I went home to New York for Easter weekend and was surprised to find my work life infiltrating the holiday weekend. On Saturday night I went to a popular Broadway musical. The theatre was packed, the production phenomenal and the applause lengthy. The surprise came after the curtain came down and the lead actor asked the audience to give money to a charity that helps prevent disease in Africa. My curiosity was piqued by the recipient. I had never seen a Broadway actor pitch for any charity outside of the U.S before. Surprise number two came during Easter services at the church I have been going to since I was a little girl. Three quarters of the way through, a woman went to the pulpit and spoke about a church trip she had made to Africa. The story was riveting, and then she came to the point -- a plea for the congregation to give…

About the Author: Anne Benjaminson serves as a Cultural Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

In the warm spring air, it was almost possible to forget the winter Tajikistan had just suffered through. The sun was shining and grass was poking through the dirt. The trees around us, however, were all stumps. They had all been cut down for firewood in desperation for warmth and cash during Tajikistan's coldest winter in more than 40 years.

An Embassy delegation of Ambassador Tracey Jacobson, USAID Deputy Program Officer Steve Kelley, Interpreter Khurshed Mayusupov and I were in Kirov, a small town about two hours south of Dushanbe. The town couldn't have been more than 2,000 people, but at least 50 families have children with disabilities. Many were caused by poor prenatal nutrition…

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Hidden Prosperity and the Banana Index in Iraq
Posted by John Matel on Apr 08, 2008 - 03:04 PM

John A Matel serves as an ePRT Leader in Western Anbar, Iraq embedded with the U.S. Regimental Combat Team 5th Marines.

General Patraeus and Ambassador Crocker have given their assessment of the situation in Iraq. They see the big picture and I will not try to add or detract from anything they have said. I am grappling with my own challenge of measurement. How can I tell if my team and I are doing a good job? I am doing my best to deploy all my skill and experience on how to assess and measure. I am delving back to my MBA days when I studied marketing research, but Western Al Anbar presents a researcher with almost the perfect storm of confusion. I am not sure how to measure progress and I am not sure that information is knowable even in theory.

I think the skills of an Anthropologist would be…

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Question of the Week: Is Celebrity Engagement Helpful in Bringing Attention to Policy Matters?
Posted by DipNote Bloggers on Apr 08, 2008 - 11:26 AM

When Angelina Jolie went to Iraq, she met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and U.S. General David Petraeus to discuss the plight of Iraqi refugees. George Clooney traveled to Sudan to highlight the predicament of that country’s refugees. Bono has met with several world leaders, including President George Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss aid for Africa.

Is celebrity engagement helpful in bringing meaningful attention to these policy matters?

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