Weekly Reading: Treating People Well, Happiness, Lent, Cleaning up Cereal, Partition and Confrontational, Loud Israelis

Playing a little catch up on my weekly readings.

A New Business Strategy: Treating Employees Well
Who would have thought right?  Great article on B-corporations and King Arthur flour in particular.

http://worldhappiness.report/
Yes, happiness is a difficult thing to quantify but this report is a great start.  Figuring out a country or a person's concept of happiness is one of the single most important thing you can do if you are a diplomat/foreign area officer working in a foreign country.

Ash Dykes Madagascar Journey
The man who traversed Madagascar on foot...and who wrote, filmed and blogged about it.

The baffling reason many millennials don’t eat cereal
Perfectly sums them up.  They don't cereal because they don't like to clean it up...seriously...they don't like to clean up the bowl...of empty cereal.

If my church does not practice Lent, should I?
Great post by an old friend from our church in DC.

Navy Medal of Honor Awardee Inducted into Pentagon's Hall of Heroes
Great video.

Goldwater Nichols 2.0
Mandatory reading for Foreign Area officers.  Great CSIS breakdown on the 2016 SASC hearings on defense reform and interagency changes.

It’s Time to Seriously Consider Partitioning Syria
Stavridis opines on partition.  Here's my own argument for partition, in general.

A helpful graphic that compares how EMOTIONALLY EXPRESSIVE and how CONFRONTATIONAL people of various cultural backgrounds generally are.

Weekly Reading: Riveting Reading on Leahy Rights

·      
    SEP 2013 GAO Human Rights (Leahy Vetting) Study

·      JAN 2014 CRS“Leahy Law” Human Rights Provisions and Security Assistance: Issue Overview

·         JUL 2014 CRS Specialist Blanchard Congressional Testimony: “Human Rights Vetting: Nigeria and Beyond” 

Weekly Reading: Deep thoughts on Security Cooperation from CNAS, in Africa and on the Sea

Some lengthy documents to dive into:

Security Cooperation and Assistance: Rethinking the Return on Investment

Maritime Security and Multilateral Cooperation: A Japanese Perspective

Security Cooperation Missions in Africa: Is the United States Conducting the Correct Types of Security Cooperation Missions on the African Continent?

Security Assistance and Cooperation: Shared Responsibility of the Departments of State and Defense

SIPRI Global Military Spending since 1988 report (database)  

Reading the Continent--A Work of Fiction from Every Country in Africa

Need book recommendations? Check out all 301 (and counting) books that I've read at Dad's Bookshelf.

I've moved where I track my Africa reads to Beyond Achebe: A Literary Atlas--come check it out and let me know what you think.

After looking at my reading lists from the last several years (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015) during this past Christmas, I was embarrassed to note the dearth of African fiction on my list. So beginning in 2016, I've decided to make an effort to read a work of fiction by an African author from every country on the continent. A parallel effort will include reading and writing about a poem from every country.

So below I've started my list. I will update it as I progress--if you have any suggestions please let me know. If a novel is listed, then I've read it. I know there is plenty of great non-fiction (much of it listed on my comprehensive Africa reading list) too but for now I will stick with the good stuff.

I've also started including a link to my prior "Poet of the Week" selections for various African countries--something to keep you occupied until I read a book from that country.

Coincidentally, in searching for novels I came across an amazing effort by writer Ann Morgan who read a novel from EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD! Her complete list is here. It's invaluable in countries like Comoros and Madagascar where there is no published English fiction.

COUNTRY COUNTER (23/54)

General (Multiple Countries)

West with the Night by Beryl Markham : My review is here and more information about the incomparable writer is here.

The Shadow of the Sun by Ryszard Kapuscinski. This book is on my GOFO Africa Reading List. I put a couple of choice quotes from the book's foreword here.

*Add section on influence of India in African literature as well

MAGHREB

Algeria

What the Day Owes the Night by Yasmina Khadra. FUTURE READ.

Fantasia: An Algerian Cavalcade by Assia Djebar. FUTURE READ.

Poet of the Week from Algeria: Moufdi Zakaria: Kassaman (We Pledge)

Libya

Confines of the Shadow: My review is here.

Poet of the Week from Libya: Fatima Mahmoud: What Was Not Conceivable

Poet of the Week from Libya: Ashur Etwebi: Politics and Writing a Poem

Poet of the Week from Libya: Khaled Mattawa: East of Carthage: An Idyll

Mauritania

Morocco

Leaving Tangier: My review is here.

