June 2013 by The Washington Diplomat

■ INSIDE: LUXURY LIVING

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LIVING L U X U R Y

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■ VOLUME 20, NUMBER 6 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Iran Nuclear Talks: Tug of War Over Carrots Vs. Sticks As Iranians head to the polls to elect a new president, the talks over Tehran’s nuclear program are at a standstill, with the current “dual-track” approach of punishing sanctions and modest incentives doing little to convince the regime to change course. PAGE 7

BUSINESS

‘Made in Bangladesh’: In Wake of Tragedy, Success Story Unravels The collapse of a Bangladeshi garment factory that killed more than 1,100 people is casting a harsh glare on an industry that’s been a lifeline to millions of poor workers, and a death warrant for thousands of poor souls. PAGE 10

culture

‘War Games’ Toys With Grim Reality Toy soldiers channel the harsh reality of armed conflict in “David Levinthal: War Games.” PAGE 34

■ June 2013

■ JUNE 2013

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Continued on next page June 2013

LUXURY LIVING The Washington Diplomat

Page 23

It hasn’t generated apocalyptic headlines lately, but Greece, the first country that threatened to sink the euro, is still drowning in debt, unemployment and a vicious cycle of spending cuts and economic malaise. But Ambassador Christos Panagopoulos says his nation has finally turned the tide, with a recovery in sight after a series of painful measures to get Greece’s fiscal house in order. PAGE 17

PEOPLE OF WORLD INFLUENCE

DIPLOMATIC SPOUSES

Defense Vet: Time to Trim Pentagon Bloat

Socially Active, But Not in Traditional Sense

As defense hawks sound the alarm that budget cuts could hollow out America’s military, Lawrence Korb, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, says the Pentagon could easily stand to trim some fat. PAGE 4

Gouri Mirpuri, wife of the Singaporean ambassador, is a social activist, author and entrepreneur whose work has ranged from youth empowerment to environmental sustainability. PAGE 35

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The Washington Diplomat

June 2013

CONTENTS THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

June 2013

13 1950s American car in Cuba

DC Design House dining room

[ news ] 4

PEOPlE Of WORld iNfluENCE Lawrence Korb, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, has built a prodigious Washington career speaking truth to America’s powerful military-industrial complex — not as a stridently critical outsider, but as the ultimate insider.

mEdiCal

[ luxury living ] 23

Two dozen of the area’s best interior designers recently descended on a prime property on Foxhall Road and turned it into a haven of high-tech comfort and livability as part of the sixth annual DC Design House.

Greece, the nation that triggered the euro crisis, is by no means out of the fiscal woods, but its ambassador in Washington is confident that an economic recovery is finally within reach. COvER: Photo taken at the Embassy of Greece by Lawrence Ruggeri.

PhOTOgRaPhy

Gouri Mirpuri, wife of the Singaporean ambassador, is a social activist whose projects include an organic farm for Indonesian street children and collaborative “hubs” for Asian social entrepreneurs.

aRT “Codex Mexico: The Book as Art” at the Mexican Cultural Institute reads between the lines of a burgeoning art movement that is itself bringing back a dying art form: appreciating books.

diNiNg Prolific Philadelphia restaurateur Stephen Starr makes his D.C. debut via a Parisian bistro that’s generating loads of buzz and business.

film REviEWS “Pieta,” the latest from prolific South Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk, is a delicate and curious blend of graphic ultra-violence and fascinating psychological character studies.

[ culture ]

diPlOmaTiC SPOuSES

ThEaTER Synetic Theater’s “The Three Musketeers” combines its expected physical and artistic mastery with something new: talk.

aiRliNES

For the world’s top airlines, the sky’s the limit when it comes to offering luxurious amenities that are on par with those at five-star hotels.

aRT Shaun Gladwell’s “Point of View – Afghanistan” looks at the war through the perspective of Australian soldiers.

CiTy liviNg

After a 50-year absence, streetcars are making their way back onto D.C. roads, resurrecting a bygone era that city planners hope will become a future economic engine.

“David Levinthal: War Games” at the Corcoran Gallery of Art transforms the landscape of battle by using toy soldiers and other benign objects that play on our notions of conflict.

COvER PROfilE: gREECE

dESigN

iNTERNaTiONal laW The International Criminal Court, which aspires to no less than the end of impunity for war criminals, is at a crossroads in its quest for global justice.

ThE ROTuNda

Recent advances in assisted reproductive technology are making modern fertility treatments seem like science fiction — giving hope to thousands of would-be parents.

diPlOmaCy José Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez may be a man of his time. The youthful-looking envoy, who’s not much older than the Cuban Revolution, was dispatched to Washington D.C. at a time when U.S.-Cuba relations are stuck in a timeless deep freeze.

38 “Codex Mexico: The Book as Art”

One of America’s signature achievements in curbing the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons is threatened by the recent nosedive in U.S.-Russian relations.

BuSiNESS Bangladesh, the world’s second-largest apparel exporter, has also been called the world’s biggest sweatshop by worker advocates whose calls to reform the nation’s labor laws are gaining resonance in the wake of the Raza Plaza disaster.

iNTERNaTiONal RElaTiONS Will the election of a new president in Iran breathe new life into stalled talks over the country’s nuclear program, or are the different sides just too far apart to ever come together?

film fESTivalS AFI Docs returns for its 11th year with a new name and an expanded mission to bring the best documentaries to D.C.

CiNEma liSTiNg

EvENTS liSTiNg

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ClaSSifiEdS

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P.O. Box 1345 • Silver Spring, MD 20915-1345 • Phone: (301) 933-3552 • Fax: (301) 949-0065 • E-mail: news@washdiplomat.com • Web: www.washdiplomat.com Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Victor Shiblie director of Operations Fuad Shiblie managing Editor Anna Gawel News Editor Larry Luxner Contributing Writers Sarah Alaoui, Martin Austermuhle, Michael Coleman, Rachel Hunt, Stephanie Kanowitz, Luke Jerod Kummer, Sean Lyngaas, Ky N. Nguyen, Ana Radelat, Gail Scott, Dave Seminara, Gina Shaw, Gary Tischler, Lisa Troshinsky Photographers Jessica Latos, Lawrence Ruggeri account managers Chris Smith, Patrick Thomas graphic designer Cari Bambach The Washington Diplomat is published monthly by The Washington Diplomat, Inc. The newspaper is distributed free of charge at several locations throughout the Washington, D.C. area. We do offer subscriptions for home delivery. Subscription rates are $25 for 12 issues and $45 for 24 issues. Call Fuad Shiblie for past issues. If your organization employs many people from the international community you may qualify for free bulk delivery. To see if you qualify you must contact Fuad Shiblie. The Washington Diplomat assumes no responsibility for the safe keeping or return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, artwork or other material. The information contained in this publication is in no way to be construed as a recommendation by the Publisher of any kind or nature whatsoever, nor as a recommendation of any industry standard, nor as an endorsement of any product or service, nor as an opinion or certification regarding the accuracy of any such information.

June 2013

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PEOPLE OF WORLD INFLUENCE

Lawrence Korb

Defense Insider Says Pentagon Needs to Learn to Live With Less by Michael Coleman

awrence Korb, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and a defense policy expert whose Washington tenure spans five presidential administrations, fields the following question a lot. How does a guy who served as President Ronald Reagan’s assistant secretary of defense end up working for the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank founded by John Podesta, who was chief of staff in the Bill Clinton White House? Korb, engaging and expansive during a recent Diplomat interview in his cluttered downtown office overlooking the Washington Monument, took nearly 20 minutes to answer the query, wending through his career path and at least a dozen prominent names from the American defense industry and politics. His lengthy explanation boiled down to this: The American military simply can’t afford to save the world — and there’s nothing partisan about that cold-hard fact. “I always knew [the Defense Department] could live with less and there were a lot of weapons we didn’t need,” Korb said.“No matter how much you spend on defense you can’t buy perfect security. You have to take a look at what the threat is and what you really need and try to do it in a costeffective way.” Korb said Reagan, part of whose legacy is ramping up military spending to end the Cold War, actually cut defense spending by 10 percent from the Jimmy Carter era. He speculated that the now-deceased GOP icon would have been appalled at the excesses of the current Pentagon, which escalated spending to stratospheric levels in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. “If Reagan came back today he’d work here [at the Center for American Progress], not at the Heritage Foundation,” Korb proclaimed, referring to the well-known conservative think tank. Korb, who turns 74 next month, built a prodigious Washington career speaking truth to America’s powerful military-industrial complex — not as a stridently critical outsider, but as the ultimate insider. Today, Korb’s expertise on military matters is sought by people and places as diverse as the college lecture circuit, foreign governments, editors at Huffington Post,Foreign Policy andThe Washington Diplomat, as well as President Barack Obama, whom he advised during the 2012 campaign. A one-time Naval Flight Officer who earned a Ph.D. in 1969, Korb spent the 1970s teaching government at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and then management at the Naval War College. At the same time, he was shuttling to Washington to help craft defense policy prescriptions for the American Enterprise Institute, one of America’s foremost conservative think tanks. In addition to serving as director of defense studies at AEI, he was also vice president of corporate operations at Raytheon. After serving on Reagan’s successful 1980 presidential campaign, Korb got the call to become Reagan’s assistant secretary of defense for manpower, reserve affairs, installations and logistics, which put him in charge of about 70 percent of the Pentagon’s budget. “I looked at it as a contest between contending factions — the military services, the OSD [Office of the Secretary of Defense] and the Congress — and I’d speak out about the defense budget,” Korb recalled, noting that his arrival at the Pentagon was met with considerable skepticism by the defense establishment. “It wasn’t that I was this [pro-defense] hard-liner,” Korb said with a laugh.“In fact, they weren’t even going to let me

Page 4

in because I wasn’t a hard-liner.” Lately, Korb has written frequently about the federal budget sequester’s impact on the Pentagon, which recently announced that some 600,000 civilian employees will be forced to take a furlough of 11 days to save $1.8 billion as part of the sequester’s mandated cutbacks. Critics of defense cuts have seized on the furloughs to warn that the U.S. military is being “hollowed out” following the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, much as it was in the 1970s after Vietnam. But others such as Korb say not so fast, pointing out that year-on-year defense spending has roughly doubled since 9/11. Today, the United States accounts for nearly 45 percent of all defense spending on the planet — and shows little signs of dramatically slowing down. (The defense budget as a percentage of the U.S. economy, however, is still less than its Cold War peak, mostly because the size of the economy is much larger now.) The Defense Department’s proposed fiscal 2014 budget comes to $638 billion, including a base budget of $526.6 billion. The Pentagon has already agreed to roughly $480 billion in cuts over the next decade as part of the Budget Control Act, although when adjusted for inflation, real spending would stay the same or slightly increase — even though the war in Iraq is over and the one in Afghanistan is nearing an end.

“

The Pentagon doesn’t have a money problem, they have a management problem. — Lawrence Korb

”

senior fellow at the Center for American Progress

Sequestration would lop another 10 percent from the Pentagon’s 10-year spending, or about $500 billion, a prospect that has alarmed members of Congress and the lucrative defense industry. Korb calls the 10 percent spending cut necessary, but also dumb because the across-the-board approach doesn’t target the most wasteful programs. “The sequestration level is fine, it’s the process that is horrible,” he lamented.“The Pentagon doesn’t have a money problem, they have a management problem.” Korb elaborated in a piece on the left-leaningThinkProgress website in April. “Sequestration will cut $472 billion from the Pentagon over the next decade, or less than $50 billion a year, but to be clear: the sequestration cuts are the first real cuts to the military budget in over a decade,” Korb wrote. “Even with the cuts in effect (a reduction of $47 billion this fiscal year), we will still be spending more in real terms on our military in 2013 than we did in 2006. While the method of the

Photo: Scott Rex Ely / Center for American Progress

sequestration cuts is certifiably terrible, the actual amount to be cut is not unreasonable.” Instead of automatic, indiscriminate cuts, Korb says they should be aimed at specific programs and hardware, such as the controversial F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which Time magazine labeled the “most expensive weapon ever built.” At a price tag of nearly $400 billion to taxpayers (about $100 million per plane, though some estimates put it as high as $200 million), the F-35 has been plagued by a string of delays and breakdowns over the last decade — and isn’t even operational yet. “It’s not something you need to fight al-Qaeda, so why the hell are we rushing it?” Korb asked in The Diplomat interview. “Unnecessary defense spending does not make us safer; it diverts resources away from other critical investments here at home that create jobs and rebuild our infrastructure,” Korb argues in the report “The Pentagon Must Carry Its Weight,” co-written with Alex Rothman and Max Hoffman. “Moreover, many of the big-ticket items in the Pentagon’s budget request are ill suited for dealing with the complex transnational threats facing the country today, serve only to reinforce the United States’ overwhelming superiority in conventional and nuclear weaponry, and come at a considerable cost to American taxpayers.” Korb frequently points outs that some of that taxpayer money could be better used for diplomatic missions at the State Department. In fact, the State Department’s requested fiscal 2014 budget (which it shares with USAID) comes in at $47.8 billion — less than one-tenth of the Pentagon’s request.Total international affairs spending generally amounts to about 1 percent of all federal spending, and only a sliver of that goes toward diplomatic security.

The Washington Diplomat

See Korb, page 6 June 2013

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The Washington Diplomat Page 5

ing, Korb said the answer is a complicated conflu- Sequestration has occurred, in part, because a “because you might meet your maker.” The sentience of bureaucracy and presidential and paro- growing public frustration with the culture of ment indicated to Korb that the village was chial politics. waste and inefficiency at the Defense Department Catholic, so he told his commanding officer to pull “The military obviously never wants to cut went unaddressed for too long,” McCain wrote. over, where, indeed, they encountered Catholic Korb’s son is a U.S. Foreign Service officer who because you can’t buy perfect security and any- “During my time in the Senate, I have witnessed monks, who gave them food and directions. The just started an assignment in Beijing, so the thing can happen,” Korb explained. “If you’re the the emergence of a military-industrial-congressio- monks, recalling the French occupation of Vietnam, defense expert admits to being a bit “biased” president, you’ll pay a political price for ordering nal complex that has corrupted and crippled the which ended after World War II, also gave the U.S. toward State Department missions. But he said he cuts that leave room for ‘weak on defense’ accusa- defense acquisition process. This system can now soldiers some advice. “He said,‘If you guys think you’re going to make has long considered the agency to be underfund- tions.And there are members of Congress — well- be said to be successful only in one respect: turned. A lack of competitive salaries forces many of meaning people — who sympathize with that ing billions of taxpayer dollars into weapons sys- out any better than the French here, think again,’” the most talented young diplomats to give up and point of view.Then there are others who are wor- tems that are consistently delivered late, flawed, Korb said, adding that he never forgot the implicaried that wherever you cut it’s going to cause and vastly over budget — if, that is, these systems tions of that advice. enter the private sector, he notes. “We are not like the colonials — we don’t want “They haven’t gotten a raise in three years temporary problems with some people,” he added, are delivered at all.” “That’s John McCain!,” Korb thundered with a to colonize these people, but other people don’t because civilian government salaries are frozen. referring to job losses in a certain congressional see us that way.” rueful laugh. Are they going to stay? No,” Korb said.“They don’t districts. Korb said America’s lesson in Vietnam should In fact, military leaders sometimes plead with Korb had kind words for new Defense Secretary have as many Foreign Service officers as they members of Congress to shut down needless pet Chuck Hagel, a decorated Vietnam veteran and have been applied in Iraq and Afghanistan — and need.” He also argues that the military’s growing incur- projects, only to be rebuffed and see spending former senator from Nebraska who was con- to virtually any overseas conflict. Korb cautioned sion into civilian duties typically left to State actually rise. In part that’s because defense confirmed in March despite a disastrous confirmation against military involvement in Syria, which is in Department or other federal employees overseas tractors have become adept at divvying up and hearing during which he was attacked on every- the throes of a bloody civil war. Any such commitment your shouldad be is enjoined a strong coalition of and from his views every on Israel to hisisproclivity is a disturbing trend that further drives up the sprinkling manufacturing sites in hundreds of thing NOTE: Although effort made toto assure free ofbymistakes in spelling countries, said. the final proof. congressional districts throughout the country, slash military spending. Pentagon’s costs. content it is ultimately up to theother customer tohemake NOTE: Although effort madeLet’s tosay assure yourthem ad aissacred free cow of mistakes in relucspelling Korb andvigorously disputed the notion propagated “You have to do a cost-benefit analysis,” he said. for lawmakers “Here’s theevery thing about theis military: I making by some during Hagel’s contentious confirmation “When we went into the Balkans, we had the U.N. tant to see their constituents jobs. don’t content have the people need at State up or USAID or customer it is Iultimately to the to make the lose final proof. firstthat two faxed changes will be made no NATO. cost to advertiser, subsequent process combat service is irrelevant to the job atand Wethe couldn’t get the U.N. the secondchanges Still, spending taxpayer money — and least in The Agriculture. I can go into the reserves and find will be billed at a rate of $75 per faxed alteration. Signed ads are considered approved. somebody in civilian life and order them to active Korb’s experience — has never been a problem performance of a defense secretary. He cited a time for Kosovo, but we got NATO.” The first duty, two” he faxed cost advertiser, subsequent pressing issue — the growth of military pay — as He said America’s strength today is in its stealthmuchtoof the the Pentagon brass. He recalled during changes said. changes will be made at nofor an example wherePlease Hagel’s check experience ier military footprint, relying a counterterroradministration whenconsidered defense spending But heatadded that of in most per- Reagan’sSigned will be billed a rate $75cases, per military faxed alteration. ads are approved. thismatters. ad carefully. Mark any changes to on your ad. “People could say, ‘What do you know? You ism approach that doesn’t involve full-scale war. sonnel are trained to fight, not to do diplomatic was on the rise toward the end of the Cold War don’tad know what it’ssign like to putfax your on the949-0065 “We should beneeds playing changes to our advantages with outreach or nation building — and that’s often that then Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger If the is correct and to:life(301) Please check this adand carefully. Markforany to programs your ad. morechanges money and new “to line,’” Korb suggested, then assuming Hagel’s posi- special forces and drones — leaving aside the clear to civilians in places like Iraq Afghanistan. argued tion:“Uh, yes I do.” whole question of legality — that’s the way to do Their presence intimidates foreigners who see send a signal to the Soviets.” Diplomat (301) 933-3552 “Experience shouldn’t be the only thing but the it,” he said, noting that the United States was able didn’t changes even have enough pro- The Washington as a threat. he ad is them correct sign and fax to: (301) 949-0065“The servicesneeds “If I’m a soldier or a Marine and I come to a vil- grams” to spend all the money Congress agreed to fact of the matter is it helps,” Korb added.“All other to kill al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki with a things being equal, I want someone who has the drone strike in Yemen — a far more palatable lage to help you, as opposed to an aid worker — throw at them, Korb said. “When we asked them, Approved __________________________________________________________ e Washington Diplomat (301)the933-3552 experience. I think he’s going to be fine.” prospect than occupying the desperately poor, it’s different, ” Korb said.“I don’t blame military ‘What do you want that hasn’t been funded?’ — Changes ___________________________________________________________ Asked about America’s interventionist tenden- strife-riven country. guys. Toward the end of Iraq we’re doing these they didn’t even have enough programs to get to cies abroad, Korb recalled a story from his own “Some problems you’ve got to live with,” Korb provincial reconstruction teams and all that kind that number. They came up with them! We didn’t ___________________________________________________________________ proved __________________________________________________________ experience in Vietnam before the height of the said. “This idea that we can solve the [world’s] of stuff. The other thing we did when we didn’t have to ask them twice.” Korb then plucked a copy of Foreign Policy off war. He said he and his fellow soldiers were on a problems and get it all done — we just don’t have have enough people from civilian agencies — we anges ___________________________________________________________ went to contractors.That creates a whole different his desk and read aloud from a recent op-ed by swift boat in Cam Ranh Bay, on Vietnam’s south- the wherewithal.” _________________________________________________________________ Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican who is eastern coast, when they got lost after dark. Korb, set of problems.” who was fluent in French, noticed a sign along the Michael Coleman is a contributing writer Asked why the Pentagon — notorious for among the most hawkish members of Congress. “We have to acknowledge an inconvenient fact: river that said something about minding God for The Washington Diplomat. bloated budgets — simply can’t control its spend-

from page 4

Korb

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June 2013

International Relations

Iran

Will New Leadership in Iran Budge Stalled Nuclear Talks? by Dave Seminara and Anna Gawel

n June 14, Iranians go to the polls to elect a new president, but will the departure of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad serve as a turning point in Iran’s relations with the West? If history is any indication, those relations could very well reach another dead end.

For more than a decade, since the discovery of illicit Iranian nuclear facilities in Iran in 2002, the United States and its allies have sought to halt Iran’s nuclear progress through sanctions and inducements — tending to lean more heavily on the former than the latter. Today, the West has never been more united in confronting Iran on its nuclear program, which Tehran has long contended is only for peaceful purposes. But the unprecedented international clampdown doesn’t seem to have altered Iran’s calculus — and may even be reinforcing it. Thousands of sophisticated new centrifuges are spinning and uranium enrichment has been stepped up. Critics of America’s current “dual-track” approach say it’s too one-sided, with punishing sticks but paltry carrots, leaving Iran little incentive to change course. Others say the opposite — that sanctions haven’t been tough enough, and Tehran is just biding its time to build up a nuclear weapons program regardless of Western cajoling.

Sanctions and Survival

“

credit: UN Photo / JC Mcilwaine

Iran doesn’t give in under pressure. It gives in under great pressure.

”

A vast array of sanctions has turned the screws on Iran’s economy. Iranians have been increasingly cut off from the international banking system and can’t receive payments for their oil shipments, their most critical export. A — Patrick Clawson European oil embargo has been in place since last July. director of research at the Washington Institute Currently, China, India, South Korea and Japan are the bigfor Near East Policy gest consumers of Iranian oil. But in exchange for a U.S. waiver, these countries have agreed to reduce their purchases, so Iran is receiving about 40 percent less in oil leadership. “Iran doesn’t give in under pressure,” he told us.“It gives revenues than it was just a few years ago. Meanwhile, Iran’s official inflation rate is currently at 31 in under great pressure.” Clawson believes the West needs to do more than create percent but many believe it is even higher. Unemployment is up, some Iranians are hoarding essentials, there are incentives for Iran. It has to come down hard. “The element of the stick has to be an important part of reports of factories closing, and the Iranian currency has what we do,” he said.“We have to be able to credlost more than half of its value over the last ibly say to the Iranians, ‘Things will get a whole year. lot worse for you, if you don’t agree to this.’” Despite squeezing the economy, sanctions But opponents of that approach say it only haven’t convinced Iran’s Supreme Leader, hardens the resolve of Iran’s leadership, which Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to reach a nuclear doesn’t want to look weak by capitulating to agreement with the so-called P5+1, which Western demands, especially not with a looming includes the permanent members of the U.N. election and possible power struggle ahead. At Security Council — Britain, China, France, the same time, international condemnation Russia and the United States — plus Germany. could galvanize ordinary citizens — who usually In fact, he seems to have dug in even further, Photo: www.sajed.ir feel the sting of sanctions more than the elite do striking a defiant posture in a Persian New Ayatollah Ali — to rally around Iran’s beleaguered governYear’s address in which he told his country- Khamenei ment, helping to prop up the very regime that men that the “arrogant powers” of the world were trying to “cripple” the Iranian nation through sanc- the United States would like to see go. And for the regime, survival is key. A February 2013 tions but had failed. “If our nation resists their pressure, stays vibrant, and achieves more advances, they will lose report by the International Crisis Group argues that Western powers and Iran view sanctions and survival credibility,” Khamenei declared. “through highly dissimilar prisms.” Patrick Clawson, director of research at the Washington “European and U.S. officials bank on a cost-benefit Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), says the address reminded him of one of his favorite sayings about Iran’s analysis pursuant to which the Islamic Republic, at some

Members of the U.N. Security Council are briefed by the chair of the committee tasked with monitoring sanctions on Iran. The Security Council has slapped four rounds of sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, in addition to various U.S. and European penalties.

point, will conclude that persevering on the nuclear track will prompt economic hardships sufficiently great to trigger more extensive popular unrest, ultimately threatening regime survival itself. But the world looks very different from Tehran,” according to the report. “There, the one thing considered more perilous than suffering from sanctions is surrendering to them; persuaded the West is intent on toppling the regime, the leadership views economic steps as just one in a panoply of measures designed to destabilize it. Its strategy, rooted in the experience of diplomatic isolation and the war with Iraq, can be summed up in two words: resist and survive, the former being the prerequisite to the latter.” In his blog posting “Our myopic approach to Iran,” Stephen M. Walt of Harvard University likened the sanctions to blackmail, saying that “states don’t like to give in to threats because they worry it will only invite more pressure.” He said years of harsh economic penalties, threats of military strikes, and a covert campaign of cyber attacks and possible assassinations targeting the country’s nuclear program have only pushed the Iranians closer to nuclear “breakout” capability. “We are also trying to get Iran to give up the potential to acquire a nuclear deterrent by threatening them, which merely reinforces their desire for the very thing we don’t want them to get. The conditions for successful coercive diplomacy are mostly lacking, and we’ve been incredibly niggardly in offering Iran any tangible carrots,” he argued.

June 2013

Continued on next page The Washington Diplomat Page 7

Continued from previous page “As a result, it has been easy for Iranian hardliners to dismiss our professed interest in diplomacy as empty talk.” Others, however, accuse Tehran of the empty talk, using negotiations as a pretext to fortify its nuclear weapons program. Alon Ben-Meir of the Center for Global Affairs at New York University says Iran has obfuscated and stonewalled negotiations precisely because its ultimate aim is a nuclear bomb. “Iran is determined to neutralize Israel’s nuclear advantage, and views the acquisition of nuclear weapons as central to achieving this strategic objective,” he wrote in the analysis “Mastering the Nuclear Chess Game.” “As the only nuclear Shiite state, Iran would have a decisive advantage against its deadly rivals, the Sunni Arab world, as demonstrated by its unwavering support of Syria’s Assad regime to safeguard its Shiite crescent stretching from the Mediterranean to the Gulf,” he added. Supporters of sanctions also point out that Iran is skilled at evading the brunt of economic pain. “Given Tehran’s large cash and gold reserves and still-substantial oil income … sanctions alone may not make the regime more flexible in negotiations. To bolster diplomacy, and thereby diminish the prospects of military confrontation, the United States must intensify intelligence operations and use the military instrument in ways it has not been willing to thus far,” wrote Michael Eisenstadt of WINEP in a policy analysis last year. “Successful diplomacy may well depend on the administration’s ability to convince Tehran that the price of failed negotiations could be armed conflict,” he argues. A year ago, talk of military action against Iran reached a crescendo, as a number of analysts predicted that an Israeli strike was imminent, though it never materialized. In May, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon had redesigned its big-

in the talks.” Clawson also doesn’t see the United States or its allies abruptly lifting sanctions anytime soon. “If you look at our record with regards to sanctions in Libya or Myanmar, for example, we tend not to remove sanctions until there is demonstrable progress and a clear commitment on the part of the other country to change,” he said.“So lifting sanctions on Iran would be, at best, phased in and contingent on Iran dropping its support for international terrorism and improving its human rights record.” Indeed, it appears as though the political winds in Washington are moving toward more, rather than fewer sanctions on Tehran. In May, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced legislation that would further tighten the economic noose on Iran by preventing the government from accessing its foreign exchange reserves, estimated to be $100 billion or more, in the banks of other countries. PHOTO: HAMeD SABeR / WWW.FLICKR.COM/PHOTOS/HAMeD

gest “bunker buster” bomb, enabling it to destroy Iran’s most important nuclear site. Still, in recent months talk of war has subsided, with the focus shifting to negotiations that offered a flicker of hope earlier this year.

