Norwegian Prime Minister is an IVLP Alumna

blog.meridian.org

Caption: Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg (Photo Credit: Tomas Moss)

This post is the third entry in a blog series detailing the itineraries of both current and former Heads of State who participated in a Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) project arranged by Meridian International Center. The entry below summarizes the IVLP itinerary of Norwegian Prime Minster Erna Solberg.

Visitor: Prime Minister (as of October 2013) Erna Solberg
Country of Origin: Norway
Program Year: 1996
Travel Itinerary: Washington, DC; Minneapolis, MN; Los Angeles, CA; Kansas City, MO; Austin, TX; and New York, NY

Halfway through Prime Minister Erna Solberg’s fourth year in office, we are taking a look at her IVLP itinerary, which Meridian designed and implemented in 1996. This blog entry will provide insights into her program and her professional background at the time of her participation in the exchange.

When Ms. Solberg was selected for the IVLP, she had been serving as a Member of Parliament (known as the “Storting” in Norway) representing the Conservative Party since 1989. She also played a key role in the Financial Committee and acted as the leader of her party’s Women’s Association.

In August, 1996, Ms. Solberg joined two of her fellow MPs for a four-week program titled, “Women in Private Enterprise,” which focused on “highlighting the opportunities, process and progress of American women in pursuit of leadership positions in U.S. business and private enterprise.”

“Norwegian women don’t have the ’American Dream’ as a model…We have a very secure socialist system, so why would women take chances? We have to learn how to inspire women.”

The itinerary began in Washington, DC where the participants were welcomed by officials from the United States Information Agency (now the Office of the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs) and the programming team from Meridian. Meetings in Washington were scheduled with the Foundation for Women Business Owners, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the White House’s Division of Women’s Initiatives and Outreach. The group was also able to enjoy a performance of the Capitol Steps comedy troupe before beginning the second leg of their program in Minneapolis.

Travel itinerary (Read Washington, DC; Minneapolis, MN; Los Angeles, CA; Kansas City, MO; Austin, TX; and New York, NY)

While in Minneapolis, Ms. Solberg and her colleagues looked at the experiences of women in starting their own businesses, and policies that encourage women entrepreneurs. The local program contact arranged appointments with Minnesota State Senator Martha Robertson, Women’s Venture, and the Minnesota Women’s Economic Roundtable. In the group’s next stop, Los Angeles, they met with a range of women-owned businesses and organizations, including Act 1 Personnel, BDO Seidman, and Women Incorporated. They also enjoyed an evening of home hospitality before traveling to Kansas City.

During this Mid-Western stop, participants engaged with the local offices of the Small Business Administration, the Department of Labor, and the American Business Women’s Association. They took part in a “Creating Effective Advertising” workshop at the University of Missouri-Kansas City before moving on to Austin, where they took advantage of some downtime to reflect on their program, and then met with representatives from the Entrepreneur’s Association and the Office of the Secretary of State. The group finished their program in New York in meetings with the American Women’s Economic Development Corporation and Catalyst, a group dedicated to supporting progress for women through workplace inclusion.

“Americans have this mental attitude that makes business work, that makes this country work.”

After the ‘Women in Private Enterprise” IVLP concluded, Ms. Solberg returned home to be appointed in succession: Minister of Local Government and Regional Development (2001-2005); Leader of the Conservative Party (2004-Present); and Norway’s second female Prime Minister.

*Quotes were taken directly from the State Department Closing Report written up by Dianne Vigilienzone, U.S. Escort Officer.

If you are interested in reading more about the Heads of State that have travelled on Meridian administered IVLPs throughout the years, check out the following blogs.

A Profile of IVLP Alumni Becoming Heads of State
IVLP 75th Anniversary Time-lapse Map
Meridian IVLP Alum Becomes U.N. Secretary General
UK Prime Minister is a Meridian IVLP Alumna

Just adding tanks, planes and missiles does not a strategy make

Dick Virden, minnpost.com

Image from article, with caption: The Trump administration has committed to adding major funding for an already plus-sized military establishment, without indicating what the Pentagon will be expected to do or accomplish with the tens of billions in new money.

Excerpt:

At the senior service colleges where generals like those around President Donald Trump learned their craft, the emphasis is on developing and carrying out sound national security strategy. That means first defining clear goals, then drawing up plans and identifying resources needed to achieve them. 

The Trump administration, however, has it exactly backwards. It has, for example, committed to adding major funding for an already plus-sized military establishment, without indicating what the Pentagon will be expected to do or accomplish with the tens of billions in new money. 

At the same time, the president has shown little regard for other parts of what make up a smart, balanced and effective national security strategy. He has routinely dissed the State Department: failing to fill top jobs, freezing department officials out of key meetings where their expertise would have added value, and proposing crippling budget cuts. These steps undermine morale and diminish the contribution diplomacy and foreign aid can make to keeping the peace, assisting economic growth, promoting trade or assisting those hurt by natural disasters and wars.

