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Global 360

Watch all episodes of Global 360, which breaks down the headlines of the day.

Culture

LiDAR technology shines new light on Guatemala’s ancient Maya ruins

Guatemala, Central America’s largest nation, often makes headlines, though nearly always for the wrong reasons—violent crime, drug trafficking, natural disasters and illegal immigration. When it comes to uncovering ancient civilizations, however, Guatemala is a world leader.

Washington Opera Society names Julien Benichou artistic director

The Washington Opera Society (WOS) has named Julien Benichou as its new general and artistic director, replacing Michael Reilly, the society’s founder and executive director. Simon Charette, its assistant artistic director, is now general manager of the WOS.

Diplomat News

Comings & Goings

Fareed Yasseen, Iraq’s long-serving ambassador to the United States, is leaving Washington after five years representing Baghdad in

Op-ed: Consequences of Ukraine are too large to ignore Biden

While historians are comparing Putin’s invasion of Ukraine to the Nazi’s land grab in Czechoslovakia in 1939, and some U.S. politicians are doing their best to play this generation’s Neville Chamberlain, others are not going gentle into that good night.

Op-ed: Diplomacy is not what failed in Ukraine

Diplomacy works best when there are two rational actors negotiating at the same table, with the same set of rules and guiding principles. This was not the case here and it is wrong to glibly proclaim that what we are witnessing today is a failure of diplomacy.

St. Kitts envoy: ‘My mom had no seat at the table’

St. Kitts & Nevis—barely twice the size of the District of Columbia—is the smallest independent sovereign nation in the Western Hemisphere. Representing this tiny twin-island Caribbean federation in Washington is Ambassador Thelma Phillip-Browne, a doctor by profession who’s also an evangelist preacher and one of her country’s all-time champions in netball.

Op-ed: Governments key to USAID’s local capacity development efforts

The new local capacity development policy of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will very likely set the tone for how its partners and other development institutions begin to re-imagine local capacity building. At both national and subnational levels, one actor will be crucial to the success of these  efforts: the government.

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