Eurojust supports coordinated judicial action in Romania and the Republic of Moldova against border bribery

Diplomat Magazine
-
0
Eurojust supports coordinated judicial action in Romania and the Republic of Moldova against border bribery

The Hague, 19 January 2023

Supported by Eurojust, judicial and law enforcement authorities in Romania and the Republic of Moldova have taken coordinated action against border officials who allegedly demanded and accepted bribery to facilitate the illegal passage of vehicles transporting passengers or parcels.

During an action day, 8 suspects were detained and 45 locations were searched across Romania and the Republic of Moldova. Eurojust provided assistance to the Romanian and Moldovan judicial authorities in setting up and funding a joint investigation team (JIT).

Based on the evidence at hand, the national investigative authorities suspect that certain border guards and customs officials working at the Romanian/Moldovan and Romanian/Hungarian border crossing points have been demanding and receiving bribes from individuals involved in the cross-border transport of passengers and/or parcels without the necessary authorisations, in exchange for allowing these illicit border crossings to take place.

Bribes were also allegedly received or accepted in exchange for allowing the border passage of Moldovan citizens who overstayed their EU residency, without applying the legally stipulated sanctions for these situations. The bribes received were allegedly worth up to EUR 500.

The provision of counterfeit work contracts and counterfeit Romanian ID documents by Moldovan suspects is also suspected and subject to investigation. These items were allegedly used to facilitate the fraudulent crossing of State borders by individuals who did not meet the necessary legal requirements.

During the joint action day carried out in Romania and the Republic of Moldova on 17 January, 45 searches were carried out. Furthermore, eight suspects were detained and will be presented to the judge with arrest proposals.

In addition to supporting the establishment of the JIT and providing it with funding, Eurojust actively facilitated the international judicial cooperation by organising a coordination meeting, facilitating the exchange of relevant information and evidence under the JIT, and facilitating the execution of two European investigation orders issued towards a State not participating in the JIT.

The following authorities took part in the investigation:

  • Romania: National Anticorruption Directorate, General Anticorruption Direction within the Romanian Police
  • Republic of Moldova: Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office, Anticorruption and Internal Protection Service

Registrar Abubacarr M. Tambadou opens the second semester of the Mechanism’s Inter-University Video Lecture Programme

Diplomat Magazine
-
0
<strong>Registrar Abubacarr M. Tambadou opens the second semester of the Mechanism’s Inter-University Video Lecture Programme</strong>

Arusha, The Hague,  19 January 2023 – The Registrar of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, Abubacarr M. Tambadou, today opened the second semester of the fourth cycle of the Inter-University Video Lecture Programme, “International Law and Facts Established before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)”, with a lecture on the role and functions of the Mechanism for law students from across the countries of the former Yugoslavia.

Registrar Tambadou provided the students with the historical background of the Mechanism’s establishment and discussed in detail its role and functions. He also outlined the challenges faced by the Mechanism in carrying out a number of essential functions previously carried out by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the ICTY and discussed the similarities and key differences between the mandates of the Mechanism and its two predecessor Tribunals. He engaged with the students during a question and answer session where the Registrar expanded on the Mechanism’s role in maintaining the legacies of these two pioneering ad hoc international criminal tribunals.

Today’s lecture was the eighth in the fourth cycle of the Programme, which launched in October 2022 with a lecture by the Mechanism’s President, Judge Graciela Gatti Santana. Students also received lectures by experienced lawyers from the Mechanism’s Office of the President, Chambers, the Office of the Prosecutor, as well as by a member of the Defence, covering such topics as the destruction of cultural heritage, joint criminal enterprise, prosecution of war-time sexual violence and the rights of the accused.

The Programme, developed and implemented by the Mechanism Information Programme for Affected Communities (MIP), brings together more than 150 postgraduate students from across the former Yugoslavia to initiate a dialogue about the region’s recent history, the role of the ICTY and the principles of international criminal law and international humanitarian law. The fourth cycle of the Programme is anticipated to continue with lectures delivered on a weekly basis until the end of March this year.

