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Diplomatic EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dawn Parker
I’ll start this edition with a hearty “bienvenue” as this issue sees us interview French Ambassador Gérard Araud. As France reels from the Charlie Hebdo attacks, Ambassador Araud offers his perspective on this act of terrorism on French soil. His comments are timely as many nations in the EU, not just France, are grappling with issues of religion and dischord. The globe was shaken when Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud passed away on 23 January. We cover how world leaders, including President Obama, visited the desert kingdom to pay their respects to a man John Kerry described as “a brave partner in fighting violent extremism who proved just as important as a proponent of peace.” For as long as many of us can remember, Cuban-U.S. relations have been strained at the best of times. Unsurprisingly, President Obama’s announcement to normalize relations with the Caribbean neighbor have been polarizing. However, some major world players, including Canada and The Vatican, applaud the effort. We look at the voices on both sides of the divide as well as what this means for the U.S. and Cuba going forward. Next, it’s off to Tunisia, long known for being one of the most progressive Maghreb countries. Home to the Arab Spring, Tunisia’s influence these past few years far overshadows its size. We’re very privileged to have had an audience with Ambassador Chleyfa, who shares with us timely insights into his country’s recent elections, desire for increased U.S. trade and complex relations with an unstable Libya. We next speak to The German Consul General in Chicago, Herbert Quelle. Initially on a career path to become a science teacher, he found himself in the foreign service. An ardent fan of America, he takes his role seriously in communicating to Germany the opportunities that lie within the United States’ heartland. He weighs in on topics as diverse as the dearth of women in diplomatic roles to the benefits of the German education system. A truly fascinating read! We stay on in Chicago for another article where our own Monica Frim explores this jewel of the Midwest. If you’ve never been, Monica makes an irrefutable case for visiting. Architecture buffs and art lovers will find something to please their eye around every corner, and Monica shares with you the highlights. For those of us in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore metro area, we’re blessed with some of the most skilled surgeons in the world on our doorstep. I’m very pleased to share with you our Johns Hopkins feature of some of their top physicians. I invite you to have a read and learn more about the professionals who can help you stay well. See pages 88-91. If knowledge is power, then our educational section is a powerhouse. It is an unparalleled reference for anyone looking to learn more about exceptional school options. Whether you or someone you know is seeking some of America’s best education opportunities, please be sure to take a look. Please be sure to take a look at pages 58-61. Warmest regards, Dawn Parker Publisher & Founder Diplomatic Connections 6
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AssistantS to the Editor Ashley Gatewood, Pamela Landis, Andrew Meggs BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Executives Washington, D.C., Evan Strianese and Bill Stanton; New York, Mongoose Atlantic, Inc. Stephen Channon, Julia Bucciero DESIGN & CREATIVE KDG Advertising, Design & Marketing msocha@kdgadvertising.com DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENTS and CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Roland Flamini, James Winship, PhD, Mike Mosettig, Monica Frim, F. Bristol Lewis, Mark Kennedy
To contact an advertising executive CALL: 202.536.4810 EMAIL: info@diplomaticconnections.com DIPLOMATIC CONNECTIONS WEBSITE DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT IMS (Inquiry Management Systems) 304 Park Avenue South, 11th Floor New York, NY 10010 Marc Highbloom, Vice President marc@ims.ca Maria D’Urso, Project Manager Mariad@ims.ca CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHY Paula Morrison, Joey Oliver, Chicago German Consulate, Monica and Dr. John Frim 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 2015 by Diplomatic Connections All rights reserved.
Cover photo credits: President Obama and Saudi King Salman, Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images; Cuban President Castro, Rodrigo Arangua/AFP/Getty Images; Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Consul General Quelle, Germany.info/Chicago; Ambassador of France Gerard Araud, Paula Morrison of Diplomatic Connections.
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By Roland Flamini
In 2001, reacting to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, the French newspaper Le Monde ran the headline, “We are all Americans.” In January 2015, following the terror killings at the magazine Charlie Hebdo and the kosher supermarket, Americans returned the compliment with “I am Charlie” solidarity marches across the country. One of the biggest was in Washington, D.C. It was led by recently arrived French Ambassador Gérard Araud, with a large number of Americans participating. Ambassador Araud was France’s permanent representative to the United Nations when he switched places with François Delattre, the French ambassador in Washington, in September 2014. The Paris shootings quickly raised his profile in the nation’s capital as he strove to deal with the political and emotional aftermath of one of Europe’s worst acts of terror by Islamist fanatics. While terrorism knows no boundaries, Ambassador Araud told Diplomatic Connections in an interview following the solidarity march, France, with the largest Muslim immigrant population in Europe, was in the front line. Diplomatic Connections: What did you hope to achieve with the Washington solidarity march? Ambassador Araud: To be frank, I was there as the agent of the French community in the 8
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region. [The French in Washington] came to us and said, “You should do something.” It’s really frustrating when you are living abroad and your country is under attack. Actually, there were
GĂŠrard Araud Ambassador of France to the United States
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marches in 20 American cities, and in a sense we were strictly the technical organizer, which was a bit funny because the real organizer was the police commissioner at the embassy. I think it was the first time that he was actually organizing a demonstration — and he did it very well. We wanted to give the French of the region, and the French from other parts of the U.S. who came to it, and a lot of Americans, the opportunity to show in a very simple way their solidarity. Diplomatic Connections: One of the unintended consequences of these terrorist acts has been Prime Minister Manuel Valls’ statement that France is “at war” with radical Islam. When President Bush said the United States declared war on terror in 2001, this was debated in Europe — not least by the French. Europeans argued that terrorism should be treated as a criminal act, and terrorists as criminals, not fighters in a war. If it wasn’t war in 2001, why is it war now? Ambassador Araud: For us, even if the casualty figures
are quite different, in a sense these attacks were our 9/11. The word “war” is just a word. It sends a message. It’s a political decision to use it. I’m not sure it’s worth debating what happened in 2001 and what is happening right now. The debate [in 2001] was not so much about the word but about the consequences that the U.S. was drawing from the word. There were worries about invasions. We were worried that the word “war” would be used as a sort of justification for invading countries, which actually was the case. In what the [French] prime minister said, I think there are several elements which are interesting. One is about the Jewish community in France; and the fact that he said it’s a war against radical Islam, so that was also a strong message.
Diplomatic Connections: When Giscard chaired the European Convention to draft the new constitution, the Vatican tried to persuade him to include a reference to Europe’s Christian roots in the preamble of the text. Instead, Giscard
Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
President Obama signs the condolence book with French Ambassador to the United States Gérard Araud (L) at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., on January 8, 2015, to honor the 12 victims of the Islamist attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris.
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French Ambassador to the United States GĂŠrard Araud and President Obama shake hands after signing a condolence book at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. on January 8, 2015.
included a lengthy reference to the Age of Reason, one of France’s biggest contributions to European civilization. PostCharlie, how can France remain faithful to reason in the steps it needs to take following the week of violence? Ambassador Araud: That’s the major challenge. In a sense we are on the front line because we have the largest Jewish community. We have the largest Muslim community, almost all of it of Arab origin. That makes the French in the front line of everything that is happening in the Middle East. Actually, when you look at the number of foreign fighters
in Syria, there are 1,200 French, 400 Belgians and you have Swedes, Germans, fighters from everywhere. Secondly, all over Europe, from the UK to Germany, you have an antiimmigrant feeling. You have an extreme right in the UK and France, in the Netherlands and so on. And most of our immigrants being Muslims, this anti-immigrant feeling is translated into an anti-Muslim feeling. So this attack, of course, is going to reinforce this sentiment. So if we want to keep our values, first we have to protect our Muslim compatriots from attacks; we have to integrate them into society. We have to
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show that we don’t consider them as our enemy. It’s not only in political terms. It’s also that we are going to be obliged to take some law enforcement measures, and it will be necessary to show that we are not targeting the Muslim community. The danger coming from this community is not even one percent. Of the Muslim population, .1 percent is radicalized. Diplomatic Connections: How do you isolate that .1 percent of the Islamic community? Ambassador Araud: We have between five and six million Muslims out of 65 million French people. Out of this five million, we consider a few thousand of them are radicalized. In a democracy you can’t arrest people for their opinion, and the question is whether these radicals are going to cross the line and become terrorists. Monitoring five or six thousand people is extremely difficult, and 24/7 it’s impossible. That’s the problem we’re going to be facing. There will be social tensions, but what we can say is that the demonstrations show the will of the French to react as a nation. But again, we are pretty aware of the risks. 12
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Diplomatic Connections: In other words, you’re heading for a period of tension in that respect… Ambassador Araud: We are not over with the threat. We’re facing the risk of other attacks. We have not yet dismantled the network — because there is a network behind these guys — the money, the origin of the weapons. We don’t know whether al-Qaida was only a sort of sponsor, or was the operational commander of the attack. So there are a lot of questions which in the short term we have to answer. In the long term, we will still be facing threats. It’s all over Europe and especially in France. So that’s our concern; we want to work with all our friends. Diplomatic Connections: Talk a little bit about the issue of the integration of the Muslim community. Ambassador Araud: There is a problem we have to face of the integration of the French Muslim community, and not stigmatizing the Muslim community, and also to work with the Muslim countries because radical Islam is rooted in Islam. We have also to work with them, we need their cooperation.
Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images
People, led by International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde (C), French Ambassador to the U.S. Gérard Araud, German Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Wittig (L), Italian Ambassador to the U.S. Claudio Bisogniero (R) and Hungarian Ambassador to the U.S. György Szapáry (back center between Lagarde and Araud) march in Washington, D.C., on January 11, 2015, in tribute to the 17 victims of the Islamist attacks in France, starting with the bloody shooting that killed 12 people at satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on January 7, followed by separate attacks that left five more people dead. Several thousand people took part in the silent march. 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 r c h - A p r il 2 0 1 5
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Diplomatic Connections: One other unintended con-
Diplomatic Connections: Judging from its latest issue, it
sequence is that the attacks have boosted the popularity of a vulgar, and occasionally obscene, minor publication — although no one disputes its right to exist, and to free expression, and no one can fail to condemn its attackers. Postattack, Charlie Hebdo has gone from iconoclast to national icon, at least for the moment. What is your view of Charlie Hebdo’s future? Ambassador Araud: The magazine appeals to the teenager mentality. Even as a lapsed Catholic, I have been very shocked several times by the vulgarity of the attacks on Catholicism. This is the main target of the newspaper. My God, what they are saying and showing about Christ, the pope and so on are in bad taste and vulgar. Personally I don’t like it.
is hardly going to contribute to the reconciliation effort and damage control that you are talking about. Ambassador Araud: The first issue of the magazine following the attack sold millions, but its usual circulation is 50,000. My guess is that after the dust is settled and the emotion has passed, the magazine will go back to its normal level of popularity. Also considering that it was editorially decimated and the best-known designers have gone, I don’t know what will be its future. Diplomatic Connections: What do you think needs to be done that isn’t already being done by the U.S. and on an international level following these attacks? Ambassador Araud: I was honored by a visit from
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Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty Images
From L to R: Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, French President François Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Union President Donald Tusk, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, Jordan’s Queen Rania, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoˇglu, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov and other guests march during the Unity Rally Marche Republicaine on January 11, 2015, in Paris in tribute to the 17 victims of a three-day killing spree by homegrown Islamists. The killings began on January 7 with an assault on the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris that saw two brothers massacre 12 people including some of the country’s best-known cartoonists, the killing of a policewoman and the storming of a Jewish supermarket on the eastern fringes of the capital, which killed four local residents.
