The Washington Diplomat - November 2019 by The Washington Diplomat

Education Special Section

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Education

A Special Section of The Washington Diplomat

November 2019

United States

Whistleblowing: Why Risk It All To Expose Truth?

A single whistleblower may do more to bring down Donald Trump’s presidency than several years’ worth of exhaustive, damning reports about his conduct, but why do people risk their reputations to expose the truth, and what have been the repercussions? PAGE 9

Decoding the Truth

Digital Literacy Teaches

SOUTH AMERICA

COLOMBIA’S

MESSY PEACE

Envoys Say U.S. Diplomats Need To Take More Risks

“Diplomacy is a hazardous business,” says Richard Olson, the former U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan who joined other retired ambassadors in calling on Congress to put aside postBenghazi fears and let diplomats do their job. PAGE 12

Not ‘The End’ For Feminist Icon

Feminist icon Judy Chicago continues to break taboos with her fearless exploration of death and dying. PAGE 32

Students How to Tell

n a recent Monday morning in a journalism class at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Md., students watched an excerpt from the CNN program “Crossfire” featuring

Fact from Fiction Online

a heated exchange between comedian Jon Stewart and conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson. Although the conversation, which made headlines after Stewart accused Carlson and his “Cross-

PHOTO: RAWPIXEL.COM

/ SHUTTERSTOCK

A landmark 2016 Stanford University study found that despite being fluent in social media, students at the middle, high school and college inept when it came to evaluatinglevels were surprisingly what they read online.

•

BY DERYL DAVIS

fire” co-hosts of engaging in political theater rather than journalism, occurred 15 years ago, it immediately sparked student discussion. SEE DIGITAL LITERACY • PAGE 26 NOVEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

| 25

People of World Influence

In Mideast, Big Surges But Small Steps As deputy national security advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan under the Bush administration and an architect of the Iraqi surge, Meghan O’Sullivan left a huge footprint in two wartorn countries. But as many U.S. policymakers learn, in the volatile and shifting sands of the Middle East, footprints often get left behind in the

United States

Culture

NOVEMBER 2019

WWW.WASHDIPLOMAT.COM

VOLUME 26, NUMBER 11

dust. PAGE 4

“We inherited a mess,” says Colombian Ambassador Francisco Santos Calderón about the historic peace deal that the previous government negotiated with FARC rebels. But Santos, a former journalist who was kidnapped by drug traffickers, says that while he would’ve been tougher on the former rebels, his government is committed to implementing the accord that ended Latin America’s longestrunning armed conflict. PAGE 15

Diplomatic Spouses

Bosnia’s Diplomatic Grand Slam Diplomacy is often seen as a sport. Bosnia and Herzegovina apparently took this analogy to heart by appointing a famous professional tennis player and coach as its ambassador to the U.S. PAGE 33

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

RISING STAR, SETTING SUN: Volume 26 "Essential and entertaining reading." —Betty K. Koed, Historian

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

Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and the |Presidential | www.washdiplomat.com America Issue 11 | Transition Novemberthat 2019 Changed

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

Director of Operations

Fuad Shiblie

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

Graphic Designer

Cari Henderson

Drawing extensively from primary sources, Account Manager including memoirs and memosRod of theCarrasco time, Rising Star, Setting Sun paints a vivid Photographer Lawrence Ruggeri picture of what Time called a "turning point in the twentieth century."

Contributing Writers

Deryl Davis, Stuart Holliday,

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

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

Lisa Troshinsky, Mackenzie Weinger

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

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

Where to Buy:

Pegasus Books, hardcover, May 2018, ISBN: 9781681777320

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The Washington Diplomat"Essential is published The Washington andmonthly entertaining reading." Diplomat assumes no responsibilby The Washington Diplomat, Inc. The newspaper ity for the safe keeping or return of unsolicited man—Betty K. Koed, Historian is distributed free of charge at several locations uscripts, photographs, artwork or other material. throughout the Washington, D.C. area. We do offer subscriptions for home delivery. Subscription rates The information contained in this publication are $29 for 12 issues and $49 for 24 issues. is in no way to be construed as a recommenDwight D. Eisenhower, John and dation F by. Kennedy, the Publisher of any the kind or nature To receive The Washington Diplomat at your em- that whatsoever, nor as a recommendation Presidential Transition Changed America of any inbassy or business or to receive past issues, please dustry standard, nor as an endorsement of any call Fuad Shiblie at 301-933-3552. product or service, nor as an opinion or certification Rising Star, Setting Sun is a rivregarding the accuracy of any such information. eting new history that explores If your organization employs many people from the the complicated, poignant, and international consequential community, youtransition may qualify for free All rights reserved. No part of this publication may of powbulk delivery. erTofrom see ifDwight you qualify, please contact be reproduced in whole or part without explicit D. Eisenhower to Fuad Shiblie. John F. Kennedy. permission of the publisher.

RISING STAR, SETTING SUN:

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

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

ON THE COVER

Photo taken outside the Colombian Ambassador’s Residence in Dupont Circle by Lawrence Ruggeri of Ruggeriphoto.com.

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

1/2 page vertical print 2 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | NOVEMBER 2019

Contents

THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | NOVEMBER 2019

24 NEWS PEOPLE OF WORLD INFLUENCE The architect of Bush’s Iraq surge reflects on a shifting Mideast landscape.

9 WHY BLOW THE WHISTLE?

“Crisis of Conscience” explores whistleblowing in government and corporate America.

12 DIPLOMATIC DANGERS

Retired ambassadors say post-Benghazi fears are holding U.S. diplomats back.

COVER PROFILE: COLOMBIA

Colombia’s envoy says his government is keeping the peace with FARC rebels and Venezuelans.

CHINA, THEN AND NOW

Experts reflect on China’s evolution, from communist basket case to global heavyweight.

GLOBAL VANTAGE POINT

The Foreign Agents Registration Act is about to get a whole lot more complicated.

GLOBAL VANTAGE POINT

ALL JOKES ASIDE

Nearly 30 years later, Operation Desert Storm still offers lessons for today’s leaders.

A Canadian cartoonist draws on real life in “For Better or For Worse.”

EDUCATION

READING THE INTERNET

Digital literacy teaches students how to tell what’s real and what’s not online.

CULTURE 32

MORBID RUMINATIONS

A feminist icon’s latest journey tackles the taboo of death and dying in ‘The End.”

DIPLOMATIC SPOUSES

Bosnia and Herzegovina took to the court — the tennis court — to find its new ambassador.

FEMINIST SPECTRUM

Contemporary women artists from Africa capture the full scope of feminism.

EU PLAYGROUND

D.C. becomes a European playground for two weeks with the Kids Euro Festival.

REGULARS 38

CINEMA LISTING

EVENTS LISTING

DIPLOMATIC SPOTLIGHT

APPOINTMENTS

CLASSIFIEDS

REAL ESTATE CLASSIFIEDS NOVEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 3

WD | People of World Influence

Lessons of War Architect of Bush’s Iraq Surge Reflects on Ever-Shifting Middle East Landscape BY RYAN R. MIGEED AND ANNA GAWEL

hen Meghan O’Sullivan was a little girl in the 1970s, her father traveled to Saudi Arabia for a business trip and brought her back a plastic Tic Tac box full of sand from the desert. The gift captured her imagination and years later, O’Sullivan’s career would come to be defined in large part by that same region. From 2004 to 2007, she served as deputy national security advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan under the Bush administration, leaving behind a large footprint in both countries. But as many U.S. policymakers have learned, in the volatile and shifting sands of the Middle East, footprints often get left behind in the dust. That’s especially true of Iraq and Afghanistan, two countries forever altered — for better or worse — by America’s invasion and subsequent rebuilding efforts. O’Sullivan’s experience is emblematic of the complexities of stabilizing and rebuilding war-ravaged states, and while that experience is years away from the current turmoil upending the region, it still holds relevant insights for U.S. policymakers trying to make sense of the chaos. O’Sullivan is perhaps best known for her work helming the Bush administration’s strategic policy review that ultimately led to a troop increase in Iraq coupled with a focus on counterinsurgency, public diplomacy and capacitybuilding — a strategy collectively known as the “surge.” In 2008, after she had helped manage the Bush administration’s Iraq War strategy — including helping to craft Iraq’s interim constitution after the 2003 U.S. invasion — Esquire Magazine named her one of the most influential people of the century. By most accounts, she was indeed highly influential within the Bush administration, despite her relatively young age. “O’Sullivan, 37, has been at the heart of the most important project of the Bush presidency — the invasion, occupation and continuing war in Iraq — from the beginning,” wrote The Washington Post’s Peter Baker in an April 3, 2007, article following her resignation as deputy national security advisor. “She became involved in Iraq policy at age 33 before U.S. troops toppled Saddam Hussein, then went to Baghdad for a year as a key official of the Coalition Provisional Authority. Since 2004, she has served as Bush’s top Iraq adviser on the National Security Council.” Elisabeth Bumiller of The New York Times pointed out in a June 12, 2006, article that Bush would receive a criti-

During her tenure under President George W. Bush, Meghan O’Sullivan often acted as a go-between for Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish leaders in Baghdad, later coordinating Iraq policy across government agencies while working at the White House.

“

However justifiably frustrated and tired the United States is with the war in Afghanistan, it cannot just decide to leave completely and under any circumstances if it wants to both secure the gains it has made and protect itself from future threats. MEGHAN O’SULLIVAN, former deputy national security advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan

cal daily memo about Iraq written by O’Sullivan, “who colleagues say is instrumental in shaping Mr. Bush’s views.” O’Sullivan — who holds a master’s degree and a doctorate from Oxford, where she wrote her dissertation on the Sri Lankan civil war — was often praised for her keen, succinct, scholarly analysis of the Iraq War. At the same time, her advice was also informed by firsthand experience. While in Baghdad, where U.S. officials typically hunkered down in the fortified Green Zone, “O’Sullivan donned conservative clothes, covered her bright-red hair with a scarf and ventured out with an Iraqi driver to see what was happening in the country,” Baker wrote. In October 2003, a rocket hit her Baghdad hotel and she was forced to escape by walking along a narrow ledge outside her 10th-floor window.

4 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | NOVEMBER 2019

IRAQI ODYSSEY

Throughout her time in Baghdad, where she acted as a go-between for Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish leaders, and at the White House, where she coordinated Iraq policy across various government agencies, O’Sullivan was steadfast in her belief that the key to resolving Iraq’s deep-seated sectarian fissures was rebuilding civic institutions and promoting political compromise. While the 2007 surge is largely remembered for deploying over 20,000 U.S. troops to stabilize the country after sectarian fighting was slaughtering hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, the military strategy was a precursor to a broader political agenda, according to O’Sullivan. She told us that up until the surge, the working assumption had been that if Iraqis worked out their political dis-

”

agreements first, security would follow. “We rethought that assumption in a pretty fundamental way and realized that violence had gotten to a level that security was so bad that it was not practical to expect Iraqi leaders, or Iraqis in general, to make big compromises on the political front in the face of such insecurity,” O’Sullivan said. The purpose of the surge was to create “an environment in which Iraqis could resolve their political differences” through government, rather than through the bloodletting carried out by Sunni and Shiite militias, O’Sullivan added. She said the surge had two important effects. First, it “helped catalyze” momentum behind what is known as the “Sunni awakening,” in which Sunni SEE O’S UL L IVAN • PAGE 6

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How Tech is Transforming the Classroom

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Immigration Attorney - Mokhiber & Moretti, PLLC

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PLACEMENT AND SIZING

U.S. Army soldiers take cover behind their vehicle after hearing small arms fire in Mosul, Iraq, on Jan. 17, 2008. In 2007, President George W. Bush ordered a surge of U.S. troops to Iraq to prevent it from sliding into civil war, a move that quelled some of the bloodshed. Several years later, however, Mosul was captured by the Islamic State. It was eventually freed by Iraqi forces with help from the U.S., although the city “is still in terrible shape,” according to Meghan O’Sullivan, an architect of Bush’s surge strategy.

CREDIT: U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY SPC. KIERAN CUDDIHY / WWW.ARMY.MIL

O’Sullivan CONTINUED • PAGE 4

tribes agreed to partner with U.S. forces to combat al-Qaeda in Iraq in 2007. Second, it contributed to the decision by Muqtada al-Sadr, a populist Shiite cleric and influential militia leader, to agree to a ceasefire.” The ceasefire, along with additional U.S. political and military resources, led to a steep drop in violence in Iraq from 2007 to 2009, according to O’Sullivan. While the surge is credited with halting Iraq’s slide into civil war, not everyone agrees with the widely accepted narrative that it was an unmitigated success. For one thing, it may not have even been necessary if it weren’t for the catastrophic decision, executed by O’Sullivan’s Coalition Provisional Authority boss, L. Paul Bremer, to disband the Iraqi army and remove Ba-ath Party members from government following Saddam Hussein’s ouster. That pushed legions of suddenly disenfranchised Sunnis to take up arms, fearing persecution by the majority Shiites now in power. Many of these disgruntled Sunnis who attacked U.S. forces would eventually morph into the Islamic State. O’Sullivan takes a nuanced view of the controversial decision and its enduring ramifications. “The policy of DeBa’athification in Iraq ended up being deeply destabilizing and added to Sunni alienation from the post-Saddam government, which in turn helped fuel the insurgency,” she conceded. “But it also would have

Meghan O’Sullivan, former deputy national security advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan under the Bush administration, was known for venturing outside of Iraq’s fortified Green Zone to see what was happening on the ground.

Mosul area, as Iraqis grow increasingly frustrated with the gap between the wealth of their country and their low standards of living and basic services.” Meghan O’Sullivan poses with members of Iraq’s Anbar Provisional Council in 2008. O’Sullivan, who often found herself as the lone woman in a room full of older male military commanders, says “it’s a great time to be a woman going into national security” because “there are so many people who are role models at this time.”

been destabilizing to have left the Ba’ath Party intact and those who worked for it at senior levels in charge of Iraq politically and economically. So some policy was needed to address the ills of the Ba’ath Party, to keep the organization from recapturing the state — as it had done in the past — and to provide justice to people who had suffered under Ba’ath Party rule. “The problem with the actual De-Ba’athification policy enacted was that it ended up probably being too sweeping in its construction,” she continued, “and that it was implemented in a political fashion, allowing some of the Iraqis in charge of the policy to use it to advance their own political agendas to the detriment of thousands of people.” Since then, however, Iraq has made notable political gains, such as holding competitive parliamentary elections in 2018 that, after a long stretch of political jockeying, resulted in a coalition government that has vowed to be beholden to neither Iran nor the

6 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | NOVEMBER 2019

U.S. but to Iraqis as a whole. Iraq also successfully wrested back large tracts of territory that had been seized by the Islamic State in 2014, when the group (also known as ISIS) capitalized on Sunni disillusionment with the government in Baghdad to expand its self-styled caliphate. The group’s brutal reign, however, eventually alienated Iraqis and helped the government, backed by U.S. military support, to dislodge the group. But the national unity inspired by the Islamic State takeover proved fleeting. Last month, widespread protests erupted over endemic government corruption, unemployment and a lack of basic services. Security forces fired on protesters, killing at least 100, and the government shut down the internet and imposed a curfew. The protests were a stark reminder that 16 years after the U.S. invasion, the Iraqi government still has not delivered a better life for its 37 million citizens. O’Sullivan admits that “the

situation is very much a mixed bag.” “Iraq is re-emerging from its battle with ISIS in a much better position than most could have imagined five years ago when ISIS took control of nearly a third of the country. Its economy as a whole is improving, thanks to record levels of oil production and some growth in the non-oil sector. And it has received $30 billion in pledges from the international community to rebuild the parts of the country that were ravaged by ISIS and the war against it. That’s the good news,” O’Sullivan said. “The bad news is that the north — the city of Mosul in particular — is still in terrible shape and the reconstruction task there is overwhelming. The consequences of success or failure there are huge, given that it could well determine whether another version of ISIS takes root in Iraq in the future. But, as we can see from the [recent] protests, there continues to be widespread dissatisfaction across all parts of Iraq, not just the

STAY OR GO?

Another recent concern is the potential re-emergence of the Islamic State after President Trump’s controversial decision to withdraw 1,000 U.S. troops from northeastern Syria who had been protecting America’s Kurdish allies from a Turkish invasion. The repercussions of that decision have been swift: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan launched a military offensive against the Kurds; the Kurds partnered with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for protection; another U.S. adversary, Russia, has stepped in to fill the security vacuum; Republicans blasted Trump for abandoning a key ally that helped to contain the Islamic State; and hundreds of Islamic State detainees have escaped amid the chaos. The crisis in Syria has raised fears of an Islamic State resurgence that could spill over into Iraq — where resentment has been growing that promises of postwar reconstruction have gone unfilled — potentially undoing the hard-fought gains there as well. “This decision to withdraw U.S. forces from northeast

Syria will haunt this administration and future administrations. Rather than ending a ‘forever war,’ President Trump made them more likely in two ways,” O’Sullivan said. “First, by jettisoning our partners abruptly, he helped ensure that the only viable alternative to forever wars — where the United States leverages a small number of troops to enlist the support of many more indigenous ones — will be difficult to replicate in the future. Second, by giving ISIS new life, he increased the likelihood that forever wars will be necessary in the coming years.” Yet Trump’s abrupt pullout is just the latest policy shift in the perennial tug of war over America’s military presence in the Middle East, a dilemma that has bedeviled administrations of both parties. O’Sullivan is diplomatic in her critiques of the drawdowns ordered by Obama and Trump, although she partly faults Obama for “the fact that we probably withdrew important military support, and therefore political support, too early … in 2011.” She said the withdrawal didn’t give the country’s competing political interests enough time to reconcile their differences, threatening Iraq’s fragile path to stability. But other experts say that waiting until Iraq’s fragmented political tribes got their act together might have meant

remaining in the country indefinitely. (For example, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, is accused of squandering the relative peace created by the surge to amass power and sideline the Sunnis and Kurds.) And it’s debatable whether the small residual force Obama proposed leaving behind would have made much of a difference anyway. “The seeds of the American withdrawal in 2011 were sown by the architect of the Iraq War, President George W. Bush,” Brian McKeon, who served as deputy national security adviser to Vice President Joe Biden from 2009 to 2012, wrote in Just Security in 2018 in response to the critique that Obama withdrew troops from Iraq too soon. McKeon noted that Bush had negotiated a status of forces agreement (SOFA) “explicitly” stipulating that U.S. forces would “withdraw from all Iraqi territory no later than December 31, 2011.” “President Obama, of course, campaigned against the war, and ordered an orderly drawdown, consistent with the SOFA, soon after taking office,” McKeon wrote. “He agreed, nonetheless, to leave a small residual force of 5,000 troops but failed to reach agreement with Iraq over immunity protections for U.S. forces. It was not for lack of trying. I worked for Vice President Biden at the time; he had Iraqi political leaders on speed-dial and traveled to Iraq multiple times in the first Obama term.” But the Bush administration faced the same sticking point of immunity for U.S. troops in its negotiations with al-Maliki’s government over the 2008 SOFA, according to O’Sullivan, who helped negotiate that agreement. “We found a way around it with some very creative language that allowed Iraqis to say that they were not giving us blanket immunity but at the same time effectively did give us blanket immunity,” she said. “I wasn’t on the Obama negotiating team, but I suspect that there were

Meghan O’Sullivan talks with L. Paul Bremer of the Coalition Provisional Authority, whose fateful decision to disband the Iraqi army and remove Ba-ath Party members from government fueled the Sunni insurgency in Iraq.

some creative arrangements that could have been explored to further get over the hurdle.” She added that two years after Obama’s departure order, American forces returned to Iraq — without a SOFA — to combat the rise of the Islamic State. O’Sullivan did not comment on Obama’s decision to increase troops to fight the Islamic State or his own surge of 30,000 troops to Afghanistan in 2009, although she said that Bush’s Iraq surge and Obama’s Afghanistan surge “are two very, very, very different situations.” She also argues that the Trump administration can learn from Bush’s Iraq strategy as it works to extricate the roughly 14,000 U.S. troops still in Afghanistan. Eager to fulfill his campaign promise and pull those troops out, Trump pushed full-speed ahead this year with peace talks with the Tali-

ban to end the 18-year war, despite criticism that those negotiations excluded the Afghan government. The talks — led by special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who was U.S. ambassador to Iraq while O’Sullivan served on the National Security Council — had made progress on a partial troop withdrawal in return for Taliban pledges not to allow Afghanistan to become a terrorist launching pad. But negotiations fell apart after stepped-up attacks by the Taliban and the backlash generated by Trump’s invitation to host the Taliban at Camp David shortly before the 18th anniversary of 9/11. Talks have yet to resume, although Trump has signaled he still plans to bring troops home. In Afghanistan, “we really are at a crossroads,” O’Sullivan said. “We’ve had three American presidents, all of whom at various times

have increased the commitment to Afghanistan without really creating a platform for success there.” While U.S. options are limited in Afghanistan, O’Sullivan said the challenge amounts to two choices: “depart and call it quits,” which she said does not serve U.S. interests, or use whatever leverage the U.S. has “to get an outcome that’s going to protect U.S. interests and hopefully advance Afghans’ interests as we perceive them.” But O’Sullivan’s warning not to “call it quits” — which echoes a chorus of foreign policy establishment figures who say that any withdrawal should be based on conditions on the ground rather than arbitrary timelines — rings hollow to the Americans who voted for Trump in part because they were exasperated by endless Mideast wars. That includes Afghanistan — America’s longest war, which has killed tens of thousands of Afghans, along with over 3,500 U.S. and coalition soldiers, and cost American taxpayers roughly $1 trillion. We asked O’Sullivan at what point should we reasonably say “enough” of this venture? “However justifiably frustrated and tired the United States is with the war in Afghanistan, it cannot just decide to leave completely and under any circumstances if it wants to both secure the gains it has made and protect itself from future threats,” she argued. “That, however, does not mean that the United States should continue to adhere to the status quo effort of the last 18 years. A change in approach is needed and, in fact, is what the administration has undertaken in authorizing direct talks between the United States and the Taliban. This has been a step in the right direction, although the chance of those talks succeeding has been compromised by the president’s repeated declarations that he intends to SEE O’S UL L IVAN • PAGE 8

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O’Sullivan CONTINUED • PAGE 7

pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan, regardless of the outcome of the talks. Engaging in negotiations is important, and ultimately, we will need to make some compromises and take some risks on in order to come to an agreement. But we need to be prepared for a long slog at the negotiation table, and to bring in regional actors, if we are to leave Afghanistan with something that is sustainable and not likely to collapse into civil war after our departure.”

TRILATERAL COMMISSION

O’Sullivan’s portfolio has expanded significantly since her days focusing solely on Iraq and Afghanistan under President Bush (although we interviewed her while she was back in Washington for an annual reunion of members of the George W. Bush administration, attended by the former president and former Vice President Dick Cheney). O’Sullivan, a native of Lexington, Mass., teaches international affairs at Harvard, where she is also director of the Geopolitics of Energy Project. O’Sullivan’s new role as chair of the North American Group of the Trilateral Commission has also broadened her portfolio. The Trilateral Commission was the brainchild of David Rockefeller and Zbigniew Brzezinski. Founded in 1973 against the backdrop of a rising Japan and global friction, one of its central goals was to bring together high-level

leaders to examine the common challenges facing Japan, Western Europe and North America. “The commission’s original mission, to bring together advanced democracies to promote the underpinnings of the international system, to advance economic prosperity and liberal political order, is now needed much more than it was five or 10 years ago, kind of unexpectedly,” O’Sullivan said. “We’re in a world where the advocates of that order have now become disrupters of it — the United States most obviously but not exclusively. We’re in a position where we need all the institutions that we can … basically advancing and protecting a rulesbased order. So I think in that sense, the Trilateral Commission is more relevant than ever,” she added. While its goals may be noble, the Trilateral Commission has also come under scrutiny for its closed-door meetings of international elites, and is even at the center of conspiracy theories comparing it to the likes of the Illuminati. The commission “has always closely guarded its deliberations,” but O’Sullivan says transparency is key to the nongovernmental forum having an effect on policymakers with the ideas it develops. Next March, the full commission will have its global meeting in Washington, D.C. The next meeting of the North American chapter will be in Mexico City in November. The gatherings won’t be “open doors” and they won’t “podcast every single session,” O’Sullivan said, but the organization is “starting to be more public about what we’re doing, trying to engage more with the public.” “We need to talk about what we’re doing in

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order to have the impact that we want to have,” O’Sullivan said. The Trilateral Commission is currently focusing on two issues, climate change and the future of capitalism. Both are major challenges facing every government, but they need to be solved collectively, even as many countries are “increasingly internally focused,” O’Sullivan said. “What’s happening in our own societies is really impeding our ability to collectively cooperate — the rise of populism and nationalism, the challenges around immigration, a lot of these domestic issues are compromising our ability to be global leaders and to cooperate across national boundaries to solve the problems that demand transnational action,” O’Sullivan said.

about what the world’s going to look like when that’s no longer the case and, say, clean energy technology carries with it a similar geopolitical heft,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s going to be a really different world. And it’s going to be one where investments we make today and research and development we do today is going to influence our geopolitical standing tomorrow.” But O’Sullivan cautions against America pursuing energy independence to the point where it isolates itself internationally because the country still needs to be connected to global markets to be successful. To the contrary, America should capitalize on its energy boom to increase its global influence. “I’m one of those people — I think there are many of us in Washington — who really believe that America’s role in creating, advancing, perpetuating a global economic and political system of the last 70 years has been absolutely critical. And that system has not only advanced American interests. I would say it has been the key to Chinese prosperity in a lot of ways. It has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. It has helped the world address a lot of conflicts that might have spun out of control. It’s been responsible for a period of relative peace and prosperity,” O’Sullivan said. “There are more doubts now than ever about America’s interest and commitment in continuing to play that role,” she lamented. “As America seems more ambivalent about this role and less committed to it, other countries are trying to step into the void — China being the most obvious one. “That is really the critical question for our time: What is the fate of this rules-based order? Are we able to modify it in such a way that reflects some of the new realities that include the rise of Chinese power, that include the differing roles of emerging economies … but still preserve many of the elements which have underpinned the prosperity and the peace — or are we going to let it fray and deteriorate and not actually be active in what replaces it?”