Together with the participating universities, the MIP has created a regional network of law faculties – the first of its kind – where law students from different countries in the Balkans region can learn about – and discuss – the work of the ICTY and its legacy. The lecture series not only builds the students’ knowledge, capacity and understanding of international criminal law and international humanitarian law, but also serves as a platform for genuine dialogue between law students from the countries of the former Yugoslavia.

The network includes faculties of the Union University in Belgrade, the University of Donja Gorica, the University of Niš, the University of Peja, the University of Podgorica, the University of Priština, the University of Sarajevo, the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje, the University of Split, the University of Vitez, the University of Zagreb, and the University of Zenica.

The Programme forms part of the wider MIP, launched in January 2019, aiming to increase awareness and knowledge among affected communities about the 1990s conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, based on ICTY and Mechanism cases. The MIP is funded by the European Union.

Takedown of fraudulent cryptocurrency network

Diplomat Magazine
-
0
Takedown of fraudulent cryptocurrency network

The Hague, 12 January  2023

With the active support of Eurojust and Europol, a coordinated action has led to the dismantling of a cryptocurrency fraud network operating from Bulgaria, Cyprus and Serbia. The network operated professionally to set up call centres, which defrauded numerous victims in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Australia and Canada for at least tens of millions of euros.

Four call centres and 18 places were searched, and over 250 workplaces were identified in Serbia, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Germany. Fourteen persons were arrested in Serbia and one in Germany. Overall, more than 250 persons were interviewed and over 150 computers, various electronic equipment and data back-ups, three cars, two luxury apartments and one million US dollars in cryptocurrencies and 50 000  EUR in cash were seized.   

The number of victims identified are almost certainly only be the tip of the iceberg. During investigations into the organised crime group (OCG), which ran the fraudulent call centre scheme, high volumes of financial transactions were detected. The OCG operated the call centres from Serbia and used a technological infrastructure in Bulgaria to run the scheme. Allegedly, Cyprus was the base for laundering the illegal proceedings.

The network attracted potential investors online and often contacted victims by phone to lure them into doing small investments, speaking English and German. After initial gains, victims invested more money, which they subsequently lost. During the operation, active call centres were searched and closed by the authorities in Serbia.

Eurojust organised a coordination centre with Germany, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Serbia to support the cross-border judicial cooperation, including the presence of a crypto expert from Germany and Europol EC3. The Agency also organised a coordination meeting, during which a joint investigation team (JIT) between Germany and Serbia was agreed upon.

Europol organised an operational meeting and provided support to the joint action day from the Eurojust coordination centre and two of the participating countries.

A group of 33 German police officers took part in the actions in Bulgaria, Cyprus and Serbia, as a large share of the victims are from Germany.

Investigations into the online scam were launched in 2021 by the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) in Stuttgart in Germany and the State Office of Criminal Investigations of Baden-Württemberg. Eurojust organised a coordination meeting in November 2022 to prepare for this week’s operation and provided judicial, logistical and financial support to the JIT.

The operation was carried out on the ground by:

  • Bulgaria: General Directorate National Police and Investigative Department in Sofia City PPO under supervision of the Sofia City Prosecutors’ Office
  • Cyprus: Crime Combating Department, Office for Executing European Investigation Orders and Letters of Request Limassol/Pafos Branch
  • Germany: PPO Stuttgart; State Office of Criminal Investigations Baden-Württemberg; Police Headquarters of Aalen and Reutlingen
  • Serbia: Special Public Prosecution Office for Combating High-Tech Crime; Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia – Service for Combating Organized Crime

Will Germany help shift EU–Taiwan ties into gear?

Diplomat Magazine
-
0
Will Germany help shift EU–Taiwan ties into gear?

By Dr. Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy

The European Union is in the process of rethinking its relations with China, with an increasing awareness that China presents mounting challenges to core European values and interests. In Brussels, the issue of systemic rivalry has taken centre stage in the China debate, while calls for cooperation and engagement remain.

Germany is one of the leading member states that has shown support for change in the EU’s relationship with China, while simultaneously proving to be slow in adjusting its own China policy.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s trip to Beijing in November, accompanied by a large business delegation soon after Chinese leader Xi Jinping further tightened his control over the country, raised questions across Europe about Berlin’s readiness to embrace change, and further complicates ties with fellow EU member states.

