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.

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

What’s Behind the Trump-Bukele Bromance? 04/24/2025

What’s Behind the Trump-Bukele Bromance? Is it simply mutual self-interest or is it Bukele's head start on the authoritarian’s handbook? Both? AmDip’s own Pete Romero breaks it down, with feeling! /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/36282370

Democracy Prevails! 04/17/2025

Democracy Prevails! Former US Ambassador to South Korea Kathleen Stephens answers the question: How was martial law defeated within hours and the would-be dictator impeached? Hint: The citizens, and the soldiers(!) said no. Putting up barricades with sofas and chairs, and grabbing a gun from a soldier, one woman asked, "Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?" Even the president accepted the rules set forth in the constitution. But why? For another one of Amb. Stephens's episodes with us, click . Vive la republique! /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/36213510

Universities in the Trump Crosshairs 04/10/2025

Universities in the Trump Crosshairs US colleges and universities are a battleground for First Amendment rights. Each side of the political spectrum wants to limit these rights for the other side. Now the Trump Administration has weaponized these issues by cutting grants and detaining students. Is there a neutral path forward? ASU honors student Sami Al-Asady breaks it down for us. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/36085455

DEI: Enemy of the People? 04/03/2025

DEI: Enemy of the People? Trump has led a relentless attack on Diversity Equity and Inclusion, saying it undermines a meritocracy. Former State DEI chief Ambassador Gina Abercrombie Winstanley asserts that equity and inclusion are simply effective management tools for molding smart teams. You be the judge. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/35988585

South Africans Don't Like to be Bullied 03/28/2025

South Africans Don't Like to be Bullied And why does it matter how regular South Africans feel about US behavior toward their country? Ambassador Charlie Ray untangles the powerful dynamics within South Africa domestically and vis-a-vis the United States, and helps us understand what this means for our present and future. Plus: It's up to us to create our world and it all starts with voting. Always vote! /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/35908655

We are Americans and we stand for something. 03/20/2025

We are Americans and we stand for something. What happens when the US washes its hands of its international obligations? Ambassador Mike Polt, Co-Founder of ASU’s Leadership, Diplomacy and National Security Lab, views our president as our chief diplomat and calls the Zelensky-Trump Oval Office meeting a pivotal moment. We have humiliated the rest of the world, including our friends. Now what? /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/35791455

How is Trump 2.0 Like An Onion? 03/17/2025

How is Trump 2.0 Like An Onion? A foreign policy grandmaster strategist? Or is our president guided simply by whim and spite, without a cohesive plan? Pete and Laura break it down. You be the judge. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/35724215

Tariff Wars 03/06/2025

Tariff Wars Tony Wayne, former Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs and US Ambassador to Mexico, pulls apart the strands. First, what is an import? How many times would you guess a raw material or auto part crosses a Canadian or Mexican border in the process of making and assembling a car? 4? 5? Each crossing carries a 25% tariff. That’s a lot of crossings! And a whole lot of tariffs! And the point? To make our neighbors tougher on smuggling into the US things we don’t want such as fentanyl. But the drug trade runs two ways, depending largely on American-made guns that cross into Mexico. All three countries must work together or everyone loses. And what’s this about an external revenue service? /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/35563855

When Economists Wage War 02/28/2025

When Economists Wage War Diplomat and Author Edward Fishman reveals how globalization is giving way to zero-sum self-interest. Can we win the emerging economic warfare? Listen, and read his new book . /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/35475260

USAID and the Fate of Gazans 02/20/2025

USAID and the Fate of Gazans Peace in the Middle East starts in Gaza and the West Bank. But beautiful parks and fountains and casinos…the Riviera of the Middle East, a beautiful vacation spot in what is now rubble? And somehow the US would own it. But what about all those Gazans, walking home along a highway, carrying all of their belongings, some with donkeys, on their way back to rubble. Enter USAID. In asymmetric warfare nothing, absolutely nothing, can defeat hearts and minds, and no one can impact those more effectively than USAID, at a minute financial cost. And this is how you neutralize the seduction of bad actors. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/35367825