GEOPOLITICAL ‘WINDFALL’

DIVERSE DECISION-MAKING

O’Sullivan has also been investigating another significant global trend that she believes will have ramifications for geopolitics over the coming decades. In her 2017 book “Windfall: How the New Energy Abundance Upends Global Politics and Strengthens America’s Power,” O’Sullivan addresses how energy abundance is replacing energy scarcity and how the U.S. can take advantage of a changing geopolitical landscape shaped by new energy realities. “Energy underpins international politics in a fundamental way,” O’Sullivan said, but this is still underappreciated in the foreign policy community because understanding energy markets requires specialized, technical knowledge that is less familiar to diplomats and policymakers. O’Sullivan pinpoints “two huge revolutions” in energy that are reshaping global politics: first, the fracking boom that has allowed countries including the U.S. to tap into new reserves of oil and natural gas; and second, the slow-moving transition away from fossil fuels. “America’s dependence on foreign oil has been a huge strategic vulnerability for decades, and now we’re in this very, very different order, both from an American perspective but also globally,” O’Sullivan said. Decades ago, oil scarcity was the driving force behind Germany’s strategic planning, for example. In the 1970s, members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) declared an oil embargo on the U.S. and other states that had supported Israel in the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, and the Iran-Iraq War similarly disrupted global oil supplies during the 1980s. “Oil has been the basis of international power in many respects for 100 years. Think

The ones who will be answering this question will be members of the most diverse generation in American history, although the U.S. foreign policy establishment remains disproportionately male and white. Yet O’Sullivan, who often found herself as the lone woman in a room full of older military commanders, struck an optimistic tone. “I think it’s a great time to be a woman going into national security,” she said. “There are so many people who are role models at this time. I think there is also a real appreciation for mentorship and networks and vehicles devoted to promoting women and cultivating the pipeline.” As an example, O’Sullivan pointed to the new Women and Power initiative at Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, where she teaches. Looking at her own career, O’Sullivan said the most critical element of her success was mentors, “and those mentors don’t have to be women,” she said. “There is what I think is a critical appreciation for diversity in any decision-making setting. So it’s no longer that women should be in positions of power because it’s the right thing to do. It’s that women need to be in positions of power, along with other groups representing greater diversity, because diversity enhances effectiveness of institutions and increases the quality of decision-making,” O’Sullivan said. “I think people realize it’s not just optics, it’s actually about performance, and I think that is a really important realization.” WD Ryan R. Migeed (@RyanMigeed) is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat. Anna Gawel (@diplomatnews) is the managing editor of The Washington Diplomat.

United States | WD

Truth-Tellers ‘Crisis of Conscience’ Explores Whistleblowing in Government and Corporate America BY AILEEN TORRES-BENNETT AND ANNA GAWEL

single whistleblower may do more to bring down Donald Trump’s presidency than several years’ worth of exhaustive, damning reports documenting Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible obstruction of justice by the president to cover up those efforts. The whistleblower, reportedly a CIA officer, exposed an alleged quid pro quo in which the president pressed the Ukrainian government to dig up dirt on his political opponent Joe Biden — a revelation that has triggered a House impeachment inquiry against Trump. The president has responded in his characteristic defiant fashion, dismissing the allegations as a deep state witch hunt and denouncing the whistleblower as “close to a spy,” suggesting the person committed an act of treason. But, far from treasonous, whistleblowers are often seen as heroic for standing up for their beliefs and exposing wrongdoing, in both the political and corporate spheres, and are considered essential to a healthy democracy that holds institutions to account. At the same time, they often face severe persecution and an uphill battle to have their voices heard. “There’s a whole psychology to this, and so when people do these things, they honestly believe that they’re doing the right thing for a number of reasons,” said Marianne Jennings, a professor at Arizona State University who spoke at an October panel hosted at the D.C.-based Cato Institute and centered around journalist Tom Mueller’s new book, “Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud.” Irvin McCullough, a national security analyst at the Government Accountability Project, and moderator Patrick Eddington, a research fellow at Cato, joined Mueller and Jennings to discuss the psychology of whistleblowers and some examples, including the intelligence official who blew the whistle on Trump purportedly holding military assistance to Ukraine hostage until President Volodymyr Zelensky investigated a company linked to Biden’s son Hunter. The Ukraine whistleblower is just the latest in a long line of whistleblowers who have altered the course of history, from Daniel Ellsberg, who released the Pentagon Papers; to Edward Snowden, who leaked classified NSA information; to Jeffrey Wigand, who blew the lid on big tobacco.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SPEAKING UP

Mueller interviewed over 200 people and spent seven years working on his second book, “Crisis of Conscience.”

CREDIT: OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BY JOYCE N. BOGHOSIAN

On Oct. 10, President Trump talks to members of the press on the South Lawn of the White House, where he was bombarded with questions after a whistleblower exposed an alleged quid pro quo in which the president pressed the Ukrainian government to dig up dirt on his political opponent Joe Biden.

“

[It’s] very important not to try to elevate the whistleblower to the hero or the demon. Organizations of every kind have potential for drifting to the dark side.

”

TOM MUELLER, author of ‘Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud’

Interestingly, his first book was about olive oil. Despite the seemingly unrelated subject matter, “Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil” documented brazen fraud in the olive oil industry. “The common denominator is fraud…. The olive oil story was a story about people — good guys, bad guys, mafia people and truly saintly individuals. Whistleblowing is like that too,” Mueller said at the Cato discussion, adding that whistleblowing has a “remarkable cast of characters in a wide range of different industries.” Mueller argued that the bigger an organization becomes, the more susceptible it is to fraud. “If you go beyond a certain size, the direct sense of responsibility and involvement that what I am doing produces those results is lost,” he said. “You have a chain of command. You have a chain of responsibility. You have a series of activities that are more and more disassociated with the ultimate goal.” Jennings, who wrote “The Seven Signs of Ethical Collapse” in 2006, sees

this disconnect in large corporations, where a tiny lie can snowball into a gaping moral abyss. “People don’t wake up one day and say, ‘I’m going to commit fraud to get this account.’ It’s a series of seemingly inconsequential acts. They all have a story of their initial trap,” she said. For example, a CEO in a meeting might tell employees that an issue is not really a problem or that it’s already been handled. “Every single person in that room who knows [that’s a lie] says nothing. From that point on, they become prisoners of each other,” Jennings said. “It’s not the kind of thing that gets splashed on newspapers, but it is the start. They know something about the CEO. Likewise, the CEO knows of their unwillingness to stop them. It just keeps growing because they push the envelope to see how far they can get you to go along with it.” Jennings added that some CEOs, even those from humble beginnings, can take on “an air of royalty and no one even calls them out on something as simple as

PHOTO: DAVE YODER / PENGUIM RANDOM HOUSE

their travel expenses.” She said people also use psychological tools to justify their actions — or rather lack thereof — telling themselves that “everybody does it, this is the way it’s always been done, if we don’t do this, this is what happens to the company.” Then, when a whistleblower does come forward, they are often ignored or attacked because they’ve upset a system everyone has come to accept as normal, Jennings said. In other words, the whistleblower is the one who broke the rules, not the other way around. Mueller said that whistleblowers are often loners who don’t follow the herd and whose exceptionalism should not only be celebrated, but also emulated. “I think that almost Orwellian shift that we’re going to call a truth-teller and a person of conscience a special thing, as if all of us can’t aspire to that, that grabbed me in a way,” he said, arguing that more people should feel the moral imperative to speak up, despite the consequences. SEE WHISTLEBLOWERS • PAGE 10

NOVEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 9

PHOTO: HOUSED / OWN WORK, CC BY-SA 3.0

Whistleblowers CONTINUED • PAGE 9

Given that whistleblowers often face isolation and potentially career-ending retribution, Jennings asked, “Why do they do such bizarre things?” The most obvious answer is there simply comes a point when at least one person feels compelled to break an organization’s culture of silence and loyalty. “They are accountable to something more than just keeping this job,” Jennings said, citing a sense of loyalty to one’s values, for example. Mueller said that in writing his book, “the phrase I heard countless times is, ‘I have to look at myself in the mirror every morning.’ And that is a very powerful thing, and clearly they spent a lot of time getting to that point saying, ‘I don’t have a choice. The choice has already been made.’” He added that many people he spoke with hated the term “whistleblower,” insisting that they were just doing their jobs. But beyond a sense of duty, there is more than one reason why someone becomes a whistleblower, according to Jennings. The quintessential type of whistleblower is someone who feels a moral obligation to say something because they believe “this just isn’t right and I can’t live with that,” Jennings said. “So those are the true whistleblowers. Another type is someone who seeks revenge on a person or organization. Some whistleblowers point out alleged wrongdoing for a living, raising issues in pursuit of winning legal settlements — and money — while others ride in on a high horse, determined to stop any and all injustices. Regardless of motive, Mueller argues that it’s “very important not to try to elevate

PHOTO: CATO INSTITUTE

From left, Patrick Eddington of the Cato Institute, Marianne Jennings of Arizona State University, Irvin McCullough of the Government Accountability Project and journalist Tom Mueller discuss Mueller’s new book, “Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud.” The panel also talked about prominent examples of whistleblowing, such as the case of Johnson & Johnson, which was exposed for corrupting state health officials to make sure its anti-psychotic medication, Risperdal, seen at left, was being prescribed for illnesses for which it wasn’t originally intended.

PHOTO: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE - HTTP://WWW.MARCORSYSCOM.USMC.MIL

A Cougar HE Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle (MRAP) is tested with landmines in January 2007. Whistleblower Franz Gayl, an official with the Marine Corps, spoke up when he noticed delays in delivering MRAPs to Iraq and Afghanistan, where U.S. soldiers were dying because of lightly armored Humvees that couldn’t protect them from homemade roadside bombs.

the whistleblower to the hero or the demon. Organizations of every kind have potential for drifting to the dark side.” What an investigation should focus on is whether or not a whistleblower has good facts. “That’s the most important thing,” according to Mueller. “Drifting toward the mentality of the whistleblower, their motivations, that’s a distraction from the misconduct that they’re reporting.”

PROMINENT CASES

Mueller recounted the story of Allen Jones, an investigator at the Pennsylvania State Office of the Inspector General. One day, Jones found that a Pennsylvania state pharmacist received a $2,000 check in an account that was not officially registered, which is a felony offense in Pennsylvania. The check was signed by a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Suspicious, Jones started

10 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | NOVEMBER 2019

looking into why a big pharmaceutical company was giving this money. He concluded that Johnson & Johnson was corrupting state health officials to make sure its anti-psychotic medication, Risperdal, was being prescribed for illnesses for which it wasn’t originally intended. These prescriptions were ineffective, at the least, or extremely harmful, at the worst. When Jones spoke up, his inspector general did not support his investigation. At the time, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge was decidedly pro-business and against fraud investigations, according to Mueller, who said that, in general, active files were being destroyed under Ridge’s watch. Jones ended up getting fired, and he eventually found a lawyer in the Texas Attorney General’s Office to take his case. The Department of Justice helped to go through millions of pages of docu-

ments that showed evidence supporting Jones’s allegation. In October 2019, a jury verdict ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $8 billion in a Risperdal lawsuit. Mueller pointed out that the company had made $25 billion from the sales of the drug. “And that was a success story,” Mueller lamented. “Sounds like the cost of doing business to me. So, we have a major problem.” Another case Mueller discusses in his book involves Elin Baklid-Kunz, who worked in compliance at the nonprofit Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach, Fla. She blew the whistle on what she saw as overbilling and unnecessary surgeries and went to court. Halifax ended up agreeing to pay $85 million in 2014 to resolve the allegations. But long before then, Mueller pointed out that BaklidKunz had done everything in her power to work within the

system, believing it would correct itself. “At the end of the day, she did everything she could not to blow the whistle. She believed wholeheartedly in her organization and she was convinced if she could just find a way of expressing the problems she was seeing to the right people in the right way, they’d say, ‘Oh, you’re right. We need to fix this.’ That moment never came,” Mueller said. Jennings said that BaklidKunz had exhausted all of her options and come upon what she calls “the hill you die on. There is a time when you have to face that you cannot change this organization. It can only be changed from the outside.” A third whistleblowing example that Mueller brought up is the case of Franz Gayl, the former Marine Corps science adviser who spoke up when he noticed delays in delivering Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (MRAPs) to Iraq and Afghanistan. From 2003 to early 2008, over 60 percent of all U.S. troop deaths in Iraq were the result of homemade roadside

bombs. People had been clamoring for an alternative to the lightly armored Humvees that were failing to protect soldiers against these bombs. “People had been filing urgent requests for a better product and that better product was already out there, which was the MRAP,” Mueller said. The problem was that these costly MRAPs could potentially undercut lucrative defense contractor programs to develop lighter vehicles for the future. Despite bureaucratic resistance, Gayl succeeded in speeding up the delivery of better-armored vehicles. As a result, combat casualties and deaths dropped by over 90 percent, according to the Government Accountability Project, which represented Gayl legally. But Gayl paid a high price for blowing the whistle. There were numerous retaliatory actions against him, including revoking his security clearances, although his persistence saved lives. “Gayl was able to get the word out, but his life became more complicated,” said Mueller. “But he’s gainfully employed again. That’s a success story. The unnecessary dying stopped.” About 70 percent of military-service whistleblowers experience retaliation, McCullough of the Government Accountability Project said. “Service members have second-class rights to protect themselves from retaliation. That’s mind-boggling to me because these are the folks with the most important disclosures.” Mueller said that whistleblowers often deal with some type of blowback, whether it’s being blackballed in their industry or becoming the target of criminal investigations themselves. But in recent years they’ve faced additional barriers because of trends such as the outsourcing of public

services to private, for-profit entities and “a widening cult of secrecy, often imposed by attorneys and nondisclosure agreements, that conceals an organization from public view and leaves whistleblowers as the last line of defense against fraud,” he wrote in an Oct. 7 op-ed for The Washington Post. “Meanwhile, elite institutions have become more suspicious of truthtellers. Immediately after 9/11, many government agencies dramatically limited access to public information,” he added. Mueller noted that the Obama administration significantly clamped down on whistleblowers after the WikiLeaks disclosure, treating lawful disclosures by public employees as criminal acts. “Most disheartening of all, facts, the hard currency of truth-telling, are being debased in Trump’s postfact world, a move that can mute the most piercing whistle,” he wrote. Jennings said she is also disheartened by what she sees as the widespread erosion of ethical standards. “Fundamentally, we have shifted as a society, and the data certainly indicate this, in terms of right and wrong,” she said. “We don’t have those lines any more that say, no, this is fraud … and this is dangerous.”

THE TRUMP IMPEACHMENT

Since the start of his presidency, Trump has been dogged by allegations that he colluded with Russia to rig the 2016 election. Former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation did not find sufficient evidence to

prove collusion, although it left open the question of whether the president tried to obstruct justice, with the evidence presented in a report but the verdict left up to Congress. There had been a groundswell of Democrats in Congress wanting to start the process to impeach the president, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi resisted those calls until a whistleblower wrote a bombshell memo about a July 25 call Trump made with newly elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in which Trump tried to “persuade Ukrainian authorities to investigate his political rivals, chiefly former Vice President Biden and his son, Hunter,” according to the whistleblower memo. Trump is accused of withholding $400 million in security assistance to Ukraine and a visit to the White House until Zelensky’s government cooperated with him in his offensive against Biden. On Sept. 24, Pelosi launched a formal impeachment inquiry to uncover whether Trump used the office of the presidency to benefit himself politically. The next day, the White House released a partial transcript of the call that suggests the president linked delivering badly needed military aid to “a favor” that involved investigating Hunter Biden, who served on the board of a Ukrainian energy company, and looking into a conspiracy theory about Ukrainian meddling in the 2016 election. The transcript seems to confirm the whistleblower’s assertion that the president urged “a foreign power to investigate a U.S. person for the purposes of advancing his own re-election bid in 2020.” “This nine-page memo was writ-

CREDIT: U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY SGT. ALEXANDER SKRIPNICHUK, 13TH PUBLIC AFFAIRS DETACHMENT

A Ukrainian Naval Forces marine moves his BTR-80 armored personnel carrier into position during Rapid Trident traffic checkpoint operations in Ukraine on July 30, 2015. Rapid Trident is a longstanding U.S. Army/Europe-led cooperative training exercise. A whistleblower triggered an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, who has been accused of withholding $400 million in badly needed military assistance to Ukraine until Kiev investigated corruption allegations against his political rival, Joe Biden.

ten by a person who in my estimation is an extremely careful and meticulous individual,” Eddington of the Cato Institute said. “The level of detail in this memo itself, even without the classified attachments, is rather remarkable.” McCullough, who disclosed that his father is on the legal team of the whistleblower, said the fact that the intelligence community inspector general — a Trump appointee — found the memo credible is itself “a pretty high bar.” Trump, however, has lambasted the whistleblower as a “deep state operative” with no firsthand knowledge

of the phone call. Jennings, who joked that she was the “token Trump supporter on this panel,” agreed that the fact that the whistleblower was not present for the phone call is significant. “If you want to bring down a president, let’s make sure we have the evidence and that’s why firsthand information is a standard for trial.” Likewise, Eddington warned that impeachment “is not a typical trial. That’s what makes this very, very different. When we talk about standards of evidence, in an impeachment circumstance, the standard is so-called high crimes and misde-

meanors, and that can be construed rather broadly.” But evidence has been mounting to bolster the Democrats’ case. That includes testimony by former U.S. envoys showing that the president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, ran a shadow campaign to dig up dirt on Biden. In addition, a second whistleblower who claims to have firsthand knowledge of the July 25 call has emerged, with the possibility that more officials will come forward as investigators interview more people. “I think when one whistleblower goes to a government investigator and that government investigator starts talking to others, lots of people become whistleblowers, and it does drive this group mentality toward justice,” McCullough said. But Jennings questioned whether this group mentality is being driven by justice or political bias. Mueller countered that regardless of the whistleblowers’ politics, the telephone transcript and subsequent congressional testimony have corroborated much of the initial allegations. Eddington concluded that given how high the stakes are, politics needs to be put aside and the focus should be on the facts. “It would be fair to say that on most issues I don’t agree with this president, but I also believe that at the end of the day, like anybody else, he is entitled to get a fair hearing.” WD Aileen Torres-Bennett is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat. Anna Gawel (@diplomatnews) is the managing editor of The Washington Diplomat.

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Risky Business Retired Envoys Say Post-Benghazi Fears Are Holding U.S. Diplomats Back BY RYAN R. MIGEED

or three days in the 1990s, U.S. Ambassador Charles A. Ray traveled in an old Russian helicopter flown by a South African mercenary pilot, leapfrogging over rebel-held territory in Sierra Leone. His goal was to meet with military commanders and convince them not to interfere in democratic elections that could bring the country together after years of civil war. After two of the three flights, the passengers found fresh bullet marks on the chopper’s fuselage. Ray served as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Sierra Leone from 1993 to 1996 during the country’s civil war between government forces and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), a rebel paramilitary group that drew support from the president of neighboring Liberia, Charles Taylor, who himself had risen to power by leading a rebel military force that instigated Liberia’s civil war from 1989 to 1997. Ray arrived in Sierra Leone a year after a group of young military officers, disgruntled with the government’s attempts to defeat the RUF, had staged a coup d’état and installed a military junta. As a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army who had served two tours in the Vietnam War, Ray was tasked with being the liaison to the military government. This person-to-person diplomacy was part of a larger effort that ultimately succeeded: The country’s first democratic elections were held without military interference in 1996. But Ray’s diplomatic mission is one that, he and other retired diplomats insist, would not be greenlighted today. “You can’t influence a person talking to them on a video chat,” Ray told policy advocates and House and Senate aides at a briefing titled “Why Diplomats Need to Accept More Risk and Why Congress Should Let Them,” hosted by the American Academy of Diplomacy and the advocacy organization Foreign Policy for America. “[If] you want to influence people, change their ways of thinking, you’ve got to have eyeball-to-eyeball contact, you’ve

PHOTO: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

Then-U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Richard Olson boards an aircraft after meetings in Islamabad on Jan. 12, 2015. Olson says the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan had “outstanding understandings of national-level politics in Islamabad,” but that “Islamabad is a very artificial capital, and it’s very disconnected from the rest of the country” — which is why he believes U.S. diplomats should venture more to cities such as Lahore, seen below.

“

Diplomacy is a hazardous business. RICHARD OLSON

former U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan

”

PHOTO: USMAN.PG - OWN WORK, CC BY-SA 3.0

got to shake hands, you’ve got to feel warm flesh. And this is what true diplomacy is all about: developing people-to-people contacts to influence events,” Ray said. This was the message of four retired veteran diplomats, including Ray, who held two roundtable discussions, one in the House and one in the Sen-

12 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | NOVEMBER 2019

ate, to share their experiences and shed light on the fact that diplomacy is a dangerous business — and a true public service. Ronald Neumann, previously profiled by The Diplomat in the December 2018 issue, moderated the discussion, which also included Anne Patterson, who served

as U.S. ambassador to Egypt during the Arab Spring as well as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern and North African affairs from 2013 to 2017, and Richard Olson, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Arab Emirates whose final assignment was as U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan before

retiring in 2016. “We have become so restrictive in the security of our diplomats that we are depriving ourselves of information which allows us to head off crises and prevent problems from getting worse,” said Neumann, who served three times as ambassador, to Algeria, Bahrain and Afghanistan, and is now the president of the American Academy of Diplomacy. The organizers brought this message to Capitol Hill because, in Neumann’s words, “Congress has helped bring on the fear that is immobilizing us, and Congress will therefore have to be part of helping us get out of it.” He noted that the congressional and media response to the 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya — which resulted in the deaths of U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith — has had a chilling effect on two administrations of two different political parties. The result, according to Neumann, has been a retrenchment of U.S. diplomats into “fortress embassies” (also see “America’s Embassy Building Boom Forti-

fies Diplomacy, Security Abroad” in the April 2012 issue of The Washington Diplomat). Patterson said she has seen the conseLife Is No Longer One Dimensional quences of this retrenchment particularly in You’re invited to visit our NEWLY renovated space U.S. reactions to the turmoil in the Middle East. “We don’t know what we don’t know,” Patterson said, arguing that the lack of a U.S. diplomatic presence in the parts of countries that ultimately sway their politics results in a lack of useful knowledge about how the U.S. should engage those governments. For example, by not allowing diplomats to travel to the rural areas of Saudi Arabia, the State Department lacks critical knowledge about the motivation and activities of influential Saudi clerics, according to Patterson. “I would argue that we missed the phenomenon of Mohammed bin Salman,” Patterson told House staffers, referring to the rapid rise of the 34-year-old crown prince who has become the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. PHOTO: BERND.BRINCKEN - OWN WORK, CC0 Patterson also noted that the U.S. didn’t In April 2011, people walk through the court square in Benghazi, where walls are draped with · American small plates and cocktail-centric menu know that Egypt’s al-Nour Party, the counpictures of people who died during Libya’s uprising against Muammar al-Gaddafi. After the 2012 · Dinner served 5PM to 10PM. Bar open to Midtry’s ultraconservative Salafist Islamic party, attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi that killed the U.S. ambassador, diplomats were no longer night. was going to win 24% of the seats in parlia- able to venture outside as frequently and instead often had to hunker down in fortified embassies. · Sign up at www.thesallydc.com ment in the country’s 2011-12 elections. bombing that killed 36 at El Nogal Social Patterson served in Egypt during its 2011 off,” Patterson told the Senate session. This is drastically different from when Club in Bogotá in 2003; an unexploded car revolution, which saw the ouster of autocrat Hosni Mubarak, the installation of a govern- Patterson served as ambassador to Colom- bomb outside the commercial office build· Grab & Go or Sit & Sip for breakfast, lunch, or lite ment headed by the Muslim Brotherhood bia in the early 2000s, when Colombia was ing that housed the local USAID office; and fare and beverages in the evening after the country’s first democratic election still in the throes of a decades-long conflict a small bomb in the Drug Enforcement · Breakfast and/or Swing’s coffee 6AM. Lunch at and the subsequent military coup that oust- with FARC guerillas, known as the Revolu- Agency headquarters in Cartagena. She 11AM. Service until 10PM tionary Armed Forces of Colombia. out that none of theseit attacks led to up to the customer to make the final proof. ed the NOTE: IslamistAlthough party fromevery power.effort Patterson is made to assure your ad is free of mistakespointed in spelling and content is ultimately The FARC insurgency grew throughout a knee-jerk reaction to recall diplomats or said she decided to expand the U.S. consulThe first two faxed changes will” to bebetter made to and the the advertiser, subsequent will be at a rate of $75 per faxed alteration. Signed ads are considered approved. thecost 1990s country suffered thou- changes DEA agents frombilled the country. ate in Alexandria, a “Salafi seat, un-at no in the early 2000s. “Rockets · Relax by the fireplace and unwind, read a book, derstand the Islamist forces at play in Egypt’s sands of deaths Please check thisBecause ad carefully. Markwere anyperiodically changes tolobbed your at ad.the work on your computer, play a game shifting political landscape, but that consul- the U.S. was actively giving military and oth- embassy, although sometimes they were er foreign aid to the Colombian government probably aiming for the Colombian ate is closed. If the ad isnow correct sign and fax to: (301) 949-0065 needsproschanges Join us where Classic Elegance Meets Modern “It was very erratically staffed after Beng- through Plan Colombia, U.S. personnel were ecutor’s office next door,” Patterson said. The Washington Diplomat (301) 933-3552 Approved often targets of FARC attacks.__________________________________________________ 2100 Massachusetts Avenue, NW | Washington, D.C. 20008 hazi, but it was closed for security reasons, Patterson ticked off a list of attacks — a SEE D I P L O M ACY • PAGE 14 (202) 293-2100 | www.fairfaxwashingtondc.com so that line of communication is now cut Changes ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ E M B A S S Y R O W, D. C .

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“We don’t know what we don’t know,” says former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Anne Patterson — seen below meeting with the Saudi interior minister in 2014 — in arguing for a greater diplomatic presence outside of capital cities.

