About the Author: Sarah Goldfarb serves as an Assistant Editor for DipNote.
This week's Photo of the Week comes to us from the White House Official Photographer, Pete Souza. On May 2, President Barack Obama made a surprise visit to Afghanistan, where shortly after midnight Kabul time, President Obama and his counterpart, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, signed a 10-year strategic partnership agreement.
In an internationally televised addressed from Bagram Air Base, President Obama said, “Today, I signed a historic agreement between the United States and Afghanistan that defines a new kind of relationship between our countries -- a future in which Afghans are responsible for the security of their nation, and we build an equal partnership between two sovereign states; a future in which war ends and a new chapter begins.”
According to a White House fact sheet, the agreement is not only a signal of the United States' long-term… more »
In Beijing May 3-4, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner joined 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). In a joint statement, the two countries described the talks as "candid, in-depth and constructive discussions" in which both sides "decided to advance practical cooperation between the… more »
Today, State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland provided an update on Chen Guangcheng. In a press statement, Spokesperson Nuland said:
"The Chinese Government stated today that Mr. Chen Guangcheng has the same right to travel abroad as any other citizen of China. Mr. Chen has been offered a fellowship from an American university, where he can be accompanied by his wife and two children.
"The Chinese Government has indicated that it will accept Mr. Chen's applications for appropriate travel documents. The United States Government expects that the Chinese Government will expeditiously process his applications for these documents and make accommodations for his current medical condition. The United States Government would then give visa requests for him and his immediate family priority attention.
"This matter has been handled in the spirit… more »
Today, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner joined 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). Secretary Clinton said, "Our relationship has grown closer and more consequential, and the web of connections that link our nations is increasing."
She continued, "As a result, this dialogue is… more »
Today, U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke spoke with reporters about his experiences with Chen Guangcheng while he was in the embassy and leading up to his decision to depart it. Ambassador Locke said:
"Let me just say that I and the Embassy have long had interest in Mr. Chen Guangcheng, and of course, the U.S. Government has long had an interest, and we've mentioned him in so many of our human rights statements, and have advocated for his humane treatment ever since for many, many years.
"Last week, under most unusual extraordinary circumstances, he contacted us, we went out and met with him, and given the fact that he has a -- he's blind, he was injured, we took the extraordinary step in a very unusual situation, exceptional situation, to bring him into the Embassy. I have spent sometimes five hours during the day with him almost every day, two to three,… more »
DipNote is the official blog of the U.S. Department of State —a place to share stories, discuss experiences, and inspire new ideas on the important foreign policy issues of the day. more »
Across the eastern Horn of Africa, more than 11 million people -- a number greater than the populations of Houston and New York City combined -- are now in need of emergency assistance to survive. Learn more about the current crisis, including how you can help.
May 23: The State Department, through its office of the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), is pleased to announce $1.5 million in funding to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to support open governance and political participation in the Middle East and North Africa. more »
May 23: Today, Russia was invited to join the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) at a ceremony hosted by its parent body, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris. ã more »
![President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai exchange documents after signing the strategic partnership agreement in Kabul, Afghanistan, May 2, 2012. [White House photo by Pete Souza]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0504_potus_karzai_m.jpg)
![From left, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan and Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo, pose together before a meeting at the Great Hall of the people in Beijing, May 4, 2012. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0502_us_china_sed_m.jpg)
![Chen Guangcheng with his family at a hospital in Beijing, China, on May 1, 2012. U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke, James Brown, and Regional Medical Officer Wayne Quillin are also pictured. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0504_chen_statement_m.jpg)
![U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke, right; with Chen Guangcheng, center; at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China, on May 1, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0502_chen_china_m.jpg)
