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COVER STORY PAGE 114
Admiral Leasing 11 Arab League, Interview with Ambassador Hassouna 26 Amtrak 17 Brazil, Interview with Ambassador Vieira 30 British - Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton 114 British School of Washington 10 Canadian Embassy 78 Clint Eastwood and Leonardo DiCaprio, “J Edgar” Film 102 Chile, Interview with Ambassador Fermandois 40 DC Livery 35 Diplomatic Connections’ Reception at the Hay-Adams 54 El Salvador, Interview with Ambassador Altschul 46 Elysian Hotel in Chicago 81 [The] Fairfax at Embassy Row 6 & 7 First Lady Michelle Obama and Hilary Swank 82 Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts 2 Global Creative Summit and the United Nations 24 & 90 Hay Adams 3, 54 -61, 126 & 127 Helga’s Catering 110 InterContinental Hotels & Resorts 13 InTouch USA Wireless Communications 10
Japan, Earthquake/Tsunami 14 Japan, Global Creative Forum, Donate 24 Jim Coleman Cadillac 106 & 107 Jumeirah Essex House in Manhattan, New York 8 & 9 New Zealand, Embassy of 87 [The] Peninsula Beverly Hills* INSIDE FRONT COVER, 77, 128 & 129 [The] Peninsula Chicago* INSIDE FRONT COVER [The] Peninsula New York* INSIDE FRONT COVER & 96 Robert Redford’s film, “The Conspirator” 111 Royal Wedding 114 Sofitel Chicago Water Tower 4, 5 & 39 Swissotel Hotels and Resorts Chicago* BACK COVER Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago 1 United Nations, Anne Hathaway 98 United Nations, Arnold Schwarzenegger 90 United Nations, Djimon Hounsou 92 United Nations, Don Cheadle 93 United Nations, Iker Casillas Goodwill Ambassador 62 United Nations, Linkin Park 101 United Nations, Petra Nemcova 70 United Nations, Sean Penn 94 US Limo System 35 Washington Hospital Center 25 White House, President Obama in Brazil 30 White House, President Obama in Chile 40 White House, President Obama in El Salvador 46
UPCOMING Diplomatic Connections’ RECEPTIONS
Diplomatic Connections MAY, 2011 Reception at the Four Seasons – Washington, D.C. Diplomatic Connections October, 2011 Reception at the Jumeirah Essex House – New York Coming soon! Diplomatic Connections Reception in Chicago and Beverly Hills, Los Angeles 12
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dawn Parker AssistantS to the Editor Chanel Cherry Ashley Gatewood ADVERTISING EXECUTIVES Hiam Awad, Dwight Boswell, Kendra Edmonds, Reina Gabbud, Christina Graves, Kevin Sanderson, Shirin Sieracki EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Kyle Byram DESIGN & CREATIVE KDG Advertising, Design & Marketing Laura Socha – lsocha@kdgadvertising.com Contributing Designer Larry Smith DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENTS and CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Roland Flamini, Meghan Lawson, Mark Kennedy Michelle Parish, Susan Schipper, James Winship, PhD To contact an advertising executive CALL: 202.536.4810 FAX: 202.370.6882 EMAIL: info@diplomaticconnections.com DIPLOMATIC CONNECTIONS WEBSITE DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT IMS (Inquiry Management Systems) 304 Park Avenue South, 11th Floor New York, NY 10010 TOLL FREE: 877.467.8721 X701 Website: www.ims.com Marc Highbloom, Vice President marc@ims.ca Maria D’Urso, Project Manager Mariad@ims.ca CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Christophe Avril, Keegan Bursaw, Gustavo Gargallo To order photos from the events go to: www.diplomaticconnections.com Send any name or address changes in writing to: Diplomatic Connections 4410 Massachusetts Avenue / #200 Washington, DC 20016 Diplomatic Connections Business Edition is published bi-monthly. Diplomatic Connections does not endorse any of the goods or services offered herein this publication. Copyright 2011 by Diplomatic Connections All rights reserved. Cover photo credits: Main photo on cover (also in upper left hand corner above) of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, Sean Gallup/Getty Images; President Obama with family and Brazilian President da Silva in Brazil, White House Photo by Pete Souza; Arnold Schwarzenegger and UN Secretary-General Ki-moon, UN photo Mark Garten; Petra Nemcova, Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images; Hilary Swank photo, Mike Theiler/AFP/Getty Images; UN and Iker Casillas, Sebastien Feval/AFP/Getty Images; Sec-Gen Ki-moon and Don Cheadle, UN Photo Mark Garten; Earthquake/Tsunami - Japan, Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images; Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal, Brendon Thorne/Getty Images; Leonardo DiCaprio and Clint Eastwood, Kevin Winter/Getty Images for DGA; El Salvadoran Ambassador Altschul - photo by Gustavo Gargallo of Diplomatic Connections; Arab League Ambassador Hassouna, Brazilian Ambassador Vieira, Chilean Ambassador Fermandois photos by Christophe Avril of Diplomatic Connections.
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An aerial view of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on March 20, 2011 in Okumamachi, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.
By Dr. James Winship
In
what scientists have decided will be known as “the Great Tohoku Earthquake of 2011,� the northeastern Pacific coast of Japan was struck by a magnitude 9.0 Mw undersea megathrust earthquake on March 11, 2011. One of the five largest earthquakes ever recorded since seismological record keeping began, the massive quake generated a tsunami with waves measuring more than 33-feet that swept through cities, towns, and villages resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and near total destruction of many coastal areas. Most dramatically, the earthquake and tsunami created a nuclear radiation crisis by disabling cooling and back-up safety facilities at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear generating D I P L O M A T I C C O N N E C T I O N S B U S I N E S S edition | M a y - june 2 0 1 1
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President Barack Obama signs a condolence book for Japan’s earthquake and tsunami victims, at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C., March 17, 2011. Standing at left is Japanese
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
Ambassador to the United States Ichiro Fujisaki.
plant resulting in severe over-heating of reactor cores and stored spent fuel rods, a series of explosions which seriously damaged containment structures, release of some nuclear materials into the atmosphere and the ocean, evacuations of communities within 12-15 miles of the crippled reactors, and detection of radioactive materials falling back to earth to contaminate food and water supplies. National and international relief efforts poured into the affected region, first in an effort to locate and rescue survivors and later to retrieve and identify bodies. Long-term relief efforts have been hampered by the disruption of transportation networks throughout the affected region. Port facilities in the earthquake area were destroyed, rail lines were knocked out of service, and roads suffered severe damage. More than 130 national governments offered relief assistance to Japan, as did hundreds of global companies, non-governmental relief organizations, and thousands of volunteers. While the damage to the immediately affected area is severe, Japan’s stringent urban building codes allowed Tokyo to survive with only limited damage. Cities to the southwest, which constitute much of Japan’s industrial heartland and the core of Japan’s cultural history, were unscathed. President Obama visited the Japanese Embassy in
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Washington, D.C., to sign a book of condolences and to offer U.S. assistance in the relief and rebuilding efforts. “My main focus is to communicate how heartbroken the American people are during this enormous tragedy,” Mr. Obama said. He continued, “We are doing everything we can to stand by our great friend and ally, Japan, in this hour of need. We are confident that Japan will rebuild.” In his extended written condolences, President Obama recognized Japan’s history of group identity, common purpose, and economic resilience, “Because of the strength and wisdom of its people, we know that Japan will recover, and indeed will emerge stronger than ever.” The most severe and continuing consequence of the earthquake and tsunami has been the “nuclear incident” at the Fukushima Daiichi electrical generating plant owned by TEPCO – Tokyo Electric Power Company – in tsunami devastated Okuma, Japan. Severe damage to the Fukushima reactors and containment buildings, which crippled the plant’s cooling facilities and cut-off electricity to the plant for days, made it impossible to cool the reactors and difficult to operate plant controls, necessitating make-shift cooling efforts involving fire department water cannons, helicopter water drops, and flooding reactor facilities with corrosive
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Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images
sea-water. These efforts appeared to be marginally successful, but there remained concerns about breaches of reactor cores and the release of high levels of radioactive material into the atmosphere and the ocean. Radiation escaping from the severely damaged plants appeared in trace amounts around the world but raised special concerns about the safety of crops grown in areas near the plant and the contamination of seafood harvested in coastal waters. While the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami has produced many acts of kindness and self-sacrifice, the most visible public heroes of Japan’s crisis are the “Fukushima Fifty” – actually more than 200 TEPCO employees working in shifts of 50 – who volunteered to stay behind in the zones of greatest danger and highest radiation exposure in order to try to sustain reactor cooling and prevent the most severe consequences of a release of nuclear material into the atmosphere or a reactor core meltdown. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan offered his thanks and encouragement to the volunteers exhorting them to recognize, “You are the only ones who can resolve a crisis. Retreat is unthinkable.” As the reactor concerns continued, more than 1,000 emergency workers confronted an uncertain but clearly dangerous situation in an on-going attempt to bring the damaged reactor cores under control and then to render them radioactively inert. Clean-up of the area surrounding the Fukushima reactors and decommissioning of the nuclear facilities is expected to take months. The biggest problems, in the short run, were human and environmental. Just what are the potential dangers of exposure to radioactive material to Japan’s people, especially those living near the Fukushima reactors? What might be the effects of a prolonged release of nuclear materials into the environment, and what might be the nuclear exposure of people living outside of Japan? Such questions have immediate economic consequences. Farmers in the affected region found it impossible to market their crops. Some countries have considered bans on Japanese produce and seafood. Tourism to Japan has dropped drastically. And, with several nuclear power plants shutdown, Japan experienced rolling electrical blackouts as well as calls for drastic reductions in electrical usage. Disneyland did not operate for weeks, the bright lights of Tokyo’s Ginza district were dimmed, elevator and escalator usage was curtailed, and businesses limited their hours of operation While these sorts of questions generated scientific debate and important policy discussions, the more deeply rooted issues represented a crisis of identity for Japan, the world’s third largest economy and a critical supplier of parts and
A general view shows tsunami damage in Ofunato, Iwate prefecture, on April 4, 2011. Japan has battled to prevent full reactor meltdowns at its tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi plant and poured thousands of tons of water onto overheating fuel rods, a stop-gap measure that has created highly radioactive run-off.
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Prime Minister Naoto Kan of Japan from the Treaty Room office in the White House residence on March 16, 2011.
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Japanese Self-Defense Force soldiers search for the missing in the rubble below the Hamayuri, a catamaran sightseeing boat, that was pushed up atop a two-story Japanese inn building by the tsunami at Otsuchi town in Iwate prefecture on March 31, 2011. The number of confirmed dead and people listed as missing from the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan’s northeast coast topped 28,000 on March 28, the National Police Agency said. The quake has become Japan’s deadliest natural disaster since the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, which killed more than
Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images
142,000 people.
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technology to industries around the world. As an island nation, Japan is remarkably resource poor. As a highly developed industrial nation, Japan has enormous energy needs. This reality translates into a set of important economic facts of life. The country is only 16 percent energy self-sufficient. It must import 84 percent of its energy needs in the form of crude oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and coal. This makes Japan the world’s largest importer of coal and LNG and the third largest importer of crude oil after the United States and China. Japan has long recognized its energy dependency and has consciously sought to deal with the problem of dependency by expanding its nuclear energy generating capacity. Today, Japan is the third largest consumer of nuclear power in the world, generating 27 percent of its power using nuclear facilities, behind only the United States and France in total nuclear power generation. These realities have produced a crisis of confidence in Japan whose consequences reach well beyond the immediate effects of the earthquake and tsunami. For the moment, at least, nuclear power generation is under a shadow that will
slow the development of new nuclear plants in Japan and increase its dependency on the import of hydrocarbon fuels until issues of safety can be reviewed and standards significantly upgraded. Globally, where nuclear power generation had been enjoying a renaissance as a clean energy alternative, now the safety of nuclear power plants and the consequences of catastrophic failures are under intense reexamination. Japan’s unique and deeply emotional history as the only country ever to have suffered nuclear attack in wartime, with the dropping of the atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II in the Pacific, also means that the consequences of nuclear contamination take on special significance to the Japanese people. The net effect of the multiple crises confronting Japan is to underscore Japan’s long-standing sense of vulnerability and simultaneously to dramatize Japan’s leading role in the highly integrated global economy. When coupled with the uncertain events of this year’s “Arab Spring,” which have served to destabilize and, in several cases, topple long-standing if rigid and undemocratic regimes, the resulting potential threats to
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
President Obama receives a briefing on the earthquake in Japan and the tsunami warnings across the Pacific in the Oval Office, March 11, 2011. Briefing the President, from left, are: Assistant to the President for Homeland Security John Brennan; National Security Staff Senior Director for Resilience Richard Reed; and National Security Staff Director Asian Affairs Daniel Russell.
