u.s.
As President Trump strains alliances and relationships around the world, some of the nation’s top career diplomats are breaking publicly with him, in what amounts to a quiet revolt by a cadre of public servants known for their professional discretion. On Monday, the chargé d’affaires at the American Embassy in Beijing, David H. Rank, announced his resignation after telling his staff he could not defend the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord.
The No. 2 diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing resigned Monday, telling staff his conscience would not permit him to formally notify the Chinese that the United States is withdrawing from the Paris climate accord. David H. Rank, a career Foreign Service officer of 27 years, had been acting ambassador until former Iowa governor Terry Branstad (R) was confirmed as the new ambassador last month. Rank held a town meeting with embassy employees to explain he had offered his resignation and it had been accepted.
Students from Pakistan and the U.S. share their cultures with one another via the Internet.
Donald J. Trump’s first foreign trip as U.S. President is now history, but the repercussions are likely to be felt for years to come. [...] Trump disrespected the entire NATO alliance system, broke with the rest of the G-7 on the Paris climate change agreement and, in general, behaved boorishly. Given the chance to welcome NATO’s newest member, Montenegro, Trump pushed its prime minister aside to claim his own front row spot for the traditional “family photo” of NATO summit leaders.
![Photo courtesy of The White House via Flickr President Trump's Trip Abroad](https://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/sites/default/files/styles/275x168/public/uploads/rsz_34031496153_174b1d4e1d_b.jpg?itok=XQ278_4Y)
Mark Dillen on the negative image of President Trump's first trip overseas.
![Image courtesy of Alykhankaba via Wikimedia Commons Kabul Dreams](https://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/sites/default/files/styles/275x168/public/uploads/rsz_kabul_dreams_photo.jpg?itok=5Ph_N465)
The cultural and music diplomacy of the band Kabul Dreams.
![Image courtesy of Tookapic via Pexels Selfie with Smartphone](https://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/sites/default/files/styles/275x168/public/uploads/self-portrait-auto-iphone-80673.jpeg?itok=SjlGaCP5)
A new article by Ilan Manor looks at the U.S. State Department's attempts at branding America.