American Diplomat

What does it mean when open-source data show that huge populations have moved?  Natural disaster?  An attack?  Relocation of children, forced passportization?  Non-classified satellite imagery, cell phone photos, video, GPS and other puiblicly available information is critical to modern diplomacy and democracy. Susan Wolfinbarger, geographer, data scientist and the vision behind the Conflict Observatory at State’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, walks us through her dream: big data saves lives.  Welcome to 21st Century diplomacy's newest tool.

Meghan Stewart, head of the Negotiations Support Unit in State’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, knows the peace process – its structures, its history, the perspectives of combatants.  Her team uses its specialized knowledge to help diplomats get peace agreements over the line, saving thousands and thousands of lives each time.  Who knew you could devote your legal career exclusively to ending global conflict? 

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?  

Our climate: What we do during this decade will determine our climate for a millennium to come. Diplomats not only negotiate multilateral agreements that protect the earth but, even more so, work with nations to follow through on their commitments. But what is the surprising dynamic of domestic politics and global climate policy? And by what mechanisms do market forces impact global action? How does human justice figure in? Ambassador Bob Blake shares the insider view as a climate diplomat.

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?  On the US/Mexico border.  Ambassador Wayne helps us understand this complex place.  Part one of two.

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.

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.

Psychiatrists David Charney and Ken Dekleva are back to discuss in depth what makes a person into a traitor.  Start with an intolerable sense of personal failure. Then think of parties in Santiago with music, liquor, cigarettes, beautiful women and dancing (a happy hunting ground for spy recruiters). Then, one mistake and you are in for life. There is no escape. Staying alive is now more important than anything else.

Pete's old friend Manuel Rocha is in the news - but in jail as a spy for the Cubans!  Imagine the shock.  You trust someone, and wow.  Psychiatrists David Charney and Ken Dekleva help us understand the mind of the turncoat: the greatest threat of them all is the male ego.  We are gobsmacked.