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Middle East oil exports have intensified Japan’s energy anxieties. These concerns are deepened by the modernization and expansion of China’s naval capacity, which underscores the fact that Japan does not control the sea lanes on which it is vitally dependent for the delivery of its coal, LNG, and oil imports. From the point of view of the global economy, continuing concerns have been expressed about the ability of the Japanese economy to absorb the immediate economic losses resulting from the earthquake and tsunami and to fund the rebuilding process. The Bank of Japan, however, has announced a series of loan schemes designed to encourage the rebuilding process. While the initial effect on the Japanese economy will be negative, there is good reason to expect that massive rebuilding efforts will actually serve to stimulate the Japanese economy. Early fears that international supply chains might be severely disrupted, with especially dramatic effects on the electronics and auto industries, worldwide seem to have been real but overstated. In the short term, some industries – the production of silicon ingots from which are sliced the silicon wafers critical to the production of computer memory chips, specialized batteries for electronics, and LCD screens – were disrupted with spillover effects on a wide range of industries that depend on “just-in-time” supply chains. While industrial plants in the affected region worked to rebuild, parts production shifted to unaffected areas of Japan’s industrial base, to offshore plants outside of Japan, and to alternative suppliers in other countries. Current estimates suggest that rebuilding the damage Japan has suffered from these natural and man-made disasters will cost $300 – $600 billion. Unfortunately, the shadow of the Fukushima nuclear dilemma, the continued unfolding of international events in the Middle East – from regime changes and reform efforts in Tunisia and Egypt to rebellions and upheavals in Libya, Yemen, and Syria, and the world’s perception that Japan is a wealthy country able to meet its own rebuilding needs, have conspired to fade global awareness of the immensity of the human tragedy and the economic obstacles that Japan must overcome in its effort to reconstruct people’s lives
and livelihoods and rethink its economic future. Difficult decisions must be faced as the rebuilding effort begins. Should cities be rebuilt in place or should they be moved away from the vulnerable coastline? Can long-term relief efforts, especially access to food, fuel, fresh water, and electricity be restored in a timely and efficient manner? Can the housing stock be rebuilt and the regional economy reestablished in ways that will allow people to resume their lives and livelihoods? How large a role should nuclear power play in Japan’s future and can a new generation of nuclear reactors with greater safeguards and better disaster contingency plans be introduced? Can the next Japan become a center for the development of new energy-saving technologies? Because so much of traditional Japan was built of wood and because natural disasters have been much a part of Japan’s precarious islandnation life, there is a tradition of rebuilding. Few things reach antiquity; instead, history is rebuilt and renewed. Tradition is sustained by renewing it. Places, ideas and values are historic because they are repeatedly renewed. Japanese culture has always given great weight to a cultural value termed gaman – perseverance or endurance . . . with poise and acceptance and a common purpose determined to continue moving into the future. It is that spirit that Prime Minister Naoto Kan sought to tap when he exhorted the Japanese people, “Each of you should accept responsibility to overcome this crisis and try to create a new Japan.” Japanese tradition says that the cherry blossoms represent a change of heart after the long, cold, bleak winter. There are few families in the affected areas that have not been touched by the death of loved ones and co-workers, and this year’s cherry blossom festivals in Japan were understandably more somber than is traditionally the case. But, even as the beauty of the cherry blossoms provided a contrast to the ugliness of the multiple disasters that have befallen Japan, they also brought inspiration to persevere and to rebuild. That is the spirit that has repeatedly rebuilt Japan in the past and that is rising to this new challenge. n
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Look past the monuments and the museums and you’ll find one of the nation’s top hospitals. Located just three miles from the nation’s capitol is another national treasure — Washington Hospital Center. With 1,600 dedicated physicians, the Hospital Center is a leader in the research, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular and neurological disease, cancer, endocrine disorders, kidney disease, and geriatric and respiratory care. All this plus convenient services like valet parking make a trip into the city well worth your while. For an appointment with an experienced specialist, call our International Services office at (202) 877-2102.
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Photo by Christophe Avril of Diplomatic Connections
By Roland Flamini
T
A Diplomatic Connections
where in the Arab world; President Obama
Hussein Hassouna, Ph.D.,
should articulate a new American vision
Ambassador of the League
he United States needs to decide on a more robust support for the politi-
cal changes in Egypt and Tunisia and else-
of the region; and because “the price of democracy is not easy,� Ambassador Dr.
exclusive interview with H.E.
of Arab States to the U.S.
Hussein Hassouna of the League of Arab States told Diplomatic Connections in an exclusive interview, the West should consider a Marshall Plan for the Middle East. D I P L O M A T I C C O N N E C T I O N S B U S I N E S S edition | M a y - J une 2 0 1 1
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Diplomatic Connections: On March 14, the League of Arab States called for a no-fly zone over Libya. Since then, the League has voiced reservations about the NATO action and Secretary General Amr Moussa has said he will convene a special session of the Arab League to reconsider its approval. Has that happened?
Ambassador Hassouna: No. The position of the Arab League is consistent. The League was appalled by what was going on in Libya and asked the United Nations to impose the no-fly zone, and the U.N. did. The Arab League always provides the Arab legitimacy to anything that is happening in the region, just as the United Nations provides the larger legitimacy to any action of the world community. The position of the League is still the same, that there should be no occupation forces in Libya, that Libya should not be divided, and that the aim is really to protect the civilian population. It did not call for regime change, because it believes that it is up to the Libyan people to decide on the kind of government and leadership they want. But the League has expressed a certain concern that the NATO operations have resulted in civilian casualties. We know this happens in all such situations – unintended casualties. But after all this is an Arab country and these are Arab people that have been killed, and there is sympathy with them throughout the Arab world.
Diplomatic Connections: What happens if the no-fly
Ambassador Hassouna: They’re talking about stopping the fighting, having a cease fire, and then finding a way out of the crisis – for example, finding some safety zones for the civilians. What would happen to the present leadership – that’s obviously pretty sensitive, and the people of Libya have to decide this. It’s entirely up to the people of Libya and not anyone else, to decide if they want a new leadership.
Diplomatic Connections: Do you foresee that Col. Gaddafi will eventually give up and leave?
Ambassador Hassouna: No one has a crystal ball to predict that. There is an ongoing process, but where this will lead I don’t know. However, a number of countries have recognized the rebel movement, among them Qatar as an Arab country; and a lot of countries are showing their support of the movement by giving them the weaponry they need to defend themselves.
Diplomatic Connections: Qatar is the only Arab country so far to recognize rebels.
Ambassador Hassouna: The others have established contacts with the rebels. The United States hasn’t recognized them either, but is in contact with them. Recognition, of course, is a formal act, with legal implications.
zone shows itself not to be sufficient to protect civilians, what would be the next step in your view?
Diplomatic Connections: And implies, of course, abandonment of the old government.
Ambassador Hassouna: There should be a consensus
Ambassador Hassouna: Exactly.
in the international community. All the meetings that have taken place – in Paris, London, Doha, and most recently in Cairo – have focused on the need to find a resolution to the conflict. There are a lot of ideas floating around: there are contacts going on between the Arab League and Libya within the United Nations, and eventually we will see what happens. But this no-fly zone and the current interventions should be aimed at protecting the people, maybe at reinforcing also the provisional government formed by the rebels.
Diplomatic Connections: Do you believe that what is
Diplomatic Connections: What kind of discussions is
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the Arab League having with Libya, by which I assume you mean the Libyan government?
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happening in Egypt and elsewhere in the region is destined to make a fundamental difference to life in the Arab world?
Ambassador Hassouna: Definitely, these are historic events that are taking place, and we’re going to see a new region. We still have to see how things will develop, but we’re seeing the emergence of political parties, a new spirit of pride, of empowerment, and much more respect for the rule of law, and for an independent judiciary. There is now a road map for the future with parliamentary elections in September
and presidential elections in November. There will also be a new constitution adopted. The further importance of this revolution is that Egypt is the soul of the Arab world, and whatever happens in Egypt will influence the whole region. And we’ve seen this: Arab nationalism started in Egypt with President Nasser; the Brotherhood started in Egypt already in the 1920s, Egypt led the Arab world towards war to recover its occupied territories, but also towards peace with Israel. The way it will develop in each country is different because each country has its specificity.
Diplomatic Connections: When we talk about the introduction of democracy into the Arab world, we’re not really talking about a Western model that is just simply transplanted.
Ambassador Hassouna: You’re absolutely right. Democracy in essence is a culture. It cannot be created instantly; it has its ups and downs, and it has to be supported. I don’t think that we can import a model of democracy from the west, it just can’t work. The democratic changes that are taking place in the Arab world today are a home-made product that has to take into account the history of the region, its cultural and religious heritage. The outside world should support these historic developments in the Arab world, but should not try to impose its own concepts.
Diplomatic Connections: Analysts are making the following point: In the protests, the demonstrators are calling for the removal of long-time presidents, but in the case of monarchies they are calling for reforms.
Ambassador Hassouna: Presidents should be elected for a certain term. When they stay too long people revolt and want change, whereas in a monarchy there is a kind of legitimacy in the system already. We know how the succession will take place, and people accept the system as it is. They are not calling for a fundamental change in the system; they want to reform it; they want a constitutional monarchy. Also, some of the monarchies have some spiritual authority, like in Morocco and Saudi Arabia, which gives them more authority.
Diplomatic Connections: How do you think these changes are going to affect the Palestinian-Israeli peace process?
Ambassador Hassouna: It’s important to keep in mind that the Arab-Israeli conflict is the core issue in the region and it should not be overshadowed by current developments, and put on the back burner. For eventual new governments, a lot depends also on Israel’s attitude. If Israel is willing to engage these new governments and be serious in finding a solution to
the Arab-Israeli problem, I think the response from the government of Egypt and others will be positive. But if Israel continues its policies of settlements and trying to annex the territories – sure signs that it is not serious about establishing a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, then I think we are going to see some serious developments in the region. We all have to hope that the United States will get involved again in an energetic way to try to facilitate a resumption of the negotiations. President Obama has to assume leadership. He has to play the role of honest broker, not taking sides, but trying to find a just and balanced solution. Hopefully, the president will make an important policy statement, maybe sometime next month, to determine the vision of the United States. The price of democracy is not easy: Egypt’s economy suffered huge losses as a result of the changes taking place, and I would like to see the United States lead an international effort to really support the economy of Egypt. There can be a kind of Marshall Plan maybe to help Egypt and others. There are many other ways, for instance the question of debt forgiveness, the question of entering into a free trade agreement, supporting tourism – many tourists are coming to Egypt from Europe but the United States still has a ban on Americans traveling to Egypt.
Diplomatic Connections: Do you believe the region can be hijacked by Islamist extremists. Do you think this danger is exaggerated by the West?
Ambassador Hassouna: I certainly do. The revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia were not led by an Islamic movement but by the young people, using social media. The Muslim Brotherhood never played a leading role in this. On the other hand, we have to recognize that the Muslim Brotherhood, while not a majority, is part of the society in Egypt. Before the revolution, they had 88 representatives in the Egyptian parliament sitting as independents because the Brotherhood was not legitimized. The Brotherhood has to be recognized; it has got to be better to have them as part of a political system, where they play an open role, than out of the political system, where they play a covert role. I’m not alarmed. People in the West are entitled to be cautious, but in the end it’s up to the Egyptian people to decide what kind of political system they want – and the West has to accept the outcome.
Diplomatic Connections: Thank you, Ambassador Hassounsa. n
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In March, President Barack Obama made a swing through Latin America, visiting Brazil, Chile, and El Salvador. Obama was the fourteenth U.S. president to visit Brazil, which in the meantime has grown into an economic and diplomatic powerhouse, weighing in on world issues from U.N. reform to climate change. Under President da Silva – “President Lula” – Brazil
H.E. Mauro Vieira, Ambassador of Brazil to the United States
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caused occasional discomfort in Washington by flexing its muscles – for example, by teaming up with Turkey in an effort to persuade Iran to hand over some of its enriched uranium for storage. Obama was in Brasilia when the U.N. Security Council passed a U.S.-sponsored resolution calling for a no-fly zone over Libya – a resolution on which Brazil had abstained. Did this occasional awkwardness have any impact on President Obama’s visit? No, says Brazilian Ambassador Mauro Vieira in an interview with “Diplomatic Connections.”
Ambassador Vieira: The visit was excellent and it came at a very timely moment when both countries are trying to deepen their relations even more. The most important aspect of the visit was the political dialogue, and then, of course, the deepening of economic relations. There was good chemistry between President (Dilma) Rousseff and President Obama and they had a very interesting conversation. A number of important issues were discussed, not only bi-lateral, but regional and global, and we were glad to see that both countries had the same opinion on a very large number of important issues. The Brazil-Turkish initiative in Iran was not discussed. This is a part of multilateralism: it’s normal for countries to have different positions on various subjects. In the case of Iran, what Brazil and Turkey did — as they were then both non-permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — was try to broker a deal that would help bring all parties back to the negotiating table, and then produce further decisions through negotiations. To my knowledge, it didn’t create any kind of irritation or difference.
Diplomatic Connections: What about the trade talks? Before the visit, Administration officials were saying that President Obama would urge the Brazilians to import more from the United States to help the American economy; but Brazil already has a big trade surplus with the United States.
Ambassador Vieira: Brazil’s imports from the U.S. after the 2008 economic crisis grew in a much more dynamic way than our exports to America because the recovery in Brazil was much faster. So the [Brazilian] situation changed from a trade surplus in 2007 to a huge deficit of about $10 or $11 billion at the end of 2010. We’re working on that because our main goal is to have a very balanced foreign trade with all countries. We want to have more trade, but a trade of quality. That was discussed between the two presidents in Brasilia.
Diplomatic Connections: Am I right in saying that the 32
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United States has not shown much enthusiasm for Brazil’s campaign to get a permanent seat in the U.N. Security Council in the context of reforming the United Nations?
Ambassador Vieira: The American position was already known to us. In India, President Obama said the U.N. Security Council had to reflect the reality of the 21st century and that’s exactly our position.
Diplomatic Connections: Except that the Indians took it as an endorsement of their position...
Ambassador Vieira: It was an endorsement. India and Brazil share the same position, so we’re happy with the president’s public declaration. In Brazil, he said privately and in public that he recognized the aspirations of Brazil, and said Brazil is central to this discussion. So we will continue to discuss this issue in the proper fora, which is the U.N. General Assembly and the Security Council. Our main interest is to have most countries in the United Nations support these reforms that will expand the number of permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council, and that would improve the working methods of the Security Council. But first things first: we have first to decide whether the world wants the new Security Council, which would reflect the reality of the 21st century, and not the one from the first half of the last century. We live in a completely different world.