Poet of the Week from Morocco: Muhammed Bennis: Love is Eternity's River

Poet of the Week from Morocco: Ali Squali Houssaini: Moroccan National Anthem

Poet of the Week from Morocco: Hassan El Ouazzani: Elegy for Love

Tunisia

Talismano by Dr. Abdelwahab Meddeb. FUTURE READ.

LUSOPHONE

Angola

Luuanda by Tania Macedo. FUTURE READ.

Poet of the Week from Zaire (DRC)/Angola: Makuzayi Massaki: Regressado, Yes I Am

Cabo Verde

The Last Will and Testament of da Silva. My review is here.

Equatorial Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Mozambique

Sleepwalking Land by Mia Couto. My review is here.

Poet of the Week from Mozambique: Noémia de Sousa: If You Want to Know Me

Sao Tome and Principe

FRANCOPHONE

Benin

Burkina Faso

Cameroon (British too, German too)

Houseboy. My review is here.

Poet of the week from Cameroon: Mbella Sonne Dipoko: A Poem of Villeneuve St. Georges

Central African Republic

Chad

Comoros

The Kafir of Khartala: My review is here.

Congo, Republic of the

Tomorrow I'll Be Twenty by Alain Mabanckou. FUTURE READ.

Cote d'Ivoire

Allah is Not Obliged by Ahmadou Kourouma. This novel could just as easily have been filed under Sierra Leone or Liberia but I stuck it here since the author is Ivorian. And if we want to get all philosophical about things, most of these books could be filed under multiple countries since the borders are really an artificial colonial construct. My review is here.

Djibouti

Transit by Abdourahman Waberi. Recently finished--my review will be here.

The Land Without Shadows by Abdourahman Waberi. FUTURE READ.

Gabon

Guinea

Madagascar

Vakio Milamina: My review is here.

Beyond the Ricefields: the first ever novel translated into English. My review is here.

Poet of the Week from Madagascar: Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo: 9

Mali

Niger

Senegal

So Long a Letter: My full review is here.

Poet of the Week from Senegal: Senghor: Black Woman

Poet of the Week from Senegal: Leopold Senghor: Et nous baignerons mon amie

Seychelles (British too)

Togo (British and Germany too)

An African in Greenland by Kpomassie. My review is here.

BRITISH

Botswana

Poet of the Week from Botswana: Baralong Seboni: Love That

Egypt

The Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz. Magnificent story about colonial Egypt and family.

Poet of the Week from Syria/Egypt: Khalil Mutran: Boycott

Gambia

Ghana

Ghana Must Go: My review is here.

Poet of the Week from Ghana: Atukwei Okai: III (Everyone Dreams of Kissing You)

Kenya

The Zanzibar Chest by Aiden Hartley. One of my favorite books ever. Not technically fiction but it sure reads like it. My review is here.

One Day I Will Write About This Place: My review is here.

Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alex Fuller. I never wrote a review on this one.

Lesotho (and Dutch)

Malawi

The Jive Talker or How to Get a British Passport: My review is here.

Poet of the Week from Malawi: Frank Chipasula: A Love Poem for my Country

Mauritius (also french and dutch)

Nigeria

Arrow of God by Achebe (I've read all of his novels but this one was my favorite) : My review is here.

I Do Not Come to You By Chance: My review is here.

The Fishermen: My review is here.

Americanah: My review is here.

Every Day is For the Thief: My short review is here. My kindle highlights are here.

Poet of the Week from Nigeria: Wole Soyinka: In the Small Hours

Sierra Leone (Compare with Liberia)

The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna. My review is here.

South Sudan

There is a Country: New Fiction from the New Nation of South Sudan FUTURE READ.

Sudan

What is the What? I never wrote a review for this one.

Poet of the Week Muhammed Al-Faituri from Sudan: A Scream

Swaziland

Tanzania

The Gunny Sack by M.J. Vassanji. My review is here.

Uganda

All our Names: My review is here. THIS IS THE GREAT AFRICAN NOVEL. One of the best books I've ever read.

South Africa (Dutch too)

My Traitor's Heart: Read this but never wrote a review.

Bring Me My Machine Gun: Read this but never wrote a review.

Zambia

Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller.

Poet of the Week from Zambia: Gwendoline Konie: In the Fist of Your Hand

Zimbabwe

Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness:

We Need New Names: My review is here.

They Are Coming: My review is here.

BELGIAN

Burundi (German too)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

A Bend in the River (1979) by V.S. Naipaul. My review is here.

Dancing in the Glory of Monsters by Jason Stearns. Not fiction but it reads like--my review is here.

