The Viking Lady with a Medal

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The Viking Lady with a Medal

Ms. Tone Korssund-Eichinger receiving ‘The Federal Cross of Merit’ by the head of protocol of the Federal Foreign Office, Konrad Arz von Straussenburg, on behalf of the German Federal President.

By Alexandra Paucescu.

I remember our first meeting, which, by a beautiful coincidence, was the first time I had the honor of meeting Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor.

Tone Korssund-Eichinger was then the president of ‘Willkommen in Berlin’ diplomatic club. Someone introduced me to her and that’s how I met this remarkable woman, whom I came to admire enormously and try to follow her example.

Born in Norway, she studied German and History of Arts and travelled to Germany and UK for work. But it was back in Oslo where she met her future husband, a young German diplomat, who swept her away and took her around the world in the most exciting life adventure. Sierra Leone, Poland, Belgium and Kyrgyzstan were all places that she called home for a while and which left great memories, dear to her heart.

Tone Korssund-Eichinger

‘I loved the diplomatic life from the beginning. I had the chance to meet and connect to interesting and special people and get to know other cultures. But the most difficult part was that, as a diplomatic spouse, I couldn’t work during our postings abroad’, she says to me. She then adds ‘At first, I was afraid to lose my independence. You need to take time to think about what it really means to be a dedicated spouse, in particular how your ideas about a professional career are compatible with the life of a diplomat. Different jobs are affected in different ways. Be ready to look for satisfying alternatives for your professional work. Don’t see yourself just as “the spouse of…” Take care not to lose your own identity. Continue to be yourself.’

She tells me that her life was like a snowball, everything fell into place and from a small idea the right things developed effortlessly. She was a teacher, a guide to Scandinavia, worked for the Norwegian Embassy and campaigned for educational opportunities abroad.

President of WIB Diplomatic Club, Tone Korssund-Eichinger

‘I always found work back in Germany, but on the postings abroad my life was filled with volunteer work. I took advantage of my privileged position to support people in need and also make life easier for other spouses. My proudest moments in my professional life are in fact related to volunteer work. I am proud that I could make people happy through my efforts.’

Ever since she first came from her native Norway to Bonn, 38 years ago, volunteering became an important part of her life. She was on the board of the German-Norwegian Society and campaigned for German-Norwegian relations, especially for a German-Norwegian social agreement.

Tone Korssund-Eichinger always loved culture and she is still strongly committed to different causes concerning disabled children, disadvantaged women and poor artists. While abroad, she has often opened the German Residence to young artists’ works, by this validating and promoting them.

Her heart project is the “Ümut-Nadjeschda” center for handicapped children in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, which she supports to this day, also with the help of Inner Wheel Club Berlin-Mitte, whose president she was between 2018 and 2019.

After moving to Berlin, she became a member on the advisory board of “Familie und Partnerorganisation” in the German Foreign Office and chaired the Committee for foreign partners. It was particularly important to her to support newly arrived foreign partners in the early stages, by providing useful information and necessary contacts.

Through her work for the diplomatic club, she always tried to present a positive image of Berlin and Germany to the foreign diplomats and their spouses, through seminars, lectures, trips around the country and personal contacts. She is convinced that these actions also have positive effects on other areas of relations between Germany and its partners. Ever since we first met, I have seen her as an extremely energetic person, always ready for action but in the meantime, she is a very warm and empathic person, highly respected and admired for her generosity, wit and special elegance.

She now helps different kindergartens in Berlin and also organizes cultural events at her home.

All these rare and high qualities have been officially recognized last year (on June 5, 2020), when she was awarded ‘The Federal Cross of Merit’ by the head of protocol of the Federal Foreign Office, Konrad Arz von Straussenburg, on behalf of the German Federal President. He said then ‘this award is also an important incentive for further volunteer work, for projects at home and abroad.’

Tone tells me ‘when I was first told that I would get this medal, I was honestly surprised. To me, voluntary work was always a natural thing to do. At first, I thought that maybe I didn’t fully deserve it, but then I looked back and listed all the things that I’ve done throughout the years and I realized that this is an important recognition for all my life’s work. I am proud very of it now!’

She should be proud, indeed! I am proud to have met this inspiring woman, who never stops. She is today as busy as ever, being involved with the ‘Inner Wheel Club’, leader of the ‘History and Politics’ group at the diplomatic club, and also studying at the Technical University Berlin about city planning and sustainable urbanistic development. This woman simply amazes everyone with her endless energy!

She says that it’s important to ‘make the most of every situation, to enjoy every day as it was your last, without regrets for missed chances’. She lives her life with passion and has lots of plans for the future, always finding time and energy to share wisdom with others and to help whenever needed, as only great characters can do.

‘Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else.’ (Judy Garland)

She has certainly achieved that, as she is unique!