Diplomatic Connections: Why do you think that Latin America is doing well economically as a region, even as the U.S. and Europe are still struggling with the aftermath of the 2008 crisis? Ambassador Vieira: Well, the shift to democracy in Latin America had something to do with it. Democratic governments introduced a number of social policies of inclusion, education, and health that created conditions for growth. And, of course, very different macro-economic policies that led to stabilization and reduction of inflation, and allowed the countries to make more money available for investments in very vital areas. Putting the house in order gave us the opportunity to invest in development — in very balanced and just development — and maybe this is the main reason. Countries that a decade ago suffered from different kinds of economic problems have changed completely and are in very good shape today. Latin America as a region is very rich in natural resources: we have everything. Most of the countries in the region, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil are doing well. Bolivia has a very
Photo taken by Christophe Avril of Diplomatic Connections in the Brazilian Ambassador’s Residence, Washington, D.C.
H.E. Mauro Vieira, Ambassador of Brazil to the United States
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U.S. President Barack Obama (L), First Lady Michelle (back-R), and their daughters Malia (R) and Sasha (back-L) descend from the presidential airplane as they arrive in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 19, 2011. Obama arrived in Brazil, calling for bolstering economic ties between the United States and Latin America to open new markets and create more jobs.
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sound economy these days: they have reserves of $15 billion, which is a good size of reserves for that country. Chile has been progressing so much lately; Colombia is a great example of economic success. The region is a vast domestic market — over 350 million inhabitants — a good base for development if you have good macro economic policies of stabilization and fight against inflation. In the case of Brazil, social policies were very important. During the last century, we have had an over seven percent growth rate, but the growth was not inclusive; it was very concentrated in certain areas and parts of the society. There was no income distribution. That created very difficult social conditions that had to be tackled during the last 10 or 15 years. It was absolutely fundamental to reach the degree of growth and development we have in fact reached: 28 million people were brought out of poverty; 36 million went up to the middle class. Today 53 percent of the population of Brazil belong to the middle class.
Diplomatic Connections: China today is your number one trading partner – $36 billion in 2009: your president will shortly visit Beijing. But isn’t it true that there are concerns in Brasilia about this partnership – the eternal Chinese currency problem, a trade imbalance in the reverse direction from the one with the U.S.?
Ambassador Vieira: China today is for the first
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
time Brazil’s number one trading partner, overtaking the United States, which was always Brazil’s leading partner in the past but is now in second place. Most of the trade is, as you know, Brazil’s raw materials [iron ore, soy beans], but we’ve also sold them airplanes and other goods. We still have a huge surplus with China, and we’re working with China to have a better quality of trade with them. Incidentally, we have also had programs of cooperation in space science (satellite building) and technology with China since the 1980s. As the Chinese evolve into domestic consumers, China itself is becoming a huge market of consumer goods not just for Brazil, it’s big enough for everybody.
Diplomatic Connections: Looking down the
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Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff greets U.S. President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama (R) and daughters Sasha (2nd L) and Malia (2nd R), upon their arrival at the Palacio do Alvorada, the official residence, for a reception, in Brasilia, Brazil, March 19, 2011.
road 10 years, what would you like to see happening in your region?
Ambassador Vieira: The region is multi-ethnic, multi-racial, it’s a democratic region, and we haven’t had war in Latin America for over a century and a half. We have all the conditions necessary for a big development, and a big social development. I hope integration will advance and will be a reality: I would hope that in 10 years Mercosur [the Latin American free trade bloc currently consisting of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and soon Venezuela] is enlarged and joined by more countries, so the trade within the region is free of barriers, resulting in more development, and in better conditions of life for the populations of these countries. We’d like to see Colombia join, that would be a very important partner.
Diplomatic Connections: How are Brazil’s relations with Venezuela?
Ambassador Vieira: Venezuela is important to us; we have important cooperation agreements and joint investments in oil refineries between the Venezuelan and Brazilian oil companies. Then there is Venezuela’s candidacy for membership of Mercosur, which should happen in the next month.
Diplomatic Connections: Is it the intention that Mercosur should become a European Union in Latin America? Ambassador Vieira: Yes, in a way. We’re not thinking of transferring the European model to South America, but Mercosur is a customs union and we’d like to change to a common market in the future. We’ve made a lot of progress in 15 years, but we have a long way to go. After all, it took 50 years to create the European Union. And in that respect, Latin America has certain advantages over Europe. Latin America is a much more uniform region than Europe: it’s multi-racial but we are all products of the Iberic colonization, and the two languages - Spanish and Portuguese are very close. Still, we’re not yet at the point of anything like a common currency.
Diplomatic Connections: Thank you, Ambassador Vieira. n
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Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
U.S. President Barack tours the Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) statue on Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 20, 2011, along with First Lady Michelle Obama (R), and daughters Sasha (L) and Malia (2nd R).
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hile’s Ambassador Arturo Fermandois will probably be best remembered for having set up a giant television screen outside the Chilean embassy on Massachusetts Avenue so Washingtonians could watch the unfolding heroic saga of the 33 miners trapped 2,300 feet below ground in the San José copper mine in the Atacama Desert. In an exclusive interview with “Diplomatic Connections,” he called the happy conclusion to the miners’ ordeal “a symbol of the unity of our country, the ability of its professionals, its spiritual strength.” More recently, Chile again made news when President Obama included Santiago in his Latin American itinerary.
H.E. Arturo Fermandois, Ambassador of Chile to the United States
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Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
President Barack Obama talks with National Security Advisor Tom Donilon in the hallway outside his hotel suite in Santiago, Chile, March 21, 2011.
Diplomatic Connections: What were the results of President Obama’s visit?
Ambassador Fermandois: The president’s visit — incidentally only the third U.S. presidential visit in history — adds political fuel to our bi-lateral relations. We signed several bi-lateral agreements on education, energy, among others, and an agreement on how to face disasters together — earthquakes, tsunamis, and so on. We’re also working on being the first Latin American country to introduce a visa waiver program [which will allow Chileans to visit the United States for up to 90 days without having to apply for a visa]. This is something that European countries have — 23 of them. When I go to the Department of Homeland Security to negotiate the agreement, the political fuel of President Obama having been in Santiago helps a lot.
Diplomatic Connections: Is there a time frame around the visa waiver?
Ambassador Fermandois: We’re working on a two-year process for getting the requirements achieved. Then there is a more complex requirement, which is the rejection rate [the percentage of visa applications rejected by the State Department], which should be below three percent. In Chile, 42
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it’s gone down from nine percent three years ago to 5.1 percent, and we’re confident that this is going to go down to three percent within two — at the most three — years.
Diplomatic Connections: You have already a free-trade agreement (FTA)?
Ambassador Fermandois: We have a very successful FTA which went into effect seven years ago. It has a surplus to the U.S.
Diplomatic Connections: Except that in 2009, both imports and exports with the United States were down by around 25 percent.
Ambassador Fermandois: Yes. Because of the [2008 economic] crisis it went down, but now in absolute terms we have recovered from that crisis. We have a bi-lateral trade with the United States of $17 billion, and we are again in the growth path of the years before the crisis. In terms of investment, last year a leading Chilean mining company invested $200 million in Minnesota, bringing in technology, management – and creating jobs there.
Diplomatic Connections: Why do you think that President Obama chose Chile as one of the three Latin American countries he scheduled to visit?
Ambassador Fermandois: We share democracy as a system of government, an open economy, a system of opportunities, and human rights. We’ve just had a peaceful transition from one coalition that was in power for 20 years to another coalition that has its own style, but believes in these basic principles too. I believe that President Obama recognizes that. We have a system of liberties and citizen protection with a social network – these are values that President Obama shares. Chile is a country where reconciliation between different political sectors has taken place successfully. Chile has taken a lead on human rights internationally with its candidacy for a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Diplomatic Connections: How does Chile relate to the rest of the Hemispheric region, which is changing very rapidly in all directions?
Ambassador Fermandois: [Chilean] Foreign Minister [Alfredo] Morena has paid a lot of attention to regional relations. The main part of the effort has focused on Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. I think that despite our historic differences we should work on improving the friendship with each country. With Peru we have a lawsuit before the International Court of Justice over borders, but on the other hand, we have a lot of Chilean investments in Peru, a country that is growing, with more than eight percent economic growth this year, introducing reforms, and opening the country. So why not operate on two levels: the case in the court will be resolved there, and on the other hand, our common destiny should also be strengthened between the two countries. Of course, there is a model of development in certain countries that is different from our model. With Peru and Colombia we share a model, there are other models that are different.
Diplomatic Connections: In Latin America these days it’s fashionable to talk about integration, but it seems
to have a different meaning in different countries. What does integration mean in Santiago?
Ambassador Fermandois: What Chile understands by integration is open borders to free trade and the free movement of people. Chile has free trade agreements with 57 countries. In the early 1980s, we brought down our tariffs to 10 percent where other countries have 80 percent. Right now, we are working on integration in the energy sector. Chile is running out of energy as a result of its growth, our neighbors have surplus energy.
Diplomatic Connections: So does Chile share the interest of some other Latin American countries in the formation of a union modeled after the European Union, progressing from economic integration to joint political institutions, and so on?
Ambassador Fermandois: The European Union has its own identity, partly shaped by its own historical circumstances, including two major wars in the 20th century. But Chile is not closed to an idea like that: we share so much with our neighbors, including a common language. The process of independence of our countries was a common process, we share the same founders -- from Francisco Miranda to José San Martin. So, we have a framework for becoming something more than an economic integration, but today the region is not mature enough for that.
Diplomatic Connections: Last year, Luis-Alberto Moreno, president of the Inter-American Development Bank, wrote an article in the “Financial Times” in which he said that while Europe and the United States are still struggling to emerge from the 2008 economic meltdown, Latin America is enjoying steady growth. For example, the World Bank forecasts that Chile in 2011, will have a growth rate of 5.8 percent. How do you account for this in Latin America?
Ambassador Fermandois: Chile faced the 2008
Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton
crisis as a net creditor country – we had more assets than debt because, in the good times, Chile saved
Chilean First Lady Cecilia Morel, right, talks with First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia during a cultural event at the Museo Interactivo Mirador in Santiago, Chile, March 21, 2010.
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money. Also, when I follow the debate on the American budget, I am relieved to recall certain rules that we have in place in my country: Congress in Chile cannot add spending to the budget bill: it can only amend spending. Chilean congressmen and senators are not allowed to introduce private members’ bills with spending. Also, the Chilean Congress has a deadline to approve the budget, otherwise it automatically goes into force. 44
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Diplomatic Connections: Your country has made the transition from a military regime to a democracy. Do you think that there is a lesson in the Chilean experience for other countries? Obviously, I’m thinking now of what is happening in the Arab world.
Ambassador Fermandois: Â It is difficult to give lessons to other countries, but I believe that Chile managed remark-
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama gather with President SebastiĂĄn PiĂąera of Chile, wife Cecilia Morel, and their family for a photograph during a dinner at La Moneda Palace in Santiago, Chile, March 21, 2011.
ably well to make the transition to a democracy. In fact, [former President] Christina Bachelet and some senators and politicians were recently in Cairo and elsewhere, at the invitation of some Arab countries to learn from our transition. The way Chile was able to put the military under a constitutional framework, the way we were able to create a system of political parties, and to sort our differ-
ences by introducing a strong presidential authority with a legitimate congress playing its own role: other countries are welcome to share these things.
Diplomatic Connections: Thank you, Ambassador Fermandois. n
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Photos by Gustavo Gargallo of Diplomatic Connections
H.E. Francisco Altschul, Ambassador of El Salvador to the United States
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or Salvadorans, the high point of President Barack Obama’s oneday stopover in El Salvador was not his bi-lateral meeting with President Mauricio Funes covering immigration issues, security, and the fight against poverty: it was his visit to the tomb of Catholic Bishop Oscar Romero, assassinated by a right wing gunman in 1980, during the country’s brutal civil war. Romero is revered in El Salvador for having stood up to the regime and its militias. “The fact that the president went to
pay his respects at Romero’s tomb was a show of respect for human rights,” Francisco Altschul, El Salvador’s ambassador to Washington, told Diplomatic Connections. “That was particularly significant to us.” Obama’s second most significant action was to allocate $200 million for security in Central America. “This has to do with gangs, with organized crime and drug trafficking, and money laundering,” said Altschul. “The biggest threat to our democracy comes from organized crime, and not any more from ideologies.”
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Diplomatic Connections: What does this allocation mean in practical terms? Closer cooperation with American security agencies? Ambassador Altschul: On the bi-lateral side, that is cooperating with the United States, we have a monitoring base at the airport to track plane traffic; and there is also support for a new telephonic communications intervention center; this is a center by which, with all due process, it will be possible to interdict telephone conversations, particularly for the combat of organized crime.
Diplomatic Connections: What about the immigration issue?
Ambassador Altschul: There are over two million Salvadorans living in the United States, and we discussed alternative means by which Salvadorans who have been living here, respecting the law, are working, are paying their taxes, are contributing to the economy, can find paths to a more permanent status here in the United States.
Diplomatic Connections: How does the domestic debate on immigration in the United States affect U.S.-El Salvador bi-lateral relations? Ambassador Altschul: As President Obama clearly stated during the visit, the way to solve such a complicated problem is through comprehensive immigration reform. We hope that could happen, but we understand the difficulties of it, given the political climate right now particularly. In the absence of a comprehensive reform we would like to find ways to benefit the immigrant population. Of course, there are Salvadorans being deported. We understand the right of this country to do so, particularly when they are deporting mostly people who have some sort of record: that creates a problem for us, but we understand the legitimate right of this country. What we have done is established a working group from the Department of Homeland Security and the Salvadoran Foreign Ministry to find ways by which some alternative measures can be used, particularly for the most vulnerable members of the population: kids, pregnant women, elderly people.
