U.S. Global Leadership Coalition Conference: It's All About the Economy

by Debie Waggoner

I had the privilege of attending the U.S. Global Leadership Conference last week here in Washington, DC. The take-away: Anyone involved in international development and diplomacy should be paying attention to the Foreign Assistance budget talks. The International Affairs Budget is only 1.4% of the entire federal budget. Even if your organization is not a recipient of federal funds for D and D work, a reduction in these already small-in-comparison budgets could impact some folks at the local level, and most definitely our future status in the world.

U.S. involvement in development and diplomacy abroad helps the American economy at home.

If I heard it once, I heard it all day: the U.S. government and the American people must realize how much the development and diplomacy work going on each and every day impacts not only our foreign perception and foreign policies, but there are loads of examples of how this work directly affects us at the local level. There are currently three trade deals stuck in Congress: South Korea, Panama, and Colombia. These need to be pushed through as they would have a positive effect on the U.S. economy and would undoubtedly create jobs.

Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, gave her remarks in the morning. She stated, "Everyone needs to take stock of what we can do to help the economy. Foreign Policy be must a force for an economic rebound. Economic strength equates to leadership in the world...I've traveled over 600,000 miles as Secretary and my conclusion is that we as Americans need to Up Our Game."

She went on to mention that her office is hiring more economists and other experts in an effort to boost exports, develop fair trade practices, protect intellectual property rights (particularly in China), support innovation, and of course, support for foreign assistance and development.

Other took the stage through the day to make the case for development and diplomacy and how it ties into the economy. One old, but good example is that the Marshall Plan infused $110 Billion (in today's dollars) into Europe in the 1940s-50s. Our return on investment is that we now export $114 Billion a year to Europe. We should be preparing the grounds of Africa, South East Asia, and the Middle East for the same type of ROI. Can we expect similar results? We won't know if we don't try.


For more information about the conference: www.usglc.org

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World Travel, Inc.'s Summary on the Unrest in the Middle East

Situation Reported by iJet Intelligent Risk Systems

• Algeria: Nationwide protests Feb. 19 were met with overwhelming force by riot police. Several people were injured when anti-government protesters in Algiers clashed with security forces who tried to stop their demonstration at the ministry for higher education. Some leaders of the National Coordination for Change and Democracy (CNCD), a coalition of human rights groups, unions, student groups, and opposition parties, have called for weekly Saturday protests. Violent civil unrest has spread throughout Algeria, driven in part by rising food prices, unemployment, and general dissatisfaction with the government of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. In an attempt to stem the growing discontent, the government adopted measures Feb. 22 to lift the 19-year state of emergency.
• Bahrain: The security situation in greater Manama is calm, but tense. The violence that erupted between anti-government protesters Feb. 18 at the Pearl Roundabout in north-central Manama has largely subsided. However, protests continue and the situation will likely remain fluid for the near term. On Feb. 22, tens of thousands of anti-government protesters marched from the Bahrain Mall to the Pearl Roundabout. Security forces monitored the rally, but did not intervene, and there were no reports of violence. In an attempt to mollify the protesters, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa released some political prisoners Feb. 22 and called for a dialogue with the opposition.
• Egypt: The situation has largely calmed since the military ousted former President Hosni Mubarak Feb. 11. Although the military-run governing council faces critical challenges as the country rebuilds its political system, widespread civil unrest on the scale of the three-week long popular uprising is unlikely to return. Several prominent labor groups - including government, textile, transport, health, and safety workers - have mounted strikes in pursuit of higher salaries and better working conditions. These labor actions add to the considerable economic losses suffered during the revolution, though they will likely not directly threaten civil order.
• Iraq: Demonstrations demanding economic and political reforms are spreading and becoming more frequent in Iraq, with rallies occurring in Baghdad, Basra, Kut, and Sulaymaniyah. Although rather small compared to the protests in Tunisia and Egypt, the government has taken the demonstrations seriously, recently announcing that it will scrap plans to purchase 18 F-16 fighter jets and instead divert those funds to anti-poverty measures. Internet activists have called for large protests in Baghdad on Feb. 25, but it unknown how large the turnout will be. Tensions are especially high in Sulaymaniyah, located in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), where demonstrators have become enraged at the heavy-handed tactics used by security forces during a Feb. 17 demonstration that left three people dead and more than 40 injured.
• Jordan: Sporadic bouts of civil unrest have occurred in Jordan almost weekly, mostly on Fridays after midday prayers. On Feb. 18, government supporters clashed with pro-reform protesters near the Al-Husseini Mosque in downtown Amman, leaving eight people wounded. The Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, Jordan's largest opposition group, announced Feb. 22 that it would resume protests after determining that the government was not serious enough about political reforms. The IAF's announcement will likely lead to larger demonstrations in an effort to gain additional concessions from the king.
• Kuwait: Bidoons (Stateless Arabs) have staged several protests in Jahra and Sulaibiya, demanding benefits afforded to Kuwaiti nationals. Violent clashes have occurred repeatedly between security forces and the protesters, leaving dozens injured, while police have arrested more than 120 demonstrators. Additional demonstrations by Bidoons will likely occur in the coming days.
• Libya: The situation in Libya Feb. 23 is becoming increasingly unstable as unrest spreads across the country and foreign nationals attempt to flee. Major cities in the east, including Benghazi and Bayda, are reportedly in the hands of the opposition, as is the western city of Misrata. The capital, Tripoli, was relatively quiet following major clashes in previous days, with reports of Gaddafi supporters roaming the otherwise empty streets. Information remains extremely limited due to government restrictions on the Internet, mobile and landline phones, and SMS text messaging services.
• Morocco: The country has witnessed widespread demonstrations, but it is fundamentally more stable than Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, or Egypt. Nationwide protests Feb. 20 were largely peaceful, though there were sporadic reports violence - mostly vandalism and looting - in Al-Hoceima, Tangier, and Marrakesh. There are protests planned for Feb. 25 in Rabat, but the organizers have an inconsistent track record of sticking to their own plans and Moroccan security forces may seek to prevent or limit the size of the demonstrations.
• Tunisia: Conditions have largely calmed across Tunisia, as clashes and mass protests have ended, though groups that were largely absent from the revolution against former President Zine el-Abadine Ben Ali continue to hold smaller sporadic rallies. Tunisians appear to have largely accepted the interim government, which has stabilized. Many businesses, markets, and schools are open; airports are operating with normal flight schedules. Still, the overall situation is tense. Unrest could occur with little notice. Security in greater Tunis and other major cities remains elevated. A state of emergency is still in effect and could last until elections are held later in the year, though both protesters and the security services largely ignore a ban on gatherings of more than three people. So far, no date has been set for the elections.
• Yemen: Anti-government unrest has increased considerably in Sana'a and throughout Yemen as protesters call on President Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign. Violent protests outside Sana'a University are a regular occurrence, with anti-government protesters clashing with government loyalists and security forces. In the southern city of Taiz, thousands of anti-government protesters remain in Hurriya Square in the city center. Clashes have also occurred in Aden between supporters of the secessionist Southern Movement and security forces. In a sign that the situation may be escalating, there are reports that the Shia' Al-Houthi rebels and some leaders of the Southern Movement have thrown their support behind anti-government protesters and have also called on Saleh to step down.

