The work of the U.S. Foreign Service encompasses more than just advancing U.S. interests abroad. A critical part of it…
The Consequences of Serendipity: From Peace Corps to USAID
Is anything ever truly up to chance? Or are these moments of chance instead a culmination of one’s hard work?…
Education Programs in Romania: The Service of Public Diplomacy
A primary purpose of public diplomacy is to promote the interests of the United States. Public diplomacy officers on the…
Ceaușescu and the Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia: The Early Years of Dealing with a Dictator
The Romanian Führer. The West’s “favorite communist.” Both of these descriptions have been used to describe Nicolae Ceaușescu, the rapacious…
Diplomatic View of Vice President Joe Biden on Kosovo and Israel
When Vice President Biden sat next to then Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping at a dinner in 2012, Xi asked…
Reiterating Strong Support for the Democratic Process
The ADST team joins many others in the foreign affairs community in condemning recent attacks on our democracy and welcoming…
“The Good Coup” of 1999—the Very First Coup in Côte d’Ivoire
In December 1999, Côte d’Ivoire experienced its first ever coup d’état after years of stability and economic growth—a coup that…
“Coincidence is God Acting Anonymously!”—Faith in Service
Life can sometimes be unpredictable in the Foreign Service. Serving as a development officer may perhaps be even more unpredictable,…
Tex Harris: Representing at Home the Officers who Serve Abroad
A lack of due process, serious disorganization, and inadequate representation. This was the state of affairs of Foreign Service labor…
Operation Sapphire: Nuclear Diplomacy in Kazakhstan
Working with nuclear materials is, by its very nature, volatile. Carrying out diplomacy over nuclear materials is even more so.…