Category: Expert Speaker

Prospects for Development in Guatemala with US AID Officer Bart Pogue

6/17/2018

Bart Pogue (Photo Credit: Joe Couri)

For Father's Day Weekend, Mac Pogue of PAWAC was able to show off how much of a "proud papa" he was: and for good reason! Bart Pogue, Mac & Connie's son, is a Peoria native gone international and featured as our expert speaker on Thursday, June 14, 2018, at the Lariat Steakhouse in Peoria.

Bart received his Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education prior to starting his journey as a Peace Corp volunteer in Morocco, where he became proficient in Arabic. On returning to the United States, Bart moved to Washington, D.C. to work for American Councils for International Education. Bart received his Master of Arts in International Development Studies from The George Washington University. After passing USAID's Foreign Service Exam, he began language classes in preparation for his first posting in Guatemala. Bart joined USAID as an Education Development Officer. He, his spouse Sarah, and their son Teddy have lived in Guatemala since July 2017. Bart possesses unique insight into U.S. assistance in Guatemala, and with the help of Sarah, Bart shared with PAWAC his understanding of USAID and Guatemala’s current development challenges.
Armed with data provided by USAID and the Department of State, Bart outlined the dire need for assistance in Guatemala. Guatemala’s median population age is an astounding 22 years old, and many of these young people lack both job and educational opportunities. Bart emphasized that around 60% of jobs in Guatemala exist in the informal economy, leading to widespread job insecurity.

Access to education is a challenge for many Guatemalans. Because so many jobs exist in the informal economy, the Guatemalan government struggles to bring in enough tax revenue to adequately support its public school system. Families seeking a good education for their children turn to private schools. However, the cost barrier to send a child to a private school exacerbates the long-standing issue of income inequality in Guatemala.

In Latin America, income inequality tends to favor Latinos over indigenous people due to a historical “caste” system once implemented by Spanish conquistadors and settlers hundreds of years earlier. USAID is dedicated to assisting the Guatemalan government in increasing access to quality education for indigenous Guatemalans. Bart works in this specific field, and one of his many assignments includes development in the Western Highlands where most indigenous Guatemalans live.

Around 65 people attended dinner, while an additional 25 joined us for Bart's presentation after dinner. (PC: Joe Couri)

One USAID program has been a success in this regard. USAID helped the Guatemalan government develop a method to teach young indigenous children to read in their mother tongue before transitioning to read in Spanish in second grade. While USAID currently supports two of the 21different Mayan languages in Guatemala, the program’s promising results will hopefully become adopted in more languages.

Bart addressed the issue of girls in school, and emphasized that the lens focuses on boys as well. Since 70% of the migrants who head north are male, finding ways to educate the boys as well as the girls and to provide opportunities to use that education in Guatemala is of particular interest to USAID.

A couple of the interesting questions asked by PAWAC members and friends concerned the role of the U.S. military and remnants of the influence of the CIA. While the U.S. military is still present in Guatemala, Bart was clear to point out that their mission now is helping improve the role and status of the Guatemalan military and the separation of the military from domestic policing. He also noted that there seems to be little to no residual fears of CIA influence, a positive step in the continuing improvement U.S.-Guatemalan relations.

We loved learning more about Guatemala from part of our extended PAWAC family. Thank you to Bart Pogue and the Pogue family for sharing a wonderful evening with us!

Map of Guatemala and the Western Highlands (PC: Al Jazeera)

From left to right: Sarah Pogue, Mac Pogue, Bart Pogue, and Connie Pogue. (PC: Joe Couri)

Summarized and adapted for web by Olivia Lu.

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"Ukraine at the Forefront" with Ambassador William Taylor

4/30/2018

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On April 25, 2018, PAWAC and the Institute of International Studies at Bradley University welcomed Ambassador William Taylor of the U.S. Institute of Peace to Peoria. Ambassador Taylor currently serves as Executive Vice President at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, DC. He has also served as special coordinator for Middle East Transitions in the U.S. State Department, and he oversaw assistance and support to Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Syria.

Ambassador Taylor was the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine from 2006-2009 and has served as an international observer of Ukrainian democratic elections. Dr. Shah Tarzi of the International Studies Department along with PAWAC President Michelle Eaton hosted a dinner with Ambassador Taylor before the main event - a presentation on the current situation of Ukraine in context of a liberal world.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine has struggled to find her place between East and West. Anxious to set her own path which faces more toward the West, Ukraine still finds the ties that bind her to the East are strong. With the Maidan movement of 2014 and subsequent civil war and annexation of Crimea by Russia, figuring out how to help Ukraine along her path is as important for Western Europe and the United States as it is for Ukraine. Bradley students, along with members of the Peoria area, packed Bradley University's Marty Theater for a total of around 120 attendees at the presentation

The presentation began with an overview of the past three decades of Ukrainian political events, with emphasis on corruption and the fact that until late 2013, identity politics of whether Ukraine should move towards the EU or Russia were non-violent politics. Ambassador Taylor also compared international norms since the end of the Cold War to Russian behavior in 2014. When the Cold War ended, the international community started to abide by a more liberal world order. Russia's decision to invade Ukraine was a realpolitik action contradictory to modern international customs and norms.

Ambassador Taylor (left) and Dr. Shah Tarzi (right) answer questions from the audience

Ambassador Taylor (right) lingers after the presentation to answer more questions.

Ambassador Taylor challenged the audience to consider the motives and constraints that interested states and organizations must consider as they try to resolve continued tension and Russian occupancy in East Ukraine. The presentation was followed by a robust Q & A session, with Dr. Shah Tarzi serving as moderator. Ambassador Taylor's challenge was met in kind as he answered numerous thoughtful questions from the audience that ranged from the authority of the international community to what possibly could be Putin's end-game.

Ambassador Taylor was an excellent speaker who understood how to deliver the complexities of significant international events in a clear, concise manner. We thank Ambassador Taylor for his generosity and we admire his enthusiasm for knowledge. The Peoria community gained valuable insight into another part of our world that night, and we hope we are lucky to meet Ambassador Taylor again in the future.

Summarized and adapted for web by Olivia Lu.

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Prospects for Development in Guatemala with US AID Officer Bart Pogue

"Ukraine at the Forefront" with Ambassador William Taylor

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