After the destruction and horrors of World War II, countries across the world banded together to offer support and assistance. Some of these alliances would last, such as the United Nations, but others would not, like the Eastern Bloc. The Eastern Bloc has its beginnings in the early 1920s, when a treaty formed the Union… Read More "Construction of the Eastern Bloc Through a Woman’s Eyes"
Have you ever seen a monkey in an airport? How about the Dalai Lama? Have you visited the world’s first judo dojo in Japan? George Herrmann, who served in the Department of State as a full-time Security Engineering Officer (SEO) for over twenty years, has done all this and more. Herrmann fixed locks and doors,… Read More "George Herrmann’s Excellent Adventures in West Africa, South America, East Asia, and More"
Haiti has been plagued with instability for much of its existence, despite being the second country in the Americas to declare independence. The U.S. and United Nations (UN) have been involved in Haiti since 1993 as a multinational force, peacekeeping mission, and crisis response network. However, the creation of a long-lasting secure government has eluded… Read More "Lessons from Haiti: Why Security-Only Interventions Fail"
With a presidential visit comes months of preparation and stress. While big embassies with hundreds of staff members are often old hands at orchestrating big diplomatic events, it is not the same for small consulates. Such was the case when President Reagan and around 1,000 people, including 300 journalists, visited the small U.S. consulate in… Read More "A Big Delegation For a Small Consulate: President Reagan visits Shanghai"
Next to Pearl Harbor and 9/11, the Iranian seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979 and the detention of fifty-two American diplomats for 444 days constituted the most consequential foreign attack on the United States in modern American history. Mark Feldman’s oral history provides a riveting account of the fraught diplomacy… Read More "The Iran Hostage Crisis: Diplomatic Drama and Legal Innovation"
The 1950s can be described as a decade filled with some uncertainties, but many prosperities. The Cold War had just ensued between the United States and the USSR, and in the midst of this geopolitical friction, powers from around the world began forming alliances necessary to contain the threats they feared. One of those alliances… Read More "Communist Containment in the Middle East: Emergence of the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO)"
During 1998 and 1999, Lawrence Rossin found himself working in the disputed region of the Balkans. Having previously worked in Mali, South Africa, Barbados, and Haiti, Rossin had extensive experience in negotiations and regional complexities. Originally brought into the State Department’s Office of South Central European Affairs in the European Bureau following his work in… Read More "The Unknown Actor in Kosovo: Lawrence Rossin"
CORDS Alumnus Gives Perspective on U.S. Role in Vietnam
Should the United States ever have gone to war in Vietnam? Nearly fifty years after the last American troops were withdrawn from Vietnam, the debate still rages. Michael Hauben, who was on the ground in Vietnam as part of the Office of Civil Operations and Support (Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support or CORDS), had… Read More "CORDS Alumnus Gives Perspective on U.S. Role in Vietnam"
Development in South Asia and Latin America: USAID in the ‘90s
There’s never a dull moment in the life of a USAID social anthropologist! The foreign service can indeed present a variety of unpredictable challenges. By necessity, officers must exhibit poise under pressure, adaptability in unfamiliar terrain, and the ability to deliver under a time crunch. Hugh Sheridan “Sher” Plunkett demonstrated all these qualities and more… Read More "Development in South Asia and Latin America: USAID in the ‘90s"
Making the Most of Adversity: Managing the Consular Section in Guangzhou, China
Adversity can often bring out the best in those who are willing to rise to the challenges it throws at them. This principle holds especially true for foreign service officers. Elizabeth “Liz” Raspolic encountered one of the more challenging posts of her foreign service career in Guangzhou, China from 1983 to 1986, where she served… Read More "Making the Most of Adversity: Managing the Consular Section in Guangzhou, China"