press play

Dear Mr. President,

You just won a second term. Congratulations: you have four more years of accelerating your gray hair growth. But seriously — these are four important years. This campaign has been toxic. There were lies on both sides. You acknowledged we hated hearing your “I approve this message” over and over on our televisions. I got into several fights on Facebook and Twitter these past few months because of how deep the American people were drowning in this campaign. I’ll admit, I was asking for it most of the time.

But now, it’s time to get to work. You don’t have to campaign anymore. There is no need for political posturing. No need to surprisingly endorse gay marriage one month, give a little on immigration the next, and create strategies with the sole purpose of gathering enough support to win another round. An election is not haunting you in four years. You have the “flexibility” you spoke about with President Putin (that thing we weren’t supposed to hear). The American people expect you to use that flexibility in appropriate ways.

Another election may not be on your radar, but a fiscal cliff is on this country’s mind. Despite the rhetoric on both sides of the aisle, there is no question that our country must deal with the deficit and debt without compromising job growth or bringing on a new economic turndown. Raising taxes will not be enough. I ask you to immediately tackle this issue by working with Congress. You were disengaged these past four years. Simpson-Bowles was gutted without serious consideration, and while you implored Congress to pass this and pass that, your input stopped there. I ask you to take charge. I ask you to use your executive power to drive and shape policy, not just request it. Instead of taking your policies to the American people like you said last night, I ask you to take it to Congress. Work with Republicans for bipartisan deals – ones that will be difficult but possible if you work hard at it.

Acknowledge that health care reform is not complete and far from perfect. Work to refine the bill to make sure people are able to get the most desirable care that they require without compromising their values. I ask that you reconsider your compromise on the contraception mandate that still infringes on the rights of Catholic institutions and address new questions about the coming healthcare transition. While Paul Ryan was your competitor these past few months, work with him and Republicans in Congress to craft a way forward for Medicare and Medicaid that ensures the program can sustain itself for the coming generations. Streamline the options to make sure employees and Americans are taking advantage of the programs available and receiving the maximum benefits.

The Israeli-Palestinian peace process was left untouched since 2010. Reengage. Take charge and put a proposal on the table that can be discussed, looked over, redeveloped and that could potentially lead to small steps and a lasting peace in the region. There are already ideas, and I encourage you to heed the example of President Bush senior and James Baker in their unwavering relationship and trust that led to foreign policy successes in the Middle East. The United States can revive its position as the “honest broker” in the conflict if we turn our attention back to the issue.

Clarify what happened in Libya, and begin to take steps with your Department of State and Defense to implement an overarching strategy for our embassy protection across the world and policy for engaging with the Arab world during this transformational time. I understand your administration is “pivoting” to Asia, but begin to press the international community on Syria, where citizens were continually murdered as our country immersed itself in election bickering. Pressure Russia to assist us in bringing peace in Syria and preventing fallout in countries like Lebanon. Their support for Syria could mean support on the Iranian nuclear issue.

Mr. President, you face immense challenges. Understand that incremental and meticulous steps that move the whole country forward together are sometimes less valued but oftentimes better than giant, rushed leaps that cause people to stumble and fall behind. The campaign put the important issues facing our country on pause as the world kept spinning. It’s time to press play.

Sincerely,

Marc

(Source: leaveamarc)

After the Arab Spring: A crisis of leadership

by Marc Sabbagh

My latest blog post on the leadership deficit in Egypt and lessons for Syria.

for some reason i feel like when the american media says a presidential election is going to be defined by “the economy” or “foreign policy,” things always manage to switch to a new focus in the month leading up to the actual election.

i have a feeling it’s going to happen this year too. i’d tell the candidates to watch out for russia and iran.

#KONY2012: Turning activism into action

by Marc Sabbagh

“The game has new rules…the people of the world see each other and can protect each other. It’s turning the system upside down. And it changes everything.” Indeed it does. From the current uprisings in the Arab world, to the use of social media in elections, we are seeing a fundamental transition in how diplomacy is conducted.

The recent KONY 2012 video posted online by Invisible Children (which went viral this past week) reveals that the phenomenon of social media activism is not only impacting authoritarian regimes where voices are struggling to be heard. On the contrary, social media has the potential to affect any country in the world. It is undoubtedly changing the global political landscape as information is indeed becoming power.

