Flashback: September 18 1996 Our first webpage Editor: Henry E. Mattox, PhD Publisher: Amb. T. Frank Crigler (Ret.) Chapel Hill, NC Updated as of 18 September 1996 Editorial Advisory Board & Technical Staff CONTENTS Volume I, No. 1 From the … Continued

The journal celebrated 20 years in publication in 2016. To note this event, we collected a sampling of items published in those two decades.   1996   1997  

Henry E. Mattox [LINK to News & Observer]   Dr. Henry Mattox. An Appreciation As the two most recent Editors of American Diplomacy, we are called to honor the unique and lasting contributions that Henry Mattox made to our journal.  … Continued

  Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC January 14, 2015 On January 14, 2015, Secretary of State John Kerry released the FY 2014 Fiscal Transparency Report, assessing whether governments that receive U.S. assistance meet minimum requirements of fiscal … Continued

Of Special Interest: UPCOMING PBS VIDEO, “AMERICA’S DIPLOMATS” From American Diplomacy Board Member Amb. William C. Harrop “America’s Diplomats” is a one-hour documentary prepared for screening in 2016 on PBS. It was commissioned by the Nelson B. Delavan Foundation and … Continued

2015 AFSA Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award Winner: Ambassador William C. Harrop (Ret.), is a long-term member of the Board of Directors of American Diplomacy Publishers, the not-for-profit organization which publishes American Diplomacy Office of Origin: HR/PC Announcement Number: … Continued

  The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the professional association and union for the Foreign Service, is seeking nominations for a new award, the Mark Palmer Award for the Advancement of Democracy. The Palmer Award is open to all Foreign … Continued

August 27, 1934 – January 25, 2015 The first thing you noticed about Ted Wilkinson was his size. I expect everyone in this church will agree that ted was a big man. But most of you did not have to … Continued

  Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC January 14, 2015 On January 14, 2015, Secretary of State John Kerry released the FY 2014 Fiscal Transparency Report, assessing whether governments that receive U.S. assistance meet minimum requirements of fiscal … Continued

Organization Releases ‘Yearbook of the United Nations’, Covering Global Activities in 2010 The United Nations releas ed the sixty-fourth volume of Yearbook of the United Nations, covering the Organization’s global activities in 2010. With its comprehensive coverage of political and … Continued

June 5, 1930 – November 27, 2014                  Over thirty years of foreign service assignments one tour has always been a special font of fondest career memories. During the collapse of the Soviet Union I was fortunate to be Vic Olason’s … Continued

IN MEMORIAM Walter Roberts 1916-2014 Of the various gems of “American Diplomacy” lore passed on to me from my predecessor, Bill Kiehl, the most treasured has been Bill’s tradition of meeting regularly with Walter for coffee and discussion at his … Continued

  WASHINGTON, DC — March 10, 2014 — Fifteen former presidents of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) today called on the U.S. Senate not to confirm three ambassadorial nominees. “The fact that they appear to have been chosen on … Continued

by Ambassador (ret.) Ed Marks The perpetual, but usually under the radar, policy of political appointments to ambassadorships surfaced recently inside the Beltway and even beyond from the Daily Show to San Francisco. The ostensible reason was a trio of … Continued

IN MEMORIAM William Norris Dale February 7, 1919 – February 24, 2014 I became aware of American Diplomacy in 2000 when I was assigned to UNC Chapel Hill as the State Department Diplomat-in-Residence. I was introduced by one of he … Continued

  Last year, AFSA started the Foreign Service Commemorative Marker program to recognize the careers and contributions of Foreign Service personnel and their spouses and partners. We have sold over 150 markers and shipped them all over the globe from … Continued

by Walter Roberts

American diplomacy is facing a crisis. The professional career service that is intended to be the backbone of that diplomacy no longer claims a lead role at the State Department or in the formulation or implementation of foreign policy. The U.S. Foreign Service is being marginalized — just as military efforts to resolve major diplomatic challenges in Iraq and Afghanistan have failed, and as diplomacy has become both more complex and more important to our national security and prosperity.