The Washington Diplomat - September 2019 by The Washington Diplomat

Education Special Section

INSIDE

Education

A Special Section of The Washington Diplomat

September 2019

VOLUME 26, NUMBER 09 North Africa

Gulf Rivalries Play Out in Horn of Africa

Creative Thinking

Advocates Push for Arts

SOUTH ASIA

From the thought-provoking to the testosterone-fueled absurd, artists used manifestos to challenge the establishment. PAGE 26

declining since the early 2000s, and the U.S. has always lagged far behind many other nations in funding arts education. According to the online music site Pitchfork, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the government’s

•

IMAGES / SHUTTERSTOCK

BY DERYL DAVIS

premier arts funding agency, allotted a mere $8 million to music programs in 2016, about the same as Sweden, a much smaller country that spends far more on the arts overall. SEE ARTS • PAGE 22

| 21

Civics Dean: Appreciate Vital Role of Embassies Alan Solomont, the former U.S. envoy to Spain who is now dean of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University, talks about pulling Spain back from economic calamity, the pros and cons of political ambassadors, the underappreciated value of U.S. embassies and the desperate need for civics in today’s toxic

Deluge of Interest Could Sap OnceMighty Mekong

A Manifesto to Buck The Establishment

s a new academic year begins in schools across America, the issue of arts education is again at the fore. Funding for the arts in public schools, which can vary according to local districts, has by most accounts been

PHOTO: MONKEY BUSINESS

with Well-Rounded Education

People of World Influence

Southeast Asia

Culture

Funding to Provide Students

SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

Situated on one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes, the Horn of Africa is fast becoming one of the world’s most contested regions, as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and other actors vie for power and profit. PAGE 7

The Mekong River, Southeast Asia’s economic and trade lifeline, has become the latest strategic battleground in the tug of war for influence between China and the United States. PAGE 10

SEPTEMBER 2019

WWW.WASHDIPLOMAT.COM

political climate. PAGE 4

PAKISTANI

STORM CLOUDS

It’s been a busy few months for Pakistani Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan since he arrived in January. As Pakistan joins the U.S.-led peace talks on Afghanistan, it’s also dealing with the fallout of India’s explosive decision to scrap Kashmir’s autonomy, which may present Khan’s government with a diplomatic opening to debunk President Trump’s one-time assertion that Islamabad is full of “nothing but lies & deceit.” PAGE 13

Americas

OAS May Be Toothless But Not Powerless Nestor Mendez, assistant secretary-general of the Organization of American States, admits that the OAS has little power to influence events in Venezuela, but he insists that the bloc’s moral authority is making a difference. PAGE 16

Volume 26 |

Issue 09 |

September 2019 |

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

www.washdiplomat.com

Victor Shiblie

Director of Operations

Fuad Shiblie

Managing Editor

Anna Gawel

News Editor

Larry Luxner

Graphic Designer

Cari Henderson

Account Manager

Rod Carrasco

Photographer Contributing Writers

Editorial Interns Marketing Intern

Lawrence Ruggeri Deryl Davis, Jonathan Gorvett, Dennis Jett, Stephanie Kanowitz, Ryan Migeed, Kate Oczypok, Jason Overdorf, Gail Scott, Brendan L. Smith, Lisa Troshinsky, Mackenzie Weinger Jared Gans, Virginia Sciolino Christina Liu

address 1921 Florida Ave. NW #53353 • Washington, DC 20009 phone 301.933.3552 • fax 301.949.0065

web www.washdiplomat.com • editorial news@washdiplomat.com advertising sales@washdiplomat.com

The Washington Diplomat is published monthly by The Washington Diplomat, Inc. The newspaper is distributed free of charge at several locations throughout the Washington, D.C. area. We do offer subscriptions for home delivery. Subscription rates are $29 for 12 issues and $49 for 24 issues.

Opening Night Tickets $15! Restrictions, exclusions and additional charges may apply. Subject to availability. Excludes premium seats. Tickets at market pricing. Purchase tickets at venue box office or ticketmaster.com.

EAGLEBANK ARENA OCT 2 – 6 DisneyOnIce.com 2 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

To receive The Washington Diplomat at your embassy or business or to receive past issues, please call Fuad Shiblie at 301-933-3552. If your organization employs many people from the international community, you may qualify for free bulk delivery. To see if you qualify, please contact Fuad Shiblie.

The Washington Diplomat assumes no responsibility for the safe keeping or return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, artwork or other material. The information contained in this publication is in no way to be construed as a recommendation by the Publisher of any kind or nature whatsoever, nor as a recommendation of any industry standard, nor as an endorsement of any product or service, nor as an opinion or certification regarding the accuracy of any such information. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without explicit permission of the publisher.

ON THE COVER

Photo taken at the Pakistani Ambassador’s Residence by Lawrence Ruggeri of RuggeriPhoto.com.

Contents

THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

NEWS 4

PEOPLE OF WORLD INFLUENCE

29 18

GLOBAL VANTAGE POINT

PALESTINIAN HOME Washington’s newest museum explores the history and culture of Palestinians.

MEDICAL

ENLIGHTENING TRIBUTE “Warmth of Other Suns” shines a bright light on displacement through a personal, not political, lens.

A former U.S. ambassador argues that all U.N. peacekeeping missions are bound to fail.

Former U.S. Ambassador Alan Solomont reflects on the importance of America’s embassies.

7 DEADLY HORN

Depression and Alzheimer’s may be part of the same process in aging brains.

Gulf rivalries are playing out in the Horn of Africa, at times with deadly results.

10 CASCADING COMPETITION

The Mekong River in Southeast Asia has become the latest battleground between China and the U.S.

COVER PROFILE: PAKISTAN

EDUCATION 21

CREATIVE VOID

Despite the benefits of arts education, the arts are the first to get the axe in budget cuts.

Turmoil with India and peace talks with Afghanistan may give Pakistan a diplomatic coup.

CULTURE

OAS’S NO. 2 Nestor Mendez discusses OAS priorities in the wake of the Venezuela and migrant crises.

The Hirshhorn looks at how manifestos have shaped art movements.

BOLD ‘MANIFESTO’

DISQUIETING ‘LULLABY’ The city’s imposing monuments are turned upside down in “Lullaby” at the Australian Embassy.

REGULARS 30 CINEMA LISTING 32 EVENTS LISTING 34 SPOTLIGHT 38 CLASSIFIEDS 39 REAL ESTATE CLASSIFIEDS

SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 3

WD | People of Wor ld Influence

Valuable Diplomacy Ex-Envoy to Spain Reflects on Economic, Political and Security Importance of U.S. Embassies BY RYAN R. MIGEED

n January 2009, Alan Solomont received a telephone call. As his wife, Susan Lewis Solomont, recounts in her memoir “Lost and Found In Spain: Tales of An Ambassador’s Wife,” it was a call punctuated by “yes,” “no” and “of course.” Solomont, a lifelong political and social activist who is now the dean of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University in Medford, Mass., was being asked to serve as newly elected President Barack Obama’s ambassador to Spain and Andorra. In Solomont’s view, Obama’s foreign policy was guided by the principle that the problems of the world today are too big to be solved by America alone, but no big problem can be solved without America. To that end, Solomont’s work as ambassador to Spain touched on some of the most high-pressure issues that the Obama administration faced in its first four years. Solomont actively encouraged the Spanish government to stay the course in Afghanistan. He also urged the Spanish to join the European Union’s 2012 embargo on Iranian oil, a precursor to later negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. Solomont was also involved in discussions with Madrid to allow the U.S. Navy to place four Aegis class destroyers at Spain’s Naval Station Rota, where they patrolled the Mediterranean as part of NATO’s missile defense program as tensions between the alliance and Russia steadily increased. But by far the most urgent problem Solomont tackled was the global recession that had begun in 2008. As ambassador from December 2009 to August 2013, Solomont served in Madrid through the deepest depths of the recession, when U.S. and EU leaders feared that the socalled “PIIGS” countries — Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain — could tumble into total economic collapse.

PULLING SPAIN BACK FROM THE BRINK

Spain had had its own real estate bubble, driven by a construction boom from the late 1990s into the 2000s, not unlike the real estate bubble that triggered America’s own recession. “Spain was teetering on the edge of insolvency. If they had gone under, they were too big to fail. That would have pulled Europe under, and that would have really impacted our economic recovery,” he said as The Diplomat sat down with him in Medford. He arrived in Madrid during the first quarter of contraction in the second “dip” of the so-called “double-dip” reces-

PHOTO: ALONSO NICHOLS / TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Alan Solomont, a lifelong political and social activist who spent much of his career in health care, served as U.S. ambassador to Spain from 2009 to 2013 and is now dean of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.

“

I’m not sure even Washington understands, or even the White House understands, the value of our embassies to both our prosperity and our security. ALAN SOLOMONT

former U.S. ambassador to Spain

sion, part of the 2007-08 global financial contagion. He left Spain during the first quarter of growth, just as the economic calamity began to ease. Solomont worked with the Spanish government to address the recession by encouraging trade with the U.S. as one way for Spain to pull itself back from the brink. Exports account for about 30 percent of Spain’s GDP. Even though the country’s domestic consumption plummeted during the global recession, Spanish companies were still selling their products abroad. “That really was one of the strengths that kept the Spanish economy afloat,” Solomont said. “The other was tourism business,” which currently accounts for about 14 percent of Spain’s GDP. Solomont also pointed to the U.S. as an example of what to do right in a recession, given that the U.S. had finally started to see growth while Spain continued

4 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

to struggle. The Spanish government was borrowing heavily to maintain unemployment benefits and government services, and because Spain is a member of the eurozone, it could not devalue its currency like the U.S. Federal Reserve could — a major handicap that prevented other troubled eurozone countries from devaluing their currency in a bid to boost exports. Solomont said the U.S. continuously pushed Spain to cut back on costly pension payments and reduce government spending because the U.S. had had to do the same to pull itself out of recession. Indeed, Spain relied heavily on austerity measures during this period to meet the deficit limits set by the EU. If Spain’s economy continued to spiral, the U.S. was concerned that a bailout for the country “was more than the EU could afford,” Solomont said. JPMorgan Chase estimated at the

”

time that a bailout for Spain would have cost $350 billion to $450 billion. According to Solomont, internal estimates at the time placed the cost much higher, at nearly four times the €289 billion the EU and the International Monetary Fund spent to stabilize the Greek economy. Eventually, the EU offered Spain €100 billion to rescue its banks, but the country only wound up using €41 billion. Mariano Rajoy, then Spain’s prime minister, emphasized at the time that the bailout funds did not come with additional austerity conditions on Spain’s economy, unlike the bailout delivered to Greece. But the Spaniards did have to swallow a raft of harsh austerity measures, the effects of which bred resentment against the political establishment. SEE S OL OM ONT • PAGE 6

Presented by

Featuring over 30 Ambassadors as well as confirmed speakers* Secretary of State and Mrs. Mike Pompeo, Senator and Mrs. Tom Udall of New Mexico, and Ambassador and Mrs. Armando Varricchio of Italy, plus an international auction with over 20 items donated from the Embassies of Washington. For tickets and other information, call 202-375-5620 or email ambassadorsball@nmss.org www.ambassadorsballMS.org *VIP attendees and speakers subject to availability Photos by Tony Powell

SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 5

Solomont CONTINUED • PAGE 4

Since the recession, Spain has held three general elections in four years, from 2015 to 2019, as successive vote-winners in the Spanish Parliament failed to form coalition governments. “The political storm clouds were apparent as Spain was dealing with the economic crisis. You could tell that they were going to face a political crisis that might be just as challenging as the economic crisis,” Solomont said. “People were angry with the government and angry that they didn’t fix the economy sooner.” Prime Minister Rajoy of the conservative People’s Party bore the brunt of that anger. While unemployment dropped and economic growth returned in the second half of Rajoy’s tenure from 2011 to 2018, the prime minister implemented austerity measures such as cutting the salaries of public workers that were highly unpopular. The economic crash also revealed that the construction boom preceding it had “fostered a great deal of corruption,” Solomont said, “and the political leaders just wouldn’t deal with it.” Meanwhile, long-running tensions with the prosperous, semi-autonomous region of Catalonia exploded when Catalonians voted for independence in an October 2017 referendum

PHOTO: JESUS SOLANA FROM MADRID, SPAIN / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS CCA 2.0

Spaniards protest in Madrid in 2011 against harsh austerity measures imposed on the country in response to its economic crisis.

that was deemed unconstitutional by Madrid. Numerous separatist Catalonian politicians have since been put on trial or gone into exile. Dogged by the stalemate over Catalonia, a litany of corruption scandals and lingering frustrations over the economy, Rajoy was ousted from office in June 2018 and Pedro Sánchez of the Socialist Party took power on a pledge to bolster social spending and launch a dialogue with Catalonian separatists. Despite winning a snap election in April, Sánchez’s Socialists have failed to cobble together a governing coalition. If he’s unable to form a coalition by Sept. 23, Spain will head to the

polls again in November — its fourth election in just four years. Further dividing an already polarized political landscape is the emergence of a far-right party, Vox, which won 10 percent of the most recent vote on an anti-immigration, ultranationalist platform. Adding to the government’s woes is the fact that Spain’s economic recovery seems to be backtracking. The country's economy has grown every year since 2013 and the unemployment rate fell to a 10-year low in October. But recently, Spain’s unemployment rate climbed to nearly 15 percent, its largest quarter-on-quarter increase in six years.

U.S. INVESTMENT IN DIPLOMACY

Solomont said the Obama administration recognized that it was imperative to help Spain, and Europe as a whole, weather the recession because the U.S. risked sliding back into its own recession if the EU countries — which together rank as the number-one export market for the U.S. — failed to recover. But the current Trump administration views the EU as a trade adversary, not ally. For Solomont, however, trade doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game. As ambassador, he described him-

self as “America’s salesman-in-chief ” in Spain, with the goal of benefiting American companies and, ultimately, creating American jobs. “We worked on U.S. exports, making sure that U.S. products were selling in Spain, from sorghum [grain] that farmers were producing in Nebraska, to Tiffany jewelry that we’re selling on the fancy shopping street Serrano in Madrid,” Solomont explained. He was also active in trying to attract Spanish investment in the U.S. According to Solomont, 19 percent of all U.S. exports are manufactured by the American subsidiaries of foreign-owned companies. “The largest automobile insurer in Massachusetts is a Spanish company. The largest bank still headquartered in Massachusetts is Santander Bank, a Spanish bank. Spanish infrastructure companies are building roads and highways, toll roads and subways,” he said, adding that all of this foreign investment is critical to our economy. On that note, he gave a full-throated defense of the work that U.S. diplomats do that average Americans may not be aware of — not only to promote U.S. economic interests, but to keep the country safe as well. “It’s U.S. embassies that keep bad guys out from coming to the United States. It’s U.S. embassies that inspect ships that are carrying cargo to the U.S. to make sure they’re not carrying drugs or bombs. It’s the U.S. embassy [in Madrid] that looks after the SEE S OL OM ONT • PAGE 37

Are you tired of suffering from sinus pain, sinus headaches or battling a stuffy or runny nose? Don’t let your condition get worse. Set an appointment today and see what kind of difference we can make! Integrity

Compassion

Innovation

Teamwork

Offering the best Ear, Nose, and Throat care with the most patient-friendly options available, anywhere! CAPITOL

breathe free

SINUS & A LLERGY CENTERS

www.capitolbreathefree.com 6 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

Capitol Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers 2021 K Street, NW #600 Washington, DC 20006

(202) 816-8890

North Africa | WD

Arabia’s ‘Near Abroad’ Gulf Rivalries Play Out in Horn of Africa, Sometimes with Deadly Consequences BY JONATHAN GORVETT

ituated on one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes, linking Europe, the Indian Ocean and the rest of Asia, the Horn of Africa is also now fast becoming one of the world’s most contested regions, as regional and global actors vie for power and profit. The U.S., China, Japan, France, Russia and the U.K. all now have military facilities there, with the lower Red Sea area seen by all as a key geographic foothold for the protection — and extension — of their international interests. Yet increasingly, the region is also becoming a theater for nearby Arabian powers, namely Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, which have been investing heavily in infrastructure and land in the Horn, as well as backing various local governments and authorities. While much of this investment has been welcome in a region scarred by conflict and poverty, it also comes with some growing concerns, especially given Saudi and Emirati involvement in other conflicts. That includes the two Gulf monarchies’ costly military campaign in Yemen, their meddling (along with Qatar) in Libya’s stalled civil war, their unsuccessful blockade of Qatar and, on a broader scale, the proxy war between Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia and its Shiite rival Iran that has escalated tensions throughout the Middle East. “The danger is that the disputes and rivalries of the Middle East will lead to competition in the Horn of Africa that makes it difficult for the region itself to move forward and rise above its current challenges,” said Daniel Benaim, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and a Middle East expert. Indeed, while Middle and Near Eastern states have played a positive role at times in this fragile region that encompasses Sudan and Somalia, they have also backed rival groupings — sometimes with fatal consequences.

BLOODY MEDDLING

This competition has an ideological element to it, with Turkey and Qatar more sympathetic to Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, which was powerful in Sudan, while Saudi Arabia and the UAE have used their oil wealth in the wake of the Arab Spring to stamp out Islamist political movements that could upend the status quo. As Iyad el-Baghdadi, co-host of the podcast “Arab Tyrant Manual,” wrote in a June 11 op-ed for The New York Times, the latter grouping has “helped crush Bahrain’s uprising, bankrolled a return to military dictatorship in Egypt, armed a rogue military leader in Libya

PHOTO: BY AL JAZEERA ENGLISH - BASHIR ARRIVES, CC BY-SA 2.0

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrives in the Southern Sudanese capital of Juba in 2011, flanked by military guards. In April, following months of protests, the Sudanese military deposed Bashir, in part because he’d reportedly lost the support of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two key Gulf allies.

“

The danger is that the disputes and rivalries of the Middle East will lead to competition in the Horn of Africa that makes it difficult for the region itself to move forward and rise above its current challenges. DANIEL BENAIM

senior fellow at the Center for American Progress

and mismanaged a democratic transition in Yemen before launching a destructive war there.” Sudan, where longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir was ousted in April by the military after months of protest, is another example of the Gulf monarchies’ scramble for influence in the region. “Sudan is a good case in point,” Michael Woldemariam, associate professor of international relations at Boston University, told us. “Turkey and Qatar’s influence was curtailed by the overthrow, while the UAE and [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] supported the military cabal that overthrew [Omar al-] Bashir and backed them against the alternative civilian government. They are doing this partly to marginalize the Qataris and Turks in Sudan.” Bashir, who ruled the country since

”

1981, was deft at forging relationships with competing players “in search of the best deal,” wrote Declan Walsh of The New York Times. “In 2013, he hosted the Iranian president at the time, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in Khartoum, as part of a putative courtship. Two years later, he joined an Arab alliance fighting on one side of Yemen’s war, led by Iran’s archenemy Saudi Arabia.” But Bashir may have taken his Machiavellian maneuvering too far — and that overreach likely led to his downfall. According to the July 3 special Reuters report “Bashir’s Betrayal,” the Sudanese leader was raking in billions of dollars from the UAE, allegedly for promising to root out Islamists in his government. But the opportunistic strongman was also receiving billions of dollars of financial aid from Qatar. When Saudi Arabia and the UAE

launched their diplomatic blockade of Qatar in 2017, in part because of Doha’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood, Reuters reported that Bashir ultimately heeded the advice of his Islamist allies in government and sided with Qatar. “In March 2018, Sudan and Qatar announced plans for a $4 billion agreement to jointly develop the Red Sea port of Suakin off Sudan’s coast,” according to the Reuters investigation. “Bashir had chosen not to throw his support behind the UAE and Saudi Arabia in the dispute. He had also opted not to diminish the influence of Islamists in his government.” Many experts have speculated that this miscalculation sealed his fate and, when protests broke out over rising food and fuel prices, the UAE abandoned the embattled president and, along with Saudi Arabia and Egypt, reportedly threw its weight behind the military, which went on to depose Bashir. That support included $3 billion in aid from Saudi Arabia and the UAE to prop up the transitional military government and, specifically, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, whose Rapid Support Forces have provided thousands of troops to help the Saudis and Emiratis fight Houthi rebels in Yemen. But those same forces were accused SEE R IVAL R IES • PAGE 8 SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 7

Rivalries CONTINUED • PAGE 7

of slaughtering over 100 Sudanese protesters, triggering widespread condemnation, including from Washington and even from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Eventually, Sudan’s military and the protesters were able to come to a power-sharing deal whereby an army general will run the country for a transitional period of 21 months, followed by a civilian for the next 18 months before elections are held. Meanwhile, the ruling council will be composed of five military leaders, five civilians and one independent member. Whether the military will fully abide by the agreement is a big question. Equally uncertain is whether the Gulf states will respect the deal. If history is any indication, Sudan’s democracy activists should be wary. While Saudi Arabia and the UAE have said their support for the Sudanese military was an effort to ensure stability and thwart Islamist extremism, many experts say the true intent was to thwart democracy back home. According to a June 7 report by the International Crisis Group, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt trusted the Sudanese generals “to shepherd the country through a managed transition from one military-led regime to another, avoiding the interlude that occurred in

Egypt — elections with uncertain outcomes followed by brief Muslim Brotherhood rule — by sidelining those favoring more wholesale reform among civilian protesters.” Claire Felter and Zachary Laub wrote in a June 20 brief for the Council on Foreign Relations that the Saudis and Emiratis had hoped “to bring Sudan fully into their camp in their regional rivalries with Qatar, Turkey and Iran, and head off democratic change, which they fear could bring Islamists to power and encourage their own citizens to agitate for political participation.” But the fear of a democratic contagion is not the only reason why Gulf monarchies have intervened in Sudan and elsewhere. Their interest in the Horn of Africa is not only political, but economic as well.

RED SEA RICHES

The key strategic chokepoint in the region is the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait — the “Gate of Tears” — which narrows to just 20 miles at one point, separating Africa from the Arabian Peninsula, and the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden. Through this, some 4.8 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products passed each day in 2016, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, with the current total likely even higher. Most of this is oil and liquefied natural gas from the Gulf, heading for Europe via the Suez Canal. Some traffic also passes the other way, largely from Saudi Arabia’s Red

8 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

PHOTO: GOOGLE MAPS

The key strategic chokepoint in the Horn of Africa is the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which narrows to just 20 miles at one point, separating Africa from the Arabian Peninsula, and the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden.

