – Grey Rock

A Palestinian man decides to build a rocket to the moon in a shed. “This show is about people, about relationships between a father and a daughter, a mentor and an apprentice, a woman and her suitors,” says writer and director Amir Nizar Zuabi. Tickets are $15 to $35.

KENNEDY CENTER TERRACE THEATER

JANUARY 2020 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 35

WD | Culture | Spotlight

Diplomatic Spotlight

January 2020

European Union-Finland Ambassador Insider Series Trump, trade, China, Russia, climate change, populism, migration and aging. These were just some of the timely topics discussed during a special Ambassador Insider Series (AIS) on Nov. 21 hosted by The Washington Diplomat at the Finnish Embassy featuring European Union Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis and Finnish Ambassador Kirsti Kauppi (both of whom were profiled in our June and July covers).

Noting that the U.S. and EU form the largest bilateral trade and investment relationship in the world, with 45 U.S. states trading with the EU more than any one else in the world, Lambrinidis said that “as boring as numbers sometimes sound, they are in fact penetrating the surface. People are understanding that this is not a relationship to be vilifying. It’s a relationship to be celebrating.”

To view the complete discussion, visit https://bit.ly/2Yzq0Gx. Photos by Jessica Knox

EU Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis listens as Finnish Ambassador Kirsti Kauppi answers a question.

Ambassador of Finland Kirsti Kauppi, Ambassador of Croatia Pjer Šimunović and Leila Beale. Finland will hand off its six-month rotating presidency of the European Union to Croatia in January 2020.

Ambassador of the Arab League Salah Sarhan, center right, shares a laugh with the audience.

EU Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis, Finnish Ambassador Kirsti Kauppi and moderator Anna Gawel share a laugh on stage.

Maryam Kavianpour and Ariel Bashi of CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper.”

The Washington Diplomat sales director Rod Carrasco, EU Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis, managing editor Anna Gawel, Finnish Ambassador Kirsti Kauppi and publisher Victor Shiblie.

EU Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis and Finnish Ambassador Kirsti Kauppi are interviewed by Anna Gawel, managing editor of The Washington Diplomat.

The Finnish Embassy in D.C. was recently awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design LEED® Platinum certification for the second time.

European Union Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis poses with Fionnghuala “Fig” O’Reilly, Miss Universe Ireland and a NASA “datanaut.”

EU Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis and Finnish Ambassador Kirsti Kauppi are interviewed by Anna Gawel, managing editor of The Washington Diplomat.

Andrew Kohlrieser of the office of Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) asks a question.

Nam Nguyen, president of the International Geriatric Radiotherapy Group, Bridget Dotson of The Washington Diplomat and Taylor Van Neste of Morgan Stanley.

36 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | JANUARY 2020

Inayat Kathio, honorary consul general of Pakistan in Philadelphia; Fuad Sahouri of Sahouri Insurance; Caroline Briscoe of the office of Rep. Nicholas Van Taylor (R-Texas); and Omar Elnomrosy of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

School psychologist Misty Knack and Lukas Klotzsche of the Embassy of Austria.

EU Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis, Finnish Ambassador Kirsti Kauppi and moderator Anna Gawel.

Ron Sol Mlotek and Karine MédecinLemon, deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of Monaco.

Finnish Ambassador Kirsti Kauppi answers a question.

The Washington Diplomat operations director Fuad Shiblie, Oxana Paduraru of the Embassy of Moldova and Yomna Nassar of The Washington Diplomat.

Cameron Nezam of The LINE DC, Anna Prisco of the European Union Delegation to the U.S. and Shannon Averill of the ROOST Apartment Hotel.

Sanna Kangasharju, the former Finnish Embassy press secretary who is now with the European Parliament Liaison Office; current Finnish Embassy press secretary Helena Liikanen-Renger and David Van Ongevalle of Mercuri Urval.

Spotlight | Culture | WD

European Union-Finland Ambassador Insider Series

Tony Culley-Foster, president of CFCO International, shares a laugh with Miss Universe Ireland Fig O’Reilly.

Anna Gawel, managing editor of The Washington Diplomat, and Andrii Yanevskyi, political affairs counselor at the Ukrainian Embassy.

Dr. Pamela Hall, Queenmother Yahweh and Raed Kolaghassi of Kadcon Construction.

