state magazine, jul_aug 2013

7/22/2019 State Magazine, Jul_Aug 2013

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state.gov/statemag

July/August 2013

Bicycle AmbassadorsCross-border Riders PromoTourism and Conservation

Traveling ChefsCulinary Diplomacy WinsHearts, Minds and Stomac

Abu DhabiBuilding Partnerships

in a Persian Gul Oasis


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JulyAugust 2013 // Issue Number 580

10Hip-Hop

DiplomacyEmbassy Bishkek usesmusic or youth outreach

Innovative dance group iLuminateslighted suits were a hit with audiencesin the Kyrgyz Republic.

Photo by U.S. Embassy Bishkek


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Features12 Cycling Ambassadors

Ride promotes tourism, conservation

14 Aghan PRT ClosesPaktya partnership spurred progress

16 Foreign Aairs DayLeaders honor allen ocers at event

18 People PowerExchange program alumni build Paki

20 Abu DhabiPersian Gul pearl a study in contra

28 Ches TourCulinary diplomacy delights Slovene

30 Action PlanningLE Sta action plans lead to innovati

32 Crisis CentralOce coordinates disaster response

Columns2 Post One

3 Inbox

4 In the News

8 Diversity Notes

9 Direct rom the D.G.

34 Active Years

36 In Brie

40 Education & Training

41 Lying in State42 Obituaries

44 End State

On the CoverA Moorish-style marble archway rames thecentral domes o the Sheikh Zayed GrandMosque in Abu Dhabi.

Photo by Isaac D. Pacheco

12

18

28


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STATE MAGAZINE // JULY/AUGUST 2013

O the many places a world traveler mightvisit in his or her lietime, ew can matchthe beauty and awe-inspiring wonder o

the planets immense sand deserts. Toughaccounting or only 7 percent o Earthstotal land area, these austere desert regionsspark the imagination like ew other biomes,reminding us that like the ne dust blowingbetween their ever-shiting dunes, we are butgrains o sand in an incomprehensibly largeruniverse.

Te largest contiguous sand desert onthe planet is the Rub al Khali, whichcomprises the central and southern portionso the massive Arabian Desert. Here, asin other deserts around the globe, water isscarce, temperatures extreme and survival

exceedingly dicult. Te deserts nameliterally translates as Te Empty Quarter,an apt moniker considering how dicult itis to imagine any living creature calling thispunishing environment home. Yet somehow,almost inexplicably, lie not only manages topersevere, but to thrive.

Along its southeastern periphery the Rubal Khali spills over rom Saudi Arabia intothe United Arab Emirates. Golden dunes,tinted sunset shades o red and orangethanks to their high eldspar content, denethe Emirates landscape. Here, the searingheat o the glaring midday sun gives way to

chilly, inky darkness at night, with a celestiallightshow overhead. Move nearer to thecountrys Persian Gul coast, however, anda strange icker on the horizon begins tocompete with the glow o the Milky Way.

In this sea o sand, the Emirati people

have built the worlds preeminent oasis. Teglimmering lights and dazzling glass towersthat dene Abu Dhabis bustling city centerspring up almost deantly out o the lonelydesert night, beckoning the weary travelertoward them like a distant mirage. Situatedon a coastal island that only a century agowas a shing village and trading outpost,this modern metropolis seems to dey logic,boasting large emerald swathes o irrigatedland surrounded by uturistic towers,mega-malls and busy thoroughares.

No country today better illustrates thesomething rom nothing concept than theU.A.E., thanks in large part to the ongoing,ossil uel-nanced development in its twolargest cities, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Whilepresiding over one o the worlds top oilproducers, Emirati leaders are looking todiversiy the economy by using their nancialresources to develop the business, transship-ment and tourism sectors.

Read more (pg. 20) about how StateDepartment employees at the U.S. Embassyin Abu Dhabi and U.S. Consulate Generalin Dubai work with Emirati leaders to build

upon a robust, our-decade partnershipbetween the two nations.

Editor-in-ChiefIsaac D. Pacheco // [email protected]

Deputy EditorEd Warner // [email protected]

Associate Editor

Bill Palmer // [email protected]

Design & Layout

Chris S. Rose

Editorial Intern

Karen A. Reitman // [email protected]

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Ex Nihilo

BY ISAAC D. PACHECO

PostOne

CorrectionsJune 2013, pg. 23 Te marathon photo at the top o the page was taken by the U.S.Embassy in Madrids Deputy Chie o Mission Luis G. Moreno.

22


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STATE.GOV/STATEMAG // STATE MAGAZINE

Embassy Birth Raises QuestionsAs a retired Foreign Service ocer with considerable consularexperience, I was somewhat perplexed to read the story (May2013, pg. 7) about the pregnant woman waiting in the visaline at the U.S. Embassy in London when, as the story goes,Te mother returned (ater giving birth) to the embassy laterto renew her sons passport, the task that had rst brought herthere. She brought her new baby along or all to see.

Why was she in the visa line to begin with? Was she a third-country national requiring a visa? A British national does notneed a visa to visit the U.S. Was she an American citizen? Andthe new babydid she have claim to U.S. nationality?

Another possible scenario: Te son whose passport wasrenewed could have been born in the United States o third-country, non-British-national parents studying or on business inthe U.S. Te new baby might acquire British nationality, but notU.S.

In any event, the core o the story was a great event or whichthe embassy doctor and his helpers should be praised or theirachievement above and beyond the call o duty.

Donald R. Tremblay

Foreign Service ocer (Ret.)

Mr. rembley has certainly thought up most possible scenarios!And he happened to get it right.Te posts version o the articleerroneously reported the mother was in the visa line. Te mother,who is not a U.S. citizen, was at the embassy to renew the passport

o her older child, who was born in the United States.Mr. rembley is also correct in that, while the new baby might

acquire U.K. citizenship (depending on the parents status in theU.K.), she will not acquire U.S. citizenship, which does not ollowsimply by being born within the embassy, and neither o her parentsare U.S. citizens.

Catherine McSherry

Chie, Special Consular Services

Family Member CareersTank you or publishing the article Success Secrets:

Family Members Share Career ips in the May issue. Familymember employment issues o course aect employees, andamily members very much appreciate acknowledgment in State

Magazinesince we consider ourselves part o the diplomaticmission as well, especially overseas.

Patricia Linderman

AAFSW President

1974 Tandem CoupleCarol Rose and I were happy to see the nice article on tandem

couples in the May issue. It brought back ond memories o howlucky we were to become the rst tandem to enter the ForeignService together, in 1974.

In late 1973 while on our honeymoon in Malawi, wehappened to stop in the embassy there to register as U.S.

citizens. We were pleasantly surprised (shocked, actually) tohear that a message had been sent to the nearby embassies that,i we happened to show up, the Department had scheduledus to take the oral exam in Pretoria, South Arica, about six

weeks rom that date. Since we were employed as high schoolteachers in Botswana and then Swaziland during that period,

we were able to do the exam as scheduled. We both passed andeventually reported or A-100 training in September, 1974. Weboth enjoyed wonderul FS careers.

Peter S. Wood

Foreign Service ocer (Ret.)

Tandems and Hardship ToursIn reading andem Couples Balance Career, Family, I

ound it quite telling that the example o a tandem couple(Weillers) successully balancing career and amily includedtheir serving apart or three years in close succession, with toursin Aghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. Most organizations wouldprobably not deem this a victory or career and amily balance.Te State Department has a very long way to go beore tandembidding becomes more equitable. A good start would be tellingpotential tandems, beore they join State Department, the truthabout how dicult it will be to serve together, and the realityo how many hardship tours they will be expected to do back toback.

Nathan Carter

Economic ocer and part o a tandem

Switching to DigitalYou have an incredibly beautiul, thoughtul and enjoyable

magazine. Tank you or all the work you have done or everyissue. I truly enjoy receiving it each month.

I know the cost o printing such a great issue costs money,and although I will miss receiving it in hard copy, I amrequesting that you send it via email to me rom now on. Tankyou again or the beautiul work.

Sheila Dumas

Leesburg, Fla.

Inbox


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In the NewsAt a luncheon with 60 members o the Departments Hispanic

Employees Council o Foreign Aairs Agencies (HECFAA) in April,Secretary o State John Kerry emphasized his personal commitment tothe diversity o the State Department and said he would like to ensurethat the Department be on the leading edge o Hispanic hiring ratherthan trail many other U.S. agencies.

Te Secretary acknowledged that, despite active recruitmenteorts, the percentage o Hispanics serving in the Department has notincreased signicantly. Ambassador Lino Gutierrez, who also spoke atthe event, said that Hispanic representation was about 4 percent whenhe joined the Department a number that did not grow appreciably

during his 29-year career.Now, 6 percent o employees are o Hispanic descent, according to

the Bureau o Human Resources (HR). In scal 2012, 83 Hispanicswere hired (32 Civil Service and 51 Foreign Service), and as o March31 o the current scal year, 35 Hispanics were hired (17 Civil Serviceand 18 Foreign Service).

Te bottom line is, as proud as we are o the advances that wehave, we still need to go urther and everybody knows it, the Secretarysaid.