Poet of the Week from the Congo: Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard: Impuissance

Rwanda (German too)

Everything is Yours, Everything is Not Yours: My review is here.

ITALIAN

Eritrea (British too)

Ethiopia (Italy tried but failed)

In Praise of Savagery: My review is here.

Somalia (British too)

Warrior: Life and Death Among Somalis. My review is here.

Poet of the Week from Somalia: Abdirashid Omar: The Decree

Poet of the Week from Somalia: K'Naan: Somalia.

AMERICAN

Liberia

GERMAN

Namibia (but also South African)

AFRICA READING LISTS:

Heinemann African Writers Series Wiki Entry

Where to find Heinemann African Writers Series for a Price

Africa is a Country reading lists:

http://africasacountry.com/2011/12/what-you-should-be-reading/

http://africasacountry.com/2013/07/winter-reading-list/

http://africasacountry.com/2013/07/summer-reading-list/

http://bookslive.co.za/blog/2015/05/16/the-2015-sunday-times-alan-paton-award-shortlist/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Ronge_Fiction_Prize

http://www.caineprize.com/

http://prize.etisalat.com.ng/about-the-prize/

Weekly Reading: A Racist Repents, North Korean "Art", Pressure Points, and Fasting

Hold on, before you “give up something for Lent”
A good thoughtful post from my old Pastor in DC on the nature and history of fasting--especially as it's tied in to Easter.

All-but-forgotten artist Trotter brought into the limelight in new film ‘Many Beautiful Things’

The Study-Abroad Solution How to Open the American Mind
Foreign Affairs only lets you read one article a month...but if you go to the link and CTRL+Print the article before scrolling down, the whole article will come up in print preview--then you just save it as a PDF.

North Korea's biggest export? Giant statues. To African dictators.
Their art studio has a website here.  You are welcome.  OH, and the site also has a link to the handcrafted posters here.  Unbelievably these are all serious posters.  Seeing them reminded me of the Orphan Master's Son--a phenomenal novel by Adam Johnson.

Let’s Sweat More in Training for the World Championship

A ruthless defender of apartheid now seeks forgiveness
Powerful and unbelievable story of reconciliation, forgiveness is South Africa.  In this story's case, one of the most evil men in South Africa repents and gets down on his knees and washes the feet of a black man.

Know These Pressure Points that Can Relieve Stress

2013 Joint FAO Conference --My Notes and Takeaways

I found these old notes from when I attended the Joint FAO conference back in 2013 before I began my FAO career in earnest (i.e., before I'd received my master's and embarked on my first overseas tour).  It would be worthwhile for me to revisit them at some point in more depth as there's a big gap between expectation and reality.

AMB Lyon on FAO Shortcomings:
-Writing style: needs to be analytical, need to work with Amb. He needs essays WITHOUT acronyms.
-Need to see the shades of grey
-bring about change through indirect means
-research ‘campaign design’
-lack of negotiation training
-need to embrace language beyond mechanical knowledge (poetry, music, etc)
-FAOs must listen to their music, read their poetry, watch their TV shows (what are the top TV shows in your country)
*Are Foreign Service Nationals unsung heroes?


RADM Lemmons


-For NOB FITREPs, request a soft breakout, this is very important!
-FAOs need to be publishing!
Book Recommendation:  Blueprint for Action: A Future Worth Creating by Thomas Barnett


“The Foreign Assistance Spectrum”

-Maritime Pillars: Professionals, Domain Awareness, Infrastructure. Response capabilities.
“Sea blindness” inability to see what’s going on in your own waters. Also a blindess to the value of the navy’s value in maritime environment.

“As a FAO you must establish your brand.”

“Defense is from Mars, State is from Venus” paper (1998) by Col. Rife

Foreign Service Institue- emphasis on active learning of language
-2 week intensive course

My question:
What is your opinion of the ethics of the Pentagon’s Human Terrain System wherein civilian social scientists are used by in country military commanders (currently being done in Afghanistan)?
Is the current FAO training sufficient to fill the place of these anthropologists (particularly within the Marine Corps where this is the whole point of their dual track)?
*WRT to HTS-models must not become templates. There is power in idiomatic expressions.

CONTACTS
How do you develop contacts? What’s a contact society? How do we teach relationship development?
The idea of skills vs. attributes in a FAO; you can teach skills but if they don’t have the correct attributes it’s a waste. FAOs must be immersed within the country’s people.

*Cultures are the conditions under which you will work, not a task but a context.
*Article Idea: on the effectiveness of Roman empire because of in-country cultural immersion.

