Travel Diary: Secretary Clinton Travels to China, Bangladesh, and India

Posted by DipNote Bloggers / May 01, 2012

More: Trip Page | Interactive Travel Map

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is on travel to China, Bangladesh, and India, departing Washington, D.C. on April 30.

In Beijing May 3-4, Secretary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner will join their Chinese co-chairs, Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo, for the fourth joint meeting of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED). As with earlier S&EDs, this year's event will be a "whole-of-government" dialogue that brings together cabinet members and agency heads, as well as other… more »

‘Fifty Years of Progress in Ten’

Posted by Maja Boehm / May 01, 2012

About the Author: Maja Boehm is an information specialist at the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, Germany.

The Afghan Ambassador to Germany, Professor Dr. A. Rahman Ashraf, smiles warmly at the group of four young Afghan civil society leaders. They smile back, timidly. "This is the best day in my life in the past eighteen 18 months since I became Ambassador to Germany!" he proclaims. The group now smiles with a more complex mixture of embarrassment at being in the spotlight and pride, obviously moved by his words. He continues: "When I was teaching at the university in Kabul, I was hoping that one day my students would go out and present Afghanistan to the world. And now you are doing just that."

The Ambassador's reaction was perhaps more personal than the reactions in some of the other meetings to which I accompanied the group, but it is hardly atypical. In their day in Berlin -- part of a week-long tour through Germany, Hungary, and Spain, from April 15-22 -- these four… more »

Older Americans Month: Never Too Old To Travel

Posted by Janice L. Jacobs / May 01, 2012

About the Author: Janice L. Jacobs serves as Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs.

I am pleased to join millions of our older citizens as they celebrate Older Americans Month. The theme of this year's celebration, "Never Too Old To Play!" puts a spotlight on the important role older adults play in sharing their experience, wisdom, and understanding, and passing on that knowledge to other generations in a variety of significant ways. International travel is increasingly one of the more popular ways that older Americans "play" as they visit new places and learn about new cultures. The experiences older Americans share with their families and friends upon return further enrich all generations in our communities.

One of the primary responsibilities of the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs is to ensure the safety and welfare of our fellow citizens overseas. An estimated 6.3 million Americans live overseas and another 65 million travel abroad… more »

Afghanistan’s Next Generation of Law Professors Find Success at Home and Abroad

Posted by Adriana Dolgetta / May 01, 2012

About the Author: Adriana Dolgetta serves as Foreign Affairs Officer in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs' Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

If you want to become a lawyer in Afghanistan, you enroll in a university and major in Law & Politics or Shari'a, either of which grants you an undergraduate degree and allows you to practice law. Therefore, a solid and comprehensive legal education can set the groundwork for a correspondingly flourishing and effective Afghan justice system. One month ago, I became the Program Manager for an innovative legal education grant that has been quietly making gains for Afghanistan's future lawyers with very little fanfare since 2004 by educating Afghan law professors and encouraging them to change the way they teach. This unassuming yet groundbreaking program, administered by the University of Washington in Seattle, and called the Afghanistan Legal Educators Support Program (LESPA), celebrated two recent events that speak volumes about the range of work the United States is doing… more »

President Obama and Secretary Clinton Host Prime Minister Noda of Japan

Posted by DipNote Bloggers / May 01, 2012

President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hosted Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda of Japan in Washington, D.C. on April 30, 2012. During a joint press conference at the White House, President Obama said, "It is a great pleasure to welcome Prime Minister Noda of Japan, one of America's closest allies in the Asia Pacific region but also around the world. And, of course, one of the reasons that we enjoy such a strong alliance between our nations is because it's rooted in the deep friendship between our peoples."

President Obama continued, "...We recognize that the U.S.-Japan alliance will remain the foundation of the security and prosperity of our two nations but… more »