Sea petroleum port of Yanbu, or in the form of European-refined petroleum products, mostly heading for Asia. In addition, a major quantity of other goods passes both ways, as Europe, North America, East Africa, India, Southeast Asia, China, Japan, South Korea and beyond conduct their multibillion-dollar daily trade. “It’s a strait at the center of the world,” said Woldemariam. “If you’re talking about projection of power, this is a very useful place to sit in order to do that.”

Where the strait narrows, the Arabian shore is home to both Saudi Arabia and war-torn Yemen, while the African shore sees a range of states stretching south from Sudan via Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia. Much of the Somali coastline is currently under the effective control of the breakaway — and internationally unrecognized — Somaliland and the semiautonomous Somali Puntland region. Inland, lies Ethiopia, the region’s largest state, landlocked since Eritrea broke away in 1993. That came after a bloody decades-

long conflict and was followed by further fighting between the two in 1998 and 2000. While that came to an end largely thanks to the efforts of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (who also mediated the recent conflict in Sudan), peace was also facilitated by the actions of two Arabian powers — Saudi Arabia and UAE — with the Saudi Red Sea port city of Jeddah serving as the venue for the peace accord that formally ended hostilities in 2018. The UAE then provided $3 billion in aid to Ahmed’s new government, while also announcing a pipeline project linking the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, with the Eritrean Red Sea port of Assab. The Emiratis have also invested in ports elsewhere in region. In Somaliland, the UAE’s DP World is spending around $500 million expanding the port at Berbera into a deep-water transshipment hub in the Gulf of Aden. Meanwhile, Dubai-owned P&O Ports is developing Bosaso Port in Puntland. For the Saudis, investment in the Horn is primarily about strategic depth. The region is their “near abroad” and they want as much as influence over it as possible to protect their own financial interests. “The U.S. role as guarantor of sea lanes may not last forever,” said Benaim. “So, the Saudis and other regional powers need to take steps now to secure against future changes.” At the same time, China’s growing role in the region and elsewhere via the Belt and Road Initiative has left

the UAE, a key regional maritime power, wanting “to stake a claim” in the Horn, Benaim adds, by securing a key role in East African ports. In addition, food security is another major issue for both the Saudis and Emiratis. In recent years, the Saudis have increasingly seen East Africa as a place to purchase arable land — an almost nonexistent commodity in the deserts of Arabia. UAE investment in regional ports is also about shipping crops from Africa to processing centers in the Emirates. At the same time, Qatar and its ally Turkey — rivals of Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the region since the Gulf crisis ruptured these former alliances in 2017 — have at times also played a significant investment role in the Horn. Turkey has invested in Somalia, in particular, sending aid during the 2011 drought, building hospitals and investing in port and airport infrastructure in the capital, Mogadishu. Qatar has plans to build a new port in the central Somali town of Hobyo, according to an August Bloomberg report. For similar reasons to the UAE, both Qatar and Turkey also see the region as vital to trade and future security, while Turkey has also been pursuing a more active Africa policy for some years as an alternative source of economic growth to its traditional market, the European Union. Turkey thus worked with Qatar to secure an agreement from the previous Sudanese government to develop the Red Sea island of Suakin into a major new port, while Qatar provided Sudan’s creaking economy with substantial financial aid.

TURBULENT GEOGRAPHY

Sudan’s former ruler had tried to balance this support with help from the rival SaudiUAE bloc. He sent some 14,000 Sudanese

PHOTO: BY AMISOM PUBLIC INFORMATION - FLICKR, CC0

Both Turkey and Qatar have invested heavily in Somalia, whose coastline is seen above. But much of the war-torn country’s coast is currently under the effective control of the breakaway — and internationally unrecognized — Somaliland and the semiautonomous Somali Puntland region, both of which have enjoyed significant investment from the United Arab Emirates.

troops to fight in Yemen, while Emirati money also helped keep Khartoum’s finances afloat. Yet Bashir’s inability to balance his shifting Gulf loyalties and his subsequent overthrow highlight one of the region’s characteristics: its political volatility. What some fear now is that this volatility is being exploited by these rival blocs to advance their agendas, regardless of the interests of the people who live there. These competing agendas have reportedly played out in Somalia, compounding the lingering bloodshed in the war-ravaged nation. The New York Times acquired a recording of a call between the Qatari ambassador to Somalia and Khalifa Kayed al-Muhanadi, a busi-

nessman close to the emir. Al-Muhanadi told the envoy that militants had carried out a May car bombing in the city of Bosaso, whose port is managed by DP World, as a way of driving the Emiratis out of Somalia. The attack was not an isolated incident, according to The Times. “Over the last two years, war-torn Somalia has emerged as a central battleground, with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar each providing weapons or military training to favored factions, exchanging allegations about bribing local officials, and competing for contracts to manage ports or exploit natural resources,” wrote Ronen Bergman and David D. Kirkpatrick on July 22. That includes $385 million in funds from

Qatar to Somalia for infrastructure, education and humanitarian assistance; a major military base in Mogadishu funded by Turkey; and significant Emirati investment in Somaliland and Puntland to offset the Qatari and Turkish presence in Somalia. On that note, while wealthy Gulf monarchies are capitalizing on political instability and economic weakness in the Horn to further their ambitions, countries in the region are also trying to exploit this competition to further their own interests. Somaliland, for example, sees UAE support as a way to firm up its case for international recognition for independence from more pro-Turkish Somalia. Internationally isolated Eritrea is home to a UAE military base near the port of Assab that has served as a conduit to operations in Yemen. Bashir, who was wanted by the International Criminal Court, had also tried to use his relations with both camps to circumvent his regime’s international isolation. Now though, a number of key questions remain. First, given the conflicts between and within the countries of the region, “will these be reduced or intensified by this competition between powers?” asked Benaim. Then, “what happens if the Gulf rivalry between Qatar and Saudi Arabia and the UAE ends, or if the war in Yemen ends?” asked Woldemariam. “Will the pattern of intervention continue? In other words, how much is this Gulf engagement with the region economically driven and how much is it driven by the political goal of squeezing out your rivals? The jury is very much still out.” WD Jonathan Gorvett (jpgorvett.com) is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat and a freelance journalist specializing in Near and Middle Eastern affairs.

As the official World Trade Center Washington, DC (WTCDC), we help our clients develop events that connect nations and cultures, foster international dialogue, generate business opportunities and raise awareness about the economic benefits that can be realized through trade.

itcdc.com | tradeinfo@itcdc.com @ReaganITCDC #WTCDC #RRBITC #TeamTCMA

SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 9

WD | Southeast Asia

Opening the Floodgates Mekong River, the Lifeblood of Southeast Asia, Becomes Geopolitical Battleground BY DERYL DAVIS

n Aug. 1, diplomats from the United States, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam came together in Bangkok to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Lower Mekong Initiative, or LMI. A multinational partnership established in 2009 between the U.S. and the nations of mainland Southeast Asia (Myanmar joined in 2012), the LMI focuses on health, education and infrastructure development in the lands that rely on Southeast Asia’s most important river. But as attendees celebrated a decade of cooperation, upriver on the Nam Ou, a tributary of the Mekong in Laos, Chinese contractors were busily working on a series of dams that both threaten the Mekong’s downstream environment and herald China’s expansive, and perhaps newly dominant, presence in the region. The action hundreds of miles north of Bangkok did not escape the notice of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. In opening remarks at the LMI meeting, Pompeo cited the upstream dam construction — a signature piece of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) — as the reason for the Mekong’s current decade-low water levels. Similarly, Pompeo decried China’s “extraterritorial” presence on the river, as well as its attempts to rewrite international rules for its governance. Given the river’s strategic importance as an economic and trade lifeline for Southeast Asia, China’s control of the Mekong could have far-reaching repercussions for the region — and for America’s role in it. Some have even compared Chinese investment in the Mekong with its expansionism in the contested waters of the South China Sea, where Beijing’s military buildup has led to tensions with Washington. A recent headline in the online Asia Times read “China Winning New Cold War on the Mekong,” in reference to Beijing’s expansive economic diplomacy in the region versus American efforts such as the Lower Mekong Initiative. Is America losing the struggle for influence in the Mekong, as the Times suggests? Are efforts such as the LMI, however worthy, simply too weak to meaningfully impact either geopolitics or environmental policy in Southeast Asia? According to Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, the LMI “was a solid start toward placing a higher U.S. priority on the Mekong,” but such U.S.-backed efforts will inevitably fall short given China’s geographic proximity to the region and the massive

PHOTO: SASIN TIPCHAI / PIXABAY

A woman harvests a rice plantation in Vietnam. The Mekong River provides food and livelihoods for tens of millions of people in China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, but because China controls the uppermost portion of the river, what it chooses to do upstream has an enormous impact on the countries downstream.

“

[D]ownstream countries do not have that much leverage over China.... [and] the U.S. is never going to be as influential an actor in mainland Southeast Asia. JOSHUA KURLANTZICK

”

senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations

development funds at its disposal. The U.S. simply can’t match what China can do in its own backyard. In addition, Kurlantzick noted that China “is the most critical actor” in preserving the environmental integrity of the Mekong, where the diversity of fish species is second only to the Amazon. The river starts in the Tibetan Plateau, controlled by China, and runs hundreds of miles through China’s Yunnan Province before reaching Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and then draining into the South China Sea. China incorporates 21% of the river’s total basin area, only surpassed by Laos and Thailand. What China does upstream, either on its part of the Mekong, called the Lancang Jiang, or on that of

10 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

its neighbors, affects nearly everyone below. That includes roughly 60 million people who rely on the river and its vast network of life-sustaining waterways for food and jobs.

ENVIRONMENTAL DANGERS

But that downstream dependence is being threatened by development upstream. China’s construction of hydropower dams and its plans to widen the Mekong to make room for larger vessels could wreak havoc on the river’s fragile ecosystem, depleting fish stocks and reducing the flow of sediment to farmers below. Brian Eyler, director of the Stimson

Center’s Southeast Asia program and author of “The Last Days of the Mighty Mekong,” fears that the deluge of massive infrastructure projects could sap what for generations has been the lifeblood of Southeast Asia. He said China’s current flurry of dam building is only an intimation of what may be to come: A projected 400 dams along the entire Mekong basin, bringing with them an almost incalculably disastrous environmental impact unless significant changes are made to current development models. “These [dams] are being built without real consideration of the downstream impact,” Eyler said, noting that the 11 upstream dams that China has completed to date hold back some 47 million liters of water — as much as in the Chesapeake Bay. “The river system provides so much for these countries,” including 2.6 billion tons of fish catch per year and over 50% of Vietnam’s rice export, he added. “All of this is stressed by upstream dams and industrial development.” Eyler said there is scant evidence that the Mekong countries are moving toward a more sustainable view of the river in the future. While it might not SEE M EKONG • PAGE 12

LOOKING MORE LOOKING FOR MORE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS? INTERNATIONAL LOOKING FORSTUDENTS? MORE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS?

Connect with Foreign Connect with Foreign Embassies Embassies in in thethe U.S.U.S. at at Connect with Foreign Embassies in the U.S. at

TheThe Washington Diplomat Washington Diplomat The Washington Diplomat

Global Education Education Conference Global Conference

Global Education Conference NOVEMBER 2019 November 12,12, 2019

•

November 12, 2019

| Washington Embassy of France 4101 Reservoir NW DC 20007 Embassy of France ◆ 4101 Reservoir Rd Rd NW | Washington, DC 20007

Embassy of France ◆ 4101 Reservoir Rd NW | Washington, DC 20007

Call (301) 933-3552

or email events@washdiplomat.com

Call (301) 933-3552 2019 | or email: events@washdiplomat.com SEPTEMBER

THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 11

Mekong CONTINUED • PAGE 10

be the last days of the river, he warned “it could be the last days of the mightiness that defines the economic livelihood of the tens of millions of people who rely on it.” But there may not be much that people can do about it. Mekong basin countries are heavily reliant on Beijing for trade and investment. That reliance is only set to grow with China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which would create a modern-day Silk Road that stretches from Asia to Europe. While Chinese-funded infrastructure projects have sparked local backlash and warnings of debt-trap diplomacy, they have been largely welcomed by less-developed countries such as Cambodia and Laos that struggle with poverty and a lack of cheap electricity. Critics say the advantages of Chinese development are not worth the risks — which is especially true of hydropower dams that can destroy the livelihoods of farmers and fishermen along the Mekong. But given China’s growing economic clout and its natural geographic advantage, Mekong countries have limited influence over Beijing’s ambitions for the river. “[D]ownstream countries do not have that much leverage over China,” Kurlantzick said, adding that “it’s unclear what would pressure China to change its current course” of massive development along the Mekong to address environmental concerns. In regards to both politics and the environment, he told us that the U.S. “is never going to be as influential an actor in mainland Southeast Asia” — at least in Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar — as China is.

LOWER MEKONG INITIATIVE

The Lower Mekong Initiative was designed in part to address this problem by enhancing cooperation between the U.S. and Southeast Asia in light of China’s growing presence in the region. “The LMI is at a turning point,” said Eyler. Like other regional experts, he said that the LMI needed to be revamped because it never had the resources for a larger strategic impact. “The sense has been that the stakeholders in Southeast Asia felt that the LMI wasn’t really effective,” he told us. “There were never a lot of funds for it, and it wasn’t responding to the needs on the ground as articulated by those stakeholders.”

CREDIT: STATE DEPARTMENT PHOTO BY RON PRZYSUCHA

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, third from left, participates in a Lower Mekong Initiative ministerial family photo in the Thai capital of Bangkok on Aug. 1. Bottom photo, boats crowd a floating market in Bangkok.

sity. “Economically, they are among the fastest-growing in the world. Over the past three decades, Vietnam has been the fastest growing, just after China, with 7% growth a year and more coming.” Malesky credited this economic expansion to various factors. In those countries with more centralized, planned economies, governments have succeeded in fostering growth by “getting out of the way,” reducing regulations and making it easier for entrepreneurs to set up shop, as China did during its economic rise.

Part of the problem, Eyler suggested, has been a “soft, behind-the-scenes” approach — such as efforts to improve literacy or skills training for instance — that contrasted poorly with what some perceived as China’s more muscular approach. But that may be changing, Eyler said. As the Trump administration re-examines its involvement in the Mekong region, there have been calls for the U.S. to respond more vigorously and “start building things” as China is doing, rather than focusing on soft diplomacy alone. At the Aug. 1 Bangkok meeting, Pompeo announced several new initiatives aimed at reinvigorating the LMI. Among them are a Japan-U.S. Mekong Power Partnership (JUMP) to develop regional electricity grids; additional money for fighting transnational crime, drug smuggling and human trafficking; and an upcoming Indo-Pacific con-

12 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

ference focused on strengthening rules-based governance of transboundary rivers, including the Mekong. But none of these initiatives has much money, and their overall significance, however positive, pales in comparison to China’s development push. However, Eyler cautions against seeing the LMI as the only marker of American influence in the region. “The U.S. effort in the Mekong is very diverse,” he said, “which can create a perception that the country is weak in the region.” While the LMI “draws a spotlight and is viewed as America’s flagship in the Mekong,” Eyler said that “America’s performance is much wider than that.” He cited a number of USAID projects in the region, as well as thriving trade between the U.S. and Southeast Asia, growing academic and research exchanges, and the presence of numerous Western civil society and conser-

PHOTO: DEAN MORIARTY / PIXABAY

vation organizations. “All are hard at work in the region, and they aren’t connected to the LMI.” According to Piper Campbell, former chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Mission to ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), the five countries of the Mekong export $74.3 billion in goods to the U.S., and over 1,000 U.S. companies now operate in the Mekong region, making it one of the most attractive areas in the world for U.S. investment. In fact, economically, times have been good for a sizable portion of the 70 million-plus people who live within the Mekong River basin and the nearly 243 million who populate the countries its waterways reach. “These countries have definitely fulfilled their promise in terms of growth, especially Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar,” said Edmund Malesky, an expert on Southeast Asia at Duke Univer-

MEKONG MIMICS CHINA’S JOURNEY

But like China, economic growth has not translated into democratic gains along the Mekong. If anything, the trend has been in the opposite direction, toward more illiberal politics and entrenched authoritarianism. Thailand, the only Mekong country with some semblance of a functioning democracy, has nevertheless been plagued by military coups throughout much of its history. Its current prime minister is a former general — and leader of the most recent coup in 2014 — who came into office by means of a highly suspect election after his military junta cracked down on the opposition and changed the constitution. In Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power since 1985, effectively eliminated opposition parties in 2018, making his country a virtual single-party state. His government has also shut down independent media outlets and civil society groups.

While the United States has cut aid to Cambodia and repeatedly denounced Hun Sen — who extended his rule after winning elections last July that were widely seen as a farce — the dictator has been largely insulated from outside pressure thanks to financial and political backing from Beijing. Meanwhile, Vietnam has followed China’s path by liberalizing its economy but preserving a communist system that maintains an iron grip on power. Hopes for Myanmar, placed in Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi after her National League for Democracy’s historic victory in 2015, have been dashed, too, amid ongoing persecution and displacement of the country’s Rohingya Muslim minority. The United Nations has called the Burmese military’s assault on the Rohingya “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.” “It’s not obvious that economic growth will generate democracies,” said Malesky. “If anything, the economic growth in these countries has consolidated decisionmaking institutionally, rather than broadening it. In all of these countries, there’s been a consolidation of power and a removal of institutional actors that could veto that power.” The silencing of opposition voices is what concerns Olivia Enos, an expert in human rights and Asian national security at the Heritage Foundation who recently testified before Congress about human rights abuses in Southeast Asia. She said that we have learned from the experience of China that “economic liberalization does not automatically lead to political and human rights. That was an assumption we made when we opened up to China decades ago.” Today, the same assumptions are being made of Mekong countries. “We have seen economic growth, but not transformation of the political landscape,” Enos said, warning policymakers not to conflate economic liberalization with civil freedoms, citing Cambodia and Myanmar as “real backsliders” with regards to human rights. Although Enos does not charge the current U.S. administration with ignoring these challenges, she believes the American response to human rights abuses in Southeast Asia “has been inconsistent” because of fears that U.S. criticism could drive countries like Cambodia and Myanmar closer to China. “That’s a common refrain, that we will push them into China’s arms,” Enos said. “But these countries are going to SEE M EKONG • PAGE 37

Cover Profile | WD

Pakistani Roller-Coaster India Turmoil, Afghan Talks May Be Diplomatic Opportunities for Islamabad BY JASON OVERDORF

t has been a busy few months for Asad Majeed Khan, Pakistan’s top diplomat in Washington — who submitted his credentials to the U.S. president in January. At the beginning of July, the International Monetary Fund approved a $6 billion bailout package for his country that could be political kryptonite for his populist boss, Prime Minister Imran Khan. A week later, authorities at home arrested the alleged mastermind of the November 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, on charges of financing terrorism. At the same time, Pakistan joined the U.S., Russia and China’s trilateral consultations on the Afghanistan peace process for the first time. A week after that, Pakistan’s prime minister met President Trump on July 22 in the first such official visit since the U.S. president suspended security aid to the erstwhile American ally and accused Islamabad of “nothing but lies & deceit” over the past 15 years. And before the dust could settle from Trump’s abrupt flip-flop from trenchant critic to gushing fan or his controversial (and false) claim that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to “mediate” the India-Pakistan conflict over Kashmir, Modi sent thousands of troops into the disputed territory and summarily revoked the special status the Indianadministered portion has enjoyed since the 1940s. The surprise announcement prompted Islamabad to expel India’s ambassador and suspend trade between the two nuclear-armed rivals, which have already fought multiple wars over Kashmir. In fact, on the day of our interview with Ambassador Khan, about two dozen demonstrators had gathered in front of the Indian Embassy to protest Modi’s decision to eliminate autonomy for Kashmir, which has been under a security lockdown and information blackout ever since. For Ambassador Khan, the frenzied activity is just the new normal — and the regional turmoil may even translate into a diplomatic opportunity.

‘FIRST LOVE’

A 29-year career diplomat, Khan (no relation to Prime Minister Khan) was Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires to the United States from May 2013 to January 2014 and deputy chief of mission in D.C. from March 2012 to September 2015 before a brief stint as his country’s envoy to Japan. But the change upon his return has been as dramatic as day and night — and perhaps day again, given

“

PHOTO: LAWRENCE RUGGERI

There is a growing recognition [in both the White House and the Pentagon] of that fundamental shift that has taken place in Pakistan, with our prime minister and our leadership being committed to putting our house in order, to pursue peace regionally, to create conditions domestically to enable the economic rejuvenation and revival of the country. ASAD MAJEED KHAN, ambassador of Pakistan to the United States

the new bonhomie. “It’s a different White House. When I was coming back, everybody said you are going to a familiar place,” told us. “But I think Washington is defined by the incumbent in the White House. That way it is a different place, and like many other diplomats, I’m still in the process of discovering it.” The envoy’s engagement with America has itself been a big change. Beginning his career in Pakistan’s foreign service in the 1990s, Khan requested a posting in Japan so that he could learn Japanese at the tail end of the euphoria surrounding the meteoric rise of its electronics and automobile industries. He learned the language, embraced sushi and completed his doctorate at Kyushu University in 2002 after it launched its first Ph.D. program in English. When he eventually returned

as his country’s ambassador to Tokyo in August 2017, he described Japan as “a second home.” “In diplomacy, they say that your first posting is like your first love,” said Khan, a trim, soft-spoken man who looks a little like a country lawyer in his light gray, summer-weight suit and polka-dot tie. “I was very lucky actually to have gone back as ambassador to the place where I started my career.” That career has been divided almost equally between the two countries, he noted, saying that the first half was “all Japan” and the second half was “all the United States.” The differences between the two cultures are stark enough. But the differences between Pakistan’s relationships with the two governments and the work of its envoys in Tokyo and Washington are far broader. In Japan, “the conversations are

”

mostly focused on economics, business and trade issues,” Khan said, “whereas in the case of the United States ... it is a kind of a security-focused relationship.”