Madison Van Every and Riyan Aggarwal, both of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Anna Prisco and Kasper Zeuthen of the European Union Delegation join Marshai Heart of the International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG).

Jan Du Plain of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Maria Belovas of the EU Delegation to the U.S. and Wuiping Yap of The Washington Diplomat.

Jeanne de Cervens of Transamerica, honorary Pakistani consul general Inayat Kathio, Astrid Ruggeri of BMW Group, The Washington Diplomat managing editor Anna Gawel and Michael Muth of the Department of Commerce.

Ardy Shahriari, Shae Allen and Rod Carrasco of The Washington Diplomat.

Culturfied International Children’s Festival Families and children traveled the world on Oct. 14 at the second annual Culturfied International Children’s Festival, a popular multicultural event enjoyed by more than 5,000 attendees. This colorful festival, held on “Indigenous People’s Day” in the nation’s capital at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (RRB/ITC), showcased some 30 countries highlighting their vibrant attire, arts and crafts, special games and food tastings. In addition, there were animated performances throughout the afternoon and a Global Children’s Fashion Show in which children wore bright multicolored outfits from countries around the world.

PHOTO: PATRICIA MCDOUGALL PHOTO: KATE OCZYPOK

Emmy Award-winning TV Anchor Debra Alfarone (at the podium) and Mele Melton, president and founder of Culturfied Foundation (in red) welcome children and families.

PHOTO: PATRICIA MCDOUGALL

Mele Melton, president and founder of Culturfied Foundation, joins Andrew Gelfuso, vice president at Trade Center Management Associates (TCMA).

“D.C. has a unique and amazing international diplomatic community, and we were thrilled they were willing to share their culture with the world,” said Mele Melton, president and founder of Culturfied Foundation. “Having events like this one is important to ensure children appreciate the diversity of our world and experience the beauty of cultures that are different from their own.”

“This is a truly unique experience,” said Andrew Gelfuso of Trade Center Management Associates, which runs the Ronald Reagan Building. “I’d like to share a quote: ‘We don’t inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.’”

PHOTO: KATE OCZYPOK PHOTO: KATE OCZYPOK PHOTO: KATE OCZYPOK

Guests check of the Bolivian Embassy booth.

PHOTO: PATRICIA MCDOUGALL

Elodie Shami of the Embassy of Rwanda and Jan Du Plain of RRB/ITC.

Ambassador of Guinea Kerfalla Yansané and his wife.

Trisha Taylor, District of Columbia Secretary of State Kimberly Bassett and Allyson McKithen of RRB/ITC.

PHOTO: PATRICIA MCDOUGALL

Activities included face-painting.

PHOTO: KATE OCZYPOK PHOTO: PATRICIA MCDOUGALL

A magician performs for children.

Marcia Dyson, Haoua Cheick and Lisa McCurdy.

PHOTO: KATE OCZYPOK

Over 5,000 guests filled the atrium of the Ronald Reagan Building.

PHOTO: PATRICIA MCDOUGALL

JANUARY 2020 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 37

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among Democrats, and among a sizable number of Republicans as well,” he said.

“I think what the numbers on Iran say very clearly to people is that Americans have developed a healthy wariness about starting new wars in the Middle East, for good reason,” Reidel added. “[T]his coming year, the first American volunteers will go to Afghanistan and Iraq who were born after Sept. 11 — that’s pretty striking when you think about it.

A whole generation has gone by and now we’re starting to send our youngest off to fight the wars that we started almost 20 years ago.”

RESTRAINT, NOT FULL-ON RETREAT On that note, the Eurasia Group Foundation survey found that the desire for a less aggressive foreign policy cut across generational and

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party lines. It also extended beyond the Middle East, with more Americans saying the U.S. should decrease (57.6%) rather than increase (42.4%) its military presence in East Asia in response to a rising China.

And in a hypothetical invasion of a Baltic NATO ally by Russia, only half of Americans believe the U.S. should respond militarily. Similarly, nearly half wouldn’t want the U.S. military to intervene to stop humanitarian abuses overseas if Americans are not directly threatened. Notably, the survey found that Democrats were increasingly wary of intervening to help vulnerable populations.

