Friends of Tunisia Newsletter / August 2003
(an affiliate of the National Peace Corps Association)
P.O. Box 25245
Washington, DC 20027
Tel. 202-526-0897
fotrpcv@yahoo.com

US POLICY ON TERRORISM BACKFIRES AND HITS FOT MEMBER'S BUSINESS. On May 23, the US State Department announced that US customs agents would immediately seize any goods brought into this country by five Chinese and Korean shipping companies suspected of transporting nuclear materials to Iran. The State Department's announcement, which appeared only in the Federal Register and not on any website, also made the order retroactive to goods shipped on or after May 9.

Several of the Chinese companies have vigorously denied that they had anything to do with nuclear energy in Iran, but for some small American carpet importers the retroactive nature of the measure has backfired and hit them.

FOT member Jerry Sorkin runs the TunisUSA travel agency but also imports carpets from Tunisia, several other Moslem countries, and China. On May 12 - i.e., before the policy was announced - he used Norinco, a large Chinese shipping firm, to send a container of carpets and antiques worth $30,000 from China to his shop in Wayne, PA. At the time of shipment, everything proceeded as usual, but when the container arrived in Philadelphia, Sorkin learned that, because of the retroactive measure, his shipment, which was "associated with Norinco," had been seized and that he faced two options: either ship the container back to China at his own expense or destroy all its contents.

Sorkin's firm hasn't been the only innocent American company caught by the retroactive US policy. An importer in South Carolina stands to lose a shipment valued at over $100,000. Meanwhile, the State Department's response has displayed the kind of arrogance toward small businesses that one associates with bureaucrats in socialist and communist countries. Rather than admit that making the policy retroactive was a mistake, a State Department official merely sniffed that "a grace period was not deemed appropriate." Equally dismaying is a July 26 New York Times article that says the South Carolina firm's owner is reluctant to challenge the Department's high-handed action for fear of being labelled unpatriotic in the war against terrorism. Sorkin, however, has retained an attorney, gone on nationwide TV, and contacted his congressional delegation. To try to minimize his financial loss, he is also attempting to re-direct his shipment to Canada and sell it there.

PEACE CORPS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM AT ILLINOIS STATE U. About 30 universities around the country participate in the Peace Corps fellowship program. These schools offer RPCVs a chance to pursue advanced degrees in subjects such as teaching, public administration, political science, economics, nursing, sociology, or business administration. Participants usually receive reduced tuition and, in some cases, stipends for teaching. Sometimes health insurance and financial assistance for relocation are also provided.

Among the most active of these schools is Illinois State University's Unit for Community and Economic Development. Recently, Mike Kelleher, a '85-'88 volunteer in Sierra Leone who currently directs the ISU program, notified FOT that his program, which has about 25 openings for each semester, is currently considering applicants for January 2004 and August 2004.

The degrees offered at ISU are master's degrees in economics, political science, or sociology. Students complete two to three semesters on campus, followed by an 11-month internship with governmental agencies or non-profit groups engaged in community and economic development projects. Usually these are located in high poverty urban or rural areas.

Requirements include two copies of the undergraduate transcript, three letters of recommendation, and, in some cases, GRE scores. If you are interested, call Mike at 309- 438-7090 or e-mail him at stevensoncenter@istu.edu or visit his website at www.stevensoncenter.org. The snail mail address is Campus Box 4200, Normal, IL 61790-4200.

For anyone interested in a degree in nursing or public health, Johns Hopkins University offers various degrees. Contact the School of Nursing, JHU, 525 Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205 or log onto www.son.jhmi.edu For info about all fellows programs, log onto www.peacecorps.gov/fellows or call 1-800-424- 8580, ext. 1440 and ask for the catalog of Fellows/USA programs.

SEPTEMBER REUNION IN MARIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Members of the first two groups of Peace Corps volunteers to serve in Tunisia will hold a reunion September 23-25 in Marin County, CA, just north of San Francisco Hosting the reunion will be Muriel and Jacques Ullman (Tel. 415-331-0146), Dorly and David Hanchette (415-924- 0425), Barbara and Lowell Sykes (415-388-2821), Simone Wedell (415-332-2794), Jean and Tim Storrs (415-388-3502). Anyone interested in attending should call one of the hosts to find out about the event and hotels/motels in the area.

