American Diplomat

For the holidays, we asked diplomats to share their tales. We have Ken Quinn whose young kids' Christmas in Austria was saved by a team including the Chattanooga Choo Choo, a muslim Santa and a temporary North Korean...

The Administration's new National Security Strategy document contains exaggerations, contradictions, insults, racism, posturing and slamming, which is to say nothing of the important topics it does not address. Amb...

Imagine a free and prosperous Venezuela. What would it take? We take you to a simulated White House Situation Room with diplomat and Venezuela expert Brian Naranjo. Are you ready for some ground truth?

The chainsaw was one thing. But the dog economists? Either way, $20billion is a nice bailout package for Argentina. Senior State Department economist Rich Sanders unpacks life in Argentina today, for their...

State Department lawyer Mike Peay traces how, during a time of deep racial conflict, black American jazz artists went overseas to promote the American experiment, winning the hearts of millions with their music and...

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...

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...

Senator/Ambassador Jeff Flake, one of POTUS' first targets, tells us why he believes that inclusiveness will win in the US and beyond.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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...

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...

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?...

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.