President Obama at the French Embassy, and he basically said we are all vulnerable and so we have to work together in all respects: military, is what we are doing in Iraq; law enforcement, we have to look at our legal system but also the exchange of information between our law enforcement agencies. Does it work? And the fourth element, which is I guess the most important and innovative and difficult, is to speak to the Muslims, and especially to the Middle Eastern countries which are the breeding ground, but also the main victims of what is happening. There is a price paid in the Muslim world, and it is also up to the Muslim world to react. We need to have a dialogue with all of them and first, tell them, “Do your job.” Diplomatic Connections: You are among the many
ambassadors in this town who have their own Twitter account. How do you think that [eminent 18th century French diplomat Charles-Maurice de] Talleyrand would have reacted to having to tweet? Ambassador Araud: If he was able to do it at the time, it would have been a mistake for Talleyrand to tweet because it was the time when foreign policy was decided between basically 20 people in Europe: emperors, kings and some ministers; and it was secret. They didn’t care what the citizens were thinking. I’m experimenting. I’ve been tweeting only since April 2014, and I’m still trying to work out what it means to be an ambassador and tweeting. You can tweet the official line, but for that we have already a Twitter account in the embassy. So I experiment, and from time to time I make
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Patrick Kovarik/AFP/Getty Images
French President Franรงois Hollande with Prime Minister Manuel Valls (R) and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve (L) after a crisis meeting with French prefects following the January 7 massacre.
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(L to R) French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, French Senate President Gérard Larcher, Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius and Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian attend a ceremony to pay tribute to the three police officers killed in the attacks on January 13, 2015, in Paris. Police officers Ahmed Merabet, 40, Franck Brinsolaro, 49, were killed during the attacks at Charlie Hebdo, and Clarissa Jean-Philippe killed in Montrouge.
mistakes, or I shouldn’t have said what I did. We are living in a society where the top down is working less and less, so we have to accept it. An ambassador should be able to speak to the people, but not only uttering platitudes. Again, I’m not sure that it’s useful. I’m not sure that I am not going one day to stop, or to be stopped. Sooner or later my press officer will have a heart attack because of my tweets, and I don’t want to endanger his life. Diplomatic Connections: But if you didn’t tweet you could be accused of being old-fashioned and ignoring trends. And apropos of the practice of modern diplomacy I’d like to quote something Pope Francis said recently to a gathering of new ambassadors to the Holy See. This is the Vatican
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translation in English: “Your work is noble, very noble. The work of the ambassador lies in small steps, small things. But they always end in making peace, bringing closer the hearts of people, serving brotherhood among peoples. This is your job, but with little things, tiny things.” What is your reaction to that? Ambassador Araud: Well, I think he’s right. That’s what makes our job a bit frustrating; we are doing so many small things that at the end of the day we have to say, do I make a difference? When I was ambassador to the United Nations, it was quite easy. I was negotiating texts and resolutions and I saw in a sense the outcome, the product of my work. Here, the first time I met my British colleague [Ambassador
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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (C) and French Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius pay tribute to the victims killed in the attack of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, on January 16, 2015, at the entrance of the weekly newspaper office in Paris. Twelve people were killed, including cartoonists Charb, Wolinski, Cabu and Tignous and Deputy Chief Editor Bernard Maris when gunmen armed with Kalashnikovs and a rocket-launcher opened fire in the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo on January 7.
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Thomas Samson/AFP/Getty Images
Peter Westmacott], whom I know very well because he was in Paris for five years, and I asked him, “Peter, how can I make a difference?” That’s really the problem for me. You do a lot of small things, exactly the way the pope said, trying to link people. In Talleyrand’s time it was easy, because you had only to link a king with another one. Now you have to link two societies, and two societies which in a sense don’t need you to be linked, and thousands of corporations, and thousands of people, and so on. So this is a necessary reflection of what an ambassador is in the 21st century in a Western country. Diplomatic Connections: What was Ambassador Westmacott’s response to your question? Ambassador Araud: Peter said the problem was to make choices. We could work 16 hours a day. Everybody wants to have an ambassador at a lunch or a dinner in Washington. You have to do all these small things, but you have to make a choice between all these small things, to try to have a compass, to choose where you want to go, to have priorities. At the end of the day, this job is a reflection of your personality. I will have to choose my own way of being an ambassador. n
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In Mem
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was the King of Saudi Arabia and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques from 2005 to 2015.
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orandum of King Abdullah Continuity, Stability and Security are the Goals of Saudi Arabia’s Succession: King Salman Begins His Reign as World Leaders Pay Respects in Riyadh B y F. B r i s t ol L e w i s
AFP/Getty Images
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he death of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud brought a procession of world leaders to Riyadh, both to express their condolences to the Saudi royal family and to reinforce relationships with the desert kingdom. The country finds itself surrounded by regional instability, at the center of the global energy economy, and seeking a balance between the forces of cultural tradition and the realities of rapidly evolving communications technologies with an ever better educated population at home. The touchstone of Saudi Arabia’s power and influence has always been oil, especially its oil reserves. But the global energy market is changing in myriad ways and, for the moment at least, the price of oil is hovering around $50 a barrel as the global energy market is suddenly experiencing a supply glut because of new extraction technologies as well as the growth of alternative, 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 r c h - A p r il 2 0 1 5
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King Sal sustainable energy sources. Ironically, as energy prices have dropped, Saudi Arabia’s global political importance has grown rather than diminished. Facing a significant challenge for regional leadership from Iran; a measure of democracy, for good or ill; a measure of chaos and the rise of religious extremism — results of the Arab Spring movements; surrounded by the instability of neighboring states and the emergence of ISIS (the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) alongside AQAP (Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula); and faced with mounting pressures for social, economic and political change at home, Saudi Arabia finds itself confronted with a maelstrom of forces demanding attention and having impact far beyond the Kingdom’s borders. 24
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It was a measure of just how important Saudi Arabia has become in global politics that dozens of world leaders from the Arab and broader Islamic worlds, Europe, North and South America as well as Asia were keen to offer their condolences at King Abdullah’s death while offering their respects to his successor, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Beyond the presence of the U.S. delegation, the British Prime Minister David Cameron came as did Prince Charles, French President François Hollande made the journey, King Felipe VI of Spain was there, and Russia’s Vladimir Putin sent both his condolences and his Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came as well as Palestinian President Mahmood Abbas.
man Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
Above: Saudi Arabia’s new King Salman (C), Crown Prince Muqren bin Abdulaziz and deputy Crown Prince and Interior Minister Mohammed bin Nayef walk to greet President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on January 27, 2015. Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United States Adel Al-Jubeir is also in this photo walking behind King Salman. Obama landed in Saudi Arabia to shore up ties with new King Salman and offer condolences after the death of his predecessor Abdullah. Right: President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama just arriving via Air Force One at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on January 27, 2015.
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President Obama shakes hands with Saudi’s newly appointed King Salman at Erga Palace in Riyadh on January 27, 2015.
By no means is this an exhaustive list, but it is exemplary enough to make the point that Saudi Arabia is a key member of the G-20 group of leading economic players and that much of the world sees Saudi Arabia as a key component to establishing regional security in the Middle East, attenuating the extremism that claims Islamic religious identity as well as burgeoning Islamophobia across the world, and helping to stabilize the global energy economy. President Barack Obama cut short an official visit to India in order to head an official delegation going to Riyadh. Obama noted that, “King Abdullah’s life spanned from before the birth of modern Saudi Arabia through its emergence as a critical force within the global economy and a leader among Arab and Islamic nations. He took bold steps in advancing the Arab Peace Initiative, an endeavor that will outlive him as an enduring contribution to the search for peace in the region. At home,” Obama added, “King Abdullah’s vision was dedicated to the education of his people and to greater engagement with the world.” As if to reinforce the future of the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, President Obama recalled that, “As our countries worked together to confront many challenges, I always valued King Abdullah’s perspective and appreciated our genuine and warm friendship. As a leader, he was always candid and had the courage of his convictions. One of those convictions was his steadfast and passionate belief in the importance of the U.S.Saudi relationship as a force for stability and security in the Middle East and beyond.” Secretary of State John Kerry observed that, “The United States has lost a friend, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and the world has lost a revered leader. King Abdullah was a man of wisdom and vision.” Kerry recalled how he valued his visits with King Abdullah, “Even as he battled age and illness, he held on to his sense of determination. His stories of his father and of his family
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Yoan Valat/AFP/Getty Images
were remarkable. He was so proud of the Kingdom’s journey, a brave partner in fighting violent extremism who proved just as important as a proponent of peace.” United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon expressed the U.N.’s gratitude for King Abdullah’s generous support for the organization’s humanitarian relief efforts and developmental assistance programs in the Arab region and across the world. The Secretary General recalled King Abdullah’s efforts to address regional and global challenges at a time of turmoil and rapid change. King Abdullah’s proposed Arab 28
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Peace Plan, Ban said, left a “tangible legacy” that can show a path toward peace in the Middle East, and his efforts to promote dialogue among the world’s religious faiths have served to open new avenues of exploration and scholarship. Russian President Vladimir Putin observed that the King’s death was a great loss to the Kingdom and Saudi people. “The deceased king was known as a wise and consistent statesman and politician, a leader loved and respected by his people and had a deserved authority on the international scene,” Putin added. “His Majesty ruled the country
French President François Hollande offers his condolences to Saudi Arabia’s new King Salman on January 24, 2015, in Riyadh. Dignitaries and leaders from around the world arrived in Saudi Arabia on January 24 to offer their condolences to its new King Salman, a day after the death of his half-brother King Abdullah.
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
Top right: Saudi Arabia’s new King Salman greets former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, alongside President Obama, at the Erga Palace in the capital Riyadh on January 27, 2015. Bottom right: Saudi’s newly appointed King Salman shakes hands with U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi at Erga Palace in Riyadh on January 27, 2015.