The president’s own secretary of defense, Lt. Gen. James Mattis, knows the score, having declared that, if diplomacy and development are cut, “I’m going to need more ammo.” His point was that reliance on military power alone is a mug’s game; it will lead us to more armed conflict that might have been avoided and to the unnecessary loss of blood and treasure.

We need all the tools of statecraft

The United States clearly needs a strong military force – and we have it. We also require all the other tools of statecraft – diplomacy, development, intelligence, public diplomacy – to deal effectively with security threats such as those posed by ISIS, North Korea, Russia, Iran and others. ... 

Unpredictability isn't good

Unpredictability, or unreliability, is not a desirable quality for the world’s most powerful country. Allies want to be able to count on us in a crunch, and potential adversaries need to know we’ll go to the mat to protect our friends and our values.

We’re told to give President Trump some time, that his approach to national security, like his domestic policy, is still evolving. Sure, it’s still early. And also, as Adam said to Eve, we live in a time of transition. But it would be easier to be hopeful about an emerging national security strategy if we saw evidence that the president recognized that there’s more to it than bluster and the hammer. A successful strategy is one that sets clear, realizable goals and takes full account of all the tools of statecraft in pursuing them. Stay tuned.

Dick Virden is a retired Senior Foreign Service Officer. He studied and taught national security strategy at the National War College. 

U.S. Embassy in New Delhi: Scaling up Women’s Entrepreneurship in India

Arti Khatri, www2.fundsforngos.org

U.S. Embassy in New Dehli image from

Deadline: 30 June 2017

The Public Affairs Section of U.S. Embassy New Delhi (PAS New Delhi) is seeking proposals for a project entitled “Scaling Up Women’s Entrepreneurship in India” to promote sustainable enterprises, small businesses and innovation in India by connecting women entrepreneurs in India with American and Indian mentors through a series of skill development workshops and mentoring networks.

In India, women remain highly underrepresented among the ranks of entrepreneurs, especially in tier II cities. This project aims to assist women in early stage start-ups to establish sustainable and profitable business enterprises through expertise and experience sharing with American and Indian mentors. This program could be a crucial catalyst for change promoting women’s entrepreneurship as a tool to promote gender equality and accelerating economic growth and development.

Program Goals

• Promote economic growth and development by strengthening local capacity through skills development and mentoring activities for women entrepreneurs in India so they can break into markets or scale up businesses.
• Strengthen people-to-people ties between the United States and India by creating and supporting networking between women entrepreneurs in the United States and India
• Support the empowerment of women by providing entrepreneurial skills and mentoring opportunities and encouraging women to pursue further education and build communities that value gender equality and inclusion.

Funding Information

• Estimated Total Program Funding: $100,000
• Award Ceiling: $100,000
• Award Floor: $80,000

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligibility is open to all non-profit, non-governmental organizations.
• Individuals are not eligible for an award.
• Organizations may sub-contract with other entities, but only one, non-profit, non-governmental entity can be the prime recipient of the award.
• U.S. Embassy New Delhi grants/cooperative agreements cannot be used to fund religious or partisan political activity; fundraising campaigns; commercial projects; scientific research; projects whose primary aim is the institutional development of the organization, or illegal activities.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted online via given website.

For more information, please visit Grants.gov.

U.S. Embassy in Ireland: Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program

Aditi, www2.fundsforngos.org

U.S. Embassy in Ireland image from

Deadline: 1 August 2017

The U.S. Embassy in Ireland is pleased to announce an open competition for awards through the Mission’s Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program.  This initiative provides support for projects proposed by Irish non-profit, cultural, educational and civil society organizations that aim to promote mutual understanding and shared values; strengthen U.S.-Ireland ties, and foster people-to-people exchange between the United States and Ireland.

Areas of Interest

Particular areas of interest for programming include:

• Investing in young leaders and youth initiatives;
• Supporting peace, reconciliation and cross-border dialogue;
• Promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls globally;
• Responding to the challenge of global climate change and sustainable development;
• Promoting tolerance, diversity and multiculturalism; and
• Promoting economic opportunity through social entrepreneurship.

Award Information

• Maximum Amount of Each Award: $3,000
• Project and Budget Periods: Generally grant projects must be completed in one year or less.  The Public Affairs Section will entertain applications for continuation grants funded under these awards, beyond the initial budget period, on a noncompetitive basis, subject to availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the applicants, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the U.S. government.

Eligibility Criteria

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Ireland encourages applications from all sectors, and for applicants to provide cost-sharing from additional sources in support of this project.  The Public Affairs Section favors projects that use highly-skilled volunteers as an element of cost-sharing.  Applications should explain clearly other likely sources of funding and how volunteers will be used.

How to Apply

Interested applicants must submit proposals electronically via email.

Eligible Country: Ireland

For more information, please visit Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program.

