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  • 7/29/2019 State Magazine, September 2013

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    state.gov/statemag

    September 2013

    Book Project Opens

    Minds in Sarajevo

    Personal Relationships

    Move Business Forward

    On SolidGroundPRM Bureau Helps Displaced Citizens

    and Reugees Get Back on Their Feet

    Investing in IraqInvesting in Iraq

    A Novel IdeaA Novel Idea

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    September 2013 // Issue Number 581 Features10 Open or Business

    U.S. companies look to Ir

    12 Innovation CenterHelsinki showcases U.S. k

    14 DIR AssistancePromoting Department c

    22 Reugee ChallengState, USAID help displac

    24 Novel IdeaReading program inspires

    28 Family MattersOcers take parents to D

    34 Model U.N.Students learn about diplo

    Columns2 Post One

    4 In the News

    8 Diversity Notes

    9 Direct rom the D.G

    30 In Brie

    35 Saety Scene

    36 Appointments

    37 Lying In State

    38 Obituaries

    40 End State

    On the CovYoung Syrian refugees run withof Japanese Foreign Minister Fuand United Nations High Commfor Refugees Antnio Guterres refugee camp in Jordan.

    22

    28

    Reykjavikold Beauty,Warm Heart

    A rocky coastline marks this portion o the

    Snellsnes Peninsula in western Iceland.

    Photo by Paul Cunningham

    1416

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    STATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMBER 2013

    For more than two years a violent civil warhas raged in Syria, marring the once idylliccoastal landscape and taking an unathomabletoll on the countrys population. According toUnited Nations estimates, more than 100,000people have been killed during the conict,and millions more displaced or orced toee. As bloody skirmishes have ared up in

    city streets and throughout the countryside,more than 1.75 million Syrians have ed tobordering nations in search o shelter.

    Secretary o State John Kerry hasrepeatedly urged actions on both sides othe conict to seek political solutions to theconict and end the bloodshed. Te UnitedStates has provided nearly $815 million inhumanitarian assistance to help those aectedby the conict, and is committing $250million in non-lethal transition support tothe Syrian opposition. Tis assistance willhelp local opposition councils and civilsociety groups provide essential services totheir communities, extend the rule o lawand enhance stability inside liberated areas oSyria.

    One especially hardworking team atthe State Department is taking the leadin fnding ways to assist the millions oSyrians who have been internally displacedas well those who have sought shelter inother countries. Te Bureau o Population,Reugees, and Migration (PRM) providesaid and sustainable solutions or reugees,victims o conict and stateless peoplearound the world, through repatriation, localintegration and resettlement in the United

    States. PRM also promotes U.S. populationand migration policies. With an estimated10,000 Syrians eeing the country every day,PRM is working with its NGO partners andUSAIDs Bureau o Democracy, Conictand Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA) to

    devise methods that will make assistance tourban reugee populations more eective andsustainable.

    With PRM guidance, the United Statesis providing emergency medical care andmedical supplies, childhood immunizations,ood, clean water and relie supplies to thoseaected by the crisis, as well as supportingreugees and host communities in theneighboring countries. Within Syria, U.S.humanitarian aid is reaching 3.2 millionpeople throughout the nation, based strictlyon need and regardless o political aliation.

    PRM sta members say that, despitethe impressive numbers their work is aboutmore than just eeding the reugees. Itsabout getting to know these communitiesat a person-to-person level, identiying theirunique challenges and tailoring solutions totheir needs. PRM and DCHA are not onlyputting ood on the table but also providinghope to a disenranchised populace. Teyare helping those who are at risk fnd a placeo reuge and giving those who have beensilenced by oppression a new voice. Readmore (pg. 22) about how PRM and their

    partners are making a positive dierence orreugees around the world.

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

    Deputy EditorEd Warner // [email protected]

    Associate EditorBill Palmer // [email protected]

    Art DirectorPeter Zi // [email protected]

    Editorial InternKaren A. Reitman // [email protected]

    Contacting Us301 4th Street SW, Room 348

    Washington DC [email protected]

    Phone: (202) 203-7115Fax: (202) 203-7142

    Change o Address

    Send changes o addresses to our stausing the contact inormation above.Please include your previous mailing

    address.

    Submissions

    For details on submitting articles toState Magazine, request our guidelinesby email at [email protected] or

    download them rom state.gov/statemag.State Magazine does not purchase

    reelance material.

    Deadlines

    The submission deadline or the Novemberissue is September 15. The deadline or the

    December issue is October 15.

    State Magazine (ISSN 10994165) ispublished monthly, except bimonthly in

    July and August, by the Bureau o HumanResources at the U.S. Department o State.

    It is intended or inormation only and isnot authority or ocial action. Views and

    opinions expressed are not necessarilythose o the Department o State. The

    editorial team reserves the right to selectand edit all materials or publication.

    Follow Us Online

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    Safe Refuge

    BY ISAAC D. PACHECO

    PostOne

    53RDAnnual

    Art & BookFairTe 53rd annual Art & BookFair o the

    Associates o the American Foreign ServiceWorldwide (AAFSW) will take place Oct.

    11-20 in the Main State Exhibit Hall andeature thousands o used books, paintings,art objects, textiles, stamps, coins, postcards,CDs, DVDs, maps, ephemera and more. A

    Collectors Corner will oer rare and unusualbooks, reecting the airs international avor.

    On Oct. 11 rom 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. andOct. 14-18 rom 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the

    event, now more than 50 years old, will beopen to Department badge holders, spouses

    and escorted guests. On Oct. 12-13 and19-20 rom 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the sale is

    open to the public, with access through theC Street entrance.

    Te air accepts Visa, Discover and Mastercardcredit cards and personal checks. Te sales

    proceeds beneft the AAFSW Scholarship Fundand initiatives that support the Foreign Service

    community locally and abroad.

    CorrectionsJuly/August 2013, pg. 39 Olivia P. L. Hilton was incorrectly listed in Retirements.

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    STATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMB

    In the NewsDirector General Installs Memorial Plaque

    In a ceremony in May, Director General Linda Tomas-Greenfeldded our names to the plaque in the Harry S ruman building thatnors Locally Employed Sta who died in the line o duty. Te plaque

    as established in 2010 with unding rom the Cox Foundation.Marline Lamothe, a USAID employee in Haiti, was murdered in12 as she returned home ater a work unction. She served in the

    SAID/Haiti Economic Growth Oce, where she provided excellentadership, and is survived by a daughter, 11, and son, 7.Anthony Okara, a 25-year-old fnance assistant working or the Presi-nts Emergency Plan or AIDS Relie (PEPFAR), was killed in a 2012liner crash in Lagos, Nigeria, while traveling rom Abuja on business.e helped ensure achievement o PEPFARs goals, and was a man otegrity who will be remembered or his work ethic and team spirit. Hesurvived by two brothers.Abobaker Ashaibi, a State Department senior security guard in ripoli,bya, died in a 2012 workplace accident. A loyal embassy employee oryears, he is survived by his wie and three young children.

    Mustaa Akarsu, a State Department security guard in Ankara, urkey,was killed in February while protecting the embassy during a terroristattack that injured several others. By blocking the terrorists progress intothe compound, he saved many lives. He is survived by his wie and twochildren.

    Te inscription on the plaque says that it was erected by the StateDepartment in honor o those Locally Employed Sta overseas who havelost their lives in the line o duty, due to terrorism, in an act o heroismor in other compelling circumstances while serving the United StatesGovernment with Foreign Service Agencies. Names rom 1999 onwardare included. For urther inormation, contact Kirk Leach in the Oceo Casualty Assistance at [email protected].

    Then-Director General Linda Thomas-Greeneld, ourth rom right, joins colleagues

    rom the Human Resources Bureaus ront oce and representatives rom the

    bureaus o Western Hemisphere Aairs, European and Eurasian Aairs and Near

    Eastern Aairs and the Oce o the Haiti Special Coordinator to honor allen LE Sta.

    Photo by Robert M. Stewart

    Te Foreign Service Institute (FSI) held its frst annual National SecurityExecutive Leadership Seminar (NSELS) Capstone Day in May. Among the100-plus attendees were participants in the past years three 30-memberNSELS classes and national security proessionals rom the departments oState, Deense, Justice, and Energy, USAID and the Oce o Managementand Budget.

    Admiral Michael Mullen, ormer chairman o the Joint Chies o Sta,spoke o the importance o accountability in government and the need toachieve a balance between U.S. military and diplomatic powers. He said theUnited States needs to keep values ront and center on security matters.

    Victoria Nuland, ormer Department spokesperson, said theres a needto fnd common objectives among agencies and or younger ocials to be

    willing to challenge the prevailing vision.One attendee said the speakers provided encouragement and insight

    through their examples and comments on taking tough assignments andmaking hard choices.

    NSELS alumni led panel discussions on such issues as leading interagency

    teams, strategic planning and collaborating in crises, and spoke o how theyapplied skills acquired in NSELS.

    Created in 2006, NSELS is a no-cost course that brings togetherrepresentatives rom more than a dozen ederal agencies or whole ogovernment collaboration. Te classes are targeted at rising leaders at theFS-01/GS-15 level and meet twice monthly or fve months.

    Capstone Day reected the programs shit beyond the classroom toengaging the larger alumni community, who continue to be involved in theprogram via inormal networking or as mentors and course speakers.

    Security Leaders Attend FSI Capstone Day

    Capstone Day attendees participate in a discussion.Photo by Michael

    U.S. embassies are increasingly adopting public display screens thatdynamically post the latest inormation, such as announcements, videos,images and PowerPoint presentations. Besides promoting organizationalcommunications and helping reach target audiences more eectively, thesigns promote a greener environmental ootprint because they use nopaper, water or inks.

