Each day on the east side of the Antarctic Peninsula seems to begin
early. Today was no exception as a 2:30 a.m. wake-up call summoned us to
our first emperor penguin sighting of the trip. Nestled into the folds
of a moderately-sized iceberg, this twilight encounter with our planet’s
largest penguin triggered what became a day to top.
By 3:00 a.m. we had already seen the icon of the Antarctic, been
kissed by early morning light reflected off of a tabular iceberg and
beheld the Antarctic Peninsula proper for the first time on this voyage.
By 10:30 a.m. everyone willing and able took their first steps onto
the NE extremity of the peninsula and cavorted with the Antarctic’s
other ice-loving biped, the Adelie penguin. This took place at a site
called Brown Bluff, known for its nesting snow petrels, kelp gulls,
Adelie and gentoo penguins and the stunning backdrop of solidified ash
deposits that give the location its reddish-brown hue and subsequent
moniker.
After a morning with penguins and blue-bird skies, our rudder steered
us south, deeper into the Weddell Sea than this naturalist has ever
been. Past pods of small type “B” killer whales cruising the pack ice
edge, around cathedrals of glacial ice and along the eastern shores of
Seymour and then Snow Hill Island, taking us to within a mere eight
miles of the northernmost emperor penguin colony this planet supports.
At that southernmost milepost we encountered the northern extremity
of the Weddell Sea pack ice. A continuous skin of frozen water stretched
south of us as far as the eye would allow, peppered with black,
waddling dots. As we neared the ice edge, a group of seven emperor
penguins surfaced onto the white expanse before making their seemingly
sorrowful, slumped march away from us. Sure to turn around again in the
days to come, these and the other emperors we could see on the horizon
are preparing for their summer at sea, having just endured the long dark
Antarctic winter, and celebrating the abundance of the approaching
summer feast.
We couldn’t help but share their excitement for all that summer
brings to the Antarctic as our day was full of life and new horizons as
well.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Sunday, December 1, 2013
South Shetland Islands
Steve Maclean said "One of the pleasures of being a naturalist in Antarctica is sharing
with guests their first experience with the wildlife and the scenic
grandeur of the White Continent. Today was such a moment."
After a very benign crossing of the infamous Drake Passage, we neared our first Antarctic landfall in the South Shetland Islands, north of the Antarctic Peninsula. We were not the only travelers coming to Antarctica from warmer climes. Humpback and the occasional fin whales were blowing their spouts into the morning wind as they approached their summer feeding in the productive Antarctic waters.
Soon, icebergs came into view, caught on the shallow shelf of the South Shetland Islands. Then, behind the icebergs and towering above them, came our first sighting of snow- and ice-covered peaks. Our course took us between Greenwich and Roberts islands, through English Strait. Here a young humpback whale put on a most incredible show by throwing its entire body from the water, again and again, in a series of breaches. We can't be sure just why the whales choose to leave their ocean domain, if only briefly, but that takes nothing from our joy of witnessing the behavior.
Half Moon Island, a small chunk of land tucked into a bay of Livingston Island, was the site of our first landing in Antarctica. After the crossing from Ushuaia, many were ready to brave wind and soft snow for a leg-stretching walk, which offered a breath-taking view over the snowy landscape (or maybe it was the walk itself that took our breath). Whether by foot or our fleet of Zodiac landing craft, we all ended at a chinstrap penguin colony. We mimicked the penguins in climbing resolutely up the snowy slope. The nesting penguins were gathered in exposed rocky areas where each pair places its two eggs on a platform of stones (many of them stolen from the nest of their neighbor), pecking distance apart. Now, the eggs have been laid.
The birds are in the early part of their 32-day incubation, and an unusual calm reigns over the colony. The calm is broken when one member of a pair returns from its feeding at sea to take over the chore of incubation. There is a noisy greeting at the nest ("Yes - I am, in fact, your mate, and I am back to do my duty") and the incubating bird rises to be quickly replaced on the eggs by the returning partner. If the process goes too slowly, they risk the quick attack of a marauding skua or kelp gull and an egg is lost. It will not be replaced.
Farther along, many of us chose to sit quietly and watch the parade of penguins, down the hill, up the hill. The parade will intensify as the eggs hatch and there are hungry chicks to be fed. Now, there is less urgency to the trek. I know not how many penguin photographs were taken; a lot.
