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Viewing cable 06DUSHANBE509, DUSHANBE HOSTS INAUGURAL SCA REGIONAL REPORTING OFFICERS

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06DUSHANBE509 2006-03-16 14:02 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Dushanbe
VZCZCXRO1051
PP RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0509/01 0751402
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 161402Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6987
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 1451
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 1487
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 1475
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 1432
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 1377
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1439
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 1401
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1329
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 1246
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1028
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 1471
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 1522
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY 0820
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE PRIORITY 8128
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000509 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA, EUR/ACE, EUR/RUS, EB, R, S/P 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON KDEM KPAO RS CH IR AF ZK KG TI
SUBJECT: DUSHANBE HOSTS INAUGURAL SCA REGIONAL REPORTING OFFICERS 
CONFERENCE 
 
 
DUSHANBE 00000509  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
1.  Embassy Dushanbe hosted the first-ever reporting officers 
conference for Central and South Asia March 10-11 to discuss 
challenges of reporting in the age of transformational diplomacy 
and to identify emerging trends in crosscutting issues. 
Officers from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, 
Afghanistan, Russia and Washington participated.  This proved 
especially pertinent for the Central Asian countries, ruled by 
authoritarian leaders who are wary of "color revolutions," and 
harbor vested institutional interests opposed to political and, 
in some cases, economic reform. 
 
WHAT WE CAN DO 
 
2.  Several deliverables emerged during the conference. 
Reporting officers agreed to coordinate simultaneous 
dissemination of reports from each post on key issues possibly 
including, corruption, energy infrastructure, migration, 
organized crime, border issues, water rights, agriculture, 
media, and succession dynamics.  Some officers also agreed to 
coordinate a joint trip and report on the Ferghana valley. 
Finally, neighboring post officers agreed to visit Afghanistan 
to meet with Provincial Reconstruction Teams, security 
permitting, to explore cross-border issues such as trade, 
demining, and counter narcotics efforts. 
 
PROMOTING TRANSFORMATIONAL DEMOCRACY 
 
3.  The group wrestled with how to best promote "democracy." 
Good governance is in its infancy in Central Asia, and ideas 
such as democracy and freedom of the press are radical indeed. 
Some suggested that instead of pushing for democracy with a 
"capital D," and to avoid host governments' fears of another 
"color revolution," posts could promote programs that advocate 
democratic values such as accountability, transparency, good 
governance, and civic responsibility. 
 
ECONOMIC INVESTMENTS 
 
4.  Conference participants agreed on the need to examine the 
question of how to promote U.S. economic interests when faced 
with much larger foreign investments by governments of regional 
powers and a less than transparent business and investment 
climate.  Economic growth is moving ahead at a fast pace, with 
or without the United States.  Although governments need 
legislative, institutional, and regulatory reform for true 
economic progress, the carrot of foreign direct investment from 
Russia, Iran, or China without associated pressure for 
international standard practices, or political or economic 
strings is too tempting.  Russia and China are increasingly 
using their membership in regional organizations such as the 
Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Eurasian Economic 
Community to influence Central Asia for their own interests, 
interests which for now are similar. 
 
REGIONAL INTEGRATION 
 
5.  On regional integration, some Central Asian governments, 
notably Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, are eager to tap into the 
economic benefits of Afghan regional integration, including 
hydropower, electricity lines, and increased trade and 
transportation links.  Water sharing issues, agricultural 
problems (especially in cotton production), and labor migration 
problems could also be addressed at the regional level. 
Regional political cooperation remains important to tackle 
cross-border terrorism, narcotics smuggling, and trafficking in 
persons.  Russia's influence in the region is strong and 
historical, and Moscow will do whatever it can to maintain 
stability and retain dominance in energy issues.  Some posts 
frequently face negative press campaigns against the United 
States that Russia surely had a hand in initiating.  As the 
Central Asian states and their neighbors increasingly interact 
 
DUSHANBE 00000509  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
in these areas, post reporting officers can help keep Washington 
informed on cross-border developments and their policy 
implications by cooperating on the ground through joint 
reporting and regular exchange of information. 
 
 
WE NEED MORE EXCHANGES! 
 
6.  Officers all agreed recent cuts in public diplomacy budgets 
throughout the region severely hinder U.S. efforts to promote 
democracy, human rights, and reform, but identified some areas 
to focus on to maximize the "bang for the buck."  The 
International Visitors Program (IVP) is one of the best tools to 
expose local leaders to democratic practices because IVP 
participants return to their home countries with exposure to 
Western democratic values that can shape their careers in public 
service.  The payoff for such programs can be measured in 
decades of their government (or business) careers, in exchange 
for just a few weeks or months spent in the United States.  The 
same holds true for student exchange programs.  The programs do 
not necessarily have to be in the United States - exposure to 
Asian democracies could be instructive, and a way to reinforce 
growing ties to South Asia. 
HOAGLAND