    Te newest digital signage system, at the U.S. Embassy in C openhagen,includes a Digital Signage V in the consular sections public waiting roomthat oers content on visa and citizens, s ervices issues. Another one nearthe mailroom showcases mission announcements and news, includingmission events, security/management notices, local weather and trainingvideos. Sotware is used to make updates within seconds, and sta passingthe commissary or mailroom can see current events and learn o urgentannouncements.

    At the U.S. Embassy in San Jos, meanwhile, a screen in the consularsection shows waiting customers videos on local outreach eorts and U.S.tourism, entrepreneurship and educational opportunities, as well as visaapplication procedures. It also broadcasts a live V news stream, weatherinormation, mission announcements, outage notifcations and local news.

    Meanwhile, at the U.S. Embassy in London, a digital signage solutiondeveloped by the embassys echnology Innovation Oce eatures a32-inch high-defnition LCD television unit, a credit-card-sized computerand custom sotware that was also developed in-house. It displays

    Digital Signs Display Announcements

    A digital sign at Embassy San Jos displays announcements. Photo by Ke

    scheduling inormation or conerence rooms in the buildingshow screensavers, internal advertising and other messages. Edisplay cost less than $400 to implement. More inormation signage is available at http://diplopedia.state.gov.

    STATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMBER 2013

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    In July, the Foreign Service Youth Foundation (FSYF) hostedits annual Youth Awards Ceremony or FSYF contest winners andchildren whose parents are serving at unaccompanied posts.

    Ambassador Ruth Davis praised the winners or being among ourfnest citizen diplomats and treasured members o our Foreign Serviceamily.

    Winners o Te World Is My Hometown art contest included:Sabra Goveia, Melody Reynolds and Sophie Nave in the 5-8 agecategory; Ethan Banerjee, Caitlin Chaisson and Emily Allen in the9-12 age category; and Helen Reynolds, Avery Coble and Emily

    Williams in the 13-18 age category. Tey received cash prizes romState Department Federal Credit Union.

    Te essay contest asked or 1,000 words or less on how a ForeignService childs sense o home is aected by his or her itinerant lie andprolonged immersion in dierent languages, cultures and environ-ments. Te winners included: Krishna Srini, Dhara Srini and TomasGreen in the middle school category and Ashley Miller, Andrea Salazar

    and Natalie Hernandez in the high school category. Tey received cashprizes rom McGrath Real Estate Services.In the KidVid Contest, sponsored by FSYF and FSIs Overseas

    Briefng Center, students ages 10-18 produced a DVD about lie at

    an overseas post rom a young persons perspective. Te winreceived cash prizes rom Peake Management, included: ElkErik Van, Steven Van, Nick Slusher and Aman Mehmood r

    Azerbaijan; Hunter Walton, Sofa Monterroso, Leon BarnesAnaele rom Maputo, Mozambique; Walker Jarrell, WilliamMadeline Jarrell and Wyatt Jarrell rom Shenyang, China; CPearson, Gwyneth Pearson and Owen Pearson rom Kuala LMalaysia; and Colston Moder rom Frankurt, Germany.

    Te community service contest, which recognizes outstancommunity volunteer eorts, was won by Jonathan SchwanEmily Larsen, who received prize money rom Clements WInsurance. Te FSYF Academic Merit Award or two colleghigh school seniors or gap-year students who are FSYF memto Brett Fouss and Meredith Hilton, who received prize moFSYF and GEICO. More inormation is at www.sy.org.

    Since 2006, the Department, through the Family Liaison(FLO), has distributed medals and certifcates o recognition

    children o parents serving overseas in high-threat unaccomassignments. o date, more than 4,200 children have been More inormation about FLOs Unaccompanied ours progstate.gov/m/dghr/o/c14521.htm.

    FS Youths Recognized at Awards Ceremony

    At the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm, Ambassador Mark Brzezinski ands team have launched Diversity Dialogues, a program o roundtablescussions on harnessing the benefts o multiculturalism and promot-g tolerance.A culturally diverse nation that has gained more than 900,000 im-grants in the past 20 years, Sweden has Europes second highest per

    pita rate o asylum seekers and large communities o people romria, Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries.Since the United States also has a rich tradition o immigration andulticulturalism, each dialogue conducted under the program includesguest who presents on an iss ue, ollowed by discussion on expandinge benefts o diversity in both nations.Recently, Governor Mark Dayton o Minnesota spoke with civil so-ty leaders, students, journalists, government ocials, businesspeople

    d representatives rom the Somali community about his states historywelcoming immigrants. Minnesota has the largest U.S. populationSomali immigrants. Participants discussed business opportunities,rnessing immigrants entrepreneurial spirit and the procedures ortaining important government services.Diversity Dialogues topics have included youth and entrepreneurism,omoting role models and tackling anti-Semitism. Other speakers havecluded 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus; Zeenatahman, the Secretary o States special advisor or Global Youth Issues;presentatives rom a Minnesota group that highlights role modelsthin the Somali community; and David Lazar, a leading American-

    born rabbi who was based in Stockholm.As a result o one discussion, the embassy is teaming with a Swed-

    ish association o immigrant-owned businesses to host a visit o thepresident o the National Minority Supplier Development Council. Tedialogue will ocus on an American industry commitment to purchasesupplies rom minority-owned businesses and whether such a model

    would work in Sweden.

    Embassy Dialogues Emphasize Multiculturalism

    In April, the U.S. Embassy in Wellingtonlped ready the posts children or ariety o emergencies that can occurNew Zealand, which has a history orthquakes. In 2011, a large earthquake n earhristchurch killed 185 people and causedbstantial damage to the citys inrastructure.ere are 530 known, active aults beneathe waters around New Zealand.

    o better prepare embassy children, themmunity liaison oce (CLO) and regionalcurity oce (RSO) teamed up to host Kidsmergency Preparedness raining. Te RSOovided a short, interactive briefng, using

    mple questions and providing awards orrrect answers. Ten, New Zealand police

    cers and frefghters provided the childrenth hands-on experience, including ridinga fre trucks telescoping bucket, spraying ae hose, using a fre extinguisher and sittinga police car and testing its lights and sirens.Aterward, the embassys Quality o Lie

    Advisory Council hosted a classic Kiwisausage sizzle or the children. o round outthe day, the children competed in a relay raceto make the best go bag, which is a bagpacked with essential ready-to-use items oremergency use. Finally, a movie git basketdraw rewarded amilies who participated inthe CLO/RSO radio check challenge. Teexercise required each amily member to

    practice a radio check by calling in on theappointed day.

    Some children were so inspired by theevent that they went home to make theirown go bags. Others asked their amilies ithey had a go bag and where it was. Someasked their parents where their homes frealarms were and i they had been testedrecently.

    Embassy Prepares Childrenor Emergencies

    A re truck displays its rescue bucket at the training. Photo by Jodilyn Johnson

    Ambassador Mark Brzezinski, let, and wie Natalia, second rom right, meet withProessor Muhammad Yunus, center, and program attendees. Photo by Jeff Anderson

    STATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMBSTATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMBER 2013

    Winners o the 2013 Foreign Service Youth Awards gather with, at ront rom let, Foreign Service Youth Foundation President Linda Garvelink, retired Ambassador Ruthand Hans Klemm, Principal D eputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau o Human Resources.

    Photo by Sylvia J

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    Te Oce o Civil Rights (S/OCR) providesan important unction under Equal EmploymentOpportunity (EEO) lawit processes ederal-sectorEEO complaints in accordance with applicableregulations and procedures. We also have the DiversityManagement and Outreach division, and a sectiono Attorney-Advisors who support our unctions. Werealize that S/OCR will be judged on how we treatemployees and applicants when they seek inormation,receive training or fle a complaint, more than on thelegal nuances o fnal agency decisions or the outcomeso individual complaints.

    Customer service is both a science and an art as manycorporations have learned. Unlike arget or HomeDepot, however, our customers have no choice. Tereis no alternate EEO oce around the corner keepingus on our toes. So, the hard work o knowing how well

    we are doing and where we need to improve must comerom imagining competition and then providing ourcustomers with various avenues to provide confdentialeedback.

    S/OCR has a new customer service team that hasinitiated ocus groups with S/OCR customers. HRocers told us that managers needed more trainingon employee accountability issues, and we thereore

    worked with Employee Relations (HR/ER) to set upa seven-session training telecourse/webinar with theFederal Employee Law raining Group on exactly thissubject. When EEO counselors said they wanted morerecognition rom S/OCR on their contribution to theDepartments goals, we responded by creating a matrixo 500+ counselors, and sending a kudos message totheir supervisors expressing our appreciation or theircontributions. We also heard many suggestions orimproving our website. In response, our website team isrevamping the website in close collaboration with FSI.

    Many other thoughts and concerns are being airedthrough our customer service team, and our managersare setting up action plans to explore and prioritizeapproximately 40 new requests. We may accomplishsome requests quickly, and some slowly. Others mayhave to be modifed or are, alas, out o reach. We maybe unable to implement some due to limited resources,and some may be addressed in collaboration with otheroces.

    All eedback is valuable, and we treasure everycomment. In the bookA Complaint is a Git, theauthors note that, or every person who complains, thereare 32 who say nothing. So the one voice can represent32 others who describe their bad experience to others.

    Any complaint can be viewed as a git, a way to improveservice, a valuable message o eedback. I our oce isunable to meet the clients need, we can help by fndingthe right resource, giving guidance or even just listeningempathetically.