PHOTO: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

Diplomacy CONTINUED • PAGE 13

Despite these threats, the embassy continuously had about 1,000 employees and always had dependents and children of embassy workers in country, according to Patterson. (The State Department typically does not let Foreign Service Officers take family members to postings it deems too dangerous.) “Throughout this we were on the ground everywhere. We helped train the Colombian bomb technicians. We trained the prosecutor to actually prosecute terrorist attacks. We uncovered through our intelligence apparatus many failed terrorist attacks and bombings,” Patterson said. “This is why Plan Colombia was successful, because we were there on the ground the entire time and we gave the Colombians confidence,” she added. The changes in U.S. diplomacy over the last decade are particularly striking in Libya and Yemen, two countries that Patterson said “have disintegrated into a horrible playground of regional rivalries.” Although she admits it is hard to prove, she believes U.S. diplomats could have made a difference in these conflicts if they had had a presence on the ground. “We’re simply not there. All the work is done out of Tunis or Riyadh or offshore, through WhatsApp and phone calls. Our people do as best they can, but it’s simply not enough. You can’t influence a situation without being on the ground and talking to people face-to-face, and you simply don’t know what’s going on,” Patterson said. “When, some day, a secretary of state and an administration is prepared to lead in this, they’re going to have to have support in Congress,” Neumann said. Unlike many policy chang-

es in government, diplomats’ forced retrenchment is not due to a lack of funds, the envoys noted. While the Trump administration has repeatedly proposed drastic cuts to the international affairs budget — including a one-third cut to State Department funding — Congress has refused to pass those cuts. Regardless, recent restrictions on the movement of diplomats are less of a monetary calculation and more of a political calculation to prevent situations like Benghazi. When Olson served as U.S. ambassador to Pakistan from 2012 to 2015, he said he felt that the embassy had “outstanding understandings of national-level politics in Islamabad.” “But Islamabad is a very artificial capital, and it’s very disconnected from the rest of the country,” he said. While there are consulates in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar, the one in Lahore was shut for 18 months because there was an al-Qaeda threat to the city, Olson recalled. “And yet the [al-Qaeda] cell was wrapped up by the Pakistanis within a couple months, but the consulate stayed closed for 18 months because of the stickiness of security procedures,” he said. Similarly, Olson described the Karachi consulate as “remote” and “a bit of a fortress,” making it difficult for Foreign Service Officers to regularly engage with locals and develop an understanding of the politics motivating the public outside of Pakistan’s capital. “I think the biggest problem that I saw was that although we had the urban centers more or less covered, we really had very little idea what was going on out in the countryside,” Olson said. Patterson recently wrote about this development in The Foreign Service Journal. In reflecting on why Foreign Service Officers have become less effective, she wrote that senior officers point to “the inability to travel or meet people outside the embassy” and the

14 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | NOVEMBER 2019

PHOTO: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

Then-U.S. Ambassador to Libya Gene Cretz talks to Misurata brigade members in Libya in 2011. Cretz’s successor, Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, who used to freely travel around Benghazi to meet with Libyans, was killed in a 2012 attack that led to a clampdown on travel for U.S. diplomats.

PHOTO: AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DIPLOMACY

Retired U.S. Ambassador Charles A. Ray, who served in Sierra Leone during the country’s civil war, right, talks to a Hill staffer at briefing titled “Why Diplomats Need to Accept More Risk and Why Congress Should Let Them.”

“constant churn of supervisors.” Moreover, diplomatic tours are now being shortened or rotated more frequently; however, officers who have been in a country longer “are simply more productive.” “In turn, foreigners friendly to the United States see closed embassies, evacuations and withdrawals as abandonment. One Saudi told me he used to know people in the embassy when Americans spent years in country, but with the short tours imposed after the attack on the Jeddah consulate in 2004, he hasn’t bothered much to get to know any American diplomats. Anyone he met would be gone soon, and they weren’t much interested in meeting with him, either,” Patterson wrote. Patterson also pointed out that this hunker-down diplomatic approach is undercutting America’s advantage on the world stage. “For many years, the value added of U.S.

diplomats was knowing more about foreign countries and foreigners than any other countries’ diplomats. American embassies were larger, better financed and better prepared than any other diplomatic service on earth,” Patterson wrote. “We were called on to prevent international disputes and help our allies (and foes) navigate their internal disagreements. Every day, American embassies took thousands of small steps to build institutions to serve and protect American interests. It’s what ‘preventive diplomacy’ is all about. That was then.” Olson says the U.S. needs a cultural shift in how it views the work of ambassadors. “Diplomacy is a hazardous business,” he said. Olson noted that he has served during wartime — including at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul from 2011 to 2012 — has been shot at twice by AK-47s and once even “talked

someone out of shooting me.” “American diplomats do extraordinary and heroic work, and their service to our country should be recognized in the same way we recognize the service of our military veterans,” said Andrew Albertson, executive director of Foreign Policy for America, an advocacy organization that hosts events with ambassadors across the country to encourage citizens to support U.S. diplomacy and America’s engagement with the world. U.S. diplomats work every day “to advance the safety and prosperity of Americans, and they deserve an enormous amount of credit for choosing the careers they do,” Albertson said. “By recognizing their work, we can also call attention to the incredible value of diplomacy to advance American interests and values around the world.” The information that diplomats transmit back to

Washington plays a large role in directing U.S. policymakers’ decisions about where to spend resources and how to assess threats and conflicts that could spiral into wars. In this way, U.S. diplomatic missions act as early-warning systems. Olson’s concern is that, with a country like Pakistan, which is home to a restless population and a government-controlled press, the U.S. would be blindsided by a revolution like the one in Egypt that caught policymakers by surprise — because of a lack of diplomatic information-gathering outside the major cities. “We have become so risksensitive that we are becoming more and more ignorant,” said Neumann. “You cannot guarantee that if you have good information, your government will pay attention to it. You can be absolutely sure that if you do not have the information, nobody will pay attention,” he added. “Part of what’s needed today is to ensure diplomats have the resources and the freedom they need to get outside embassy walls and foster direct connections with citizens, even in challenging countries like Pakistan or Honduras,” Albertson said. “The only way you can avoid risk 100% in a country is to not be in that country,” said Ray. “You cannot eliminate risk. You can mitigate it.” For his mission in Sierra Leone, mitigating risk meant flying in a helicopter that had a reinforced, armored fuselage. WD Ryan R. Migeed (@RyanMigeed) is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

Cover Profile | WD

Colombia’s Commitment Envoy Says Government Is Sticking by FARC Peace Deal — and Venezuelan Refugees BY ANNA GAWEL

ust over two years ago, we featured Colombian Ambassador Juan Carlos Pinzón on our cover not long before the Colombian Congress ratified a historic peace deal with FARC rebels, ending the longest armed conflict in Latin American history and earning the president at the time, Juan Manuel Santos, a Nobel Peace Prize. Today, that hard-fought peace appears to be on shaky ground. Conservative President Iván Duque has criticized the agreement for being too lenient on former FARC rebels, while Duque’s critics accuse him of failing to deliver on the economic development promised to demobilized rebels and the rural areas where they once reigned. As a result, two former FARC commanders, known by their aliases Iván Márquez and Jesús Santrich, along with a small cadre of hardline loyalists, recently announced they were abandoning the agreement. But Colombia’s current ambassador to the U.S., Francisco Santos Calderón, insists that despite its reservations about the controversial peace deal, his government remains fully committed to the accord, which formally ended over 50 years of fighting that killed 260,000 people and displaced 6.4 million. “We will keep rebuilding the areas where the FARC was. We will keep creating the economic projects for those rebels who left that way of life and become integrated into civilian life,” Santos, a former vice president of Colombia under the Álvaro Uribe administration, told us during an expansive interview at his Dupont Circle residence. In fact, he says the Duque government is doing what the previous one didn’t: implementing the nitty-gritty details of the deal after “we inherited a mess.” “They left an institutional nightmare,” Santos (no relation to the former president) said. He noted that the previous government built one collective development project to alleviate poverty in rural areas over the span of a year and a half. Meanwhile, Duque has implemented 14 such projects since coming to office in August 2018. “It’s a long-term process. As a matter of fact, it’s a 12-year process … and so it’s just starting,” he said. “This year is putting our house in order and also telling many members of the FARC, ‘Look, all the promises that were put forward, there’s not enough money.’ We need to create realistic expectations that first we’re going to comply. It’s going to take longer, but we’re engaged.”

PHOTO: LAWRENCE RUGGERI

“

We inherited a mess.... [But] we will keep rebuilding the areas where the FARC was. We will keep creating the economic projects for those rebels who left that way of life and become integrated into civilian life. FRANCISCO SANTOS CALDERÓN, ambassador of Colombia to the United States

A CONTENTIOUS PEACE

But critics counter that Duque is dragging his feet, in part by slashing funds to the transitional justice mechanism, which was meant to foster reconciliation and truth-telling but which has been criticized by some Colombians as letting hard-core guerillas off the hook. Santos, a straight-talking former journalist who answers questions in rapid-fire, animated fashion, denies that Duque has starved the peace tribunal of money. “Obviously everybody has budget issues. Everybody wants to have more money. But when you look at the budget that has been given to the [special justices and truth commission], they’re very, very well-funded.” As for criticism that his government is turning a blind eye to the assassina-

tion of hundreds of leftist activists and social leaders partly responsible for implementing the accord, along with roughly 150 former FARC fighters, the ambassador denied those allegations as well. “The attorney general’s office has a special unit of investigation and more than 60% of those cases have been investigated and have been determined who and what happened, and now they’re going to trial,” he said. “And two, we created a new program to protect them, to prevent [killings], and that’s being rolled out all over Colombia. So this is something that we take very seriously.” The ambassador also pointed out that 90% of the 13,000 rank-and-file FARC combatants who disarmed remain committed to the peace deal, which offered them amnesty and a role in Colombia’s political system in

”

return for giving up their weapons. Indeed, Rodrigo Londoño, the FARC’s former top military commander who now heads the group’s legalized political party, said Márquez and other dissidents have been expelled from the party and he has urged Colombians to rally around the government. As for those FARC members who have declared a “new chapter” in their armed struggle against the government, the ambassador said they represent “just a miniscule element — more the ones who are involved in drug trafficking, who’ve got their hands in the cookie jar. And that’s why they decided to jump the ship. And they will be treated as such, as criminals.” The involvement of those FARC dissidents — estimated to number in the mid-2,000s — in criminal operaSEE COL OM B IA • PAGE 16 NOVEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 15

Colombian President Iván Duque speaks at the U.N. Nelson Mandela Peace Summit on Sept. 24, 2018.

CREDIT: UN PHOTO / CIA PAK

Colombia CONTINUED • PAGE 15

tions is not surprising. Many experts predicted that as the rebels gave up their arms, FARC holdouts, drug trafficking gangs and smaller rebel groups such as the National Liberation Army (or ELN) would scramble to fill the void in the remote rural areas where the FARC once profited from the cocaine trade and illegal mining. And indeed, last year Colombia’s homicide rate rose for the first time in a decade, while illegal coca cultivation shot up dramatically. “Coca is the biggest enemy of peace in Colombia,” Santos told us. “And when you look at the killings of most of the social activists and former FARC members, it’s right where coca is. Because of the agreement, what happened is that it sort of took away the pressure on coca, and so from 2013 to 2018, coca increased exponentially. We now have 200,000 hectares, and in those areas is where the conflict activity is the worst.” But the government has moved to aggressively counter this trend, eradicating nearly 90,000 hectares while stepping up the police and military presence in the remote areas where coca production has soared and where the bulk of homicides has taken place. “This government has made it very clear that criminality has to be fought harshly … and we’re doing that. So we think that in many of those areas, things are going to change in the mid-term but in the short term, we already stopped the growth of coca — from exponential growth, it’s plateaued,” Santos said, noting that his government has set a goal of reducing coca cultivation and

cocaine by half by the end of 2023. Santos said the uptick in coca production and homicides is another example of how the previous administration viewed the FARC peace deal through rose-colored glasses. “[W]e inherited many areas where the goodwill and the peace process was supposed to change the environment. Well, that’s not understanding how the criminal activity works. Criminals will be criminals. And they’ll change, and they’ll morph,” the ambassador said. “And so to a very big extent, this is part of the inheritance of the good intentions of a peace process that doesn’t understand how criminality operates.”

CREDIT: UN PHOTO / RICK BAJORNAS

Above, then-Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signs the landmark peace agreement with FARC rebels during a Sept. 26, 2016, ceremony in Cartagena. Below, former FARC combatants grow fruits and vegetables to donate them to schools in the area. While Santos’s peace accord ended Latin America’s longest-running armed conflict, many Colombians say it was too lenient and should have imposed jail terms on rebels who demobilized.

‘LIFE-CHANGING’ KIDNAPPING

Santos has perhaps a more personal understanding of how criminals operate than many other diplomats. In fact, much of Santos’s career has been far from diplomatic. Long before he became Colombia’s vice president in 2002, Santos was a wellknown journalist, working for the newspaper El Tiempo in the late 1980s and writing columns that cast a harsh light on narco-terrorists such as Pablo Escobar. Escobar did not take the criticism well. On Sept. 19, 1990, Santos was kidnapped on the drug lord’s orders and remained in captivity until his release on May 20, 1991. Santos calls the kidnapping a “life changer.” “I wouldn’t be here as an ambassador if it wasn’t for my kidnapping. When I was released, I created an NGO to help kidnap victims and not only was I journalist, I also became a social and human rights activist,” he told us. “And I did marches in the ’90s, huge protests against the illegal groups that were

16 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | NOVEMBER 2019

CREDIT: UN PHOTO / HECTOR LATORRE

PHOTO: POLICIA NACIONAL DE COLOMBIA

On Feb. 13, 2018, Colombian National Police lead Venezuelans from San Antonio del Táchira, Venezuela, toward Villa del Rosario in Colombia, which has thus far absorbed some 1.5 million Venezuelans fleeing their country’s economic meltdown.

kidnapping people and the lack of action by the state. We were very active and we put millions of people on the streets.” But Santos’s outspoken activism once again landed him in hot water. In March 2000, while working as assistant director of the newspaper El País, he went into exile in Madrid, Spain, because of threats

from the FARC. “I practically put the bulls eye on my head. But it was my job. I’ve always been like that. I don’t stand quiet against injustice. I don’t stand quiet against violence. That’s been part of my life,” he said. While in Spain, presidential candidate Álvaro Uribe asked Santos if he wanted to be his running mate. “Crazy

he is to offer me and crazy me to accept it,” Santos laughed. “I know nothing about government!” But he apparently learned the ropes, serving as vice president from 2002 to 2010 during a time when the economy boomed and homicides and kidnappings plummeted. “We were very, very successful, so that showed me a new life,” Santos said, explaining that he was amazed to see “what governments can accomplish in improving the lives of people … and that changed my own life.”

RECONCILIATION VERSUS JUSTICE

It’s not surprising then that Santos’s own story of kidnapping and social justice has informed his political views, particularly with regards to the FARC peace deal, which he says was too lenient on rebels who for decades terrorized his country of 50 million.

FARC (a Spanish acronym for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) emerged as a left-wing guerrilla group in the 1960s in response to socio-economic inequalities. Inspired by Marxist-Leninist ideology, the group vowed to defend Colombia’s peasants against wealthy landowners and right-wing governments. In recent decades, however, FARC embraced kidnappings, bombings, assassinations, landmine explosions, extortion and other brutal tactics. Facing attacks from government forces and statealigned, rightwing paramilitaries in the 1990s, it also entered into the lucrative coca market, taxing growers and trafficking cocaine. The peace deal allows former FARC rebels who confess to war crimes such as kidnapping and recruiting child soldiers to avoid jail time as part of an effort to reintegrate them into society. Former President Uribe — who waged a harsh counterinsurgency campaign against the FARC while in office that significantly weakened the group — spearheaded the “No” campaign to defeat the peace deal in a 2016 referendum. While Uribe has come under fire for alleged ties to rightwing paramilitary groups accused of extrajudicial killings and other human rights abuses, many fellow Colombians agreed with him that the peace deal was “a capitulation.” As a result, the deal was rejected in the 2016 referendum by a narrow margin. But then-President Juan Manuel Santos, who had spent four years painfully negotiating the deal, was able to push it

through by altering the language and ratifying it through Congress. Not everyone was happy about the runaround, including the ambassador, who says the previous government did not “hear all of society.” “What I think is very unfortunate is that something that should unite the country, which is peace, divided us. And former President Santos divided us,” the ambassador argued, accusing Santos of presenting the peace deal as choice between those who are “friends of peace versus enemies of peace.” “No, we’re all friends of peace. But what we wanted is for our voices to be heard regarding elements very critical of the peace process, which is what type of sanctions are going to be put on rebels. How are you going to send the message to future generations that crime doesn’t pay? Those are things that needed to be debated and they weren’t. “We had a very successful peace process with the paramilitaries and for the most terrible crimes, they paid eight years of jail,” Ambassador Santos added. “Transitional justice cannot give somebody who has committed horrible war crimes as a penalty to plant trees, which is what’s going to happen now. So that’s not acceptable for Colombian society.” To that end, Duque has developed a strategy known as “Peace with Rule of Law” that in future peace processes will place harsher penalties on rebels who commit crimes such as drug trafficking and kidnapping. “So rule of law is a central tenet of this government, but it’s in the future,” Santos said. Asked whether this tougher framework should apply to the former FARC rebels who recently demobilized, Santos said, “If you ask me as an individual, not as an ambassador, unfortunately” it does not apply to those rebels. “But I am an ambassador and that’s the decision of the government and it’s a done deal.” Indeed, Duque, an Uribe protégé whose attempts to roll back parts of the deal were rejected by Congress and Colombia’s high court, has vowed to faithfully implement the peace accord he spent years opposing. And despite the recent proclamation by Márquez and other FARC commanders that they are rearming, Duque insists that the peace deal is not unraveling. “It is important to emphasize that Colombia is not facing the rebirth of a new guerrilla movement, as these criminals claim,” the president wrote in a Sept. 3 op-ed for The Washington Post. “This is a gang that has been emboldened, sheltered and supported in Venezuela by the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro.”

Colombia at a Glance Independence Day July 20, 1810

(from Spain)

Location Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama Capital Bogota Population 48 million (July 2018 estimate)

Flag of Colombia

Ethnic groups Mestizo and white 84.2%,

Afro-Colombian (includes mulatto, Raizal and Palenquero) 10.4%, Amerindian 3.4%, Romani (2005 estimate)

GDP growth 1.8 percent (2017 estimate)

Religious groups Roman Catholic 79%, Protestant 14% (includes Pentecostal 6%, mainline Protestant 2%, other 6%), other 2%, unspecified 5% (2014 estimate)

Unemployment 9.3 percent (2017 estimate)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds

$711 billion (2017 estimate)

GDP per-capita (PPP) $14,400 (2017 estimate)

Population below poverty line 28 percent (2017 estimate)

Industries Textiles, food processing, oil,

SOURCE: CIA WORLD FACTBOOK

CREDIT: OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BY D. MYLES CULLEN

Above from right, Vice President Mike Pence and Colombian President Iván Duque show their solidarity with Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who’s been recognized as Venezuela’s interim president by over 50 governments. Despite the international support, however, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro remains firmly in power while neighboring Colombia deals with the humanitarian fallout. Below, an elderly refugee is carried by Colombian National Police across the river from Venezuela into Colombia.

‘ROGUE’ NEIGHBOR

On that front, tensions between Venezuela and Colombia have exploded in recent months, with Duque accusing the embattled Maduro regime of offering safe haven to dissident FARC rebels as well members of the ELN, the smaller rebel group that killed at least 20 people during a truck bombing in Bogota earlier this year. Maduro recently launched military exercises along the Colombia-Venezuela border, further heightening tensions and sparking fears of a potential military conflict between the two neighbors. But Santos dismisses those fears. “There is absolutely no possibility of a confrontation. We understand that Venezuela wants to provoke us,” he told us. “What we really need is a decision in which Venezuela returns to democracy. Venezuela is a rogue government that promotes drug trafficking, that promotes illegal gold mining, which is creating the worst eco-crisis in the Amazon jungle. You think the fires in Brazil are horrible? Look at what illegal gold mining promoted by a government is doing to the Amazon jungle in Venezuela. That’s an eco-

PHOTO: BY ZIALATER - OWN WORK, CC0

crisis that I think is flying under the radar,” the ambassador said. “It’s a government that is promoting the FARC and the ELN, it’s harboring them, it’s training them, it’s giving them protection, it’s giving them access,” he continued. “As a matter of fact, the ELN and the dissidents of the FARC are part of that eco-crisis. They managed those illegal gold mining operations. And so it has become a rogue country that is promoting terrorism.” While many governments agree with San-

tos, Maduro remains firmly entrenched in power. Punishing U.S. economic sanctions and the recognition of opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim president by over 50 governments have thus far failed to dislodge the socialist leader, who retains the support of the military. So what can the world community do to kick Maduro out? “More and more and more pressure. That’s what we need,” Santos replied. “More pressure

at the international level. More pressure by the Europeans. More pressure by the Americans. And more pressure not only on Venezuela but also on their partners in crime, which is Cuba and Russia.” As part of that pressure campaign, in September the U.S. led a push to invoke the InterAmerican Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance, also known as the Rio Treaty, which includes provisions for the use of military force. Some have worried that President Trump will use the 70-year-old regional defense pact as a pretext to invade Venezuela and overthrow Maduro, but Santos ruled out any kind of military intervention. “We all want a regime change. Let’s make no distinction about that. We want a regime change but [through] a democratic transition,” he said. “So yes we’re worried, not of a military conflict, but of a very unstable situation because in the middle of this crisis, you have 5,000 Venezuelans going into Colombia every day.”

THE OVERLOOKED MIGRATION CRISIS

In fact, some 1.5 million Venezuelans have flooded the country since Venezuela’s spectacular economic meltdown — an exodus that has become “the biggest humanitarian and migration crisis in the world right now,” Santos stressed. “And Colombia is harboring the brunt.” Despite the enormous strain, the ambassador said Colombia is “an example of how to treat a massive migration like this one.” “If the world wants to know how to do a massive migration with dignity, with honor, with love, with solidarity, you have to go to Colombia,” he said, noting that Venezuelan refugees in Colombia “have health benefits, they have education and they are being assimilated by the informal workforce. There is no xenophobia. Obviously it’s creating tensions. You don’t put 1.5 million new workers and not create tensions. They are there.” But unlike other governments that view refugees as an economic burden, Santos said his country views them as “a great opportunity for the future. Those are going to be consumers. They’re going to start paying taxes. That’s going to create a huge growth in income for Colombia.” That’s why the ambassador says that despite efforts by neighboring countries such as Ecuador and Peru to stem the flow of refugees, Colombia will keep its doors open. But he warns that without outside help, his country won’t have the money to do that much longer. “Our effort is huge — more than $1 billion a year. For a developing country, that’s a huge burden. It’s going to grow even more, and so we also need more money from the international community, especially from the Europeans, from UNHCR and obviously the Americans who are putting most of the money in helping us,” Santos said. “We’re thankful for every cent, but it’s not enough.” He specifically pointed to the European Union, which suffered its own refugee crisis in 2015 and which should be “more generous with the biggest humanitarian crisis that the world is living through right now.” “Look, absorbing 1.5 million people in two, two and a half years — that’s a huge thing,” the ambassador said, leaning in for emphasis. “Without xenophobia? That shows what Colombia is made of.” Part of the reason why this massive influx has not been accompanied by the kind of xenophobia typically seen in other countries is because many Colombians still feel indebted to Venezuela, which for years welcomed millions of Colombians fleeing narco violence SEE COL OM B IA • PAGE 18

NOVEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 17

Colombia

Colombia, home to thriving cities such as Cartagena has experienced an economic boom over the last two decades, with per-capita GDP doubling since 2000 and poverty declining from one in five to one in 25.

CONTINUED • PAGE 17

and poverty in their own country. Back then, oil-rich Venezuela had the resources to offer its beleaguered neighbors sanctuary. Today, the roles have been reversed. “Venezuelans used to look at Colombia as, ‘Oh they’re the poor guys in the neighborhood.’ And Colombians looked at Venezuelans as, ‘Oh the rich guys in the neighborhood and they don’t work and we are busting our chops here.’ Now … for the first time I would say in our history, we are looking at each other as partners,” Santos said. “Once we solve this, I see Venezuela and Colombia becoming a lot more integrated and becoming a hub for development in the region like no other area in the world. So I’m optimistic.”

AN UNTOLD SUCCESS STORY

Santos has reason to be optimistic given Colombia’s stunning transformation from a narco-riddled, povertystricken state to one of the most dynamic economies in Latin America. “Colombia’s per-capita GDP has doubled since 2000, and poverty has declined from one in five to one in 25,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during an Oct. 9 press conference with the Colombian foreign minister. The ambassador credits much of this economic success to Plan Colombia, a major U.S. aid and military package signed in 2000 that devoted billions of dollars to helping Colombia build up its military, tackle the FARC insurgency and curb cocaine production. Santos said that by improving security, Plan Colombia created “the conditions for this economic growth and sustainability” “Plan Colombia is a success story that needs to be told more and more and more — and studied more and more. If you look at the State Department, they have volumes on Iraq, volumes on Afghanistan, but a successful story like Colombia will fill a drawer. So sometimes it’s our own mistake not to learn from our really good success stories, and I think Colombia is one of them,” he said. In addition to increased stability, Colombia’s robust economic growth was also fueled by “a track record of prudent macroeconomic and fiscal management,” according to the World Bank. Santos pointed out that his former boss, Uribe, offered

“huge incentives” for foreign investors. “Both President Uribe and President Duque have a very clear understanding that a strong private sector, a profitable private sector, pays more taxes, creates more formal jobs and creates growth. So everything we’re doing is in that direction.” In fact, “Colombia is probably the most business-friendly country, with Chile, in Latin America, and that has allowed us to continue growing,” Santos said. “This year, we’re going to grow 3%. We thought we were going to grow between 3.5% and 4%. I would say because of the migration crisis, we’re down to 3%, but it’s a country that is very, very strong. It’s very resilient. “Colombia is so different today from what it was in the year 2002,” Santos continued, noting that if the country had not transformed its economy and if 1.5 million Venezuelans had fled to Colombia in the year 2002, “there would’ve been a social revolt. Now we’re able to absorb them because of everything we did together.” Santos became vice president in 2002 and vividly remembers those early years when “nobody would go to Colombia. Nobody!” But eventually, investors began trickling in, including Jeff Immelt, former CEO of General Electric. Santos remembered one particular visit that the GE chief made to Colombia toward the end of his vice presidency. Immelt “had just come from São Paolo and he had a dinner with the captains of industry two nights before and he asked them, ‘If you had $100 million, where would you invest it?’ And he was surprised that the unanimous answer was Colombia,” the ambassador recalled.

18 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | NOVEMBER 2019

PHOTO: MAKALU / PIXABAY

PHOTOS: CESAR AUGUSTO RAMIREZ VALLEJO / PIXABAY

PHOTO: JUNIORLINK / PIXABAY

With its colorful colonial backdrops, Cartagena has become a popular wedding destinations for tourists. Colombia, which is home to more bird species than any other country in the world, has also become a major hub for bird-watching.