Finally, at the end of our trail over Half Moon Island, we came upon three Weddell seals lounging on the snow. These large seals overwinter deep in the Antarctic, using breathing holes that they maintain through the seasonal sea ice. They have already completed their breeding for the year. The new pups, born on the sea ice, are on their own. The seals have earned their lounging.
After a very benign crossing of the infamous Drake Passage, we neared our first Antarctic landfall in the South Shetland Islands, north of the Antarctic Peninsula. We were not the only travelers coming to Antarctica from warmer climes. Humpback and the occasional fin whales were blowing their spouts into the morning wind as they approached their summer feeding in the productive Antarctic waters.
Soon, icebergs came into view, caught on the shallow shelf of the South Shetland Islands. Then, behind the icebergs and towering above them, came our first sighting of snow- and ice-covered peaks. Our course took us between Greenwich and Roberts islands, through English Strait. Here a young humpback whale put on a most incredible show by throwing its entire body from the water, again and again, in a series of breaches. We can't be sure just why the whales choose to leave their ocean domain, if only briefly, but that takes nothing from our joy of witnessing the behavior.
Half Moon Island, a small chunk of land tucked into a bay of Livingston Island, was the site of our first landing in Antarctica. After the crossing from Ushuaia, many were ready to brave wind and soft snow for a leg-stretching walk, which offered a breath-taking view over the snowy landscape (or maybe it was the walk itself that took our breath). Whether by foot or our fleet of Zodiac landing craft, we all ended at a chinstrap penguin colony. We mimicked the penguins in climbing resolutely up the snowy slope. The nesting penguins were gathered in exposed rocky areas where each pair places its two eggs on a platform of stones (many of them stolen from the nest of their neighbor), pecking distance apart. Now, the eggs have been laid.
The birds are in the early part of their 32-day incubation, and an unusual calm reigns over the colony. The calm is broken when one member of a pair returns from its feeding at sea to take over the chore of incubation. There is a noisy greeting at the nest ("Yes - I am, in fact, your mate, and I am back to do my duty") and the incubating bird rises to be quickly replaced on the eggs by the returning partner. If the process goes too slowly, they risk the quick attack of a marauding skua or kelp gull and an egg is lost. It will not be replaced.
Farther along, many of us chose to sit quietly and watch the parade of penguins, down the hill, up the hill. The parade will intensify as the eggs hatch and there are hungry chicks to be fed. Now, there is less urgency to the trek. I know not how many penguin photographs were taken; a lot.
Finally, at the end of our trail over Half Moon Island, we came upon three Weddell seals lounging on the snow. These large seals overwinter deep in the Antarctic, using breathing holes that they maintain through the seasonal sea ice. They have already completed their breeding for the year. The new pups, born on the sea ice, are on their own. The seals have earned their lounging.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
The Feared Drake Passage
All travelers to Antarctica have heard and been terrified by stories of the Drake Passage. This body of water
between the southern tip of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula is
known for the intense storms that race through the passage. Today the
weather gods were kind to us and we sailed south in relatively calm
conditions.
After breakfast, we gathered in the lounge to meet the expedition team and learn more about the alliance between Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic. The first presentation of the trip, by our photo team, taught us all about getting to know our cameras.
Later in the day Steve MacLean gave an excellent talk where we learned all about the wind, currents and the productivity of the Southern Ocean. This was followed by some time out on the sun deck learning about the various seabirds swirling around the ship.
The last presentation of the day was the very important briefing about landing in the Antarctic. We also had an overview of what we hope to see and experience on our exciting expedition. After dinner, the seas were calm and the day ended with a stunning sunset. All and all it was a wonderful first full day on board National Geographic Explorer.
After breakfast, we gathered in the lounge to meet the expedition team and learn more about the alliance between Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic. The first presentation of the trip, by our photo team, taught us all about getting to know our cameras.
Later in the day Steve MacLean gave an excellent talk where we learned all about the wind, currents and the productivity of the Southern Ocean. This was followed by some time out on the sun deck learning about the various seabirds swirling around the ship.