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effectively and successfully through important stages of its development and did much to improve the socio-economic situation of the [Saudi] people, to develop the country’s public institutions and to fight against terrorism at different levels.” Putin recalled that his meetings with King Abdullah in Riyadh and in Moscow had been productive and “confirmed the traditional friendly nature of bilateral Russian-Saudi relations.” In France, a statement issued by the Elysée Palace on behalf of President François Hollande described King Abdullah as “a statesman whose work has profoundly marked the history of his country.” With the death of King Abdullah coming just days after the Charlie Hebdo and related killings in Paris, the French condolence insisted that the King’s “vision of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East remains more relevant than ever.” The message concluded by noting that, “The head of state [Hollande] expresses his sincere condolences to the Saudi people and expresses his commitment to the friendship between France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” It is instructive that King Salman’s first address to the people of Saudi Arabia after ascending the throne emphasized continuity. “We will continue,” Salman affirmed, “with God’s grace and strength, committed to the true approach which was followed by this state since its inception at the hands of its founder, King Abdulaziz, God’s mercy be upon him, and at the hands of his sons after him, God’s mercy upon them.” Even as he affirmed the past, King Salman alluded to the immediate challenges that face his country. “The Arab and Islamic nation is in dire need today to be united and maintain solidarity. We will continue in this country that God has honored by choosing it as a platform for His message and as the direction Muslims must pray. Our march,” King Salman asserted, “is to undertake everything possible to keep the unity of our ranks and the unity of word and [to work] in defense of our nation’s interests, guided by the teachings of our true Islamic religion which was favored by the Lord to us, the religion of peace, mercy and moderation.” When King Abdullah assumed the throne, foreign observers anticipated that he would be quite conservative. Instead, he proved to be a cautious reformer who invested heavily in the education of his people, establishing the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology as a world-class institution and allowing thousands of Saudi students — men and women — to study abroad. His investment in young people and in dialogue on critical issues facing the Kingdom was an investment in the future and a recognition that Saudi Arabia must undergo a cautious process of measured change. Predicting how King Salman’s reign will unfold is an im30
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possible task. Leaders tend to grow into their responsibilities and to learn that the perspective from the throne can be quite different from that encountered by even the closest advisors to a king. What is clear is that King Salman moved quickly to establish his line of succession, naming Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz as Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister. He took a further step toward a new era in Saudi Arabia by naming one of the Saudi founder’s grandsons, Prince Muhammad bin Naif, as Deputy Crown Prince and Second Deputy
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks with Saudi’s newly appointed King Salman as President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama listen on at Erga Palace in Riyadh on January 27, 2015.
Prime Minister, making him the first outside the sons of King Abdulaziz to be named in the line of succession and literally the first in a new generation of Saudi leadership. King Salman has long been known in Saudi Arabia as the “Prince of Loyalty,” a skilled diplomat both within the ranks of the large Saudi royal family and its internal workings and in Saudi Arabia’s external diplomacy with other Arab states, with the broader Islamic world and with a wide crosssection of global powers. He is said to have close ties to Saudi
Arabia’s religious leadership, a reality where a measure of devotion may also allow him a measure of leverage with that leadership. Salman’s loyalty to Saudi Arabia likely means that he will move carefully but determinedly to acknowledge his country’s 21st century realities, to quietly seek advice in and beyond the royal family, to reach out to the next generation of Saudi leadership, to preserve tradition even while adapting it to the future, and to make his country’s voice heard in regional and global circles of power. We wish him well. n
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he Embassy of Finland was awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certificaU.S. Green Building Council’s President Roger Platt presented the LEED Platinum Plaque to Ambassador Ritva Koukku-Ronde on January 28. tion as the first embassy in the U.S. The embassy celebrated this achievement in a big Platinum Party on January 28. The Platinum Party began with an official awards ceremony. The Embassy of Finland is a pioneer in sustainability. U.S. Green Building Council’s President Roger Platt presented It was awarded an Energy Star in 2008, and it was the first the LEED plaque to Ambassador Ritva Koukku-Ronde and diplomatic mission in Washington D.C., to gain a LEED thanked the embassy for its leadership in sustainability. Mr. certification in 2010, then on gold level. When it was time to Platt said that achieving LEED Platinum is a giant step and the renew the gold certificate, the embassy decided to strive for embassy is a true champion of green building. platinum. Electricity, gas and water consumption were The other speakers included Secretary of State Peter followed even closer than earlier, less waste was produced Stenlund from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, and the embassy even bought some bikes for the staff to use. Under Secretary Patrick Kennedy from the U.S. Department The results have been worth the efforts. Currently the of State and Director of the Climate Protection Partnerships embassy is using 50 percent less electricity and 65 percent Division Beth Craig from the Environmental Protection Agency. less gas compared to the mid-2000s. In addition, the U.S. Ambassador to Finland Bruce Oreck had 36
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Embassy of Finland
The Embassy of Finland, built in 1994, is a pioneer in sustainability.
The fabulous Suspicious Package provided music and dancing at the Platinum Party. From left: Josh Meyer, Tom Toles, Bryan Greene, Christina Sevilla and Tim Burger.
sent a very special video greeting to congratulate the embassy. The U.S. embassy in Helsinki is the only other LEED Platinum embassy in the world. In his speech Mr. Stenlund joked that the embassy could actually decrease its energy consumption even more by lowering the temperature inside the building. According to him, the temperature could be lowered drastically by switching it from Fahrenheit to Celsius. Mr. Stenlund also suggested that the U.S. Green Building Council create a new “Titanium” or even “Finlandium” level, so that the embassy had some higher recognition to strive towards. After the official ceremony was over, Washington D.C.’s favorite party band Suspicious Package filled the dance floor. While enjoying the music, the guests sampled organic Finnish food. Many were happy they could wash down the smoked salmon and meatballs with — what else than Platinum Beer! The Platinum Party was a great success with over 250 guests attending the event. The guests were encouraged to wear something green, and the embassy was packed with all different shades of green ties, dresses and accessories. The embassy plans to remain in the forefront of green building and it is excited to work with other diplomatic missions and the District of Columbia to make Washington D.C. one of the most sustainable cities in the U.S. n
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Efforts to Normalize Diplomatic U.S.-Cuban Relations . . . if Both
President Obama speaks to the nation about normalizing diplomatic relations with Cuba in the Cabinet Room of the White House on December 17, 2014, in Washington, D.C. Obama announced plans to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba, over 50 years after they were severed in January 1961. In a prisoner exchange, U.S. contractor Alan Gross was freed after being held in Cuba since 2009 and three Cuban spies were sent back to Cuba who had been imprisoned in the U.S. since 2001. 38
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n the aftermath of the 2014 off-year elections, where the Republican Party gained control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, President Obama announced an unexpected initiative to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba . . . with “Castro’s Cuba” as it is almost always referred to in the press. “In the most significant changes in our policy in more than 50 years,” Obama said, “we will end an outdated approach that, for decades, has failed to advance our interests, and instead we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries.” A conundrum is a difficult or vexing problem that poses deep concern and yet has no “right” answer. The relationship between the United States and Cuba has been complex and fraught with confrontation: first with the aura of Spanish colonialism followed by American imperialism; then economic exploitation and authoritarian rule supported by the United States; and finally by the template of Cold War competition between the United States and the Soviet Union following the Castro revolution in 1959, repeatedly re-energized by actions from either Havana or Washington over a span of decades. Letting go of this
Relations Promise a New Era of Countries Can Let Go of the Past B y J ames A. Winship , P h .D. tumultuous history in order to move forward may prove difficult for both the United States and Cuba.
Rodrigo Arangua/AFP/Getty Images
On the Problem of Diplomatic Recognition What President Obama proposes is to put Cuban-U.S. relations on the road to something approaching diplomatic normalcy. And, therein rests the controversy . . . one that repeatedly arises in the diplomacy of the United States. Traditional diplomatic practice has been that diplomatic recognition is extended to any government that firmly establishes itself as in control of territory. Recognition, in other words, acknowledges political reality without regard to ideology. This can sometimes make for uncomfortable relations when states engage in “bad� behavior, but communication is deemed more important than approval. There is, however, another school of diplomatic thought repeatedly, if inconsistently, practiced by American statecraft. Full recognition of a state is taken as a privilege accorded to states whose government is tolerated, if not fully approved of, by the United States. The corollary is that diplomatic recognition is withheld from states whose actions meet with disapproval.
Cuban President RaĂşl Castro
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The United States, for example, withheld recognition from the Soviet Union until Franklin Roosevelt became president. Recognition was withheld from the People’s Republic of China until the Nixon/Kissinger initiative, and even then it was not until the Carter presidency that full recognition was extended. Today the United States denies full diplomatic recognition to Iran, North Korea and Cuba. The underlying question is whether the denial of diplomatic recognition, often accompanied by economic sanctions, in any way encourages states to change unacceptable behaviors. One school of thought sees diplomatic recognition as a potential lever of influence over foreign governments. The more traditional school of thought sees diplomatic recognition as a necessary mode of formal relations that allows states more open avenues of communication, even if that communication is sometimes disapproving. It is precisely this debate that is being revisited in President Obama’s decision to extend diplomatic recognition to Cuba.
Obama’s Behind-the-Scenes Diplomacy
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Alan Gross and his wife Judy with attorney Scott Gilbert, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) watch television onboard a government plane headed back to the United States as the news breaks of his release on December 17, 2014. Below: Alan Gross (C), recently freed after being held in Cuba since 2009, pumps his fist after being recognized by President Obama during the State of the Union speech in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2015, in Washington, D.C. Also pictured are Dr. Pranav Shetty of Washington, D.C., Judy Gross and NASA astronaut Scott Kelly.
Rob Carr/Getty Images
In announcing his decision to seek normalization of diplomatic relations with Cuba — a diplomatic relationship that had been broken by President Eisenhower just before leaving office (January 3, 1961) — President Obama noted that over the last half century, “An ideological and economic barrier hardened between our two countries. Though [United States] policy has been rooted in the best of intentions,” the President insisted, “it has had little effect beyond providing the Cuban government with a rationale for restrictions on its people.” “It does not serve America’s interests, or the Cuban people, to try to push Cuba toward collapse,” President Obama concluded. “Even if that worked — and it hasn’t for 50 years — we know from hard-earned experience that countries are more likely to enjoy lasting transformation if their people are not subjected to chaos. We are calling on Cuba to unleash the potential of 11 million Cubans by ending unnecessary restrictions on their political, social and economic activities. In that spirit, we should not allow U.S. sanctions to add to the burden of Cuban citizens that we seek to help.”
Lawrence Jackson/The White House via Getty Images
President Obama went on to thank His Holiness Pope Francis for his efforts in promoting reconciliation between the United States and Cuba and to express thanks to the government of Canada for its use of diplomatic good offices to facilitate behind-the-scenes negotiation between the United States and Cuba. Though Obama did not mention Switzerland by name, it should also be noted that the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C., and the American Interests Section in Havana, essentially quasi-embassies functioning since 1977, operate under the “protective power” umbrella of Swiss diplomatic representation in those capitals. The Vatican released a statement explaining the church’s background role, “The Holy Father wishes to express his warm congratulations for the historic decision taken by the Governments of the United States of America and Cuba to establish diplomatic relations, with the aim of overcoming, in the interest of the citizens of both countries, the difficulties which have marked their recent history.” The statement went on to note
that Pope Francis had written to both President Raúl Castro and President Barack Obama inviting them “to initiate a new phase in relations between them.” Without offering detail, the Vatican statement also noted that it received delegations from the two countries in October 2014 and sought to “facilitate a constructive dialogue on delicate matters.” Canada never followed the lead of the United States in breaking off diplomatic relations with Cuba and has maintained a working relationship with Havana over the last 50 years. Sources close to the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that Ottawa received a request from Washington in 2013 asking whether the Canadian government could facilitate a series of meetings that required “an incredible amount of discretion.” In the end, Canada hosted a series of seven meetings between Cuba and the United States in Ottawa and Toronto. Congratulating the two long-time adversaries on their “successful dialogue,” Canadian Prime Minister Stephen
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Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) greets Mirta Costa, the mother of Carlos Costa, a pilot from a group called “Brothers to the Rescue” who was shot down by Cuban fighter jets in 1996, as he and other congressional people addressed the decision by President Obama to change the United States’ Cuba policy on December 18, 2014, in Miami, Florida. Mr. Rubio was joined by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) (in the center of photo) and Rep Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) as they held the press conference to denounce the changes to U.S.-Cuba policy by the Obama administration.
