Following Allied victory in World War II, the world plunged headfirst into a bitter rivalry lasting decades between the two…
The Pursuit of Perfection: Dilemmas in the Foreign Service
Capturing, preserving, and sharing the experiences of America’s diplomats. ADST’s maxim perfectly encapsulates the diverse nature of a Foreign Service…
Trust in Diplomacy––Secretary of State George Shultz
Diplomacy is the practice of building relationships between people and countries in order to achieve mutual goals. Diplomacy, however, requires…
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…
Making Lasting Impressions: Biden Vice Presidential Visits to Iraq and Mongolia
A vice presidential visit is a major diplomatic event. These visits can either be part of a crisis management strategy,…
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…
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.…
One Size Fits None—U.S. Reform Dilemmas in South Africa
One reform to fix them all. What could be more ideal than this? Unfortunately, such a dream will forever lie…