International Topics

KENYA SERIES: Kenya needs help, not handout

2008-11-04T08:10:00.000-08:00

In a country once noted as a beacon of hope and Africa’s best bet for democracy, residents look to better themselves and recover from the surge of violence that hit the area due to election controversies last December.

According to Knoxville Sentinel reporter Lola Alapo, a Nigeria native who recently went to Kenya for a mission trip, the county’s people are not looking for a handout. But a helpful boost to reestablishment would be nice. After traveling to Kenya’s big cities and staying with a family in small town Malo, Alapo experienced the country in transition.

“I think what people are trying to do now is ethnic reconciliation,” she said. “Here in the states we have racial issues. In Kenya, they’re mostly black so it’s not a matter of race, but it’s more ethnic.”

It’s hard for Americans to understand what Kenyans went through to get to this point. There’s a big picture that many can’t grasp.

Alapo said she always wrestle with people who see two extremes of a country. They either comment on how beautiful the scenery is and how amazing the safaris are, or people focus on the nation’s strife and how people are suffering.

But, Alapo, says, it’s a combination of both views that create Kenya’s reality.

“It’s a beautiful combination of both,” she said. “Yah, things are hard, but people are thriving. They’re doing well. People are resilient. They’re not begging for handouts.

“I want people to realize, where ever you go in the world, even if people are poor and they’re suffering, they’re not always with the flies on their eyes and the potbellied babies,” Alapo said. “People are suffering, but they’re thriving. They’re doing well.”

To aid small town Malo in their recovery, Alapo suggested a Knoxville group making a difference in the area. The Knoxville News Sentinel wrote an article about local Becky Rukeyser’s effort.

Contact Rukeyser at: beckyruk@aol.com to find out more information.

RELATED LINKS:

Knoxville effort aids displaced Kenyans
Experts say Kenya reconciliation will take time
Kenya diplomatic push for peace

KENYA SERIES: Kenya’s small towns slower to recover

2008-11-04T07:28:00.000-08:00

The news of Kenya’s strife plastered the pages of U.S. newspapers during the height of the political violence in the country. Now, there is an occasional article about the country in the national/world sections, but this doesn’t mean all is well in Kenya.

While violence has slowed in the country’s big cities, the surge of pain inflicted within its borders, while just a memory to most Americans, is not easily forgotten to residents of the East African nation.

News Sentinel reporter Lola Alapo, a native of Nigeria, said there is a “relative calm,” as the BBC reported, in highly populated areas. Alapo went to Kenya for a mission trip a few months ago to see how she could aid in the recovery process.

“The violence is not as wide spread as it was in December, January and February,” Alapo said. “When you go in Nairobi and in the bigger towns and cities, the violence is pretty much abated.”

It’s the smaller towns that took the biggest hit. In Nairobi, people are resettling, but outside the city, people of the rural areas are displaced having escaped from their homes during the election turmoil.

“A lot of folks are still afraid to move around, because there’s still a fear of being attacked and attacks are still going on,” she said. “In the smaller pockets, people are still being attacked from time to time.”

The reporter visited Malo, a small town in the Rift Valley, after making a stop in the much larger city of Nakuru. Malo didn’t turn out to be a place to take a midnight walk. Alapo stayed with a family in Malo who was fortunate enough to be able to afford protection from the violence that still remains.

“The family that I stayed with, the father, he has three armed soldiers living on his property, and that’s why his stuff didn’t get burned. But before he took me anywhere, he had the guards go with us,” she said. “Because of what’s going on in that town now, a lot of the people can’t move around freely, because, if you’re of the wrong tribe and someone of different tribe catches you, then they beat you up.”

But, no longer are people of these small towns being met with bullets when they wake up in the morning, which is an improvement in recent times.

Alapo said there’s no reason to fault the U.S. media for turning their attention to other matters. There is much violence in the world, so Kenya couldn’t have remained in the spotlight.

“There’s so much strife going on in the world,” she said. “We’re trying to grab everything, you know, understand what all is going on around the world, so you can’t always just focus on one part of the world.”

RELATED LINKS:

Kenya's geographic and political rift
Ethnic Violence in Rift Valley is tearing Kenya apart

KENYA SERIES: Kenya’s election violence traced to tribalism and colonialism

2008-11-02T19:11:00.000-08:00

Lola Alapo is a reporter for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Though a native of Nigeria, West Africa, she grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and now lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. Alapo returned to Africa recently and agreed to be interviewed when she arrived home. The following is her view of the level of violence in Kenya. Her words offer a glimpse of explanation as to why strife hit the region pegged as Africa’s best hope for democracy.