Diplomatic Connections: What would your government Ambassador Altschul: We wish that some way could be found to facilitate their legal regularization. Some of these immigrants have been here 10 years or more; many were brought here as children. They were educated here and are, for all intents and purposes, American. They pay their taxes. 48
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U.S. President Barack Obama (C), alongside President Mauricio Funes of El Salvador (L) and Monsignor JosĂŠ Luis Escobar Alas (R), Archbishop of San Salvador, walk past a portrait of Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was assassinated in 1980, at his tomb during a tour of the Metropolitan Cathedral in San Salvador, El Salvador, March 22, 2011.Â
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
be looking for in immigration reform?
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First Lady Michelle Obama raises her glass during a toast by President Mauricio Funes of El Salvador at an official dinner at the National Palace in San Salvador, El Salvador, March 22, 2011.
President Mauricio Funes of El Salvador speaks during an official dinner at the National Palace in San Salvador, El Salvador, March 22, 2011, in honor of U.S. President Barack Obama.
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Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet children during their visit in San Salvador, El Salvador, March 22, 2011.
This idea that immigrants don’t pay taxes is false: they pay income tax, and when they buy goods they pay the sales tax.
Diplomatic Connections: Are you saying citizenship? Ambassador Altschul: I am not an expert in the (immigration) laws, this is something that should be studied within the framework of this country. What I understand is that there are some ways by which things like this could happen. Immigrants have been a factor in strengthening the relationship between the two countries. One of the reasons why Obama chose El Salvador to visit was because of the strong links of two million Salvarodans living here.
Diplomatic Connections: How are El Salvador’s relations with its neighbors?
Ambassador Altschul: El Salvador is showing some leadership in Latin American integration. Last year, the Central American presidents met to launch the process of integration. The talks centered on two issues: confronting
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security and poverty on a regional basis.
Diplomatic Connections: When you say integration what do you mean exactly?
Ambassador Altschul: Integration is obviously a process. We mean integrating economies, movement of people, trade, security issues. In a sense, the model of integration now is the European Union, but in the 1960s, one symbol of integration was the Central American Common Market, which was a very successful and advanced model for its time. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out because of problems in different countries, wars, etc. Now we’re taking it more step-by-step — for example, opening the borders for the movement of goods. We are putting a lot of effort into trying to homologize our laws. Regarding security, we are talking about doing joint military operations on the borders. There’s much more cooperation and information sharing in terms of criminal activity to combat organized crime, so it’s more in
these specific areas that we are trying to build integration on a day-by-day process more than as a grand design. Eventually, we hope it will lead to that.
Diplomatic Connections: What happened to all those Central American Marxists from the 1960s?
Ambassador Altschul: In the case of El Salvador, the old revolutionaries are the political party now in the government. This was again one of the reasons that President Obama articulated for visiting El Salvador and also Chile: we are both countries that have consolidated our democratic processes — in Chile, after a terrible dictatorship, in the case of El Salvador after a civil war.
Diplomatic Connections: Do you think the spread of democracy in Latin America could provide useful examples for Arab countries now looking for ways to create inclusive governments?
Ambassador Altschul: Of course situations are different because the countries are different. But I think there can be examples that Latin American countries can provide. Former President Michelle Bachelet (of Chile) told me the other day that she had returned from Egypt, where young movement leaders had been extremely interested in talking to her about her experience. Also, a well-know Chilean former minister and academic had returned from Egypt, having been there at the invitation of some of these groups. They told him ‘you should come back and bring other people: we need that.’ So there is clearly a space for that. The fact that we’re younger democracies in the process of building and consolidating our processes probably makes us more interesting to them than older European democracies with long-established institutions. Diplomatic Connections: Thank you, Ambassador Altschul. n
H.E. Francisco Altschul, Ambassador of El Salvador to the United States being interviewed by Diplomatic Connections’ Correspondent, Roland Flamini.
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H.E. Winston Thompson, Ambassador of Fji to the US and Ray Baleikasavu, Embassy of Fiji
HAY ADAMS INTERNATIONALLY RESPECTED
Diplomatic Connections hosted another successful Diplomatic Appreciation Reception in March of 2011 at the Top of the Hay. The Hay Adams is one of the most prestigious properties in
H.E. Subhas Chandra Mungra, Ambassador of Suriname to the U.S.
Washington, D.C., not solely because of being a “prime real estate location,” but also in the respect of continuously hosting an “A-list” roster of “who’s who” locally as well as worldwide. The Hay Adams is world renowned and known all over the globe. Many U.S. presidents have called it home while waiting to take the official seat of presidency in the White House. In 2008, of course, the Obama family took a several week residence in this lovely property just before the inauguration. The Hay-Adams is literally right across the street from the White House. The view is absolutely unmatched and picturesque beyond imagination. Whether having a five-star dining experience in their state-of-the-art restaurant, staying in one of their luxurious guestrooms or, as in the
H.E. David Mohlomi Rantekoa, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Lesotho to the U.S.
case of Diplomatic Connections, hosting a Diplomat Appreciation Reception on the ninth floor of this fine location, one is sure to be in utter awe at the view of our President’s home and all the surrounding glory of our nation’s Capitol. The Hay Adams has the refinement of a historical site while maintaining a contemporary, H.E. Pavlos Anastasiades, Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to the U.S. and spouse, Maria
new, modern flare with their recent newly renovated event space on the top floor of the property. It is magnificently gorgeous, incredibly spacious, exceptionally functional, impeccably designed and literally one of the most perfect places to host an event. For a view that is unequivocally spectacular, dramatic and grand and, most importantly, unequalled anywhere in the city, French doors have been placed throughout the length of the exterior walls that lead to the balcony and truly provide a gateway to viewing the White House in the most splendid and unique way (as can be seen in many of the
Umid Shadiev; Otabeki Yuldashev; Mardon Yakubov - All with Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan
photos). Being unriveled in its prestige, playing a monumental role in our nation’s history and now maintaining a level of newness that breeds an atmosphere of distinction while, additionally and simultaneously, providing a distinguished platform for diplomatic and state events that is modern and contemporary – as if that weren’t enough, H.E. Jaliya C. Wickramasuriya, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the U.S.
the staff representatives are ambitious, attentive and eager to please. The atmosphere they’ve created is an exclusive branding that is cutting edge, unprecedented and luxurious in a way that simply cannot be measured and is certain to be enjoyed by all. Partnering with The Hay-Adams to host the first Diplomat Appreciation Reception of 2011, Diplomatic Connections was proud to have our reception at such a lovely, stately and diplomatic venue.
Dragos Tomescu; Rodica Tomescu-Olaria and Lavinia Ochea with Gabriel Sopando - both with the Embassy of Romania H.E. La Celia Prince, Ambassador of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the U.S. and Harold Doley
If you would like to host an event, dine in one of the restaurants, place a hotel delegation or be a guest at this wonderful property, please contact, Sarah Deam at: SDeam@hayadams.com or call: 202.662.4817 D I P L O M A T I C C O N N E C T I O N S B U S I N E S S edition | M a y - june 2 0 1 1
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DIPLOMATIC CONNECTIONS OUR MISSION
Diplomatic Connections is continuously asked many questions concerning the mission of the magazine and the purpose of the Receptions. So, in this edition, we’re going to answer some of those questions. What is the mission of the Diplomatic Connections magazine? The premise of the publication is to promote the missions of the Diplomatic Community as a whole, not just in
Ba Oumar Louise Honorine Nathalie, Embassy of the Gabonese Republic
Washington, D.C. but, around the world. We are a news covering organization with a strong focus on International, Celebrity and Congressional events. We cover news worldwide, not just Washington, DC. Who advertises in our publication? Should I advertise as a business, or at the very least, be represented? Diplomats come to the United States to have and maintain proper representation for their respective nations. When they come here, regardless of which major U.S. city they are designated to reside in for their posting, they are in need of everything from A to Z. For example: Hotels; Restaurants and Dining; Private Schools, Universities
Bernardo Lourenco, Embassy of Angola
and Colleges; Trains, Planes and Automobiles; Limousine Services; Apartments; Corporate Housing; Furniture; Grocery Stores; Food and Entertainment; Salon Services; Apparel, Jewelry and Watches; Hospitals, Surgeons, General Physicians, Col. Othman Abdullah, Defense Attache, Embassy of Malaysia
Dentists, Orthodontists and General Health Care and more. If I’m in the Defense Business, why would I consider being represented in the Diplomatic Connections publication and also having a presence at the Diplomatic Connections Trade Shows? Our Diplomatic Connections magazine and website are viewed and read by 10s of thousands of Diplomats and Staff Representatives. A HUGE percentage of our readers are Official Military Diplomats; they attend our events regularly. These same Military Diplomats are in the market of such
Sarah Newman, Head of Business and Corporate Services, British Embassy and Becky Thomson
procurement. What if I’m in the oil industry or in an industrial business in general? Many nations where their commodity is oil, industrial or manufacturing, specifically have diplomats who are in the capacity of promoting such to the American marketplace as well as are interested in hearing additional information about these types of industries in relation to how it can help their respective countries in trade and economy. Why do our American members of Congress read the Diplomatic Connections magazine? Members of the United States Congress are always in communication and in dialogue with the International Community. With all sorts of “worldwide business agreements and global trade” being
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Joy-Dee Davis and Ann-Marie Layne both with the Embassy of Antigua and Barbuda
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Lt. Col. Doug Martin, Embassy of Canada
Ivan Anchev, PhD, Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria with spouse, Lily
Karin Peeters, European Union; Ron Mlotek, formerly with the U.S. Dept. of State and Guenter Langenberg, Counselor, Head of Administration, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
Ilona Aberl, Embassy of Austria; Gernot Wiedner, Embassy of Austria and Michaela Svoboda
Justyna Bartkiewicz-Godlewska, Embassy of Poland; Krzysztof Godlewski (left) and Ms. Anna Dzielska (right) Staff members of Diplomatic Connections Sissel Bakken, Royal Norwegian Embassy
Hanne Marie Willoch; Pia Ulrikke Dahl; Linda Ur - All with the Royal Norwegian Embassy
Maria Eugenia Alvarez; Jose Lombour; Sofia Porres - All with the Embassy of Guatemala
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Right to left: Kevin Adams, Embassy of Canada and his spouse, Christina Jutzi
Anne-Lise Cattin Hennin, Embassy of Switzerland with spouse, Cedric Hennin and Riccarda Torriani, Embassy of Switzerland with Simche Wyss
Robin H. Adlam, MA Group Captain, Asst. Air Attache, British Embassy with spouse, Susan
Major Mohamed Abdul Hak, Military Office, Embassy of Egypt; Hiam Awad, Diplomatic Connections; Lt. Col. Housam El Shahawy, Assistant Military Attache, Embassy of Egypt
Col. Vladimir Baymyshev, Embassy of Russia with spouse, Inna
Col. Pietro Tornabene, Embassy of Italy with spouse, Alessandra
Right to left: Luis Leandro Da Silva, Embassy of Portugal and Antonio Fidalgo
Delegation from Embassy of Thailand
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Dr. Falk R. Bomeke, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany with Franisha Fischer
conducted on a daily basis today, Congress takes time to listen to the leaders of the many nations of the world in a constant effort to maintain a balance in matters of International Trade and World Economy. Why are the thousands of staff representatives in the International Organizations (IOs) reading the Diplomatic Connections magazine? Collectively, the IOs employ over 65,000 employees. These same people are making influential decisions concerning world affairs every day. They are hosting local and nationwide delegations. With technology taking a prominent position in the way people communicate today, Diplomatic Connections provides an exclusive, trusted platform where diplomats and their staff can feel confident and safe conducting business. What is the best, most time efficient way to meet Diplomats and their staff so that I may properly introduce them to the business I represent and if I’m already doing business in this prestigious market, how do I increase my business? The most optimal way of either increasing your contacts and/or make that initial introduction is to first “Brand” your company by being represented in the Diplomatic Connections magazine and then simultaneously participating in our trade show to actually make their acquaintance in a proper forum. This can lead you to the next step of potentially
Captain Marcelo Acuna, Embassy of Chile with spouse, Maria Virginia
doing business together either for the first time or simply continue on a larger scale. What if I live in a city outside of Washington, DC? The Diplomatic Connections magazine is “direct mailed” to diplomats in most major U.S. cities. Diplomatic Connections has trade shows in New York, Washington, DC, Chicago and is quickly expanding. Diplomats are positioned all over the entire United States; therefore, whether you attend a show in Washington, D.C., or another city, a business always maintains an incredibly higher chance of gaining the attention of this community in a more serious way by not limiting participation to just one city. Most Washington and New York diplomats will communicate with their counterparts in other U.S. cities on a regular basis.
Staff Representatives of Diplomatic Connections
If I’d like to learn more about Diplomatic Connections, where should I go to read more or what would the next step be? Go to: www.diplomaticconnections.com or call us at:
Embassy of the Republic of Poland Representatives
202.536.4810 to speak with a representative.
