I have begun my tour of events around the city of Washington, DC. Two days ago on Tuesday, I visited The Woodrow Wilson Center for a Symposium on Evaluating the Effects of EU Accession in Central and Eastern Europe: Lessons for the Western Balkans. Several professors and directors from various universities, including the George Washington University, came to discuss their specific research on varying subjects tanging from the media in the Balkans to the wine industry in Bulgaria.
One question that seemed to be asked by the presenters is why democracy is having such a hard time taking hold in this region of Europe, even after joining the European Union? Peter Gross, Professor and Director at the University of Tennessee, discussed how the media may have a role to play in this question. The media in the Balkans is very highly controlled and censored internally by individuals, probably in the government itself, who put a very large spin on any news reported. This hinders the media from doing its intended work of informing the public, therefore hindering any major steps to a full-fledged democracy. But with this goal in mind, the media in this region has no "mentors," per se, even in Western Europe or America, where media sources are also censored and heavily biased.
Lynn Tesser, Assistant Professor at the International University of Sarajevo, is the one who I think answered the abovementioned quesiton. Tesser discussed the culutural behaviors of people in the Balkans. Throughout its entire history, the Balkans have never really enjoyed any form of democracy or long period of independance, as it has been ruled over by such nations as the Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary, and has very recently come out of Communist rule. The Balkans still have to overcome cultural norms and ideas, which will take longer than 20 years, to fully integrate democracy into their national indentity.
Yesterday, Wednesday, I attended a GLIFAA sponsored course at the Foreign Affairs Insititute (FSI) for LGBT in the Foreign Affaris Community. This program was intended to inform LGBT FSOs on how to prepare for an assignment overseas and what resources one could find for the LGBT community while there, including how to get benefits for one's partner.
Here is some information for safety overseas thanks to retired Regional Security Officer Jay Goodrich of the Diplomatic Security Training CentBer (DTSC). Before going overseas, make sure you become familiar with the culutural norms and local laws. This may seem like a given, but make sure you research information that pertains directly to you. Online, you can check the CIA factbook, Real Post Reports, Reference Desk, and the US Embassy site for your post. Also, contact the individual who you are replacing in you post and ask questions about your assignment and the social life in the city. Make sure to meet with your Regional Security Officer (RSO) and attend the Arrivals Briefing at your post; we were assured that RSOs are completely supportive and you have nothing to worry about. One big thing to think about while overseas is your relationships. If you already have a partner, make sure you have everything taken care of for them beforehand such as declaring them as a member of household (MOH) well before, having an ID and Visa issued for them, etc. While overseas, you must know that a relationship of any kind, even very menial ones, may have to be reported to the RSO. This means if you choose to meet up with an individual more than two times or begin contacting him or her via e-mail or text, it might have to be reported as a relationship.
Next, Mark Bianley, representative for the Council for Human Equality, discussed how FSOs could enjoy their LGBT life abroad. He gave attendees to the course council and warnings according to different posts. For those going to post which have laws against homosexuality or strong sentiments against it, he warned us to know of those laws, how police and/or the community enforce those laws and treat LGBT persons, and movements in place for or against LGBT rights. A good rescource for finding this information is ilga.org which provides a list of countries that have laws criminalizing consentual conduct. If you do happen to be in one of these countries, a good way to find the LGBT community is to find local NGOs that are supportive of LGBTs. But before you do, think of what your interactions may have on this community because chances are that you may endanger them by exposing them to police harrasment or violence. For those going to countries more progressive and open to homosexuality, think of your role as a member of the LGBT community and if you want to be a representative of that community. Check out the Travellers Checklist of the British Commonwealth Office for all who are traveling abroad, FSO or not. http://collections.europarchive.org/tna/20080205132101/www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front%3Fpagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1098377449900. It gives you information and links on how to be safe and a representative of the LGBT community overseas.
Thanks for reading,
Mikel
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