Coming to grips with the widespread violence Kenya experienced after its presidential elections at the beginning of this year has tried the world and natives of the nation.

The country’s problems that shocked so many are rooted in Kenya’s history; in its legacy of tribalism and colonialism, according to Knoxville News Sentinel reporter Lola Alapo, a Nigeria native who visited Kenya during a recent mission trip.

Colonialism in the East African country dates back to German rule in 1885, followed by the arrival of the British in 1888. In 1890, Germany handed over its holdings to Britain. Though some tribes resisted their new rulers, the British remained in Kenya until the country gained independence on December 12, 1963. The effect of nearly a century of British rule that suddenly disappeared was a country left in disarray.

“A lot of Africa was colonized by either the British or the French,” Alapo explained. “When they were there, they divided things according to how they saw it and how they wanted it, but what they didn’t take into account is that when you draw a line through something, you’re sometimes drawing a line through somebody’s land or someone’s tribe.”

During the 1950s through 1970s, most African countries gained independence. Tribes were left with a divided nation competing for power and land. That struggle has yet to come to a close, she said.

The first Kenyan president was Jomo Kenyatta, leader of Kenya’s African National Union and a member of the country’s Kikuyu tribe. When he took power in 1964, Kenyatta settled a lot of his people on Kalenjin tribe land, Alapo said. Having the power to rule without British oversight resulted in leadership struggles and tribal feuds over property.

The country’s recent election put in power a president from the Kikuyu tribe, making it now the Kikuyu tribe’s turn to rule. The highly controversial election led to a clash of tribalism resulting in all-out violence.

“What’s boiling over now is the Kalenjins saying, ‘For years you’ve had our land. We want it back and so we’re going to take it back,’” she said. “Unfortunately, that’s what’s going on now.”

But Kenya’s outburst of destruction came as a surprise, even to Kenyans themselves, Alapo said.

“There’s always rumblings, but people are not killing each other all the time,” she said. “There’s always conflicts, but it seldom escalates to people losing their lives over it.”

Nearly 1,000 people died in the six weeks of political violence this time.

“One day there were elections and the next day people started getting killed and hacked to death and houses burned,” Alapo said. “Even though there’s been strife, there’s never been anything like that.”

RELATED LINKS:

How Kenya came undone

RECOMMENDED READINGS:

"Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya" by Caroline Elkins
"Kenya Today: Breaking The Yoke of Colonialism in Africa" by Ndirangu Mwaura
"Histories of the Hanged: The Dirty War in Kenya and the End of Empire" by David Anderson.

UT SERIES: Lisa Ling urges empowerment, global involvement

2008-10-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

Special correspondent Lisa Ling urged an audience of nearly 450 to empower themselves, seek out information of substance, and make a contribution to their local and global community.

"Be the change you want to see," the National Geographic and the Oprah Winfrey Show reporter said during her speech "China's Lost Girls" held at the University of Tennessee's Cox Auditorium on Monday night.

"In America we have unlimited access, yet how much do we seek out about the rest of the world?" she asked during the event sponsored by the University of Tennessee Issues Committee, 91.9 FM WUOT, Asian American Association and the Central Program Council.

Her Start

Ling, who has practiced journalism for more than 20 years, said Americans expect action from the government, but though government officials have a responsibility to engage other countries and their leaders, it is time for Americans to take the initiative and assume responsibility, as well.

"It's incumbent upon us as Americans, as human beings, if it's something that is tearing at you and you're concerned about ... empower yourself to do something about it."

The seasoned journalist told the audience she wanted to share with them not just her knowledge on "China's Lost Girls," but offer a glimpse into the stories that had a profound effect on her life.

Ling said her world changed dramatically when she began working at Channel One, a network exclusively for middle school and high school students. Ling was one of the youngest reporters when she arrived at the station, but by 1994, at age 21, she had made a name for herself and got her first shot at war correspondence.

Afghanistan

She traveled with the Red Cross to cover the civil war in Afghanistan. She said the most disturbing part of the trip was getting off the plane and being met by children holding guns bigger than themselves.

After returning home from the war-torn country, she was met with another mind-boggling experience. After all she had seen and been through, no one knew what she was talking about.

"It wasn't part of lexicon. It wasn't part of dialog. It was absolutely not part of our news, despite the fact, we all know now, our country was deeply involved in Afghanistan ... when our country funneled over a billion dollars of the highest tech-weaponry into Afghanistan," she said.

Big news was not being covered. This fueled her career in international correspondence. She returned to Afghanistan in 1997 to find a devastated nation.