Mar-A-Panama? 02/13/2025

Mar-A-Panama? How many "Mar-a-" conquests will there be? US Ambassador (ret) to Panama John Feeley breaks it all down, with a quick review of the relevant past, and substantive, yet richly candid view of Trump’s foray into the Canal Zone today. Get smart on what is true and what is not true at all. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/35276075

Mar-A-Greenland? What Do the Europeans Think? 02/06/2025

Mar-A-Greenland? What Do the Europeans Think? The Arctic is a serious US national security issue. NATO, particularly Denmark, agree and have offered significant resources to better secure the area from China and Russia. Will Trump accept these or hold out for Mar-a-Greenland? Can we divide the policy rhetoric from the policy outcomes? Luke Coffey, former adviser to the British defense minister and prior to that a US service member, now a fellow at the Hudson Institute, knows his brief! Bonus: Who was Eric the Red? /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/35177005

Trump 2.0: Is Humiliation the Point? 01/30/2025

Trump 2.0: Is Humiliation the Point? Was Trump’s big showdown with President Petro of Colombia a show of might and power, or was there another reality behind the smoke and mirrors? Pete has a thing or two to say about optics, policy and human lives, from the standpoint of the practice of diplomacy. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/35088520

"America First" Meets the Global Economic Machinery 01/23/2025

"America First" Meets the Global Economic Machinery Ambassador (and ASU professor) Ed O’Donnell offers a close look at the economic impacts of Trump’s foreign policies "Tariff is a beautiful word”, “The Chinese are going to take over the Panama Canal!” and "Drill, baby, drill." What’s the reality beneath the bombast, globally and in American households? /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/34976170

Looking Around the Corner Before It's Too Late 01/17/2025

Looking Around the Corner Before It's Too Late Predictive data help make us aware of conflicts and atrocities we can anticipate. Keith Noble, Director of the Office of Advanced Analytics in State’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, shares his work with State's Academic Centers for Conflict Anticipation and Prevention. How do students, undergraduates and graduates, work with State to inform solid policy? How can a young, passionate, smart person get involved? Go get ‘em, tiger! Uncle Sam needs you. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/34888840

Syria: Money’s Gotta Flow 01/09/2025

Syria: Money’s Gotta Flow Welcome to 2025 from AmDip! Amb. Patrick Theros unpacks Syria for us, from the Halcyon 1970s of mini-skirts and old cars on the streets, to the chaos of the present day. What was the West’s role in Syria’s changes, and what should the US do now? /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/34788570

In Vodka Veritas! Encore! 01/02/2025

In Vodka Veritas! Encore! 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. Bottoms up and happy New Year! /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/34696600

2025: A Year of Frenemies? 12/26/2024

2025: A Year of Frenemies? Pete and Laura look back on their favorite episodes of the past year, covering cybercrime, space diplomacy and gangsterism among others. And what's to come in the new administration? Borders north and south, changes in the Middle East, and Ukraine. We expect challenges with adversaries, but more importantly, how will the new administration engage our friends? /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/34599535

Keeping Them Home: The Private Sector Steps Up 12/19/2024

Keeping Them Home: The Private Sector Steps Up Ambassador Luis Arreaga, Senior Advisor at the Partnership for Central America, brings companies such as Meta, Mastercard, Microsoft, together with the World Bank, NGOs and civil society organizations to address one of the root causes of immigration: lack of economic opportunity. The result speak for themselves: 90,000 jobs. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/34503670

Global Agreement: Online Predators Dealt a Setback 12/12/2024

Global Agreement: Online Predators Dealt a Setback Ambassador Deborah McCarthy unpacks the benefits to the global community, particularly the American public, of the recently concluded UN Convention on Cybercrime. The mission: to better protect our children from predators and our data from thieves. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/34412960

Fit for Purpose: Modernization at State 12/05/2024

Fit for Purpose: Modernization at State Got a leak? Call a plumber. Want security and prosperity for you and the family, call a diplomat. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma and Ambassador Mike Polt (Arizona State University) speak to gearing up the career Foreign Service to meet intensifying global challenges and explain why talent, experience and expertise matter more than ever. Listen and learn, also, what Little League has to do with diplomacy. /episode/index/show/americandiplomat/id/34300355

American Diplomat

TOPICS