Harper noted that, “Canada was pleased to host senior officials from the United States, which permitted them the discretion required to carry these important talks. Canada supports a future for Cuba that fully embraces the fundamental values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.”
Though Cuban President Raúl Castro also thanked the Vatican and the Canadian government for their diplomatic efforts, he took a different approach to announcing the negotiations with the United States over the resumption of diplomatic relations. Where President Obama began by emphasizing the importance of this new diplomatic initiative, President Castro began with the much more immediate news that as part of the agreement to begin negotiations with the United States, it had been agreed that the U.S. would release three alleged Cuban spies held in American jails. In return, Cuba would release the American Alan Gross, a subcontractor for USAID convicted for “acts against the independence or the territorial integrity of the state” in March 2011, and an unnamed Cuban accused of being an agent of the United States tasked with subverting the Cuban regime, both of whom had long been held in Cuban jails. Only after his announcement of this prisoner exchange 42
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Raúl Castro’s Announcement
The Viktor Leonov CCB-175, a Russian Navy intelligence warship, is docked to a pier in Old Havana, Cuba, January 20, 2015. The ship sailed into the Havana harbor early that Tuesday morning on the eve of the start of historic talks between the United States and Cuba aimed at normalizing diplomatic relations.
between the United States and Cuba did President Castro turn explicitly to the renewal of relations between the two countries. “This in no way means that the heart of the matter has been resolved,” Castro insisted. “The economic, commercial and financial blockade, which causes enormous human and economic damages to our country, must cease.” Still, President Castro ended his remarks on a positive note. “The progress made in our exchanges,” he observed, “proves that it is possible to find solutions to many problems.”
As if to legitimize his brother’s support for the move toward normalization of diplomatic relations with the United States, Fidel Castro issued a rare public statement that appeared to constitute a cautious endorsement of renewed formal relations with the United States. “I don’t trust the policy of the United States nor have I had an exchange with them,” said the
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The seven-story tall U.S. Interests Section building stands along the historic Malecón oceanfront drive in Havana, Cuba, January 23, 2015. As the United States and Cuba have entered talks to re-establish diplomatic relations, President Obama’s administration has eased restrictions on building materials exported to Cuba.
Cuban Foreign Ministry Director for North America Josefina Vidal delivers brief remarks to the news media before taking reporters’ questions at the end of the second day of diplomatic talks with Cuba at the Palacio de las Convenciones de La Habana on January 22, 2015, in Havana, Cuba. The United States and Cuba are engaged in historic talks that could restore diplomatic ties and mark the end of more than 50 years of Cold War-era hostility between the two countries.
former Cuban president, “but this does not mean . . . a rejection of a peaceful solution to conflicts or the dangers of war. We will always defend cooperation and friendship with all the peoples of the world, among them our political adversaries.”
Opposition to Obama’s Diplomatic Initiative The possibility of re-establishing full diplomatic relations with Havana has encountered widespread public support, bipartisan political support in Congress and significant support from within the business community — including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Americas Society and the Council of the Americas (AS/COA). “Far from being a concession,” says Senior Director of Policy at the AS/COA Christopher Sabatini, “better access to telecommunications equipment, improved contacts with U.S. citizens and support to independent entrepreneurs will build the pockets of independence, which a half century of U.S.-ordered isolation and the Castro regime’s repression have prevented.” Primary opposition to Obama’s new policy direction comes from leading voices of the Cuban-American community in Congress, several of whom have built their careers on the continued economic boycott of Cuba in the hope of bringing down the Castro regime. Chief among these voices is Senator Marco Rubio [R-FL], himself the child of Cuban exiles who immigrated to the United States in 1956. “This entire policy shift is based on an illusion, on a lie, the lie and the illusion that more commerce and access to money and goods will translate to political freedom for the Cuban people,” insisted Senator Rubio. “All this is going to do is give the Castro regime, which controls every aspect of Cuban life, the opportunity to manipulate these changes to perpetuate itself in power.” It is Senator Rubio who leads Senate hearings on re-establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba. But his is hardly a lone voice. He is joined in opposition by another “child” of the Cuban diaspora and a leading Democratic voice, Senator Robert Menendez [D-NJ] who de-
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nounces what he calls the “fallacy that Cuba will reform just because the American president believes that if he extends his hand in peace, that the Castro brothers suddenly will unclench their fists.” In the House of Representatives the leading voice of opposition comes from Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen [R-FL27], a leader in the Cuban-American community and a former chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. She denounces President Obama’s proposal as an “overreach of executive authority” and an “irresponsible deal [that] does not hold the Castro regime accountable.” Ros-Lehtinen offers perhaps the clearest and most pointed explanation of the opposition view regarding “Castro’s Cuba” and President Obama’s proposed shift in policy direction, “The fundamental recurring theme is that the Castro regime will not change their oppressive tactics and will not loosen their grip on the island. Mr. Obama’s recent announcement of plans to ease restrictions is kowtowing to the Castro brothers and gives them all the concessions on the regime’s wish list. It is our role as the world’s lone superpower to uphold democratic values and be the guardian of freedom everywhere, not only where it is convenient for the president’s legacy. Mr. Obama’s policy of dictator engagement has undermined the national security of the United States that sets a dangerous precedent that emboldens other 44
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desperate, sanctioned regimes.”
Significant Hurdles Ahead While polls show that Americans harbor overwhelmingly negative views of Fidel Castro and the Castro regime, repeated polling by CNN and others suggests that roughly six in 10 Americans favor diplomatic relations with Cuba and nearly two-thirds want the travel restrictions to Cuba lifted. Just slightly more than half, the same polls suggest, want the economic embargo against Cuba lifted. Opposition leaders from both parties in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and their counterparts in the House, which enters foreign affairs through its power of the purse as approval of both houses of Congress is needed to authorize government spending, continue to insist that they will pursue every avenue to cripple Obama’s steps toward normalizing relations. They vow to oppose Obama’s ambassadorial nomination, to hold up funds for the embassy, to resist any attempts to close Guantánamo, to demand expanded support for Cuban opposition groups, to insist on outspoken criticism of the Castro regime’s human rights policies, and to demand full reparation for $6 billion owed to U.S. citizens and businesses for property confiscated at the time of the Cuban Revolution. For his part, Cuban President Raúl Castro has intro-
Win McNamee/Getty Images
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations Western Hemisphere Subcommittee hearing on February 3, 2015, in Washington, D.C. The committee heard testimony on the impact of U.S. policy changes in Cuba. Also pictured is Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Tomasz Malinowski.
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duced additional stringent conditions into the negotiations. In his speech to a summit of Latin American countries, he indicated that no rapprochement with the United States would make sense unless three conditions were met: (1) the lifting of the U.S. embargo on Cuba; (2) the return of the U.S. base at Guantánamo Bay; (3) compensation for “human and economic damage” the Cuban people have suffered. A fourth condition is the removal of Cuba from the State Department’s list of “state sponsors” of terrorism. These countervailing agendas threaten to derail negotiations, which began with an initial session in Havana in January and will continue with a second round of negotiations — not yet scheduled at the time of this writing — in Washington. A measure of the commitment of both countries to the negotiating process is that the negotiating teams on both sides are led by top diplomatic experts on their respective countries. The U.S. delegation is led by Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson. General Director of the United States and North America Division of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs Josefina Vidal Ferreiro leads the Cuban delegation.
The initial negotiating session was described as “positive and productive” by Jacobson, but she also acknowledged that there were “profound differences” separating the two governments. Vidal noted that, “It was a first meeting. This is a process.” A measure of the delicacy of these negotiations appeared when Jacobson’s observation that, “We pressed the Cuban government for improved human rights conditions, including freedom of expression,” was mistakenly translated into Spanish as the United States “pressured” the Cuban government on the issue. Vidal immediately responded that, “Cuba has never responded to pressure.” Despite significant support for normalization of relations in both countries, the opening of negotiations revealed the significant opposition both countries face at home. In the U.S., normalization immediately becomes enmeshed in presidential politics and faces significant opposition from Republican foreign policy hawks in the Congress, not to mention vocal opposition from some Cuban-American groups. In Cuba there is concern among Castro critics that the voices of political freedom will be stilled and among hardline Castro supporters that rapprochement with the United States will undo the socialist regime of the Fidelistas. Recognizing the existence of this opposition on both sides, Assistant Secretary of State Jacobson ended her press conference after the initial negotiating session by noting that the establishment of full embassies in Havana and Washington would not by itself mean normalized ties between the two countries. “We have to overcome more than 50 years of a relationship that was not based on confidence or trust,” she reminded reporters. And so they do. n U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) escorts the leader of Cuba’s Ladies in White activist group Berta Solar to the Senate Foreign Relations Western Hemisphere Subcommittee hearing February 3, 2015, in Washington, D.C. The committee heard testimony on the impact of U.S. policy changes in Cuba.
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An Interview With the Tunisian Ambassador in Washington By Roland Flamini
In 2011, a young street vendor in Tunisia, harassed by police, set himself on fire. As the flames engulfed his body, they ignited a revolution that led to the overthrow of the North African country’s autocratic President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. That was the start of the Arab Spring which quickly spread throughout the region — with chaotic results. But Tunisia’s transition to democracy has remained on track; the country has a new constitution. Its first parliamentary elections in October were orderly and transparent, and a month later the country went to the polls again to choose its first elected president, with a run-off in December won by Beji Caid Essebsi, 88-year-old leader of the secular party Nidaa Tounes, which had earlier won the parliamentary election. But, as Tunisia’s ambassador to Washington, Mohamed Ezzine Chleyfa, suggested in an interview with Diplomatic Connections, there are built-in uncertainties in the political situation. Nidaa Tounes beat the Tunisian Islamist party Ennahda. The result was a significant achievement for the secularist front, but also reflected voter dissatisfaction with the outgoing Ennahda government’s poor performance. Ambassador Chleyfa said the Tunisian Islamist party had stepped down earlier in 2014 on the advice of Egypt’s deposed President Mohamed Morsi, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, to avoid a similar crisis in Tunisia as the one that led to an army takeover in Egypt. However, the secularists will need allies to form a coalition government. One option was a national unity government with Ennahda to introduce badly needed tough economic reforms, and to deal with growing Islamist militancy. Al-Qaeda surrogates remained active, mainly on the mountainous borders with Algeria, and Tunisia — with U.S. help — needed to strengthen its security forces to cope with the threat. Still, Tunisia remains an inspiring model of how democracy can take root in an Arab country.
