In the 1960s, the U.S. was still grappling with its new role as a world leader. For nearly two decades,…
China Invades Taiwan? No Chance!
“There is a sentiment that…we need to contain China to balance off its aggressiveness. That would be a disaster.” A…
The Sandinistas Return: Navigating the 2006 Nicaraguan Election
Few events illustrate the challenges of American diplomacy like a foreign election. Diplomats walk a fine line between promoting American…
October 14, 1960—JFK’s Call to Service and Diplomacy
John F. Kennedy inspired generations of Americans toward a life of service starting with a few impromptu lines not many…
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
Foreign Service Officers are posted to positions abroad for terms of one, two, or three years depending on locality, demand,…
George Hermann “Christmas Time”
“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” This part of a song would describe the Christmases spent by George…
Why use diplomatic oral histories in the classroom?
Diplomacy is the art of conducting international relations, negotiating alliances, and exercising tact and skill in dealing with people of…
The Iran Hostage Crisis: Diplomatic Drama and Legal Innovation
Next to Pearl Harbor and 9/11, the Iranian seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979 and…
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…
Advancing Unity in the Aftermath of War – Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Mid-1990s
Foreign service officers typically must demonstrate adaptability and proactivity to accomplish their missions smoothly and effectively, but sometimes they find…