About the author:

Alexandra Paucescu

Alexandra Paucescu- Author of “Just a Diplomatic Spouse” Romanian, management graduate with a Master in business, cultural diplomacy and international relations studies.

She speaks Romanian, English, French, German and Italian,  gives lectures on intercultural communication and is an active NGO volunteer.

What next for Myanmar?

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What next for Myanmar?

By Dr J Scott Younger.

I was attracted by a line from an old Japanese poem “If all the world are brothers, why are wind and waves so restless”. It made me think of all the problems, national repression, skirmishes and wars that we have today in the Middle East, Ethiopia, Myanmar, and several other countries. Peace is a very fragile thing, elusive, and we must still seek to resolve our differences.

I went to Myanmar, or Burma as it was called, some 40 years ago on the back of a UNDP project, and despite catching a bad dose of typhus fever and the plane falling out of the sky some ten days after I flew out for treatment, I went back for a few trips and got to know the country and the politics a little better.

Myanmar has been in the hands of the Burmese military ever since independence from British colonial rule in 1947. Even though Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of the independence movement leader, Aung San, who was assassinated at the beginning, won a clear mandate in 2010, increasing ten years later, the military maintained an over-riding hand.

Perhaps Burma’s problems started in 1962 when Ne Win exercised a military coup and for the next 20 or so years effectively shut the borders and ran the country into poverty. He tried to monetise the currency only for it to deteriorate further which led to the 1988 strikes and unrest. 

Suu Kyi, or the Lady as she is known, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her stand over democratic freedoms while undergoing house arrest. The house arrest was relaxed and when her organisation the National League for Democracy (NLD) was allowed to stand in the election of 2010 it won a clear majority. The military still retained, however, the final say in decision-making. A number of seats in the parliament at the new capital of Nay Pyi Taw, which lies midway between the two main cities of Yangon (Rangoon) and Mandalay, are held by them. In other words, the NLD could govern subject to military approval.

This has lasted for a few years until the fairly recent Rohingya problem, but we need to go back in history a while to understand the roots of the problem. In the 19th century, the British had to bring in Bengalis from India, much as in Malaya, to help develop the estates, plantations. These people practised Islam which was anathema to the Buddhist Burmese, or so we were told, and in 2017 a move against them by the military in terms of murder, arson and rape, effectively genocide, caused the Rohingya to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh.

The Burmese military, which is one of the largest of the region, have carried out decades of atrocities in the northeast of the country in the Shan and Kachin states, which have fought a guerrilla war with the Burmese army for decades.  The war is still going on. The general who seized power in the recent coup is 64 year old Min Aung Hlaing. For a decade previously he was in charge of the guerrilla war in the northeast and so one would not expect much sympathy from him.

The trigger of the current situation was the result of the October 2020 election where Suu Kyi’s NLD party won an overwhelming majority over the pro-military USDP (United Socialist Development Party), who said the vote was fraudulent, which ‘justified’ the coup. Many NLD politicians have been taken into custody and the President of the country and the Lady, Suu Kyi, have been taken away to an unknown destination. Charges, undoubtedly trumped up, have been brought against Suu Kyi. Min Aung Hlaing says he will hold a fresh election early next year with the hope that he can ‘arrange’ a better result that would legitimise the coup! The people won’t wait that long.

The recent Armed Forces Day, a tour de force, was celebrated while over 100 people were shot and lost their lives in protests. In attendance at the event were the defence ministers of China and Russia, the main supplier of arms to the Burmese military. Myanmar is strategically very important to China, from access to Myanmar’s rich resources to also providing direct access to the many assets they now hold in several African countries. They view Myanmar as an important client country.

There has been a growing number of protests over the coup and the fall out from it, from the World’s main organisations – the UN, EU, Amnesty International and a number of major countries, including the US. They have written very stiff letters but with China and Russia being on the UN’s Security Council there is little that will be done.

Will the west just permit this creeping takeover? Will they be more forceful over Myanmar? Or will the Myanmar people sort out their big problem themselves? Alas not without outside help.

About the author: 

Dr J Scott Younger President Commissioner of Glendale Partners and member of IFIMES Advisory Board


Dr J Scott Younger, OBE, is a professional civil engineer; he spent 42 years in the Far East undertaking assignments in 10 countries for WB, ADB, UNDP.  He published many papers; he was a columnist for Forbes Indonesia and Globe Asia. He served on British & European Chamber boards and was a Vice Chair of Int’l Business Chamber for 17 years. His expertise is infrastructure and sustainable development and he takes an interest in international affairs. He is an International Chancellor of the President University, Indonesia. President Commissioner of Glendale Partners and a member of IFIMES Advisory Board. Lived and worked in Burma in 1980s.

Main picture Myanmar military temple.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own.