After the war that American's supplied arms for, there was a power struggle among the country's people. They had turned the weapons against each other, Ling said. "Not a single wall stood not riddled with bullet holes."

Her Stories

Ling said her perspective of the world had changed after her time in Afghanistan. She continued her career covering dire situations around the globe and in the U.S., including the drug wars in Columbia; the dangerous culture of American prisons; the dangerous gang MS-13; the war in Iraq and Afghanistan; the troubles inside locked-down North Korea; and the titled topic of Monday's speech, China's one-child policy.

China

Ling introduced the audience to China's little girls with a video clip, a tape of American parents meeting their adopted Chinese daughters for the first time.

"These little girls have been through so much, you could see it in their faces," she said during the video. But the new parents' joy was obvious and multiplied as each one was introduced to their child.

"It was like everyone was going through labor at the same time," she said.

The reason for the excitement was that attitudes towards adoption in the country had made important progress, Ling explained. In the 1970s, China imposed the one-child policy. It was created to protect the country from an overrunning population.

What the government didn't anticipate was the consequences of the policy. If allotted only one child, couples wanted, if not needed, to have a boy to carry on the family name and to prosper economically, as well.

A boy would marry and potentially bring his wife and their family back, taking care of his parents. A girl would marry and leave the family. She would not help her parents financially.

The result, Ling said, was thousands of girls being aborted or abandoned. Some girls were placed for adoption.

National Geographic's cameras were the first to be allowed by the Chinese government to view such an event. When she was in the country, Ling visited orphanages and foster parents.

She spoke to Chinese women who said they were embarrassed that their children were being adopted by parents in other countries. They said they felt disgraced and devastated, she recalled.

The fact that women had chosen to come forward and speak to National Geographic about the situation was "monumental" and "made a very powerful statement," Ling said.

The imbalance of women to men has had a tremendous effect on the country, she said. Estimates show that in 20 years, there will be 40 million more men than women in China. This number is larger than the population of many countries. The impact is already being felt, with reports of kidnappings as a result of this policy.

North Korea

Ling also shared her experience in North Korea with the audience, recalling her amazement that she was able to enter the country. She posed as a medical assistant during a health mission.

When she entered the country, Ling was stripped of her cell phone because they were "at war" and "the U.S. can detect cell phones," she was told.

"I knew I was going to be the only American in the country," Ling said. But despite all the precautions the government took to ensure Ling was legitimate, they didn't Google her, she said. If they had, North Korea would have discovered she was a reporter.

Ling said during her trip she found a country that "remains defiant (to) the rest of the world." There were only two television stations, propaganda across the board and there was no Internet. Yet the North Koreans were oblivious to their lack of freedom.

"It was really a fascinating experience," Ling said about her time in the country she had longed to get to, but the one she wanted to leave the most.

Advice

The correspondent urged the audience to allow the world to be their teacher, to step outside their comfort zone, travel and learn about the international community, but also realize there are atrocities occurring right "in our own backyard" that need to be stopped.

She left the audience with one final thought about righting the wrongs in the world.

"Now that you know, you can't pretend you didn't," Ling told the crowd, which responded with a standing ovation.

RELATED LINKS:

Lisa Ling National Geographic video series
Lisa Ling on Going Inside Columbia Drug War
Q&A with Lisa Ling

RECOMMENDED READINGS:

"Mother, Daughter, Sister, Bride: Rituals of Womanhood" by Lisa Ling and Joanne B. Eicher.
"Cool Women" by Lisa Ling, Dawn Chipman, Mari Florence and Naomi Wax.

UT SERIES: Media and War course gets real battle stories from renowned international journalist

2008-09-14T12:19:00.000-07:00

War seems worlds away until the bodies of Saddam Hussein's victims are piled up in a picture in front of you, impossible to ignore. UT School of Journalism and Electronic Media's Media and War course students learned the realities of being an international journalist in war times during a visit last spring from renowned international journalist Gary Thatcher.

Thatcher is a veteran journalist and editor and has been the associate director of program support for the International Broadcasting Bureau since 2000, where he overseas marketing, public affairs, international media training, program placement and program quality review.

"The first war I covered was in Zimbabwe," Thatcher said to a small group of graduate students, half of which had seen the destruction of war in their home countries or through being journalists in war zones. He painted a vivid image of his time in the African country with excerpts on starving people, shrapnel catapults, out of control inflation, unfair land distribution, mass killings, tortured political opponents and ruined lives.

"These are war stories," he said. "Improbable things that really happened."