Read More

(Source: leaveamarc)

Can diplomacy be conducted online?

by Marc S

January marked the U.S. Department of State’s “21st Century Statecraft” month, a period dedicated to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s goal of combining “traditional foreign policy tools with newly innovated and adapted instruments of statecraft,” including technology and mass media. Through the Virtual Student Foreign Service program, one initiative within this expanded approach to diplomacy, I have the unique experience of contributing to an innovative form of diplomatic engagement.

As a “virtual” intern for the U.S. embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan, I coordinate an online lecture series for university students in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia without having to leave the Rice campus. Last fall, professors from across the United States presented on conflicts in American history, spanning topics from Native American removal to civil rights. For the final lecture, Baker Institute academic affairs director Allen Matusowdiscussed labor unions in the 1930s. In the coming weeks, students will begin learning about the 2012 presidential election through a nine-part series on historical aspects of the presidency, the election process, and current domestic and international campaign issues. The Baker Institute’s political science fellow, Mark Jones, will contribute to the series and teach students about the Electoral College and the election process.

I have learned as much, if not more, from this experience than the students on the other side of the computer screen. While they learn about aspects of U.S. history and culture, I learn about their educational experiences, background and interests through the class discussions. My work is part of the greater goal of 21st century statecraft: to find new ways of reaching out to, and engaging with, communities abroad. Of course, diplomacy has always been a balance between using “sticks” and “carrots.” But technological advancements are ushering in new forms of “government to people” and “people to people” engagement. For example, the new U.S. “virtual embassy” to Iran and increased promotion of open Internet access have led to better communication in countries where a presence on the ground is not possible. Most recently, the Arab uprisings demonstrated the effective use of technology such as Twitter and Facebook to organize efficiently and disseminate important information.

The Baker Institute has a strong record of promoting public diplomacy (i.e, engaging directly with people of foreign countries) through many initiatives derived from the proposals outlined in the 2003 report “Changing Minds, Winning Peace.” In the summer of 2010, I took part in an exchange trip through the Baker Institute to Cairo, Egypt, with a group of Rice University students. We participated in a week-long public diplomacy exchange with students from the American University of Cairo the summer before the uprisings in Egypt occurred. In a matter of days, we realized Egyptian students were vying for educational and economic opportunity, were critical of the shortcomings of the regime, and were hopeful for a future without oppression. Eight months later, President Mubarak was ousted.

The experience reinforced my belief that information is power, whether it is disseminated in the Caucuses through virtual lectures or in the Arab world through educational exchanges. Promoting open access to the Internet and new technologies is an increasingly attractive method of elevating civilian power and strengthening institutions.

The use of technology to encourage public diplomacy marks a pivotal shift in U.S. diplomacy and foreign policy — and should continue to play a greater role in supporting democracy and improving relations with countries around the world.

(Source: leaveamarc)

try.

there’s this great quote by st. ignatius of loyola that says “pray as if it all depends on god, for it does. but work as if it all depends on us, for it does.” i remembered this recently because i’ve been feeling like i’ve been so indifferent to a lot of people and a lot of things. not because i don’t care, but because i am getting in the horrible cycle of telling myself “things will always work out in the end.” i mean that’s true. but what st. ignatius’ quote is saying is that you have to shape the opportunities that will eventually work or fall flat. it’s like a basketball player saying he isn’t going to try at a game because it’s not up to him whether he wins or loses.

which leads to another of my favorite quotes: “man proposes, god disposes.”

i’m not even proposing. i’m going through the motions, without trying harder. i disregard suggestions because i’m comfortable and don’t see myself putting in more effort. whether it’s work, relationships, or even having fun. and i hate myself for it. i used to tell myself “everything matters.” it helped me put in so much to the smallest things, because i knew it would mean i would put even more effort in the BIGGER things. 

one more quote, from abraham lincoln: “things come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”

so now i’ve decided to try again. i have an amazing life, and am comfortable and grateful. but i want to get more out of what i am already doing and the amazing people i know. i want to shape these responsibilities and relationships so that god at least has the opportunity to dispose and lead me down the right path.

i’m going to try harder at work. be more enthusiastic with swim lessons. innovate instead of go through the motions at the baker institute. i’m going to try harder in school work and with my activities. and i’m going to try harder with you. 

(Source: leaveamarc)

i know where i wanna go. i just don’t know the way i’m gonna get there.

