Daily Archives: April 1, 2009

Gem of the Day – Morales Charges U.S. Conspiracy to Force Bolivia onto DST

April 1, 2009 By in Countries 'n Regions, Foreign Service, FSOs, U.S. Missions, WHA|Western Hemisphere

Here is a blog post today from The Democracy Center on some new developments with Evo Knievel in Bolivia:

President Evo Morales, equipped with a wall clock as a prop, charged Tuesday that the U.S. Embassy in La Paz is engaged in clandestine effort to coerce Bolivia to adopt Daylight Savings Time, moving the nation’s clocks forward and backward an hour in coordination with the U.S.

To back his claim Morales released a set of intercepted e-mail messages between the Embassy and State Department officials in Washington.


Continue reading Morales Charges U.S. Conspiracy to Force Bolivia onto Daylight Savings Time. Read the full details on Morales’ charge before you read the copies of the intercepted e-mails, then come back here …

Update 4/2/09:

I hope your April Fools’ Day wasn’t too rough! I have to say that the blog post linked to above was really good, although there is also that good fortune of having a surplus of materials on this one. But two things that might tip you off on this — 1) government agencies have traditionally been behind the technological curve, so to speak, and State is no exception; it is not running on Windows Vista, thank goodness! 2) “Cousin Luis with a flash drive” is easier said than done. Really. Flash drives are ETDs, and can get you booted out as quickly as tiddledy winks!

Still – the joke does bring a couple of reminders. That quip about not writing anything that could end up on the front page of the Washington Post (add blogs) still holds true. And, Cousin Luis, well, he/she could be a Manchurian candidate for any local job for the conspiracy theorists out there. That would bring us back to cold war footing, won’t it?

Gem of the Day – Morales Charges U.S. Conspiracy to Force Bolivia onto DST

April 1, 2009 By in Countries 'n Regions, Foreign Service, FSOs, U.S. Missions, WHA|Western Hemisphere

Here is a blog post today from The Democracy Center on some new developments with Evo Knievel in Bolivia:

President Evo Morales, equipped with a wall clock as a prop, charged Tuesday that the U.S. Embassy in La Paz is engaged in clandestine effort to coerce Bolivia to adopt Daylight Savings Time, moving the nation’s clocks forward and backward an hour in coordination with the U.S.

To back his claim Morales released a set of intercepted e-mail messages between the Embassy and State Department officials in Washington.


Continue reading Morales Charges U.S. Conspiracy to Force Bolivia onto Daylight Savings Time. Read the full details on Morales’ charge before you read the copies of the intercepted e-mails, then come back here …

Update 4/2/09:

I hope your April Fools’ Day wasn’t too rough! I have to say that the blog post linked to above was really good, although there is also that good fortune of having a surplus of materials on this one. But two things that might tip you off on this — 1) government agencies have traditionally been behind the technological curve, so to speak, and State is no exception; it is not running on Windows Vista, thank goodness! 2) “Cousin Luis with a flash drive” is easier said than done. Really. Flash drives are ETDs, and can get you booted out as quickly as tiddledy winks!

Still – the joke does bring a couple of reminders. That quip about not writing anything that could end up on the front page of the Washington Post (add blogs) still holds true. And, Cousin Luis, well, he/she could be a Manchurian candidate for any local job for the conspiracy theorists out there. That would bring us back to cold war footing, won’t it?

Eyes on London the Next Two Days

April 1, 2009 By in Foreign Affairs, Obama, Secretary of State, UK-FCO
Prime Minister Gordon Brown and US President Barack Obama
with Foreign Secretary David Miliband, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton,
US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Chancellor Alistair Darling
at Downing Street, 1 April 2009
Photo from FCO under CC license


BBC News has devoted a page of live text commentary to the London Summit. It promises to follow “every diplomatic pas de deux and protesters’ placard.” Some selected posts below – kind of like Twitter except that posts are not limited to 140 characters. Follow the commentaries here. Commentaries for Day 2 is here (updated 4/3)


0805 Just a few minutes behind schedule, US President Barack Obama arrives in Downing Street for a meeting with Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

0820 A glimpse of the first ladies as they pose for a photocall on the steps of Downing Street with their husbands. Looking reasonably informal, Sarah Brown is in a blue dress, Michelle Obama tops her outfit with a silver patterned cardigan.