In terms of the greatest threats facing the U.S. today, respondents were split along party lines, with a plurality of Democrats and independents concerned about “a rise in populist and authoritarian governments,” while Republicans fear America is “losing its national identity due to high levels of immigration.”

But the report cautions that parties and people defy easy categorization.

“Democrats are neither pacifists nor liberal interventionists. Republicans are neither militaristic nor isolationist. As much as mainstream media narratives push out stories stoking

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CREDIT: U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY SPC. ANTHONY ZENDEJAS IV / WWW.DVIDSHUB.NET

U.S. Army Sgt. Joshua Padilla writes vital information on a simulated casualty during an exercise near the Iraqi-Syrian border on June 20, 2018 — part of a mission to assist the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. A recent poll showed strong bipartisan disapproval of President Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria, effectively abandoning the Kurds, who had been key in ridding the region of the Islamic State.

partisan polarization, the evidence suggests Democrats and Republicans are unified in their reasonable reluctance to bear the high costs and uncertain consequences of trying to reshape the world in America’s image,” wrote Mark Hannah and Caroline Gray of the Eurasia Group Foundation.

They added that while many Americans object to military interventions, they also reject a full-scale

retreat from the international stage, buttressed by the belief that a strong military and foreign policy contribute to American safety at home.

The report also points out that “voters’ support for restraint isn’t monolithic” and “is complicated not only by the more expansive views (and inertial policies) of official Washington, but also by the Trump administration’s incoherent and inconsistent approach to global affairs.”

While Trump rode into office on a wave of war fatigue, he has since strayed from his isolationist agenda — for example, defying Congress by vetoing a bill that would have stopped arming Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen. In addition, the president’s interventionist trade policies, namely the tariff war he launched against China and other countries, have also left people across the political spectrum increasingly pessimistic and frustrated, according to the survey.

“Despite some hope it might curb interventionist excesses, the Trump foreign policy, such as it is, has sown chaos and uncertainty,” the report’s authors argue, adding that, “American voters aren’t as divided as the news media might have you believe.

In fact, if you look at public opinion and tune out the noise, the United States may actually be able to forge a foreign policy that not only reflects the preferences of voters, but one that could restore a modicum of order to America’s chaotic foreign policy. The first step is listening closely to the opinions of American voters.” WD Anna Gawel (@diplomatnews) is the managing editor of The Washington Diplomat.

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OAS

CONTINUED • PAGE 16

when I started my diplomatic career in Mexico,” she said in our April 2019 article “Female Ambassadors to U.S. Make Strides, Although Progress Uneven.”

At the OAS panel, Baños Rivas pointed to positive steps Mexico has taken, such as its recent commitment to developing a feminist foreign policy. Recently championed by only three other countries — Sweden, Canada and France — the idea of a “feminist foreign policy” has differed across various contexts, but it is generally rooted in gender mainstreaming and advancing equality through policies such as Sweden’s “three Rs” — rights, resources and representation.

Other milestones include the election of Mexico City’s first female mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, a major victory in a long history of feminist advocacy in the country.

Mexico City, in fact, is among just three places in Latin America — along with Cuba and Uruguay — where women can undergo abortions during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy regardless of circumstances.

That gets to another major hurdle for women: the lack of reproductive rights in many Latin countries, where Catholicism and conservatism play a strong role in dictating health care policies. The region is home to some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world. As a result, thousands of women die each year from illegal abortions, which also force 1 million women to seek hospital treatment each year.

Some women even been subjected

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In one particularly egregious case that drew international attention, Paraguay denied an an abortion to a 10-year-old girl who had been raped by her stepfather because authorities said the girl seemed healthy.

In addition to conservative religious beliefs, abortion rights advocates in Latin America face another obstacle: the resurgence of a conservative, populist brand of politics, as exemplified by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, dubbed the Trump of the tropics.

Even in a country as patriarchal as Brazil, Bolsonaro’s rhetoric has stood out for its vitriolic attacks against gay people, indigenous communities and women. Bolsonaro has said he wouldn’t rape a congresswoman because she was “ugly” and, in an interview on International Women’s Day, the former military officer said he opposed a 2015 antifemicide law and that women in his country need to “stop whining.”

Even in relatively progressive Chile, where a longstanding ban on abortion was lifted under former President Michelle Bachelet, the current government of President Sebastián Piñera has made it more difficult for women to get an abortion by making it easier for doctors to object to the procedure.

