About the Author: Alberto Rodriguez serves as Spokesperson at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan.
U.S. Ambassador Cameron Munter and his wife, Dr. Marilyn Wyatt, held an open and candid conversation Tuesday, January 25 with 29 university students from underserved areas of Pakistan and covered issues such as U.S.-Pakistan relations, efforts to combat terrorism, and U.S. civilian assistance. The conversation will be broadcast on PTV on Thursday, January 27 at 8:05 p.m. local time and again Friday at 1:05 p.m., in English with Urdu subtitles.
This American-style "town hall" was part of a series of efforts by Ambassador Munter and Dr. Wyatt to meet Pakistanis from different walks of life and discuss their concerns and aspirations. The participants were among… more »
About the Author: Gregg Rapaport serves with USAID's Development Outreach and Communications Program.
In a packed and conversation-filled room in northern Tanzania, the wheels of microfinance are spinning -- quietly and efficiently, yet furiously. Every week, this group of people owning and running small businesses worth less than $700 comes together in Arusha to make payments on microloans received from Promotion of Rural Initiatives and Development Enterprises Limited (PRIDE), a Tanzanian microfinance institution. Each also deposits earnings into a savings account, in fulfillment of the requirement that borrowers incrementally strengthen their financial position. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), through a 75% bond guarantee, has helped PRIDE maintain and increase microcredit activities.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met today with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh at the State Department in Washington, DC. After their meeting, Secretary Clinton said:
"...Before I talk about our meeting today, I want to say a word about the protests taking place in Cairo and other Egyptian cities. As we monitor this situation carefully, we call on all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from violence. We support the universal rights of the Egyptian people, including the rights to freedom of expression, association, and assembly. And we urge the Egyptian authorities not to prevent peaceful protests or block communications, including on social media sites.
"We believe strongly that the Egyptian Government has an important opportunity at this moment in time to implement political, economic, and social reforms to respond to the legitimate… more »
On January 26, 2011, U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Beyrle paid his respects to the victims of the bomb attack at Moscow's Domodedovo airport. Ambassador Beyrle said, "We are grieving together with the families that lost their loved ones. And we're expressing our solidarity with the Russian people and the Russian government, that there can be no refuge for monsters who are capable of carrying out an attack like this, against us."
Earlier in the week, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton condemned the attack. Secretary Clinton said, "We stand with the people of Russia in this moment of sorrow and we offer our deepest sympathy to the families and loved ones of those injured and killed. The United States condemns terrorism and all forms of violence against the innocent, wherever it occurs. We stand with the victims of these crimes and we… more »
Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P.J. Crowley provided this readout of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's meeting with Sudanase Foreign Minister Ahmen Ali Karti.
"Secretary Clinton met this afternoon with Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Karti to discuss the future of U.S.-Sudan cooperation following the Southern Sudan referendum. The Secretary congratulated Sudan on the successful completion of a peaceful, orderly vote and reaffirmed U.S. willingness to take steps toward normalization of relations, as Sudan meets its commitments under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), including negotiating post-referendum arrangements and committing to a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Darfur. The two agreed that much work remains as the CPA parties finalize in… more »
About the Author: Nathalie Gardere is a Foreign Service National at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Against all odds, we inaugurated our first American Corner in Haiti this January 20, 2011. Last Thursday was the realization of a two-year labor of love. Why so long? Actually, we were planning to open the center in January 2010, but here in Haiti, the unexpected, even the improbable, has a habit of intruding and turning your world upside down.
Last year, reality shattered the boundaries of my darkest nightmares as I sat dumbfounded on the sidewalk, numb and covered in dust, staring in disbelief at my collapsed family home and listening for a sign of life from my three dogs. How deafening was that silence those few seconds after the deep rumbling stopped, before the screaming started, and before the relentless aftershocks dragged… more »
President Barack Obama delivered the 2011 State of the Union Address tonight at 9:00 p.m. (EST). In his remarks, President Obama spoke about foreign affairs. He said:
"...Our success in this new and changing world will require reform, responsibility, and innovation. It will also require us to approach that world with a new level of engagement in our foreign affairs.
"Just as jobs and businesses can now race across borders, so can new threats and new challenges. No single wall separates East and West. No one rival superpower is aligned against us.
"And so we must defeat determined enemies, wherever they are, and build coalitions that cut across lines of region and race and religion. And America's moral example must always… more »
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton held a bilateral meeting with Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez at the Department of State on January 25, 2011. Their meeting is a follow-up to their talks at the NATO Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, in November 2010. The counterparts discussed a variety of issues, such as mutual security, including the situations in Lebanon and Afghanistan, as well as fulfilling economic and development goals around the world.
Secretary Clinton underscored the strength of the U.S.-Spain relationship. She said, "The enduring partnership between the United States and Spain is rooted in friendship and common values. We are not only bilateral partners, but regional and global as well, and united in a shared vision for a world that is peaceful, secure, and prosperous."
"We discussed the evolving situation in Lebanon where Spanish… more »
About the Author: Alberto Rodriguez serves as Spokesperson at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan.
U.S. Ambassador Cameron Munter honored the winners of the Pakistan Fast Growth 25 Contest and highlighted their role as job creators at a ceremony at his residence on Monday, January 24. The Pakistan Fast Growth 25, a ranking of fast growth entrepreneurial companies, was organized by AllWorld Network in partnership with Harvard Business School and launched in collaboration with JS Bank Limited.
Speaking at the event, Ambassador Munter said, "Tonight we have come together to celebrate the 25 fastest growing companies in Pakistan. They represent areas as diverse as telecommunications, agriculture, and textiles. They represent high growth rates and the creation of 12,000 jobs. But most importantly, they represent innovation and entrepreneurship… more »
On Friday, January 28, 2011, Elisa Massimino, President and CEO of Human Rights First, will hold a conversation with Hannah Rosenthal, the Department of State's Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, on the recent trends in anti-Semitism around the world. The discussion will be moderated by Cheryl Benton, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Public Affairs. The event will be streamed live on DipNote, the Department of State's official blog, at 3:15 p.m. (EST). You will have the opportunity to participate through the submission of questions, some of which will be selected for response… more »
DipNote is the official blog of the U.S. Department of State —a place to share stories, discuss experiences, and inspire new ideas on the important foreign policy issues of the day. more »
Assistant Secretary Crowley (Jan. 26): "Secretary Clinton emphasized the United States's concern that the national referendum that would extend President Nazarbayev's term of office to 2020 would be a setback for democracy." more »
Secretary Clinton (Jan. 26): "We very much appreciate the Government of Sudan's cooperation and assistance in ensuring a peaceful referendum..." more »
![Ambassador Munter, Dr. Wyatt participate in an interview, undated. [Embassy Photo]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110127090322im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0126_munter_wyatt_m.jpg)
![Business owners travel in canoe to seaweed farm in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Apr. 28, 2005. [AP File]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110127090322im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0126_tanzania_entrepreneurs_m.jpg)
![The American Corner in Haiti is inaugurated in January 2011. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110127090322im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0125_haiti_office_m.jpg)
![Secretary Clinton, Spanish Foreign Minister Jimenez deliver remarks, DC, Jan 2011.[State Dept.]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110127090322im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0125_s_spanish_fm_dipnote_m.jpg)
