The Foreign Service Journal, January-February 2017

12 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Though most of the ringleaders fled the country, the RSO in Ghana reports that as a result of this and other raids, the export of fraudulent documents has decreased by 70 percent in West Africa. —Steven Alan Honley, Contributing Editor State Department Facilitates World Nomad Games I n September 2016, the World Nomad Games were held in the Kyrgyz Repub- lic. More than 62 countries competed in unique events, including horse riding, falconry and kok-boru—a game played on horseback with a goat’s carcass. The State Department sponsored several cultural ambassadors, includ ing U.S. wrestlers and the first-ever U.S. kok- boru team. The United States team ended the games with four medals—two silver and two bronze, according to the official World Nomad Games website. U.S Embassy Bishkek supported the games with an American Corner show- casing U.S. talent and providing informa- tion about USAID programs in the Kyrgyz Republic. The Regional Security Office at Embassy Bishkek was also instrumental in the success of the games, travelling frequently to the event sites in the Issyk- Kul Lake region of the Kyrgyz Republic to check route safety and hotel security, liaise with host nation police and govern- ment officials and plan security for VIP visitors from the United States. A suicide car bomb attack in Bishkek just days before the opening ceremony made the security situation more com- plex, but the good relationships that RSO Bishkek had built with local law enforce- ment officials enabled all parties to work together to keep the games on track. —Gemma Dvorak, Associate Editor Native Americans in the Foreign Service I n recognition of Native American Heritage Month, the Native American Foreign Affairs Council held an event on Nov. 14 at the State Department to bring awareness to challenges Native Ameri- cans face in fostering inclusion. Featured speaker Jody Tallbear addressed the topic of misrepresenta- tion of Native American culture in mass media. There are 562 federally recognized Native American tribes in the United States, with a population of 4.5 million (1.5 percent of the total U.S. population). A lively question and answer session allowed Ms. Tallbear to elaborate on the involvement of American Indians and Native Alaskans in the Foreign Service. Members of NAFAC report that the num- ber of self-identified Native Americans/ Alaskans falls below 1 percent of the State Department’s workforce. Because the majority of issues faced by Native Americans and Alaskans are domestic, those who choose to apply for federal jobs generally select positions in the Tribal Offices, where they can best help their communities. Ms. Tallbear suggested that a lack of self-reporting, as well as difficulty in recruiting in Native Indian/Native Alaskan communities is also to blame for their low representation at the State Department. NAFACmembers discussed pos- sible solutions to these issues, including I am still here. I am real. I am still fighting for my children’s life. We are not propaganda. We are real people. We are — we are Aleppo’s people. —Fatemah Alabed, mother of Bana, the 7-year-old tweeting from Aleppo, speaking via skype to CNN on Dec. 11. Contemporary Quote Falconers compete with golden eagles in the hunting portion of the World Nomad Games. U.S.DEPARTMENTOFSTATE