Lord Jim of Dilling - Diplomat Magazine

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DIPLOMATICA|EDITOR’S NOTEA land of smiles and tearsWe read snippets about it, storiesthat tell us bits about Sudan,particularly Darfur, where thehumanitarian crisis deepens and thecountry’s President, Omar Al-Bashir,faces arrest on charges of crimes againsthumanity by the International CriminalCourt.But what is it like to live there? Whatis it like for the displaced thousands? Thethousands more who live in fear everyday?And what’s it like for a Canadian tomeet school-aged children grateful for thesimple gift of a pencil or notepad? We findout from Canada’s James Parker, a formerprep school gym teacher and part-timenaval reservist who wondered if he wasmissing something in life and ended upanswering the Canadian Forces’ call formilitary observers for the United Nations’Operation Safari. He was to be a neutralperson who would report to UN headquarterson what he witnessed, includingvillages threatened by nomads or soldiers,and infractions of the UN-brokered buttenuous peace agreement to end a 25-yearcivil war.Writing from the town of Dilling, hedescribes the homes of its 30,000 inhabitantsas being built from straw, bits of tin,burlap, plastic and rough bricks fashionedfrom red earth. He takes us to other regionsand tells us about his adventures ona heavy, rusty bike he bought and dubbed“The Beast,” and then festooned with aUN flag. And he tells us the story of one ofhis colleagues who wanted to raise a littlemoney for school supplies and ended upraising enough to build a school.His story is part diary, part essay. It willdepress and uplift you at the same time.And that’s fitting since he describes Sudanas a country beset by dichotomy: hope,despair, smiles, tears.If you’re in need of some spiritualityafter that read, we have an excerpt fromUP FRONTCanadian James Parker worked as a UN observer in Sudanand chronicled his journey in our cover story. He’s shownhere in a chopper where his primary thought was “Lord,please don’t let this old Russian helo crash!” It’s what hethought every time he climbed into one, he says. On thisflight, he and an Egyptian guard were headed to a villagefor “monitoring and verification” of troops, weapons andammunition, or to do a “village security assessment.”They would report everything up the chain, “to be swallowedand nothing ever done by the big maw of the UN,”he says.a prayer breakfast inWashington attendedb y U . S . P re s i d e n tBarack Obama andformer British PrimeMinister Tony Blair.Both are men of faithand Mr. Blair describesjennifer campbellhow his father was anardent atheist.We also have an interview with Canadiandiplomatic veteran, Arthur Menzies,who spent 41 years in the foreign serviceand served under six prime ministers.At 92, his mind is sharp and his memoryfor detail infallible. This came in handyas he wrote the book of memoirs PenumbraPress is publishing this month. But ifdetail’s not what you want, he also tells agood story about the time Pierre Trudeauvisited Australia while he was on a sevenyearstint as high commissioner.Our book reviewer, George Fetherling,offers a look at titles about philanthropy,Tibet and the “great, non-existent Bhutanconspiracy.” Food columnist MargaretDickenson writes about how to prepare aperfect Mother’s Day feast while wine columnistPieter Van Den Weghe tells us howto order wine in restaurants. We also lookinside the residence of Swedish AmbassadorIngrid Iremark. Dyanne Wilson’s greatphotography will make you feel as thoughyou’re actually visiting the amiable ambassador,whose home is full of Swedishart and Swedish furniture, some of it ultramodern,some dating back centuries.For travel, we give you a blow-by-blowof a perfect two-week road trip to Maine,an American East Coast gem. Among U.S.destinations, Maine is often overlooked infavour of Florida, but like Florida, it offersgreat beaches – and much more, includinglakes and mountains as well as funkytowns and sophisticated cities. Somethingfor everyone. And if the journey is part ofthe appeal, we tell you what you need toknow to drive there.CONTRIBUTORSJim Parker, author of “The Dung BeetleDiaries”Jim Parker, originally from Barrie, livesin Victoria, B.C. after having gone therefor graduate studies more than 20 yearsago. He has been a columnist; he’strained Olympic and professional athletes;and he’s owned a fitness centre.He has taught sports, recreation andanatomy at the college and universitylevel, and physical education at a prepschool in Victoria. He is a part-time navalreservist in his 22nd year of duty. Heshares a home with his partner, Heather,and is dominated by their dog, Judd.He enjoyed writing our cover story andfully expects to get in trouble with theDepartment of National Defence andthe United Nations for doing so.Betty Nygaard King, author of “Thewoman behind Gershwin’s career”Betty Nygaard King hails from Ottawa,where she earned degrees inEnglish literature and music at CarletonUniversity. She cut her writing teethworking as a communications officerand editor in various government positions.Her first book was Hell Hath NoFury: Famous Women in Crime; she wasthe ghost-writer behind the memoirs ofthe composer and conductor AlexanderBrott. By day, Ms. King is a subject editorwith the Encyclopedia of Music inCanada and freelance researcher for theCanadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. Bynight, she teaches piano and indulges apassion for “Coronation Street.”SPRING 09 | APR–JUN