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Jeff Turner, InTouch USA Wireless Communications
Angelito Nayan, Embassy of the Philippines and spouse, Minerva
Mikhail Tolchenov, Embassy of the Russian Federation
Andrea Steinhauer and Richard Fong, both with the Embassy of Canada Matthew Keller, Embassy of the Principality of Liechtenstein with Amanda Walburn
Staff representatives of “Diplomatic Connections� Yasser Elnaggar and Mr. Omar Youssef
Representatives from the Royal Netherlands Embassy
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Lt. Col. Giuseppe Battaglia, Embassy of Italy and spouse, Francesca
Right to left: Karin Lornsen, United Nations Foundation and Anmar Khadra, NIH
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Right to left: Mohamed Guebili, Embassy of Algeria and Yassine Salah, Embassy of Tunisia Charlie Park and Tais Howland, Embassy of New Zealand
Right to left: Katrine Ebbesen Mehlsen, Royal Danish Embassy with Stefan Kristiansen
Francois Schmidt and Vay-Luy Jetzer, both with the Embassy of Switzerland Syed Edwan Anwar, Embassy of Malaysia with Raja Zarina
John Frim, PhD, Embassy of Canada with spouse, Monica
Right to left: Captain R.A. Stevenson, Embassy of Canada with spouse, Gloria
Lt. Col. Housam El Shahawy and Major Mohamed Abdul El Hak
Andrey Savushkin, Embassy of the Russian Federation with spouse, Ekaterina
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Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas poses during a press conference at the United Nations (UN) office in Geneva, on January 24, 2011. Casillas joins 10 other international footballers in the fight against poverty as he is officially enshrined as a goodwill ambassador for the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
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(Photo opposite page) Victims of the current devastating drought in Ethiopia, suffering the effects of malnutrition, with many close to fatal starvation, gather at a camp in Korem. A little boy drinks, gaining some nourishment from newly delivered supplies.
UN Photo/John Isaac
By Dr. James Winship
As goalkeeper for Real Madrid and Spain’s World Cup Championship football (soccer) team, Iker Casillas’ job is to stop shots on goal, something he does with consummate skill. As a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), his job is to help advance the achievement of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. “While my job on the pitch is to prevent goals,” noted Casillas at a recent ceremony announcing his appointment, “my job at UNDP will be to help score them.” The Millennium Development Goals [MDGs] were adopted by the United Nations and world leaders in 2000 with the intention that the goals would be achieved by 2015. They were designed to provide concrete, numerical, measurable goals for dealing with extreme D I P L O M A T I C C O N N E C T I O N S B U S I N E S S edition | M a y - june 2 0 1 1
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poverty throughout the world, especially among late developing states. The eight stated goals:
• eradicating extreme poverty and hunger • achieving universal primary education • promoting gender equity and empowering women • reducing child mortality • improving maternal health • combatting HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases • ensuring environmental sustainability • developing a global partnership for Development
have been broken down into 21 quantifiable targets that are to be measured by 60 specific indicators. These indicators allow individual countries to monitor their progress toward achieving the MDGs, to compare their progress with other countries, and to learn from the experiences and “best practices” of countries engaged in similar efforts. UNDP Associate Administrator Rebecca Grynspan recently presented Casillas with his credentials in Geneva, Switzerland. Acknowledging the UNDP was thrilled to have Casillas joining the ranks of its Goodwill Ambassadors,
Grynspan observed that, “Iker is not only a role model for young people across the globe, but [he is] also a very committed partner in the need to raise awareness and create real opportunities to improve the lives of the most vulnerable.” Casillas has a long record of assisting in global development efforts by staging world-class sports events as fundraisers designed to raise global awareness of critical problems as well. He and tennis great Rafa Nidal have twice staged “Friends of Iker v. Friends of Rafa” events to raise money for those suffering from malaria in Mali. Among the first ambassadorial assignments for Iker Casillas was to make the transition from football star to comic book hero as one of the characters in a UNDP-sponsored comic book entitled “Score the Goals: Teaming Up to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals.” He joined with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, Wilfred Lemke, to launch this new comic that will be published in many different languages and distributed around the world. Using the full list of UNDP Goodwill Ambassadors, including Iker Casillas, the comic book tells the adventures of these sports stars as they work together in an emergency
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) meets with his Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, Wilfried Lemke, while signing a hand-made soccer ball. The ball was auctioned subsequently by Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan, a UN Messenger of Peace, at a fundraising event for families of UN staff killed in action.
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Sudanese youth scavenge for food and clothing in a municipal garbage dump.
Drought is ravaging the continent of Africa and famine is a harsh reality for millions of people living there. Emergency food and water supplies are a first necessity, but for the long-term, many complex political and environmental problems have to be solved. Women and children who live in tents in a drought-stricken area near Nara.
28-year-old Fatma Ali Hadi, originally from the town of Tawila, Sudan, is one of the 45,000 people who have fled to Shaddad Internally Displaced Persons Camp in the Shangel Tubaya area of North Darfur. With 10 small children to feed, she worries about the camp’s constant lack of food and water.
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A Southern Sudanese returnee washes her child in the Udhaba/Apada area near Aweil, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, South Sudan. Since December 1, 2010, the area has seen the return of 10,000 South Sudanese, with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) registering approximately 50,000 returnees state-wide over the same period. Running water and rooms with bathtubs are a luxury most of us don’t even think about.
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to solve problems and reach goals that are reminiscent of the Millennium Development Goals themselves. This comic book, said Casillas, “is a fantastic, fun way to raise awareness and to educate children around the world about the Millennium Development Goals, and about important life values such as tolerance, respect, and team spirit. As it says in the comic book: Together we can make it happen.” Casillas captained the Spanish National Team to its first FIFA World Cup title in a thrilling final match against the Netherlands that was decided only in the 116th (overtime) minute. He made two spectacular saves in this match when the Dutch managed unchallenged breakaway shots on goal and was named the World Cup Tournament’s best goalkeeper, winner of FIFA’s “Golden Glove” award at the keeper’s position. The most remembered moment of the Spanish World Cup victory, however, may be the kiss – televised and replayed worldwide
UN Photo/Paul Banks
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) with Wilfried Lemke, his Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace.
– that Casillas planted on his girlfriend, Spanish model and sports journalist Sara Carbonero, as she wrapped-up a post-game interview with him. Reflecting on his appointment as UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, Casillas observed that, “UNDP works with people and their governments around the world to end poverty with solutions that will last. Only with that kind of team approach can we win the battle against poverty, and I am proud to add my personal commitment to their work.” n
Clive Mason/Getty Images
TV Presenter Sara Carbonero, girlfriend of Iker Casillas of Spain.
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(Left) Spanish footballer Iker Casillas receives his formal appointment as Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Development Programme (UNDP) at the UN’s Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Spain’s goalkeeper Iker Casillas (R) being interviewed by his girlfriend Sara Carbonero (back, L).
Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images
UN Photo/Pierre Virot
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Young Somali children attend class at one of the American schools inside Kharaz Refugee Camp, 140 km west of Aden, Yemen.
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upermodel Petra Nemcova is poised and confident on the fashion runway, but her appearance on “Dancing With the Stars” demonstrates that modeling finesse – lean, lithe, and leggy – doesn’t automatically translate into ballroom dancing acclaim. Nevertheless, Nemcova met her dance floor challenge in much the same way that she has met other challenges in her life – with commitment, determination, and an ability to see and build a better future on the other side of heartache. That philosophy was behind the 2005 founding of Nemcova’s Happy Hearts
UN Photo/Mark Garten
Petra Nemcova, model, television host and founder of the Happy Hearts Fund (HHF), addresses a joint press conference at UN Headquarters on “Partnering with the Philanthropic Community to Promote Education for All.� A special session of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) was held on the same theme.
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UN Photo/Mark Garten Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, addresses a joint press conference at UN Headquarters on the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)’s special session on “Partnering with the Philanthropic Community to Promote Education for All.” Beside her is Petra Nemcova, model, television host and Founder of the Happy Hearts Fund (HHF).
Fund, a non-profit foundation dedicated to improving children’s lives through educational and sustainable programs in natural disaster areas. How is it that Nemcova moves from the glitz and glamour of the runway to the grief and grime following natural disasters? She is, herself, a survivor of the Indian Ocean Tsunami that struck Thailand and other areas of Southeast Asia on December 26, 2004. Nemcova was rescued only after clinging to a tree for hours, and she suffered serious injuries that required an extended recuperation. Her then fiancé, photographer Simon Atlee, was swept away to his death. Nemcova used this occasion of tragedy to emerge stronger and deeply committed to the cause of rebuilding the lives of children who have been impacted by natural disasters. She understood that schools were an essential part of the lives of children and families. If children could return to school, could begin learning again, the chaos of natural disaster could be calmed, their lives could begin to resume a daily routine, and their parents would be freed up to begin the work of reestablishing their lives and livelihoods. Thus 72
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was born the Happy Hearts Fund. In six years of existence, it has established programs in nine countries, has built or rebuilt 47 schools and kindergartens – with eight more schools currently under construction, and benefited more than 31,000 children and 334,000 community members. Nemcova was a hands-on founder who based her institutional vision on the practical experience gained in posttsunami Thailand. She saw first that there was a critical “gap” of two to ten years between the time initial relief assistance was delivered to people suffering the effects of natural disaster and the time the permanent recovery and rebuilding process could begin. Happy Hearts would step into that gap to fill immediate needs. Second, she recognized that the reconstruction of schools should be the leading edge of redevelopment efforts. Third, she understood that it was not enough simply to restart schools. Instead, consideration had to be given to where and how to build new school facilities in a disaster-proof way; schools would need to give students access to technology and training in order to offer students the skills needed in the twenty-first century workplace; and
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
schools needed a sustainable source of income not dependent on government necessitating the parallel creation of community-oriented businesses as a programmatic companion providing a long-term funding stream for the school and the surrounding community. No matter how good the vision nor how innovative the proposed solutions, however, the sheer magnitude of such rebuilding efforts makes them nearly impossible for a single benefactor to accomplish. Petra Nemcova knew she needed two kinds of help – supportive board members and corporate collaborators with the expertise and financial wherewithal to make her vision a reality. She recruited a committed board that agreed to cover the operating expenses of the Happy Hearts Fund in order that all other contributions might go directly to building and sustaining schools. Then she reached out to establish corporate partnerships with Continental Airlines, DLA Piper, HP, and ING Bank. The philanthropic commitment of these companies and others has made the vision of “Happy Self-Sustaining Schools.” Acknowledging the vision and the accomplishments of the Happy Hearts Fund, the United Nations Economic and Social Council [ECOSOC] recently invited Petra Nemcova, along with other educational and corporate leaders, to
address a one-day gathering at United Nations Headquarters in New York City convened around the topic “Partnering with the Philanthropic Community to Promote Education for All.” This event was preparatory to the 2011 ECOSOC Annual Ministerial Review focused this year on “implementing the internationally agreed goals and commitments in regard to education.” Also included among the conference organizers were the Department of Economic and Social Affairs [UNDESA], the United Nations Children’s Fund [UNICEF], the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO], the United Nations Office for Partnerships [UNOP], and the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy [CECP]. Co-convenors lending their support to the event included: the Clinton Global Initiative, Education for All Fast Track Initiative, the International Association of University Presidents, the International Labour Organization, the NEPAD Business Group, the United Nations Development Program, the United Nations Foundation, the United Nations Millennium Campaign, the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development, the United Nations Global Compact, the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations University, United Nations Women, the World Bank, the
Primary school children in class, Harar, Ethiopia. D I P L O M A T I C C O N N E C T I O N S B U S I N E S S edition | M a y - june 2 0 1 1
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Petra Nemcova (left), model, television host and founder of the Happy Hearts Fund (HHF), addresses a special event of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on “Partnering with the Philanthropic Community to Promote Education for All.” Beside her is Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.
World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists, and the World Economic Forum. The focus of this special gathering was to focus on ways of creating greater access for girls and boys to complete primary education and on promoting education and training for tomorrow’s economy. In the words of the conference organizers, “It has become increasingly clear that no single actor in the philanthropic realm can hope to match the impact of funders and humanitarian organizations working together. Each change agent has unique skills and resources to bring to bear on today’s most difficult challenges.” Collaboration, in other words, is critical to amass the needed resources, multiply the critical stakeholders, and realize visions of a better world. International organizations bring a global focus and the attention of governments. Non-profit organizations bring on-the-ground experience, concrete lessons learned, and access to local community support. Private foundations bring sharply focused expertise and funding. Corporate donors bring financial resources, technical, and logistical expertise. Local community members bring a nuanced awareness of cultural strengths and expectations that must be taken into account to assure programs meet the unique needs of the locales they seek to support. “By fitting these pieces together,” said the conference organizers, the result is much more than the sum of the individual parts.” “Education,” they insisted, “ is a powerful engine to build wealthier economies, healthier livelihoods and more equitable and sustainable societies. Education is not a cost but an investment. Education is a collective responsibility – of governments, of civil society and the private sector.” Petra Nemcova couldn’t have said it better herself! n
If you wish to donate to the Happy Hearts Fund, go to:
www.happyheartsfund.org
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Children of Suai Loro, a fishing village in Timor-Leste, attend school and are able to study thanks to food rations from the World Food Programme which provides them with daily meals of rice and beans. Afghan refugee girls attend school in Varamin, Iran. The Iranian government, in cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), supports education for Afghan refugees through home schooling, informal education and classes conducted in regular schools. Primary school children in class, Harar, Ethiopia. D I P L O M A T I C C O N N E C T I O N S B U S I N E S S edition | M a y - june 2 0 1 1
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Petra Nemcova arrives at the 19th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation’s Oscar viewing party held at the Pacific Design Center on February 27, 2011, in West Hollywood, California, just a few days after attending the joint press conference at the United Nations in New York on “Partnering with the Philanthropic Community to Promote Education for All.”
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I n t e r n a t i o n a l Wo m e n ’s D a y a t t h e C a n a d i a n E m b a s s y i n Wa s h i n g t o n , D . C .
