Pentagon "Truthisms" #1

 First off, my entries are a bit light this week since I am a 'note-recorder' for this conference this week and don't have much access to my computer.

This is the first in a new category of entries.  Pentagon Truthisms:

#1 If you bend your knees when you swipe your access card it's much more likely to work.

At first I thought people were just bending their knees because their neck loop that hold the access card wouldn't reach the swipe bad if they didn't lean over, but once I started paying attention I noticed that 'everyone' does this, even those who don't use the typical neck loop. 
    Other variations of the knee bend include the 'swipe and step' wherein if you step immediately toward the door without seeing if you got the green access light it's more likely to work.

Question:
What's the most number of times you've had to swipe your card to get the green light?  I think my record was about 16 times.

FUUO's Pentagonisms:

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/11/pgon-ism-of-week-circle-wagons.html

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/12/pentagon-ism-of-week-bandwidth.html

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/10/pgon-ism-of-week-missionary-work.html

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/09/pgonism-of-week-bluf.html

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/08/pgon-ism-of-week-across-river.html

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/07/pentagon-ism-of-week-reaching-out.html

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/07/pentagon-ism-of-week.html

http://famousdc.com/2010/09/03/for-unofficial-use-only/

Article of the Week- The Politically Incorrect Guide to Ending Poverty

This is a VERY interesting article that most people in conventional circles (DOD, STATE, AID) will most likely immediately dismiss.  However revolutionary, incendiary or controversial Paul Romer's ideas may be, they are ones which merit robust discussion at all levels.  For even though his ideas may never be fully adopted or supported by the "Big 3", digressions or offshoots or 'indirect support' of these ideas could certainly be KEY to Africa (specifically West Africa)'s success. 

*One example could be building pre-conditions which would enable select African countries (or more likely recognized economic groups) to forgo tariffs and taxes or building other incentives to leverage progress and cooperation. 
*Another example might be if a charter city was created along with a coast guard. This could incentivise the sponsor country(ies) to create a training center for operation and maintenance and the infrastructure of charter city itself could attack many of the problems which plauge many west african country- namely sustaining and maintaining the equipment once they receive it.
*Thoughts, opinions?
*BONUS QUESTION:  What caused the decline of the Hanseatic league

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/print/2010/07/the-politically-incorrect-guide-to-ending-poverty/8134/

Diplomats Daily Quotable- O

Opportunities:  "He who seizes the right moment is the right man."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Order, vulnerability of establish: "Revolutionaries almost always start from a position of inferior strength.  They prevail because the established order is unable to grasp its own vulnerability." 
Henry Kissinger, 1994.

African Diaspora Film Festival this weekend

It looks like they have some cool documentaries and films...in particular there's a documentary showing Friday and Saturday night on Wole Soyinka (Wole Soyinka: Child of the Forest) who some of you may remember from an earlier POTW entry (http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/06/potw-in-small-hours-by-wole-soyinka.html).  He was the first African to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Diplomat's Daily Quotable- en FRANÇAIS

No quote today, just some interesting old school customs (if you don't know what a calling card is, google it):

p.c.: An abbreviation of the french phrase pour condoler, written in the lower left corner of a calling card to express condolences upon a death or calamity.

p.f.: An abbreviation of the french phrase pour féliciter, written in the lower left corner of a calling card to convey congratulations--for example, upon a national holiday, promotion, engagement, or marriage.

p.p.c.: An abbreviation of the french phrase pour prendre congé,  written in the lower left corner of a calling card to say goodbye before departure from a diplomatic post.

p.r.:  An abbreviation of the french phrase pour remercier, written in the lower left corner of a calling to express thanks--for example, for a party or gift.

Pentagon-ISM of the week- 'Reaching out'

 Pentagon-ISM of the week- 'Reaching out'

Ah yes, 'reaching out', also see: 'reach out' or reached out'. 