VERBATIM|DIPLOMATICAFormer British Prime MinisterTony Blair joined U.S.President Barack Obama fora national prayer breakfastin Washington, D.C. inFebruary. Some 4,000people, including representativesfrom 180 countries,joined them. Their speechesare excerpted here.THE WORLDACCORDINGTO:U.S. President BarackObama and formerBritish Prime MinisterBarack Obama: ‘A momentof peace and goodwill’Tony BlairI know this breakfast has along history in Washington, and faithhas always been a guiding force in ourfamily’s life, so we feel very much at homeand look forward to keeping this traditionalive during our time here.It’s a tradition that I’m told actuallybegan many years ago in the city of Seattle.It was the height of the Great Depression,and most people found themselves out ofwork. Many fell into poverty. Some losteverything.The leaders of the community didall that they could for those who weresuffering in their midst. And then theydecided to do something more: theyprayed. It didn’t matter what partyor religious affiliation to which theybelonged. They simply gathered onemorning as brothers and sisters to share ameal and talk with God.These breakfasts soon sprouted upthroughout Seattle, and quickly spreadto cities and towns across America,e v e n t u a l l y m a k i n g t h e i r w a y t oWashington. A short time after PresidentEisenhower asked a group of Senatorsif he could join their prayer breakfast, itbecame a national event. And today, as Isee presidents and dignitaries here fromevery corner of the globe, it strikes methat this is one of the rare occasions thatstill brings much of the world together ina moment of peace and goodwill.Tony Blair: ‘By the way, God bless you all’The world participated in the celebrationof your [Barack Obama's] election. Nowthe hard work begins. And now, also, weshould be as steadfast for you in the hardwork as in the celebration. You don’t needcheerleaders but partners; not spectatorsbut supporters. The truest friends are thosestill around when the going is toughest.We offer you our friendship today. We willwork with you to make your presidencyone that shapes our destiny to the credit ofObama: “And then they decided to do something more: they prayed.”America and of the world. Mr. President,we salute you and wish you well.After 10 years as British Prime Minister,I decided to choose something easy. Ibecame involved in the Middle East PeaceProcess.There are many frustrations – that isevident. There is also one blessing. I spendmuch of my time in the Holy Land and inthe Holy City. The other evening, I climbedto the top of Notre Dame in Jerusalem.You look left and see the Garden ofGethsemane. You look right and see wherethe Last Supper was held. Straight aheadlies Golgotha. In the distance is whereKing David was crowned and still furtherwhere Abraham was laid to rest. And ofcourse in the centre of Jerusalem is theAl Aqsa Mosque, where according to theQur’an, the Prophet was transported tocommune with the prophets of the past.Rich in conflict, it is also sublime inhistory. The other month in Jericho, Ivisited the Mount of Temptation. I thinkthey bring all the political leaders there.My guide – a Palestinian – was bemoaningthe travails of his nation. Suddenly hestopped, looked heavenwards and said“Moses, Jesus, Mohammed: Why did theyall have to come here?”It is a good place to reflect on religion:a source of so much inspiration; an excusefor so much evil.Today, religion is under attack fromwithout and from within. From within, itis corroded by extremists who use theirfaith as a means of excluding the other. Iam what I am in opposition to you. If youdo not believe as I believe, you are a lesserhuman being.From without, religious faith is assailedby an increasingly aggressive secularism,which derides faith as contrary to reasonand defines faith by conflict. Thus dothe extreme believers and the aggressivenon-believers come together in unholyalliance.And yet, faith will not be so easily cast.For billions of people, faith motivates,galvanizes, compels and inspires, not toexclude but to embrace; not to provokeconflict but to try to do good. This is faithin action. You can see it in countless localcommunities where those from churches,mosques, synagogues and temples tendthe sick, care for the afflicted, work longhours in bad conditions to bring hopeto the despairing and salvation to thelost. You can see it in the arousing of theworld’s conscience to the plight of Africa.Ben wellanddiplomat and international canada
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