He encouraged HECFAA, the Departments Hispanic employeesanity group, to continue working with HR on Hispanic recruitment,and urged increased mentoring o employees. Director General LindaTomas-Greeneld noted that HR is reaching out to Hispanics beorethey attend university.

HECFAA, which has more than 250 Foreign Service and CivilService members, works to recruit Hispanics through such organiza-tions as the Hispanic Association o Colleges and Universities, andseeks to retain Hispanics and increase opportunities or them.Many HECFAA members inormally mentor new employees andactively recruit Hispanic proessionals and students. At the luncheon,HECFAA members encouraged the Secretary to link recruitment toemployees perormance evaluations. HECFAA also sees a need oroering Hispanic employees broader career-enhancing assignments inDepartment oces and bureaus where their representation is low, and

has called on members to take FSIs new course or volunteer recruitersHR is committed to improving the Departments record, andHispanic outreach is prominent in HRs recruitment eorts. Both

Washington-based recruiters and Diplomats in Residence (DIRs)engage candidates at the national and regional meetings o the Leagueo United Latin American Citizens, the Hispanic National Bar

Association and the National Society o Hispanic MBAs, and at careerairs hosted by Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and the Hispanic

Association o Colleges and Universities. Seven o the 16 DIRs arebased at HSIs and schools with high Hispanic enrollment (FloridaInternational University, University o New Mexico, Arizona StateUniversity, University o Caliornia-Los Angeles, University o exas,University o Houston and City College o New York).

Secretary Meets with Hispanic Employees

Secretary o State Kerry addresses HECFAA members.Photo by Edwin Giovanni Vizcardo Lazo


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Te U.S. Embassy in Dublins two-dayorum Driving the Future: Te Importanceo the ransatlantic rade and InvestmentPartnership (IP) in April highlightednewly announced U.S-European Union tradenegotiations to a broad audience. Te morethan 500 participants included U.S. and EUocials, business representatives, subjectmatter experts, civil society representatives,members o the diplomatic community andeconomic leaders.

Speakers included Deputy National

Security Advisor or International EconomicsMichael Froman, U.S. Ambassador to theEU William Kennard, Irish Prime MinisterEnda Kenny, EU rade CommissionerKarel De Gucht and Irish Minister or

Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation RichardBruton. Representatives rom U.S. and EUbusinesses participated in panel discussions.Te event made clear that a U.S.-EUagreement allowing reer trade will spur jobsand economic growth. Te orum, whichcoincided with an inormal trade ministerial

conerence, eaturedside events organized by

European and Americanbusiness associations

where U.S. ocials made

their case or IP. o reach the broadestaudience, the embassy held two separate,complementary one-day events. Te rsttargeted government and business executives;the second ocused on new economic leaderssuch as entrepreneurs, young proessionals,students and subject matter experts.

We knew that having every EuropeanUnion trade minister in Dublin would be agreat opportunity to publicly reinorce themessage that the United States is committedto our growing and deepening ourtransatlantic partnership, said Political andEconomic Section Chie Mark Erickson.

Tis was the embassys ourth annualeconomic conerence, and all embassysections contributed to it. Economicstatecrat is an all-mission eort, ChargdAaires John Hennessey-Niland said. Itinvolves both trade advocacy and publicdiplomacy to reach new audiences withmessages that advance greater economicreedom and opportunity. He called theembassy team a model o teamwork, proes-sionalism and eciency, and said his in-box

was ooded with positive eedback rom theevent. A video o the event is available on theembassys website, dublin.usembassy.gov.

For the past three years, the Bureau oInternational Narcotics and Law EnorcementAairs (INL) has recruited state and local lawenorcement ocials, corrections ocials,prosecutors and judges to contribute to itscriminal justice assistance programs abroadthrough exchanges and training with oreigncriminal justice proessionals.

Te latest eort on that score came in May,when Secretary o State John Kerry welcomedINLs newest partner, the Boston PoliceDepartment.

Teres a terric mutual benet thatcomes rom this, he said. Te countries we

work with gain in law enorcement ability

and in rule o law, and U.S. agencies helpbuild democracies and develop partnerships

with oreign law enorcement that help keepAmerica sae.

Also in May, INL hosted events or publicand private-sector partners. Its inauguralPartner Appreciation Ceremony recognizedthe many criminal justice proessionalsalready working with the Department.

New York City PoliceCommissioner Raymond A. Kellyaccepted the rst-ever Secretarys

Award or Excellence in OverseasCriminal Justice Assistance, orNYPDs police training assistanceto the Haiti National Police.Since 2010, 68 Creole-speakingNYPD police ocers havetraveled to Haiti to train andmentor Haitian counterparts,promoting rule o law andimproving capacities in areas suchas patrol and investigations.

INL then hosted more than

200 private-sector representa-tives or the rst annual INLPartnership Forum, where innova-tive, cost-eective approaches tocitizen security were discussed.

INL Assistant Secretary William R.Browneld also unveiled a new memorialto honor 86 personnel who died whilesupporting bureau missions. Te memorial

commemorates INL advisors, includingpolice, corrections and support/logistics sta,and government and contract employees

who lost their lives between 1989 and 2012.Families o the allen attended the ceremony.

INL Builds Domestic Partnerships

Embassy Dublin Conerence Promotes Trade

Assistant Secretary Browneld shakes hands with Maryland StateTrooper Henry Doll in ront o the Memorial Wall.

State Department photo

Participants in the eventincluded, rom let: TaoiseachEnda Kenny, Embassy DublinCharg dAaires JohnHennessey-Niland, RT Newspersonality Aine Lawlor andDeputy National Security Advisoror International Economic AairsMichael Froman.

Photo by Diarmaid Keane



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orontos population is estimated to be evenlysplit between those born in Canada and thoseborn elsewhere, making or a visa interview poolcomprised o 170 nationalities speaking 140languages. o reach the many applicants who speaklittle or no English, the U.S. Consulate Generalin oronto produced a nonimmigrant visa (NIV)video or Mission Canada to introduce the publicto the visa process, portraying it as easy and doable,and the sta as respectul and riendly.

Te video is in English, but sta romDepartment posts across Canada translated thescript into several languages, including the nationstop our, Mandarin, Hindi, agalog and Farsi,and provided voiceover narration. Te Mandarinand Spanish versions have been posted, and otherlanguage versions are in the recording and soundediting stages.

Te video explains how to avoid common

mistakes in the online application process, indicateshow to pay the ee, describes the standards orthe required photo, shows an applicant using aninterpreter, details items to be let at home andhighlights visa pick-up procedures rom the courierservice. Te video has been viewed more than25,000 times in its rst our months.

Te video depicts a Canadian resident applying

or his rst visa, or a U.S. road trip withhis sister. Graphics o the road trip representmilestones in the NIV process. Te culturallysensitive script was written by second-tourForeign Service ocer Ineke Stoneham,currently in the NIV Unit; she also managedthe production process with Public Aairs andConsular section supervision. Interns starredas the three main characters; consulate staand amily members played all other roles andserved as extras.

argeting the posts largest applicantpool, Mandarin-speaking NIV ocer JPLai launched a Mandarin language visa blogthat contains the Mandarin version o thevideo, three television interviews that Laidid with the local multilingual broadcastingchannel and a Mandarin Web chat based oncommon questions rom Chinese chat rooms.

Te consulates website has a general consularinormation sheet in English and seven otherlanguages.

Te outreach, which aims to encourage U.S.tourism, was done by the posts sta with noadditional expense. Ater making the videoa reality, Mission Canada has turned to MissionBrazil or a Portuguese translation.

In May, the Public Diplomacy Alumni Association (PDAA)announced its 2013 award winners, citing their outstanding achieve-ments in Pakistan, Algeria and Korea.

Te association cited the public aairs section (PAS) o the U.S.Consulate General in Peshawar, Pakistan, or dedication, courage,creativity, perseverance and unbending proessionalism, under chal-lenging and oten dangerous circumstances, in building long-lasting tiesbetween the people o Pakistan and the people o the United States.

PDAA said the PAS expanded its outreach, promoted grantsprograms and other exchanges, cultivated relationships with local

journalists, expanded the consulates social media reach and usedmusic diplomacy to deliver strategic messages. Te awardees are PublicDiplomacy Ocer Shayna Cram, Public Aairs Specialist Sai Ullah,Public Aairs Assistant Salman Wahab, Inormation Assistant ShahbanoDurrani, Inormation Resource Center Assistant Zeeshan Khan, DRSand Social Media Assistant Saqib Jan and English Language Program

Assistant Fakhar Fakhruddin.Another award went to ashawna Bethea o the public aairs oce

at the U.S. Embassy in Algiers or exemplary leadership, creativity andproessionalism in urthering key Embassy policy objectives by usingthe ull range o PD tools exchanges, English language programs, theInormation Resource Center and social mediato broaden relation-ships between the people o Algeria and the people o the UnitedStates.

Te third award went to Nini Forino o the public aairs oceat the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong or her work as publicdiplomacy ocer or Korean Aairs and as coordinator or U.S.

participation in aKorean Expo. She wascited or proession-alism and dedication demonstratingleadership, creativityand perseverance inharnessing publicand private resourcesto ensure a vitaland impressiveU.S. presence atthe Expo in Korea.She managed U.S.participation,organized undraisingeorts, selectedstudent ambassadorsto sta the pavilionand led the interagency

working group onmessaging, PDAA said.

PDAA is a volunteer, nonprot organization open to current andormer State Department and USIA employees and public diplomacyproessionals rom the public, academic and private sectors. Te groupseeks to oster understanding o, recognition o and support or publicdiplomacy through educational and social activities.

Toronto Consulate Creates Outreach Visa Video

PD Association Names 2013 Award Winners

From let, Video Director Ineke Stonehamhas worked with JP Lai, Pat Vomvas, and

Magy Hanna (seated) on sound recordingsin Mandarin, Spanish and Arabic.

Photo by Patricia L. Fietz

Award winners include, rom let, Shahbano Durrani,

inormation assistant; Sai Ullah, public aairsspecialist; Shayna Cram, public diplomacy ocer;Saqib Jan, DRS & social media assistant; FakharFakhruddin, English language program assistant; andSalman Wahab, public aairs assistant.

Photo courtesy of PDAA


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Te Oce o Civil Rights (S/OCR)

receives hundreds o complaints odiscrimination every year, but notall involve violations o civil rights.Even those that do not involve civilrights violations can involve very realconicts that weigh heavily on thehearts and minds o complainants.

Although they might not involveillegal discrimination, these conictsituations, which are nonethelesstroubling, divisive and disruptive,are a product o SOMEHING. Apersonality test called the Myers Briggsype Indicator (MBI) is one eective

management tool that can diagnosedysunctional workplace conicts to theextent that they result rom dierencesin communication styles.

We all have dierent personalitiesand preerred ways o decision makingthat govern our oce behaviors.Te MBI is a tool successully usedin the public and private sectors,in education and counseling, todetermine how personal preerencesaect the way we approach our workand also how we communicate andinteract. Understanding our own

preerences and those o others reducesthe probability o antagonisms andspeculation about unsavory motivesthat generally arise rom nothing moreserious than communication styledierences.

Te MBI, which is based onJungian personality theory, uses aseries o questions, rened throughresearch, to identiy an individuals

communication style among our

categories: 1) extrovert or introvert, 2)sensing or intuitive, 3) thinker or eelerand 4) judger or perceiver. Te sumo these preerences creates one o 16MBI types, which identiy where weocus our attention, how we renew ourenergy and make decisions and whatour optimum learning style is. In short,our MBI prole describes how wedeal with the outer world.

How do these communicationdierences aect the workenvironment? For example, extrovertsabsorb inormation through

conversation and are invigorated bydialogue. Introverts, on the other hand,tend to preer writing or telephoneconversations (i necessary) and loveemail! Tey preer to reect andcompose responses beore answering,a preerence that does not lend itsel

well to having a supervisor ask a directquestion in person and expect animmediate response. Consider thisexample: Your extrovert supervisorsummons you, an introvert, into hisoce or an update on a report. Youpresent him with a precise and well-

crated written status report, completewith charts, graphs and citations.He replies impatiently that he hasno time to read it, and instead wantsyou to give him a verbal descriptiono where things stand. You complyuncomortably in a low-toned voicein ewer than three sentences. Whenthe director asks or more detail andasks specic questions, you become

ustered. Te boss is let wonderingwhy you can write a antastic reportbut cannot give him a ve-minuteoral summary, and you return to yourcubicle eeling you have been subjectedto an interrogation.

MBI training can teach each o us

how to acilitate communication byunderstanding our own preerences andhow others dierent preerences dictatetheir behavior in the proessionalenvironment.

Using the MBI assessment as anorganizational tool can lessen a stressul

work environment and lead to moreproductive teams. Te Foreign ServiceInstitute (FSI) administers the MBIas part o its leadership classes. Wein S/OCR thank FSI or giving ourentire sta the MBI assessment andconducting training on the instruments

results. Some o us in S/OCR even postour types proudly on our doors atleast the extroverts do.

JOHN M. ROBINSONOFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS

DiversityNotes

Myers Briggs Type IndicatorHas Workplace Relevance


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STATE.GOV/STATEMAG // STATE MAGAZINESTATE.GOV/STATEMAG // STATE MAGAZINE

Like all successul organizations,the State Department must adapt tothe realities o the 21st Century. Tisrequires a new mindset.

Te global environment has changed

over the past two decades, and theworld has become more dangerous andinterconnected. As such, our approachtoward our workorce also must evolve.Diplomacy today requires exibility andcreativity in deploying the talents o allo our people to ensure success in anever more complex mission.

Over the last our years, we madenotable progress in increased hiringunder the Diplomacy 3.0 initiative,augmenting Foreign Service positionsby 21 percent and Civil Servicepositions by 9 percent. However,

our mission has also multiplied.We are continuing to expand ourresponsibilities overseas, includingembassies in three new countries:imor-Leste, South Sudan and Kosovo.Operations at high-threat posts areincreasingly demanding. We haveadded three new bureausEnergy,Counterterrorism, and Conict andStabilization Operationsto strengthenour expertise in critical areas.

Currently, the Bureau o HumanResources is ocusing on lling prioritypostsIraq, Aghanistan, Pakistan, and

now Yemen and Libyawhile ensuringthat major initiatives such as economicstatecrat, ood security, reugees, energysecurity, climate change and nuclearnonprolieration are staed or success.

One thing is certain: o meet newchallenges, we must ully tap the skillsand experience o all o our employees,

whether they are Civil Service, ForeignService, Locally Employed Sta,Eligible Family Members, WAE,political appointees or o another

employment type. As Secretary o StateKerry has said, Each component oour workorce brings a critical skill setand unique talents and we [must] worktogether as one cohesive and vibrant

team.We are a people service. When I seea team working together to develop newsolutions, Im reminded that diversityo thought, culture, background andservice are critical to providing theinnovation we need in the 21st century.

o help ll the mid-level gaps thathave resulted rom the less-than-attrition hiring o the 1990s andto provide additional developmentopportunities, we are oering newopportunities or tenured Civil Serviceemployees to participate in temporary

duty and long-term assignments abroad.o that end, this year we made availableunder the Overseas DevelopmentProgram 20 opportunities or CivilService employees to serve overseas inForeign Service positions. We hope toexpand this in the uture.

We have also expanded our useo limited non-career appointments(LNAs) to meet pressing visaadjudication needs in countries suchas Brazil, China, Mexico and India. ohelp sta our consular section in thosecountries, we are hiring a number o

already language-qualied consularadjudicators, to serve or up to veyears. Tis will help us to increaseinternational tourism, which in turn

will help boost our economy.I immigration reorm passes, the

number o immigrant visas will increasedramatically. Because the need willlikely be temporary and we will nothave positions at the mid to seniorlevels to support a typical ForeignService career path, we are exploring

alternative employment models, suchas LNAs, Civil Service rotations, amilymembers and WAE annuitants to lladjudication demands.

In addition, we have hired menand women temporarily into theCivil Service as 3161s to work

on specic projects in Iraq andAghanistan. Tough we do not expectthese employees to remain with theDepartment or the entirety o theircareers, we have benetedand willcontinue to benetrom their uniqueexpertise.

odays diplomats are serving inmore challenging posts than in thepast. Tey are analyzing policy andshaping outcomes, running programsand helping oreign citizens topromote democracy, ght corruption,start businesses, improve healthcare

and reorm education. Tey are alsoinvolved more heavily in complextechnical and scientic areas than ever,and are conscious o work-lie balanceissues.

Clearly, our diplomacy has changed,and so must we.

LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELDDIRECTOR GENERAL

Direct fromthe D.G.

A New Approach tothe New Diplomacy


12/48


With American hip-hop music, dance and culture having spreadworldwide, the public aairs section (PAS) at the U.S. Embassy inBishkek decided hip-hop was the perect medium to help promoteunderstanding among youth in Kyrgyzstan, where violence aredthree years ago between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbek youth in thenations southern regions, and tensions remain.

As nearly hal o the republics population is between ages

14 and 34, PAS saw hip-hop as a way to rebuild ethnic youthrelationships and promote understanding, tolerance, leadership,community activism and empowerment. Hip-hop is one othe most popular music styles across the republic, where streetculture is an essential part o youth identity, and hip-hop artistscan become role models oering a positive message to vulnerableyouth.

Starting with a series o cultural programs, the post has or twoyears partnered with hip-hop artists inpublic diplomacy, building relationships

with young singers, dancers and artists

in the countrys growing hip-hop community, and engaging withnew young audiences. Tese young hip-hop artists may not yetstudy English or seek to connect with the embassy, but Americaeatures in their lives as they listen to hip-hop music, perect theirbreak dancing and emulate the popular images o American hip-hop street culture.

In 2012, the post hosted a rapper, a hip-hop dancer and a

perormer o popping, a type o street dance that arose in theArican American community during the 1960s and is based onquickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in thedancers body. Tis year, the post hosted American hip-hop artist,dancer and choreographer Emilio Buddha Stretch Austin Jr.,

who visited through the U.S. Speaker and Specialist Program othe Bureau o International Inormation Programs (IIP). BuddhaStretch, a popular hip-hop dancer rom the 1980s and 1990s whodid choreography or global pop superstars such as Michael Jacksonand Mariah Carey, connected with thousands o youth in Bishkekand Osh during a 10-day program.