From Der Spiegel Today: Hungary's Scary New Media Laws

It isn't the government's job to keep the media in check -- it is the media's role to monitor the government. Hungary wants to reverse that.

See more at: http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,740209,00.html#ref=nlint

Elections cast long shadow on democracy in Nicaragua / The Nica Times / The Nica Times / Costa Rica Newspaper, The Tico Times

Elections cast long shadow on democracy in Nicaragua / The Nica Times / The Nica Times / Costa Rica Newspaper, The Tico Times

7 Billion, National Geographic Magazine

Arab Voices: What Are They Saying to Us and Why Does It Matter? ~ James Zogby

Middle East Institute, December 8, 2010

Summary by Debie Waggoner

“There are 350 million people who are a freaking mystery to us.” ~James Zogby

Zogby is a lively and intelligent speaker. I hope this summary does him justice.

Why did I write this book? Because I hear the debate about Arabs and Muslims in the American press, but it does not reflect the Arabs that I know in the Middle East. I wanted to point out that Americans should care about the Middle East because we’ve committed more money, troops, and resources to it than any other region in the world since Vietnam.

It also gave me the opportunity to poll Arabs and use actual data about the perceptions that Arabs have and then separate it by gender, age, and country if I wanted to. It’s interesting that as American troops entered Iraq in 2003, we (Zogby International) polled Americans to see how many could identify Iraq on a map: 11%. In 2008, we did the poll again: 37% of Americans could identify Iraq on a map.

Thousands of American troops have died in the last 8 years in a country that only one-third of Americans can even find on a map.

We also polled Iraqis during the last years of the Bush Administration and they were clearly unhappy with the way they had been treated by American troops and the polls showed their discontent. A few days later, Dick Cheney goes on “Meet the Press” and talks about how this great polling company called Zogby has data that shows the Iraqis are perfectly happy with the way things are going. He completely falsified the results and once again, lied to the American people.

A poll of Americans in 2010 shows that 80% think that Arabs hate Americans. In a poll of Arabs, 63% stated that they like American freedoms, education, democracy, movies, and science, but more than 90% do not like American policies towards Arabs. Therein lies the fine line: the Arabs like Americanisms, but feel slapped by our policies. Zogby says, "One Arab told us, I feel like a jilted lover.”