CULTURE AND LANGUAGE PANEL
-“Shoot-move-communicate” is the NORM.
-As a FAO we must “communicate-move-shoot” (ummm..probably shouldn't shoot at all)
-It is essential to understand cultural ‘nuances’ in order to Build Partnerships
-Human security must be promoted by BP!

*We are used to feeling of identity (i.e. Catholic, democrat, southerner, military), but when we are abroad we are only seen by one identity: AMERICAN

Read the following books:
Getting to Yes by Fisher and Ury
Common Sense by Paine
Africa Works by Chabal

Study:
Economics
NGO’s
Infrastructure

DISAM- Defense Institute of Security Assistance Management (1206/1207)
“The purpose of security policy is to selfishly protect and advance US National Security interests (not to be consistent)”

Project2049.net--Asia Policy Site

Mark Stokes USAF FAO
PRE
1. Understand DIME (Diplomacy, Information, Military and Economic)
2. Know Basic History
3. Understand typical lifestyles of people
4. Understand cultural red-lines for foreigners and natives
5. Know 2 songs, 2 poems, read 2 books from their literature
6. Language- at least survival (1/1), appreciate high context or low context

SUSTAIN
1. Read target country or region periodicals
2. Visit country or region once every 18 months
3. Read outsiders writings on target country/region
4. Consume media in target language that interests you as a hobby, diversion or habit (ex. Get a French bible)

IN COUNTRY
1. Talk with natives in target language
2. Make local friends
3. Go to historical or cultural sites
4. Get hot books or media
5. Go to the arts

Read the Koran

“What is this country’s concept of happiness?” This is essential to know!
http://worldhappiness.report/
It's an important distinction--the country's conception of happiness--not the international community's concept of happiness.

“Chrysanthemum and the sword” by Ruth Benedict
A recognized classic of cultural anthropology, this book explores the political, religious, and economic life of Japan from the seventh century through the mid-twentieth, as well as personal family life

Weekly Reading: Decaying Dams, African Air Travel, CREAM, Happiness, Nirvana and the Rangers, and Work-Life Balance

One of Africa's Biggest Dams is Falling Apart
Fresh water stands to increasingly become the world's most valuable commodity.  It's easy to cluck one's tongue at the inability of third-world african nations to maintain their infrastructure but as the article points out, dams are notoriously difficult and expensive to maintain (the US itself has done a horrible job with its own dam infrastructure).  

What English Speaks Don't Get About the Meaning of Happiness
Understanding different cultural conceptions of what 'happiness' means is a powerful too for every FAO or foreign affairs professional.  One must constantly keep in mind that the American idea of happiness is VERY different from other nation's ideas of happiness.  This article unpacks these ideas as well as just baseline differences in what the word 'happy' means in different languages.

Malagasy Navy participates in CUTLASS EXPRESS 2016
Madagascar sends its first ship abroad since 1978.  Good article on the strides being made by the Navy here.

2015 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report

Turns out UPENN puts out a very thorough think tank ranking . You can download the 16MB report here.

Malagasy Think Tank: CREAM

Evidently Madagascar has a think tank.  And evidently it's a good one (top 60 in Africa) according to UPENN's recent report.  Best of all, the think tank shares it's name with the WU-TANG hit 'Cash Rules Everything Around Me' which I wrote about recently here.

African Air Travel: Why Are Airlines In Africa So Expensive, Unsafe And Impossible To Navigate

It is difficult to describe the dysfunction and dilapidation of some third-world airlines.  There are things, circumstances, smells and sights that you could never have imagined.  My quarterly flight to Comoros is always an exercise in restraint and self-meditation.  The sights and smells aboard said flight inspired me to pen a poem last year, entitled Ode to VapoRub.

Global Incident Map  
Cool little open source map that collates reports across a variety of issues.  Also pretty scary--go to their 'non-terror aviation incidents'.

What Ivy League students are reading that you aren’t
So many snarky fill-in-the-blank answers one could respond with here...but altogether an interesting look article--particularly for my fellow english majors.

The Rock ’n’ Roll Casualty Who Became a War Hero
The unlikely story of former Nirvana and Soundgarden guitarist Jason Everman's salvation that came by dropping his guitar and picking up an M4...kind of.  This is a throwback article from about three years ago that I came across again a few weeks back.  Mandatory reading for an punk-rocker or head stomper.

Work, Sleep, Family, Fitness, or Friends: Pick 3
Such a great article.  These five things have to be things that every I suggest pairing this article with a great one from QZ.com that came out last year: How successful people work less—and get more done--the basic gist of is that productivity falls considerably when the workweek exceeds 50 hours.