Hip-Hop is TopsEmbassy Bishkek uses music or youth outreach

By Robin Solomon, assistant public aairs ofcer, U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan


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Buddha Stretch presented hip-hop in the context o the history oArican-American street dance dating to the 1930s. He also explained theorigins o hip-hop street battlesdance, grati and rapas an outgrowtho Arican-American New Yorkers atigue with gang violence in the 1970sand 1980s. In doing so, he encouraged local audiences to use dance andother healthy orms o sel-expression to resolve conicts.

Following a series o master classes and presentations in Bishkek andOsh, Buddha Stretch led local youths in two hip-hop dance battles thatshowcased local talent and illustrated the genres potential as a tool oconict resolution. In the Bishkek battle, hundreds o young dancers and

an audience o all ages crowded into every vantage point o a three-storyshopping mall to watch the ve-hour battle. Dancers rom Kazakhstanbattled with local dancers in the day-long event where congratulatory hugsollowed each battle and a diverse crowd shouted encouragement.

Gender equality was part o hip-hops origins, Buddha Stretch said, andin the dance battles in Bishkek and Osh, young women battled young menup to the nal rounds, earning praise rom Buddha Stretch and the crowds.

Also, a number o hip-hop dancers with disabilities challenged able-bodieddancers in the hip-hop battles nal rounds.

Aterward, at a reception hosted by Ambassador Pamela Spratlen orthe hip-hop dance community, a local group o wheelchair-bound break-dancers impressed the crowd with their strength and skill.

PAS, with support rom the Bureau o Educational and Cultural AairsArts Envoy program, also arranged a visit by one o the most innovative

new dance groups in the United States, iLuminate, which also touredneighboring posts in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

iLuminate uses lighted suits with sotware-controlled cues, producingthe eect o choreographed costumes accompanying the dancers as theyengage in ballet, modern dance, hip-hop, break dancing and popping.

Audiences packed concert halls in Bishkek and Karakol or iLuminatesthree perormances. Updates on the embassys Facebook page aboutiLuminate went viral almost instantly among local audiences, withindividual posts reaching upward o 8,000 people each within a ew hours.Fans praised the embassy or inviting such a dynamic dance group, and

one an tweeted that the perormance made her brain explode. In thedays aterward, #iLuminate was a trending topic among local witterand Facebook audiences.

iLuminate also held packed master classes on hip-hop, popping andbreak dancing, boosting the embassys youth credentials and developingits contacts among the countrys elite hip-hop dancers, including a15-year-old popper o international acclaim who opened iLuminatesshows in Bishkek.

Like Buddha Stretch, iLuminate eectively communicated keymission messages, such as promoting healthy liestyles and positiveyouth engagement. Its perormance with the local wheelchair-boundbreakdancers highlighted the talents o young people with disabilities.Te group also promoted entrepreneurship and innovation: iLuminateounder Miral Kotb, a choreographer and computer engineer, spoke

with student audiences in Bishkek about being an entrepreneur,inventor and innovator.

Kotb challenged the students to think beyond conventionaldenitions o talent and ability, noting how she merged her passionor dance with her career as a computer programmer. Te awed youngattendees, women in particular, ound her nontraditional experienceinspiring.

By using hip-hop, Embassy Bishkek has ound a way to speak toyouth on such mission priorities as tolerance and conict resolution. Itssuccessul hip-hop diplomacy program is likely to become a strategicelement o public diplomacy programming well into the uture.

Opposite: iLuminate dancers light up the stage. Photo courtesy of iLuminate

Above: iLuminate dancer Trevor Harrison teaches break dancing at a mall.

Below: Buddha Stretch teaches children hip-hop dance moves.

Photos by U.S. Embassy Bishkek

Above: Buddha Stretch takes time to snap a photo with a an.Below: Buddha Stretch joins Ambassador Pamela L. Spratlen and a localwheelchair-bound break dancing group at the ambassadors residence.

Photos by U.S. Embassy Bishkek


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Against the backdrop o one o the largest wateralls in the world,the U.S. ambassadors to Zambia and Zimbabwe, Mark C. Storella andBruce Wharton, respectively, bicycled across the Victoria Falls Bridge

with an entourage o ollowers May 21-23 in the rst-ever Bike AcrossBorders outreach activity.

Te ambassadors and their biking delegations were promoting thecoming August General Assembly meeting o the United Nations

World ourism Organization (UNWO) to boost economic growth,good governance and sustainable wildlie conservation.

We wanted to shine the light on both sides o the Zambezi Riverin advance o the UNWO Assembly to encourage Americans to

come and explore this part o the world and emphasize the connectionbetween conservation, tourism and economic development, saidAmbassador Wharton during a press conerence in Victoria Falls.

ourism, one o the great drivers o economic growth in sub-Saharan Arica, contributed $94.3 billion to the regions economy in2012 and is expected to increase its share o the regions GDP over thenext 10 years, according to the World ravel and ourism Council.More than 2.22 million international touristsone-third o them

Americanare expected in Zimbabwe next year, and most will spendat least a day at Victoria Falls. Zambia surpassed 1 million visitors in2012, and Americans were the largest single nationality among them.

Te Zambian government has identied tourism as a strategicgrowth industry, oering tax incentives to businesses and designating

the city o Livingstone as Zambias tourism capital.Zimbabwe and Zambia will co-host the 20th UNWO General

Assembly August 24-29 in Victoria Falls and Livingstone, only thesecond time or Arica to host the event.

During his bike ride, Ambassador Storella said he saw howboth sides o the border ace the same challenges and the sameopportunities. I was gratied to see the two governments, twoprivate sectors, and even two sets o young people collaboratingor an international congress that highlights the value o economicdiversication, private investment through tourism and job creation,particularly or women and young people.

Te delegation o cyclists included Miss USA Nana Meriwether,Zambian Minister o ourism and Arts Sylvia Masebo, Zambian YouthAmbassadors Humphrey Mwila and Luyando Haangala, and a youngZimbabwean comedian and Zimbabwean radio DJ who each have bigsocial media ollowings. Te youth leaders and press engaged socialmedia ollowers on both sides o the Zambezi River with play-by-playpostings, tweets, radio announcements and wide news coverage.

Sharon Hudson-Dean, public aairs ocer at the U.S. Embassyin Harare, noted the importance o including Zimbabwean youthcelebrities in the delegation. In the Zimbabwe media environment,

where state media are actively anti-American, we aggressively use socialmedia to engage and inorm young people, she said. She added thatthe comedian, his manager and the radio DJ ocused on the real lie

Biking Across BordersIn Arica, U.S. ambassadors bike or tourism

By Priscilla Hernandez, public aairs ofcer, U.S. Embassy in Lusaka, Zambia


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aspect o our program, tweeting about the peoplewe met and the great things they are doing ortheir communities in the Vic Falls area. Teir dailyupdates on a variety o social media platorms gavea big boost to the programs and organizations wehighlighted.

Sixty-ve percent o Zimbabwes population isage 35 or younger, and the country has 97 percentmobile phone penetration and wide social mediaaccess via mobile phones. Most Zimbabwean youth

closely ollow Facebook and other popular socialmedia sites.In Zambia, 75 percent o the population is under

age 35, and 71 percent o the population use theirmobile devices to listen to the radio, highlightingthe potential or outreach to young people through avariety o mixed media channels.

Meriwether, a champion volleyball player, notonly cycled with the group but led a volleyball clinicor young people on one stopover and dominatedplay at an exhibition game that highlighted the needor a healthy workorce. o engage young people inconservation and cultural arts, the youth ambassadorsentertained at site visits with a song they authored

or Bike Across Borders that warned o how inactionwould place the land at risk.

What a shame it would be to just sit back andlose it all, goes the song, when its just another storyor the children when were gone.

Te cyclists visited U.S.-supported sites whereexchange program alumni work in tourism, as wellas a museum, cultural village and wildlie park, andnational parks on both sides o the border. Teylearned about conservation eorts, including caringor endangered vultures, and met with disabledhandicrat makers and local entrepreneurs inLivingstone and Victoria Falls.

As or the rides security, Mission Lusaka Regional

Security Ocer Kory Hammond said the postsexcellent relationship with local police meant I knewI could count on their support, and I was impressed

with the level o escort support they provided.

Ambassador Storellas radio interviews in advanceo the ride prompted Livingstone-area residents tograb bikes, don helmets and ride along with thedelegation. When you are on a bicycle, you arecloser to the people, said the ambassador, a cyclingenthusiast. Dozens o Zambians spontaneously

joined us on our bike rides through town, romocials to high school students.

o support local business, Ambassador Whartoncycled on a Zimbabwean-assembled bicycle called

the Bualo. Its a very simple bicycle, very strongand beautiul, he said, adding he was happy to ridethe sort o bicycle the Zimbabwean people have beenriding or decades.

Sometimes the delegation members got o theirbikes, such as when they went on a snare-clearing

walk through a national park on the Zimbabwe sidewith the Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit (VFAPU).VFAPU, a 14-year-old partnership between thetourism industry, National Parks and WildlieManagement Authority and Zimbabwe RepublicPolice, ghts wildlie poaching and emphasizessustainable development, education and communityinvolvement. So ar, it has removed 22,000 snares

used to trap wildlie and has arrested more than600 serious poachers. U.S. embassies throughoutsub-Saharan Arica, including those in Harare andLusaka, are working with Arican authorities tobuild eective, integrated approaches to wildlieconservation.