Diplomatic Connections: It was events in Tunisia that
Ambassador Chleyfa: The second factor
ignited the Arab Spring in 2011. Would you talk a little about why it happened in Tunisia, and how that came about? Ambassador Chleyfa: Why in Tunisia — because I think Tunisia has specificities and assets that enabled the country to start a new democratic transition. Tunisia has a homogenous population and a long tradition of moderation. The Tunisian people are educated, and there is a large middle class. Women have rights and are emancipated. All these assets explain what happened in Tunisia. And there were some other factors such as the vibrant role of the Tunisian civil society, which has been the vital force and the cornerstone of the democratic transition. Diplomatic Connections: What about the political dimension?
perhaps is the moderation of the Islamist party. Ennahda was the first Islamist party in the Arab world to start the political transformation from a religious party to a civil party. It has started it, but it will take time. The third factor was the Tunisian army, which is politically a very neutral army, and not really interested in assuming power. Another factor was the removal of President Mohamed Morsi [leader of the Muslim Brotherhood] in Egypt. Morsi had convinced Ennahda to step down in order to avoid a similar crisis in Tunisia and allow the political process to take its course. I think all these
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Mohamed Ezzine Chleyfa Ambassador of Tunisia to the United States
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aspects and factors can explain the role of Tunisia. Diplomatic Connections: Could you elaborate on your reference to President Morsi? Ambassador Chleyfa: Nearly four years ago, Ennahda won the first free election in Tunisia for a constituent assembly. Morsi persuaded the Islamist party that its platform was not very popular and could generate bad scenarios [such as in Egypt], and induced Ennahda to step aside as the only way to stay in the political arena. Diplomatic Connections: But you have recently had new elections. Ennahda, the Islamists, lost their old majority, and the new party Nidaa Tounes has a relative majority, which must represent a shift in public sentiment? Ambassador Chleyfa: Yes, absolutely. In the October 26 legislative elections, Tunisia achieved a major historic breakthrough, finalizing a difficult and painful democratic transition and opening the door for a new process of democratic consolidation. The election was peaceful. There was a satisfactory turnout of around 65 percent, and the elections were free, fair and transparent according to the international observers. And what is important is that the result has been accepted by all the parties, and there’s been a peaceful changeover of power for the first time in the region. The electorate used the vote in order to give Nidaa Tounes its big chance, and to sanction Ennahda for its poor record in office, mainly in security and economic affairs. Diplomatic Connections: So Nidaa Tounes, which did not win an absolute majority, now faces the challenge of forming a government. Ambassador Chleyfa: No party has the majority to form a government and a coalition is necessary. They’re going to have to negotiate with other parties. Diplomatic Connections: What is the likeliest scenario when it comes to forming the government? Ambassador Chleyfa: Actually, there are three scenarios. The first is a national unity government with Ennahda and Nidaa Tounes which will result in a large majority. Ennahda is in favor of this option, but Nidaa Tounes seems to be reluctant because some of its supporters are against it. The second scenario is a technocratic government, in order to carry out bold reforms, but neither the supporters of Ennahda or Nidaa Tounes are very supportive of this. There is a strong desire for a responsible government. The third scenario is a coalition of Nidaa Tounes and the so-called secular family. This is possible, but the coalition will then have a very small majority, perhaps not enough to carry out the reforms needed, and Ennahda will be in opposition. 50
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Diplomatic Connections: How do Tunisians feel about having started the Arab Spring? Ambassador Chleyfa: They feel very proud, but it was very painful and a very difficult time. But thanks to the maturity of the political class and the vibrant role of the civil society, and thanks to inclusiveness of the national dialogue, I think Tunisia has proven that moderate Islam and democracy can coexist in the Arab world. Diplomatic Connections: How different is the new constitution from the old one? Ambassador Chleyfa: It’s completely different. It’s a combined system of presidential and parliamentary government, with two heads of the executive power; the prime minister who is elected in the parliamentary elections, and who has to belong to the biggest elected party, and the president elected by the people. We chose this formula in order to create a division of powers, but the president still has a lot of power. Diplomatic Connections: What are the major problems that the new Tunisian government will face? You talked about bold reforms. What reforms are you referring to? Ambassador Chleyfa: The major problem is to form a coalition, and it will have two big challenges in order to conserve and consolidate this emergent democracy — the security challenge and the economic challenge. We need to carry out major reforms on budget, on taxes, on the bank sector, on subsidies. These are very bold and could be unpopular. Diplomatic Connections: What subsidies? Ambassador Chleyfa: Bread, and gas and others. We need to cut some of these subsidies. And, of course, the security challenge. Security has improved because our security forces are recovering and confronting terrorism. But residual terrorist groups remain on the Algerian border, and we have the big threat of Libya. Diplomatic Connections: Isn’t the problem of Islamist radicals internal? Ambassador Chleyfa: It’s internal, but it’s in the mountains between Tunisia and Algeria, where there is interaction between Algerian terror groups and Tunisian groups. Diplomatic Connections: Are they linked to al-Qaeda? Ambassador Chleyfa: Yes, we have Ansar al-Sharia, and the other group is AQIM [Al-Qaeda Islamic Maghreb]. Diplomatic Connections: Was either responsible for the assassination of two leading politicians, and also for killing several security people? Ambassador Chleyfa: There was a recent shooting of security personnel in this area near the Algerian border. We have surrounded these groups, but they remain dangerous.
Fethi BelaidAFP/Getty Images
Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi stands in his office in Tunis on January 14, 2015.
Diplomatic Connections: How does the current situation in Libya affect Tunisia? Ambassador Chleyfa: Libya is a big concern for us, and a big threat because Tunisia has a large border with Libya. There are a lot of weapons, and a lot of arms trafficking going on across the border. Tunisians are very close to the Libyans, and the problem is that there are no longer any institutions in Libya with whom we can discuss the situation. Diplomatic Connections: There’s also an economic factor, isn’t there, because a large number of Tunisians used to cross the border for work? Ambassador Chleyfa: Yes, for work. But also, Libya is a big market for Tunisia. It’s the second largest market after the European Union, and this is the problem. Diplomatic Connections: And so North Africa, the Maghreb, when you look at it from here, you have Morocco, which is stable and also going through its own democratization process, Libya in turmoil, Algeria? Ambassador Chleyfa: With Algeria we have very good relations, and we have good security cooperation with the Al-
gerians because they have expertise in dealing with extremist groups. The security of Algeria is the security of Tunisia, and vice-versa. Our cooperation reflects that. Diplomatic Connections: At the same time, there are said to be 3,000 Tunisians fighting with the insurgents in Syria and Iraq. This is supposedly the largest group from any one country. Ambassador Chleyfa: Yes, there is an unfortunate number of Tunisians with the Islamic State that’s partly explained by the weakness and the laxity of the Tunisian security forces during the post-Revolution era. After the Revolution, some institutions were weakened. It’s also the result of the economic and social frustration of young Tunisians, and their radicalization by some mosques in Tunisia, and the authorities couldn’t control it. But now, I think, the security forces are recovering and they are stopping the flow of potential terrorists.
Diplomatic Connections: Was there a need to reform the security forces?
Ambassador Chleyfa: Yes, the security forces, and especially the army, had been neglected for many decades. We
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have a very professional army, but there was a lack of equipment, and that is being put right. We have very good cooperation with the United States for training, equipment and sharing intelligence. Diplomatic Connections: You mentioned just now that Europe was your biggest trading partner. What proportion of your trade is with Europe? Ambassador Chleyfa: Eighty percent of Tunisian trade is with the EU, and we are part of the free trade arrangement with the EU. We would like to diversify our trade more in order not to be dependent on Europe. Diplomatic Connections: What about tourism? How has that been impacted by the Revolution? Ambassador Chleyfa: Tourism has been undermined by the Revolution but we are recovering, and we are reaching pre-Revolution levels, mainly with Europe. But each year more than a million Libyans visit Tunisia to get away from the turmoil in their own country, to drink a glass of wine. And many Algerians, too. Diplomatic Connections: Where would you like to see improvement in the bi-lateral relationship with the United States? Ambassador Chleyfa: We have the same strategic interests as the United States, and now the same values, too. In Washington in April, we launched with the administration a strategic dialogue mainly on economics and security. This year, it will be in Tunisia. We have a modest economic exchange. We would like to improve it. We have had U.S. assistance; the U.S. gave us loan guarantees, but we need an improvement in American investments and trade. For that, we are asking for a free trade agreement. We need this framework in order to attract more American investments, and to offer Tunisia to 52
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American firms as a gateway to the African market, and even the European market.
Diplomatic Connections: Does any Maghreb country have such a free trade agreement with the United States? Ambassador Chleyfa: Yes, Morocco. Diplomatic Connections: So you want something along the same lines? Ambassador Chleyfa: Yes. Diplomatic Connections: What is the size of TunisianU.S. trade? Ambassador Chleyfa: It was $2 billion in 2011, which is very modest, and we’d like to increase it. Diplomatic Connections: Tunisia was represented at the African Summit in August. What do you think were the results of that summit? Ambassador Chleyfa: There was no tangible result, but we are starting a new process. We’re working with the American administration to create a summit follow-up mechanism on trade, security, in order to see some concrete results. There were small initiatives by President Obama, but there has to be a follow-on.
Diplomatic Connections: What is your impression of being an ambassador to Washington?
Ambassador Chleyfa: It’s a very challenging posting, and for a diplomat you have a ringside seat to every international situation. It’s very difficult being an ambassador during a transition. I’ve now had four governments, and you need to be neutral and represent the interests of your country. One result of the Revolution is that 99 percent of our ambassadors are now career diplomats — under the old regime there were a lot of political nominees. n
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erhaps it is Germany’s federal system of government in which the German states (länder) retain substantial powers and celebrate their distinct cultural identities that gives Herbert Quelle, Germany’s Consul General in Chicago, a deep respect for the importance of regional identity in the United States. Or, perhaps it is the fact that as a fledgling diplomat his first overseas posting was to the German consulate in Los Angeles that gives him an appreciation of the continental sweep and cultural diversity of the United States. Whatever the case, Ambassador Quelle is quick to tell his countrymen and his diplomatic colleagues that Chicago and the Midwest should be “recognized as what this region truly is — the heart and soul of America. I tell people who only visit the East and the West Coasts that such a visit is like having a sandwich without the filling between the bread halves.” And, no I didn’t make a mistake by referring to “Ambassador” Quelle. For purposes of clarity we have identified this senior German diplomat by his current title — Consul General. He heads the German Consulate General in Chicago, which has responsibility for 13 states ranging from Ohio to the Dakotas and from Minnesota and Wisconsin to Kentucky, Missouri 54
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Consul General Quelle
Inset photo: Alexander Fiedler
B y J a m e s A. W i n s h i p , P h .D.