0827 Sarah Brown will host a First Wives Club later (not expected to include the husbands of Germany and Argentina’s female leaders). The Saudi Arabian king’s four wives are not making the journey either. With the French president’s wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, another no-show, Michelle Obama looks set to be Queen Bee.

0832 The G20 spouses, as the leaders’ other halves are known, can look forward to Welsh lamb, Jersey Royal new potatoes and asparagus for dinner this evening. Michelle Obama will be seated between Harry Potter author JK Rowling and Olympic runner Dame Kelly Holmes, we are told.

0847 Much drooling over Obama’s Cadillac One, aka The Beast. It has bullet-proof windows, 5in armour designed to brush off a chemical attack and on-board supplies of Obama’s blood type. Eat your heart out MTV’s Pimp My Ride! President Obama’s security bubble

0916 BBC political editor Nick Robinson says: It almost appears any deal will do. Gordon Brown believes it is vital the markets and public see G20 unity, what he describes as getting the oxygen of confidence into the system.

1006 Good point Lewis (below) about the smoke-filled room, because foreign dignitaries at the G20 will be exempt from the UK smoking ban. Does this leave you fuming, reader?

1026 Obama says history shows that when nations fail to co-operate the price for our people is great. That is the lesson of the Great Depression. We must reject protectionism.

1104 Obama praises extraordinary affinity and kinship with British people, we owe so much to the UK and it is a special place, he says. But he refuses to get drawn into supporting England for tonight’s World Cup clash against Ukraine!

1118 The US president’s information pack for his trip to Europe describes the UK, under geography, as “slightly smaller than Oregon” (!).

1153 Protesters at the Bank of England are getting louder, some are chanting: “Revolution”. They are calling for the bankers and Gordon Brown to be put on a bonfire.

1209 Scotland Yard says eight people have been arrested after being found in possession of police uniforms. They were thought to be travelling in the armoured vehicle stopped earlier. Police estimate there are about 3,000 protestors in the City of London.

1213 BBC’s Joe Lynam in Westminster texts: If you thought any trouble would come from protesters during G20, think again. Scuffles broke out in Downing St between press photographers trying to get the best shot when Obama arrived to meet Brown. The police even had to intervene to prevent the situation getting uglier!

1245 Scotland Yard says the number of people arrested now stands at 11.

1258 The BBC’s Mark Georgiou texts: The crowd outside the Bank of England is getting increasingly tense. The police line in Threadneedle street is becoming the focus of loud attention.


The BBC News G20 page is here. The official website of London Summit 2009 is here. The website is webcasting live the most important events of the G20 London Summit – including the arrivals and press conference in cooperation with the host broadcaster. Videos will also be available in its video-on-demand archive.

Eyes on London the Next Two Days

April 1, 2009 By in Foreign Affairs, Obama, Secretary of State, UK-FCO
Prime Minister Gordon Brown and US President Barack Obama
with Foreign Secretary David Miliband, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton,
US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Chancellor Alistair Darling
at Downing Street, 1 April 2009
Photo from FCO under CC license


BBC News has devoted a page of live text commentary to the London Summit. It promises to follow “every diplomatic pas de deux and protesters’ placard.” Some selected posts below – kind of like Twitter except that posts are not limited to 140 characters. Follow the commentaries here. Commentaries for Day 2 is here (updated 4/3)


0805 Just a few minutes behind schedule, US President Barack Obama arrives in Downing Street for a meeting with Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

0820 A glimpse of the first ladies as they pose for a photocall on the steps of Downing Street with their husbands. Looking reasonably informal, Sarah Brown is in a blue dress, Michelle Obama tops her outfit with a silver patterned cardigan.

0827 Sarah Brown will host a First Wives Club later (not expected to include the husbands of Germany and Argentina’s female leaders). The Saudi Arabian king’s four wives are not making the journey either. With the French president’s wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, another no-show, Michelle Obama looks set to be Queen Bee.

0832 The G20 spouses, as the leaders’ other halves are known, can look forward to Welsh lamb, Jersey Royal new potatoes and asparagus for dinner this evening. Michelle Obama will be seated between Harry Potter author JK Rowling and Olympic runner Dame Kelly Holmes, we are told.