DEvIL IN THE DETAILS For a time, it seemed as if Iran’s moribund economy was bringing it back to the bargaining table, but the last round of talks in April went nowhere. After they broke up, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced the expansion of the country’s uranium production, along with other atomic energy-related advances. But what exactly was in the deal that was put on the table? The P5+1 offered modest sanctions relief in exchange for restrictions on Iran’s supply of enriched uranium along with an agreement to

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But a group of influential former diplomats and policy experts from the Iran Project issued a report in April asserting that the sanctions policy may be backfiring. Sanctions, the report concluded, have “contributed to an increase in repression and corruption within Iran” and “may be sowing the seeds of long-term alienation between the Iranian people allow oversight of all of its nuclear activities by and the United States.” the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Among the signatories were retired U.S. Specifically, the proposal by the P5+1 called Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering, former National for Iran to limit its uranium enrichment work, Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, and foreign allowing it to keep a small supply of uranium policy heavy-hitters such as Lee H. Hamilton, enriched to 20 percent purity for medical iso- Anne-Marie Slaughter, Ryan Crocker and Joseph topes while exporting the rest in exchange for Nye. nuclear fuel.Tehran would also have to halt work “It is time for Washington to rebalance its dualat its Fordow enrichment plant, which is buried track policy toward Iran, strengthening the diplodeep underground. Originally, the P5+1 demand- matic track in order to seize the opportunity ed the plant be shut down, but later said it would created by the pressure track,” the report stated. accept a suspension and steps that would preThat sentiment was echoed in a recent report vent the quick resumption of enrichment there. by the Atlantic Council’s Iran Task Force, which In return, after the IAEA verifies that Iran has recommended that the Obama administration taken the required steps, the P5+1 would ease “lay out a step-by-step reciprocal and proportionsome sanctions (on gold, precious metals and ate plan that ends with graduated relief of sancpetrochemicals), but not on oil exports or finan- tions on oil, and eventually on the Iranian Central cial transactions. Those would remain in place, Bank, in return for verifiable curbs on Iranian though the United Nations and European Union uranium enrichment and stocks of enriched urawould refrain from introducing new nium, and assurances that Iran does not sanctions (the United States was have undeclared nuclear materials and notably absent from this pledge). facilities.” Diplomats with the P5+1 said the The report, which said a military onus was on Iran to show “confistrike should be a last resort, also urged dence-building measures” before Washington to lay the groundwork for Western powers would reciprocate. more expansive relations with Tehran. The Iranians said that wasn’t good That includes boosting people-to-peoenough. “From our side, [the prople ties through media outreach and posed] relief of the sanctions is not cultural exchanges, supporting Iran’s CReDIT: UN PHOTO / JeNNIFeR S. ALTMAN proportionate with what they are Mahmoud democratic evolution, and increasing asking Iran to do,” an Iranian official ahmadinejad trade in food and medicine. who did not want to be identified Other experts say what Iran really told Scott Peterson of the Christian Science wants is U.S. recognition that as a signatory of the Monitor. “They are asking Iran to suspend 20 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, it has an inalienpercent enrichment, and reduce the readiness of able right to enrich uranium for peaceful civilian Fordow, which from our point of view is [the purposes.“But Obama — like his predecessor — same as] shutting Fordow down. We argued that refuses to acknowledge Iran’s right to enrich,” there is no balance between what they are ask- wrote Flynt and Hillary Mann Leverett in a ing, and what they are offering.” Reuters blog. “For this would require acknowlThe official also said there was no clear frame- edging the Islamic Republic as a legitimate politiwork for reciprocal action even if Iran submitted cal order representing legitimate national interto all the measures. “There is no guarantee here, ests — and as a rising regional power unwilling about when and how [P5+1] confidence could to subordinate its foreign policy to Washington.” be built. You are only relieving some of the sancTehran’s desire for “mutual respect, equality, tions, not lifting the sanctions.” and American acceptance of the Islamic Republic,” But the likelihood of repealing the most oner- as the Leveretts put it, may be what motivated it ous sanctions is remote. It’s far easier to put sanc- to offer up a new “comprehensive proposal” at tions on the books than to take them off. the April nuclear talks that seemed to take P5+1 “Many of the most serious sanctions are prob- members by surprise. lematic because they are tied to Iran’s human The Iranians have long wanted nuclear talks to rights violations,” said Alireza Nader, a native of address everything from terrorism and drug trafIran who is a senior international policy analyst ficking to strengthening cooperation on Syria at the Rand Corporation. “Some of the sanctions and other regional issues. Israel and other skeptican be rolled back, however.The P5+1 wants Iran cal nations call that a stalling tactic to bog down to make a gesture to build confidence so sanc- the discussions. But others say a broader dialogue tions can start to be lifted, but Iran is hesitant to could satisfy Iran’s longstanding wish to be rectake action without a guarantee that sanctions ognized as a legitimate power and help it save will be lifted, so that’s why you see the gridlock face if it has to make any nuclear concessions. thousands of iranians protest the country’s 2009 election that ushered President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad back to power. The reformers in the so-called Green Movement have been largely sidelined for the upcoming June 14 contest, which is filled with establishment figures, though term limits bar Ahmadinejad from running again.

June 2013

“

We are also trying to get Iran to give up the potential to acquire a nuclear deterrent by threatening them, which merely reinforces their desire for the very thing we don’t want them to get.

”

— Stephen M. Walt, international affairs professor at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But Nader says that too is unrealistic, given the fact that Iran’s interests fundamentally contradict U.S. interests in the region. credit: UN Photo / Milton Grant

A view of Tehran shows the towering Alborz Mountains to the city’s north.

To that end, some analysts have suggested that the United States and Great Britain, which don’t have diplomatic relations with Iran, should dangle the possibility of normalization of bilateral relations. But Alireza Nader doesn’t see this as much of an enticement. “Normalization is often mentioned but I don’t think it’s realistic because it’s not something that Iran necessarily wants,” he said. “Establishing diplomatic relations with the U.S. contradicts the Islamic Republic’s narrative of anti-Americanism.” Michael Singh, managing director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, concurs. “Anti-Americanism was a founding pillar of the current Iranian government, and abandoning it would undermine the regime’s raison d’être,” he wrote in Foreign Policy in April. “Far from compelling the regime to rethink its strategy,” he added, “the current Western approach is likely seen in Tehran as vindicating it. U.S. policies at the negotiating table and across the region — a reduction in our military posture, our inaction in Syria, and our continually improving nuclear offers — are interpreted as successes by the regime and perceived by it as indications not of good will but of desperation or decline.” Nader said that another incentive that has been discussed is addressing some of Iran’s regional security concerns. Iran and the United States did briefly cooperate against al-Qaeda and the Taliban

New Leadership Begets Status Quo? At the moment, Iran’s main interests are domestic, ensuring a smooth transition after the June 14 presidential election that keeps the clerical regime intact. Iran’s new president could help set the tone for improved relations with the West or, perhaps more likely, maintain the status quo. The current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who cannot run again, threw his support behind Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, his top advisor, who is also married to his daughter. But on May 21, Iran’s Guardian Council barred Mashaei from running, exposing the growing rift between Ahmadinejad, a fiery populist who increasingly challenged the clerical regime, and his one-time ally,Ayatollah Khamenei. The Guardian Council also declared former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, considered by some to be a moderate, ineligible to run, leaving mostly establishment figures in the race. Among the remaining eight candidates, frontrunners included Ali Akbar Velayati, the top advisor to Ayatollah Khamenei on international affairs; Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the mayor of Tehran; Mohammad Reza Aref, the left-leaning former vice president under President Mohammad Khatami — who would be a frontrunner himself if he had decided to run — Mohsen Rezaee, the former commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard; and Saeed Jalili, Iran’s current chief nuclear negotiator, who recently said talks with the P5+1 can resume anytime, whether before or after the election. Nader of the Rand Corporation says it’s very difficult to handicap the race, but notes that none of the candidates have engaged

in any of the Holocaust denial or anti-Israel rhetoric that became Ahmadinejad’s hallmark. “We don’t know who will win,” he said. “But it’s going to be someone the Supreme Leader approves of that has been vetted by the system.” Indeed, the contest will likely come down to the religious traditionalists in Ayatollah Khamenei’s camp — exactly the group that would take a harder line in nuclear negotiations — although they have yet to coalesce around a single candidate.The reformers who rose to prominence after the contested 2009 election are largely out of the picture. Nader says that while reform candidates aren’t in the race (two remain under house arrest while others refused to enter the contest), he believes that a less bombastic president in Tehran could be helpful in restarting the nuclear talks. Patrick Clawson disagrees.“Ahmadinejad didn’t have a particular role in the nuclear talks, nor did Khatami,” he said. “So there is no reason to believe the next president will either.” Clawson also doesn’t believe the ingredients are in place for the kind of popular unrest that occurred after Ahmadinejad’s disputed election victory in 2009, when an estimated 3 million Iranians took to the streets to protest what they felt was a rigged election, but Nader thinks the possibility for unrest is high. “The system is very unstable,” he said.“There could very well be street demonstrations, rioting, strikes. Things could really blow up. Sanctions have the effect of raising pressure on the Iranian government because they are worried about popular unrest, so it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. It could actually be helpful.”

Dave Seminara is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat. Anna Gawel is managing editor of The Washington Diplomat.

Congratulations to British School of Washington Outstanding Achievement in Cambridge Examinations Sian Venables Highest Mark in the USA for Geography Sian Venables Highest Mark in the World for Drama Olivia Ashman Highest Mark in the USA for Design and Technology The following students achieved The Cambridge Scholar Award for high marks over three IGCSE subjects: Olivia Ashman Marley Bain-Peachey Vincent Follea Henry Sullivan 2001 Wisconsin Ave. NW • Washington, DC 20007 • 202.828.3700 www.britishschoolofwashington.org

June 2013

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Business

South Asia

‘Made in Bangladesh’ Nets Profits for Some, Misery for Others by Larry Luxner

n May 10, the same day the death toll from the collapse of a Dhaka garment factory 17 days earlier officially surpassed 1,000, Bangladeshi Army soldiers pulled a young seamstress from the rubble. The woman’s dramatic rescue — watched by millions of Bangladeshis glued to their TV sets — was a tiny bright spot in an otherwise horrifying disaster that now ranks as the world’s worst industrial accident since the Bhopal gas leak in neighboring India claimed 3,787 lives back in 1984. As tragic as it was, the Rana Plaza factory collapse is only one in a long string of misfortunes to hit the Bangladeshi garment industry. In early May, shortly after the Rana Plaza disaster, a fire broke out at the Tung Hai Group clothing factory in Dhaka’s Mirpur industrial district, killing eight people. And last November, more than 100 factory workers burned to death in a fire at Tazreen Fashions, a nine-story garment plant on the outskirts of Dhaka. And like the more recent tragedy, which ultimately killed more than 1,100 people, the Tazreen fire briefly made Bangladesh prime-time news and enraged U.S. and European human rights groups that have long called this Florida-size South Asian country of 160 million inhabitants the world’s biggest sweatshop. While that sweatshop has been a death warrant to some garment workers (roughly 2,000 have died in fires and building collapses since 2005, according to the International Labor Rights Forum), it’s also been a lifeline to millions of Bangladeshis, many of them women with little or no education. With 3.6 million garment workers in 5,000 textile and garment factories across the country, Bangladesh ranks as the world’s second-largest apparel exporter, behind only China. The garment boom is a relatively recent phenomenon. In 2005, a global quota system known as the Multi Fibre Arrangement agreement, which limited exports from developing countries, expired. Soon, retailers began flocking to Bangladesh and its pool of low-wage labor. Today, ready-made garments bring in nearly $19 billion a year to this desperately poor country, making them the nation’s most important export. But to accommodate this explosive growth, safety took a backseat. Shoddy construction, nonexistent safety standards, dirt-cheap wages, rampant poverty and overcrowding, political cronyism, and the suppression of labor rights now threaten to topple an industry that up until recently had been viewed as a relative success story.

‘Happy’ Workers Last year, The Washington Diplomat got an up-close look at the country’s economic development efforts when it joined a 12-member press delegation for a weeklong trip to Bangladesh hosted by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Suvashish Bose, vice chairman of the government-run Bangladesh Export Promotion Bureau, extolled the virtues of a system he practically likened to a worker’s paradise. “People are satisfied with what they have,” said Bose,

Page 10

Photo: Larry Luxner

“

The one thing we as an organization hope won’t happen is for customers to start boycotting products made in Bangladesh. If that happens, you’d see companies scaling back their production, resulting in job losses for Bangladeshi women who are already poor.

”

— Shamarukh Mohiuddin

executive director of the U.S. Bangladesh Advisory Council

interviewed last year in his dingy Dhaka headquarters. “Bangladesh has about 5,000 garment factories employing about 3.6 million workers, 80 percent of them women. They are submissive, adaptable and trainable. They can understand everything very quickly, and these workers are abundantly available wherever you want to set up your factory.” Pressed for an explanation to his rather condescending description, Bose proudly claimed that “a few years ago, Bangladesh was ranked the happiest country in the world, according to a survey conducted by the London School of Economics. Now Bhutan is the happiest, and Bangladesh is the second-happiest. It’s because the demand for basic necessities is very low.” During an April 2012 trip to the Chittagong Export Processing Zone, this reporter tried to mingle with hundreds of such “happy” workers, but was prevented from doing so.

Hundreds of women assemble sneakers at the South Koreanowned YoungOne factory in Chittagong, Bangladesh, the world’s second-largest apparel exporter.

The massive industrial park — home to hundreds of factories churning out products for Nike, Reebok, JC Penney, Gap, Walmart, Kmart, Wrangler and Tommy Hilfiger — is located on the outskirts of Chittagong, a teeming port city whose 4 million inhabitants make it the second-largest metropolis in Bangladesh after Dhaka. Upon our arrival at the Chittagong EPZ, we were warmly welcomed by the general manager, S.M. Abdur Rashid. “This zone was inspired by Robert McNamara, president of the World Bank,” he said proudly, pointing to a map of Bangladesh. “Accordingly, our government passed an act in 1980 to strengthen the country’s economic base by promoting investment and generating employment,” he explained, noting the development of seven other export processing zones throughout the country. The zones together employ 324,000 Bangladeshis — 64 percent of them women — and Chittagong’s EPZ is by far the biggest. Rashid said 225 of the factories here are foreign-owned (from 37 countries), while another 63 are joint ventures and the remaining 113 are purely local investments. In 2011, the Chittagong EPZ generated $2.35 billion in export revenue for Bangladesh, with most of its finished products going to its chief market, the United States. All told, Bangladesh racked up $23 billion in exports that year. Apparel, which includes woven garments, knit garments and home textiles such as curtains, towels, linens and pillowcases, accounted for 78 percent of the total. “Thanks to reforms introduced in the 1980s, foreign investors can now invest any amount of capital and retain 100 percent equity ownership,” Rashid said.“Restrictions on the movement of foreign capital have been abolished. The law also guarantees against nationalization or expropriation of their assets.”

The Washington Diplomat

June 2013

Short-Changing Labor Bangladesh’s courtship of Western investors has certainly paid off. But there was one more thing prospective investors considering Bangladesh could count on: no pesky trade unions to make trouble. At $1.50 a day, Bangladeshis are the lowest-paid workers on Earth. The minimum wage is just $37 a month. For years, activists at home and abroad have accused Bangladesh’s apparel export industry of paying its workers slave wages while maximizing profits at all costs — accusations local officials here told us were preposterous. For instance, we asked Rashid why the Chittagong EPZ expressly forbids the establishment of unions — a situation that would be illegal in many other countries. The free-zone boss looked genuinely puzzled. “We allow Workers Welfare Associations. It’s collective bargaining,” he said. “The workers enjoy it and they’re happy with the WWA. Unions might be affiliated with political parties, and we do not want our workers to be affiliated with political parties.” Bose, the export promotion chief, also cautioned against labor unions. “If we allow unions, there might be strikes or other unrest, and foreign investors will have problems. Productivity will decrease, and we do not want productivity to decrease,” he told us last year. Rashid confirmed the obvious advantage to restricting organized labor: It makes Bangladesh more competitive than any of its Asian competitors, including Pakistan (with average factory wages of $80 a month), Vietnam ($84), India ($109), Malaysia ($132), Indonesia ($135) and China ($250). But the frustration over Bangladesh’s rock-bottom wages has been brewing for some time now. In December 2010, thousands of workers attacked factories in a dispute over poor wages and working conditions. Police responded with live bullets and tear gas; three people were killed in the riots. It was those demonstrations, in fact, that forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to raise the minimum wage to its current $37 a month, not including overtime and bonuses; it had been only $21 a month prior to the protests. Jef Van Hecken, a Belgian adviser to the Dhakabased National Garments Workers Federation, said any worker who tries to organize a union is dismissed. “There’s real harassment and death threats,” he said, pointing to the April 4 disappearance of labor organizer Aminul Islam. His body was later discovered, with signs he had been tortured, though so far no arrests have been made. About a month after the Tazreen fire, a highlevel investigation concluded that the Nov. 24 disaster had been a case of gross negligence. Supervisors apparently told the women working at their sewing machines that the fire alarm was a drill and padlocked the exits to prevent anyone from escaping. Likewise, on the day the Rana Plaza collapsed, managers forced their workers to show up — threatening to dock their pay by a month if they didn’t — even though cracks had appeared in the building, dangerously compromising the structure’s integrity.

Changes Afoot The United States is now considering revoking trade preferences for Bangladesh, excluding it from the Generalized System of Preferences, a program designed to spur manufacturing in developing nations. Similarly, the European Union is considering stripping Bangladesh of its duty-free and quota-free access to the lucrative EU market. The Bangladeshi government, members of which were in Washington last month lobbying to keep the trade preferences, is responding to the avalanche of criticism. In mid-May, the cabinet approved a sweeping series of changes that will make it easier for workers to form labor unions. In addition, the move would offer worker benefits such as greater severance payments, direct deposit to prevent wage abuse, and modernized management practices. (Parliament must still approve

the measures). Discussions are also under way to raise the minimum wage. There is no denying that, however meager, garment salaries provide livelihoods for millions of workers, many of them women from impoverished rural areas who would otherwise be forced to work in the fields or marry young. Bangladesh, in fact, has been widely praised for its progressive attitudes toward women. The Muslim-majority nation has a robust tradition of secularism, which has been challenged in recent months by pro-Islamic protesters pushing for an anti-blasphemy law, restrictions on women, and a greater say in the country’s political system. The demonstrations, in fact, were in reaction to an earlier mass movement by secularists denouncing religious extremism and hard-line Islamic values in politics. Though secularism is woven into the fabric of Bangladeshi society, the undercurrent of Islamization has been present since the country’s birth in 1971. So the government is keener than ever to prove that its Western economic model is the best choice for Bangladeshis, despite the Rana Plaza disaster. Gowher Rizvi, an international affairs advisor to Prime Minister Hasina, told the New York Times last month that the government is determined to improve working conditions and abide by international labor standards to rehabilitate its reputation. “This is the goose that lays the golden egg,” he said of the nation’s garment industry.

When Welcoming the Diplomatic Community The Choices Are Clear

Retailers’ Responsibilities There is no doubt that the onus is on the government to improve working conditions in Bangladesh.The Rana Plaza disaster is emblematic of the political cronyism that has fueled the nation’s economic growth. The complex’s owner, Sohel Rana, was a well-connected, shady businessman “described in the local media as the archetypal Bangladeshi muscleman, known locally as a ‘mastan,’ or neighborhood heavy,” according to a BBC News profile. “His power, influence and money came from providing muscle to local politicians.” Though he didn’t escape arrest, Rana did for years evade taxes and building inspections. So even if Bangladesh implements significant labor reforms, enforcement will remain a major issue for a government that could hardly keep up with the explosive growth in garment factories. On the flip side of the coin, however, major name-brand retailers — for whom workers toil to make cheap apparel that gets shipped to Europe and the United States — also bear some responsibility. In the wake of the Rana Plaza collapse, several multinationals including the Walt Disney Co. have announced they would phase out production in Bangladesh. Disney officials told CNN that their decision had actually been made in March, following the Tazreen fire. “After much thought and discussion, we felt this was the most responsible way to manage the challenges associated with our supply chain,” said Bob Chapek, president of Disney Consumer Products. Yet there’s no guarantee that working conditions are necessarily much better in similar garment-producing nations, even if the wages are higher. And some labor advocates say cutting and running would hurt the very people retailers claim they’re trying to help. Shamarukh Mohiuddin, executive director of the Washington-based U.S. Bangladesh Advisory Council, said that as long as there’s a pool of workers willing to labor for dirt-poor wages, employers don’t have much of an incentive to change course. Yet a boycott — however well meaning — would be disastrous for the workers themselves, she told us. “The one thing we as an organization hope won’t happen is for customers to start boycotting products made in Bangladesh. If that happens, you’d see companies scaling back their production, resulting in job losses for Bangladeshi women who are already poor,” she said, adding that over

Continued on next page

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low skill, highly mobile and highly competitive, so the incentives are for factory managers to cut costs as much as they can,” she said. “Buyers are looking around the world for the lowest prices they can find, and unfortunately we as consumers are complicit, because we’re looking for the cheapest clothing we can find.” An analysis by the Washington-based Worker Rights Consortium estimated that bringing Bangladesh’s garment factories up to Western codes would cost $3 billion over five years — or roughly less than 10 cents a garment. But even if consumers were willing to pay more, Bangladesh would also need to restructure a system built on short-term contracts, low wages, and maximum profits. During an interview in Dhaka, the country’s foreign minister, Dipu Moni, tried to put the calamity into perspective. “Bangladesh is a poor country and there are a large number of people who still live under the poverty line. People here work really hard, and the garment industry’s wages are low, but it sustains them,” she said.“If our product becomes less competitive, then they don’t make money at all. So in order to remain competitive, industries keep their wages low. If we didn’t have these jobs, where would those 3 million women work?” In 2010, Bangladesh raised the minimum wage by 87 percent, said Mohiuddin, but it still remains a “least developed country” with about 70 million of its 160 million inhabitants living below the poverty line. But “wages are not the issue here,” insisted Mohiuddin. “The issue is production costs.What consumers can do is ask brands to invest more resources into better working conditions,” she told us.“Obviously, this would raise production costs, but that’s exactly why we need consumers to push for that. If they care enough to shout for boycotts, then they should ask for the right solutions.”

Continued from previous page time, the growth of the apparel industry has played a major role in enabling women’s employment, reducing Bangladesh’s once-high birth rate, boosting school enrollment rates, and countering Islamist ideologies that threaten to reverse women’s advancement. Unlike Disney, other retailers seem to be in it for the long haul. On May 13, Swedish apparel behemoth H&M and Spain-based Inditex, which owns the Zara fashion chain, signed a far-reaching agreement that would require retailers to finance fire safety and building improvements through strict, independent inspections. It would also bar retailers from doing business with factories deemed unsafe. Other European brands have since signed onto the pact as well. H&M is the single largest producer of apparel in Bangladesh, and Europe accounts for 60 percent of Bangladesh’s clothing exports. But major U.S. retailers like Walmart and Gap refuse to join the effort, fearing possible litigation and saying they will institute their own safeguards. Critics call that a copout, and groups such as the International Labor Rights Forum and United Students Against Sweatshops, which launched a “Gap Deathtraps” website showing photos of the Rana tragedy, are working to pressure U.S. retailers into signing the accord. Yet Jagdish Bhagwati, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the blame for such industrial accidents should really fall upon local and national authorities who should be protecting workers — not companies like Walmart and JC Penney. “By misassigning the responsibility for the recent tragedies to global retailers,Western media and consumer movements allow the real culprits to get away scot-free and further diminish the likelihood of governance reform in poor countries,” said Bhagwati. Other analysts say Western retailers need to use their substantial leverage to pressure the Bangladeshi government to reform. Kimberly

Elliott of the Center for Global Development said a much better approach would be for the United States and other countries that import Bangladeshi garments to encourage authorities in Dhaka to join the Better Work program, a joint effort of the International Labour Organization and the World Bank’s International Finance Corp. “The program is really aimed at being a winwin,” she said in a recent wonkcast for the development think tank. “It’s trying to improve labor conditions in factories by working with governments and industries in a way that improves labor conditions and — simultaneously — the productivity of workers. Healthier, happier, better-rested workers are also more productive workers.” And far from removing the country’s trade preferences, she said the United States should offer Bangladesh duty-free, quota-free access to U.S. markets. While Washington has extended preferential trading terms to many developing countries, garments are usually exempt. However, about 90 percent of Bangladesh’s exports to the United States are apparel, and these face an aver-

Photo: Larry Luxner

Boxes of “Made in Bangladesh” sneakers sit on pallets at the South Korean-owned YoungOne factory in Bangladesh, awaiting export to the United States.

age tariff of 15 percent — translating into nearly $700 million in revenues for the U.S.Treasury. Offering to eliminate that burden “would create an immediate 15 percent reduction in the factory’s costs because they wouldn’t have to pay the tariff.”And that, in turn, would ease pressure on U.S. retailers and help their suppliers cover the costs of improving worker safety, she argues.

A Look in the Mirror, And Our Closets Elliott also has another uncomfortable suggestion for Westerners concerned about working conditions abroad: Be willing to pay a little more for that cheap shirt in your closet. “This is an industry that’s very low wage, very

Larry Luxner is news editor of The Washington Diplomat.

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Diplomacy

Americas

Cuba’s New Envoy to U.S. Keeps Expectations Low by Ana Radelat

uba’s top diplomat in the United States, José Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez, may be a man of his time. The youthful-looking Cabañas, who’s not much older than the Cuban Revolution, was dispatched to Washington at a time when U.S.Cuba relations are stuck in a timeless deep freeze. He has a reputation for being shrewd and intelligent, with a knack for pressing Cuba’s agenda and making important connections to the Cuban exile community. Those skills may serve him well if the political winds shift and Cuba’s relations with the United States warm before President Obama leaves office in January 2017. Speaking at an April 4 seminar in Washington hosted by the nonprofit Inter-American Dialogue, Cabañas deflected pointed questions while defending Cuba’s policy on a wide range of issues — from U.S. food sales to emigration — in nearly flawless English. But the cautious Cabañas also made sure to keep expectations low. He said he expected bilateral relations to improve “in this century.” Despite the rather bleak prediction, Cabañas, who in November replaced the now-retired Jorge Bolaños as chief of the Cuban Interests Section, said Washington and Havana could cooperate in several specific areas such as climate change, drug trafficking, immigration, tropical diseases and environmental issues. At the same time, Cabañas suggested that his country would reduce the number of commodities purchased from U.S. markets.Agriculture had been one bright spot in relations after Congress amended the trade embargo in 2000 to allow agricultural exports from the United States to Cuba. In 2008, U.S. companies exported roughly $710 million worth of food and agricultural products to the island nation, according to the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council. But in 2012, that number plummeted by roughly half. The problem, Cabañas said, is that U.S. law — specifically the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act — obliges Cuba to buy food and agricultural products from the United States in cash before shipments leave U.S. ports.

Photo: Larry Luxner

“

He seems more willing to communicate than his predecessor, but still takes all of his marching orders from Havana.

”

— anonymous State Department official

“We have to look at other places and other markets,” he said. Like all his predecessors, Cabañas condemns Washington’s 50-year-old trade embargo — which Cuban officials unanimously call a “blockade” — and blames it for many of the island’s problems. While there’s little hope the embargo will be lifted in the near future, given the political clout of Cuban exiles in the United States, President Raúl Castro has instituted a raft of unprecedented reforms since formally taking over for his brother Fidel in February 2008. Travel restrictions have been lifted on Cuban citizens, the real estate and auto markets have been liberalized, and some small private enterprises are now allowed. But as far as all the economic reforms approved by Raúl Castro, Cabañas said they are merely “adjustments to changes in the world,” not important policy changes. Despite his conservatism, Cabañas has strayed where none of his predeces-

sors dared to go. During his short tenure in the nation’s capital, he’s already made himself accessible to Washington’s diplomatic and academic community, meeting with small groups at Georgetown University’s Center for Latin American Studies, at the Cuban Interests Section and other places. Cabañas is also the first chief of the Cuban Interests Section who’s agreed to be filmed, said Peter Hakim, president emeritus of the Inter-American Dialogue. Both C-SPAN and Voice of America had cameras focused on Cabañas during his speech at the think tank. “He might not have thought about publicity, but when it came, he decided to take advantage of it,” Hakim said, adding that the diplomat — a specialist in North American affairs — “knows what’s going on more than anyone else from Cuba.” Bolaños, the man Cabañas replaced, headed the Cuban mission in Washington for nearly five years, a period that coincided with President Obama’s first term

June 2013

José Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez, chief of the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, speaks at a recent InterAmerican Dialogue event.

in office. When Bolaños was vice minister of Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cabañas was his assistant. Not much is known about Cabañas’s personal life, other that he’s a native of Matanzas who’s married and has two children. He graduated summa cum laude from Havana’s Raúl Roa García Higher Institute of International Relations and holds a doctorate in political science. Cabañas began his diplomatic career in 1984, when he wrote “Radio Martí: A New Aggression,” a book that attacked U.S. government broadcasts to Cuba. From 1990 to 1993, he was third secretary, then second secretary, at the Cuban Embassy in Ottawa. Then he was called back to Havana to serve as deputy director of the North American Affairs Division at Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, later transferring to the Division of Cuban Residents Abroad. Cabañas worked a while in Europe too, serving as Cuba’s ambassador to Austria from 2001 to 2005. He was once again brought back to Havana in 2005 and soon after promoted to deputy minister at the Ministry of

Continued on next page The Washington Diplomat Page 13

Continued from previous page Foreign Affairs. “He seems more willing to communicate than his predecessor, but still takes all of his marching orders from Havana,” said an official at the State Department who asked not to be identified. Bolaños, who was 70 when he took the job of representing Cuba in Washington, is of a different generation and during his time here made sure to steer clear of the press. Hakim said Cabañas reminds him of Fernando Remírez de Estenoz, a former Cuban chief of mission who served in Washington from 1995 to 2001. Remírez was young, accessible and erudite and had a firm grasp on U.S. politics and American culture. While Cabañas is viewed as more open than the man he replaced, the newly arrived diplomat still has a wide dogmatic streak. At the Inter-American Dialogue event, he ignored a reporter’s question about defecting Cuban ballet dancers and repeatedly referred to PHOTO: LARRy LUxNeR Yoani Sánchez, the prominent Cuban dissident blogger, as “that lady.” Classic 1950s american cars can be found throughout Cuba — such as this one in Puerto Rico Libre, a sleepy Cabañas complained that Sánchez, who was in sugar-mill town in Cuba’s Matanzas province — a strange relic of Washington’s 50-year-old trade embargo Washington as part of a 12-country tour, was get- against the communist island. ting a lot of press and that American singer Beyoncé, in Havana with her husband Jay-Z to ily to get him released. virtue of a contract funded by the U.S. celebrate a wedding anniversary, was being Shortly after taking office in November, Cabañas Government.These actions are considered illegal ignored. That, of course, was before anti-Castro delivered a letter from Raúl Castro to several U.S. not only in Cuba but also in many other counexiles raised a ruckus over Beyoncé’s visit. senators that underscored Havana’s unwilling- tries including the United States.” Meanwhile, Cabañas seems to be a man wait- ness to release Gross without political compensaWashington rejects the correlation, however, to beisable to do tion. in spelling and content it is ultimately up andtoasthe with so many other issues, the two sides NOTE: Although everying effort made to more. assure your ad is free of mistakes customer One of his first official acts in Washington con“Toproof. demand from and hope for the Cuban refuse to budge. to make the final cerned Alan Gross — the biggest obstacle to bet- Government to take the unilateral decision of “They were and have been attempting to trade bilateral relations. releasing Mr.changes Gross without Alanper Gross for alteration. the five spies that are in prison The first two faxed changesterwill be made at no cost to the advertiser, subsequent will begiving billedany at considera rate of $75 faxed Signed for adsthe areU.S. considered approved.to the legitimate concerns of here in the U.S.,” Secretary of State John Kerry Gross, a 64-year-old subcontractor ation whatsoever Agency for International Development, was our country is not a realistic approach,” the letter told the House Foreign Affairs Committee in Please2009 check thistrying ad carefully. anyGross changes to your arrested in December while to leave Mark said. “Mr. violated Cubanad. laws by carrying April. “And we’ve refused to do that because the country and later found guilty of subversion. out covert activities aimed at destabilizing Cuba there’s no equivalency.” If the ad is correct sign and fax to: He’s (301) 949-0065 needs Washington Diplomat now serving a 15-year jail term in changes Havana, and subvertingThe Cuba’s constitutional order, (301) for 933-3552 despite two years of efforts by his Maryland fam- which he was paid hefty amounts of money by Ana Radelat is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C. Approved _____________________________________________ Changes _____________________________________________________________________

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International Law

International Criminal Court

ICC Presides Over New Era In History of Global Justice by Sean Lyngaas

he Rome Statute of 2002 attempted to turn the page on a violent and extrajudicial chapter of human history, the 20th century, by establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The ICC aspires to no less than the end of impunity for war criminals. Detractors of the court grumble that it was founded on the same misguided idealism that has limited the efficacy of its parent organization, the United Nations. Supporters of the court retort that it has brought some of the most barbarous criminals of our time to justice. But however you see it, the ICC is at a crossroads. It just caught one of its biggest fish yet in Bosco Ntaganda, who for years allegedly led a campaign of rape and murder in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Against the backdrop of Ntaganda’s summons, other suspected African war criminals, from Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, have gone about their business of repression despite being indicted by the court. Perhaps the court’s most awkward case involves Kenya’s new president, Uhuru Kenyatta, who’s been charged with crimes against humanity for allegedly bankrolling death squads that fueled post-election violence in 2007 to 2008. Kenyatta’s brazen recent election in the face of an ICC indictment has left Western powers scrambling to figure out how to work with the leader of a critical nation who’s also confronting allegations of war crimes.