Meanwhile, the election of Donald Trump has also threatened women’s reproductive rights in Latin America because, like other Republican presidents before him, he reinstituted the so-called “global gag rule” that bans U.S. aid to foreign NGOs that perform or advocate for abortions; by extension, the ban cuts off other services these groups provide such cancer screenings and

malaria treatment.

Trump’s presidency, in fact, shows that the issue of reproductive rights and gender equality is not limited to countries south of the U.S. border. According to the Guttmacher Institute, U.S. states have enacted nearly 60 abortion restrictions in 2019 alone.

At the broader level, progress on gender equality in the U.S. has been uneven. A record 102 women now serve in the U.S. House of Representatives — 90 percent of them Democrats — making up nearly a quarter of total House votes. By comparison, in 1992, which was dubbed the “Year of the Woman,” only 27 women were elected to the House and Senate.

Yet women accounted for only one-third of the 800,000 foreign policy professionals in the U.S., according to Allison Carlson, acting managing director of FP Analytics study, which in October launched “The Her Power Index.” At the OAS discussion, Carlson spoke about the challenges women face in the U.S. foreign policy arena — among them, hiring practices that favor certain groups such as veterans in which women represent a small minority (as of 2015, women comprise only 9.4% of U.S. veterans); sexual harassment and a pervasive “boys’ club” culture in which women are often bypassed for professional opportunities; lack of access to mentors; and trying to juggle demanding jobs with family life, in which women are often primary caregivers for both older family members as well as children.

Work-life balance is a struggle that professional women around the world face, and a topic that several panelists at the OAS event touched upon. The issue not only affects female diplomats, but the wives of diplomats, who are also serving their respective governments in

what often amount to full-time jobs in and of themselves.

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., the number of women ambassadors has never budged past 30, out of nearly 180 posts. One of the city’s newest female ambassadors, Iceland’s Bergdís Ellertsdóttir, spoke alongside Agüero of Honduras at The Diplomat’s AIS event.

She said that “if you really want to achieve gender equality, two really easy things to implement are parental leave — not just for the mothers, but for the fathers — and secondly, affordable child care.” (The U.S. is the only developed nation in the world that does not mandate some form of paid parental leave.)

Iceland is a pioneer in women’s rights, having been ranked first in the world for gender equality for the last nine years by the World Economic Forum. Yet even Iceland is not immune to discrimination.

A scandal erupted last year when several members of parliament used sexually explicit language to describe female colleagues, including a disabled activist.

And the #MeToo movement has revealed that seemingly progressive Nordic countries still have a long way to go in achieving full gender equality.

Ellertsdóttir noted that as part of the movement, over 800 stories were told by Icelandic women on Facebook revealing discrimination both “big and small, including women immigrants who didn’t know the language or their rights” and “young women in sports.”

“For a society like Iceland, where we think we are kind of safely in our gender-equality haven, it was a great shock,” the ambassador told our AIS audience. “I think it was a wakeup call that we thought we were almost there and then this Pandora’s box was opened, and it really took over

the whole debate on what gender equality is. It’s not just that we need to have a legal basis … we have to change the way people think, especially the way men think.”

Ellertsdóttir — who has served as deputy director of her foreign ministry’s political department dealing with security issues and as chief negotiator for the Iceland-China Free Trade Agreement — echoed the point that Baños Rivas, Mexico’s permanent representative to the OAS, made about women diplomats being relegated to more traditional roles and left out of issues historically dominated by men.

“I have had many meetings where there were mostly men … especially when it comes to trade and security issues,” Ellertsdóttir said. “I’m not saying human rights aren’t important, but if you look at for example the U.N., you see if you go to the committees that deal with human rights issues, it’s mostly women. If you go to the committees that deal with security issues, it’s mostly men, but I think this is gradually changing.”

She added: “I think it’s important to have women at the table, particularly when it comes to security issues, when it comes to negotiating peace agreements … we’re just gradually breaking that glass ceiling. We are better off, societies are better off, the world is better off, peace is better off if we have women at the table.” WD Sarah Alaoui (@SarahAlaoui_) is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat. Anna Gawel (@diplomatnews) is the managing editor of The Washington Diplomat.

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