The last presentation of the day was the very important briefing about landing in the Antarctic. We also had an overview of what we hope to see and experience on our exciting expedition. After dinner, the seas were calm and the day ended with a stunning sunset. All and all it was a wonderful first full day on board National Geographic Explorer.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
In Buenos Aires, Argentina for Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving in the United States brings families together to
celebrate and gather in each other’s presence. It is often accompanied
by at least one large meal of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and
gravy and topped off with pumpkin pie for dessert. Often, a good
football game or two is part of the day. While the traditional meals and
activities may vary, for most it is a day of reflection and catching up
with family and friends who may have not seen each other for years.
We however arrived this morning in Buenos Aires, where there is no mention of Thanksgiving or turkey. The ever efficient National Geographic/Lindblad staff met us in the BA international airport, put us on a bunch of buses, and led us on a tour of the city and into the Cesear Park Hotel. It's a glistening and quite upscale facility in an excellent position on Posadas in Recoleta. It is across the street from the upscale Patio Bullrich shopping center and is surrounded by lots of excellent restaurants and shops. A light lunch is served on the mezzanine floor and there's a briefing before we set off on a quick city tour. In the late afternoon there's a cocktail party and then we're released to go find our dinner.
Some opted for sandwiches in the hotel bar, but we headed off down the street to an empanadas place that Marcia had identified earlier. We had locro, a stew made with pumpkin, maize, beans and different combinations of meat cuts, bacon and chorizo. A pitcher of the local red wine was perfect.
Somehow, I never missed the turkey feast.
We however arrived this morning in Buenos Aires, where there is no mention of Thanksgiving or turkey. The ever efficient National Geographic/Lindblad staff met us in the BA international airport, put us on a bunch of buses, and led us on a tour of the city and into the Cesear Park Hotel. It's a glistening and quite upscale facility in an excellent position on Posadas in Recoleta. It is across the street from the upscale Patio Bullrich shopping center and is surrounded by lots of excellent restaurants and shops. A light lunch is served on the mezzanine floor and there's a briefing before we set off on a quick city tour. In the late afternoon there's a cocktail party and then we're released to go find our dinner.
Some opted for sandwiches in the hotel bar, but we headed off down the street to an empanadas place that Marcia had identified earlier. We had locro, a stew made with pumpkin, maize, beans and different combinations of meat cuts, bacon and chorizo. A pitcher of the local red wine was perfect.
Somehow, I never missed the turkey feast.
Thanksgiving Day in Ushuaia
Our day began in the luxury and comfort of the Cesar Park Hotel with an early breakfast for the Lindblad/National Geographic group. It was an ambitious breakfast buffet, including omelets prepared to your order. I think, however, our entire group of punctual, purposeful Americans coming down to eat at such an early hour seemed to overwhelm the Argentine staff.
I had to admire the organizers' ability to get four or more large coaches into downtown Buenos Aires' narrow streets and even under the hotel's porte-cochère, not to mention the ease with which they got all 148 of us onto the coaches in good time for our trip across town to the domestic airport.
I had to admire the organizers' ability to get four or more large coaches into downtown Buenos Aires' narrow streets and even under the hotel's porte-cochère, not to mention the ease with which they got all 148 of us onto the coaches in good time for our trip across town to the domestic airport.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Miami and the South Beach Excursion
We are here in Miami with the whole day to kill, so what to do? Maybe a trip over to the much discussed South Beach area? A quick search on the iPhone shows it's not so far -- about 17 miles -- and not so impossible to get to with a taxi. The concierge shows us a hop-on-hop-off bus tour that looks like a good way to do it, so we buy it from him. Well, part of it. He charges $15 per person and then we'll pay more at the tour office in South Beach.
Our guides on the tour bus seem inordinately fascinated by the rich and famous people who live or lived in Miami. There are several islands out in the bay that seem to be enclaves of such people. Our bus drives out the MacArthur Causeway across Biscayne Bay, and we're introduced to Palm Island and Star Island and their residents.
But the real treat is South Beach, or SoBe as the natives put it. This was one of the first areas of Miami to be developed for tourism and snowbirds. But after a roaring beginning in the 1910's and 1920's, it became by the 1980's a haven for criminals, Cubans and little old ladies. Before the days of Miami Vice, South Beach was considered a very poor area with a very high rate of crime. Then the beautiful people moved in. Fortunately that also rescued the art deco, streamline moderne, and nautical moderne architecture for which South Beach is famed.