0847 Much drooling over Obama’s Cadillac One, aka The Beast. It has bullet-proof windows, 5in armour designed to brush off a chemical attack and on-board supplies of Obama’s blood type. Eat your heart out MTV’s Pimp My Ride! President Obama’s security bubble

0916 BBC political editor Nick Robinson says: It almost appears any deal will do. Gordon Brown believes it is vital the markets and public see G20 unity, what he describes as getting the oxygen of confidence into the system.

1006 Good point Lewis (below) about the smoke-filled room, because foreign dignitaries at the G20 will be exempt from the UK smoking ban. Does this leave you fuming, reader?

1026 Obama says history shows that when nations fail to co-operate the price for our people is great. That is the lesson of the Great Depression. We must reject protectionism.

1104 Obama praises extraordinary affinity and kinship with British people, we owe so much to the UK and it is a special place, he says. But he refuses to get drawn into supporting England for tonight’s World Cup clash against Ukraine!

1118 The US president’s information pack for his trip to Europe describes the UK, under geography, as “slightly smaller than Oregon” (!).

1153 Protesters at the Bank of England are getting louder, some are chanting: “Revolution”. They are calling for the bankers and Gordon Brown to be put on a bonfire.

1209 Scotland Yard says eight people have been arrested after being found in possession of police uniforms. They were thought to be travelling in the armoured vehicle stopped earlier. Police estimate there are about 3,000 protestors in the City of London.

1213 BBC’s Joe Lynam in Westminster texts: If you thought any trouble would come from protesters during G20, think again. Scuffles broke out in Downing St between press photographers trying to get the best shot when Obama arrived to meet Brown. The police even had to intervene to prevent the situation getting uglier!

1245 Scotland Yard says the number of people arrested now stands at 11.

1258 The BBC’s Mark Georgiou texts: The crowd outside the Bank of England is getting increasingly tense. The police line in Threadneedle street is becoming the focus of loud attention.


The BBC News G20 page is here. The official website of London Summit 2009 is here. The website is webcasting live the most important events of the G20 London Summit – including the arrivals and press conference in cooperation with the host broadcaster. Videos will also be available in its video-on-demand archive.

Quickie: State Department – Attracting a Different Type of Recruits?

April 1, 2009 By in Foreign Service, Org Culture, Staffing the FS, State Department

Spencer Ackerman recently wrote As Troops Withdraw, Iraq Provincial Reconstruction Teams to Change, for The Washington Independent. The State Department’s Director of Provincial Reconstruction, Transition and Stabilization for Iraq, Wade Weems, was quoted extensively in the piece.

The Director expects a phase-out by 2011, by the way. But I’m struck by what he said about the new recruits at State.

“While he “applaud[ed] the many State Department personnel” who’ve joined the PRTs, Weems noted that the program was changing the way the department thinks of itself. “It’s attracting a different type of recruit into the State Department, people who want to go out and get their boots muddy, and who want to do the more dynamic, slightly adventurous, muddy-boot diplomacy that we at the PRTs do,” he said. “It’s inevitable that would have some effect on the State Department.”

One wonders if this is from anecdotal evidence or if this is supported by any comparative study of the composition of the last five-ten incoming A100 class over at FSI?

Quickie: State Department – Attracting a Different Type of Recruits?

April 1, 2009 By in Foreign Service, Org Culture, Staffing the FS, State Department

Spencer Ackerman recently wrote As Troops Withdraw, Iraq Provincial Reconstruction Teams to Change, for The Washington Independent. The State Department’s Director of Provincial Reconstruction, Transition and Stabilization for Iraq, Wade Weems, was quoted extensively in the piece.

The Director expects a phase-out by 2011, by the way. But I’m struck by what he said about the new recruits at State.

“While he “applaud[ed] the many State Department personnel” who’ve joined the PRTs, Weems noted that the program was changing the way the department thinks of itself. “It’s attracting a different type of recruit into the State Department, people who want to go out and get their boots muddy, and who want to do the more dynamic, slightly adventurous, muddy-boot diplomacy that we at the PRTs do,” he said. “It’s inevitable that would have some effect on the State Department.”

One wonders if this is from anecdotal evidence or if this is supported by any comparative study of the composition of the last five-ten incoming A100 class over at FSI?