In Germany, the China debate has seen an important shift over the past year as Berlin sought to strategically position itself within Europe’s emerging Indo-Pacific strategy. While there’s consensus in Berlin on the need to rethink political and economic ties with China, there’s no agreement on the exact path to follow. It is in this context that awareness of Taiwan’s strategic relevance to Germany’s security and prosperity has grown.

Berlin is in the process of drafting its first national security strategy and is working on a China strategy. Given the marked internal divisions among Germany’s economic and political elite on how to handle China, both strategies remain subject to difficult negotiations.

In light of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and Beijing’s diplomatic support to Moscow, which included Xi’s refusal to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion, the EU has become deeply aware of its own vulnerabilities. There is fear in Europe, and across democracies globally, that Taiwan’s future—and the future of democracy in general—is under growing threat from an increasingly authoritarian Chinese leader.

Critically, Europe lacks a contingency plan for how to respond. Continuing visits to Taiwan by European parliamentarians, including those by German, Lithuanian and Spanish lawmakers this week, ensure that Europeans are far more likely to understand Taiwan’s situation, thereby contributing to the preparedness of EU member states should a crisis occur.

The visit by German lawmakers must be considered in this broader context, and as an example of the well-established practice of parliamentary diplomacy that remains a normal feature of democracies across the globe. In addition to Germany, Lithuania and Spain, this can and should prove a common way for Taiwan to engage with other partners across the EU. European lawmakers have in fact been visiting Taiwan for decades, with exchanges now returning to pre-Covid-19 levels.

When it comes to German-Sino relations, the reality is that uncertainty will remain, much to Xi’s chagrin, and will likely intensify as China grows more aggressive. Germany therefore must follow through with a strong strategy on security, one that will help deliver a common European message to China and that remains clear on Europe’s right to cooperate with Taiwan.

From Beijing’s perspective, keeping Germany close is important, so the Chinese leadership is unlikely to risk relations with a vital European partner, even in the face of the Bundestag’s growing willingness to engage with Taiwan.

For decades, the Chinese economy has benefited from German investment, in particular German technology. China is currently engaged in building up its own export base for higher-value products, becoming a stronger competitor in sectors that are key to Germany, such as automobiles.

This alone is reason enough for Germany to reconsider how it exploits its own leverage in ties with China. It also has the potential to support European convergence towards a rebalancing of bilateral ties in order to address the asymmetry that has dominated trade at the expense of European interests and to the benefit of China.

Given Germany’s strong desire to shape European foreign policy, it is Berlin’s responsibility to ensure that values are given the right consideration along with not just German, but European interests. Parliamentary diplomacy can contribute to sending a message to Beijing that Berlin not only has the right to cooperate, but is also ready to embrace Taiwan in line with the EU’s one-China policy, and will not hesitate to contribute to ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. Coming from Germany, a crucial partner for China, such a message carries real weight and is necessary for a credible European shift on China.

What is most important is that Berlin’s responsibility lies in helping to deliver a common European message—that by engaging Taiwan, Europeans are looking after their own interests while also seeking to promote peace and stability for all in the region.

The Indo-Pacific is a region of strategic importance to Europe, a fact that Berlin has notably embraced with its own Indo-Pacific policy guidelines. So far, however, Germany has failed to Europeanise its China policy and push forward a common European agenda. In this regard, parliamentary diplomacy can help move the dial.

About the author:

Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy is an assistant professor at National Dong-Hwa University in Taiwan and a former political adviser in the European Parliament. She is on Twitter at @zsuzsettte.

Image: Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images.

Published by The Strategist / Australian Strategic Policy Institute

Successful takedown of drug trafficking network in Italy and Albania     

Diplomat Magazine
-
0
<strong>Successful takedown of drug trafficking network in Italy and Albania     </strong>

Eurojust and Europol have supported judicial and law enforcement authorities in Italy and Albania in dismantling a network of drug traffickers. During a joint action day, which saw the involvement of some 350 officers in the field, 30 suspects were arrested and 31 locations were searched. Five rifles, one gun and six vehicles were seized during the operation. The action day was steered in real time from Eurojust’s coordination centre. Europol provided operational support on the spot by deploying its specialists to Italy and Albania.