TUMULTUOUS SECURITY

That might be an understatement. Although the ambassador noted that America is Pakistan’s largest singlecountry export destination and one of its largest sources of foreign direct investment and remittances, security has long been at the core of the U.S.-Pakistan relationship. The United States has had strong ties to Pakistan since it gained its independence from Britain in 1947. Washington favored Islamabad over New Delhi throughout the Cold War, when India’s SEE PAK IS TAN • PAGE 14 SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 13

A man walks along the Kargil War Memorial in the Indian-administrated portion of Kashmir. The conflict took place in 1999 between Indian and Pakistani forces in the Kargil district along the Line of Control in the disputed territory (seen at left, with the green representing the Pakistani-controlled portion and the orange designating India’s side). India and Pakistan have fought several wars over Kashmir since their independence in 1947. Observers worry that India’s recent decision to strip Kashmir of its autonomy could spark yet another clash.

PHOTO: CIA

Pakistan CONTINUED • PAGE 13

prominent role in the NonAligned Movement prompted the U.S. to view Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi (his daughter) with a gimlet eye. In contrast, Pakistan eagerly allied with the U.S. and in the 1980s played a vital role in Washington’s now infamous efforts to thwart the Soviet Union’s expansion in Central Asia by helping to fund, arm and train the mujahideen rebels in Afghanistan. Those rebels went on to become the Taliban and ever since Sept. 11, 2001, bilateral relations between Islamabad and Washington have essentially been defined by the socalled war on terror, which spurred the George W. Bush administration to immediately end all remaining economic sanctions on India and Pakistan related to their nuclear programs and to name Pakistan a major non-NATO ally in 2002. For nearly two decades, the prosecution of the associated war in Afghanistan handcuffed the two allies together, even as the relationship soured, because the Pentagon needed routes through Pakistan to supply U.S.-led coalition forces. But mistrust and mutual recriminations remain a hallmark of the relationship, particularly after 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden was found hiding in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad in 2011. The bin Laden raid bolstered Washington’s longstanding accusations that Pakistan tacitly supports certain radical militant groups, including the Taliban, as a counterweight to Indian influence in the region, particularly in Afghanistan. (India’s growing economic and military ties to the U.S. have also strained Washington’s relations with Pakistan, which has been forging stronger economic links to China.)

Echoing those frustrations, in January the Trump administration suspended nearly all security aid to Pakistan — roughly $1.3 billion — for allegedly sheltering Taliban militants and other terrorist networks. Islamabad counters that it has sacrificed more in the war on terror than any other nation, with tens of thousands of Pakistani civilians and soldiers killed by Islamist extremists and hundreds of thousands displaced as the government waged an offensive against militant groups at America’s behest. It also accuses Washington of discounting claims that terrorist groups that target Pakistan such as Tehrik-i-Taliban have found sanctuary in Afghanistan. Despite the bad blood, neither side can afford to walk away from their uneasy union: Pakistan’s struggling economy needs U.S. assistance, while Washington needs to ensure the stability of a geostrategic, nuclear-armed nation (also see “Envoy Says Islamabad Wants to Continue ‘Exceptional Relationship’ with U.S.” in the July 2017 issue). President Trump also appears to have discovered that he needs Islamabad (or the army leadership in Rawalpindi and their compatriots in the Inter-Services Intelligence agency, or ISI) to help him negotiate the semblance of an orderly withdrawal from Afghanistan. Ambassador Khan explained the situation more tactfully. “The president has been consistent at least in terms of wanting peace in Afghanistan, of working toward a political settlement in Afghanistan,” he said. “Our prime minister also is someone who has over the years consistently maintained that there is no military solution, that the only way forward is through dialogue and reconciliation. The alignment is that we have two leaders, one in Washington and the other in Islamabad, who see eye to eye in terms of there being no other alternative but to work

14 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

PHOTO: ANIKET SINGH / PIXABAY

CREDIT: OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BY SHEALAH CRAIGHEAD

President Trump walks with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan during Khan’s July 22 visit to the White House — the first such official visit since the U.S. president suspended security aid to Pakistan, accusing Islamabad of “nothing but lies & deceit.”

toward a political settlement in Afghanistan.” At the same time, during his recent meeting with President Trump, Pakistan’s charismatic prime minister was also able to convey his conviction that no country, other than Afghanistan itself, has paid as high a price as Pakistan in the conflict — to the tune of 70,000 casualties and financial losses of more than $150 billion. “The president’s thinking seems to have also evolved” since his pronouncement of Pakistan’s lies and deceit, Ambassador Khan said, noting that up until the prime minister’s recent visit, “there was actually this complete disconnect.”

KASHMIRI TINDERBOX

The international community’s thinking about Pakistan’s archrival India may also be changing in light of recent tensions in Kashmir — which might well have been India’s Hindu nationalist prime min-

PHOTO: BY ALAMGIRKHAN909 - OWN WORK, CC BY-SA 3.0

Pashtuns sit along a path in the Baizai area of Pakistan’s Federal Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Since 9/11, the semi-autonomous area along the Afghan border has been an epicenter in the fight against cross-border terrorism, with Washington accusing Pakistan of turning a blind eye to certain terrorist groups to further its geostrategic aims, while Islamabad counters that it has suffered tens of thousands of casualties clearing terrorists from its lawless tribal areas.

ister’s response to the renewal of the U.S.-Pakistan alliance in Afghanistan. Experts have also suggested that Modi’s decision to revoke Article 370 — which granted significant autonomy to the Indian-administered portion of Kashmir (a smaller slice is controlled by Pakistan) — was an effort to divert attention away from India’s flagging economy and recent skirmish-

es with Pakistan. A muscular approach toward Kashmir also helps Modi burnish his credentials with his Hindu base. The prime minister’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has long pushed to take away the special privileges accorded to Kashmir following the 1947 partition that established India and Pakistan. (Muslimmajority Kashmir agreed to join India after the partition

largely because of the rights enshrined in Article 370.) Modi claims the move will bring much-needed investment and jobs to the restive Himalayan province, but critics say his true intention is to allow non-Kashmiri Hindus to own land in the region in an effort to dilute its predominantly Muslim population. Pakistani Prime Minister Khan, who says India has rebuffed repeated attempts at dialogue, is taking the issue of Kashmir to the U.N. Security Council and the International Court of Justice. He’s urged other countries to pressure India and threatened to “teach Delhi a lesson,” although he cautioned that Pakistan would only act in self-defense and not provoke a conflict. Some have praised Khan’s restraint. “Khan has deftly managed two crises with India: one in February, when India conducted unilateral airstrikes in Pakistani territory, and the other in July, when New Delhi annexed parts of the disputed Kashmir region under its control,” wrote Arif Rafiq of the Middle East Institute in a recent brief. “Khan is behaving like a statesman, not a populist, in a time in which both Pakistan and the rest of the world desperately need more of them.” But others aren’t so complimentary. Khan has been criticized for likening India’s actions to genocide. He also warned in a speech before parliament that the military crackdown in Kashmir would spark a backlash. But to India and many independent observers, the particular warning he chose — “incidents like Pulwama are bound to happen again” — hinted at the exact sort of state-sponsored cross-border terrorism he has pledged to eradicate. Khan was referring to a Feb. 14 suicide attack on a convoy of Indian security officers in the Kashmiri district of Pul-

wama that killed 46 Indian soldiers. Pakistanbased Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed responsibility for attack, although the driver of the explosives-laden vehicle was a local Kashmiri. “Regardless of what Imran Khan says or does, the ISI is going to ramp stuff up in Kashmir,” said Indiana University professor Sumit Ganguly, who is also critical of Modi’s move to curtail rights in the disputed territory. “They’re going to suggest that this is simply the result of India’s actions and an aggrieved and disenchanted population is lashing out. I can write the script for them.” That near-universal suspicion makes Ambassador Khan’s job a difficult one, even as reports of India’s harsh crackdown reopen a window of opportunity for Pakistan to seize the moral high ground after years of global opprobrium related to the alleged complicity of its deep state in the Mumbai attacks and double-dealing in Afghanistan. But the envoy insisted that the abrogation of rights in Kashmir and two disproven stories of Indian triumphs in retaliation for the Pulwama attack — a so-called “surgical strike” in which New Delhi claimed to have destroyed a terrorist camp and killed 300 jihadists on Pakistani territory and a dubious boast that one of its outdated MiGs shot down a Pakistani F-16 — have badly dented Modi’s credibility. Khan believes that makes the world more open to believing Pakistan’s contention that many, if not all, of the attacks in Indian-administered Kashmir are organized locally (in part by alienated youth) and that Pakistan does not aid groups like Jaish-e-Mohammad in crossing the border. The ambassador also hopes it makes other countries more sympathetic to Pakistan’s argument that Modi’s recent actions are a violation of the United Nations-brokered agreement that divided Kashmir along the so-called Line of Control and called for its status to be resolved through a plebiscite, whose outcome could potentially tilt in favor of Pakistan. “There is always a story that is the real story, a truth at the bottom of everything. In the case of India, gradually with Prime Minister Modi, I think the reality is becoming more and more obvious to the rest of the world,” Khan said. “For us, it’s about having the truth come out. It’s about the international community seeing the reality on the ground, and the reality is that India is using excessive force in Kashmir, India is using a lot of repression in Kashmir.” Indeed, as of press time, the region of 12 million residents remains severed from most communications, travel has been curtailed and hundreds of local activists reportedly have been arrested, although India denies claims that it has violently broken up protests and downplayed the size of those demonstrations. In an Aug. 12 op-ed in The Washington Post, the ambassador praised Trump’s seeming willingness to mediate the dispute over Kashmir, saying that India’s unilateral decision to scrap Article 370 is “a slap in the face of this renewed American commitment to solve one of the world’s most dangerous and intractable conflicts.” He urged the U.S. “to do what it can to prevent India from precipitating another crisis.” But Trump has repeatedly shown that he has little interest in becoming involved in conflicts abroad. And despite skepticism of Modi’s dubious claims about Kashmir, many others still see merit in Trump’s discarded narrative of Pakistani “lies and deceit.”

TACKLING TERRORISM IN ITS BACKYARD

But the ambassador says his country’s thinking about terrorism has evolved significantly since the days when Trump’s one-time rival, Hillary Clinton, referred to terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Haqqani network as pet snakes reared by the ISI in its backyard. Khan told us that the sea change came not as the result of Trump’s freeze on security aid or the placement of Pakistan on the so-called “gray list” by the intergovernmental Financial Action

Pakistan at a Glance Independence Day Aug. 14, 1947

(from British India)

Location Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north Capital Islamabad Population 207.8 million (July 2018 estimate) Ethnic groups Punjabi 44.7%, Pashtun

(Pathan) 15.4%, Sindhi 14.1%, Saraiki 8.4%, Muhajirs 7.6%, Balochi 3.6%, other 6.3%

Religious groups Muslim (official) 96.4%

(Sunni 85-90%, Shia 10-15%), other (includes Christian and Hindu) 3.6% (2010 estimate)

GDP (purchasing power parity) $1 trillion (2017 estimate)

Flag of Pakistan

GDP per-capita (PPP) $6,900 (2017 estimate) GDP growth 5.4 percent (2017 estimate) Unemployment 6 percent (2017 estimate) Population below poverty line 29.5 percent (2013 estimate)

Industries Textiles and apparel, food

processing, pharmaceuticals, surgical instruments, construction materials, paper products, fertilizer, shrimp SOURCE: CIA WORLD FACTBOOK

terrorism cases since adopting the National Action Plan. Yet over the past year, Pakistan has only managed to comply with around half of the 27 action items the FATF specified in August 2018, increasing the chances it will remain on the gray list or even be blacklisted at the upcoming final review in October — a development that might result in the revoking of its IMF loan, according to Bloomberg. That could be disastrous for Pakistan’s economy, which, despite steady growth over the last decade, has been plagued by soaring inflation, rising debt, low rates of tax collection, endemic corruption and unemployment. Khan, a former cricket star turned nationalist redeemer, took power on pledges to boost social spending and lift 100 million people out of poverty. However, those promises run counter to the unpopular austerity measures that the IMF will demand in return for its most recent bailout. Yet even the prime minister conceded that Pakistan needs the IMF and “can’t afford to be blacklisted” by the FATF, according to an interview he did with Jeffrey Gettleman of The New York Times in April. “We have decided, for the future of our country — forget the outside pressure — we will not allow armed militias to operate any more.”

THE AFGHAN CATCH-22

PHOTO: BY NOMI887 - OWN WORK, CC BY-SA 4.0

New towers are constructed at Karachi Clifton Beach. While Pakistan has enjoyed steady economy growth in the last several years, it was recently forced to take a $6 billion bailout from the IMF to address soaring inflation, rising debt, low rates of tax collection and endemic corruption.

Task Force (FATF) in June 2018 for failing to fully implement plans to prevent local groups from financing terrorism. Pakistan’s thinking changed much earlier, after a terrorist attack on an army-run school in Peshawar by the Tehriki-Taliban killed 148 people, most of them children, in December 2014. “The brutality with which the extremists killed those children and their teachers fundamentally shifted the curve in Pakistan, and it brought together everyone,” he said. And although Prime Minister Khan is sometimes described as handpicked by the same militaryintelligence complex that India and many independent analysts say arms and finances terror groups to wage a low-intensity proxy war in Kashmir, the crackdown outlined in former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ’s 2014 National Action Plan has intensified during Khan’s administration, which took office in August 2018. “The action actually started in January. The additional proscribed groups happened much before the visit, actions against the non-state actors and the groups that were likely to or actually abusing our territory,” Khan said, referring to the reinstatement of a ban on Lashkar-e-Tabia’s (LeT) political arm, which is still helmed by Hafiz Saeed, and another of Saeed’s charities that is widely viewed as a front organization. Those efforts culminated with the arrest of Saeed and several of his top lieutenants and the freezing of the organizations’ assets in July. “We have taken a slew of measures. And it’s not just measures in terms of going after those [people]; it’s also measures in terms of stopping the financing part of it, disbanding the outfits, drying up their sources. The depth, the breadth and the degree of these actions is what makes them different from whatever we have done in the past,” said Khan. “There is a growing recognition [in both the

White House and the Pentagon] of that fundamental shift that has taken place in Pakistan, with our prime minister and our leadership being committed to putting our house in order, to pursue peace regionally, to create conditions domestically to enable the economic rejuvenation and revival of the country,” he added. Strategic analyst Shuja Nawaz, a fellow at the Atlantic Council and the author of several books on Pakistan, was more measured. But he agreed there is some reason for optimism that things could be different today from when former President Pervez Musharraf made a similar commitment but could not bring the country’s generals and spymasters on board. “In this case both the civilian government and military seem to be working together, maybe largely at the military’s behest,” Nawaz said, citing a statement from the army chief that “only the state has the monopoly of power in the country.” Other experts like Ganguly remain unconvinced, pointing to multiple instances in which Saeed was detained and later released, alleged terror groups were banned and unbanned, and assets were frozen and unfrozen. “These are all cosmetic gestures and they’re entirely reversible,” Ganguly said, arguing that only the LeT founder’s conviction and imprisonment would convince him that the crackdown is genuine. (“What is good intelligence is not always good evidence,” Ambassador Khan countered, referring to the challenge of prosecuting the alleged terrorist in the court system.) The FATF, too, appears to be skeptical. The multinational body formally placed Pakistan on its “gray list” last year despite the country’s claim to have frozen hundreds of accounts linked to terrorist suspects and extremist groups. The government says it has also registered 150-odd terrorism-financing cases and more than 2,000

But Georgetown University professor Christine Fair argues that Trump’s sudden embrace of Pakistan has nothing to do with its new commitment to fighting terror — or, more pointedly, to eliminating proxy groups that the army and ISI allegedly use to attack India, such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, as well as groups like the Tehrik-i-Taliban that target the Pakistani establishment. Rather, the looming presidential election has made Trump willing to strike a deal on Afghanistan and extract U.S. forces from the war-torn country, regardless of the long-term consequences. It’s a kind of Catch-22. The reduction of America’s forces in Afghanistan makes the supply route through Pakistan less important. But the clear signal that all the Taliban needs to do to win the war is wait America out makes Pakistan virtually the only lever Washington has to push them to the negotiating table — because the families of many of the top Taliban leaders live in protected communities on the Pakistani side of the border. Like Trump, Pakistan has a strong incentive to see the war next door come to a close, which would bring a measure of stability to its volatile border with Afghanistan. But some U.S. officials fear that Pakistan will use its bargaining leverage to prod Trump into rushing the troop withdrawal — while sidelining the Afghan government — in the hopes of returning the Taliban to power and installing an ally friendly to Pakistan’s interests (and antithetical to India’s). At the same time, another reality may be becoming more and more obvious to Trump. And that is that Pakistan would like to leverage its importance in Afghanistan to move the needle on Kashmir — as illustrated by Ambassador Khan’s statement to The New York Times that Islamabad might be forced to move troops from its border with Afghanistan to its frontier in the disputed territory. While Khan told the newspaper that Kashmir and Afghanistan were separate issues, he said that tensions with India “could not have come at a worse time for us,” implying that the situation in Kashmir could throw a wrench into peace talks with the Taliban — and Trump’s plans to bring America’s longest war to an end. “Trump, more than perhaps other presidents before him, really prizes making his campaign promises come to fruition…. It’s really important for Trump to get out of Afghanistan by the 2020 election,” Fair said. “[And] the Pakistanis have a lot of control over these guys.” WD

Jason Overdorf (jasonoverdorf.com) is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 15

WD | Western Hemisphere

Institutional Limits Nestor Mendez Discusses OAS Priorities in Wake of Venezuela, Migrant Crises BY LARRY LUXNER

enezuela’s ongoing political chaos continues to dominate Latin American headlines, with the massive exodus of migrants from Central America also inflaming passions in the United States, Mexico and elsewhere throughout the hemisphere. Yet the Organization of American States — the main body formed to deal with such emergencies — finds itself unable to do much about either crisis other than issue proclamations, pass resolutions and attempt to shame bad actors into doing the right thing. At the OAS’s 49th General Assembly in Medellín, Colombia, OAS Secretary-General Luís Almagro of Uruguay admitted as much, while dismissing any possibility of military intervention in Venezuela. “To remove the dictatorship of the 21st century, there is no magic formula,” he declared. “We hope that political pressure continues to accumulate.” It was a stark admission for Almagro, one of the most vociferous critics of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, that the momentum to oust the embattled Chavista protégé has stalled despite a raft of U.S. sanctions on Venezuela, including on its vital state-run oil sector. More recently, President Trump further tightened the noose by freezing all Venezuelan government assets in the U.S. and authorizing sanctions on foreign companies and individuals that do business with the Maduro administration. Whether Maduro will survive the latest U.S. restrictions — which put Venezuela in a league with Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria — remains to be seen. But a concerted international push to oust Maduro by supporting Juan Guaidó, the self-declared president who has been recognized by over 50 countries, has failed to gain traction (also see “Exclusive: Venezuela’s U.S.-Recognized Envoy Insists Democracy Will Triumph Over Dictatorship” in the March 2019 issue). Meanwhile, peace talks between the government and the opposition have been slowgoing, with the latest round of U.S. sanctions threatening to derail the negotiations.

The Organization of American States holds its 49th General Assembly in June in Medellín, Colombia, where OAS Secretary-General Luís Almagro dismissed any possibility of military intervention in Venezuela.

“

PHOTO: JUAN MANUEL HERRERA / OAS

We don’t have peacekeeping forces like the United Nations. We depend on moral authority.

It’s been over six months since Guaidó tried to get Venezuela’s military forces to switch sides by instigating a showdown over Maduro’s humanitarian aid blockade. But so far, Maduro has retained the support of the military, which is deeply entrenched in the country’s business interests. Guaidó’s attempts to essentially force a military coup and the U.S. pressure campaign — which includes reports that the Trump administration secretly met with Venezuelan military officers hoping to depose Maduro — have divided the region, where any talk of regime change stirs ugly reminders of past U.S. meddling in Latin America. Meanwhile, the OAS has become a microcosm of these divisions. The June 26-28

16 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

NESTOR MENDEZ

”

assistant secretary-general of the Organization of American States

gathering in Colombia took place three months after the 35-member body voted to accept representatives of Venezuela’s political opposition led by Guaidó and expel the delegation that represents Maduro. That led the delegation from Uruguay — Almagro’s home country — to walk out in protest. “Uruguay considers this an attempt to impose the recognition of this delegation as legitimate representatives of Venezuela. It is no more and no less than a subjugation of the legality of the OAS,” thundered Ariel Bergamino, Uruguay’s vice foreign minister. “There is no other choice but to be against an act of this nature.” The continuing standoff between Guaidó and Maduro, who in April 2017 announced his intention to withdraw

Venezuela from the OAS, has caused the country’s oil-based economy to collapse. That has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, where everything from food to electricity is in short supply, the homicide rate has skyrocketed and nearly 90 percent of the country’s 30 million people now live in poverty. The miserable conditions have created more than 4 million refugees, with most of them fleeing to neighboring Colombia, Peru and Brazil. The Venezuelan crisis has overshadowed those of other countries in turmoil such as Haiti and Nicaragua. Nestor Mendez, who as assistant secretary-general (ASG) occupies the organization’s number-two position, said the OAS is trying to use its limited

influence to discredit the Maduro regime. “This issue has been before our Permanent Council for a long time,” he said. “They have decided that the government of Nicolás Maduro is illegitimate because of the way the last elections were conducted. The Permanent Council has also accepted the ambassador designated by Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s representative.” He added: “We have seen where OAS declarations and resolutions have an impact on the ground. These days, no government wants to be singled out as violating the human rights of its citizens or engaging in illegal activities. So whenever the OAS issues these kinds of statements, there’s generally a response.” Yet the ASG conceded that

“this case has been different, and the secretary-general has been pushing really hard to defend the principles of the institution. We don’t have peacekeeping forces like the United Nations. We depend on moral authority.” Mendez, 48, spoke to The Washington Diplomat recently from his office at the OAS headquarters on Constitution Avenue. From 2008 to 2015, Mendez represented his native Belize as ambassador to both the United States and the OAS. He was elected to his current role in March 2015 and assumed his post four months later; his term expires in July 2020 and he’s already begun working on his re-election campaign. As ASG, Mendez is in charge of the OAS Secretariat when Almagro isn’t present. He’s also secretary of the Permanent Council and the General Assembly, and supervises the OAS network of offices in each country. Mendez said the four main pillars guiding the OAS are promotion of democracy, protection of human rights, integral development and multidimensional security. “By and large, we have democratically elected governments in every country, [but] thinking of democracy as a static situation is erroneous,” he said. “We work at strengthening our democracies every day and making them better and more reflective of the desires and requirements of our people. We will always keep working on being more democratic.” U.S. taxpayers basically keep the OAS afloat, accounting for just over 59% of the organization’s fiscal 2020

PHOTO: JUAN MANUEL HERRERA / OAS

Nestor Mendez, who as assistant secretary-general of the Organization of American States occupies the organization’s number-two position, said the OAS is trying to use its limited influence to discredit the Nicolás Maduro regime in Venezuela.

budget of $82.7 million. Asked outright if the organization is perceived to be Washington’s puppet, Mendez replied: “There is always that kind of suspicion.” We also asked the ASG about the Central American migrant crisis and the Trump administration’s efforts to not only build a massive wall along

the U.S.-Mexico border, but also to deny asylum to the tens of thousands of people — mainly women and children — fleeing violence and poverty in countries such as Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. “We have an obligation to work with all our member states,” he said, pointing out that “the U.S. is a very

important member state, covering more than half of our budget.” He also acknowledged — in what may fairly be called the understatement of our interview — that migration from Central America is among some “very specific issues that have captured the attention” of the White House.

