Diplomatic Courier

Campaigning on the Frontlines

Thu, 16 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

As borders become more porous, identities more mingled, and ideas more diffuse, organisations find themselves communicating with audiences in new markets and regions. Many of these are politically complex, volatile, and at varying stages of development. Seeking to develop profile, change attitudes or behaviours, businesses, NGOs, and governments all have a stake in influencing these audiences successfully. Nevertheless, the basics of campaigning remain, whether undertaken in London, Luanda, or Lahore.

Here are ten practical tips to those seeking to influence in more unconventional places:

Turkey's Future

Tue, 14 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Can Turkey continue its phenomenal economic rise, and also becomes a democratic power?

Turkey is often bent and torn by its deep societal fault lines. Philosophical divides enflame secularists and Islamists, and political divides pit supporters against opponents of the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP). Adding to the broil, ethnic divides lead to violent clashes between the Kurds and the Turkish state.

Despite these many cleavages, simple arithmetic suggests Turkey has what it takes to thrive as a democracy.

None of Turkey’s disparate halves is large enough to dominate the others. Demographically and politically, these blocks are destined to counter-balance each other, and find a modus vivendi.

The U.S. Must Re-evaluate its Foreign Policy in Latin America

Mon, 13 May 2013 15:04:04 GMT

Historically, relations between Latin America and the United States have been complex, yet constantly evolving. During the 1960s, political changes and social movements challenged the structural basis of United States’ hegemony in the hemisphere. The election of Salvador Allende in Chile, the arrival of Peronism in Argentina, and the development of relations between nationalist governments of the time such as Peru, Bolivia, and Mexico became an obstacle for the United States.

Washington re-established its power in the 1970s by revoking any policy that interfered with U.S. interests in the region by supporting military figures. The United States needed to suppress every nationalist, socialist democratic and popular movement, over fears of the spread of Communism in its backyard. Dictatorships secured financial support through easy access to loans from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The economic support from United States for certain loyal groups brought great inequalities, unemployment, and poverty in the region.

Malaysia’s Election: A Hollow Victory

Fri, 10 May 2013 21:18:45 GMT

Since separating himself from the governing Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition in the late 1990s, Anwar Ibrahim has labored relentlessly at the forefront of Malaysia's political opposition movement. After successfully upending the BN's two-thirds parliamentary majority in the landmark 2008 general election, it looked as though 2013 would be the year in which the Anwar-fronted People's Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat) finally broke through at the ballot box.

That much hoped-for political watershed will now be deferred for at least one more election cycle. After a record turnout last Sunday, the BN emerged with a necessary majority of 133 seats against 89 for the opposition. Although they racked up 7 more seats than in 2008, Anwar and his allies remain well short of a parliamentary majority.

But while Prime Minister Najib gets to keep his job for the time being, in the long run, 2013 may amount to little more than a pyrrhic victory. The election results did little to bridge the growing political chasm between differing segments of Malaysian society. Going forward, the future viability of the ruling coalition is looking more precarious than ever.

Q&A with Myron Brilliant, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Fri, 10 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

It is a brave, new, global world for business. Plenty of opportunity; plenty of risk. As e-commerce, free trade agreements, and modern infrastructure have opened the world’s markets, many companies have found that on the frontiers of trade there are not always a lot of rules. And where rules exist, they are not always enforced. But now there is a strong, new voice for business: the U.S. Chamber’s Coalition for the Rule of Law in Global Markets. This new platform for business is featured in the 2013 Index of Economic Freedom released by The Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal. In it, Myron Brilliant, Executive Vice President and head of International Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce writes: “Companies look to invest in markets where legal certainty exists, where they have confidence in the integrity of public and private institutions and where there is fairness, enforcement, and proper adjudication of the law.” But does business care about rule of law, which has long been the purview of NGO and IGO advocacy and activity? Explains Brilliant: “the vast majority of companies perform best in a transparent, and an openly competitive environment—where good governance leads to good business."

