Posted by Charles S. Shapiro on May 08, 2008 - 10:09 AM
![A worker packs roses to be shipped to the U.S. north of Bogota, Colombia Feb. 8, 2008. [AP]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/UNGA/field/2008_0508_colombia_bh_m.jpg)
Throughout the hemisphere, democratic nations are looking to create conditions for sustained economic growth. In today’s world of globalization, countries are not looking inward but rather outward to achieve growth and prosperity. Our friends in Latin America see free trade agreements as the way to accomplish this goal. As we partner with other nations to remove trade barriers, no country wants to strengthen its ties with us more than Colombia.
The cup of Colombian coffee that I had this morning, the roses that I’m going to send to my mother for Mother’s Day along with the box of chocolates all come from Colombia into the United…
Related Entries: Westerm Hemisphere | More entries by Charles S. Shapiro | Comments (1)
Posted by DipNote Bloggers on May 09, 2008 - 05:58 PM
![Airport staff load crates of United Nations aid onto a cargo aircraft in the UAE May 7, 2008. [AP]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/UNGA/field/2008_0509_usaid2_bh_m.jpg)
When a government is incapable of, or unwilling to protect its people, how far should the international community go to deliver humanitarian assistance?
Related Entries: Question of the Week | More entries by DipNote Bloggers | Comments (1)
Posted by Steve Royster on May 07, 2008 - 09:56 AM
![A map of the path that cyclone Nargis followed as it passed into Burma May 3, 2008. [State Dept.]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/UNGA/nargis/2008_0507_burma_map2_bh_m.jpg)
VIEW PHOTOS
Cyclone Nargis struck Burma this weekend with winds of 120 miles per hour lasting for 10 hours. The Category 4 storm left over 22,000 dead and widespread devastation in its wake.
When a crisis like this strikes around the world, the Department of State’s first thought is for the safety of American citizens. As the storm brewed offshore, colleagues at the American Embassy in Rangoon issued…
Related Entries: East Asia and the Pacific | More entries by Steve Royster | Comments (6)
Posted by Alison Blosser on May 06, 2008 - 12:08 PM
![Kandigal bridge, over 90% complete in February 2008 in Korengal, Afghanistan. [State Dept. photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/UNGA/field/2008_0506_afghanistan_bh_m.jpg)
Unity of effort in Kunar's central and remote Korengal Valley, host to some of the province's most intense insurgent activity, has recently enabled fruitful negotiations to concentrate more on development and employment than fighting. Although insurgents continue to sporadically threaten local villages and Coalition outposts throughout the Korengal, Kunar government's provincial and district leadership, the Provincial Reconstruction Team, soldiers…
Related Entries: South and Central Asia | More entries by Alison Blosser | Comments (2)
Posted by DipNote Bloggers on May 05, 2008 - 08:02 AM
![Vietnamese vender waves to Vietnamese adopted child in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Dec. 9, 2008. [AP]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/UNGA/field/2008_0505_viet_bh_m.jpg)
Americans adopt more children from foreign countries every year than all other countries in the world combined. The United States strongly supports international adoption as an option for children who need a family. The Department’s Office of Children's Issues works hard to support and assist American citizens interested in foreign adoptions.
Unfortunately, some international adoptions from Vietnam are not straightforward. Our colleagues on the ground in Vietnam have found serious irregularities, including forged or altered documentation, mothers being paid, coerced or tricked into releasing their children, and children offered for adoption without the knowledge or consent of their birth parents. (See Warning…
Related Entries: East Asia and the Pacific | More entries by DipNote Bloggers | Comments (5)