American Diplomat

American Diplomat goes behind the scenes to hear real stories from diplomats who lived newsworthy events overseas. Experience the Cuban revolution, Central American insurgencies, the end of apartheid and more through the eyes of those who were there. A project of Arizona State University.

Space: Catching Up to the 21st Century 11/20/2025

Space: Catching Up to the 21st Century There are no embassies in space, so why diplomacy? Space is everywhere on earth – in financial transactions, food supplies, GPS – and it is key to hybrid warfare, particularly in US competition with China. Space demands agreements before conflicts get hot. Major General Brook Leonard is back to help us understand the facts and the strategic implications. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/39109370

The Discord Rebellion - Nepal 11/13/2025

The Discord Rebellion - Nepal Nepalese democracy is strong but its economy is not. Social platforms gave voice to the aggrieved. When the government threatened access, young folks got down to business, and they got it done. How? Amb. Peter Bodde unpacks. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/39020390

We’ll Be Back 11/06/2025

We’ll Be Back Senator/Ambassador Jeff Flake, one of POTUS’ first targets, tells us why he believes that inclusiveness will win in the US and beyond. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/38931965

The Insurrection Act: Can the Courts Stop Trump? 10/30/2025

The Insurrection Act: Can the Courts Stop Trump? POTUS has wide discretion in sending the standing military into American streets. Public and international law expert John Bellinger examines what our courts will do if he tries to deploy them. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/38742860

POTUS Attacks Venezuelan Soil…So what? 10/23/2025

POTUS Attacks Venezuelan Soil…So what? Ex-National Security Council lawyer John Bellinger takes us into a hypothetical White House Situation Room to advise on the shaky legal grounds for any future attacks on Venezuela. Does Trump care? /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/38743355

The Gaza Peace Plan: What Could Go Wrong? 10/16/2025

The Gaza Peace Plan: What Could Go Wrong? Amb. Patrick Theros is back to parse just how the Gaza Peace Plan will likely unfold and why Trump will have to marshal his inner Tony Soprano to get it done. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/38607075

The Most Dangerous Place to be in DC? 10/09/2025

The Most Dangerous Place to be in DC? Between Trump and the Nobel Peace Prize. Israel’s Bibi crossed a redline with his attack on Qatar. The fabulously knowledgeable Amb. Patrick Theros parses this moment and its significance. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/38526615

Venezuela: The President’s Flotilla 10/02/2025

Venezuela: The President’s Flotilla Blowing up small boats to stop drug trafficking? Or is it like swatting flies with a blowtorch? And what about those drug-laden planes still flying north? Ambassador James Story sets the record straight. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/38434290

Mexico’s Steel Magnolia 09/25/2025

Mexico’s Steel Magnolia Polar opposites: Mexican President Sheinbaum – a fact-based scientist, an introvert, methodical, with high standards…and then there is Trump. Mexico expert Brian Naranjo explains how she manages to tame the beast. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/38349555

Estonia: Punching Above Its Weight 09/18/2025

Estonia: Punching Above Its Weight After repeated Russian invasions and/or occupations and with a population only 0.89% the size of Russia, how do you defend yourself, particularly in the age of hybrid warfare? Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur breaks it down. And, most importantly, how best to create tolerance for others’ views, when the goal is for us all to remain alive under the same sun? /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/38267745

Trump: Bread and Circus 09/11/2025

Trump: Bread and Circus Use entertainment as political discourse, distort reality, mock adversaries, distract the public from the real issues. The Romans started it and Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi put it on full throttle. Italy expert Steve Scherer shows us how elected populists gain and keep power. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/38173920

Human Rights, Twisted and Bent 09/04/2025

Human Rights, Twisted and Bent What happens when our president operates from his own alternative reality? A growing Axis of Upheaval against us? Elizabeth Shackelford is back to clarify the moment. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/38092705

Reality Show: Canada 08/28/2025

Reality Show: Canada We fought, died, celebrated victories and became prosperous together. Canadians could count on us, until now. Journalist Steve Scherer walks us through the US boycotts and yes, the profound sense of betrayal. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/38001040

The Jihadi Whisperer 08/22/2025

The Jihadi Whisperer What prompts someone to become a violent Muslim extremist? Even more, what would get them to turn against their comrades? Counter-terrorism guru Brig Barker demystifies this dark world. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/37925845

The Hole in Putin’s Imperial Designs 08/14/2025

The Hole in Putin’s Imperial Designs Why is Kazakhstan safe from Russia? It juts into the heart of Russia and shares the longest continuous land border in the world. What is their secret? Ambassador Dan Rosenblum’s analogy: walking a tightrope. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/37816755

Ukraine: Does Moral Truth Still Exist? 08/07/2025

Ukraine: Does Moral Truth Still Exist? What happens when you are instructed to treat the aggressor as an innocent? Former Ambassador Bridget Brink’s career reaches a fork in the road. What to do? Hint: Who’s running in the Michigan Seventh Congressional District? And most importantly, why? /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/37719285