How 429 women in Africa participate in a paint contest

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How 429 women in Africa participate in a paint contest

Text and images by Carine Ouvry-Bormans.

429 women!  This year 429 women took part in the yearly paint contest in Siby, a village about one hour driving from Bamako, the capital of Mali in West-Africa.  These women compete for the most beautiful natural decoration on walls, houses, grain containers or enclosures of the concessions where they live.  Each year it gets more beautiful.  Each year the rain washes away the beautiful decoration and the next year the women of Siby start all over again.

Sabakoro

The first time I arrived in the village to follow up the work of these women I was overly impressed by this yearly process.  Each year the rain washes it all away and the next year the women paint again, like so many before them.  Generations have been decorating walls and houses with natural colours they find in nature.  

It is a feast for the eye to see all this creative work. 

Kakala

Initiated by the Cultural Centre, Bougou Saba, 8 years ago, the competition engages the village people in making their homes a place of art.  Bougou Saba wants to preserve the traditional mural art on mud houses of the people of Mandé. 

The whole process, starting with the information sessions, the enrolment, the preparation of the houses, the painting itself and the deliberation of the jury engages the women’s associations of each neighbourhood, and the local and traditional authorities.  The announcement of the winners and the distribution of the prices during the weekend Festival Bogo Ja in February is a major tourist attraction in the region.

Djissou

Respect for the natural environment and the traditional way of constructing with mud bricks encourages the village people to become aware of the need for them to contribute to a better and cleaner environment.  Therefore the quality of sanitation around the houses is taken into account by the jury.

This year five of the most experienced women took up the challenge to pass the knowledge to the younger generation by becoming a trainer.  They decided not to participate anymore in the competition but to supervise a series of workshops for women and children and teach them how to prepare the houses, trace the patters, find the colours, mix them, and apply them on the walls.

Kinye

And I decided to contribute by allowing outsiders but also future generations to know about all this by starting to make an inventory of all the 429 houses participating in the competition. When I first arrived in the village, I had the intense feeling this had to be recorded. 

The next generation must know about this tradition and research must be possible. With my background as a history teacher, I immediately volunteered to make an inventory of all the works.  ‘You want to go around the village and make photos of all the works with the women.  Do you really want to do that?!’  Julie, the co-ordinator of the project, asked me. As if I was crazy.  And yes, this was what I really wanted to do. 

Djinkono

So, for 5 days I left Bamako at 6:30 in the morning to arrive at the countryside and started taking pictures.  Very quickly, I started to be so impressed by the pride these women take in the result of days, or weeks of labour to make the most beautiful mural painting.

They all wanted to be on the picture.  They wanted to be seen, to be recognized.  Some just stopped with their household activities and you still can see the water on their clothes as they ware washing, or were cooking, peeling the peanuts, or even breast feeding. Some quickly went inside to put on their best dress though.   And all of them made sure to have shoes. Being seen barefooted is clearly not done in Siby. 

Carine Bormans and her husband in Siby, Mali.

Soon the rain season is going to start.  And gradually the colours will all wash away.  I am looking forward next year to be a privileged witness again of this creative and community process.

About the author:

Carine Ouvry-Bormans, is an experience diplomatic spouse, having lived in Kuwait, Vienna, Paris, Geneva, Nairobi, Kinshasa and now in Bamako. 

In between, she worked in the HR department of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a specialized trainer for expats and their partners.  She is also the co-author of the book “Expat Partner. Staying Active and Finding Work”, also available in Dutch.  During all these years she developed a passion for photography.

Main picture Djinkono.

Leonardo Royal Hotel Den Haag Promenade – 50 years of diplomatic mission

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Leonardo Royal Hotel Den Haag Promenade – 50 years of diplomatic mission

Keeping friends all around the world

In the picture Premier of Canada, Pierre Elliott Trudeau 1975 (source Haags Gemeente museum – Gastvrijheid rond de klok)

Known to many as “The Hague’s Diplomatic Hub”, the international vocation of the Leonardo Royal Hotel Den Haag Promenade is truly embedded in its roots. In earlier times, the hotel used to be a private royal lodge owned by the first King of the Netherlands, and later by his son – King Willem II. The name “Promenade” made its first appearance in the building’s history in 1876, with the opening of the Hôtel de la Promenade – carefully designed by architect-engineer L.A. Brouwe.

For decades, Hôtel de la Promenade was a home away from home for a great number of important people, from royals and chief of states to diplomats, politicians and VIPs. Between 1940 and 1945, as World War II swept through the Netherlands, the Hôtel faced major challenges, as its ideal location made it a sought-after target during the German occupation. Unfortunately, this had such a disastrous effect on the hotel that it was eventually decided to demolish it.