    We would like to hear rom you. Please contactRuth M. Hall ([email protected]) or Arlene Brandon([email protected]) in S/OCR with any commentson what we can do better.

    JOHN M. ROBINSONOFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS

    DiversityNotes

    Customer Serviceand S/OCR As many o you are aware, in June the President nominated meto be the new Assistant Secretary or Arican Aairs. While I am

    humbled and awed by the challenges this new position presents, Ihave let the Bureau o Human Resources with mixed eelings as Itruly loved being Director General (DG) o the Foreign Service andDirector o Human Resources.

    It was wonderully ulflling to serve as DG, as we worked asan HR team. I learned so much during my tenure as DG, andI attribute that to the amazing people I worked withand theconstructive eedback I received rom all o you, both stateside andaround the world.

    Reecting on the achievements o my HR colleagues whileI served as DG, I eel confdent about the state o aairs in theDepartments personnel world. Our employees are:

    Providing great service: Our one-stop service center inCharleston, S.C., has grown. It is now also a processing center orpersonnel actions and, increasingly, an HR Shared Services Provideror nine bureaus. Tis has helped us to improve eciency, cut costsand better serve employees.

    Fostering strong leadership: We have developed a Chie oMission Leadership Survey that queries country teams about Chieo Mission and Deputy Chie o Mission leadership to give thoseleaders, as well as their Assistant Secretaries and the DG the tools toidentiy and remedy developing leadership and management issues.

    We are putting the fnal touches on a program o mandatorytraining or supervisors, to give them the tools to successullymanage their oces and create a climate where all can perormtheir best. I am also pleased that a new Workplace ConictPrevention and Resolution Center is in place under the Oce o theOmbudsman. Should the need arise, I hope you will avail yourselves

    o this excellent new resource (mmsweb.a.state.gov/asp/notices/dn_temp.asp?Notice_ID=19354).

    Developing and improving on diversity: Our Diversityand Inclusion Plan is now one year old and is providing auseul ramework or action. For example, since many o theunderrepresented groups we seek have iPhones or Android devicesand preer mobile communications, we were pleased to releaseDOSCareers, a new mobile App that educates and engages aspiringForeign Service candidates and others seeking to amiliarize

    LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELDDIRECTOR GENERAL

    Direct fromthe D.G.

    A Fond Farewell

    themselves with diplomatic careers. Tis available on Google Play and the App Stocandidates link up with Diplomats in Reslearn about upcoming recruitment eventspractice or the Foreign Service Ocer pleased to report that in the frst couple o

    we had more than 10,000 downloads.Finally, I am especially pleased that, as

    by Forbes magazine in June, the Departmo State has ranked among the top three iemployers in a poll o nearly 18,000 U.Sundergraduates in the humanities, liberaleducation.

    Let me conclude by saying that it has bhonor to serve Secretary Kerry, ormer SeClinton and the President as DG and DirHuman Resources. It has been a pleasure

    with the management team led by UnderPatrick Kennedy as well as with all the m

    women in every bureau who are commitimproving the way the Department takesits most important resource--its people. Io you the best and look orward to conti

    work with you in my current assignment

    STATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMBESTATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMBER 2013

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    What can a war-torn nation with s corching temperatures,rsistent violence and one o the worlds most dicult businessvironments oer to oreign companies? In the case o Iraq, plenty,t not without challenges. With ast-rising oil revenues and pent-upmand rom 30 years o war and sanctions, imports are surging,aking the Iraqi economy a growing rontier market where personalationships make the dierence between success and ailure. oist American companies in Iraq, U.S. government eorts have

    cused on building such ties.U.S. exports to Iraq, excluding nonrecurring aircrat sales, rosepercent between the frst quarter o 2012 and the frst quarter o

    13. Te $43 million in U.S. passenger vehicle exports topped thet, rising more than 50 percent, ollowed closely by meat exports34 million), machinery parts ($28 million) and integrated circuits

    19 millionup more than 600 percent). Not surprisingly, leadingS. companies, including Boeing, Cisco, Citigroup, ExxonMobil,rd Motors, Halliburton, Honeywell and Lockheed Martin, have

    ces or are represented in Iraq.And there is plenty o money to pay or these goods; Iraq ha se o the worlds astest growing economies with a gross domesticoduct expanding at almost 10 percent per year. Te nationalvernments annual budget now totals more than $118 billion, andore than $30 billion has been earmarked or capital investment.ree o Iraqs 18 provinces are also poised to spend billions ollars, in part because a percentage o the governments oil revenuees to these producing provincial governments. Ater years oceiving mainly low-quality merchandise rom other countries, Iraqis

    want to see more high-quality U.S. products in their marketplace.Despite calls or more U.S. investment and some companies

    success in the Iraqi market, Iraq remains among the most challengingbusiness environments in the world, particularly or small- andmedium-sized frms. State-owned companies dominate Iraqseconomy, while the private sector is underdeveloped and thefnancial system remains weak. U.S. business contacts voice concernabout many operational issues, including opaque and inconsistentadministration o regulations, security, corruption and a biddingprocess that is inconsistent with international standards.

    In such an environment, personal relationships oten determinewhether an outside company succeeds or ails . But as late as 2011,when the U.S. military departed Iraq, relatively ew U.S. companieshad relationships with Iraqi counterparts. Iraqi political and business

    delegations visiting Washington have lamented that while Chineseand urkish frms have been active in Iraq, American frms there areless visible, particularly outside Iraqs largest cities.

    o encourage more U.S. businesses to consider opportunitiesin Iraq, the Oce o Iraq Aairs (NEA/I) developed a plan thatincluded a contact database. When created in 2011, however, thedatabase listed ewer than 60 U.S. companies doing business in Iraq,

    with most o them servicing the U.S. government or U.S.-supportedentities.

    o build corporate interest in Iraq, NEA/I and the U.S. Embassyin Baghdad supported the Foreign Commercial Service (FCS) inhosting the frst USA Pavilion at the Baghdad International Fair sincethe mid-1980s. Tirty U.S. companies, organizations and universities

    By Dianna Chianis, deputy director, Oce o Iraq Economic and Assistance Aairs;and Aaron Forsberg, deputy economic counselor, U.S. Embassy in Baghda d

    Relationships MatterBuilding economic ties with the new Iraq

    exhibited in 2012, making the pavilion the largest at the event andlaying the oundation or an even greater U.S. presence at the October2013 show.

    NEA/I and Embassy Baghdad also hosted a Doing Business inIraq workshop in March 2012 and a direct line videoconerenceon housing and construction in September 2012. Iraq desk ocersattended industry trade shows and other events in the United States todevelop a multisector database o interested U.S. companies. NEA/Idistributed inormation about active tenders or bids, provided by theIraqi Embassys Commercial Attach oce in Washington, D.C., tothis growing pool o U.S. companies. NEA/I also encouraged Iraqibusiness leaders to visit the United States and meet counterparts rom

    American companies, legislative bodies and business associations tounderstand how to build bilateral commercial relations. While thisactivity garnered U.S. corporate attention or Iraq, it was clear thatmore was needed.

    In the all o 2012, the U.S. Consulate General in al Basrah, Iraq,proposed acilitating a Sister City partnership between al Basrah andHouston, exas. With support rom NEA/I and the Departmento Commerces Commercial Law Development Program, HoustonMayor Annise Parker in mid-December signed a Partners in radeagreement with visiting al Basrah Governor Khala Abdul Samad.During their visit, the Iraqi delegation met more than 500 U.S.business executives.

    Upon returning to al Basrah, Governor Khala established a U.S.

    business outreach center and directed his sta to identiy more than300 opportunities in which he could encourage American companiesto participate. According to one ormer FCS ocer, the governorsvisit was one o the best examples o how the U.S. government canassist American companies to compete.

    Tese sel-unded delegations presage a growing relationship.Reecting their value to Iraqi participants, a 12-member al Basrahbusiness delegation ollowed its December 2012 trip with another visitto exas in May. Delegation members met counterparts at more than200 U.S. companies to discuss business partnerships, distributorshipsand other commercial relationships. Tey also heard presentations onestablishing successul partnerships with U.S. companies organized bythe U.S. Department o Commerces Commercial Law Development

    Program, the Bilateral Chamber o Commerce and the U.S. Council in Iraq.

    Te Departments eorts at relationship building or U.S.companies include the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR), where o Erbil is both the regional capital and the economic centerhas a relatively stable security environment, more reliable pomany air connections to European and Middle Eastern destForeign visitors rom many countries, including the United Sobtain a 15-day visa upon arrival at airports in Erbil or Sulaythe IKRs second largest city. o attract investment, the KurdRegional Governments Board o Investment oers a range oincentives including ree land, long-term tax holidays and a cinrastructure program involving billions o dollars directed power generation and transmission, water resource developm

    wastewater treatment, housing, tourism and transportatio n psuch as light rail. In September 2012, Embassy Baghdad andU.S. Consulate General in Erbil organized a USA booth at tInternational rade Fair, which oered materials rom severacompanies and universities. With Consulate General Erbil reopening up U.S. visa services in the IKR, a substantial increaIraqi businessmen traveling to the United States can be expe

    U.S. hotel chains with properties under construction in thinclude Sheraton, Marriott, Hilton Doubletree, Wyndham aBest Western. Kurdish business leaders are also eager to attracompanies such as ood ranchises. o capitalize on this desir

    and Mission Iraq acilitated a reverse trade mission o northebusinessmen to the International Franchise Expo in New YoJune 2013 as the frst step in trying to bring U.S. ranchise cto Iraq. Ater working with the U.S. Chamber o CommerceU.S.Kurdistan Business Council, their next step will be to bregional representatives o U.S. ranchises to Erbil to see the regional market opportunities.

