I admit I was slightly relieved when our armored car got stuck in a thick pool of mud about a quarter of a mile down the jungle road that led to the minefield. I had arrived in Sri Lanka just two days earlier, and everyone told me that a visit to the former conflict area of Kilinochchi was essential to understanding the Northern Sri Lankan experience. I, however, was growing increasingly nervous as our bumpy ride brought us closer to the fields where the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE) and Sri Lankan military buried tens of thousands of compact but powerful mines as they advanced and retreated through the lives and lands of rural farmers during Sri Lanka's 27-year civil war. After all, our wonderful hosts at The HALO Trust had just finished recounting the alarming frequency of mine discovery in Kilinochchi: they dug more mines out of the ground in Sri Lanka during the first… more »
Innovate or die. It's an oft-repeated phrase about the adoption of technology and innovation that evokes Darwinian images of people running scared, trying to stay ahead of the curve just enough not to get trampled by the pack. From the perspective of the State Department, we see a different image -- that of a blank canvas that is being painted a bit every day. We see how harnessing technology and digital networks is making our public diplomacy more strategic and how it is strengthening and amplifying the bonds between individuals and institutions like the State Department.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made 21st Century Statecraft, or using digital networks to advance America's interests around the world, a key part of our foreign policy approach.
About the Author: Mike Hammer serves as Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs.
Public outreach and engagement with the American people and media to present and explain U.S. foreign policy is one of the key missions of the Bureau of Public Affairs. Last week, I had the opportunity to spend two days in Miami, Florida, where I visited our Media Hub of the Americas -- one of six State Department media hubs worldwide (Dubai, London, Brussels, Tokyo, Pretoria, and Miami). The hubs are strategically located throughout the world to serve as satellite offices of the Bureau of Public Affairs. The Media Hub of the Americas is the only one located stateside with a two-track goal of communicating America's foreign policy to Spanish-speaking media within the United States and throughout the Americas.
I had a packed schedule principally focused on outlining U.S.… more »
Building on his efforts to engage youth, U.S. Global Cultural Ambassador Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went "wheels up" from the heart of Afro-Brazil in Salvador to Rio de Janeiro.
"So far, I've really enjoyed Rio. I think it's a great city," Abdul-Jabbar said.
In Rio, Abdul-Jabbar started the day meeting with young people at the Rio em Forma Olimpico Project. While there, Abdul-Jabbar shared how education and English-language learning can propel young people to success.
"I had a wonderful time here today. I met a lot of really nice kids. They're very warm and open. I left them with a message and that is that education opens the door for opportunity," Abdul-Jabbar said.
From the Rio em Forma Olimpico Project, Mr. Abdul-Jabbar met with young people in the community of Alemao. With leaders from the NGO "CUFA" -- who work within the favelas… more »
About the Author: Hannah Johnson serves as DipNote's Assistant Editor.
This week's "Photo of the Week" was taken by U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs' employee Beth Payne for the "Serving Abroad…Through Their Eyes" exhibition. The photograph shows a group of children playing soccer in the shadow of the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, India. The U.S. Department of State has a strong commitment to engaging young people worldwide and to using people-to-people diplomacy as a means to create opportunities for greater understanding, including using sports as a means of empowerment.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton recently named NBA Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the State Department's Cultural Ambassador. This week, Abdul-Jabbar kicked off his service in Salvador, Brazil,… 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.
Mr. Ford, I do not find your arguments persuasive. The putative rebel forces are reported to have armored personnel carriers and the Israeli DEBKAfile…
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Well, perhaps one can appreciate why we Americans reject federal militarization of our local police and joint task forces involving federal troops, Fusion…
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Feb. 13, 2012: Senior officials delivered remarks on the FY 2013 Department of State - USAID budget request. Watch for a replay at video.state.gov. More on Budget more »
Spokesperson Nuland (Feb. 10): "We will have more of this declassified U.S. national imagery available both on site in coming days but also on our new site www.stateondemand.com, where news organizations can find all of our content to pull down around the world. more »
![A female deminer places a disarmed landmine in the safety area of a minefield in Kilinochchi in the northern peninsula of Sri Lanka, February 24, 2004. [AP Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0127_sri_lanka_deminin1_m.jpg)
![Radio host Sabina Covo interviews Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Mike Hammer in Miami, Florida, January 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0127_hammer_radio_interview_m.jpg)
![Children play soccer in the shadow of the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, India. [Photo by Beth Payne/U.S. Department of State]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0125_potw_west_bengal_edit_m.jpg)