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Consul General Quelle speaks at a German-American Day celebration organized by United German American Societies of Greater Chicago. The ceremony took place in St. Benedict Church, Chicago. 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 r c h - A p r il 2 0 1 5
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Consul General Quelle with Honorary Consul Martin Wilhelmy in front of a portion of the Berlin Wall given by the city of Berlin to the city of Cincinnati. 56
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and Kansas. But, prior to his most recent postings in the United States, first at the German Consulate General (2013 – 2014) in Boston and now in Chicago, Quelle was the German Ambassador in Baku, Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic with substantial oil and natural gas resources on the shores of the Caspian Sea. By the traditions of diplomatic protocol, once a diplomat has served as an ambassador, that person may always be addressed by that title, though only currently serving ambassadors are recognized with the honorific “excellency.” Nevertheless, Herbert Quelle is an “excellent” man trained not only in the arts of diplomacy, but also in sciences, economics and fine arts. Before joining the German Foreign Service he thought to become a science teacher, and alongside the demands of his diplomatic career he is a talented pianist, trained musicologist, jazz aficionado and songwriter. After beginning his diplomatic career in the Federal Foreign Office in Bonn, Consul General Quelle moved to Los Angeles for a three-year consular appointment. Then, after another stint at the Foreign Office in Bonn, he was posted to the German Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa. From there, he watched the Berlin Wall come down and the two Germanys reunite to become one. From South Africa he moved to Havana, Cuba, as Deputy Chief of Mission. Interspersed with a series of increasingly responsible positions in the Federal Foreign Office, Mr. Quelle served as Head of Economic Affairs at the German Embassy in Warsaw, Poland, and later as Head of Economic Affairs in the German Embassy in London. The richness of Ambassador Quelle’s diplomatic experience enhanced by his wide ranging education and his voracious cultural appetite led Harvard University to name him a Fellow at its Weatherhead Center for International Affairs in 2013 – 2014. This highly respected program brings together senior diplomats, military officers, politicians, journalists, international civil servants, leaders of non-governmental organizations, and business leaders from around
German International School Chicago
German International School Chicago Director Dr. Annegret Harnischfeger and Consul General Quelle with students of the school.
the world to share their expertise, gain greater insight from the perspectives of others and pursue research interests in an academic setting. In the words of the university, “The single characteristic the Fellows share is leadership in international affairs, as demonstrated by their record of past achievement and the promise of future accomplishments.” Consul General Quelle was kind enough to share his career, insights and intellect with Diplomatic Connections. Sorry, but we couldn’t arrange to have him play any of his songs for you! Diplomatic Connections: Consul General Quelle, what influenced you to pursue a diplomatic career?
Consul General Quelle: I studied English language and literature as well as political science originally with the idea of becoming a high school teacher. In the final semester I decided to give the Foreign Service a try, and to my own surprise I got in! Diplomatic Connections: What can you tell us about some of the lessons you learned in your early diplomatic training that you still use today? Consul General Quelle: We were taught that we need to be flexible. Our mission is to represent German interests and German concerns globally, and to do so in ways that are continued on page 62
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sensitive to the particular situation of the country, people and government to which we are posted. Diplomatic Connections: Is it fair to say that there are more women in the diplomatic service now than when you first entered? Consul General Quelle: There are fortunately more women in the German Foreign Service today, but there are still not as many as we would like. It seems still more difficult for a woman to find a partner who is willing to travel anywhere and to forego his own career than it is for a man to find a woman who is willing to follow him in his diplomatic career. Diplomatic Connections: Could we turn for a moment to your experience in Azerbaijan as ambassador there? What was that experience like, with Azerbaijan struggling to find its way between its history as a Soviet republic and its independent experiments with democracy? Consul General Quelle: Between Baku and Chicago, I
served at our Consulate General in Boston. At the same time, I was a Fellow at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard, which permitted me to do some research work on my experiences in Azerbaijan. My goal was to understand in greater depth what the disintegration of the Soviet Union meant for the former republics and to what extent they have been able to democratize independently from Moscow. Of course, when I picked my topic in July 2013, I didn’t know it was going to become so hot with the Russian annexation of Crimea, Russian interventionist policies in Ukraine and the ensuing discussion of a new Cold War. Replying to your question, not in my official capacity now but rather on the basis of my research, I would say that Azerbaijan is unfortunately not developing in ways that one might have hoped. It is continuing on its autocratic path. If you look at Freedom House or Bertelsmann Foundation’s monitoring of the political and economic transition of former
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Consul General Quelle with participants in the German Unity Day celebration in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The two pieces of the Berlin Wall in the background were acquired for the Grand Rapids Public Museum and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum.
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Patrick Pyszka
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Consul General Quelle chat in the Mayor’s office.
Soviet republics, they all tell you that democratic progress has been mostly slow and halting, including in Azerbaijan. Nevertheless, Azerbaijan should be treated with the same respect with which we treat any sovereign state. I appreciate in particular that Azerbaijan, with its largely Muslim population, practices exemplary secularism. Azerbaijan is of considerable strategic importance, not merely for its location but also for its oil and gas resources. It has an immensely rich culture, which I admire. I am a great fan of music, and I love their local musical tradition called “Mugham,� songs that combine classical poetry with musical improvisation in a series of story cycles. But, I am personally very sad about the situation of individual human rights in the country. Diplomatic Connections: How does being consul general compare to being ambassador? What are the primary differences between the two positions? Consul General Quelle: By definition, a consul general focuses on consular and legal matters. That task accounts for about 50 percent of the workload and the resources of the office. In addition, we have obligations in public diplomacy, political reporting, cultural, press and economic matters. The task of pursuing political objectives on behalf of the German government is left to the embassy. But we network with poli-
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Consul General Quelle
ticians and analyze the political process in the states and in the cities that are within our geographic area of responsibility in order to help the embassy in its complex political tasks. Diplomatic Connections: What do consulates accomplish that an embassy does not? Why are consulates important? Why invest resources in these outposts of German diplomacy at a distance from Washington, D.C.?
Consul General Quelle: Chicago is the third largest city in the United States, and much more important than is generally known in Germany. In a sense, it is part of my responsibility to reinforce the importance of the American heartland,
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Above left: Consul General Quelle with Dr. Elizabeth Loentz, Head of Germanic Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). The exhibition “Dictatorship and Democracy in the Age of Extremes” focuses on the tumultuous 20th century in Europe, and ran at UIC from September to October before moving on to its next Midwestern stop.
the Midwest, to official German visitors and to potential German investors. There are some 20 million Americans in the Midwest region who consider themselves as having some degree of German ancestry. That’s a huge number in a region that has a total population of roughly 70 million, slightly under one-third of the entire population. It is important for Germany to build on this potential for strengthening our bilateral trans-Atlantic ties. The consulate is closer to the people in the Midwest than the embassy can ever be. Diplomatic Connections: What is the consulate’s role in staying in contact with that very large German-American community across the United States? Does the German-American community play a role in on-going contacts or promoting contacts between the U.S. government and the German government? Consul General Quelle: My consulate is aware of the positive role the German-American community plays and I think that goes for the other German consulates as well. But, the German immigrant population has integrated so well into the fabric of the American life that the large majority is hardly recognizable as German-American. They generally lack the assertive identity and specific political agendas that other groups of immigrants may have. I appreciate celebrating German-American Day, which on the one hand reminds us of the great contributions of German immigrants to the formation of the United States since 1683 and on the other hand of the broken relations during two World Wars in the past century, which must never happen again. Diplomatic Connections: For years the German economy 64
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has been described as the “economic engine” of Europe or the “locomotive” of the European economy. Yet during the current economic slowdown in Europe, the German economy and its demands for stability and economic retrenchment across Europe have received a great deal of criticism. Some critical voices have gone so far as to suggest that the German demands for austerity measures by other European governments have acted as a brake on European economic recovery. What is and should be Germany’s role as a European and global economic leader? Consul General Quelle: Rather than looking at the brief slowdown in German economic growth during 2014, I would stress that we grew overall faster than in the two previous years. The German consumer has developed into a strong pillar of our economic performance. Critics of our alleged austerity overlook the fact that my government recently increased its investment program considerably and that Germany’s budgetary discipline is key in securing the confidence of the financial markets in the survival of the eurozone. It is the responsibility of each individual eurozone member state to avoid an out-sized deficit. We believe that far-sighted economic policy approaches with structural reforms are paying off. Diplomatic Connections: Trade promotion is one of the consulate’s major roles. The German economy is extremely export driven. Are there opportunities for American companies to invest in Germany? Are there German companies bringing new investments to the United States, especially to the historically industrial states in your Midwest region? Consul General Quelle: We work very closely with the German-American Chamber of Commerce in the Midwest and
AJC Chicago
Consul General Quelle shakes hands with Allan Reich, Chair of the International Relations Commission of the American Jewish Committee, at a Hanukkah reception on December 18, 2014.
Consul General Quelle congratulates a fellow fan after the 7-1 victory of Germany over Brazil in the World Cup.
a model the United States should consider. Could you explain how the German system works and perhaps suggest what lessons the United States might draw from the German experience?
Inset photo: Alexander Fiedler
Germany.info/Chicago
Consul General Quelle: The German vocational initiative
Consul General Quelle before a statue honoring German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, located in Chicago’s Lincoln Park.
with AmCham [the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany]. Each of the American states also has a trade promotion office, and we stay in very close contact with these offices. The consulate helps to catalyze the intricate investment decisions that must be made and helps to streamline the mechanics of transAtlantic trade, the details of which can sometimes seem overwhelming. There are more than 2,500 members of the GermanAmerican Chamber of Commerce, and its role is to promote and sustain business opportunities in both directions. There are frequent, often industry-centered, trade delegations going back and forth between the two countries. Diplomatic Connections: American education is in the throes of a wide-ranging debate on educational reform. The German educational model of parallel tracks, university education but also an emphasis on vocational-technical education in close cooperation with German industry, is repeatedly held up as
provides a unique combination of theory and practice, learning and working. There are multiple educational paths after high school in Germany. They are both an alternative to and a complement to university education. The system works closely with local firms to identify what jobs need to be filled and to define the skill sets that are needed to perform those jobs in the present and on into the future. It is a model of vocational training that is recognized as highly effective worldwide. The program has proven exceptional in developing a highly skilled, well-qualified workforce. Diplomatic Connections: How has diplomacy changed in the course of your career — from your days as a trainee to your days as ambassador and now as consul general in Chicago? Consul General Quelle: There are two answers to that question: first, the exponentially increased speed of communication; and second, the competition with what I call “the reporter on the street” made possible by the accessibility of media technology. The ability of anyone to project an image in real time around the globe presents a huge challenge. It is not enough to have communication skills. Now diplomats are asked to make split-second judgments under the pressure of instantaneous media coverage. There is a real, and sometimes costly, trade-off between immediacy and time for reflection. The speed of communication combined with the widespread access to technology poses many new questions about the reliability of information and the accuracy of images and about the accountability of information sources — especially where the lightning fast commentary of talk show hosts and
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Left: Antje Dombrowski; Right: Stephan Radke
(Left) Consul General Quelle accompanying the German Eurovision Contest artist Roman Lob during a pre-show at the ambassador’s residence in Baku. May 23, 2012. (Right) Consul General Quelle in a Baku jazz club with Rain Sultanov (on sax.)