“

The ICC is charting a territory that has hitherto been uncharted by its sister ad hoc tribunals…. forcing politicians, mediators [and] warlords to realize that business as usual can no longer be continued.

”

— Fatou Bensouda

chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court

Kenyatta has pledged to cooperate with the court, but the case against one of his co-accusers has already unraveled, exposing the ICC’s limitations and prompting the president’s lawyers to demand that the case against him be dropped as well. Still, the court’s reach has steadily expanded and the successful prosecution of Ntaganda could serve notice to the continent’s other strongmen that they might be better off hiring a lawyer and cutting a deal than continuing to mete out misery. “The ICC is charting a territory that has hitherto been uncharted by its sister ad hoc tribunals,” claimed ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda at a recent panel discussion on international justice hosted by the Brookings

Photos: © ICC-CPI

Institution in Washington, D.C.The court “is forcing politicians, mediators [and] warlords to realize that business as usual can no longer be continued,” she said. One example of the uncharted territory that the ICC is venturing into is the murky line between state sovereignty and international law. In a nod to concerns about the ICC treading on state sovereignty, Bensouda emphasized that the ICC acts “only as a buffer and a last resort measure where states are either unable or they are unwilling to carry out their responsibilities.” But while the ICC wants to step in where states are unwilling to try perpetrators of atrocities, it has no police authority to enforce its warrants and relies on often uncooperative states to hand over suspects to The Hague. It can also only pursue charges in nations that have ratified the Rome Statute — 122 at last count, though major countries such as the United States, China, Russia and India, along with smaller nations such as Syria, have not signed onto the treaty. The court can bypass this rule if the U.N. Security Council requests an investigation, as was the case in Sudan and Libya, for example. Another way around the ICC’s limitations is to make extraditions to The Hague less necessary by building states’ capacity to try their own war criminals. Though not a member of the ICC, the United States is trying to help other states build this legal capacity. Stephen Rapp, the U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues, sees American assistance as crucial to “strengthening the ability of these countries to take on atrocity crimes,” he said at the Brookings Institution event. Rapp pointed to a law signed by President Obama in January that expands the War Crimes Rewards Program for information leading to the arrest of some criminals wanted by the ICC as evidence that the court has America’s firm backing. Congolese rebel commander Ntaganda chose to surrender to the ICC earlier this year by seeking refuge at the U.S. Embassy in Rwanda. But U.S. support for the court can only extend so far without it being a member. The George W. Bush administration opposed joining the ICC out of concerns that the court would prosecute American officials for political

June 2013

In March 2012, the International Criminal Court in The Hague delivered its first verdict (and only conviction) since its inception in 2002 — finding Congolese rebel leader Thomas Lubanga guilty of forcibly conscripting child soldiers.

reasons and the Obama administration hasn’t shown any signs of reversing course. America’s reluctance to embrace the ICC is puzzling given the overlap of the court’s policy goals with those of Washington. Many of the ICC’s most-wanted criminals are U.S. adversaries. President Obama in 2010 sent about 100 U.S. Special Forces to Central Africa to help with the manhunt for Joseph Kony. Though Ugandan authorities recently suspended the search for the notorious leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, the State Department last month offered $5 million for information leading to his arrest as part of the aforementioned expanded rewards program.

Shaping Norms, but at Mercy of Politics Of course, U.S. support for the ICC has been easier to give because so far, no American allies have been hauled in before the court. So far, all of the defendants have been from Africa, and therein lies a major criticism of the court — that it only focuses on Africans. Bensouda, 52, a Gambian lawyer who took charge of the ICC in June 2012 after her former boss Luis MorenoOcampo stepped down, dismisses such criticism. She points out that in addition to ongoing cases involving seven African states (the Central African Republic, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Libya, Sudan and Uganda), preliminary investigations are under way in places such as Afghanistan, Colombia, Georgia, Honduras and the Palestinian territories. “What has to be recognized is that even though we are a judicial institution, we operate in a political environ-

Continued on next page The Washington Diplomat Page 15

Continued from previous page ment, whether we like that or we don’t,” she told the New York Times earlier this year.“Those who do not understand the limitations of the ICC jurisdiction — they are the ones who think the ICC is picking and choosing.” Led by the strong-willed Bensouda, however, the ICC isn’t letting those limitations deter it from developing a strategy to bring more criminals to trial at The Hague. The court needs to cater each indictment to the politics attached to that suspect’s case, she said,“taking into account particular circumstances of the whereabouts of each indictee.” Bensouda was eager to remind the Brookings audience how far she felt the ICC, which she called an “experiment,” has come in its 11 years.At its inception, “predictions were that the ICC would remain a white elephant that would never show any returns for the huge investment that the international community had put” into it, she said. “To the contrary, and I must say, happily, 10 years on, skeptics’ predictions have been proved wrong,” she added with a quiet smile. But a decade on, the court has only managed to secure one conviction. The path toward international accountability can be a long, costly and arduous one — with no guarantee of success. In December, after a three-year trial, the court lost its first case when a Congolese rebel leader was acquitted over “contradictory” and “hazy” evidence, disappointing rights groups. Witness testimony can be unreliable (witnesses have also been killed), the cases are inherently complex, and the prosecution is dependent on the cooperation of nations that are often unstable or openly hostile to the court. Less tangible than the number of indictments

Photo: © ICC-CPI

The Rome Statute of 2002 established the International Criminal Court (ICC), which aspires to no less than the end of impunity for war criminals.

the ICC serves but important for its long-run efficacy is how the court influences the norms of international law. In incorporating human rights law and not just humanitarian law into its rulings, the ICC is advancing a legal movement under way since World War II to “humanize” international law, Theodor Meron, president of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), said at the Brookings event. Human rights law protects individuals from state-sponsored atrocities in peacetime, whereas humanitarian

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law governs states’ use of force in war, according to Heron. The Polish-born Holocaust survivor said that the Geneva Conventions, the post-World War II accords that enshrined civilian protections into the laws of war, were a “profound humanization of the law of war.” After the Geneva Conventions, the ICC and ad hoc tribunals like the ICTY and the tribunal for Rwanda were the “second tidal shift” in international human rights law, Meron posited.

“What truly sets the ICTY and modern international criminal courts and tribunals apart from [the Nuremberg Nazi trials] and from early efforts aimed at ensuring accountability is the degree to which these modern courts, while formally mandated to apply international humanitarian law, have regularly applied human rights standards as well,” he said.The more intrinsic human rights law is to ICC rulings, perhaps the less likely the pretext of sovereignty will be used to shield abusers from the court’s writ. Advances in international human rights standards aside, the court must put more of the world’s war criminals on trial for it to maintain legitimacy, stressed Bensouda. “It is a serious indictment of the international community and of the credibility of the Rome Statute system that 12 of the International Criminal Court indictees remain at large,” she said. With blunt assessments like these, few can accuse Bensouda of heady idealism. She admitted that the ICC’s improved credibility depends on the cooperation of states that are apt to politicize the international justice process. The arc of international justice may be widening, but the ICC still relies on the self-interested political maneuverings of states to deliver war criminals to The Hague.

Sean Lyngaas is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

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June 2013

COVER PROFILE

Ambassador Christos Panagopoulos

Greek Recovery: Real or Not ? by Larry Luxner

he euro crisis, often called an existential threat to the European Union, is undergoing its own existential crisis of sorts, as the debate over austerity versus spending reaches a fevered pitch. With the 17-member bloc that uses the euro mired in recession for a sixth quarter now (a longer stretch than what occurred during the 2008-09 financial crisis), the eurozone just can’t seem to dig out of its fiscal hole. Italy’s recent election was nothing short of a political circus, Spain is still in financial shambles, Cyprus had a complete banking meltdown, and France is rebelling against Berlin’s prescribed austerity measures. Even Northern European countries are registering anemic growth. Meanwhile, Germans, tired of bailing out profligate governments and being labeled the bad guys, head into a critical election this fall as skeptical of the European project as many of their downtrodden neighbors to the south are. But remember Greece — the first country that almost sunk the euro? It’s still there — and still drowning. Ambassador Christos Panagopoulos, however, refuses to throw in the towel and insists the economic tide is shifting, even though the numbers coming out of Athens are downright miserable at the moment. With the Greek economy in its sixth year of recession and GDP projected to shrink by 4.2 to 4.5 percent in 2013, it’s hard to imagine how things could get any worse. In fact, the economy has contracted roughly 20 percent over the last five years, buckling under the weight of deep austerity measures and tax hikes. Unemployment now stands at 27 percent — nearly three times what it was when the Greek debt crisis emerged in 2009 — while the jobless rate among those ages 15 to 24 jumped to a staggering 64.2 percent in February from 54.1 percent a year earlier. More young people are jobless in Greece than anywhere else in the eurozone, including Spain, where youth unemployment has reached 55 percent. Panagopoulos, who became Greece’s ambassador to the United States last September, agrees that the austerity program has been “very painful” for his country’s 11 million citizens. But he insisted that the outlook for his troubled nation — which takes over the sixmonth rotating presidency of the EU on Jan. 1, 2014 — is slowly improving. “We are making much better progress. I’m quite optimistic in the sense that our debt is sustainable. By next year, we’re

going to start seeing growth, and our economy will take off,” he confidently told The Washington Diplomat. “We cannot say we are out of danger, but we are already in the recovery process and things are getting better. We lost lots of competitiveness between 2005 and 2009, but we have since regained 75 percent of our productivity.” Indeed, the European Commission predicts a gradual recovery in 2014, particularly in the tourist sector, a key economic driver. In April, investment ratings agency Fitch even upgraded Greece’s sovereign credit rating by a notch, helping to push bond yields to a three-year low. Citing Greece’s progress in trimming the budget deficit, EU officials continue to disperse bailout funds, which total €240 billion over the last

Photo: Lawrence Ruggeri

“

We are making much better progress. I’m quite optimistic in the sense that our debt is sustainable. By next year, we’re going to start seeing growth, and our economy will take off. — Christos Panagopoulos

”

ambassador of Greece to the United States

three years. They may also ease some of the demands on Greece to slash its debt — which stood at 160 percent of its GDP as of last year — if Athens remains on course. Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has even managed to hold his fragile political coalition together in the face of widespread anger over austerity policies that have made the situation dire for millions of Greeks (everything from prostitution to suicides to child hunger has skyrocketed). During our interview, Panagopoulos made a valiant attempt to portray Greece’s problems as exaggerated. He said the world media has unfairly painted an overly bleak picture of the Greek economy.

“It takes a lot of hard work to reverse that image. What you read all the time doesn’t necessarily correspond to reality,” he said.“Greece is still one of the richest countries in the area. If you compare us to other countries in the neighborhood, in terms of per-capita GDP, doctors per 100,000 inhabitants and other measures, we’re still number one.” The ambassador also said the Greek public sector is actually smaller than the average for the 27-member European Union — an observation that, in fact, appears to be based on solid data. According to European Central Bank statistics from 2011, Greece employed 29 percent of its labor force in the public sector, compared to 31 percent for France and 38 percent for Belgium.

June 2013

Yet there’s no doubt Greece’s public sector, where positions are often permanent and handed out as political favors, is notoriously bloated. So in late April, the Greek government began firing publicsector workers en masse for the first time in more than 100 years — part of an effort to lay off 15,000 civil servants by the end of 2014 and 180,000 by 2015 under an austerity agreement imposed on it by the “troika” of the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and the European Central Bank. “This is not a human sacrifice,”declared Prime Minister Samaras, who announced the layoffs in an April 26 televised address. “It’s an upgrading of the public sector and it’s one demand of Greek society.” There have been many other demands as well. In return for bailout money, Greece has had to raise its retirement age, slash the minimum wage, cut pensions, and increase the value-added tax — already one of the highest in Europe — and go after the country’s chronic tax evaders. “We do face economic difficulties. It doesn’t mean we’re going to come to a

Continued on next page The Washington Diplomat Page 17

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Greece at a Glance Independence: 1830 (from the Ottoman Empire); Independence Day on March 25 (1821) Location: Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey Capital: Athens Size: Slightly smaller than Alabama Population: 10.7 million (July 2013 estimate) Life expectancy: 80.1 years Religions: Greek Orthodox (official) 98 percent, Muslim 1.3 percent, other 0.7 percent GDP (purchasing power parity): $280.8 billion (2012 estimate) GDP per-capita: $25,100 (2012 estimate) GDP growth: -6 percent (2012 estimate) Exports: Food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles Imports: Machinery, transport equipment, fuels, chemicals Source: CIA World Factbook

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standstill,” said Panagopoulos. “The problem is that we’ve been in the eye of this turbulent economic crisis, and we are asked to take measures in a period of a few years, while other countries took decades to reform their economies. It’s very painful for us.” In fact, it’s painful for a whole lot of people all across Europe, where unrelenting unemployment and soaring public debt in Spain, Italy and elsewhere have sparked a backlash against the austerity-driven dogma embraced by Brussels until just recently. Supporters of “fiscal consolidation” (i.e. austerity) maintain that spending cuts and tax hikes to curb ballooning deficits — coupled with structural reforms to create a flexible labor market, boost competitiveness and attract investment — are the best anecdote for an ailing economy. Critics of immediate austerity say it perpetuates “a vicious cycle where cuts in spending lead to job losses which lead to less private spending which leads to a shrinking economy which leads to lower tax revenues, which leads to the apparent need for still more austerity,” as a 2012 report by the Brookings Institution put it. The Keynesian anti-austerity approach encourages public spending and relaxed monetary policies to stimulate private growth — thereby generating more tax revenues — with an eye on reducing debt only after a recovery is firmly in place. The fixation on austerity in Europe seems to be easing, if only slightly. José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, recently said that while the EU’s belt-tightening was “fundamentally right, I think it has reached its limits in many respects,” echoing a growing consensus that more focus needs to be put on job growth. Spain and France, for instance, received more time to get their budget deficits under control. Ireland and Portugal were given more leeway to pay back bailout loans. And even fiscally sound governments in Northern European have increasingly come under fire for excessive savings rate that critics say have triggered imbalances in the eurozone. The blowback has been particularly acute against Germany, Europe’s strongest economy. French Socialists have dubbed German leader Angela Merkel the “chancellor of austerity,” signaling a rift in the critical Franco-German alliance. Nazi effigies are common sights in antiausterity protests. Berlin counters that the debate has been oversimplified. It’s not only asking governments to pare back spending, but also to liberalize their labor markets and clean up their public finances — the type of reforms Germany underwent a decade ago to make it the export-driven powerhouse it is today.

Despite the rhetorical shift,German-mandated austerity policies are likely to continue, with only minor relief in sight. Panagopoulos says he doesn’t have anything against Germany or the government of Chancellor Merkel, “but we have to face reality. They’re making a big margin of profit” from the bailout package recently approved with support from Berlin — with the aim of cutting Greece’s sovereign debt to 124 percent of GDP by 2020, about 20 percentage points lower than the government’s current debt path. “The Germans gain a few billion euro every year out of our tragedy,” said the ambassador. “They didn’t spend a penny.They lent us money and have every reason to support us and get out of the crisis. If we go bankrupt, they’re going to lose everything.” He continued, with more than a touch of resentment:“We are not lazy at all. I’m not saying that before this crisis Greece was a paradise, but unfortunately we were put in the middle of this global economic crisis. Let’s face it, this is not a Greek crisis, and we need some help to get out of it.” Panagopoulos has been upfront in pleading Greece’s case to the media and other groups in Washington. We happened to interview him on April 16, the day after the Boston Marathon bombing — an event that hit home for the ambassador. Early on in his Foreign Service career, Panagopoulos spent five years as Greece’s consul-general in Boston, ending that assignment as dean of the New England consular corps. One of the highlights of his job was to present olive wreaths from Marathon — the ancient Greek town outside Athens that gave the race its name — to the male and female winners of the Boston Marathon. Panagopoulos, 59, is originally from Kalamata, a town of about 70,000 in the Peloponnese region of Greece. Besides Greek and English, the ambassador also speaks French, Spanish and Latin (his wife is from Panama). He joined the Greek Foreign Service in 1978 and began his career at the Greek Embassy in Ankara. Since then, he’s served as ambassador to Cyprus (2000-05) and Serbia (2005-08), as well as director of the diplomatic cabinet for the Greek minister of foreign affairs. He took over his current post in Washington from Vassilis Kaskarelis, whom we profiled exactly three years ago at the height of the Greek economic meltdown (see “Greece Confronts Modern-Day Epic of Economic Survival”in the June 2010 issue ofTheWashington Diplomat). At that time, bloody street protests were raging on the streets of Athens following the passage of extremely unpopular austerity measures by then-Prime Minister George Papandreou. Papandreou resigned in November 2011 to

The Washington Diplomat

June 2013

make way for a national unity government that has attempted to guide Greece out of its ongoing debt crisis. Last June, Prime Minister Samaras’s New Democracy party narrowly won elections, but for a time, it looked as if Greece might actually pull out of the euro zone, a dire possibility Cyprus also flirted with during that Greek-speaking island’s recent banking crisis (instigated in large part by the country’s exposure to Greek bonds that had lost most of their value). However, Panagopoulos says his country has turned the corner and that he sees virtually no possibility of ever returning to the drachma. “The big question is whether we are in or out of the euro zone. The European Council has decided that Greece is definitely connected to the euro. That gives you peace of mind as an investor, that you belong to the most prestigious club in the world,” he said. “The mainstream sentiment is that if we opt out of the euro, the situation would be much harder for us. It might benefit us in the short term, like with tourism, but we are mainly an importing country so we need hard currency. Going back to the drachma would be a terrible shock, much worse than what we face today.” Instead of abandoning the euro, Panagopoulos and his government are focused on drumming up business. From 2012 to 2013, Greece moved up 11 spots on the World Bank’s “ease of doing business” rankings, though it still comes in at a dismal 78th place out of 185 economies. That’s why Panagopoulos wants to enlist the 2.5 million Americans of Greek origin, whom he calls “our allies to spread the message” that Greece is once again open for business — particularly when it comes to large infrastructure projects. “We’ve also launched a newsletter and sponsored an investment conference in New York,” he said. “Big international funds are now eyeing Greece for its huge potential, and we’re in

Photo: CIA World Factbook

Photo: Gerard McGovern / http://flickr.com/photos/89969871@N00

The Hellenic Parliament in Athens looks out over Syntagma Square, the site of regular protests since Greece’s economy crashed in 2009, triggering the euro crisis. At right, a view of the capital of Athens is seen from the Acropolis.

advanced discussions with some of them to invest in Greece.” The ambassador praised Athens’s Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport — which handles 13 million passengers a year — as one of the most efficient in Europe. “We have a network of airports that’s second to none,” he said.“Even in the United States you cannot find a small town of 5,000 or 10,000 that has regular daily air service. But all our islands have this service.” Panagopoulos also singled out another infrastructure project for its success in transforming Piraeus into a world-class port. Chinese shipping giant Cosco is leasing half of that port in a 2010

privatization deal worth €500 million ($647 million) to the Greek government, and is considering leasing the other half. The result: a sharp jump in productivity and relatively high wages for Cosco employees, although some have complained of being underpaid. On that note, while such investments may be great for Greece’s macroeconomic prospects (and for China’s), the painful tradeoffs — mainly a sharp reduction in labor costs and job protection rules — won’t go down well with ordinary Greeks, says the New York Times. “Unionized labor will push back to keep the protection it has enjoyed,” warned Vassilis Antoniades, the chief executive of Boston

Consulting Group in Greece. But the huge Cosco investment, he told the newspaper, “shows that under private management, Greek companies can be globally competitive.” That’s the idea behind Greece’s current privatization push. On May 1, the government accepted a €652 million ($858.6 million) bid for state gambling company OPAP, marking its first major successful selloff of a state-owned asset. Another crown jewel in the Greek privatization program is gas company DEPA and its gas network operator, DESFA. So far, the Wall Street Journal reported, the two utilities have drawn interest from five separate investors in Russia, Greece and Azerbaijan. Some Greeks have expressed concern though that the government may selling off assets too quickly, and cheaply. “In an open society, you would expect negative reactions, but the government has decided to privatize certain things, for instance real estate,”

See greece, page 52

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Foreign Affairs on Capitol Hill

Few Options as Landmark Pact With Russia Set to Expire by Luke Jerod Kummer

ince the Cold War ended, many people have made commendable efforts to ensure that the nuclear, chemical and biological weapons that proliferated during the 20th century won’t be used. We ought to thank those people. Here, I’ll start with a couple of the top guys: Thank you former Senators Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Sam Nunn (D-Ga.). The two of you spearheaded work on this issue when there was little interest to act in Congress. You continued to fight for a revolutionary policy that helped old enemies work together to eliminate weapons that threaten us all. Because of you, people’s lives — both abroad and in the United States — may have been saved. The Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program, also called Nunn-Lugar — after the lawmakers who birthed it in 1992 — was designed to help Russia and former Soviet states secure and dismantle their weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear, biological and chemical weapons stockpiles and infrastructure. With CTR funding, Kazakhstan got rid of all its nuclear weapons in 1995, followed by Ukraine in 1996, and Belarus in 1996. In 2004, Nunn-Lugar expanded beyond the former Soviet bloc to help Albania destroy its chemical weapons. It has since evolved to neutralize chemical and biological weapons in some 80 nations. In fact, according to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the program has deactivated more than 7,500 nuclear warheads, destroyed or eliminated 900 intercontinental ballistic missiles and a similar number of nuclear air-to-surface missiles, safeguarded fissile materials, converted weapons facilities for peaceful use, mitigated chemical and bio-threats, and redirected the work of former weapons scientists and engineers, among other efforts. During remarks celebrating the pact’s 20th anniversary last year, President Obama called it “one of the country’s smartest and most successful national security programs.” He recalled taking a trip with Lugar as a junior senator to Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan to learn more about the program.There, he saw firsthand vials of anthrax and other lethal agents — not exactly a typical congressional junket, the president joked. “But visiting those facilities … seeing these old weapons once aimed at us now being turned into scrap truly brought home how important this work was,” Obama said. “And it’s a perfect example of the kind of partnerships that we need, working together to meet challenges that no nation can address on its own.” Nunn-Lugar has undoubtedly helped to curb the proliferation of some of the world’s deadliest weapons, but the other fact we must acknowledge is that we also owe a heap of gratitude to just plain luck. Then and now, there’s a shockingly large amount of really, really nasty stuff out there that could sicken or kill millions of people in mere minutes. It would be foolhardy and dangerous for us to think, however, that our luck will hold out on its own. The only thing that we can count on is more hard work and more cooperation between the nations that opened the Pandora’s box of weapons of mass destruction in the first place. That’s especially true this month as a key component of the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program is set to expire

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“

Photo: PH1 Todd Cichonowicz / U.S. Navy

After the Soviet Union collapse, this really was an existential problem for the United States and maybe most of the world…. There were huge amounts of nuclear materials, chemical weapons, biological agents that were under terrific risk of being sold on the black market. — Andy Fisher

”

former communications director and senior advisor to Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.)

on June 17. If Moscow and Washington don’t ink a new umbrella agreement allowing Americans to continue working on threat reduction in Russia, it’s unclear exactly what will happen next, but soon, the CTR program likely won’t be able to continue in Russia in its current form. Moscow announced last fall that it would not renew the program, saying it could do the work itself without U.S. help. In response, Obama suggested the agreement could be renegotiated and updated. Since then, however, U.S.Russia relations have plunged even lower, and Nunn-Lugar may become a casualty of President Vladimir Putin’s increasing assertiveness against Washington. It’s important to note that the CTR program is not without its flaws. There have been claims of corruption, for example. And, perhaps, some of the stipulations are not entirely fair to either party, such as that the United States has to shoulder much of the costs or that Russia is forced to host contractors who get a break on paying taxes for imported goods. And, yes, the Russians might be able to perform the same work as effectively without the United States. But what if

A shipyard employee uses a cutting torch to break down a Russian ballistic submarine at the Little Star shipyard in Severodvinsk in 1996 as part of the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, a U.S. initiative to safeguard and dismantle weapons of mass destruction in the former Soviet Union.

they can’t? Can we afford to find out? We’re talking about weapons designed to kill as many people as quickly as possible. Let’s not leave the world’s fate to luck. Because of the grave concerns involved, this might actually be one of those occasions when top-of-the-lungs outrage in Congress is merited. And yet, there’s been mostly silence as lawmakers are consumed by Benghazi talking points and IRS scandals. Some are voicing legitimate concerns about Syria’s bloody civil war (also see “Congress Steps Into Syria Fray” in last month’s column), which is interesting because Syria’s possible stockpile of chemical weapons pales in comparison to Russia’s. It’s times like these when many people who care about nonproliferation wish that Sens. Nunn and Lugar were still on Capitol Hill (Nunn retired years ago and Lugar left office earlier this year after the moderate Republican lost to a tea party challenger in the GOP primary). Few in Congress, if any, ever worked harder to reduce the risk posed by these weapons as they did. To give an idea of why they cared so dearly, one only has to consider some of the threats they saw firsthand. In 1999, for example, Lugar, the former chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, traveled to Russia’s Ural Mountains. When he arrived at a town called Shchuch’ye, he found a loosely guarded building that his aides described as decrepit. Inside were a couple million shells and warheads, each filled with potent nerve agents. A photograph from the time shows Lugar donning a ushanka Russian fur hat, clenching in his hands a briefcase stuffed with one of the 85mm shells that contained VX, one of the most vile substances ever made — a mere droplet of which contains dozens of lethal doses. “That single chemical round could destroy everyone in a football stadium or at least make them really ill,” said Thomas Moore, a deputy director and senior fellow at the

The Washington Diplomat

June 2013

We trimmed our mortgage rates to as low as 2.528% APR

Credit: DTRA Photo

Above, a Ukrainian cuts down a Kh-22 air-to-surface missile under the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program implemented by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. At left, former Senators Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) and Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) leave the White House after briefing President George H.W. Bush on the Nunn-Lugar CTR legislation in 1991.

Center for Strategic International Studies and a former staffer on the Foreign Relations Committee. Moore said Lugar posed for that photo to demonstrate how easy it might have been for someone to spirit away one of these weapons and, potentially, wreak havoc. “After the Soviet Union collapse, this really was an existential problem for the United States and maybe most of the world,” said Andy Fisher, a longtime staffer with Sen. Lugar who accompanied him on many trips under the CTR program. “There were huge amounts of nuclear materials, chemical weapons, biological agents that were under terrific risk of being sold on the black market.” Undoubtedly, the CTR program has helped to neutralize that threat. For example, a secure chemical weapons destruction facility was opened at the Shchuch’ye site in 2009. It was built with the help of a $1 billion investment from the United States, authorized by provisions of the CTR. Contributions to the site’s construction were also made by Russia and a handful of other countries. The future of this sort of work is in jeopardy now, according to Moore and other observers, because Moscow and Washington have so far been unable to negotiate an extension to the accord that allows the United States to operate in Russia. Moore told The Diplomat that he’s not optimistic the logjam will be broken. “The way things stand now,” he said,“in just a few weeks, the current umbrella agreement will no longer be enforced and there probably won’t be one that’s ready to succeed it for quite some time.” In October, the Russian Foreign Ministry posted the following on its website: “Our American partners know that their proposal is at odds with our ideas about the forms and basis for building further cooperation in that area.To this end, we need a more modern legal framework.” Moore said that Russia is seeking to change provisions of the agreement that release American citizens and contractors for liability during their work in Russia and also exempt imported goods from Russian taxes. “Both of which are nonstarters [for the U.S.],” said Moore, who did extensive work on this issue while he was with the Foreign Relations Committee under Lugar. Others see more cause for hope. “Over a 20-year period, there have been lots

of ups and downs in the Russian and U.S. relationship,” said Fisher. “And the program has continued through all of that.” Moore was quick to point out, however, that comity between Russia and the United States has all but evaporated in recent years since the Obama administration’s highly touted “reset.” Last year, for instance, the Russian government rejected any more assistance from USAID because authorities in Moscow said it was funding nongovernmental organizations that incited opposition against then Prime Minister Putin, who was running for the presidency at the time. Moscow’s arrest of an alleged CIA spy who worked at the U.S. Embassy last month certainly won’t help to warm ties. “Basically, in the Russians’ minds, they want to normalize their relations with the rest of planet earth when it comes to post-Soviet assistance programs,” Moore said. “It’s not because they don’t want us to continue doing the things we’ve been doing, but the terms under which this cooperation unfolded were negotiated when Russia saw itself as very weak. “Now, with a lower debt-to-GDP ratio than any member of the G20, they’ve decided that they’re sort of back. And to the extent that this assistance makes them feel weak, they don’t want it anymore,” Moore said. “There really is no legislative fix,” Moore concluded. Yet with the deal’s expiration looming, some in Congress are taking action. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) has said she plans to introduce a bill soon that would extend and strengthen the CTR program. “We need to remain vigilant, to think ahead, and to anticipate where the next threats will come from,” Shaheen said in a statement to The Diplomat.“There is much work to be done, and my legislation will be aimed at expanding and modernizing our threat reduction programs to help meet the threats of tomorrow.” As the CTR enters its third decade, one of the bright spots is that it’s begun work in new places from Asia to Africa, and whether or not it continues in Russia, it will still do work in other former members of the U.S.S.R. But Russia remains the largest holder of weapons of mass destruction in the region. Even if the threats can be kept at their current levels or reduced by Russia acting alone, it would be an unfortunate sign of backsliding if the two nations most responsible for introducing weapons of mass destruction to the world can’t come together to keep them from accidentally unleashing those destructive forces.