After the South Beach tour, we thought we might save time and distance by taking the city tour bus back in the direction of our hotel. Bad idea! We got caught up in pre-holiday traffic jams that seemed to never end, and our bus crept along. There were no taxis in sight. We needed to return to our hotel, pack our bags, and get to the airport in good time to catch our evening flight to Buenos Aires.
Our guides on the tour bus seem inordinately fascinated by the rich and famous people who live or lived in Miami. There are several islands out in the bay that seem to be enclaves of such people. Our bus drives out the MacArthur Causeway across Biscayne Bay, and we're introduced to Palm Island and Star Island and their residents.
But the real treat is South Beach, or SoBe as the natives put it. This was one of the first areas of Miami to be developed for tourism and snowbirds. But after a roaring beginning in the 1910's and 1920's, it became by the 1980's a haven for criminals, Cubans and little old ladies. Before the days of Miami Vice, South Beach was considered a very poor area with a very high rate of crime. Then the beautiful people moved in. Fortunately that also rescued the art deco, streamline moderne, and nautical moderne architecture for which South Beach is famed.
After the South Beach tour, we thought we might save time and distance by taking the city tour bus back in the direction of our hotel. Bad idea! We got caught up in pre-holiday traffic jams that seemed to never end, and our bus crept along. There were no taxis in sight. We needed to return to our hotel, pack our bags, and get to the airport in good time to catch our evening flight to Buenos Aires.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Ambassadors and ex-FSO's Call For A Public Diplomacy Professional At State
A couple of weeks ago, a friend and former ambassador pulled me aside at a luncheon. He was, he confided, in despair about the recently announced departure of Tara Sonenshine, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy.
Sonenshine will be leaving just fifteen months after having arrived. Her predecessor, Judith McHale, left after only about two years in the job. James K. Glassman, who served before her, was in the job only seven months.
Between incumbents, there are long gaps. Since public diplomacy was brought into the State Department in 1999, there have been seven people in the Under Secretary slot, and it has been vacant 30 percent of the time. This is due to a glacier-like nomination process requiring the United States Senate's advice and consent, but both the Bush and Obama Administrations were slow to pick people and nominate them.
My colleague and I decided to write a letter to the Secretary of State. We thought it might carry more weight if we sought some additional signers from among our colleagues -- former ambassadors and senior public diplomacy officials, mainly those who headed up a public diplomacy operation field during either the USIA days or since integration into State.
We sent the letter May 24, and immediately we began to hear from others who wanted to indicate their support for the ideas in the letter by signing it too. So, on May 31, we sent an updated version to Secretary Kerry.
I think the letter speaks for itself pretty well, so I'll post it here. Maybe I'll add some more thoughts on the subject in coming days.
May 31, 2013
(Letter of May 24, 2013, revised with
additional signatures)
The Honorable John F. Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington DC 20520
Dear Mr. Secretary:
We urge that a career foreign affairs professional be appointed as the next Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Such an appointment would support your efforts fully to integrate public diplomacy into U.S. foreign affairs.
No career professional has served as Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Coincidentally or not, today there is a wide consensus that U.S. perspectives are less well understood abroad, and people-to-people exchanges are less robust than they should be. In today’s globalizing but still threatening world, and as our military forces abroad are drawn down, it is more important than ever that America strengthen its “soft power.” For this, public diplomacy is an essential and powerful tool.
A career foreign affairs professional, with years of overseas and Washington experience, is more likely to understand the larger world context and how public diplomacy can help achieve America’s policy goals. And it is challenging to direct and energize public diplomacy if the leadership has brief tours or vacancies are lengthy. Prior to the incumbent Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, leaving after just over a year in office, the previous four served, on average, nearly two years. By comparison, the previous four Under Secretaries for Political Affairs, all career professionals, served, on average, nearly three-and-one-half years. The U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy reports that the position of Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs has been vacant more than 30% of the time since it was created in 1999. The position of Under Secretary for Political Affairs has been vacant only 5% of that time.
Studies by the Defense Science Board, RAND, and other independent groups have found that America’s engagement with foreign publics succeeds best when led by experienced officials having the authority to establish priorities, assign responsibilities, transfer funds, and concur in senior appointments. Leaders must have direct access to you and the President on critical communication issues as policies are formulated and implemented.
