President Barack Obama delivered the State of the Union address in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on February 12, 2013. In his remarks, President Obama addressed a number of foreign policy issues.
President Obama said, "Tonight, we stand united in saluting the troops and civilians who sacrifice every day to protect us. Because of them, we can say with confidence that America will complete its mission in Afghanistan and achieve our objective of defeating the core of al Qaeda.
"Already, we have brought home 33,000 of our brave servicemen and women. This spring, our forces will move into… more »
On January 27 and 28, 2013, Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne C. Richard, and USAID Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance Nancy Lindborg visited Syrian refugees in Jordan. They visited the Zaatari refugee camp, a refugee processing center at a Syria-Jordan border crossing, and a food voucher distribution center.
The United States is committed to helping the innocent children, women, and… more »
President Barack Obama approved an additional $155 million of humanitarian aid and announced it himself in order to underscore to the Syrian people and the international community the U.S. commitment to assisting Syrians and other refugees in need of immediate, lifesaving assistance as a… more »
U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford, Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne C. Richard, and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance Nancy Lindborg visited a refugee camp for Syrians in Turkey. While there, they met with Turkish partners and assistance providers to discuss the needs of Syrian refugees and ongoing humanitarian assistance efforts.
The U.S. delegation commended the generosity of the Government of Turkey and the Turkish… more »
UPDATE: Watch video of the Secretary's Global Townterview on YouTube.
On Tuesday, January 29, 2013, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will hold a Global Townterview at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. A "Townterview" is a mix of a town hall and a television interview. The concept was first introduced by the Secretary when she entered office as a way to broaden people-to-people engagement.
This will be her 59th town hall and an opportunity to engage with young people around the world in advance of her last day as Secretary of State on Friday, February 1.
In partnership with media outlets from every region around the world, the Secretary will take questions from youth in… more »
Today, U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford; Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne Richard; and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, Nancy Lindborg traveled to Ankara, Turkey to address the humanitarian situation in and around Syria. Ambassador Ford said:
"...We've had a busy couple of days. Yesterday, we were at the Syrian refugee camp of Islahiye down on the Turkish-Syrian border. We met a lot of people and heard stories of their suffering, of losing family members, houses destroyed. We talked about what we are doing, providing tents, providing food both to people in camps like the one we saw, but also inside… more »
On January 23, 2013, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. In her remarks to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,… more »
Today, President of the United States Barack Obama was sworn in at a ceremony marking the beginning of his second term and delivered his inaugural address from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
During his speech, President Obama said, "America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe. And we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. We will support democracy from Asia to Africa, from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom.… more »
On behalf of the entire DipNote team, we thank our readers for their continued engagement and contributions over the last year. We wish all of you a healthy and joyous 2013! more »
I have to agree with Karen in Turkey -- I too, was shocked at how invisible the State Department, the White House and President Obama were regarding the…
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I was shocked at how invisible the State Department and White House were with this event -- the single largest coordinated event in the history of the world.…
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Withdrawal from Afghanistan is an overwhelming sentiment of Americans. That President has to respond to it is understandable. But so long as US has not relinquished…
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On February 19, the State Department will host a conference on "Food Security and Minimizing Postharvest Loss: Markets, Applied Research, and Innovation." more »
Secretary Kerry (Feb. 15): "We need to understand the connection of all of these things to our security, to our business opportunities, to our economic future, to America's leadership role in the world." more »
![President Barack Obama, flanked by Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, gives his State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, February 12, 2013. [AP Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130216103530im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0213_obama_sotu_2_m.jpg)
![Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to hold global town hall at the Newseum on January 29, 2013 at 9:30 a.m. EST. Watch live on state.gov. [State Department image]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130216103530im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0127_clinton_townterview_m.jpg)
![Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 23, 2013, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the deadly September attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. [AP Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130216103530im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0123_clinton_testimony_m.jpg)
![President Barack Obama waves to crowd after his Inaugural speech at the ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington on January 21, 2013. [AP Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130216103530im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0121_obama_inauguration_m.jpg)
![Fireworks explode in front of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre over the Victoria Harbor as celebrating the 2013 New Year in Hong Kong, Jan. 1, 2013. [AP Photo]](https://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/oilspill/20130216103530im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2013_0101_fireworks_m.jpg)