The story of this historical building, however, could not end this way. Luckily, in 1968 Bertus Meijer decided to rebuild the Promenade Hotel, which eventually re-opened its doors on January 11th, 1971 – thus starting a new era. Over the past 50 years, the Promenade has grown to become a place where boundaries are crossed and friendships from all over the world are built. Numerous remarkable international guests have sojourned at the hotel, and high-end events have been held there – endowing the Promenade Hotel with a first-class reputation as “The Hague’s Diplomatic Hub”.

Prince Henderik of Denmark 1971 Source Haags Gemeente Archief Promenade Krant

Within the first months of the opening year, Mr. Meijer had the honor of welcoming a royal guest – Prince Henrik of Denmark. In the following years, other well-known figures – including heads of state, diplomats, and international VIPs – had the opportunity to benefit from the top-class services and hospitality of the Promenade. Personalities like Nelson Mandela, George Bush, and Bill Gates are just a few of the well-known guests that have stayed at the Hotel. And surely, one of the Hotel’s highlights of the past decades was the stay of Bill Clinton, former President of the United States of America, who visited the Hotel – then known as Crowne Plaza Den Haag-Promenade – to host a reading session and to attend a special dinner during his visit to the Netherlands.

The number of diplomatic guests that have been welcomed at the Promenade Hotel is truly exceptional. Multiple prime ministers and royals from the Netherlands and abroad have been delighted to visit the Hotel or to stay there for a few nights – some of them even quite frequently. Ambassadors and representatives of an embassy would wait at the Promenade Hotel before they would present their credentials to the Dutch King or Queen. There, they would be picked up by carriage. This was an awe-inspiring sight, captivating all of those fortunate enough to witness it.

Regeringsleiders van de Nederlandse Antillen en Suriname 1976 (source Haags Gemeente archief – Gastvrijheid rond de klok)

When a great international reputation such as that of the Promenade Hotel is earned, it is extremely important to act on it. One of the many events with which the Hotel honored its name was the Sri Lanka Cultural Food Festival held in March 2004, when the Hotel collaborated with the country’s embassy in order to organize a grand celebration of the over 400-year long alliance between Sri Lanka and the Netherlands.

In 2017, these Food Festivals were revived and upgraded. The Hotel’s current General Manager, Mr. Patrick Aarsman, and Diplomat Magazine’s Publisher, Ms. Mayelinne De Lara, closely worked together to organize a variety of culinary evenings that earned the Hotel a spot in the heart of The Hague’s gastronomic scene – thus gaining a reputation as “the International Culinary Center of The Hague”.

These Food Festivals were more than just an international dining experience: in addition to the culinary element, they incorporated a display of traditions and habits from the specific countries that were celebrated. Hence, every Festival was aimed at delivering a complete and unique experience of the represented country – to the pleasure of the invited participants, who would travel to The Hague from all corners of the world.

Today, Leonardo Royal Hotel Den Haag Promenade still proudly features the international perspective that has characterized the Hotel since its creation. From the guests to the cuisine, from its traditions to its events, the Promenade Hotel overcomes obstacles and happily welcomes guests from all around the world.

An unthinkable thought

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An unthinkable thought

By John Dunkelgrün.

Growing up in The Netherlands in the second half of the 20th century, a generally left leaning liberal democracy, I came to believe that democracy with all its faults and drawbacks is generally good and that dictatorships are always bad, be they fascist, communist or nihilist. This view was reinforced by the aftermath of the Second World War and the Cold War.

Sure the great democracies had done and at times still did despicable things and made terrible mistakes, but given time bad leaders were exposed, rooted out or elected out. On the whole they appeared to strive for ‘the greatest good for the greatest number of people’. In general people trusted that. But slowly cracks in this world view appeared. In many cases the greatest number of people turned out to be the greatest number of like-coloured, like-believing, heterosexual, male people.

In most ‘Western’ countries this view is now fortunately changing, albeit way too slowly. In many countries and in some US states it is still not. Also, by  showing that they are democratic, adult democracies develop Byzantian bureaucracies, resulting in slow and pondering decision making. By contrast dictatorships or absolutist governments can get things done.

‘Baron’ Haussmann was only able to change the layout of Paris and create its famous Boulevards because in the beginning of the reign of Napoleon III, he was almost an absolute monarch. Hitler could build the Autobahn system and, back in time, Chinese emperors could build the greatest wall on earth. And, speaking of the Chinese, the eye-popping growth of China’s development, wealth and resulting power could not have happened in a real democracy with adherence to the rule of law.

Much as most people (this writer included) in Western democracies becry China’s treatment of Tibetans, Uighurs and members of the Falung Gong, its system is undeniably very successful in providing the greatest – material – good to the greatest number of – Han Chinese – people. Could it be that countries that need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps are better served by an absolute system?