When done well, public diplomacy works. Large numbers of foreign heads of government, legislators, and social, economic, and political leaders -- many of them America’s staunch allies and stalwart friends -- have participated in U.S. public diplomacy programs. The University of Southern California recently reported that of individuals exposed to U.S. public diplomacy, 79 percent have used what they learned to bring about positive change in their own communities by running for political office, organizing a civil society group, doing volunteer work, and starting a new business or other projects. Fully 94 percent say the exposure has increased their understanding of U.S. foreign policy, and America’s people, society, and values.
The President’s and your public engagements are among our country’s greatest diplomatic assets. You have over a thousand skilled, culturally-aware, and language-trained public diplomacy officers ready to leverage advanced technology and person-to-person communications skills in order to change foreign outcomes in America’s favor. All they need is truly professional, experienced leadership.
Respectfully,
Leonard J. Baldyga, former PAO in Poland, Mexico, Italy, and India
Adrian A. Basora, Ambassador (Retired), Director of the Project on Democratic Transitions,
Foreign Policy Research Institute, and Past President, Eisenhower Fellowships
John R. Beyrle, Director, U.S. Russia Foundation, and former Ambassador to Russia and
Bulgaria
Barbara K. Bodine, former Ambassador to Yemen
Edward Brynn, former Ambassador to Burkina Faso and Ghana, and Acting Historian of the
Department of State
Brian Carlson, former Ambassador to Latvia and Public Affairs Officer (PAO) in Spain,
Norway, and Bulgaria
John Campbell, Ambassador (Retired), Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies,
Council on Foreign Relations
William Courtney, former Ambassador to Kazakhstan and Georgia
Shaun Donnelly, former Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives
Craig G. Dunkerley, former Special Envoy for Conventional Armed Forces in Europe
Sally Grooms Cowal, former Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, PAO in Mexico, and Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
Walter L. Cutler, former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Zaire
John Evans, former Ambassador to Armenia
Linda Jewell, former Ambassador to Ecuador
Robert Finn, former Ambassador to Afghanistan and Tajikistan, and Opening Chargé d'affaires
in Azerbaijan
Jacob P. Gillespie, former PAO in Spain and El Salvador
Robert R. Gosende, former Special Envoy for Somalia and PAO in the Russian Federation and
South Africa
Donna J. Hamilton, former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs
John R. Hamilton, former Ambassador to Peru and Guatemala
William Harrop, former Ambassador to Israel, Kenya, Zaire, and Guinea, and Inspector General
of the Department of State
Arthur Hartman, Career Ambassador (Retired)
Dennis K. Hays, former Ambassador to Suriname and President of the American Foreign Service
Association
H. Allen Holmes, Ambassador (Retired), former Assistant Secretary of State for Politico-
Military Affairs
Robert E. Hunter, former Ambassador to NATO (non-career) and senior member of the National
Security Council (NSC) Staff
Morris Jacobs, former President of the Public Diplomacy Council
Linda Jewell, former Ambassador to Ecuador and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for
Western Hemisphere Affairs
Joe B. Johnson, Public Diplomacy Council and former PAO in Ireland and Panama
Richard D. Kauzlarich, former Ambassador to Azerbaijan and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Dr. William P. Kiehl, President & CEO, PDWorldwide, and former PAO in Czechoslovakia,
Finland, and Thailand
Melinda Kimble, Senior Fellow, United Nations Foundation, and former Acting Assistant
Secretary of State for Oceans, Environment, and Science
Daniel Kurtzer, former Ambassador to Egypt and Israel.
