It wasn’t just soldiers. USAID officer George Laudato was at his home in Mỹ Tho in 1968 when mortars started…
Building a USAID Program in a Country With No Roads: The Case of South Sudan
USAID Mission Director William Hammink’s troubles began shortly before his 2009 arrival in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital; President Omar al-Bashir…
Embassies: “An Artifact of an Earlier Age?”
Do embassies still matter? Donna Oglesby, a senior official at the United States Information Agency (before it was incorporated into…
Hurricane Mitch Devastated Nicaragua, But Helped Improve Relations With the U.S.
Slow-moving, coast-hugging Hurricane Mitch devastated Nicaragua in October 1998. The United States organized a massive disaster response, and President Clinton…
“A Sea of Golden Grain”: USAID’s Response to Russia’s Invasion of Georgia
In the aftermath of Russia’s five-day war with Georgia in 2008, the National Security Council (NSC) met to review U.S.…
Benazir Bhutto, USAID, and Girls’ Education in Pakistan
Nine days after David Sprague arrived in Pakistan to work for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a plane…
Responding to Terrorism in Saudi Arabia: Memories of a Public Affairs Officer
When terrorists struck Americans in Saudi Arabia in 2004, Washington and a global public wanted answers. In June, Al-Qaeda kidnapped…
The Politics of Water in the Middle East: U.S. “Good Offices” Mediation Between Jordan and Israel
For countries in the Jordan River Basin, water is a life-or-death matter. Disagreements and even armed skirmishes over water issues…
USAID Helps Sri Lanka Respond to 1996 Bombing of Central Bank–And Avert Financial Chaos
One of the deadliest terror acts in Sri Lanka’s long civil war was the 1996 bombing of the Central Bank,…
Witness to the Arab Spring in Tunisia
In December 2010, Tunisian fruit vendor Mohamed Bouazizi proved that it can take just a single moment to spark a…