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Luke Jerod Kummer is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

June 2013

The Washington Diplomat Page 21

MEDICAL

Fertility

Fertility Advances Giving Birth to New Hope, and Life by Gina Shaw

nconceivable. The verbose Vizzini loved using that word every chance he got in the comedic classic “Princess Bride” — to which Inigo Montoya finally replied, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

On a more serious note, fertility researchers know what that word means to hopeful would-be parents — and are aiming to remove it from their vocabulary. Recent advances in assisted reproductive technology (ART, for those in the know) make modern fertility treatment seem like science fiction. There’s the EmbryoScope, an “IVF incubator” that allows continuous, real-time monitoring of the progression of fertilized eggs from zygote to morula to blastocyst, until they are ready to be implanted in a woman’s uterus at around the seventh day after fertilization. IVF, incidentally, refers to in vitro fertilization, the pioneering technology developed in the late 1970s by Nobel Prize winner Robert Edwards, who just died in April at the age of 87. Since the birth of the world’s first “test tube” baby in 1978, IVF has helped to bring millions of children into the world by fertilizing an egg with sperm in the lab (in vitro) and then transferring the embryo into a woman. But there’s still no guarantee of success with IVF, which can easily wind up costing tens of thousands of dollars, and so the science of infertility continues to press on. The EmbryoScope tries to take some of the guesswork out of IVF with a built-in camera and computer system that lets reproductive endocrinologists choose the embryos that have the best chance of successfully growing into a healthy baby before implanting them into a woman’s uterus. The continuous-imaging technology is already available at a handful of top fertility centers, including the Cleveland Clinic, where the first births from EmbryoScope have already occurred. There’s also the “artificial ovary” developed by researchers at Brown University that can grow early egg follicles into mature, ready-to-fertilize eggs outside a woman’s body — which could help preserve fertility for women facing chemotherapy or other medical treatments. But possibly the most important recent development in ART — in terms of how many people it may ultimately help to have the biological child they want — isn’t a dramatic new technology, but a long-awaited improvement on a somewhat older one. It’s known as “flash freezing,” or vitrification, and it’s the best method reproductive endocrinologists now have to freeze a woman’s eggs for future fertilization and implantation. Here’s the problem: A lot of couples’ (and individuals’) fertility struggles stem from the fact that women’s eggs, unlike our sense of humor and style, do not get better with age. Scientists estimate that by the age of 40, 90 percent of a woman’s eggs have some sort of abnormality.A new model released last year by researchers in the United Kingdom found that a 30-year-old woman who’s been trying to get pregnant for three

Page 22

Photo: istock

A lot of fertility struggles stem from the fact that women’s eggs, unlike our sense of humor and style, do not get better with age. Scientists estimate that by the age of 40, 90 percent of a woman’s eggs have some sort of abnormality. months has a 16 percent chance of getting pregnant in her next menstrual cycle; her 40-year-old counterpart has just a 7 percent chance. With this harsh biological reality making headlines more frequently, more and more young women are thinking about preserving their fertility in their late 20s or early 30s, until they: are married/done with graduate school/have made partner/finish their residency/have traveled the world, etc. Women who are already married or have a life partner and want to harvest eggs, fertilize them, and freeze the embryos until they’re ready to start a family are in luck. That technology is pretty state of the art and has good success rates. At Shady Grove Fertility Center in Maryland, for example, about 45 percent of thawed frozen embryos result in a successful pregnancy. (These figures will always vary based on the specific fertility center.) But up until recently, single women who wanted to freeze and preserve their eggs, then thaw them to be fertilized later — when they had met the guy who was not only Mr. Right but Mr. Dad — faced much longer odds.

That’s because eggs are much more delicate and sensitive to the damage from the freezing process than embryos are. The human egg is the largest cell in the body, and that means it’s full of water.What happens to water when it freezes? Right. It turns to ice. These ice crystals can injure or destroy the frozen eggs. In the 1990s and 2000s, egg freezing was considered “experimental” at best and very risky at worst. Not only might you freeze eggs and think you had preserved your fertility for the future, only to find out years later that the eggs had not survived, you might actually fertilize an egg that had sustained undetectable damage from the freezing process, leading to an unknown host of potential birth defects. In 2005, leading fertility specialists in New York told New York magazine that egg freezing represented an illusory promise. “The chance for success with this procedure is exceedingly low,” said Dr. Zev Rosenwaks, director of the Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at the Cornell Institute. That’s not to say that no one was using egg freezing during these years. There were a number of successful pregnancies as a result of egg freezing up through the early 2000s. Experts differ as to exactly how many, but there were probably at least 300 to 400 by 2007, according to a news report published that fall in Nature, and fewer than 1 percent of those had detectable abnormalities (comparable to a natural pregnancy). In fact, Shady Grove’s present IVF director, Michael Tucker, was the first to freeze an egg and deliver a baby in the United States, back in 1997. But for much of the last decade the accepted wisdom in the ART field was that egg freezing would ultimately yield a viable pregnancy at only about half the

The Washington Diplomat

See medical, page 52 June 2013

LIVING L U X U R Y

■ A Special Section of The Washington Diplomat

Ready,Set,

Decorate

Upscale Property Becomes Home to Creative Laboratory of Design LUXURY LIVING

June 2013

■ June 2013

The showpiece of this year’s DC Design House was located at 2507 Foxhall Road, NW. PHoTo: Ken Wyner

Continued on next page

The Washington Diplomat Page 23

“I wanted to show how different styles can cohabitate. My task is to find the common language, a certain type of diplomacy of styles, with an American freedom to support it.” — NeStor SaNta-Cruz, interior designer with Asian accents and a wall covering by Cannon/Bullock reminiscent of unfinished The sixth annual DC Design House raised gray tiling. The centerpiece, as is expected more than $200,000 for Children’s National in a dining room, is a circular table, the Medical Center, bringing the total dollar PK-54 by Danish designer Poul Kjærholm, amount raised for the center to more than which sells for more than $20,000. $1 million over the last six years. “It raises questions such as why do forThe stone-and-stucco property at 2507 mal rooms have to have the same 12 chairs Foxhall Road, NW, that was the showpiece in a row,” Santa-Cruz said. for this year’s Design House attracted thouFor Terri Hartwell Easter and Ashleigh sands of visitors, including celebrities such Bradshaw of Maris Elaine Gallery in Oxon as actress Sharon Stone. It even made quite Hill, Md., the biggest challenge was making a scene when “Meet the Press” newsman a big statement in a small space. They were David Gregory reportedly threw a temper charged with the powder room and a halltantrum on the front lawn of the Design way on the main level between the living House when parking in the neighborhood room and library. (where his home is located) became crowd“We wanted to focus on creating a coheed because of all the visitors, according to sive feeling between our space and the the Washington Post’s Reliable Source. surrounding spaces and we tried to include That of course didn’t deter gawkers from elements from each room,” said Hartwell checking out the glitzy design laboratory Easter.“The living room has more of a light between April 14 and and fluid feeling while the May 12 to get décor library is very masculine and ideas for their own For more a little heavier.” homes, buy some of the information To bridge them, the firstfurnishings, or just get a on DC Design time participants chose artHouse, visit glimpse inside a resiwork that worked with the www.dcdesignhouse.com. Also dence located in one of library and painted the ceilsee “Redecorating for a Good Washington’s priciest ing with a pop of yellow to Cause in DC Design House neighborhoods. add lightness — and surChallenge” in the April 2012 “It’s an honorable prise. “We did also want to issue of The Washington cause,” said Nestor Santafollow our own design aesDiplomat. Cruz, a second-time thetic — ‘black dress, good Design House particijewelry’ — which essentially pant and a member of the Washington means a great neutral palette with art and Design Center Hall of Fame. “Design has accessories as our statement pieces,” many ways of enriching life, making it easi- Hartwell Easter explained. er. But I always hope to inspire.” The biggest change, she said, was making He tackled the formal dining room, which a built-in bookcase into an art installation sits to the right as you enter the house. with an inset smoked mirror, custom shelvSanta-Cruz said he drew inspiration from ing and “Thinking About Men,” sculptures of Washington’s global community. women’s heads by local artist Theresa “It’s about being in an international area Knight McFadden. It’s worth $2,500. of town, full of embassies,” he said.“I wanted On the top floor, Jeff Akseizer and Jamie to show how different styles can cohabi- Brown of Akseizer Design Group in tate. My task is to find the common lan- Alexandria, Va., created a social media guage, a certain type of diplomacy of styles, lounge and hall gallery that includes a live with an American freedom to support it.” See DeSigN HouSe, page 28 Santa-Cruz mixed Scandinavian furniture

Continued from previous page

to learn

The outdoor loggia PHoTo: AnGIe SeCKInGer

PHoTo: AnGIe SeCKInGer

two dozen designers redid a brand new, 14,000-square-foot house in D.C.’s Wesley Heights neighborhood as part of DC Design House, reimagining rooms such as the library, above. Glashutte_WashingtonDiplomat__PanoMaticLunar_DDFS_Feb.indd 1

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[ city living ]

Moving with the Times D.C. Streetcars Resurrect Bygone Era of Transportation by Martin Austermuhle

or a century streetcars crisscrossed Washing ton, D.C., ferrying residents, visitors and commuters from as far away as Cabin John, Md., and parts of Virginia to locations in George town, Dupont Circle, Mount Pleasant, Capitol Hill, and the Navy Yard. By the time World War I began, more than 200 miles of streetcar tracks existed in the region, with 100 of those in D.C. alone. But by 1963, that extensive network ceased to exist. Pressured by the ever-expanding use of the personal automobile and largely replaced by the more costeffective public bus, the D.C. Board of Commissioners and Congress opted to tear up its tracks and sell off its streetcars. To date, the only reminder that streetcars ever ran in D.C. are small segments of rail tracks maintained for posterity’s sake along two residential roads in Georgetown. Now, though, D.C. officials are looking back as a means to move forward. Later this year, the city expects to launch the city’s first streetcar line in more than 50 years — a 2.4-mile route along H Street and Benning Road, NE. The new line, which will connect Union Station with commercial and residential areas to its east, will only be the start of what D.C. hopes will eventually be a 37-mile network connecting the city in the same way that the old network did before it. Under the city’s current plans, D.C. could eventually have one of the country’s most robust streetcar networks, with lines offering direct connections between various neighborhoods and fueling economic growth along currently underserved commercial corridors. It would also put the nation’s capital on par with many European cities that have long relied on electric-powered rail cars (also called trams and trolleys). Beyond H Street, the 37-mile network that planners have envisioned includes a line extending west from Union Station and along K Street to the Georgetown Waterfront, while another stretch would run along 7th Street, NW, linking the Southeast Waterfront to the Georgia Avenue commercial corridor all the way up to Takoma. Rhode Island Avenue, NE, could get its own line, and one could also appear along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Southeast Anacostia. Despite investing in an extensive Metro system in the late 1970s and promoting new options such as car-sharing and bike-sharing today, city officials say that streetcars would help fill gaps in the city’s transit network. Additionally, they argue, the prominence and permanence of the streetcars would increase economic opportunities and spur new development. “Metrorail service … is not equally available throughout the District and does not reach certain areas with high demand for premium transit. The proposed streetcar system is planned so that it would reach many of those areas, tying them to each other and to Metro. Unlike Metro, the aboveground nature of the streetcar would increase its visibility and expand opportunity for visitors and others to experience the city visually,” said a January 2012 report from the D.C. Office of Planning on the proposed streetcar network. That city’s study also found that once the system is completed, the ben-

Page 26

Photos: District Department of Transportation

efits to residents and future development could be significant. According to the Office of Planning, the share of D.C. households with convenient access to rail-based public transit would increase from 15 percent to 60 percent. Additionally, retail spending in corridors served by the streetcars would increase by $300 million annually, and between $5 billion and $8 billion worth of new development would occur within the decade after the network’s completion. All told, claimed the report, streetcars would bring in between $238 million and $291 million in new revenue to D.C. coffers. According to Kenneth H. Rucker, who runs the National Capital Trolley Museum in Silver Spring, Md., city officials aren’t just being hopeful —they’re drawing lessons from what happened when the region was filled with streetcars in the past. “Streetcars, whether they were horse-drawn, cable-drawn or operated with electric motors, are often referred to as the cars that built our cities,” he said. “If you compare a modern Metro map to a map of the horse car, cable car and electric car lines in Washington, you would find that many of the communities served today had their origin as streetcar suburbs or streetcar communities within the city.” Rucker says that development patterns throughout the region were shaped by the streetcar lines, and city officials hope that same pattern applies as they build out the new network over the next few decades.This, they say, holds especially true in commercial corridors still struggling to revive after the 1968 urban riots that left many of the city’s neighborhoods

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, left, and D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh board one of the new streetcars that will soon traverse city roads after a 50-year absence.

LUXURY LIVING The Washington Diplomat

June 2013

“Streetcars, whether they were horse-drawn, cabledrawn or operated with electric motors, are often referred to as the cars that built our cities.”

H Street in Northeast has been undergoing construction in preparation for a new streetcar line that will run from H Street and Benning Road.

— Kenneth H. Rucker director of administration at the National Capital Trolley Museum

abandoned — including H Street, where the first line will run and where investment has swelled ahead of its arrival. Given the economic potential, D.C. isn’t the only local jurisdiction that’s seeing value in streetcars. Virginia’s Arlington County has also started planning for two streetcar lines, one running along Columbia Pike, the other along Jefferson Davis Highway in Crystal City. According to initial plans, the two lines would converge at Pentagon City. County officials estimate that the new streetcars could add up to 37,000 jobs, 21,000 residents and 11,600 units of housing by 2040. D.C. officials have also said they’ve discussed the possibility of connecting the city’s eventual network into one that could sprout up in Maryland, highlighting that the eventual success of the future streetcar network might rest on doing what was done in the past — making it regional. “The District is no longer the District. All of our transportation projects from this point on are going to cross boundaries,” said Terry Bellamy, director of

Photo: AgnosticPreachersKid

the D.C. Department of Transportation. “We’re talking to Montgomery County, we met with Prince George’s County.All of us now realize that whatever we do in our particular communities may have an impact outside those communities. What we’re doing on our side and what they’re doing on their side have to match.” Despite the city’s ambitious plans, at this point the majority of the 37-mile network only exists on paper.Though the H Street line will roll out later this year, city officials are still looking for financing opportunities for an initial 22-mile priority network that they expect to cost $1.2 billion. Last year, D.C. put out requests to private companies — both national and international — for proposals on a

public-private partnership for the next streetcar lines.The city received 20 responses, including from firms in China, France and Australia. City officials are also preparing to deal with more practical challenges. As they get closer to running service on H Street, they’ve had to consider how to educate drivers who will have to learn to share the road with the new trolleys.They’re also dealing with building the infrastructure to support and maintain streetcars, while negotiating with the federal government to avoid violating a law that forbids overhead wires in certain parts of the city. Martin Austermuhle is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

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The Washington Diplomat Page 27

from page 24

Design House reef fish tank by Reef eScape built into the wall unit. On the opposite wall is a flat-screen television with three other monitors alongside it for ultimate viewing. Makeovers were not limited to indoor spaces. The back of the house features several patios and a vanishing-edge pool. Over in the front, Amy Mills of DCA Landscape Architects took on the entry garden. She and her team had helped to design the landscape for the house when it was built, ensuring that grading worked with the entrance, driveway and garage. For instance, they raised the front yard with a stone wall to put the garden closer to the house and create a sense of being level with the driveway. “The house is not symmetrical and so an overly formal landscape design seemed out of place,” Mills said. “We used evergreens and flowering trees in a balanced manner to add underlying structure, but then pulled in a softer, more casual look with the grasses, roses, hydrangeas and azaleas. The idea was to have interest throughout the year with a color scheme of whites, blues and peaches and pops of chartreuse leaf color.” Through ticket sales, boutique buys and furniture purchases, DC Design House has raised $1 million for Children’s National Medical

Among the rooms that were redecorated as part of this year’s DC Design House were, from clockwise top left, the family room, morning room, kitchen/butler’s pantry and bar/ side hall.

Photos: Angie Seckinger

See Design House, page 32

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LUXURY LIVING The Washington Diplomat

June 2013

[ amenities ]

Up-Scale Perks On World’s Top Airlines, Sky’s the Limit for Luxury by Stephanie Kanowitz

hey say it’s the journey, not the destination. But when the journey involves air travel, those long security lines, layovers and delays sure make the destination look good. To make voyages more enjoyable — perhaps even relaxing — especially for firstand business-class passengers, many international airlines are offering amenities on par with those at five-star hotels. “As an international airline, we put careful consideration into services which make our flights enjoyable for all guests across all cabins, particularly on the long-haul routes,” said Peter Baumgartner, chief commercial officer at Etihad Airways, the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates. From fine dining and onboard sommeliers to private suites and massage chairs, here’s a look at what paying premium prices buys you in the air.

Etihad Airways Established by royal decree in 2003, Etihad, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, leaves no luxury unturned. The Diamond First Class category — available on half the airline’s fleet — means individual suites with Poltrona Frau leather seats that convert to flat beds as the centerpiece; built-in massage; a large wood-finished table; Arabic-style sliding doors for privacy; a 23-inch personal entertainment screen; a personal wardrobe with mirror; a personal mini bar; and four individual lighting options with dimmers.The first-class cabin also has a changing room with a leather fold-down seat and full-length illuminated mirror. Food is available around the clock from the airline’s “Kitchen Anytime” menu, and choices are tailored to the route, typically including at least one “Taste of Arabia” dish and one Western option. First-class goody bags, or amenity kits, for Diamond First Class passengers include the usual suspects — a toothbrush, toothpaste, ear plugs, socks and eyeshades — plus a few notable perks: La Prairie cellular time-release moisturizer, hand cream and lip balm.The bags themselves are a treat.Women receive a black cosmetic purse detailed with Swarovski crystals. Men get a black cufflink box filled with a shaving kit with a Schick Xtreme 3 razor and shaving cream. Passengers also get slippers and tailored male and female sleeper suits, an offering the airline says is exclusive to its first class. Etihad, named the “World’s Leading Airline” by World Travel Awards for the last four years in a row, is obviously doing something right. It posted recordlevel profits in the first quarter of 2013, with passenger revenues of $900 million, an increase of 19 percent over 2012 first-quarter figures. Similarly, the number of fliers in the first quarter of 2013 grew by 18 percent, up from 2.3 million to a record 2.8 million. Etihad flies to 86 destinations in 55 countries and added a D.C. route to its list in March (also see “UAE Goes All Out to Promote U.S. Business, Charitable Links” in the May edition of the Diplomatic Pouch online).

Emirates Forget bigger seats and more legroom. First-class passengers on Emirates Airline’s A380,A340-500 and most 777 aircraft get private suites fully equipped with a sliding door, a personal mini bar, vanity table, mirror, wardrobe and privacy divider. Crew members can convert seats into fully flat beds with a mattress, duvet and blankets. To help passengers stay and arrive fresh, Emirates partnered with the Italian company Bvlgari for its amenity kits.The men’s kit includes the Au Thé Rouge aftershave emulsion, eau parfumée and body lotion, as well as a razor from the British company Taylor of Old Bond Street.Women get Bvlgari nourishing face

Photo: Etihad Airways

Diamond First Class passengers on Etihad Airways can sprawl out in their own private suites and nosh on the airline’s “Kitchen Anytime” menu.

emulsion, hand cream and Au Thé Rouge eau parfumée. The usual stuff, such as Colgate dental kits, is in there, too. Of course, passengers might not need all the perfumed lotions. The Airbus A380 planes, which have 14 first-class seats out of 489 total seats, also have “shower spas” made of walnut and marble. Guests can clean up with “timeless spa revive” or “relax” shower kits. If all that relaxation works up fliers’ appetites, they can choose from a range of dishes prepared on demand throughout the flight and served on Royal Doulton fine bone china with Robert Welch cutlery. Or they can snack in one of two onboard lounges on the upper deck, which serve five-star delicacies, and sip wines selected by the company’s sommeliers or have cocktails prepared by an onboard bartender. Adults don’t have all the fun, though.Youngsters get treats from the airline’s “Fly With Me Monsters” collection in the form of blanket buddies, seatbelt critters or magnetic sketchers. Older children get items designed in collaboration with Quiksilver, an American sports lifestyle brand, including travel folios, surf-styled Velcro wallets with Quiksilver graphics and game cards. Emirates, wholly owned by the emirate of Dubai, offers flights out of Dulles.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG The popular 87-year-old German airline eschewed the idea of private suites in favor of an open design that passengers indicated they favored in surveys. But privacy is still well respected: Flexible privacy screens are available to passengers in the eight seats that make up the first-class section. Sound-absorbing curtains separate the cabin from the rest of the aircraft and sound-insulating material in the carpet and the plane’s outer skin create what Lufthansa bills the quietest first-class section in the world. Passengers don’t have to worry about bumping their heads on overhead bins after snoozing on their 6.5-foot beds.The airline also breaks form by omitting overhead bins in first class. Passengers get their own lockable closets

LUXURY LIVING June 2013

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The Washington Diplomat Page 29

Continued from previous page

On a recent survey by Business Insider of “The 20 Best Airlines in the World,” which ranked in-flight experience and performance figures, South African Airways, above, came in 11th place.

instead. Additionally, Lufthansa recently became the first commercial airline to install an air humidification system. Soon, external video cameras will transmit images taken from the tailfin to passengers’ 15-inch monitors. And if comfort has to give way to work, Lufthansa FlyNet, the first broadband Internet access on long-haul flights, lets you text, email, or simply surf online via Wi-Fi-enabled devices. Amenity kits are tailored by gender. For instance, women get socks, eyeshades, shower caps, a hairbrush, Pearls & Dents dental set, La Mer facial cream, and pajamas by the German company Van Laack. From its North American gateways — Dulles is one — Lufthansa operates 241 flights a week, making it the third largest transatlantic route network. Photo: South African Airways

South African Airways The national airline of South Africa, SAA provides its highest passenger classes — Business Class and Premium Business Class — with fully flatbed seats and premium bedding.The seats, which comprise 13 percent to 17 percent of the aircraft that SAA operates in the United States, also have individual on-demand entertainment systems, privacy screens and power ports. Amenity bags include the requisite sleep masks, socks and toiletries but also lotions, lip balms and hydration sprays to combat dry cabin air. Children stay occupied with kids’ meals, special programming and video games. They also get a keepsake kids’ pack with games and crayons. SAA, founded in 1934, has flown the country’s diplomatic corps — including President Jacob Zuma — to assignments worldwide. Celebrities such as Martha Stewart, actor Forest Whitaker, Kim and Khloe Kardashian, and musician Gene Simmons of Kiss have also flown SAA. On a recent survey by Business Insider of “The 20 Best Airlines in the World,” which ranked in-flight experience and performance figures, SAA came in 11th place, tied with Cathay Pacific. Daily flights out of Dulles go to Johannesburg via Dakar, Senegal.

Photo: Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines If the way to passengers’ hearts is through their stomachs, Turkish Airlines is on target. Like South African Airways, its highest class is business, too, although the experience is all about pleasure. “Flying Chefs,” as they’re called by the airline, greet passengers and work alongside cabin crew, cooking and overseeing food preparation with the goal of providing “a five-star restaurant high above the clouds,” according to the company. Flying Chefs serve a variety of Turkish dishes in addition to international cuisine, such as Turkish meatballs, stuffed eggplant, caprese salad and walnut pear tart. To accommodate full bellies, business-class seats include a massage button and an ottoman that creates a 75-inch-long sleeping space. The armrest also serves as a privacy screen and is controlled by a touch button. Amenity kits for business-class passengers come in a FORMIA-designed iPad case that doubles as a cosmetics bag. They also get a pencil case containing Crabtree & Evelyn’s Jojoba Oil products, lip balm and hand cream. For passengers who are making a pilgrimage to Mecca,Turkish Airlines offers a Hajj kit containing alcohol-free liquid soap, a prayer mat and an electronic tally counter to keep track of prayers. The airline has five U.S. gateways, including D.C., getting passengers from Dulles to Istanbul in about 10 hours.

Turkish Airlines takes its food seriously, with “Flying Chefs” who greet passengers and work alongside cabin crew, cooking and overseeing food preparation with the goal of providing “a five-star restaurant high above the clouds.”

Qantas Flights from Washington to destinations in New Zealand and Australia aboard this 93-year-old Australian airline can take 25 hours.To help passengers stay refreshed, the first-class cabin features 14 private suites with Edelman leather seats that recline into flat, extra-wide beds with sheepskin mattress overlays and ottomans for in-suite companions. Controls on the bed’s armrest move the seat, leg rest and lumbar positioning to a fully flat bed of up to almost 7 feet.They also can be set to massage different body parts. Each suite also has mood lighting, soundproofing, a 17-inch LCD screen, and dining tables that can fit two passengers. Updated amenity kits, which Qantas began offering in March shortly after inking an alliance with Emirates, include cotton jersey twopiece gray pajamas and toiletry bags stuffed with SK-II products.Women and men get SK-II Facial Treatment Essence, but the ladies’ kit — housed in a red clutch — also contains SK-II Stempower Cream and Facial Treatment Gentle Cleanser. Men get a double-zipper black bag with SK-II Men Moisturizer Cleanser and Age Revitalize Moisturizer. Forget lukewarm mystery meat on Qantas flights. Dining is taken seriously under the purview of executive chef Neil Perry, who has been with the company for 15 years. He flies to each Qantas destination to train staff in preparation and presentation when the seasonal menus change. Qantas and Perry were the first to offer a degustation menu in-flight, and first-class passengers have the option of an a la carte menu as well. Some flights also offer an eight-course tasting menu, and many have onboard sommeliers. Everything is served on tableware featuring designs by Australian native Marc Newson. Actors Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi and John Travolta and Aussie model Miranda Kerr have been spotted on Qantas flights.

SWISS/Swiss International Air Lines No matter where in the world its planes are, SWISS, part of the Lufthansa Group, is always close to home. Photo: SWISS/Swiss International Air Lines Amenity kits include products from Swiss companies such as Bally, Ricola lemon mint sugar-free herb drops and Zimmerli pajamas. Included in the bag are a comb/brush combo, tissue pack, toothbrush, toothpaste, black socks, eyeshades, earplugs, lip balm, cellular time-release moisturizer, cellular hand cream, and cellular eye contour cream by La Prairie. The 11-year-old company has a rule limiting the first-class cabin to just eight armchairs on long-haul aircraft. On its Airbus A330-300 planes, seats adjust to personal preferences for firmness and become flat beds. Privacy panels can turn a seat into an onboard office, and available tables and ottomans enable in-flight meetings.

See Airlines, page 32 Page 30

LUXURY LIVING The Washington Diplomat

June 2013

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The Washington Diplomat Page 31

Cindy Souza Presents The Best in Luxury Living

“As an international airline, we put careful consideration into services which make our flights enjoyable for all guests across all cabins, particularly on the long-haul routes.” — Peter Baumgartner, chief commercial officer at Etihad Airways

from page 30

Airlines The airline’s homage to its heritage is apparent in its dining options, too, such as — what else? — Swiss cheese and Balik salmon. In addition to standard multicourse meals, overnight flights offer a la carte menus and bottomless cups of Swiss Nespresso coffee. Since March 6, the business- and first-class cabins on long-haul flights from Switzerland have featured fare reminiscent of the canton of Grisons, or specifically of Michelin-rated chef Martin Göschel of the five-star Relais & Châteaux Hotel Paradies in Ftan.

