What are our options?

Dear Readers,

I participated in a discussion, one you may hear in any part of the world, that could easily be titled ‘what is wrong with the world today?’ Obviously none of us were basing our arguments on anything well-researched, it was much more on personal opinion and experience.

That aside, since I was the youngest one in the group, and the only one around to defend ‘my generation,’ I was pleased when the older generation stated ‘well, whatever is wrong with today, it’s our fault’. Which, for the way time works, past begets present, present begets future, is true. However, this got me thinking about time, generations, what may change between those things, etc.

Do I think there’s been a ‘shift in values’? I don’t know. Even though my generation and the next might have ‘different values’, what does that mean? My generation is the most likely to volunteer their time, which is a nice value. Many also state that my generation is more focused on the individual, which may be the case, but the first statement puts the second in question.

I think that one of the greatest things that the current two generations (let’s say everyone under 35) possess is options. You can be a woman, a minority, disabled, whatever, and mostly be able to pursue the career of your choice, with the education of your choice. Obviously not every gets to do this, perhaps only the elites within those groups, but it is still out there.

My thoughts about all these options is, where did we learn to make good decisions? There are endless possibilities with toothpaste, tv channels, careers, websites, social networks, etc. How do we choose? Do we know how to make good decisions that will positively impact ourselves AND our societies?

What do you think?

Best,
Alena

More advice on Security Clearances

Some links passed to me by readers:

Security Clearance Lawyers to help you through the process.


The Polygraph Examination: Forewarned is Forearmed


So far, being helpful and polite is important, too. My security clearance interviewer was pretty ticked off by the previous interviewee--who was rude and demanding. Also, dress nicely (you don't need a suit, but you should take it seriously).

Either way, best of luck!
Alena

One Point for the Nigerians

Dear Readers,

I know I'm about to commit an international affairs faux pas. I'm going to generalize about two groups of people/institutions that are quite different from each other, and only have one point of commonality here: me.

Here it is:
I like Nigeria. I like Nigerians. I'm sure I'm going to run into tons of obstacles, problems, violence, insecurity, etc...BUT my Nigerian friends, coworkers and soon-to-be employers have been hands-down MUCH more helpful than my first-world American institutions.

I'm not going to name names, but in my job hunt, hiring process, contracting, etc, every time I've needed help (whether it is a job recommendation from a former colleague, help making new contacts in my upcoming consultancy, items for my visa application), that help has been generously given to me by Nigerians. People have gone out of their way to be responsive, communicative, and introduce me to their extended network. Nigerian friends and former colleagues have gone out of their way to help me, help me meet more helpful people and to get things done.

American institutions (some of them involving friends and former bosses)...have been much slower. I'm on 1.5 years of waiting on one job's paperwork to move from desk to desk, and I'll consider myself lucky if I get an actual offer before 2 years has passed from the original application. I've been working for my other job for nearly 3 months and haven't get paid (should happen any day now...I'm not holding grudges, I just would like to buy the plane tickets (that I've delayed twice) necessary for me to actually get to the job)). Also, my American personal connections, despite agreeing to write recommendations, usually take weeks to do so, never communicate and I have to chase them down to make it happen. My Nigerian former colleague? Sent it in the first day, emailed me to confirm AND wished me good luck!

So, maybe I've just met the most charming Nigerians and the more bureaucratic American systems. Still, I think that is one point for the Nigerians.

Thoughts?
Alena

What's it take to have a successful women's movement in Africa?

Moral clarity, persistence, and patience (According to Lehman Gbowee (the now-famous figure from Pray the Devil Back to Hell).
I would add: creativity and courage

Most of this post comes from reading a great blog post "It's Time to End Africa's Mass Rape"

The Liberian story, like many others, really brings home the ability of women within a society to completely transform a war into peace. I highly recommend seeing Pray the Devil Back to Hell.

I know its not necessarily the case that women automatically change the nature of a conflict, but its great to see the impact of these tough, strong, paradigm-changing ladies.

Movements to watch:

Women Peace and Security Network Africa (WIPSEN-Africa)

Women of Zimbabwe Arise

African Women’s Development Fund

The African Feminist Forum

Peace is Loud!

I've always been fascinated by the stereotype of 'quiet' women. Sure, I've met one or two, but I've been fortunate (yay Wellesley!) to have known many warm sisterhoods and some pretty feisty ladies.

Best,
Alena

Africa Reboots: Forces rally against poor governance

Dearest readers,

I ran across a great article: Africa Reboots, by, of all people BONO.

It stresses the idea that two forces, normally opposing, are rallying around poor governance and weak institutions. Both feel that they suffer from corruption and that weak states negatively effect their respective flocks.

I think this is an interesting and valid point of view. I do, however, think that at least the corporate interests have created much of this problem. Bribing from the low to the high becomes the norm, when all parties allow it to occur. Cops don't become corrupt by themselves. Neither do presidents, ministers or anyone else.

"Entrepreneurs know that even a good relationship with a bad government stymies foreign investment; civil society knows a resource-rich country can have more rather than fewer problems, unless corruption is tackled." This is a pretty accurate description.

So, can civil society and business unite? Can these two forces push governments to be more accountable, less corrupt and to think of the bigger picture?

Some interesting figures were introduced in the article, described by Bono:

John Githongo, Kenya’s famous whistleblower, started a group called Inuka.

DJ Rowbow: His station, Ghetto Radio, was a voice of reason when the volcano of ethnic tension was exploding in Kenya in 2008.

