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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U.S. officials, political opponents of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and heavily armed rebels discuss plans for an interim government for Haiti. Rebels, who rode triumphantly into Port-au-Prince Monday, aren't laying down their arms as promised. The White House denies Aristide's allegations that U.S officials forced him to resign. Hear NPR's Gerry Hadden and NPR's Michele Kelemen.
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U.S. Marines patrol Port-au-Prince, as rebels enter the Haitian capital. A day after resigning, former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide is in exile in Africa. A U.N. peacekeeping force is headed to the troubled nation. Some U.S. lawmakers fault the Bush administration for turning its back on the democratically elected Aristide. Hear NPR's Martin Kaste and NPR's Michele Kelemen.
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Ousted Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide's supporters accuse the United States of engineering the president's exit from office. Bush administration officials insist Aristide is a failed leader who resigned in the face of an armed rebellion. Rebels arriving in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, met with cheering crowds. Hear NPR's Michele Kelemen and NPR's Martin Kaste.
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Secretary of State Colin Powell says Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide should examine his position and consider what's best for the Haitian people -- a sign U.S. officials want Aristide to consider resigning. Meanwhile, rebel forces advance on Haiti's capital, but the U.N. Security Council says it's not ready to authorize peacekeepers. Hear NPR's Michele Kelemen.
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The White House has asserted that most of the terrorism currently undermining U.S. efforts in Iraq is perpetrated by non-Iraqis. Terror analysts and Middle East experts differ in their opinion of the nature of the attacks -- and who is behind them. Hear NPR's Michele Kelemen and Rand Corporation policy analyst John Parachini.
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As Democrats narrow the field of presidential candidates, the debate over the economic policies of the Bush White House begin to take shape. NPR's Michele Kelemen gets a preview of some of the points of contention from Robert Reischauer, president of the Urban Institute and former director of the Congressional Budget Office, and Stephen Moore, president of the Club for Growth and a senior fellow at the Cato Institute.
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Increasingly sophisticated attacks by Iraqi insurgents cause relief agencies and private contractors to reassess their operations in the country. The International Red Cross, a target of Monday’s attacks, is considering reducing its staff. The United Nations has already reduced its presence, after being struck in an earlier bombing. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.
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The United States hopes to secure funding for at least part of the cost of rebuilding Iraq when donor nations meet Thursday in Madrid. So far, pledges have been small compared to what Washington and the World Bank estimate is needed to rebuild Iraq. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.
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The U.N. Security Council votes in favor of a U.S.-sponsored resolution on Iraq. The resolution is aimed at garnering additional troops for peacekeeping duty in Iraq as well as more funds for reconstruction. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.
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After last-minute revisions, and a push from Russia, the U.N. Security Council unanimously approves a U.S. resolution aimed at additional international help in Iraq. Resolution 1511 is expected to generate financial aid and peacekeeping troops from previously reluctant sources. It also clarifies the U.N. role in reshaping postwar Iraq. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and NPR's Michele Kelemen.