“Because Colombia is a very well-kept secret and it still is to a certain extent a secret. It’s got a dynamic middle class, it’s growing [and] it has huge room to grow, so there are still the conditions to get a lot of that investment and that’s one of the things that I want to do,” Santos said. “That’s one of my obsessions. We need Colombia to become again the crown jewel in the map for foreign investment.”

TARIFFS, TOURISM AND TACO BELL

Part of that effort is capitalizing on Trump’s tariff war with China. “If you’re an American and want to disengage from China for example for your supply chains, I would look at Colombia as a huge market. And that’s part of our strategy that we’re doing. I’m looking at companies that want to change their supply chains from Asia to Latin

America and that’s where we’re going to work to find new investment.” Santos also wants to bring even more tourists to Colombia. He notes that historic, picturesque cities such as Cartagena have become popular wedding destinations for Americans and other foreigners. Another popular but less-known area of tourism doesn’t involve brides but birds. Colombia, in fact, is home to more bird species than any other country in the world. “It has become a huge hub for bird-watching tourism,” Santos said. “And you see all these Americans and British and Germans, with their spectacles all over Colombia. That’s something that is very, very important. “We’re reaping a peace dividend of tourism that is very important to protect because everybody who goes in comes

out saying, ‘Wow, Colombians!’ They’re warm-hearted; they will embrace you,” the ambassador said. “The best thing about Colombia is Colombians.” While Santos has lots of love for his countrymen, his adopted country of America is a close second. He studied at the University of Kansas and the University of Texas, where he earned degrees in journalism and Latin American studies, respectively. “I love this country,” the ambassador said excitedly. “This country is a beacon of liberty, of freedom. Americans sometimes don’t understand how important they are to the world of liberty and how this shines a light for many citizens in the world who don’t have it.” But he also loves the lighter side of American culture. “I’m a huge NFL fan! If you go to my office, you will see a Patrick Mahomes helmet,”

he said, referring to the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs. Santos is also a fan of the Kansas City Royals baseball team. “When I play golf, I put on my Kansas City Royals cap.” “And I love junk food,” he groans on a long sigh, as if he just devoured his favorite snack. “I’m a junk food freak! Taco Bell is my favorite restaurant. Can you believe it? I grew up with Taco Bell in college. That last week of the month when you have $1 a day? Taco Bell was survival mode and I am thankful,” he recalled, roaring with laughter. After expressing our mutual appreciation of Taco Bell’s bounty for broke college kids, on a more serious note, I asked the ambassador if he still loved everything about America given the heated, often hatefilled politics that seems to be dividing the country. The blunt-talking, Taco Bell-loving former journalist quickly disappeared and in his place was the careful diplomat that Santos has learned to become. He gave us a wry wink and uttered the two words that all journalists absolutely love to hear: “No comment.” WD Anna Gawel (@diplomatnews) is the managing editor of The Washington Diplomat.

Asia | WD

China, Then and Now Experts Reflect on China’s Trajectory, from Fledgling State to Global Giant BY AILEEN TORRES-BENNETT

he People’s Republic of China (PRC) turned 70 last month. At its birth, China was poor and relatively isolated, with the Soviet Union as its primary international ally. Today, it is a rising power and economic heavyweight with allies around the world, including many developing nations in Africa and elsewhere. But its remarkable transformation from a struggling communist state to a major global player has also made it some enemies, or, at the least, frenemies. That includes the United States, which under Donald Trump considers China a geostrategic competitor. For years, China’s steady military buildup has concerned U.S. policymakers and presidents from both sides of the political aisle. But it is the country’s economic growth — and its trade deficit with America — that has consumed President Trump, who launched a tariff war against the nation of 1.4 billion to address Beijing’s allegedly unfair trading practices, which include massive state subsidies, forced technology transfer and intellectual property theft. As the planet’s two largest economies go head to head in a trade showdown with worldwide repercussions, The Washington Diplomat asked two experts to give us a big-picture overview of China’s evolution, from its early days under communist revolutionary Mao Zedong, to the current, complex state of its domestic politics and international relations. Michael Green, senior vice president for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and director of Asian studies at Georgetown University, and Timothy Heath, senior international defense researcher at the RAND Corporation, take a look at China, then and now. THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT: Can you summarize the evolution of China since the founding of its republic? MICHAEL GREEN: When China replaced the discredited Qing Empire with a republic in 1912, the Chinese elite were inspired by a range of modernizing examples, including Japan and the democratic United States, which was one of the first countries to recognize the new republic under Woodrow Wilson in 1913. But the West destroyed itself in the First World War, opening a new power vacuum in Asia that Japan filled, largely unchecked by the United States. The brutal power politics of the early 20th century debased China’s first experiment with democracy and created

PHOTO: WOONG HOE / PIXABAY

People teem the busy streets of Shanghai, the second-most populous city in the world and China’s global hub of finance and innovation.

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The past few years have seen a more ambitious China outline plans to integrate the Eurasian landmass under the Belt and Road Initiative, overhaul the country’s economy, increase China’s role in global governance, build a world-class military and step up the promotion of Chinese influence worldwide.

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TIMOTHY HEATH, senior international defense researcher at the RAND Corporation

the conditions for Bolshevism and the eventual victory of the Chinese Communist Party in 1949. American presidents, from Wilson to Franklin D. Roosevelt, had believed that China would converge with the United States as a champion of democratic norms. While that hope evaporated between 1949 and 1971, it steadily re-emerged after Richard Nixon’s opening to China and then Deng Xiaoping’s campaign of reform and opening. Were American presidents throughout the 20th and 21st centuries naive about China’s future? Are the seeds for democratic convergence — what CCP [Chinese Communist Party] propagandists would call “Peaceful Evolution” — still somewhere in the soil? Was reform and opening under Deng simply about self-strengthening and returning China to the center of power under the rigid

Leninist control of the CCP? These are questions that will be hotly debated over the coming years. TIMOTHY HEATH: Since its founding in 1949, the People’s Republic of China has experienced three distinct periods of change. In the first period, corresponding roughly with Mao Zedong’s rule as the first chairman from 1949 to the late 1970s, a new radicalized government struggled to achieve rapid modernization and communism for an impoverished nation through extreme politics. This period was characterized by the consolidation of CCP rule, intense political turmoil and massive political campaigns to achieve utopian ends that often ended in catastrophe. Beginning in 1979, China entered a new period of history, characterized as “reform and opening up.” Under the

leadership of Deng Xiaoping and his successors Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, China abandoned the radical ideology of Mao and embraced a more pragmatic style of rule, featuring an embrace of market economics and loosening of party control. Over the decades, lasting through 2012, China experienced phenomenal economic growth, developed a modern, more pluralistic society and improved the PLA’s [People’s Liberation Army] technological prowess and strength. However, the same period saw an increase in problems stemming from the rapid growth, such as widening inequality, environmental despoliation and pervasive corruption. Xi Jinping’s ascent to power in 2012 marks a third period in the history of the PRC, one in which the country SEE CHINA • PAGE 20

NOVEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 19

DIPLOMAT EVENTS DIPLOMAT DIPLOMAT EVENTS DIPLOMAT EVENTS DIPLOMAT DIPLOMAT EVENTS

China CONTINUED • PAGE 19

grapples with the challenge of becoming a world power. The past few years have seen a more ambitious China outline plans to integrate the Eurasian landmass under the Belt and Road Initiative, overhaul the country’s economy, increase China’s role in global governance, build a world-class military and step up the promotion of Chinese influence worldwide.

NOV NOV

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THE DIPLOMAT: Where does China stand today as a regional and global power? MG: The CSIS China Power Project attempts to quantify an answer to that question — and opinions vary widely. CSIS polling of elites in 2015 in Asia suggested that most still see China as behind the United States in aggregate power in Asia but catching up. On a global scale, China is still far behind the United States. China can challenge traditional U.S. security commitments in the Western Pacific as no other power has since 1945 and aspires to dominate key technologies such as 5G. However, China ranks far below the United States in terms of alliances, nuclear weapons, soft power, the hegemony of the dollar and global reach.

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the contest from a much more adversarial ideological and military perspective than Japan ever did. China has some support for revisionism at the global governance level from India, Russia, South Africa and other developing countries, but faces stiff opposition to regional revisionism from India, Japan and other middle powers. Under Xi Jinping, Chinese declaratory policy and coercive actions aimed at weakening U.S. leadership and alliances in Asia have been unmistakable. However, governments are beginning to push back, and it is still not clear how much Beijing is willing to risk in order to supplant the United States in the region. Rising powers in history — the United States, Japan and Germany — all tended to free-ride on the global hegemonic power — Britain — while using diplomacy and military coercion to achieve hegemony within their own regions. China is not so different, but neither is the United States to Britain [when it was hegemonic power]. Alliances and institutions give American hegemonic stability greater depth.

www.diplomatgec.com PHOTO: PEGGY UND MARCO LACHMANN-ANKE / PIXABAY

Cranes rise over the city of Shanghai in China, which, over the last several decades, has experienced the fastest sustained economic expansion of any major country in history.

TH: China has established itself as a dominant power in Asia, and it is increasing its power at the global level. In Asia, China has become central to economic trade and production, and its military might has surpassed virtually all of its neighbors. China’s diplomatic influence has grown substantially as well, in part due to its economic strength and the opportunities Beijing offers through trade and investment.

At the global level, China’s economy has become central to global growth, and Chinese leaders have pushed for a greater role for the country in global governance accordingly. However, the country’s military presence has only increased marginally, with its first base in Djibouti announced in 2017, and China continues to struggle with expanding its soft power appeal as a rising nation.

THE DIPLOMAT: Does China want to change “the way things are done” away from the U.S.-instituted global order (for example, World Trade Organization rules)? If yes, how, and will, they be able to pull it off ? MG: China has defensive interests in protecting a more predatory form of economic policy in the same way Japan did in the 1980s or 1990s. The difference is that China approaches

TH: China seeks to both uphold and renovate aspects of the international order. On the one hand, China remains a firm supporter of key institutions such as the United Nations, International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. However, Beijing has also sought to change aspects of those institutions to favor Chinese interests. It

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has long pushed, for example, for greater voting rights in the IMF and for more influence over how and where the U.N. deploys peacekeeping troops worldwide. Where existing institutions have proven insufficiently responsive to Chinese demands, Beijing has established alternatives more amenable to its preferences. Examples include the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which duplicates the function of the Asian Development Bank, led by the U.S. and Japan.

since Deng. TH: It appears Xi Jinping intends to stay in power for many years, and no one knows when he might resign. This means the current trajectory of Chinese policies regarding tough stances on maritime disputes, artificial island construction, tech transfer, industrial policies to build “national champions” and the strengthening of Chinese Communist Party power and influence worldwide will continue for the foreseeable future. For China, this means the country will likely continue to experience a stifling political atmosphere, featuring repression of voices critical of the party, propaganda that adulates Xi as a leader and extols the CCP, and an overall strengthening of authoritarian rule even as the country seeks to overhaul the economy to a more sustainable basis.

THE DIPLOMAT: Do you think the U.S. and China will be able to get past the latest tariff war, or is this a turning point in how each country stands as an economic power in the world? MG: I suspect the two leaders will negotiate a ceasefire to avoid damaging Chinese economic growth and Donald Trump’s re-election campaign. However, key negotiators in the United States do not believe China will honor any agreement and are demanding assurances Beijing will never deliver, while key leaders in Beijing do not believe Donald Trump will keep his word with respect to tariffs. And so both sides will take steps to limit the damage from the trade war without substantially resolving structural problems or reducing overall tariffs. That seems the most likely scenario, though a breakthrough cannot be completely ruled out. TH: Due to the economic damage wrought by the tariff war, it is very possible that a future U.S. leader other than Trump might choose to scale back the tariff war. However, the shift toward a more hardline policy regarding China enjoys bipartisan support and thus is probably here to stay. The U.S. feels threatened by China’s efforts to seize technological leadership and marginalize

PHOTO: ENRIQUELOPEZGARRE / PIXABAY

The Great Wall of China was built over several centuries to protect and consolidate the territories of Chinese states and empires.

the U.S. in the Asia-Pacific, which is widely anticipated to be a key driver of the global economy in coming years. Similarly, U.S. efforts to shore up its leadership in Asia has antagonized Beijing, which has grown vocal in its demand that the U.S. end its alliances there. Regardless of who the next U.S. president may be, I expect the continuation of some China policies undertaken by Trump, such as the restriction of Chinese tech companies in the U.S., including Huawei, and defense policies to strengthen the U.S. military presence in Asia. THE DIPLOMAT: Xi Jinping is 66. He could conceivably live for another 20 or so years.

If he continues to hold onto the reins of power, what does this mean for China for the duration? MG: I think his authoritarianism will be his downfall if he does not adjust. [Mikhail] Gorbachev’s softness caused the collapse of the Soviet Union, but Xi’s hardline could cause the collapse of the CCP some day. But that said, the pressures on him from within the Politburo will mount before his second term is over, and I would not be surprised if he relented and shared power in the coming years — for example, retaining the “presidency” but losing the top party post. Xi has amassed power unlike any leader

THE DIPLOMAT: What do you predict will happen to China as a regional and global power after he passes the baton of leadership, or dies before doing so? Does he have a succession plan? Anyone vying to take his place? TH: China is already so large it will continue to impact global and regional politics regardless of who becomes leader. Given the reality of slowing growth, a deeply held aspiration for national revival and an intensifying rivalry with the United States, any successor of Xi Jinping would have a strong incentive to continue many of the policies. And in terms of potential replacements for Xi Jinping’s rule, there may be some dissatisfaction among elites about Xi’s policies, but there is currently no evidence that a competitor threatens Xi’s rule. WD Aileen Torres-Bennett is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

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WD | G lobal Vantag e Point

The Manafort Effect Op-Ed: Sweeping New FARA Enforcement Threatens Foreign Firms BY RICHARD LEVICK

he Department of Justice’s Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) enforcement unit was until recently a fairly sleepy outpost. The multiple convictions of Paul Manafort, President Trump’s one-time campaign chair, changed all that — along with a fear that Russia, a hostile foreign power employing public relations firms, had gained undue influence over U.S. electioneering and policymaking. Suddenly, FARA’s get-tough enforcement has become very real. Already, it has had profound consequences for U.S. domestic communications, lobbying and law firms, but now its reach is set to expand even further. FARA, enacted in 1938, requires persons acting in a “political or quasipolitical capacity” for foreign principals to register as foreign agents. This includes not only lobbying for foreign clients, but also more vaguely defined activities such as consulting and organizing communications campaigns on behalf of foreign governments, NGOs, companies and individuals. Despite its broad definition, FARA prosecutions have been rare over the decades, but all that could be changing because the Department of Justice (DoJ) has pledged to make FARA enforcement a top priority. To that end, Brandon Van Grack, a former member of special counsel Robert Mueller’s prosecution team, has been brought on as the new chief of the FARA unit at DoJ to more aggressively enforce compliance with the law. Based on a recent speech by Van Grack, the FARA enforcement branch, for the first time, will go after entirely foreign public relations, lobbying and law firms engaged in communications activities attempting to influence the U.S. public or U.S. policy. This is interpreted to include litigation communications. Van Grack is clearly playing for keeps. He made news at a D.C. conference recently by announcing that he and his team may well require foreign public relations firms to register under FARA when representing companies, countries and interests seeking to shape actions in the U.S. — particularly via the internet. This is a broad and unprecedented interpretation of the statute. It may or may not survive a legal challenge, but it needs to be taken seriously by individuals and institutions. DoJ’s renewed focus on enforcement demonstrates how the stakes on FARA have abruptly changed on both the civil and criminal fronts. Lobbying and public relations firms should seek

CREDIT: OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BY SHEALAH CRAIGHEAD

President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 16, 2018.

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DoJ’s new emphasis on FARA is a warning shot to foreign companies and their U.S. consultants, who are forced to grapple with a criminal law that is broad and complicated. JOSHUA IAN ROSENSTEIN

specialist on the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA)

U.S. FARA counsel to assist in anything considered a grey area. Meanwhile, foreign-based firms can no longer assume that FARA is the exclusive province of U.S. firms. As Joshua Ian Rosenstein, a FARA specialist at Sandler Reiff Lamb Rosenstein & Birkenstock, P.C., put it, “DoJ’s new emphasis on FARA is a warning shot to foreign companies and their U.S. consultants, who are forced to grapple with a criminal law that is broad and complicated. Now is the time for foreign companies and their U.S. consultants to re-examine their FARA compliance.” “Grapple” is right: FARA is not only complex, it’s old. It was adopted during FDR’s second term, when there was fear that European strongmen and Nazi propaganda were bullying their way into American society without being caught or punished. FARA never anticipated an era of instantaneous and

22 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | NOVEMBER 2019

global communications. Complying with the law’s antiquated rules can be challenging. “We need to do a better job defining the work that falls under FARA so there are no blurred lines,” said Paul Miller, the president of the National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics, a membership group for lobbyists. “I’m not a fan of more regulations, but I am in favor of effective regulations. We need to work with lobbying professionals to close loopholes and create a system that’s not so burdensome and expensive that it forces people to take a chance — only to claim ignorance when they get caught.” No matter how closely attuned they are to U.S. politics, foreign law firms sometimes don’t fully appreciate the nuances of FARA. Unlike the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which has been emulated in nearly four dozen other countries, FARA is distinct. It has

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its own peculiarities. “FARA is a compacted statute to interpret and apply,” said Amy Jeffress, a partner at Arnold & Porter. “Many of its terms are not well defined, especially in the language of the exemptions to the statute. Companies whose interests are closely aligned with the foreign government need to seek advice in order to avoid operating outside the bounds of the exemptions without registering.” According to Matthew Sanderson, a FARA expert at Caplin & Drysdale, “We are at the dawn of a whole new era of FARA enforcement, with the DoJ not only actively policing the law but also going after high-profile individuals and firms. Those representing foreign governments, NGOs, companies and individuals can no longer afford to ignore the law or rely on their prominence to save them. It will be vital in the months and years ahead for those

working in this space to both understand FARA and institute a FARA compliance system, particularly as it relates to taking in new clients that are located abroad.” Brian Fleming, a partner at Miller & Chevalier, added: “All signs point to more FARA prosecutions on the horizon. Any foreign activities touching upon the 2020 election will certainly get heightened scrutiny. I also expect DoJ to turn its attention to rooting out unregistered foreign influence in a wide variety of other contexts, including law firms and media companies, and to make far more aggressive prosecutorial decisions than it has in the past.” Flouting conventional wisdom, FARA’s interpretation of “foreign principals” encompasses not just governments but also institutions and individuals, an interpretation likely to get broader under Van Grack. FARA also does not require an actual contract between an agent and the foreign principal in order for the law to be applied. As Rosenstein points out, “it merely requires that a consultant act at the direction or control of, at the request of, or funded by, a foreign principal.” FARA, to be sure, covers more than “lobbying” for a foreign client. It slaps regulations on a laundry list of “political” activities aimed at influencing the U.S. public, from conducting grassroots communications, to pamphleteering and distributing “informational materials,” to merely counseling a foreign-based client on a U.S. public affairs strategy. Too often, foreign entities fail to understand DoJ’s broad interpretation of FARA’s political activity statute. The frustrations don’t end there. FARA makes no mention of email or social media, even though both have become critical tools in interacting with the U.S. public.

PHOTO: VOA NEWS PHOTO: EDAR / PIXABAY

The conviction of Paul Manafort, President Trump’s one-time campaign chair, at right, lent momentum to strengthening enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which requires persons acting in a “political or quasi-political capacity” for foreign principals to register as foreign agents.

Even FARA’s exemptions for “humanitarian” and “commercial” activities are tough to decipher. If a foreign state-owned manufacturer hires a lobbyist to soften U.S. trade sanctions, does that advance the interests of the foreign government and therefore trigger FARA? If a foreign corporation seeks to strengthen its brand recognition in the U.S. and brings along its ambassador to participate in meetings with potential investment partners, does that “directly promote” — as FARA puts it — the government’s interests? It’s un-

clear, but it’s better for organizations to be safe than sorry. Given the considerable pressure that DoJ is now under to deliver FARA convictions, it means that communications firms are likely to get caught in the undertow. Public relations firms need to recognize that — from day one of their representation of a foreign entity — they’re not immune. As LEVICK makes clear in our new eBook on the challenges facing foreign companies operating in the U.S., PR firms and others should be transparently and

fully compliant with FARA reporting and registration. Every account should have a designated FARA compliance coordinator working under the aegis of legal counsel. Thanks to Manafort’s slipshod ethics, congressional investigators and the U.S. media are suddenly extra vigilant about FARA. Moreover, FARA scrutiny from the media and NGOs is almost always going to be negative. Plan for that contingency so you’re not caught off guard. WD Richard Levick, Esq. (@richardlevick) is chairman and CEO of LEVICK. He is a frequent television, radio, online and print commentator and a contributor to The Washington Diplomat.

NOVEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 23

WD | G lobal Vantag e Point

Perfect Storm Op-Ed: Operation Desert Storm Offers Enduring Lessons on U.S. Global Leadership BY STUART HOLLIDAY

early 30 years after the end of Operation Desert Storm to drive Saddam Hussein’s army from Kuwait following Iraq’s invasion of the oil-rich emirate, it is worthwhile to reflect on lessons learned that may be relevant today. To take us back to that period, the United States was the undisputed global power having prevailed in the Cold War; however, we still faced the ghosts of Vietnam when U.S. military power and strategy were held in check and defense budgets slashed. Apart from the smaller operations in Grenada and Panama to thwart anti-U.S. leaders, our ability to wage a broad-scale diplomatic and military effort had not been tested. President George H.W. Bush’s experience, relationships and reliance on his military and national security experts led to one of the most decisive military victories in the 20th century. It should be noted that there are critics who felt strongly that Saddam Hussein should have been removed from power, in part because — as is the case today — the Kurds were viciously attacked in the wake of the war. We have learned however that there is a difference between completing a defined military mission that enjoyed nearly unanimous international consensus and taking on the wholesale remaking and rebuilding of a nation and its society. President Bush knew when he declared victory quickly and limited the mission short of regime change in Iraq, he was avoiding adding further fuel to the embers of an unsettled Middle East whose fragile borders and ethnic divisions can be easily explode. I would like to highlight five lessons that I think are worthy to remember having played a small role in Desert Storm and looking at the world from the vantage point of the Meridian International Center: • Diplomacy matters. Even up until the brink of war, the Bush administration met with Iraqi leadership to give them an opportunity to withdraw from Kuwait. The U.S. built a broad-based coalition with traditional allies such as France and the United Kingdom, but one that also included unlikely players such as Turkey and even Syria. Because everyone was clear on the mission and objectives based on a collective view of the aggressor, cooperation was easier. Finally, the U.S. sought and received international legitimacy by working through the United Nations system in parallel with military preparations. • Having superior military technology matters. Only a few short years since the

PHOTO: PHAN CHAD VANN

Nearly 30 years ago, the U.S. led a quick and decisive victory that drove Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi army from Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm.

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It is precisely because America does not want to be engaged in endless wars in the Middle East that it must maintain active diplomacy and strategic engagement as a deterrent to instability. STUART HOLLIDAY, president and CEO of the Meridian International Center

Soviet Union privately declared its military could not keep up with the pace of technological transformation on land, sea, air and space, the U.S. saw the fruits of its investment in research and development through a decisive, crushing blow to one of the world’s largest armies in a matter of days. Superior airpower and tank technology were evident on the battlefield, and a military that was properly supplied and equipped proved to be an overwhelmingly superior force. Maintaining this edge should not be underestimated today. • Trust is the coin of the realm. Leaders around the world trusted that President Bush was a man of his word in international affairs and that the United States saw this mission as the necessary stand of the world against a blatant invasion of a sovereign country. One reason for this trust was that many efforts to build the coalition and negotiate were conducted discretely without bravado and with

24 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | NOVEMBER 2019

shared interests in mind. • The Middle East requires American diplomatic leadership. From the Suez Crisis in 1956 to protecting Israel and the Gulf, as well as efforts by numerous administrations to promote a Middle East peace process, we are reminded of the imperative of American leadership in the region. It is precisely because America does not want to be engaged in endless wars in the Middle East that it must maintain active diplomacy and strategic engagement as a deterrent to instability. We will not fix all the problems, but we can make them worse by turning them over to others who do not share our values and interests. • We need to take care of our veterans. Over half a million men and women participated in Desert Storm and many still live with the wounds and strains of that conflict. They were greeted as heroes by a grateful nation but in many cases their

”

legacies are eclipsed in public memory by the more recent conflicts in the region, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. While Desert Storm was short in duration, for those who served in that war, the memories are still alive. Their contributions should be remembered. With the current tensions along the Turkey-Syria border, not to mention threats around the world ranging from Iran to North Korea to Russia, it is important that we reflect on a period in our global history when nations came together with American leadership and united around an effective diplomacy and military strategy that accomplished a clearly defined, internationally vital objective. WD Stuart Holliday is president and CEO of the Meridian International Center and served on active duty as a naval intelligence officer during Operation Desert Storm.

Education A Special Section of The Washington Diplomat

November 2019

PHOTO: RAWPIXEL.COM / SHUTTERSTOCK

Decoding the Truth Digital Literacy Teaches Students How to Tell Fact from Fiction Online •

n a recent Monday morning in a journalism class at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Md., students watched an excerpt from the CNN program “Crossfire” featuring

a heated exchange between comedian Jon Stewart and conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson. Although the conversation, which made headlines after Stewart accused Carlson and his “Cross-

A landmark 2016 Stanford University study found that despite being fluent in social media, students at the middle, high school and college levels were surprisingly inept when it came to evaluating what they read online.

BY DERYL DAVIS

fire” co-hosts of engaging in political theater rather than journalism, occurred 15 years ago, it immediately sparked student discussion. SEE D I G I TAL L IT ER ACY • PAGE 26 NOVEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 25

Digital Literacy CONTINUED • PAGE 25

“

Media literacy is the same as literacy today…. Children need to understand how to decode the messages they’re getting and understand where they’re coming from [and what the messages are trying to tell them.

