The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) is providing almost $1.2 million for three feasibility studies on smart grids in Jordan. These studies will help the country modernize its electrical grid and incorporate advanced technology to foster a more efficient and reliable electrical supply, thereby contributing to reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Tunisia continues to work with the African Development Bank, the International Finance Corporation, and the World Bank to implement a Clean Technology Fund (CTF) investment plan that uses $186 million of concessional CTF financing to mobilize over $2 billion in total investments in utility-scale concentrated solar power (CSP) and transmission. This program is part of a broader CTF initiative to install one gigawatt of CSP across North Africa and the Middle East.

In April 2012, in partnership with the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation, Yemen developed a $50 million Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR) investment strategy, which includes efforts to build climate resilience in the the water and agricultural sectors.

At the invitation of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, representatives of 26 governments and four international organizations met in Washington, D.C. on December 12-14, 2011 to discuss the implementation of United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution (UNHRC) 16/18 on "Combating Intolerance, Negative Stereotyping and Stigmatization of, and Discrimination, Incitement to Violence and Violence Against, Persons Based on Religion or Belief." In her closing remarks, Secretary Clinton stressed, The United States is hosting this conference because religious freedom and freedom of expression are...

By signing National Security Presidential Directive 41/Homeland Security Presidential Directive 13 (NSPD-41/HSPD-13) President Bush underscored the importance of securing the maritime domain, which is defined as "All areas and things of, on, under, relating to, adjacent to, or bordering on a sea, ocean, or other navigable waterway, including all maritime-related activities, infrastructure, people, cargo, and vessels and other conveyances." NSPD-41/HSPD-13 established a Maritime Security Policy Coordinating Committee (MSPCC)-the first coordinating committee specifically tasked to address this...

The primary purpose of the evacuation of a U.S. Mission is for the safety and security of Mission personnel and their families. The following definitions are in accordance with Department of State regulations. Please note that the military uses slightly different definitions for some of these terms.

It is only by understanding the terrorist mentality that civil societies can hope to counter terrorist tactics effectively

Mesopotamia, the ancient land of the "twin rivers" (the Tigris and Euphrates), with its bountiful land, fresh waters, and varying climates, contributed to the human civilization in many ways. The eastern limb of the Fertile Crescent was the cradle of the earliest known civilizations and served as the cultural heart from which the first ideas of sedentary agriculture, domestication of animals, the wheel, writing, and urban development are believed to have diffused westward to the Nile Valley and eastward to the Indus Valley. Since the beginning of recorded time, agriculture has been the...