President Obama’s State of the Union Address

It was sobering, thoughtful, and energizing to hear President Obama’s State of the Union address and his vision for the future of the United States of America.  His emphases on education, carefully targeted investment in infrastructure, credible fiscal measures, and his challenge to his fellow countrymen to heed a call for unity, hard work, and entrepreneurship provided a clear roadmap for our future.  

Ambassador Arreaga with University of Reykjavík Rector
Ari Kristinn Jónsson.

University of Reykjavik – an inspiring visit.

I had the pleasure of visiting with Ari Kristinn Jónsson, Rector of the University of Reykjavik, and taking a brief tour of the campus.   It was quite uplifting to hear the Rector's vision for the young university as well as his plans to expand their contacts outside Iceland.   We look forward to working to expand their collaboration with U.S. educational institutions.  I know for sure that our universities would stand to gain from having a relationship with Reykjavik U.

Running a 5k in Hafnarfjörður

Doing a race at night in the middle of winter can be experienced only in a few places.  The 5K in Hafnarfjöður was fun, the weather cooperated, and I would even add that the bouquet from the fish plant nearby energized runners to go faster.  Look forward to the next run.

The National Museum of Iceland - what a gem.

During a brief visit to the National Museum of Iceland kindly hosted by Dr. Margrét Hallgrímsdóttir, I had the opportunity to see up close some of the artifacts that bore witness to Iceland’s compelling history.  It is definitely a must stop for any visitor coming to Reykjavik.

Iceland’s great handball team

While I share the disappointment of many for the losses of Iceland’s handball team, that doesn’t diminish in the least their skill, spirit, and bright future.   They gave us plenty of great moments.

Reflections on Þorrablót

The inevitable came when I was confronted with a full plate of hangikjöt, sviðasulta, harðfiskur, hrútspungar, and hákarl.   How shall I say it?  Appreciation for hrútspungar and hákarl is acquired.   I hasten to add that I do like the notion of people getting together and having fun to commemorate their heritage.

Bringing geothermal power to Africa, Iceland’s international schools, the Mayor and handball.

The previous week was productive, interesting, and fun.  It was productive because the Embassy helped advance a U.S. – Icelandic partnership to bring geothermal energy to the developing world.  It was interesting because I had an opportunity to meet the Mayor of Reykjavik and to learn about Reykjavik’s international school, and it was fun because I attended the friendly handball match between Iceland and Germany and watched Iceland’s matches against Hungary and Japan.

President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson and US Ambassador
Luis Arreaga (right) welcomed participants from five African
countries to a geothermal seminar in Reykjavík.

Our Embassy supported a partnership between American and Icelandic private sector firms and the U.S. government to bring to Iceland a group of officials from the African Development Bank and the power companies from five African nations to have a first-hand look at geothermal power in action.  The group attended a seminar where they learned the nuts and bolts of geothermal development projects and visited power plants to observe their functioning.   It is heartening to see how Icelandic know-how, American capital, and U.S. government support can help bring much needed energy resources to the Rift Valley in Africa.  It was great that President Grímsson accepted an invitation to address the group; he urged them to consider the benefits of geothermal energy.

I also had the pleasure of visiting the International School of Iceland located in Garðabær.  The school has fifty-four students representing eleven nationalities.  It is great to see a place where children from different cultures meet to learn about one another.  For those of us who are here temporarily, the school gives our children an excellent opportunity to learn the Icelandic language, Icelandic culture and to meet Icelandic children.  For Icelandic children attending the school, it gives them an opportunity to learn about foreign cultures.

On Friday I had the opportunity to meet with the Mayor of Reykjavik.    He certainly brings a fresh perspective to government and is engaging, thoughtful, and very committed to the city of Reykjavik.  I enjoyed the meeting very much and look forward to working with him and his administration.

Finally, I have to say that handball is quite an exciting sport.  I started to like it when I watched the last ten minutes of Iceland’s match with Lithuania last October.   Subsequent to that I attended the Haukar – Akureyri match in Reykjavik and Iceland’s first friendly match with Germany a little over a week ago.   I think I am pretty much hooked since I made it a point to watch Iceland’s games with Hungary and Japan.   I love the fast breaks, the complicated plays that result in explosive shots that whizz past the goalie and the nail-biting that goes along with games with very close scores.   Do I understand what is going on most of the time? No, but the more I learn the more I like it.  My best wishes to Iceland’s handball team and congratulations on their well-deserved victories.

