As President Obama prepares for his first trip to Israel since his election in 2008, BBC State Department correspondent Kim Ghattas describes the Administration's goals in the region and beyond. Ghattas has watched the Obama Administration's foreign policy goals unfold firsthand, as she traveled the world with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and she describes her experiences with Clinton in her new book, "The Secretary: A Journey with Hillary Clinton from Beirut to the Heart of American Power."

As John Kerry faces his Senate colleagues in his secretary of state confirmation hearings, BBC State Department correspondent Kim Ghattas explains how the State Department may change with Kerry at the helm, and discusses President Obama's foreign policy goals in his second term.

Clinton's touch-down in Latvia will mark the 100th country she’s visited as Secretary of State — making her the most-traveled secretary of state yet. BBC state department correspondent Kim Ghattas accompanied Clinton on many of those trips, and recently produced a half-hour documentary about life on the road with the Secretary of State.

It was only a few years ago the Bush administration labeled Myanmar "an outpost of tyranny." But on Wednesday, Hillary Clinton became the first secretary of state to visit the repressive and isolated nation in 50 years. The Obama administration has been keen on engaging with the military-backed civilian government of Myanmar after the country made some significant democratic reforms. In the past year, elections were held for a nominally civilian government, and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest after two decades. Yet even as changes take hold in Rangoon, persecution against the country's ethnic minorities continue.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is in Geneva this morning meeting with the United Nations Human Rights council to coordinate a new effort to force Libyan strongman Col. Moammar Gadhafi to step down. Clinton said the U.S. would "offer any kind of assistance" the rebels need. The BBC's State Department correspondent Kim Ghattas has been traveling with Clinton and joins us from Geneva.

First ladies from more than a dozen African countries are taking part in a two-year program to help them address challenges facing their countries. The first ladies and their top advisors convened in Washington, D.C. this week and will learn how to lead their staffs, seek funding for projects and how to define priorities. The BBC's State Department Correspondent, Kim Ghattas, spoke to some of the organizers and participants in the program.

After a 20-month hiatus, leaders from Israel and Palestine have come together at the White House to engage in a new round of peace talks. President Obama met individually with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday. Obama said he is hopeful that a peace agreement can be reached in the next year, but the talks have already hit hurdles that may be difficult to overcome.

In her first overseas trip as Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton said she would be looking to Asia to help tackle global problems. She started her trip in Japan, which is facing down an economic crisis, from there she heads out on a tour of Southeast Asia, where she is likely to face stiff questions over the foreign policy of the last eight years. The BBC's State Department Correspondent, Kim Ghattas, is traveling with Ms. Clinton and she joins us now from Tokyo.