Ambassador of Zimbabwe Simbi Veke Mubako Zimbabweís Unsettling Resettlement Program by Sean OíDriscoll Ambassador of Zimbabwe Simbi Veke Mubako is an optimist. He has one of the toughest diplomatic jobs in Washingtonórepresenting a nation that is engulfed in international condemnationóyet heís smiling. ìRelations with the U.S. will change once they realize our policies are working,î he says. Even the International Monetary Fundís (IMF) decision to cancel its Zimbabwean program doesnít seem to faze him. ìIt is not the end of the world. We have learned that there is life after the IMF,î he adds quickly. Mubako spoke with The Washington Diplomat as Zimbabwe reaches a deciding moment in its chaotic slide from international approval. Its land confiscation program is now complete, with 11 million hectares taken from white farmers and given to hundreds of thousands of its supporters...more... Adel Al-Jubeir Saudi Diplomat Seeks to Define U.S.-Saudi Relationship, Post 9/11 by John Shaw For a man who lives halfway across the world, Adel Al-Jubeir sure spends a lot of time in Washington and on American television. A resident of Riyadh, the smooth, polished diplomat from Saudi Arabia is working overtime to explain his nation to American audiences and to try to ease mounting concerns about Saudi Arabia within the United States. In the last year, Al-Jubeir has been pressed to address the most fundamental questions about the nature of the U.S.-Saudi relationship in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in which 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals. more.... Women Ambassadors Help Group Pushing for Global Change by Serena Lei The American Association of University Women (AAUW) will be hosting their second internat ional symposium from Nov. 15 to 17. Sponsored by the AAUW Educational Foundation and the Educational Testing Service, ìInternational Perspectives: Global Voices for Gender Equityî will explore how women have used their education to create change. The symposium focuses on four key issues: literacy improvement, peace education and conflict resolution, governance, and education for people with disabilities...more... Receiving Line ï Ambassadorís Ball Boosts Multiple Sclerosis Research ï Meridian Ball Raises $400,000

Culture Section Protesters, IMF and World Bank Wrangle With Information Gap in Issues by Sean OíDriscoll Itís a Friday morning, outside the Federal Triangle Metro stop in Washington, D.C. Confiscated bicycles lie in a heap on the grass while heavily armed police stand in the rain, listening to the chant of protesters. Office workers peer at the protesters and the bikes, confused by the scenes in front of them. ìI donít know what itís about,î said one, ìI just wish they would get on with it.î more... Mayor Williams Reaching Out To Bridge Diplomatic Divide by Anna Gawel For a long time, the diplomatic corps and the D.C. city government seemed to exist on two different playing fieldsófriendly neighbors working side by side in the same city but never really interacting with one another, never fully throwing off the blinders to realize the potential benefits of a union. Well, the blinders are slowly coming off...more... Group Helps Diplomats Adapt 'American-Style' Nigerian Nonprofit Group Working To Improve Health, Education in Homeland by Serena Lei The Public Health and Education in Nigeria (PHENIG), a promising new nonprofit, was founded in 2001 by husband and wife Folusho Ogunfiditimi and Bonike Odegbami. ìOur mission is to create and advocate public health and education awareness in Nigeria,î said Ogunfiditimi. New Tools to Combat West Nile As Number of Infections Increases by Gina Shaw At first, we didnít take it all that seriously. Some mosquito-borne virus that killed a lot of birds? We had international terrorists, anthrax and smallpox to worry aboutówe didnít have time for the West Nile virus. But in the past few months, West Nile has taken on a mounting sense of urgency as the case rate climbs and the death toll mountsóeven more sharply at the end of the summer. Tour de Peace Idealistic Iranian Students Cycle Globe to Promote Understanding by Carolyn Cosmos We are pedaling for peace,î said Hassan Alizadeh, one of two college students from Iran spending four years of their lives bicycling around the globeóminus official financial backing or sponsors.