American Diplomat

Have you ever heard of the teeny tiny Bureau of Intelligence and Research within the State Department? Pull up a chair, because we have Phil Goldberg and Dan Smith here – both career ambassadors (highest rank in the Senior Foreign Service), and both Assistant Secretaries of State for this small but mighty intelligence service. Have a look under the hood at what may be the coolest job in the world.

Israeli security has been the third rail of public discourse. Support all that Israel does or Hamas owns you. The result: waning support. Joel Rubin is back to unpack how Trump is changing the script.

Jewish-American political analyst Joel Rubin unpacks the reasons for the increase in hate crimes and why Jewish-American groups did not expect a rise in anti-Semitism.

Must our foreign policy be based on ego, resources and might-makes-right? Can we effectively meet future challenges with policies based on American values? Ambassador Mike Polt hopes so, and ASU is developing a plan for the long game.

Why hasn't Trump decided to keep US boots on the ground? Let us count the reasons. Hint, it's not because it would be a bad look.

An oldie but a goodie and one of our very favorites, our annual New Year's special: In Vodka Veritas with Dick Hoagland. Ambassador Dick Hoagland, having served many years in Russia and former Soviet republics, has had ample opportunity to consider the high-stakes drinking game of vodka diplomacy. Break a bottle over the bow of 2026 and Happy New Year!  

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. Charlie Ray takes the ideological manifesto apart for us, with discussion of the existential consequences for America and for our species.

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 eccentric-in-chief and for the Argentine populace. 

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 personas, but would it improve race relations at home? We share this episode once more to lift our hearts on Thanksgiving day.

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 agreements before conflicts get hot. Major General Brook Leonard is back to help us understand the facts and the strategic implications.

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 unpacks.

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.