What U.S. Embassies Do for America?

Every day, U.S. Embassies around the world are working hard to advance U.S. national interests and enhance the security and prosperity of the American people. You just don’t hear much about it publicly. For example, U.S. ambassadors and embassies are striving to: increase international cooperation to counter terrorism; grow security cooperation between the U.S. and its allies; support military cooperation and the presence of U.S. forces deployed abroad; assist American citizens abroad in need; ensure these citizens’ safety and fair treatment under law; advocate for U.S. companies as they seek to do business and obtain contracts abroad; promote international cooperation to protect the environment, and set and observe standards in the face of such critical challenges as climate change; promote health cooperation against pandemics and other challenges; support international negotiations; and help build connections between U.S. and foreign educational and scientific institutions, as well as between the American people and the people of the embassy’s host country. Ambassador Silverman will take you “inside” our embassies to provide examples of how U.S. embassies serve the American people.

Dr. Ambassador Lawrence R. Silverman is a retired member of the Senior Foreign Service; his last posting in a 35-year U.S. State Department career was as the U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait until October 2019. Since then, he has been advising U.S. institutions and companies regarding their interests in the Middle East. Prior to his ambassadorship, Ambassador Silverman was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, responsible for Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, and Palestinian affairs. Ambassador Silverman also served as Director of Israel and Palestinian Affairs; then-Vice President Biden’s Special Advisor for Europe and Russia; Deputy Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia; Director of the Office of Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus Affairs; Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Slovakia; and Deputy Director of the Office of Southern European Affairs, covering U.S. policy toward Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus. During the first half of his State Department career, Ambassador Silverman focused on issues related to the Middle East, serving overseas and as Special Advisor to Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs William Burns. Mr. Silverman began his State Department career in South Africa and Namibia; he was a member of the U.S. team that negotiated the agreement on the independence of Namibia. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Academy of Diplomacy.