American Diplomat

Pete quickly parses recent events in Iran for Laura.  (Please note that we recorded this the day before the Ukrainian jet went down).  As international news gets weirder and weirder, Pete and Laura will offer brief breakdowns of events in our new bonus series called The Sidebar, in addition to our usual weekly discussions with diplomats.  Cheers!

Why is public diplomacy especially important in Mexico?  Mi casa es su casa, or put another way, we have 35 million US citizens of Mexican heritage, a 2000 mile border, 1 million people going in both directions over the border every day, and billions of dollars in trade annually.  So you'd better get it right.  And what about all those tweets?  Tony Wayne illuminates, and offers the best music Laura thinks we've ever had on the show!

How do trade agreements affect regular people?  Tony Wayne, former Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs and US Ambassador to Mexico, breaks down both the recent US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and the preceding North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and explains why everything that happens between the US and Mexico is "intermestic," or both international and domestic.

What's so important about devoting your life to service?  What are the rewards?  How have the changing times impacted the work of diplomacy, and how have they not?  One thing never changes:  You have the opportunity to promote and protect and defend the interests of the United States of America.

Why was a stash of Nazi spy payoff money stuffed up Pete's chimney? Why was the Iran hostage crisis of the 70s such a huge aberration of norms?  And why can it be difficult to tell the difference between diplomatic reporting and espionage?  David Stewart is back with more stories.

Is immunity the same as impunity?  Sadly for some, there are always consequences for a bad act. David Stewart, former State Department attorney, explains the reality.

Sondland, the Ukraine affair, and what this episode in history teaches us about the risks of appointing ambassadors who donate heavily to presidential campaigns. With Ambassador Dennis Jett, author of the new book titled, American Ambassadors: The Past, Present and Future of America's Diplomats.  

We love Thanksgiving, and our diplomats especially love the holiday when celebrated overseas.  What better way to celebrate an American tradition of thanks than to share it with our friends abroad?  Plus, what's the best way to slaughter a turkey?  Better ask the Uzbeks because the Americans really don't know. Cheers!

They left to join the recruiter-imams' war.  Now they're back home in Kosovo.  How to make these young men peace-loving Kosovars once more?  Greg Delawie explains.  

Jim Dobbins, National Security Advisor to Bill Clinton, riffs on what it's like to work for Bill under the cloud of impeachment more than 20 years ago.