story and photos by Kitty Wheeler
Coastal Journal contributor
CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. - The Victorian enclave of Chautauqua, New York, offers a full-range of stimulating programs during the summer season from late June to late August. Elderhostel sponsors a handful of programs before and after the summer season. In the first week of June, I attended one on the Foreign Service where former ambassadors gave lectures and offered questions and answers on our US foreign policy. The group stayed in The Athenaeum, an 1881 Victorian hotel overlooking Chautauqua Lake. The hotel was one of the first establishments to have electric lights because Thomas Edison was the son-in-law of the co-founder of Chautauqua Institution.
It was a rare experience to have the opportunity to listen to our Foreign Service experts talk about their lives in Africa, China and the Middle East. Furthermore, we had the chance to sit with them during meals to ask more questions about their current activities. And we had a chance to meet their spouses who shared their challenges in bringing up children thousands of miles from home.
Lewis Miller and John Heyl Vincent founded the Chautauqua Institution in 1874. The town became a National Historic District in 1989. No automobiles are allowed in the village; bicycles or on foot are the mode of transportation.
Gingerbread-style houses, quaint shops, charming gardens tucked in around the Victorian buildings and the stunning Athenaeum Hotel beckon the visitors. They can experience intellectual and spiritual growth, a place for renewal and athletic and fitness endeavors in this lifestyle of a bygone era. The founders must be ecstatic with the thousands of participants who enter into the summer activities that challenge the mind, ease the soul and delight the senses with the dramatic productions.
The former ambassadors and Foreign Service officers, Ed Brynn, Hala and Steve Buck, Maggie and Bob Pearson, Steve Schlaikjer, and Janice Bay, all embraced the notion of 'soft diplomacy' or 'soft power' for our international relationships. The on-going American wars in the Middle East promote a 'big stick' and occupying stance that have polarized other countries' trust in our country. If Foreign Service officers cannot embrace the United States' official positions in international relations, they have two options: send a personal letter to the Secretary of State stating their objections to the policies, or resign.
Brynn had several ambassadorial stints in West African countries, and he noted several statistics about the sub-continent. Its poverty is greater than it was thirty years ago; the search for energy and fossil fuels are paramount; HIV-AIDS is decimating the countries; and the strength of Islam may well create terrorist organizations. The existing slave trade includes 500,000 slaves in sub-Saharan Africa; it ranges from chattel to Taliban, family, child and plantation slavery. Although there are laws to abolish it, the practice continues for economic reasons. The former ambassador also notes that embassies are having a strong military presence in them to fight potential terrorism. Soft power is dissolving.
European powers moved into Africa in the 1940s and 1950s with the purpose of colonizing countries. These European countries felt it was their obligation to continue the work that their missionaries and explorers had started in the 18th and 19 centuries. Many positive things happened to the African lands. Infrastructure was built; roads connected towns and cities.
A stable government was foisted on these countries for a few decades, and the economy improved. When these African countries were given their independence, the people didn't know how to rule themselves or choose an effective president.
Governmental corruption began which then filtered down through society, and tribes jockeyed for power, one against another. The tragic situation today in Zimbabwe is a classic example of this phenomenon.
One positive sign for improving the status of a despairing continent is women's empowerment. The birth rate is dropping as more women become educated. The opportunity for micro financing small projects has become a hot ticket for Americans to support the African economy at a very personal level. Kiva.org is one non-profit organization that provides loans to individuals to start a small business. As the loan is repaid, other loan requests may be filled.
Steve Buck dealt with the Middle Eastern world. The Muslims clearly want their dignity to be restored. Mongols, Crusaders, Europeans and now Americans have crippled many Arab countries. The 1948 creation of Israel has led to Palestinian refugees; US military bases in Bahrain have demonized the Arab world as they encroach on Islamic territories. Our occupation of some of these lands and our military support for Israel have created a maelstrom of conflict and divisiveness. Whatever soft diplomacy existed years ago has long disappeared. And the colonialism of Great Britain, France and our country has created a staggering roadblock that needs to be overcome.
Turkey, a secular state due to Kemal Ataturk's abolishing the caliphate in 1921, is 99.8% Muslim. Bob Pearson, former ambassador there, is optimistic about the country's future. It is on the docket for acceptance into the European Union although its predominant location in the Eastern world has some nations nervous. The issue of the Kurds who live in four abutting countries is an on-going one. And its denial of genocide against the Armenians is another explosive subject. The country's rich, cultural history and its abundance of fresh water are two of its strengths.
China is a land of contradictions notes Steve Schlaikjer. Through globalization, the country has changed. Established rules have brought China into the Western world. Some feel Asians are proving to be capable of delivering a more stable world order. But the major rivals of India, Japan and China (with Singapore strongly in the wings) need to be resolved.
Bay, Maggie Pearson and Hala Buck shared different experiences. Bay gave an overview of the Foreign Service. There are 11,500 staff, some specialists, others generalists and 3700 nationalists. One pessimistic note is that there are more players in military bands than there are Foreign Service officers. She shared information on the Millennium Challenge Account, our government program started under our current president, for poor countries who have good governmental policies. Control of corruption is the dominant negative theme in poor countries. There are 26 eligible countries at the moment.
Maggie Pearson talked about the requirements for becoming a Foreign Service officer. There is a push now for more diversity, from ethnic representation to cultural and religious differences. Some officers are tracking college students and specifically encouraging them to apply for the Foreign Service. Two examinations are given: a written one with 20% who pass, and two oral exams. Another 20% pass them. Many more women are officers now in contrast to mostly men in the 1950's and 1960's.
Hala Buck, a former Lebanese citizen, leads cross-cultural training programs. As an art therapist, she used to work with Saudi women when her husband, Steve, was assigned to that country. Arab feminism, women's issues and the wearing of the veil are issues in which she is well versed. Their daughter, Leila, performed her one-woman play one evening. Its topic was crossing bridges, not only between cultures but also religions and politics. The addition of a dramatic performance enhanced our Middle East knowledge.
My five days spent in Chautauqua, New York, were an incredible experience. Learning about vital countries in our world from former ambassadors and Foreign Service officers, sharing ideas with them informally, communicating with the other 150 Elderhostel participants and absorbing the charm of the Victorian village gave me an electric charge. Globalization is here to stay, and we need to be knowledgeable about the changing world.
For more information, visit the Millennium Challenge Account on the web at www.mcc.gov.
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