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Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin recently attended the opening of Lithuania’s first honorary consulate in his state, clearly pleased with the official presence of yet another country in his state. The goal is for each side to develop closer economic and ...

The traditional functions of foreign consuls include their contributions to the development of commercial, economic, cultural and scientific relations between their countries and the United States. Many nations find innovative ways of showcasing their accomplishments in some or all of those ...

Consuls have long been the bridge between local communities and the world. They can help identify places for future investment of their countries. They strengthen their national ties in business, education and culture. The U.S. communities in which they serve ...

People sometimes wander why there are so many lawyers and business people among honorary consuls. The reason is very practical: they often possess the skills that an appointing foreign government is looking for in its consul. Honorary consuls come from ...

There’s a lot of buzz out there about Tampa (Florida) actively seeking a Cuban consulate in its area. One source said, “It depends on Havana’s desires.” This is only half of the truth, though. Before any country – Cuba or ...

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright once said that good protocol can be “an essential ingredient for business success.” The expanded edition of the Foreign Consuls Among Us: Local Bridges to Globalism (now available through major bookstores) incorporates that statement in one ...

How can the many foreign consuls in our communities be “bridges to globalism?” Think of them as a ready-made, local network with ties to the countries they represent. When we seek out the services of a foreign consul we enter ...

The Consul opera takes place in the waiting room of an unnamed consulate. Gian Carlo Menotti wrote this Pulitzer Prize winning piece in 1950. He had in mind a totalitarian state where people were seeking exit visas to leave their home ...

Consul, honorable honoree? That’s the question for today. When a friend showed me instructions for a certain consulate headed by an honorary consul, the head of that post was referred to as honoree consul. This makes no sense in that context. A consul ...

Consuls collect all kinds of things, just like people from all walks of life. I knew of one consul who collected heart-shaped items, and another who had a house-full of cat-objects. But wouldn’t it be funny if there was a consul ...