Theater and art do not emerge from an inherently neutral political position—as Adrienne Sichel’s work and commentary on the practice shows, dance performance is deeply engaged with the most contentious racial issues in South Africa. Throughout the multiple decades of her experience, she captures the politics and controversies of South African theater during and since… Read More "“For Me the Salvation is its Artists”—Dance Theater, Race, and Politics in South Africa"
Many nations felt the disastrous repercussions that followed the 9/11 terrorist attack, and this was the unfortunate case for Spain on March 11, 2004. The response to terrorism differed greatly throughout the world, but one underlying similarity was fear. People in Spain certainly felt it when four commuter trains were bombed by an egregious terrorist… Read More "The Madrid Train Bombings: An Account of Terrorism"
As a spouse of a Foreign Service Officer (FSO), one is exposed to a unique lifestyle in the world of diplomacy. Traveling to remote areas of the world with your significant other can be an amazing experience; however, employment opportunities for FSO spouses are minimal and can cause frustration. Imagine a job where relationships with… Read More "The Fight for Equal Opportunity as a Foreign Service Spouse in Germany, Switzerland, Tanzania, and More"
When Ulric Haynes joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1964 as the desk officer for Southwest Africa, the United States had begun paying more attention to the region. It had become a strategic interest—important to security, countering the Soviet Union, and for its abundant natural resources. The repressive apartheid policy in South Africa and its… Read More "A Trailblazing Visa to Apartheid South Africa"
It was the end of a long, hard road. Although the Vietnam War had finally officially concluded, the Fall of Saigon had triggered a refugee crisis for which neither the United States nor Vietnam’s neighbors were prepared. This time period ushered in the launch of numerous operations designed to get at-risk Vietnamese civilians and American… Read More "The Remnants of Vietnam in the Philippines"
There was no warning. The shaking that soon rocked mainland Japan on March 11, 2011 would tear down buildings and shake the island’s surroundings to their very core, revealing itself to be a 9.1 magnitude earthquake—the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan. This was not the end however, as the earthquake then triggered both… Read More "An American in a Japanese “Triple Disaster”"
“I traveled in a long convoy, with armed body-guards. Much of the concern for our safety stemmed from the assassination of Ambassador Frank Meloy who had been killed about five years previously by the PFLP.” This is how Ambassador Robert S. Dillon described his daily life as the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon during the peak… Read More "Experiencing the Lebanese Civil War as the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon—Robert S. Dillon"
Welcome to Burundi For former United States Ambassador to Gabon and São Tomé and Príncipe, Joseph C. Wilson IV, the price for peace may always be too high to forget. If you’ve ever wondered what life looks like inside of an authoritarian regime following genocide and chaos, Wilson’s account may be of interest. A few… Read More "The Peace After Chaos—Genocide in Burundi"
September 11 fundamentally transformed United States foreign policy and shook the country as a whole. This transformation and shock was not limited to U.S. citizens within the mainland United States. Overseas, Foreign Service officers across the globe had their lives and missions considerably changed by such a traumatic event. U.S. Foreign policy itself became focused… Read More "Terrorism: Domestic and International—9/11 In Tanzania"
During the Scramble for Africa (a period lasting from 1881 to 1914 that brought colonization of most of Africa by seven Western European powers) Great Britain acquired a substantial colonial empire in Africa during the late 1800s through coerced diplomacy and military invasions. In efforts to rule the vast territory, Britain’s policies varied according to… Read More "Black and White: A Battle Between Segregation and Independence in Southern Rhodesia"