Even when the situation seems most dire, the development process is never static. Bottom-up, local efforts help make the process the most feasible. Such was the case in North Yemen in the late 1980s, when the country’s first family planning policy was developed. The need for this policy proved to be especially urgent due to… Read More "The Development Process is Never Static: Reorienting and Expanding Family Planning in Yemen"
Foreign Service Officers are posted to positions abroad for terms of one, two, or three years depending on locality, demand, and specialization. When serving on assignment in the Foreign Service, diplomats are gifted with the opportunity to traverse their surrounding environments, frequently encountering memorable individuals and accumulating a catalog of exceptional experiences around the globe.… Read More "Deserted in the Panama Canal, Exploring the Rose City, and Travelling the Globe in Forty Days: Firsthand Accounts from George Hermann in the Foreign Service"
Coups often do not go exactly as planned. While some result in military despotism and others in democratic reforms, some coups simply never seem to gain enough momentum to be successful. Such was the case during the 2002 Venezuelan coup attempt, when military high command briefly ousted Hugo Chávez from office. For a mere forty-seven… Read More "Ousted from Office for 47 Hours: the Failed 2002 Venezuelan Coup"
“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” This part of a song would describe the Christmases spent by George Hermann. Could you imagine spending Christmas at the Foreign Service Institute, then Ghana, Korea, or New Zealand? Mr. Hermann had that opportunity as he served as a security engineering officer for the U.S. State Department.… Read More "George Hermann “Christmas Time”"
The study of ancient art in museum collections has long been a stimulus to the human spirit and an important means of promoting knowledge of foreign cultures. Sadly, these collections have too often been built on war, colonial exploitation, and looting of archaeological sites that cause irreparable damage to the record of human civilization. These… Read More "Combating Illicit Trade in Ancient Art to Protect the Cultural Heritage of Mankind"
In June of 2012, Elizabeth Jones found herself being transferred to the Near East Bureau in the Department of State. It was a whirlwind from the beginning. Her flight back to the United States had an urgent and abrupt landing in London, and upon her return to the States, she learned that the King of… Read More "The 2012 Egyptian Elections: A Democratic Dilemma"
The Cold War started after the end of World War II and lasted until the fall of the Soviet Union. Filled with arms races, proxy wars, and tense negotiations, the Cold War would give foreign service officers a glimpse into different negotiation tactics and styles. Raymond F. Smith was a consular officer in Moscow from… Read More "The Impact of Culture on Negotiation Tactics During the Cold War"
Foreign service officers are often subject to circumstances beyond their control. Such was the case when a diplomatic quarrel occurred in October 1986. Around the same time of the Reykjavik summit, in which President Reagan and Soviet leader Gorbachev disagreed over Reagan’s proposed Strategic Defense Initiative, the U.S. and Soviet Union began expelling diplomats from… Read More "A Jack of All Trades: Working Without Foreign Service Nationals in Moscow"
Sometimes, politics involves standing for one’s values, even if it goes against the beliefs of the system in charge and all of those around oneself. Dan and Jenny Neser made the decision to do just that, while living in the midst of Apartheid South Africa in the 1960s. As soon as these South Africans, natives… Read More "Working Together Against Separation—Life As A White Anti-Apartheid Activist in 1960s South Africa"
Diplomatic history is a fascinating field full of peace conferences, negotiations, and summits; but it also includes dozens of other jobs, like public diplomacy. Public diplomacy normally involves writing press releases and statements, planning public events, and managing public opinion; but it could involve taking astronauts on world tours, negotiating the excavation of a Confederate… Read More "A Public Diplomacy Career: Touring Astronauts, Saving Battleships, and More"