Category: Commentary
Photo
Dr. Khaled al-Asaad, a Syrian archaeologist and the head of antiquities for the ancient city of Palmyra was publicly beheaded by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in 2015. This 2002 picture shows al-Asaad in front of a first century sarcophagus from Palmyra. Photograph: Marc Deville/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.
Moved by the international outcry over ISIS destruction in Iraq and Syria, and with the Syrian state in disarray, the Congress in 2016 enacted emergency legislation to block the importation of illegally acquired Syrian antiquities to the United States. The State Department also began to take a serious interest in the relationship between terrorism and the destruction and trafficking of antiquities.
U.S. Diplomatic Engagement and Cultural Heritage Protection
by Larry Schwartz
Adapted from Newberry Series Lecture at Dacor-Bacon House
Washington, D.C., July 13, 2018
U.S. Embassy Tokyo Role in the Establishment of U.S.-Mongolia Relations
by Alicia J. Campi
Post-War Burma, a First-Hand Account from John Cady
Excerpted with permission of Ohio University from “Contacts with Burma, 1935-1949: A Personal Account”.
Foreign Service Accounts from the Oral History Archives
As we watch Brexit developments, ADST’s “Evolution of the European Union: Early Seeds of Dissolution?” presents a picture of the EU’s troubled beginnings.
U.S. Ambassadors who Served in the Peace Corps
Editor’s note: This is an unofficial list compiled by John Coyne. Please send any additions or corrections to editor@americandiplomacy.org.
Pioneering an International Urban Development Program
A Frontline Snapshot of USAID History
by Eric Chetwynd, Jr.
Leveraging Diplomacy for Managing Scientific Challenges
An Opportunity to Navigate the Future of Science
by David P. Hajjar and Steven G. Greenbaum