During the trip, local ocials pledged tocontinue eorts to preserve natural resources andpromote their cultural arts. Masebo said the visit toLivingstone by the ambassadors and Miss USA willassist the two countries in marketing Victoria Falls asa world-class tourist destination beore the UNWOGeneral Assembly.

As Patricia Mwale, deputy mayor o Victoria Falls,

put it, We are geared up more than ever beorebecause one thing we know ater this event is thatVictoria Falls will never be the same again.

STATE.GOV/STATEMAG // STATE MAGAZINE 1

Above: Road workers cheer cyclistsled by Ambassador Wharton, secondrom let, and Ambassador Storella,right.

Right: Under the rainbow o VictoriaFalls, diplomats o embassiesLusaka and Harare are joined bycycling guests Miss USA Nana

Meriwether, white cap; ZambianMinister o Tourism and Arts SylviaMasebo, dark cap; Zambian YouthAmbassadors and other celebrities.

Photos by Chando Mapoma


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At dusk on April 3, the ProvincialReconstruction eam (PR) in Paktya loweredthe American ag or the nal time, markingthe closure, ater a decade o operation, o therst American PR in Aghanistan.

A deactivation event earlier in the daybrought together U.S. military leaders, theprovinces governor and Ambassador StephenG. McFarland, coordinating director or Ruleo Law and Law Enorcement at the U.S.Embassy in Kabul, to honor Aghans and

Americans who died supporting the PR.Also on hand were senior provincial ocials,deputy governors and representatives romthe International Security Assistance Force(ISAF), the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, the mediaand the United Nations Assistance Mission in

Aghanistan (UNAMA).Te PRs trace their origins to the coalition

humanitarian liaison cells established by U.S.military orces during Operation EnduringFreedom in early 2002. A dozen Army Civil

Aairs (CA) soldiers rom the 96th CABattalion staed these small teams, nicknamedChiclets, which assessed humanitarian

needs, implemented small-scale reconstructionprojects and established relations withUNAMA and nongovernmental organizationsin the eld. Later that year, the U.S. CentralCommand and Department o State expandedthe Chiclets into Joint Regional eams (JR),incorporating U.S. Agency or InternationalDevelopment (USAID) and State Departmentcivilian proessionals. Aghan President HamidKarzai, hoping the JRs would help extendthe reach o the central government, suggestedprovincial instead o regional, and thename PR was born.

What became PR Paktya was establishedin a Pashtun-majority, mountainous provincein southeastern Aghanistan borderingPakistan on Jan. 15, 2003. Ten called PRGardez, ater the provincial capital, theteam was located at an old ortress. Tere

were no dining acilities, and everyone usedpumped water in the courtyard to bathe and

wash clothes. Te PR was co-located withmembers o U.S. Special Forces OperationalDetachment Alpha, and the 450th CABattalion provided daily contact with local

ocials and tribal leaders. Te PR had onlytwo civilian employees, one each rom theState Department and USAID.

In the early years, the PR was responsibleor helping prevent the return o aliban rulein Paktiya, Paktika, Khost, Ghazni and Logarprovinces. A better uture or all Aghans

would have to come not just by more ghtingbut by bringing together all instruments ogovernment power.

Over time, shortalls in this approachwere addressed. For instance, it quicklybecame obvious that an economy based onagriculture would require unique capabilities.So, three U.S. Department o Agriculture(USDA) experts joined this and other PRsin 2003. In 2008, the militarys AgribusinessDevelopment eams (AD) joined withGardez and other PRs throughout thecountry. An AD rom the ennesseeNational Guard joined PR Gardez, whichnearly doubled in size to approximately 200members and was renamed PR Paktya.

Te PR improved lives in Paktiya andwas a catalyst or more PRs throughout

First PRT in Afghanistan ClosesBy Stephen A. Verrecchia, senior civilian representative, Provincial Reconstruction Team Paktya

At the closing ceremony o PRT Paktya, AmbassadorStephen G. McFarland, let, told attendees that this PRT didits job and now the provincial and national government cancarry out the task that the PRT was doing. This is success.

Photo by U.S. Embassy Kabu


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Aghanistan; by late 2003, there were PRs in 26 provinces.

As the program took o, the United States began to hand

over some o these operations to its Coalition allies. PR

Paktya also served as the model or the 32 PRs in Iraq.

During its 10-year history, PR Paktya partnered with

the provinces tribal leaders and government ocials to

improve the lives o local citizens. It invested more than

$282 million in approximately 527 projects in the areas

o governance, development and agriculture. Te number

o clinics increased rom zero during aliban rule to morethan 38 today. Te number o schools jumped rom 24 to

518, and more than 27,000 students at these acilities are

girls (none were allowed to attend back in 2001). PR-

unded roads help connect villages to Gardez and beyond,

allowing provincial and national ocials to meet and better

communicate with their citizens, and stimulating economic

growth.

No measure o success is more pervasive than the

booming economy. In 2001, the Gardez market had only

300 shops in a small area connected by unpaved roads.

oday, the market is six times longer and boasts more than

6,000 shops on high-quality asphalt roads designed andbuilt by Aghans with support rom the PR. Even during

the coldest winter months, the market is bustling due to

the abundance o ruits and vegetables delivered there rom

throughout the area. Tis change took time and a total

eort by the whole PR, including the AD, USDA, U.S.

Army Corps o Engineers, CA and others in concert with

Aghan partners.

Te success o the partnership between the PR and

Paktiyas tribal and government leaders did not come

without a price. Te alibans number-one target was

oten the PR, since both it and the aliban were ghting

or legitimacy in the eyes o the population. Numerousgovernment ocials, interpreters, military personnel and

Aghans endured countless threats and attacks. Some died,

including two U.S. soldiers who were killed in 2008 when

an improvised explosive device was detonated by a PR

convoy in Zormat. Many Aghans were injured. While

this attack and others were tragic, they demonstrated

the commitment o the PR and Aghans, who dared to

work together no matter how dangerous and dicult the

mission.

Looking back over the past 10 years, Paktiya ocials

and tribal leaders have every right to be proud o their

accomplishments with the PR. Aghans labored tirelessly

to lay out a path or uture growth and create a more

eective government that recognizes the importance o

transparency, rule o law and womens rights. ISAF and

Aghan security orces ought to build a secure environment

that acilitates and encourages these gains. Tis local eort

reects the progress made throughout Aghanistan, where

gross domestic product has grown rom $4 billion in

2001-2003 to $17 billion in 2011-2012, and 8.4 million

boys and girls are attending school today, helping to ensure

a suciently skilled work orce to keep the provincial and

national economies growing.

Top: Ambassador McFarland chats with Paktiyas Provincial Governor Juma Khan Hamdard.

Middle: Aghan ocials watch the closing ceremony.

Above: From let, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel John C. Chong, PRT commander; U.S. Air Force

Major General Harry D. Polumbo Jr., Commander, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force,

Aghanistan; and Ambassador McFarland stand at attention.

Photos by U.S. Embassy Kabul


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It was a mix o homecoming, somber memorial and newpartnerships when 400 Department o State retirees swarmedthe halls and brieng rooms o Main State on Foreign Aairs

Day May 3 to catch up with old riends, stay current on U.S.diplomacy and, as one put it, see the new team.

Convening in the Dean Acheson Auditorium, they rst heardrom some o the Departments veteran leaders, Director GeneralLinda Tomas-Greeneld, Deputy Secretary William J. Burns,Under Secretary or Management Patrick Kennedy and UnderSecretary or Political Aairs Wendy Sherman. Next, Secretary oState John Kerry, the son o a Foreign Service ocer who grewup at posts overseas, welcomed them back and told them, I havenever seen the plethora o challenges that were seeing today in a

world in which nothing is simple. For example, he said, Syria isas complicated as any issue I have seen.

Secretary Kerry then moved over to the C Street lobby wherehe was joined by Vice President Joe Biden and other dignitaries

at the American Foreign Service Associations Memorial PlaqueCeremony, which honored eight men and women who lost theirlives in conicts old and new. In Aghanistan, Kerry had met

Anne Smedingho, who served as a control ocer on his visitto Kabul just two weeks beore she was killed. I remember heraceher permanent smilecutting through the chaos and the

crowd, he said. Tats exactly where Anne wanted to be, right inthe thick o it.

From his Senate days, Kerry said he knew Ambassador ChrisStevens, who died in last years terrorist attack on the U.S.diplomatic complex in Benghazi. He recalled Stevens skills as adiplomat and said, Everyone elt like he was a personal riend.Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and y Woods also died in Benghazi.Kerry noted that Smith was the rst to volunteer or Haitiater the earthquake, the rst to volunteer or Japan ater theFukushima disaster. And so, o course, he stepped up to serve inBenghazi. As or Doherty and Woods, thanks to their braveryand their sacrice, 30 Americans escaped the attack, he said.