In truth, it has become Trump’s rallying cry, with some even suggesting that the president’s draconian threats to close down the border have encouraged even more would-be Central American migrants to attempt the dangerous trip across Mexico before his promised $25 billion wall actually becomes reality. Moreover, the president’s decision to cut U.S. aid to Northern Triangle countries — money that helps address the very problems that are driving Central Americans to flee — has been labeled as counterproductive by his critics. Even so, Mendez said the OAS is doing what it can — with limited resources — to help people on the ground. “We have a situation in the Northern Triangle where many people risk their lives to come north. The OAS has been working with these governments to try to address the substantive reasons why people see themselves forced to migrate. Climate change is driving water issues. There’s also crime and gang activity. People feel insecure,” Mendez said. “We try to work with these countries to alleviate the core problems, but we’re also managing the issue of migrants from the perspective of human rights. We believe the fact that people are forced to leave their country does not automatically deprive them of their rights as human beings. We as an institution are acutely aware of this.” WD Larry Luxner is the Tel Aviv-based news editor of The Washington Diplomat.

E M B A S S Y R O W, D. C .

Life Is No Longer One Dimensional You’re invited to visit our NEWLY renovated space

A LOT CHANGES OVER 70 YEARS... SO HAS OUR COVERAGE. · American small plates and cocktail-centric menu · Dinner served 5PM to 10PM. Bar open to Midnight. · Sign up at www.thesallydc.com

E M B A S S Y R O W, D. C .

· Grab & Go or Sit & Sip for breakfast, lunch, or lite fare and beverages in the evening · Breakfast and/or Swing’s coffee 6AM. Lunch at 11AM. Service until 10PM · Relax by the fireplace and unwind, read a book, work on your computer, play a game

Join us where Classic Elegance Meets Modern 2100 Massachusetts Avenue, NW | Washington, D.C. 20008 (202) 293-2100 | www.fairfaxwashingtondc.com

Now offering personal Auto & Home coverage in the United States as well as abroad. Automobiles have changed a lot since 1947. Our commitment to supporting diplomats abroad and our superior customer service has not.

clements.com/diplomat | 1.800.872.0067

PROUDLY SERVING DIPLOMATS ABROAD

SINCE 1947 SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 17

WD | Global Vantag e Point

Why Peacekeeping Fails Op-ed: U.N. Peacekeeping Missions, Past and Present, Are Little More than Band-Aids BY DENNIS JETT

he United Nations was not even three years old when it launched its first peacekeeping mission in 1948. For the last 70 years, it has been continuously involved in such operations. Over that time, the conflicts to which peacekeeping has been applied have changed. As a result, the tasks assigned to peacekeepers have evolved from ones that were straightforward to those that were highly complex. As this evolution continued, in the most recently launched operations, peacekeepers have been given mandates that are impossible to accomplish. That is because peacekeeping has become a way for rich countries to send the soldiers of poor countries off to deal with wars the rich countries do not care all that much about. To understand why this is the case requires a discussion of what peacekeeping is, the conditions it needs to succeed and how today’s conflicts do not meet those conditions. This history also explains why, in each of the seven decades of United Nations peacekeeping, the number of peacekeepers who died on duty has grown, with the total now more than 3,800. Today, there are 14 U.N. peacekeeping missions employing nearly 100,000 soldiers, police and civilians at an annual cost of almost $7 billion. The current missions reflect the three stages of peacekeeping’s evolution. The oldest among them, launched in response to wars between countries over territory, can be described as classical peacekeeping. The second stage involved multidimensional operations, in which peacekeepers have undertaken a wide variety of tasks to help countries recover from civil wars. The most recently launched operations exemplify the third stage, protection and stabilization missions, in which peacekeepers have been given a mandate to protect civilians and aid governments that are threatened by violent extremism.

CLASSICAL PEACEKEEPING: UNCOMPLICATED BUT ENDLESS

In classical peacekeeping operations, the peacekeepers had the uncomplicated assignment of monitoring a demilitarized zone between two armies following a war between countries over territory. The goal was to allow both sides to have the confidence that neither was taking advantage of a ceasefire to improve its military position. The combatants had a wide variety of weapons at their disposal, but

CREDIT: UN PHOTO / MICHAEL ALI

Nepalese Peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) patrol on foot in North Kivu province.

“

[P]eacekeeping has become a way for rich countries to send the soldiers of poor countries off to deal with wars the rich countries do not care all that much about. DENNIS JETT

professor of international affairs at Penn State University

they were generally disciplined military forces that attacked each other. So while the work had its risks, the peacekeepers were not targeted. Ironically, wars between countries over territory, which is what the United Nations was established to help prevent, are very rare today. But the cause of the war — the territorial dispute — is never easily settled. As a result, classical peacekeeping operations can be endless, providing only the illusion of peace. Take, for instance, the first two operations the U.N. launched: United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, and United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) in disputed Kashmir. Even though they both have been go-

18 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

”

ing on for more than 70 years, neither shows any sign of ending. The problem with classical peacekeeping is that, while it presents peacekeepers with a manageable assignment, ending it can prove impossible because it requires the parties to agree on where the imaginary line on a map called a border is to be drawn. If a line is drawn, politicians on one or both sides of it will complain that their country lost out in the bargain. To avoid the perception of defeat, political leaders will refuse to negotiate seriously, preferring the status quo indefinitely to being accused of surrendering some of the territory over which the war was fought. Six of the 14 current operations involve classical peacekeeping. UNTSO, UNMOGIP, United Nations Peace-

keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in Syria, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNFIL) and United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) have been in existence for a combined total of more than three centuries, yet there is no prospect of any of them being brought to a successful conclusion. For instance, because the U.S. government has said it recognizes Israel’s sovereignty over the territory it occupies on the Golan Heights, and because Syria is not going to give up its claim to the land, UNDOF is unlikely to end — possibly ever. If the United States wants to save money on peacekeeping, it should push to close all six classical operations (and the non-U.N. mission in the Sinai). If the countries involved and their main supporters want to retain the peacekeepers, they should be required to pick up the tab.

MULTIDIMENSIONAL PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS

As the colonial empires of the European powers fell apart following SEE PEACEK EEPING • PAGE 20

Medical | WD

Interconnected Decline Depression, Alzheimer’s Might Be Part of Same Process in Some Aging Brains BY ROBERT PREIDT

ew research is untangling the complex relationship between symptoms of depression and losses in memory and thinking that often emerge together with Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, the new data suggests that “depression symptoms themselves may be among the early changes in the preclinical stages of dementia syndromes,” explained study lead author Dr. Jennifer Gatchel, who works in the division of geriatric psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. In the study, researchers examined brain scans and other data gathered over seven years from 276 older adults enrolled in the Harvard Aging Brain Study. All of the participants were still living independently in the community at the beginning of the study and were considered healthy. However, the analysis revealed a significant link between worsening depression symptoms and mental decline over two to seven years, and both of these trends seemed to be linked to a buildup of amyloid protein in brain tissue. The slow accumulation of amyloid has long been known as a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. “Our research found that even modest levels of brain amyloid deposition can impact the relationship between depression symptoms and cognitive [thinking] abilities,” Gatchel said in a hospital news release. This new insight that depression symptoms might be part of the Alzheimer’s process could further research into the prevention or treatment of the illness, she added. It “raises the possibility that depression symptoms could be targets in clinical trials aimed at delaying the progression of Alzheimer’s disease,” Gatchel said, so “further research is needed in this area.” The researchers stressed that not all older adults with depression and amyloid buildup will experience declines in memory and thinking, however. That suggests that other factors — for example, brain metabolism, or the volume of the brain’s memory center, the hippocampus — could link depression and mental decline. Other mechanisms — including brain degeneration caused by the protein tau (another protein long associated with Alzheimer’s), high blood pressure and inflammation

PHOTO: VSRAO / PIXABAY

“

This is very helpful research in that it identifies behavioral manifestations that may precede a diagnosis of dementia. BRITTANY LEMONDA

clinical neuropsychologist at Lenox Hill Hospital

— might play a role and need to be investigated as well. Overall, the findings suggest that depression could have multiple causes and might also “work synergistically with amyloid and related processes to affect cognition over time in older adults,” Gatchel said. Two experts in brain health agreed that the study could further dementia research and treatment. “This is very helpful research in that it identifies behavioral manifestations that may precede a diagnosis of dementia,” said Brittany LeMonda, a clinical neuropsychologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “It may alert providers to look into mood changes and depression as early symptoms of an underlying dementia and may allow patients to be diagnosed earlier,” she added.

For More Information The Alzheimer’s Association offers resources on brain health at www. alz.org/help-support/brain_health.

“Whereas in the past, depression and dementia were viewed as separate conditions that could co-occur in the same individual, we have learned now that mood and cognitive symptoms may actually be symptoms of the same underlying condition with shared pathology,” LeMonda explained. Dr. Gayatri Devi is a neurologist and psychiatrist who specializes in memory disorders at Northwell Health in New York City. She said that “depression has long been

”

known to be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, but one question that clinicians contend with is whether depression is a symptom of cognitive loss or whether it is the cognitive impairment that leads to depression.” The new research gets closer to solving that puzzle, Devi said, “and underscores that not only is it important to treat late-life depression, physicians should also be alert to, and evaluate for, cognitive loss in such persons and address that separately, as well.” The new research was published online Aug. 9 in JAMA Network Open. WD Robert Preidt is a reporter for HealthDay. Copyright © 2019 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 19

FURTHER COMPLICATIONS

Peacekeeping CONTINUED • PAGE 18

World War II, many of the new nations that emerged did not have a smooth transition to independence. Civil wars broke out as different factions fought for control of the government. These wars were waged in poor countries where, in a struggle for political power, the winner takes all and the loser is out of luck. As undisciplined armed groups clashed in these struggles, civilians thought to be supporting the other side became targets. Humanitarian disasters resulted as the noncombatants responded by fleeing the fighting, often becoming refugees in neighboring countries. Once a ceasefire was established in these wars, peacekeepers could be sent. They brought a long list of goals to accomplish to help the peace become permanent. The list could include demobilization of most of the former combatants, helping them reintegrate into civilian life; forming a new national army that was not loyal to only one faction; aiding refugees and displaced persons to return to their homes; providing humanitarian aid and development assistance to restart the economy; and holding elections in a country with little to no democratic experience. Given the cost of such operations — thousands of peacekeepers are required — there has always been pressure to achieve all the objectives on a tight schedule. If the elections produced a government with a measure of legitimacy, the peacekeepers could declare success and depart. While the United Nations has had mixed

CREDIT: UN PHOTO / PASQUAL GORRIZ

Representatives of the U.N. and Lebanese army, along with local students, mark the 40th anniversary of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

results in its multidimensional peacekeeping missions, they are, at least for the moment, largely a thing of the past. Of the current missions, only two are multidimensional. Actually, it would be more accurate to call them unidimensional now because their objectives have been drastically reduced over the years. Today, they are small operations limited to attempting to professionalize the police in Haiti and Kosovo. The remaining six current operations are all in sub-Sahara Africa, and they represent

Subscriptions are available for home delivery.

subscribe m1

year - 12 issues: $29

2 years - 24 issues: $49

As the flagship newspaper of the diplomatic community, each issue regularly features in-depth, exclusive interviews with foreign ambassadors as well incisive news stories on the latest developments in international affairs, business, diplomacy and other timely topics. Our culture section highlights events ranging from art and photography to film and theater and our Diplomatic Spotlight section offers a glimpse into the busy Washington social scene. Don't miss out… subscribe today.

Name _______________________________________________________________ Company Name _________________________________________________________ Street _______________________________________________________________ City _________________________________________________________________ State _______________________________ Zip Code __________________________ Telephone: Day ____________________ Evening ____________________________ Email:_______________________________________________________________ Method of payment: m Visa

m Money Order

m MasterCard

m Check

m American Express

m Credit Card

Exp. Date: _____/______

Credit Card Number _______________________________________________________ Billing Address ________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________CVN: ________________ Name on Card ________________________________ Signature__________________________

Send to: 1921 Florida Ave. NW #53353 Washington, DC 20009

20 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

For credit card or delivery outside the continental United States or for bulk delivery, call (301) 933-3552.

the latest evolution of U.N. peacekeeping missions. They are the protection and stabilization missions and they are the most dangerous and difficult ones with which peacekeepers have had to deal.

PEACEKEEPING IN THE FACE OF VIOLENT EXTREMISM

Traditionally, three principles have guided the conduct of peacekeepers: One, they became involved only at the invitation of the parties to the conflict; two, they were to be strictly neutral; and three, they were to use force only in self-defense. If these principles were not adhered to, a situation was created that could prove disastrous. At the risk of being tautological, peacekeepers are bound to fail if there is no peace to keep. When a ceasefire is negotiated, peacekeepers can do their work. Without one, they are either ineffective or the international community is faced with ordering them to try to impose an end to the fighting. That requires the international community to be willing to have the peacekeepers inflict and take casualties. The rise of terrorism is the reason the final stage in the evolution of peacekeeping has become so dangerous. Perhaps reflecting the lack of an agreed definition of terrorism, many in the United Nations and elsewhere prefer to use the term “violent extremism.” Terrorists are indistinguishable from noncombatants. They will use any type of weapon, and their objective is to kill innocent people to bring attention to their cause. Whatever it is called, when extremist violence comes into play, there is no role for peacekeeping. Yet peacekeepers are being asked not only to protect civilians, but often to help the government stabilize the situation and extend its control over its own territory in countries threatened by extremists. This violates all three of the traditional principles of peacekeeping and makes the peacekeepers targets. The prospect of such attacks has accelerated the trend among rich countries to decline to provide peacekeeping troops. As the operations changed from the classical variety to multidimensional missions and as the number of casualties grew and some of the missions, like the one in Angola, failed, the enthusiasm for participating waned. As peacekeeping evolved further into the protection and stabilization missions now underway in Africa, the interest of developed nations in putting their troops at risk virtually disappeared.

To make matters much worse, the five countries where these protection and stabilization missions are taking place — Mali, Sudan, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — have governments that are among the most corrupt, repressive and incompetent in the world. One need only to look at their corruption rankings by Transparency International, their political liberty rankings by Freedom House or their governance scores on the Ibrahim Index to confirm that. In addition, these countries are not particularly interested in protecting their own citizens. Their armies and police exist mainly to protect the government and not the nation as a whole or its people. Enhancing the capability of security forces alone will only strengthen their ability to keep that regime in power and to suppress any democratic alternatives. Because the wealthy nations with the most capable (and expensive) armies are unwilling to provide a significant number of troops, this most dangerous and difficult type of peacekeeping is left largely to poorly equipped and untrained soldiers from developing countries who are not going to defeat violent extremism. If the United States cannot prevail against violent extremists in Afghanistan after 18 years of trying, there is no chance that the available peacekeepers can in Africa. And asking peacekeepers to die protecting the citizens of a country whose government refuses to protect its own people is unlikely to inspire them to make that sacrifice. The fundamental problem is that there is no peace to keep and U.N. forces are incapable of imposing one because they are peacekeepers and not warfighters. Peacekeeping is a bandage, not a cure for the scourge of violent extremism. At best, it can stanch the bleeding but cannot heal the wound. But it is used nonetheless, because it is the easy alternative and it allows the U.N. to be used as a convenient scapegoat.

A BETTER WAY

Neither peacekeepers, nor the typical reaction of governments — more violence — will be able to prevent violent extremism. There is another approach that holds promise. In 2017, the United Nations Development Program interviewed 495 young African men who had voluntarily joined violent extremist groups. The study found they were motivated by a sense of grievance toward, and a lack of confidence in, their governments. For them, the extremist ideologies were a way to escape a future without hope. The study concluded that improved public policy and governance was a far more effective response to violent extremism than a military one. However, the governments in the five countries where the protection and stabilization missions are taking place will not lessen their corruption, repression and incompetence simply because it is the right thing to do. These countries, being as underdeveloped politically as they are economically, have weak legislative and judicial branches and little in the way of civil society or press freedom. The incentive to govern better will have to come from internal pressure and outside forces. Unfortunately, the autocrats need not worry too much. It is doubtful that the international community has the will, attention span and unity to make that happen. WD

Dennis Jett is a professor of international affairs at Penn State University. His 28-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service included assignments as ambassador to Peru and Mozambique and in Argentina, Israel, Malawi and Liberia. The second edition of his book “Why Peacekeeping Fails” has recently been published.

Education A Special Section of The Washington Diplomat

September 2019

PHOTO: MONKEY BUSINESS IMAGES / SHUTTERSTOCK

Creative Thinking Advocates Push for Arts Funding to Provide Students with Well-Rounded Education • s

a new academic year begins in schools across America, the issue of arts education is again at the fore. Funding for the arts in public schools, which can vary according to local districts, has by most accounts been

BY DERYL DAVIS

premier arts funding agency, allotted a mere $8 million to music programs in 2016, about the same as Sweden, a much smaller country that spends far more on the arts overall. SEE ART S • PAGE 22

SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 21

Arts CONTINUED • PAGE 21

Meanwhile, in Finland, another Nordic education powerhouse, arts classes carry the same weight as other academic classes. Researchers say it is imperative that the U.S. spend more on arts education as part of a holistic approach to children’s development. For instance, studies have shown that fine arts education — including music, theater, drawing, painting or sculpture — are integral to a well-rounded curriculum and can boost students’ proficiency in reading, writing and math. Other studies have suggested that arts education has positive emotional effects, improving self-confidence, creativity, empathy, teamwork, communication skills and students’ overall enjoyment of school, all of which may lead to fewer dropouts and disciplinary problems. One study by Elsevier in 2016 even showed that music education can temper aggressive behavior in students by relieving stress. Surveys also show that an overwhelming majorPHOTO: JURAJ VARGA/ PIXABAY ity of Americans agree that the arts are intrinsic to go. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), passed in 2015 under the Obama ada well-rounded education, wrote Brian Kisida and Daniel H. Bowen in a February 2019 article for the Brookings Institution. The ministration (which replaced the controversial No Child Left Behind legislation), think tank conducted the first-ever large-scale, randomized controlled trial study sought in part to remedy this situation, but funding remains a key issue. That has been a central concern of the National Association of Music Merchants, of a city’s collective efforts to restore arts education through community partnerships and investments. The results of the study, which surveyed elementary and or NAMM, which has lobbied for increased funding for music education since the middle schools in Houston, found that a substantial increase in arts educational creation of ESSA, in which it was involved. The nonprofit comes to Washington NOTE:experiences Although every is made to assure your ad is free of mistakes in spelling it isvoices ultimately upwho to the customer to make final every and year content to raise the of those believe arts education is athe right andproof. had a effort “remarkable” impact on students’ academic, social and emonot simply a privilege. This year, the organization’s annual D.C. “fly-in” included tional outcomes. The first two faxed changes will be made at no cost to the advertiser, subsequent changes will be billed at a rate of $75 per faxed alteration. Signed ads are considered approved. But over the last few decades, “the proportion of students receiving arts educa- television, film and stage actor Erich Bergen of the TV show “Madam Secretary”; former New York Yankee and jazz tion has shrunk drastically. This trend is primarily attributable the ad expansion of Mark Please checktothis carefully. any changes to your ad. guitarist Bernie Williams; and rapper and record standardized-test-based accountability, which has pressured schools to focus re- producer J. Dash. Bergen, who just completed a Broadway run as Dr. Pomatter in “Waitress” and sources on tested subjects, ” wrote Kisida and Bowen. “As the saying goes, what gets If the ad is correct sign and fax to: (301) 949-0065 needs changes will reprise his role as policy advisor Blake Moran in CBS’s “Madam Secretary” this measured gets done.” The Washington Diplomat (301) 933-3552 Indeed, when education budgets are slashed,Approved the arts are __________________________________________________ generally the first to fall, says his aim is to make sure that ESSA “gets funded to its fullest.” Changes ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

EXPRESS YOURSELF & UNDERSTAND OTHERS… Are you a professional looking for a challenge or a new opportunity to expand your horizons? Contact Us: Washington D.C. (202) 215-9099 Arlington, VA (703) 303-4030 Email: operations@gltcenter.com Visit us at www.globallanguage.center 22 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

“

There’s a miseducation about the arts, that they don’t have to do with anything else. I’ve noticed some people think that teaching a kid how to play a violin is teaching them to become a professional violin player growing up. But that music instruction can be just as beneficial as a science class.

