About the Author: Joe Wicentowski serves as a historian in the Department of State's Office of the Historian.
One year ago this month, Internet bookselling giant Amazon announced a landmark in the growth of e-books: the company's sales of e-books had for the first time exceeded its sales of printed books. This event is only one of many indications that the age of the e-book has arrived. Sales of mobile tablet and e-reader devices have skyrocketed. E-books are being adopted in classrooms and libraries across the United States. Printed books are not going away anytime soon, but e-books are here to stay. E-books also have great potential to transform government publishing, making the publications so critical to taxpayers' lives and the smooth functioning of our democracy freely accessible in the best new formats for reading.
Recognizing this trend and growing demand from its readers, the Office of the Historian began an e-book initiative in March, and today is releasing 12 more… more »
About the Author: Tjada McKenna serves as the Deputy Coordinator for Development for Feed the Future, and Jonathan Shrier serves as the Acting Special Representative for Global Food Security and as the Deputy Coordinator for Diplomacy for Feed the Future.
1. What is the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, and who is participating?
The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition is a commitment by G-8 members, African countries, and private sector partners to achieve sustained and inclusive agricultural growth to lift 50 million people out of poverty over the next 10 years. It builds upon the progress and commitments made in 2009 at the L'Aquila G-8 Summit, and offers a broad and innovative path to strengthen food security and nutrition.
The New Alliance includes specific commitments from:
- African leaders to refine policies in order to improve investment opportunities and drive their country-led plans on food security; - Private sector partners, who have collectively committed more than $3 billion to increase investments; and - G-8 members, who will support Africa's potential… more »
Since the beginning of 2012, over 250 elephants have been killed in Cameroon. Adults are being slaughtered for ivory to be used for jewelry, ornaments, and traditional medicine; young juveniles and infants are being killed indiscriminately or left orphaned to die without the protection of their mothers. Having lived in Kenya and Tanzania earlier in my life, I experienced firsthand the wonder of African elephants in their native habitats. That's why I feel a personal sense of outrage at the senseless and immoral killing of wildlife. We should all feel outrage -- even those who have not had the privilege to see elephants close up -- because the conservation of our planet's wildlife is an moral obligation we all share. The U.S. government has consistently been among the leaders in the efforts to protect elephants and other wildlife, but to be effective it's vital that all governments… more »
Counterfeit, falsified, and substandard drugs are a dangerous threat to people around the world, including Americans. These drugs may include toxins or inert substances that do nothing at all. They may contain too much of an active ingredient or not enough. They may also be copies of prescription drugs or over-the-counter medications, imitating brand name drugs or generics. The people selling counterfeit medicine are depriving patients of life-saving or life-sustaining therapies. They also endanger global health by creating an environment for diseases to become resistant to drugs used to treat them. Given that 80 percent of the active ingredients in medications used in the United States originate abroad, primarily in China and India, we have a vital interest in ensuring the safety of an ever more complex global drug supply chain.
The United States hosted the NATO Summit May 20-21, in Chicago, Illinois. President Barack Obama welcomed leaders from NATO member and partner nations to his hometown for the Summit of the world's most successful Alliance. At the NATO Summit, leaders discussed the next major phase of transition in Afghanistan as well as steps to ensure NATO has the capabilities necessary to meet the challenges of the 21st… 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 »
![Image of Foreign Relations of the United States books available electronically on a mobile device, as seen on March 23, 2012. [State Department image]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0523_frus_screenshot_m.jpg)
![U.S. President Barack Obama announces the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition at the Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security on May 18, 2012, at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C. [Chicago Council photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0423_potus_food_security_m.jpg)
![Elephants walk across the Taita Hills Game as the sun sets after a day long's walk in Kenya, Feb. 5, 2011. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0523_elephants_m.jpg)
![An unidentified National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, (NAFDAC) official shows samples of seized fake drugs at the NAFDAC warehouse in Lagos, Nigeria, Aug. 30, 2005. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0522_drugs_m.jpg)