But even when it looks impossible to offer aid in such a destructive time, Thatcher and other international journalists risk their lives to get stories out to the public, in hopes that their words and images can make a positive difference in the outcome of these atrocities.

In many parts of Africa and around the world, outside journalists are blacklisted, not permitted into the country. That doesn't halt their efforts. They broadcast from outside some countries' borders, utilizing stringers from inside the war-torn countries and working with exiled journalists. They establish satellite links and broadcast in various languages so listeners inside the area can here what is happening in the outside world and next door.

"Were it not for international broadcasting...it would essentially be a closed society," Thatcher said of their efforts. "We spend 600 million a year broadcasting to places in the world people would, frankly, like to forget."

Thatcher explained to the class that the outside world doesn't like to intervene in these matters. But at least we, as journalists, can inform the public so they will know someone cares enough to give them information on what is really going on.

RELATED LINKS:

International Journalist Speaks on broadcasting in denied areas of the world
Online News Hour with Gary Thatcher
Call for action on Zimbabwe 'war'
Q&A Zimbabwe crisis
Zimbabwe at war

UT SERIES: Students share Prague experience

2008-09-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

Four School of Journalism and Electronic Media students offered memories of their recent trip to Prague to an audience of nearly 30 people at the University Center last spring.

The group kicked off the program with a photo slide show led by participant Margaret Menefee and featuring pictures of the country they spent eight days in while participating in an International Correspondence course.

Freshman Eric Gedenk, who had never traveled outside the country before going to Prague, spoke highly of the program and the cultural experience. "This opportunity was larger than life for me," he said.

At first, the culture shock was strong for Gedenk, but he soon discovered comfort in the foreign country.

"It was actually nice to have the language barrier," which afforded him an opportunity to be a fly on the wall; to observe rather than be part of the experience, Gedenk said.

By doing so, he came to see the similarities in U.S. and Prague culture. "It was the same, only different," Gedenk said.

During the session, the students shared stories of their favorite instructors, unforgettable moments and tricks of the trade passed down from world-traveled journalism professionals.

Participant Joel Smithson said he learned the value of a narrowed story topic when he attempted to cover the military's transition to a volunteer service.

"The biggest thing I learned was that the story needs to be a scope you can cover," Smithson said. "I learned a lot about foreign correspondence."

Shannon Winaker, one of the UT participants, discovered the importance of being prepared for anything.

"You really have to plan ahead, and that's one of the biggest things we learned about foreign corresponding, is that once you're on the ground you can only do so much," Winaker said.

After the presentation, the group fielded questions about their experience and future plans from the audience, ranging from undergraduate students to university faculty.

The students also said they are in the process of working with instructors to create models to integrate into classrooms. The models incorporate real world experience, guest lectures and international media law into courses.

JEM director Dr. Peter Gross said he hopes to continue sending students to the International Correspondence course. If funding allows, two JEM students will head to Prague in January, he said.

RELATED LINKS:

Independent Journalism Foundation - Prague
Journalism workshops in Prague
Investigative journalism course in Prague
The Prague Post Online

UT SERIES: Jordanians explore multimedia journalism at UT

2008-09-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

Being a student at the University of Tennessee has given me the opportunity to explore international topics from the convenient location of a campus classroom. The school's Ready for the World initiative offers guest speakers, lecturers and films to prepare students for the global environment of today's world and give them the tools to succeed. The initiative is more than a UT statement meant to attract new students. My school, the School of Journalism and Electronic Media, has embraced the movement - adding international students and faculty to the classrooms, attracting guest speakers and lecturers on various international topics, offering an increasing amount of foreign exchange programs and global excursions and establishing international projects - all as an effort to help students grow into educated and aware individuals. The next series offers a taste of what UT's School of Journalism and Electronic Media is offering its students.

A group of Jordanian media professionals recently journeyed to UT's School of Journalism and Electronic Media to learn how they can strengthen journalism education in their home country.

The seven-day trip was part of a continued relationship with Jordan through a $5 million multi-year grant secured with the country and IREX, a nonprofit group, by Dr. Sam Swan. Swan is a JEM professor and director of internationalization and outreach for UT's College of Communication and Information. A group of students from Jordan came to UT during the 2007 fall semester and the relationship has continued with the visit of educators during the spring semester.

The two professors and one technician from the Middle East University for Graduate Studies in Jordan, arrived at UT to learn the ins and outs of journalism and electronic media, said Dr. Bob Legg, a JEM associate professor at UT.

"We're doing two things," he said of the collaboration between the country and the school. "One is they don't have the resources to establish something like this in their university, so we're helping them in that factor. And secondly, you're hope is that the journalists will absorb some of our Western/Democratic ideals."

His involvement with the Jordanians began last year during a visit to the country.

"I went over there (in summer 2007), interviewed people and saw what was going on with the media on a national basis and then designed a lab for them," Legg said. "They are hoping to do work very similar to us. Television, radio, Web-based, (and) backpack journalism - the whole electronic media and journalism mixture."

The group's trip to UT was designed as a learning experience for the Jordanians, giving them the opportunity to focus on the technical aspect of journalism. Three days were dedicated to training on Avid, a video-editing media composer. The rest of the trip allowed for camera time and talks with faculty about constructing newscasts, said Legg. The group also attended a research symposium on campus and sat in on a JEM 460 class creating a news show.

Legg also became the group's unofficial tour guide. "I have taken them to the hot spots as far as they are concerned, which has been Wal-mart and Best Buy."

Legg's next move will be going to Jordan to set up a broadcast studio at the graduate school. Aside from expanding their knowledge in multimedia journalism, the trip gave both American and Jordanian citizens an opportunity to cross cultural barriers and learn about one another.

"All they see is on the media, which is filtered through the Middle East, so their perception of the United States is erroneous, just wrong," said Legg. "The students that came (last semester), we asked them what was their impression of America. Their answer was ‘We just didn't expect everyone to smile and be so pleasant,' and this group said the same thing. They are just so pleased that everyone seems to be so nice.

"My experience was the same," he said. "I went over there unsure of what to expect and you find that people are people."

RELATED LINKS:

Professors collaborate to bring online journalism to Jordon
Journalists from Jordon host farewell seminar
Media landscape - Jordan
Can citizen journalism make a difference in Jordan?

RECOMMENDED READINGS:

"New Media and the New Middle East (The Palgrave Macmillian Series in International Political Communication)" by Philip Seibt.
"Women and Media in the Middle East: Power Through Self-Expression (Library of Modern Middle East Studies)" by Naomi Sakr.
"New Media in the Muslim World: The Emerging Public Sphere" by Dale F. Eickelman and Jon W. Anderson.

EU/BRUSSELS SERIES: Adapting to an everchanging media market; How The Hub came to be

2008-08-23T08:09:00.000-07:00

Susan Elbow has seen change in how the U.S. handles public diplomacy. As the director of the European Media Center in Brussels, having served with the U.S. State Department for the past 22 years, her foreign service job focuses on outreach, working with the media and general communication efforts. But how her role has been played since the beginning of her career is an evolving story.

“After the Cold War, the government decided we didn’t need a big army anymore, so there were huge military cuts,” Elbow said.

The government then turned its attention and funding to improving the image of the U.S. around the world. Once Hollywood began producing films that made the U.S. look good, the government decided it didn’t need to fund this type of action anymore, so they cut support for image management.

“After 9/11, we realized that was a huge mistake,” she said.

Finally came the liberation of the European broadcast media in the east, in places such as Poland and Hungry, which liberated media markets, Elbow said.

When the media liberation began, there was an explosion of broadcasters who needed content for their newfound viewers. They made sure they had a story to tell, and inevitably, there were discrepancies in the accuracy of these articles.

“Then there was this feeling of don’t talk to the press,” Elbow said. “But if you need to, talk to print. Never live.”

A new addition to the team changed the way the group addressed the challenge of getting information to the European public.

Karen Hughes was named undersecretary of state for public diplomacy with the rank of ambassador in 2005.

“Karen Hughes came on board and said we need to do better; get them on air and train them to be (on air),” Elbow said. “Al Jazeera was off limits at that time. She disagreed with that and wanted to put spots on air (rather) than to have someone else saying negative things about the U.S. (in those time slots).”

Hughes also developed The Hub. The Brussels-based European media center was officially opened May 29. It includes radio and television studios aimed “to encourage and facilitate dialogue between the U.S. and overseas audiences by connecting U.S. policymakers with European television and radio broadcasters and print media, according to a U.S. Department of State press release.

In The Hub, live-studio interviews can be created, as well as pre-taped interviews with U.S. officials. The goal is to keep up with the international news market and provide accurate information to the European public to establish a dialog about foreign policy.

With the change came increased presence of U.S. officials on European airtime. The official in Dubai goes on air nearly three times a day and he does some shows in Arabic, Elbow said.

The Brussels Hub monitors the European media and works with seven embassies daily, she said. In the morning, Hub employees identify stories of key interest to the U.S. or those of high interest to Europeans. They look at two newspapers of record for each country for information. In London, those sources are The Times and The Guardian. Then, Hub employees put together a report with numerous sources and send it to Washington.

