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Larry Luxner

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Tiny Liechtenstein, no bigger than DC, seeks outsize role in diplomacy

With only 38,500 inhabitants in a territory exactly the same size as the District of Columbia, Liechtenstein is the world’s wealthiest country. According to the World Bank, its annual per-capita income is $175,813, ranking Liechtenstein ahead of Monaco, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Bermuda. Yet this 62-square-mile, German-speaking principality—wedged in between Switzerland and Austria—isn’t exactly a household name for everyone, conceded Liechtenstein’s ambassador to the United States, Georg Sparber.

US-French alliance is solid despite recent crisis, says Philippe Étienne

Last year on July 14, Bastille Day, French Ambassador Philippe Étienne proudly unveiled a 1,000-pound bronze “mini-me” of the Statue of Liberty on the lawn of his official residence in D.C.’s Kalorama district before a crowd of dignitaries that included US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.

Iceland, Nigerian envoys lead panel on women’s health, gender equality

Iceland, with only 345,000 people, is among the most advanced, prosperous nations in Europe. And despite its oil wealth, Nigeria, with 214 million inhabitants, remains one of the world’s most corrupt countries.Yet when it comes to women’s health and gender equity, the two share a few things in common.

Comings & Goings

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