Bruce Laingen, former Ambassador to Malta and Chargé d'affaires, TehranRichard LeBaron, former Ambassador to Kuwait and Founding Coordinator of the Center for
Strategic Counterterrorism Communications
Melvyn Levitsky, former Ambassador to Bulgaria and Brazil, and Assistant Secretary of State
for International Narcotics Matters
Thomas E. McNamara, Ambassador (Retired), former Assistant Secretary of State for
Political-Military Affairs
Richard Miles, former Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, and Georgia
John O'Keefe, former Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic
Thomas R. Pickering, former Ambassador to Nigeria, Jordan, El Salvador, Israel, the United
Nations, India, and Russia, and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
Christopher Ross, Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Western Sahara,
and former Special Coordinator for Public Diplomacy and Ambassador to Algeria and
Syria
William A. Rugh, former Ambassador to Yemen and to the United Arab Emirates, and PAO in
Egypt and Saudi Arabia
Harold H. Saunders, former senior member of the NSC Staff, Director of Intelligence and
Research, and Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs
Michael Schneider, Senior Executive Service (Retired), U.S. Information Agency
John W. Shirley, former Ambassador to Tanzania, PAO in Warsaw and Rome, and Counselor of
the U.S. Information Agency
Katherine Shirley, former ambassador to Senegal
Pamela Hyde Smith, former Ambassador to Moldova and PAO in the United Kingdom
Patrick Nickolas Theros, former Ambassador to Qatar
Hans N. Tuch, Career Minister (Retired), former PAO in the USSR, Germany, and Brazil, and
Deputy Chief of Mission in Bulgaria and Brazil
Alexander F. Watson, former Ambassador to Peru, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent
Representative at the United Nations, and Assistant Secretary of State for Western
Hemisphere Affairs
Marcelle M. Wahba, former Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and PAO in Egypt,
Jordan, and Cyprus
Philip C. Wilcox, Jr., Ambassador (Retired), former Chief of Mission in Jerusalem and
Ambassador at Large for Counterterrorism
Kenneth Yalowitz, former Ambassador to Belarus and Georgia
Additional Signatures
Robert L Barry, former Ambassador to Bulgaria and Indonesia, and former Deputy Director,
Voice of America
Gene Bigler, former PAO Havana
Robert Callahan, former Ambassador to Nicaragua and PAO in Bolivia, Greece, and Italy
Michael Canning, former President of the Public Diplomacy Alumni Association
Elinor Constable, former Ambassador to Kenya and Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and
International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
Paul Denig, former PAO in Yugoslavia and Director, Washington Foreign Press Center,
Department of State
Vello Ederma, former Deputy Chief, European Division, Voice of America
Harriet L. Elam-Thomas, former Ambassador to Senegal and Counselor, U.S. Information
Agency
Allen C. Hansen, retired USIA FSO and author
J. Michael Houlahan, former PAO in Jamaica
Gerald Huchel, former PAO in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and Senegal
Vicki Huddleston, former Ambassador to Madagascar and Mali, and Principal Officer of the
U.S. Interests Section in Havana
Susan Johnson, President, American Foreign Service Association
Kenton W. Keith, former Ambassador to Qatar and PAO in Egypt and Syria
Patricia H Kushlis, President of the Santa Fe World Affairs Forum, and former Foreign Service
Officer, U.S. Information Agency
Robert R. LaGamma, President of the Council for a Community of Democracies, and former
Director, African Affairs, U.S. Information Agency, and PAO South Africa
Robert E. McCarthy, former PAO in Hungary and Russia
Anthony C. E. Quainton, former Ambassador to Central African Empire, Nicaragua, Kuwait, and
Peru, and Director General of the Foreign Service
Morton Smith, former Area Director for East Asia/Pacific, U.S. Information Agency, and Deputy
Director, Voice of America
John H. Trattner, former Spokesman, Department of State
Frederick Vreeland, former Ambassador to Morocco
cc: National Security Advisor Thomas E. Donilon
 |
| Tara Sonenshine |
Between incumbents, there are long gaps. Since public diplomacy was brought into the State Department in 1999, there have been seven people in the Under Secretary slot, and it has been vacant 30 percent of the time. This is due to a glacier-like nomination process requiring the United States Senate's advice and consent, but both the Bush and Obama Administrations were slow to pick people and nominate them.
 |
| Secretary Kerry |
We sent the letter May 24, and immediately we began to hear from others who wanted to indicate their support for the ideas in the letter by signing it too. So, on May 31, we sent an updated version to Secretary Kerry.
I think the letter speaks for itself pretty well, so I'll post it here. Maybe I'll add some more thoughts on the subject in coming days.
May 31, 2013
(Letter of May 24, 2013, revised with
additional signatures)
The Honorable John F. Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington DC 20520
Dear Mr. Secretary:
We urge that a career foreign affairs professional be appointed as the next Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Such an appointment would support your efforts fully to integrate public diplomacy into U.S. foreign affairs.