What Happened to the Man of My Dreams? 07/31/2025

What Happened to the Man of My Dreams? He's charismatic, he's exciting, he's strong. How do elected autocrats woo their publics and then destroy the very countries they promised to elevate? What happens to the populace? Kristie Kenney, ambassador to Ecuador, Thailand and the Philippines has a thing or two to say about these folks and the reasons that people elect them. Repost from 2020, with oddly entertaining postscript from Pete. Spolier alert: Things doesn't always turn out the way these guys expect. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/37524140

Encore: Who Lost China? 07/24/2025

Encore: Who Lost China? It is the 1950s. Senator Joseph McCarthy and his henchman Roy Cohn target and humiliate our diplomats for accurately reporting an eventual Mao victory in China. Jack Service and his family are at the center of the storm. Is history repeating itself before our eyes? Enjoy this snapshot of diplomacy that is more relevant today than it was when we first posted it in 2020. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/37502500

America Alone? 07/17/2025

America Alone? Secretary Rubio’s stated goal is to reduce our diplomatic corps by 15%. Does it stop there? After four years of whim and chaos will the world ever trust us to lead again? Will we have the expertise and talent? Ambassador Eric Rubin lays it all out for us. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/37430750

The Incredible Shrinking Trade Partner 07/10/2025

The Incredible Shrinking Trade Partner What happens when tariff policy becomes a whim? Career commercial officer Dan Crocker peers into the chaos and breaks down the stakes for businesses and national security. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/37363505

The Last of the Cold Warriors is Gone - Now What? 07/03/2025

The Last of the Cold Warriors is Gone - Now What? The old approach to national security is breaking apart. Americans demand change. Young diplomats and global service professionals today have a once in a century opportunity to reshape how the US engages in the world. Amb. Tom Shannon is back to inspire and share his awesome insights. In his words, Liberate the Future. () /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/37265630

Attacks on Iran: Salvation or Quagmire 06/26/2025

Attacks on Iran: Salvation or Quagmire Will diplomacy come next? Will Trump and Netanyahu give the Ayatollah an off-ramp? Acting Secretary of State and Undersecretary in the first Trump administration Tom Shannon lists both sides' options and their likelihood of taking place. Will there be Iranian “retribution” and if so, what will it look like? /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/37157305

Colombia: Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory 06/19/2025

Colombia: Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory For decades Plan Colombia was the gold standard for tackling counter-insurgency. With the current spike in cartel/gang violence, are Colombians losing faith in their conciliatory, populist leader Petro? Is the current violence due to a legacy of armed groups? Does it just boil down to testosterone? Ambassador Kevin Whitaker breaks it all down for us. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/37063680

Are the Chinese Coming for You? 06/12/2025

Are the Chinese Coming for You? The Federal Government has a long-standing entity which reviews possible threats posed by foreign actors, investing inside the US. What happens when a small town decides to wreck a Chinese investment…prudence or a resurgence of the Red Scare? Security expert Nova Daly unpacks these questions and updates us on the impending deadline for TikTok…yes, the clock is ticking! /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/36955125

Lebanon: Finally, A Ray of Hope, or Just a Flash Bang? 06/05/2025

Lebanon: Finally, A Ray of Hope, or Just a Flash Bang? With Assad overthrown in Syria and the new regime freeing themselves of decades long sanctions will they be able to stop the flow of financing and weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon? Is this an opening to permit reform and true democracy in Lebanon or will it be another missed opportunity? Ambassador Ed Gabriel sets forth what is at stake in the region and for US interests. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/36854380

Have You No Sense of Decency, Mr. Secretary? 05/29/2025

Have You No Sense of Decency, Mr. Secretary? With so much disinformation flying around, Senator Chris Van Hollen sets the record straight and takes down Secretary Rubio at the same time. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/36769930

The Pastry Chef, the Hand Grenade, the OSS and Vietnam 05/22/2025

The Pastry Chef, the Hand Grenade, the OSS and Vietnam From wartime to prosperity, Ambassador Ted Osius shares his personal experience of change in US/Vietnam relations since the end of the war 50 years ago. Best question: Why is Amb. Osius optimistic, even in today’s trade climate? Hint: , the title of both Amb. Osius’s book and his previous episode with us. For bonus fun, enjoy the video of Vietnamese female rap artist ! /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/36674880

Politics of Retribution 05/15/2025

Politics of Retribution How did a utopian vision for society lead to one of the bloodiest regimes in history, Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge? Why does it matter today? Was it mediocrity? Arrogance? Or is it just easier to seize power than it is to govern? Prof. Andrew Mertha of Johns Hopkins’ School of International Studies, whose new book – out today, lays it out for us. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/36581015

Is the Chaos at State Over? 05/08/2025

Is the Chaos at State Over? Acting Undersecretary for Management, Ambassador Tibor Nagy, had a front row seat to the twenty-something DOGE Musketeers and their slash and burn approach to “re-organizing” venerable national security infrastructure. Tibor reflects on that and opines on whether the worst is over. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/36486300

Squeezing Blood From a Stone 05/05/2025

Squeezing Blood From a Stone Overseas, mugged, sick, arrested, who are you going to call and will there be anyone to answer? Tom Yazdgerdi, the President of AFSA, the State Department labor union, fears what budget cuts will mean for traveling Americans. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/36440105

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