    In Iraq, as in the rest o the Middle East, personal relationmatter. U.S. companies need to take the time to develop therelationships. Te U.S. government will continue its hands-oeconomic diplomacy to assist U.S. businesses interested in bstronger commercial ties with Iraqi counterparts and creatingstrategies that take the long view o business development.

    Above: Governor Khala and Mayor Parker sign the Partners in Trade Agreement in Houston

    Photo by Nico

    Opposite: Ambassador Beecrot speaks at the Baghdad International Fair in 2012.

    Photo by S

    STATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMSTATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMBER 2013

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    For the State Department to become a prime partner with businessadvancing economic statecrat, it must provide businesses with theols and locations or promoting innovation, and thats just what theS. Embassy in Helsinkis new Innovation Center does. On a siteerlooking the Baltic Sea ormerly occupied by a 100-year-old annexilding, the center realizes Ambassador Bruce Orecks desire or a newace to showcase American know-how and engage U.S. partners andleagues regionally.Te center, which opened in February, has boosted the embassyseady key role promoting business, raming opportunities and fndingw solutions, using targeted, metrics-driven, audience-centeredgagement.Te Innovation Center is the place or a new era o American

    plomacyproven methods and ideas in a space shaped or the

    portunities o the 21st century, said Ambassador Oreck.From human rights to hard-hitting political issues, the Innovationnter has become Helsinkis location or innovative thought andcussion, added Deputy Chie o Mission (DCM) Danny Hall.Te centers success arises rom strong cooperation among the

    mbassys sections and agencies. Te Foreign Commercial Service (FCS)d political/economic section use the center together to promote abust trade and investment strategy that is attracting investment in thenited States and creating new markets or U.S. products and servicesFinland and the region. Te regional security oce has workedsely with the Bureau o Diplomatic Security to make it easy oritors to enter the building and allow cell phones and tablet computersbe brought into events and meetings. Te inormation management

    ce worked with the Department to allow high-speed wireless Internetcess in the building. All o this makes it a place where people can dosiness.Unprecedented cooperation between [the departments o]mmerce and State empowered by the showcase quality o the

    novation Center, [have] allowed us to succeed in ways unimaginableother places, said Nick Kuchova, Regional Senior Commercialcer or the Nordics.Te Innovation Center is also a location or startup companies tok fnancing rom venture capitalists and investors rom Finland and

    e United States. For example, the political/economic section arrangedFinlands Startup Sauna (the nations top business incubator or

    13, in one ranking) to hold its frst spring meeting at the center.e event included 47 startup entrepreneurs rom Belarus, Finland,tvia, Lithuania, Russia and Sweden. Peter Vesterbecka, CEO ovio, the Finnish company responsible or Angry Birds, discussed

    e importance o ailure, noting that Rovio developed 51 losersore hitting upon its sotware gaming success. enacity in the aceadversity is an American value that program participants hear aboutpeatedly in embassy programs at the center.Working with U.S. counterparts in allinn, Estonia (two hourserry), and other cities, the embassy is fnding ways to use the

    novation Center to advance the economic statecrat agendas o allsts in the region. During the centers opening ceremonies in February,

    mbassador Oreck hosted U.S. Ambassador to Estonia Jerey Levined the American Chambers o Commerce o the region to discuss agional approach to promoting U.S. businesses. U.S. frms alreadyvolved in the huge regional market, including Google, Microsot andM, are beginning to beneft rom the embassys ability to assist themth innovative, multimarket solutions.

    In May, Political/Economic Ocer Patrick Martino worked closelywith FCS to host an event in the Innovation Center or Honeywelland its potential Russian clients. Honeywell signed a memorandum ounderstanding that will likely lead to deals worth $10-20 million. Teability to meet in a secure and central location in Helsinki appealed toHoneywells Russian customers, contributing to a huge win.

    In June, FCS and the political/economic and public aairs sectionscooperated on a project that led to the signing at the Innovation Centero a contract between U.S.-based aviation company GA elesis and aRussian-based company. Te contract is worth nearly $500 million and

    will create more than 120 U.S. jobs.Te Innovation Center supports more than commercial issues. For

    instance, Senior Political Ocer Jeremy Barnum organized an eventin June on LGB discrimination in the workplace. Te event quicklymorphed into a lively discussion o the U.S. Supreme Courts decisionon the Deense o Marriage Act the day beore among the members othe Finnish Parliament, labor organizations, political action groups andLGB groups in attendance. DCM Hall spoke about his experience

    with employment discrimination within the State Department, asituation that led him to co-ound the anity group Gays and Lesbiansin Foreign Aairs Agencies.

    With our conerence spaces and an amazing rootop reception hall,the acility is a venue or regional workshops and meetings, training oembassy sta and bilateral and multilateral workshops and meetings.U.S. businesses also use the center.

    Te Innovation Centers success has been astounding. Te same dayas the LGB event, or instance, there were nine other events thereheld by fve dierent sections, on business security, youth politics,disability rights, the Russian tourism industry, SelectUSA and Englishlanguage teaching. Whirlpool hosted a dinner or potential customers.

    All the events were broadcast on witter by embassy representatives andparticipants, resulting in broad social media coverage.

    Like a proftable business, the centers investment is paying o. Ithas received several thousand visitors in its frst fve months, and itsschedule is quickly flling up or the all. All o these activities promoteU.S. priorities and policies. Te embassy, meanwhile, is brainstorming

    with subject-area experts to come up with more ideas to keep the centerbustling and engaged in a new age o American diplomacy.

    Economic StatecraftHelsinkis Innovation Center Means Business

    Rodney M. Hunter, political/economic chie,S. Embassy in Helsinki, Finland

    STATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMBER 2013

    Helsinki Mayor Jussi Pajunen speaks to business owners in the I nnovation Centers

    reception area. Photo by Anne Laanti

    The American fag decorates the Center or Indepe

    Photo by Tuo

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    Outreach to high school students is a major DIR ocus, and Passenparticularly likes that aspect because hes planting seeds among theyouth o Florida through regular visits to high school classes andpresentations at Model U.N. events in the region.

    Ed Loo, DIR at Florida International University and Miami-DadeCollege, said he likes how the role lets him see the Department withresh eyes and gives him the reedom to largely set my own hours andschedule and experiment with strategies and approaches.

    Since the members o the millennial generation live online, weengage them in that sphere, with a new emphasis on social mediathrough individual Diplomat in Residence Facebook pages, witter andLinkedIn, he observed.

    In contrast to other DIRs, Patricia Guy doesnt travel to campuses bycar since theyre oten just a subway or train ride away. City College oNew York, her host institution, is one o 11 senior colleges and sevencommunity colleges in the City University o New York system. InManhattan alone, there are 20-plus colleges and universities and inPhiladelphia about 11, she said. Tis makes my briecase on wheels avaluable work tool, as I dont have a car trunk to hold all the pamphletsand other materials I use at career airs and inormation sessions. High-profle guests oten visit her schools, and Guy capitalizes on those visits.Tus, she once addressed students about State careers directly beore

    Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice spoke to them.alk about a great captive audience, she enthused.Guy is a rare DIR with teaching duties: She leads a two-hour seminar

    on Te Practice o Diplomacy, where students write cables or visitingCODELs and dissent channel messages and prepare testimony or theirambassadorial confrmation hearings, she said.

    Arizona State-based Phil Eggers region, in contrast to Guys,stretches rom Mexico to Canada. Like many DIRs, he realized howmuch I needed to learn about the breadth o opportunities we have inemployment and programs or students, starting at the high school levelup through graduate school.

    He encourages potential DIRs to keep in mind the considerableamount o travel involved. You very quickly become an expert in theE-2 Solutions travel application, government air ares and in fling yourown vouchers, he said.

    Hugh Williams, DIR at Spellman and Morehouse colleges, noted thatsenior FSOs once used DIR assignments to write a book about their FSexperiences or teach a course that launched a lie in academia.

    Tat has changed. Armed with a laptop, Blackberry and luggage towheel around recruitment materials and supplies, todays DIR is moreakin to an itinerant country preacher who spreads the good news ocareer opportunities in the FS and at the State Department to studentsand mid-career proessionals across a broad region, he said. Minoritycandidates oten tell him that a DIR inuenced their decision tobecome an FSO. He said being a DIR has enabled him to connect withthe younger generation, to meet them where they are, and has betterequipped me or relating to them as colleagues.

    Julie Connor, based at the University o exas in Austin, said shelikes being a DIR because she loves to travel. I drive most everywhere,so I have the chance to stop in small towns or lunch or dinner and to

    just absorb exas and its quirks, she enthused. She said she also likeslearning more about the college-age generation and the online services it

    loves, such as Pandora and Facebook. (Each DIR maintains a Facebookpage16 in alland HR has a web page on the DIRs at careers.state.gov/engage/dir.html.)

    When I talk to candidates about FSOs having to embrace lielonglearning, it has been true or me in this position as well, she observed.