No career professional has served as Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Coincidentally or not, today there is a wide consensus that U.S. perspectives are less well understood abroad, and people-to-people exchanges are less robust than they should be. In today’s globalizing but still threatening world, and as our military forces abroad are drawn down, it is more important than ever that America strengthen its “soft power.” For this, public diplomacy is an essential and powerful tool.
A career foreign affairs professional, with years of overseas and Washington experience, is more likely to understand the larger world context and how public diplomacy can help achieve America’s policy goals. And it is challenging to direct and energize public diplomacy if the leadership has brief tours or vacancies are lengthy. Prior to the incumbent Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, leaving after just over a year in office, the previous four served, on average, nearly two years. By comparison, the previous four Under Secretaries for Political Affairs, all career professionals, served, on average, nearly three-and-one-half years. The U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy reports that the position of Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs has been vacant more than 30% of the time since it was created in 1999. The position of Under Secretary for Political Affairs has been vacant only 5% of that time.
Studies by the Defense Science Board, RAND, and other independent groups have found that America’s engagement with foreign publics succeeds best when led by experienced officials having the authority to establish priorities, assign responsibilities, transfer funds, and concur in senior appointments. Leaders must have direct access to you and the President on critical communication issues as policies are formulated and implemented.
When done well, public diplomacy works. Large numbers of foreign heads of government, legislators, and social, economic, and political leaders -- many of them America’s staunch allies and stalwart friends -- have participated in U.S. public diplomacy programs. The University of Southern California recently reported that of individuals exposed to U.S. public diplomacy, 79 percent have used what they learned to bring about positive change in their own communities by running for political office, organizing a civil society group, doing volunteer work, and starting a new business or other projects. Fully 94 percent say the exposure has increased their understanding of U.S. foreign policy, and America’s people, society, and values.
The President’s and your public engagements are among our country’s greatest diplomatic assets. You have over a thousand skilled, culturally-aware, and language-trained public diplomacy officers ready to leverage advanced technology and person-to-person communications skills in order to change foreign outcomes in America’s favor. All they need is truly professional, experienced leadership.
Respectfully,
Leonard J. Baldyga, former PAO in Poland, Mexico, Italy, and India
Adrian A. Basora, Ambassador (Retired), Director of the Project on Democratic Transitions,
Foreign Policy Research Institute, and Past President, Eisenhower Fellowships
John R. Beyrle, Director, U.S. Russia Foundation, and former Ambassador to Russia and
Bulgaria
Barbara K. Bodine, former Ambassador to Yemen
Edward Brynn, former Ambassador to Burkina Faso and Ghana, and Acting Historian of the
Department of State
Brian Carlson, former Ambassador to Latvia and Public Affairs Officer (PAO) in Spain,
Norway, and Bulgaria
John Campbell, Ambassador (Retired), Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies,
Council on Foreign Relations
William Courtney, former Ambassador to Kazakhstan and Georgia
Shaun Donnelly, former Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives
Craig G. Dunkerley, former Special Envoy for Conventional Armed Forces in Europe
Sally Grooms Cowal, former Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, PAO in Mexico, and Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
Walter L. Cutler, former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Zaire
John Evans, former Ambassador to Armenia
Linda Jewell, former Ambassador to Ecuador
Robert Finn, former Ambassador to Afghanistan and Tajikistan, and Opening Chargé d'affaires
in Azerbaijan
Jacob P. Gillespie, former PAO in Spain and El Salvador
Robert R. Gosende, former Special Envoy for Somalia and PAO in the Russian Federation and
South Africa
Donna J. Hamilton, former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs
John R. Hamilton, former Ambassador to Peru and Guatemala
William Harrop, former Ambassador to Israel, Kenya, Zaire, and Guinea, and Inspector General
of the Department of State
Arthur Hartman, Career Ambassador (Retired)
Dennis K. Hays, former Ambassador to Suriname and President of the American Foreign Service
Association
H. Allen Holmes, Ambassador (Retired), former Assistant Secretary of State for Politico-
Military Affairs
Robert E. Hunter, former Ambassador to NATO (non-career) and senior member of the National
Security Council (NSC) Staff
Morris Jacobs, former President of the Public Diplomacy Council
Linda Jewell, former Ambassador to Ecuador and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for
Western Hemisphere Affairs
Joe B. Johnson, Public Diplomacy Council and former PAO in Ireland and Panama
Richard D. Kauzlarich, former Ambassador to Azerbaijan and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Dr. William P. Kiehl, President & CEO, PDWorldwide, and former PAO in Czechoslovakia,
Finland, and Thailand
Melinda Kimble, Senior Fellow, United Nations Foundation, and former Acting Assistant
Secretary of State for Oceans, Environment, and Science
Daniel Kurtzer, former Ambassador to Egypt and Israel.