The criminal groups were allegedly responsible for the large-scale trafficking of cocaine, cannabis and heroin, mainly from Albania to Italy. Today’s operation is part of a longer-term investigation, which is being jointly undertaken by the Italian and Albanian authorities and has already led to the arrest of 62 persons and the seizure of assets worth approximately EUR 1 million (in Italy), as well as to the seizure of vast quantities of drugs.

The case was opened at Eurojust and Europol in 2019. Eurojust organised two coordination meetings, during which representatives of the involved authorities came together to discuss the case, exchange information and agree on further steps. The Agency also supported the authorities by setting up and funding a joint investigation team (JIT). Over the course of the investigation, Europol provided in-depth analytical support and expertise, mapping out the different high-profile targets and their criminal activities. The investigation was supported by the European Commission’s Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) project, which – for the first time – was able to financially support operational activities.

The following authorities took part in the investigation:

Italy: Public Prosecutor’s Office of Bergamo, Central Investigation Service on Organised Crime of the Guardia di Finanza, Economic-Financial Police of Brescia of the Guardia di Finanza, Central Directorate for Anti-Drug Services, Italian International Police Cooperation Service

Albania: Special Prosecution Office Against Corruption and Organised Crime (SPAK),  Albanian State Police – Department of International Relation, Europol National Unit

Rwanda Shining at Tourism Fair in the Netherlands

Diplomat Magazine
-
0
Rwanda Shining at Tourism Fair in the Netherlands

This week, a delegation composed of officials from Rwanda’s travel companies, the Embassy of Rwanda in the Netherlands and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) are showcasing Rwanda’s tourist attractions and experiences at the Vakantiebeurs Tourism Fair.

The Vakantiebeurs Tourism Fair, taking place from 11 – 15 January, is the leading travel fair for the BeNeLux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) market organised in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

The Ambassadors of Burundi, H.E Mr. Gamaliel Nkurunziza and the Ambassador of Cameroon, H.E. Madeleine Liguemoh Ondoua, visited Ambassador Nduhungirehe at Rwanda stand.

The show attracts leading business professionals from the region’s tourism industry including tour operators, travel agents, and Africa travel specialists.

H.E. Olivier J.P. Nduhungirehe, Rwanda’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands said: “We look forward to supporting the Rwandan companies attending to engage and create business ties with these business travel partners in order to increase travel traffic from the region to Rwanda. Visitors to the Visit Rwanda stand can find inspiration for their next holiday, while enjoying a cup of fresh Rwandan specialty coffee and dance performances by the Rwandan dance group.”

H.E. Olivier Jean Patrick Nduhungirehe, Ambassador of Rwanda with visitors at Rwanda stand.

The Rwandan companies participating at the fair include RwandAir, Kingfisher Journeys, Mist Rwanda Safaris, Silverbird Tours Agency, Pure Africa Tours and Judith Tours.

There’s a Visit Rwanda stand at the fair and a special networking session will also be organised along the margins of the event for the Rwandan delegation to engage with the participating travel agents and tour operators.

Textiles, dress and embroidery: universal languages with many dialects

Diplomat Magazine
-
0
<strong>Textiles, dress and embroidery: universal languages with many dialects</strong>

By Dr. Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood, Director, Textile Research Centre

It may not come as a surprise to hear that few people, if any, go without clothing or textiles. But many are surprised when they learn about the complexities, meanings and above all the language of those items. Don’t we all sometimes ‘dress up’ to impress, ‘dress down’ to show our modesty, or recognise someone’s attire as specific to a certain culture?

The Textile Research Centre (TRC) in Leiden studies the skills of textile and garment production, and what people want to express when wearing their clothes, namely the language of dress. It is a knowledge centre that is actively involved in the preservation, interpretation and future of this specific, but universal part of cultural heritage.

An embroidered, married woman’s dress from Bayt al-Fakih, Tihamah, Yemen (late 20th century; TRC 1997.0213).