”

ERICH BERGEN, actor and arts advocate

“As someone who benefited from arts education and has a public voice, I want to make sure I’m heard,” Bergen said of his advocacy efforts before lawmakers. Recognizing that “it can be hard for government to get behind anything that can’t be directly measured,” Bergen argues that the effectiveness of arts education can be measured in the success rates of students who go into many different fields, and not just artistic ones. “There’s a miseducation about the arts, that they don’t have to do with anything else,” Bergen told us. “I’ve noticed some people think that teaching a kid how to play a violin is teaching them to become a professional violin player growing up. But that music instruction can be just as beneficial as a science class.” Bergen says that early exposure to the arts benefits everyone — business people, lawyers, doctors and professional violinists. In his case, music classes helped him stay interested in school, make sense of mathematics and launched him on his future career as a singer and actor. “You couldn’t get my attention in math or basic science classes,” Bergen recalled. “But I finally understood math when I saw it on a sheet music and could apply it to sound. That’s when it all clicked. I didn’t feel like a failure any more. I was happy. The arts can do that, provide another way to get through to a child.” Research statistics provided by NAMM underscore Bergen’s experience. Music students regularly perform better than their peers in English, math and science. They generally have more advanced working memory and are better at learning a foreign language. Finally, arts and music classes correlate with fewer dropouts and suspensions, a particular problem in underfunded schools that cannot offer these

PHOTO: THE NAMM FOUNDATION

Actor Erich Bergen of the TV show “Madam Secretary” recently visited Washington, D.C., as part of a trip organized by the National Association of Music Merchants to lobby for increased funding for music education.

types of classes. While Bergen says his co-starring role on “Madam Secretary,” a Washingtonbased drama about a fictional female secretary of state, is not what drew him into arts advocacy, the celebrity profile helps. “I recognized that being on a television show about Washington, D.C., would be very useful,” Bergen said. “In doing the show, I’ve become more aware of the issues that move the country on a daily basis and are often forgotten about in the era of big politics.” Arts education is one of them. Bergen said that he and his “Madam Secretary” colleagues “get very invested” in the subject matter of each show, taking advantage of down time on the set to continue research into their characters and positions. As the program enters its sixth and final season, Bergen hopes to spend more SEE ART S • PAGE 24

Study with Purpose

Attend an upcoming on-campus or virtual information session to learn more about programs in international relations

The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) develops leaders who seek a deeper understanding of how politics, economics, and international relations drive global change.

Degrees for Experienced Professionals Monday, September 9, 5:00-6:30 p.m. On-Campus Information Session Master of Arts Friday, September 6, 6:00-7:00 p.m. On-Campus Information Session Doctor of International Affairs Thursday, September 12, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Virtual Information Session

sais.jhu.edu/diplomat

Washington, DC

> Dupont Circle

SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 23

LOOKING FOR MORE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS?

Connect with Foreign Embassies t at The Washington Diplomat

Global Education Conference November 12, 2019

Embassy of France 4101 Reservoir Road N.W. Washington, DC 20007

(Keith Carradine) of “Madam Secretary” as an example of a character who works the middle. Viewers were never told whether Dalton was a Democrat or a ReCONTINUED • PAGE 23 publican (he is an independent), and the program has studiously avoided the snare of political partisanship. time on arts education. “It shows that we are more alike than “I’d really like to be involved in going we are different,” Bergen said. “The arts directly into schools and working with have nothing to do with party. Democrats their arts programs — whatever I can do and Republicans alike enjoy music equalto educate the general public about arts ly. Both have kids who aren’t doing well education,” he said. “A lot of actors get in school or are in under-resourced inner involved in health issues and things like city schools. The arts are an equal opporthat. I’ve chosen to get involved with the tunity educator, and that’s the message we arts, which is sticky, because arts funding have to communicate.” tends to be involved with politics.” As Bergen and other advocates conDebates over arts funding, particularly tinue to press Congress for full funding of funding for the National Endowment for arts education, the actor, singer and soonthe Arts, have raged for decades, usually to-be producer has several other projects along partisan lines. While NEA funding in mind. Apropos of his advocacy efforts, was fairly steady after its creation as part Bergen said he would “love” to develop a of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Great documentary series or reality show that Society” program in 1965 to eliminate illustrates the impact of arts education. poverty and racial injustice, major cuts Such a production could bring the experiwere instituted under the Reagan admin- ence into people’s living rooms and, Beristration in the 1980s and have continued gen argues, demonstrate the importance since. of arts education firsthand. Ironically, perhaps, Bergen sees an imMeanwhile, Bergen is already developportant connection between politicians ing a new Broadway show about the life and artists. Communication for both of fashion designer Roy Halston. He’s not NOTE: Although effort“You is made your ad is free of mistakes in spelling and “is about the ‘sell,every ’” he said. haveto toassure eager, he says, to jump into “a cracontent it is ultimately up to the customer to make the back final proof. convince people with your argument why zy TV schedule” any time soon. Which you’re passionate about something.” Ber- means there is a chance, however slight, The twothat faxed be made no cost to the advertiser, subsequent changes genfirst noted he’schanges learned will to apply les- at that you might ads see him in a school music will be billed at a rate of $75 per faxed alteration. are considered approved. sons from the television set, particularly class, aftSigned er all. WD how Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord this messages ad carefully. Mark any changes to your ad. (played by TéaPlease Leoni)check gets her Deryl Davis is a contributing writer across, to his advocacy work. for The Washington Diplomat. If the ad is correct fax to:applying (301) 949-0065 needs changes “One thing sign I’m and certainly is how to tell our story in the best way posThe Washington (301) sible,” BergenDiplomat said. “How can we tell933-3552 the story we need to tell and make our point YOUR SOURCE FOR so that__________________________________________________________ people on the other side don’t see Approved DIPLOMATIC NEWS it as propaganda? We have to address peoChanges ___________________________________________________________ www.washdiplomat.com ple coming in with different mindsets.” ___________________________________________________________________ Bergen cites President Conrad Dalton

Arts

Seeking: Interns & Volunteers Opportunity to network with diplomats and attend embassy events

The Washington Diplomat is looking for editorial and marketing/event planning interns. We are also looking for volunteers who are interested in working occasional international events. Non-paid only.

Call (301) 933-3552

or email: events@washdiplomat.com 24 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

Interested? Email your resume and cover letter to: sales@washdiplomat.com

Culture arts & entertainment art

•

diplomatic spouses

•

theater

•

photography

•

music

The Washington Diplomat | September 2019

•

history

•

dining

•

film

•

events

MUSEUMS

Palestinian Haven Washington, D.C.,

is home to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the

National Museum of

the American Indian,

the National Museum

of African American History and Culture and dozens of other, smaller shrines to various ethnicities, religions and cultures. Now, it finally has one to honor the Palestinians. PAGE 27

ART

Glaring ‘Suns’ Searing, demanding and infused with empathy, “The Warmth of Other

Suns: Stories of Global Displacement” is an

exhibition that should

not be missed before it leaves Washington on Sept. 22. PAGE 28

ART

Disquieting ‘Lullaby’ “Lullaby” at the Embassy of Australia puts a feminine twist on the masculine-

infused monuments of the

nation’s capital to examine the relationship between

architecture, gender and ritual. PAGE 29

René Magritte’s “Delusions of Grandeur II”

ART

PHOTO: HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN

SPRAWLING

‘MANIFESTO’ “Manifesto: Art x Agency” at the Hirshhorn features more than 100 works of art and ephemera related to manifestos from art movements dating from the Manifesto of Futurism in 1909 and branching across Dadaism, Surrealism and other movements. PAGE 26

SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 25

WD | Culture | Art

Grandiose ‘Manifesto’ Hirshhorn Looks at How Manifestos Influenced Art Movements •

BY BRENDAN L. SMITH

Manifesto: Art x Agency THROUGH JAN. 5, 2020

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

(202) 633-1000

| WWW.HIRSHHORN.SI.EDU

n a curving darkened room at the Hirshhorn Museum, Australian actress Cate Blanchett appears simultaneously on a dozen screens inhabiting different characters. A homeless man ranting through a megaphone, a puppeteer crafting a smaller version of herself, or a housewife having dinner with Blanchett’s own real-life husband and children. For one minute in each story, the films all align as Blanchett stares straight ahead and recites excerpts from different artist manifestos in a strange robotic monotone voice. The effect is both otherworldly and unnerving, a cacophony of ideas about art from manifestos that range from pretentious to revolutionary to purely absurd. The film installation called “Manifesto” by German artist and filmmaker Julian Rosefeldt is the centerpiece of “Manifesto: Art x Agency.” Organized by Hirshhorn chief curator Stéphane Aquin, the exhibition features more than 100 works of art and ephemera related to manifestos from art movements dating from the Manifesto of Futurism in 1909 and branching across Dadaism, Surrealism and other movements. “Most manifestos are against established orders and promote a vision of what art should be about,” Aquin said. “Most of these manifestos were written by young men driven by an influx of testosterone who were having fun and wanted to change the world but also shock the bourgeois.” The exhibition features work by famous artists, including Alexander Calder, Salvador Dalí and Jackson Pollock, along with work by lesser-known artists such as George Grosz, Barnett Newman and Tsuruko Yamazaki. A timeline at the beginning of the exhibition helps make chronological sense of the jumble of manifestos beginning with Futurism, which emphasized the power of machinery to reshape the world as cars and airplanes embodied speed and reckless danger in the early 20th PHOTO: HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN century. Italian artist Giacomo Balla’s metallic “Sculptural Construction of Noise and Speed” features a geometric arrangement of sharply angled peaks with interlocking borders that resemble a topographical map of a futuristic world where mountains are carved from steel instead of earth. The exhibition moves forward to Dadaism, which emerged in Switzerland after the devastation and nihilism of World War I, with artists rejecting nationalism and shocking the hoi polloi through work that was sensational, conceptual or not really considered art at all. That includes work such as the urinal that Marcel Duchamp called “Fountain,” a crucial pivot to the artist’s readymades — ordinary objects that Duchamp selected and modified, turning the found object into art — which would influence future artists such as Robert Rauschenberg. The Hirshhorn’s collection of Dadaist work is sparse so the pieces on display are a pale version of the movement. In “Café,” German artist and WWI veteran George Grosz depicts a jumbled scene of disaffected café customers, but the painting lacks the satire and ferocity of his later work. The exhibition also explores Surrealist and Abstract Expressionist work such as René Magritte’s “Delusions of Grandeur II,” a female nude that collapses into smaller

26 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

PHOTO: © JULIAN ROSEFELDT AND VG BILD-KUNST, BONN 2019

Australian actress Cate Blanchett, above, appears simultaneously on a dozen screens inhabiting different characters as part of an exhibition at the Hirshhorn Museum that showcases a wide range of artistic-inspired manifestos, including George Grosz’s “Café, seen at far left, and Glenn Ligon’s “Untitled (I Feel Most Colored When I Am Thrown Against A Sharp White Background).”

PHOTO: HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN

sections like a fleshy ziggurat beneath a sky of shifting cubes, along with one of Jackson Pollock’s iconic splatter paintings. But the wall text is surprisingly short on quotes from the various manifestos. There is a brief summary of each art movement but there’s no real connection between the movement and the manifesto. Were the manifestos just empty words on paper or did they actually inspire the artists

to create groundbreaking work? Written mainly by white male artists in Europe or the United States, the manifestos reveal an inherent sense of privilege and pretentiousness with hyperbolic claims about changing the world. But some sought higher truths, like French poet André Breton’s 1924 “Manifesto of Surrealism,” which plumbs the symbolism of dreams and the depths of the subconscious examined by Sigmund Freud. “Can’t the dream also be used in solving the fundamental questions of life?” Breton wrote. The “Manifesto” film installation breathes life into these dusty manifestos through cinematic scenes that both embrace and challenge the core elements of the manifestos that Blanchett recites in different scenes. Does anyone remember the Situationists? Probably not. Blanchett personifies their angry 1960 manifesto that railed against “the bureaucratization of art and all culture” while dressed as a scraggly homeless man roaming through abandoned streets and derelict buildings. In Rosefeldt’s film, the Situationist critique of society is reduced to the ramblings of a madman screaming SEE M ANIF ES TO • PAGE 31

Museums | Culture | WD

Place for Palestinians Washington’s Newest Museum Explores History and Culture of the Palestinians •

BY LARRY LUXNER

ashington, D.C., is home to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Museum of African American History and Culture and dozens of other, smaller shrines to various ethnicities, religions and cultures. Now, it finally has one to honor Palestinians as well. The Museum of the Palestinian People (MPP), located along 18th Street in Dupont Circle, opened its doors June 15. The capital city’s latest cultural attraction is a small one — currently about the size of a large one-bedroom apartment — but it has big plans. Even now, despite its size, it’s one of only three or four institutions around the world to showcase the history and culture of the estimated 13 million people around the world who identify as Palestinian Arabs. Bshara Nassar, a 31-year-old businessman who was born in East Jerusalem and raised in Bethlehem, conceived MPP shortly after moving to Washington in 2011. “As a tourist, I was really astonished by all the museums, memorials and monuments here. So many immigrants have come to Washington and built institutions that would tell their stories: the Italians, the Greeks, the Jews, African Americans, Native Americans,” he told us. “But I could not find a museum or space that would share our story as Palestinians, so I started working on the idea, and questioning what it would take to establish a museum in D.C.” Nassar turned to Palestinian artists — both here and in the Middle East — such as Ahmed Hmeedat, Manal Deeb, Mohammed Musallam, Dalia Elcharbini and Haya Zaatry. “In June 2015, we had our first exhibit of photography, paintings, stories and videos in Adams Morgan. That lasted for a couple of weeks. Universities and churches around the country began calling us and sponsoring us. That’s how this exhibit started, evolved and grew,” he said. Eventually, the traveling exhibit visited more than 50 locations across the country before finding its permanent home in Washington. Last year, said Nassar, this corner space in an old brownstone was offered to him rent-free by an American family “who really cares that Palestinians have a voice in Washington.” Before that, it was used as offices and storage for the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. MPP is open three days a week — Thursday, Friday and Saturday — with visitors paying a $5 entry fee. Between staff and volunteers, it employs 15 staffers including a part-time curator, Syrian artist and activist Nada Odeh. Artifacts come from “people supporting the museum, and of course Palestinians who care about telling their story,” said Nassar. Besides paintings, these artifacts include everything from an ancient Nabatean vase made of glazed ceramic dating from 300 B.C., to Palestine identity cards issued during the British Mandate, to an embroidered Palestinian silk thobe, or dress, from the early 1900s. So far, about $200,000 has been invested in the project, although Nassar said he’d like to expand the museum from its current 900 square feet to about 5,000 square feet. To accomplish that, he’s considering purchasing the Laogai Museum directly across the street. “We would need at least $10 million. The space alone costs $5 million,” he said. “That’s our future goal.” Nassar, MPP’s founder and director, has a master’s degree in conflict transformation from Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va. In 2014, he founded the Nakba Museum Project. His family’s farm, dubbed “Tent of Nations,” is currently engaged in a legal battle with several nearby Jewish settlements. “My family has been in the courts since 1991. So my inspiration for creating this museum came from my family’s continuing nonviolent struggle to keep their farm from being confiscated,” he explained. “We’ve had a lot of supporters throughout the past couple of years.”

PHOTOS: LARRY LUXNER

Bshara Nassar, far left, recently opened the Museum of the Palestinian People in Dupont Circle that showcases various paintings by Palestinian artists. In “Two Kids Playing,” above, Dalia Elcharbini imagines the Israeli separation wall as a play space for children who are oblivious to the wall’s implications. At left, Ahmed Hmeedat’s “One Normal Day” uses a common image from Palestinian culture — a man relaxing with a hookah — with the decaying ruins of an Israeli checkpoint in the background. The painting is a metaphor for a future vision of Palestine where the occupation is a thing of the past.

High on that list is Fritzi Cohen, original owner of the nearby historic Tabard Inn. Cohen, who is Jewish, offered the museum space last year for a fundraising event and donated all the food. Cohen plans to do it again, on Sept. 28, for another fundraiser to benefit the museum. Also on that list of supporters is Ari Roth, founding artistic director of the Mosaic Theater Company of DC. “All of us who value the quest for peace and justice in Israel/Palestine salute the opening of this museum as a gathering place to humanize history and the headlines that emanate from that region,” Roth said in a press release. “In Mosaic’s many partnerships with MPP, we have been sensitized by the fledgling museum’s curation of cultural assets and skillful teachings in making audiences aware of Palestinian culture, art and history. Its emphasis will be on people — and peoplehood — less a place of political proclamation and more a space for sowing seeds of transformed perception and empathic connection.” Nassar said the museum has no connection whatsoever with the State Department-ordered closing last September of the PLO Mission in D.C., less than two miles to the west. Nor has it received any official visits from the Palestinian Authority, headquartered in Ramallah. Politics aside, he said, “We would like to inspire new generations of Palestinians and give them hope — especially those in the West Bank and Gaza who feel they don’t have a voice. It’s hard for us to imagine a future that’s different from what we’re living right now. So we want to challenge Palestinians and visitors to look at the future in a different way.” Nassar said 500 people stopped by the weekend his museum was inaugurated. “This is not just about presentation. We’re also trying to have a conversation with people,” he said. “We welcome Israelis and Jews who don’t necessarily agree with us. In fact, we want people who disagree with us. This is where the impact happens.” WD Tel Aviv-based journalist Larry Luxner is news editor of The Washington Diplomat. SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 27

WD | Culture | Art

Moving Tribute ‘Warmth of Other Suns’ Sees Global Displacement Through Personal, Not Political, Lens •

BY MACKENZIE WEIGNER

The Warmth of Other Suns: Stories of Global Displacement THROUGH SEPT. 22

PHILLIPS COLLECTION 1600 21ST ST., NW

(202) 387-2151

| WWW.PHILLIPSCOLLECTION.ORG

earing, demanding and infused with empathy, “The Warmth of Other Suns: Stories of Global Displacement” is an exhibition that should not be missed before it leaves Washington on Sept. 22. The show at the Phillips Collection is strikingly ambitious, covering three floors of gallery space, sweeping across time and place as it explores the refugee and immigrant experience. Organized jointly by the Phillips Collection and the New Museum in New York, “The Warmth of Other Suns” takes its name from a line by author Richard Wright that is also the title of Isabel Wilkerson’s essential book on the Great Migration, which refers to the movement of 6 million African Americans from rural PHOTO: © FRANCIS ALŸS. COURTESY THE ARTIST AND DAVID ZWIRNER southern U.S. to other parts of the country in the first half of the 20th century. “The Warmth of Other Suns” features paintings, photographs, In paintings, videos, photographs, neon documentary stills and other media works by 75 international artists art, graphic novel pages, found objects and who tackle the issue of global displacement, as seen in the video documentary stills ripped from YouTube, installation “Don’t Cross the Bridge Before You Get to the River the 75 international artists included in the (Strait of Gibraltar, Morocco-Spain),” above, Anna Boghiguian’s “Refugees in Beirut (They tied and put their hearts together),” exhibition grapple with an array of mediums left, and Arshile Gorky’s “The Artist and His Mother.” and personal stories. Artists from the U.S. — along with countries such as Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Egypt, Ghana, Iraq, Mexico, Artist and His Mother” by Arshile Gorky — are placed into a Syria, Turkey, Vietnam and others — reflect new, profound context, exploring the nature of displacement on migration both from a historical perspecas essential to the American experience. The mix of historical tive and through the prism of today’s global and contemporary art, and the way they enter into conversarefugee crisis. tion with each other within the Phillips’s walls, is a hallmark of The show’s discordant nature — each floor this exhibition. PHOTO: COURTESY THE ARTIST & SFEIR-SEMLER GALLERY BEIRUT/HAMBURG is a vivid, jarring mix of styles, materials, artGioni, who also organized a 2017 exhibition in Milan foists and time periods — is an incredibly effeccused on migration in the Mediterranean Sea region that tive choice for an exhibition on displacement. evolved into this Phillips Collection show, said “The Warmth “That’s also very intentional. We wanted it to have this of Other Suns” offers a reading of modern and contemporary feeling, partly because that’s the kind of saturation we live art as “a phenomenon created by migrants, in a sense.” with, with the media around us when we deal with a subject “The history of contemporary art was founded on a utothat is so current and so in the news. We’re bombarded with pian art of a community of peers who could find themselves images about migration a lot of the time, and we wanted beyond the borders of nations, speaking a common language. the exhibition to have a similar kind of intensity and feel There was not a language of words, but a language of images, a to it,” co-curator Natalie Bell, associate curator at the New language of sounds, a language that was universal and as such Museum, told The Washington Diplomat. could reach beyond borders,” he said. It’s near impossible not to feel that intensity after leaving “Nowadays, it can seem romantic, it can seem idealistic, the extraordinary video installation by British artist John maybe naïve, but I think in a moment in which nationalism reAkomfrah, “Vertigo Sea,” on the first floor. A meditative, turns with a force that we are witnessing, this idea of exchange enigmatic three-screen experience that fuses spectacular and dialogue across nations through a common language is images, archival material and fiction to explore the transmaybe the base of not only diplomacy, but of coexistence and atlantic slave trade, the whaling industry and the current the base to imagine a different future,” Gioni added. refugee crisis, the piece is a disorienting, beautiful start to Much of the contemporary work throughout the show ofthe show. Time fades in and out, dissolving over 48 minutes fers a commentary on the role of the media. The press, largely, and sending viewers back into the exhibition both deeply PHOTO: NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART doesn’t appear in the rosiest light, with a pretty broad indictreceptive and unsettled. ment of how the media represents — and exploits — the refugee and migrant experi“I wanted to achieve the feeling that once you entered the exhibition, you are some- ence. It’s most notable, and fascinating, in British artist Phil Collins’s “how to make how transported elsewhere. If you wanted to stay there five hours, six hours, then it a refugee,” a short video on Kosovo War refugees and the journalists who are there becomes almost a world unto itself,” said co-curator Massimiliano Gioni, the artistic to edit the scene to fit their purposes. A child’s wounds are all that matter, and his director at the New Museum. “Not that that experience in any way resembles the ex- re-traumatization as he reveals his scars means little in the face of getting the perfect perience that some of the works talk about, but I do want a viewer to feel elsewhere.” shot. Iconic, familiar D.C. holdings — the Phillips Collection’s “Migration Series” by Jacob Lawrence and the Rothko Room, as well as the National Gallery of Art’s “The SEE S UNS • PAGE 39 28 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

Art | Culture | WD

Monumental Feminism Australian-Born Artist Reimagines History by Juxtaposing Women and Architecture •

