Complex geopolitical realities, poor leadership, and economic dysfunction characterized the Cold War in Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador. USAID (United…
Behind Embassy Walls: The Life and Times of an American Diplomat
Son of an international oilman and a Polish émigré, Grove grew up largely in prewar Europe: in Nazi Germany, Holland,…
George Herrmann’s Excellent Adventures in West Africa, South America, East Asia, and More
Have you ever seen a monkey in an airport? How about the Dalai Lama? Have you visited the world’s first…
Communist Containment in the Middle East: Emergence of the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO)
The 1950s can be described as a decade filled with some uncertainties, but many prosperities. The Cold War had just…
Development in South Asia and Latin America: USAID in the ‘90s
There’s never a dull moment in the life of a USAID social anthropologist! The foreign service can indeed present a…
USAID Helps Sri Lanka Respond to 1996 Bombing of Central Bank–And Avert Financial Chaos
One of the deadliest terror acts in Sri Lanka’s long civil war was the 1996 bombing of the Central Bank,…
African-American Ambassadors
As challenging as it is for anyone to become and serve as Ambassador for the United States, the hurdles are…
Being the Security Agent-in-Command During the 1985 Visit of Prince Charles and Princess Diana to America
When Prince Charles and Princess Diana of the United Kingdom came to visit the United States in 1985, Dennis Williams…
An Espionage Caper in Ghana; Helping Americans Escape Rwanda — Scenes From a Diplomatic Life
Arlene Render’s career took her from a segregated neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio, to three ambassadorships and a lifetime of diplomatic…
The Diplomacy of Tragedy: Burmese Airways Crash Kills 14 Americans in 1987
In the early morning hours of October 11, 1987, a Burmese turboprop plane transporting 49 passengers, including 36 foreign nationals…