If you work in the PGON you WILL hear this EVERY day--without FAIL.  Maybe I am just oblivious but I never heard this term until coming to work here.  Or maybe people used it so infrequently or 'occasionally' that I never noticed it.  People DON'T use it occassionally here, that is for sure.
    If I didn't know any better I would think the Pentagon is this cuddly, homely, 5-sided center of out-stretched arms cooperating at every chance.  But of course this is not the case.

Example of use:
"Rick, I need you to reach out to State and see if we can start working a 'way-ahead' (see future Pentagonism OTW) for Chelsea's wedding location."

    Close your eyes. Can you imagine Rick hearing the statement above and slowly turning to the northeast in his cubicle and stretching his arms towards Foggy Bottom, all the while chanting 'Algeria, Algeria, Algeria.'

In this case you can see the way in which the vague nature of the term serves a purpose of masking the actual nature of the tasking.  The reason for this is because often enough, people aren't sure what outcome is actually desired.   And unlike the word 'contact' or 'call' or 'get in touch with', 'reach out' carries with it the presupposition of cooperation...which is pretty funny because that is usually the biggest hurdle when working with other agencies.
    But as always, this PentagonismOTW is a great tool in a junior officer's arsenal because 'reaching out' can mean anything:

"Well sir, I reached out to State last week but didn't get any 'traction' (see future Pentagonism OTW)."

In this case, I forgot to call my counterpart at the State Department and instead literally waved toward Foggy Bottom on the Yellow Line headed northward, but they didn't wave back

So, next time you are home you can mess with your Dad and ask him to 'reach out' to your grandmother regarding who will be hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year.

FUUO's Pentagonisms:

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/11/pgon-ism-of-week-circle-wagons.html

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/12/pentagon-ism-of-week-bandwidth.html

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/10/pgon-ism-of-week-missionary-work.html

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/09/pgonism-of-week-bluf.html

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/08/pgon-ism-of-week-across-river.html

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/07/pentagon-ism-of-week-reaching-out.html

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/07/pentagon-ism-of-week.html

http://famousdc.com/2010/09/03/for-unofficial-use-only/

  

Diplomat's Daily Quotable- Q

An argument for the importance of quarreling quietly...

Quarrel, of friends: "The quarrels of friends are the opportunities of foes."
-Aesop

Questions:  Never ask a question unless you're sure the answer will help your cause.

This one should be on the front page of everyone's notebook.

Excited for this event next week: China's Engagement with Africa

This should be a great event and I am excited I get to attend this!  One of the myriad reasons I love my job...yup, I said it.  I work in the PGON and I said I love my job!  One of the speakers at the event Deborah Brautigam has a great blog whose link is on the sidebar of my blog. 

Diplomat's Daily Quotable- from an Indian Notorious B.I.G.

The first quote reminds me of something Notorious B.I.G. would have said...had he been Indian and alive thousands of years ago.
Reprisal: "If the enemy fights deceitfully he should be paid in his own coin."
-The Mahabharta

The Mahabharata (Sanskrit Mahābhārata  is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, part of the Hindu history.  It has about one hundred thousand verses, about 1.8 million words total, and is roughly ten times the length of the Iliad and Odyssey combined.
     The story itself is about the dynastic struggle for the throne of Hastinapura, the kingdom ruled by the Kuru clan. The two branches of the family that participate in the struggle are the Kaurava and the Pandava.  Both branches claim to be first in line to inherit the throne.  And so the struggle begins...sounds like it would make a great movie.

Retreat: "Some battles are won only after retreat to a more advantageous ground."

True on so many levels...also, some battles aren't worth winning in my opinion...

Good events at Brookings tomorrow on DRC-Sudan discussion

Improving U.S. Strategy for Africa's Two Biggest Wars

Tuesday, July 20, 2010, 4:00 — 5:30 pm

The Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC

Over the last two decades, no wars anywhere in the world have been more deadly than those in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sudan. As the DRC celebrates the 50th anniversary of its independence, its seemingly endless war continues, fueled in part by corrupt governance. Sudan also faces the ongoing conflict in Darfur and, potentially, a bigger war across the south in the run-up to southern Sudan’s independence referendum six months from now. It is a critical time for U.S. policy.