BY VIRGINIA SCIOLINO

Lullaby THROUGH OCT. 18

EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA

1601 MASSACHUSETTS AVE., NW

(202) 797-3000 | USA.EMBASSY.GOV.AU/EVENTS/

hen people visit D.C., they are often dwarfed by the bold, imposing architecture of the city’s monuments. But in Australian-born, U.S.-based artist Georgia Saxelby’s vision, the architecture conforms to the people as she offers a feminine twist to the masculine-tinged iconography seen throughout the nation’s capital. “Lullaby” at the Embassy of Australia encapsulates Saxelby’s unique vision with a two-channel video installation that combines performance art and film to examine the relationship between architecture, gender and ritual. Three women, dressed in orange tunics, mold their bodies to the columns and steps of five monuments along the National Mall, creating a striking contrast to the white, GrecoRoman-inspired architecture. Collaborating with performers Viva Soudan and Bailey Nolan, Saxelby developed a series of imagined ritual gestures. The women perform circular movements around the large, immovable monuments, while close-up shots of the women’s hands add an element of intimacy to the choreography. The jarring visual of a modern, dynamic performance set against the permanence of historic monuments shakes up our preconceived notions about these symbolic structures and forces us to re-evaluate the cultural identity and values systems on which they are based. Saxelby edited the video to mirror itself, so that the three dancers are multiplied to six or nine, manipulating the film to create an imagined virtual landscape. At other times, the screen is dominated by columns or rotundas alone, and no dancers are anywhere to be found. “Lullaby” adds a female presence to male-dominated public spaces, juxtaposing harmonious images in which the women blend into the architecture around them, with images of conflict, where the women bend at odd angles and fail to conform their bodies to the rigid, blunt-edged structures. Washington, D.C., is rife with institutions and memorials, most of which depict powerful men. Saxelby wanted to challenge the masculinity behind these monuments, reimagining male-oriented historical narratives through the female form. “I grew up looking around at all the same white columns, bronze men on horses. All of those same monuments are in Australia as well, so it’s almost trying to excavate the depths of the Western cultural imagination,” she said. “It is not just critiquing masculinity. It is a step toward an ongoing question: How do we dynamically represent women’s power as present and active?” The Sydney-born artist lived in New York before the 2017 Women’s March following President Trump’s election prompted her move to D.C. Once here, she turned the cultural influences of the Women’s March and the MeToo movement into an interactive installation called “To Future Women.” Displayed across the city at museums such as the Hirshhorn and the Phillips Collection, the exhibit asked visitors to write letters that would be sealed

PHOTO: KRISTIN ADAIR

Australian-born, U.S.-based artist Georgia Saxelby, left, combines performance art and film to examine the relationship between architecture, gender and ritual.

in a time capsule and displayed again in 20 years. Like “To Future Women,” “Lullaby” draws on themes of political protest, women’s rights and Western cultural norms. For Saxelby, D.C. is at the heart of these issues. “Power’s very concentrated here,” she said. “You also have all the national institutions that are meant to represent our national identity and Western culture in general. What happens here flows on to affect my culture on the other side of the world.” On the opening night for “Lullaby” on July 9, the Australian Embassy’s deputy head of mission, Katrina Cooper, described the exhibition as a “new history of iconic landmarks in D.C.” This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Australian Embassy’s Scott Circle location. The embassy will move to a temporary location while the building undergoes an extensive renovation. “Lullaby” is the last exhibition to be held in the embassy building as it stands today. As such, “Lullaby” is a poignant reference to the future of architectural memorialization. Even the name of the exhibit suggests storytelling. It asks us to consider how we recount history and how history can be retold and reimagined. This is what makes Saxelby’s work a “new history” — one that tells the story of a brighter, more inclusive future. WD

PHOTO: KRISTIN ADAIR

Virginia Sciolino is an editorial intern for The Washington Diplomat. SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 29

WD | Culture | Film

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

ARABIC Tel Aviv on Fire

Directed by Sameh Zoabi (Luxembourg/Belgium/Israel/ France, 2019, 100 min.) Salam, an inexperienced young Palestinian man, becomes a writer on a popular soap opera after a chance meeting with an Israeli soldier. His creative career is on the rise — until the soldier and the show’s financial backers disagree about how the show should end, and Salam is caught in the middle. (Arabic and Hebrew). LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA

ENGLISH After the Wedding

Directed by Bart Freundlich (U.S., 2019, 110 min.)

As if driven by an inescapable force, Isabel (Michelle Williams)

The Washington Diplomat

September 2019

FILM HIGHLIGHT

ANGELIKA MOSAIC

Latin American Film Festival

LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA

Now in its 30th year, the Latin American Film Festival at AFI Silver Theatre (Sept. 12-Oct. 2) is one of North America’s largest and long-running showcases of Latin America cinema. With the inclusion of films from Spain and Portugal, the festival celebrates Ibero-American cultural connections during National Hispanic Heritage

has devoted her life to running an orphanage in a Calcutta slum. With funds running dry, a potential donor who requires she travel from India to New York to deliver a presentation in-person, contacts Isabel. Once in New York, Isabel lands uncomfortably in the sight line of the orphanage’s possible benefactor, Theresa Young (Julianne Moore), a multi-millionaire media mogul accustomed to getting what she wants.

Month. Highlights from this year’s diverse slate of early announcements include Sundance Film Festival award-winners “The Sharks” (Uruguay) and “Midnight Family” (Mexico/U.S.); acclaimed Argentinian political thriller “Rojo”; Gabriel Mascaro’s “Neon Bull”; the dystopian romance “Divine Love” (Brazil); and

ANGELIKA MOSAIC

LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA

LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

American Factory

Directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert (U.S., 2019, 115 min.)

In post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the husk of an

ATLANTIC PLUMBING CINEMA

Before Sunset

Directed by Richard Linklater (U.S./France, 2004, 80 min.) Nine years after Jesse and Celine first met, they encounter each other again on the French leg of Jesse’s book tour.

For More Information For information on the festival, visit www.afi.com/silver/laff/#

WEST END CINEMA WED., SEPT. 4, 1:30, 4:30, 7:30 P.M.

Chilean critical darling “Too Late to Die Young”; and Venezuelan genre-bender “The Lake Vampire.”

abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand blue-collar Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.

WEST END CINEMA

Blinded by Light Directed by Gurinder Chadha (U.K., 2019, 117 min.)

Cold Case Hammarskjöld

In 1987, Javed is a British teen of Pakistani descent growing up in England. Amidst the racial and economic turmoil of the times, he writes poetry as a means to escape the intolerance of his hometown and the inflexibility of his traditional father. But when a classmate introduces him to the music of “the Boss,” Javed sees parallels to his working-class life in Bruce Springsteen’s powerful lyrics.

Directed by Mads Brügger (Denmark/Norway/Sweden/ Belgium, 2019, 128 min.) In 1961, U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld’s plane mysteriously crashed in what was then Northern Rhodesia, killing Hammarskjöld and 15 others. Danish director Mads Brügger and Swedish private investigator Göran Björkdahl are trying to solve the mysterious death of Dag Hammarskjöld. As their investigation closes in, they discover a crime far worse than killing the secretary-general of the United Nations (English,

Diplomat Hotel Guide OPPORTUNITY TO PROMOTE YOUR

diplomatic amenities, conference rooms, spa, ballrooms, promotions, catering services, restaurant, guest rooms or all of the above in the monthly

DIPLOMAT HOTEL GUIDE WD

CALL ROD CARRASCO today to get started or for more details.

301.933.3552 30 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

E M B A S S Y R O W, D. C .

Life Is No Longer One Dimensional You’re invited to visit our NEWLY renovated space

E M B A S S Y R O W, D. C .

· American small plates and cocktail-centric menu · Dinner served 5PM to 10PM. Bar open to Midnight. · Sign up at www.thesallydc.com

E M B A S S Y R O W, D. C .

· Grab & Go or Sit & Sip for breakfast, lunch, or lite fare and beverages in the evening · Breakfast and/or Swing’s coffee 6AM. Lunch at 11AM. Service until 10PM

· Relax by the fireplace and unwind, read a book, work on your computer, play a game

Join us where Classic Elegance Meets Modern 2100 Massachusetts Avenue, NW | Washington, D.C. 20008 (202) 293-2100 | www.fairfaxwashingtondc.com

Film | Culture | WD

French, Swedish, Bemba and Danish).

LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

Downton Abbey

Directed by Michael Engler (U.K., 2019, 122 min.) The continuing story of the Crawley family, wealthy owners of a large estate in the English countryside in the early 20th century. THE AVALON THEATRE OPENS MON., SEPT. 23 ANGELIKA MOSAIC OPENS FRI., SEPT. 20

The Farewell

Directed by Lulu Wang (U.S., 2019, 98 min.) Chinese-born, U.S.-raised Billi reluctantly returns home to find that, although the whole family knows their beloved matriarch, Nai-Nai, has been given weeks to live, everyone has decided not to tell Nai-Nai herself. As Billi navigates family expectations, she finds a lot to celebrate: a chance to rediscover the country she left as a child, her grandmother’s wondrous spirit and ties that keep on binding even when so much goes unspoken. ANGELIKA MOSAIC

THE AVALON THEATRE

LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA

LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

Fidler, A Miracle of Miracles

Directed by Max Lewkowicz (U.S., 2019, 92 min.) This is the first in-depth documentary film that chronicles the life and themes of “Fidler on the Roof,” an iconic offering of American culture. The goal is to understand why the story of Tevye the milkman is reborn again and again as beloved entertainment and cultural touchstone the world over. THE AVALON THEATRE OPENS FRI., SEPT. 13

The Ito Sisters: An American Story

Directed by Antonia Grace Glenn (U.S., 2017, 80 min.) The Ito Sisters captures the stories of three Japanese American sisters, interviewed in their ’80s and ’90s, as they recount how their immigrant parents struggled to make a life in the United States in the early twentieth century. The family’s chronicle is set against the backdrop of the anti-Japanese movement in California, a sixtyyear campaign by politicians, journalists, landowners, and labor leaders that culminated in the evacuation and incarceration of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. FREER GALLERY OF ART FRI., SEPT. 20, 7 P.M.

Judy

Directed by Rupert Gold (U.K., 2019, 118 min.) Legendary performer Judy Garland arrives in London in the winter of 1968 to perform a series of sold-out concerts.

Seventeen-year-old Carlos doesn’t fit in anywhere, not in his family nor with the friends he has chosen in school. But everything changes when he is invited to a mythical nightclub where he discovers the underground nightlife scene: punk, sexual liberty and drugs.

ANGELIKA MOSAIC OPENS FRI., SEPT. 27

The Last Black Man in San Francisco

Directed by Joe Talbot (U.S., 2019, 121 min.) Jimmie dreams of reclaiming the Victorian home his grandfather built in the heart of San Francisco. Joined on his quest by his best friend, Jimmie searches for belonging in a rapidly changing city that seems to have left them behind.

LANDMARK’S THEATRES OPENS FRI., SEPT. 13

THAI Nang Nak

LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

Directed by Nonzee Nimbutr (Thailand, 1999, 100 min.)

Love, Antosha

Directed by Garret Price (U.S., 2019) This heartfelt documentary portrays the brief but rich life of Anton Yelchin. Best known for his role as Chekov in the rebooted “Star Trek” films, he had an amazingly prolific career in movies and television, while dealing with a dangerous health condition he concealed. LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

Luce

Directed by Julius Onah (U.S., 2019, 109 min.) A married couple is forced to reckon with their idealized image of their son, adopted from war-torn Eritrea, after an alarming discovery by a devoted high school teacher threatens his status as an all-star student. LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA

LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

Ms. Purple

Directed by Justin Chon (U.S., 2019, 87 min.) A young woman who works as a karaoke hostess in Koreatown reconnects with her estranged brother in the final days of their father’s life. LANDMARK’S THEATRES OPENS FRI., SEPT. 27

One Child Nation

Directed by Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang (U.S., 2019, 85 min.)

China’s One Child Policy, the rigid population control measure in force for over 30 years that made it illegal for couples to have more than one child, ended in 2015, but the process of dealing with the trauma of its brutal enforcement is only just beginning. This film explores the ripple effect of this devastating social experiment, uncovering shocking human rights violations such as abandoned newborns, forced sterilizations and abortions, government abductions and a lucrative adoption-to-foreigners market (English and Mandarin). LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

The Peanut Butter Falcon

Directed by Tyler Nilson and Mike Schwartz (U.S., 2019, 97 min.) A modern Mark Twain-style adventure story, “The Peanut Butter Falcon” tells the story of Zak, a young man with Down syndrome, who runs away from a residential nursing home to

PHOTO: IFC FILMS

Gemma Arterton portrays a brash aristocratic wife who begins an affair with author Virginia Woolf, played by Elizabeth Debicki, in “Vita & Virginia.” follow his dream of attending the professional wrestling school of his idol. ANGELIKA MOSAIC

LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA

LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

Tony Morrison: The Pieces I Am

Directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders (U.S., 2019, 120 min.) This artful and intimate meditation on the legendary storyteller examines her life, her works and the powerful themes she has confronted throughout her literary career. WEST END CINEMA

Vita & Virginia

Directed by Chanya Button (Ireland/U.K., 2019, 110 min.) Set amidst the bohemian high society of 1920s England, Vita Sackville-West is the brash, aristocratic wife of a diplomat who refuses to be constrained by her marriage, defiantly courting scandal through her affairs with women. When she meets the brilliant but troubled Virginia Woolf, she is immediately attracted to the famed novelist’s eccentric genius and enigmatic allure. So begins an intense, passionate relationship marked by all-consuming desire, intellectual gamesmanship, and

destructive jealousy.

LANDMARK’S THEATRES OPENS FRI., SEPT. 6

Where’d You Go, Bernadette Directed by Richard Linklater (U.S., 2019, 130 min.) A loving mom becomes compelled to reconnect with her creative passions after years of sacrificing herself for her family. Her leap of faith takes her on an epic adventure that jump-starts her life and leads to her triumphant rediscovery. ANGELICA MOSAIC

FREER GALLERY OF ART WED, SEPT. 4, 2 P.M.

RUSSIAN Aquarela

LANDMARK’S BETHESDA ROW CINEMA

Where’s My Roy Cohn

Directed by Matt Tyrnauer (U.S., 2019, 97 min.) Roy Cohn personified the dark arts of American politics, turning empty vessels into dangerous demagogues — from Joseph McCarthy to his final project, Donald J. Trump. This thrillerlike exposé connects the dots, revealing how a deeply troubled master manipulator shaped our current American nightmare. ANGELIKA MOSAIC OPENS FRI., SEPT. 27

Directed by Viktor Kossakovsky (U.K./Germany/Denmark/U.S., 2019, 89 min.) Water is the main protagonist here, seen in all its great and terrible beauty, as Viktor Kossakovsky travels the world, from the precarious frozen waters of Russia’s Lake Baikal and Miami in the throes of Hurricane Irma, to Venezuela’s mighty Angel Falls to paint a portrait of this fluid life force in all its glorious forms (Russian, English and Spanish). LANDMARK’S E STREET CINEMA

SPANISH

JAPANESE Pitfall

(Japan, 1962, 97 min.) When a miner leaves his employers and treks out with his young son to become a migrant worker, he finds himself moving from one eerie landscape to another. Intermittently followed (and photographed) by an enigmatic man in a clean, white suit, the former miner eventually comes face-to-face with his inescapable destiny.

This Is Not Berlin

Directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara

Directed by Hari Sama (Mexico, 2019, 115 min.)

Manifesto CONTINUED • PAGE 26

through a megaphone at the wind. The 12 screens are placed close together so the sounds of the films overlap, perhaps signifying that one manifesto bleeds into the next, providing a foundation that is either built upon or torn down. Laminated cards with the manifesto text are placed on benches in front of each screen, with some films ranging beyond visual art to manifestos in architecture, film, music and choreography. Manifestos died out in the 1960s and

PHOTO: HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN

The Guerrilla Girls lambasted sexism in the art world with pieces such as “Do women have to be naked to get into the MET museum?”

’70s but the exhibition continues with contemporary work by artists who critique society through different lenses, including the Guerrilla Girls’s lambasting of the sexist art world. But this section feels scattered and disjointed, as if it’s part of another exhibition that is still search-

Based on a famous Thai legend that has inspired movies since the silent era, “Nang Nak” is, according to some, a true story illustrating the dangers of earthly attachments. In it, a soldier goes to war, leaving behind his pregnant wife. After nearly dying in battle, he returns home to his wife and newborn son. The problem is, he’s the only one in town who doesn’t know they are both ghosts. FREER GALLERY OF ART FRI., SEPT. 27, 7 P.M.

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Thailand, 2010, 114 min.)

Inspired by a book by a Buddhist monk about a man who could remember his previous incarnations, this is the story of a rural farmer dying of kidney disease who is visited by the ghosts of his wife and son (the latter in the form of a monkey with glowing eyes). FREER GALLERY OF ART SUN., SEPT. 29, 2 P.M.

TURKISH Honeyland

Directed by Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov (Macedonia, 2019, 87 min.)

The last female beehunter in Europe must save the bees and return the natural balance in Honeyland, when a family of nomadic beekeepers invade her land and threaten her livelihood. WEST END CINEMA

ing for a different theme. The exhibition would feel more cohesive if the contemporary work was excluded so there would be more breathing room for artwork from the art movements with manifestos from the early to mid 20th century. In its current incarnation, the first half of the exhibition feels like a forced march through a blur of art movements. Ending the exhibition with the “Manifesto” film installation also would provide a stronger finale because Rosefeldt stands alone in exploring how these manifestos that have notched a place in art history still have relevance today. WD Brendan L. Smith (www.brendanlsmith. com) is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat and a mixedmedia artist (www.brendanlsmithart. com) in Washington, D.C.

SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 31

WD | Culture | Events

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

ART SEPT. 3 TO DEC. 14

Moves Like Water: 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

SEPT. 3 TO OCT. 20

Grace Hartigan and Helene Herzbrun: Reframing Abstract Expressionism

This exhibition features painting by Grace Hartigan (1922-2008) and Helene Herzbrun (1922-1984), painters of the second Abstract Expressionist generation who lived and worked as influential artists and teachers in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., region for many decades. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY MUSEUM

SEPT. 4 TO OCT. 30

100 Years of Cartoons in El Universal

The exhibit showcases a sampling of the thousands of cartoons published over the last 100 years in the widely known Mexican newspaper, El Universal, which has published work from almost all Mexican cartoonists of the 20th century. The cartoons read as a history of Mexico shaped by art, humor and a critical eye. MEXICAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE

SEPT. 6 TO SEPT. 27

Newly Connected: Contemporary Works by Three Korean American Artists

This diverse group exhibition illuminates the experience of immigrants acclimating in America through video, installation, and painting works by three contemporary artists: Namwon Choi, Kyoung eun Kang and Kieun Kim. They each express their personal emotional transitions after emigrating, including the anxiety of life in a foreign environment, the hope and comfort that comes with adaptation, the process of forming new relationships with both people and places, and the resulting discovery of one’s newly formed identity.

many of their brothers-in-arms.

work of Carlos Páez Vilaró, a Uruguayan painter, potter, sculptor, muralist, writer, composer and builder. Specifically, it showcases paintings, books and other archival materials examining the history of the “Roots of Peace” mural, painted in 1960. Spanning over 530 feet in a tunnel linking the OAS main building in D.C. and the Art Museum of the Americas building, “Roots of Peace” is one of the longest murals in the world. Its goal is to serve as a graphic statement of continental peace and harmony throughout the Western Hemisphere, highlighting the spiritual unity that bonds peoples of the Americas while respecting their unique differences.

AMERICAN REVOLUTION INSTITUTE OF THE SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI

THROUGH NOV. 17

Portraits of the World: Korea

Pioneering feminist artist Yun Suknam (born 1939) uses portraiture to gain insights into the lives of women, past and present. A wood assemblage portrait of her mother is the centerpiece of this exhibition, which includes portraits of American artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Louise Nevelson, Marisol, Kiki Smith and Nancy Spero. NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

THROUGH DEC. 15

OAS ART MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAS

Fast Fashion/Slow Art

THROUGH SEPT. 15

Oliver Lee Jackson: Recent Paintings

American painter, printmaker, and sculptor Oliver Lee Jackson (b. 1935) has created a complex body of work which masterfully weaves together visual influences ranging from the Renaissance to modernism with principles of rhythm and improvisation drawn from his study of African cultures and American jazz. NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

SEPT. 19 TO 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 SEPT. 29

Good as Gold: Fashioning Senegalese Women

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

KOREAN CULTURAL CENTER

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART

THROUGH SEPT. 8

THROUGH SEPT. 27

This retrospective looks at the

This exhibition, held in tandem

Roots of Peace: Carlos Páez Vilaró Works and Writings

The Washington Diplomat

Animals in Japanese Outsider Art

32 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND ROBERT KLEIN GALLERY; © RANIA MATAR

Rania Matar’s “Yara, Cairo, Egypt” is featured in “Live Dangerously” at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. with “Life of Animals in Japanese Art” at the National Gallery of Art, features beautiful works of art created by those with intellectual disabilities or mental illnesses, who often depict animals with a rich color palette and a variety of unique patterns, interpreted from a truly distinctive point of view. The two exhibits could even be said to be the Olympics and Special Olympics of Japanese artwork. JAPAN INFORMATION & CULTURE CENTER

THROUGH SEPT. 29

Rafael Soriano: Cabezas (Heads)

This exhibition features more than 20 significant artworks by Cuban-born painter Rafael Soriano (1920-2015), one of the major Latin American artists of his generation. Soriano stands apart from his peers who largely focused on formalism and gestural abstraction because he developed his own visual vocabulary informed by abstraction yet steeped in metaphysical meaning. Drawing on loans from the Rafael Soriano Foundation, this exhibit chronicles the development of Soriano’s unique biomorphic style, which culminated in a specific body of work depicting the human head. This is the first exhibit devoted to Soriano’s important series of paintings of heads, which are some of the artist’s most figurative and introspective works. ART MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAS

THROUGH OCT. 12

Reconciling City and Nature

Architect Mario Schjetnan and his Mexico-based team Grupo de Diseño Urbano present the possibility to conceive — through science, art and design — a different form of constructing

our human habitat, establishing new paradigms for the present and future of our cities. For over 42 years, he has constructed or transformed sites based on the concept of “design with nature.” Through extensive large-format photographs, models, sketches and original drawings, this exhibit showcases iconic projects executed in Mexico and the U.S., such as Xochimilco Ecological Park, the rehabilitation of Chapultepec Park and the public garden “Small Tribute to Immigrant Workers” in California. MEXICAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE

THROUGH OCT. 20

Striking Iron: The Art of African Blacksmiths

More than 225 works of art — including blades and currencies in myriad shapes and sizes, wood sculptures studded with iron, musical instruments and elaborate body adornments — reveal the histories of invention and technical sophistication that led African blacksmiths to transform one of Earth’s most fundamental natural resources into objects of life-changing utility, empowerment, prestige, artistry and spiritual potency. NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART

THROUGH OCT. 27

Revolutionary Reflections: French Memories of the War for America

This exhibition explores how the French king’s officers understood the American Revolution and their role in the achievement of American independence, and how they remembered the war in the years that followed—years of revolutionary upheaval in France that included the execution of the king and

“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 2019

Urban Challenges

According to the U.N., 2.5 billion people are expected to live in cities by 2050. This will force cities to find new ways to handle the increased demands on natural resources, housing and infrastructure. This exhibition presents some of the social, economic and technological solutions proposed by Sweden to absorb the impact of our rapidly growing urban environment while leaving the environmental legacy next generations deserve. Come and find out more about Guerilla Crafts, Democratic Architecture and the mixed reality Block Builder application in large-scale environments. Part of the Swedish Embassy’s 2019 thematic programming “Smart Societies – Creative & Inclusive”; for information, visit www.swedenabroad.se/en/embassies/usawashington/current/calendar/. HOUSE OF SWEDEN

THROUGH JAN. 5, 2020

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, 2020

Ginny Ruffner: Reforestation of the Imagination Imagine an apocalyptic

September 2019

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, 2020

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, 2020

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-20thcentury 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 JULY 5, 2020

I Am… Contemporary Women Artists of Africa

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

Events | Culture | WD

DISCUSSIONS TUE., SEPT. 3

Women’s Blood Can Tell Stories

Meet Colombian writer Melba Escobar, who will talk about the role of women in Latin American literature through her latest book, “La mujer que hablaba sola (The woman who spoke alone).” For information, visit colombiaemb.org. EMBASSY OF COLOMBIA

THU., SEPT. 5, 6:45 P.M.