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tries need to travel, they turn to TACA. So have celebrities such as Salma Hayek, Paris Hilton, journalist Andrés Oppenheimer, soccer star David Beckham and Pope John Paul II.The Latin American company’s highest class is business, which features wide leather seats, padded headphones and mood lighting that changes depending on the phase of the flight. Business-class passengers also get an amenity kit in a bag made of Colombian leather and stocked with socks, L’Occitane hand cream, a sleep mask, lip cream or balm, pen, tissues, toothbrush and Colgate toothpaste. On Airbus A330 flights, the 30 business-class seats fully recline and have massage settings. Most of the fleet’s other planes have just 12 business-class seats. Stephanie Kanowitz is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

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from page 28

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Center since its inception. In the past five years, 45,000 people have visited the houses. Skip and Debbie Singleton, principals of DC Living Real Estate, founded the nonprofit Design House in 2008 as a way for local designers to showcase their talent while raising money for Children’s. For a house to qualify, it must be inside the Beltway and have enough rooms to accommodate 20-plus designers. Design House committee members assigned each designer a space and they had 35 days to transform it. This was the first time a new house was selected for the event. Designed by GTM Architects, it can by Pictured at left is the master mezzanine yours for $14.9 million. and above is the lower-level dining room. “The new construction was a nice breather this year as no one had to endure” demolitions, Hayes Long said.“The open plan and wide corridors have been well received by our visitors.This house definitely had something for every age, budget and design sensibility.” The search for next year’s house has already begun, she said.“As soon as we shut the doors to this house, we get started looking for the next one. We look for something unique with a great history or a bit of mystery, good street presence and location.” Stephanie Kanowitz is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

Page 32

LUXURY LIVING The Washington Diplomat

June 2013

culture & arts

■ WWW.WASHDIPLOMAT.COM

entertainment

■ JUNE 2013

DIPLOMATIC SPOUSES

Social Butterfly Gouri Mirpuri, wife of the Singaporean ambassador, gives being social a whole new meaning, as she fights for causes ranging from youth empowerment to environmental sustainability. PAGE 35

ART

Conflicted Perspective The warzone in Afghanistan is seen through the eyes of Australian soldiers in the striking exhibit “Point of View – Afghanistan.” PAGE 36

THEATER

Silence is Golden Synetic Theater, acclaimed for its wordless storytelling of classics, is trying something new with its production of “The Three Musketeers”: dialogue. PAGE 37

DEADLY

Photo: DaviD LevinthaL

GAME

A Union Army general famously declared that “war is hell,” but for almost as long as armed conflict has existed, toy soldiers have depicted war as noble and courageous — glamorous, even. “David Levinthal: War Games” is an instructive, surprising examination of these disparate notions of war through the use of antique and modern-day figurines and other props. PAGE 34

DININg

FILM REVIEWS

Le Diplomate has a formal ring to it, but Stephen Starr’s first D.C. restaurant is all authentic bistro comfort. PAGE 39

“Pieta” packs an explosive wallop of violence, revenge and family ties that’s not for the feint of heart. PAGE 40

[ photography ]

Toying with War Levinthal’s Images Humanize Conflict Through Action Figures by Michael Coleman

nion Army Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman famously declared that “war is hell,” but for almost as long as armed conflict has existed, there have been figurines, or toy solsol diers, that depict war as noble and courageous — glamorglamor ous, even. A compelling and unusual exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of Art explores these disparate notions of war through the use of antique and modern-day toy soldiers and other props. “David Levinthal: War Games” is a vivid study of the acclaimed New York photographer’s surprising — and sometimes shocking — ability to explore the boundaries between simulated reality and historical truth. Levinthal’s earliest work in this medium, titled “Hitler Moves East,” dates to 1972, as the Vietnam War was coming to an end. As a young student at the Yale School of Art, Levinthal met Garry Trudeau, who went on to fame as the creator of the popular comic strip “Doonesbury.”The two young art students collaborated on a book that documented the infamous and rarely photographed Nazi invasion of Russia, known in history books as Operation Barbarossa. Using a classic written document of the account that included no photographs (also called “Hitler Moves East”), the men painstakingly recreated the military movements of the epic conflict using traditional plastic toy soldiers, others small materials and cameras. Using Kodalith, an old black-and-white graphic arts film famous for its extreme contrasts, Levinthal and Trudeau manage to recreate the bleak feel of Eastern Europe frozen in winter, as well as the physical motion of soldiers in battle. While the images don’t exactly appear life-like, the precise lighting and arrangements of soldiers and toy tanks — coupled with a distorted image resulting from the use of Kodalith film — creates a disturbingly realistic tableau. While the distortion serves to obscure and somehow humanize the obviously inanimate David Levinthal: War Games characters, one could argue through Sept. 1 some images are distorted to Corcoran Gallery of Art the point of becoming abstract art.What is it exactly we’re sup500 17th St., nW posed to be seeing here? For more information, please Perhaps the most iconic call (202) 639-1700 image in this series is a careor visit www.corcoran.org. fully rendered scene of warriors upended by an explosive in battle. Four soldiers cresting a grassy hill are suddenly thrown into the air as an image of thick white smoke envelops them. The primary subject of the photo — the third soldier from the left — appears blown backward by the blast, his rifle remaining at the ready and jutting from his side. A similar fate befalls a soldier on the far left, but he is flipped completely upside down. His splayed legs are the only section of his body visible to Levinthal’s camera. The images of heroic soldiers made prone and vulnerable to injury is a marked contrast to Levinthal’s latest work, “I.E.D.,” also on display here. These images, rendered in vivid full color and on a more expansive scale, employ modern-day toy soldiers at war in the Middle East. In “I.E.D,” a reference to the improvised explosive devices that became common in Iraq and Afghanistan, the word “toy” almost seems quaint. These are highly detailed, multicolored action figures replete with rippling muscles, square jaws, perfectly tailored battle uniforms and the latest accoutrements of war. Levinthal shoots these figures in varying degrees of light and — unlike in “Hitler Moves East” — they depict hardly a trace of vulnerability. One disturbing image shows two soldiers in sand-colored fatigues standing in front of a heavy corrugated steel garage door in the dark of night, illuminated by Levinthal’s surreal green depiction of a view through night-vision goggles. One of them aims his weapon at the barrier while the other lurches forward, pointing aggressively. In another tense photo, two American soldiers are crouching in movement under a slightly blurred photo of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The photo almost appears as if it were plucked from a war documentary.

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The Washington Diplomat

]

PhotoS: DaviD LevinthaL

Toy soldiers humanize war in David Levinthal’s photographic series, such as “i.e.D.,” top and far left, “Small Wonder,” above, “Mein Kampf,” at left, and “Wild West,” shown on the culture cover.

While most of the photos in “I.E.D.” depict U.S. soldiers in aggressive poses, one in particular demonstrates the cost of war. In this frame, a lone soldier stands stolidly but seemingly dazed as blood oozes from a bandage under his helmet. Garish bright lights in the background suggest ongoing explosions. Levinthal’s “Wild West,” also displayed here, reproduces scenes from a different kind of war — that between “cowboys and Indians” in 19th-century America. These photographs, which include many horses and buffalo, are more densely populated, and the intricately designed figures come from both his own boyhood collection, as well as some he purchased for the project. “Mein Kampf” is perhaps Levinthal’s most macabre work on display here. The series re-enacts Adolf Hitler’s theatrical rallies and descends into a graphic and terrifying depiction of the Holocaust’s insanity. One particularly troubling image is of men hoisting a body into an incinerator. Using a rare 20x24 Polaroid camera, Levinthal’s expansive scenes of propaganda and horror in “Mein Kampf” are richly saturated in color and disturbingly compelling. Levinthal once wrote that, “Ever since I began working with toys, I have been intrigued with the idea that these seemingly benign objects could take on such incredible power and personality simply by the way they were photographed.” The show is a precursor to a larger summer exhibition called“WAR/PHOTOGRAPHY: Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath,” a survey of conflict photography from the mid-1800s to the present. But Levinthal’s work holds its own. The Corcoran’s exhibition of his photographs is its first to be curated exclusively by undergraduate students at the adjoining Corcoran College of Art + Design.They did a job that would make a master of photography such as Levinthal proud. Michael Coleman is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

June 2013

[ diplomatic spouses ]

Can-Do Spirit Singaporean Acts to Make World Better Place, One Posting at a Time by Gail Scott

t’s obvious when you first meet Gouri Mirpuri, wife of Singaporean Ambassador Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, that she is not only extremely active but also deeply inspired to act on social issues ranging from youth empowerment to environmental sustainability. “I want to create social impact in everything I do,” said Mirpuri, a passionate activist and author who has written several books and publishes a regular environmental column in Globe Asia, a business magazine. “If I feel something is wrong, I have to do something about it.” And she has done plenty, both in Singapore and in nearby Indonesia, where her husband served as ambassador before coming to Washington, D.C. Gouri Mirpuri is the founder of the Learning Farm, an organic farm that helps to provide livelihoods for Indonesian street children, and she’s the co-founder of the HUB in Singapore, a collaborative space for Asian social entrepreneurs that’s part of a global network of 6,000 innovators in nearly 40 HUBs across five continents. She’s also the founder of I-Hear, a support and advocacy group for the deaf, and an advisor for the International Dance Festival of Indonesia. Here in Washington, she’s continued her can-do attitude and activism, serving on the board of the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital. More recently, a local CVS store became one of her targets for change. “When you buy something at CVS, they give you this three-foot-long receipt with endless discounts and conditions that is too long for the wallet,” she explained.“So I just yesterday wrote an e-mail to ‘Mr./Ms. CVS’ suggesting that instead of all this waste in paper and ink, it would be much more efficient to reduce the font size, not be repetitive and, better yet, make it a mobile app. “I got a ‘thank you’ back, saying it was a good suggestion and they would take it up at the next big meeting. How nice!” One of her biggest achievements is perhaps the Learning Farm, whose premise is to give Indonesia’s street children and vulnerable youth a new future. After four months of living and working on an organic farm, these children take their newly acquired skills back to their villages and use them to not only make a better living but also to teach others better agricultural practices while Photos: Gail Scott providing healthy food to themselves and their families. Gouri Mirpuri, wife of Singaporean Ambassador Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, talks to students As the Learning Farm explains on its website,“This social at Alice Deal Middle School in Washington, D.C., about Singaporean culture and cuisine entrepreneurship program aims to empower marginalized as part a recent “international food day” hosted by D.C. Public Schools and the youth. Along with organic farming, they are taught enter- Washington Performing Arts Society’s Embassy Adoption Program. prise development and other valuable life skills, which enables these youngsters to each other.” become more economically It adds:“We are the only space to bring together self-sufficient, capable and productive members of people making change regardless of industry. My life is like Chinese checktheir communities.” Members work at the HUB Singapore, attend and Mirpuri called it an opportunity for these children ers, where you take one step and you produce events, access funding and mentorship, to use their hands and their heads through “additional source co-conspirators, find social networks, and life-skills training, such as computers, English and first never know where that’s going to lead launch companies.” aid,” and “to enrich their hopeful hearts through the 4,200 ‘rock stars’ of social entrepreneuryou. I try to think about what I could ship“Soarefar,having recognition of their ability and existence to encourfun and being inspired by each age their self-confidence.” other,” Mirpuri said. “The HUB is growing into a do today and what I could do tomor- global workplace where change makers kick-start She hopes that in Indonesia, where roughly 70 percent of the population earns a living through farmtheir ideas and don’t feel lonely anymore.” row, not what I used to do or be. ing, these “young boys and girls will find inspiration She credits her early success with the Learning and a sustainable lifestyle working with nature.” Farm and the HUB to the seven-year experience she — Gouri Mirpuri Mirpuri then went on to establish the HUB in had working in change management for Bursonwife of Singaporean Ambassador Ashok Kumar Mirpuri Singapore, which has grown into a vibrant space for Marsteller, a leading global PR and communications “a community of like-minded entrepreneurs and firm, and setting up the Corporate Communications social entrepreneurs to connect, mingle and have coffee with” — not just in Department for Jones Lang Wootton. Singapore but now throughout the region. Mirpuri, who holds a master’s in linguistics from the National University of The HUB in Singapore is the first of its kind in Asia. In the United States, “three Singapore, has also been busy writing columns and books and translating. She wrote HUBs are open in the Bay area; there’s one in Seattle, New York and Denver. Boston a handsome salute to individual Indonesians playing a positive role helping the also very soon,” Mirpuri said proudly, “and one will open here in Washington any- environment called “Indonesian Eco Heroes.”And with Cindy Saja’s illustrations, she time.” produced “40 Green Tips,” which features environmental ideas for children that According to its website, the HUB is a “global strategic partnership where people were originally published in her regular column in the Jakarta Post.The witty series can rent work space or just share ideas from wherever they are in the world. It is See diplomatic spouses, page 54 not an incubator but a community where like-minded change makers reach out to

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The Washington Diplomat Page 35

[ art ]

Warzone Perspective Afghan Conflict Seen from Point of View of Australian Troops by Sarah Alaoui

[ Page 36

t is easy to get caught up in the loud headlines and muddled politics of armed conflict while overlooking the perspective of those directly at the forefront: the servicemen and women in warzones. With foreign combat troops expected to withdraw from Afghanistan by 2014, a timely new exhibition at the Embassy of Australia, “Point of View – Afghanistan,” focuses on these individuals’ perspectives through intimate photographs and striking video. A collaborative effort between internationally renowned Australian contemporary artist Shaun Gladwell, the Australian War Memorial and the Australian Embassy, the exhibition is part of the latter’s program commemorating ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Army Corps) Day. “These works provide a unique perspective on the war at a time when both United States and Australian troops are preparing to leave Afghanistan,” said Australian Ambassador Kim Beazley, who officiated the exhibition’s opening reception in Washington. The original exhibition,“Shaun Gladwell:Afghanistan,” included 10 photographs, two paintings and three video pieces. Gladwell included the addition of “Sleeping Soldiers” in the display at the Australian Embassy to provide another lens through which viewers can reflect on the complexity of life in a warzone. The images show soldiers sleeping in seemingly various stages — while one appears to be fast asleep with his mouth open in fatigue, another has his eyes closed but is gripping a tool in one hand and a water bottle in the other, prepared to wake up to attention at any moment. “It was the best way for me to present vulnerability, exhaustion, escape and rest,” Gladwell said.“I was also thinking of the idea that sleep or rest is a removal from the intensity of war, and it is also the state in which the war and its trauma will return to many who have experienced it.” The Afghanistan project was vastly different terrain for Gladwell, a Sydney native known in the art world for his “performance landscape” video and photographic works depicting urban subcultures and extreme sports such as skateboarding and BMX bike riding. In 2009, he was commissioned by the Australian War Memorial to spend two weeks with the Australian Defence Force in the Uruzgan province of Afghanistan.The mission was part of the institution’s Official War Art Scheme, which dates back to 1917 and is Australia’s oldest ongoing art commission. Gladwell is the first digital artist tasked with venturing into conflict areas with Australian military forces under the initiative. The resulting work, which will be archived in the memorial’s permanent collection, represents the first time video has been used as a medium by an official Australian war artist. point of View – Afghanistan “It has been really refreshing to work with that kind of open-mindedness — actually getthrough June 21 ting things done and swiftly in spite of instituembassy of Australia Gallery tional bureaucracy,” said Emma Crimmings, the 1601 Massachusetts ave., nW program manager of cultural affairs at the For more information, please call (202) 797-3000 Australian Embassy and curator of the Gladwell or visit www.usa.embassy.gov.au. display in D.C. “Let’s face it: Servicemen and women all over the world use photographs, videos and Skype to send messages home to their families. So it is perfectly logical that an artist would use the same mediums to reflect the changing technologies.” Further reflecting the Australian War Memorial’s gradual move toward embracing newer technologies is Gladwell’s dual-screen, floating video display of synchronized film titled “POV mirror sequence.”With a loud whooshing sound of wind on sand emanating from the screens in the small, dark corner of the gallery, spectators find themselves in front of a live mise en abyme: On the left, a soldier is seen walking in a circle and holding a camera, while on the right side, Gladwell is complementing the circular walk, also with a camera in his hand.The two — serviceman and artist — are filming each other at the Tarin Kowt military base in Afghanistan, and with each step they take, the viewer feels encircled. In a recorded interview, Gladwell confirms this sensation, explaining that the effect is one of being caught in the “image crossfire.”

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PhotoS: Shaun GLa GLaDWeLL L DWeLL La

Contemporary artist Shaun Gladwell captured images of australian soldiers serving in afghanistan in intimate photographs and videos that offered unusual perspectives of the war, including portraits from the back and scenes of troops resting.

As an artist, Gladwell is constantly intrigued by the interplay of landscape and bodies — as seen in the arid isolation of “POV mirror sequence.” He also has an unconventional way of capturing perspective. The main portion of the embassy exhibition features a wall of eight portraits shot from behind the subjects, presenting their respective points of view — hence the exhibit title. Each snapshot documents a different visual perspective, with the large outline of an individual giving way to the various horizons in front of him or her: blurry mountainous terrains, barbed wire fences, Humvees, etc. “If you boil it down, the purpose of sending an artist into that kind of environment is providing a very unique point of view, and only through the eyes of someone who sees the world differently can you access it,” said Crimmings.“Here, what Shaun is trying to see as an artist is the point of view of the servicemen and women. Hence the shots from the back — what they’re looking at, what their experiences are. It’s also quite vulnerable … who’s coming behind you. In a city, that’s not so bad; in a warzone, that’s kind of bad.” Vulnerability is an inevitable part of human nature and, particularly, war, yet so is overcoming it with acts of bravery. Gladwell’s video “Portrait of Mark Donaldson VC” reflects on the soldier who was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration in Australia, after he exposed himself to enemy fire in Afghanistan in 2008 to save the life of a wounded interpreter and protect injured troops. In Gladwell’s installation, Donaldson’s perspective is shown as he is sitting inside a Black Hawk helicopter looking out over a vast, empty landscape below. Though we see his face, unlike Gladwell’s back-of-the-head portraits, his expression and mood are hard to discern. It reinforces the fact that there is only so much viewers who’ve never experienced war can understand about those who have. But through his humbling, eye-opening work, Gladwell pulls back the curtain on the theater of war just a bit, revealing an on-the-ground perspective that’s both instructive and illuminating. Sarah Alaoui is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

June 2013

[ theater ]

Talk Is Cheap Normally Moving Synetic Attempts Mouthful in ‘Three Musketeers’ by Lisa Troshinsky

ynetic Theater, acclaimed for its eclectic wordless storytelling of classics, is trying something new: dialogue. Its current adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’s “The Three Musketeers” — in an attempt to steer the company away from being too predictable, perhaps — combines spoken word with a fury of dramatic sword fighting and acrobatic movement.The result is a graphic novel come to life, complete with superheroes, villains, political intrigue and scandal, all orchestrated by an exquisite original score. Synetic’s founding artistic director Paata Tsikurishvili should be commended for, as he put it on opening night, “always pushing the envelope.” However, another saying comes to mind:“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The production delivers Synetic’s expected physical mastery, here in the form of boisterous, swashbuckling duels and on-stage combat, but withholds what the theater has become so well loved for in the D.C. community since its inception in 2001. That is its signature modern dance choreography that is both ethereal and haunting in the absence of speech. Save for one tango-inspired number later in the play, dance, per se, is absent PhotoS: Johnny ShryoCK here. Synetic Theater ventures into new terriProblems arise when the It makes sense to use dialogue for a play whose tory with its swashbuckling production of physical tricks and comedy plot is probably not as committed to memory by “the three Musketeers,” featuring: start to fall flat from overuse the general public as is, for example, Synetic’s above, Peter Pereyra as rochefort and and end up feeling more like upcoming summer production of Shakespeare’s “A Dallas tolentino as D’artagnan; at right, gimmicks. Although the play is Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Though it’s basically a Dan istrate as Cardinal richelieu and meant to be more folly than tale of a young boy (D’Artagnan) who comes to the irina tsikurishvili as Milady; and below pensive fare, some characters big city (Paris) to sow his wild oats (become one of from left, tolentino as D’artagnan, could have shown more dimenthe king’s Musketeers), the plot has many twists Mitchell Grant as the Duke of sionality. One unfortunate and turns. Buckingham and Brittany o’Grady as example is the director’s choice In 17th-century Paris during the reign of King Constance. to make the king, played by Louis XIII, Queen Anne has an illicit affair with the Robert Bowen Smith, ultraDuke of Buckingham, while the Cardinal Richelieu, who’s after the king’s effeminate, presumably to drive home the fact he is a power, tries to out the affair with the help of a temptress named Milady cuckolded and ineffectual partner for his beautiful and his henchman Rochefort. Unraveling the king also includes torturing and desirable queen. This decision is possibly humorand humiliating the Three Musketeers, who, along with D’Artagnan, ous to some, but could potentially be interpreted as embark on a mission to save the queen from disgrace and death. poor taste. The plot is a mouthful. Although dialogue helps to navigate it, mixing Help comes with the superb quality of the set and verbal discourse with movement isn’t as seamless as one would have music, which keep the audience entranced and hoped. Given the diverse, strong accents of its resident actors, Synetic invested. Anastasia Simes’ set is striking, but instead of should consider hiring a dialect coach for future such endeavors to mainupstaging, it enhances the play’s action. A mammoth tain consistency in pronunciation. sun sits atop a platform whose protruding rays reach For example, the mysterious Milady (played by Synetic’s cofounder Irina out to the corners of the stage while the interior is an Tsikurishvili), who engages in an intimate and captivatentwinement of snakes (“Paris is a den of snakes,” warns a ing tango with her former husband Athos, could have Musketeer). Characters enter and exit through the sun’s center, been more enigmatic if dance was her only form of The Three Musketeers as if entering and exiting a den of dangerous reptiles. expression. through June 9 Even more enchanting is composer and musical director Nevertheless, the production, written by brothers Synetic Theater Konstantine Lortkipanidze’s score. Its emotional crescendos Ben and Peter Cunis, choreographed by Irina 1800 S. Bell St., arlington, va. perfectly accompany the plot’s build and excitement, and at Tsikurishvili, and directed by her husband Paata, will tickets are $35 to $55. times, even overshadow the passion on stage.The final musical most likely please connoisseurs of the age-old epic. For more information, please call (202) 494-8497 piece could have easily accompanied no-holds-barred modern The play’s highlight, Dallas Tolentino as D’Artagnan, or visit www.synetictheater.org. choreography from the well-equipped cast members. undoubtedly shines in physical prowess, charisma, and But if you want an exciting, action-packed performance, this intense focus — the kind that comes with youthful loyalty and naïveté. He and his fellow adventurers/Musketeers, Athos (Ben Cunis), production will not disappoint. If you’re looking for goose bumps, you might have to Aramis (Matt Ward) and Porthos (Hector Reynoso), leap, tumble and crawl like relent- wait for Synetic’s next project. This “Three Musketeers” is “all for one,” but alas, might less spiders around the stage’s many surfaces with deftness and verve. The characters not be “one for all” after all. take to their roles as protectors of a weak king and subsequent mistreatment by their enemies in stride with a dash of bravery and humor. Lisa Troshinsky is the theater reviewer for The Washington Diplomat.

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[ art ]

Real Page-Turner Reading Into the Future With ‘Codex Mexico: The Book as Art’ by Gary Tischler

he idea of books as art — the printed word re-imagined as a work of art in its own right, using illustrative and contextual materials not always associated with books — is not new. But it’s still somewhat revolutionary. “Codex Mexico:The Book as Art,” the comprehensive, thought-provoking new exhibition at the Mexican Culture Institute, lays out the unique medi-um’s broader history, noting that codices and printed material date to pre-Colombian times in Mexico and the Roman era in Europe. While printers and artisans have been crafting handmade books for quite some time, the art world, specifically museums, had not taken much of an interest in the notion of books as art until recently. In fact, the National Museum of Women in the Arts has pioneered exhibitions on books as art since the 1990s under the aegis of Krystyna Wasserman, curator of book arts at the museum. Books as art are technically not books to read, though they often include text from stories, poems, fragments of tales or statistical tid tidbits. They are constructions, meant to be treasured and appreci appreciated but not carried around or studied for information.They are vivid illustrations of the enduring potential in these conduits of knowledge — even as they face formidable changes. In the digital age where an iPad is marketed as containing access to the world, the idea of books in the traditional sense — bound with printed pages and read in solitude or in libraries — has become quaint and lost much of its appeal. Information and words, the stories PhotoS: MexiCan CuLtura CuLturaL L Ltura L inStitute we tell each other, are now contained on a tablet or in a text message.There is an Handcrafted books that have been reapp for literature and art, it appears. imagined as artwork are the focus of the But not at the Mexican Cultural Institute, where 22 artists push the boundaries exhibit “Codex Mexico” at the Mexican of bookmaking convention while also reviving a long-lost art form: appreciating New York Lines,” and Manuel Marin’s ponderously weighty vision of Cultural institute, which is displaying works books. These books — which were made in Mexico, California and Australia — contain “Tzompantli,” a loud mumur from by artists such as, from clockwise top, fiction, history, poetry and prose by well-known writers such as W.S. Merwin. But ancient, vanished times. naomi Siegmann, Francisco toledo, Books have always had a dual character. Patricia Lagarde and raymundo Sesma. they’re also home to paintings, drawings, photographs and less easily classified They’re thick and full of words and images, materials and genres. The Californian elements hail from a 2011 exhibition at Stanford University’s but also have a distinct physical presence — with the weight and texture of their paper, the imbroglios of ink and print, and their someIris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts times-dusty covers, standing like architectural construccalled “The Art of the Book in California: Five tions. Books as art are more like boxes within boxes, Codex Mexico: The Book as Art Contemporary Presses.” In fact, the fertile atmowhose pages you can’t turn and content you can’t fully spheres of those five press shops are duly creditthrough June 29 absorb. ed in the works themselves:“Moving Parts Press,” Mexican Cultural institute But there’s the tantalizing hint of words here and, most “Foolscap Press,”“Ninja Press,”“Turkey Press,” and 2829 16th St., nW importantly, the essence of what makes a book still viable “Peter Koch, Printer.” Koch himself has several For more information, please call (202) 728-1628 today: its ability to open our eyes to a different world — works here and is considered a leader of the or visit www.instituteofmexicodc.org. not in the digital realm, but one that unfurls inside our books as art movement and contemporary codiown imaginations. ces. So here we are in the 21st century, a time of the tablet and not the book. The three different places where these artisanal books come from — Australia, California and Mexico — have a kinship with one another in the material that Perhaps that’s why this exhibition is at once engrossing and thrilling, yet somedates back to indigenous groups in all three locales, as seen for example in the how sad.These works reinforce the fundamental allure of books, which are being Native American content in the California books, including “The Lost Journals of threatened. Looking at these creations, you of course want to read into them further, take Sacajewea.” In this exhibition, you’ll be tripped up and perhaps a little bewildered by the them and hide them away from prying eyes, which seems counterintuitive. You sheer variety of content and styles — from a powerful meditation on the evils of want the whole story, see it in context. But books as art resist complete underslavery to a wonderfully witty creation called “Herakles and the Eurystheusian standing, offering snippets and recreations of the whole. What they do, though, is entice us to appreciate a piece of our history that Twelve-Step Program,” whose binding is designed to separate the 12 steps into hopefully still has a place in our future. single pages that fan out, illustrated with vase paintings. There’s also Patricia Lagarde’s take on bugs — the Franz Kafka kind with actual text from “The Metamorphosis” — Felipe Galindo’s amusing take on “The Gary Tischler is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.

