Moments in U.S. Diplomatic History

In 1995 the Apartheid era came to an end in South Africa, yet many still found themselves shouldering Apartheid’s tragic legacy. Their escape was Swaziland. The landlocked country within South Africa became a destination for South Africans, both Black and White, to unwind and seek a different perspective on South Africa’s remaining tensions. However, Swaziland… Read More "The Royal Family of Swaziland Raises Awareness About AIDS"

The road to German reunification was long, turbulent, and beset with political obstacles. Despite the challenges, German reunification represents a major event that ultimately heralded the end of the Cold War. As the German Democratic Republic and the Soviet Union itself unwound, U.S. diplomats in Germany carefully monitored the situation in hopes that reunification was… Read More "The Road to Reunification: Remembering the Reintegration of East and West Germany"

In the late 1970s, Turkey faced intense political fragmentation as its parties each struggled for a majority; due to lack of consensus in the more civil channels of politics, the country’s tensions erupted into violence. With engagements between extreme leftists and ultranationalists culminating in a bloodbath, the military orchestrated a coup and instituted martial law… Read More "Surviving the Storm—Turkey’s Labor Movements Under a Junta"

The world bore witness to an unprecedented degree of violence and destruction in the wake of the Second World War. The United States notably suffered far less than its allies on account of both its delayed entry into the conflict and its geographical isolation from the war front. However, this initial detachment from the action… Read More "Let There be Productivity—U.S. Aid Efforts in Europe and India"

When one thinks of life in the Foreign Service, they imagine living overseas, experiencing different cultures, and trying exotic foods. They picture adventure. While Foreign Service Officers surely do have their fair share of adventure, it is not always merry and light-hearted. FSOs can come face-to-face with terrorists, hostile foreign leaders, and in the case… Read More "Expecting the Unexpected in the Philippines: Confronting a Killer"

In October 1998, the British government arrested former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet at the London Bridge hospital, where he was recovering from minor back surgery. The British government planned to extradite Pinochet to Spain, where the Spanish government would then prosecute him for crimes against humanity committed during his reign from 1973 to 1990. Although… Read More "Pinochet’s Trip to London: How the Arrest of the Chilean Dictator Inspired Unprecedented Global Transparency"

Being a U.S. soldier and fighting for your country overseas is an incredible sacrifice. The extended time away from family, necessity to quickly adapt to new environments, and the witnessing of the tragic repercussions of war are all difficulties that soldiers encounter. While the government appreciates all of these men and women for their service,… Read More "A Miracle Worker in Vietnam—Saving a Young Boy’s Life"

The United States underwent great political change following the end of World War II, not only fully abandoning its isolationist tendencies, but also contending for and succeeding in establishing international preeminence against the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War. During the same time period, the U.S. additionally witnessed political change in its… Read More "The Times They Are a-Changin’—Labor’s Role in the Foreign Service"

The Arab Spring began in late 2010 as a series of anti-government protests throughout several Middle Eastern countries that permanently altered the political and social climate of the region. The time leading up to, during, and after this event has been full of turmoil and important political change. Hilda “Bambi” Arellano served as the USAID… Read More "Egypt Before the Arab Spring: Shifting Tides of Democracy and Westernization"

Under the rule of current President Yoweri Museveni, Uganda has seen a period of relative stability compared to the turbulent unrest that plagued the country in the 1980s. He has rebuilt the economy to be one of the most successful in Africa and has greatly reduced the power of the Lord’s Resistance Army, a rebel… Read More "When “All Hell Broke Loose” in Uganda"