Compare the development of China with that of India, the largest democracy on the planet, which in the first decennia of its independence was governed by men who were trained in the (Fabian) socialist environments of Cambridge and Oxford and were more idealistic than practical. India has also made big strides, but its development was incomparably slower. Look also at the development of South Korea and Taiwan, both poor  and war torn in 1945. Under their initial dictatorships their economies grew rapidly until in the nineties their populations had become so sophisticated and influenced by travel and education abroad that they morphed into successful democracies.

Could it be that for a country with a primitive economy, plagued by perennial food shortages and widespread poverty, the best way to rapidly provide for this greatest good for the greatest number of people an authoritarian system works best? And that it will work well until its population is sufficiently secure, educated and internationally oriented to demand personal justice and their political voice to be heard?

As COVID-19 spread around the world, a question was asked: Can diplomacy work over a webcam?

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As COVID-19 spread around the world, a question was asked: Can diplomacy work over a webcam?

By Vangelis Vitalis, New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Deputy Secretary, Trade and Economic. Through 2021 he is also APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting chair. 

New Zealand is hosting Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2021. Three years of planning went into producing a physical event that would have brought 20,000 people to New Zealand.  

By mid-2020 it was anticipated the COVID-19 pandemic might stop a handful of economies from attending, and work began on introducing a virtual aspect to the meetings so economies that couldn’t travel could still take part. Those plans quickly became the foundation for the first ever fully virtual APEC, with New Zealand announcing in July that the entire year would take place virtually. 

COVID-19 forced our economy, APEC’s second-smallest by GDP, to rewrite our script and become one of the guinea pigs for digital diplomacy.  

Why not postpone APEC 2021 and wait for things to get better? The work facing our 21 economies was too important to shelve.  

Instead, New Zealand worked with Malaysia, which became the trailblazer for virtual APEC meetings when it made the shift online partway through its 2020 host year. They generously shared their lessons with New Zealand, and it has been up to us to build on them.  

Across the year, New Zealand will host hundreds of meetings with thousands of delegates. Many will be happening at the same time, and it is up to us as hosts to ensure the right people are in the right meetings, that they are engaged, that the process is seamless, and that they still get that sense of New Zealand. 

While physical APEC meetings tend to run for 2-3 days at six hours a day, and that can be hard going in a virtual environment. So a lot of work has gone into structuring our meetings, and bringing them down to manageable three-hour blocks. 

We’re using digital technology in innovative ways, aiming to replicate the experiences and personal connections that APEC delegates, Ministers and Leaders encounter in a physical hosting year.  This includes making time and virtual space available for in-person and small group discussions, and using digital content  to welcome, host and farewell our guests and to showcase Aotearoa’s landscape and dynamic economy. 

Hosting virtually has also allowed us to be more inclusive in our engagement – widening our reach to include a range of experts and stakeholders who might not ordinarily be able to travel and attend APEC meetings in an in-person host year. 

Despite the pressure of having less than 6 months to restructure, regroup and embark down a fully virtual path, there was a collective drive to make it work – because it had to work. APEC’s primary goal is to support sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific, to help turn policy initiatives into concrete results and tangible benefits for the region. This work is more important than ever as we respond to the challenges of COVID-19. 

This year APEC is working on a regional response to COVID-19; including measures to allow medical supplies and vaccines to be easily traded across borders, and to ensure key supply routes remain open.  

And as a forum, APEC must think about not only the short-term response to COVID-19, but also a sustained and sustainable long-term response.  

That long-term thinking is reflected in the work that will contribute to APEC’s agenda for the next two decades.  

Last year, APEC Leaders adopted the Putrajaya Vision 2040, which will become a 20-year roadmap – a living document that will change and evolve with the region. Officials from all 21 economies are now working on a plan that will bring it to life by outlining the concrete steps economies will take towards fulfilment of the Vision. It is crucial work that will help drive prosperity through innovation, sustainable and inclusive growth, and trade and investment.  

As APEC 2021 progresses, so will our work to improve what we do and how we do it.  

Can diplomacy take place through a webcam? Absolutely.  

Will virtual meetings replace physical meetings altogether? It’s unlikely – however, they open a door to the possibility of a hybrid physical-and-virtual model which is more inclusive, and more environmentally sustainable.  

As host of APEC 2021 it is on New Zealand to create an environment where people can join, work and grow together; to facilitate, build and advance relationships between economies, and turn policy initiatives into tangible results. 

This is a crucial moment for our region and this valuable institution that we all care about deeply. It is a driver of economic and trade growth, jobs, income, innovation, regional integration and cooperation.  

As host of APEC 2021 it is our job to not only support this important work, but to contribute to a long legacy in a way that makes APEC strong, more resilient, and even better prepared for whatever the future holds. 