Internet bloggers often trades considered judgment and knowledge of the situation on the ground for visceral responses and emotional nationalism. But, with this trend towards de-professionalization of journalism, I see huge new opportunities for diplomats. It is our task to bring a measure of considered reflection to the often heated discourse on trade, economics and national security. Given our training, we can insert needed historical and cultural background in order to add complexity and nuance to discussions of international issues. Perhaps even more importantly, we can bring to bear deeper knowledge of the situation on the ground in order to add depth to the shallow reporting that rapid news cycles encourage. Because we are diplomats, we remain accountable and are trustworthy for our governments. Diplomatic Connections: What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned over the course of your career? What would you pass on to the new generation of diplomats? Consul General Quelle: You have to be proud of your country without losing your critical capacity to thoughtfully examine different perceptions about your country. One learns that often issues look different from abroad. And your host country has all the right in the world to be proud of its heritage and identity as well. Diplomatic Connections: What are your greatest concerns for the future of your country? Consul General Quelle: Perhaps the greatest challenge is to succeed with our “Energiewende,” the transformation of our energy policy from carbon to renewables. Global warming is an undeniable fact and we have to undertake all possible efforts to remain under the two-degree threshold. On the other hand, relatively affordable energy is critical for our industrial base. 66
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We must remain competitive. We must secure employment. So there is a lot of pressure from that end on the government. I see climate change as the most serious global problem with very direct consequences for the long-term security and the economic wellbeing of each individual country. We are making progress as the climate summit in Lima showed, but human nature finds it difficult to focus on long-term strategic goals. Cheap oil, plus the volatility of energy prices and supplies in general, is not conducive to keeping us focused. Given two options between a short-term advantage and the long-term optimum, governments tend to choose the first. Diplomatic Connections: And, what are the greatest hopes you have for the future of your country? Consul General Quelle: My greatest hope is that the unification process in Germany will be fully accomplished in the next few years. In the past 25 years we have made incredible progress given the unique task of harmonizing — in economic, political, social and cultural/scientific respects — two states that had for one generation existed side by side, but in different worlds. Regional and provincial differences and distinctions will always remain and that is perfectly all right. Diversity and multiculturalism are characteristics of a modern Germany, but the still existing invisible separation between the two Germanys will disappear. I am further confident that we will not only maintain, but deepen, our excellent relationship with all our European partners. I see Russia recognizing and regretting its recent foreign policy mistakes and seeing its future in this framework and not in some adventurism. Diplomatic Connections: Consul General, thank you very much for your time and for the thoughtful perspectives that you brought to our wide-ranging conversation. n
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n Chicago, there’s no individual hallmark that defines the city the way the Eiffel Tower defines Paris or the unintended tilt of a cathedral’s campanile defines Italy’s town of Pisa. Instead there’s a smorgasbord of architectural masterpieces, galleries and museums, shoreline parks and cultural monuments that, together, render Chicago one of the most visionary examples of urban architecture in America. This is the historical home of the skyscraper, a late 19th century innovation that spawned a worldwide movement that continues to push buildings closer to the stratosphere as countries vie for the tallest buildings. For years Chicago’s Sears Tower, now known as the Willis Tower, was the world’s tallest, an honor that was subsequently bestowed on a variety of buildings all around the world — in New York, Shanghai, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur and beyond — and now belongs to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Soon the Kingdom Tower, currently under construction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, will occupy the top position. But Chicago’s famous skyline is still one of the most dramatic. Over the years it has evolved to include a variety of architectural styles that reflect the city’s history and cultural achievements. Scattered among the city’s four tallest buildings — in order: the Willis Tower, Trump International Hotel and Tower, Aon
No matter where you go, there’s a spectacular view — whether it’s of Chicago’s skyline, from the skyline, from a boat, or of a famous building or piece of art. John and Monica Frim crisscross the Windy City and its varied neighborhoods to get an eyeful of the artworks and architectural masterpieces that define Chicago as a great city on a Great Lake and one of the most influential in the world. Photography by John Frim and Monica Frim
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Center (former Amoco Building) and Hancock Building — an assortment of high-rises emerge like paradigms of the city’s post-1871 history. That was the year that, according to one yarn, a cow kicked over a lantern in the O’Leary’s barn and spawned one of the most destructive American fires of the 19th century. Known afterwards as the Great Chicago Fire, the conflagration spread east and north across the Chicago River, killing almost 300 people, leaving 100,000 homeless and destroying most of the downtown core. In its aftermath, architects and builders triggered the largest building boom in American history with a new style of vertical, fire-proof, steelframe construction that included extensive plate-glass surfaces and became known, appropriately, as the Chicago School. Chicago is now the third largest city in the United States and a world-famous hub of finance, communications, technology and transportation (O’Hare International Airport is the busiest in the world measured by aircraft movements). Laid out in a grid pattern of eight city blocks to the mile in one direction and 16 in the other, Chicago is also one of the most walkable. To that end, many companies provide themed and general walking tours of the various neighborhoods that make up the city, some free, others for a fee. The Choose Chicago® Greeter
service offers free personalized guided walks by knowledgeable local volunteers in 25 neighborhoods and covers over 40 specialized interests. Participants must register at least 10 business days in advance for the tours, which last two to four hours. Those who cannot register in advance can still participate in Choose Chicago’s “Instagreeter” program, which offers hour-long guided walks of the downtown every half hour but only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. These tours provide excellent introductions to Chicago’s defining characteristics, emblematic buildings and public spaces. They start at the Visitor Information Center in the Chicago Cultural Center, a late 19th century building originally built as a meeting hall for the Grand Army of the Republic and as a central library. Today the largely neo-classical (but with Italian Renaissance touches) building is one of Chicago’s most visited landmarks with more than a thousand cultural programs and exhibitions. Its two stained glass domes, coffered ceilings, sweeping staircases as well as the marble and mosaic walls and floors make it one of the city’s most attractive focal points. Choose Chicago® also operates a second information center at Macy’s on State Street. Both centers offer free maps and brochures, special discount passes (such as the Go Chi-
Gurcan Ozturk/AFP/Getty Images
The Chicago Theater’s distinctive marquee has been featured in numerous movies and TV shows.
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Millennium Park’s famous “Bean” reflects the crowds and nearby buildings.
Alexander Calder’s “Flamingo”
Field Museum
cago Card and Chicago CityPASS) to various attractions, dining reservations via OpenTable and a booking service for several sightseeing tours. Visitors to Chicago can also explore the city at their own pace through a program called Metrowalkz that provides maps and descriptions of self-guided tours in 11 neighborhoods. The number of neighborhoods one visits is, of course, dependent on how much time one has in the city. Most popular, especially among first-time visitors, is the central business area south of the Chicago River known as the Loop and the North Shore’s prestigious shopping and hotel district known as the Magnificent Mile. Together these areas represent Chicago’s quintessential core. The Chicago River runs between the Loop and the Magnificent Mile, forming an historical divide among the early skyscrapers on the south side and the more futuristic (think Trump Tower) buildings on the north. Today, however, the lines are blurred as new construction projects crop up on both sides of the river so that one would be hard-pressed to say that one side eclipses the other in terms of architectural innovation. Even the tallest buildings are shared by both sides with the Willis Tower and Aon Center on the south, and the Hancock Building and Trump Tower on the north. The city’s architectural diversity is astounding when one considers that almost all the buildings
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The Chicago Water Tower is the only public building that survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
were built after 1871. The exception is the Water Tower, the only public building left standing after the Great Chicago Fire as a symbol of old Chicago. Almost every attraction — from art installation to park pavilion — can be linked to an iconic building, which is perhaps why architectural tours are the leading activity in a city known for, well, architecture (Okay, also for comedy à la Second City, but that still comes in — pardon the pun — second). But to really appreciate Chicago, visitors who have time for only one activity simply must make it a guided architectural cruise on the Chicago River. The river offers some of the 74
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View of Chicago and Lake Michigan from 360 CHICAGO, formerly known as the John Hancock Observatory
best vantage points for viewing and photographing the city. To that end, at least one company, The Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise, offers a special Capture Chicago Photography Cruise aboard Chicago’s First Lady on Sunday mornings as well as regular day and twilight cruises. During the cruise, knowledgeable guides, called docents, offer up commentaries on some 50 landmark buildings of varying styles, compressing a century’s worth of river history into a 90-minute oral blueprint of Chicago’s architectural development. All around high-rises with flourishes from all the seminal styles — neo-classical to modern and postmodern
Marc Chagall’s “Four Seasons” mosaic in Chase Tower Plaza
Inside the Art Institute of Chicago
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— showcase their individuality, yet share common ground in the modern building techniques that identify them as adherents of the Chicago School. One finds Spanish and French Renaissance details in the white-glazed façade of the Wrigley Building; neo-Gothic, medieval and Greek revival elements in the Chicago Tribune building; and a string of postmodern façades on the buildings that line West Wacker Drive. As the boat enters the northern branch of the river where former factories and warehouses now house riverside lofts and condos, the air grows thick with the rich, sweet smell of chocolate from the West Loop’s Blommer Chocolate Company. There is actually a website dedicated to mapping the smell according to each day’s wind direction for cocoa die-hards. At Goose Island, the boat reverses direction and heads for the southern branch of the river — a concrete cavern of tall buildings where highlights include the plain back façade of the Civic Opera Building (the second largest in North America); the River City Condominiums whose scalloped wings and eyebrow-shaped windows are evocative of architect Bertrand Goldberg’s other famous Chicago landmark, the two giant corn cobs known as Marina City located near the Trump Tower; and even a glimpse of the old O’Leary farm, which now ironically houses the Chicago Fire Academy. Back on the main branch of the Chicago River, the highly
polished Trump Tower commands center attention over neighboring landmarks that were once the defining hallmarks of the city. Located at the edge of the River North Gallery District, the Tower looms over the highest concentration of art galleries outside of New York. A block away it oversees the southern tip of the Magnificent Mile and across the river, the Michigan Wacker Historic District. The Trump Tower had originally been destined to become the tallest building in the world but in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Donald Trump scaled back the working plans. Now, as the second tallest building in Chicago, it is nevertheless the most prominent, visible from most parts of the city and within walking distance of the most popular neighborhood — feasibly the Loop across the river. Not only is the Loop the commercial core of the city but also its artistic center, known for its theaters, parks and a world-class collection of outdoor sculptures. Former Mayor Richard M. Daley revitalized the area by creating a Theater District to bring in the biggest names in music, dance and live theater. He also oversaw the construction of Millennium Park — a 24.5-acre expanse of gardens, fountains and public art — all of massive proportions. Dominating the park, Frank Gehry’s sculptural Pritzker Pavilion effectively soars with ribbons of brushed stainless steel that curl into the sky. A gaping
First Lady Cruise boats docked along the Chicago River
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The Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower, was, for 25 years, the tallest building in the world
Navy Pier is considered to be Chicago’s top tourist attraction.
steel trellis allows for precise placement of an overhead sound system designed to envelope the outdoor audience with indoor quality acoustics and an evenly distributed sound field. The facility was designed for classical concerts and holds 11,000 people. While sculptures by famous international artists such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Henry Moore, Marc Chagall, Alexander Caldwell and Jean Dubuffet are distributed throughout the city, Millennium Park seems to have cornered the grandest installations. Most photographed is perhaps Anish Kapoor’s giant glob of 168 stainless steel plates, inspired by mercury, welded smoothly together and polished into a giant “bean” that distorts the Chicago skyline and the reflections of visitors who walk around and under it. Kapoor called it Cloud Gate, but to everyone else it’s the “Bean.” Even more playful is the interactive Crown Fountain on the west side of the park. Catalan artist Jaume Plensa combined art and video technology in his sculpture of two 50foot glass block towers that stand at either end of a shallow reflecting pool. Embedded in the towers, LEDs are used to display images of 1,000 Chicago citizens sporadically spewing water from their mouths — a throwback to the gargoyles of old — via an outlet hidden in the screen. Although the fountain is turned off during the winter, the video displays remain active throughout the year. Given that a defining feature of Millennium Park is its wealth of outdoor art, it is fitting that the park be located next to, and connected by bridge to, Chicago’s grandest indoor repository of art — the Art Institute of Chicago. The institute is made up of many different buildings and wings that house a variety of national and international artworks, but is best known for having the largest display of Impression-
ist paintings outside the Louvre. Highlights of its American collection are Grant Wood’s American Gothic and Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks.” In a city rife with museums and galleries, it would take months to see them all. The Art Institute is arguably the best starting point for variety, but for visual and performance art since the second half of the 20th century, the Museum of Contemporary Art offers insight into the creations of the artists of this era. Located near the Old Chicago Water Tower, the Nuclear Energy sculpture by Henry Moore
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A Tesla coil arc demonstration at the Museum of Science and Industry
Trump International Hotel and Tower
Ernest Hemingway’s birth house in Oak Park. The historical Victorian architecture of the house is in stark contrast to the modernization of construction the city of Chicago has come to develop in recent years. Both illustrate a distinct and remarkable beauty of each era.
