With a presidential visit comes months of preparation and stress. While big embassies with hundreds of staff members are often…
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…
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…
Russia–Ukraine Tensions
This moment is one of four in a series about Russia, Ukraine, and U.S. relations in a world of post-Ukrainian…
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…
Diplomacy as an Instrument of Statecraft: A Practicum
Diplomacy as an Instrument of Statecraft: A Practicum Remarks to the Washington International Diplomatic Academy Ambassador Chas W.…
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…
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…
Partners in Diplomacy: Words of Wisdom from Experienced Diplomatic Spouses
Be curious, flexible, adaptable, and optimistic, with a taste for adventure. The Foreign Service is not just a job; it…
Peace Corps to Ambassador: David Greenlee and Bolivia
It’s very common for Peace Corps volunteers to feel disheartened, as David Greenlee did as a Peace Corps volunteer in…