    DIRs increasingly use online databases and digital media to track andengage candidates in remote U.S. locations or outside the country. Teylead inormation sessions on the Oral Assessment via Adobe Connect

    webinars, giving candidates access to the same inormation as thosebased near one o the DIR home campuses.

    imothy Lockwood, who was based in Jordan during his FSOapplication process, said he appreciated the insights he gained rom aDIR-led webinar on the Oral Assessment and the advice a D IR provided

    ater Lockwood was placed on to the hiring register. Waiting oer is the most dicult part o the process, and being able to to someone and be told that this was a normal part o the proceinvaluable, said Lockwood, now a member o the 173rd A-10

    DIR Coordinator erry Davidson said recruiting DIRs meanplenty o applicants, due to the popularity o the positions, butto winnow them well. We really are looking or people rom altracks and specialties and a wide range o grades who love this c

    want to ensure the Departments uture by reaching out to topcandidates rom every part o America, he said. We like to sa

    working at State we can make a dierence every day. Tat is cetrue as DIR, where you seed dreams and introduce a new world

    Teir oces are at universities, not Main State, but a team o 16plomats in Residence (DIRs) spread rom Miami to Berkeley helpse Department ulfll its goal o attracting a diverse workorce. Partthe Oce o Recruitment, Examination and Employment (HR/

    EE), DIRs are invaluable as guides through the complex path tomployment with the Department, according to HR/REEs director,aara Ettesvold.Te term Diplomat in Residence is a bit o a misnomer. DIRshave host universities but are oten not in residence; theyre

    stead on the road throughout their regions, engaging candidatesho may never have heard o Foggy Bottom or the variety o theepartments careers. From visiting career airs to answering questionssed via the Internet, the DIRs stay busy as orward-deployed

    cruiters, identiying and inspiring talented students an d mid-careeroessionals alike. Tey promote Department careers and provideormation on internships and scholarships.Amy Kornbluth was working overseas when she applied toe Department and was invited to take the Foreign Service Oralsessment. Te DIR who then contacted her was an unbelievablyluable resource, enabling me to prepare or the oral examinationth the same material candidates in the U.S. have access to, she said.

    Te DIR also provided advice and guidance during the orientationocess, said Kornbluth, now a member o the 172nd A-100 class o

    Os.DIRs used to all be senior FSOs, but last year the Director Generalened DIR positions to mid-level FSOs and Foreign Serviceecialists (FS-01s and FS-02s).Linda Cheatham, coordinator o the DIR program rom 2010 to12, said a college president once told her that having the DIRsed here, engaging our students, many o whom have never beent o the city and dont always recognize their own potential, showsem that they can make a real dierence in the wider world. Nowe DIR at uts University in Boston, Cheatham estimates that atast 40 percent o the candidates she meets are active-duty or ormerS. military service members, or young-to-mid-career proessionalsanning to change careers.Applicants oten say her contact with them completely changed

    their career goals, and that until they had the opportunity to talk witha diplomat themselves, they had never dreamed that they themselvesmight be able to become one, she said.

    Steve Browning, DIR at the University o Caliornia-Berkeley andormerly principal deputy assistant secretary or Human Resources,said that, Ater years o deciphering mind-numbing charts andgraphs, I welcomed the opportunity to become a DIR and work on aperson-to-person level. He said candidates know about oreign aairs,but very ew know much about the realities o daily lie and work inour arena, particularly the Foreign Service. Tereore, he addressesthe challenges o Foreign Service lie and work, such as the likelihoodo serving in an unaccompanied assignment, inadequate spousalemployment opportunities, etc.

    So ar, no one has run eeing, he added, and in act, applicantsappreciate his rankness.

    Julie Ruterbories, DIR at Duke University, logged more than10,000 miles in her frst year traveling to campuses and militaryinstallations throughout her our-state Southern Mid-Atlantic region.She said she got rock star treatment at the campuses she visited, withas many as 10 to 15 students waiting in line to speak with her at careerairs. Other recruiters have come up to me at the end o an eventto ask what I do, as theyve never seen anyone have such a crowd ointerested students gathered around them, she said, adding that her

    inormation sessions are sometimes standing room only.Andy Passen, DIR at Florida Agricultural and MechanicalUniversity in allahassee, was inspired to be DIR ater an ambassador

    who had inuenced Passens career became a DIR. He learned thathe too wanted to impact some o the next generation o the ForeignService, and said the best part o the job is being able to use hisForeign Service experiences to inspire those attending his inormationsessions.

    Diplomats in Residence Recruit NationallyBy James Ellickson-Brown, diplomat in residence, University o Michigan

    STATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMBESTATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMBER 2013

    Top: The Diplomats in Residence team gathers with Washington, D.C.-based

    recruiters in the courtyard o the Harry S Truman Building.

    State Department photo

    Above: IR Jim Ellickson-Brown wishes University o Michigan Ford School oPolicy graduate and returned Peace Corps volunteer Andrew Bracken goodupcoming Oral Assessment.

    Photo by James Ellic

    Below: At Emory University, Hugh Williams, let, DIR at Spelman and Moreholeges, meets with ormer FSO Robert Kirk and his wie, Diana.

    Photo by Thomas B

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    Post of the Month

    Environment andReykjavik

    Key Issues in Majestic LocaleEconomyby Marcy Brown, consular ocer, U.S. Embassy Reykjavik

    A lonely ootbridge oers a view o Akureyri, Icelands second-largest

    city, nestled between a jord and snow-covered mountains.Photo by Marcy Brown

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    Post of the Month

    Iceland. Te name may cause one to imagine a barren wasteland,mmersed in darkness and covered in snow and ice. In reality,eland is a place o striking contrasts that abounds with naturalonders like breathtaking wateralls, mountains, geys ers and hotrings. Even though Iceland is home to the largest glacier in Europe,e average winter temperature in the capital, Reykjavik, is warmeran that o New York City.Iceland is also home to the worlds oldest parliament and was thest country to democratically elect a emale head o state and anenly gay head o government.It is generally accepted that Icelands frst settler was Ingolurnarson, who landed in 874. Legend has it that he sa iled along theast and threw his two wooden seat pillars overboard, vowing tottle where the pillars washed ashore. Tat turned out to be whatnow Reykjavik, Icelandic or smoky bay, so named because oe geothermal steam rising rom the ground. More settlers arriveder the next hal century, and in 930 AD the Icelandic parliament,

    nown as Althingi, was established just east o Reykjavik atTingvellir. Te Althingi provided a neutral ground where chietainsom all over Iceland gathered to discuss laws, settle disputes andss judgment on those who committed inractions. Althingi iscognized as the worlds oldest parliament, and though it nownvenes in downtown Reykjavik, the UNESCO World Heritagee and National Park at Tingvellir continues to welcome morean hal a million visitors each year.

    Diplomatic RelationsOver the centuries, Iceland ound itsel under Norwegian anden Danish rule but gained independence in 1944 ater Denmarkl under German occupation. Te United States was the frstuntry to recognize that independence, and in January 2012,e U.S. Embassy celebrated 70 years o diplomatic relations witheland. Te celebration, eaturing a perormance by the Icelandicnd O Monsters and Men, marked the close bond between the twotions and their commitment to strengthen their relationship ornerations to come.Te chancery, purchased in 1951, is centrally located in a

    sidential area o Reykjavik. Te embassy employs 13 U.S. direct-re employees and 40 Locally Employed Sta. Te lack o non-Stateencies in Iceland oers opportunities or ocers to gain valuableperience working on behal o other U.S. government agenciesth interests in Iceland. Te posts small size also allows ocers toin cross-section experience when primary ocers are away romst.o advance U.S. goals on Arctic issues, the mission works with

    eland on traditional security matters, scientifc research and

    vironmentally sustainable resource development. Because ocreased interest in the region by other countries, including risingonomic powers rom outside the region, Icelanders are takingtronger interest in the strategic relevance o the Arctic. Tectic Council is the main venue or working with Iceland o n thevironmental, economic and transportation issues that are rapidlyanging the entire region. Te council earlier this year selectedelander Magnus Johannesson as director o its newly ormedanding Secretariat.

    Security cooperation with Iceland helps in preparing responsescontingencies such as mishaps involving cruise ships, which are

    ying Arctic waters in growing numbers. Icelands ocus on trans-lantic shipping, along with the prospect o extensive n ew oshoredrocarbon exploration north o Iceland, is ueling discussion oveloping a maritime servicing center.

    Above: President o Iceland laur Ragnar Grmsson, let, meets with Ambassa-

    dor Luis Arreaga and other embassy sta members at his ocial residence.

    Photo by U.S. Embassy Reykjavik

    Below: Embassy staers march in Reykjaviks annual Pride Parade.

    Photo by U.S. Embassy Reykjavik

    Scientifc Research

    Iceland is a unique laboratory or studying a host o Arctic-related topics, such as climate change, glaciology, biology and earthscience. Te National Science Foundation has unded more than$700 million in research involving Iceland since 1980, a signifcantinvestment.

    Te United States has responsibilities or Icelands deense underthe 1951 Deense Agreement pursuant to the North Atlanticreaty. In a sign o the changing times, the Naval Air Stationin Keavik was closed in 2006 ater more than 60 years o U.S.military presence in Iceland. Since then, the embassy has continuedto cooperate regularly with the government o Iceland on a broadrange o security issues, including participating in one o the threeannual NAO air surveillance missions in Iceland.

    In October 2008, ater a decade o explosive growth, Icelandexperienced an unprecedented economic collapse. Within months,one o the worlds wealthiest countries ended up accepting a $2.1billion bailout package rom the International Monetary Fund.Iceland has come a long way in recovering rom the economiccrash, known locally as the kreppa, but signifcant challengesremain.

    Troughout its recent economic diculties, Iceland hasremained an attractive tourist destination. Reykjavik is a charming,small city with historic buildings and a thriving arts and musicscene. It draws artists and designers rom around the world or theannual Reykjavik International Film Festival, Iceland AirwavesMusic Festival, Reykjavik Art Festival, Design March, Reykjavik

    Jazz Festival and Reykjavik Fashion Festival. Te embassy otensponsors American perormers to participate in these estivals andbuild cultural ties between the two countries. Te city also is hometo a surprising number o museums, galleries and perorming artsvenues. Te world-amous Icelandic Sagas put Reykjavik on themap as a UNESCO City o Literature, with literary walking tours,exhibits and other happenings related to the nations rich heritageo the written word.

