Department of State
285 Articles
One Year Later — New Remarks by Senior State Dep’t Official Discharged by Trump
[Introduction by Ryan Goodman, co-editor-in-chief: One year ago, Thomas Countryman delivered Farewell Remarks to his colleagues at the State Department. Days before, he and five…
State Dept. Shakeup: The Trump Administration Must Do More to Keep U.S. Diplomats Safe
It’s a tough time to be an American diplomat. The State Department is reeling as Secretary Tillerson presides over a management trainwreck that hardly seems fitting for a man…
Giving Thanks While Safeguarding Our Country’s Most Important National Security Assets
What are our country’s most important national security assets? While new weapons and hardware (drones, the latest fighter jet or technological wonder) receive a significant…
South Sudan: The Crisis Continues
The humanitarian crisis in South Sudan continues to worsen with civilians growing increasingly desperate and conditions showing little sign of improvement. July saw the greatest…
Norms Watch: Democracy, the Trump Administration, and Reactions to It (August 4-August 11)
Editor’s Note: Welcome to the latest installment of Norms Watch, our series tracking both the flouting of democratic norms by the Trump administration and the erosion of…
Representative Ted Lieu in Defense of Global Justice
As mentioned last week by Jane Stromseth in her terrific post “Why the U.S. needs the Office of Global Criminal Justice Led by a Senate-Confirmed Ambassador-at-Large,” the…
Why the U.S. needs the Office of Global Criminal Justice Led by a Senate-Confirmed Ambassador-at-Large
The survival of the State Department’s talented Office of Global Criminal Justice (GCJ) is at risk. Since 1997, this small but mighty team led by a Senate-confirmed Ambassador-at-Large…
Not So Fast: Trump Administration Continues U.S. Sanctions Toward Sudan
After months of speculation, the Trump administration has decided that the current U.S. sanctions against Sudan will remain in place – at least for now. The State Department…
The “Leahy Law” Prohibiting US Assistance to Human Rights Abusers: Pulling Back the Curtain
With almost weekly news reports of US support for foreign governments with track records of gross human rights abuse—think torture in Yemen by Emirati security forces, violations…
Cutting To the Bone of American Leadership
The recent resignation of David Rank, a 27-year career Foreign Service officer who was serving as acting U.S. Ambassador to China, is just the latest U.S. diplomatic casualty of…
New Atrocities Prevention & Response Legislation Introduced
I posted earlier about a new bipartisan bill to advance accountability in Syria: the Syrian War Crimes Accountability Act of 2017 (current status is here). Two additional pieces…
Congress Protects U.S. Foreign Aid For Now but the Budget Wars Are Just Beginning
While overshadowed by news that House Republicans voted to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, last week’s signing of a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill to fund the…