By Susan Schipper, Embassy of Canada
“V
eiled and un-veiled, women were out there together, part of the revolution, fighting for the same thing.” Dina Guirguis’ statement was reflective of the consensus at the International Women’s Day panel event held at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., on March 7th. The recent Middle East uprisings leave much uncertainty for the region’s future as a whole. But the discussion on culture and conflict took on a topical tone when it transformed into a forum to examine the future of women’s rights in newly revolutionized states. Moderated by Jackie Northam of NPR, and featuring Nelofer Pazira, an Afghan-Canadian artistic multi-hyphenate, and Dina Guirguis, the Keston Family Research Fellow for the Washington Institute’s Project Fikra, the debate was devoted to making relevant the implications of the Arab uprisings for female populations. Pazira and Guirguis were joined by fellow panelists Selma Abugideiri, the Co-Director for the Council of Peaceful Families; Cindy Dyer, former Director of the United States Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women and the current Vice President for Human Rights at Vital Voices Global Partnership. “The worst thing that these authoritarian regimes succeeded in doing was creating a sense of apathy and a lack of interest among the people in their country’s endeavors,” declared Guirguis. “And the greatest thing about these
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Dina Guirguis & Nelofer Pazira
revolutions is that they show a renewed stake in the national future.” The event’s air was that of tempered enthusiasm and cautious optimism when discussing the possible impacts of the seeds of democracy that have begun to sprout in the region. As Pazira, whose film, “Act of Dishonor”, was screened at the embassy later that evening, explained, a push toward liberalization does not necessarily equal an increasingly secure and free environment for a country’s female population. Rights may be constitutionally enshrined and yet may not be seen in reality, on the ground; according to Pazira, such is the case in Afghanistan. Guirguis, too, pointed to the quota of elected women in the Egyptian parliament – 54 out of a total 518 – mandated by the Mubarak regime as a law that, while seemingly progressive, was used as a means to grant more seats to the ruling party.
Selma Abugideiri, the Co-Director for the Council of Peaceful Families and Cindy Dyer, former Director of the United States Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women and the current Vice President for Human Rights at Vital Voices Global Partnership.
Indeed, Dyer stressed that citizens of crimes of honor - beatings or killings of women by family can “absolutely” live in a democratic members in the name of restoring the family’s reputation, state where violence against women goes unaddressed. which has been perceived as having been tarnished by the Though she cited Egypt and Tunisia’s laws regarding women woman’s actions – but they remain prevalent globally. Many as “more progressive,” Dyer echoed Guirguis’s concern that in the West conceive of honor killings as detached from North no female members comprise the committee responsible for American culture. While it is true that they are traditionally amending the Egyptian constitution. Women maintained a associated with Middle Eastern, African and Asian societies, “key role” in the protests, said Guirguis. Pazira noted the case of Canadian teenager And yet, an overall democracy deficit, Aqsa Parvez, whose father and brother are curcoupled with scarce provisions for women’s rently awaiting trial for her 2007 strangulation, rights thanks to an overwhelmingly patriarwhich they are speculated to have committed chal culture woven into the regional fabric, over Parvez’s refusal to wear a hijab. Acts of means that it could be a long time before dishonor can range from extramarital infidelthe liberalizing outcomes of the Arab ity, to sexual assault, to inappropriate public revolutions are seen exemplified in dress. “Honor killings happen everywhere,” increased liberties for female populations. Pazira said. “And one of my goals in making Pazira’s “Act of Dishonor” perhaps best the film was to have an international audience demonstrates this disconnect. not only become aware of this issue, but I The film depicts the “tragic collision also wanted people in the West to really think between East and West, love and honor, about the parallels between honor killings, and modernity and custom,” when Mena, from which they feel so far removed, and a teenaged bride-to-be in northern domestic violence in their home communities.” Afghanistan, is perceived as bringing Honor killings, female genital mutilation Jackie Northam listens to the panel’s testimonies. shame upon her family when she is seen and similarly archaic yet widely accepted consorting in public with a Canadian film crew in her home violent practices against women are precisely the kinds of village. At a moral crossroads, Mena’s father and fiancée are acts that these women hope the Middle East uprisings can forced to weigh the familiarity of the punishment of honor work to eradicate. When questioned about whether female killing, the norm in their society, against their love. genital mutilation, which is inflicted – often willingly, as a There is little definitive data maintained on instances signifier of honor – on approximately 90% of women in D I P L O M A T I C C O N N E C T I O N S B U S I N E S S edition | M a y - june 2 0 1 1
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Nelofer Pazira discusses her experiences in Afghanistan and Egypt.
Cindy Dyer comments on women’s rights initiatives in the Middle East.
Egypt, is entrenched in the culture, Guirguis responded resoundingly in the negative. “These various human rights crises [against women] can be seen as symptomatic of the overall lack of democracy and an absence of respect for human rights and human rights culture. “What is critical is moving civil society forward as a whole, and groups will have to be vigilant about this: demand freedoms, demand that these freedoms are enshrined into law, and think creatively about how we can change the mindsets that have taken over after years and years of patriarchal repression.” The liberal, non-partisan nature of the revolts shows a wary prognosis that women’s rights will be included in change effected for future generations. These youth-dominated protests have been characterized as new-wave revolutions involving fresh uses of media to put out messages of non-violent organization and calls for change. But the concrete obstacles still faced by women in each society demonstrate that it remains to be seen if it will be their revolution, too. n
Fine Painted Portraits for dignitaries, diplomats, families, architectural/properties, historical reproductions and precious family pets in oils, acrylics, and pencil. www.PortraitsbyLauraAnn.com | email: laura@portraitsbylauraann.com
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First Lady Michelle Obama greets actress Hilary Swank and other guest mentors in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House during an event celebrating Women’s History Month, March 30, 2011. Mrs. Obama brought the distinguished group of volunteers together to visit schools and share their experiences with students across the Washington, D.C., metro area.
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here is no job description for being First Lady of the United States. That role has evolved over time according to the demands of politics, the media, and events. Each occupant of the office has left her imprint on the position, standing on the shoulders of her predecessors and exploring new territory that will be her legacy long after she has left the White House. Michelle Obama is no exception to this pattern. She has continued the annual White House recognition of Women’s History Month in March and used the occasion to bring together young women and outstanding female leaders – role models for the next generation – at the White House. Breaking a bit of new ground, however, Michelle Obama, invited a group of more than 20 superstar women from the arts, entertainment, government, and athletics to join her in reaching out to high schools in Washington, D.C., to “take the show on the road” in order to reach a larger number of young women. The women leaders split up into groups to recount their personal stories to young women at six high schools and to showcase the important role mentoring can play in the lives of young people as they encourage all students, particularly young women, to pursue their dreams. Included among the accomplished women who visited Washington schools were:
Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy
• Miri Ben-Ari, Grammy Award-winning violinist, recording artist, and philanthropist.
• General Dana Born, Dean of Faculty, United States Air Force Academy.
• Ambassador Nancy Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, and former U.S. Chief of Protocol for President George W. Bush.
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• Geena Davis, Oscar award-winning actress, producer, writer, philanthropist, and founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.
Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank (C, red), actress Anna Deveare Smith (2nd,R), Israeli violinist Miri Ben-Ari (3rd,L) and Olympic basketball gold medalist Lisa Leslie (rear) pose with students at Eastern High School, Washington, DC, on March 30, 2011. Swank joined the prominent women to promote, along with U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama, mentoring by successful women as part of Women’s History Month at the White House.
• Dominique Dawes, Olympic gold medalist, motivational speaker, gymnastics coach, media analyst, and cochair of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition.
• Louise Erdrich, Pulitzer Prize-winning author. • Judith Jamison, award-winning dancer, choreographer, author, and Artistic Director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
• Rashida Jones, actress, screenwriter, board member to the International Peace Games and active philanthropist.
• Michelle Kwan, world-renowned figure skater, Public Diplomacy Ambassador, and member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition.
• Nina Lederman, Senior Vice-President of Series Programming and Development for Lifetime Networks.
• Ledisi, Grammy-nominated recording artist, songwriter, and record producer.
• Vanessa Minnillo, actress, model, television host, and former Miss Teen USA.
• Ellen Ochoa, astronaut, engineer, and current Deputy Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
• Abbe Raven, President and CEO of A&E Television Networks.
• Tracee Ellis Ross, award-winning actress, producer, model, and philanthropist.
• Anna Deavere Smith, award-winning playwright,
• Hilary Swank, two-time Academy Award-winning actress.
• Kerry Washington, award winning actress, philanthropist, and member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.
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Mike Theiler/AFP/Getty Images
actress, and professor of Performance Studies at New York University.
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• Ali Wentworth, comedienne, actress, correspondent, and author.
• Sherrie Westin, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Sesame Workshop.
• Alfre Woodard, award-winning film, stage, and television actress, and founder of Artists for a New South Africa.
Visiting Ballou High School, Mrs. Obama explained the critical importance of mentoring in her own life and in the President’s growing up. “I wouldn’t be here today, and neither would my husband, if we didn’t have people in our lives who stepped off their track to enter our lives and our worlds and helped us figure out the path for getting where we needed to be.” Oscar award-winning actress, for her lead role in Million Dollar Baby, Hilary Swank, told her audience about the many disappointments in her life but reminded the young women that, “Success is following your dream. It’s important to define yourself, to [discover] who you want to be.” Professional basketball player, Lisa Leslie, recalled how she used to be laughed at for her size 12 feet when she was only twelveyears old. She learned, however, that it’s “important to love yourself and keep on trying.” Grammy Award-winning, Israeli-born violinist, Miri Ben-Ari advised her audience, “Don’t expect magic, it probably won’t happen. Set your mind on something that you love and that you will pursue with all your energies.” As an extension of this mentoring program, Abbe Raven, President and CEO of A&E Television Networks announced that Lifetime Network would be launching a public service campaign and hosting events all across the country to highlight the importance of mentoring young people, especially young women. Acknowledging Lifetime’s effort, Mrs. Obama noted that, “They jumped into this feet first, no
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hesitation, and we’re just grateful for what you’re willing to do. Elevating this through Lifetime is going to be a terrific boost for young women all across the country.” That evening, the mentors joined an additional 120 student guests and additional mentors from inside and outside the government for a White House dinner celebrating International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month. In her dinner remarks, the First Lady reminded the student guests that, “every single one of these remarkable women have had times in their lives where they’ve struggled. We’ve all struggled. They’ve had times when they felt overwhelmed, when they felt like they weren’t good enough, when they thought about giving up on their own dreams. But, in the end,” she continued, “they found their passion and they found their mission. They found what they were put on this Earth to do, and they realized that it didn’t matter whether they got rich or famous doing it, whether they won any kind of award for it. What mattered was that they were doing what they loved doing. What mattered was that they were true to what was inside them.” “Their stories were possible,” Mrs. Obama concluded, “because along the way, all of them – every last one of them – had someone in their lives who took the time to encourage them and to inspire them. None of us are here on our own – someone who told them that they’re special, that they’re talented, that they have a place in this world and a whole lot to offer.” But, she insisted, “You now owe someone else. Your job here is to reach back and pull somebody else up. That’s the price of admission tonight. It is never too soon to start mentoring. All of you have younger girls in your lives, whether they’re sisters or cousins. There are younger people in your lives who are looking up to you. You are today a role model. So start figuring out your plan for reaching back.” n
New Zealand Ambassador to the United States, Rt. Hon Mike Moore & Phil Keoghan Host of The Amazing Race.
By Michelle Parish WASHINGTON, D.C. – A gala dinner at the New Zealand Embassy recently raised NZ$200,000 for Christchurch earthquake relief efforts. Phil Keoghan, Host of The Amazing Race and MC for the evening, charmed the crowd and got people to dig deep into their pockets, even if it meant having to throw in a free dinner with himself in Los Angeles. Keoghan, who was born near Christchurch, said it was important for people to know that Christchurch was “open for business,” and he thanked Americans for their continued support in helping to rebuild Christchurch. On February 22, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake rocked Christchurch, New Zealand’s second largest city, causing widespread damage and significant loss of life. New Zealand Ambassador to the United States, Rt. Hon.
Mike Moore, said he was touched by the solidarity and generosity shown. “This is not a small thing you are doing for us,” said the Ambassador to the largely American audience. “We’re all in this together.” Guest speaker Admiral Thad Allen, former Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, who was in Christchurch when the earthquake struck, touched audiences when he spoke of his own experience. He commented on the resilience of people in New Zealand and said the country’s ability to recover from such an event and come together was admirable. “The incredible way you have integrated your community and the way you celebrate diversity creates what I call ‘resiliency,’” he said. The Admiral was one of over 50 senior American officials in Christchurch on the day of the earthquake to attend the U.S.-NZ Partnership Forum, a conference between U.S. and New Zealand leaders aimed at promoting closer bilateral ties.
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Australian Ambassador Kim Beazley, Ambassador Moore, Admiral Thad Allen, Mr. Cal Dooley AFOC
Ambassador Moore, Michelle Parish, Phil Keoghan Linda Zecher, Fred and Kim Humphries
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Didi Watson, Andre and Carrie Mikhalevsky
Police Counsellor Sandra Manderson, Krysia Grant AFOC, Lyndal Walker
Prosser Stirling, Katherine Hadda, Joseph Alhadeff, Kate Clemans
Brad Webb, Phil Keoghan
Table - red and black table set in colors of Canterbury (province where Christchurch is located)
Tim Strong, performer, Jane Coombs, Phil Keoghan
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Arnold Schwarzenegger (centre), former governor of California, arrives for his meeting with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Los Angeles on February 22, 2011.