    Above: Traditional Icelandic tur houses dot the countryside.

    Photo by Kristyn

    Below:Amb. Arreaga hosts an Itar dinner or members o the local Muslim c

    Photo by U.S. Embassy

    STATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMBESTATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMBER 2013

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    STATE MAGAZINE // JULY/AUGUST 2013

    At a Glance Iceland

    Capital: Reykjavik

    Government type: constitutional republic

    Area: 103,000 sq km

    Comparative area: slightly smaller than Kentucky

    Population: 280,798

    Languages: Icelandic, English, Nordic languages,German widely spoken

    Religions: Evangelical Lutheran, Protestant, RomaCatholic

    GDP per capita: $25,000

    Export partners: U.K., Germany, Netherlands, U.S.,Portugal, Spain, Norway

    Export commodities: sh and animal products,aluminum, diatomite, errosilicon

    Import commodities: machinery and equipment,petroleum products, oodstus, textiles

    Import partners: Germany, U.S., Denmark, NorwayU.K., Netherlands, Sweden

    Currency: Icelandic krona

    Internet country code: .is

    Post o the Month

    Source: The World Fa

    Outdoor ParadiseIceland is an outdoor lovers paradise with breathtaking scenery,

    including white-, black- and red-sand beaches. Glacier hiking expeditionsare available or all ability levels, and it is even possible to descend intothe magma chamber o an extinct volcano. Large Hollywood productions,including Game o Trones, Oblivion, Flags o Our Fathers,Prometheus and Die Another Day, have been shot on location inIceland.

    Post personnel live in apartments in the city, most o which are withinwalking distance o the embassy, or houses in the suburbs. Due to Icelandslocation atop a geothermal hot spot, almost all homes in Iceland areheated by geothermal energy, and the country enjoys a virtually unlimitedsupply o hot water, which emerges rom the ground almost boiling hot.For this reason, outdoor swimming is one o the most popular sports inIceland, and practically every community has an outdoor pool.

    While one might think that living just south o the Arctic Circlewould make or a serious dearth o local produce, in act there is a yea r-round supply o tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, strawberries, greens,herbs and other ruits and vegetables rom a large network o geothermalgreenhouses. Fresh fsh is abundant, and lamb, which is ree range andgrass ed, is a popular dish. And then there is skyr, a high-protein, low-atdairy product with a consistency a bit like Greek yogurt, which is quicklycatching on in U.S. markets. Foodies rom around the world visit Icelandor a taste o traditional and new Nordic dishes.

    An assignment to Americas northernmost embassy will prove rewarding.Tis small post plays a key role in maintaining the long, historicpartnership between Iceland and the United States. Breathtaking scenery,a vibrant night lie and plenty o activities await those who choose to servein Reykjavik.

    STATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMBE

    From let, Consular Assistants Maddy Thordardottir, Ragnheidur Peturs

    Gulla Margeirsdottir, and Consular Ocer Marcy Brown unurl the cons

    during Consular Leadership Day activities.

    Photo by U.S. Embas

    Gulloss is a waterall located in the canyon o Hvt river in southwest Iceland.It is one o the most popular tourist attractions in the country.

    Photo by Trey Ratcliff

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    200,000 Syrian reugees now in camps. While urkey has begunregistering urban reugees, many are not yet on the rolls. o fndthem, urkeys emergency management agency has opened urbanreugee registration centers and plans to use mobile registrationcenters provided by the U.N. High Command or Reugees(UNHCR). By targeting urban areas, agency ocials will be ableto provide more Syrian reugees with access to the ree medical care

    provided by the urkish government and access to local schools.In Lebanon, where the Syrian reugee population is approaching

    600,000, PRM supports projects to expand reugees access toquality mental health services and provide inormation on medicalcare, housing and other essential services. Te UNHCR registrationcenters in Beirut, ripoli, Zahl, Sidon and yre ocus on reugeesin cities and towns, reerring them to services available locally, suchas remedial education or children with breaks in their schooling,primary health care or sick children or housing in rehabilitatedapartments and community centers.

    UNHCR and the U.N. World Food Program have partneredto roll out an innovative debit card program that consolidatesbenefts or ood and other relie items. Reugees can use the cardsat a network o local shops. Tis program builds goodwill betweenreugees and their urban neighbors because purchases boost the localeconomy.

    Because the displaced oten live among the poorest in the hostcommunities, a guiding principle in urban reugee situations is topursue a community-based approach to assistance that benefts bothreugees and local populations. I humanitarian organizations are seenproviding help that is not also available to the local population, aid

    workers risk stoking resentment against those theyre trying to help.Its about more than just eeding the reugees, said Sarah Cross,

    a PRM expert on urban reugee policy. Its about a new classroom atthe local school or a new X-ray machine at a health clinicsomethingthat benefts everyone, including the reugees. For instance,more than a hal million Jordanian children have received polio

    vaccinations as part o a country-wide, PRM-unded prograSyrian reugees.

    PRM and USAID continue to work with partner organizin the region to devise ways to make assistance to urban reupopulations, including Syrians, more eective and sustainabSupporting host governments and communities can ensure access or reugees to local education and health systems, eli

    the need to set up expensive duplicate services. Job training job reerral programs allow reugees to contribute to their olivelihoods.

    PRM has also unded innovative research to develop metidentiying urban reugees. Tis methodology, being pilot teNew Delhi, India, and Quito, Ecuador, is helping determinnumber, location and needs o reugees in those cities.

    Meanwhile, the humanitarian toll in Syria mounts. Te Uestimates that by the end o 2013, more than two million Smay be living in the towns and cities o Syrias neighboring Te need to help displaced Syrians isnt going away, but thathe generosity o the American people, neither are we, saidSecretary Richard. Humanitarian assistance remains centraoreign policy across the globe.Te violent crisis in Syria has produced one o the largest

    utpourings o reugees in decades: 1.75 million people have edyria since March 2011, more than a million since the beginning ois year.As more Syrian reugees rushed into neighboring states, the U.N.,

    timating it needs $4.4 billion to meet the needs o those in andutside Syria this year, in June launched its largest-ever appeal oronors. Te United States, the largest contributor o humanitariansistance or the Syrian people, is providing more than $1 billionward this eort through international aid programs coordinated bye Bureau o Population, Reugees and Migration (PRM) and the.S. Agency or International Developments Bureau o Democracy,onict and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA).U.S. embassies across the region have also responded. Foreignrvice ocers and representatives o multiple U.S. agencies at.S. missions in Amman, Ankara, Beirut, Cairo and elsewheree providing critical reporting on reugee conditions, visiting andviewing aid programs and working to ensure continued generosity

    nd political support to the nations to which reugees have ed.Te Syrian reugee crisis is complicated by the act that more thanree-quarters o the 1.7 million reugees are not in camps along

    orders but in urban areas scattered throughout neighboring stateshere they can become part o the economic and cultural makeup owns and cities. Tough they contribute to the economy, they alsoe electricity, water, roads, schools, hospitals and other governmentrvices, which creates economic and social strains. (Te urban nature lie or most Syrian reugees is growing world trend: Roughlywo-thirds o all reugees worldwide live outside o camps as urbanugees.)

    Fleeing your home, without much notice, oten with only whatyou can carry, its an extraordinary and tragic lie event, said AnneC. Richard, assistant secretary o State or Population, Reugees andMigration. Few Syrians arrive in neighboring countries with much tolive on. For many, their frst step is to sell jewelry or other valuables sothey can rent an apartment, but prices are high and supply is scarce.Some fnd rooms with relatives or riends or share cramped quarters

    with other reugees.Manar, a Syrian mother o fve living in northern Jordan, said

    rent or the modest house her amily shares with two other amiliesis beyond her means. So the International Catholic MigrationCommission (ICMC), an international NGO unded in part byPRM, paid three months rent or the amily. At this critical time, therental assistance received rom ICMC was very, very helpul, she said.I want to send the message or the people who supported us that Imso thankul, because this contributed to the survival o my amily.

    Assisting needy urban reugees is especia lly challenging orhumanitarian organizations. Syrians, like many other urban reugeepopulations around the world, are oten ethnically and culturallyindistinguishable rom the local population. In addition, they otenpreer to keep a low profle, earing deportation or discrimination.Tus, aid organizations fnd it dicult to identiy, register and deliverassistance to even those in desperate need.

    We want to make sure our aid reaches as many people in need aspossible, and that includes those who fnd reuge outside o organizedcamps. o do so, we have to go to them, said Heather Fabrikant,PRM humanitarian advisor in Adana, urkey.

    Te urkish government estimates its Syrian urban reugeepopulation at more than 290,000, in addition to the more than

    By Michael B. Zeltikalns and the PA team o the Bureau o Population, Reugees and Migration

    Refugee ChallengeBureau assists those displaced in Syrian crisis

    STATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMBERSTATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMBER 2013

    Opposite: U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary o State or Population, ReugeeMigration Kelly Clements visits with Syrian reugee children living in urbano the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, June 2013. Ms. Clements highlighted the $26in humanitarian assistance provided or displaced Iraqis in Iraq and the rethe U.S. in 2012, and noted that the United States will continue robust supdisplaced Iraqis in 2013. State Depar

    Clockwise rom top let: Nay, 22, rom Homs, Syria, stands with an unnamrom the Free Syrian Army in al Maraq, northern Jordan; Iraqi reugee Ali Arom Baghdad, now lives in the United States; Syrian reugees Ihsan, 28, aSammia, let, stand on a rootop in al Maraq; Fawaz Rarhail Turkey, 59, rSyria, gathers with his amily outside a derelict house in al Maraq, whereater feeing Syria.

