Posted by Suzanne Hall on Aug 25, 2009 - 04:12 PM
![Students access computer terminals at Jose Vasaconcelos public library in Mexico, May 16, 2006. [AP]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0825_mexico_library_m.jpg)
"Tech.del" to Mexico: Part 2 | "Tech.del" to Mexico: Part 3
I am writing from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, a city with 1.3 million residents right on the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to El Paso. Mexican drug cartels are engaged in violent conflict — among themselves and with Mexican security forces — for control of narcotics trafficking routes along the U.S.-Mexico border. Juarez is…
Category: Western Hemisphere More entries by Suzanne Hall | Comments (3)
Posted by Andrea Zumbrum on Aug 19, 2009 - 11:56 AM
![Students review lessons in a classroom in Santiago, Chile, Feb. 3, 2006. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0819_education_center_m.jpg)
U.S. embassies and consulates abroad are uniquely positioned to reach out directly to citizens of other countries to share aspects of American culture. Our partnerships with Binational Centers (BNCs) are one of the best means we have to do so. BNCs serve as educational hubs in both capitals and other cities in many countries. They offer people of all ages — young kids through elderly citizens — opportunities to learn English, access libraries and learn more about American culture.
There are more than 120 BNCs in 18 countries throughout…
Category: Western Hemisphere More entries by Andrea Zumbrum | Comments (2)
Posted by DipNote Bloggers on Aug 19, 2009 - 09:36 AM
"The foreign minister and I...discussed the bilateral defense cooperation agreement that our governments hope to sign in the near future. This agreement ensures that appropriate protections are in place for our service members. It will allow us to continue working together to meet the challenges posed by narco-traffickers, terrorists, and other illegal armed groups in Colombia. These threats are real, and the United States is committed to supporting the Government of Colombia in its efforts to provide security for all of its citizens.
I want to be clear about what this agreement does and does not do. First, the agreement does not create U.S. bases in Colombia. It does provide the United…
Category: Western Hemisphere More entries by DipNote Bloggers | Comments (7)
Posted by Suzanne Hall on Jul 16, 2009 - 04:55 PM
Secretary Clinton hosted Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa and Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon for a trilateral ministerial meeting at the State Department on Thursday, July 16, 2009. Secretary Clinton has met with Secretary Espinosa and Minister Cannon on various occasions over the last few months, but this was the first opportunity for the three to focus on issues relevant to North America.
The ministers discussed at length the upcoming North American Leaders’ Summit during a meeting and working lunch. In her public remarks, Foreign…
Category: Western Hemisphere More entries by Suzanne Hall | Comments (3)
Posted by Andrew R. Lewis on Jul 16, 2009 - 01:19 PM
![Police officer stands with seized weapons from alleged crime gang, Mexico City, Apr. 10, 2009. [AP]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0716_transnational_crime_m.jpg)
The State Department’s Foreign Press Center’s role is to help foreign journalists in their coverage of the United States. It’s with this in mind that the FPC invited several journalists from Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean to the U.S. for a week-long tour engaging the issue of transnational crime, especially trafficking in persons, drugs, and arms.
Our friends in Mexico perhaps know the human cost of trafficking all too well. Over 10,000 (including some journalists) have been killed so far since that country’s shift to an aggressive stance against criminal enterprise. But…
Category: Western Hemisphere More entries by Andrew R. Lewis | Comments (2)