American Diplomat

Ambassador Vicki Huddleston gets around in the Sahara, and even gets the women a place inside the tent. So where did all these terrorists come from?  And what is this cool band that hauls its equipment around on camels? (One of our very favorites, originally posted July 2019)

Not the same as cybersecurity or digital diplomacy, cyberdiplomacy affects us all, worldwide, our access to information, our privacy, our ability to connect. Jennifer Bachus, senior official of the brand new Cyberspace and Digital Policy Bureau, helps us understand how countries of the world unite to support common values and interests.  

Ken Quinn is back, this time to talk about saving democracy from a coup attempt in the Philippines. Then, as now, democracy is under threat, but it is not the only thing that hangs in the balance...

Hi, everyone!  Enjoy the sound of the cicadas and the cooling of the evenings with our annual music episode.  We'll be back next week with another gripping tale - will our hero, our great democracy, live another day?  (We think it will.)  Have a great week.

What is Schedule F?  And its evil twin, the Public Service Reform Act? Ambassador Dennis Jett joins us once again to explain these two important pieces of policy. Is their purpose to make government accountable, or perhaps is it to control the government and undermine the impact of its most senior public servants?  (Plus, Dennis offers some fun ambassadorial history at the top.)

Worldwide, and in the Americas, journalists live in fear for their personal safety and are muredered in ever-growing numbers in retaliation for their reporting. At the same time, journalists are distrusted in greater numbers than ever before. Representative democracy depends on reliable, accurate press reporting, so John Feeley is back to discuss his new project, The Center for Media Integrity of...

Let's say you're a public servant. You've taken an oath to uphold the constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic, and also to obey the commander-in-chief. What if you can't do both? And what if following the law slaps you with a $100,000 legal bill? And then why bother serving? Eric Rubin, President of the American Foreign Service Association, shares his experience representing the inte...

Beginning a career at State in the Office of International Religious Freedom, Sameer Hossain visited the Rohingya refugee camps in the country where his parents were born (Bangladesh). Learning of the lived experiences of women and children in these camps, he thought of his own kids, and then switched his focus from international human rights issues to traumatic domestic events, and he now serves...

This is Fidel's advice to Daniel Ortega, today's strongman leader of Nicaragua. Wonder who else was listening? This is no longer a foreign piece of business but a thing threatening our own democracy right here, right now. Bob Callahan describes today's authoritarian regime in this Central American nation.  Are there any other parallels can we draw?  (Formerly posted as "Nicaragua, Nicaraguita".)

In a fun twist, John Feeley interviews Laura on what she's learned about foreign service officers. Why doesn't the average Joe know how great they are? Is it because they are boring? Or is it just because foreign policy doesn't go "Boom"? Most FSOs pursue the career because while they have no wish to conquer the world, they do want to explore it.  They want a job that will take them to Funky Town.

In this glorious encore episode, we say bottoms up to vacay! That's where we are and where you should be, too! Ambassador Dick Hoagland, having served many years in Russia and former Soviet republics, has had ample opportunity to consider the high-stakes drinking game of vodka diplomacy. He will regale you, and let us hope your vacation is less fraught with peril than this!  

Here's our earlier episode about Victor Bout, reposted, as he is again in the headlines, part of a proposed prisoner swap with Russia in exchange for a WNBA player. What? Yes, indeed. Victor Bout, Russian arms dealer, and a host of other nogoodnicks invest their nefarious proceeds in American cities such as Louisville, Dallas, Cleveland, unbeknownst to city officials. These criminals receive real...

Ambassador Kevin Whitaker walks us through one of the most significant polticial events in Colombia's history: its recent election of outsider candidate Gustavo Petro. How have political parties lost their ability to mediate between voters and their governments? How has this given rise to populism, nationalism, and more importantly, a global competition of fundamental systems of government?

"We build trust," says Marcela Celorio, Counsul General of Mexico in Los Angeles, in our first-ever interview with a diplomat representing another country. Marcela shares stories cross-border diplomatic cooperation to assist businesses, caravans of immigrants in need, and others.

Ambassador Rufus Gifford, Chief of Protocol for the United States, knows the very real power of setting the stage for successful diplomacy, especially post-pandemic, as we all hunger for personal human connection.  And why are gifts so very important?   Which ones are the best kinds to give?

Dave Silverman, Deputy National Summit Coordinator, Summit of the Americas, talks about the complexity and diplomatic significance of setting the Summit's agenda.  Democracy, climate change and other urgent topics are set forth for negotiation between the leaders of the hemispher's nations.  Who weighs in on the topics chosen?  Are agreements binding? Dave brings years of experience to the discuss...

Brian Nichols, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs brings us up to speed on the most pressing issues on the agenda for the upcoming ninth annual Summit of the Americas. Income inequality, Covid impacts, climate change, access to health care, and disinformation are all on the marquis. How do thes issues impact average people throughout the hemisphere, and how do they put dem...

The Summit of the Americas is coming up in ealry June. Who will be there? What's at stake?  Is it a big party for all the heads of state of the Western Hemisphere or is it for democracies only? John Feeley will join Laura and Pete in LA to cover the summit, and he weighs in here with his thoughts and expectations.

The night before the war begain, a calm confidence prevailed in President Zelensky's office.  Peter Van Praagh, President of Halifax International Security Forum, recently returned from Ukraine where he spent the first hours of the war. His stories are as powerful as his message that Putin did not unite the West; the Ukrainians did. And this is all of our fight.  Here's a way to help Ukraine win:...

Assimilation is better than integration, counsels Ambassador Michael Polt of ASU's Leadership, Diplomacy and National Security Lab.  Assimilation says: "I really want you to be a part of us."  Assimilation means our new friends are expected to stay and become a valued part of who we are.  Besides, hating people is exhausting.  In the end, it all comes down to character.  (And this is why we love o...

Immigration expert Eric Farnsworth is back to parse what he describes as our unilateral disarmament diplomatically in the Western Hemisphere, due to bipartisan failure to compromise.  "We're doing it to ourselves," explains Eric. And here comes the Summit of the Americas in LA in June.

Bringing Europe and China to Africa and Granola Bars to Jail - originally posted in March 2018.  Enjoy!

Overseas and at home, Foreign Service officers face danger to themselves and their careers, from Benghazi to McCarthyism to the Trump presidency. John Naland and Harry Kopp discuss these risks and why we take them in their book Career Diplomacy: Lfe and Work in the US Foreign Service.

War crimes and genocide, from the Holocaust of World War II to Ukraine today, and many other places on earth.  Moved by his experience of the civil rights movement as a youth in the South, Ed O'Donnel devoted his life to preventing the emergence of genocides worldwide and bringing justice in their aftermath.

No one guessed Ukraine could succeed in combatting Putin. How has the country done it? What has Putin got wrong? General Ben Freakley is back with insights on the will to fight, military strategy, and values-based leadership.