Was Stewart right in his argument that Carlson and his colleagues were hurting America with their combative politics? ERIN MCNEILL, founder of Media Literacy Now Was Carlson right in accusing Stewart of harboring political biases of his own? Whose perspective were the students to believe, and where could they go for more information? In the end, students becoming politically active — are bombarded with an avalanche of informawere instructed to explore a variety of online news sources to get more in- tion at the touch of a button, it’s more important than ever that these future formation about the exchange. They were, in effect, learning to read “later- voters learn to distinguish between what’s real and what’s not. This has led to a rise in states across the United States calling for greater ally,” discovering what different online sources have to say about a subject, digital literacy efforts to teach students how to navigate the technologies rather than simply digging deeper into one source alone. This approach to digital media consumption has been championed by that are reshaping their world. The trend is part of an increasing awareness Joel Breakstone and his colleagues at the Stanford History Education Group that while algorithms and other tech tools may help slow the spread of mis(SHEG) at Stanford University. In 2016, they released a widely reported information, human beings are ultimately responsible for understanding study which found that despite being fluent in social media, students at the and deciphering what they read online. While Breakstone said that the issue of digital literacy (also referred to middle, high school and college levels were surprisingly inept when it came to evaluating what they read online. Middle schoolers confused advertise- as media literacy) is “much more complex” than just fake news, “there is ments for news, high schoolers could not verify the authenticity of social real reason for concern” that students do not know how to evaluate informedia accounts and college students judged the accuracy of websites by mation they find online. “So much of it is really getting a sense of where their visual and stylistic appeal, largely accepting what the sites said about the information comes from, what the perspective is and where the author’s authority comes from,” Breakstone told us. “We need to figure out which themselves on face value. As Sam Wineburg, lead author of the report, put it in an Oct. 1, 2018, approaches are most effective in order for students to become better confollow-up article for The Washington Post: “today’s ‘digital natives’ are digi- sumers of information.” The consequences of not doing so are “real and dire,” Breakstone and his tally naïve.” According to Breakstone, “there was an alarming consistency” in terms of colleagues suggested in a paper published last year. “If students are unable to students’ inability to perform “the most basic evaluation of online material.” identify who is behind the information they encounter, they are easy marks The groundbreaking study, which included nearly 8,000 students, generated for those who seek to deceive them,” the researchers warned, cautioning that broad public interest following the 2016 election. “We were in the eye of “[t]he health of our democracy depends on our access to reliable informathe storm,” Breakstone recalled. “Everybody was interested in this.” Con- tion.” What is needed, according to the SHEG group, is a new strategy for teachcerns about fake news and the spread of online disinformation increased as evidence of Russian involvement in disinformation campaigns came to ing digital literacy. Instead of the predominant “close reading” approach, in the fore. Today, as the rallying cry of fake news reaches a fevered pitch ahead of SEE DIG ITAL L IT ER ACY • PAGE 28 the 2020 presidential election and as young people — who are increasingly

26 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | NOVEMBER 2019

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NOVEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 27

Digital Literacy CONTINUED • PAGE 26

which students check off a list of questions designed to ascertain a website’s trustworthiness — such as broken links, domain names, typos and other details — Breakstone and his colleagues say students should return to the wider web. What do other sites say about this one site or about the information it contains? Can students verify the content they have found through other online sources? This method of “lateral reading” would seem to provide an answer to the echo chamber effect of so much digital news consumption in America. SHEG researchers point to the fact that it is the method used by professional news fact-checkers, who can verify the accuracy of website content much more quickly than those who read “vertically” within a single website itself. The vertical, checklist approach to verifying a website’s authenticity is no longer as reliable because today’s technology allows even the most basic of websites to look professional and sophisticated, with official-looking logos and statements that fool many into thinking they are legitimate. Michael Caulfield, director of blended and networked learning at Washington State University in Vancouver and author of the free e-book “Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers,” shares the Stanford group’s enthusiasm for lateral reading. It is one of the four primary “moves” outlined in the book for practicing digital literacy, along with checking for previous website or content authentication; going “upstream” to an original information source; and circling back with new search terms or search choices. Caulfield said the key to online literacy is to incorporate these strategies as regular habits, “the way you learn to check your mirrors before switching lanes on the highway.” “When you read something, do you know where it’s from?” he asked via

PHOTO: SPEEDKINGZ / SHUTTERSTOCK

email. “If not, do a quick Wikipedia search on the publication or organization. Is it something fringe or widely reported? Check Google News to see if a variety of papers are reporting it. Has the image you are looking at been modified or falsely captioned? Do a quick reverse image search to see.” Caulfield does not believe students are any more or less susceptible to misinformation online than adults. In fact, adults can be more accessible targets because they are often more politically engaged and concerned with health and medical issues, popular subjects of disinformation campaigns. Caulfield appears more concerned with disinformation and web illiteracy as it impacts people with influence, who can unwittingly spread false propaganda taken for fact online. “If the people you look up to in your community are being fed streams of nonsense … then when others turn to them for advice on [political] candidates, policy, whatever, that can have a huge impact,” Caulfield wrote. “[O]f course the

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ultimate problem is when people with influence and power don’t have these [digital literacy] skills. It makes them very susceptible to manipulation.” Increasing that susceptibility is our natural human inclination to latch onto fake propaganda and false rumors because they illicit strong emotions and tap into our preconceived biases. As Annabelle Timsit wrote in a Feb. 12 article for Quartz, such propaganda is nothing new. Everyone from monarchs to the Nazis employed it. What’s different is the sheer amount of information at our fingertips today. “The real problem is that we haven’t developed the skills to absorb, assess, and sort the unprecedented amounts of information coming from new technologies,” she wrote. “We are letting our digital platforms, from our phones to our computers and social media, rule us.” But Caulfield believes that, in general, Americans are less concerned about digital illiteracy than they should be. One of the things he has done to address the issue is to head the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ Digital Polarization Initiative, which involves students from 11 campuses in an effort to fact-check, annotate and provide context for news stories on Twitter and Facebook. Caulfield describes the initiative as an attempt to change the way digital literacy is taught in American classrooms, with the long-term goal of ensuring that every college student graduates with the best up-to-date digital literacy skills. “Since it is people in positions of influence that are the real problem,” Caulfield writes, “making sure college grads have this moves us closer to a disinformationresistant society.” While some countries, such as Finland, have had success instituting digital literacy education nationwide, in the U.S. it remains a state-by-state endeavor. California recently became the latest state to pass legislation requiring public schools to teach media literacy. A handful of other states such as Connecticut and New Mexico have passed similar legislation, although advocates say more money is needed to fund such programs. They also argue that media literacy skills should

be woven throughout the curriculum rather than as a standalone course, because misinformation can be found in fields ranging from math to history to science. Erin McNeill founded Media Literacy Now a decade ago to advocate for media literacy education policy in public schools. “The idea was to get media literacy into the public policy agenda,” she explained. “Ten years ago, very few people had ever heard of it. Since then, it’s been a step-by-step process of making people aware.” McNeill believes that media literacy should be recognized as being as essential to K-12 education as math, science or English classes. “Media literacy is the same as literacy today,” she said. “So much of our informaPHOTO: ELNARIZ / FOTOLIA tion comes from sources other than print material, from online, from television. Children need to understand how to decode the messages they’re getting and understand where they’re coming from [and] what the messages are trying to tell them.” McNeill said that while children and young people may think of television or online media primarily as entertainment, they (the consumers of news and information) are being targeted nonetheless. “Whether it’s advertisements, commercials or something more sinister, children need to be able to interpret what is being presented to them and to understand that everything may not be as it appears,” she said. McNeill’s organization has had success advocating for media literacy policy in Massachusetts, Washington State, Ohio, Florida and Minnesota. Many others have explored legislation without mandating standards. A perennial problem is funding for media literacy efforts and training teachers who are already often overworked and underpaid. “It really takes champions at the local level to raise the issue and to champion

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Digital Literacy CONTINUED • PAGE 29

funding,” McNeill said. Media literacy efforts in the states “are almost always under-resourced,” meaning that little is known about how policy is being implemented on a state-by-state basis. However, McNeill points to Florida, a state that does have a media literacy mandate, as evidence that media literacy education makes a difference. After the 2018 shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, students there used their media skills to launch a nationwide movement in support of gun control. “Whether you agree with their message or not,” McNeill said, “[the students’] actions show that media literacy skills are being taught” and that such education makes a difference. In McNeill’s home state of Massachusetts, Mary Robb has taught a “Media Literacy and Democracy” class at Andover High School for almost 20 years. Her students read news and write reviews of news stories on a regular basis. “We’re learning about our government and also investigating our government through news sources,” Robb explained. “We’re not just learning the story, but also how the story is being told.” By consulting a variety of sources and fact-checking the news they receive, Robb says she and her students “are no longer passive consumers of news.” She teaches her students that the greatest danger is to limit oneself to a single news source, which cannot provide a complete and accurate picture of events. “My real push is to help them appreciate the news,” Robb said, “and help defend it” against the prevailing cynicism about news media in general. “There is fake news, yes,” she acknowledged. “But news you don’t agree with isn’t necessarily fake news. It’s just a different perspective. I’m trying to help them understand that.” In the years since the Stanford History Education Group released its study — the year of the last presidential election — more states and more school districts have explored digital literacy education. The Maryland school district to which Montgomery Blair High School belongs has undertaken a three-year Digital Citizenship Program with funding from U.S. presidential candidate John Delaney and his wife April.

PHOTO: GEORGEJMCLITTLE / SHUTTERSTOCK

Further afield, global media literacy summits have brought together researchers from the Stanford group and digital media giants like Google to share best ideas and practices. Later this fall, the SHEG will release a follow-up to its groundbreaking 2016 study to see where things stand now in regard to young people and digital literacy. The new study will be accompanied by an enhanced media literacy curriculum designed for middle and high school students and available for free via the SHEG website. At a time when young people get an estimated 75% of their news via the internet, Stanford’s Breakstone says it is “incredibly important for the health of democracy” that students and their teachers have the tools and resources they need to evaluate what they find online. After all, another election is coming. WD Deryl Davis is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

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The Washington Diplomat | November 2019

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PONDERING

‘THE

ART

END’ Feminist icon Judy Chicago

has brought her latest body of work to the National

Museum of Women in the Arts in an exhibition that is a brutal, unrelenting PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST; SALON 94, NE W YORK; AND JESSICA SILVERMAN GALLERY, SAN FRANCISCO; © JUDY CHICAGO/ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK; PHOTO ©DONALD WOODMAN/ARS, NY

Judy Chicago’s “Stages of Dying 5/6: Depression”

DIPLOMATIC SPOUSES

Game, Set, Match

and fearless exploration of death and dying.

PAGE 32

ART

Bosnia and Herzegovina apparently took

‘I Am…’ Versatile

famous professional tennis player and

African Art takes its inspiration from

Diplomacy is often seen as a sport.

this analogy to heart by appointing a

coach as its ambassador to the U.S. But,

given his unique background, it may have been a shrewd move on the part of this picturesque but politically scarred Balkan nation. PAGE 33

An exhibition at the National Museum the famous 1970s feminist anthem “I Am

Woman,” but updates it to sing the praises of a more modern type of woman. PAGE 35

NOVEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 31

WD | Culture | Art

Fearless Death Feminist Icon Judy Chicago Tackles the Taboo of Mortality and Extinction in ‘The End’ •

BY MACKENZIE WEINGER

Judy Chicago—The End: A Meditation on Death and Extinction THROUGH JAN. 20, 2020

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WOMEN IN THE ARTS 1250 NEW YORK AVE., NW

(202) 783-5000

| WWW.NMWA.ORG

udy Chicago has brought her latest body of work to the National Museum of Women in the Arts in an exhibition that is a brutal, unrelenting and fearless exploration of death and dying. Chicago, best known for her monumental contributions to feminist art, tackles mortality in her show “The End—A Meditation on Death and Extinction,” which examines the uncomfortable subject matter from both a personal and universal level. The potent images may not appeal to everyone, but the choices are consistently bold and memorable. There are nearly 40 pieces of painted porcelain and glass to view, along with two large-scale bronze sculptures. Throughout it all, Chicago weaves together a vision that focuses on human mortality — especially the female form as it ages and nears death — and species extinction tied to human action or inaction. The boundary-pushing artist uses a variety of techniques — from needlework to welding to the type of visually striking graphic art seen here — to explore issues ranging from sex to birth to violence. Here, Chicago reflects on her own mortality, the taboo of aging — particularly in a society that values female youth and beauty — and the suffering of endangered animals and ecosystems. “NMWA has had a long and wonderful relationship with Chicago, who supported the museum from the very beginning. The museum has had several exhibitions devoted to different aspects of Chicago’s works over the years and we are immensely honored that she chose to exhibit her latest body of work here,” curator Virginia Treanor told The Washington Diplomat. Chicago is most famous for her 1970s work “The Dinner Party,” a groundbreaking and ambitious installation that examines famous mythical and historical women through 39 place settings that feature vaginal iconography. The work got Congress’s attention back in 1990, when Chicago tried to give the piece to the University of the District of Columbia, but lawmakers subsequently sought to nix $1.6 million from the UDC budget in an appropriations bill in retaliation. Rep. Bob Dornan, a California Republican, memorably called the work “disgusting” and said, “This thing is a nightmare. This is not art, it’s pornography, 3-D ceramic pornography.” The work was also protested by students, and Chicago abandoned the effort. But the backlash didn’t stop “The Dinner Party,” which toured several continents and was seen by 15 million people before it was retired in 1996 (since 2007, it has been on permanent display at the Brooklyn Museum in New York). Nor has controversy slowed down Chicago, who recently turned 80 and opened her own museum in Belen, New Mexico, the community where she lives, despite resistance by evangelical residents. Chicago is also debuting her latest works in D.C., where the pieces in “The End” are in conversation with a wealth of big issues — feminism, tradition, death, the destruction of the natural world. Chicago’s exploration in particular of women’s achievements and women’s bodies is, as always, notable. It’s unquestionably visceral and stark, but ultimately there’s a hopefulness, or at least a sense of eventual serenity and purpose, in the pieces that touch on these points in connection with death. Her works that hone in on animals and extinction, however, are vicious indictments of humanity’s impact on the natural world. 32 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | NOVEMBER 2019

Feminist trailblazer Judy Chicago, bottom, tackles the subject of human mortality and species extinction in her latest exhibit, “The End: A Meditation on Death and Extinction,” which features graphic pieces such as “Bleached,” above, and “How Will I Die? #2,” at left.

PHOTO: DONALD WOODMAN

In her series “Stages of Dying,” Chicago uses pen work on porcelain to depict a nude woman in the five stages of grief. It’s a fascinating choice of medium that reflects on one of her main explorations as an artist: what defines women’s work. In “Mortality,” the next series on display, the artist employs kilnfired glass paint on black glass that ruthlessly traverses questions about the end of life. This material suggests a permanence that plays wonderfully against the theme of the show. “I do greatly admire the technical execution of all of the works, particularly those on black glass. There is a luminosity to them that you can only appreciate when you see them in person,” Treanor noted in an email. In the final series, “Extinction,” Chicago depicts animals, in graphic fashion, that have been irrevocably harmed by people. There are horrific images on display here, and Chicago does not dance around her point, which is expressed largely through handwriting and childlike depictions of these animals. “The themes in this exhibition are universal. Human mortality as well as species endangerment is something that affects us all,” Treanor said. Chicago’s art is connected closely with the written word and her own handwriting, and she uses quotes and writing throughout her compositions. It usually helps pack a punch to the works and adds to the personal nature of the exhibition, but sometimes it feels lazy or obvious. That’s most apparent in her piece “A Separate Weariness,” which features a fascinating image of a woman seemingly transforming into a skeleton. But Chicago adds in a quote from Albert Camus —“…some of us feel such a desperate weariness, a weariness from which nothing remains to set us free except DEATH” — that ultimately lessens the impact of the piece by making things a little too on the nose. Overall, though, Chicago’s exhibition is filled with a challenging intensity that demands the viewer’s meditation as well as her own. “In many ways, this series is the culmination of 50 years of studio practice, a practice that has taken me on a journey of discovery through many different topics expressed through a wide range of techniques,” Chicago said in a statement. “In a world in which women’s cultural production continues to be undervalued, discounted or marginalized, I am pleased to premiere this work for the first time at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the only museum in the world dedicated to ensuring that women’s art is preserved.” WD Mackenzie Weinger (@mweinger) is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

Diplomatic Spouses | Culture | WD

Game, Set, Match Tennis Player-Turned-Ambassador and Wife Come to U.S. from Bosnia and Herzegovina •

BY GAIL SCOTT

iplomacy is often seen as a sport. In fact, if you had to pick one sport, tennis might be an apt comparison, given that players have to deftly maneuver around their opponent, anticipating their next move and outfoxing them. Bosnia and Herzegovina apparently took this analogy to heart by appointing a famous professional tennis player and coach as its ambassador to the U.S. But, given his connections, it may have been a shrewd move on the part of this picturesque but politically scarred Balkan nation. Bojan Vujic has been a professional tennis player for most of his adult life, participating in the Davis Cup as both a player and coach and winning various championships for Bosnia and Herzegovina and, before that, Yugoslavia. He also coached in Florida at the Mar-a-Lago Club, which just happens to be owned by President Trump. There, Vujic was the sparring partner of retired U.S. tennis player Monique Viele. “At his credentialing ceremony, my husband said, ‘It’s nice to see you again Mr. President’ and President Trump said back, ‘It’s nice to see you again,’ but that’s all. We weren’t sure he remembered my husband or not,” said Vujic’s wife Tatjana, a senior pharmacist in her previous life. “It is not only our first time being top diplomats, but diplomats at all. Everything is new to us,” Tatjana told us when we met at the couple’s modern apartment building in Arlington, Va., where they have a two-bedroom apartment. Diplomacy may be new to them, but the United States isn’t. Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bojan Vujic and his wife Tatjana, seen with their two Vujic coached at tennis academies helmed by acclaimed U.S. playdaughters in their Arlington, Va., apartment building, are new to the world of diplomacy but know the U.S. well, with Bojan Vujic, a professional tennis player, having coached here for years. ers Chris Evert and Rick Macci, both also in Palm Beach, Fla. His clients included International Hall of Famer and Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Capriati, considered one of the greatest players of all time, and Maria Sharapova, an Olympic silver medalist who is one of only 10 women to hold the career Grand Slam. Vujic told us that while his diplomatic credentials may be unconventional, there are many skills he’s learned as a tennis champion that he can apply here in Washington, D.C. “Throughout my tennis career, I met a lot of people all over the world: sports people, political people, business people through my tennis. I have pretty much of a good feeling about people and how I should talk to them. That’s why for me, it’s not difficult to meet all kinds of people as I need to do as an ambassador for my country,” he said. TATJANA VUJIC, wife of Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bojan Vujic When asked if his appointment was related to his work at Trump’s resort, he firmly told us no. “I was an ambassador through tennis, even though it was through sport tice is not unheard of among foreign governments either. For example, Canada, like and not diplomacy,” he said. may other nations, typically appoints ambassadors from the ruling political party. Still, having a famous tennis champion-turned-ambassador will be quite a novelty Foreign ambassadors also come from all walks of life. Former Gambian Ambassador among the city’s diplomatic corps. Sheikh Omar Faye (profiled in our March 2017 issue) was for years his nation’s fastest But for the U.S., such so-called political appointees (who don’t come from the ca- sprinter, competing in the Commonwealth Games and the Summer Olympics. reer foreign service) are nothing new. U.S. presidents often give ambassadorial postVujic told us he’s more than ready for his new job given his own sports background. ings to donors or political operatives. Roughly 30 percent of U.S. diplomatic postings “I have already been an ambassador for my country as the number-one tennis abroad go to political appointees over career Foreign Service Officers. player for Yugoslavia and I felt … I was presenting my country diplomatically. There Supporters of the practice say political appointees can be more effective than ca- is nothing new, nothing different,” he said. reer officers if they enjoy direct, personal ties to the president. And appointees with In addition, he’s very familiar with the U.S., having played in tournaments such strong backgrounds in other fields such as business can inject fresh vision and cre- as the Legg Mason Classic in Washington, D.C., and coached here for many years. ativity into an embassy. “I am used to life in America. I love America. I love the people who live here. I feel But by the same token, the practice has been criticized for dispatching people who comfortable living here. This is the best country for me to live in today unless I am have little diplomatic knowledge abroad. Indeed, this has backfired on occasion. at home,” he said. Cynthia Stroum, President Obama’s ambassador to Luxembourg, was fired because Likewise, his wife also knows the country well. Tatjana came to the United States in of alleged bullying of her staff. 2003 to attend a month-long pharmaceutical manufacturing course in Minneapolis. Meanwhile, President Trump has also come under fire for appointing wealthy She stayed with her best friend and Bojan’s cousin Natasha, who had made her home campaign contributors to key postings. Most recently, his ambassador to the Euro- in the Midwestern city after spending her senior year abroad in an American high pean Union, Gordon Sondland, a hotel executive, became embroiled in the Ukraine school there. whistleblower scandal and was even considered a national security risk because of his Since they were 16, Tatjana and Natasha have been best friends. In fact, it lack of experience, according an Oct. 16 report in The New York Times. was Natasha who introduced Tatjana to her husband. “I was too shy for a blind Unlike the U.S., foreign countries tend to appoint career professionals to Washington, D.C., considered one of the most important postings in the world. But the pracSEE DIPL OM AT IC S POUS ES • PAGE 34

“

I would like everyone to know and talk about our great music, art, sports, countryside, tourism, mountains, rivers, skiing, food and famous brandy. My country is just waiting to be discovered.

”

NOVEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 33

Diplomatic Spouses CONTINUED • PAGE 33

date. So Natasha and I went out to a coffee bar. I was 19, in my second year at university. I think he liked me because I was shy and not so impressed” that he was a famous tennis champion, Tatjana recalled. Appointing someone who is so different than the typical Washington diplomat — and who is accustomed to being in the limelight and interacting with the public — may indeed be a smart move on the part of the government to pique American interest in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which many Americans still only associate with the horrific Balkan wars of the 1990s. After the death of Serb dictator Josip Broz Tito in 1980, centuries-old tensions among the six Yugoslav republics escalated, leading to Yugoslavia’s disintegration in 1991 when Croatia and Serbia declared their independence. Serb President Slobodan Milošević unleashed his army to stamp out the uprising, but the spark had already been lit. Bosnia was the next to try for independence. It quickly became engulfed in bloodshed in 1992 as Slavic Bosniaks (sometimes referred to as Bosnian Muslims), Serbs and Croats fought for territory. The war ended with the signing of the U.S.brokered Dayton Accords in 1995 and the formation of the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska as an entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since then, Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes abbreviated as B-H, has maintained a fragile peace through a triumvirate presidency that divides power among a Bosniak, Croat and

Serb. The delicate, awkward arrangement, which often leads to political deadlock, has made it difficult to address the country’s deep-rooted problems, including unemployment, corruption and a massive youth brain drain. Ethnic tensions have also endured long after the war, which killed some 100,000 people in a conflict that became synonymous with ethnic cleansing, genocide and rape. It’s little wonder then that Tatjana prefers not to dwell on those dark times. “I was 14 when the war started. It was so close. We couldn’t travel. We had only each other,” she recalled. “It was very scary, but I was lucky. All my family survived, but all of us, everyone in country, was touched by this war.” When Yugoslavia was one entity, Tatjana pointed out that, “It was a big country with big influence. Everyone knew Yugoslavia. Now we are small country but everyone knows each other. We really speak the same language whether it is called Serbian, Croatian, or Bosnian. There are maybe 10 words that are different. B-H may be a very complicated country, but we have our own government, we are in charge of ourselves. “I don’t want to talk about war,” she added solemnly. “The war is behind us and we have started with a new economic development. The good thing is that we have less discrimination now than we had before the war…. We don’t want to be known only for war.” Instead, Tatjana and her husband want to teach Americans about all of the progress her Balkan nation has made. In fact, Bosnia and Herzegovina is now classified as an upper middle-income country by the World Bank and has been working toward membership in the European Union and NATO. It’s also made a name for itself as a tourist destination thanks to its varied landscape and scenic, medieval cities and villages.

8 T H A N N UA L E M BA S S Y S H OWC A S E

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34 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | NOVEMBER 2019

Tatjana Vujic, the wife of a former tennis champion who is now Bosnia and Herzegovina’s ambassador in Washington, is an avid skier who says her country is ideal for skiing, rafting, fishing, hunting and other sports.