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Interview: Dr. Gustavo Gaviria Angel, Member of the Board of Directors, Sustainable Food Pavilion

Thu, 09 May 2013 01:18:03 GMT

The Diplomatic Courier recently spoke with Dr. Gustavo Gaviria Angel, member of the Board of Directors of the Sustainable Food Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015. Dr. Gaviria was Ambassador for Colombia to the Shanghai 2010 Universal Exposition and serves as Chairman of the Board of Industrias Aliadas S.A. He is past Chairman of Cafeteros de Colombia, Colombia’s largest coffee grower and exporter association, and External Consultant to the International Finance Corporation (IFC). We spoke with him at his office in Bogotá, Colombia.

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The Latin American Decade in Motion

Tue, 07 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Behind the curtains of the European Crisis, the U.S. sluggish economic recovery, and the geopolitical battles in the Middle East and North Korea, Latin America has quietly displayed economic resiliency and growth in the last few years. Some have dubbed this the ‘Latin American Decade’. Yet, if it is truly to be the long awaited Latin American golden era; certain challenges must be tackled to continue fanning the momentum the region has brought forth.

Afghan Women Fearful of U.S. Withdrawal

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:22:11 GMT

“Tell Mr. Obama not to leave us alone,” said Marjan, a 28-year-old political science student in Kabul. She spent five years at home—from the age of 12 until the Taliban were toppled in 2001, when she was 17. Under Taliban rule, women were forbidden from leaving their homes without a male companion. When Marjan turned 12, she could no longer leave her house without being noticed, so to protect her from being harassed by the Taliban, her family forced her to stay home for five years. “I have fair skin and bright eyes. I don’t look like a lot of Afghans. A Mullah asked my family for my hand in marriage when I was 13. He was 50. My family was repulsed. But most girls are doomed.” She was homeschooled by her parents, an opportunity not available to her friends with illiterate parents.

Marjan’s story is not unique. A large number of middle class Afghan women, who were teenagers during the Taliban era, are now attending universities in Kabul and other cities, taking advantage of the improved—albeit still much troubled—situation for women in Afghanistan. Regardless of their political learnings, their misgivings for the government of President Hamid Karzai, or their views on the use of drones in targeted killings in Afghanistan, the women with whom I have spoken could not hide their fear of a post-2014, post-ISAF withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Ignoring Economy at the Expense of Security

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:23:45 GMT

Because of a bureaucratic quirk dating back to 1789, the United States’ international economic and security policies continue to be debated in distinct spheres. The Department of State is responsible for the former, and the Pentagon for the latter. This tangible division in specialties and interest continues among policymakers despite increasing evidence that some of today’s most pressing foreign policy issues take place at the nexus of security and economy. Of course, facing a national security threat is a priority over forming economic policy, but in many modern cases national security issues arise only because economic issues were ignored for too long. Thus, security and economy should not be considered in distinct policy realms--as snapshots of a challenge at a precise moment. Rather, they should be considered as elements of the same foreign policy challenge, linked and variably influential over time.

Values and National Security: On Immigration, Compassion is Security

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 05:10:45 GMT

After more than a decade of wars triggered by the attacks of September 11th, 2001, it is time for a new conversation—one that asks serious questions and welcomes a wide array of serious opinions—on how the United States formulates and executes its national security strategy. To address the implications of these and countless other issues, the Armed Forces Committee at the Harvard Kennedy School has established the Values and National Security Project. This is the third article in an ongoing series seeking to promote dialogue on the early 21st century security paradigm. Read the first, second, and third articles here.

Last week, a bi-partisan “Group of Eight” senators introduced a comprehensive immigration reform bill that includes a path to citizenship for the eleven million undocumented immigrants living and working in this country. The bill includes increased border security, a mandatory worker verification system for employers, and provisions for the flow of workers based on the needs of the economy, from the fields of South Carolina to the Silicon Valley.