Brief State Department Overview

Before I begin my internship in October it's probably a good idea to describe what specifically the State Department does.

The U.S. Department of State or the State Department as it's also known, is a large Federal Agency responsible for dealing with American Foreign Policy and International Relations. A great deal of Diplomacy is handled through the State Department who's chief executive officer is the Secretary of State. Currently that person is John Kerry.

Although the State Department's mission of sustaining peaceful international relations while enhancing U.S. interest is a collective, department wide mission, there are various departments and offices that handle different aspects such as international security, diplomacy, and intelligence. Since the comprehensive list is extensive I won't list every individual department, but the bureau I will be working with is the Bureau of Public Affairs. Specifically, I will be interning in the Office of Public Liaison.

One of the State Department's primary missions is to relay news and updates to the public, and the Bureau of Public Affairs deals with keeping domestic and international audiences informed through various forms of media. The Office of Public Liaison's specific mission is to engage domestic audiences in order to help enhance the department's work at home and abroad.

Of course, my summary is only a brief overview of what the State Department does. If you want more info, definitely check out the official Department of State website.

http://www.state.gov/

If you're really interested in getting involved be sure to follow the State Department on Twitter, @StateDept

Through twitter you can get all sorts of international news and updates.