Despite its vast mineral wealth, the Democratic Republic of Congo is among the world’s poorest nations and will likely remain so for years, hobbled by regional wars and corruption. That’s a lot to handle for any ambassador, though Yvette Kapinga Ngandu says she’s ready to take on the challenge.
Larry Luxner
Miami native Larry Luxner, a veteran journalist and photographer, has reported from more than 100 countries in Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia for a variety of news outlets. He lived for many years in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the Washington, D.C., area before relocating to Israel in January 2017. Larry has been news editor of The Washington Diplomat since 2005.
On March 28, the nonprofit group Right Now for Jamaica (RNFJ) held an inaugural gala dinner and concert to raise money for long-term relief in the wake of Hurricane Melissa’s October 2025 devastation of the island. Audrey Marks, Jamaica’s ambassador to the United States from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2016 to 2025, received RNFJ’s Inaugural President’s Award.
A priceless manuscript that survived the Spanish Inquisition, the Nazi invasion of Yugoslavia and the Bosnian civil war of 1992-95 was the focus of a special Passover celebration last week on Capitol Hill.
When Muriel Bowser took office Jan. 2, 2015, as mayor of the District of Columbia, nobody had yet heard of Black Lives Matter, Covid-19, DOGE or AI. Donald Trump’s entry into the race for president was still half a year away, and for most people, ICE still meant water that had frozen.
The longer President Donald Trump remains in office, the harder it is, it seems, for diplomats to remain diplomatic. Ambassadors who normally keep their opinions to themselves are becoming increasingly vocal—and more than ever are paying for that honesty with their jobs.
The Philippines, an archipelago of 7,600 islands in Southeast Asia, is the world’s fourth-most vulnerable country when it comes to natural disasters. And a new report by UNICEF Philippines warns that 40-80% of the nation’s water supply could be depleted by 2040 due to typhoons, floods and landslides.
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Antony Anderson had been on the job for exactly five months as Jamaica’s ambassador to the United States when his country suffered its worst natural disaster in history. On Oct. 28, Hurricane Melissa—a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 185 mph— came ashore at New Hope, about 90 miles west of Kingston, the capital.
Vladislav Kulminski, Moldova’s new ambassador to the United States, said the country’s recent election was a milestone in Moldovan history—probably just as significant as Moldovan independence itself on Aug. 27, 1991.
Vladyslav, a combat lifesaver in the Ukrainian Army whose call sign is “Savage,” was completely drained after two years of constant bloodshed.
On Oct. 20, Stefanishyna recounted the horrors of her country’s ongoing conflict with Russia during our latest Ambassador Insider Series.
Mauritania, one of the least-known of the 22 members of the Arab League, got some long-awaited recognition this week when the National US-Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC) named Mauritania’s top envoy to the United States, Cissé Mint Cheikh Ould Boide, as its 2025 Ambassador of the Year.
Born in Syria and raised in Saudi Arabia, local musician Muath Edriss takes his oud seriously. Edriss is a singer, composer and performer. His professional career, in fact his whole life, revolves around the oud—an ancient instrument beloved throughout the Middle East.
British ambassador Peter Mendelson is fired the same week as 10 new ambassadors present their credentials in a White House ceremony.
Two former Soviet republics—Armenia and Azerbaijan—that have been sworn enemies for decades could soon make peace, say their DC-based ambassadors.
Known mainly for Dracula, Romania’s mythical Transylvania region is also home to quaint villages now being promoted through the Haferland tourism festival.
The latest crop of 14 new ambassadors in Washington includes diplomats from two former Soviet republics, two Caribbean nations, three African countries and three Arab ones.