“Also, we try to head off negative stories or come out at the same time with the other side,” she said.

RELATED LINKS:

View recent podcasts
The United States Mission to the European Union
Brussels political news at Financial Times Europe

EU/BRUSSELS SERIES: Foreign service with the U.S. Embassy in Brussels

2008-08-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

When you tell someone you are interested in foreign service as a career choice, the best reaction possible is a blank stare. Most of the time, the statement is met with a taken-back look or squinted eyes and a frown followed by a “What is that?” remark.

A foreign service position in a U.S. Embassy means you will “represent the United States overseas, advancing relationships around the world,” according to Deputy Chief of Mission Wayne Bush of the Embassy of the Unites States in Brussels, Belgium.

The job offers a wide-open opportunity to those who qualify, but getting in requires seriously high-test scores and a competitive nature. But according to those serving in the U.S. Embassy in Belgium, the sacrifice is worth it.

Working in a U.S. Embassy is a real chance to enhance the perceptions of the United States around the world. Did I mention you get to be stationed around the globe? That’s an opportunity most jobs can’t offer.

The role of the U.S. Embassy in Belgium

The U.S. Embassy in Belgium has five core functions: political reporting and advocacy, economic policy, protecting the rights of U.S. citizens, administrative aspects and public diplomacy.

Its mission “is to advance the interests of the United States, and to serve and protect U.S. citizens in Belgium,” according to the Embassy’s Web site.

All U.S. Department entities are represented at the Embassy and the role of the ambassador at the Embassy is to represent the president of the United States.

According to the Embassy’s Web site, Ambassador Sam Fox, Bush and the Embassy staff work “to protect and promote U.S. interests in Belgium through diplomatic relations with the Belgium government, commercial contacts with the business community, and through public diplomacy directed towards Belgians who share opinion about the United States.”

How the U.S. Embassy protects the U.S. image

One of the Embassy’s missions is to protect the image of the U.S. overseas. The mass media has a tremendous impact on the U.S., but the most important issue that has colored the image of the U.S. is the war in Iraq, the U.S. role in the Middle East, global warming and the death penalty, said Bush.

“Sometimes, we deserve the criticism we get, quite frankly,” he said. Being a team player means a lot these days.

In an Embassy position, it’s important to follow trends, articulate and understand politics. But beyond those skills, interpersonal communication plays a key role in helping others understand the actions of the U.S. and in maintaining a positive image overseas.

“People to people interaction is the best tool,” Bush said. It affords an opportunity to get away from the media messages.

Also, the way American travelers act while traveling in other countries makes a tremendous impact on the way the U.S. is perceived.

“Think of yourself as an ambassador to the U.S. when you travel abroad,” he said.

The effect of the U.S. economy

The world shares an economy, so a downturn in one market affects other global markets.

“The dropping U.S. dollar effects all (people) here,” so we have to try to explain the situation to the local nationals, reassure the local public that the value of the U.S. dollar will bounce back and counter misinformation, said Bush.

“It’s quite easy to believe the sky is falling” but the economy is resilient, he said. “We’ve weathered serious storms before and (the economy) has always come back.”

How the Embassy communicates

Belgium has three official languages and one unofficial language, which is a sensitive issue within the embassy work environment, Bush said.

The fear of Americanism exists overseas and so it is crucial to act with grace when it comes to the perceived threat of a country losing its identity to the American way of life.

“Studying languages is the most important thing to do for international communication,” he said. “It shows your interest in the culture.”

At this time, Arabic and Chinese are the two top languages sought in embassy employees.

Top traveling abroad issue

Security is one of the largest issues the Embassy deals with on a regular basis. The government has the duty to warn citizens of any threat to their security, so the Embassy sends out notices to warn travelers and citizens of dangerous countries to visit.

“This creates problems with the host country if you are warning people not to come there,” Bush said. “This must be done carefully, but it must be done.”

EU/BRUSSELS SERIES: Belgium Blues- What happens to Brussels?

2008-08-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

When Belgium’s Prime Minister Yves Leterme resigned in July after just four months on the job, the country didn’t reach a stand still. To a visitor of the region, it didn’t seem like much was off at all. Businesses were open, people were working, trains ran on time, and daily activities continued as usual.

This life-continues mentality isn’t much of a surprise since Belgium has weathered times without government before. In June 2007, the country went 6 months without a government.

What’s concerning is why Leterme reigned: he failed to find a way to give more autonomy to French-speaking Wallonia in the south and Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north, a problem that has given way to talks of splitting the country in two.

Leterme said in a statement that he could not reach a resolution because the divide between the two was just too deep.