For further information 

https://apec2021nz.org

APEC 2021 Senior Officials’ Meeting Chair, Vangelis Vitalis – Picture by OLLY COLEMAN-APEC

ISIS: How the Group is Getting Stronger

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ISIS: How the Group is Getting Stronger

By Patricia Pazos.

The threat of ISIS is escalating worldwide, slowly but firmly. ISIS has proven effective and adaptable over the years, and while the pandemic has impacted the group, it has not deprived its capabilities: ISIS no longer controls territory, but still controls groups, inspires attacks and continues to radicalize. Along this article, we will assess how the ISIS machinery currently works and what to expect in the coming months.

Leadership

The actual leader or “Calif”  remains Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, who succeeded Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as leader in October 2019 following a raid by US special forces in Syria which led to al-Baghdadi’s death by suicide. Al-Qurashi is an ISIS veteran and while little is known about him, we can confirm that he is the mastermind of the Yazidi genocide in Iraq and he is behind major international operations. 

The core of the group remains strong and there are no internal fractures or leadership fights of power, showing a high level of coordination with no major defections. Currently, ISIS has an estimated number of 8,000 to 16,000 foreign fighters. This number is inferior in comparison to January 2020, reaching a total of 14,000 to 18,000 fighters. The geographic restrictions due to the pandemic and the group’s financial situations have impacted these high recruiting numbers. 

Capabilities

The group no longer holds territory in Iraq, where it once controlled 40 per cent of the country, or Syria, where a third of the country was under ISIS control. In addition, eight million people have been liberated from its control in these countries. This being said, ISIS is far from being eradicated: its growing affiliate branches are gaining power and supporters, and inspiring attacks. In conflict zones, the group operates as a low-level insurgency and its fighters are organized in small operative cells, controlling rural areas and using mainly small weapons and IEDs in its attacks. 

The number of attacks in Iraq and Syria have increased in the past months and have proven effective and sophisticated, targeting civil population, local leaders, and security forces. This increase is threefold: inconsistency in military operations due to the pandemic; reduced coordinated international actions (allocating adequate military and civilian resources); and lack of solid support to stabilize liberated areas. It is important to note that addressing the factors that make ISIS proliferate, such as lack of governance where the groups operate, lack of economic and employment opportunities, lack of basic infrastructure and services for the population, and sectarian division will help in the fight to combat the terrorist group. If the international community does not address those factors, ISIS will keep thriving. 

Financing

ISIS financing system is solid and well structured – according to the US Treasury Department, ISIS accumulates 100 million dollars in cash in Iraq and Syria alone. The resources come from extortion, intimidation, smuggling, kidnapping and taxing the population. The money flows easily from Iraq and Syria, and the transfers are often made using the hawala system (underground banking system that is traceless, and based on trust). 

Outside of conflict zones, ISIS is still relying on crime, private donors, and funds generated under the cover of legal business or charities, which are then transferred to the group using cash, money services or hawala, or a combination of all. And what about terrorist attacks with low-level of preparation and logistics? Terrorists inspired by ISIS with no direct links to the core, as well as small cells, are often able to fund their activities through legitimate sources of income, fraud or petty crime. 

Pentagon terrorist attack

Radicalization

ISIS is still radicalizing in conflict zones, in third countries, and online. The pandemic has slowed down more traditional -in person- radicalization processes, but in Europe the pandemic has led to an increase in radicalization content online (both salafi-jihadi and far right). Combined with socio economic drivers of terrorism, this creates the perfect cocktail for a resurgence in terrorist attacks once the physical restrictions relax and larger in-person gatherings are back. We can affirm that more terrorist attacks with low level preparation are expected in the West, specially in France, the UK, and Germany. 

In Iraq and Syria, ISIS still indoctrinates, radicalizes, and recruits the local population. Prisons and refugee camps are a hot spot for radicalization, and refugee camps like al-Hol in Syria, which currently has a population of more than 60,000, are at risk of forming small caliphates due to the increasing radicalization of refugees. ISIS has one objective in mind: to re-establish the power of the organization and to create a new generation of leaders and fighters. 

ISIS and al-Qaeda affiliates are gaining control and expanding their influence throughout sub-Saharan Africa, successfully recruiting and even capturing territory in the worst cases. These groups exploit political transitions, lack of economic opportunities and security, creating a perfect breeding ground for terrorism and radicalization in unstable countries. 

Conclusions

  • ISIS’s capabilities have been reduced but the threat is mutating and adapting to the new societies during the pandemic.
  • Addressing lack of economic and employment opportunities, lack of basic infrastructure and services for the population, and sectarian division is key to reduce the groups success.
  • When geographical restrictions ease and we slowly return to life as it was pre-pandemic, we will witness an increase in terrorist attacks worldwide, a majority of them being by lone wolves or small cells linked to ISIS. 