Te other names added to the memorial plaque were: RagaeiSaid Abdelattah, a USAID ocer who died in Aghanistan while

pursuing what Kerry called his deep passion or helping peopledevelop their ull potential, and Joseph Fandino and FrancisSavage, who both died in Vietnam more than 40 years ago.

By Bill Palmer, associate editor, State Magazine

Left: Director General o the Foreign Service Linda Thomas-Greeneld presents the Foreign Service Cup certicate to W.Robert Pearson. State Department Photo

Top Right: Vice President Biden and Secretary o State Kerrylisten to AFSA President Susan Johnson at the Memorial PlaqueCeremony. Photo by Donna Ayerst, AFSA

Center Right: Pamela Dragovich, who beore retirement wasan inormation resources ocer covering Central Asia romVienna, Austria, said she was so busy then that she had notime or that citys great opera scene. Last posted to Berlin, she

lives on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Photo by Ed Warner

Bottom Right: Foreign Aairs Day concluded with a luncheonin the Benjamin Franklin Room eaturing keynote speakerAmbassador James F. Jerey. State Department Photo

AFSA Memorial plaque ceremony honors eight; Secretarys Speech Highlights

Foreign Affairs Day 2013


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Vice President Biden and Secretary Kerry praised the courage andpatriotism o the allen, as well as the sacrices o their amilies.

At a ceremony earlier, DACOR President Paul Cleveland presentedDACORs Foreign Service Cup to retired Ambassador Alan Larson,the rst economic ocer so honored. Larson said economicstatecrat is seen as a core part o U.S. diplomacy today. His remarks

were echoed by Secretary Kerry, who said so much o oreign policyis really economic policy and called or harnessing the private sectorto lower the unemployment rate and raise the gross domestic productin Arab Spring countries.

We have to provide opportunity, he said. We have to leverage.Ater attending breakout seminars on consular aairs, public

diplomacy and regional issues, many retirees reconvened or lunchin the Benjamin Franklin Room, where DG Tomas-Greeneldpresented the Director Generals Cups. Te Civil Service Cup wasawarded to Janice S. Clements, who was cited or 41 years oexemplary service and contributions to building a State Departmentthat reects the quality and diversity o our nation. Te DG calledher a great mentor who encouraged young people to develop theirpotential. Te Foreign Service Cup went to W. Robert Pearson oran exceptional career that included service as ambassador to urkeyand director general o the Foreign Service. Te DG praised him as aman o action and an innovator.

Luncheon speaker James F. Jerey, ambassador to urkey and Iraq

beore retiring in 2012, discussed what went right and wrong in theIraq conict and the role o the Foreign Service there, and oeredlessons or the uture.

Attendees then returned to their busy lives, as exempliedtocite just one exampleby Wayne Sharp, who retired in 1991 andhas since served as a board member or president o an orchestra, aoreign aairs retiree group, a hospital, a homeowners associationand the National Council or Adoption, all while pursuing a secondcareer until 2009 as a certied nancial planner. As Pearson said whenreceiving his award, As Foreign Service ocers, we cant retire. Acommitment to service marks our lives rom beginning to end.


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While a reghter in Peshawar, a proessor in Punjab and an activistin Islamabad may seem to have little in common, they are united inall being alumni o U.S. government-sponsored exchange programsand members o the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN). Withmore than 12,000 registered members, this alumni network is one othe largest and most active in the world, according to the Bureau oEducational and Cultural Aairs.

Our alumni network is ull o young leaders who not only want tokeep close ties to the United States, but also want to make a dierenceback home, Ambassador Richard Olson said. Tey play an integralrole in supporting the embassys goals o capacity building andcountering extremist voices in Pakistan.

Te Department invests more in exchange programs in Pakistanthan in any other country ($40 million annually), sending thousands oPakistanis to the United States each year on such programs as studentscholarships and proessional partnerships. o take ull advantage othis investment, Mission Pakistan has a vigorous alumni engagementprogram to organize and energize thousands o young Pakistanis tocontribute to their communities and maintain a long-term relationship

with the American people.

Te result: a burgeoning alumni network with 11 chapters spanningthe country rom the sands o Balochistan to the snowy peaks oBaltistan.

Veteran Pakistani exchange alumni launched PUAN in 2008. Sincethen, Mission Pakistan has helped the network evolve and expand, withthe goal o building upon the shared values o Pakistanis and Americansto promote trust and understanding. In 2012, the embassy launcheda ve-year alumni engagement plan to urther expand networking,unded by a $3.1 million cooperative agreement with the U.S.Educational Foundation in Pakistan.

PUAN chapters sponsor regular activities, including leadershipworkshops, technology seminars, community service projects, mentor

programs, environmental awareness campaigns, networking events andeven the occasional ash mob, a seemingly spontaneous gathering in apublic space, usually organized via social media.

Alumni rom Lahores PUAN chapter choreographed a Bhangradance ash mob at Alamgiri Gate to celebrate Pakistan Day in March.In the countrys mountainous north, alumni rom the Gilgit-Baltistanchapter led an expedition to Deosai National Park to promoteenvironmental sustainability and eco-tourism. In conservative Peshawar,


Fulbright alumna Sarah Adeel hangs out with street children participatingin the LettuceBee Kids art outreach program in Islamabad.

Photo by Jabbar Bangash

Exchange AlumniBuild a Better Pakistan

By Jennier McAndrew, assistant cultural aairs ofcer, U.S. Embassy in Islamabad


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LettuceBee Kids (LBK), which uses art, music and mentorship to getchildren o the street. Te idea or LBK came about when she wasconducting research or her masters thesis on child welare in South

Asia.

I was doing a comparative analysis o orphanages and oster-carehomes, and these were some o the most abysmal places you couldimagine, Adeel said. I spent hours getting to know the children.One day, I asked them to write letters to whomever they missed themost, and most o the letters were addressed to God. When I saw themhaving nobody but God to write to, I knew I had to help.

With the aid o one o the embassys rst Alumni Small Grants,Adeel and LBK piloted an art therapy program in 2012, oering artclasses to street kids at local parks and schools. Te organization hastransormed the childrens artwork into a commercial greeting card lineto sustain the program.

We cant aord not to help these kids, Adeel said, because they arePakistan's uture.

A third example is that o Dr. Yasmin Ru, an assistant proessor

o political science at Islamia University o Bahawalpur and a 2005International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumna. Shemotivated the PUAN Bahawalpur chapter to hold a series o reemedical clinics to provide health services to women in Punjabs poorestareas.

Many women in Pakistan have limited access to medical care,especially in poor, rural areas where three-quarters o the countryspopulation lives. As a result, Pakistan suers rom high rates omaternal and child mortality, according to the World HealthOrganization.

Ru credits her IVLP experience with giving her the skills to makethe clinics a success, particularly seminars she attended at the Universityo Maryland on youth mobilization and building trust in a communitythat might be suspicious o your intentions.

Many local leaders were at rst resistant to the clinics, Ru said, butthe alumni were able to change their minds ater meeting with them toaddress their concerns. Some o the women treated at the clinics toldRu it was their rst time to ever speak to a doctor.

Many o these women are illiterate, so education is key to lettingthem know their rights, she continued.

Tese stories show how, in the words o Ambassador Olson,exchange programs are one o our most important tools to counterprejudices and build trust between the United States and Pakistan.

From the vocational student to the proessor, he observed, alumniimprove our ability to build bridges across every sector o Pakistanisociety, and thats invaluable.

alumni recently taught 28 women politicians how to run successulelection campaigns.

Te embassy also partners with alumni to build its other outreach and

public diplomacy programs. Alumni regularly speak about their U.S.experiences on television and radio shows, in newspaper interviews andon panel discussions with hundreds o high school students. o helpspread awareness o the missions undergraduate exchange program,Islamabad alumni toured hard-to-reach northern Pakistan, visitingmore than 20 schools and explaining how welcoming they ound

Americans. Alumni musicians perormed at the missions Daniel PearlWorld Music Days concerts, starred in a play ocusing on womensrights on International Womens Day, adopted the American Corner inPeshawar and led roundtable discussions about civil rights with a visiting

American expert.PUAN also hosts alumni reunions and conerences eaturing

American speakers to channel enthusiasm or improving Pakistanand helps alumni maintain ties to the United States. In April, about

450 alumni rom Pakistan, India, Aghanistan and the United Statesconvened in Islamabad or PUANs inaugural International YoungAlumni Conerence, ocusing on social entrepreneurship.

Te conerence marked the launch o the embassys $1 millionAlumni Small Grant competition that will und up to 50 alumnicommunity service projects every year or the next ve years. During theconerence, alumni ormed teams to brainstorm project ideas they willturn into grant proposals.

Nearly every member o our alumni network has a unique storyabout how his or her exchange experience has enabled them to positivelycontribute to Pakistans development, noted Assistant Cultural AairsOcer Laura Brown, who manages the alumni program.

One example o how the alumni are changing their nation comesrom Peshawar, near the Aghan border, where civil unrest oten sparks

violent demonstrations. Until 2010, Peshawar did not have ormalizedemergency services.

Exchange alumnus Wasim Khan decided to x that.Back in 2008, Peshawar was in a very bad state, Kahn said. Tere

were bomb blasts, res and emergencies all the time. Tis became myinspiration to study reghting in the United States.

