Diplomatic History

If you are a history lover, news junkie, or student of political science, government, international studies, international relations, international law, diplomacy, public policy, etc. then this is a blog that will catch your eye!

[annafifield]

The secret life of Kim Jong Un’s aunt, who has lived in the U.S. since 1998

How one family went from the top in North Korea to the middle in America.

Kim Jong Un’s aunt and uncle have been living anonymously in the United States for 18 years. But we spent the weekend in New York with Kim Jong Un’s aunt and uncle, dodging the Elmos and the Naked Cowboy in Times Square, eating sushi and Dunkin’ Donuts sandwiches. Then we went home with them, sat on their couch and watched KBS together, looked through their albums albums of the good old days in Europe. This is the story.

[washingtonpost]

Read this story.

[united-nations-deactivated20190]

Protecting the planet: See this infographic on how multiple UN organizations based in Geneva cooperate to tackle climate change, from issuing standards and policies to conducting research and carrying out specific projects. 

[theadstblog]

On May 30, 1972, Israeli security at Lod Airport (now Ben Gurion International Airport) was caught by surprise when three Japanese travelers opened fire upon their arrival. …

Warning: graphic image

The Lod Airport massacre in 1972 caught Israeli authorities by surprise. Because they were focused on preventing a Palestinian attack, members of the Japanese Red Army were able to get through security undetected.

You can learn more about the attack and the Red Army at the link.

[foreignserviceproblems]

When you’re leaving post and thrilled for home leave and your onward assignment but also already missing a lot of things from your current post

[united-nations-deactivated20190]

On Monday thousands of NGO representatives are gathered in Gyengjou, Republic of Korea to look at how education can help achieve the #Global Goals for Sustainable Development.

Join the conversation at the UN DPI/NGO conference using #UNNGO2016

http://outreach.un.org/ngorelations/conference/ 

[politico]

Obama’s historic Asia visit, in photos

President Barack Obama is the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima after his travels there last week. But first on his itinerary was a stop in Vietnam, followed by his attendance at the G-7 Summit in Shima, Japan. On his 10th trip to Asia, Obama is expected to highlight America’s commitment to increase diplomatic, economic and security engagement with Asian nations and their people. POLITICO takes a look inside his historic trip. More photos here

[theadstblog]

On May 30, 1961, Rafael Trujillo was assassinated.

On this day in 1961, Rafael Trujillo, or El Jefe, was assassinated by the underground opposition.

“El Jefe” was the dictator of the Dominican Republic. His reign was marked by bloody massacres, stringent laws, and an overbearing personality cult. His rule is considered one of the bloodiest in the Americas and responsible for more than 50,000 deaths. 

You can learn more about the death of this “two-bit dictator” at the link.

[todaysdocument]

Winston Churchill to Franklin D. Roosevelt, 5/28/1941

File Unit: 1941 Correspondence, 1941 - 1941. Series: The Franklin D. Roosevelt/Winston Churchill Correspondence, 1939 - 1945. Collection: Papers as President, Map Room File, 1939 - 1945

Another installment in the on-going correspondence between British Prime Minister (and former First Lord of the Admiralty, hence the “Former Naval Person”) Winston Churchill to President Franklin Roosevelt. Churchill had kept FDR apprised of the latest developments in the war with Germany, as well making entreaties for materiel assistance in Great Britain’s war efforts. 

On the second page Churchill references the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck the day prior on May 27, 1941, following a concerted pursuit by British forces after the Battle of the Denmark Strait, during which the British battlecruiser HMS Hood was sunk.

[allenpcmorocco]

Fantasia

Fantasia is a traditional horsemanship show that is common in regional and local festivals throughout Morocco. Teams consist of approximately 10 riders. The goal is to charge together at the same speed and, towards the end, simultaneously fire their muskets.  The crux is to coordinate the speed of their horses and the shots.  

Fantasia is immensely popular in the country. Performances can easily draw several hundreds of people and the atmosphere turns very festive because people sing and play instruments at the show unfolds. A performance can last up to two or three hours.

Seeing the horses approach at full speed is frightening and exhilarating!

[united-nations-deactivated20190]

Tomorrow is International Day of UN Peacekeepers. Share this poster and “Honour our Heroes”. Show your support for the courageous peacekeepers working for peace around the world: http://ow.ly/x8WxF

[theadstblog]

On May 29, 1953, Hillary and Norgay summited Mount Everest.

On this day in 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first people to summit Mount Everest.

This impressive feat was attempted by U.S. Ambassador Sue Cobb in 1988. You can read about her attempt at the link!

[foreignserviceproblems]

When the attitudes toward smoking are a little different at your post than at home

[theadstblog]

The State Department Took an Important Step Against Extremists

Some conventional public diplomacy measures are not suitable for countering violent extremism (CVE) because they are mismatched against extremists' more ...

[politico]

Obama visits Hiroshima

Excerpts from President Barack Obama’s Hiroshima visit on Friday.

[theadstblog]

Malcolm Kerr was a scholar on the Middle East. His son Steve would become coach of the Golden State Warriors. US diplomats describe the day he was killed.

Malcolm Kerr was a distinguished scholar of the Middle East and the Arab world. He was the president of the American University of Beirut and wrote a book in 1965 called The Arab Cold War.

In 1984, he was assassinated by two gunmen outside his office. He was 52.

You can learn more about Malcolm Kerr at the link.

[politico]

Obama exploring how to prosecute Islamic State for genocide

The administration declared two months ago that ISIL is committing genocide. Now comes the hard part. By NAHAL TOOSI

The Obama administration, having declared two months ago that the Islamic State is committing genocide, is now grappling with how to actually prosecute the terrorist network’s fighters for the crime.

Early-stage discussions about international tribunals and other means of justice are taking place in the White House and the State Department, people familiar with the talks told POLITICO. Any genocide prosecution, however, could be years away, a task made all the more complicated by the unusual nature of the Islamic State and the high bar for evidence.

The administration’s top priority remains defeating the jihadists on the battlefield in Iraq and Syria, an approach that has been more about killing than capturing the enemy.

Read more here

[politico]

How Obama Will Redefine Hiroshima

A president who’s never shied away from moral complexity steps onto his most challenging stage yet. By TED WIDMER

Americans have not always relished scrutiny of the atomic blast that decimated Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945. No sitting president has ever visited the city, and in 1996, the United States and China rejected a Japanese proposal that Hiroshima become a World Heritage site. But on Friday, Barack Obama’s motorcade will pull up to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, and the world will pause for a few moments to contemplate what happened here.

It’s one of the most dramatic stages a president could speak from, and obviously compelling to a president who relishes a challenge. Obama has made many thrusts at the history book in his final year, but this one presents unique traps. No president wants to apologize for the decision to drop the bomb—a decision that likely hastened the end of the war. Yet the sickening story of what actually happened here, the 100,000 civilians killed, doesn’t fit the roseate glow of American history, and demands a kind of reckoning. And this year it comes with its own domestic challenge: an America First faction, awakened by Donald Trump, that must be almost salivating at the prospect that a Democratic president would become the first to express a form of apology for a decisive American act.

Read more here