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By Dr. James Winship
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nited Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made a pilgrimage to Hollywood in the days before the 2011 Oscar Awards ceremonies. He came for the opening of the Second Annual Global Creative Forum held at the Armand Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. The theme of this year’s summit was “The Environment and Climate Change.” The Secretary-General was joined in Los Angeles by a wide range of international experts and issue leaders, Nobel Laureates, UN Messengers of Peace and Goodwill – including Don Cheadle, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton and several hundred entertainment industry invitees. D I P L O M A T I C C O N N E C T I O N S B U S I N E S S edition | M a y - june 2 0 1 1
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The Global Creative Forum is a not-for-profit organization designed to build bridges between the entertainment industry – film, television, music, internet, social media – and the United Nations leadership and staff. It is a project of Capian Enterprises – which implements large-scale humanitarian projects while fostering communication between the arts/entertainment community. The Global Creative Forum oversees and brings together multiple groups which have included the United Nations Creative Community Outreach Initiative (CCOI), Department of Public Information (DPI), the Humpty Dumpty Institute and the United Nations Foundation. Together these organizations are working to build bridges between their elected representatives; the university/ educational communities and the financial community. Larry King came out of retirement to moderate a discussion between the Secretary-General, actor Edward Norton – UN Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity, actor Don Cheadle – UN Goodwill Ambassador for the Environment, and 2004 Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai – founder of the Green Belt Movement, an environmental non-governmental organization focused on the planting of trees, environmental conservation and women’s rights in Kenya. Cheadle, whose work with the 92
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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon talks to Arnold Schwarzenegger, former governor of California, in Mr. Banís suite in Los Angeles on February 22, 2011.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) and actor Djimon Hounsou.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) and Robert Orr (second from right), UN Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Planning, share a laugh with actor Don Cheadle (left) at the opening of the Global Creative Forum, inside the Armand Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, California on February 22, 2011. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) chats with actor Don Cheadle (right) at the opening of the Global Creative Forum, inside the Armand UN Photo/Mark Garten
Hammer Museum in Los Angeles,
UN Photo/Mark Garten
California on February 22, 2011.
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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) meets with Sean Penn, actor and Co-Founder of the Jenkins-Penn Haitian Relief Organization (J/P HRO), and Maria Bello (centre), actress and aid worker with J/P HRO, at the Petionville Club Internally Displaced Persons
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(IDP) Camp in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
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(Above) Haitian children at the Amanda Marga Special Academic Institute wait for food service by the members of the Filipino contingent of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (From Left) A member of the Filipino contingent of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) helps a young student of the Baptist Theological and Orphanage School drink water, as part of the 63rd United Nations Day, to help the Haitian population, mostly children with medical care, food and school supplies in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The members of the Filipino contingent of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) serve children a warm meal at the Amanda Marga Special Academic Institute in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Members of the Jordanian battalion of the United Nations
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Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) rescue children from an orphanage destroyed by hurricane “Ike.�
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Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal attend premiere of “Love & Other Drugs,� just a couple of months before scheduled to meet with Secretary-General Ki-moon to use their celebrity in collaboration with the United Nations to bring greater awareness to worldwide humanitarian causes.
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(Above) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (left) meets with actress Anne Hathaway at his meeting with key players from the creative community in Los Angeles, California. (Left) Actress Anne Hathaway (third from left) speaks at Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s meeting with key players from the creative community in Los Angeles, California.
United Nations stems in part from his starring role as hotel manager Paul Rusesabagine in the much acclaimed film “Hotel Rwanda” reminding the world about the horrific genocide in Rwanda, also facilitated a more intimate discussion of the UN’s work between Secretary-General Ban and the audience of key entertainment industry leaders. Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who takes great pride in having convened a series of Governor’s Global Climate Conferences, was able to meet privately with Secretary-General Ban. Over the two years since its’ inception, the long list of celebrities and VIPs 98
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attending included – President Clinton, Demi Moore, Orlando Bloom, Sam Jackson, Hilary Swank, Kiefer Sutherland, Anne Hathaway, Sean Penn, Ed Begley Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal, Djimon Hounsou, musicians Linkin Park, Michael Franti and Kenna, amongst many others. These “philanthropic stars” meet with an equally stellar list of United Nations officials who could authoritatively discuss the details and needs of specific UN and privately-funded programs ranging from landmine removal, to assistance to displaced persons, lack of fresh water and threats posed to the world’s oceans and rain forests.
The Global Creative Forum is led by CEO Kate Moulene, whose company Capian Enterprises has generated over two Billion media impressions for non-profit programs of excellence and raised over $20 million for charity, William Rouhana who is the Chairman of the Forum and also Chairman & CEO of the International brand Chicken Soup for the Soul. Secretary-General Ban, though deeply enmeshed in the unfolding events in the Arab world, didn’t take time to rest but left directly from the evening program to return to New York for United Nations Security Council debates. Ki-moon spoke to not only artists but leading writers, producers, directors and studio heads about the important role that media and the entertainment arts have in promoting peacekeeping and anti-poverty efforts. Ban’s call for assistance from the creative community noted that, “We work on behalf of those who have been silenced; we work to change their life stories
for the better. Yet, many of these stories remain untold. You in the creative community have a powerful voice, working to personally affect each viewer through recreating the drama [United Nations staff] face on a daily basis.” In his remarks prepared for the Global Creative Forum, the Secretary-General drove his point home in dramatic fashion. At last year’s conference, he noted, he had spoken about the disastrous earthquake that had destroyed large sections of Haiti and the UN’s response to that crisis. The UN had made a film about its relief efforts in Haiti, put it on YouTube and got six thousand hits. When the band Linkin Park picked up the UN film and set it to their music, they got six million hits. “I can meet with presidents and prime ministers,” noted the Secretary-General, “but I will never get six million hits on YouTube unless something very, very bad happens. That is the power of celebrity and the creative community.”
A view of the audience as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks at a luncheon during the Global Creative Forum. Larry King and Mira Sorvino sitting to the left.
UN Photo/Mark Garten
This year, the theme of the annual summit is “The Environment and Climate Change.” The Secretary-General was joined by international experts and leaders, including UN Messengers of Peace and Goodwill Ambassadors, to discuss environmental issues and potential solutions.
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(Left) Actress Audrey Hepburn checks the script before recording a program for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) over U.N. Radio on December 21, 1953. (Below) Historical UN photo of Audrey Hepburn in a meeting commemorating the [then] fortieth anniversary of the United Nations, the [then] Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar called for Universal Child Immunization with a global target of 80% coverage of children under one year by 1990. Actress Audrey Hepburn, was a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF; in this photo she was
UN Photo/John Isaac
addressing a gathering on October 8, 1991.
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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (with back to camera) and Grammy award-winning Linkin Park band members Brad Delson, Rob Bourdon, Joe Hahn, and Chester Bennington, (from right) participate in a Facebook Town Hall hosted by the UN Foundation to raise awareness and funds for Haiti through the band’s charity, Music for Relief. The event took place during the Global Creative Forum, held in Los Angeles.
Ban also noted that the United Nations had actually won an Oscar for a film called “First Steps” that it made in 1947. At that time, polio still affected millions of children in the developed as well as the developing world, and the film was instrumental in bringing together partners from around the world to nearly wipeout that dreaded disease. It’s not too much to imagine that from among the children the United Nations feeds, clothes, educates and inoculates around the world there might emerge a future United Nations Goodwill Ambassador or even a future Secretary-General. That hope, the Secretary-General remind-
ed his audience is hardly naïve. “After the Second World War, the United Nations gave out food to hungry children in Europe. One of them came to Hollywood. You all know Audrey Hepburn from ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’. But before that she got breakfast from the UN. And then she went on to become one of the best champions UNICEF ever had.” “Awareness,” the Secretary-General observed, “is a powerful weapon in the face of injustice because it inspires compassionate action. Through creative media, we can bring honor, empathy and compassion to our stories, and, ultimately, to the people who live them.” n
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NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images
J. Edgar Hoover (left), director of the FBI, and Clyde Tolson, assistant director, at the World Series on October 4th, 1942.
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Clint Eastwood and Leonardo Di Caprio bring history alive in an upcoming 2012 movie being filmed in the Washington, D.C. vicinity By Dr. James Winship
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e served as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation – the FBI – from its inception in 1935 until his death in 1972. He was appointed head of the FBI’s predecessor organization, the Bureau of Investigation (then part of the Justice Department), by President Calvin Coolidge in 1924. J. Edgar Hoover was deeply respected for the organization he built and the innovations he brought to the professionalization of law enforcement in the United States. He served under every United States President from Franklin D. Roosevelt through Richard M. Nixon, each of whom reappointed him as head of the FBI when they D I P L O M A T I C C O N N E C T I O N S B U S I N E S S edition | M a y - june 2 0 1 1
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came to office. None dared to risk their political reputations by confronting Hoover or challenging his leadership of the Bureau. Hoover’s accomplishments were many: the introduction of finger print identification and the building of a national fingerprint base, the introduction of forensic science into crime solving, and the building of a large, complex crime fighting organization that penetrated all areas of the United States through a series of regional offices staffed by FBI Special Agents. But, there are unending questions about his conduct in office, the tactics he employed in the Bureau’s battles against crime, the priorities he set for deploying the Bureau’s resources, and the unending public relations campaign he carried on to burnish the Bureau’s image. Director Clint Eastwood has managed to attract an exceptional cast to the film and was recently in the District/ Northern Virginia vicinity filming this much anticipated movie that is scheduled to premiere in 2012. Leonardo DiCaprio will play the title character and is reported to bear a remarkable likeness to the young J. Edgar Hoover in the early film releases. Joining DiCaprio in the cast are Naomi Watts, who plays the FBI Director’s secretary Helen Gandy, who worked for him for 54 years; Armie Hammer, late of Winklevoss fame in The Social Network, will play Clyde Tolson, Hoover’s closest aid and confidante; Dame Judi Densch will play Hoover’s mother, Anne Marie Hoover; Josh Lucas will play Charles Lindbergh; and Ed Westwick, star of Gossip Girl, will play Agent Smith, Hoover’s biographer. Eastwood’s cast and crew shot some of the film’s final scenes in and around Washington this spring. Warrenton, Virginia was briefly turned into a scene from the 1930s as classic cars parked on Main Street and the sidewalks were filled with extras wearing period dress. Eastwood was reportedly directing a courtroom scene in Fauquier County’s historic General District Courthouse building. The scene involved the verdict in the Lindbergh baby kidnapping and killing, where, following a lengthy investigation, Bruno Richard Hauptman was charged and found guilty in 1935. Reportedly, the Lindbergh story plays a central role in the film, which includes scenes of Director Hoover testifying before Congress regarding the case. J. Edgar Hoover was among the federal government’s most enigmatic figures for nearly half a century. Though the FBI’s law enforcement successes were many, controversies swirled around Hoover’s leadership. His tactics were often seen as manipulative, highly invasive, and disrespectful of basic civil alleged deals with crime leaders to assist in Hoover’s pre-occupation with purported communist activities in the United States. His enforcement of civil rights protections was
Left to right: Presenter Leonardo DiCaprio talking to DGA Awards Co-Chair Clint Eastwood, (Warner Bros. Chairman/CEO Barry Meyer in the background) in the audience at the 63rd Annual Directors Guild Of America Awards held at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland on January 29, 2011, in Hollywood, California, just about a month before coming to Washington, D.C., together to begin filming the movie “J. Edgar.�
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Photo of a conference which barred cops from the Lindbergh reward and threw the question of decision into the Court of Chancery. From left, Col. Schwarzkopf; Anthony Hauck Jr.; Clyde Tolson, assistant to J. Edgar Hoover; Attorney General Wilentz of New Jersey; J. Edgar Hoover of The Department of Justice, and Commissioner Valentine on April 29, 1936.
questionable as black communities around the United States rose up to demand political rights and basic equality. Particularly, Hoover seemed committed to undermining the reputation and career of Dr. Martin Luther King as a civil rights leader. As the Supreme Court placed increasing limits on law enforcement’s absolute freedom of action, Hoover sought ways around the legal limitations placed on his agency and others. And, it was said that Hoover’s personal files contained “dirt” on all of Washington’s leading figures – from presidents to members of Congress and from journalists to leading lobbyists. The screenplay for “J. Edgar,” written by Dustin Lance Black, who won an Academy Award for his screenplay for Milk, 108
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is still – in the film’s post-production stages – as enigmatic as the figure it depicts. Little of the actual storyline has emerged though speculation about the film’s content has generated considerable controversy. It is not clear, for example, what years of Hoover’s life will be covered, what aspects of his controversial reign as Director will be included, nor what aspects of his personal life will be dealt with. It is relatively easy to imagine Leonardo DiCaprio as the young Hoover, but it is more difficult to imagine DiCaprio aging into Hoover’s dotage and the most controversial later years of Hoover’s directorship. Throughout Hoover’s years in office rumors swirled about his sexuality and his personal relationship with his closest aide and constant companion, Clyde Tolson. How the
film will approach these issues has already become the object of speculation, fed by Dustin Lance Black’s experience in telling the story of the murder of Harvey Milk – an openly gay city supervisor in San Francisco. While he has been circumspect with the details of the screenplay, Black has revealed that Hoover will be told from the perspective of the F.B.I. founder. “Hoover never let anyone in,” Black notes, “and because of that – and the contradiction between what he believes his history was and what his history actually was – it [the “Hoover” screenplay]
lends itself to a less-traditional structure.” That hint leaves the door open to considerable creative freedom for writer and director, and it remains unclear whether Black’s screenplay will touch directly on the more sensational rumors regarding Hoover’s life or will focus more on Hoover’s policy decisions within the F.B.I., leaving the hot topic issues concerning the his personal life open to interpretation. Black’s screenplay has been closely held, but – as with the life of the man his story depicts – rumors abound. Audiences will have to wait to see the directorial decisions Eastwood makes in what promises to be an eagerly awaited film, especially in the Washington, D.C., area. “J. Edgar” is currently scheduled for an early 2012 release. n
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FBI director J. Edgar Hoover looks over weapons on January 18, 1936.
