Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin recently attended the opening of Lithuania’s first honorary consulate in his state, clearly pleased with the official presence of yet another country in his state. The goal is for each side to develop closer economic and cultural ties between Lithuania and Wisconsin. Leslie Liautaud is the new appointee. An executive with…
Read MoreThe traditional functions of foreign consuls include their contributions to the development of commercial, economic, cultural and scientific relations between their countries and the United States. Many nations find innovative ways of showcasing their accomplishments in some or all of those areas. Recently, I was very impressed to see what France continues to do in Miami. According…
Read MoreConsuls have long been the bridge between local communities and the world. They can help identify places for future investment of their countries. They strengthen their national ties in business, education and culture. The U.S. communities in which they serve must do their part to act as good citizen diplomats. This includes understanding the functions…
Read MorePeople sometimes wander why there are so many lawyers and business people among honorary consuls. The reason is very practical: they often possess the skills that an appointing foreign government is looking for in its consul. Honorary consuls come from many other professions. Physicians, travel agents, marketing experts, exporters, investment bankers are among those coming…
Read MoreThere’s a lot of buzz out there about Tampa (Florida) actively seeking a Cuban consulate in its area. One source said, “It depends on Havana’s desires.” This is only half of the truth, though. Before any country – Cuba or otherwise – may open a consulate in the United States it needs the permission from…
Read MoreFormer Secretary of State Madeleine Albright once said that good protocol can be “an essential ingredient for business success.” The expanded edition of the Foreign Consuls Among Us: Local Bridges to Globalism (now available through major bookstores) incorporates that statement in one of its new chapters, the Business of America. Consular functions include the furtherance of commercial and…
Read MoreHow can the many foreign consuls in our communities be “bridges to globalism?” Think of them as a ready-made, local network with ties to the countries they represent. When we seek out the services of a foreign consul we enter a two-way street, where consuls have expectations that differ from ours. We may also have a…
Read MoreThe Consul opera takes place in the waiting room of an unnamed consulate. Gian Carlo Menotti wrote this Pulitzer Prize winning piece in 1950. He had in mind a totalitarian state where people were seeking exit visas to leave their home country. World War II and the refugee situation was still fresh before the public so…
Read MoreConsul, honorable honoree? That’s the question for today. When a friend showed me instructions for a certain consulate headed by an honorary consul, the head of that post was referred to as honoree consul. This makes no sense in that context. A consul as an honoree is someone who’s honored for something. While a consul in a career or…
Read MoreConsuls collect all kinds of things, just like people from all walks of life. I knew of one consul who collected heart-shaped items, and another who had a house-full of cat-objects. But wouldn’t it be funny if there was a consul in the United States who collected consul butterflies. This beautiful tiger leafwinged species of butterflies is certainly…
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