Aristotle and Alexander: The Power of a Teacher

The nearly 20-year relationship between the ancient world’s most profound philosopher and his student—the world’s most powerful conqueror—reveals a stark contrast: One dominated by the power of his mind, the other by the might of his sword. Author and classics professor John Prevas examines a fascinating saga of ideals, ego, brutality, and betrayal that played out against the backdrop of an empire. Tickets are $45; for information, visit smithsonianassociates.org. S. DILLON RIPLEY CENTER

FRI., SEPT. 13, 2 TO 6 P.M.

Symposium: The Vienna Model – Social Housing for the 21st Century

The social housing system of the Austrian capital of Vienna represents a model of success that enjoys international recognition as it demonstrates the importance of access to affordable housing for all. This effective model has led Vienna to be consistently ranked as one of the world’s most livable cities. To share this achievements, Vienna’s public housing agency created a traveling multimedia exhibition, “The Municipality is Building. Vienna Residential Construction 1920 to 2020,” which will be on view at the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation’s Kibel Gallery from Sept. 13 to Oct. 20. This symposium kicks off the exhibition opening. For information, visit acfdc.org/events-2019/ social-housing. UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, PLANNING AND PRESERVATION

SAT., SEPT. 14, 9:30 A.M. TO 4:15 P.M.

The Phoenicians and Their Colonies

The Phoenicians were a seminal force in establishing urban life and literacy in the ancient Mediterranean. They excelled in seamanship, naval warfare, literature and astronomy. They gave the Greeks the alphabet, papyrus and celestial navigation, and their merchants, setting out from Lebanon, established outposts across the Mediterranean from Cyprus to the Atlantic shores of Iberia. Archaeologist Robert Stieglitz explores the marvelous cultural heritage of the Phoenicians as revealed by historical sources and impressive archaeological discoveries. Tickets are $140; for information, visit smithsonianassociates.org. S. DILLON RIPLEY CENTER

EVENTS HIGHLIGHT

Czech It Off Your Culture To-Do List The Czech Embassy, one of the most culturally active missions in town, starts off fall with a full lineup of eclectic events, from a historical retrospective of the Velvet Revolution to a canine- and kitty-themed happy hour. The centerpiece will be the embassy’s annual Mutual Inspirations Festival, which highlights how Czechs and Americans have influenced each other (also see our festival coverage on Václav Havel in the October 2013 issue and on Franz Kafka the October 2014 issue). This year, the festival celebrates its 10th anniversary and also coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, the nonviolent uprising by students and other dissidents that led to the downfall of communist rule in Czechoslovakia in 1989. As such, the focus of the 2019 festival will be on Marta Kubišová, a legendary singer and freedom fighter who united Velvet Revolution protesters through her signature ballad, “A Prayer for Marta.” On Sept. 12, the embassy launches the festival with “The Velvet Effect,” an exhibition created by students from the University of West Bohemia that illustrates the revolution and its students and dissident leaders such as Kubišová and Havel. The opening will also feature Czech mezzo-soprano Pavlína Horáková

The Czech Embassy is hosting a “Barks & Beer” happy hour on Sept. 14.

For More Information For more information, visit www.mutualinspirations.org. and pianist Camilla Mráz performing Kubišová’s most renowned songs. The festival continues with a diverse range of events, including the Sept. 17 film “Larks on a String” and the Sept. 19 book launch of “ABCZ or All You Need to Know about Czechia and the Czechs,” which explores modern Czech cultural identity using each letter of the alphabet. But perhaps the most interesting highlight will be “Barks & Beer,” a happy hour on Sept. 14 co-hosted with City Dogs Rescue & City Kitties and held at

the Czech Embassy, where patrons will have the opportunity to adopt local dogs and cats. The happy hour, in fact, is part of the overall festival theme because after the Velvet Revolution, Kubišová focused on her love for animals by hosting a popular show about abandoned pets called “Do You Want Me? (Chcete mě?).” Of course, beer holds a special place in many Czech hearts, so as part of the embassy’s ongoing “Czech Beer Days” series, it’s hosting a lecture on Sept. 30 by Prague-based beer expert Evan Rail on the 1,000-year history of Czech brewing, examining the cultural context of beer in everyday life and why Czechs drink the most beer in the world. The Czechs are also participating in another unique sensory festival called EUROBEATS, which will feature performers from 10 European nations who are at the forefront of the the electronic music scene. The first night of the festival on Sept. 27 at Union Station includes visual artist and chanteuse Migloko (Lithuania); the electric energy and robotic precision of Stockholm-based Kissey (Sweden); the self-made electro-jazz drumming wizard Cid Rim (Austria); Afro-Portuguese electronic producer DJ Nidia (Portugal); and techno aficionado Samuli Kemppi (Finland).

— Anna Gawel

Gipsy Kings “Explosive” and “brilliant.” Get ready to dance with Wolf Trap’s favorite flamenco kings behind “Bamboleo” and “Djobi Djoba.” Tickets are $39.50.

WOLF TRAP

SAT., SEPT. 28, 7 P.M.

National Symphony Orchestra: Season Opening Gala Concert

Our adventure begins with a concert of favorites influenced by jazz. Gianandrea Noseda’s lively program explores how great composers of the last century have embraced the distinctly American art form with gusto. Pianist extraordinaire Yuja Wang joins Noseda for Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1, an enduring masterpiece reminiscent of jazzy vaudeville with high-paced rhythms and comical punch lines. Tickets are $65 to $199.

KENNEDY CENTER CONCERT HALL

FRI., SEPT. 13, 7:30 P.M.

Irina Muresanu, Violin

The Embassy Series kicks off its 25th year with Romanian violinist Irina Muresanu, who has won the hearts of audiences and critics alike with her “irresistible” (Boston Globe) performances of classic, romantic and modern repertoire that blends “musical luster, melting lyricism and colorful conception (The Los Angeles Times). This program features an international lineup of music from Romania, Ireland, Italy, Austria, Germany, Iran, India, China and the U.S. Tickets are $90, including buffet and wine. For information, visit embassyseries.org. EMBASSY OF ROMANIA

THU., SEPT. 19, 6:45 P.M.

Urban Architecture in Ancient Angkor: Old Temples and New Findings

Learn how recent high-tech surveys and archaeological discoveries have brought monuments like the ancient Cambodian capital of Koh Ker and the temples of Banteay Srei and Ta Keo to center stage, along with better-known sites like Angkor Wat. Tickets are $45; for information, visit smithsonianassociates.org. S. DILLON RIPLEY CENTER

SAT., SEPT. 21, 9:30 A.M. TO 4:15 P.M.

Elizabeth I: Creating the Queen

Tudor and Renaissance scholar Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger leads a journey through the life and reign of Elizabeth I. She explores the impact of Elizabeth’s childhood and early experiences, how she dealt with challenges to her throne, the ways she navigated England’s changing place in Europe, her most important relationships and the reasons this monarch left such a lasting mark through the centuries. Tickets are $140; for information, visit smithsonianassociates.org. S. DILLON RIPLEY CENTER

MON., SEPT. 23, 6:45 P.M.

The League of Nations: The Quest for World Peace Between Wars President Woodrow Wilson

championed the prophetic idea of collective security at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, one that became realized the following year in the founding of the League of Nations. He personally negotiated the league’s covenant and inserted it into the Treaty of Versailles. Though Wilson was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace, the United States never joined the league, hobbling the organization’s future. Historian Garrett Peck examines how the League of Nations came to be, its successes and failures over its 26 years of existence, and its demise and resurrection through the United Nations after World War II. Tickets are $45; for information, visit smithsonianassociates.org.

S. DILLON RIPLEY CENTER

TUE., SEPT. 24, 6:30 P.M.

Unhappy Separations: Enslaved Families of Mount Vernon

Jessie MacLeod, associate curator at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, reveals the stories of the enslaved families there and resilience and resistance of those whose lives were inextricably bound to the Washington and Custis families. TUDOR PLACE

FESTIVALS SEPT. 27 TO 28

EUROBEATS Festival

The EUROBEATS Festival will feature 10 European electronic

musicians from 10 countries at Union Stage from 6 p.m. to 1:35 a.m. on Sept. 27 and 28. The festival highlights top European artists at the forefront of the electronic music scene. Tickets are free, but RSVP is required. For information, visit acfdc.org/ events-2019/eurobeats.

UNION STATION

GALAS / FUNDRAISERS THU., SEPT. 5, 7 TO 9:30 P.M.

ArgentinaConnect @ Dupont Underground

ArgentinaConnect has become a signature networking event by CEDA to raise funds for the nonprofit’s work to improve the education and health of vulnerable people in Argentina. Chaired by Mercedes de Campos, wife of the Argentina ambassador, the event features live tango dancer, music, a display of Argentine videos and images, and cash bar featuring Argentine wines. Tickets are $50 to $500. For information, visit http://cedawashington.org/ event/argentinaconnect2019/. DUPONT UNDERGROUND

TUE., SEPT. 10, 6 TO 11 P.M.

41st Annual Ambassadors Ball

The annual Ambassadors Ball, a premiere event in the Washington fall social season for the past 40 years, has raised more than $21 million to support the

National MS Society. The 41st Ambassadors Ball, with Italian Ambassador Armando Varricchio and his wife serving as honorary co-chairs, welcomes members of Congress, ambassadors, business and philanthropic leaders to honor the diplomatic corps for its charitable activities and humanitarian endeavors. Individual tickets are $600. For information, visit nationalmssociety. org/Chapters/MDM/FundraisingEvents/Ambassadors-Ball.

TUE., SEPT. 17, 7:30 P.M.

SAT., SEPT. 14, 7 P.M.

EMBASSY OF UZBEKISTAN

THE ANTHEM AT THE WHARF

2019 Wolf Trap Ball

This year’s Wolf Trap Ball will be held in partnership with the Embassy of Singapore. Proceeds from this dinner and dancing celebration on Wolf Trap’s magnificent Filene Center stage support Wolf Trap Foundation’s arts and education programs. This year’s ball partnership is of special significance, as Singapore has just become the first international affiliate of the acclaimed Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts. Tickets start at $1,000; for information, visit community.wolftrap.org/eventwolf-trap-ball-ext. WOLF TRAP FILENE CENTER

MUSIC SUN., SEPT. 8, 8 P.M.

Gipsy Kings Featuring Nicolas Reyes and Tonino Baliardo

The New York Times calls the

Roman Rabinovich, Piano

Roman Rabinovich, an Israeli pianist born in Uzbekistan, won the 2008 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition and has performed in the United States, Europe and Israel at places such as Gewandhaus, Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Kennedy Center. Tickets are $125, including buffet, wine and valet parking. For information, visit embassyseries.org.

FRI., SEPT. 20, 7 P.M.

A Sign of Rain

In OnStage Korea’s 4th showcase of the 2019 season, the Korean Cultural Center presents “A Sign of Rain” by Kim So Ra’s Janggu Project, which shows the sensory rhythm through the dismantling of traditional rhythms and collaboration with other genres. Tickets are free but RSVPs are required and can be made through www.koreaculturedc.org. STUDIO THEATRE

THEATER SEPT. 3 TO OCT. 13

Henry IV

The young Prince Hal spends his days carousing in seedy taverns with criminals and lowly commoners, much to the dismay

SEE EVENT S • PAGE 38

SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 33

WD | Culture | Spotlight

Diplomatic Spotlight

September 2019

Phillips Collection Annual Gala The Phillips Collection’s 2019 Annual Gala, “Mexico: A Land of Beauty,” celebrated the art and culture of Mexico in conjunction with the exhibition “The Warmth of Other Suns: Stories of Global Displacement” (see story on page 28), which features the work of 75 artists, including many from Mexico. Guests attended dinner at the museum, which was followed by cocktails and dancing at The Contemporaries Bash, “Maravillas de México (Wonders of Mexico),” at Dock 5 in Union Market. Proceeds for both events benefit the museum’s awardwinning education programs.

PHOTO: PAUL MORIGI

PHOTO: PAUL MORIGI PHOTO: PAUL MORIGI

Gala co-chairs Sarah Eastright and Josh Eastright, CEO of Bloomberg BNA, join Phillips Collection Director and CEO Dorothy Kosinski and Thomas Krähenbühl.

Phillips Collection Board Chair Dani Levinas and Mirella Levinas.

Ambassador of Mexico Martha Bárcena, the gala diplomatic chair, and her husband Agustín GutiérrezCanet, a retired career diplomat.

Ambassador of Mexico Martha Bárcena, second from left, joins the evenings honorees. From left are artist Bosco Sodi, Pati Jinich of the PBS series “Pati’s Mexican Table” and artist Aliza Nisenbaum.

Guests dined amid the artwork at the Phillips Collection.

PHOTO: PAUL MORIGI

PHOTO: PEPE GOMEZ

PHOTO: PAUL MORIGI

Carlton Arrendell of Capricorn 25 Development LLC and Dr. Kimberly Arrendell.

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Phillips Collection Director and CEO Dorothy Kosinski and CEO of Bloomberg BNA Josh Eastright.

Graham Bolton, Beatriz Bolton and Peter Bolton.

PHOTO: PAUL MORIGI

PHOTO: DANIEL SWARTZ PHOTO: DANIEL SWARTZ

Guests dance at Dock 5 during The Contemporaries Bash.

PHOTO: DANIEL SWARTZ

Kish Rusek of the D.C. government and Benjamin Rusek of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

At right, Karen Schandler, Poetry Sayer, stylist Kelley Kirchberg and cyber policy analyst Megan Caposell.

Diya Eggleston of Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies, Svetlana Legetic, CEO of the Exactly Agency, and Lia Seremetis, founder of DC Bike Party.

Joe Caruso and Celina Caruso.

PHOTO: PEPE GOMEZ

Actress Marian Licha, actor Gerard Ender, Donald Syriani of Stantec and Jasmin Navarro.

Breann Sitton of Children’s National Medical Center and Ryan Codi.

Agora Tysons Opening Ambassador of Turkey Serdar Kiliç joined other guests to celebrate the grand opening of Agora Tysons located in the Nouvelle residences in Tysons Corner, Va. The new 4,000-square-foot mezze eatery is the second location of the popular Dupont Circle restaurant from husband-and-wife duo Ismail and Betul Uslu.

34 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

Chris Harris, Nancy Harper, Sam Harper, Jenn Seligmann, Adriana Brown and Preston Brown.

At left, Ambassador of Turkey Serdar Kiliç, center, joins Agora owners Betul Uslu, left, and Ismail Uslu.

PHOTO: PAUL MORIGI

Lauren Seibert and Alexis Fox.

PHOTOS: JOHN ROBINSON

Takisha Carrington. Dr. Alex Naini and Barnette Holston.

Spotlight | Culture | WD Mounira al Hmoud, editor in chief of I-24 News, Nicole DiCocco of IICA, Julie Rau and Trump 2020 advisor Maggie Hernández.

‘Soul of Rurality’ The Inter-American Institute for the Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), in conjunction with Vogue Brazil, hosted a reception at the Organization of American States to showcase the exhibit “The Soul of Rurality.” Famed Brazilian photographer Cecilia Duarte captured images of 27 indigenous women in Argentina, Guatemala, Brazil and Jamaica to provide a platform for the stories of rural working women and their resilience, sisterhood, courage and determination. The photos were sold to benefit CODESPA, an organization helping indigenous women around the world.

U.S. Representative to IICA Mari Stull, Argentinian Permanent Representative to the OAS Graciela Scarnati almada de Curia and Henri Moore of Corteva agricultural chemical and seed company.

Michelle Riestra and Bob Zulandi from CODESPA join Christina Cravens.

Uzma Sarfraz Khan poses with the photo she purchased.

Former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Gregory Newell and current Assistant Secretary of State for international organizations Kevin Moley.

Tennessee congressional candidate Todd McKinley.

PHOTOS: NAKU MAYO FOR THE TONY POWELL AGENCY

EU Envoys Cycle for Sustainability European Union Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis, Finnish Ambassador Kirsti Kauppi and their EU diplomatic colleagues took to the streets for a bike ride on July 25 to pedal in support of sustainable climate action goals during Finland’s presidency of the EU. Ambassadors biked from the Finnish Embassy to the EU ambassador’s residence, where Lambrinidis and Kauppi joined Lisa Friedman of The New York Times and other experts for a talk on sustainability and the need to cooperate to tackle climate change and promote conservation.

Ayanna Butler of the office of Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Nicole DiCocco of IICA and Nikki Duncan. PHOTOS: EU DELEGATION TO THE U.S.

Edible Sweden

Swedish Embassy press counselor Monica Enqvist listens to Swedish Ambassador Karin Olofsdotter.

Swedish Ambassador Karin Olofsdotter invited local D.C. foodies and journalists to her residence for an intimate luncheon to celebrate “Edible Country,” a new culinary adventure in Sweden that’s billed as the largest gourmet restaurant in the world. This 100 million-acre do-it-yourself culinary experience allows visitors to forage for food and cook their own dishes in the lush forests of Sweden with help from a menu prepared by four Swedish Michelin-starred chefs. Swedish Embassy chef Frida Johansson. Food/lifestyle writer Josh Novikoff, Anna Wildman and Erica Gruvberg of Visit Sweden.

Richard Morgan and Maria Ploberg of the Swedish Embassy.

European Union Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis hugs Finnish Ambassador Kirsti Kauppi as they welcome fellow envoys for a bike ride to promote sustainability.

EU ambassadors and diplomats prepare for their bike ride. Finnish Ambassador Kirsti Kauppi cycles for sustainability.

PHOTOS: KATE OCZYPOK

Laura Wainman, David Hagedorn and Rina Rapuano enjoy the grounds of the Swedish ambassador’s residence.

Belarusian Independence Day On June 28, the Embassy of Belarus held a reception to celebrate the Belarussian Independence Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus in World War II. European Union Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis waves as he bikes along Observatory Circle.

State Department Belarus Desk Officer John Hussey, State Department Senior Political Officer Elizabeth Hanny and Cultural Tourism DC President Steven Shulman.

Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Belarus Pavel Shidlovsky and Ambassador of Russia Anatoly Antonov.

Dora Plavetic of USAID, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Belarus Pavel Shidlovsky and USAID Director of Europe and Eurasia Cristina Olive.

At left, Former U.S. Chargé d’Affaires to Belarus Scott Rauland, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Belarus Pavel Shidlovsky and Deputy Assistant Secretary in the European and Eurasian Bureau George Kent.

European Union Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis; Lisa Friedman of The New York Times; Bob Perciasepe, president of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions; Ryan Costello, a former former Pennsylvania congressman and founder of the consulting firm Costello Strategies; and Ambassador of Finland Kirsti Kauppi.

SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 35

WD | Culture | Spotlight

Diplomatic Spotlight

September 2019

Prevent Cancer Foundation Spring Gala

Celebrating Social Secretaries

Swiss Ambassador Martin Dahinden and his wife Anita Dahinden served as honorary patrons of the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s 25th annual spring gala held at the National Building Museum to advance the foundation’s mission of saving lives across all populations through cancer prevention and early detection. The gala honored Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Haiwaii) for their work to protect coverage services for seniors, veterans and first responders, promote cancer education and expand expanding funding for biomedical cancer research.

On Aug. 1, the Meridian International Center welcomed over 120 guests to celebrate Washington’s social secretaries and cultural attachés. Ann Stock, chair of Meridian’s Board of Trustees, welcomed guests to a discussion featuring panelists Alicia Adams of the Kennedy Center; Francesca Craig of the Motion Picture Association of America; Diane Flamini of the Spanish Embassy; and Jonathan Steffert of the New Zealand Embassy. “You are how Washington and the rest of America gets to know your country, your culture, your national character and your people,” Stock said. “Because of your efforts, your ambassadors, diplomats and dignitaries are able to be more effective as it comes to your countries’ interests.”

Jessica Eberhart, Anita Dahinden, founder and CEO of the Prevent Cancer Foundation Carolyn Aldigé and Ambassador of Switzerland Martin Dahinden.

Embassy social secretaries pose in the garden of the Meridian International Center.

PHOTOS: JACK HARTZMAN PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOS: STEPHEN BOBB

Jonathan Steffert of the New Zealand Embassy.

The décor was designed by weddings and celebrations expert David Tutera.

Founder and CEO of the Prevent Cancer Foundation Carolyn Aldigé, right, honors Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.).

Shaista and Ray Mahmood.

Ambassador of Switzerland Martin Dahinden greets Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.).

David Adler, founder and CEO of BizBash, joins Elise Lemle and Crystal Bowyer of the National Children’s Museum.

