The Foreign Service Journal, December 2015

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2015 23 Robert Zimmerman is an FSO who has served overseas in seven countries over the past 22 years. Currently assigned to Washington, he is doing an exursion tour with Global Ties U.S. (formerly the National Council of International Visitors), a nonprofit that works with more than 100 partner organizations in 44 U.S. states and 15 foreign countries to help implement the International Visitor Leadership Program. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the U.S. government. FOCUS O ne of U.S. foreign policy’s ground- breaking soft power initiatives is cel- ebrating its 75th anniversary this year: the U.S. Department of State’s Interna- tional Visitor Leadership Program. Though it is not widely known and operates quietly, with a current budget of $90 million, the impact of the IVLP is significant. The program has helped launch the careers of many world leaders, as well as civic leaders, while strengthening ties with our allies and advancing U.S. interests. As America’s leadership debates the balance between hard and soft power, this time-honored and proven initiative demonstrates how the United States can show its best face to the world while achieving its goals peacefully. SOFT POWER, HIGH IMPACT America’s premier exchange program is 75 this year. In this compilation of personal experiences, participants offer insight into its unique effectiveness. BY ROBERT Z I MMERMAN About 5,000 foreign nationals visit the United States annually through the IVLP. Some 345 former and current heads of govern- ment have visited under the aegis of the program. Their ranks include Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, Indira Gandhi, Nicholas Sarkozy and Nobel Laureate Oscar Arias, all of whom participated early in their careers. Two current Latin American presidents, Brazil’s Dilma Roussef and Uruguay’s Tabare Vazquez, are also among the 200,000 foreign alumni from 190 countries who have taken part in the program over the past 75 years. International exchange alumni are prominent in a host of fields. Many business and economics professionals who participated in the IVLP have become economic or finance ministers in their home countries. IVLP also generates business for the United States. The impact of international exchanges has not escaped the attention of our senior policymakers. In testimony to Congress in 2003, then-State Department Under Secretary for Public Diplo- macy and Public Affairs Charlotte Beers noted that “50 percent of the leaders of the global coalition against terrorism had been International Visitors.” “Simple exchanges can break down walls between us, for when people come together and speak to one another and share a common experience, then their common humanity is revealed,” notes President Barack Obama. One of U/S Beers’ successors, Judith McHale, called exchanges “the single most important and valuable thing we do.” THE INTERNATIONAL VISITOR LEADERSHIP PROGRAM