The Foreign Service Journal, September 2016

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2016 23 • Expos are an international showcase for architecture and design. The U.K., which used British firms chosen by com- petition, won acclaim and design awards in both Shanghai and Milan. Milan offered a taste of howmuch more can be accomplished, with the United Nations hosting world leaders and nongovernmental organizations on World Food Day, chefs demonstrating how wasted food can be utilized, and the U.S. pavilion’s vertical farm illustrating agricultural innovation. Unfortunately, a number of ambitious ideas generated by the U.S. organizers withered on the vine due to lack of money or support from the department. These included collaboration with the Iowa Writers Workshop on the theme of foo d and an iftar with the neighboring Kuwaiti pavilion. Stronger U.S. leadership and a willing- ness to take risks would stimulate new approaches to working with other cultures in tackling world problems. After years of half-hearted and last- minute efforts, it’s past time for a whole- of-department effort that recognizes the rich possibilities of participating in these “intellectual Olympics,” global events hosted by countries where we have major interests. As President Barack Obama instructed chiefs of mission this spring: “We’ve got to keep partnering with nations and people to seize the incredible opportunities at this moment in history. … Some of you have participated in international fora, and you know that if the United States isn’t right smack dab in the middle of it, if we’re not helping to set that agenda, it doesn’t hap- pen. People look to us for leadership.” We have much to gain from our role in world expos. It’s time to stop dithering and do it right. n Rather than face yet another too-little, too-late presence, the State Department should begin planning now.