• The Washington Post’s obituary of J. Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador killed Tuesday in Benghazi, explores his life and career track; he started in the Peace Corps.

• Slate has an Explainer up about U.S. ambassadors, who they are and what they do. (Ambassadors to “friendly” countries tend to behigh-level campaign donors, while “ambassadors to hot spots like Egypt and Libya are typically career foreign-service officers, esteemed academics, or experienced politicians.” )

• Also relevant is this 2009 interview I did with an old college friend and foreign-service officer who was posted in Libya at the time. A lot has changed in that country in three years (he mentions that he had just met Qaddafi), but it offers a good look into what life is like for Americans working in U.S. embassies abroad, and specifically in Libya.

---