March-April 2026
The Foreign Service Journal covers foreign affairs from an insider’s perspective, providing thought-provoking articles on international issues, the practice of diplomacy, and the U.S. Foreign Service. Including the AFSA News section, The Journal is now published bimonthly by the American Foreign Service Association.
The March-April issue focuses on nuclear security.
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FOCUS ON NUCLEAR SECURITY
The Nuclear Security Summits: Keeping the World Safe from Nuclear Terrorism
A key player in the Nuclear Security Summits (2010–2016) explains what diplomats achieved then—and what more needs to be done to keep bad actors from accessing nuclear materials.
Negotiating Nuclear Security: A View from the First Trump Administration
The role of diplomacy in setting the terms for America’s civil nuclear trade with other countries usually gets scant attention. Here’s why it’s important.
A Brief History of U.S.-China Nuclear Diplomacy
The story of U.S.-China nuclear engagement illustrates how steady science and technology diplomacy benefit both countries as well as global security.
Responding to the Fukushima Nuclear Accident: U.S. Assistance to Japan
There are lessons to be learned from the U.S. government’s response to this megadisaster on the territory of a major ally.
Is Nuclear Testing Needed?
An October 2025 social media post by the U.S. president instructed the Department of Defense to begin testing nuclear weapons. But is it really necessary?
FEATURES
The Secret Sharer
The work of a political officer requires moral clarity in highly ambiguous situations and an acceptance of mortal risk and the personal costs of exile.
Peace Corps at 65
Since its founding, the Peace Corps has been inextricably linked to the Department of State, and many of its volunteers have gone on to excel at the department.
FS HERITAGE
Wolf Ladejinsky: A Public Servant’s Case with Lessons for Today
Many people know about the Red Scare; less well known, perhaps, is a case that helped bring an end to McCarthyism and its democratic backsliding—that of Wolf Ladejinsky.
RETIREMENT SUPPLEMENT
Life After the Foreign Service: Diplomacy in Demand: University Students Are Eager to Learn from Practitioners
Students study international relations theory, but they want to know how the diplomatic sausage is actually made, this retired FSO found.