Company Overview

The State Department operates within the executive branch of government and is the major U.S. foreign policy agency. It hires people into the civil and foreign service sectors and has workers in 180 countries and 44 international organizations. The war on terrorism is currently the department’s biggest mission. Other hot-button issues at the State Department include the AIDS epidemic in developing countries and the worldwide slave trade. This is a key department as the U.S. government attempts to increase its influence over the political direction taken by countries in volatile areas such as the Middle East.

Members of the State Department represent the US to the UN, NATO, the European Union, and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization). The State Department also deals with travel issues such as visas, passports, and travel warnings.

In January 2009 Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was sworn in as President Obama’s Secretary of State, replacing Condoleezza Rice. According to The New York Times, Clinton will push for more involvement in economic affairs in order to aid in the recovery of the global financial crisis. During the Bush administration, the Treasury mainly played a bigger role in economic policy.