“The Bosnian region in the north is mountains and covered with thick forests,” Tatjana said. “The Herzegovina region in the south is largely rugged, flat farmland. My country has a straight and narrow coast along the Adriatic but we don’t have any harbors. We have large national parks and nature reserves. Because we have so many mountains and open spaces, there are wonderful places to hike, ski and hunt. “These days, hunting of deer, wild pigs and wolves is not as popular as fly-fishing,” she added. “We have lots of beautiful rivers suitable for kayaking, rafting and sport fishing. Skiing in our mountains is still very popular. It is my favorite sport.” The 1984 Winter Olympics were held in Sarajevo, and today, Bosnians are proud that many sporting events continue to be held in their country, such as the European Rafting Championship, which took place this summer in Banja Luka. Sports is an integral part not only of Tatjana and her husband’s lives, but of their country’s identity as well — and an important export. NBA players in the U.S. from Bosnia include Mirza Teletović, Dzanan Musa and Jusuf Nurkic. Meanwhile, Damir Dzumhur and Ivan Dodig are top international tennis players. Professional soccer players include Edin Džeko and Miralem Pjanić. Tatjana is also proud of how many Bosnians have won international acclaim in other fields. Author Ivo Andrić received the 1961 Nobel Prize for Literature for his book on the history of Bosnia, while Vladimir Prelog received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1975. “We have so many famous artists but the best known are Braco Dimitrijević, Safet Zec, Radenko Milak and Mladen Miljanović,” she told us. Famous filmmakers include Emir Kusturica and Danis Tanović. In fact, the Sarajevo Film Festival, held every August, is becoming a major international attraction. Meanwhile, two Bosnian cities, Banja Luka and Mostar, are in the final competition to be dubbed the European Capital of Culture for 2024. “I would like everyone to know and talk about our great music, art, sports, countryside, tourism, mountains, rivers, skiing, food and famous brandy,” Tatjana said. “My country is just waiting to be discovered.” That will partly be her job now — to help her husband spread the word about Bosnia and Herzegovina in the United States. Tatjana said that while she wasn’t sure what life as an ambassador’s spouse would look like, she was surprised by how simple and easygoing it’s been so far. “You are more relaxed in the U.S. In our country, everyone is very dressed up all the time, more concerned about having perfect hair all the time. You see it in Italy, Croatia and Ser-

bia. Probably we do it because Croatia, Serbia and Italy do it. In the U.S., people dress sportier, more casually,” she said. “Washington is so nice. There are lots of surprises here. So many trees, parks … and this city is very clean. If you go around another corner, you are surprised how much more there is to see,” she said. “You have so many great museums. I went one day to the National Gallery and saw only one part. I can’t wait to go back. “We arrived on Aug. 24. It was so hot, with high humidity. We very, very seldom have that kind of humidity at home, but I was in Dubai once at the end of September and it was 90% humidity. Washington is not that bad,” she said. “The first two weeks we stayed at the Melrose [Hotel], almost in Georgetown. We looked for furniture and schools for the girls. We chose Arlington for the schools. Lana, our 6-year-old, is in kindergarten at Arlington Science Focus Elementary School. She is not shy, a good student who knows what she wants. My husband is already teaching her how to play tennis. Nastja, who will be 11 this month, is at Dorothy Hamm Middle School. She is already playing tennis but my husband doesn’t want her to be a professional. You travel all the time, it’s hard to have a family and it’s a very tough, expensive lifestyle,” Tatjana said. “Lana is more like her father, open and full of self-confidence; Nastja is more like me, shy…. I learned English in school but was too shy to talk with people. I was a perfectionist so I didn’t want to make mistakes. So, since I didn’t try to speak English, I didn’t learn. Every day now I go to the Arlington County Public School program REEP [adult English classes] to learn English,” said Tatjana, who after less than than two months in Washington, conducted our entire interview in English. “I want our daughters to see what they can’t see in our country,” she continued. “For example, here soccer and basketball are not for men only. In America, women and girls play all sorts of sports. Here, people learn to have an open mind about all the different kinds of people and traditions. It’s normal here to meet African Americans, Indians, Native Americans, Hispanics and people from all over the world. This country is open to everybody.” That type of tolerance and diversity is something she hopes her still ethnically divided homeland will continue to embrace. In fact, her best friend from high school, Natasha, is married to an Iranian man. “Of course, I would welcome a mixed marriage for either of our daughters,” Tatjana reflected. “The only important thing is that they are happy.” WD Gail Scott is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

Art | Culture | WD

‘I Am…’ Everything Contemporary Women Artists in Africa Capture Full Breadth of Feminism •

BY KATE OCZYPOK

I Am… Contemporary Women Artists of Africa THROUGH JULY 5, 2020

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART 950 INDEPENDENCE AVE., SW

(202) 633-4600

| AFRICA.SI.EDU

n exhibition at the National Museum African Art takes its inspiration from the famous 1970s feminist song “I Am Woman,” but updates it to sing the praises of a more modern type of feminist. “I Am… Contemporary Women Artists in Africa” features 28 of Africa’s leading female artists who explore the contributions women have made not only to art, but also to a broad array of areas such as the environment, politics, race, sexuality, social activism, faith and more. “There are so many forms of feminism, from earlier Western constructs of feminism to Womanism, Stiwanism, Africana Womanism and Nego-Feminism, among others,” said Karen Milbourne, senior curator at the National Museum of African Art. “This project does not align with any particular ideology but seeks to reinforce a more contemporary awareness of how women contribute to the full spectrum of the human experience.” The exhibit crosses generational and media divides while at the same time looks at the museum’s own institutional history as a lens to understand why women are still underrepresented in the arts. The works of art included in the exhibit have been acquired over the course of more than four decades. But an assessment conducted five years ago revealed that only 11% of the named artists in the collection were women. Since then, the percentage of women represented in the museum’s collection has risen to 22%. “This museum is dedicated to the fullness of Africa’s history, from ancient to contemporary times, and doing justice to this rich history is not possible without attention to the women who have shaped it,” Gus Casely-Hayford, director of the museum, said in a statement. The artists in the exhibit include Ladi Kwali, who in 1925 was born in a Nigerian village where pottery was an indigenous female tradition. Her artistic skill eventually earned her worldwide attention and several of her works were acquired by the Emir of Abuja. There’s also Zanele Muholi, 47, a South African visual activist and photographer who shines a light on her country’s LGBTQI community. Milbourne cited other notable artists in the show. “Billie Zangewa’s ‘Constant Gardener’ really speaks to the poise, insight and technical skills of the powerhouse women in this exhibition.” The title of Zangewa’s piece refers to a time after the artist’s son was born when she would sometimes wake up at night to plant the fresh produce that would later nourish her child. “For Zangewa, sewing is a matter of identity and she prefers to work with the luminous, reflective properties of dupioni silk,” according to the museum. Milbourne also mentioned “Batoul S’Himi, who, with such cheeky clarity, has cut a map of the world into the most domestic of objects — one’s cooking pot,

PHOTOS: NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART

“I Am…” features Africa’s leading female artists exploring issues such as the environment, politics and sexuality in 30 works, including, from top clockwise: Aida Muluneh’s “Sai Mado (The Distant Gaze)”; Magdalene Anyango N. Odundo’s “Reduced Mixed-Color Symmetrical Piece”; Billie Zangewa’s “Constant Gardener”; and Batoul S’Himi’s “Untitled,” from the series “World Under Pressure.”

in this case a pressure cooker — to represent women from their home to international arenas and speak about the rising pressure to give women their due.” In addition to cooking pots and silk, the materials and media found in the exhibition are diverse, with paintings, sculpture, ceramics, high fashion, fiber arts, video projection and installation pieces all represented among the 30 pieces. But the exhibit’s themes of female skills and range are universal, accompanied by what Milbourne calls “truly stunning works of art.” “It is an opportunity to think about how each of us pursues our passions, from global concerns of environmental justice, racial equality and historical reckoning, to personal moments of parenthood and celebration,” Milbourne said. “The themes are universal, but the artistry which they are explored is unparalleled.” The exhibit is part of the Women’s Initiative Fund, which began in 2012. The purpose of the fund is to increase the profile of Africa’s women in the arts through exhibits, publications, acquisitions and strategic partnerships around the world. WD Kate Oczypok (@OczyKate) is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat. NOVEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 35

WD | Culture | Art

Comically Real ‘For Better or For Worse’ Draws on Canadian Cartoonist’s Relatable Life Experiences •

BY JONAS MEULEMAN

The Comic Art of Lynn Johnston THROUGH JAN. 31, 2020,

EMBASSY OF CANADA ART GALLERY 501 PENNSYLVANIA AVE., NW HTTPS://BIT.LY/2J71V3F

anada’s most acclaimed cartoonist, Lynn Johnston, is internationally known for her comic strip “For Better or For Worse.” The stories revolving around the lives of Elly Patterson and her family had at its peak over 220 million readers of more than 2,000 newspapers in more than 20 countries. Now, the Embassy of Canada explores Johnston’s remarkable career and the themes of her most popular strip in “The Comic Art of Lynn Johnston.” While many comic strips are known for lighthearted humor, supernatural heroes or sharp political satire, “For Better or For Worse,” which originally ran from 1979 to 2008, is widely praised for its realism. That’s not too surprising given that the initial characters were largely based on Johnston’s own family and the storylines were drawn from her own personal experiences. “For Better or For Worse” follows the Patterson family (whose main characters are named after the middle names of Johnston’s husband and two children) and their friends, all of whom age in real time and whose lives mirror the ups and downs we all go through, making the comic strip universal and relatable. As such, the strip doesn’t shy away from the hard realities of life, tackling subject matter such as child abuse, sexual harassment, infidelity and death. In particular, the death of the Pattersons’ beloved family dog Farley, who dies after saving Elly’s daughter April from drowning, struck an emotional chord for many readers, according to Johnston. The artist, who grew up with an abusive mother, has said that drawing was a cathartic outlet for her own personal struggles. She dealt with her own infertility, for instance, by creating April, Elly’s third child. But along with the bad times come the good times, from childbirth to weddings. Interspersed throughout are the mundane daily routines that Johnston infuses with humor, such as the frustration of getting a child to sit still for a haircut or the challenges of keeping the spark alive in a marriage “despite diapers, drool and distractions,” as Johnston’s website puts it. The progression of the comic strip also reflects the broader societal changes that took place during its three-decade run. In one famously controversial 1993 strip — inspired by Johnston’s brother-in-law — the character Lawrence comes out, becoming the first gay character in a syndicated comic strip. Throughout this journey, readers get to watch their favorite characters grow and build lives of their own. Son Michael is introduced as a rambunctious preschooler who morphs into a sullen teenager and eventually develops into a mature young man who marries his childhood crush Deanna and has two children. Daughter Elizabeth goes from bratty to awkward to confident as she becomes a teacher, marries an old friend, becomes a stepmom to his daughter and gives birth to a son named in honor of her dying grandfather. Meanwhile, April was a tomboy and talented musician who was on her way to study veterinary medicine when the comic strip ended in 2008. Johnston started the strip when she moved to Lynn Lake in the Canadian province of Manitoba with her husband and two children. Contacted by Universal Press Syndicate to produce a daily strip, she had no experience in comic art. “I had never planned on do-

36 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | NOVEMBER 2019

PHOTOS: EMBASSY OF CANADA

The Embassy of Canada is showcasing the work of Lynn Johnston, whose popular comic strip “For Better or For Worse” ran from 1979 to 2008 in more than 2,000 newspapers in over 20 countries.

ing a comic strip at all, but here they were, suddenly offering me a 20-year contract,” Johnston told The Diplomat. “I needed some time to develop the characters and learn how to draw sequential gags, so that there was a certain flow to it.” Childbirth and family life are two omnipresent elements in Johnston’s work. Her first three books — “David, We’re Pregnant,” “Hi Mom, Hi Dad” and “Do They Ever Grow Up?” — were humorous reflections on parenthood that are now hard to find because they are all out of print. “Of course these topics are close to my heart,” Johnston said. “You have to be a robot to not feel that way. We all have families and I got a lot of support because people really said, ‘That’s what happens in my family too.’ It’s not a romanticized portrait of family life. I think it got a lot of attention because people could in a way relate to it.” Despite the realistic undertones of the situations and the incorporation of many of her reallife friends and family, Johnston said the majority of her work is fiction. “You can’t impose on the personal or private life of your relatives. Michael Patterson, who was based on my son when he was a baby, for example, couldn’t stay that way. After a couple of years, I gave my son the anonymity that he wanted.” The exhibition at the Canadian Embassy offers a look at both Johnston’s creative process and the development of her popular comic strip. A lifelike copy of the artist’s drawing table gives visitors a chance to see her work environment, while a display of objects and items featured throughout the comic book series provides insights into her inspiration for storylines. Photos of family and friends add a personal element to the display. There is an even opportunity for artistically adventurous visitors to try their luck and create a comic of their own. SEE COM IC ART • PAGE 47

Festivals | Culture | WD

All-Access Pass Kids Euro Festival Aims to Introduce Europe to Children of All Backgrounds •

BY HANNAH VANDEGRIFT

The Kids Euro Festival FROM OCT. 26 TO NOV. 10

LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY EVENTS.EUINTHEUS.ORG/LANDING_PAGE/KIDS-EURO-FEST/

magine being able to give your children a journey through Europe without having to worry about the hassle of crowded airports, expensive hotels and long treks that beget cranky kids. Since 2008, the European Union Delegation to the U.S. has offered local families a chance to experience European culture through an array of free educational and artistic events across the city. From Oct. 26 to Nov. 10, as part of the 12th annual Kids Euro Festival, the embassies of the EU member states will bring some of Europe’s most talented children’s entertainers — from actors and singers to chefs and filmmakers — to the D.C. area for one of the largest children’s performing arts festivals in the United States (also see “Massive Kids Euro Festival Is No Mere Child’s Play” in the October 2012 issue). “The Kids Euro Festival mission is to provide equal access to the European arts for D.C. area children and families of all backgrounds,” said Christine Vest, cultural affairs officer at the EU Delegation and a primary organizer of the festival. To do that, events are free and held at locations throughout the city, including EU member state embassies, public libraries, the National Gallery of Art, Imagination Stage, AFI Silver Theatre and myriad other venues. They’re also held at various times, including evenings and weekends for working parents, and are all-inclusive (an Oct. 26 event for instance at the French Embassy featured a full day of activities for children with special needs). Vest said the Kids Euro Festival is funded by donations that have allowed it to remain free since its inception. “We received a generous donation this year from the Carmel Cultural Endowment for the Arts, for which we are most grateful,” she noted. With programs both for the general public and for school groups, more than 10,000 D.C.-area children and their families enjoy the Kids Euro Festival each year. There are over 80 programs to choose from, ranging from concerts, workshops and cinema to storytelling, puppetry, dance and magic — all largely geared toward children ages 2 to 12. “The events are all about exposing new cultures and new languages to kids when they’re young,” said Vest. And there is no shortage of cultures for children to experience — some of which don’t involve language at all. On Nov. 4, for example, the Estonian Embassy presents “Balloons,” a playful production in which the actors make sounds, talk and sing but not in any existing language, creating a fantasy-filled world for children, regardless of nationality or native language. Other events explore our notions of identity. The Swedish Embassy presented “My True Selves,” a critically acclaimed, interactive classroom play designed to spark discussion about identity. Taking a more light-hearted approach to the topic was Slovenia’s presentation of “The Ugly Duckling,” Danish poet Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale that tackles themes of vulnerability, marginalization and growing pains. On that note, many events are designed to boost children’s self-confidence, such as the storytelling session “Igor, The Bird Who Couldn’t Sing,” hosted by the

PHOTOS: EU DELEGATION TO THE U.S.

The Kids Euro Festival presents over 80 events — including concerts, workshops, film, storytelling, puppetry, dance and magic — for children in the D.C. area.

Embassy of Luxembourg. Here, children use their voices, some instruments and a felt board designed by textile artists to learn about the beauty of creating sound and the importance of pursuing your passions and interests, regardless of skill level. Many of the events take a hands-on approach to engage children’s imaginations. The Spanish Embassy is hosting a workshop that teaches children about the basics of electronic circuits so that they create their own interactive robotdesigned postcard. Meanwhile, a series of three cooking classes led by two professional chefs from Pittsburgh will show children how to cook traditional Polish dishes such as apple pancakes. If you’re short on time (or attention span) and want to experience several activities at once, check out a screening of short films from Bulgaria, Malta and Portugal on Nov. 8 at The Forum at Shakespeare Theatre. In addition, the Embassy of Finland will be hosting several events on Nov. 3 from 2 to 5 p.m. to celebrate its rotating presidency of the EU. The afternoon will feature the Estonian “Balloons” performance, folk tales from Hungary, episodes from the “Moominvalley” Finnish TV show and “Frogpond,” a dance-theater performance about the importance of clean water. There will also be activities for children of all ages, including a playing corner with PHOTO: KALEV SAAR toys, books and drawings, as well as food and refreshments (register soon since space fills up quickly). “Most kids have never experienced European culture before,” Vest said, “or know a lot about where people came from. I hope that the festival makes them more curious about Europe and end up studying our languages or visiting European countries when they’re older. After all, these are our future policymakers, and so I hope [this festival] helps them to think about us in the future.” WD Hannah Vandegrift is an editorial intern for The Washington Diplomat. NOVEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 37

WD | Culture | Film

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

AMHARIC Fig Tree

Directed by Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian (Ethiopia/France/German/Israel, 2018, 93 min.) Sixteen-year-old Mina is poised to flee war-torn Ethiopia with her grandmother to be reunited with her mother in Israel; however, she is reluctant to leave her Christian boyfriend Eli, who lives in the woods in order to avoid forcible conscription by the military. EDLAVITCH JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER NOV. 1 TO 14

ARABIC 10 Days Before the Wedding Directed by Amr Gamal

(Yemen, 2018, 122 min.) It’s almost miraculous that this was made at all. The first Yemeni movie to be released commercially in over 40 years, it was filmed in Aden, a city still bearing the scars of the civil war that reduced much of it to rubble. Appropriately, the film’s story is one of perseverance. Everything starts to go wrong for a young couple with 10 days to go before their long-delayed nuptials. Will our young hero and heroine continue to believe that love conquers all? FREER GALLERY OF ART SAT., NOV. 23, 2 P.M.

The Cave

Directed by Feras Fayyad (Syria/Denmark/Germany/ Qatar/U.S., 2019, 95 min.) For besieged civilians, hope and safety lie underground inside the subterranean hospital known as the Cave, where pediatrician and managing physician Dr. Amani Ballour and her colleagues Samaher and Dr. Alaa have claimed their right to work as equals alongside their male counterparts, doing their jobs in a way that would be unthinkable in the oppressively patriarchal culture that exists above (Arabic and English). WEST END CINEMA

For Sama

Directed by Waad al-Khateab and Edward Watts (U.K./Syria, 2019, 100 min.) A love letter from a young mother to her daughter, this film tells the story of Waad alKateab’s life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria, as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, all while cataclysmic conflict rises around her. WEST END CINEMA OPENS FRI., NOV. 8

Sofia

Directed by Meryem Benm’Barek-Aloïsi

(France/Qatar/Belgium/ Morocco, 2018, 80 min.) Sofia, 20, lives with her parents in Casablanca, Morocco. Suffering from pregnancy denial, she finds herself breaking the law by giving birth to a baby out of wedlock. The hospital gives her 24 hours to provide them with the identification papers belonging to the father of the child before informing the authorities (Arabic and French). THE AVALON THEATRE WED., NOV. 20, 8 P.M.

CZECH Beauty and the Beast

Directed by Juraj Herz (Czechoslovakia, 1978, 84 min.) A tale you’ll know well — innocent girl presents herself as sacrifice to a cursed, freakish beast living in isolation, and learns to live with and love her captor — is turned into something very different in Juraj Herz’s morbid imagining. AFI SILVER THEATRE NOV. 8 TO 14

Caught by Night

Directed by Juraj Herz (Czechoslovakia, 1986, 130 min.) Born to Jewish parents in Kežmarok in modern-day Slovakia, Juraj Herz spent part of his youth in Ravensbrück labor camp, an experience of horror that may have obliquely informed much of his work, and that is directly reflected in this film, a nauseously stylized version of hell on earth. AFI SILVER THEATRE MON., NOV. 4, 7 P.M.

Ferat Vampire

Directed by Juraj Herz (Czechoslovakia, 1982, 93 min.) In this satire on consumerism and piece of anti-automobile propaganda, Marek is upset to lose his ambulance driver to a job working as a rally driver for foreign car manufacturer Ferat, and even more upset when he hears whispers that Ferat cars use human blood for their fuel.

20th-century period piece, set in a provincial town that’s riven by repressed desire and smoldering secrets.

AFI SILVER THEATRE MON., NOV. 11, 9:30 P.M., WED., NOV. 13, 9:30 P.M.

Sign of Cancer

Directed by Juraj Herz (Czechoslovakia, 1967, 87 min.) A warped detective story that begins with a murder in a hospital, the investigation of which reveals rampant incompetence, alcoholism, graft and highly unprofessional goings-on between staff and patients, this film’s implicitly critical depiction of a public service sector overloaded with underqualified communist party stooges would land Juraj Herz in trouble with censors for what was not to be the last time. AFI SILVER THEATRE FRI., NOV. 15, 10 P.M., TUE., NOV. 19, 9:30 P.M.

ENGLISH Back to the Fatherland

Directed by Kat Rohrer and Gil Levanon (Austria/Germany/Israel, 2017, 77 min.) In this documentary, Gil and Kat have been friends since college. Gil is from Israel, Kat from Austria; Gil is the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, Kat the granddaughter of a Nazi officer. Through them we meet other young men and women whose grandparents were murdered or persecuted during the war. What’s interesting is that many have decided to move back to the Fatherland, a choice that their families disagree with (English, Hebrew and German). EDLAVITCH JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER SUN., NOV. 10, 6:30 P.M., MON., NOV. 11, 7 P.M.

Downton Abbey

AFI SILVER THEATRE SAT., NOV. 16, 10:45 P.M., THU., NOV. 21, 9:30 P.M.

Directed by Michael Engler (U.K./U.S., 2019, 122 min.) The story of the Crawley family, wealthy owners of a large estate in the English countryside in the early 20th century, picks up after the popular TV show ended.

Morgiana

ATLANTIC PLUMBING CINEMA

Directed by Juraj Herz (Czechoslovakia, 1972, 106 min.)

Juraj Herz crafts a Gothic drama about two sisters, Klára and Viktoria — both played by Iva Janžurová, in an amazing double-role performance — put at loggerheads when the sweet, vapid Klára receives the better part of their father’s sprawling estate and the love of the man that Viktoria adores, leading the spurned sibling to venomous thoughts of murder. AFI SILVER THEATRE NOV. 3 TO 7

Oil Lamps

Directed by Juraj Herz (Czechoslovakia, 1971, 101 min.) Iva Janžurová and Petr Čepek are peerless as miserably married cousins in Juraj Herz’s early-

38 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | NOVEMBER 2019

ANGELIKA MOSAIC

THE AVALON THEATRE

LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA

Frankie

Directed by Ira Sachs (France/Portugal, 2019, 98 min.) Three generations grapple with a life-changing experience during one day of a vacation in Sintra, Portugal, a historic town known for its dense gardens and fairytale villas and palaces (English, French and Portuguese). ANGELIKA MOSAIC OPENS FRI., NOV. 1

Gift

Directed by Robin McKenna (Canada, 2019, 90 min.) This richly cinematic film interweaves multiple character-

The Washington Diplomat

driven stories, from a young indigenous artist and carver following a family tradition, to a derelict sausage factory in Rome occupied by migrant families that is transformed into a living museum (English and Italian).

LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA OPENS FRI., NOV. 1

Harriet

Directed by Kasi Lemmons (U.S., 2019, 125 min.) Based on the thrilling and inspirational life of an iconic American freedom fighter, Harriet tells the extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman’s escape from slavery and transformation into one of America’s greatest heroes. ANGELIKA MOSAIC ANGELIKA POP-UP

ATLANTIC PLUMBING CINEMA LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA OPENS FRI., NOV. 1

Heroes

Directed by Köken Ergun (Turkey/Australia, 2019, 88 min.) Every year, hordes of tourists from Turkey, Australia and New Zealand travel to Gallipoli, or Çanakkale, as the peninsula is called in Turkish. They go there to commemorate the soldiers who died during one of the largest battles of World War I. To Turkish visitors, it’s a pilgrimage; to Australians, a holiday. Video artist Köken Ergun, whose work is often about the role of ritual in communities, spent two years among the many tourists, interviewing people at the monuments and cemeteries and riding the tour buses on which guides tell their stories (English and Turkish). FREER GALLERY OF ART SUN., NOV. 10, 1:30 P.M.

The Irishman

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

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. AFI SILVER THEATRE

Jojo Rabbit

Directed by Taika Waititi (Germany/U.S., 2019, 108 min.) This World War II satire follows a lonely German boy named Jojo whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a young Jewish girl in their attic. ANGELIKA MOSAIC

LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA

LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

The King

Directed by David Michod (U.K./Hungary/Australia, 2019, 140 min.) Hal, wayward prince and heir to the English throne, is crowned

King Henry V after his tyrannical father dies. Now the young king must navigate palace politics, the war his father left behind and the emotional strings of his past life.

WEST END CINEMA

The Song of Names

Directed by François Girard (Canada/Hungary/U.K., 2019, 85 min.) Constructed like a grand detective mystery, the film opens the night of the much-anticipated first public performance by Dovidl Rapoport, a Polish musical prodigy. When he fails to show up, his best friend Martin is forced to tell the packed theater that the performance will not go on. Decades later, an adult Martin, serving as a judge in a musical competition, watches a young student prepare to play in Dovidl’s unique style. This moment sends Martin, over the strident objections of his wife Helen, on a transcontinental search. EDLAVITCH JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER TUE., NOV. 12, 7:30 P.M.

FRENCH By the Grace of God

Directed by François Ozon (France/Belgium, 2019, 137 min.) In this urgent and heartfelt the story, three adult men band together to expose the stifling code of silence that continues to enable a priest who abused them as boys. LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

Synonyms

Directed by Nadav Lapid (France/Germany/Israel, 2019, 123 min.) Young Israeli ex-soldier Yoav escapes his country and past to take up residence in Paris. Armed with a pocket-sized French dictionary, Yoav refuses to speak his native Hebrew as he desperately tries to immerse himself in French society. Living on only a few francs a day, he bounces from job to job on a wildly erratic journey, attempting to assimilate into a seemingly impenetrable culture (French and Hebrew). EDLAVITCH JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER NOV. 29 TO DEC. 5

LANDMARK’S THEATRES OPENS FRI., NOV. 15

GERMAN 25 KM/H

Directed by Markus Goller (Germany, 2018, 116 min.) After 30 years, estranged brothers Georg and Christian reunite at their father’s funeral. Each has very little to say to the other. But following a carousing night of table tennis and drinking, they reconnect, determined to live out the plan they dreamed up at 16: a cross-country moped-trip through Germany (part of the Film|Neu Festival). LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA FRI., NOV. 15, 9:30 P.M.

November 2019

All I Never Wanted

Directed by Leonie Stade and Annika Blendl (Germany/Italy, 2019, 89 min.) Leonie and Annika are aspiring documentarians. When a wealthy man with questionable motives offers them money to finance their project, they set out to follow the lives of two very different women, hoping to capture their success stories. Nina, a 17-year-old model from the suburbs of Stuttgart, leaves for Milan to pursue her career. Meanwhile, 42-year-old television star Mareile must reassess her career after her character is killed off and replaced with a younger actress. But the success stories don’t turn out as the filmmakers had hoped (part of the Film|Neu Festival). LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA SUN., NOV. 17, 12 P.M.

All About Me

Directed by Caroline Link (Germany, 2018, 100 min.) West Germany’s Ruhr region, 1972: Chubby, bubbly 9-year-old Hans-Peter grows up enveloped by the warmth and security of his large and eccentric family. In various zany costumes and characters, he demonstrates a knack for making others laugh. Always seizing the opportunity to entertain and cheer up those around him, Hans-Peter’s antics help his family through some of their most trying times. However, when his mother plunges into depression after an operation, a shadow is cast over the boy’s daily life (opening-night film of the Film|Neu Festival). LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA THU., NOV. 14, 7 P.M.

Berlin Bouncer

Directed by David Dietl (Germany, 2019, 87 min.) This film chronicles an exciting piece of Berlin’s cultural history — from the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall up to the pulsating present — through the biographies of three legendary bouncers (part of the Film|Neu Festival). LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA SAT., NOV. 16, 7:45 P.M.

