Embassy News 2006
Interview of Ambassador van Voorst in Fréttablaðið, March 5, 2006 .
Ambassador van Voorst presented credentials as Ambassador the US to President Asgrimsson on Jan. 26. In an interview with Auðunn Arnórsson, she said her dream came true with her appointment to Reykjavik as the Ambassador. “It’s not often in the State Dept. that you get what you wish for,” she said, with a twinkle in her eye.
She said she wished specifically for going to Reykjavik when she heard last fall that that position was empty. In the beginning of her career, she had wanted to go to Iceland. “When I began in the Foreign Service, in 1980, I chose Iceland as the place over everywhere else in the world, where I would want to be sent. In the US Foreign Service, junior officers at that time were asked to choose 15 places where they want to serve. “It was less exciting to me to go to places like London, Paris, and Rome,” she said. “I thought it was more exciting to go to unusual places and so, I put Iceland on the top of my list, and the Philippines was second.” “I was disappointed I didn’t get it. It wasn’t until I was the desk officer in charge of the Nordic states that I came to Reykjavik for a visit in 1996. After that visit, I was determined to come to Iceland and stay longer, if not for work, then on my own. It made me very happy when the President nominated me and made me an Ambassador here.”
President George W. Bush nominated van Voorst last Oct. The Senate confirmed her and she was sworn in by Secretary Rice on Jan. 3. Van Voorst has a quarter of a century career in the US Foreign Service. Before coming here, she was the Deputy Chief of Mission in Vienna from 2004-2005; before that, she was Deputy Chief of Mission in Helsinki 1999-2002. From 2002-2004, she was desk officer in charge of Austria, Switzerland and Germany. Van Voorst has a Ph.D. in history from Princeton and an M.A. in International Security Studies from the National War College.
She was born and raised in Michigan and has Dutch ancestors, as her name indicates. The name she has taken is from her father not her husband. Her husband is William A. Garland, who also works for the State Department.
In the first weeks after van Voorst and her husband, William Garland, moved into Laufasveginum, she has tried to understand Icelandic matters. “I had good meetings with the Ministers in the government,” she said. Now she is busy getting in contact with people in Iceland’s economic and cultural life. “It’s important to me to have personal communications with people, and I hope they will be close and productive,” she said.
Unforgettable Time in LazyTown
As an example of her networking in economic and cultural life, van Voorst went on an introductory visit to the studio where they are filming the latest episodes of LazyTown series. The show is produced by LazyTown pioneers, led by Magnus Scheving, in cooperation with a US partner. “This was one of the most unforgettable things that I ever experienced,” said van Voorst, about the visit. “It was amazing, unforgettable, and it was great to experience the atmosphere, the energy and the creativity, “ she said. “I also found out it’s not only that they produce excellent entertainment for children but LazyTown is a very well thought out project that promotes good health and well-being. I know for a fact that in many US homes that the children ask for an apple or fruit instead of candy.”
The fact that LazyTown produces quality TV material for children all over the world is not the only thing that caught the attention of the Ambassador. “The visit showed me that Icelandic people are at the forefront of using new technology,” said van Voorst. She thought it was very impressive to see how new technology is used to combine real action by actors, puppets and animation in one package. She thinks that LazyTown will continue to be an ongoing success.
Defense Talks at a Delicate Stage
The defense talks about the continuation of the defense agreement are still going on. For a long time, it has been known that the US wants to decrease its presence at the base, and that Icelanders should participate more in the cost of the running of Keflavik airport. Asked about the status of those discussions, van Voorst said “It’s clear I cannot go into detail about those discussions; they are confidential. But what I can say about this is that we, Americans, have had defense cooperation with this country for more than half a century. During this time, the cooperation has changed. The situations have changed, and the needs of each party have changed. It is clear that the situations in the 21st century are different than in the days of the Cold War. Circumstances have changed more than we could have predicted five years ago. The nature of the danger is going to be different in the 21st century than when I was first working in the State Dept.” I think the goal of the discussions now is to work to update the defense cooperation to the needs of the 21st century. It is not anything you can develop overnight. It is something done in good cooperation with our partner.”
Iceland is Definitely European
Asked whether she senses a difference working as an officer of the US Government in a Euro country that’s outside the EU, she said: “The US, in general, agrees with the enlargement of the EU. There, we see the positive effect it has had on countries that join the EU, especially those in Eastern Europe. But we are not in a position to say who should join the EU.” “It is clearly a domestic issue,” she emphasized. “I have worked in countries in the EU, countries that just joined the EU and those who have stood outside the EU, but they are nonetheless European, just like Iceland.”
Asked whether she senses a lot of American influence in Iceland, she said: “I think Iceland is in between US and Europe, it looks in both directions, with historic connections both to the east and west. And I believe Iceland doesn’t need to choose between the two.” But both from heritage and how they built their society, Iceland is similar to the other Nordic countries, and other Euro states. She said she sees American traits in Icelandic society that are worth mentioning: “the sense of seizing new opportunities, optimism and entrepreneurship” , which she senses so strongly here. A good example, she said, was at the Icelandic Chamber of Commerce forum, where she said she was in “awe” of the drive and the optimism that she sensed there. “It was obvious there were lots of people there who look at the future as wide open and will make the most of it, by using their talents and skills to produce something new and exciting.”
Van Voorst said she sensed a similar, creative atmosphere in Helsinki, when she was Deputy Chief of Mission. “That was as the Nokia miracle occurred. I sensed a special optimism in the air, where people are full of faith in the future and the opportunities it will bring to them. It is one of those things I like so much about the Nordic countries. I believe all the countries in this part of the world, from Estonia to Iceland, live in an atmosphere where they have a longing for adventure. I don’t know where it comes from, whether it’s hereditary, or from history, or what. You just sense it very strongly. I believe a person who stops for two days in Reykjavik would sense that same energy and optimism,” she said.
The US Should Be Given its Due
Asked about what she will emphasize in her job as Ambassador, she said she would like to put a stronger emphasis on personal contacts with Icelanders. It means a lot to her to relay the diverse and fair picture of the US to people here. She said: “I have noticed that many Europeans, Icelanders included, have a one-sided view of my country. Many judge the US and Americans from the stereotypes from movies and other entertainment material. With that, people end up with a very one-sided view of a country that is one of the most diverse countries in the world. I want to relay how diverse and special the US is.
About 50,000 Americans visit Iceland every year to get to know the country and its people. I want most Icelanders to visit the US in the same manner. I don’t just mean NY or CA, but also the 3,000 miles that lie in between them. I believe my country is interesting; it has a tendency to deal directly with problems, we discuss things in an open manner, we air our dirty laundry so we can see it and make observations.
The US is an open society, not one color, not one sided. In my opinion, sincerity, innovation, and a warm heart characterize US society. But there are a lot of contradictions and experiments, and that is why I believe we deserve to have a more diverse picture of US society come across to the world.”