    Photos by Andre

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    At frst glance, Arnold Spirit, the protagonist o Sherman Alexiesung-adult novel Te Absolutely rue Diary o a Part-ime Indian,ay seem to have nothing in common with youth in Bosnia and

    erzegovina (BiH). Arnold is a teenager on the Spokane Indianservation in Washington state, hal a world away rom Southeasturope. Yet through the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevos One Bosnia anderzegovina One Book (1BiH1Book) project, Alexies novel hasarked literally thousands o deep conversations about such topics asverty, riendship and especially tolerance, discussions desperatelyeded in a country still suering the consequences o a war thatroduced the world to the phrase ethnic cleansing.Te embassy reading program is modeled on the Community Readojects, such as One City One Book and DC Reads, which haveen carried out in more than 400 American cities. However, theiH1Book project may be the frst to apply the model to an entireuntry. Te brainchild o renowned librarian and National Public

    Radio commentator Nancy Pearl, the Community Read projectspromote reading and community-wide discussions by urging citizensto talk about a particular book.

    Embassy Sarajevos Oce o Public Aairs (OPA) chose to baseits 1BiH1Book project on Alexies book, with cartoon illustrationsby artist Ellen Forney, because Arnolds story allowed participants totalk about the challenges posed by a multicultural society withoutdirectly addressing tensions among Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Croats andBosniaks (Bosnian Muslims).

    As one teacher put it, I think this book is really important, becauseby reading an American book, students wont eel like they have topick the side o the character that belongs to their ethnic group.

    Yet the plot o rue Diary, in which Arnold decides to leave thereservation to enroll in a school where he is the only Native American,has led students to draw parallels to their own situations. Some havebeen moved to talk about the painul choice between seeking better

    By A. Sunshine Ison, ormer cultural aairs ocer, U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo

    Sponsored by the American Corners Program in Lisbon,NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski speaks to NOVA

    Universitys Faculty o Science and Technology.Photo courtesy of Vitor Santos

    A Novel IdeaReading program broadens youths views

    opportunities outside BiH and staying to contribute to their strugglingcountry. Others say they elt Arnolds pain when he was viewed by some inhis community as a traitor or going o the rez.

    OPA provided any high school in BiH with ree books as long asteachers agreed to hold weekly 1BiH1Book discussions. Tanks tounding rom the Public Diplomacy Innovation Fund and the RegionalEnglish Language Oce, OPA provided more than 2,000 copies to theapproximately 75 schools that signed up.

    Librarian Pearl ew to BiH to train teachers, librarians and AmericanCorner coordinators to lead book discussions on sensitive topics. Pearl saidshe ell in love with BiH, and told local media outlets the trip rearmedher lies work.

    eachers who had initially asked or the minimum fve copies eventuallyrequested dozens more. Valentina Vidakovi, a teacher at Filip Vinji HighSchool in Bijeljina, said Arnolds story touched students, got them down,made them laugh, motivated, puzzled, but also inspired them to startpushing the limits o their community and making the frst steps outsidetheir tribe. She said the encouraged students to start thinking dierentlyabout identity, to interpret it and defne themselves in a more complex

    way than the simple classifcation o us and them.Te nine American Corners played an essential role in ensuring

    that small towns were not let out o the project. Coordinators hosteddiscussions, flm screenings and presentations by local experts on Native

    American culture. Tey also introduced the Corners services to the man yfrst-time visitors who came there or 1BiH1Book events. Ambassador

    Patrick Moon supported the program, joining a book club discussion at theAmerican Corner in Doboj in Northern BiH.1BiH1Book was about more than talk. o encourage readers to put

    the books themes into practice, OPA invited schools to submit jointprojects that united students across ethnic lines. eachers in more than adozen cities developed projects that displayed students talents and builtriendships. For example, Vidakovi , whose students are predominantlySerb-Orthodox, partnered with Asmir Dori, a teacher at an Islamic highschool, to bring their students to each others cities. A group o Croat andBosniak art school students partnered with the flm club at a Serb-majority

    school to exhibit their work at each others American CoTe title o an exchange between schools rom Sarajevo rebinje perectly encapsulated the theme o Alexies bo1BiH1Book goal: North ribe, South ribeUnited!

    Tere were also 1BiH1Book poetry, essay and cartoonor students. Te embassy received more than 300 hearton such topics as recovering rom the death o a parent aanger at school systems that tried to divide youth. Te w

    were selected by judges Forney (cartoons), Pearl (essays)author Alexie himsel, who chose the poetry contest winalso hosted a web chat or 1BiH1Book students and meBosnian-Herzegovinian Youth Leadership Program partSeattle.

    Te concluding event, the 1BiH1Book Weekend, bro400 youths to Sarajevo to get to know eacand meet guest speakers, including rue cartoonist Forney, flm director Nicolas Hand Andi Running Wol, a young Native

    woman profled in Hudaks coming flm,God Likes to Be.

    OPA has had Alexies book translated aall will publish a 1BiH1Book anthology the wisdom o the reading programs partIncluded will be the award-winning essayMarkei, who wrote, Bosnia and Herzeghas always been a country o coexistence,and riendship among the simple, small p

    war destroyed that spirit o ellowship. ...stop being Croat, Bosniak, Serb, and or minute just be good or bad, just that. Its

    way to become aware o the act that onlydiversity we can do great things.

    Many participants in the reading progrsaid they admired Arnolds wise and tolergrandmother, who advises him as he earprepares to go to the new school: Tats o lie, you know; to meet new people.

    Trough 1BiH1Book, thousands o stuhave done just that, meeting Arnold and characters in the book, as well as ellow stTey learned more about each other and and talked openly about tough issues. Teboarded buses to meet teenagers rom othand ethnic groups, discovering how easy ia conversation when you have a mutual ri that riend is a character in a book.

    STATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMBESTATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMBER 2013

    Above: A display table o copies o the programs book also has pins designed by local art students.

    Photo by Anna Sunshine Ison

    Opposite: Teacher Valentina Vidakovics students, rom the town o Bijeljina, pose with their books.

    Photo by Nikola Gospavi

    Cartoonist Ellen Forney, right, chats with a teacher during 1BiH1Boo

    Photo by Nic

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    Ofce o the Month

    Over the past year, sta rom the Oce o Policy and Regionald Functional Organizations (PRF) in the Bureau o Internationalrganizations (IO) oversaw the signing and implementation o atoric agreement with the Arab League, deployed to the U.S. Mission

    the Arican Union (USAU) to resolve disputes on peace and securityues, supported the U.S.-led G8 presidency, coordinated U.S.plomacy on Israel-Palestinian issues in international organizations,rnished negotiating guidance to U.S. missions and drated policyemos addressing uture diplomatic threats and opportunities.Te youngest oce in IO, PRF was created in 2009 in accordanceth recommendations in the initial Quadrennial Diplomacy an development Review (QDDR). Former Assistant Secretary Estherimmer said she established the oce to fll the need or a cohesiveS. response to the rise in power o regional and sub regionalganizations and the requirement that we think strategically about thegoing evolution o the worlds multilateral architecture.Four years later, the worlds regional and sub regional organizations

    continue to grow in sophistication, capabilities and inuence. Forinstance, the AU has conducted military interventions in Somalia,Sudan and Mali; the Arab League has lead eorts in the U.N. General

    Assembly and Human Rights Council to isolate the Qaddaf a nd Assad

    regimes; the European Union has been more assertive in such areas asits seeking state-like participation privileges; and east Asian countriesare developing regional institutions amidst the rise o China. Whilethe nation-state remains the primary building block o the currentinternational system, regional organizations reect and inuencebehavior by their member states and global institutions, making PRFsperspective all that more valuable.

    In cooperation with the Departments regional bureaus, PRF ismoving aggressively to deploy multilateral ocers to select missionsabroad. In the summer o 2012, PRF built on its temporary supportto USAU, provided by PRFs Matthew Goldstein, to establish in Addis

    Ababa IOs frst permanent overseas position outside the traditionalmultilateral capitals. In that position, Tomas Whitney has reduced

    O/PRF : A model for conducting 21st-century diplomacyBy Joseph P. Cassidy, director, Oce o Policy and Regional and Functional Organizations

    riction between the U.N. and AU, and provided invaluable reporting.According to U.S. Ambassador to the AU Michael Battle, IO/PRF,

    with its deep expertise in Arica and the U.N. sy stem, provides criticaldiplomatic and policy support to USAU. Te deployment o an IOmultilateral aairs ocer to USAU, along with DY support romIO/PRF, has been a orce multiplier or the mission, enhancing ourdiplomacy with both the U.N. and AU.

    PRF is talking with other regional bureaus about establishing PRFsnext regional multilateral ocer position.

    PRF has a particularly close working relationship with the Bureauo Near Eastern Aairs (NEA), stemming in part rom cooperationin bringing about the high-profle signing in September 2012 o amemorandum o understanding (MOU) between then-Secretaryo State Hillary Clinton and Arab LeagueSecretary-General Elaraby. Te MOUemerged rom strategic thinking about how toengage the Arab worlds multilateral structuresmore successully.

    o put the MOU in place, PRFs MiddleEast watcher, im Haynes, identifed theopportunity, acilitated contact with ArabLeague ocials, served on the negotiatingteam in Cairo and choreographed thesigning. Beore he fnished his PRF tour thissummer, he coordinated with the Bureau

    o Population, Reugees and Migration toenhance humanitarian coordination and withthe Bureau o Education and Cultural Aairson a ground-breaking educational resourcesinitiative.