The TRC was founded in 1991 as an independent foundation (‘Stichting’) and works closely together with Leiden University and other Dutch and international organisations worldwide. The courses and workshops set up by the TRC are attended by professionals and non-professionals, promoted by the TRC’s (EU) Erasmus+ Adult Education Accreditation and its official status as a Cultural Public Benefit Organisation (‘ANBI’).

A key feature of the TRC is its collection of over 40,000 textiles, garments and accessories that date from prehistory to yesterday. Most of the items are photographed and included in the open-access, online catalogue. The items have been brought together for people to see, feel and indeed closely investigate.

An embroidered, woman’s blouse (huipil) from Guatemala (late 20th century, TRC 2011.0486).

In doing so they can focus on the associated techniques, decoration and the specific meanings of the garments. Items in the collection have been collected during travels in the Netherlands and abroad; they have also been donated by many institutes and individuals, including various embassies in The Hague, as well as immigrant organisations in Leiden and beyond. But people not only donate textiles, they also help us with invaluable information about the meaning of the items, how they were made and used. We often describe this as ‘Citizen Culture at Work’ because so many people are involved.

There is another, closely related side to the TRC. In 2015 the then Yemeni Ambassador to the Netherlands asked if the TRC would become a cultural ark for Yemeni textiles and dress. Since then the TRC has become a haven for Yemeni textiles, preserving and supporting the study of Yemeni textile and dress culture. Sadly, the TRC has also become a textile ark for other communities, including Afghanistan and Syria.

An embroidered, and appliquéd woman’s jacket from the Akhe people in Thailand (late 20th century, TRC 2021.2173).

Embroidery has become an important and prestigious part of TRC activities. We study its long history, its many techniques and forms and its meaning. Embroidery’s history includes monarchs, religious leaders, as well as the military and the diplomatic world, and of course ‘ordinary’ people all over the world. The oldest known surviving embroideries, for example, come from the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh, Tutankhamen. He was buried in c. 1322 BC together with both Egyptian made embroidered garments and embroidered clothing that was given as diplomatic gifts by the Mittani, who lived in what is now northern Syria.

A Brussels lace shawl once owned by Queen Anna Paulowna of the Netherlands (c. 1820; TRC 2014.0831).

Embroidery was and still is produced in many parts of the world and there are hundreds of different forms, materials, stitches, threads and end products, and they all have a different history and a different meaning. Many of these forms are represented in the TRC collection, as well as being the subject of an eight-volume series called the Bloomsbury World Encyclopedia of Embroidery, which is written and edited at the TRC, and published by Bloomsbury, London. The first two volumes are already out and cover the Arab World (2016) and Central Asia, the Iranian Plateau and the Indian sub-continent (2021). The first volume won several international prizes, including the prestigious Dartmouth Medal (2017). The third volume on Sub-Saharan embroidery is due in April 2023. The other volumes on Central and East European, East Asian, Southeast Asian and the American forms are all planned for the next five or so years.

A married, Turkmen woman’s headdress from Afghanistan, richly decorated with metal plaques, beads and embroidery (late 20th century; TRC 2000.0120).

Help with the relevant entries is being given by many individuals, institutes and others. The Georgian, Philippine and Estonian Embassies in The Hague, for example, are already working with the TRC. TRC’s ‘Citizen culture at work’ unites many people from all over the world, since, as was said, we all use textiles and garments, and we have to learn the myriads of dialects in order to communicate effectively.

A woman’s apron made from the sleeve of a Turkish embroidered dress. The apron is decorated with paisley (buteh) motifs as well as the signature (tughra) of the Turkish sultan (c. 1900; TRC 2003.0199).

I would like to thank the Arts Society The Hague, and in particular its chair, Mr Andrea Perugini, former Italian Ambassador to the Netherlands, for facilitating the publication and dissemination of this article.

Information:

Textile Research Centre, Hogewoerd 164 2311 HW Leiden

+31 (0)6 28830428

info@trc-leiden.nl

www.trc-leiden.nl

Leonardo’s Faces-Chantalle Shen-Ai Kaljee

Diplomat Magazine
-
0
Leonardo’s Faces-Chantalle Shen-Ai Kaljee

The Leonardo Royal Hotel Den Haag Promenade is represented by both new and more experienced employees working together with passion as one team, to deliver great service and to depict the hotel’s values. In these monthly written pieces, there is a focus on their values and their approach to our international clients. Who are the employees as an individual? Allow us to introduce you to Chantalle Shen-Ai Kaljee.