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June 2013

[ dining ]

Starr Attraction Le Diplomate Parisian Bistro Cozies Up to D.C. Diners by Rachel G. Hunt

hiladelphia’s prolific and eclectic restaurateur Stephen Starr opened his first D.C. location recently in an old dry cleaner’s building on 14th Street in Logan Circle. It has been fascinating to watch the transformation from impersonal industrial to cozy French bistro over the past several months — a credit to Starr’s instincts and imagination. In fact, he only decided what kind of restaurant he would open after he had found the empty space while touring Washington. The decision seems to have paid off: Le Diplomate is generating buzz and business as a Parisian haven in Washington, D.C. Starr turned to Shawn Hausman, who’s designed the interiors of several of his other restaurants, to bring his vision for Le Diplomate to life. Hausman and colleague Jessica Kimberley scoured France for artifacts and have brought together a pleasing assemblage of pieces that recreate the feel of an authentic French bistro, notably the large zinc bar. Even the floor is authentic. The designers worked with a New York firm specializing in reclaimed flooring to recreate a hardwood floor they saw in a bistro in Paris, complete with the squeaks. The color palette of red, gold and medium wood lends a warm and cozy feel to the fairly large space. In sharp contrast, the alfresco atrium off the dining room, with a tiled green main wall and full-length glass window leading to the outside dining area, is almost like eating in a green house. The newest of Starr’s 30 or so other restaurants spread throughout Philadelphia, New York,Atlantic City and Fort Lauderdale, Le Diplomate is one of only two French establishments in the group.The other, Parc restaurant in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square, is clearly a strong influence, though Starr has modified his vision to fit local tastes. Le Diplomate’s menu offers classic French bistro cuisine, and Washingtonians may be struck by its similarity to Bistrot du Coin in Dupont Circle and Mon Ami Gabi in Bethesda, Md. But after the first bite, what really strikes you is just how exceptional this seemingly typical bistro fare is. Le Diplomate After an intensive search for his top 1601 14th St., NW man, Starr selected Adam Schop to (202) 332-3333 lead Le Diplomate’s kitchen, passing http://lediplomatedc.com over several French chefs in the process.A newcomer to D.C. dining, Schop Dinner: Sun. - Tue., 5 - 10 p.m.; is noted for his work at the pan-Latin Wed., Thu., 5 - 11 p.m.; Fri., Sat., 5 p.m. - midnight Nuela in New York for which he earned the New York Rising Star award Brunch: Sat. and Sun., 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. in 2011. His previous work at Zinc Starters: $6.50 - $18.50 Bistro in Scottsdale, Ariz., gave him the Raw bar: $10 - $120 (serves four to six) opportunity to develop French skills that he first learned at the Culinary Entrées: $13 - $35 Institute of America. Desserts: $6 - $10 Schop’s treatment of the starters is admirable. Reservations: Accepted and highly recommended. The mushroom tart is a rich delight, with a Outside seating is first come, first served. round, flaky crust, pioppini mushrooms, truffles and pecorino cheese.The tuna carpaccio arrives deceptively looking like a bowl of pink soup. A full plate of seamless, tender, not-quite-paper-thin tuna is very lightly seasoned with a leek vinaigrette for a dish that is both delectable and intriguing. For a heartier flavor, try the plump ricotta ravioli nestled under an intense plum tomato and basil sauce in a small but agreeable dish. Oftentimes when the starters are stellar, the entrées can seem lackluster, perhaps

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Photos: ThreeLockharts PR

Le Diplomate is an authentic Parisian bistro that marks Philadelphia restaurateur Stephen Starr’s first foray into the D.C. dining scene.

because you are not quite as hungry, or perhaps because it’s easier to make smaller dishes stand out. Whatever the reason, it’s not an issue at Le Diplomate, where the entrées exceed the starters. The veal escalope — served with a rich morel cream, garlicky braised ramps and al dente asparagus — is superb. One has to wonder what will happen when ramps are out of season as they are a key part of what gives the dish its unusually intense and full flavor. One of the more unusual creations, the skate grenobloise, is arguably one of the best. A thick slice of skate wing is pan fried until a tender crust forms, then seasoned with lemon, caper and beurre noisette. It is stunning in its simplicity. A classic, the steak au poivre, asserts itself with an intense cognac demi glace that effectively complements the coarsely crushed black pepper crust. A sizable portion of buttery garlic spinach is a harmonious side, but it’s the nice basket of thin, crisp frites that complete the dish. A special daily menu also mixes it up with rotating items such as lavender roast duck,

June 2013

See dining, page 52 The Washington Diplomat Page 39

[ film reviews ]

Sweet Revenge In Ultra-Violent ‘Pieta,’ Loan-Shark Enforcer Meets His Mother by Ky N. Nguyen

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tinued arguments over the passing of ieta,” the latest from prolific time start to sway both Yochay and South Korean filmmaker Shira. Kim Ki-duk (“3-Iron,” “Samaritan Girl”), portrays Burshtein’s well-crafted screensubject matter that is rather play benefits from its incubation at aggressive and disturbing, in line the Sundance Institute. Her clear with the rest of his body of work. direction in tight quarters depicts “Pieta” may be one of Kim’s most accesthe constraints of the culture — sible films on some levels, but it is still enhanced by director of photogranot for all audiences, by any means. phy Asaf Sudri’s soft, hazy cinematogNevertheless, it deftly navigates a raphy — while fully developing the delicate and curious blend of graphic story and characters. The roles are ultra-violence and fascinating psychoelegantly acted by a talented ensemlogical character studies. “Pieta” packs ble cast led by young Israeli actress quite a wallop for a small movie with a Yaron in a startling performance relatively simple story depending largeheralding the birth of a star. ly on its two main subjects, well played Israel’s official submission to the by the two lead actors Lee Jung-jin and Academy Awards for Best Foreign Cho Min-soo.After 18 films, Kim knows Language Film, “Fill the Void” was how to make a lot out of a little, and nominated for 13 Israel Film Academy Photo: MediaMax Online “Pieta” makes a fine addition to the Awards, winning, among other cateCho Min-soo stars in South Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk’s violent revenge flick “Pieta.” popular and often critically acclaimed gories, for Best Film, Best Director revenge genre of South Korean and Asian films. and Best Actress for Yaron, who also nabbed the prestigious Volpi Cup for Best Lee Kang-do (Lee Jung-jin) serves as the muscle for a loan shark. Roaming the Actress at the Venice Film Festival. streets of a working-class, industrial neighborhood of Seoul, he collects loans from poor borrowers whose only collateral is signing over insurance policies to the money lender. Since their clients typically are unable to pay the money owed, Kang- Satisfying End in ‘Before Midnight’ “Before Midnight” held its East Coast premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, do serves as a ruthless enforcer who cripples the delinquent debtors so his boss can submit claims on their insurance policies. Kang-do has no qualms about effi- where it was an audience and critical favorite, presented in person by American ciently executing the demands of his job, ignor- writer-director Richard Linklater, French writer-actress Julie Delpy, and American ing his victims’ cries pleading for mercy. He writer-actor Ethan Hawke. Their latest collaboration marks a fitting end to one of Pieta leads an emotionless, lonely existence that is the best trilogies and deepest romances in cinematic history, which started with “Before Sunrise” (1995) and continued (Korean with English subtitles; 104 min.) primal even at home, where he with “Before Sunset” (2004). brings living animals to kill for his Landmark’s E Street Cinema In “Before Sunrise,” Jesse (Hawke) meals. and Celine (Delpy) were in their 20s ★★★★✩ One day, a woman called Mi-sun when they met on a train to Vienna, (Cho Min-soo) appears at his door spending a night together talking and and confesses to being his mother who gave him up at birth. She begs dreaming of possibilities. In “Before forgiveness, but he keeps her at bay, forcing her to endure a cruel Sunset,” they reunited in Paris in their series of hurdles to prove herself. Eventually, he warms up to her and 30s, wistfully contemplating what begins to assume the role of child to her parent, feeling both depenmight have been. “Before Midnight” dent on and protective of her. Kang-do seeks to go straight and yearns reveals that Jesse did indeed miss his for redemption, but his very dark past may not be so easy to escape. flight at the end of “Before Sunset,” as hinted at but never confirmed by the Hasidic Society in ‘Fill the Void’ film, leaving his troubled marriage to Photo: Karin Bar / Sony Pictures Classics finally join Celine. Ultra-Orthodox Israeli writer-director Rama Burshtein, formerly of New York City, makes an impressive feature film debut with the com- Yiftach Klein, left, and Hadas Yaron play members of Now in their 40s, they cohabit in pelling drama “Fill the Void,” which had a well-received East Coast Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Hasidic community who are Paris with twin daughters Ella and Nina premiere at the New York Film Festival. Her film proves to be a reveal- thrown together after the death of Yaron’s older sister in (Jennifer and Charlotte Prior). Nearing ing, yet respectful, portrayal of the closed ultra-Orthodox Hasidic com- “Fill the Void.” the end of a family vacation in Greece, munity in Israel. Jesse clumsily drops off his estranged There, at the age of 18, Shira (Hadas Yaron), the youngest daughter of 14-year-old son Hank (Seamus DaveyFill the Void a deeply religious upper-class family in Tel Aviv led by Rabbi Aharon Fitzpatrick) at the airport for a flight home to (Lemale et ha’halal) (Chaim Sharir), looks forward to her impending arranged marriage to a his mother in Chicago. Supporting and raising (Hebrew with English subtitles; young man of similar age and station with a bright future. She and her a family is tough business, as shown by the 90 min.; scope) matchmaker tail the viable candidate in the grocery store, followed by squabbling nature of Jesse and Celine’s banal Landmark’s E Street Cinema protracted negotiations between their families. conversation on their way to their vacation But when Shira’s 28-year-old sister, Esther (Renana Raz), dies during house in the southern Peloponnese Peninsula, childbirth, Shira’s wedding preparations are postponed while the family grieves. where they’ve stayed for the past six weeks at a writer’s retreat. Still in mourning, Esther’s widower, Yochay (Yiftach Klein), opposes an offer to Their expatriate host Patrick (Walter Lassally), an elder writer colleague of Jesse’s, marry a widow in Belgium, but he knows his baby will need a mother sooner or throws them a goodbye dinner where they talk about books, life, love and more later. Rather than risk him leaving Israel with her sole grandchild, Shira’s mother (Irit Sheleg) proposes that Shira marry Yochay. Both parties initially resist, but conSee film reviews, page 52

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[ film festivals ]

AFI Docs in D.C. New Decade, New Name for Expanding Documentary Showcase by Ky N. Nguyen

FI Docs presented by Audi (formerly Silverdocs) returns June 19 to 23 for its 11th year as a leading documentary film festival described by Variety magazine as “non-fiction nirvana.” The name change recognizes the festival’s expansion, after a decade in Silver Spring, Md, into the center of Washington, D.C., particularly landmark venues on the National Mall and in the Penn Quarter area such as the Newseum, National Portrait Gallery and the National Archives. Screenings will continue at the American Film Institute’s AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, where the festival drew some 27,000 people last year. Also new this year are “AFI Catalyst Sessions: The Art of Moving Reality,” designed to spark public policy discussions by connecting policymakers and theorists with filmmakers and audiences. “Some issues and emotions are so powerful that they must find expression in the public square and in our case, the National Mall and Pennsylvania Avenue,” said AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale, noting that,“‘Letters To Jackie’ and ‘Documented’ will prompt essential national conversations that are at the heart of AFI Docs.” “We are honored to present these exceptional films as our opening night and centerpiece screenings,” Sky Sitney, AFI Docs festival director, said of the two films. “Both touch deeply on the emotional core of our country’s identity: ‘Letters To Jackie’ looks back at a pivotal time in our history, while ‘Documented’ confronts a critical issue that could not be more timely and relevant.” Here are a few of the AFI Docs highlights:

Photos: AFI Docs

1963 by showcasing the more than 800,000 letters of condolence sent to first lady Jacqueline Kennedy.Against a backdrop of archival footage, a selection of letters are read by 20 leading contemporary actors, including French actress Bérénice Bejo, Mexican actor Demián Bichir, Jessica Chastain, Chris Cooper,Viola Davis, Kirsten Dunst, Anne Hathaway, John Krasinski, Laura Linney and others. The theatrical premiere will be attended by Couturié and selected talent.

“The Act of Killing,” one of the documentaries screening at AFI Docs, challenges former Indonesian death squad leaders to reenact their real-life mass killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish.

History Of Time,”“Fast, Cheap and Out of Control,”“The Fog Of War” and “Standard Operating Procedure.”

Fri., June 21

Newseum; Wed., June 19

Gala Screening “Herblock,” by filmmaker Michael Stevens, reviews Washington Post editorial cartoonist Herbert Block’s 55-year career, including interviews with Lewis Black, Carl Bernstein, Ben Bradlee,Ted Koppel, Jon Stewart and Bob Woodward. The D.C. premiere will be attended by Stevens and select subjects.

Newseum, Thu., June 20

Centerpiece Screening Jose Antonio Vargas’s “Documented” recounts what happened after Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Vargas, born in the Philippines, revealed he was an illegal alien in the New York Times Magazine in 2011. The world premiere will be attended by Vargas and select subjects. Bill Couturié’s documentary “Letters to Jackie” commemorates the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

Opening Night Gala Oscar-winning writer-director Bill Couturié’s “Letters to Jackie” commemorates the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in November

National Portrait Gallery, Fri., June 21

Guggenheim Symposium The Charles Guggenheim Symposium — in honor of the late Charles Guggenheim, a four-time Academy Award-winning documentarian — honors director Errol Morris, who will discuss his work preceded by excerpts from his celebrated career, which includes “Gates of Heaven,” “Vernon, Florida,” “The Thin Blue Line,” “A Brief

June 2013

A.J. Schnack’s “Caucus,” which looks at the buildup to the Iowa Republican caucus, is the closing-night film at AFI Docs.

Closing Night Filmmaker A.J. Schnack’s “Caucus” looks back at the buildup to the Iowa caucus for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.The film spotlights Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann but also looks at the other six GOP candidates: Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Ron Paul and Rick Perry. The U.S. premiere will be attended by Schnack and select subjects.

National Portrait Gallery, Sat., June 22 Ky N. Nguyen is the film reviewer for The Washington Diplomat.

The Washington Diplomat Page 41

[ film ]

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

Cantonese Cold War Directed by Leung Longman and Sunny Lok (Hong Kong, 2012, 102 min.)

The kidnapping of five officers right under the nose of the police department’s surveillance system sets off a search for a mole and a power struggle between the co-directors of Police Affairs. Freer Gallery of Art Fri., June 28, 7 p.m., Sun., June 30, 2 p.m.

Motorway (Che sau) Directed by Soi Cheang (Hong Kong, 2012, 90 min.)

Shawn Yue plays a hotshot rookie cop who’s a member of the Stealth Riders, a secret police unit in charge of hunting down illegal auto racers and fugitives on the run. Freer Gallery of Art Fri., June 21, 7 p.m., Sun., June 23, 2 p.m.

Vulgaria Directed by Pang Ho-Cheung (Hong Kong, 2012, 92 min.)

Funnyman Chapman To is a movie producer desperate to score a hit who secures backing from a crazed mainland gangster in this spectacularly raunchy send-up of the Hong Kong film industry. Freer Gallery of Art Fri., June 14, 7 p.m., Sun., June 16, 2 p.m.

English

and a duplicitous one with her current boss (English, French and Cantonese).

Akwantu: The Journey

AFI Silver Theatre Fri., June 28, 9:15 p.m., Sun., June 30, 9:20 p.m.

Directed by Roy T. Anderson (U.S./Jamaica, 2012, 96 min.)

Jamaican-born director Roy T. Anderson examines his heroic ancestors, the Maroons, who were often referred to as the Spartacus of their time. Poorly armed and outgunned, these brave warriors engaged the mighty British superpower over an 80-year period and were victorious. AFI Silver Theatre Sat., June 1, 3 p.m.

Before Midnight Directed by Richard Linklater (U.S., 2013, 108 min.)

Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) first met in their 20s in “Before Sunrise,” reunited in their 30s in “Before Sunset,” and now, in “Before Midnight,” they face the past, present and future. Landmark’s E Street Cinema

Between Friends Directed by Omari Jackson (Trinidad and Tobago, 2012, 95 min.)

Hailing from Trinidad and Tobago, this film is a kaleidoscopic portrait of a group of young friends during a sexually charged summer of exploration, revelation and change. AFI Silver Theatre Sat., June 1, 7:20 p.m.

Boarding Gate Directed by Olivier Assayas (France/Luxembourg, 2007, 106 min.)

A woman whose resume includes prostitution, industrial espionage, drug-dealing, Web entrepreneurship and, in time, assassination, has an obsessive and violent sexual relationship with her former employer

Repertory Notes

Clean Directed by Olivier Assayas (France/Canada/U.K., 2004, 90 min.)

After her British rock-star boyfriend dies from a heroin overdose, fellow junkie Emily Wang faces a stint in prison, public condemnation, the loss of custody of the couple’s 6-year-old son, and the arduous journey of putting her life back together (English, French and Cantonese).

June 2013

God Loves Uganda

Our Nixon

Directed by Roger Ross Williams (U.S., 2013)

Directed by Penny Lane (U.S., 2013, 84 min.)

This powerful documentary explores the evangelical campaign to infuse African culture with values imported from America’s Christian Right.

Never-before-seen Super 8 home movies filmed by Richard Nixon’s closest aides — and convicted Watergate conspirators — offer a surprising and intimate new look into his presidency.

AFI Silver Docs Theater and time TBD

Holding on to Jah Directed by Roger Landon Hall (U.S./Jamaica, 2011, 98 min.)

Candid interviews with some of reggae’s greatest singers and musicians tell a collective story of hard times that were endured and overcome thanks to their great faith.

AFI Silver Docs Theater and time TBD

Pandora’s Promise Directed by Robert Stone (U.S., 2013, 87 min.)

AFI Silver Theatre Sat., June 1, 9:30 p.m.

This documentary asks whether the one technology we fear most — nuclear power — could save our planet from a climate catastrophe, while providing the energy needed to lift billions of people in the developing world out of poverty.

Directed by Olivier Assayas (France, 2002, 116 min.)

Inequality for All

Landmark’s E Street Cinema Opens Fri., June 14

Jet-setting business executives pursue a lucrative deal with a Japanese company that specializes in pornography Web sites, whose 3D imaging software is light-years ahead of the competition (English, French and Japanese).

Directed by Jacob Kornbluth (U.S., 2013)

Shadow Dancer

In this documentary, U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich tries to raise awareness of the country’s widening economic gap.

AFI Silver Theatre Sat., June 29, 5:10 p.m., Mon., July 1, 7:10 p.m.

Demonlover

AFI Silver Theatre June 15 to 18

Dirty Wars Directed by Rick Rowley (Multiple countries, 2013, 86 min.)

AFI Silver Docs Theater and time TBD

Let the Fire Burn Directed by Jason Osder (U.S., 2013, 88 min.)

Part political thriller and part detective story, this documentary follows investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill, author of the bestseller “Blackwater,” on a gripping journey into the heart of America’s covert wars, from Afghanistan to Yemen, Somalia and beyond (English, Pushto, Somali and Dari).

On May 13, 1985, Philadelphia police dropped two pounds of military explosives onto a city row house occupied by the radical group MOVE, resulting in one of the largest fires in the city’s history. This dramatic tragedy of intolerance and fear unfolds through an extraordinary visual record previously withheld from the public.

Landmark’s E Street Cinema Opens Fri., June 7

AFI Silver Docs Theater and time TBD

Directed by James Marsh (U.K./Ireland, 2012, 101 min.)

A single mother and Republican living in Belfast with her mother and hard-line IRA brothers is arrested for her part in an aborted IRA bomb plot in London, and an MI5 officer offers her a choice: lose everything and go to prison or return to Belfast to spy on her own family. Landmark’s E Street Cinema Opens Fri., June 7

Sightseers Directed by Ben Wheatley (U.K., 2012, 89 min.)

In this hilarious dark comedy, Chris wants to show Tina his world, and he wants to do it his way — on a journey through the British Isles in his beloved Abbey Oxford Caravan, but it doesn’t take long for reality

by Washington Diplomat film reviewer Ky N. Nguyen

Please see International Film Clips above for detailed listings available at press time.

Other continuing series (through July 2) include “Visionario: The Films of Guillermo del Toro,” “Howard Hawks, Part 2” and “AFI Life Achievement Award Retrospective: Mel Brooks.”

American Dream” (Sat., June 29; 2:30 p.m.), screened in association with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival’s “Hungarian Heritage: Roots to Revival” with gratitude to the Embassy of Hungary.

American Film Institute (AFI) Silver Theatre

(301) 495-6700, www.afi.com/silver

“Gebo and the Shadow” (Sat., June 29; 4:30 p.m.; Sun., June 30; 4:30 p.m.), the latest from 104-year-old Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira, stars international legends Jeanne Moreau, Claudia Cardinale and Michael Lonsdale (as Gebo) against more youthful Portuguese players Ricardo Trêpe and Leonor Silveir.

Now in its 13th year, the 2013 DC Caribbean Filmfest (May 31-June 2) — copresented by the Caribbean Association of World Bank and IMF Staff (CAWI), the Caribbean Professional Network (CPN), Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS) and TransAfrica — presents films from the region in honor of Caribbean Heritage Month in June. Screenings include: Shundell Prasad’s “Festival of Lights”; filmmaker Roy T. Anderson and co-producer Alison G. Anderson in person with “Akwantu: The Journey”; Jonas D’Adesky’s “Three Kids”; Omari Jackson’s “Between Friends”; Roger Landon Hall’s “Holding On to Jah”; filmmaker Melissa A. Gomez in person with “Silent Music”; Philippe Niang’s “Toussaint Louverture”; and Roberto Busó-García’s “The Condemned.” Presented with special thanks to the Embassy of France in D.C. and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in New York, “The Films of Olivier Assayas” retrospective (through July 1) honors the French auteur. Screenings include: “Les Destinées”; “Summer Hours”; “Demonlover”; “Boarding Gate”; and “Clean.” The “Ten Years of Film Movement” series (through July 2) celebrates the indie distributor with Klaus Härö’s “Mother Of Mine”; Alexei Popogrebsky’s “How I Ended This Summer”; Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s “A Screaming Man”; Shane Meadows’s “Somers Town”; Lucía Puenzo’s “XXY”; Marius Holst’s “King of Devil’s Island”; and Andrea Segre’s “Shun Li and the Poet.”

Page 42

THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

National Gallery of Art The retrospective “Jean Rouch in Africa” (May 26-June 15) offers key selections from the work of the noted French ethnographer, concluding on June 15 with screenings of “Les Maîtres fous” followed by “Jaguar” (2 p.m.) and “Petit à petit (Little by Little)” (4:30 p.m.). “Journal de France” (Sun., June 16, 4:30 p.m.), the latest from Rouch’s occasional collaborator Raymond Depardon (a Pulitzer Prizewinning photojournalist and documentary filmmaker), serves as a blend of autobiography, history of documentary filmmaking, road movie, and picture of France. The series “For Art’s Sake: Britain’s Seventh Art Productions” reviews classic films about art by the venerable Brighton-based production company, including: “In Search of Haydn” followed by a preview of the work-in-progress “In Search of Chopin” (Sunday, June 9, 4:30 p.m.); “In Search of Beethoven” (Sun., June 23, 2 p.m.); a sneak peek of “Exhibition Manet” followed by “Making War Horse” (Sun., June 23, 4:30 p.m.); and “Leonardo Live” (Sat., June 29; 12:45 p.m.). John Columbus, Black Maria’s founding director, presents his festival’s program of experimental and documentary shorts in “Black Maria: Selections from the Festival” (Sat., June 8, 3:30 p.m.). Media artist Péter Forgács discusses his film “Hunky Blues –The

(202) 842-6799, www.nga.gov/programs/film

Freer Gallery of Art The ever-popular 18th annual Made in Hong Kong Film Festival (June 7-Aug. 4), cosponsored by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, spotlights Law Chi-leung’s “The Bullet Vanishes”; Pang Ho-Cheung’s “Vulgaria”; Soi Cheang’s “Motorway”; and Leung Longman and Sunny Lok’s “Cold War” (Fri., June 28, 7 p.m.; Sun., June 30, 2 p.m.). ((202) 357-2700, www.asia.si.edu/events/films.asp

Goethe-Institut Presented in partnership with the Alliance Française, the series “50 Years French-German Friendship” (through July 12) celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty with screenings of Volker Schlöndorff’s “Swann in Love” (Mon., June 3, 6:30 p.m.) and Louis Malle’s “Au Revoir Les Enfants” (Mon., June 24, 6:30 p.m.). (202) 289-1200, www.goethe.de/ins/us/was/kue/flm/enindex.htm

The Washington Diplomat

June 2013

Silent Music

women speak frankly about their pioneering lives and their fearless decision to live openly in France at a time when society rejected them.

Directed by Melissa A. Gomez (U.S./Antigua and Barbuda, 2012, 70 min.)

AFI Silver Docs Theater and time TBD

to interrupt his dream journey. Landmark’s E Street Cinema

Melissa, the youngest of three hearing children born to two deaf parents, sets out to uncover her family’s secrets in this searingly personal documentary. AFI Silver Theatre Sun., June 2, 3 p.m.

Somers Town Directed by Shane Meadows (U.K., 2008, 71 min.)

Newly arrived in London from Nottingham, a teen runaway befriends a Polish immigrant, hiding out in his bedroom as the two embark on a summer-long series of adventures (English, Polish and French). AFI Silver Theatre Fri., June 7, 12:20 a.m., Tue., June 11, 5:15 p.m.

Wish You Were Here Directed by Kieran Darcy-Smith (Australia, 2012, 93 min.)

In this intriguing mystery, four friends indulge in a carefree Southeast Asian holiday, but their sun-soaked retreat quickly takes a horrific turn when one of the travelers disappears. Landmark’s E Street Cinema Opens Fri., June 7

World War Z Directed by Marc Forster (U.S./Malta, 2013)

United Nations employee Gerry Lane traverses the world in a race against time to stop the Zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments, and threatening to decimate humanity itself. Area theaters Opens Fri., June 21

Finnish Mother of Mine (Äideistä parhain)

Directed by Klaus Härö (Finland/Sweden, 2005, 111 min.) In World War II, 9-year-old Eero is sent by his beloved mother to live on a remote farm in Sweden, where his surrogate father is welcoming and warm, but his surrogate mother is cold, and even cruel (Finnish and Swedish). AFI Silver Theatre Sun., June 2, 11 a.m.

French Good Bye, Children (Au Revoir Les Enfants) Directed by Louis Malle (France/West Germany/Italy, 1987, 104 min.)

A French boarding school run by priests seems to be a haven from World War II — until a new student arrives. Goethe-Institut Mon., June 24, 6:30 p.m.

Les Destinées (Les destinées sentimentales) Directed by Olivier Assayas (France/Switzerland, 2000, 180 min.)

This film spans three decades, beginning at the turn of the 20th century, to tell the story of a Protestant minister who leaves his wife, daughter, vocation and his small community in France for a younger wife and more idyllic, unrestricted life in the Swiss Alps. AFI Silver Theatre Sat., June 8, 4:05 p.m., Sun., June 9, 6 p.m.

Les Invisibles Directed by Sébastien Lifshitz (France, 2012, 115 min.)

Several elderly homosexual men and

Jaguar Directed by Jean Rouch (France, 1955/67, 88 min.)

A writer, shepherd and fisherman leave their village to try their luck on the fabled Gold Coast, otherwise known as modern-day Ghana (preceded by “Les Maîtres fous” (France, 1954, 28 min.), which documents a Hauka ritual in which participants become possessed and transform into their colonial powers). National Gallery of Art Sat., June 15, 2 p.m.

Petit à petit (Little by Little) Directed by Jean Rouch (France, 1970, 96 min.)

Director Jean Rouch’s collaborators Damouré Zika and Lam Ibrahim Dia travel to Paris — following up on plans to expand their company, Petit a Petit, formed at the conclusion of “Jaguar.” National Gallery of Art Sat., June 15, 4:30 p.m.

Renoir Directed by Gilles Bourdos (France, 2012, 111 min.)

Set on the French Riviera in the summer of 1915, Jean Renoir, son of the impressionist painter, returns home to convalesce after being wounded in World War I. Meanwhile, the elder Renoir is filled with a new, wholly unexpected energy when a young girl miraculously enters his world. The Avalon Theatre

A Screaming Man (Un homme qui crie) Directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (France/Belgium/Chad, 2010, 92 min.)

A pool attendant is forced to give up his job, leaving him humiliated and resentful, while back home, his country is in the throes of a civil war, with rebel forces attacking the government and the authorities demanding that people contribute to the “war effort” with money. AFI Silver Theatre Tue., June 4, 7:15 p.m., Wed., June 5, 9 p.m.

Something in the Air (Après mai) Directed by Olivier Assayas (France, 2012, 121 min.)

At the beginning of the 1970s, a high school student in Paris is swept up in the political fever of the time, though his real dream is to paint and make films. Landmark’s E Street Cinema

Summer Hours (L’heure d’été) Directed by Olivier Assayas (France, 2008, 103 min.)

After their mother dies, three very different, distant siblings reunite to settle her estate, including the dispersal of the valuable art collection that crowds her country house. AFI Silver Theatre June 15 to 18

Swann in Love (Eine Liebe von Swann) Directed by Volker Schlöndorff (France/West Germany, 1984, 110 min.)

An elegant and educated bachelor, Charles Swann moves in fashionable circles of Paris in the 1890s, but when he falls in love with a courtesan, his friends warn him against marriage (French and German). Goethe-Institut Mon., June 3, 6:30 p.m.

Toussaint Louverture Directed by Philippe Niang (France/Haiti, 2012, 195 min.)

This long-awaited, action-packed historical epic (presented in two 90-min segments with an intermission) depicts the life of the titular Haitian freedom fighter, portrayed by celebrated Haitian actor Jimmy Jean-Louis (French and Haitian Creole). AFI Silver Theatre Sun., June 2, 5:15 p.m.

Haitian Creole Three Kids (Twa timoun) Directed by Jonas D’Adesky (Belgium/Haiti, 2012, 81 min.)

Three orphan boys make plans to run away from their orphanage home in Port-auPrince. But after the 2010 earthquake strikes, there’s no longer a home to run away from. AFI Silver Theatre Sat., June 1, 5:30 p.m.

In this moody mystery set in the 1920s, a munitions factory worker accused of stealing a box of bullets dies in a game of Russian roulette that was rigged by her corrupt boss. Soon afterward, a murder occurs at the factory and the bullet mysteriously disappears from the scene, with the workers believing their dead colleague’s ghost is seeking revenge.

his inexperienced new partner Pavel. One day, Pavel receives terrible news intended for Sergei and when the truth comes out, the consequences explode against a chilling backdrop of the merciless Arctic Sea. AFI Silver Theatre Sat., June 1, 11 a.m., Mon., June 3, 9:05 p.m.

Freer Gallery of Art Fri., June 7, 7 p.m., Sun., June 9, 2 p.m.

Spanish

Norwegian

Directed by Roberto Busó-García (Puerto Rico, 2012, 95 min.)

King of Devil’s Island (Kongen av Bastøy) Directed by Marius Holst (Norway/France/Sweden/Poland, 2010, 116 min.)

Based on a true story, in 1915 Norway, juvenile offenders who suffer under the cruel and exploitative rule of the prison guards at the Bastøy Boys Home plot an escape, setting events in motion for a violent conflict (Norwegian and Swedish).

The Condemned (Los condenados) In this haunting psychological thriller, dark and terrible secrets hidden in an old mansion stir to life when the original owner of the house returns. AFI Silver Theatre Sun., June 2, 9 p.m.

XXY Directed by Lucía Puenzo (Argentina/Spain/France, 2007, 86 min.)

Hebrew

AFI Silver Theatre Fri., June 28, 11:30 a.m., Sat., June 29, 11 a.m.

Fill the Void (Lemale et ha’halal)

Although raised as a girl, 15-year-old Alex was born with both male and female sex organs, and on the verge of adulthood must make a defining choice.

Russian

AFI Silver Theatre June 9 to 13

Directed by Rama Burshtein (Israel, 2012, 90 min.)

A devout 18-year-old Israeli woman is pressured to marry the husband of her late sister in Tel Aviv’s ultra-Orthodox Hasidic community. Landmark’s E Street Cinema

How I Ended This Summer (Как я провёл этим летом) Directed by Alexei Popogrebsky (Russia, 2010, 130 min.)

On a desolate island in the Arctic Circle, two men work at a small meteorological station: the gruff and imposing Sergei and

Follow The Diplomat Connect at www.washdiplomat.com.

Indonesian The Act of Killing Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer (Denmark/Norway/U.K./Sweden/Finland, 2012, 115 min.)

This documentary challenges former Indonesian death squad leaders to reenact their real-life mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers (Indonesian and English). AFI Silver Docs Theater and time TBD

Italian Shun Li and the Poet (Io sono Li) Directed by Andrea Segre (Italy/France, 2011, 92 min.)

An indentured servant indebted to the snakehead who brought her from China to Italy, Shun Li is sent from her factory job outside of Rome to work in a pub in a small town along the Venetian Lagoon, where she strikes up an unlikely friendship with a Slavic refugee. AFI Silver Theatre June 30 to July 2

Korean Camp 14: Total Control Zone Directed by Marc Wiese (Germany/South Korea, 2012, 104 min.)

Shin Dong-Huyk was born political prisoner in a North Korean re-education (i.e. death) camp, the child of two prisoners who had been married by order of the wardens. He spent his entire youth in the camp until the age of 23, when he managed to escape — entering a world that was completely foreign to him (Korean and English).

READIN’

ART

’RITING ’RITHMETIC

Royal dukes are squaresville. They have no rhythm. And they wear crowns.

Give your kids a chance to succeed. Up their daily dose of art.

AFI Silver Docs Theater and time TBD

Mandarin The Bullet Vanishes (Xiao shi de zi dan) Directed by Law Chi-leung (Hong Kong/China, 2012, 108 min.)