On July 20, the Brookings Institution will host John Prendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project and co-author of the forthcoming book The Enough Moment (Random House, 2010) for a discussion of the ongoing conflicts in the DRC and Sudan. Anthony Gambino, former USAID mission director for the DRC, and Senior Fellow Mwangi Kimenyi of the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings, will also join the discussion. Senior Fellow Michael O'Hanlon, who served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the DRC, will moderate the panel.

After the program, panelists will take audience questions.


Moderator



Michael O’Hanlon

Senior Fellow and Director of Research, Foreign Policy The Brookings Institution



Panelists



Anthony Gambino

Former USAID Mission Director
The Democratic Republic of Congo

John Prendergast

Co-Founder
The Enough Project

Mwangi Kimenyi

Senior Fellow
The Brookings Institution

Poet of the Week from Morocco: Ali Squali Houssaini

Poet of the Week from Morocco: Ali Squali Houssaini


Written by Ali Squali Houssaini in 1970 (although a version of it was around even while Morocco was still a french protectorate up until 1956)

Hymne Cherifien (Hymn of the Sharif)

Fountain of Freedom,
Rising Place of the Light.
Forum of Independence and its protector.
Long live as the Forum of Independence and as its protector.
Long live among homelands,
As their emblem
Filling all hearts.
With memory for all languages,
With the spirit,
With the body,
Give to your son
Who answered your call,
With my mouth and with my blood.
Your love was stirred up as light and fire.
Let’s go brothers!
Running for the summit!
Make the world witness,
That we here live
With an emblem of:
God, homeland and king.


Past Poets of the Week:
http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2012/05/african-poets-of-week-compilation.html

Some of my favorite poetry books:

Diplomat's Daily Quotable- S

Another start to the work week here at the PGON. 

Suspicion: "Ignorance is the mother of suspicion."

This quote is great.  The less you know, the more suspicions you may have.  Knowledge is the key to dispelling this.


Summit meetings, preparation of: "If discretion is the better part of valour, preparation is undoubtedly the best part of summitry."
-Geoffrey Jackson, 1981

Preparation doesn't meant powerpoints though in my opinion.  We need to start 'telling a story' when we are holding a meeting.  If you are attending a meeting you should be ready to communicate and tell your story the chance arises.

Diplomat's Daily Quotable

Tribes: "Great powers should never get involved in the politics of small tribes."
-Kamal Salibi

Well that's easier said than done Kamal...

Tour of duty: "One usually has to be at a post at least a year before one has gotten one's bearings, and established one's relationships, and sensed the important people that you want to cultivate and develop, and established your own rating system for the validity of the information and the soundness of the judgements that you extract, and the learned the country and its problems."
-Livingston Merchant

By the end of that year, you usually only have 6-12 months to use those assets...

Pentagon-ISM of the week-Socialize

 Pentagon-ISM of the week-Socialize

Okay, in order to get a little humor and life into this blog I have decided to add a "Pentagon-ISM" each week.  This is a word or phrase that you are guaranteed to hear during any given day (and certainly during any given week) during the course of business here at the P-GON.

Drumrollllllllllllllllll...this week's word is 'socialize'.

I overheard this while riding the slow lane on the food court escalator today.  A guy my age in a suit was with a group going down on the opposite direction escalator.  Someone asked him about the status of some project and he replied that he still needed to 'socialize' it with another office. 

Socialize is a great word because it is vague and can mean anything.  Typically it just means to unofficially or casually bring up a topic/issue with a counterpart at another office or agency (or within your own office) in order to gauge their response.  HOWEVER, it's often used in a response to a request for the status of a project or tasker:

 "I've started socializing it with State but haven't heard back" = "Once I am done updating my Facebook status I will start on an email to my counterpart at the State Department..wait, what's the tasker again?"

