Unlike many women’s stories that highlight the immense challenges women face, Alice Shurcliff highlights in her oral history advantages she…
Senegal’s Locust Plague in the late 1980s
The year is 1986. A Senegalese farmer walks out in his field a short while after the drought season has…
Ukrainian Nationalism in an Independence Era
This “Moment in U.S. Diplomatic History” is one of four in a series about Russia, Ukraine, and U.S. relations in…
Fighting for Peace: Serving During the Sri Lankan Civil War
As a USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development) officer serving in Vietnam during the firefights and bombings of the Tet…
A Murder in the Straits Colony—Life in Colonial Singapore
In the case of most diplomats, the investigation of crimes is an activity that is neither envied nor sought out;…
The Rocky Beginnings of the U.S.-ASEAN Relationship
What does the beginning of a diplomatic partnership look like? Though the image that comes to mind is elegant diplomacy,…
Captivating Times in India—What it Means to Travel Across the World as a Foreign Service Officer
Upon joining the Foreign Service, most officers are immediately assigned to locations all over the world. Postings can vary from…
First Assignment—Thailand During the Vietnam War
Harlan Lee first became a foreign service officer in 1968 during the Vietnam War, and he was immediately dispatched to…
Colin Powell—Kuwait and the Gulf War
In early August 1990, the president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, ordered the invasion of Kuwait. Some of Hussein’s contentious justifications…
Secretary of State Colin Powell and 9/11
Imagine being secretary of state during the deadliest attack on American soil since 1941. This was Colin Powell’s job on…