The King of Belgium has rejected the resignation of Leterme. What this means for the country is unclear.

What is also unclear is what would happen to Brussels, the administrative city of the European Union.

According to Andrew E. Hillman, policy advisor to a member of the European Parliament, “Belgium united is a national issue… the EU will never prevent the country from splitting, but we are against it. …The EU does fund unity parades, but legally we can’t prevent Belgium from splitting.”

About 40 percent of people living in Brussels are not Belgians because of the population of EU personnel, so if a split was to occur Flanders would not want to include Brussels in their country, Hillman said.

Flanders would have to reapply to join the EU, borders would need to be put up, and they would have no EU rights, he said.

If it did happen, Hillman said, “the idea would be to make Brussels an independent area- like Washington D.C.”

RELATED LINKS:

A Belgian Divorce?
Belgium’s No Government Blues
Mission Impossible: Leading Belgium

EU/BRUSSELS SERIES: The inner-workings of the European Union

2008-08-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

Comprehending how the European Union is organized gives non-member citizens a general understanding of what the organization does and how it manages to keep 27 nations moving forward as a one.

The European Union is organized mainly by three branches, not unlike the branches of government in the United States: the executive branch, legislative branch and the judicial branch.

It consists of the the European Commission, representing the common interests within the EU; the European Parliament, representing the European people; the Council of the European Union, representing national government; and the European Court of Justice, representing the law of the EU.

The executive branch of the EU is the European Commission. The legislative branches are the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. And the judicial branch is the European Court of Justice.

The European Commission
The executive branch of the EU is the European Commission, in charge of “promoting the common interest,” according to Europa.

Commission members and the president are appointed for five-year terms, coinciding with the Parliament’s terms.

The Commission is known as the Guardian of European treaties, Hillman said. It’s a collectively neutral force serving a government function, preparing and applying legislation to represent EU citizen’s general interests, he said.

The Commission drafts law proposals and submits them to the Parliament and Council. It also implements EU policy, spends EU funds, ensures EU rules are being followed and has the power to take offenders to the Court of Justice, according to Europa.

The composition of the Commission is 27 men and women- one from each EU member state. But they do not represent their national governments. Instead, they each are responsible for a particular policy area. Commission members have the support of nearly 24,000 civil servants working mostly out of Brussels, according to Europa.

European Parliament
The European people elect the Parliament every five years. The current parliament, chosen in June 2004, consists of 785 members from throughout the member states. “Nearly one third of them are women,” according to Europa.

The number of representatives is expected to drop to 750 in 2009, said Andrew E. Hillman, policy advisor to a member of the European Parliament. The amount of representatives each member state receives is based on demographic weight, he said.

“The main job of Parliament is to pass European laws,” according to Europa. “It shares this responsibility with the Council of the European Union.” The two also work together to approve the EU’s annual budget.

An additional power of Parliament is the right to dismiss decisions made by the European Commission.

The Parliament contains 22 committees and seven political groups, making the Parliament “a democratic forum beyond nationality,” Hillman said. During meetings, members do not sit according to national affiliation, but in one of the Europe-wide political groupings.

Over the years, the Parliament has seen increasing powers and an increasing role in the co-decision procedure, he said.

The Council of the European Union
The Council, formerly known as the Council of Ministers, represents the member states and is composed of high-ranking representatives of the governments of the member states, Hillman said.

It shares responsibility with Parliament for passing laws, making policy and “bears the main responsibility for what the EU does in the field of the common foreign and security policy and for EU action on some justice and freedom issues,” according to Europa.

The Council works in nine different formations, with specialized ministers in each formation, Hillman said. These ministers are directly accountable to their electorates.

Meetings are attended by ministers responsible for the issue at hand. For example, if a transportation matter arises, then the ministers of transportation will meet to discuss the issue.

“Council members keep the upper hand in the most sensitive areas” and the Council is the only branch that can ratify treaties, Hillman said.

Up to four times a year, presidents and prime ministers of EU member states will meet to discuss general EU policy. According to Europa, these times are referred to as summit meetings.

The European Court of Justice
The European Court of Justice keeps the law and balance of the EU. It consists of 27 independent judges, eight advocate generals and holds the final word on EU law interpretation, Hillman said.

“It is used as a tool to settle disputes between member states, but also between the different (EU) institutions,” he said. “Most of all, it’s a recourse for individuals to claim the respect of their rights under EU law.”

This system does not operate just like the U.S. Supreme Court. In the EU court system, a member-state citizen can take his country to court.

