Michele Kelemen
Michele Kelemen has been with NPR for two decades, starting as NPR's Moscow bureau chief and now covering the State Department and Washington's diplomatic corps. Her reports can be heard on all NPR News programs, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
As Diplomatic Correspondent, Kelemen has traveled with Secretaries of State from Colin Powell to Mike Pompeo and everyone in between. She reports on the Trump administration's "America First" foreign policy and before that the Obama and Bush administration's diplomatic agendas. She was part of the NPR team that won the 2007 Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Award for coverage of the war in Iraq.
As NPR's Moscow bureau chief, Kelemen chronicled the end of the Yeltsin era and Vladimir Putin's consolidation of power. She recounted the terrible toll of the latest war in Chechnya, while also reporting on a lighter side of Russia, with stories about modern day Russian literature and sports.
Kelemen came to NPR in September 1998, after eight years working for the Voice of America. There, she learned the ropes as a news writer, newscaster and show host.
Michele earned her Bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master's degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Russian and East European Affairs and International Economics.
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Activist Aram al-Doumani has opposed the Syrian government since the uprising began in 2011. Despite talks aimed at a cease-fire this month, he's skeptical that there will be a breakthrough. -
At the Group of 20 summit, President Obama reassured Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the U.S. will do more to find a solution to Syria's political crisis, while also countering ISIS. -
Secretary of State John Kerry is trying again to push for peace in Syria, in a meeting that brings together 19 countries. The talks' focus may have changed after a night of terror attacks in France.
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Secretary of State John Kerry has helped forge an agreement between Israel and Jordan, in an effort to defuse violence between Israelis and Palestinians over the past few weeks.
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John Kerry keeps plugging away at two intractable conflicts — Israel/Palestine and Syria. His latest diplomacy takes him to Amman, Jordan.
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A medical aid group says U.S. airstrikes on its hospital in Kunduz amount to a war crime. Analysts say an investigation is needed, but diplomatic fallout is more likely than a war-crime prosecution. -
Europe is desperate to stop the flow of refugees from Syria, and that means countering ISIS and also ousting Bashar al-Assad. Russia's military action to prop up Assad is making things difficult.
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In his U.N. speech, President Obama cited improved ties with Cuba as an example of his commitment to diplomacy. But in his remarks, Cuban leader Raul Castro laid out a series of demands.
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Be wary of Russia's role in Syria, the opposition figure warns. He's working the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, pushing for more help for Syria's rebels and civilians.
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World leaders agree on at least one thing when it comes to the war in Syria: ISIS is now a global threat that needs to be countered. President Obama chaired a special U.N. summit on the issue, and he says an international coalition is growing — though some countries differ on how to handle Syrian President Bashar Assad.