(Source: leaveamarc)

insights from lebanon: two paths, one flag


while the world’s attention is focused on recent developments in syria, two interesting events took place next door in lebanon on monday and tuesday, both on national television. these events provide valuable insight to where the next weeks and months could take the lebanese people, their government, and their country.

the first event was strictly political. two distinguished lebanese individuals got physical during a debate over syria’s role in lebanese politics. while the debate did not seem unusual to begin with, as both commentators were arguing the familiar topic of syrian influence in lebanese politics, the situation changed when the “pro-western” future movement official called bashar al-assad, the president of syria, a liar. let me first say that criticizing syrian’s president on national television is an advancement in itself, signifying that there is a change occurring in the lebanese population and that once stifled discontent is finally coming to the surface in the country. but what followed is more significant: a mini-brawl between the two debaters involving pens, paper, glass and chairs and ending in a commercial break before returning to “our regularly scheduled programming.” as tensions mount in syria and the effects of the uprisings on lebanon’s border spills over into the closely tied country of lebanon, this seems to be one path the lebanese people will take in debating the consequences of the uprisings and future of their country. this is especially true if the assad regime continues to face opposition and eventually collapses in the coming weeks or months. i do believe the regime is on a downward spiral, and it is now only a matter of when the syrian regime will fall.

the following day, on tuesday, lebanon “surprisingly” beat south korea in a world cup soccer qualifying match for asia. this stunning victory for the lebanese soccer team is important for several reasons. for the first time, lebanon has a chance to advance to the world cup, taking place in qatar in 2014. is “football (soccer) diplomacy” really significant? i’m sure the impact of sports in politics can be debated, but i can picture the lebanese people setting aside political and sectarian divisions to hold up the lebanese flag for their soccer team in the upcoming qualifying matches in hopes of their first-ever appearance in the world cup. if this does happen, the soccer matches would provide an amazing contrast between the “unsportsmanlike” brawl which took place between the two lebanese officials.

which path will the country take? will the events of syria provide violent division between opposing groups within lebanon represented by the brawling officials, or could the country find another way to unite and advance their nation’s politics, possibly through soccer? in the end, these two examples — a brawl and a soccer match — occurring only a day apart and both on national television, could be coupled to show a way forward for lebanon, a nation where syrian influence in politics has hindered the country’s progress and stifled the real discontent of some of the population. soccer, instead of potentially violent uprisings, could serve as the outlet for this anger and opposition to be channeled, uniting the nation’s two divisive possible paths (continued syrian influence or an independent, progressive lebanon) under one team, and one flag.

Lessons from Lebanon

marcinlebanon:

by Marc

check out my blog post on my travel to beirut this summer!

thank god the news is spending so much time on this penn state thing

it makes me forget about all of the insignificant stuff going on in the middle east and the rest of the world. football is obviously more important. definitely.

“obama is sending about 100 u.s. troops to central africa to advise forces trying to hunt down leaders of the lord’s resistance army.”

umm hello. where did this come from? sometimes i don’t understand this administration’s logic and how they come to these decisions. what about syria?

(Source: leaveamarc)

wait, so can’t the rich people who want their taxes raised just pull out their pocketbooks and write a check to mr. obama right now?

or maybe they need someone to force them to pay more money. i’m confused.

(Source: leaveamarc)

i mean, has anybody been watching the debates lately? you’ve got a governor whose state is on fire denying climate change. it’s true. you’ve got audiences cheering at the prospect of somebody dying because they don’t have healthcare. and booing a service member in iraq because they’re gay. that’s not reflective of who we are.

—barack obama, sunday at a democratic fundraiser. …and we have a president who prefers bantering and criticizing his people instead of solving the most pressing issues facing our country. thank you president obama, for stooping to the level of the booing audience members. and i’d also like to add that if he watched the debate, he would’ve seen that rick perry was one of the most moderate on that stage. yup. rick perry. and also, texas isn’t separate from the u.s.a. mr. president, you are also responsible for the disasters occurring in texas because it is part of the country you are leading. and the “audience” the president was talking about was three people. maybe four. and if he would have heard the responses of the candidates to those boos, he would have seen two republicans going against the “audience” (remember, it was four people) by supporting those troops in uniform and saying sexuality doesn’t matter in regard to the army (santorum) and also saying that no one is ever denied care because they don’t have coverage (ron paul, dr. ron paul. not professor, but DOCTOR). so mr. president, please stop criticizing to get reelected, and start doing. that’s the way you win. -marc

(Source: motherjones)

NIGHTNIGHT by DEDDY