American Diplomat

Latest Episodes:

The Stars Over the Red Sea Jul 13, 2023

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Alan Eaton helps us appreciate exactly where high level policy meets the work of diplomats on the ground as he works from a Saudi military vessel to evacuate Americans from the war in Sudan.

Party on John's Gunboat! Happy Fourth! Jul 05, 2023

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Why don't the Panamanians hate us? We sliced their country in two to build the Panama Canal, owned and controlled the Canal Zone, disallowed Panamanians from visiting the Canal Zone, and even attacked Panama in 1989, drawing condemnation from the UN and the Organization of American States. So how is it a good thing to throw our July 4th party on a gunboat right smack in the Canal? We ask Amb. John Feeley, who did exactly that.

Impeached and Arrested and In Good Company Jun 29, 2023

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Pedro Castillo, recently ousted in Peru, is the latest of a succession of Peruvian presidents to be jailed or disgraced. Could this apparent chaos be in fact a sign that the judicial system is working? The devil's in the details.

Hot Dog Man Gone Bad Jun 22, 2023

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Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner Group, opened hot dog stands upon his release from Russian prison as a young man. Now he leads the rapidly growing Kremlin-affiliated private military contractor, the Wagner Group. Mercenaries? Yes. Lethal? Yes. Incredibly rich and working for dictators and unstable regimes on (so far) three continents? Also, yes. Dealing in gold, diamonds, troll farms, shocking brutality, as well as political influence, Wagner's rise has been as fast as it has been unknown by most of us in the West. Tibor Nagy, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, knows more than we thought there was to know.

"Wolf Warrior Diplomacy" in China? Jun 15, 2023

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Who coined that term anyway? It's true, there have been insults and lots of them. Why? Secretary of State Tony Blinken will visit China this weekend and Susan Thornton, Senior Fellow at Yale University Law School's Paul Tsai China Center and former US diplomat, joins us with her perspective on the complexities of China's diplomacy today.

A Diplomat's Gender Transition Jun 08, 2023

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All of us belong, even at State. In honor of Pride Month, we again offer the generously told story of Austin Richey-Allen, who recounts his story of gender transition while serving as a US diplomat. From his gender transition to his leadership of GLIFA, Austin shares his experience for the benefit not only of the LGBTQ community, but for all of us who value a more inclusive world.

Sex Up This Cable! Jun 01, 2023

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24 hours news TV totally changed the State Department comms staple, the cable. Pete hopped on the "wireless" to save a democracy and Amb. John Feeley connected with Panamanians using ridiculous (but very sweet) Facebook videos. Disruptive technologies including AI will never replace human trust, but they create opportunity for better diplomacy.

The Diplomat - You Asked! May 25, 2023

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By listener request, Pete and Laura have binged the Netflix show The Diplomat. Pete answers: How real is it? Laura answers (even though no one actually asked): How good is it? But importantly, how easy is it to make a story that mirrors real-life complexity and still moves and rolls and satisfies purely from the standpoint of story craft?

Turkey's Election - Why a Runoff? May 18, 2023

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In last Sunday's election, President Erdogan received almost half of the vote, but not enough to be the winner - yet. How does he hold onto power? Turkey's economy is in great peril and journalists are in prison while Erdogan dismantles democratic institutions. Is Erdogan, like many other autocratic leaders, a narcissist? Or is there more to understand about him? And if he does prevail in the May 28 runoff, what will be the impacts on Turkish lives and global geopolitics?

Israel's Judicial Reforms May 11, 2023

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Say what? "Reforms?" Or simply a way for Netanyahu to skirt the law and consolidate power? True, some felt that the Israeli court had abused its power, but is it a coincidence that Netanyahu faced charges of corruption and abuse of public trust, against which these new reforms would protect him? The Israeli government has few checks. Neuter the courts, and there's only one organ of power, an unchecked parliament.

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