About the author:

Patricia Pazos

Patricia Pazos, Ph.D., is the founder of Talking About Terrorism, a platform offering research and training on counter-terrorism (Washington DC) and  US delegate of CISEG, a community of intelligence and security on terrorism (Spain). 

Anticipating water hot spots in the world will help prevent conflict

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Anticipating water hot spots in the world will help prevent conflict

By Susanne Schmeier.

Water insecurity is rising worldwide. This affects people’s, communities’ and entire countries’ livelihoods, food and energy security as well as overall economic development. Moreover, it challenges relations between people, communities or entire countries as they compete over perceived scarce water resources.

Media as well as international organizations, including the United Nations and the World Economic Forum, have already warned of water-related threats escalating and possibly affecting stability and peace in entire countries or regions. Examples from Syria to Central Asia and from the Horn of Africa to Iraq demonstrate this.

The Water, Peace and Security (WPS) partnership was established in 2018 to address these challenges. Funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it brings together a group of renowned organizations from the water, security and peacebuilding sectors, led by IHE Delft Institute for Water Education. Together, they are developing innovative tools and approaches to prevent, mitigate and resolve water-related insecurity and tensions before they turn into full-fledged security threats.

In this context, WPS has developed a global early warning tool which tracks places around the world that are at risk of emerging or intensifying water-related insecurity and conflict. It does so on the basis of artificial intelligence, using a machine learning model to digest numerous indicators determining such risks – such as drought onsets, decreasing crop productivity, sudden population growth or existing instability. The tool will help to raise awareness among high-level policy makers of the urgency to act on water-related conflict risks. It has already been presented to the UN Security Council, other UN actors, as well as various national governments.

Acknowledging that solutions for water related risks can only be found on site, WPS has also developed a set of local tools that allow decision-makers to understand the current and future water resources situation and the impacts of development plans (such as new dams or irrigation schemes) as well as the human responses to those, possibly ranging from migration and displacement to local people deprived of their livelihoods joining illicit or terrorist groups.

In combination with intensive capacity development and dialogue support, WPS and its partners hope to turn vicious cycles of water insecurity and conflict into virtuous cycles of climate and conflict sensitive water management and cooperation.

About the author:

Susanne Schmeier is an Associate Professor in Water Law and Diplomacy at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education

www.un-ihe.org

A Bicentennial Celebration in Costa Rica: The Case of a Singular Democracy

Diplomat Magazine
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A Bicentennial Celebration in Costa Rica: The Case of a Singular Democracy

By Rodolfo Solano Quirós, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship of the Republic of Costa Rica.

Costa Rica is celebrating its Bicentenary of Independence in 2021. After signing the 1821 Act of Independence, our country has been characterized from the start for its clear institutional vocation.

From its foundation, a guideline for conduct was expressly established in the developing Costa Rican State, a rule that is still current in both internal and international relationships. This standard determines that Costa Rica “recognizes and respects civil liberties, property, and other legitimate national rights of every person and any state or nation.”

Today, two hundred years later, this small but ambitious Central American country effectively proves to the world that even with scarce economic resources and facing important threats and challenges, it is possible to live in peace, freely and democratically, while respecting the environment

Throughout its independent existence, Costa Rica has placed singular value on peace and harmony. This vocation for peace was confirmed in 1949 when the national army was constitutionally abolished. Another fundamental Costa Rican characteristic is its commitment to the rule of law. The country always seeks resolution in International Law as the only valid mechanism for promoting and defending universal values that should be accepted by the entire international community. We firmly believe in negotiation, arbitration and jurisdictional processes, and we have unrestrainedly supported the cause of disarmament, particularly in the nuclear context.

Respect for human rights was clearly stated in 1821 and characterizes our country’s very existence, as is proven by early milestones such as the 1869 declaration of primary education as free and obligatory and the constitutionally recognized abolition of the death penalty in 1882. Costa Rica proposed creation of the Central American Court of Justice, the first permanent international court of Public International Law and the first international Human Rights Court in history, which was inaugurated in the City of Cartago in 1908. Costa Rica was among the countries unconditionally adopting the Universal declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and is party to the principal international instruments on this matter. The American Convention on Human Rights was signed in our capital city of San José and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has its seat there. Costa Rica has staunchly defended the cause for fundamental rights and liberties and actively promoted creation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Our Constitutional Court has even ruled that international human rights agreements are hierarchically above our own National Constitution.

In recent decades and as host to great biological diversity, Costa Rica has also undertaken a serious commitment to protect the environment. National parks and protected areas constitute an important part of our national territory and the country places great importance on the fight against climate change and environmental deterioration.  The High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People was recently officially launched, with the goal of conserving 30% of the world’s land and marine areas by 2030, stemming massive species loss, and protecting ecosystems that are key to human welfare and that of nature as a whole.

