12 DECEMBER 2024 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL TALKING POINTS State Hosts Global Music Diplomacy Program As part of the State Department’s Global Music Diplomacy Initiative in October, 13 international musicians and music professionals participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), reinforcing music’s role as a tool for diplomacy. The initiative, launched by U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in 2023, aims to promote peace and democracy through public-private partnerships to foster economic equity and expand the global creative economy. Participants from Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria traveled to Washington, D.C., Detroit, Kansas City, and Los Angeles, where they engaged in workshops and collaborative sessions with American music professionals. Discussions focused on preserving musical heritage, best practices in music management, and how music can promote social awareness, empower youth, and contribute to community development. The Global Music Diplomacy Initiative complements other new programs, including the American Music Mentorship Program and the Fulbright–Kennedy Center Visiting Scholar Award in Arts and Science. At the 2023 launch event, music icon Quincy Jones received the inaugural Peace Through Music Award for his role in advancing cross-cultural understanding through music. As part of the broader initiative, efforts such as Sing Out Loud aim to integrate music into English-language learning programs, further promoting U.S. cultural diplomacy. The program aligns with the Biden administration’s Promoting Peace, Education, and Cultural Exchange (PEACE) Through Music Diplomacy Act, which supports the use of music in fostering international relationships and promoting shared values. New Crop of Foreign Ambassadors in Washington Washington’s newest cohort of ambassadors represents a wide range of countries and backgrounds from India, the world’s most populous nation, to Barbados, one of the smallest. India’s new envoy to the U.S., Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra, brings 36 years of diplomatic experience, including a prior posting in Washington. Kwatra has served in numerous positions around the world, from director of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in Nepal to ambassador to France and UNESCO. He was also India’s foreign secretary from 2022 to 2024. Botswana’s Mpho Churchill Mophuting, Colombia’s Daniel García-Peña Jaramillo, and Ecuador’s Cristian Espinosa Cañizares are also among the new arrivals. García-Peña, a historian and journalist, is the son of a Colombian diplomat and has spent his career in both public service and journalism. Three Nordic nations are represented by career diplomats Leena-Kaisa Mikkola of Finland, Svanhildur Hólm Valsdóttir of Iceland, and Anniken Huitfeldt of Norway. Mikkola and Huitfeldt bring extensive experience from various international postings, while Valsdóttir transitions from a long career in journalism and government advisory roles. Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh of Pakistan was appointed while overseeing Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council. Panama’s José Miguel Alemán Healy continues a family tradition—his father and brother both previously served as ambassadors in Washington. Other newly accredited ambassadors include David Kipkorir Kiplagat Kerich of Kenya, Elita Kuzma of Latvia, and Ralf Heckner of Switzerland. Last week I asked that President Biden withdraw my nomination as U.S. ambassador to Libya. This very difficult decision comes 32 months since the Department of State asked me to consider the position and initiated the vetting process, nine months since the Senate received my nomination, and only after the Senate recessed for the election last week having failed for six months to advance the now-26 career nominees out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. U.S. national security deserves better than this. There has been no U.S. ambassador in Libya for two years, ceding space to Russia and China who have actively sought to exploit our perceived absence and destabilize NATO’s southern flank. I passionately believe in diplomacy as our best tool to counter such malign influences. It has been my privilege to spend 26 years fulfilling this calling. ... It was the honor of my career to be nominated for this position. —Senior FSO Jennifer Gavito in a LinkedIn post, October 2024. Contemporary Quote
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODIyMDU=