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Michele Kelemen

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A former NPR Moscow bureau chief, Michele Kelemen now covers 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.

In her latest beat, Kelemen has been traveling with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from Asia to the Middle East and Europe, tracking the Obama administration's broad foreign policy agenda. She also followed the two previous Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell and 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 and the tragedy of the sinking of the nuclear submarine Kursk. She also brought to listeners 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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Africa
2:18 am
Fri May 18, 2012

U.S. Serves Up New Food Security Effort In Africa

Credit Pablo Tosco / AFP/Getty Images
A woman refills her bucket from a well in the south of Mauritania. The Sahel region, south of the Sahara, is facing a third season of drought.
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Originally published on Fri May 18, 2012 3:49 pm

The Obama administration is announcing a major new initiative to boost investments in rural Africa in hopes of lifting millions out of poverty. Several African leaders are in Washington, D.C., for the announcement, which comes as President Obama hosts leaders of the Group of Eight in Maryland. Food security is a key agenda item.

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Opinion
6:44 am
Sun May 13, 2012

Clinton: 'Incredible Rush' Will Have Its End

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Credit Dibyangshu Sarkar / AFP/Getty Images
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee greet each other before a meeting in Kolkata, India, on May 7.
Credit Shannon Stapelton / Reuters /Landov
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was treated to a karate demonstration in Kolkata, India, during her Asia trip.
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Originally published on Sun May 13, 2012 11:09 am

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gets questioned about her political future wherever she goes. She says she plans to get off the "high-wire" of politics after she wraps up her tenure as secretary of state, but her trips sometimes feel like she's campaigning — for America's image and for her own legacy. NPR's Michele Kelemen has this behind-the-scenes reporter's notebook of Clinton's most recent swing through Asia.

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Asia
3:48 pm
Thu May 3, 2012

In Turn, Chinese Activist Wants To Leave Country

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Originally published on Wed May 9, 2012 9:43 am

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish. U.S. diplomats are struggling to figure out what to do with a dissident in China who has had a change of heart. Until yesterday, Chen Guangcheng was under U.S. diplomatic protection at the American embassy in Beijing. During his stay, diplomats say they negotiated arrangements with the Chinese government to allow Chen to stay in China and study law.

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NPR Story
5:05 am
Thu May 3, 2012

Chinese Activist's Statements Confuse State Department

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Originally published on Thu May 3, 2012 9:31 am

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Let's talk about this more with NPR diplomatic correspondent Michele Kelemen. She's traveling with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She's in Beijing. And Michele, how did this seem to go so wrong so quickly?

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Asia
3:54 pm
Mon April 30, 2012

Activist's Escape Complicates Clinton's China Visit

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Credit Alexander F. Yuan / AP
Chinese paramilitary police patrol outside the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on April 28. Chen Guangcheng, a blind legal activist who fled house arrest in his rural Chinese village, is reported to be under the protection of U.S. officials. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is heading to China for what was supposed to be a routine visit.
Credit EPA/Landov
This undated handout image provided by ChinaAid shows blind Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng, whose escape from house arrest is at the heart of a growing U.S.-China firestorm.
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Originally published on Mon April 30, 2012 5:19 pm

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sets off Monday night on a trip that was supposed to be a routine checkup on U.S.-China relations.

Instead, she is flying into a firestorm after a high-profile dissident's daring escape from house arrest. The blind legal activist, Chen Guangcheng, is now believed to be under U.S. protection — and diplomats are scrambling to try to resolve the issue quickly.

On her first visit to China as secretary of state in 2009, Clinton emphasized other issues besides human rights.

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Politics
2:21 pm
Fri April 20, 2012

Bill Could Complicate U.S.-Russia Relations

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Originally published on Fri April 20, 2012 5:06 pm

Republicans and Democrats don't agree about much on Capitol Hill these days, but there is one bill gaining bipartisan support. It's legislation that would punish human rights violators in Russia by naming them and denying them visas to the U.S. But the Obama administration is not on board yet. U.S. diplomats worry it could complicate relations at a time when the U.S. needs Russia's support most.

Middle East
3:38 pm
Tue April 10, 2012

Despite Deadline, No Letup In Syrian Fighting

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Credit Bassem Tellawi / AP
Syrian President Bashar Assad was supposed to pull the military out of cities by Tuesday, but more attacks were reported. Some Syrians rallied in support of Assad and his Baath Party in the capital, Damascus, on Saturday.
Credit Bulent Kilic / AFP/Getty Images
International envoy Kofi Annan said Tuesday it was too early to give up on a peace plan he has brokered for Syria despite renewed fighting. He gave a press conference after visiting a refugee camp in southern Turkey.
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After more than a year of fighting in Syria, the peace plan brokered by international envoy Kofi Annan appeared to be the most serious effort yet to end the bloodletting.

But on a day when Syrian army tanks were supposed to pull back from Syrian cities, opposition groups said there were fresh attacks Tuesday in the central city of Homs and several other cities.

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Middle East
3:00 am
Thu March 29, 2012

Blogger: U.S. Shouldn't Trust Egypt's Government

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DAVID GREENE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

The revolution in Egypt is still a work in progress, but one thing that has not changed is the partnership between the U.S. and Egypt's powerful military. In fact, just last week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced she would let $1.3 billion in aid flow to Egypt's military, as usual, this year. Clinton said the country has made significant progress toward democracy.

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Africa
4:21 pm
Wed March 28, 2012

For The Two Sudans, The Threat Of War Looms

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Credit AFP/Getty Images
Sudanese troops stand next to a burnt-out military vehicle in the oil center of Heglig after clashes with South Sudanese forces Wednesday. Recent fighting has raised fears of a renewed war.
Credit Abd Raouf / AP
A delegation from South Sudan, headed by Pagan Amum (center), walks with Sudan's Idris Mohamed Abdul-Gadir (right) in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, on March 22. The delegation arrived for a summit between the leaders of the two countries, but the meeting was postponed due to recent tensions.
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Less than a year after they formally split, Sudan and South Sudan appear to be in danger of going to war.

Fighting spilled over the disputed border this week, scuttling a planned summit intended to resolve issues lingering from South Sudan's independence last July.

International diplomats are trying to get that summit back on track and deal with a humanitarian crisis that is looming in the region.

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Middle East
2:00 pm
Wed March 21, 2012

UN Security Council Approves Annan's Syria Plan

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AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Former U.N. Security General Kofi Annan got a boost today from the Security Council as he struggles to resolve the crisis in Syria. The council endorsed his peace proposals. They call for a daily two-hour pause in fighting to allow humanitarian aid in and for a political dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition. Here's NPR's Michele Kelemen.

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