Recent Blog Posts
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ACDA
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I served a tour in the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA). The Association for Diplomatic and Consular Training (ADST) provides a history of its creation based on an interview with Helmut Sonnenfelt.
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Immigrants Concerned about Immigrants
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The Washington Post described a county board meeting in Wisconsin where legal immigrants complained about all the money being given to illegal immigrants. the board punted and made no decision on the immigration issue. The Washington Post’s bias in favor of illegal immigrants over legal immigrants is clearly on display.
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Antony Blinken’s Tour as Secretary of State
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Wired magazine has published an evaluation of Antony Blinen’s tenure as Secretary of State. It says: Blinken, 62, once thought he might become a musician—or maybe, even less lucratively, a journalist. Instead he has spent virtually his entire career in the Washington foreign policy establishment, which is something of a…
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Menendez Convicted Unlike Trump
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Senator Menendez was convicted of bribery while serving as senator, unlike former President Trump who was not convicted of crimes related to his performance in office. Trump was convicted of some minor crimes by kangaroo courts in New York, but he has not been convicted of trying to overthrow the…
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Pat Derian and Human Rights
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Pat Derian gave me fits when Iwas working on the Brazil desk because Brazil had a bad reputation for its human rights performance. AFSA has publised its oral history of her time at the State Department. The AFSA history begins: Patricia “Patt” M. Derian was one of the key proponents…
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Venezuela Illustrates What the US Might Be Under Trump
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Madura’s refusal to accept defeat in Venezuela’s election illustrates what Trump might try to do if he lost another election, as Maduro did. Axios reported: Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro was announced as the winner in Sunday’s election, despite independent exit polls showing opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia had won more votes.…
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July 4, 1976
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On the evening of July 4, 1976, I was working in the Operations Center of the State Department. The fireworks were starting on the National Mall. Henry Kissinger was the Secretary of State. He was having a commemorative dinner on the eighth floor of the State Department in the diplomatic…
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100 Trying Years for the Foreign Service
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The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune reviewed Harry Kopp’s book,The Voice of the Foreign Service: A History of the American Foreign Service Association at 100, on the history of the Foreign Service, The review said: The origins of the State Department were inauspicious. Headed by Thomas Jefferson, it comprised a small diplomatic establishment that…
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National Debt Danger
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The Council on Foreign Relations as produced an excellent report on the dangers of America’s growing debt. It says: The total debt of the U.S. government now stands at just under $35 trillion. That is $103,000 for every person in the United States and is equal to 99 percent of the…
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State Department Cyber Role
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Axios reports that: Cyber diplomacy has been a major priority at the State Department during the Biden administration as nation-state hackers target U.S. critical infrastructure and criminal gangs recruit hackers from across borders. Collaborating with the private sector is a major part of the State Department’s new international cyber strategy,…