Bruce Laingen, former Ambassador to Malta and Chargé d'affaires, TehranRichard LeBaron, former Ambassador to Kuwait and Founding Coordinator of the Center for
Strategic Counterterrorism Communications
Melvyn Levitsky, former Ambassador to Bulgaria and Brazil, and Assistant Secretary of State
for International Narcotics Matters
Thomas E. McNamara, Ambassador (Retired), former Assistant Secretary of State for
Political-Military Affairs
Richard Miles, former Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, and Georgia
John O'Keefe, former Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic
Thomas R. Pickering, former Ambassador to Nigeria, Jordan, El Salvador, Israel, the United
Nations, India, and Russia, and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
Christopher Ross, Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Western Sahara,
and former Special Coordinator for Public Diplomacy and Ambassador to Algeria and
Syria
William A. Rugh, former Ambassador to Yemen and to the United Arab Emirates, and PAO in
Egypt and Saudi Arabia
Harold H. Saunders, former senior member of the NSC Staff, Director of Intelligence and
Research, and Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs
Michael Schneider, Senior Executive Service (Retired), U.S. Information Agency
John W. Shirley, former Ambassador to Tanzania, PAO in Warsaw and Rome, and Counselor of
the U.S. Information Agency
Katherine Shirley, former ambassador to Senegal
Pamela Hyde Smith, former Ambassador to Moldova and PAO in the United Kingdom
Patrick Nickolas Theros, former Ambassador to Qatar
Hans N. Tuch, Career Minister (Retired), former PAO in the USSR, Germany, and Brazil, and
Deputy Chief of Mission in Bulgaria and Brazil
Alexander F. Watson, former Ambassador to Peru, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent
Representative at the United Nations, and Assistant Secretary of State for Western
Hemisphere Affairs
Marcelle M. Wahba, former Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and PAO in Egypt,
Jordan, and Cyprus
Philip C. Wilcox, Jr., Ambassador (Retired), former Chief of Mission in Jerusalem and
Ambassador at Large for Counterterrorism
Kenneth Yalowitz, former Ambassador to Belarus and Georgia
Additional Signatures
Robert L Barry, former Ambassador to Bulgaria and Indonesia, and former Deputy Director,
Voice of America
Gene Bigler, former PAO Havana
Robert Callahan, former Ambassador to Nicaragua and PAO in Bolivia, Greece, and Italy
Michael Canning, former President of the Public Diplomacy Alumni Association
Elinor Constable, former Ambassador to Kenya and Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and
International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
Paul Denig, former PAO in Yugoslavia and Director, Washington Foreign Press Center,
Department of State
Vello Ederma, former Deputy Chief, European Division, Voice of America
Harriet L. Elam-Thomas, former Ambassador to Senegal and Counselor, U.S. Information
Agency
Allen C. Hansen, retired USIA FSO and author
J. Michael Houlahan, former PAO in Jamaica
Gerald Huchel, former PAO in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and Senegal
Vicki Huddleston, former Ambassador to Madagascar and Mali, and Principal Officer of the
U.S. Interests Section in Havana
Susan Johnson, President, American Foreign Service Association
Kenton W. Keith, former Ambassador to Qatar and PAO in Egypt and Syria
Patricia H Kushlis, President of the Santa Fe World Affairs Forum, and former Foreign Service
Officer, U.S. Information Agency
Robert R. LaGamma, President of the Council for a Community of Democracies, and former
Director, African Affairs, U.S. Information Agency, and PAO South Africa
Robert E. McCarthy, former PAO in Hungary and Russia
Anthony C. E. Quainton, former Ambassador to Central African Empire, Nicaragua, Kuwait, and
Peru, and Director General of the Foreign Service
Morton Smith, former Area Director for East Asia/Pacific, U.S. Information Agency, and Deputy
Director, Voice of America
John H. Trattner, former Spokesman, Department of State
Frederick Vreeland, former Ambassador to Morocco
cc: National Security Advisor Thomas E. Donilon
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