Why? Because of the Palestinian dilemma. Arabs see videos of Palestinian (predominantly Arab) children suffering in refugee camps and those children look just like their children. Do they obsess about it? Some do, but many are just like you and I: they go to work, they watch movies, they have family gatherings, they worry about their health and their loved ones. But they also see the news and unlike American news, which rarely if ever, depicts Palestinians suffering, Arab news stations show the Palestinian families watching their homes being destroyed by Israeli bulldozers to make room for more Israeli settlements. Do most Americans understand the significant of these actions in the Arab mind? No and so we don’t understand a region of the world with which we have so much to do.

Zogby pointed out that the American education system has a severe knowledge gap. The simple fact that the vast majority of Americans cannot even identify Iraq on a map makes a pretty strong argument for a review of our education system. He advocates for a new National Defense Education Act that would encourage study of critical languages such as Arabic and change the American historical viewpoint that first there was Europe and then there was America and that’s all you need to know. Don’t forget how much the Arabs contributed to European cuisine and the Arab scholars who helped generate the Renaissance. As Zogby stated, “There are 350 million people who are a freaking mystery to us.”

Why aren’t Arabs living in the United States being utilized to help shape policy or at least understand the Arab mindset and culture? Zogby’s answer: “Politics. And it’s a shame. I wish more were involved in shaping policy. And, I wish the career Foreign Service officers were making policy decisions, but they don’t and they know what’s going on over there.”

(From the back of the room, “They write good cables!”)

His take on so-called “Middle East” experts on news stations: “Many of those “experts” have written a book about the Middle East, but have never in their lives actually traveled to a country there and often have had little interaction with people who grew up in the Middle East.

Final Thoughts: I haven’t read Zogby’s book yet, but judging from the variety of points he wanted to get across, it’s bound to be a good read and is certain to have some great personal stories in it. The gist of today for me was that we Americans can point the finger and ask, “Why don’t they understand us? Why are we the ones looking like failures? Because, as Zogby stated, ‘The problem starts at home.’ Let’s educate ourselves on the Middle East, its history, its cultures, its people and…ahem…its geography.

YPFP: Media & Foreign Policy-A Discussion with Price Floyd

By Debie Waggoner

“Julian Assange should be arrested for espionage, but there’s no turning back to a time before websites likes Wikileaks.” ~ Price Floyd

Floyd gave a brief overview of his career path; he began working at the Department of State in 1989 and eventually became Director of Media Affairs. He recounted his first experience working with the media and how it made him realize how someone like him could work behind the scenes to craft a message. It all began with his involvement in Secretary Albright’s first trip to Israel; Floyd was responsible for ensuring the media and the Secretary were in the proper places for her to be photographed paying respects at the grave of revered former Prime Minister, Itzak Rabin. The next day, Israeli newspapers had her photo on every front page in the country; and Floyd was hooked.

During the G.W. Bush years, Floyd said his department did everything in its power to communicate with Americans about the Administrations' policies. He granted 1,000 interviews a year (3 a day) for mid and top level officials, but the polls kept dropping. Finally, someone told him that if you are trying television, radio, newspaper, and internet to sell a product and no one buys it, then you need to take a look at your product. Floyd says this concept was life changing; he went back to his superiors and acknowledged that the Bush Administration may need to change some of its policies. Naturally, that did not go over very well and Floyd resigned. “No matter where you are, you have a voice. Don’t be afraid to stand up for what you believe.”

Five Communication Questions to Ask:

1. What is the message?

2. Who is the audience?

3. How can I reach them?

4. Who is going to do the speaking?

5. How am I going to measure the result or impact of the message?

If there is bad news about to be leaked about your organization, your communications team should put it out into the media first and acknowledge its mistakes and note improvements. Pretending bad news is not a big deal to consumers and constituents only makes the matter worse.

His analysis of Republicans: Historically very disciplined about staying on message and during the GWB years, “the Administration stayed on message regardless of reality.”

Democrats: “Historically horrible at discipline and staying on message, but good at communicating in general. The Obama Administration has done a pretty good job of balancing staying on message and adapting to realities.”

In light of WikiLeaks:

Floyd stated that the way the government communicates will need to change, but he is not sure how. He said, “Most likely, the government will not do a lot to change the policies and just hope it does not happen again.”

Best Point of the Night: The State Department documents revealed on WikiLeaks only proves the strength of our public diplomacy efforts. Instead of damaging the relationship of the United States, most of our friends and allies were understanding and even commented that they said even worse things about the U.S. and its representatives. True-and I would add that if it happened to the U.S., it could happen to any government-it could be China or Germany’s turn next to have documents leaked, so don’t be too harsh.