American Diplomat

Turkey, Russia, Venezuela:  In what ways is the rise of strongmen in those countries similar and different from what we're seeing in the United States?  What role do press freedom and demonizing adver...

21 Marras 20189min

November 18 is the anniversary of the Jonestown massacre (40th, can you believe it?).  Chuck English walks us through his experience as the first American diplomat to witness the aftermath.  With bonu...

15 Marras 201835min

Populism and religiosity:  Erdogan begins as a reformer, then builds a corrupt government that leads Turkey into economic peril and total political control through a narrative that stokes fear of vict...

8 Marras 201842min

Corruption, hostage-taking, and a populace divided over Erdogan's Muslim Brotherhood-style government.  Ambassador Bob Pearson helps us understand Turkey's era of us-vs.-them politics in the newest ep...

2 Marras 201833min

Why was the Nairobi attack not prevented?  How was it planned, and why did al-Qaeda choose that embassy?  Ambassador Prudence Bushnell helps us answer these questions and tells how she led in the afte...

25 Loka 201821min

"I could not take away people's pain or anger or injuries or post-traumatic stress,  but I could accompany them."  Ambassador Prudence Bushnell leads the US Embassy in Nairobi through the aftermath of...

18 Loka 201832min

Mongolia, Turkmenistan and the Marshall Islands:  What do they all have in common?  Mike Senko opened the first American embassies in each one!  And he lived to tell the tale.

14 Loka 201831min

Reporting from fictional Sulandia, a skill that can be developed. Dorothy Mayhew and Michael Gray, diplomats who teach at The Foreign Service Institute, lead the way. Plus bonus info on the life of a ...

4 Loka 201826min