Washington is unique among large American cities in that so many of its old homes, and the multi-acreage that they sit on, have been owned by foreign governments for decades, and in some case, centuries. Rather than being divided among the generations and sold off, many have remained intact, and are now, all too often, walled off from the rest of the city.
Collectively, foreign governments own a large percentage of land in Washington, with most countries owning multiple buildings and/or plots of land for embassies, residences, cultural centers, offices, military attaches, and more in a city that is a mere 61.4 square miles, and has, for years, maintained housing, climate, and infrastructure crises. How these properties are managed - whether merely as satellites of their home governments, or responsible stewards of the local ecosystem - is its own potent form of diplomacy.
As Diplomatica returns, we'll be exploring this form of diplomacy, both in the classic style of profiles that longtime readers may expect, and with new, solutions-focused reporting on these properties' roles in the environment, architecture, culture, design, and more in Washington and other host cities. Whether by preserving a historic property like the Uzbeks, showcasing environmentally responsible design like the Finns, rewilding its land like the Swiss, or offering new ways to open their doors to the public, how a foreign government manages its property behind a fence speaks as loudly as the types of public events it holds.
Our first profile of 2022 will be on a country that is letting go of a large, historic property because it doesn't reflect the changing realities of modern diplomacy, and why its ambassador thinks doing so will become the new trend. Look for that issue on Thursday, January 27 via email and on our LinkedIn and Twitter.
In the meantime, please help guide our coverage by completing this short ten-question survey. Everyone who completes it will receive a complimentary six-month subscription to Diplomatica and an invitation to our first event.
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