The Goldfish

Directed by Alireza Golafshan (Germany, 2019, 112 min.) Banker and portfolio manager Oliver lives life in the fast lane — the very lane that brings life as he knows it to an abrupt end after a crash paralyzes him from the waist down. One day, Oliver happens upon an apartment shared by four roommates with disabilities known as “the Goldfish.” When Oliver’s friend is caught hiding a stash of dirty money in Switzerland, Oliver — who has a stash of his own — quickly hatches a plan with his Goldfish friends (part of the Film|Neu Festival). LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA SUN., NOV. 17, 2 P.M.

Gundermann

Directed by Andreas Dresen (Germany, 2018, 127 min.) A poet, a clown and an idealist, Gerhard Gundermann dreams

Film | Culture | WD and hopes and loves and fights. He is a family man, a rebel, a spy, spied-upon, a threat to the state. A do-gooder who doesn’t know any better, this coaldigger is all of these things at once (closing-night film of the Film|Neu Festival). LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA SUN., NOV. 17, 7 P.M.

Happiness Sucks

Directed by Anca Miruna Lazarescu (Germany, 2018, 95 min.) Jessica is often mistaken for a boy and must constantly fight against her many strange tics. Her sister Sabrina is seriously ill. Jessica would love to trade with Sabrina, who is pretty and seems to have her life in control in spite of her illness. But the more Sabrina’s health deteriorates, the worse Jessica’s tics get, so the girls must devise a plan to transfer Sabrina’s illness to someone else, and fast (part of the Film|Neu Festival). LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA SAT., NOV. 16, 2 P.M.

The Miracle Method

Directed by Michael Kreihsl (Austria, 2018, 96 min.) It was love at first sight, back when they dived together into the warm, clear waters of the Red Sea. Now, many years of marriage later, Joana and Valentin Dorek continue to poison each other with their toxic relationship, and a session with a couple’s therapist seems to be the last rescue for their relationship (part of the Film|Neu Festival). LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA SAT., NOV. 16, 6 P.M.

Israel’s Foreign Language Oscar submission, this dramatic adaptation recounts a harrowing true story set in a Mizrahi Orthodox enclave in Israel. The eponymous heroine has spent five years in a stalemate fighting for a divorce that, according to religious law, requires her husband’s full consent. As he continues to refuse, Viviane fears that her life may never proceed freely, and the courtroom struggles grow increasingly surreal (Hebrew and French). EDLAVITCH JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER SUN., NOV. 10, 3 P.M.

JAPANESE Godzilla

Directed by Ishiro Honda (Japan, 1954, 96 min.) Sixty-five years ago this month, the roaring granddaddy of all monster movies arrived on screens, and though he is now retirement age, Godzilla continues to stomp around in our hearts. His debut is a remarkably humane and melancholy drama, made in Japan at a time when the country was reeling from nuclear attacks and H-bomb testing in the Pacific. Its rampaging radioactive beast, the poignant embodiment of an entire population’s fears, became a beloved international icon of destruction, spawning almost 30 sequels. FREER GALLERY OF ART WED., NOV. 6, 2 P.M.

KOREAN Fujuoka

Directed by Nora Fingscheidt (Germany, 2019, 120 min.) Benni, delicate-looking girl with unbridled energy, is a “system crasher,” a term used to describe children who break every rule and gradually fall through the cracks in Germany’s child and welfare services. But that’s exactly she wants because all she wants is to live with her mother again, a woman who is totally unable to cope with her daughter’s incalculable behavior (part of the Film|Neu Festival).

Directed by Zhang Lu (South Korea, 2019, 86 min.) Back in college, best friends Jea-moon and Hae-hyo parted ways when they both fell in love with the same woman. Nearly three decades later, Jea-moon runs a used bookstore in Seoul. So-dam, the young woman who lives next door, convinces him to take her along on a surprise visit to Hae-hyo, who now owns a bar in Fukuoka, Japan. As the two old pals bicker, drink, and reminisce, the enigmatic So-dam mysteriously and hauntingly flits in and out of their story (Korean, Mandarin and Japanese).

Zwingli

Parasite

System Crasher

LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA SUN., NOV. 17, 4:15 P.M.

Directed by Stefan Haupt (Switzerland, 2019, 128 min.) In 1519, on the cusp of the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland, young widow Anna lives a miserable life between her fear of the ever-powerful Catholic Church and her worries over her three children. Then, the arrival of a young priest sparks heated discussions with his sermons that condemn the Church’s abuses of power, excesses and hypocrisies (part of the Film| Neu Festival). LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA FRI., NOV. 15, 7 P.M.

HEBREW Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem

Directed by Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz (France/Germany/Israel, 2015, 115 min.)

FREER GALLERY OF ART SUN., NOV. 3, 2 P.M.

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. AFI SILVER THEATRE ANGELIKA MOSAIC

LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA

LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

MANDARIN A Touch of Zen

Directed by King Hu

(Taiwan, 1971, 180 min.)

King Hu’s martial arts masterpiece depicts the journey of Yang, a fugitive noblewoman in disguise who seeks refuge in a remote, and allegedly haunted, village. FREER GALLERY OF ART THU., NOV. 7, 2 P.M.

White Snake

Directed by Amp Wong and Ji Zhao (China/U.S., 2019, 99 min.) In this visually stunning new take on a classic legend, from Light Chaser Animation, one of China’s premiere animation studios, a young woman named Blanca is saved by Xuan, a poor snake catcher from a nearby village. She has lost her memory, but learns she has magical powers. Together they go on a journey to discover her real identity, meeting many adventures, and developing deeper feelings for one another along the way. LANDMARK’S THEATRES OPENS FRI., NOV. 29

PORTUGUESE Black Orpheus

Directed by Marcel Camus (Brazil/France/Italy, 1959, 107 min.) With its eye-popping photography and ravishing, epochal soundtrack, Marcel Camus brings the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice to the 20thcentury madness of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. AFI SILVER THEATRE NOV. 24 TO 27

SILENT The City Without Jews

Directed by Hans Karl Breslauer (Austria, 1924; 80 min.) This film adapts Hugo Bettauer’s 1922 satiric novel in which he described the expulsion of all Jews from Vienna, considered an inconceivable idea at the time. Disturbingly prophetic, it shows the cultural and economic impoverishment of a city following the expulsion of its Jewish population. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Nikolaus Wostry, managing director of the Filmarchiv Austria, and Ilya Tovbis, director of the Washington Jewish Film Festival. For ticket information, visit acfdc.org. EMBASSY OF AUSTRIA

Shiraz: A Romance of India

Directed by Franz Osten (U.K./Germany/India, 1928, 105 min.) An astonishing treasure of the silent cinema, “Shiraz” was shot on location in India. Ambitious and elegant, the film takes creative license with the story of the life and death of Mumtaz Mahal, the 17th-century Mughal empress whose early demise inspired her husband, Shiraz, to construct the Taj Mahal. FREER GALLERY OF ART SUN., NOV. 24, 2 P.M.

Song of the Scarlett Flower Directed by Mauritz Stiller (Sweden, 1919, 101 min.) The first and most famous of several screen adaptations of

the 1900 novel by Finnish writer Johannes Linnankoski, this touchstone film of the silent era’s golden age in Sweden showcases stunning outdoor scenery during the season of the midnight sun; the folk customs of the farmers and foresters of the rugged northlands; and young star Lars Hanson, in top form as a callow, heartbreaking youth who learns some hard truths about life and love.

AFI SILVER THEATRE NOV. 23 TO 27

SPANISH Ana by Day

Directed by Andrea Jaurrieta (Spain, 2018, 110 min.) What would you do if one day you realize that a doppelganger has taken your place in life and nobody even suspects that she is not you? If all your obligations, all your duties, are being made by that “other you,” would you fight to recover your lost identity? Or, on the contrary, would you try to find your own being far from all that was supposed to be your “normal” life? (part of the “Mujeres de Cine” film series.) FORMER RESIDENCE OF THE AMBASSADORS OF SPAIN TUE., NOV. 12, 6:45 P.M.

End of the Century

Directed by Lucio Castro (Argentina, 2019, 84 min.) In this sun-soaked European travelogue and an epic, decadesspanning romance, Ocho, a 30-something Argentine poet on vacation in Barcelona, spots Javi, a Spaniard from Berlin, from the balcony of his Airbnb, the attraction is subtle but persistent. But are these two merely beautiful strangers in a foreign city or are they part of each other’s histories? LANDMARK’S THEATRES OPENS FRI., NOV. 8

Journey to a Mother’s Room

Directed by Celia Rico Clavellino (Spain, 2018, 90 min.) It’s time to leave home, but Leonor doesn’t know whether to go or stay. She is not capable of leaving her mother Estrella alone. Estrella doesn’t want her to go but she can’t force her daughter to stay either. So, the two women embark ona journey around their rooms to stop being just a mother and a daughter and discover who they both are separately from one another (Spanish and English; part of the “Mujeres de Cine” film series). NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WOMEN IN THE ARTS WED., NOV. 6, 6:30 P.M.

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

LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

The Wild Season

Directed by Anxos Fazáns (Spain, 2017, 68 min.) Life isn’t harmless. It can be

exhausting and frustrating. Manuel would like to be a writer but instead he is trapped in his routine, unable to confront his emotions. But summer and the unexpected reunion with the best friends from his youth will make all his impulses explode. (Spanish and Gallegan; part of the “Mujeres de Cine” film series).

FORMER RESIDENCE OF THE AMBASSADORS OF SPAIN TUE., NOV. 19, 6:45 P.M.

Visa al Paraíso

Directed by Lillian Lieberman (Mexico, 2010, 108 min.) This film recounts the life of Gilberto Bosques, Mexico’s general consul to France between 1939 and 1942 who saved tens of thousands of Spanish republicans, Jews, socialists, communists and other people persecuted by fascist Nazis. A special post-film Q&A will be held via Skype with the director. MEXICAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE

SWEDISH Goliath

Directed by Peter Grönlund (Sweden, 2019, 88 min.)

In a small Swedish industrial town in Sweden, when Roland is sentenced to prison, his17-yearold son is expected to provide for the family by taking over his dad’s criminal business. The film depicts the boy’s brutal entry into adult life and examines patriarchal structures at a time when the welfare is declining and Sweden is changing. HOUSE OF SWEDEN SUN., NOV. 10, 2 P.M.

My So-Called Father

Directed by Ulf Malmros (Sweden, 2014, 127 min.) A pregnant daughter with nowhere to go helps her estranged father who’s lost his memory. HOUSE OF SWEDEN SUN., NOV. 24, 2 P.M.

TIBETAN Jinpa

Directed by Pema Tseden (China, 2018, 86 min.)

On a lonely road on China’s barren Kekexili Plateau, a truck driver named Jinpa picks up a hitchhiker who shares his name, carries a scary knife, and claims to be on the way to kill the man who murdered his father 10 years earlier. After dropping him off, the driver becomes curious and decides to seek him out, setting in motion a metaphysical plot in which dreams and reality mix. FREER GALLERY OF ART FRI., NOV. 1, 7 P.M.

TURKISH The Announcement

Directed by Mahmut Fazil Coşkun (Turkey/Bulgaria, 2018, 94 min.)

Based on an actual 1963 coup attempt, Mahmut Fazil Coşkun’s deadpan comedy follows four retired colonels who are under orders to take over an Istanbul radio station and announce what they believe is a successful coup. What begins as a tense political

drama soon becomes a comedy of errors when nothing goes according to plan.

FREER GALLERY OF ART SAT., NOV. 16, 3:30 P.M.

Commitment

Directed by Semih Kaplanoğlu (Turkey, 2019, 135 min.)

Turkey’s official Oscar entry stars Kübra Kip in an intense, nuanced performance as Aslı, a woman confronting the dilemma of being a working mother. After hiring a babysitter for her infant so she can resume her career as a bank executive, Aslı is forced to confront secrets she has been keeping even from herself. FREER GALLERY OF ART FRI., NOV. 8, 7 P.M.

Dead Horse Nebula

Directed by Tarik Aktaş (Turkey, 2018, 73 min.) In the opening scene of Tarik Aktaş’s debut feature, sevenyear-old Hay comes across a dead horse in a field. His curiosity awakened, he studies the corpse and the tremendous effort it takes to remove it. This childhood memory haunts the rest of the film, permeating the adult life of Hay through a succession of encounters with the natural and animal worlds. FREER GALLERY OF ART SUN., NOV. 10, 3:30 P.M.

Noah Land

Directed by Cenk Ertuk (Germany/Turkey/United States, 2019, 109 min.) Ibrahim, an old man dying of a terminal disease, asks his son to drive him to the town where he grew up so he can arrange to be buried beneath a tree he planted as a child. When the two men arrive, they are surprised to learn that the tree is now a pilgrimage site, with the villagers claiming the biblical Noah himself planted it. FREER GALLERY OF ART SAT., NOV. 16, 1 P.M.

Something Useful

Directed by Pelin Esmer (Turkey/France/Netherlands/ Germany, 2017, 108 min.) Leyla is a lawyer and a poet who has decided to attend her high school reunion after 25 years of neglecting previous invitations. Canan is a young nurse in training who dreams of one day becoming an actress. The two women meet on the train and quickly form a relationship as each sees something of herself in the other women who are making their own way in a sometimes hostile world. FREER GALLERY OF ART SUN., NOV. 10, 5:30 P.M.

Turkish Ice Cream

Directed by Can Ulkay (Turkey, 2019, 123 min.) Two Turkish immigrants are making a peaceful living in the year 1915 by operating a popular ice cream cart in an Australian outpost. Meanwhile, the Great War rages abroad, and the Allies turn their attention to Turkey. Lives and livelihood threatened, the two entrepreneurs attempt a return home to Turkey, but authorities block the way. FREER GALLERY OF ART FRI., NOV. 15, 7 P.M.

NOVEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 39

WD | Culture | Events

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

ART FRI., NOV. 1, 6 P.M.

First Friday Art Walk

Join the Embassy of Argentina for its First Friday tour where it celebrates the opening of José Andrés Basbus’s exhibit “From the Ordinary to the Extraordinary-Panoramic Photography” Guests can also explore “Expiation” by Ana Rendich and the permanent collection. In Andrés Basbus’s exhibition “the viewers try to figure out what they’re looking at, the place and the angle the shot was taken,” according to the artist. That is what propels Basbus every time he snaps the shutter button on his camera. He achieves this, in part, through the composition of his panoramic landscape postcards with an infrared effect. Meanwhile, in “Expiation,” Ana Rendich’s resins and oil wall sculptures are drawn from a lifetime of observations and experiences of humanity and nature. EMBASSY OF ARGENTINA

NOV. 1 TO 29

Resonance: Works by 2019 Artist of the Year Jubee Lee

This solo exhibition of dreamlike glass installation and sculpture works focuses on Jubee Lee, the Korean Cultural Institute’s 2019 artist of the year. Lee explores her personal memories and perception by creating immersive art spaces that integrate interactive sound, light and visual elements. Growing up in a seaside city, she is particularly inspired by the natural element of water and creates innovative, large-scale installations, sculptures, drawing and paintings that reflect this influential setting primarily through layered, image-embedded glass. KOREAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE

NOV. 9 TO OCT. 12, 2020

Marcel Duchamp: The Barbara and Aaron Levine Collection

Featuring the recent gift of 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 twopart 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 NOV. 17

Portraits of the World: Korea

Pioneering feminist artist Yun Suknam (born 1939) uses por-

traiture to gain insights into the lives of women, past and present. A wood assemblage portrait of her mother is the centerpiece of this exhibition, which includes portraits of American artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Louise Nevelson, Marisol, Kiki Smith and Nancy Spero.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

THROUGH DEC. 14

Moves Like Walter: New Curators Open the Corcoran Legacy Collection

This exhibition contains select paintings and photographs from the collection of 9,000 artworks the AU Museum received as a gift from the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Following the closure of the Corcoran, more than 19,456 works from the collection were distrubted to museums and institutions in Washington, D.C. This is the first in-depth exhibition at AU Museum of work from the collection and is inspired by Walter Hopps, briefly the director of the Corcoran and an American curator of contemporary art. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY MUSEUM

THROUGH DEC. 15

Fast Fashion/Slow Art

“Fast Fashion/Slow Art” scrutinizes today’s garment industry. A diverse group of emerging and established contemporary artists and filmmakers including Julia Brown, Cat Mazza, Hito Steyerl and Rosemarie Trockel explore issues of waste, consumerism and the human cost of mass production through 11 films and video installations. GW ART GALLERIES

THROUGH DEC. 15

Ann-Sofi Sidén – After the Fact

Ann-Sofi Sidén is one of Sweden’s most internationally renowned contemporary artists. She puts herself in the center of her projects, often with provoking statements about society and the human condition. The works presented in House of Sweden include three ways of looking at the female body. They independently carve out their own narrative space and yet converge by depicting an experience either happening in the periphery or in the hidden, challenging preconceived ideas of what a woman is or should be. HOUSE OF SWEDEN

THROUGH DEC. 15

Swedish Dads by Johan Bävman

The photo exhibition portraits 45 fathers who belong to the relatively small percentage of fathers in Sweden who choose to stay at home with their children for at least six months. Swedish photographer Johan Bävman examines why these fathers have chosen to stay at home with their children and how their relationship with their partners and their children has changed as a result. The exhibition aims to show the effects of gender equality on parenting, both for an individual and for society. HOUSE OF SWEDEN

40 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | NOVEMBER 2019

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. ART MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAS

THROUGH JAN. 12

Intersections: Los Carpinteros – Cuba Va!

Los Carpinteros (Marco Castillo and Dagoberto Rodríguez) is an internationally acclaimed Cuban

The Washington Diplomat 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

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 largescale photographs in the series “100 Little Deaths” (1996-2002), in which the artist stages her own body within sites from her travels around the world. NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WOMEN IN THE ARTS

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

None Swifter Than These: 100 Years of Diplomatic Couriers

Learn more about the U.S. Diplomatic Courier Service, which in wartime and peacetime carries the sensitive materials, equip-

ment and information that make diplomacy possible. Today, the State Department’s 100 badged diplomatic couriers travel the globe safeguarding our nation’s most sensitive information and materials. They constantly trouble-shoot and innovate to ensure secure logistic supply chains while supervising the delivery of classified equipment and documents, as well as secure construction materials to nearly every nation where U.S. diplomats work. THE NATIONAL POSTAL MUSEUM

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 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. NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

THROUGH MARCH 8

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. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MUSEUM

November 2019

THROUGH SEPT. 7, 2020

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. HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN

DANCE NOV. 23 TO DEC. 29

The Nutcracker

Set to Tchaikovsky’s magical score, this celebrated production is set in historic 1882 Georgetown with George Washington, King George III and other historical figures coming to life with intricate, stunning set designs, original period costumes and over 100 dancers including students and trainees from The Washington School of Ballet. It has become the signature Nutcracker of the nation’s capital. Please call for ticket information. THEARC (NOV. 23-24) WARNER THEATRE (NOV. 30-DEC. 29)

FRI., NOV. 29, 7:30 P.M.

National Ballet Theatre of Odessa: Ukraine’s ‘Swan Lake’

This full-scale production, set to the music of Tchaikovsky and based on German legend, follows a heroic young prince working to free the beautiful swan maiden from an evil spell. Please call for ticket information. MUSIC CENTER AT STRATHMORE

DISCUSSIONS SUN., NOV. 3, 3 P.M.

A Diversity of Flavors: How Foreign-Born Chefs Are Redefining American Cuisine

Generations of immigrants have long made their mark on how Americans eat, both at home and when dining out. Cookbood editor Gabrielle Langholtz joins local chefs Bin Lu (Pineapple and Pearls), Carlos Delgado (China Chilcano), Pichet Ong

Events | Culture | WD response to the same beloved central character of Vaněk, with playwrights Samuel Beckett and Tom Stoppard paying tribute to Havel by making Vaněk a universal character, adding music, clowning and silent film tropes in the genre of the theater of absurd. For ticket information, visit newmusictheatre.org/thehavel-project.

(Brothers and Sisters), Diego Galicia (Mixtli in San Antonio, TX), Erik Bruner-Yang (Brothers and Sisters, Maketto, Spoken English, and &pizza) and Daniela Moriera (Timber Pizza) as they discuss their own experiences as food professionals and the impact that talented immigrants have made on the local and national dining scenes. Tickets are $30. For information visit smithsonianassociates.org.

DUPONT UNDERGROUND

S. DILLON RIPLEY CENTER

NOV. 5 TO DEC. 22

Amadeus

SAT., NOV. 16, 10 A.M. - 4 P.M.

Mongolia: From Genghis Khan to Khubilai Khan

A little over 800 years ago, an ambitious and forward-thinking warrior named Temujin united the disparate tribes inhabiting the Mongolian steppe into a supra-tribal confederation. In doing so, he became known as Chinggis (Genghis) Khan, the “Oceanic” or “Universal” ruler of a vast world empire. In this daylong program, George Mason University historian Michael Chang traces the historical evolution of the Mongol empire from its emergence on the steppe to the conquest of China. Tickets are $140. For information visit smithsonianassociates.org. S. DILLON RIPLEY CENTER

MON., NOV. 18, 6:45 P.M.

Lidia Bastianich: An Italian Classic

Lidia Bastianich opened the doors to Felidia on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in 1981. Since then, it has been revered as one of the best Italian restaurants in the country. Get some behindthe-scenes glimpses of Felidia’s storied history as Bastianich joins The Washington Post’s Mary Beth Albright for a lively conversation about her closeknit family, her professional ascent, and the dedication and passion for food that led to multiple restaurants, many best-selling cookbooks and 20 years on public television as the host of her own cooking show. Tickets are $60. For information visit smithsonianassociates.org. S. DILLON RIPLEY CENTER

FESTIVALS SAT., NOV. 2, 10 A.M. TO 2 P.M.

Day of the Dead Celebration Join the Mexican Cultural Institute for its most popular annual celebration, the Day of the Dead. This well-known community event is part of a unique Mexican tradition. This year’s special rendition of the Day of the Dead altar was prepared by Enrique Quiroz, a Mexican artist based in Washington, D.C., and will honor the victims of the El Paso shooting that happened in August as well remember prominent Mexican figures who passed away in 2019: artist Francisco Toledo, humanitarian Miguel León Portilla and singer José José. MEXICAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE

GALAS FRI., NOV. 8, 6:30 TO 10 P.M.

Twilight in Argentina Gala

The Twilight in Argentina gala and silent auction will benefit THIS for Diplomats and Cimientos, an Argentinian nonprofit that promotes equal education

PHOTO: WASHINGTON PERFORMING ARTS

Sarod player Amjad Ali Khan, center, is joined by his two sons for a concert at Sixth & I on Nov. 16. opportunities. Co-hosted by Argentine Ambassador Fernando Oris de Roa and his wife Maria Mercedes de Campos, the evening will feature tango performances, live music, wine and hors d’oeuvres. THIS for Diplomats helps diplomatic families feel “at home” in the U.S. by offering cultural exchange programs, tours, educational sessions and special events. Tickets are $155. For information, visit THISforDiplomats.org. EMBASSY OF ARGENTINA

MUSIC NOV. 1 TO 2

World Stages: The Manganiyar Seduction

Conceived and directed by Roysten Abel, “The Manganiyar Seduction” brings together more than 40 singers and instrumentalists from the Rajasthani deserts performing traditional Manganiyar music in an astonishing audio-visual feast. Tickets are $19 to $69. KENNEDY CENTER EISENHOWER THEATER

THU., NOV. 7, 8 P.M.

The Quebe Sisters

Combining the musical stylings of the Mills Brothers, Ray Price, Count Basie and Willie Nelson, the Quebe Sisters bring their authentic triple fiddle and threepart harmonies to concert halls and festivals all over the world. Tickets are $27. WOLF TRAP

TUE., NOV. 12, 7:30 P.M.

Richard Lin, Violin Chih-Yi Chen, Piano

The Embassy Series and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) present accomplished Taiwanese-American violinist Richard Lin, the newly crowned Gold Medalist of the 10th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis who has had recitals in Dallas, New York, Washington, D.C., Poland and China and is set to have a Carnegie Hall Stern Auditorium recital debut in June 2020, along with a tour through Vietnam with the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra. Tickets are $125, including buffet reception, wine and valet parking. For information, visit embassyseries.org. ANDERSON HOUSE

FRI., NOV. 15, 8 P.M.. SAT., NOV. 15, 8 P.M.

The Silkroad Ensemble

The Silkroad Ensemble, founded by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, creates music that is contemporary and ancient, familiar and foreign, traditional and innovative, and draws on styles from around the world to create a new musical language. Tickets start at $62. WOLF TRAP

FRI., NOV. 15, 8 P.M.

Taipei Symphony Orchestra

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the Taipei Symphony has grown from an ensemble of modest scale to a forceful musical presence known for its breadth of programming, extensive international appearances and commitment to cultural diplomacy. The program’s centerpiece, Gordon Shi-Wen Chin’s poetic “Double Concerto,”features the prodigious talent of two Taiwanborn, U.S.-based virtuosi: Paul Huang and Felix Fan. Please call for ticket information. THE MUSIC CENTER AT STRATHMORE

SAT., NOV. 16, 8 P.M.

Amjad Ali Khan

Having established himself as the world’s preeminent sarod player over the course of a distinguished career spanning more than six decades, Amjad Ali Khan brings his expressive sound to the intimate confines of Sixth & I for a family affair with his sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash. Please call for ticket information. SIXTH & I

SUN., NOV. 17, 2 P.M.

Zoltán Fejérvári

A protégé of Sir András Schiff, Hungarian pianist Zoltán Fejérvári equally thrives performing major concerti with the Budapest Festival Orchestra, chamber music with the Musicians of Marlboro, and recitals from major venues across Europe to Carnegie Hall. KENNEDY CENTER TERRACE THEATER

FRI., NOV. 22, 7:30 P.M.

Elham Fanoos, Piano

This Kabul native, who is only 22, has been playing music from the age of 5 when he began to study the tabla. In the

seventh grade, he enrolled in the Afghan National Institute of Music, where he learned to play the piano. Since then, Elham Fanoos has performed in Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Germany, where in 2012, he was awarded the third position at the Golden Key Piano Competition in Frankfurt and where he recorded a CD. As a member of the Afghan Youth Orchestra, Fanoos has also performed at the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. Tickets are $125, including Afghan buffet and valet parking. For information, visit embassyseries.org.