FUUO's Pentagonisms:

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/11/pgon-ism-of-week-circle-wagons.html

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/12/pentagon-ism-of-week-bandwidth.html

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/10/pgon-ism-of-week-missionary-work.html

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/09/pgonism-of-week-bluf.html

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/08/pgon-ism-of-week-across-river.html

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/07/pentagon-ism-of-week-reaching-out.html

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/07/pentagon-ism-of-week.html

http://famousdc.com/2010/09/03/for-unofficial-use-only/

 

 

Diplomat's Daily Quotable- U

Useful: "There are few ironclad rules of diplomacy but to one there is no exception.  When an official reports that talks were useful, it can be safely be concluded that nothing was accomplished." 
-John Kenneth Galbraith, 1969

Wait, you are supposed to accomplish stuff in 'talks' and meetings?  I thought they were just to get you out of the office!

Diplomat's Daily Quotable

Two great quotes today.

Diplomat's Daily Quotable:

Words:  "The world is older than the state.  Words form and reform states.  Those who run states know the power of words and attempt to control them."
-Richard Stern, quoted by George P. Schultz, 1993.

"Words are swords."
-Talleyrand

Poet of the Week from Algeria: Moufdi Zakaria

Poet of the Week from Algeria: Moufdi Zakaria

This week's POTW is both a poem and the Algerian national anthem. It was written by Moufdi Zakaria while imprisoned for his politics (by the French) in 1956. Supposedly he wrote this poem in blood on the wall of his cell...it's not a short poem, so he must have had some blood to spare. For his efforts they named an airport after him in Algeria.


Oh, and one more interesting tidbit...here's his original full name:
Cheikh Zakaria Ben Slimane Ben Yahia Ben Cheikh Slimane Ben Hadj Aissa


Kassaman (We Pledge)


We swear by the lightning that destroys,
By the streams of generous blood being shed,
By the bright flags that wave,
Flying proudly on the high mountains,
That we have risen up, and whether we live or die,
We are resolved that Algeria shall live -
So be our witness -be our witness - be our witness!


We are soldiers in revolt for truth
And we have fought for our independence.
When we spoke, none listened to us,
So we have taken the noise of gunpowder as our rhythm
And the sound of machine guns as our melody,
We are resolved that Algeria shall live -
So be our witness -be our witness -be our witness!


O France, the time of reproof is over
And we have ended it as a book is ended;
O France, this is the day of reckoning
So prepare to receive from us our answer!
In our revolution is the end of empty talk;
We are resolved that Algeria shall live -
So be our witness -be our witness -be our witness!


From our heroes we shall make an army come to being,
From our dead we shall build up a glory,
Our spirits shall ascend to immortality
And on our shoulders we shall raise the standard.
To the nation's Liberation Front we have sworn an oath,
We are resolved that Algeria shall live -
So be our witness -be our witness -be our witness!


The cry of the Fatherland sounds from the battlefields.
Listen to it and answer the call!
Let it be written with the blood of martyrs
And be read to future generations.
Oh, Glory, we have held out our hand to you,
We are resolved that Algeria shall live -
So be our witness -be our witness -be our witness!



FUUO Past Poets of the Week:
http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2012/05/african-poets-of-week-compilation.html

Some of my favorite poetry books:

Diplomat's Daily Quotable

My apologies for the scarcity of posts lately.  I need to front load them in the future.  That way when things get busy I can just one click post them.  Today we are gonna flip it around and work bacward from the zzzzzzzzzzzz's.

Diplomat's Daily Quotable:

ZEALOTRY:  Not everyone regards survival as an imperative.  Some prefer the dignity of death to the ignominy of peace on an enemy's terms.

This quote definitely speaks to the danger of such assumptions.  For most of us survival is our most basic imperative.  However, we must be quick to discern when this is not the case in our adversaries (or potential adversaries) and shift our strategies as appropriate.