  • Nationality: Dutch
  • Function: Groups & Events Executive
  • Department: Booking Office

When did you start working at the Promenade Hotel?

Back in June 2019 I started working at the Promenade Hotel as a parttime Food and Beverage employee. It was just something I enjoyed doing next to my bachelors. However, I switched department and/or position few times since then. In July 2020, I started a six-month-internship as Food and Beverage Management Trainee. Per February 2021, I made a switch to the Booking Office and completed a Meetings and Events Management internship. Upon rounding off this final part of my studies and graduating from Hotelschool, the Promenade Hotel offered me a full time position as Meetings and Events Coordinator. Happily, I accepted this opportunity and executed this function for about a year. Last July, I promoted to Groups & Events Executive, which is my current position.

What was your first impression of the Promenade Hotel?

Warm, sincere, and family-like, which is something I expressed during the first months as an employee, back in 2019. When I was still living with my parents, in my hometown, I worked for a catering company for about 3 years. That company had a very similar environment and ambience, which is why it felt like a second home. I kind of grew up there. When I moved to The Hague, away from my parents, being quite young still (17), I was looking for a similar workplace. A place to feel at home away from home. So, imagine my delight when I found this welcoming and warm team at the Promenade Hotel!

What makes the Promenade Hotel suitable for welcoming people from all around the world?

Multiple things! To start with, the diversity amongst all our departments. Personally, I really consider it one of our unique selling points that we have such an international team. This way, we get to share our own traditions and habits with each other. It also enables us to connect and understand guests that may be from the same country.

What do you value most in the organization of diplomatic events at the Promenade Hotel?

Each diplomatic event is considered as individual, unique event, whilst keeping the experiences of previously organized events in mind. A way to show a personal and simultaneously professional approach to both old and new events and collaborations. Furthermore, I really appreciate the new things I learn from each country during the process of organizing and hosting a new event.

What did you learn so far by working with diplomats? Some tips, rules or values to share?

Many diplomats are in a way trying to find a place where they can feel at home, whilst being in a different country. This may be through making a real connection with for example staff and guests, frequently returning to a same place because of the friendly faces, or choosing a place because they serve a dish that tastes like home. One thing that they all seem to have in common is that even when they are on the clock, they also appreciate a bit of small talk and laughter during the business hours.

Which Food Festival has been your favorite so far or would you like to experience?

The very first time I experienced a Food Festival was my first day of shift, back in 2019. A very impressive day. If memory serves, it was the Philippine Food Festival. Due to it being my first day, I was not that focused on the special menu, traditional decorations and live elements. Therefore, I would like to experience it again. Other countries that were really appealing to me are Greece and Mexico.

What local food(s), from abroad, have you tried already?

When I go abroad, I always try and taste a local food or drink. Due to the majority of my friends being (partially) international, I also tried some foods and drinks because they brought it from home or made it for me. For instance, I have tried more common things as a Pastel de nata and Polvo à Lagareiro ( both Portugal) as well as more traditional dishes Bigos (Polish) and very authentically prepared foods, like Guanciale carbonara (Italy).

What is your favorite drink or dish at LEO’s International Flavors?

My personal favorite drink was definitely the LEO’S summer special: the Sangria. However, I do also really like the LEO’S Gin and tonic combination. For dishes… I always have a hard time choosing, so I am happy they offer a tasting menu!

What sustainable development goal do you value most? Why this one?

For me, all sustainable development goals are very important. I believe that none of these can exist well or will have the desired effect if the others are neglected. If I would have to single out one in particular, I think that clean water and sanitation would be the one I value most. During the pandemic we have seen the power of good sanitary facilities and services and the importance of it in regards to taking care of ones health. Additionally, water is one of the primary needs for us humans. Without sufficient supplies of clean water and proper sanitation, we would not be able to function and execute actions to reach the other goals.

What piece of good advice did you receive, and from whom, that you would like to forward?

