Moments in U.S. Diplomatic History

1930s Japan—a time of emperors, tension in the Pacific, and mysterious unspoken social rules of the Showa Era. When Dorothy Emmerson moved to Japan, she was the young, practical wife of Ambassador John Emmerson, whom she accompanied to Tokyo where he served his first tour in the Foreign Service. Dorthy soon found herself immersed in… Read More "A Diplomat’s Wife in Showa Japan"

The majority of society dismisses Classical literature and history as irrelevant to tangible success in a world that has become as technologically, politically, and socially advanced as ours today. However, this perception fails to adequately acknowledge the presence of banes and boons that have withstood the test of time. The Cyprus Dispute of 1974 is… Read More "The Interest Trap—Diplomacy before the Cyprus Dispute"

U.S.-Soviet relations during the Cold War were marked by increasing tension. Emerging from WWII as the two strongest countries, competition between the two states was inevitable. This competition ranged from the space race, the ability to exert ideological influence on other nations, and perhaps most deadly of all, the arms race. People all over the… Read More "At the Negotiating Table for SALT"

The international community hoped great changes would come to the Soviet Union after Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in March 1985 and demonstrated his willingness to distinguish himself from the previous Soviet leaders. Gorbachev reversed the precedent of invariably praising the Soviet system when he criticized the inefficient Soviet economy in a speech delivered in… Read More "A Precursor to the Downfall: Living Through Soviet Perestroika and Glasnost"

The purview of an ambassador in a U.S. embassy extends beyond the geographical borders of their host nation and into the intricate global network shaped by the country’s history. In some countries, this may involve regional tensions and instabilities.In others, it may entail navigation of long-standing border disputes. For others still, an ambassador takes on… Read More "“Open Space at the Top of the World”—Defending the Thule Air Force Base in Greenland and Denmark"

Brent Scowcroft was an Air Force lieutenant turned two-time United States National Security Advisor who served under Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush, as well as Deputy National Security Advisor for President Nixon. Later, Scowcroft would serve as chair of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board for President George W. Bush. Scowcroft’s career was a… Read More "An Honest Broker: Remembering Brent Scowcroft"

In 1971, a Ugandan coup d’état led by General Idi Amin ousted President Milton Obote’s government. After Amin seized power, he began a campaign of brutality against the Ugandan people. This brutality led to the general-turned-dictator’s own overthrow just eight years later in 1979, and Amin soon fled the Ugandan capital of Kampala. In his… Read More "Diplomacy and Danger—Close Calls in Uganda"

Nineteen sixty-eight was one of the most chaotic years in American history. As the unpopular Vietnam War raged on, protests demanding peace and an immediate withdrawal of American forces erupted from coast to coast. At the forefront of these protests stood college students, many of whom distinguished themselves from the older generations by embracing a… Read More "Only the Good Die Young—Attending Bobby Kennedy’s Funeral"

Life in the Foreign Service extends far beyond the office, following its officers into all realms of existence abroad, at times for the worse. In 2003, after a military invasion, the United States had just begun its occupation of Iraq. A betrayal by Iraqi dissident Ahmed Chalabi thwarted U.S. efforts to set up an Iraqi… Read More "Finding Resilience in the Bombing of the Al Rasheed: Beth Payne in Iraq"

Renate Coleshill was born in Germany and went on to work for the U.S. Foreign Service in a number of places, including Poland and eventually Japan. While working in Japan’s capital city Tokyo from 1972 to 1976, she served as the secretary for the Deputy Public Affairs Officer, and in addition to her secretarial duties,… Read More "Introducing American Culture to Tokyoites"