As a 2009 exchange student in the Community College InitiativeProgram, Khan enrolled in reghting courses at St. Louis (Mo.)Community College and interned with the local re department,gaining hands-on experience with new reghting techniques.

On returning home, Khan joined the PUAN Peshawar chapterand went to work or the citys newly established Rescue 1122emergency service. As an incident commander, he now leads emergencypreparedness programs in hospitals and schools, and trains cadets on

conducting rescue operations.My message is, go to work or your country and advocate or more

education, Khan said. Tats the only way we can transorm Pakistaninto a saer, more peaceul society.

Another example o how alumni are improving Pakistan is that oIslamabad-based activist Sarah Adeel, a 2009 Fulbright alumna andgraduate o Rhode Island School o Design. She took note o the actthat an estimated 1.2 million children are on the streets o Pakistansmajor cities, according to the Asian Human Rights Commission. Manysurvive by scavenging at garbage dumps. Others resort to crime. Helpingthese kids reintegrate into society is what drives Adeel.

Ater returning to Pakistan, she ounded the nonprot organization


Ambassador Olson greets Global UGRAD exchange participants during a Decemberpre-departure orientation in Islamabad. Photo by Rahat Yasmeen.


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Bathed in light during the evening call to prayer, theSheikh Zayed Grand Mosque serves as an open orum orthe Emirati people and the broader Muslim community toworship and exchange ideas with people o diering aiths.The mosque is open to the public in an eort to demystiyIslam and to bridge cultural divides.

Post of the Month


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Business Partnerships Bolster Prosperous Bilateral RelationshipStory and photos by Isaac D. Pacheco

Abu Dhabi


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Post of the Month


Rising abruptly romthe warm shallowso the Persian Gul, Abu Dhabis uturisticskyline glistens like a string o iridescentpearls along the northern coast o the

United Arab Emirates. Only a century ago, the spit o land wherethe U.A.E.s capital city now rests was a humble trading outpost ornomadic Bedouins, some o whom relied on pearl shing in the calm

waters or their livelihoods.Te invention o cultured pearls in the early part o the 20th

century led to a steep decline in demand or Gul-region pearls,but the ensuing discovery o another much more valuablecommodity beneath their eet opened new doors or the Emiratipeople. Te small country sits atop the worlds seventh largest

oil and natural gas reserve. oday, the U.A.E. boasts the worldsseventh highest GDP per capita. Accordingly, Emirati leadershave used their ossil uel windall to nance a massive andunparalleled inrastructure development project that continuesto this day.

Te Emirates two largest cities, Abu Dhabi and Dubai,exempliy the countrys dramatic growth over the past vedecades. Since striking oil in the late 1950s, the nation hasseen its coastline rapidly transormed into a modern oasisthanks to one o historys most incredible urban developmentprojects. Skyscrapers and lush parks ed by millions o gallons odesalinated water now dene a coastal landscape once dominatedby scrub brush, date palms and shiting dunes.

I the U.A.E.s major cities demonstrate the Emiratis visionor the uture, the countrys largely undeveloped interior reectsits strong ties to the past.

Tis is a very large, very cosmopolitan, very sophisticatedurban setting, but Emirati culture itsel is quite traditional,rather more conservative in some ways than one might expect tosee in Abu Dhabi or Dubai, and really rooted in the heritage andculture o the seven individual emirates, said Robert Arbuckle,the public aairs ocer at the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

Clockwise from above: Originally a means or desert-dwelling Bedouin to supplementtheir diets with much-needed protein, alconry has become an expensive pastime andhas spawned a lucrative industry. Abu Dhabi is home to the worlds preeminent alconhospital, where these valuable birds are taken or regular check-ups and treatment;U.S. Secretary o State John Kerry speaks to embassy sta during his visit to AbuDhabi, March 4. Photo by Dafne Johnson; The citys modern skyline glows at night asseen in this panoramic shot taken rom the Corniche.


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Anyone seeking a Bedouin-style adventure need only wander

several kilometers outside any major city to nd it. Te countrys

shared southern border with Saudi Arabia is dominated by the

worlds largest sand desert, the Rub al Khali (Empty Quarter),

considered by many climatologists to be one o the worlds most

unorgiving biomes.

Over the years, the Bedouin learned to not only survive, but tothrive in this extreme environment, notably by using alcons to

hunt small game. Teir prized raptors helped supplement their diet

with much-needed protein. While no longer practiced as a means

o sustenance, alconry remains a popular pastime among the

Emirati elite.

Even as this country o striking contrasts continues to experience

almost daily reinvention, the United States works with the Emirati

people and leadershipas it has or 40 yearsto capitalize on the

U.A.E.s role as a stabilizing inuence in the Middle East.

Te United Arab Emirates is an island o stability, a crossroads,

a visionary country in the Middle East with an enormously strong

relationship with the United States, said Ambassador to the

U.A.E. Michael Corbin. Te United Arab Emirates is playing a

key role way beyond its small size and population. Its a countrythat is open to the West and open to the U.S. But, its a country

with its own cultures and traditions. We cant take or granted its

cooperation and riendship with us; we have to work to maintain

it.

Secretary o State John Kerry reinorced the importance o this

relationship during his March 4 U.A.E. visit, which was part o

his rst ocial overseas tour. During remarks at the embassy, he



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lauded the State Department team at post or its sustained contributions to a

robust bilateral partnership.

One o the many ways in which the embassy connects with the Emirati people

is through the public aairs sections social media campaigns. Ambassador Corbin

is an active participant, engaging in discussions on the embassys ocial witter

and Facebook sites and on his own account (@AmbCorbin).Were denitely trying interesting, new, innovative ideas over our virtual

platorms to get our message out, said embassy Inormation Ocer Je

Ladenson. "We use social media as an opportunity to promote our business

interests and U.S.-U.A.E. trade relationship, because those are denitely key

components o the bilateral relationship.

With more than 1,000 American rms maintaining a presence in the U.A.E.,

business and trade are major success stories in the burgeoning partnership between

the United States and the Emirates. Te U.A.E. is the United States single largest


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export market in the Middle East, with a tradesurplus exceeding $22.5 billion in 2012theourth straight year the country has held thedistinction. Tese trade gures incorporate theU.A.E.s role in regional trans-shipment, such asgoods going rom the United States to sub-Saharan

Arica and Asia via Dubai.Te ease o doing business here means that

its a great place or U.S. companies to come

and either have headquarters or partnerships ordistribution networks, said Corbin. You havea real opportunity or us to share the things that

we do best with this country thats seeking to dothe best things or themselves and or the region.Our best exports, higher education, medicineand business have a real partner here in theU.A.E. For State Department ocers, and otheragencies that are represented here, there are myriadopportunities to engage.

Te embassys team o Foreign Serviceemployees and Locally Employed (LE) Sta worksin cooperation with other government agencies to

orward American policy priorities in the U.A.E.,giving mission stakeholders a solid platorm tobuild upon when engaging with their Emiraticounterparts.

Deputy Chie o Mission L. Victor Hurtadodescribed the embassy as a critically importanttraining ground or a wide swath o issues thatocers might ace at some point in their careers.

Its an exciting place to be. I youre amanagement ocer, the challenges are justoutstanding as ar as building your skills andgetting recognized or it, he said. It is a reallychallenging environment or management ocers

o all kinds, rom HR to GSOs to nancialmanagement, because youre managing growth.Youve got to stay on top o it.

While the demands o overseeing such a largeembassy could easily overwhelm even seasonedocers, Management Counselor Judes E. DeBaeresaid that the unparalleled talent pool at postmakes navigating even the most complex issues arewarding experience.

Above: Ambassador Corbin welcomes Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nayhan, Crown Prince o AbuDhabi and deputy supreme commander o the UAE Armed Forces to the U.S. Pavilion at the 2013International Deence Exhibition and Conerence (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi. Photo by U.S. Embassy Abu Dhabi

Opposite Top: As morning light spills over Abu Dhabi, commuters make their way along the main highwayinto the city center.

Opposite Center: A desert tour operator attired in traditional Bedouin garb rests against his camel as hewaits or customers at a rest stop.

Ive never walked into an embassy where Ive elt so condent in my American sta,said DeBaere. Tat has really relieved the pressure o running this embassy. I would

take all o them with me anywhere, and Im very serious about that; they are great.A veteran corps o LE Sta complements the Foreign Service team, bringing

invaluable regional experience to the table as well as a critical understanding o localcultural mores.

One o the things that makes Abu Dhabi particularly pleasant or the ocerswho work here is that we have some LE colleagues who have been here since the verybeginning, said Arbuckle. Our senior cultural specialist has been here almost 30 years,and our senior inormation specialist more than 30 yearsin a country thats 40 yearsold. Te depth o institutional memory we have is really strong.

O the many engagement opportunities available at the embassy and ConsulateGeneral Dubai, one o the most demanding is consular duty. In a consular sectionthat sees more than 120 dierent nationalities in the average year, the LE Sta helps

American ocers overcome linguistic and cultural hurdles.

Our immigrant visa section is a little unique in that the majority o our immigrantvisa cases are nonresidents, said Brian R. Peterson, deputy chie o the embassysconsular section. Tat makes our work a bit more challenging in that its hard to getinto a routine when you just dont know exactly who or what youre going to see.