After rain comes sunshine,  after every storm, the sun always shines, or a similar quote that represents that nothing bad lasts forever. Impact may be of longer term, but the actual situation is ought to change one day, sooner or later.

Lessons from Ukraine

Diplomat Magazine
-
0
Lessons from Ukraine

By John Dunkelgrün

“Let us hope the new year will be better than the last one”, was a wish one could hear from almost everyone since January 1st, 2023. It is easy to understand with so many things going wrong in the previous one.

Putin started what most people thought was no longer possible, a real unprovoked territorial war on European soil, and then botched it. Not only did he fail militarily, but he also resorted to WWII tactics by deliberately destroying civilian lives and targets.

The death toll so far is likely to top a quarter of a million lives. The Communist Party in China compounded its mistaken zero-covid policy by loosening it without an adequate vaccination program in place, potentially killing well over a million of its people.

Stubbornly, it also refused an American offer of proven vaccines. In the U.S. it appeared, that there was a mass shooting every week, and the new leading party in its congress was in complete disarray. Israel now has the most extremist government ever, eroding its claim to be the only true democracy in the Middle east.

The United Nations sanctioned Israel with more than half of its total number of such resolutions and two and a half times as many as the ones condemning war-monger Russia. There were extreme weather conditions all over the globe. Inflation has shot up dramatically, resulting in drastic interest rate increases that killed stock markets worldwide.

It is truly a litany of problems.

But there is also light, not just at the end of the tunnel, but within it. Under President Biden’s deft leadership, the ‘Western’ countries united spectacularly in aiding Ukraine, President Zelenski, a novice politician and = statesman, rose to the occasion in a true Churchillian way. At long last, there is a groundswell of home-grown protest in Iran against its murderous regime. In most countries, vaccines and herd immunity have reduced Covid to a manageable problem.

Under the radar, there is more. Russia’s use of weaponising its fossil fuels has added a whole new layer to the urgency of finding alternative and renewable sources of energy. In the short run, this means liquified gas, the use of which still emits carbon dioxide, but is much less polluting than oil or coal. Funds are freed for wind- and solar farms, traditional nuclear power is no longer taboo, and the possibility of nuclear fusion is getting closer.

One thing Putin’s war has taught us is that when necessary, governments can and will spend tens of billions to solve a clear and urgent danger.

Above the problems of the day, the big problems threatening life as we know it are the climate and the availability of fresh water. Solving both will be less costly than facing aggressors and coping with the problems if we don’t.

As I have written before, it takes about two billion dollars to build desalination plants that produce enough fresh water to turn a chunk of the Sahara the size of France into savannas. Giant wind farms are being built and there are many developments in harvesting sunshine, using heat pumps, the temperature of the earth itself, etc. Huge strides are being made in energy storage.

Just think of what the money poured into Ukraine could have done, not just to Africa, but to the Middle East, the western states of the U.S., and large swathes of Australia. Israel desalinates 75% of its water, in the Emirates the percentage is much higher.

Yes, there are still a lot of daunting problems, but Ukraine has shown us what can be achieved when well-willing countries act together.

Revolutionizing Traditional Diplomacy

Diplomat Magazine
-
0
Revolutionizing Traditional Diplomacy

By Dr. Eugenio Matos G.

It is a privilege to have been invited to start the first series of articles exclusively dedicated to public diplomacy (PD). We will publish essays on this fascinating contemporary science that is timidly developing in the field of international relations.

It is de rigueur to give certain touches to theoretical elements, although the raison d’être of our next articles is to maintain its central purpose; that of showing models with practical results of public diplomacy that we have successfully implemented for more than 20 years as diplomats in Canada, Netherlands, Argentina, Panama, Uruguay and recently in Haiti. In addition to this background, we have provided PD advice for decades to twenty-seven foreign embassies and chancelleries, creating original sources of academic references.

Public diplomacy comes to renew the bureaucratic, passive and hermetic traditional diplomacy. Only an average of 4% of career diplomats have been able to recycle themselves in that sense (E. Matos, Den Haag Political Institute 2014). The PD begins to have its first practical effects in 2001, mainly in the United States. Twenty-three years ago, Washington decided to create the Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, replacing the USIA or USIS. The U.S. government chose to elevate public diplomacy to the level of what we understand as a vice-ministry. It turns out to be a key element for the State Department and U.S. foreign policy.