June 2013

The Washington Diplomat Page 43

[ around town ]

EVENTS LISTING **Admission is free unless otherwise noted. All information on event venues can be found on The Diplomat Web site at www.washdiplomat. com. Times and locations are subject to change. Unless listed, please call venue for specific event times and hours of operation.

ART June 1 to 29

Who Used to Dance

Classically trained artist Anna Demovidova brings together a collection of paintings inspired by the vibrancy and expressiveness of jazz and flamenco, evoking the spirit, rhythm and improvisation of the two musical forms. International Visions Gallery Through June 8

Pageant of the Tsars: The Romanov Coronation Albums Marking the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Romanov dynasty in 1613, the history and spectacle of Russian tsars’ coronations are revealed through lavish, rarely seen albums and objects from Hillwood’s Russian collection. Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens June 8 to Sept. 1

Georges Braque and the Cubist Still Life, 1928–1945

Featuring 44 sumptuous canvases, the exhibition charts French cubist master Georges Braque’s (1882-1963) work in the still-life genre — from depictions of intimate interiors in the late 1920s, to vibrant, large-scale canvases in the 1930s, to darker and more personal spaces in the 1940s.

the Mexicans currently working to renew and enrich such an important legacy. Mexican Cultural Institute June 16 to Aug. 4

A World of Bonds: Frederick Sommer’s Photography and Friendships

Frederick Sommer (1905–99) explored an unusually broad array of subjects ranging from disorienting landscapes and macabre aspects of the natural world to surreal arrangements of found objects and virtual abstractions. National Gallery of Art June 19 to Feb. 9

Lines, Marks, and Drawings: Through the Lens of Roger Ballen

This exhibit considers the 40-year-plus career of Roger Ballen, one of the more recognized photographic artists working today, through a new approach: an examination of line and drawing in his photographs. National Museum of African Art Through June 21

Point of View – Afghanistan

Presented by the Embassy of Australia and the Australian War Memorial as part of the 2013 ANZAC Day Commemorations, “Point of View – Afghanistan” features the video and photographic work from Shaun Gladwell’s experience as an official war artist in the Middle East, where he investigated relationships between the human body, landscapes and images drawn from the contemporary world. Embassy of Australia Art Gallery

The Phillips Collection

June 21 to Nov. 10

June 8 to Jan. 12

Awake in a Dream World: The Art of Audrey Niffenegger

Living Artfully: At Home with Marjorie Merriweather Post

From the glamour of Palm Beach, to the rustic whimsy of the Adirondacks, to the distinguished social scene of Washington, D.C., heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post brought to her multiple residences a flawless style of living and entertaining that was made possible only through the gracious management of loyal staff. Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens Through June 9

Albrecht Dürer: Master Drawings, Watercolors, and Prints from the Albertina

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) has long been considered the greatest German artist, uniquely combining the status held in Italian art by Michelangelo in the 16th century, by Raphael in the 18th and 19th centuries, and by Leonardo da Vinci in our own day. But while Dürer’s paintings were prized, his most influential works were actually his drawings, watercolors, engravings and woodcuts. National Gallery of Art Through June 15

Codex Mexico: The Book as Art

This exposition of artisanal books and printed art showcases both Mexico’s enormous heritage in the arts of printing, and

Page 44

The first major museum exhibition of visual artist and author of “The Time Traveler’s Wife” reveals a mysterious, strange and whimsical world, both real and imagined, through 239 paintings, drawings, prints and book art. National Museum of Women in the Arts Through June 28

2Fik’s Museum (and Other Works)

THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT day conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Through Aug. 4

Through Sept. 22

Corcoran Gallery of Art

Views of Panama

Bice Lazzari: Signature Line

Through June 30

The Enduring Designs of Josef Frank

Designer and architect Josef Frank, born 1885, was a leading pioneer in modern Swedish design, leaving behind about 200 textile and 2,000 furniture designs, a portion of which are on display in this exhibit. House of Sweden Through June 30

The Third Room

Maja Salomonsson, in collaboration with Swedish Radio’s Youth Radio Drama Department, has created the sound walk “The Third Room,” a play area that welcomes children into a dream world where time is fluid and the laws of gravity are suspended. House of Sweden Through July 7

One Man’s Search for Ancient China: The Paul Singer Collection

New Jersey psychiatrist-turned-collector Paul Singer’s bequest to the Sackler Gallery created one of the largest Chinese archaeological collections in the United States. This exhibition looks at the collector’s contributions to Chinese art history — made largely at a time when contact between China and the West was heavily restricted — and examines how landmark archaeological discoveries have shed new light on his acquisitions and on ancient China.

Through Aug. 11

Hand-Held: Gerhard Pulverer’s Japanese Illustrated Books

More than 100 volumes reflect on the Edo period Japan (1615-1868) as an age of great social and political change that gave rise to an unprecedented “reading culture” of artists, writers and publishers. Similar to blogging and e-publication in the 21st century, illustrated books (ehon) in Edo Japan opened up a new avenue with which to share ideas, marked by epic levels of publishing and book consumption. Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Through Sept. 1

David Levinthal: War Games

David Levinthal, a central figure in the history of American postmodern photography, has staged uncanny tableaux using toys and miniature dioramas for nearly 40 years. Mounted to celebrate the museum’s acquisition of a major, career-spanning body of work, this exhibition is the first to feature all of the artist’s work on the subject of war.

Through July 12

Through Sept. 2

Nothing is Done (Nichts ist erledigt)

Ever since the 1970s, artist, publisher and lawyer Klaus Staeck has been causing a stir in Germany. Often used in protests against environmental destruction, Staeck’s art — through evocative images and slogans — calls attention to global warming, ever-growing piles of rubbish, nuclear waste, and the pollution of the air and oceans. Goethe-Institut

La Maison Française

Arts of Japan: Edo Aviary and Poetic License

This landmark exhibition revolutionizes our understanding of war, immersing viewers in the experience of soldiers and civilians through images by more than 200 photographers from 28 nations that span conflicts from the past 165 years — from the Mexican-American War through present-

OAS Art Museum of the Americas F Street Gallery

Corcoran Gallery of Art

Through July 28

WAR/PHOTOGRAPHY: Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath

Photographers Gabriel Benaim, José Manuel Castrellón and Lorena Endara examine the stunning transformation Panama has undertaken in the last few years, manifested into a real estate and building boom that has changed Panama City’s skyline.

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

This new project by French-Moroccan artist 2Fik features playful photographic recreations of classic paintings in which 2Fik recreates the original masterpiece and uses himself as the sole impersonator for all the subjects. Born in Paris to a Moroccan Muslim family, 2Fik moved to Montréal in 2003 and through his emigration experience, he was forced to confront his relationship to religion, politics and society — an experience from which he derives much of his inspiration. June 29 to Sept. 29

June 2013

Edvard Munch: A 150th Anniversary Tribute

This 150th birthday tribute to Edvard Munch (1863–1944), Norway’s most famed painter and printmaker, includes more than 20 renowned works from the gallery’s collection and a unique series of six variant impressions. National Gallery of Art Through Aug. 4

Complementary but distinct installations examine two themes of Edo period art: “Edo Aviary,” which traces how depictions of birds were influenced by natural history painting, and “Poetic License: Making Old Words New,” which shows how classical Japanese and Chinese literary traditions were absorbed into the merchant and artisan classes. Freer Gallery of Art

Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909-1929: When Art Danced with Music

More than 130 original costumes, set designs, paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings, photographs and posters reveal how the Ballets Russes — the most innovative dance company of the 20th century — propelled the performing arts to new heights through groundbreaking collaborations between artists, composers, choreographers, dancers and fashion designers. National Gallery of Art Through Sept. 2

Nine Deaths, Two Births: Xu Bing’s Phoenix Project

Chinese artist Xu Bing spent more than two years creating his newest work, “Phoenix Project,” a massive installation that comprises two birds fabricated entirely from materials found at construction sites in Beijing. Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Through Sept. 8

Over, Under, Next: Experiments in Mixed Media, 1913-Present

Butterfly wings, glass shards, doll parts, crumpled automotive metal, jigsaw puzzle pieces, clothing, straight pins, furniture, and colored sand — these are just some of the materials in “Over, Under, Next,” an exhibition of approximately 100 examples of collage and assemblage, primarily drawn from the Hirshhorn’s collection. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

In collaboration with the Italian Embassy, this exhibit features 25 paintings and drawings by Lazzari (1900-81), one of Italy’s most revered modern artists. Discouraged from studying the figure in art school in the 1910s because of her gender, she became a prominent decorative arts designer who became for her later poetic abstract paintings. National Museum of Women in the Arts Through Sept. 29

A Book Behind Bars: The Robben Island Shakespeare

Nelson Mandela signed his name next to a passage from “Julius Caesar” in Shakespeare’s “Complete Works” on Dec. 16, 1977, while serving 18 years as a political prisoner at Robben Island. More than 30 of Mandela’s fellow prisoners also signed their names next to passages, documenting a part of their experience through their shared knowledge of Shakespeare. Accompanying the Robben Island Shakespeare book — on display for the first time in the United States — is a series of sketches Mandela made in the early 2000s, reflecting on his prison life. Folger Shakespeare Library Through Oct. 13

Out of Southeast Asia: Art that Sustains

The last exhibition presented in the Textile Museum’s historic location before the museum’s 2014 reopening promises to be a beautiful pairing of tradition and innovation, demonstrating how four artists are reinventing traditional Southeast Asian textile techniques, designs and ideology in new and meaningful ways. The Textile Museum Through Jan. 5, 2014

Earth Matters: Land as Material and Metaphor in the Arts of Africa Some 100 exceptional works of art from the late 18th to 21st centuries come together for the first major exhibition and scholarly endeavor to comprehensively examine the rich relationship between African artists and the land upon which they live, work and frame their days. National Museum of African Art

DISCUSSIONS Thu., June 6, 6:45 p.m.

Nabokov’s Secrets

Author Andrea Pitzer draws from newly declassified intelligence files and recovered military history to suggest that Vladimir Nabokov — the celebrated author of works such as “Lolita” who fled Revolutionary Russia and then Germany under Hitler — managed to hide disturbing history in his novels. Tickets are $25; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org. S. Dillon Ripley Center Fri., June 7, 6:30 p.m.

Health, Hair, and Heritage

Panelists Diana N’Diaye, Monte Harris, Karen Milbourne and Gina Paige hold an engaging conversation on contemporary hair, health and beauty in relation to the

The Washington Diplomat

June 2013

heritage and history of Africa, followed by a reception. Admission is free but reservations are required and can be made at htt://healthhairheritage.eventbrite.com. National Museum of African Art Fri., June 14, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Scandalous Spring: Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring at 100

Spend a day at the Embassy of France and experience “The Rite of Spring” in a seminar led by Yvonne Caruthers, cellist with the National Symphony Orchestra, as she explores a ballet work whose modernity and savage beauty rocked prewar Paris with a creative explosion that still echoes a century later. Tickets are $150, including lunch; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org. La Maison Française Sat., June 15, 9:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Glorious Prague: City of Mystery and Gold

Cultural and music historian Carol Reynolds explores this legendary city, home to magnificent architecture and many cultural attractions, whose complex history is marked by the events that have shaped it — and the Czech people. Tickets are $130; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org. S. Dillon Ripley Center Tue., June 18, 7 p.m.

La Cuisine du Québec: Exploring the Passion and Depth of Québec’s Emerging Microbreweries

Celebrated beer sommelier Sylvain Bouchard joins us from Québec to showcase the microbrewery movement and the wealth of variety that defines craft beers in Québec — followed by a tasting of several Québec microbrews, with a pairing of cheeses and other Québec treats. Tickets are $30; for information, visit www.smithsonianassociates.org. S. Dillon Ripley Center Thu., June 20, 6:45 p.m.

The Jews of Britain

Jewish Britons’ transformation from vilified interlopers to vital members of the British community is examined this evening by historian Virginia W. Newmyer. Tickets are $42. S. Dillon Ripley Center

FESTIVALS June 26 to 30 July 3 to 7

Smithsonian Folklife Festival

This year’s Smithsonian Folklife Festival, an international exposition of living cultural heritage produced annually on the National Mall, features the themes “Hungarian Heritage: Roots to Revival,” “One World, Many Voices: Endangered Languages and Cultural Heritages” and “The Will to Adorn: African American Diversity, Style and Identity.” National Mall Fri., June 21, 7:30 p.m.

Fête de la Musique

The Embassy of France opens its doors to music lovers to celebrate the summer solstice festivities — which were founded in 1982 and take place each year in 110 countries and over 430 cities — with performances by Origem and Cheick Hamala Diabate, two groups that offer a unique mix

of jazz and world music. Tickets are free but RSVP is required and can be made at http://fetedelamusique2013.eventbrite.com/. La Maison Française Sat., June 22, 4 p.m.

Summer Music Fête

Each year on the summer solstice, the French gather in the streets to celebrate the change of seasons with a Fête de la Musique — a dynamic tapestry of music and dancing by both amateur and professional musicians. To mark the occasion, the French-American Cultural Foundation hosts its 11th annual all-day music fête at the Embassy of France featuring more than 50 bands and street performers, as well as barbecued specialties, pastries, cotton candy, beer, wine and other libations. Admission is $10 in advance or $15 at the door. La Maison Française June 20 to 29

Nordic Jazz 2013

Baroque violinists of her generation, embraces the modernist works of Berio, Stockhausen, and Challulau with her group Gli Incogniti, which specializes in experimentation, seeking out new repertoire, and the rediscovery of the classics. Tickets are $25. La Maison Française Sat., June 22, 7:30 p.m.

The Batera Duo

The Batera Duo, which hails from two sister islands in the Maltese archipelago, was formed by Gozitan saxophonist Philip Attard and Maltese pianist Christine Zerafa. The name Batera (meaning “conjunction” in the Basque language) aptly describes this duo of two young musicians with relatively different musical backgrounds that are combined into a unique performing style. Tickets are $110, including buffet and valet parking; for information, visit www.embassyseries.com. Embassy of Luxembourg

The Nordic embassies in Washington and Twins Jazz Club present the seventh annual Nordic Jazz Festival in D.C., showcasing internationally acclaimed performers from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden who will present the modern sound of Nordic jazz over the course of eight concerts at the Finnish and Swedish embassies, as well as Twin Jazz Club. For information, visit www.nordicjazz2013. eventbrite.com or www.twinsjazz.com.

Sun., June 23, 8 p.m.

Various locations

THEATER

MUSIC

Fri., June 7, 1:30 p.m., Sat., June 8, 2 p.m.

Fri., June 7, 7:30 p.m.

Bergthor Palsson, Baritone Edvinas Minkstimas, Piano

Baritone Bergthor Palsson has appeared with the Icelandic Opera, the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Reykjavik, and his oratorio roles include Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion, Haydn’s Creation and Seasons, Orff’s Carmina Burana and Mozart’s Requiem. Tickets are $100 and include buffet; for information, visit www.embassyseries.com.

The Legacy of Bob Marley

The Kennedy Center, with the Grammy Museum, celebrates Jamaican folk legend Bob Marley with a concert featuring David Hines (of Steel Pulse), Israel Vibration, Junior Marvin, Speech (of Arrested Development), and Roots Radic. Tickets are $20 to $48. Kennedy Center Concert Hall

La Pluma y la Palabra / The Pen and the Word Poetry Marathon

Teatro de la Luna presents its 21st annual Poetry Marathon: The Best of HispanoAmerican Poetry featuring the Spanishspeaking world’s most celebrated poets, including José Eduardo Degrazia of Brazil, Emilio Mozo of Cuba and Nicasio Urbina of Nicaragua, among others (in Spanish; free but donations accepted).

Icelandic Residence Sat., June 8, 6:30 p.m.

Through June 8

Leoncavallo – Pagliacci

The Full Monty

The Farfax at Embassy Row Hotel Fri., June 14, 7:30 p.m.

DC Jazz Festival: Jazz Meets the Latin Classics

Conductor/saxophonist/clarinetist and jazz master Paquito D’Rivera leads an all-star ensemble in arranged works by Piazzolla, Lecuona, D’Rivera and others. Tickets are $35. Kennedy Center Terrace Theater Sat., June 15, 7:30 p.m.

Amandine Beyer and Gli Incogniti Amandine Beyer, one of the finest

The Keegan Theatre presents the raucous musical based on the British film about six down-on-their luck steelworkers who are desperately seeking paychecks to support their families — until they come up with a bold way to make some quick cash. Tickets are $40.

www.theaterofthevoiceless.eventbrite.com/. Various locations

Olney Theatre Center Through June 23

Through June 9

The Three Musketeers

D’Artagnan teams up with the Three Musketeers and becomes entangled in a plot surrounding the evil Cardinal Richelieu, the sly Milady de Winter and a romance between the Duke of Buckingham and Queen Anne. Tickets are $35 to $55. Synetic Theater Through June 9

Twelfth Night

Director Robert Richmond returns to Folger Theatre to direct this romantic and whimsical of tales filled with lovers, lunatics, poets, drunkards, and clowns in the quixotic land of Illyria. Tickets are $30 to $68. Folger Shakespeare Library June 11 to July 6

One Destiny

This one-act play by Richard Hellesen brings the drama and emotion of the American Civil War to life by capturing the emotions of that fateful night in 1865 that killed Abraham Lincoln, as told through the eyewitness accounts of actor Harry Hawk and Ford’s Theatre co-owner Harry Ford, among others. Please call for ticket information. Ford’s Theatre

Library of Congress Mary Pickford Theater (June 7) Casa de la Luna (June 8)

Opera Camerata performances start with a lavish cocktail reception followed by redacted versions of beloved operas with top talent, orchestra, chorus, costumes and narrator. The June 8 show of “Pagliacci,” hosted by Greek Ambassador Christos Panagopoulos, features GreekAmerican superstar Anastasia Jamieson and is conducted by maestro Gregory Buchalter of the Metropolitan Opera. Tickets are $175; for information, visit www.operacamerata.org.

G’ntamobi … and she doesn’t exist. Tickets are $32.50 to $65.

June 11 to July 7

Anything Goes

All aboard for Roundabout Theatre Company’s saucy and splendid production of the beloved musical “Anything Goes,” winner of three 2011 Tony Awards. Tickets are $25 to $115. Kennedy Center Opera House June 16 to 19

Theater of the Voiceless

Documentary theater possesses the unique ability to respond to issues of pressing social and political import, providing a platform and voice for the dispossessed. This symposium and festival co-produced by Zeitgeist DC (the Austrian Cultural Forum, Goethe-Institut and the Embassy of Switzerland) brings together leading playwrights, artists, and governmental, political and cultural experts from the United States and German-speaking countries to discuss, per-form and celebrate the international power of this art form. For information, visit

The Guardsman Budapest’s most beautiful and beloved young actress is notorious for her affairs that only last six months. When she finally decides to marry, she of course chooses Budapest’s most handsome and talented actor. Shortly into their marriage, the actor suspects his new wife is getting restless, so he decides to take on his most daring role yet — disguising himself as her ideal lover. Tickets are $54 to $95 Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater Through June 23

Stupid Fucking Bird An aspiring director rampages against the art created by his mother’s generation. A nubile young actress wrestles with an aging Hollywood star for the affections of a renowned novelist. And everyone discovers just how disappointing love, art and growing up can be in this irreverent remix of Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull.” Tickets start at $35. Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company Through June 23

The Winter’s Tale An act of jealousy sets the plot into motion when Leontes, King of Sicilia, accuses his virtuous wife Hermione of infidelity in this moving story of mistakes and forgiveness that spans 16 years and two nations. Tickets are $43 to $95. Shakespeare Lansburgh Theatre Through June 30

Company On his 35th birthday, a commitmentphobic bachelor searches for the answers to love and life in New York City, where he observes both the joys and pitfalls of marriage from his five quirky couple friends. Please call for ticket information. Signature Theatre Through June 30

The Hampton Years This breakthrough premiere explores the development of great African-American artists John Biggers and Samella Lewis under the tutelage of Austrian Jewish refugee painter and educator Viktor Lowenfeld during World War II. Tickets start at $35. Washington DCJCC Theater J

Church Street Theater

CULTURE GUIDE

June 8 to 9

Approaching Ali

In two premiere performances, composer D.J. Sparr and librettists Mark Campbell and Davis Miller tell the story of a reporter’s transformative meeting with the boxing legend Muhammad Ali. Tickets are $30. Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

Plan Your Entire Weekend.

www.washdiplomat.com

Through June 9

The Submission

A gay, white playwright’s play gets accepted at the nation’s preeminent theater festival. Trouble is, everyone thinks his stirring new play about an alcoholic black mother and her card-sharp son trying to get out of the projects is written by Shaleeha

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DIPLOMATIC SPOTLIGHT

The Washington Diplomat

June 2013

Ninth Annual Embassy Golf Tournament

Photos: Gustave Assiri / The Washington Diplomat

From left, Peter Allgeier from Coalition of Service Industries, Amgad Shehata of UPS, the presidential tournament sponsor, Patrick Patterson and Chris Chaisson, both from the U.S. State Department, attend the ninth annual Embassy Golf Tournament, hosted by The Washington Diplomat.

From left, Bragi Valgeirsson, chief financial officer of CTI, Ambassador of Iceland Gudmundur Arni Stefansson, Steen Johansen of the Icelandic Embassy, and Stefan Gudjohnsen, president of GlobeScope Inc., were among the 150 diplomats, U.S. government officials and members of the business community who participated in the 2013 tournament.

Ambassador of India Nirupama Rao, the diplomatic host of the ninth annual Embassy Golf Tournament, welcomes players to a pre-tournament lunchtime reception.

From left, Dontai Smalls, vice president of corporate public affairs for UPS, Mike Mullen, and Luigi Di Mauro of the Italian Embassy play at The Washington Diplomat’s ninth annual Embassy Golf Tournament.

From left, Brian Hammock of Venable LLP, Maryland Secretary of State John P. McDonough, Rajan Natarajan and Zach Feldmann, both of the Maryland Secretary of State Office, attend the Embassy Golf Tournament, held at Cross Creek Golf Club in Maryland.

Ambassador of Zimbabwe Machivenyika Mapuranga, left, shares a drink with his teammate Philip C. Bamu during the awards ceremony dinner at the ninth annual Embassy Golf Tournament.

From left, Ambassador of Barbados John Beale, Ambassador of Libya Ali Aujali, and former Congressman Don Bonker, now with APCO Worldwide, enjoy dinner following a day on the links at the Embassy Golf Tournament, hosted by The Washington Diplomat.

Shupikayi Mapuranga, wife of the Zimbabwean ambassador and a regular at the Embassy Golf Tournament, makes her putt.

From left, Todd Shook, Steve Taylor and Tyler Sullivan watch as teammate Heather Frazier takes a swing at the Embassy Golf Tournament. Their team represented National Air Cargo, a tournament sponsor that operates on-demand cargo and passenger charter services. From left, Roger Kleinenberg, Reggie Hinds, Cornelia Neal, and William Neal represent the Embassy of the Netherlands at the Embassy Golf Tournament.

From left, Wayne Young, Ambassa dor of Nigeria to Cuba Laraba Bhutto, Marvin Kimmie, and Dr. Chukwuemeka Onyewu have represented Nigeria at the Embassy Golf Tournament for the last five years.

From left, Vince Onuigbo of Hughes Network Systems, Dr. Raymond Nwadiuko of the Maryland Allergy & Asthma Center, Edy Creque, and Alex Agwuna of the Meridian Management Group Inc. play at the ninth annual Embassy Golf Tournament.

Page 46

Vinay Kwatra, commerce minister at the Embassy of India, welcomes players to the post-tournament reception and awards ceremony at Cross Creek Golf Club.

From left, Carlos Salas of Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Barbara Wegerson, diplomatic sales manager for the Willard InterContinental Washington, and Shirin Kooros, principal of Metis, offer mint juleps to golfers.

From left, Angelique Rutledge, Chris van der Merwe, Chris Boshoff and Bobby Riles, all from the Embassy of Netherlands, were among more than a dozen raffle-prize winners at the ninth annual Embassy Golf Tournament.

Victor Shiblie, publisher and editor in chief of The Washington Diplomat, left, and Peter Root of Etihad Airways, one of the sponsors of the Embassy Golf Tournament, give away two airline tickets around the world courtesy of Etihad.

The Washington Diplomat

June 2013

Former Congressman Don Bonker, now with APCO Worldwide, left, stands with teammate Oleksandr Pakhil of the Embassy of Ukraine. From left, Matt Seal of the U.S. House of Representatives and his teammates Brian Donarski, Kevin Rosenberg and Kelly Smith took top honors at the Embassy Golf Tournament.

Victor Shiblie, publisher and editor in chief of The Washington Diplomat, left, hands raffle winner Fuad Sahouri Jr. of Sahouri Insurance & Financial a bottle of rum courtesy of the Embassy of Barbados in Washington.

From left, Ralph Masino of ASG Security, David Fisher of Deloitte, John Wasson of ICF International, and Jeff Henry of SunTrust were among more than a dozen raffle prize winners at the ninth annual Embassy Golf Tournament. Marvin Kimmie, left, and his teammate Wayne Young represent Nigeria at the ninth annual Embassy Golf Tournament.

From left, Aaron Green of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Carey Nelson of Williams Lea, David Nock, vice president of sales and marketing for RMA Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation, and Neil Wanger attend the ninth annual Embassy Golf Tournament.

Brian Donarski of Warriors for Freedom and Loring Perry attend the ninth annual Embassy Golf Tournament.

Shirley Phull, left, and Jennifer Logsdon, both of the Fairfax at Embassy Row Hotel, greeted players at the Embassy Golf Tournament.

Steen Johansen of the Icelandic Embassy takes a swing at the Embassy Golf Tournament.

Komen Race for the Cure

From left, Pierre Garçon of the Washington Redskins football team; Nancy G. Brinker, founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure; Ambassador of Canada Gary Doer; Josh Morgan of the Washington Redskins; and Nick Sundberg of the Washington Redskins attend a reception at the Canadian Embassy ahead of the 24th annual Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure, held this year on Mother’s Day weekend.

Photo: Tony Powell for Susan G. Komen

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) shares her personal breast cancer survival story at a Susan G. Komen reception ahead of the group’s Global Race for the Cure in D.C., which supports breast cancer programs for medically underserved women in the Washington area and around the world.

Photo: Tony Powell for Susan G. Komen

Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) speaks at a reception held at the Canadian Embassy ahead of the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure; Schock and fellow Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz served as honorary chairs for the race.

From left, Ambassador of Colombia Carlos Urrutia, emcee Cynné Simpson, an award-winning news anchor for ABC7/ WJLA-TV, and Ambassador of Canada Gary Doer share a laugh at a reception for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the largest breast cancer foundation in the world.

Photo: Keegan Bursaw / Embassy of Canada

Nancy G. Brinker, founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which she established more than 30 years ago to honor her sister Suzy, talks to the audience about her foundation’s mission to rid the world of breast cancer.

Michelle Mahoney, public affairs officer at the Canadian Embassy, was the team captain for the Canadian Embassy team at this year’s Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure. Last year, Mahoney, a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed with the disease at age 39, was undergoing her fifth round of chemotherapy and could only walk the 5K race. This year, she ran.

Photo: Keegan Bursaw / Embassy of Canada

At this year’s Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure, the Canadian Embassy surpassed its goal and raised $12,756, making it the 10th top fundraising team in the race and the top team in the international division for the second year in a row.

June 2013

The Washington Diplomat Page 47

DIPLOMATIC SPOTLIGHT

The Washington Diplomat

June 2013

Heart’s Delight Wine Tasting and Auction

Photo: Charlie Shin Photography

From left, Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), Heart’s Delight Chairman Nicholas E. Calio, president and chief executive officer of Airlines for America, and Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) share the stage at the Heart’s Delight Vintners Dinner held at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium.

Dennis Yee of Abacus Technology, center, is flanked by Anne Cuvelier of Château Léoville Poyferré and Myriam Ruer of Château Troplong Mondot after putting in a top bid at the Heart’s Delight Wine Tasting and Auction, a five-day event that over the last 14 years has raised $12 million for the American Heart Association to fight heart disease and stroke.

Photo: Charlie Shin Photography

Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy from Château Clerc Milon, left, holds a jeroboam of his wine for auction as auctioneer Jamie Ritchie of Sotheby’s looks on at the Heart’s Delight Wine Tasting and Auction’s Vintners Dinner.

Parisian chef Michel Rostang, left, who created the menu for the Vintners Dinner, stands with Bill Plante of CBS News, who was the master of ceremonies for the black-tie dinner.

Photo: Charlie Shin Photography

Ambassador of Gabon Michael Moussa-Adamo and his wife Brigitte Moussa Adamo, center, stand with guests at the Heart’s Delight dinner they hosted at their residence — one of six dinners held at ambassadorial residences and embassies around town as part of the five-day wine extravaganza.

Photo: Anna Gawel

Photo: Kirsten Marie Photography

Ambassador of France François Delattre, far right, hosts a private dinner at his residence as part of the 14th annual Heart’s Delight Wine Tasting and Auction to benefit the American Heart Association.

From left, Rod J. Vásquez of El Don Wines from Chile joins Leonor Restrepo de Urrutia and Ambassador of Colombia Carlos Urrutia at their residence for a dinner as part of the 14th annual Heart’s Delight Wine Tasting and Auction.

Photo: Kate Oczypok

Sen. John Cornyn and his wife Sandy Cornyn enjoy the Heart’s Delight United States of Wine – Hall of States Tasting Reception overlooking Capitol Hill.

Photo: Kate Oczypok Photo: Kate Oczypok

Photo: Kate Oczypok

Mike and Vanessa Seifert, director of Navy programs at Honeywell, right, speak with winemaker Luca Paschina of Barboursville Vineyards on the rooftop of McDermott, Will & Emery LLC overlooking the Capitol as part of the Heart’s Delight United States of Wine – Hall of States Tasting Reception showcasing American wines.

Heart’s Delight Chairman Nicholas E. Calio, president and chief executive officer of Airlines for America, left, joins Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) at the Heart’s Delight United States of Wine – Hall of States Tasting Reception.