Youssou N’Dour — musician in Senegal who best exemplified the new rules. Maybe the greatest singer on earth — owns a newspaper and is in the middle of a complicated deal to buy a TV station.

Luisa Diogo, the country’s former prime minister, who is now the matriarch in this mesmerizing stretch of eastern Africa, leads Activa, a women’s group that, among other things, helps entrepreneurs get seed capital.

Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese entrepreneur who made a fortune in mobile phones.

On another note, President Goodluck Jonathan seems to have his thoughts together on his interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour this past week. I think his statements about political opponents 'let them come! anyone who wants to, can come!' is an excellent attempt to undermine opposition--if you seem like they can't ruffle your feathers, that President Jonathan has nothing to fear--is more effective than just bluster and criticism.

I read a few articles analyzing the interview, but I think it's worth watching in its own right.

Hope all is well with you.
Alena

In Honor of the Nuclear Summit, Part III

Dear all,

Here is the third installment of President Ikeda's Peace Proposal, the part that focuses on nuclear abolition.

2010 Peace Proposal
Toward a New Era of Value Creation
Daisaku Ikeda
President, Soka Gakkai International

Toward a world without nuclear weapons

In a proposal I wrote last year (September 2009), I offered a five-part plan for laying the foundation for a world free from nuclear weapons, including the promotion of various disarmament efforts and making the transition to security arrangements that are not reliant on nuclear weapons. At the same time, I reaffirmed my longstanding conviction that if we are to put the era of nuclear terror behind us, we must struggle against the real “enemy.”

That enemy is not nuclear weapons per se, nor is it the states that possess or develop them.
The real enemy that we must confront is the ways of thinking that justify nuclear weapons; the readiness to annihilate others when they are seen as a threat or as a hindrance to the realization of our objectives. (this is my favorite quote)

My proposals should be considered as a series of steps to overcome and transform the thinking that justifies nuclear weapons and to strengthen the momentum toward their abolition.

The first of these is to work, based on the existing NPT system, to expand the frameworks defining a clear legal obligation not to use nuclear weapons, in this way laying the institutional foundations for reducing their role in national security.

The second is to include the threat or use of nuclear weapons among the war crimes falling under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC), further clarifying the norm that nuclear weapons are indeed weapons that must never be used.

The third is to create a system, based on the United Nations Charter, for the General Assembly and the Security Council to work together for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons.

None of these proposals will be easy to implement, but all of them build on existing
institutional foundations. They are by no means unreachable goals. It is my earnest wish
that the NPT Review Conference to be held in May will initiate movement toward these
goals and that they can be implemented within five years. Such efforts should culminate in
a nuclear abolition summit in 2015—to be held in Hiroshima and Nagasaki seventy years
after the nuclear attacks that devastated these two cities—which would effectively signal
the end of the era of nuclear weapons.

There are many more pages to go--what do you think so far?

Best,
Alena

The 3Ds, challenges in language and culture

Dear All,

Hope this finds you well, sorry for the delay in posting--its been a busy month or two. I'm headed to the Niger Delta in May to do a six-month consultancy and I've been accepted in the 'pre-employment phase' at USAID to be a 'crisis, stabilization and governance officer', which means i don't have a job, but I do have paperwork. :) More on that later.

The 3 Ds (Diplomacy, Defense and Development)

At first, i thought it was just my mother. That my mother and I couldn't communicate about my newfound understanding of war and how that impacted my wish to work and create value within the security world. After 2+ years of back and forth, we've managed to communicate with each other and she is supportive of my goals and context (she always was, in a sense, but associated security with guns and death, not the ability to protect and transform).

Now, what about with everyone else?

I find myself struggling with a new identity

I am not a classic security person, but i have learned a new language and have trouble going back to who I was before. I need to find new ways to communicate with the people who resemble who I was, while appreciating their perspective.

How should I start? Should I start with an agreement on terms? Perspective?

I've been trying to find a place in the development world that can utilize my new security perspective, my diplomatic upbringing and my desire to create long-term, effective improvements in the lives of humanity.

However, when I found myself in an job interview for a position that I thought epitomized this (a development job in Afghanistan), I found myself repeatedly making a cultural mistake: I assumed we were speaking the same language.

I asked a seemingly innocent question: So, what is your security perspective for your work in Afghanistan?
A: Well, we have a security team that makes sure we stay alive...they're very good.

I tried again...no, no, how does the context the context of war affect your work?

A: Well, we try to stay away from the more volatile areas and conduct risk analysis, etc.

This was not the answer I was looking for--I wanted to know, how does the context affect your work? What about the trauma of the population with whom you are working? What about the trust and legitimacy issues?

Frustrated, I finally tried a direct approach, even though I was beginning to realize that I was just not speaking the same language...

I asked: But you're in a counter-insurgency, you have funding because development work is part of the war effort, how is that not part of your planning?

You could have heard a pin drop, they looked like I had slapped them. THEM, part of the WAR? Never!

One tried to argue with me and it was clear the others were angry..."But, we're doing the hearts and minds stuff...long term goals'...'we don't get funding from DOD'....'We don't deal with guns'

It was clear that one, they didn't realize that 'winning hearts and minds' IS a military strategy, and that COIN is political, more than about guns.

So, what am I to do? How do I use the things I've learned to work with the people who do the work I want to do, without upsetting them (but using the things I've learned to bridge this gap in communication?).

I'm open to your thoughts!
Best,
Alena