    Te Arab League MOU is now atemplate or cooperation with otherregional organizations, and an MOU withthe AU signed in February oers similaropportunities.

    Because disputes over Palestinian statusaect so many international organizations,PRF was asked to coordinate U.S. policy andtactics in a variety o multilateral orums.

    With NEAs Oce o Israel and PalestinianAairs, the oce co-chairs a working groupthat identifes looming disputes, marshalspolicy and legal arguments, strategizes withallies, makes recommendations to seniorDepartment and White House ocials andprovides guidance to delegations. PRFsvalue is its ability to connect Middle East,legal and technical experts, and develop anunderstanding o procedural issues and the diplomatic context. Tatrees U.S. negotiators, whether rom the Oce o the Special Envoyor Middle East Peace, the U.S. Mission to the U.N. in New York orother U.S. agencies, to ocus on their goals.

    Acting Assistant Secretary or International Organiz ation AairsDean Pittman, a core member o the team that authored the frst

    QDDR, said the QDDRs ramers wanted PRF to be both an ideaincubator and implementer.Its described in the QDDR as a clearinghouse or best practices

    regarding multilateral organizations, but it also has a mandate toenhance links among U.S. approaches in global and regional bodies,he explained. We wanted a policy shop that is grounded in ongoingdiplomacy.

    Fulflling the mandate to think creatively and make policyrecommendations, PRF sta members have penned policy papers onthe uture o the Non-Aligned Movement, improving cooperationbetween the U.N. Security Council and the AUs Peace and SecurityCouncil, responding to Palestinian multilateral goals and enhancingmultilateral participation by small island states. PRF has consulted

    with the Bureau o South and Central Asian Aairs on i ncormultilateral issues component into the U.S.-India Strategic Dand urnished speakers or meetings o Department and InteCommunity analysts assessing the inuence o the BRICSconsisting o Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Arica.

    Reecting on what its like to work in PRF, Georgiana Cavsaid she drew on her previous work experience at the Europein pursuing better multilateral cooperation with European inand traveling to London to support Under Secretary or Poli

    Aairs Wendy Shermans negotiations at the April G8 MinisAnother PRF staer, Agata Malek, is identiying needed r

    at the U.N.s Regional Economic Commissions and supportU.S. negotiators at such venues as the U.N. Economic and S

    Commission or Asia and the Pacifc in Bangkok. Air Force MLyndrup, on detail to IO/PRF rom the Deense Departmenpolicy paper on the potential or drone use by peacekeepers i

    Tough the oce is small, ewer than 15 people, PRF hastemporary tours over the past year by Patty Bass, Mario CriCharlotte Griggs, Nate Hat, Bob Kerr, Elisabeth El-Khodar

    Paraskevolpoulos and Ramona Payne, and is well supported Management Specialist Lontria Beale.Te Nobel Prize-winning U.S. and U.N. diplomat Ralph

    who combined the virtues o scholar and envoy, is a model PRF sta members, who are drawn rom the Civil Service, FService and other agencies. All must think critically, collabor

    wholeheartedly, negotiate energetically and recommend inciOn all the issues it covers, including supporting G8 nego

    and our strategic coordination with Israel on Palestinian issuIO/PRF identifes problems and proposes solutions, workingclosely with other bureaus, Under Secretary Sherman said. commitment to strategic planning and action is a model orconducting 21st-century diplomacy.

    Above: Multilateral Aairs Ocer Tim Haynes, let, witnesses then-Secretary Hillary Clinton signing the U.S

    League Agreement with Arab League Secretary General Nabil Elaraby. Photo by Michael Gross

    Opposite: PRF sta members preparing or a meeting include, seated rom let, Tria Beale and Emily Koren

    ing rom let are Sameer Sheth, Sara Ainsworth, Agata Malek, Joe Cassidy, Maria Germano, Maryum Saiee

    Goldstein.Photo by Bob Kerr

    STATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMBESTATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMBER 2013

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    Living overseas or years can make it dicult to preserve closeationships with loved ones back home. Birthdays, holidays,

    unions, weddings and unerals are oten missed, and overseasmployees become amateur photographers, bloggers or flmmakers,

    ing to capture the milestones o growing up or loved onestching rom aar. Similarly, as their parents age, employees look orys to spend more time together or provide additional care or them.For some Foreign Service employees, the solution is bringing theirrents overseas with them.Te U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh, has seen a steadymber o Foreign Service amilies who are accompanied to post by

    der parents, specifcally mothers. Tese mothers share in the thrillsd struggles o overseas lie, contribute to the embassy and localmmunities and enjoy the daily companionship o their children andandchildren.In early 2011, while preparing to transer rom the U.S. Missionthe U.N. in New York to the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, Economiccer oby Glucksman and wie, Jeanny, decided to take alongucksmans then-83-year-old mother, Kathleen, who struggles withmentia and memory loss. It was a leap o aith, though we did ourearch, discussed the idea with other amily members and prepared

    reully, oby Glucksman said. We s poke with doctors in Dhaka,nfrmed medications and supplies were locally available, boughtedevac insurance and communicated with the community liaison

    ocer and others in the Embassy Dhaka community to line upinterviews with potential caregivers as soon as we landed.

    In Dhaka, the Glucksmans soon ound a reliable, live-in caregiver,who has been by Kathleens side ever since. oby Glucksman saidhis mother has reacted well to the adventure and likes spending time

    with her two granddaughters, both born in Dhaka. He added that themove worked because o the availability o ull-time, aordable andcompassionate caregivers in Dhaka and the slower pace o lie there.

    In some ways caring or an elderly person at home is easier inDhaka than in the United States, he said. Tere are ar ewerdistractions here, so the embassy community is tightknit and amily

    ocused.With Internet videoconerencing other amily members can check

    in on Kathleen, despite the 11-hour time dierence and sometimesunreliable connectivity.

    Another grandmother, Miriam Landor, has lived in Dhaka sinceAugust 2012 with her two grandsons, daughter Regina Landor andson-in-law Billy Woodward, a Democracy and Governance ocer

    with USAID. Regina Landor said her mother has always loved totravel and was immediately game or adventure when we asked her ishe wanted to move to Bangladesh with us.

    She had been living, unhappily, in a retirement homeindependently, and was very unhappy about how little she saw theamily, the uninteresting activities at the home, the medical care and

    By Bernadette Williams, EPAP Disaster Preparedness management coordinator, U.S. E mbassy in Dhaka

    Family MattersOcers take parents to overseas posts

    STATE MAGAZINE // SEPTEMBER 2013

    the cost.Landor said she was surprised at how well her mother adapted,

    adding that the Bangladeshi people fnd her ascinating and aredeeply touched that she is here, inquiring ater her health andage, warmly shaking her hand. Miriam Landor volunteers witha local community organization called Trive to bring ood toschool children in the Dhaka slums, and loves seeing the kids andeeling like she is doing something meaningul, Regina Landorsaid.

    Although local medical care may not meet U.S. standards,Regina Landor said, her mothers health has improved sincemoving to Dhaka, where we have rarely had the need to go tothe doctors. She hasnt seemed so healthy in years.

    Beore joining her daughter, USAID Ocer Karen Fall,Virginia Manning had never traveled outside the United Statesor even taken an airplane. My mother lived in Charlotte,North Carolina, all o her lie, Fall said. She wanted to be nearher grandchildren, so I asked her to join me and my amily inBamako, Mali, ater the birth o my third child.

    Manning accompanied the amily to their next assignment inAccra, Ghana, beore joining them again in Bangladesh, whereFall said her mother fnds lie very dierent. Te culture and

    way o lie makes her appreciate many o the amenities andopportunities that she has in the U.S. she added.

    Beore Manning joined the amily overseas, Fall said she spoke

    with her regularly by phone, and the amily visited her at leastonce a year. Now, Falls three children and mother do everythingtogether. Tey eat breakast together. Tey eat dinner together.Tey really enjoy each others company, Fall said.

    One downside to the move: Falls siblings in the United Statesalso have children, and Fall said those amily members all missManning.

    Manning and the Fall amily departed Ghana in June, withKaren Fall and her husband headed to Kabul in September orone year, and Manning planning to care or her grandchildren inCharlotte, N.C., while their parents are overseas.

    When another mother, Prayong Wongdara, came to Dhakato visit Consular Ocer Nathan Austin and wie, Artidtaya, atertheir baby was born, she intended to help or just a ew weeksbeore returning to Tailand, Austin said. I didnt even realizethat a parent could be a member o household or eligible amilymember until ater she arrived, he added.

    Wongdara remained with the Austin amily or the remaindero their tour in Bangladesh. She didnt like the city, Austin said,but there was a small community o Tai women in Dhakaspouses o diplomats assigned to other missions, business people,even the Tai ambassador, so she had a s urprisingly active sociallie.

    Wongdara has since ollowed the Austin amily to their nextposting, in Malta.

    Another mother, Natalia Elerdashvili, an artist rom blisi,Georgia, joined her daughter, USAID Advisor amunaBarabadze, in Dhaka. We are a two-member amily and haverarely been apart, Barabadze said. Tey were separated or

    a couple o years while Barabadze served in Aghanistan andreconnected in Bangladesh. A piece o Elerdashvilis art that shecreated there, a large, brightly colored mural, hangs outside theconsular entrance or visitors to enjoy.

    Ater a year in Dhaka, Elerdashvili returned home but shell beback this month or a several-week visit.

    Multigenerational households are on the rise in the UnitedStates due to the sandwich generation o people caring or agingparents while supporting their children. Te same is true overseas.

    Ac