The English language is creating a false sense of global interconnectedness, if you ask Director of The British Council USA Sharon Memis. “People assume that since we know the same language, our cultural connection is strong. Diplomacy simply isn’t as easy as that.”
Sister Cities International’s 55th annual conference consisted of a series of discussions about how to go about strengthening relationships between cultures at a time when they’re increasingly necessary by the day. But diplomacy isn’t all about sharing “warm, fuzzy feelings,” according to Memis. It’s about giving other countries the means to spread their messages and have their voices heard on the global stage.
President Eisenhower initiated Sister Cities International 1956 to improve means of global citizen-to-citizen networking. Today, they continue to be involved in worldwide peace tours, student exchange programs, and poverty alleviation programs. These endeavors result in lasting personal relationships between citizens in sister cities. For instance, Thelma Press has been an active member of the organization for 52 years. If you ask her, she has nine grandchildren total—three from her own children and six in Japan. The building of these seemingly insignificant intercultural bonds forms the very foundation of the Sister Cities organization.
But are these personal relationships really advancing global diplomacy? Avi Rabinovich, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, says he depends on networks like Sister Cities. “We have $12 million set aside for foreign aid, but we can’t spend it because we don’t have the projects. Sister Cities gives us a venue to meet and discuss these possibilities with people with only the pretense of partnership and friendship.”
Memis claims these kinds of partnerships lay the necessary groundwork for meaningful communication to take place between countries, and more importantly they condition people to empathize with each other. “You cannot influence others unless you’re open to influence yourself,” she stresses. Effective diplomacy is ultimately about connecting instead of projecting.”
We need networks like Sister Cities now more than ever, according to Neal Peirce of the Washington Post. “The media want to write about corruption and violence. A bunch of people sitting in a room trying to figure out how to build their international relationships is of little interest to anyone. And I consider this to be indicative of a market failure in the publishing world.” To develop international friendships only in the name of diplomacy is an increasingly rare pursuit.
Rabinovich compares Israel’s stagnated progress in global diplomacy with the tango: “We will take one step forward with a country but then two steps back. But the important thing is that we are always holding hands.” Organizations like Sister Cities ensure that this continues to be the case.
a global affairs media network
Changing the Tone of International Dialogue
March 17, 2011
The English language is creating a false sense of global interconnectedness, if you ask Director of The British Council USA Sharon Memis. “People assume that since we know the same language, our cultural connection is strong. Diplomacy simply isn’t as easy as that.”
Sister Cities International’s 55th annual conference consisted of a series of discussions about how to go about strengthening relationships between cultures at a time when they’re increasingly necessary by the day. But diplomacy isn’t all about sharing “warm, fuzzy feelings,” according to Memis. It’s about giving other countries the means to spread their messages and have their voices heard on the global stage.
President Eisenhower initiated Sister Cities International 1956 to improve means of global citizen-to-citizen networking. Today, they continue to be involved in worldwide peace tours, student exchange programs, and poverty alleviation programs. These endeavors result in lasting personal relationships between citizens in sister cities. For instance, Thelma Press has been an active member of the organization for 52 years. If you ask her, she has nine grandchildren total—three from her own children and six in Japan. The building of these seemingly insignificant intercultural bonds forms the very foundation of the Sister Cities organization.
But are these personal relationships really advancing global diplomacy? Avi Rabinovich, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, says he depends on networks like Sister Cities. “We have $12 million set aside for foreign aid, but we can’t spend it because we don’t have the projects. Sister Cities gives us a venue to meet and discuss these possibilities with people with only the pretense of partnership and friendship.”
Memis claims these kinds of partnerships lay the necessary groundwork for meaningful communication to take place between countries, and more importantly they condition people to empathize with each other. “You cannot influence others unless you’re open to influence yourself,” she stresses. Effective diplomacy is ultimately about connecting instead of projecting.”
We need networks like Sister Cities now more than ever, according to Neal Peirce of the Washington Post. “The media want to write about corruption and violence. A bunch of people sitting in a room trying to figure out how to build their international relationships is of little interest to anyone. And I consider this to be indicative of a market failure in the publishing world.” To develop international friendships only in the name of diplomacy is an increasingly rare pursuit.
Rabinovich compares Israel’s stagnated progress in global diplomacy with the tango: “We will take one step forward with a country but then two steps back. But the important thing is that we are always holding hands.” Organizations like Sister Cities ensure that this continues to be the case.
