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Pete unpacks the antecedents of modern-day gangsterism, going back to his days as Assistant Secretary. What were the unintended consequences of sending Central American gangsters back “home” to a country they did not know, where their best chance of fitting in was with ex-guerillas? Boom. Not even the tattoo removal machines can save this combustible mix.
General and Ambassador Doug Lute puts Sweden’s recent NATO membership in context: Has Putin accomplished his goals, or has it all backfired? What is the diplomatic solution to this war? And what should we expect at this year’s 75th NATO anniversary in the US?
For Women’s History Month, young diplomat Mary Vargas joins us to share her story as the daughter of an immigrant family of farm workers in Fontana, CA, to life as an American diplomat. How did she achieve her lifelong dream, and why does she seek assignments working with refugees, the incarcerated, and Gazans?
We just cleared our millionth download! Or, you did! Pete and Laura reflect on early days and share their favorite episodes of the 350 that they have broadcast over the years – the tomfoolery of cybercriminals, the economic party at the border, the astonishing takeover of an African nation by bunch of Wagner guys in flip flops, and the redemption of a family blackballed by McCarthyism, plus a little bonus insight on the continued life after death of Roy Cohn. Enjoy and THANK YOU!
Tribalism: Who is "other"? Ambassador Bob Beecroft recalls the atrocities in the Balkans of the late ‘90s, after which DNA tests revealed that the victims and the perpetrators of “ethnic cleansing” were no different from one another genetically. The question then becomes, who do we see as “other”, and why do we see them as threats? Does any of this apply to the US?
A Million Downloads! Yes, you did it for us. Here to celebrate with us is ASU President Michael Crow. Think vision meets design meets global reach. The goal? Access and energize the full level of human potential.
The Houthis: Who actually are these people? And Yemen: What is this place? Is it really a country? Yemen is engaged in a two-fronted, 10-year civil war, and this began long before the war in Gaza. Does Iran control the Houthis? (Hint: far from it.) And why this business with the shipping lanes? Join us as Ambassador Jerry Feierstein brings us up to speed on this deceptively simple maelstrom of forces at play affecting our diplomacy in a region where the stakes are higher now than they have been in years.
Young foreign service officer Hermanoschy Bernard joins us in honor of Black History Month to share his story of flight from his native Haiti as a child to life in the US as a political asylee, where he turned obstacles into opportunities and achieved his dream of becoming a public servant, inspired originally by the consular officer who listened to his case with empathy and helped him and his family emigrate to safety.
Ambassador Richard Boucher joins us to contextualize Taiwan's recent election in its deliberately ambiguous relationship with mainland China. No big news is good news as Taiwan preserves its integrity by not declaring its overt independence, a lesson learned in Hong Kong. The wild card? Xi Jinping.
Frank Mora, US Ambassador to the Organization of American States, helps us understand a diplomatic win: the (barely) peaceful transfer of power following Guatemala’s election of an outsider who is a threat to the corrupt establishment. Expectations are high, that the new president will both confront those who resist change - who have done much to thwart the transfer of power - and promote inclusive governance. Que viva la democracia!
Amb. Tony Wayne is back to go into depth on the US-Mexico border’s two greatest challenges. How did drug trafficking become even more sinister than it was before? And can we improve the immigration crisis ahead of the upcoming US election? What is at stake and what will it take, diplomatically and otherwise, to solve these issues?
Did you know that $1.5M dollars in trade cross the US/Mexico border every single minute? Did you know that 5 million US jobs depend on the trade that takes place there? Ambassador Tony Wayne explains that the border is a living membrane and trust is the crux of managing conflicting interests and mutual challenges. Lethal synthetic drugs are very small! How do you intercept them on their way north? And how do you stop the transfer of deadly weapons to the south? And human lives – people around the entire world are on the move, and where do many land? …
Many diplomats urge what the vast majority of voters, including American Jews, want – a restrained Israel and a place for Palestinians. Former Assistant Secretary Eric Schwartz discusses the letter that he and 67 senior foreign policy professionals recently sent to the White House. Now in the aftermath of the killing of the World Central Kitchen volunteers, will Biden get tough or will the tail continue to wag the dog?
Pete and Laura close the year with reflections on the diplomatic successes in 2023 that helped create a more peaceful and sustainable world. Global events have offered up a lot to fear recently, but it wasn’t all bad! Happy New Year from American Diplomat.
Cybercrime has many names but what, actually, is it? Jim Lewis, former Foreign Service Officer, now Senior Vice President and Director of the Technology and Public Policy Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, gives us a candid description of cybercrime’s mechanics: who does it, why, how, and what is the impact of these activities on global democracy and security? What is the role of diplomacy in managing these unprecedented military, intelligence, economic and political threats? Join us for an close look under the hood of cybercrime.
Admiral Mike LeFever and Roderick Jones's new book End Game First talks about collaborating with diplomats to rebuild Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake. Effective strategy means having a vision for a successful end result, no matter the crisis. What, for example, is Israel's exit plan in Gaza? We are in a geopolitical...
Says Richard Verma, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, his job is to help create "the most effective, capable, inclusive, diverse department so that we can deliver for the American people," and so that we can, together with the rest of the world, solve borderless, urgent problems such as climate...
The atrocities are breathtaking. But once Israel starts picking up the bodies in the smoking rubble of whatever is left of Gaza, then what? Will Gaza return to Israeli occupation? Will there be some form of UN occupation? The Arab League? So much of diplomacy is one bad choice or another bad choice. Ambassador Ron...
How did Robert Menendez fall so hard? A suspected foreign agent? Hiding gold bullion? Pete and John Feeley knew a different man decades ago. A champion of Latinos in government at the start, a nasty, vindictive, corrupt politician by the end. Did he change or could you see the germ of his demise from the beginning?...
Major General Spider Marks, formerly head of military intelligence for Korea, opines on Putin's recent meeting with Kim Jong Un of North Korea. A game changer? No! But what would be? And while you're here, learn why most democracies last about 250 years and how they usually implode.