For example, if a Jordanian believes he is being charged too much in taxes by his country’s government according to EU law, he can take his case to the Jordanian court system. The Jordanian judge would then send a question regarding this matter to the European Court of Justice. The members of the Court of Justice would render a decision and send it down to the Jordanian judge who would use this decision in his ruling in the case.

Additional players
Other elements of the EU include; the Court of Auditors, ensuring EU funds are spent appropriately; the European Economic and Social Committee, known as the “voice of civil society,” according to Europa; the Committee of the Regions, keeping an eye on EU’s impact in the local level; the European Central Bank, responsible for managing the euro; and the European Investment Bank, lending money to European-interest projects.

RECOMMENDED READINGS:

"The European Commission: An Essential Guide to the Institution, the Procedures and the Policies" by Gerhard Sabathil, Klemons Joos, and Bernd Kessler.
"The European Parliament's Role in Closer EU Integration" by Richard Corbett and Klaus Hansch.
"European Union Law in a Nutshell" by Ralph H. Folsom.

EU/BRUSSELS SERIES: An introduction to the European Union

2008-08-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

During an international communication course I attended this summer in Paris, France, I spent a week in Belgium becoming acquainted with the European Union, its arms and its mission. As many Americans are unfamiliar with the EU, I will dedicate my first series on this Web site to exploring the group that has kept peace among its member nations for the past 60 years.

The European Union is a unique organization comprised of 27 democratic European nations joined together to create a partnership based on economic and political ties. Its goal, according to Europa, is to bring “peace, prosperity and freedom for its 495 million citizens- in a fairer, safer world.” Of course, in Europe, the EU is a name thrown around in daily conversation and seen in newspaper headlines often. Its presence is known quite well. But in the United States, we hear little about this impressive grouping gaining strength and recognition throughout the world.

So far, the EU has created freedom to travel within member countries, a unified and strong currency, safer food, higher living standards, environmental protections, combined forces on crime, and study abroad opportunities not easily obtainable before the birth of the EU in 1993, according to Europa.

The composition of the European Union is an old idea dating back to the 20^th century, designed to bring together the nations in Europe to fend off wars tearing the continent apart. The plan was set into motion after World War II when the destruction of Europe motivated the European people to join forces to create a stronger, safer environment than the one they had.

According to Andrew E. Hillman, policy adviser to a member of the European Parliament, the first goal of what came to be the EU was to create a political union to make war impossible in Europe. This concept was accepted by the public, but the first option to make this happen, the idea of a collective army, did not win the hearts of the public. The second option was an economic union.

In 1957, the European Economic Community, also known as the European Community, was introduced, Hillman said. It was based on four freedoms: the freedom of movement for goods, persons (workers), services and capital. This, Hillman said, “worked beautifully.”

The next goal was to create an even stronger union, one that moved the EEC toward becoming the EU. Between the years of 1957-2007 there were seven major treaties, each “enlarging the competencies of the union,” he said. The number of members continued to grow and new political goals were created.

The first six members were: France, Italy, Luxemburg, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Then in 1973, three more joined: the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark. Greece was added in 1981 and in 1986 Spain and Portugal joined the EC. From 1995-2007 the following countries were added: Austria, Sweden, Finland, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungry, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Romania.

Turkey has been a candidate for membership for 30 years, and according to Hillman, is still awaiting a place in the union. Croatia is “well on its way” to becoming a member, he said, as well as Macedonia.

In 1993, the EU was officially born from the Treaty of Maastricht signed in 1992. “Symbolically, Maastricht is also the treaty introducing the idea of a European citizenship granting rights,” Hillman said.

With the treaty, the idea of foreign policy returned as all internal borders were removed. This meant open borders, free movement between member countries and no passport checks. The treaty also introduced a common form of money- the euro.

“The euro was a big, big step presented as something that would really bring the Europeans together and make them realize that they needed more political government,” Hillman said.

The move to the euro worked, but it took a lot of faith, he said. Making this move meant more than just changing the look of a country’s currency. Money represented the heritage, history and culture of a nation. But it worked.

The treaty also introduced a new concept; one of an overlying power on top of a country’s governing bodies. Member countries must meet certain criteria to become a member of the EU and according to Hillman, joining the EU is a long process.

The main aim of the EU is democracy.

“Taking a step away from democracy comes with severe consequences,” he said. “No one who has joined the EU has gone against being democratic.”

RELATED READINGS:

"Understanding the European Union: A Concise Introduction" by John McCormick
"The European Union: Politics and Policies" by John McCormick
"The European Union: Readings of the Theory and Practice of European Integration" by Brent F. and Alexander Stubb Nelsen