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he Washington, D.C., premier of director Robert Redford’s Civil War movie “The Conspirator” very nearly didn’t happen at Ford’s Theater because of the threatened Federal Government shutdown. The historic site of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination is run by the Parks and Recreation Department. If no budget compromise had been cobbled together before the deadline, the theater would have had to remain closed and the event moved to another venue, or even canceled. So there was a double meaning to Redford’s “Thank you for being here” to the likes of Senator Joe Lieberman, and Democratic Congressman Ed Markey who came to the showing. Ford’s Theater was the appropriate setting because “The Conspirator” deals with Lincoln’s killing in 1865 and its aftermath. The actor John Wilkes Booth, the president’s assassin, was killed while on the run, by Union soldiers. But the film focuses on the trial by military tribunal of the other alleged conspirators, notably Mary Surratt, a widow who owned the H Street boarding house in Washington where Booth with his cohorts met and presumably planned not just the assassination, but D I P L O M A T I C C O N N E C T I O N S B U S I N E S S edition | M a y - june 2 0 1 1
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Left to right: Alexis Bledel, Johnny Simmons, Evan Rachel Wood, James McAvoy, Robert Redford, Robin Wright, Kevin Kline, Tom Wilkinson and Stephen Root pose for photos on the red carpet during the premiere of ‘The Conspirator’ presented by The American Film Company, Ford’s Theatre and Roadside Attractions at Ford’s Theatre on April 10, 2011 in Washington, DC.
the same,” Surratt tells Frederick Aiken, asserting that both sides had fought for what they believed in. Aiken doesn’t reply, well, not quite, and therein lies the problem. A few side-references to slavery as the central cause of the Civil War would have helped to counterbalance what “The New York Times” film critic A.O. Scott calls the film’s “Confederate apologetics,” but there are none. Few people know (and understandably, it’s not in the film) that the Surratts’ involvement in Lincoln’s assassination very nearly caused a diplomatic incident between the United
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simultaneously coordinated attempts on the lives of Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William H. Seward. “The Conspirator” portrays Mary Surratt (Robin Wright) as a proxy detainee for her son John, who had fled the country; found guilty of conspiracy, she was hanged with the others. Her lawyer, Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy) attacks the military trial as a violation of her human rights, demanding that all the plotters be tried by a jury of their peers. But that’s too chancy for the government – in the person of the Secretary for War, Edwin M. Stanton (Kevin Kline), the last man standing, or at last the most important man. Stanton wants to be sure of getting convictions, ostensibly to reassure a bereaved and frightened nation, but in reality to discourage any further desperate attempts by a rapidly failing South to destabilize the country. Platoons of marching Union troops punctuate the action to convey a sense of threat in the city. In “The Conspirator” Stanton’s fear is clearly that the multiple attacks amounted to an attempted coup whose leaders still lurked in the shadows. The South is collapsing, the war is virtually over, and Stanton is portrayed as ruthless in his attempts to “make sure the war stays won.” By this juncture in the film, it is obvious to anyone who isn’t asleep in the theater that the theme is the rule of law and how it can be undermined in the wake of a major crisis, and furthermore that Redford is pushing the analogy with 9/11, for all it’s worth. So for Stanton read Donald Rumsfeld, or Dick Cheney; for Booth and John Surratt read Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four others who – the Obama administration announced recently – are to be tried by military tribunal for their roles in the twin terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. The Bush administration saw the terrorist attacks on September 11th as part of a broader threat to the safety of the nation that had to be countered — at all costs. Redford employs an uncluttered, somber narrative that allows his top-notch cast to shine. Robin Wright overcomes the temptation to gnaw at the curtains and turns in a moving, stoical, controlled performance. Kevin Kline’s Stanton filling the power vacuum brings to mind Al Haig’s famous attempt to take charge following the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan. The film sticks to the facts, but by allowing Wright to appear the victim of a miscarriage of justice and fudging the issue of whether the character she plays was a conspirator (a Catholic and a Southerner who supported the cause, historians generally believe she was guilty), Redford has created an ambivalence about who the good guys are. “We’re
States and the Vatican, or – as it should be called – the Holy See. Mary Surratt’s son, John (a former Confederate spy and courier), fled first to Canada and then to Rome, where he enlisted in the pope’s regiment of Zouaves (basically North African soldiers). According to Massimo Franco’s recent history of U.S.Vatican relations, “Parallel Empires,” Rufus King, the U.S. diplomatic representative to the Holy See at the time, advised Washington of this, and was instructed to demand his arrest and transport to the United States. The Vatican
and the United States did not have an extradition agreement at the time; however, the papal state discharged John Surratt from the army, arrested him and tried him only to find him not guilty. Surratt left Rome and took refuge in Alexandria, Egypt. There he was arrested by the U.S. consul and sent to Washington. Unlike his mother and his other conspirators, Surratt was tried in a civil court. But two years had passed since the execution of his mother, and by now the heat was off, so for the second time, he was again acquitted. n
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By Roland Flamini
ONDON: Catherine Middleton Cheering crowds lined the procession route in walked into London’s Westminster Britain’s flag-decked capital, while an estimated Abbey on April 29th, two billion people in 180 counand two hours later tries watched her wedding on came out a princess. She arrived television. by car from a nearby hotel that On the groom’s side of is more respectable than luxuthe aisle were his grandmother, rious, and left in a gilded open Queen Elizabeth II, and his facarriage escorted by mounted ther Prince Charles. Some 2,000 cavalry, heading for Buckingguests packed the ancient Gothic ham Palace. abbey where every king of Eng A svelte woman of 29, Kate land has been crowned since the Middleton arrived at this day by year 1066 (as will Prince Wildoing what millions of young liam if things go the way they women have done before her: should). Mostly, the guests were marrying her college boyfriend. high officials and dignitaries the Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and However, he happened to be young couple had never met — Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge kiss on the Prince William, also 28, and sec- balcony at Buckingham Palace on April 29, 2011. except for a sprinkling of their ond in line to the British throne. college friends, and such Brit As a result their private tale of love became ish celebrities as Elton John and the Beckhams, a romance with national implications, and their David and Victoria. wedding, a royal occasion of splendor and tradition. On the bride’s side were Carole and Michael 114
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TRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, smile following their marriage at Westminster Abbey on April 29,
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2011 in London, England.Â
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A combination of five pictures shows Catherine Middleton arriving at the West Door of Westminster Abbey for her wedding with Britain’s Prince William in London on April 29, 2011.
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Father of the bride Michael Middleton, leads his daughter Catherine down the aisle to be wed to Prince William, followed by Pippa Middleton during their wedding at Westminster Abbey on April
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29, 2011 in London, England.
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Middleton, described by one British paper as “coming from a modest middle-class background,” and founders of a successful party planning company. The British press also has taken note that Carole’s great-grandfather was a coal miner. While William was practically born into the history books as the future king, Kate Middleton made history by being the first commoner (as the English say, meaning not royalty or a member of the nobility) in modern times to marry an heir to the British throne. This, and the fact that their loving behavior towards each other lights up a room, has intensified the fascination in their ten year relationship – including a brief separation. Not that there was anything common about Kate Middleton as she stood beside her prince in Westminster Abbey, a picture of grace and composure. The newly-made princess was resplendent in her wedding dress with its intricate lace appliqué bodice and sleeves with a long, dramatic train, the work of British designer Sarah Burton. When the couple drove
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Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images
Prince William speaks to his bride Catherine Middleton as she holds the hand of her father Michael Middleton on April 29, 2011 in London, England.
Prince William stands beside his bride Catherine Middleton as her father Michael Middleton helps her with her veil on April 29, 2011 in London, England.
in the open coach to the reception at Buckingham Palace, the Duchess of Cambridge – as she is now officially called – smiled her electric smile and waved to the crowd as though she had been doing so all her life. Missing from the moving ceremony in-person, but surely not in the mind of the bridegroom, was his mother, Princess Diana. It may have brought back boyhood memories of the funeral service for his mother he attended, along with his younger brother Harry (now his best-man) in the Abbey. Besides, the bride wore Diana’s engagement ring, given to Kate by William in his mother’s memory. The couple chose the anthem “Jerusalem,” one of Diana’s favorites. Perhaps the most moving moment of the ceremony was when the crowd outside joined in singing, the moment may have been more of
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LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 29: Prince William and Catherine Middleton during their wedding service in Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London, England. The marriage of the second in line to the British throne is being led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and will be attended by 1900 guests, including foreign Royal family members and heads of state. Thousands of well-wishers from around the world have also flocked to London to witness the spectacle and pageantry of the Royal Wedding.
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hope than reality because in the setting of William Blake’s poem England is the new Jerusalem, a metaphor for heaven. For many in economically-ailing Britain today, it certainly is not. At the wedding of Charles and Diana 30 years ago, the officiating Archbishop of Canterbury called the marriage “the stuff from which fairy tales are made.” At Prince William’s marriage to Kate Middleton, there was no talk of fairy tales. Life is more realistic now – as reflected in the prayer which the couple composed together asking God, “in the busy-ness of each day to keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life. Help us to be generous with our time, love and energy.” Before leaving the abbey, the newlyweds, following tradition in royal weddings, paid their respects to the queen — the prince
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Prince William and his new bride Catherine Middleton walk down the aisle at the close of their wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London, England.
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Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge leave Westminster Abbey following their marriage ceremony, on April 29, 2011 in London, England.
bowing and Kate sinking low in a deep curtsey. The assembled royals might possibly have been thinking that with this young, confident, clear-eyed new princess, their problematic family, beset with divorces and scandal, might well have struck it lucky. The British royals know how to put on a show, and this wedding was no exception. “It’s our global brand and it sends a signal,” said one BBC commentator. “It’s a little old-fashioned,
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but it’s the only original brand we have, that no other country has.” Part of the secret is that the royals rely strongly on the military to choreograph and organize royal occasions. Throughout the abbey ceremony, there were officers from the three services everywhere, orchestrating the proceedings. When it was over, the Household Cavalry, plumed helmets and breastplates gleaming in the pale sunlight, provided an escort for the couple’s coach. “It’s a moment when the army
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ding,” joked Prince William to Kate in a whispered aside at the altar. Spotted by a lip reader, the remark immediately did the rounds on Twitter. In fact, Buckingham Palace has been insisting all along that the wedding was not a state occasion, but that’s not what the prince had in mind. From all accounts, the prince and his wife are not too fond of too much formality; but, both have known from the start that a pomp and circumstance wedding was unavoidable. So, they worked together on the details and made it their own. Prime Minister David Cameron also wanted a big royal wedding, which he felt would give a much needed boost
can be seen where they’re at the heart of the nation,” said Col. Stuart Cowan, commander of the Household Cavalry. Prince William himself continued the military theme by wearing the scarlet uniform of an officer of the Irish Guards, of which he is an honorary colonel. His brother and bestman, Prince Harry, wore the dark blue of his cavalry regiment, the Blues and Royals. “We thought we were going to have a quiet family wed-
to British morale at a time when the government’s draconian austerity measures are hitting hard. British spirits need all the uplifting they can get these days. For example, on the day prior to the wedding, it was announced that Britain would this year have practically zero growth (less than half a percentage point). But whether the wedding day euphoria will last through the tougher times that are forecast before things get better is anybody’s guess. The wedding preparations have not been without the occasional dark cloud on the horizon either. There was, for instance, the exclusion of former Prime Minister Tony Blair and his successor Gordon Brown from the guest list without much of an explanation. Following Princess Diana’s tragic automobile accident in Paris, Blair was widely credited (not least by Blair himself) with saving the queen and the royal family from a very damaging error of judgment. Initially, the family seemed determined not to give Princess Diana a public funeral, until Blair persuaded them otherwise. True or not, Blair’s going public with his version of the story in his autobiography and elsewhere, may not have endeared him to the royals. Still, not inviting two former Labour Party prime ministers while at the same time asking two former Conservative ones (Margaret Thatcher and John Major) raised eyebrows in London’s political circles.
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Their Royal Highnesses Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge journey by carriage procession to Buckingham Palace following their marriage at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London, England.
Then, the Crown Prince of Bahrain withdrew his acceptance when questions were asked why he had been invited while his family in his country was suppressing pro-democracy demonstrations. And within days of the nuptials themselves, the Syrian Ambassador to London was uninvited because scores of people were dying in anti-regime demonstrations in his country. Not surprisingly, given the power and simplicity of William and Kate’s story, none of these controversies had a lasting effect on their day. Even the weather – always an imponderable in London – cooperated. Rain had been forecast for the day of the wedding. Instead, just as the newlyweds appeared at the door of Westminster Abbey, the sun poked through an overcast sky. That was probably the moment when Kate Middleton became the most photographed woman on earth, a title her 124
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late mother-in-law held with considerable satisfaction. Comparisons with Princess Diana are inevitable — at least initially. Both women dress stylishly and share an interest in clothes: but Diana’s tastes ran to dramatic designer creations. Kate Middleton, as one fashion writer commented, brings flair to more wearable outfits: “She’s not quite a high street girl, but not very far from it.” In other words, she wears what is trendy in the major stores. In reality, though, the similarities end there. Diana was a young girl when she married Prince Charles: the Duchess of Cambridge is a young woman and better educated. It has been said that before becoming engaged to Charles, Diana had only met him 19 times. Their marriage was plotted and encouraged, if not actually arranged, by the late Queen Elizabeth, the present queen’s mother and best
friend. Kate and William have been friends and lived together ever since they met as students at St. Andrew’s University in 2001, except for about a year apart. Diana came from a broken home. Kate from a closely-knit one. There was even an unassuming note in the choice of two different cakes for the wedding breakfast. One was a traditional 11-tier fruit cake elaborately decorated with ivory-white icing, including a ring of Sweet Williams made of icing at the base. The other, expressly ordered by Prince William, is his favorite chocolate biscuit cake: dark chocolate, broken-up tea biscuits and other ingredients from a Buckingham Palace recipe, which the palace will not divulge. The royals have secrets from us mortals everywhere, even in the kitchen. n
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Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge kiss as Bridesmaids Grace Van Cutsem (L) and Margarita Armstrong-Jones look on from the balcony at Buckingham Palace on April 29, 2011 in London, England.
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