I you want a challenging job here, in terms o [American citizen services] andnonimmigrant visas [NIV], dealing with Iranians and Iranian visa issues, this is a greatopportunity because o the increasing demand throughout the Gul. Its our biggestIranian NIV issuing post, and here in Abu Dhabi we do the [immigrant visas] too, headded.

Along with providing Foreign Service ocers with numerous opportunities or careeradvancement, Abu Dhabi and Dubai also oer rst-time visitors a rereshing perspectiveon lie in the Middle East.


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A woman scales a large sand dune on theoutskirts of Abu Dhabi to capture a pictureof the vibrant desert sunset. While theEmirates coastline continues to see a boomin development and growth, the countrys aridinterior remains sparsely populated.


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Te biggest misconception that the general public has, and I thinkthe State Department a little bit less, is lumping the whole regiontogether as one o political upset and security threats, said Arbuckle.Tats certainly not the everyday experience o living in Abu Dhabior Dubai, where our biggest issues are trac and heat. It is a sae,pleasant and mostly tranquil place to live.

With two o the worlds most technologically advanced cities,both boasting high living standards and low crime rates, modern-dayU.A.E. is dispelling stereotypes about the region and drawing in newresidents. Sae communities, a plethora o recreational activities andtop-tier educational systems in Abu Dhabi and Dubai have made theEmirates a particularly attractive destination or amilies.

People are constantly amazed, said Robert P. Waller, consulgeneral at the U.S. Consulate General in Dubai. For many o them,its their rst trip ever to the Middle East, and they get here and theyare just blown away by how modern and developed this place is, howgreat the inrastructure is, how warm and welcoming the locals are,how accepting and tolerant the society is; it really exceeds a lot o

peoples expectations.

DeBaere similarly encourages Department employees who havechildren, but are leery about serving in the Middle East, to considerbidding on an assignment in the U.A.E., which she described as aharbor o stability in a region o unrest.

I you are interested in this region, and yet you have a amily orkids come here, she said. You will nd enough o the Arabicinuence to really eel it. You can use your Arabic [language skills],you can get out, you can see it, and you also have a great place to havea amily.

As political and social landscapes continue to evolve in theMiddle East, Embassy Abu Dhabi and Consulate General Dubai are

working with the Emirati people to enhance an already stout bilateralpartnership by building upon existing academic, business and militaryties, and collaborating on policies that conront terrorism, openeconomic systems and support nancial markets.

Its a really robust relationship. Te Emiratis are very responsivein working with us. Teyre positive and constructive in dealing

with problems, said Hurtado. Our partnership is an increasingly

important part o the Middle East equation.

At a Glance United Arab Emirates

Capital: Abu Dhabi

Government type: ederation with specifed powersdelegated to the U.A.E. ederal government and otherpowers reserved to member emirates

Area: 83,600 sq. km.

Comparative area: slightly smaller than Maine

Population: 8.3 million

Languages: Arabic (ofcial), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu

Religions: Muslim

GDP per capita: $49,000

Export partners: Japan, India, Iran, South Korea, Thailand,Singapore

Export commodities: crude oil, natural gas, dried fsh,dates

Import commodities: machinery and transport equipmentchemicals, ood

Import partners: India, China, U.S., Germany

Currency: Emirati dirhams (AED)

Internet country code: .ae

Post o the Month

Source: The World Factbook


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At the dinner table, people set aside dierences, display traditionsand share ood, which not only nourishes, but reveals our dierences,similarities and values in a language everyone can understand.

Americas diversity is reected in regional and ethnic dierencesin ood, so the public aairs section (PAS) at the U.S. Embassy inLjubljana wanted to use ood to highlight that diversity or Slovenes,

while disproving the notion that Americans eat only ast ood.Agreeing with ormer Secretary o State Hillary Rodham Clinton,

who said, Food isnt traditionally seen as a diplomatic tool, butsharing a meal can help people transcend boundaries and buildbridges in a way that nothing else can, the post responded tothe Departments Culinary Partnership Initiative by organizing aculinary tour or two American ches. It had already started a ooddiplomacy campaign that involves posting short videos online oembassy sta in their home kitchens making their avorite oods.

Te regional American ches, a man rom the north and awoman rom the south, are leaders in the eld o local, arm-to-table, sustainably produced ood. Lenny Russo, the che/owner oHeartland Restaurant in St. Paul, Minn., is a our-time James Beard

Award nominee, a member o the Nutrition Commission or theMinnesota Department o Health and an energetic deender o smallarmers. Cassie Parsons, rom Charlotte, N.C.s Harvest Moon Grille,is a armer and the 2012 U.S. Green Entrepreneur o the Year. Bothhave big, charming personalities, and are equally comortable with

small armers, eccentric winemakers and Michelin-rated ches.aking advantage o a conuence o eventsthe new Department

attention to ood, POP-Vs recent success with ood programmingand its agreement to pay all production coststhe embassy wasable to secure unding rom the Bureau o Educational and Cultural

Aairs to allow the American ches to travel as ocial Arts Envoys.Tey each spent two weeks in the country during the April wild garlicand black trufe season, one in the eastern hal, one in the west.

Te ches tour culminated with a highly-rated television serieson Slovenias most popular channel, POP-V. Te show, Zabeljenopo ameriko (Seasoned by Americans) ollowed the ches as theyzigzagged through the Slovenian landscape, meeting armers, otherches, artisans and lots o hungry people, during which time theytruly won over the Slovenes one dish at a time. But how would theyare among an opinionated group o Slovenian grandmothers?

Working with Felina Films, an award-winning productioncompany, the post divided each o the countrys halves into ourdistinct ood regions. Te American ches traveled through postcard-perect countryside, learned about and collected ingredients anddiscussed the ingredients American equivalents. Each episodeculminated with the American che using these ingredients to createhis or her own unique meal. All o the characters they met alongthe way came together around the table, always in some spectacularsetting, to eat, drink and appreciate each other.

Cooks TourPost wins hearts and minds, one bite at a time

By Christopher Wurst, public aairs ofcer, U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana, Slovenia


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During Russos swing through the Istrian region, near the Adriaticcoast, he raked salt at salt pans dating rom Roman times, dug up atrufe (thanks to Slovenias amous trufe dog, Gina), sipped organicolive oil and walked a vineyard that overlooked the Bay o rieste,Italy, and the port o Koper, Slovenia. And he welcomed Momo thesherman, who on that day, or the rst time in his lie, reeled ina huge steelhead trout that had somehow wound up in the Bay oPiran. A ew hours later on national V, Russo expertly lleted andried it over an open re in a huge stone replace at a 200-year-oldrestaurant.

My most ervent imaginings were ar exceeded, Russo said.I ound Slovenes to be not only gracious and overwhelmingly

openhearted, but also incredibly sophisticated, stylish and creative.Te beauty o Slovenias cities, towns and villages, and the astonishingvistas o the countryside were only exceeded by the charm and graceo its beautiul people.

When not gathering or cooking ood, he toured an old mercurymine; lost a bocce ball match to a spirited group o retirees; received anewborn goat in a tiny mountaintop village where Slovenia, Italy and

Austria all come together; got rowed out to Bled Island by a SloveneOlympian; and took a perilous ride with members o the Yugo CarClub.

Not to be outdone, Parsons spun pottery, blew glass, rode a horseand tried her hand at y shing. Her ood oray in the eastern parto the country was equally memorable. In her Prekmurje episode,

she drove a tractor; learned to make Gibanica, a traditional dessert,rom a grandmother with 60 years o baking experience; visited anecological arm; ground her own our; and showed o her Polish-

American heritage by making pierogies with local sour cabbage.Everywhere we went, we experienced incredible hospitality and

rich traditions, Parsons said. Culinary creativity was everywhere. Iwas struck by the pride and passion o the people I met, who were sowilling to share their homes and recipes with me.

Russo oversaw an American tasting menu night in LjubljanaCastle, while Parsons did the same at a prestigious Ljubljanarestaurant. Te American ches worked hand-in-hand with theirSlovene counterparts and their teams. Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli

hosted ood-themed receptions or both ches, where each was orcedto blindly sample Slovene dishes and give their impressions to theguests, who had all been given the menu in advance.

As tens o thousands o Slovenians tuned in or eight weeks toZabeljeno po amerikomarking the greatest reach o any programever done by the embassy therethey learned about America and

Americans as two clever and enthusiastic ches jumped headrst intotheir culture. Te ches emerged with delectable dishes and gained agreater appreciation or the richness o Slovenian culture and cuisine.

As Parsons put it, Slovenia isnt only in my belly, it is now rmlyin my heart. Many Slovenian viewers no doubt eel the same about

America.

Clockwise from top left: Che Cassie Parsons, in white jacket, poses withAmbassador Mussomeli, ourth rom right, and other participants in aStump the Che reception at the ambassadors residence; Photo bySabina Dolenc. Parsons stops by a cook o where young Slovenesteam up to prepare traditional dishes; Photo by Meaghan Monort.Parsons gets behind the wheel o a tractor at Korenika Eko-Social Farm;Photo by Meaghan Monort. Russo, let, cooks or his ne

state magazine, jul_aug 2013

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