Swallowed by the Sea: South Asia Slowly Recovering by Larry Luxner Last month, the ambassadors of Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka gathered at the Willard Hotel in an exclusive interview arranged by The Washington Diplomat, even as bodies were still being discovered in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami, which claimed an estimated 221,000 lives in 11 countries, although a definitive death toll of the disaster may never be known. more... President of Center for Global Development Nancy Birdsall Urging World’s Richest Nations To Continue Helping Developing World by John Shaw Nancy Birdsall, president of the Center for Global Development, said the global response to the devastating tsunami in South Asia is encouraging and important, but she added that this response should not distract the world’s richest nations from their continuing efforts to help poor nations achieve a better standard of living for their citizens. more.... Bush Signals Plans to Pursue Controversial Immigration Reform by David Tobenkin If launching the Iraq war and touching the electrified third rail of Social Security reform through a partial privatization proposal are not examples enough, President Bush recently signaled that he plans to aggressively attack one of the most controversial and intractable issues, and one with both domestic and international components: the continued illegal immigration of millions of undocumented workers largely from Central America into the United States and the treatment of those already in the country. more.... Biggest Duty for New OFAC Chief is Enforcing Embargo Against Cuba by Larry Luxner Politicians, academics and Cuban exiles can debate the U.S. embargo until they’re blue in the face, but when it comes to actually enforcing the blockade, the buck stops at the desk of Robert W. Werner. more.... See Also: OFAC Eases Sanctions on Publishing To Win at ‘Diplomacy’ Requires Cunning, Treachery and Betrayal by Alan B. Nichols It’s the afternoon of a multi-day "conference" as seven "diplomats" are gathered to discuss plans and ambitions of great consequences for their respective countries. more....

Culture Section Check out the arts section for the latest in museum exhibits, dance, theater and much more. See February 2005 Medical Insert Angola Supplement New European Union Ambassador Bruton to Stress Improving Relationship With U.S. by Craig Mauro Talk about hitting the ground running. The same week in December that Ambassador John Bruton of the European Union presented his credentials to the White House, President George W. Bush announced that he would be visiting Europe in February. more.... Slovenia’s New Ambassador to Lead OSCE in Quest for Security in Europe by Michael Coleman With its admission to both NATO and the European Union last year, Slovenia achieved two of its major geopolitical goals. Now the country is focusing on yet another multinational organization, this time as the new leader of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. more.... Sweden’s Ambassador Prepares to Return to U.N. as President of General Assembly by John Shaw Jan Eliasson, who has been Sweden’s ambassador to the United States since 2000, is changing gears to take the helm of the U.N. General Assembly. more.... Receiving Line Diplomats toast President Bush and Washingtonians say goodbye to a respected colleague. more....