Some countries have tried to emulate their steps, such as: Israel, Japan, Vietnam and Spain, among others. It should be noted that the People’s Republic of China incorporated public diplomacy into its foreign ministry in 2011. Although relatively late, Shanghai is already betting internationally with surprising results. On the other side of the Strait, Taipei was forced to launch in the same year the “Public Diplomacy Desk” in its chancellery, although of course, on a smaller scale, but with very good results. I was an eyewitness of the latter process, since during the “authorities” of President Ma Ying-Jeou (whom I was able to shake hands on three occasions and who maintained a laissez-faire with Mainland China). It was an honor to assist the island to help them with specific strategies of public diplomacy, mainly for their bureaus of commercial and cultural interests in Holland and Buenos Aires. In addition, the author offered an academic contribution favoring Tamkang University in Taipei, for the good knowledge and practice of PD.  

On the other hand, an atypical diplomatic phenomenon took place in the Dominican Republic in terms of public diplomacy. It was not the chancellery in Santo Domingo that instituted the PD in its diplomatic missions, but two entrepreneur ambassadors. They set out to innovate and make unprecedented changes in the Dominican Foreign service. The first one was Ambassador Eduardo Tejera in Ottawa in 2005. He was followed by Ambassador Luis Arias Núñez (father of the Dominican vote abroad), who formalized the first public diplomacy sections in the Dominican embassies in Holland, Argentina and recently in the Oriental Republic of Uruguay. The deans of the diplomatic corps ranked these four Dominican embassies as among the most effective in those destinations.

More recently, despite the state of siege in the Republic of Haiti, the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Port-au-Prince executed its first public diplomacy program in its history; which took place between November 2020 and July 2022, under the management of Ambassador Faruk Miguel Castillo. Among its great achievements and initiatives, to give just a sample, were the academic agreement signed between the María Auxiliadora School of Hotel Management of Haiti and the PUCMM, the edition and publication of “DiploIsla” (the first bilingual digital and printed magazine of that mission), classical Dominican musical performances at the embassy and public schools, the launching of the first social networks of the legation (which it had never had), its first electronic portal (which it also did not have), without forgetting the establishment of close relations with the media of the neighboring nation (which were relatively nonexistent). Currently, the embassy has two portals; the institutional one linked to the chancery in Santo Domingo, and an individual portal with the photography exhibit of the artist Vanessa Moquete under the title “Jimaní and the Deep Border”. Let us remember that public diplomacy is also nurtured and projected through digital diplomacy. We must keep in mind that the PD can contribute greatly to the prevention or mitigation of conflicts between the Republic of Haiti and the Dominican Republic (E. Matos, OttawaU 2021). Having been the Minister Counselor to lead the PD with all these prestigious heads of diplomatic missions mentioned above is something that will remain in my most unforgettable memories.

Public diplomacy, as a foreign policy strategy, is equally critical to sustaining a country’s good image abroad. We have shown academically (E. Matos, MaltaU 2001), that in a successful diplomatic mission, more than 50% of its work agenda should be devoted to public diplomacy programs. An embassy that consumes most of its time in internal administrative matters, “by chasing its own tail” (MaltaU, Kishan Rhana 2001), has no reason to exist. The work of the public diplomat is nurtured by cultural diplomacy, soft power, and friendly relations with the host country’s media, among other elements.

About the author:

Dr. Eugenio Matos G. is a professor of public diplomacy at the University of Ottawa in Canada, an alumnus from the Faculty of Law from this academic center,  a professional violinist from different symphony orchestras, co-founder of Diplomat Magazine Netherlands and a former minister-counselor of the Dominican Republic Embassy in the Netherlands. 

Main picture: Minister Counselor in Haiti Eugenio Matos G, offering volunteer violin lessons for children in the vulnerable La Saline sector in Port-au-Prince, June 2022, as part of the Dominican embassy’s first public diplomacy pilot program. (EXTERNAL SOURCE).

1...119120121...856Page 120 of 856