A desolate landscape and frozen ocean seems like an unlikely place for the scene of major world events and geopolitical…
Resolving the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Issue—Treaty of Bangkok
During the 1990s, there were many international agreements created to limit nuclear weapons and the potential consequential effects of deploying…
Daily Life in Japanese Custody: Japan Takes Over U.S. Consulate in Vietnam During WWII
About one month before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States officially entered World War II, tensions were already…
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…
Diplomacy After Tragedy: Responding to the Cavalese Incident
When a disaster strikes somewhere in the world, the U.S. government often springs into action quickly, often offering critical aid…
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…
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,…
A Whole New World: Life as a New Foreign Service Spouse
Life as a Foreign Service spouse is constantly evolving, particularly for Foreign Service wives. While the State Department is now…
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…
The State Department Under the Red Scare: McCarthy’s Campaign
The inauspicious rise of Joseph McCarthy began in 1950, when the Wisconsin senator was asked to give a speech at…