Photo: Kate Oczypok

From left, Ed Rahal, Josh Saltzman, vice president of global government affairs for Airlines for America, and Chris Brown attend the Heart’s Delight United States of Wine – Hall of States Tasting Reception.

Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), right, talks with fellow Congressman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) at the United States of Wine – Hall of States Tasting Reception for the 14th annual Heart’s Delight Wine Tasting and Auction, a multiday charitable event that enjoys widespread congressional support.

Photo: Kate Oczypok

Andrew Schatzle, senior proposal manager at ManTech International Corp., left, and Tim McKone, AT&T executive vice president of federal relations, attend the Heart’s Delight United States of Wine – Hall of States Tasting Reception.

Page 48

Photo: Kate Oczypok Photo: Kate Oczypok

Photo: Kate Oczypok

From left, Sue Murray, Josh Saltzman and Shelley Rubino, both with the trade association Airlines for America, and Erin Barry attend the Heart’s Delight United States of Wine Reception on the rooftop of 101 Constitution Ave., NW.

Jade Floyd and Michelle Guydun of Early Mountain Vineyards in Charlottesville, Va., right, speak to Joe Niesley at the Heart’s Delight United States of Wine Reception showcasing American wines.

The Washington Diplomat

Susan McHenry, left, and winemaker Claude Thibaut of Monticello Wineries in Virginia attend the Heart’s Delight United States of Wine Reception.

June 2013

Photos: Kate Oczypok

From left, Leendert Staal, president and CEO of DSM Nutrirional Products, Denise Staal, Steven Janssen and Trish Janssen attend the Heart’s Delight United States of Wine Reception.

Namita Dhallan, executive vice president of product strategy and engineering at Deltek, left, and Sean Ballington of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP attend the Heart’s Delight United States of Wine Reception.

Lisa Barnes and Daryl Groom attend the Heart’s Delight United States of Wine Reception.

Elizabeth Vianna of Chimney Rock Winery in Napa, California, was one of the featured winemakers at the Heart’s Delight United States of Wine Reception.

Passport DC Embassy Open Houses Sword demonstrations, children’s games, documentary films and food and drink awaited visitors to the Egyptian Embassy during Passport DC, a month-long series of international programming in May that includes dozens of embassy open houses. Photos: Embassy of Egypt

Photo: Embassy of Egypt

Egyptian Ambassador Mohamed M. Tawfik is interviewed by Egyptian TV at his embassy’s open house, part of the Around the World Embassy Tour series of open houses at the sixth annual Passport DC international showcase.

The Egyptian Embassy was among more than 40 embassies that opened their doors as part of Passport DC’s Around the World Tour. Passport DC benefits Cultural Tourism DC, a nonprofit coalition promoting the city’s heritage.

Photo: EU in the US

Visitors line up to go to the European Union Delegation in Washington, which opened its doors along with the EU member states as part of the annual Shortcut to Europe: European Union Embassies’ Open House.

At the European Union Delegation in Washington, visitors could pose in front of a photo of their favorite European destination, play games, take a quiz on the EU, have their children’s face painted or enjoy other activities.

Best Martini in D.C. at the Beacon

From left, David Del Russo, general manager of the Hilton Garden Inn in Capitol Hill; Pedro Biaggi of Radio El Zol-CBS 107.9; Jay Haddock, president of Capital Hotels & Suites; and Steve Swenson, senior vice president of CBS Radio Washington, judge the sixth annual Best Martini in D.C. contest held at the Beacon Bar & Grill.

D.C. Councilmember David Catania, a celebrity judge, left, and Hector Torres, general manager of the Beacon Hotel & Corporate Quarters and vice president of sales and marketing for Capital Hotels & Suites, attend the sixth annual Best Martini in D.C. contest featuring martinis from top local bartenders.

Jo-Jo Valenzuela of Occidental Grill and Seafood won the top prize for best martini at the Beacon’s sixth annual Best Martini in D.C. for his Strawberry Green Forever martini made with Skyy Wild Strawberry vodka.

Photos: Thomas Coleman

Bartenders from top D.C.-area restaurants await the results of the sixth annual Best Martini in D.C. contest.

Atlantic Council Leadership Awards

Photo: Alswang Photography Photos: Image Link Photography

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, left, receives the Distinguished International Leadership Award from former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at the Atlantic Council’s annual global leadership awards gala held at the Ritz-Carlton in D.C.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, left, accepts the Distinguished International Leadership Award from Susan Cabiati, senior vice president of the Meridian International Center, at the Atlantic Council’s annual global leadership awards gala, which also launched the center’s new Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center.

Singer Tony Bennett, left, and Grammy-winning Colombian musician Juanes perform at the Atlantic Council’s global leadership awards gala, where Bennett received the Distinguished Artistic Leadership Award and Juanes received the Distinguished Humanitarian Leadership for his work with Colombian youth.

June 2013

Chevron Chairman and CEO John S. Watson, left, receives the Distinguished Business Leadership Award from former Cabinet Secretary and U.S. Trade Representative Carla Hill at the Atlantic Council’s annual global leadership awards gala.

The Washington Diplomat Page 49

DIPLOMATIC SPOTLIGHT

The Washington Diplomat

June 2013

Phillips Collection Gala

photos: gail scott

Photo: Kyle Samperton

From left, founder and CEO of the Institute for Education Kathy Kemper, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Martha-Ann Alito, and Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito attend the Phillips Collection Annual Gala, where more than 400 guests dine among the masterworks of the Phillips Collection.

Ambassador of Italy Claudio Bisogniero and his wife Laura Denise Bisogniero were the diplomatic chairs of the Phillips Collection Gala, which featured an Italian-themed dinner at the museum, followed by a La Dolce Vita afterparty with desserts and dancing in the piazza of the Italian Embassy.

From left, Ambassador of Singapore Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, Gouri Mirpuri, Thomas Krähenbühl, and Phillips Collection Director Dorothy Kosinski attend the annual Phillips Collection Gala celebrating America’s first museum of modern art.

From left, Rev. Cecilie J. Strommen, Ambassador of Norway Wegger Christian Strommen, and James Valentine of TriAlphaEnergy attend the pre-dinner cocktail reception of the Phillips Collection Gala.

Ambassador of Finland Ritva Koukku-Ronde and her husband, Dutch scientist Hidde Ronde, attend the Phillips Collection Gala, which raises funds for the museum’s award-winning education programs.

Spirit of the Americas

Photos: gail scott

From left, Ambassador of Israel Michael Oren, his sister Karen Angrist, and Ambassador of Switzerland Manuel Sager attend the Phillips Collection Annual Gala.

Ambassador of Austria Hans Peter Manz, left, and Sunny Kapoor, managing partner at Think Partners LLC, attend the Phillips Collection Annual Gala.

Photos: larry luxner

Ambassador of Egypt Mohamed M. Tawfik and his wife Amani Amin attend the pre-dinner cocktail reception of the Phillips Collection Gala.

From left, President of the Rum Industry of Guatemala Roberto Garcia, Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS) José Miguel Insulza, and Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar attend the eighth annual “Spirit of the Americas,” which celebrates Caribbean culture, food and spirits.

From left, Assistant Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS) Albert R. Ramdin, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar, and Ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago Neil Parsan attend the eighth annual “Spirit of the Americas” held at the OAS headquarters.

Photo: Kyle Samperton

Photo: gail scott

Renoir’s “Luncheon of the Boating Party,” perhaps the most important piece in the Phillips Collection, and flowers designed by Jack H. Lucky Floral Design set the scene at the Phillips Collection Annual Gala.

From left, U.S. Chief Technology Officer and White House Assistant to the President Todd Park, former U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra, Senior Advisor to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy R. David Edelman, Paul Selker of SparkStreet Digital, and Senior Advisor to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy John Paul Farmer attend the Phillips Collection Gala.

Photo: Kyle Samperton

Senior Vice President of External Affairs for Pepco Holdings Inc. Beverly Perry, left, and Clifford Barnes attend the Phillips Collection Annual Gala.

Photos: anna Gawel

From left, Permanent Representative of El Salvador to the Organization of American States (OAS) Joaquin Alexander Maza Martelli, Bertha Nin de Saladin, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the OAS Roberto B. Saladín, and Elia McComie attend the “Spirit of the Americas” Caribbean cultural tribute.

Ambassador of St. Kitts and Nevis Jacinth Lorna Henry-Martin, left, and U.N. Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS Dr. Edward Greene attend the “Spirit of the Americas” Caribbean cultural tribute.

Photos: Gail Scott

From left, Annie Totah and Matt and Birgit Stuart of Ronald S. Canter LLC attend the Phillips Collection Annual Gala. Rosa Rai Djalal, wife of the Indonesian ambassador, left, and Ina Ginsburg attend the Phillips Collection Annual Gala.

Page 50

Pakistani Farewell

photo: anna gawel

Outgoing Ambassador Sherry Rehman, bottom, nursing a broken foot, and her husband, financier Nadeem Hussain, welcome Shaista Mahmood to the Pakistani Residence for Rehman’s farewell reception. The envoy will return to Pakistan to resume working at the Jinnah Institute.

From left, Paul O. Spencer, advisor to the Office of the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Richard L. Bernal of the Inter-American Development Bank, and former Ambassador of Grenada Denis G. Antoine, now with the University of the District of Columbia, attend the eighth annual “Spirit of the Americas” held at the OAS headquarters.

The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States featuring American whiskies was among the liquor offerings at the “Spirit of the Americas” hosted by the Organization of American States.

The Washington Diplomat

June 2013

Urbino Press Award

From left, Amerigo Varotti, vice president of the Camera di Commercio di Pesaro e Urbino; Giovanni Lani, president of the Urbino Press Award; Gisella Bianchi, director of Aspin 2000; Renato Claudio Minardi, council member for tourism of “Provincia di Pesaro e Urbino”; CNN’s Wolf Blitzer; Ambassador of Italy Claudio Bisogniero; and Gabriele Cavalera, secretary of the Urbino Press Award, attend the Urbino Press Award reception.

Photos: Derek Parks Courtesy of the Embassy of Italy

Wolf Blitzer, CNN anchor and host of “The Situation Room,” is announced as the winner of this year’s Urbino Press Award, which recognizes excellence in American journalism, at the Italian Embassy. He will travel to the city of Urbino this month to formally accept the prize.

Ambassador of Italy Claudio Bisogniero congratulates CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on receiving the Urbino Press Award, now in its sixth year, at an Italian Embassy reception attended by fellow journalists.

Laura Denise Bisogniero, wife of the Italian ambassador, left, and Lynn Blitzer attend a reception celebrating the Urbino Press Award, given this year to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

Soprano Francesca Carli, right, and Danilo di Paolonicola, a world accordion champion, perform at a reception at the Italian Embassy celebrating the Urbino Press Award.

Visionary Awards

Photos: GAIL SCOTT

From left, Marlene Malek, president of Friends of Cancer Research; Tom Korologos, former U.S. ambassador to Belgium and a strategic advisor with DLA Piper; and Bruce and Jane Sherman attend the 11th annual “For the Love of Sight” Visionary Awards Dinner, where Korologos and his wife Ann McLaughlin Korologos were given the Foundation Fighting Blindness’s 2013 Visionary Awards.

William K. “Will” Ris, senior vice present of government and regulatory affairs for American Airlines, left, joins former U.S. Secretary of Labor Ann McLaughlin Korologos at the “For the Love of Sight” Visionary Awards Dinner held at the RitzCarlton and hosted by the Foundation Fighting Blindness, a nonprofit dedicated to sight-saving retinal research.

Paul D’Addario, left, using the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System, and his doctor, Gislin Dagnelie of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, attend the Foundation Fighting Blindness’s annual “For the Love of Sight” gala to benefit research into preventions, treatments and cures for vision-robbing retinal diseases.

‘Tsar and the President’

Mrs. World 2011-12 April Lufriu, left, and Jim Cowen attend the 11th annual “For the Love of Sight” Visionary Awards Dinner. Lufriu is a national spokesperson for the Foundation Fighting Blindness and has two children affected with retinitis pigmentosa, a retinal disease that progressively robs vision.

Israeli Independence

‘5 Broken Cameras’ Photos: Kyle Samperton

From left, Librarian of Congress James Billington; Sylvia Symington; American-Russian Cultural Cooperation Foundation Chairman James Symington; former U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Beyrle; and Stuart and Mrs. Symington of St. Louis attend “The Tsar and the President” presentation at the Library of Congress.

Journalist and author Maureen Orth, left, joins Gordon Gund, co-founder and chairman of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, at the nonprofit’s 11th annual “For the Love of Sight” Visionary Awards Dinner, which since its inception in 2003 has raised nearly $5 million.

Photos: EMBASSY OF ISRAEL

From left, President of the Middle East Institute Wendy Chamberlin; Palestinian Representative to the U.S. Maen Rashid Areikat; Palestinian filmmaker and Academy Award nominee Emad Burnat; President of American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) Warren David; Ambassador of the Arab League Mohammed Alhussaini Alsharif; and Executive Director of United Palestinian Appeal Saleem Zaru attend a screening of “5 Broken Cameras” at Artisphere hosted by ADC and the PLO Delegation to the U.S.

White House Chief of Staff Dennis McDonough, left, greets Ambassador of Israel Michael Oren at a reception at Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium celebrating the 65th Israeli Independence Day that was attended by more than 1,000 guests.

From left, House Foreign Affairs Chairmen Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), Ambassador of Israel Michael Oren, House Minority Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) attend the Israeli Independence Day reception.

Zoo Support

James Symington, chairman of the American-Russian Cultural Cooperation Foundation (ARCCF) and a former Democratic congressman from Missouri, left, and ARCCF Executive Director Alexander Potemkin attend the premiere of the film and exhibit “The Tsar and the President: Alexander II and Abraham Lincoln” at the Library of Congress presented by ARCCF.

Photos: GAIL SCOTT

Director of the National Zoo Dennis W. Kelly, left, joins hostess and former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Esther Coopersmith for a dinner at her home to support the National Zoo.

Former Ambassador of Romania to the U.S. Mircea Dan Geoana, now a Romanian senator and president of the Aspen Institute Romania, and his wife Mihaela attend a dinner at the home of Esther Coopersmith to support the National Zoo.

Ambassador of Monaco Gilles Noghes and his wife Ellen celebrate the National Zoo at the home of Esther Coopersmith.

June 2013

Christian Friedrich Ostermann, director of the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Cold War International History Project, and his wife Lisa have a new home where the bamboo is harvested by the National Zoo for the pandas.

The Washington Diplomat Page 51

from page 19

from page 22

Greece

Medical

said Panagopoulos. “The government owns an incredible amount of real estate, so it’s only normal — especially during a period of economic restraint — to try to exploit those assets. Some people don’t agree, but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to take place.” The ambassador said he expects his country’s 27 percent unemployment rate to drop this summer due to strong tourism growth. “Tourism plays a major role in GDP growth, and opportunities for employment — at least during the peak months — look good. We expect 20 percent more tourists to visit this year. Prices are down and we’re now getting more and more visitors from emerging markets like Russia.” Revenue from tourists coming from the United States is also crucial, and Panagopoulos has taken pains to reassure Americans that — despite the chronic protests they may have seen on TV — his country remains one of the most affordable and least chaotic destinations in Europe for foreign travelers. “All these catastrophic reports you read in the press are not realistic,” he said. “I’ll give you a small example: riots in Athens. This is ridiculous. In Greece, it’s a part of everyday life, but it doesn’t mean these rioters threaten anyone. This used to happen a couple of years ago, in the center of Athens. But the rest of the country had no problems. Some American friends ask me if it’s safe to go to Greece. Statistically, it’s one of the safest places for tourists in Europe.” Close to 1 million Serbs will also visit Greece this summer. In addition, some 500,000 Israelis are vacationing in Greece every year — a consequence of the closer relations Athens and Jerusalem forged in the wake of a breakdown in ties between Israel and Turkey, Greece’s longtime nemesis. Yet tourism is on the rise from Turkey itself,

rate that embryo freezing would. As of last fall, however, that all changed. In October, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) declared the technology to be no longer “experimental,” based on new data from four randomized controlled trials along with several other studies. In other words, egg freezing using the “vitrification” technique is now ready for prime time. Vitrification technically isn’t “freezing” at all, some say. Instead, the extremely rapid temperature reduction induces a state resembling glass. Each egg is placed into liquid nitrogen and stored frozen at -196° Celsius, until the patient is ready to conceive. But whatever you call it, it appears far superior to older “slow freezing” methods. This technique, ASRM says, now results in “pregnancy rates and health outcomes comparable to those of IVF with fresh eggs.” Technically speaking, ASRM still doesn’t recommend egg freezing as a fertility preservation technique for the average young woman who simply wishes to delay childbearing (although such decisions are almost never simple). “Marketing this technology for the purpose of deferring childbearing may give women false hope and encourage women to delay childbearing. Patients who wish to pursue this technology should be carefully counseled,” says the same ASRM report that dubbed egg freezing “no longer experimental.” Fair enough.There are a lot of cautionary notes — emotional, medical and, of course, financial (it can cost up to $15,000 to retrieve eggs for freezing). And then there are a whole host of other ethical and social responsibility questions. For example, assuming that we can now more or less reliably freeze eggs at the age of 32, how old is too old to thaw and implant them? 45? 50? Older? The uterus does not age at nearly the same rate as the ovaries, so it’s not unimaginable that a postmenopausal woman of 55 or even 60 could give birth to a baby from an egg frozen when she was 32. But the fact that we can even have these debates — that science has put these developments within the realm of reasonable possibility — is amazing in and of itself.

Photo: Anna Gawel

Tourists buy souvenirs at a bazaar in Athens. “We expect 20 percent more tourists to visit this year,” said Greek Ambassador Christos Panagopoulos. “Prices are down and we’re now getting more and more visitors from emerging markets like Russia.”

thanks to a new highway connecting European Turkey with northern Greece. But old grudges die hard, and in addition to Greece’s perpetually frosty relations with Turkey, it still has a big beef with neighboring Macedonia, which it refers to as FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) due to a bitter dispute over the landlocked country’s name that has been brewing ever since the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991. “It’s very easy to play the role of victim, telling the world ‘we are a small country threatened by Greece,’” the ambassador complained. “But to usurp or falsify the name of a neighbor in order to build a new national identity is not right. It’s not only Greece but also Bulgaria [that’s upset]. These guys come up with the fiction that

they are the only Macedonia, and no serious government can take these things lightly.” Macedonia gained its independence in 1991 but for much of history, the region known as Macedonia was geographically considered a part of Greece. And that’s not ancient history for most Greeks — they see the naming dispute as an affront to their Hellenic heritage, which gave the world one of its greatest civilizations. Today, however, modern-day Greece is a shadow of the formidable ancient empire it once was. But its government remains determined not to go down in history as the country that sunk the euro. Larry Luxner is news editor of The Washington Diplomat.

from page 39

from page 40

Dining lobster risotto, pork Milanese, rabbit en gibelotte, bouillabaisse, Dover sole meunière, and veal sweetbreads. It is a good way to guarantee return visits, as one wants to sample all these delicacies. In recent visits, the sole and the rabbit have been exceptional. Unlike some French bistros, dessert at Le Diplomate is not an afterthought. Pastry chef Naomi Gallego’s desserts demonstrate the same mastery of technique and creativity as the rest of the menu. For instance, the milk chocolate pot de crème is smooth as silk and rich as a Cadbury bar. But the star of the menu (at least for chocolate lovers) is the dark chocolate napoléon.A beautiful concoction of almond dacquoise, chocolate mousse, bitter chocolate ice cream and caramel jam, it is intensely chocolate without being overwhelming. On the lighter side, the grapefruit coupe glacée is a refreshing combination of tart grapefruit sorbet, petits financiers (tiny almond flour cakes), cinnamon cream and red grapefruit compote. The combination of grapefruit and cinnamon flavors is a particularly unusual touch. Le Diplomate’s take on the ubiquitous cocktail menu is lighter than most, featuring creations like the Joséphine — a concoction of Bugey wine, Byrrh apéritif, crème de pêche, Stolichnaya vodka and strawberries over ice — and the sparkling wine-based Pamplemousse Pressé, both perfect summertime drinks. Meanwhile, the substantial and rather pricey wine list at Le Diplomate is a balanced collection of French and international labels.

Page 52

Gina Shaw is the medical writer for The Washington Diplomat.

Film Reviews

Photo: ThreeLockharts PR

Beers are a better bargain, with a respectable selection of bottles and several varieties on tap. Le Diplomate has brought another Philadelphia original to the area, coffee from La Colombe Torrefaction (which plans to open a café in D.C. before the end of the year). The internationally renowned coffee-roasting company makes a perfect end to the meal and offers an extra incentive to stop by on a weekend morning for a quick cup along with some excellent treats turned out by the in-house bakery. The evening bread baskets alone are also a worthy sample of the kitchen’s talents. Judging by the crowds at Le Diplomate virtually any night of the week, Starr probably has his answer as to whether his particular approach will work in the D.C. market. It is exciting to consider what empty space might catch his eye next, and what it will suggest to his fertile imagination. Rachel G. Hunt is the restaurant reviewer for The Washington Diplomat.

with guests including married couple Ariadni (Athina Rachel Tsangari) and Stefanos (Panos Koronis) and unmarried young lovers Anna (Ariane Labed) and Achilleas (Yannis Papadopoulos). As a farewell gift, their Greek friends offer to take care of the twins and rent Celine and Jesse a hotel room so they can spend their final night on vacation alone. Now we’re back to the one-on-one freeform, meandering dialogue between Celine and Jesse that we loved in the earlier movies. Linklater shares writing credits with his lead actors Delpy and Hawke, as he did in the Oscar-nominated adapted screenplay for “Before Sunset,” resulting in naturalistic, truly believable dialogue indicative of the improvisational sessions that created

[

Before Midnight (English, French and Greek with English subtitles; 108 min.)

Landmark’s E Street Cinema Angelika Mosaic

★★★★★

The Washington Diplomat

]

Photo: Despina Spyrou / Sony Pictures Classics

Ethan Hawke, left, and Julie Delpy star in “Before Midnight,” the conclusion of Richard Linklater’s romantic trilogy.

their lines. Delpy and Hawke turn in heartfelt performances portraying the realities of their characters in middle age. Linklater’s restrained direction allows their conversations to develop in smooth, long takes. And director of photography Christos Voudouris’s luminous cinematography lovingly displays the vivid actors and the beautiful background — complemented by Graham Reynolds’s mellifluous score and editor Sandra Adair’s adroit cutting. Ky N. Nguyen is the film reviewer for The Washington Diplomat.

June 2013

AROUNDtheWORLD

THE WASHINGTON DIPLOMAT

June 2013

HOLIDAYS AlGEriA June 19: national youth day

CAPE VErDE June 1: international children’s day

ANGOlA June 1: international children’s day

CENTrAl AFriCAN rEPUBliC June 30: national Prayer day

ArGENTiNA June 21: Flag day

COlOMBiA June 29: St. Peter and St. Paul day

AUSTrAliA June 10: Queen’s Birthday AZErBAiJAN June 15: national Salvation day June 26: national army day BAHAMAS June 1: labor day

COMOrOS June 5: ascension of Mohammed CONGO, DEMOCrATiC rEPUBliC OF June 30: independence day CrOATiA June 22: anti-Fascism day June 25: Statehood day (national day)

BrUNEi June 5: ascension of Mohammed CAMBODiA June 1: international children’s day June 18: Birthday of hM the Queen Mother

June 27: independence day EQUATOriAl GUiNEA June 5: President’s Birthday

irAQ June 5: ascension of Mohammed

EriTrEA June 20: Martyrs day ESTONiA June 4: national Flag day June 14: day of Mourning and commemoration June 23: Victory day June 23-24: St. John’s day/Midsummer’s day FiNlAND June 23: Midsummer’s day GUATEMAlA June 30: army day

irAN June 5: ascension of Mohammed

irElAND June 3: Bank holiday iTAly June 2: Foundation of the italian republic KENyA June 1: Madaraka day KOSOVO June 15: constitution day KUwAiT June 5: ascension of Mohammed

DENMArK June 5: constitution day

iCElAND June 17: national day

lATViA June 23-24: Midsummer celebrations

DJiBOUTi June 5: ascension of Mohammed

iNDONESiA June 5: ascension of Mohammed

liTHUANiA June 24: St. John’s day

lUXEMBOUrG June 23: national day

PAlAU June 1: President’s day

MADAGASCAr June 26: national day

PAPUA NEw GUiNEA June 10: the Queen’s Birthday

MAlAwi June 14: Freedom day MAlAySiA June 4: Birthday of hM the yang di-Pertuan agong MAlTA June 7: Sette Giugno commemoration day June 29: St. Peter and St. Paul day MONGOliA June 1: international children’s day MOZAMBiQUE June 25: national day NEw ZEAlAND June 3: Queen’s Birthday OMAN June 5: ascension of Mohammed

PArAGUAy June 12: chaco armistice PErU June 29: St. Peter and St. Paul day PHiliPPiNES June 12: Philippine independence day POrTUGAl June 10: Portugal day QATAr June 27: anniversary of the amir’s Succession rOMANiA June 1: international children’s day June 26: day of the national Flag rUSSiA June 12: national day

ST. KiTTS and NEViS June 10: Queen’s Birthday

TOGO June 21: Martyrs’ day

SAMOA June 1: national day

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SEyCHEllES June 5: liberation day June 18: national day June 29: independence day

TriNiDAD and TOBAGO June 19: labor day

SlOVENiA June 25: national day SOlOMON iSlANDS June 10: Queen’s Birthday SOUTH AFriCA June 16: youth day SwEDEN June 6: national day June 23: Midsummer day SwiTZErlAND June 29: St. Peter and St. Paul day TAJiKiSTAN June 27: unity day

UGANDA June 3: uganda Martyrs’ day June 9: national heroes’ day UKrAiNE June 28: constitution day UNiTED ArAB EMirATES June 5: ascension of Mohammed UrUGUAy June 19: Birthday of José G. artigas VENEZUElA June 24: Battle of carabobo

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of cartoons is still used in schools and organizations throughout Indonesia and abroad and led to an invitation for her to speak at the Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) forum in Indonesia in 2012. She also translated “The Jungle School” by Butet Manurung, an award-winning educator. This book chronicles the first year Manurung spent living with the Orang Rimba tribe on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The Mirpuris lived in Indonesia from 2006 until 2012, when he took over for Chan Heng Chee, Singapore’s longtime ambassador in Washington (also see “Singapore’s Ambassador Chan Says Goodbye After 16 Years” on the July 2012 cover of The Washington Diplomat). Ashok Mirpuri previously served as Singapore’s high commissioner to Malaysia (2002-06) and high commissioner to Australia (2000-02). Gouri Mirpuri is happy to be in Washington, D.C., but she admits it can get lonely with the family spread out over three continents. “It’s painful,” she said, admitting that Skype doesn’t

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Their 24-year-old daughter Nikisha is a lawyer in Singapore, while their 20-year-old son Nihal is studying computer engineering in Australia at the University of Melbourne. “That’s 30 hours ~Human Development away,” this long-distance mom pointed out, looking melancholy. (Indicators, Social EntrepreWith Skype calls to family and colleagues all over the world neurship) ~ nonprofits, Mirpuri has her and nonstop e-mails from her thriving hands full. However, she is looking to make a contribution and a difference during her next three years in Washington as an ambassador’s spouse.Institutional Development & “The demands of Civil this jobSociety are huge (Transparency) and each time you go~to a new post, you have Economic to set the needle back to zero and start all over again. For the ambassadors, they just go from office to office but we have to start all over each time we move,” she told us. “Some people think it is glamorous but it is also lonely, tiring, Development (Resource challenging. But I love it.” Management) ~ Political She added: “My life is like Chinese checkers, where you take Participation & Civic one step and you never know where that’s going to lead you. I try to think about what I could do today and what I could do tomorrow, not what I used to do or be.”

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Special 1 Br apartment at Friendship heights: a large corner unit on 21st floor with spectacular views, one block from Metro red line Friendship heights, across from Whole Foods and walking distance to shops/restaurants, 24-hour security, roof pool, sports center, built-in bookcases, a walk-in closet, a dressing area with a second bathroom sink, stainless steel kitchen appliances, freshly painted. available immediately, $2,000 per month. Please call (301) 706-6671.

Priced at $15,997,000

Your customers will see this ad too!

Classified Ad Order Form Name ________________________________________________________________ Street _______________________________________________________________

Attention Ambassadors!

This grand six-story Washington, D.C. estate overlooks Battery Kemble Park. The residence is over 15,000 square feet and includes an elevator, 3,000 sq ft ballroom, gym, library, dining room that seats 20, a pool with guest house, six fireplaces, four car garage, eight bedroom (including 2 bedroom self contained staff apartment), 8 full baths and 3 half baths.

City ____________________________________________________________________ State _______________________________ Zip Code __________________________ Telephone: Day ____________________ Evening ____________________________

See it online: 3101 Chain Bridge Road, NW Washington DC-Zillow

Brian Logan Real Estate Call Brian Logan office: 202-387-0682 cell: 202-236-3091

Signature _____________________________________________________________ Ad Copy (please print clearly) or email your classified text to sales@washdiplomat.com ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Method of payment: Visa

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To place a Classified ad, please fill out this form and remit with preferred method of payment to:

The Washington Diplomat Classifieds • P.O. Box 1345 • Silver Spring, MD 20915-1345 If paying by credit card, you may fax the form to: (301) 949-0065.

June 2013

Want to

place

your

For more information, call

(301) 933-3552

rates: rates start at $20. classified ads are $20 for 25 words, 35¢ each additional word. add photo for $20. Policies: tear sheets are not sent for classified ads. if you would like a copy of the paper mailed to you, please add $2.00 to your payment. Free Ads for Diplomats: Foreign diplomats are entitled to a 25 word ad (additional

words are 35¢ each) for merchandise only. offer limited to one ad per month and does not include real estate or business ads. Must fax a copy of diplomatic identification card. Deadline: the deadline for ads is the 15th of each month at the close of business. Questions? call us at (301) 933-3552.

The Washington Diplomat Page 55

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The Washington Diplomat

June 2013