Welcoming the New Year

I had read and heard that the end-of-year holidays in Reykjavik would be very special.  After experiencing this time of the year in several places around the world, one always has a healthy degree of skepticism about such claims.  The important questions seem to hover around whether family will be near.  Fortunately, our children visited and I don’t know whether it was their visit or Reykjavik -- perhaps it was a combination of both -- but it was indeed a magical time.  Highlights included a stroll down Laugavegur on December 23 at noon, when we enjoyed the  aroma emanating out of a few restaurants.  We returned to Laugavegur that evening,  when it seemed that every citizen in Reykjavik was there to hear the Christmas carolers, purchase that one last present, and partake of the free hot chocolate and fish soup offered by the street merchants.  The bonfires and fireworks displays were spectacular and a fitting way to say goodbye to 2010 and welcome the New Year . I must say that Skaupið added a good bit of humor to the experience.  It was a memorable experience; we consider ourselves lucky to have been here.

 The New Year brings a fresh set of opportunities for Iceland and the United States.   According to several economists, both Iceland and the United States are showing signs that our economies may be rebounding from once-in-a-lifetime crises.    While it is too early to draw sweeping conclusions about the sustainability of these trends, it would be fair to say that the efforts that both governments have undertaken are having their intended effect.   Surely, both governments have a lot of work for the coming year to create jobs, but it is encouraging to witness the emergence of positive signs.   At the Embassy, we are ready to do our part to strengthen commercial and trade ties between our countries.  In this regard, the Icelandic American Business Forum (IABF) offers an excellent forum to discuss ideas and strategies to strengthen our commercial and trade ties.  I am pleased to report that interest in the organization increased in 2010 and the prospects for 2011 are great.

Another bright spot in the New Year will be the May Ministerial Meeting of the Arctic Council in Greenland, where we hope all member nations will sign an agreement to cooperate on search and rescue operations in the Arctic Region.  The Arctic Council is a great forum where countries with interests in the Arctic can work together to manage challenges and opportunities arising out of global warming.  It is yet another area where we share common goals with Iceland. 

We are also looking forward to celebrating the centennial of the University of Iceland in 2011.  And when the Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Center opens its doors this year,  I hope to be there  enjoying the sights and sounds.  Finally, the U.S. and Iceland will become even closer when Delta Airlines commences service between our countries in June 2011.  I plan to be there to launch the first flight from Keflavik to New York,  but just to cut the ribbon, because I hear that Iceland in the summertime is too beautiful to leave.   

P.S. I couldn’t bring myself to eat skata in 2010.  I felt a bit bad about this, but when I conducted an informal poll among my Icelandic friends, I realized that fewer Icelanders than I imagined eat this delicacy.   Maybe this year.

Joint Study, the Blue Lagoon, Cancun, and Svið:

University of Iceland…Wow.

I paid a visit to the University of Iceland and had the opportunity to learn about the University’s programs and engagement with the rest of the world.  I was so proud to learn that the University of Colorado and the University of Iceland will soon be offering joint PhD degrees, that the University of Pennsylvania’s medical school has a longstanding partnership with the University of Iceland, and that Stanford University will fund one Icelander´s participation in a summer study program annually.  This only scratches the surface of the range and depth of the University of Iceland.   No doubt we will find many additional opportunities to expand and deepen the university's ties with its American counterparts.  As we say in the States, this is a win-win for both countries.

The HS Orka and Blue Lagoon partnership

During a brief visit to the HS Orka power plant and to the Blue Lagoon, I had the opportunity to learn from management about the vision of their companies.  HS Orka is making every effort to minimize waste and reduce CO2 emissions.  It is a company with a very strong entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to redefine itself in socially responsible ways.   The plant is a longtime partner with the Blue Lagoon, a very successful enterprise that seems to have defied the economic crisis with a sound business model that has enormous potential.  Both enterprises are privately held and appear to be very good examples of business models that offer great hope for Iceland’s future.

Some good news from Cancun

It was great to hear that the international community agreed to establish a Green Climate Fund to help developing countries cope with climate change.  The Fund will establish a framework to reduce deforestation in developing countries and a committee to promote international cooperation and action on adaptation.  While some may not be satisfied with the outcome in Cancun, it is significant progress and consistent with President Obama’s commitment to find a new path on climate change.  No one said it would be easy.

My first encounter with Svið: a draw.

I had been preparing for that fateful moment when I would confront my first dish of Svið.  It happened a couple of weeks ago and I would characterize the encounter as a draw between my aversion to eating a sheep‘s head and the tastiness of  traditional Icelandic cuisine.  Icelandic cuisine scored a goal to the extent that I liked the meat and will eat it again; I believe I scored a goal for asking that the plate be presented in a way that did not look like a sheep‘s head.   I realize this is not the real Icelandic experience, but it is a start.

