Home About ProjectExplorer Future Projects Ask the Explorers Supporting Cast Good Global Citizen
High School
Cultural Crossroads: Jordan
Political Officer, Ben Ball
 
From the Grand Hyatt Amman. Today, we met Ben Ball, a political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Amman. From Ben, I learned a lot about American/Jordanian relations, and got a good idea of what it must be like to work for the U.S. Department of State (sometimes called the State Department).

Ben has been interested in travelling and learning new languages since childhood. Working with the State Department enabled him to pursue these interests. For a couple of years he worked at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea. He also worked for a year in Saudi Arabia. This is where he started to learn Arabic, which he now speaks almost fluently. He’s been living in Amman for several months, and will stay in Jordan for 3 years.

As I listened to Ben speak about his job, I grew a little envious. I had no idea there were jobs that allowed you to travel the world and serve your country at the same time!

The purpose of the State Department is to make sure that American interests are represented in other countries. What does this mean? Well, one country’s actions can affect people living in other countries. For example, air pollution from one country could create poor air quality in another country. Representing these interests is called diplomacy. In simple terms, diplomacy is the process by which countries try to reach mutual agreements.

What other international problems can be solved through diplomacy?

Visit: a refugee camp.

 
VIDEO: What does a Political Officer do?
VIDEO: What does the State Department do?
VIDEO: American-Jordanian Relations
VIDEO: Global Citizenship