Phil Karber - Postmarks From a Political Traveler

First published 2015 by Paradigm Publishers

Published 2016 by Routledge
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Karber, Phil, 1951

Postmarks from a political traveler / Phil Karber.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-61205-761-3 (pbk : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-61205-759-0 (consumer ebook)
1. TravelPolitical aspects. 2. Karber, Phil, 1951Travel. I. Title.
G155.A1K288 2014
910.4dc23

2014012413

ISBN 13: 978-1-61205-761-3 (pbk)
ISBN 13: 978-1-61205-762-0 (hbk)

Dedicated to Thomas E. Little and all those who place themselves in harms way while in service to the vulnerable and the voiceless

I would like to extend the heartiest of thanks to the many individuals who have smiled on this project. Old Afghan hands like Jeff Smith, Steve Solter, Paul Fishstein, and Axel Magnuson gave me a heads-up on the dos and donts of experiencing Kabul, provided thoughtful reading lists, and introduced me to the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit, a treasure trove of policy research. Faithful friends Billy Higgins, John Lancaster, Tommy Horton, and Mike Boulden read some or all of the manuscript, provided worthy suggestions, and saved me from embarrassing mistakes.

John Lancaster, a President Obama appointee to the board of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), also arranged for me to meet with Shahmahmood Miakhel, Afghanistan country director, and Tim Luccaro, a program officer, at USIPs Kabul office. I want to thank both Shahmahmood and Tim for their invaluable insights into nonviolent prevention and mitigation of conflict as well as the armload of reading material.

Over the last two decades, my wife Joellen Lambiotte and I have lived in Nairobi, Hanoi, Bangkok, East London (South Africa), and Accra (Ghana). Each has provided a jumping-off point for travels I have written about in this book. Further, Joellens international network of coworkers, donors, partners, and professionals from the nongovernmental organizations with which she has workedPlanned Parenthood, Pathfinder International, South Africa Partners, and Johns Hopkins Universitys Jhpiegohave served me well both in turning my attention to social justice and equity issues and in introducing me to many remarkable people, travelers all.

One of them is the late Susie Buffett, a role model of uncommon emotional intelligence and vision who at dinner one night in San Francisco picked up instantly, based on my stories of living in Kenya, on my passion for travel and wildlife and conservation. She excused us from the dinner table, and took me into her study to show me high-quality photos of polar bears taken by her son Howard Buffett, photographer, philanthropist, author, and conservationist. A few months before that, Susie and Howard had traveled together to Churchill, Manitoba, on the shores of Hudson Bay, an area that hosts the largest congregation of polar bears in the world. Inspired and informed by those photos and Susies stories, I went to Churchill the following year for my fiftieth birthday and sent her my new book ( Yak Pizza to Go ) and a card thanking her. Part II of this book, Polar Bears, I dedicate to Susie Buffett for pointing me toward Churchill and for the profound effect she continues to have on womens lives worldwide and on people like me, who number in the thousands, who were touched by her warmth and emboldened by her rock-solid commitment.

Many, many thanks also to Jennifer Knerr at Paradigm Publishers for recognizing the worth of my manuscript and showing me the way. Thanks to assistant editor Annie Daniel for answering all my questions and providing sound editorial input. Thanks also to copyeditor Candace Cunningham, and to production editor Ashley Moore, who presided over the organization and editing.

Whether on the road or at home in Cambridge, the New York pressthe New York Times, the New Yorker, and the New York Review of Books is my most reliable source of clear-eyed, intelligent journalism. And one of the beauties of living in Cambridge is the access of community residents like myself to Harvards Kennedy School and MITs Center for International Studies. This book has greatly benefited from their conferences, classes, and seminars, often with visiting experts and scholars.

Finally, I must acknowledge my two children, Maggie and Wes, and their families, who have put up with my wanderings and at the same time admire a dad (and granddad of four girls) who continues to roam the world and write travel books. They often tell me that I am their rock, and small wonder that their lives and achievements are my most cherished touchstones. My greatest debt is to my wife, Joellen, who, from day one, tirelessly provided moral and editorial support. All her time is not forgotten.

There are a few characters in the book whose names and personal circumstances I chose to change. The reasons for this vary, but mostly had to do with their residency in countries where freedom of expression can be hazardous to ones health. The bibliography is a stockpile for many ideas, facts, and events, but in the end, I vouch for the accuracy of all details in the book.

For updates on my travels and news about Postmarks from a Political Traveler and my other books, please visit www.philkarber.com.

I have crossed famous rivers is the Xhosa expression (often used by Nelson Mandela) that says a man gets a leg up in the realm of facts and knowledge by widening his gaze beyond the perimeters of his ancestors. My own transcontinental rambles have taught me not only to seek out people of different backgrounds and to be critically aware, but also to return home with the news of what I have experienced and learned. Its worth bearing witness to polar bear experts projections that we could lose two-thirds of the worlds polar bears by midcentury, and to the fact that Afghanistan has had the highest child and maternal mortality rates in the world. But giving voice to the voiceless is not to say that my journey has been one of redemption, rather it has been more like an adventure of the imagination: aiming beyond my comfortable reach, and at times going forth aimlessly like the dog who broke the leash and then sniffs out a tangled trail.