In 1984 Donald Lyman left the State Department after seven years of service. Although it was a brief stint compared…
Economics and Diplomacy
Back to Memoirs and Occasional Papers Economics and Diplomacy: A Life in the Foreign Service of the United States Deane…
Visa Fraud and GI Brides Before South Korea’s Economic Boom
As long as there are vast economic disparities between countries, there will be people desperate (and unscrupulous) enough to do…
A Trailblazing Visa to Apartheid South Africa
When Ulric Haynes joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1964 as the desk officer for Southwest Africa, the United States…
An American in a Japanese “Triple Disaster”
There was no warning. The shaking that soon rocked mainland Japan on March 11, 2011 would tear down buildings and…
Black and White: A Battle Between Segregation and Independence in Southern Rhodesia
During the Scramble for Africa (a period lasting from 1881 to 1914 that brought colonization of most of Africa by…
Vladimir Putin’s “Icy Cold Glare”
After George W. Bush’s 2006 meeting on the tarmac with Vladimir Putin, he famously declared “I looked the man in…
Environmental Issues: Tackling Air Pollution in Beijing
In addition to implementing U.S. foreign policy and expanding diplomatic relations, the State Department plays another very important role as…
China Invades Taiwan? No Chance!
“There is a sentiment that…we need to contain China to balance off its aggressiveness. That would be a disaster.” A…
The Sandinistas Return: Navigating the 2006 Nicaraguan Election
Few events illustrate the challenges of American diplomacy like a foreign election. Diplomats walk a fine line between promoting American…