Week 55: A Couple of Thoughts About Being a Diplomat

I had a couple of experiences this past week that I would like to share about being diplomat. I think that especially in light of the current budget debates in the U.S. and the fact there are congress people in key international relations committee positions that want to eliminate funding for U.S. diplomacy, it is good to share some stories on what diplomats do.

Last weekend, the duty officer received a called from distraught mother in the U.S. (The duty officer is the embassy or consulate employee that is "on call" to receive and handle emergency calls outside of normal operating hours, i.e. nights, holidays and weekends). The mother had not heard from her daughter for two weeks. Her daughter had moved to Brazilian with her husband and one-year-old son about six months, and it was their habit to call home about once a day. Obviously, the mother was very worried about the welfare of her daughter and decided to call the Embassy to get some help. The duty officer attempted to contact the daughter without success, and then passed the case to the U.S. citizens services unit on Monday.

The daughter and her family live in a small town several of hours away from the embassy, so we couldn't just drive to their home and knock on the door. When trying to call the phone number, we confirmed that the number had been disconnected. We then called the local police and thankfully discovered that no report had been filed on the daughter, but we still had not made contact with her. After thinking about this a bit and telling the mother that we were still trying, I asked if we could have the local police drive by the home. Addresses are not always reliable in Brazil, so maybe the local police would know the neighborhood. The police replied that they had planned on going near that neighborhood that afternoon, and they would check on the daughter.

About an hour later, we got a call from the daughter explaining that she had recently moved and had forgotten to tell her mom. I got permission to pass the new telephone information on to Mom. Mom responded with great gladness, and started crying since she was so happy to hear that her daughter was okay. I told her that it was just to be able to deliver good news. I don't know who else the mom would have been able to go to for help if she had not had the resources of the U.S. representation in Brazil.

I was also able to attend a reception hosted by some Brazilian lawyers and government officials who had participated in a U.S. sponsored visitors program. This event was to report on their activities and thank the U.S. Embassy for their support. I don't think the Embassy provided direct financial support for this trip, but did help them to make contacts, set up a visitation schedule and schedule visa interviews for the participants.

While visiting the U.S., they were taken to observe and learn about consumer protections and the way the U.S. judicial system works. They were very impressed by the small claims courts systems, mediation, the variety in the types of courts, and the transparency of the judicial process. Then they were discussing the various ways that they could push to enact reforms in the Brazilian judicial system, especially in relation to consumer protections. It was really quite exciting to see how enthusiastic they were to attempt to tackle some of Brazil's problems because they were able to witness something that functioned well, especially in relation to what they experience here.

Again, by attending the event, I didn't do much to change Brazilian judicial policy, but I showed that the U.S. government was still interested in encouraging them to bring protections and transparency to their own courts systems. If such changes can happen from within, then it would make it better and easier for Americans to conduct business, resolve family disputes and other legal matters in Brazil. U.S. diplomacy and exchange is what helped to bring this discussion about in the first place.

Diplomacy is slow and requires building relationships. It takes money, patience and time. The little successes that I see here in Brazil are the result of many years of investment of money and manpower. In my view, the only way to lasting peace is to continue to build friendships through diplomacy rather than through military intervention. It probably costs less and makes for stronger ties and fewer grudges.