Posted by Tara Foley on Oct 29, 2007 - 06:02 PM
![Jeddah fountain, a landmark in the city May 7, 2004. [AP file photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/UNGA/field/2007_1029_saudi_bh_m.jpg)
One evening last spring, some friends and acquaintances gathered for dinner in Riyadh. After our meal, our small, international group sat and chatted. Some smoked apple flavored sheesha tobacco out of tall hookahs, filling the air with a cotton candy-like aroma, while the rest of us passed around the sticky sweet dates that are native to Saudi Arabia’s palm groves. Amongst the women gathered, the conversation eventually…
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Posted by Frederick Jones on Oct 29, 2007 - 04:15 PM
![A woman looks out from her balcony with a view of Cuba's flag in Havana, Cuba August 1, 2006. [AP]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/UNGA/field/2007_1030_cuba2_bh_m.jpg)
What will life in Cuba be like after Castro?
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Posted by Karen Hughes on Oct 25, 2007 - 10:55 PM
This week I attended a movie premiere, but without Hollywood stars – this is Washington after all. The stars of this film are the men, women and children of America, shown at work, at play and going about their daily lives. This new film was produced by Disney, at no expense to the taxpayers of America, and generously given to the U.S. government to help us welcome international visitors to our country.
As a communicator, I believe the first principle of effective communications is clarity – and this video clearly says: We want you to come to America, you will be most welcome. At the same time, it quietly communicates…
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Posted by Alison Blosser on Oct 24, 2007 - 10:19 PM
![Local villagers take materials distributed by U.S. army at Kandagal, Afghanistan. [AP file photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/UNGA/field/2007_1022_prt_bh_m.jpg)
Thanks to those who have commented already. Many of the questions so far are about the State Department's role and the pace and process for development activities, so I'll try to address those. The situation in Afghanistan is one of simultaneous fighting against insurgents and also post-conflict and preemptive-conflict development and reconstruction. The Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) are designed for the latter activities. The teams are…
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Posted by Rafael Foley on Oct 23, 2007 - 06:32 PM
![An Iraqi girl peers from her tent in a camp near Baghdad, Iraq September 11, 2007. [AP photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/UNGA/field/2007_1023_iraq_bh_m.jpg)
Video -- Policy Podcast: Iraqi Refugee Update
I was the Refugee Coordinator in Baghdad from August of 2006 to August of 2007. It was the hardest job I have ever had. It was also a humbling job, and rewarding in the subtle way that a humbling experience can be. I was coming from the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) in Washington and was familiar with refugee issues. Soon, however, the challenges of operating in Baghdad came to the fore, demanding immediate responses to situations unlike those in any other…
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