Art, Air Rescue, and Arrival of the Holiday Season

Thanksgiving with Fulbrighters in Iceland

I had the pleasure of attending the Fulbright Alumni Thanksgiving dinner where I had the opportunity to meet an impressive group of Icelanders educated in the U.S. and Americans being educated in Iceland.   Attendees included an environmental scientist, social scientists, political scientists, composers, a concert pianist, artists, journalists, and humanists.  It occurred to me that the dinner was an opportunity to look at the U.S.-Iceland relationship through a magnifying glass.  These individuals represent the strands that make up our relationship and make it strong.  The Fulbright program is a hugely important program not only because it benefits both countries but because it makes contributions to the world at large.  I am certain that in the future we will hear about the contributions that Fulbright Alumni  (Icelandic and American) at the dinner will make.    After all, since its inception the Fulbright program has produced 46 Nobel Prize winners.   We must not only preserve but strengthen the Fulbright program.

Discovering Kjarval and others at Iceland’s magnificent Listasafn

Ambassador Arreaga (left) with Listasafn Íslands Director
Halldór Runólfsson (right).

I visited Iceland’s National Gallery and not only found great art but fascinating nuggets about the American journeys of some of Iceland’s greatest artists.  Let me start with Nina Saemundsson, a wonderful sculptress whose Niall’s head is at once haunting and beautiful.  She is also responsible for the angel that rests on the awning at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York.  There is also Einar Jonsson, who went to the United States and returned to Iceland to become one of its greatest painters.  There are many more artists, that we will explore in return visits, but the one that immediately stood out was Johannes Kjarval whose range is absolutely amazing.  I learned that he was more than a painter, he was a man that was well ahead of his time.  In 1948, he wrote a letter to Morgunblaðið to propose that whaling should be stopped or at least limited, suggesting that a whale preservation ship be built so that people can watch, admire and study the creature.   His words said it all:  “Er nokkuð frjálsara, óháðara og hlutlausara en sjá hvali fara stefnur sínar á flötum hafsins.”

Half a century of cooperation with Flugbjörgunarsveitin í Reykjavík

This past weekend, I had the honor of giving a few congratulatory remarks to Reykjavik´s Air Ground Rescue Team on the occasion of their 60^th anniversary.   Volunteer rescuers are an amazing group of people whose altruism is a lesson to all of us.  I know that some members of this team participated in the rescue efforts in Haiti and many other countries.  Each of them deserves our respect and admiration.   The celebration was a good moment to reflect on the half a century of cooperation between the United States and this wonderful group of Icelanders.  Starting in the 1960s, American soldiers and airmen trained with the Icelandic volunteer rescuers and not only did they learn from each other, but together they accomplished the ultimate:  the successful completion of rescue missions that saved lives.   I had an overwhelming sense of pride knowing the great things that our people can accomplish when they work together.

Christmas Tree Lighting

Iceland has so many lovely traditions.   I have to say that walking over the frozen Tjornin on my way to the official lighting of the Christmas tree downtown is a  Reykjavik tradition that I enjoyed immensely. 

The Arctic, the Gulf of Mexico, Iceland’s björgunarsveitirnar (Search and Rescue) and a bit of controversy

While the weather is turning colder in Reykjavik, the tempo of activity at the Embassy has picked up with gusto.   The Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, recently made a brief stop in Iceland and shared with us and government officials his perspectives on the Arctic and the Gulf of Mexico.  You would think that there is no connection, but there is:  President Obama asked Secretary Mabus to look into the economic impact of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico with a view towards restoration and recovery in the region .  He told us that the economic impact on the livelihood of fishermen and the tourist industry was devastating and that we have a responsibility to ensure that any extraction of natural resources in the Arctic region be undertaken responsibly.    It is clear that the United States and Iceland need to work together to deal with this and other issues.

Secretary Mabus’s visit was followed by the Supreme Allied Commander, Admiral James G. Stavridis, who visited Iceland as a guest of the Icelandic Government.   The Admiral clearly noted that Iceland remains a very important partner of NATO.  We certainly agree with that; our commitment to our bilateral Defense Agreement with Iceland is unshakable, as is our commitment to strengthen our security cooperation.