Museum of Contemporary Art is a great stop-off on itineraries that can include shopping and cultural experiences along the Magnificent Mile and/or a visit to the Hancock Center with its panoramic views of Lake Michigan and the city. Concentrating more on culture and nature, the Field Museum’s massive anthropological and natural history collections go back 4.5 billion years with comprehensive displays of dinosaurs, Egyptian mummies, gems, plants and bugs. Science and art find common expression in displays of African 78
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art, ancient American artifacts, and cultural accouterments from Papua New Guinea and the Arctic. The Field Museum is the first of a triumvirate of establishments on Museum Campus that also includes the Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium. Each of these museums merits a stay of several hours on its own, but it is possible to see them all in one day with an early start. Chicago’s museums, open-air sculptures and architectural tours go hand in hand, each complementing the other,
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each integral to the city’s character and reputation. Of course, there is much more to the city. Restaurants offer some typically Chicagoan fare, such as the casserole-like deep dish pizza with toppings smothered in thick tomato sauce (some critics consider it an acquired taste) or the all-beef frankfurters (hot dogs for the masses) that lie buried under mounds of salad ingredients but remain conspicuously bereft of ketchup. Neighborhoods all have their own ethnic-inspired culinary traditions along with their own building styles. The quiet tree-lined streets of Chicago’s upscale Gold Coast provide a pricey buffer of elegant brownstones and historic mansions against an often wind-whipped lake; the quaint Victorian homes and Lilliputian cottages of Old Town’s 1970s
The Navy Pier Ferris Wheel is open year round, weather permitting.
The Wrigley Building on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile
Bob Newhart, who played the 1970s TV psychologist Bob Hartley, is immortalized in bronze at the east end of Navy Pier.
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Courtesy of Frank Lloyd Trust. Photographer: Tim Long
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio in Oak Park
Courtesy of Frank Lloyd Wright Trust. Photographer: Hedrich Blessing
Frank Lloyd Wright’s studio/drafting room
hippies have now been turned into fashionable residences; the tile trim and dragon motifs of Chinatown are as distinctive as the upturned corners of the stereotypical pagodas; and Hyde Park’s diverse architectural styles attest to the eclectic interests of the local university-centered populace. While the downtown commercial district soared skyward with the vertical dictates of the Chicago School, the residential architecture of the surrounding neighborhoods historically kept a low profile. But not low enough for Frank Lloyd Wright, arguably, America’s greatest architect who believed houses should be in harmony with the landscape. In his mindset, the vertical elements of the Victorian, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival homes that dominated Chicago’s residential districts simply did not suit a prairie landscape. Toward that end, he pioneered a new school of architecture, known as the Prairie School, which featured horizontal lines, long sloping roofs, overhangs, open interior spaces with central fireplaces and built-in furniture. The Prairie School became as well known for residential buildings as the Chicago School was for commercial ones. Frank Lloyd Wright designed more than 1,000 buildings (not all of them built) with the largest concentration
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Chicago Harbor Lighthouse
Outdoor sculpture at the Museum of Contemporary Art
in Chicago and in the suburb of Oak Park. Accordingly, no architectural or cultural tour of Chicago can be considered complete without a visit to his most famous Prairie house, the Robie House in Hyde Park, or to his home and studio in Oak Park where he worked for the first 20 years of his career. His Oak Park home is also the starting point of a self-guided tour of the surrounding neighborhood, which contains 25 Wright-designed homes in one compact area. People are drawn to Chicago for many reasons, but View of Chicago skyscrapers taken from Navy Pier
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regardless of what brings them there, they can’t help but be pulled in by the sheer sweep of the city’s architecture. It’s all part of the history, the culture and the art — powerful and exhilarating, just like the wind that blows off Lake Michigan and is one explanation for its nickname of the Windy City. Even those who know nothing of architecture and may not have heard of Frank Lloyd Wright become almost giddy at the first sight of the Chicago skyline. That’s the power of the Chicago School. That’s Chicago. n
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Choose Chicago®
Choose Chicago® is the official destination marketing organization for Chicago, Illinois. Its two official information centers are located in the downtown Loop: at the Chicago Cultural Center at 77 E. Randolph Street and Macy’s on State Street. The service offers free brochures, multilingual maps, walking tours, help planning itineraries, information on attractions and events, booking tours and making dining reservations.
Chicago CityPASS
This is one of the best deals for admission prices to five of seven of Chicago’s most popular attractions. A CityPASS saves both money and time by eliminating the need to wait in ticket lines. It is valid up to nine days from first day of use at the following attractions: Shedd Aquarium, Skydeck Chicago, The Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, 360 Chicago (formerly John Hancock Observatory), Adler Planetarium and the Art Institute of Chicago. Passes can be purchased at www.citypass.com or in-person at any member attraction. Passes are also available at the Choose Chicago® information centers.
Chicago Architecture Foundation and Chicago’s First Lady Cruises
Chicago’s First Lady Cruises is the official cruise line with the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Tours depart from Riverside Gardens at the southeast corner of the Michigan Avenue Bridge. Advance reservations are recommended as this is a very popular cruise. Tickets can be purchased online through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com/rivercruise, in-person at the dock (at the blue awning) or through the Chicago Architecture Foundation at 224 S. Michigan Avenue.
Museum of Contemporary Art
The Museum of Contemporary Art is known for its surrealist and minimalist collections, works by local artists and temporary exhibitions. Docents lead free 30- and 45-minute tours at scheduled times. For information on hours and admission costs, go to www.mcachicago.org. The museum is closed Mondays and free for residents of Illinois on Tuesdays. It is located at 220 East Chicago Avenue.
Robie House/Frank Lloyd Trust
Robie House (1908 – 1910) is one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s best examples of Prairie style architecture. Hour-long guided tours of the interior are available Thursdays to Mondays, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., with a special 90-minute in-depth tour on weekends at 9:00 a.m. The house is located in Hyde Park at 5757 Woodlawn Avenue. Tickets can be purchased online at cal.flwright.org/tours, by calling the box office at 312-994-4000 or in the Museum Shop at Robie House.
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio/ Frank Lloyd Wright Trust
Frank Lloyd Wright’s home in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park has been described as the “birthplace of an architectural revolution.” It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976. Tickets for guided tours of his house and studio as well as self-guided audio tours of the surrounding neighborhood, which features the largest concentration of FLW homes in the world, can be purchased online at cal.flwright. org/tours, by calling the box office at 312-994-4000 or in the Museum Shop at 951 Chicago Avenue, Oak Park.
The Chicago Tribune
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Special Advertising Section
Pamela Wright, M.D. Pamela Wright, M.D., breast surgeon and medical director of the Suburban Hospital Breast Center, joined the Suburban Hospital medical staff in 2003, was named the associate medical director of the Center in 2006 and the medical director in 2011. She also serves as the cancer liaison physician to the American College of Surgeons and was honored with the Cancer Liaison Physician Outstanding Performance Award for her work with the Commission on Cancer. She received her medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. Dr. Wright completed her residency at the University of Maryland Medical System in Baltimore and her fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda. She is board certified in surgery and breast ultrasound and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Wright has been recognized as one of the area’s “Top Doctors” by Washingtonian magazine.
To learn more or request an appointment: 1-855-88-HOPKINS (U.S. Toll-Free) +1-443-287-6080 (International) PromiseofMedicine.org
Pamela Wright, M.D.
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Special Advertising Section
Curtiland Deville, Jr., M.D. Curtiland Deville, Jr., M.D., is a board certified radiation oncologist and assistant professor of radiation oncology at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center. He joins Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center located at Sibley Memorial Hospital from the University of Pennsylvania where he was the chief of genitourinary and sarcoma services for the Department of Radiation Oncology. Dr. Deville received his medical degree from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He completed his residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and his fellowship at Doris Duke Clinical Research, Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. Dr. Deville’s clinical expertise includes prostate cancer and other genitourinary malignancies and soft tissue sarcoma. His research focuses on incorporating new imaging and radiation modalities, such as proton therapy, and evaluating treatment outcomes.
To learn more or request an appointment: 1-855-88-HOPKINS (U.S. Toll-Free) +1-443-287-6080 (International) PromiseofMedicine.org
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Special Advertising Section
Jacqueline Laurin, M.D. Dr. Laurin joins Johns Hopkins from Georgetown University Hospital, where she was an associate professor of surgery and medicine. Specializing in hepatology, Dr. Laurin sees patients with chronic viral hepatitis, autoimmune liver diseases, fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, portal hypertension and hepatocellular carcinoma as well as liver transplant patients. Dr. Laurin has authored numerous publications and is a frequently invited lecturer on liver disease. She is board certified in gastroenterology and transplant hepatology. Medical Degree: University of Florida College of Medicine Residency: University of Maryland School of Medicine Fellowships: University of Maryland School of Medicine (gastroenterology); Mayo Clinic (hepatology) Languages Spoken: English Practice Locations: Sibley Memorial Hospital, Suburban Hospital, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians in Arlington, Virginia
To learn more or request an appointment: 1-855-88-HOPKINS (U.S. Toll-Free) +1-443-287-6080 (International) PromiseofMedicine.org
Jacqueline Laurin, M.D. Associate Professor (PAR)
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You don’t have to go far to begin your wellness journey
Johns Hopkins Medicine—with convenient locations in Maryland, the Washington, D.C., metro area and Florida—is ready to connect international patients and their families with our respected experts, cutting-edge research and innovative treatments at the most convenient location. We understand that medical issues can cause a great deal of stress and encourage you to take advantage of our complimentary medical concierge services so you can focus on your health. From your first inquiry, you’ll be paired with a medical concierge who will serve as your personal liaison to the experts at Johns Hopkins Medicine. Expert care, close to home. One less thing to worry about.
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There are 193 countries on earth. Patients from 125 have come to us for care. Cleveland Clinic is an international leader in medicine and patient care. We treat thousands of patients from around the world. They come to us from every nation for advanced medical treatments, innovative technology and attentive service. Our Global Patient Services representatives are standing by to link patients and physicians to our worldwide network of resources. Contact us now, and enter the world of Cleveland Clinic caring.
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