Consular Corps Annual Ball Sophie Lott, vice consul for the British Embassy; Katherine Moss, directorgeneral of the Consular Corps College; Stan Myck, consul for the Embassy of Luxembourg; Ambassador of Finland Kirsti Kauppi; Tracey Stevenson, consular regional operation manager for the British Embassy; Yu-Mei Chen of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office; and Marina Sir attend the 2019 Consular Corps of Washington, D.C., Annual Ball held at the Finnish Embassy.

Liliana Sanchez, project manager at Parsons; Elisabeth Herndler of the Embassy of Luxembourg; and Heike Schuster, marketing and sales manager at Fecher LLC.

Sandra Pandit, former social secretary at the German Embassy, Francesca Baldanzi of the Embassy of Italy and Francesca Craig, former social secretary at the French Embassy.

Robert Sir, director of diplomatic and international sales for the St. Regis Hotel, and Marina Sir.

36 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

Peyton Lee and Katie Marland of the InterContinental Hotels Group; Asma Faraz of the Embassy of Afghanistan; and Kelly Wheeler of the Embassy of Oman.

Linda Bisman of the Embassy of New Zealand, Kathleen Shea of the Meridian International Center and Tais Howland of the Embassy of New Zealand.

Jonathan Steffert, public diplomacy and public affairs officer at the Embassy of New Zealand; Diane Flamini, social secretary at the Embassy of Spain; and Francesca Craig, director of special events at the Motion Picture Association of America and former social secretary of the Embassy of France, listen to fellow panelist Alicia Adams, vice president of international programming for the Kennedy Center.

Monsignor Joszef Forro of the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See in D.C., Seungjin Choi and Su Yeon Seo, both from the Embassy of South Korea, and Monsignor Dennis Kuruppassery of the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See.

Takako Sangoh of the Embassy of Iraq; Mareike Furlong of the Embassy of Switzerland; Joana Manhanga of the Embassy of Mozambique; and Mariana Luis of the Embassy of Mozambique.

Rickie Niceta, social secretary of the White House; Mónica Gross of the Embassy of Ecuador; Ann Stock; Meridian President and CEO Stuart W. Holliday; Diane Flamini of the Embassy of Spain.

Solomont CONTINUED • PAGE 6

25,000 American students who study in Spain every year. And we’re hollowing all of that out,” Solomont lamented. “I’m not sure even Washington understands, or even the White House understands, the value of our embassies to both our prosperity and our security,” Solomont said. This lack of understanding is particularly acute under the Trump administration, which has left dozens of top-level State Department posts unfilled and proposed drastic cuts to the foreign affairs budget, which totals about 1 percent of all federal spending. But decades of disinvestment in diplomacy “didn’t start with this president,” Solomont said. While both Republicans and Democrats in Congress have repeatedly thwarted Trump’s proposed State Department budget cuts, U.S. policymakers have long relegated diplomacy to the sidelines while beefing up military resources. “It didn’t start just now, but it’s never been this bad,” Solomont said.

CHAMPIONING CIVICS The current toxic political environment in part explains Solomont’s most recent career move: the study of civics. After returning home from his service in Madrid, Solomont was named dean of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University in Massachusetts. It was a natural progression for someone with a lifelong passion for civic engagement. In 2000, President Bill Clinton appointed Solomont to the bipartisan board of directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that oversees all domestic service programs, including AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America, VISTA and Senior Corps. He was re-appointed by President George W. Bush in 2007 and elected chair in 2009. Solomont has been a major Democratic donor for decades and was an early supporter of Obama during his run for the presidency. In a way, Solomont’s political career culminated where it began: He was a young page at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where he witnessed police clash with protesters; 40 years later, he stood in Chicago’s Grant Park to watch Obama deliver his election night victory speech as the president-elect. Obama chose Solomont to serve as a non-career ambassador to Spain. Such political appointees, who regularly make up about one-third of U.S. ambassadorships abroad, are largely chosen over career Foreign Service officers because of their personal connections and political donations to the president. Most, like Solomont, come from business backgrounds. Solomont spent much of his career in health care after receiving a degree in nursing (his mother was a nurse at Boston City Hospital). He built a network of elder-care facilities in New England

PHOTO: BY PRESIDENCIA DE LA REPÚBLICA MEXICANA - HTTPS://WWW.FLICKR.COM/PHOTOS/PRESIDENCIAMX/14394465115, CC BY 2.0

The Spanish Parliament — whose Congress of Deputies is seen above in a June 2014 photo — has always had its share of political volatility as parties jockey to form governing coalitions, but that volatility has skyrocketed in the wake of the 2007-08 global recession, with Spain potentially on course to hold another snap election in November — its fourth in just four years.

as chair of Solomont Bailis Ventures, and he invested in early-stage health care companies. Solomont was also the founder and managing director of Angel Healthcare Investors, in addition to co-founding HouseWorks, a home-care company that helps seniors remain independent. However, unlike some non-career ambassadors who have never visited the countries to which they are posted, Solomont had studied in Spain on a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship for postgraduate study and travel abroad after graduating from Tufts University with a bachelor’s in political science and urban studies. He admits that the bipartisan American tradition of naming of non-career ambassadors is “an unusual practice,” especially compared to European foreign ministries, where ambassadors are long-time civil servants promoted internally. Such political appointees are often criticized for being large campaign bundlers who are rewarded with plum diplomatic postings for which they are ill-prepared. Others, however, say political appointees can bring useful business skills to the job. Solomont also notes that non-career ambassadors bring other qualities to the job that career diplomats may not have: “relationships with the president, relationships inside the White House, nongovernment experience, careers in the private sector, or maybe careers in the academic sector.” Solomont referred to these ambassadors as “citizen diplomats” called on to serve the country because of the unique skills and networks they have, which he believes can be just as valuable as a diplomatic career in achieving the goals of U.S. diplomacy. It is also a strength of the U.S. political system, Solomont said, to have “people who come in from the private sector into government, who run for office — senators, congressmen or [others] in public service — and that doesn’t happen in Europe.” Private sector experience brings

creativity and innovation to government, Solomont argued. “I’ve always believed citizens have a responsibility to participate in civic life.” This participation is one aspect of the U.S. democratic system that makes it “healthy,” he said, and this is at the heart of his more recent work as dean of the Tisch College of Civic Life. “It is a great tradition of our democracy that we depend upon citizen participation in our communi-

ties and our government, that we depend upon civic institutions,” he told us. One of the goals of the Tisch College of Civic Life is to “figure out what’s gone wrong with our civic institutions,” Solomont explained. “The strength of our democracy rests on strong civic institutions that are vehicles for people to participate in our democracy and to learn the skills of participating in democracy.” Social media and other modern

Mekong CONTINUED • PAGE 12

engage with both China and the U.S. anyway. They don’t respond well when we try to make them choose between the two.” She argues that the right policy is “to lay our fears about China aside and maintain our concern for human rights. We have to continue to promote our values in the region.”

U.S.-CHINA COMPETITION But in a rapidly growing region hungry for trade and investment, money often speaks louder than human rights rhetoric. According to the February 2019 report “Democracy at a Crossroads in Southeast Asia” by Jonathan Stromseth and Hunter Marston, China is Cambodia’s largest foreign investor and donor, giving “nearly four times” the amount of bilateral aid as the U.S. did in a recent year. Likewise, Chinese trade with its Southeast Asian neighbors dwarfs that of the U.S., with bilateral trade between China and its five Mekong counterparts totaling $220 billion in 2017, compared to $109 in two-way trade with the U.S. in 2018. Stromseth and Marston warn that “China offers a governance model that could appeal to leaders seeking economic growth opportunities without commensurate political liberties or constraints on their power.” China has even challenged the U.S.-led Lower Mekong Initiative with its own rival version called the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Framework, or LMC, which has offered Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam lucrative aid programs and loan packages to support dozens of development projects

technologies present challenges to this participation in Solomont’s view. “We really haven’t done a good job at figuring out what kinds of civic institutions we need in the 21st century — how we’re going to adapt to media, how we’re going to adapt to the way people get their information, what are we going to do to replace the kind of institutions that taught people, how are we going to revive the teaching of civics in schools?” In his testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at his confirmation hearing, Solomont spoke about this belief when he said, “This is an auspicious time in our nation’s history. The president and the Congress have challenged American citizens to roll up their sleeves to help solve the problems of their communities, of our nation and of the world. I come before you as one of those citizens; nothing more but nothing less.” This reflected the Obama administration’s philosophy, Solomont said, which carried all the way through to Obama’s farewell address when he said that “we all share the same proud title: citizen.” “That’s really something that our culture needs to hang on to and revive,” Solomont said. WD Ryan R. Migeed (@RyanMigeed) is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

Follow The Diplomat Connect at www.washdiplomat.com.

and strengthen cross-border cooperation. Despite China’s inroads in the region, the U.S. continues to push forward with its own brand of soft diplomacy. Since its inception, the Lower Mekong Initiative has given 340,000 people access to clean drinking water, trained 1,000 teachers in STEM curriculum and supported hundreds of women business owners. Various U.S. actors are also working to highlight the importance of the Mekong Delta. In June, the Meridian International Center in D.C. hosted a forum to discuss the political, economic and cultural linkages between the U.S. and mainland Southeast Asia, a region that is often left out of media coverage and geopolitical debates. “We saw this as an opportunity to draw attention to U.S. work in a region that is strategically important, given its proximity to China, but also overlooked here in Washington,” said Frank Justice, vice president of the Center for Diplomatic Engagement at Meridian. The Meridian Center has been involved with the LMI since its inception, coordinating over 60 international leadership exchanges and organizing the last four LMI regional working groups that took place in Southeast Asia. Justice said the goal is to spark conversations “that don’t easily happen elsewhere” and to bring people together in educational and cultural settings “who might otherwise never be in the same room at the same time.” While political concerns often dominate America’s discussions with Mekong countries, Justice said it’s important to engage in cultural diplomacy while letting others focus on the thornier, more divisive, political issues in the hopes of building relationships that could lead to closer cooperation down the line. “Will that lead to more democratic processes in these countries?” Justice reflected. “It’s hard to tell. We’re in this for the long game. The changes might not come today. But in the long term, who knows?” WD Deryl Davis is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 37

content it is ultimately up to the customer to make the final proof.

h every effort is made to assure your ad is free of mistakes in spelling and tent it is ultimately up to the customer to make the final proof.

The first two faxed changes will be made at no cost to the advertiser, subsequent changes will be billed at a rate of $75 per faxed alteration. Signed ads are considered approved.

ed changes will be made at no cost to the advertiser, subsequent changes t a rate of $75 per | faxed alteration. Signed ads are considered approved.

Please check this ad carefully. Mark any changes to your ad.

September 2019

check this ad carefully. Mark any changes to your ad.

The Washington Diplomat

Diplomat Classifieds

sign and fax to: (301) 949-0065

plomat

If the ad is correct sign and fax to: (301) 949-0065

needs changes

(301) 933-3552

Approved __________________________________________________________ Changes ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________

(301) 933-3552

___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ To place an ad in the classfieds section, please call 301.933.3552 or email sales@washdiplomat.com ___________________________________________________

OFFICE SPACE

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Establish a business presence in the National Capital region Our prestigious corporate address becomes your business address •Professional reception and administrative services • Fully furnished office and meeting space on an as-needed basis •Located steps from the Patent and Trademark Office, the new National Science Foundation headquarters, and Albert V. Bryan Federal Courthouse

PROFESSIONAL

Call 1-800368-5788 Ext. #1 for a FREE Introductory Copy of the

PROFESSIONAL

Seeking: Interns & Volunteers

Washington Report on Middle East Affairs Nine full-color issues for $29 a year. Mention this ad and get a $20 subscription. Visit our Web site at http://www.wrmea.com

Opportunity to network with diplomats and attend embassy events

•Just off the Beltway and walking distance from two Metro stops

Contact Chanel Lewis at: 703-224-8800 or Clewis@intelligentoffice.com www.intelligentoffice.com

SOLD! Call to place your classified in the next issue.

( 301)

SEPT. 4 TO OCT. 6

Events CONTINUED • PAGE 33

of his father. Winding from the Boar’s Head Tavern to the shadows of Gad’s Hill, Hal’s path to the throne may be unusual, but it eventually leads him to the one place where questions of honor and reputation come to a head: the battlefield. Tickets are $42 to $85. FOLGER THEATRE

SEPT. 4 TO 29

Love Sick

“Love Sick” tells the story of a young wife in a passionless marriage who discovers she has an unseen admirer Intrigued, she begins a mysterious and dizzying journey of sexual and personal empowerment in this tale inspired by the ancient poetry known as the “Song of Songs” that fuses a thrilling original score, Middle Eastern harmonics, dazzling choreography and a timeless story of passion and awakening. Tickets are $39 to $69. THEATER J AT EDLAVITCH DCJCC

The Washington Diplomat is looking for editorial and marketing/event planning interns. We are also looking for volunteers who are interested in working occasional international events. Non-paid only.

Doubt: A Parable

The Bronx, 1964: Suspicions surface at a parochial school about a charismatic young priest’s interest in a Catholic school’s first and only black student. Absent hard proof, Sister Aloysius, the school’s starched and self-assured principal, tries to protect the innocent — but is she doing God’s work or is her certitude actually pride? Tickets are $60 to $90 STUDIO THEATRE

SEPT. 5 TO 22

Butterfly

IN Series begins its 2019-2020 LEAN-IN Season with a new version of Puccini’s beloved “Madama Butterfly.” Stripped of the original’s layers of exoticism and artifice, and wrestling with its troubling issues of racism and misogyny, this reworking arrives at an intimate theater experience that reveals the raw emotional power held within this unforgettable score. Tickets are $46. SOURCE THEATRE

THROUGH SEPT. 7

Disney’s Aladdin

From the producer of “The Lion King” comes the timeless story of “Aladdin” in a thrilling new

38 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019

Interested? Email your resume and cover letter to: sales@washdiplomat.com

933-3552

production filled with unforgettable beauty, magic, comedy and breathtaking spectacle. Tickets are $39 to $179.

KENNEDY CENTER OPERA HOUSE

SEPT. 9 TO OCT. 6

Fairview

Beverly insists the celebration for grandma’s birthday be perfect. But her husband is useless, her sister is into the wine and her daughter’s secrets are threatening to derail the day. Meanwhile a group of spectators has put them all under surveillance. Soon the voyeurs launch an invasion on the festivities, forcing the family to battle for their very identities in this original work about race that both challenges and entertains us. Tickets start at $34. WOOLLY MAMMOTH THEATRE COMPANY

SEPT. 11 TO 22

What the Constitution Means to Me

Fifteen-year-old Heidi Schreck earned her college tuition money by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. In her boundary-breaking new play, the Obie Award winner resurrects her teenage self in order to trace the profound relationship

between four generations of women in her family and the founding document that shaped their lives. Tickets are $49 to $169.

KENNEDY CENTER EISENHOWER THEATER

SEPT. 12 TO OCT. 13

Life Is a Dream (La Vida es Sueño)

Set in Poland in the 17th century when its influence and power in Europe had waned, “Life Is a Dream!” explores tyranny, fate and free will. Weaving together the stories of Segismundo, who was imprisoned at birth by his father King Basilio to prevent the fulfillment of a prophecy, and Rosaura, who acts to restore her honor and control her destiny, this famous Spanish Golden Age drama addresses the universal question “Who is the master of one’s fate?” Tickets are $45 to $48. GALA HISPANIC THEATRE

SEPT. 13 TO OCT. 20

Jitney

August Wilson’s “Jitney” opens Arena Stage’s season-long festival celebrating the Pulitzer Prize-winning giant with Ruben Santiago-Hudson directing his 2017 Broadway production. The dramatic story of a Pittsburgh jitney station, a symbol of

stability, struggles against an oppressive lack of opportunity and unnerving neighborhood gentrification that threatens the way they live and work. The drivers resist powerful forces while coming to grips with their pasts to fulfill their own hopes and dreams for the future. Tickets are $41 to $95.

ARENA STAGE

SEPT. 24 TO 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. SIGNATURE THEATRE

SEPT. 25 TO OCT. 20

The Tempest

When the magical and powerful Prospero creates a sea storm, he gets more than he bargained for as romantic drama, deception and quests for vengeance emerge from the depths. Synetic’s legendary, cinematic adaptation of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” returns, with the famed water-filled stage

and visual poetry that made the original production an unforgettable sensation when it premiered in 2013. Tickets start at $20.

SYNETIC THEATER

SEPT. 27 TO OCT. 27

Fences

Set in segregated Pittsburgh in the 1950s, Fences depicts the life of Troy Maxson, a former Negro League baseball star now scraping by as a sanitation worker. A towering figure facing thwarted aspirations, Troy attempts to assert control in his life through his relationships with his wife and son. But even as he takes responsibility for their safety and well-being, he betrays them each in ways that will forever alter their lives. Tickets are $15 to $70. FORD’S THEATRE

THROUGH SEPT. 29

Assassins

From John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, nine would-be and successful presidential assassins inspire each other to pull the trigger and change their worlds in a perverse, wry and thrillingly entertaining vaudeville. Please call for ticket information. SIGNATURE THEATRE

faxed changes will be made at no cost to the advertiser, subsequent changes d at a rate of $75 per faxed alteration. Signed ads are considered approved. Please check this ad carefully. Mark any changes to your ad.

ect sign and fax to: (301) 949-0065

n Diplomat

needs changes

September 2019

(301) 933-3552

Real Estate Classifieds

______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

To place an ad in the real estate classfieds section, please call 301.933.3552 or email sales@washdiplomat.com NOTE: Although every effort is made to assure your ad is free of mistakes in spelling and content it is ultimately up to the customer to make the final proof. COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL

NOTE: Although every effort is made to assure your ad is free of mistakes in spelling and content it is ultimately up to the customer to make the final proof. COMMERCIAL FOR SALE

SELLING? BUYING? RENTING?

The first two faxed changes will be made at no cost to the advertiser, subsequent changes The first two faxed changes will be made at no cost to the advertiser, subsequent changes OFFICE — faxed alteration. Signed ads are considered approved. 2230 MASS AVEads NW!are — considered approved. COMMERCIAL will be billed at a SALES/LEASING rate of $75 per will be billed Signed 4 at a rate of $75 per faxed alteration. A 2-3. AVREO ARE 3 18 NNT MET Please check this ad carefully. CO PON

Embassy Office Space – DC/ NYC Chancery Buildings /to your ad. Mark any changes Residential Buildings and Land Development Sites. If the adDUis correct sign and fax to: (301) 949-0065 needs changes Leases and Lease RenegoAT tiation Services. Embassy Row Area Mansions with The Washington Diplomat (301) 933-3552 parking. Ideal for embassies, law firms, foundations, etc. Lease or Sale. SCR (202) 491-5300. Approved __________________________________________________________

James Connelly – The Diplomats Agent Changes ___________________________________________________________ EMBASSY/ UNIVERSITY OFFICE BUILDINGS WITH PARKING FOR LEASE/ SALE ___________________________________________________________________ Agent has numerous other properties to show! ALL COMMERCIAL USES

EMAIL: JCONNNELLY@SUMMITCRE.COM TOURS BY APPT: 202 491 5300

Place your classified ad - 301.933.3552

Embassy Chancery Commercial Office Sales/Leasing

Please check this ad Over the past 30 years we have specialized in carefully. Mark working with Embassies to find suitable Chancery and buy and or lease. the office ad isproperties correct tosign fax to: (301) 949-0065 Please call Guy d’Amecourt for consultation.

The Washington Diplomat (202) 415-7800 or (202) 682-6261

SUMMIT Commercial Real Estate, LLC Approved __________________________________________________________ Call today to place your Changes ___________________________________________________________ DIPLOMAT REAL ESTATE CLASSIFIEDS — ___________________________________________________________________ Call today to place your real estate classifed ad in D.C.’s leading international newspaper, The Washington Diplomat. Call (301) 933-3552 or email sales@washdiplomat.com

WASHINGTON F I N E P RO P E RT I E S , L L C

For Sale – Embassy Retreat

needs changes

(301) 933-3552

kalorama 2310 tracy place, nw washington, dc

any changes to your ad.

classified in the next issue.

301.933.3552

FOR SALE Potomac River Views and Access Luxurious, EuropeanStyle Home with 5 bedrooms, 9 baths Nearly 10,000 sq. ft. One Half Acre, Neighbor to George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate, 16 miles from Washington DC

A unique gated property on the Chesapeake Bay with its own street and private beach at Kent Island MD, 45 min from DC.

Priced for quick sale, for tax value of $899,000. By Appointment Only. Call 240-355-3556.

Suns CONTINUED • PAGE 28

This show is at its best when it makes the political deeply personal, showing the way policy transforms lives on individual and mass scales. This is especially relevant given the anti-immigration climate on both sides of the Atlantic and the fact that 65 million people are currently displaced around the world. But the exhibition makes a clear effort to put the narrative focus on the people

caught up by the decisions of those in power who are normally placed at the center of the story. The ideas of personal testimony and witnessing, and the question of how images and objects work in service of memory and memorialization, are key cornerstones to the show’s thematic approach, Bell said. “One thing that we really wanted to insist on is that yes, people may read politics into the show — I think it would be impossible not to at this moment in time — but our goal was really to make it a humanitarian show, not a political show,” Bell explained. “Maybe to some people it would sound political to say such a thing. But it’s really about telling human stories and about art-

Amenities: Elevator, Bar, Exercise Room and Sauna

Listed For:

$2,995,000

703-838-0189 or asulaimani@hotmail.com for further information or to schedule a viewing.

ists being able to tell their own stories, in many ways.” That approach is embodied on the top floor, where viewers encounter the quietly shattering installation of second-hand clothing by French artist Kader Attia. “La Mer Morte (The Dead Sea)” features clothing — sweatshirts, pants, shoes — scattered over the gallery’s floor in cascading layers of blue. The feeling of absence, of the people who may have once worn those clothes, is a profound reminder of the personal hardships behind the headlines. WD Mackenzie Weinger (@mweinger) is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

PHOTO: COURTESY THE ARTIST AND MASSIMO DE CARLO, MILAN/LONDON/HONG KONG

Liu Xiaodong’s “Refugees 4” is among the works in “The Warmth of Other Suns: Stories of Global Displacement.”

SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | 39

40 | THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019