Global Issues - The National Museum of American Diplomacy

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Diplomacy Classroom: Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy

Human rights has not always been a foreign policy priority. However, over the past 100 years, human rights have become a growing part of foreign…

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What Is Counterterrorism?

Preventing terrorism in the United States and across the world is a key objective for the U.S. Department of State. Counterterrorism and countering violent extremism…

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In November 1979, 52 Americans in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran were taken hostage by Iranian students. The hostage crisis lasted for 444 days. Closely following the crisis for over a year, the American public wanted to show their support for the hostages and their families. The yellow ribbon became an iconic…

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“Wing Tip” Missile Part Plaque

In 1987, the United States and the Soviet Union signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which required both parties to eliminate all nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with a certain striking range. This wing tip is from a ground-launched cruise missile destroyed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in…

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Anne Smedinghoff Memorial Plaque

Tragedy struck a diplomatic delegation and their military escorts on April 6, 2013, in southern Afghanistan. A young diplomat named Anne Smedinghoff, three U.S. soldiers, and an Afghani interpreter were killed in a car bomb blast that targeted their group as they were delivering books to a boys' school. Anne was a…

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Anne Smedinghoff Challenge Coin

Tragedy struck a diplomatic delegation and their military escorts on April 6, 2013, in southern Afghanistan. A young diplomat named Anne Smedinghoff, three U.S. soldiers, and an Afghani interpreter were killed in a car bomb blast that targeted their group as they were delivering books to a boys' school. Anne was a…

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U.S. Flag Flown For Hostages

In November 1979, 52 Americans in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran were taken hostage by Iranian students. The hostage crisis lasted for 444 days. Closely following the crisis for over a year, the American public wanted to show their support for the hostages and their families. Yellow ribbons and flags were popular…

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USAID Personal Hygiene Kit Items

Items from personal hygiene kit, c. 2014. A “personal hygiene kit” is a box of basic hygiene supplies, utilized by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance to help prevent outbreaks of communicable illness in disaster areas across the globe.

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Mechanical Sewing Machine

In 2007, the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia distributed 1,200 sewing machines, like this one, to Muslim communities across the country. The sewing machines were part of the State Department’s “Shared Futures” initiative. They were used to establish micro-enterprise centers to help individuals and families become more financially self-sufficient.

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Cocaine Press

This press was recovered in 2013 by the Counter-Drug Brigade of the Colombian Army in Timbiquí, Cauca. The operation, supported by the U.S. Department of State and the Drug Enforcement Agency, dismantled a laboratory and confiscated five metric tons of cocaine that was finished and ready for transport. This press takes “base”…