Ambassador Arreaga with
Iceland Search and Rescue Member

This past week marked the annual fundraising campaign conducted by Iceland’s Search and Rescue Team (björgunarsveitirnar).   Before coming to Iceland, I learned that the björgunarsveitir had arrived in Haiti within the first 24 hours of the devastating earthquake and that they saved many lives.  We are also grateful to the team for evacuating many American citizens from Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake.   Like many great institutions in Iceland, the björgunarsveitir is the product not of government but of active citizens who volunteer to serve others selflessly.  It reminds me of the spirit of volunteerism in the United States.   I know that many colleagues in the Embassy (myself included) bought the traditional key chains from many björgunarsveitir volunteers selling them on street corners.   They deserve our support.

And speaking of similarities, I was invited to speak to a university class about the mid-term elections, foreign policy, and Icelandic-American relations.  I must confess that while I enjoyed meeting the students, I didn’t have an easy time of it.  I was asked many tough questions on many different subjects.  Some of my answers were met with skeptical looks and more follow up questions.  It reminded me of classes at some of our top universities in the United States.  Young people have a way of reassuring us that our future will be in good hands.

The last few days also brought us a bit of controversy produced by sensationalist press reports about our efforts to protect our employees (American and Icelandic) and our visitors to the Embassy.  It was useful  to listen to opinions on the subject which ranged from interesting to very thoughtful.    We regret that this has caused unease and concern among some citizens and diverted attention away from important issues.    Our policy is for these programs to be conducted in full compliance with applicable local laws.  The U.S. stands ready to answer any questions the Government of Iceland might ask us on this or any other matter.

 One of the benefits of the cold weather is having the opportunity to enjoy Iceland’s famous swimming pools.  There is nothing like getting into a hot pot in the middle of a cold blustery evening.  I highly recommend it.

Congratulations to the Icelandic handball team

First of all, I must confess my ignorance of handball rules.  However, I can honestly say that I was glued to the television screen during the last 10 minutes of Iceland’s match with Latvia.  It was an unrelenting fight for the lead which Iceland finally took over and kept.  Hearty congratulations to the team and best wishes for the upcoming games, which I will watch.   All of this happened while I was visiting the Akureyri region where I had a chance to see a very unique and beautiful part of Iceland.  I was most impressed by its people, their outlook, vitality, resilience, and optimism.

I found that Iceland’s ties to the U.S.  are everywhere.   Let me start with Vilhjálmur Stefánsson.   Here´s an Icelander born in Canada and educated in the United States who advanced the world´s knowledge about the Arctic.  His expeditions and books are the foundation of our knowledge of that region and his legacy is enormous.  The Arctic Institute named after him and located in Akureyri is one of the world´s leading research institutions on Arctic studies with extensive links with U.S. universities.   A similar story is in the making with the recently established School for Renewable Energy Science (RES).   The school’s founding director is an accomplished Icelander educated in the United States who is making the institute a world leader in its field.  How great it is to see the result of decades of cooperation between our universities and the free flow of ideas between our people.   It is well worth maintaining and expanding them.

Ambassador Arreaga at the
Hof Menningarhús

The Hof Menningarhús is a building of stunning beauty, functionality, and a gathering place for artists, academics, and the area’s citizens.  It was interesting to learn that the Rocky Horror Picture Show has been running quite successfully in the theater.  I am optimistic that we can work together to bring American artists to perform in that magnificent center.

Economics, economics, and economics

During my visit and conversation with citizens, farmers, fish processors, businessmen, and local officials in the region, the common thread in all the discussions is apprehension about the current economic situation but also a healthy degree of optimism about the future.  While there is understandable impatience about the slow economic recovery and widespread debate about Iceland’s application to the European Union, almost all interlocutors conceded that it is too early to pass judgment on that initiative.  Everywhere I went there were signs of Iceland’s creativity and entrepreneurship at work:  The newly opened tunnels to Siglufjörður could bring new opportunities to the region; the world-class Samherji plant in Dalvík is thriving; the Bruggsmiðjan micro-brewery in Árskógssandi is growing; the Orkey biodiesel production plant makes use of waste; the Holtsel Farm outside Akureyri strengthens the family farm; and the thriving whale watching industry in Húsavík attracts tourists and generates economic activity for the city.  I heard from several Icelanders a rather convincing argument:   when it comes to whales, there is no better job-creating industry than to welcome thousands of tourists to Iceland to enjoy watching whales in the wild; it has excellent growth prospects and enhances Iceland‘s image to the outside world.   It is hard to argue with that.

Overall, it was an excellent trip and a great introduction to Iceland’s diversity.  While I regret missing a whale watching trip owing to weather conditions, I had more time to visit Húsavík’s wonderful whaling museum and to learn more from Icelanders I met.  I will definitely return to the area.