Reykjavík Grapevine - 31.07.2015, Blaðsíða 6

6
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 1 — 20116
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 1 — 2015
An industrious fundraiser for Obama’s
two presidential campaigns, and a neo-
phyte to the increasingly complex world
of foreign relations, Barber was criticised
not only by members of the US Senate’s
powerful Foreign Relations Commit-
tee but also by prominent comedians
Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert for his
perceived inexperience and status as a
“political appointee” (a term frequently
used in US politics to describe officials
who are granted senior-level govern-
ment positions less for their outstanding
qualifications and experience, more for
their political fundraising efforts and
connections).
Barber and several other concur-
rent ambassadorial nominees created a
widespread public perception that US
ambassadorships were up for sale, shed-
ding light on the sometimes controver-
sial ways the American government
goes about selecting occupants for its top
diplomatic posts. Furthermore, a con-
tentious political climate in Washington
DC caused Barber’s confirmation to be
delayed for over a year, leaving Iceland
without a permanent representative
from the US for a substantial period of
time. This delay caused personnel shifts
within the US Embassy that prevented
the staff from operating at full capacity.
After arriving to Iceland in January,
Ambassador Barber has hit the ground
running to make up for lost time. A gra-
cious and relentless optimist, he is de-
termined to work hard at strengthening
commercial and diplomatic ties between
Iceland and the United States throughout
his tenure in Iceland.
Doing his homework
Barber does not shy away from address-
ing the controversy surrounding his ap-
pointment and assuring the public that
it’s his credentials and experiences, not
just his fundraising efforts, that got him
the job.
He cites his prolific career as a busi-
ness law attorney as one of his best pro-
fessional qualifications to serve in this
position. He believes that his decades
of experience helping businesses get
started and develop their entrepreneur-
ial principles have given him the ability
to connect people and institutions with
similar economic interests and goals.
Furthermore, he did not sit idle dur-
ing his lengthy confirmation process—he
was hard at work studying Icelandic poli-
tics and culture, making connections in
Washington, and preparing for the rigors
of the US Foreign Service.
One of his biggest jobs as US Ambas-
sador is to promote commercial part-
nerships between America and Iceland,
and his interactions with Icelanders so
far have made him optimistic about the
future relationship between both coun-
tries. “Every experience has been ter-
rific. I’m in awe of this country and of the
people that I’ve met,” he explains. “I’ve
thoroughly enjoyed what I’ve done so far,
and am very much anticipating meeting
Icelanders where they are and getting
to know as many folks as I can while I’m
here. That’s just great fun for me as well
as just part of the job.”
Of all the things he has researched
since coming to Iceland, Barber has de-
veloped a particular interest in Iceland’s
renewable energy capabilities. “I’m
completely fascinated with many things
about Iceland, but on the commercial
side, with Iceland’s position in the renew-
able energy sector and the knowledge
and expertise that folks here have… [I’m]
interested in any effort in which I can
engage that helps to bring to the rest of
the world that capability that is, in many
ways, unique to Iceland,” he says.
Not one to shy away from a challenge,
Ambassador Barber has also taken on
the formidable task of learning Icelan-
dic, which resulted in a YouTube video
of him showcasing his burgeoning lin-
guistic skills. “There’s an excellent Ice-
landic instructor who works with the
US government to teach the language,"
he explains, "and it’s a required course
for a number of the Foreign Service offi-
cers who come to Iceland.” In the video,
which was released back in January, Bar-
ber expresses in Icelandic how excited
and honoured he feels to be the next US
Ambassador to Iceland, while introduc-
ing (in English) his personal and profes-
sional background, his
wife and three grown
boys, and his love for the
Boston Red Sox baseball
team.
He hopes to con-
tinue honing his Icelan-
dic abilities throughout
his tenure in Iceland:
“My desire, frankly, is
to become more capable
in Icelandic certainly
than I am right now. I’m
lucky to be surrounded
by Icelandic-speaking
folks within the embassy
group, who use every opportunity to try
to coach me and enlighten me not just
about language, but about a whole range
of things Icelandic.”
Becoming Rob Barber
Barber has humble roots in Charleston,
South Carolina, and attributes the bulk
of his success to his mother and the
tremendous example of diligence and
persistence she set for him. “My mother
was to me an extraordinary person,
and… in the times that I’m discussing her
with others, there seems to be universal
agreement on that. So it’s not just me,” he
says with a smile. “She was a very strong
woman, a very capable person who
went back to college after she had four
children… she became a single parent,
who worked and did a four-year college
course in three years, double majored
in English and History,
graduated with honors,
and then commenced a
secondary school teach-
ing career. She is the per-
son who had the greatest
single impact on me and
my life.”
When asked about
his most memorable ex-
perience in Iceland so
far, his softer side shine
through his response.
“The folks at Iceland
Search and Rescue had
undertaken a very com-
prehensive effort to locate a missing
American in the fall of 2013 and a whole
lot of people spent hundreds and hun-
dreds of hours, risking their own lives
and safety in the effort, before the weath-
er really prevented further search,” he
explains, his voice cracking slightly. “But
then in the spring of 2014, they found the
remains of this American who had gone
missing and brought him back, and one
of the things that I really wanted was to
thank them because it’s that kind of effort
that to me reflects the best in humanity…
so we brought them a plaque as some to-
ken of appreciation. It was an extraordi-
nary experience.”
Looking to the future
For a brief moment last year, Iceland
made headlines in the US and across the
world when the small island nation’s am-
bassadorial nominee was caught up in a
fierce, yet crucial discussion about how
American policy-makers select their
country’s representation abroad.
However, Ambassador Barber main-
tains that his reward for his campaign
efforts was seeing Obama elected and
counteracts his criticism by looking
ahead and remaining positive and grate-
ful for his opportunities. “What I felt at
every stage along the way—and I said it
at my confirmation hearing—I am one
lucky guy,” he says. “I am privileged to
live the life that I have lived. I am utterly
honored to be nominated to this position,
and to serve in it. It’s an experience of a
lifetime, and I’m a very fortunate guy to
be able to do this.”

Words by Elliott Brandsma
Photos by Hörður Sveinsson
In October 2013, President Obama nominated Boston
lawyer Robert Barber to succeed Luis Arreaga as US Am-
bassador to Iceland—a choice that drew surprisingly in-
tense scrutiny and criticism from the media, in the United
States and elsewhere.
Meet
Robert Barber
Politics | USA! USA! USA!
Obama’s controversial pick for US
Ambassador finally arrives in Iceland
Not one to shy away
from a challenge,
Ambassador Barber
has also taken on
the formidable task
of learning Icelan-
dic, which resulted
in a YouTube video
of him showcasing
his burgeoning lin-
guistic skills.
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