Posted by Janine Keil on Feb 16, 2008 - 07:52 AM
![Ladies of coffee with Juan Valdez at signing ceremony in Colombia Feb. 12, 2008. [State Dept. photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/UNGA/field/2008_0215_coffee_bh_m.jpg)
It started with a story about Starbucks and ended with a photo of Juan Valdez. It was a $60 million day. Let me explain…
I'm here on a temporary assignment in the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá and had the good fortune of accompanying Ambassador William R. Brownfield, Liliana Ayalde, Director of USAID in Bogotá, and various other USAID staff and contractors on a visit to a town called Chinchiná in Colombia’s coffee region…
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Posted by Mary Ourisman on Feb 15, 2008 - 07:44 AM
![Amb. Ouirsman presents awards during the 2008 Barbados Music Awards Jan. 27, 2008. [State Dept.]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/UNGA/field/2008_0215_bma_bv_m.jpg)
As Ambassador, I am the President's representative and the voice of his administration to the Eastern Caribbean which comprises seven countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. In fact, I am the only U.S. Ambassador accredited to so many sovereign nations, each of which has its own vote in the United Nations General Assembly.
My role is primarily to promote the interests of the United States here while at the same time building strong bonds of friendship and cooperation at the governmental as well as individual and personal…
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Posted by John Matel on Feb 14, 2008 - 09:54 AM
![A mural in front of a sewing center in Al Qaim, Iraq February 4, 2008. [State Department photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/UNGA/field/2008_0214_iraq_bh_m.jpg)
Public perceptions of Iraq are not wrong; they are just out of date. Media coverage of Iraq has dropped in almost perfect correlation with progress made toward peace and stability. As a result, the picture persists from pre-surge 2006 but it is not 2006 anymore. It is post-surge in Anbar Province where a significantly more secure Iraq exists rebuilding, learning, governing, producing and starting to make huge strides along the road to prosperity.
Members of my ePRT recently made a visit to Al Qaim, near the Syrian border, and this provides a good example of what I am talking about. Back in 2006, Al Qaim was a bloody battleground, with AQI cutting off heads and hands while insurgents moved around the…
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Posted by James L. Russo on Feb 12, 2008 - 09:00 AM
![Youth Ambassadors from Paraguay and Uruguay with Thomas Shannon Feb. 4, 2008. [State Dept. photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/UNGA/UNGA/2008_0212_stars_bh_m.jpg)
Twenty Youth Ambassadors (YA) from Paraguay and Uruguay met with Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Shannon (see photo) at the State Department February 4th. These obviously well-informed high school students and future leaders held a wide-ranging discussion (in English) with the Assistant Secretary about global warming, free trade, democracy, and educational opportunities in the U.S. for foreign students. Paraguayans Nathalia González and Alhelí Aranda concluded the exciting encounter with a lovely rendition of…
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Posted by Jonathan Cebra on Feb 11, 2008 - 11:23 AM
![A controlled munitions demolition in the Sulaimaniyah area of Iraq Feb. 4, 2008. [State Dept. photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/UNGA/field/2008_0211_iraq_bh_m.jpg)
Last week, my boss was one of the few American diplomats in Iraq asked to set off an explosion. We were working with a group called the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) – which as the name suggests is involved in de-mining operations in a number of countries. Here in Iraq, MAG’s activities also include disposing of small arms and light munitions. MAG’s operations in the Sulaimaniyah area (where the demolition took place) are funded by the Department of State’s Office of Weapons Removal…
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