To deter Russia, the U.S. may have to take a hard stance on economic sanctions

Jan 21, 2022
To avert war in Europe, we may have to absorb “political, economic and diplomatic costs," said Eddie Fishman of the Atlantic Council.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during the U.S.-Russia summit in Geneva on Friday.
Jean-Christophe Bott/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Coming back to work after the shutdown

Feb 6, 2019
It was a bittersweet return for one government contractor.
"Financially and emotionally, I can't shoulder another month, another 8 percent income reduction, for the government to get their act together," Sunny Blaylock says.
Courtesy of Sunny Blaylock

State Department role not limited to diplomacy

Mar 13, 2018
International reaction to President Trump’s firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has been muted. One of the few public statements today came from Germany’s deputy foreign minister, who said it would not improve ties with his country. The State Department will face some tough challenges globally in the months ahead — everything from North […]

As refugee admissions fall, nonprofits lay off staff

Jan 3, 2018
Nonprofits worry about the loss of institutional knowledge as offices are forced to close amid a slow down in refugee admissions.
After he was laid off in August, Todd Miller left refugee resettlement work to teach English as a second language at a local university. 
Emma Jacobs/ for Marketplace

The diplomatic approach to North Korea is a long game

Oct 9, 2017
Felicia Schwartz of the Wall Street Journal reports on how the State Department has been quietly pressuring Pyongyang. But don't expect results any time soon.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson listens during a United Nations Security Council meeting in New York City about nuclear non-proliferation in September.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Hard times for soft power spending

Feb 28, 2017
The White House wants to bump up defense spending and reduce the budgets of some other federal agencies. One agency in the crosshairs is the State Department. It wields something known as soft power — diplomacy and foreign aid. So what happens when you slash spending on soft power?  Click the audio player above to […]

Despite alert, business travelers won't stay home

Nov 24, 2015
The State Department has told American travelers to be vigilant.

For public good, not for profit.

Oh, for the want of a decent copier

Mar 18, 2015
The State Department needs more copy machines to clear up this backlog.

Embassy terror changed national security spending

Aug 7, 2013
Fifteen years after the Al Qaeda bombings in East Africa, spending on embassy security has soared -- and not just there.
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright looks  at damage from a bomb at the U.S. embassy in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania where 10 people were killed and 72 injured from a bomb blast, at almost the same time as another bomb went off in Nairobi, Kenya on August 7, 1998.
ALEXANDER JOE/AFP/Getty Images