Embracing the New Year’s Opportunities for Change

Posted by Jeffrey Feltman / January 12, 2012

Children play in a narrow alley in Tunis, Tunisia, March 14, 2011. [AP File Photo]

When I served as Political-Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Tunisia in the late 1990s, noisy and crowded diplomatic events -- dinners, receptions, national day parties -- were the best place to meet with Tunisians who assumed that President Ben Ali's mukhabarat had bugged all offices. They believed the safety of the noise and crowds at diplomatic events protected candid conversations. But sometimes, even diplomatic receptions didn't work out as planned: one night, my wife and I hosted a reception at our residence in Gammarth, where a large number of human rights and civil society activists showed up, probably to the horror of the few Tunisian government officials who dared attend. At the end of the reception, the mukhabarat arrested a number of guests whom we had gathered in one location, inadvertently facilitating a crackdown.

Foreign diplomats cynically nicknamed… more »

Posted under: Near East and Asia

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Egypt: Reaffirming Respect for All at Coptic Christmas

Posted by Jeffrey Feltman / January 08, 2012

In this Friday, Jan. 6, 2012 photo, Egyptians attend Christmas Eve mass at a Coptic church in Qena, Egypt. [AP Photo]

Over the course of my career as a United States diplomat, I've spent many a Christmas holiday in countries across the Middle East. From Beirut to Tunis, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Baha'is, and peoples of all religions, celebrate and acknowledge the importance of faith, a hope for the future, and goodwill toward all. Yet, something I saw a few days ago in Cairo reminded me of another important tenant of the season: tolerance.

I had the privilege of joining our Ambassador Anne Patterson in attending two Christmas services on January 6. First, we went to a moving celebration at the Evangelical Presbyterian Church near Tahrir Square. Then, in the evening, we attended a Coptic Christmas ceremony at Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral.

In both churches, there were celebrations of the joy of the season alongside somber moments of remembrance for those who lost… more »

Posted under: Near East and Asia

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