All of the above have provided a solid foundation for Costa Rica’s foreign policy as a singular case of a demilitarized democracy, with strong institutions, and respect for the environment, a pioneer in human rights and an internationally active proponent thereof, unique in the world.

Currently, the country is facing a special opportunity for projection of its values and principles that have served as a basis for its internal conduct and foreign policy. Costa Rica is head of two important examples for regional cooperation. It currently holds the rotational presidency of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Central American Integration System (SICA, Spanish acronym).

At ECLAC, the Costa Rican presidency began in August of 2020. Since then, it has focused on the principles of international cooperation, solidarity and promotion of human rights, as well as concentrating on regional policy coordination and cooperation, cooperation with international financial institutions, support for the United Nations System, and protection of International Law and Human Rights.

For the SICA presidency, Costa Rica has determined that its priority actions will pivot around gender equality and human rights, particularly for the most vulnerable populations; economic and social post-pandemic recovery for the region, health and food security; and promotion of science and technology, creativity and innovation, with special emphasis on integrated risk management and the fight against climate change. Furthermore, Costa Rica considers that a greater and more effective integration among SICA Member States will harness substantial benefits. Additionally, efforts are being made to revitalize the steps Costa Rica has taken with SICA observer countries and cooperative partners to promote creation of a special fund for regional recovery.

In these and other international organizations in which Costa Rica participates, the country has consistently adhered to the principles that have given a unique identity to its foreign policy. Convinced of the importance of multilateralism for peace and cooperative development to prosper among nations, the country has been very active in the multilateral scenario, proposing implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) C-TAP (Covid-Technology Access Pool) initiative. This consists of a common repository for rights to technologies that countries have developed and that are useful for the detection, control and treatment of the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to ensure equitable access to respond to the crisis.

Costa Rica proposes undertaking its third century of independent life contributing towards new initiatives that reflect these same values and also responding to the changing needs of our world and the importance of resolving those challenges that await us with enthusiasm, responsibility, and a sense of innovation.

Leonardo’s Faces – Bas Massink

Diplomat Magazine
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Leonardo’s Faces – Bas Massink

Celebrating Leonardo Royal Hotel Den Haag Promenade – 50 years of diplomatic mission

Behind the logo of the Vitruvian man, multiple employees ensure that the Leonardo Royal Hotel Den Haag Promenade provides excellent, customized, hospitality services to all.

Name: Bas Massink

Nationality: Dutch

Function: First respondent Food and Beverage Employee

Department: Food and Beverage (F&B)

When did you start working at the Promenade Hotel?

I started working here in the summer of 2019, after completing my education “Manager in the Hospitality industry”. That year, I was looking for a full-time job in a hotel and so I applied for a job at Leonardo Royal Hotel Den Haag Promenade. Now, I enjoy going to work every day in one of the most beautiful hotels of Apollo & Leonardo Hotels!

Have you always worked in the same department?

Technically yes, I was hired as a F&B employee. After more than a year I’ve made a promotion to First Respondent F&B Employee, which is now my current position. During my career at Leonardo Royal Hotel Den Haag Promenade, I supported various departments in all of their activities. Every now and then I also work as a (night) receptionist and I am always available to fill in at any other hotel in the chain that needs an extra hand.

What was the most remarkable diplomatic event you experienced?

I have not attended many of the Diplomat Magazine’s events, so if I had to choose, I think last year’s event because, it took place during COVID-19. Besides the Diplomat Magazine events. This was the Diplomat After Summer Drinks event 2020. I have also attended many other events. The national remembrance of the Dutch East Indies on August 15 is also an event that I will always remember.

Why was this so remarkable?

The Diplomat After Summer Drinks event of 2020 was remarkable because we needed to improvise because of the COVID-19 measures; especially the social distancing and guests having to sit down at fixed seats.

The National Remembrance Day for all the victims that died in the former Dutch East Indies is also very remarkable because it’s terrible what happened during the Second World War and it’s just wonderful to see how everyone is looking for comfort and support and getting it from other people.

What international habit, tradition or event that you have observed, appeals to you?

Why?

A country I visited many times is England. This is a country that has many traditions and habits that we do not have in the Netherlands. Such as driving on the left of the road, where we drive on the right and the typical English breakfast. Two habits that I’m not a fan of either. A tradition that I am a fan of is the High Tea. A tradition that I embrace every time I travel back to England.

What do you consider interesting about the international guests and events organized at the hotel?

What I find interesting is simply to see how the international guest live and what their experiences are in life. I also find it interesting to see what is important for that country during international events. Where their interests lie and to learn from their experiences.

What is a(n) (international) habit that you find interesting? The habits that I find the most interesting are the Dutch habits. I love my country and their crazy habits. Such as going by bike everywhere you need to be and mash our food and poor loads of gravy over it. Home sweet Home

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