EMBASSY OF AFGHANISTAN

THEATER NOV. 2 TO 23

Washington National Opera: The Magic Flute This great adventure starts with an unexpected pair: Tamino, a handsome young prince, and Papageno, his silly bird-catcher sidekick. When the mysterious Queen of the Night enlists the duo to rescue her kidnapped daughter Pamina, a fantastic journey follows. Tickets are $25 to $299. KENNEDY CENTER OPERA HOUSE

THROUGH NOV. 3

Escaped Alone

In a serene British garden three old friends are joined by a neighbor to engage in amiable chitchat — with a side of apocalyptic horror. The women’s talk of grandchildren and TV shows breezily intersperses with tales of terror in a quietly teetering world where all is not what it seems. Please call for ticket information.

Genius and jealousy collide in the opulent salons and opera houses of 18th-century Vienna when an impulsive and eccentric prodigy outshines an envious, God-fearing composer consumed by bitterness. Theatrical fireworks emerge as mediocre Salieri will do everything in his power to destroy his musical rival Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Tickets are $27 to $85. FOLGER THEATRE

NOV. 6 TO DEC. 8

White Pearl

A leaked ad for skin-whitening cream is going viral for all the wrong reasons and someone’s definitely getting fired in this twisted corporate comedy about selling whiteness and the ugliness of the beauty industry. Please call for ticket information. THE STUDIO THEATRE

NOV. 7 TO 24

Sea by Jon Fosse

Scena Theatre opens its 33rd season with the U.S. premiere of “Sea” Norway’s acclaimed writer, Jon Fosse. In this harrowing story of a shipmaster who guides a bizarre band of travelers through a modern-day Hades, “Sea” is an episodic tale of lost love in the otherworld that unfolds as past relationships meet present realities. Tickets are $15 to $35. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ARTS CENTER

NOV. 7 TO DEC. 8

Occupant

Edward Albee’s “Occupant” imagines an interview with sculptor Lousie Nevelson from beyond the grave and digs into the icon’s turmoil and triumphs as she transforms from a young Jewish girl immigrating from Russia to a master at the height of her creative powers. Through her ups and downs, her contradictions and evasions, the audience witnesses the complicated evolution of one of the 20th century’s greatest artistic minds. Tickets are $39 to $69. EDLAVITCH DCJCC THEATER J

SIGNATURE THEATRE

THROUGH NOV. 10

NOV. 5 TO 17

The Internet never forgets. A young man’s mistake at 17 haunts him online a decade later. Desperate for a normal life, he goes to extraordinary lengths to erase his indiscretion. But freedom of information is big business, and the tech companies aren’t going down without a fight. Tickets are $40 to $95.

Protest & Vaněk Unleashed

The Alliance for New MusicTheatre will open the double bill of Václav Havel’s seminal play “Protest” and New MusicTheatre’s “Vaněk Unleashed.” In “Protest,” Vaněk pays a visit to the lavish home of former colleague Staněk, who has invited the renowned activist to help him secure the release of a jailed radical musician, the fiancé to his daughter. But Vaněk also seeks a favor: the influential man’s signature in a far-reaching protest. “Vaněk Unleashed” is a uniquely American

The Right to Be Forgotten

ARENA STAGE

THROUGH NOV. 16

Washington National Opera: Otello Verdi’s epic retelling of Shake-

speare’s tragedy traces the collapse of a great hero. As Iago manipulates Otello, the general will confront his deadliest enemy: his jealous heart. Tickets are $45 to $299.

KENNEDY CENTER OPERA HOUSE

THROUGH NOV. 17

Everybody

Everybody — a role assigned each night from a small cast of actors by lottery live on stage — is a happy person, a free person, a person who believes nothing but the best lies ahead. Then Death comes calling and Everybody must go on the journey of a lifetime. Please call for ticket information. SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY

MON., NOV. 18, 7 P.M.

Spotlight on Contemporary Spanish Theater: Women Dramatists

As part of a new series showcasing works by contemporary Spanish female playwrights, Spain arts + culture presents Yolanda García Serrano’s “Iceberg,” a raucous and humorous four-character play that takes place on the last night of the ill-fated voyage of the Titanic. It is a comedy of errors, full of hilarious plot and character twists, that intertwines mischief, shady business, indulgence, and deceit. “Spotlight on Contemporary Spanish Theater” is a new initiative organized by the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain, in collaboration with Estreno Contemporary Spanish Plays and AENY – Spanish Artists in New York to provide a platform for unheard stories to D.C. audiences. For information, visit spainculture.us/city/ washington-dc/. FORMER RESIDENCE OF THE AMBASSADORS OF SPAIN

NOV. 20 TO DEC. 22

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Murder. Mystery. Mayhem. Math. What begins as an investigation into the grisly death of a neighbor’s dog results in a remarkable comingof-age journey for 15-year-old Christopher Boone, a self-described “mathematician with some behavioral problems. Tickets are $32 to $68. ROUND HOUSE THEATRE

NOV. 29 TO 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 JAN. 4

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

NOVEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 41

WD | Culture | Spotlight

Diplomatic Spotlight

November 2019

41st Annual Ambassadors Ball Italian Ambassador Armando Varricchio and his wife Micaela served as the diplomatic co-chairs of this year’s Ambassadors Ball to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, held Sept. 10 at The Anthem. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) also came out to support their wives, Susan Pompeo and Jill Cooper Udall, who served as co-chairs of the ball, which for over 40 years has paid tribute to the city’s diplomatic corps and raised awareness of multiple sclerosis. A debilitating disease of the brain and spinal cord, MS affects 2.5 million people around the world, including 1 million across the U.S. and over 20,000 in our region. — Photos by Tony Powell —

Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.); Jill Cooper Udall; Ambassador of Italy Armando Varricchio; Micaela Varricchio; President of the National MS Society Greater DC-Maryland Chapter Chartese Berry; Susan Pompeo; and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo toast on stage. Left, Yoko Sugiyama and Ambassador of Japan Shinsuke J. Sugiyama, last year’s diplomatic co-chairs, greet guests.

President of the National MS Society Greater DC-Maryland Chapter Chartese Berry; Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.); Candace Carson; and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson.

Annie Totah and Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates Yousef Al Otaiba.

Shaikha Aisha AlKhalifa and Ambassador of Bahrain Shaikh Abdulla AlKhalifa. Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), Debbie Meadows, Nahla Reda and Ambassador of Egypt Yasser Reda.

Dr. Ivonn Szeverényi, wife of the Hungarian ambassador; Danara Kazykhanova, wife of the Kazakh ambassador; and Dr. Lubka Stoytcheva, wife of the Bulgarian ambassador.

Patricia de Stacy Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, bids on an item.

At left, Jon Strum, host of the RealTalk MS podcast, joins Cynthia Zagieboylo, president and CEO of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Since 1997, Strum has been a caregiver for his wife Jeanne, who has progressive MS and has been a bedbound quadriplegic for 14 years. “But experiencing the progression of Jean’s life-altering symptoms, it wasn’t the worst part of living with progressive MS. The worst part was experiencing the complete lack of hope,” Strum said at the ball. “Solving the riddle of MS is challenging and solving the more complex riddle of progressive MS is even more challenging. That’s why, in 2013, when the National MS Society and MS organizations around the world established the International Progressive MS Alliance, an unprecedented global response to the challenge of solving progressive MS, I felt hopeful.” Gudrun FaudonWaldner and Ambassador of Austria Wolfgang Waldner.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Ambassador of Libya Wafa Bugaighis, co-chair Susan Pompeo and Rear Adm. Dr. Susan Blumenthal. Gerardo Diaz Bartolome of the Embassy of Argentina, Shae Allen and Rod Carrasco of The Washington Diplomat, a media sponsor, look at the auction items.

Right, Ambassador of Kazakhstan Erzhan Kazykhanov.

42 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | NOVEMBER 2019

David Marin, right, joins members of presenting sponsor Mylan Inc.

Right, Reese Waters of WUSA9 emcees the ball.

Embassies donated various auction items.

Britt McHenry, formerly of Fox Nation.

Spotlight | Culture | WD

EU Celebrates Kentucky

Rugby at Japan

The Delegation of the European Union showcased the commercial and cultural ties between the EU and the state of Kentucky at a reception at the ambassador’s residence that featured bluegrass music, bourbon tastings and various speakers. Kentucky exported over $11 billion in goods to the EU, while the EU has invested $22 billion in the bluegrass state. PHOTOS: EU DELEGATION TO THE U.S.

The Embassy of Japan held its 2019 Rugby World Cup kickoff party at the Old Ambassador’s Residence adjacent to the Japanese Embassy on Sept. 19, with delegations from each of the 20 nations participating in the Rugby World Cup, including the U.S., in attendance.

EU Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis welcomes Ulrich Adam, director general of spiritsEUROPE; Chris Swonger, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council; and Alan Latts, COO of Heaven Hill Distilleries.

Congressman John Yarmuth (D-K.Y.), chairman of the Congressional Bourbon Caucus, delivers remarks.

PHOTOS: EMBASSY OF JAPAN

“A Celebration of EU-Kentucky Ties” was hosted in partnership with Beam Suntory, the Kentucky Distillers Association, and the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

EU Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis enjoys the festivities.

European Union Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis toasts with guests.

Deputy Chief of Mission of the Japanese Embassy Kazutoshi Aikawa, center, poses with representatives of the Old Glory DC rugby team.

Left, Ambassador of Spain Santiago Cabanas greets guests.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fisher.

Bottles of bourbon are on display.

Ambassador of Hungary László Szabó and Ambassador of Croatia Pjer Šimunović enjoy a glass of bourbon.

Guests enjoy food and drinks.

Nyumbani Benefit Gala Nyumbani, a comprehensive care, home and village for children with HIV/AIDS in Kenya, held its annual gala at the Fairmont Hotel on Sept. 21. Founded in 1992 by the late Father Angelo D’Agostino, an American Jesuit priest and physician, with three children in its care, Nyumbani has since grown into a world leader providing medical and home-based HIV/AIDS services in Kenya. Its programs include the Nyumbani Children’s Home, where children attend school and are given vocational training; the Lea Toto outreach program that operates eight centers in resourcelimited communities in Nairobi; the Nyumbani Diagnostic Laboratory; and Nyumbani Village, a self-sustaining residential program serving nearly 1,000 children and 100 elderly grandparents left destitute by HIV/AIDS.

Bottom row from left, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson; April Guice of the State Department Protocol Office; Dr. Jerrold Epstein; Linda Hadley; Richard de Sonier; Angie Young and top row from left, Deborah Dunham; former U.S. Deputy Chief of Protocol Lawrence Dunham; and Mary Bird of The Georgetowner.

MaryLynn Qurnell of the Nyumbani Board and former Ambassador of Macedonia Ljubica Acevska.

Sister Mary Owes, executive director of Nyumbani, center, joins Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough of “Morning Joe,” who served as emcees for the dinner.

Joe Novello, Caron Martinez and John Martinez.

Honoree Protus Lumiti, chief manager of the Nyumbani Children’s Home, Sister Mary Owens and Jim Burnette, president of Alliance Engineering Inc.

Representatives from Scotland and South Africa enjoy the festivities.

NOVEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 43

WD | Culture | Spotlight

Diplomatic Spotlight 5G with FCC at IFE The Institute for Education (IFE) launched its 29th season of salon discussions on Sept. 12 with its Tech-In-Gov’s “Reimagine the Future with 5G” salon featuring Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Ajit Pai at the Finnish Embassy. He spoke of a world where doctors could complete surgeries remotely, farmers could have greater insight into crop yields and productivity, and From top row left: former Ambassador autonomous vehicles could of Iceland Geir H. Haarde (now with operate in an environment the World Bank); Ambassador of Kazakhstan Erzhan Kazykhanov; FCC Chair with fewer accidents and Ajit Pai; Ambassador of Sweden Karin risk. Finnish Ambassador Olofsdotter; Ambassador of Armenia Kirsti Kauppi opened the Varuzhan Nersesyan; and bottom row event by mentioning her from left, Ambassador of Afghanistan hometown of Oulu, which is Roya Rahmani; Ambassador of Finland already beginning research Kirsti Kauppi; and IFE founder coach on 6G technology. Kathy Kemper. Helena LiikanenRenger of the Finnish Embassy, Ambassador of Finland Kirsti Kauppi, CNN Washington Bureau Chief Sam Feist and Presidential Innovation Fellow Gil Alterovitz.

Antti Niemelä of the Finnish Embassy joins Ambassador of Armenia Varuzhan Nersesyan and his wife.

India’s Gandhi Celebration To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, along with the 90th anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther King Jr., the Indian Embassy hosted a reception at the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) talks about her interest in learning Library of Congress with about Gandhi as a young girl. guest of honor House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Earlier in the day, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar offered floral tributes at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in front of the embassy.

Ambassador of India Harsh Vardhan Shringla welcomes guests. Danara Kazykhanova, wife of the Kazakh ambassador, Dr. Janine Van Lancker and former Ambassador of Iceland Geir H. Haarde.

PHOTOS: INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATION

Thomas Sanchez of SocialDriver; Scott Deutchman of Google; Staci Pies of Crown Castle; and Adam Shapiro of ASPR.

November 2019

Kyra Phillips of ABC News, John Roberts of Fox News and coach Kathy Kemper of IFE.

Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, left, and Ambassador of India Harsh Vardhan Shringla, right, present House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) with a bust of Mahatma Gandhi.

Ambassador of Bangladesh Mohammad Ziauddin, Anna Gawel of The Washington Diplomat, Manoj Kumar Mohapatra of the Indian Embassy and Steven Phillips of The Washington Diplomat.

Liechtenstein Tricentennial Reception

Ambassador of Singapore Ashok Mirpuri and his wife Gouri Mirpuri.

Recently appointed Ambassador of Iceland Bergdis Ellertsdóttir, Deborah Dunham and Vera Luxner enjoy the rooftop of the Liechtenstein Embassy overlooking the Potomac River.

Prince Alois von und zo Liechtenstein welcomes guests to the Embassy of Liechtenstein on the Georgetown Waterfront to celebrate the 300th birthday of the principality, as Ambassador of Liechtenstein Kurt Jaeger, right, looks on.

Ambassador of Liechtenstein Kurt Jaeger talks with Tim Cox and Craig Cobine.

Jennifer Rizzoli, the Switzerland/Liechtenstein desk officer at the State Department Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, and Darren Rizzoli talk with Prince Alois von und zo Liechtenstein.

44 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | NOVEMBER 2019

Wolfgang Danspeckgruber, founding director of the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination at Princeton University, and Ambassador of Austria Wolfgang Waldner.

Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar outside of the Indian Embassy.

Downton Abbey D.C. Premiere Below, British Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Michael Tatham, fourth from left, and his wife Belinda Cherrington (to his left), pose with the cast and crew of “Downton Abbey,” who were in town for the film’s D.C. premiere. From left are: producer Liz Trubridge, Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, creator Julian Fellowes, Lesley Nicol, producer Gareth Neame and Laura Carmichael. Above, the cast of “Downton Abbey” attend the film’s premiere at the Avalon Theatre, including Michelle Dockery, creator Julian Fellowes, Lesley Nicol, Hugh Bonneville and Laura Carmichael.

Appointments | World | WD

Diplomatic Appointments Angola Joaquim do Espirito Santo became ambassador of Angola to the United States on Sept. 16, 2019, having most recently served as director for Africa, Middle East and Regional Organizations Ambassador at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2011-18). In addition, Joaquim do Espirito Santo he was minister-counselor at the Angolan Embassy in France (2004-09) and minister-counselor and chargé d’affaires at the Angolan Embassy in Mexico (2002-04). Prior to that, Ambassador Espirito Santo was director for Africa and the Middle East (1999-2002) and director for Europe (1997-99) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Other postings include director of the Directorate of International Organizations of the Secretariat of State for Cooperation (1993-95); assistant at the Office of Analysis and Economic Studies (GAEE) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1992-93); general director of the National Cooperative Support Company, LOGITÉCNICA-UEE (1984-91); assistant of the National Economy Planning Chair at the Faculty of Economics (1983-84); and senior technician in the Department of Priority Companies of the Ministry of Planning (1982-84). He was also an instructor at the National Police School “Martyrs of the Kapolo” from 1977 to 1980. Ambassador Espirito Santo holds a degree in economics from Agostinho Neto University and a master’s in political science from the School of Advanced Political Studies in Paris. He speaks fluent Portuguese and French, and is proficient in English, Spanish and some African languages. Ambassador Espirito Santo was born on July 12, 1959, and is married with two children.

France Philippe Etienne became ambassador of France to the United States on July 8, 2019. He previously held numerous posts within the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, notably as Ambassador ambassador of France to Philippe Etienne Romania (2002-05); director of the cabinet of the minister of foreign and European affairs (2007-09); permanent representative of France to the European Union (2009-14); ambassador of France to Germany (2014-17); and, most recently, diplomatic adviser to President Emmanuel Macron (2017-19). Ambassador Etienne is an expert on the European Union and continental Europe. He has held posts in Moscow, Belgrade, Bucharest, Bonn, Berlin and Brussels. He has also served as an adviser in the cabinet of the minister of foreign affairs on several occasions. A graduate of the École Normale Supérieure and the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (“Voltaire” Class, 1980), Ambassador Etienne also holds the agrégation (teaching diploma) in mathematics, has a degree in economics and is a graduate of the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations (Serbo-Croatian). He speaks English, German, Spanish, Russian and Romanian. He is also an Officer of the Legion of Honor and a Commander of the National Order of Merit.

Iceland Bergdís Ellertsdóttir became ambassador of Iceland to the United States on Sept. 16, 2019,

having most recently served as Iceland’s permanent representative to the United Nations since 2018. In addition, she was head of the Icelandic Mission to the European Union from 2014 to 2018, during which time she also served as ambassador to Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland and San Marino. Ambassador Ellertsdóttir also worked in the Directorate for Trade and Economic Affairs as director of international trade negotiations and chief negotiator for the Iceland-China Free Trade Agreement (2012); deputy secretary-general with the European Free Trade Ambassador Association in Brussels Bergdís Ellertsdóttir (2007-12); director general for international security and development cooperation affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2007); and foreign affairs advisor the prime minister of Iceland (2005-06). She also served as head of European affairs and deputy director general of the Trade Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2003-04) and deputy director of the Political Department dealing with security issues, NATO and bilateral relations with the U.S., Canada and Russia (2000-03). Other postings include political officer at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels (1998-2000); deputy head of mission at the Icelandic Embassy in Bonn with accreditation to Switzerland, Austria and the OSCE (1995-98); and first secretary in the Trade Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1991-95). Ambassador Ellertsdóttir holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and English from the University of Iceland and a master’s in European studies from the University of Essex in Britain. She is married with four children.

Jordan Ali Arabiyat became deputy chief of mission of the Embassy of Jordan in August, having previously served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and postings in Germany, South Korea and Egypt.

Latvia Māris Selga became ambassador of Latvia to the United States on Sept. 16, 2019, having most recently served as Latvia’s ambassador to China, with nonresident accreditation Ambassador to Mongolia, Vietnam and Māris Selga the United Arab Emirates (2016-19). From 2012 to 2016, Ambassador Selga was ambassador and head of the Consular and Diplomatic Facilities Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was also permanent representative to the African Union (2012-13), ambassador to Egypt (2008-12), and ambassador to the League of Arab States, with concurrent accreditation to Jordan (2008-13). From 2004 to 2008, he was counselor and deputy chief of mission at the Latvian Embassy in the U.S., and from 1997 to 2000, he was first secretary at the Latvian Embassy in Denmark. Ambassador Selga has also held various posts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including director of the Second Political Department

(2002-04); counselor and European correspondent at the Third Political Directorate (2000-02); counselor at the Policy Planning Group (1997); head of the Americas and Australia Division (1995-97); and advisor at the Policy Planning Group (1994-95). From 1988 to 1993, he was a teacher and laboratory assistant at Riga Secondary School No. 39. Ambassador Selga graduated from the Faculty of History and Philosophy at the University of Latvia, where he obtained his Ph.D. from the Department of Political Sciences. He has also studied at the Geneva Centre for Security Studies, the Department of War Studies at King’s College London and at Aarhus University in Denmark. Born Oct. 31, 1966, in Latvia, Ambassador Selga speaks English, Russian and Danish.

Luxembourg Gaston Stronck became ambassador of Luxembourg to the United States on Sept. 16, 2019. He previously served as the secretarygeneral of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (2017-19) and director Ambassador for European affairs and Gaston Stronck international economic relations at the ministry (2014-17). In addition, he was Luxembourg’s ambassador to India (2011-14); ambassador to Russia, with nonresident accreditation to Kazakhstan and Belarus (2007-11); and ambassador to Denmark, with nonresident accreditation to Finland, Norway and Sweden (2003-07). Ambassador Stronck also served as permanent representative of Luxembourg to the Political and Security Committee (PSC) of the European Union (2000-03); permanent representative (2000-03) and deputy permanent representative (1995-2000) to the Western European Union (WEU); and deputy director for development cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1993-95). From 1986 to 1989, he was a lecturer at the European Institute of Public Administration in Maastricht and from 1983 to 1986, he was an officer in the Luxembourg Army. Ambassador Stronck holds a master’s degree in social and military sciences from the Royal Military Academy in Brussels and a Ph.D. in history and defense studies from the Université Paul Valéry, Montpellier III. He is fluent in Luxembourgish, French, German and English, and has a working knowledge of Russian, Dutch and Danish. Ambassador Stronck is married to Monika Langer and has two adult children, Catherine and Pierre.

Panama Juan Ricardo De Dianous became ambassador of Panama to the United States on Sept. 16, 2019, after a long career in business and banking. Ambassador De Dianous most recently served as the CEO and executive vice president of Banvivienda Bank in Panama. In 2004, he was nominated by former President Martin Torrijos to serve as general manager of the National Bank of Panama for a tenure of five years. Prior to that, Ambassador De Dianous was an integral part of the international expansion of the Elektra Group in Mexico, where he held the position of vice president, advisor and financial consultant. In 2001, he served as general manager for Banco Santander. He has also held

various prominent roles with Citibank, including vice president of corporate banking in Guadalajara, Mexico; vice president of corporate banking and the public sector in Mexico City; as well as leadership positions in Puerto Rico, Ambassador the Dominican Republic Juan Ricardo and Venezuela. De Dianous Throughout his career, Ambassador De Dianous actively participated in various nongovernmental and trade organizations, including the Mexican Institute of Finance Executives, the Dominican Association of Foreign Investment Companies, the DominicanPanamanian Chamber of Commerce, the Directory of Commercial Banks in the Dominican Republic, the Venezuelan-American Chamber of Commerce in Caracas, the 20-30 Club of Panama and the Panamanian Banking Association. Ambassador De Dianous was born in the city of David, Chiriqui, in Panama. He completed his high school education in the U.S. at St. Stanislaus College in Mississippi and finished his bachelor’s degree in business administration with minors in finance and aarketing at the University of Southwestern in Louisiana. Ambassador De Dianous has been married for 45 years to his wife Maria Eugenia Rodriguez and together they have two children.

Switzerland Jacques Pitteloud because ambassador of Switzerland to the United States on Sept. 16, 2019, having most recently served as director general of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs since 2015. There, Ambassador he oversaw a budget of $3 Jacques Pitteloud billion and was responsible for human resources, running IT and communications for the whole ministry and heading legal and translation services. Ambassador Pitteloud joined the Swiss Foreign Service in 1987 and first assigned as an advisor to the foreign minister. From 1988 to 1989, he served as a trade attaché at the Swiss Embassy in Saudi Arabia, and from 1990 to 1995, he served in the Swiss Strategic Intelligence Service. Following his service there, he acted as a personal advisor (general staff matters and intelligence) to two successive defense ministers until 1999, after which time he served as the head of a study group tasked with developing the future structures of the Swiss Armed Forces. After having witnessed the Rwanda Genocide in 1994, Ambassador Pitteloud created an organization dedicated to hunting down and bringing to justice perpetrators of the genocide, several of whom were prosecuted by international and domestic courts. Ambassador Pitteloud then served as the first Intelligence coordinator for the Swiss government from 2000 to 2005 and then as director of arms control, disarmament, security policy and intelligence at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bern, where he also headed the Swiss Delegation to the Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. From 2010 to 2015, he was the Swiss ambassador to Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia and the Seychelles.

NOVEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 45

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Comic Art CONTINUED • PAGE 36

Another section explores the evolution of “For Better or For Worse,” sparking interest among new readers and nostalgia among those who followed it from the start. Curator Kate Grumbacher belongs to the second category. “I grew up reading ‘For Better or For Worse,’ and so I really wanted an exhibition here,” she told us. “We talked to Lynn Johnston and we wanted to show a little bit about Lynn and the process of her creating the cartoons. And then we did a lot of focus on the art but also how she draws. Finally, we also focused on some of the

issues she encountered — primarily the evolution of her characters, because unlike many other artists, her characters age over time and deal with a lot of realistic scenarios: death, illness, weddings, school, etc.” In fact, just like Johnston’s real-life family inspired the comic strip, it was another reallife family event — ironically related to the wedding vow for which the strip is named — that led to its conclusion. In a TV screen at the end of the exhibition, Johnston explains why, in 2008, she decided the time had come to put an end to the long-running story of the Pattersons. “Initially I wanted to work until I had done 30 years, but my husband and I broke up, which was just devastating. I was writing about a family that was working and communicating, while I had a lawyer sitting across from

my husband and I,” she said of the demise of her 30-year marriage. “But I think I wanted to quit before that. When I got my last seven-year contract, I had already made my mind up that these were going to be the last seven years I would work on the comic.” But the Pattersons are still alive and well. Right after the comic strip ended, Johnston began a series of reruns that restarted the strip’s early storylines and the dialogue from the 1980s strips to better reflect modern societal standards. These reruns are still being produced, with one of the more distinct changes being that the daily cartoons are now digitally colorized. The exhibition also offers a glimpse of Johnston’s work nowadays. Behind a large panel full of Patterson characters, we see a mannequin draped in a colorful dress and a delicately

placed vermillion coat. A closer look reveals that there are dozens of cartoon cats, in all sizes and colors, on the dress. “I am currently doing something called surface design. I had been looking for funny cartoons to put on fabric and I couldn’t find any. So I started to make designs on my own,” Johnston said. “Together with my colorist, my daughter, and another young cartoonist I just hired, we are working on fashion design right now, and I hope to see some of my patterns on fabric and in retail stores to sell in the future.” If the project takes off, it would be yet another way for Johnston to bring her personally inspired creations directly into our everyday lives. WD Jonas Meuleman is an editorial intern for the Washington Diplomat.

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