PEACE CORPS WILL RETURN TO JORDAN AND MOROCCO. A FORMER VOLUNTEER WANTS VOLUNTEERS SENT TO IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN. In the aftermath of 9/11, the Peace Corps pulled all volunteers out of its two last Arab countries, Morocco and Jordan. This July, however, the Peace Corps announced that volunteers will return to Jordan as early as January 2004. Furthermore, according to Tim Resch, president of Friends of Morocco, new volunteers will be sent to Morocco this September, and volunteers who were withdrawn from the country but want to complete their interrupted service will return in October.

Such moves are being made because both countries are again considered safe for volunteers. Yet a former PC volunteer in Morocco has suggested on the op-ed page of the New York Times that volunteers should also be sent to dangerous countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

Avi Spiegel, a '98-2000 volunteer in Morocco and now a divinity student at Harvard, wrote in a July NY Times op-ed piece that the Peace Corps should revamp its policy of keeping volunteers out of countries that are politically unstable and dangerous. Spiegel believes the Peace Corps should send volunteers to war-torn countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan. PC volunteers, he says, would be better than soldiers at helping such nations rebuild. He cautions, however, that dangerous assignments would not be appropriate for young, inexperienced volunteers just out of college. Instead, he believes older, more experienced Americans should be recruited and properly trained for these countries.

No word yet from the Peace Corps on this idea, although Mark Gearan, a PC director in the Clinton Administration, opposed such a suggestion in '96.

NEW PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION (NPCA). On July 14, the National Peace Corps Association announced that Kevin Quigley has been named to replace Dane Smith as the president of the association. Quigley was a PC volunteer in Thailand from 1976 to 1979. Afterwards, he became the legislative director of Republican Senator John Heinz's office, then served in the Reagan Administration's Office of Management and Budget. After that, he spent six years as the director of public policy for the Pew Charitable Trusts and three years as the vice president of the Asia Society. Most recently he was executive director of the Global Alliance for Workers and Communities where he raised over $6 million for the organization's research and publications. A graduate of Swarthmore College, he has a doctorate in comparative government from Georgetown University and has been a fellow for the Council on Foreign Relations, a scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center, and a resident associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

PEACE CORPS MUSEUM IN OREGON LOOKING FOR HELP. As reported in a previous FOT newsletter, former Peace Corps volunteers in Oregon are trying to establish a museum of the Peace Corps experience in Portland. Currently, they are looking for help and contributions. Those interested should log onto www.peacecorpsmuseum.org

***TUNISIAN NEWS***TUNISIAN NEWS****TUNISIAN NEWS***

- This summer the Tunisian navy and coast guard have found themselves in the unexpected role of rescuer of "boat people" from various African nations trying to reach Europe from Libya. Although reports are somewhat confusing, it seems that at least three boats loaded with illegal immigrants have foundered or capsized in the waters 50 to 70 km east of Sfax or Cap Bon. In one case, the coast guard and navy rescued 42 of 65 passengers. From another boat, nine bodies were recovered but 14 passengers were missing. In another case, 35 were rescued, but three drowned.

- From July 14 to July 16 Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and his wife Sahba paid an official visit to Tunisia. In addition to meeting with President and Madame Ben Ali, they visited the Bardo museum and the Arab and Mediterranean Music Center in Sidi Bou Said.

- In May President Ben Ali announced that a "technology park" for the film industry will be established in Gammarth. Although major European and American directors have shot parts of their films in Tunisia, the park is being built to attract mainly Arab and African film makers. The facilities are intended to give cinema professionals access to the latest technology.

- Wanna be a clown? Is walking the high wire your dream? Then go to Tunis. In October, a circus school will open. Already 50 youth, both male and female, have signed up for instruction.

- Joining the Tunisian military seems to be a good way to learn how to box. At the second African Military Boxing Championships, held in June in Tunis, Tunisia came in first with 8 gold and 3 bronze medals. Algeria was second, Kenya third. Tunisian Saber Guesmi was voted the tournament's best boxer.

- On July 18, a conference on evaluation of adult education in Arab countries was held in Hammamet. The conference sought to establish common indices for evaluating courses and programs and will make a report to a UNESCO meeting in Bangkok in September.

- In June, the Italian government announced that four of the five Tunisians arrested last October in Milan for terrorist activities will go on trial next March. The fifth opted for a faster process and will go on trial this September.

- In July, President Ben Ali announced that he would pardon a number of people in prison as part of the celebration of the 46th anniversary of Tunisia's independence. The exact number of those pardoned, however, was not revealed, nor is it known yet whether any of those regarded by human rights groups as political prisoners is included.