Juncker, May and the spirit of the Brexit talks -- Letters to the Editor

Sir Paul Lever, Ambassador to Germany 1997-2003, and author of Berlin Rules: Europe and the German Way, thetimes.co.uk

image (not from letter) from

Excerpt:

The Brexit negotiations are not going to be conducted on the EU side in a friendly or collegiate spirit. But it does show two things. First, confidential diplomacy will not be possible: the EU team has to inform so many stakeholders of its doings that anything said in the talks is bound rapidly to become public. Mrs May will have to adjust her own public diplomacy accordingly. ... 

‘UAE best placed to change skewed Western views of Arabs’

gulftoday.ae

image from

May 03, 2017

Dubai: The UAE is best positioned to change the West’s negative perception of the Arab world, experts said on the second day of the Arab Media Forum at a session on ‘Arab Image in the West’. The West sees the Arab world as marked by civil war, insurgency, sectoral conflicts and the so-called Daesh, they added. Referring to a latest YouGov Survey, commissioned by Saudi newspaper Arab News, its Editor-in-Chief, Faisal Abbas, said, as many as 20 per cent of the Americans believed Aladdin’s Agrabah is a real country and 38 per cent of the 2,000 Americans surveyed said there should be a travel ban against people of that land to the United States. UAE Soft Power Council The UAE has taken the initiative to help change the perception and launched The UAE Soft Power Council. The council will promote Emirati and Arab culture, heritage, education  and scientific developments and engage with the global community in strategic cultural diplomacy. The UAE Soft Power Council will introduce an integrated national strategy that consolidates the roles of both the public and private sectors in achieving soft power and conveying the nation’s  history in a new way. The Council will also develop a soft power strategy for the state, including the science, culture, technology, humanitarian and economic sectors, in order to establish relationships at the grassroots  level with partners – both in the Arab region and globally. “With the recent launch of the UAE Soft Power Council, the country is in a very good position to use cultural diplomacy to change the West’s perception of the Arab World.  It is a very timely initiative and we hope to see some more engagement with the Western media and societies on correcting the image,” said Mark Donfried, Director of the Berlin-based Institute for Cultural Diplomacy. “As low as 35 per cent of US citizens possess passports. Many of them have not travelled outside their country. So a vast majority of the Americans don’t know much about the rest of the world, let alone the Arab world. You need to utilise soft power and engage in cultural and public diplomacy to reach out to them in order to change their perception,” he added. The YouGov survey showed that 65 per cent of the US citizens did not know much about the Middle East and 75 per cent said they will not want to travel to the region. Hadley Gamble, CNBC Reporter and anchor, said, “The US school curriculum is very focused on local geography and doesn’t allow much information and knowledge about any other parts of the world. It’s not only about the Middle East, if you ask them about Portugal or Asia – it’s all the same, they do not know much about other regions, cultures and countries. So, there is a problem at the grassroots level. “When I got a job offer and was preparing to move to the region, my mother said, ‘Do you know how close that country is to Iran?’” In this regard, the panellists urged all the Arab countries to engage with the Western countries and their press to tell their side of the story. Nathan Tek of the US State Department for the Middle East, said, “If you don’t tell your story, remember, someone else will do that and they will tell your story in their  own words and language – that you might not like. It is important to take your space in the media and narrate your story, as you know your story better than others. “However, you need to engage with the media and the societies. If you respond to the queries from the US media and give your comments instantly – rather than to get back to the foreign ministry officials to tell you what you should be saying – taking your own time, they are going to publish the report with or without your comments.” He urged the Arab countries to empower their press attaches and diplomats to be able to speak to the press freely and defend their countries. “Speak to the media whenever they ask for a comment and create your own space in the media. If you don’t someone else will take your space and tell your story from a different perspective,” Nathan says, citing his own example in the Arab media. “I represent the US State Department in the Middle East. Believe me there are so many misrepresentation of facts when it comes to the US stories. I also confront conspiracy theories about the US position on Arab affairs. But I take the opportunity to correct the news and offer the best views possible to clear any doubts. I’m not so sure if my counterparts representing the Arab governments do it.” The United States organises exchange programmes to develop a better cultural and political understanding across the world for its policies and way of life. “We engaged with 565 heads of governments, 65 Nobel laureates under the exchange programme. Our exchange programmes in one way or another impacts more than 9 million people every year – that’s the level of our engagement with the world. I don’t think that the Arab countries are doing that,” he said. Defending the US role in the Middle East, he said the US has remained a partner of the Arab World in political, regional, economic and social issues. “When the United States was formed the first country to recognise the new country was not a European or Western country –- it was an Arab country, Morocco. King Mohammed III was the first head of a country to recognise the United States and open a port of call for maritime transportation.  So, our history goes back a long way from the present situation,” Nathan Tek said.

U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of the Congo: Who Is Todd Haskell?

Steve Straehley, allgov.com

Haskell image from article

Excerpt:

Todd Philip Haskell, a career member of the Foreign Service, was nominated by President Barack Obama on January 17, 2017, to be the next ambassador to the Republic of the Congo. ...

Haskell was sent to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in August 2010 as public affairs counselor.

Haskell returned to Washington in August 2013 for a stint as office director in the Africa Bureau’s Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, where he was a member of the Ebola communications task force. ...