Our goal is to disseminate thoughtful articles on international issues and American Foreign policy as well as to support efforts to strengthen the American Foreign Service. Our contributors have included American diplomats, both active and retired, and distinguished academicians.

New on our web site:
This issue is our last before the summer lull and is therefore one with plenty to keep our readers busy until our new issue in September. There are commentaries on U. S.- Brazilian relations; a look at parallels between South Africa's Jan Smuts and Arkansas' Bill Fulbright; and a statistical analysis of just why foreign aid is provided. Foreign Service Life has a new article on life even before the Foreign Service. We also have reader comments on a non-nuclear NATO and the final installment of the back and forth on the China challenge; and there are new reviews of:

• Articles including on how a society's "openness" contributes to foreign affairs "success", insights on Iran and on Turkey's new turn in Mideast policy;
• a Speech at Brookings on neoconservatism and by British PM Cameron on Afghanistan;
• and new Books, on power politics in the Arab world and a memoir by the first U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia.