Podcasts about Richard Holbrooke

In Episode 10 of Long Blue Leadership, Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Burt Field '79, now president and CEO of the Air & Space Forces Association, discusses his leadership philosophy, and emphasizes the importance of continuous learning, effective communication, family, and the five core values by which he lives. Listen now!   SUMMARY Burt Field, a retired Lieutenant General and CEO of the Air and Space Forces Association, discussed his career and leadership philosophy. He highlighted his upbringing as an Air Force brat, his academic journey at the Air Force Academy, and his early leadership roles. Field emphasized the importance of continuous learning, effective communication, and avoiding being an "asshole" in leadership. He shared impactful experiences, such as leading during the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, and the significance of family support. Field also discussed the Air and Space Forces Association's efforts in advocacy, education, and family resilience, stressing the need for strong national security and defense.   LEADERSHIP BITES Values-Driven Leadership: Burt shared his 5 core leadership values - integrity, fortitude, excellence, teamwork, and service. Defining your values and using them to guide your decisions and actions is crucial. Continuous Learning: Burt emphasized that as a leader, you can never stop learning, whether it's about your organization, industry, or even topics outside your expertise. Staying curious and open to growth is key. Empowering Others: Burt stressed that a leader's job is to empower and inspire their team, not try to do everything themselves. Recognizing and rewarding excellence in others is vital. Effective Communication: Burt noted that leaders can never communicate too much or well enough. Repeatedly delivering clear, consistent messages is essential for alignment and buy-in. Humility and Inclusivity: True leadership requires humility, giving credit to others, and making the organization successful.   SHARE THIS EPISODE LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK   TAKEAWAYS Never stop learning. As a leader, you must continuously learn and expand your knowledge, even in areas outside your expertise. Define your leadership philosophy and values. Burt shared his 5 core values of integrity, fortitude, excellence, teamwork, and service. Having a clear set of guiding principles is crucial. Recognize and reward excellence. Identify and empower those who have put in the hard work to become experts in their fields. This builds a strong, capable team. Communicate effectively, repeatedly. Effective communication is critical, but leaders often underestimate how many times a message needs to be delivered clearly. Burt emphasized the importance of being inclusive, giving credit, and making the organization successful rather than yourself. Avoid toxic, self-serving leadership.   CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to General Burt Field 01:52 Growing Up as an Air Force Brat 05:40 Choosing the Air Force Academy 10:26 Life as a Cadet at the Academy 19:09 Leadership Development During Cadet Years 23:15 The Integration of Women at the Academy 24:12 Influential Leaders in General Field's Career 28:28 Learning from Subordinates 34:15 Career Path and Leadership Philosophy 37:54 A Chance Encounter: Love and Military Life 41:13 Building Resilient Families in the Military 42:12 The Journey to Leadership: From Air Force to AFA 45:57 Empowering the Next Generation: Education and STEM 49:46 Leadership Lessons: Insights from Experience   5 FRANK KEYS TO LEADERSHIP SUCCESS "You can never stop learning. You have to learn. And whether it's leadership or anything else, you have to always learn." "Everything comes from your values. When I make leadership decisions, or when I look at how we're going to move forward, or what, how we're going to accomplish the mission, it should reflect those values in my decisions, how I act, how I from the biggest thing of creating a here's the strategy, or in objectives on on what we're going to accomplish, to the smallest things, like how I conduct a meeting." "If you want to be a really good leader, you need to be really good at something. So you got to put in the work when you're young to be really good and understand how hard it is to be really good at something." "You cannot communicate enough, and you cannot communicate well enough. So I use this example all the time. I come up with a message. I craft it, I think about it, I write it down, I practice it, and then I deliver it, and it's awesome. I was perfect. I nobody could have misunderstood me when I'm done with that, and I really think that I have hit the mark with maybe 20% I probably got to say that again, that way or differently, about another 10 or 15 times when I can barely stand to hear myself talk anymore, and I'm still not going to get everybody." "I'm going to give the credit and I'm going to take the blame. That's how you become a good leader."  - Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Burt Field '79, October 2024   ABOUT GEN. FIELD BIO Lt. Gen. Burt Field, USAF (Ret.), is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Air & Space Forces Association, leading the Association's professional staff in its mission to advocate, educate, and support the Air & Space Forces. As CEO, he oversees operations and resourcing for AFA and its 113,000 members, including events, publications, and the Mitchell Institue for Aerospace Studies, the nation's only think tank dedicated to air and space power.   A veteran of 35 years of Air Force service, Field retired from active duty in 2015 following his final tour, as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans, and Requirements. Throughout his career, Field commanded a squadron, the Air Force Weapons School, three wings, a numbered Air Force, and a sub-unified command. A command pilot with over 3,400 flying hours in the F-16 and F-22, he served twice on the Joint Staff and completed a tour in the State Department as the military assistant to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. In his last assignment, he led policy and requirements decision-making for air, space, irregular warfare, counter-proliferation, homeland security, and cyber operations. Prior to that assignment, he served as the Commander of United States Forces, Japan, and Commander of 5th Air Force from 2010-2012 where he led the U.S. military response to support Japan during the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster of 2011.   Following his retirement, he served as the Vice President of Strategic Planning for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, developing strategies that guided and contributed to over $5 billion in growth in a five-year period. He also managed a $500 million New Business Funds portfolio for independent research and development. Since 2020, he has been an independent defense consultant, served as a subject matter expert working with and mentoring Airmen at all levels, and a member of the Board of Trustees for the U.S. Air Force Academy Falcon Foundation.   Field graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1979 and earned a master's degree in business administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. He and his wife, Lisa, have two sons, both officers in the USAF. - Bio image and copy credit: AFA.org     CONNECT WITH GEN. FIELD LINKEDIN | FACEBOOK | AIR & SPACE FORCES ASSOCIATION     ABOUT LONG BLUE LEADERSHIP Long Blue Leadership drops every two weeks on Tuesdays and is available on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn + Alexa, Spotify and all your favorite podcast platforms. Search @AirForceGrads on your favorite social channels for Long Blue Leadership news and updates!          TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS GUEST:  Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Burt Field '79 | Host:  Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99   Naviere Walkewicz 00:00 My guest today is Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Burt Field USAFA Class of '79, president and CEO of the Air & Space Forces Association. He spent 35 years in the Air Force, retiring in 2015 as deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and requirements. Gen. Field has held many positions of leadership throughout his career, including squadron command, the Air Force Weapons School and three wings. He has served as a command pilot with over 3,400 hours in the F-16 and F-22. He completed a tour in the State Department as the military assistant to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke. He has also served as the commander of United States Forces, Japan, and commander of the 5th Air Force from 2010 to 2012. In his post military career, he served as vice president of strategic planning for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. He has been an independent defense consultant and has served as a subject matter expert, working with and mentoring airmen. He is also a member of the board of trustees for the United States Air Force Academy Falcon Foundation. Today, we'll talk with Gen. Field about his life before, during and after the Academy. We'll discuss his role in leading the Air & Space Forces Association. And finally, we'll ask the general to share advice in leadership development. Gen. Field, welcome to Long Blue Leadership.   Burt Field 01:23 Thank you, Naviere. Please call me Burt.   Naviere Walkewicz 01:24 OK, yes, sir, Burt. Will do. And I will say that was quite an introduction. You have had an incredible and ongoing career.   Burt Field 01:30 Well, frankly, and no false modesty, I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time and take advantage of the opportunities presented to me.   Naviere Walkewicz 01:39 Well, I appreciate you saying that, and I think our listeners are really going to enjoy hearing about what some of those right places at the right time kind of look like. But here's what we do at Long Blue Leadership: We like to rewind the clock a little bit and start with Burt as a child. What were you like growing up? Where was home?   Burt Field 01:56 Well, I'm an Air Force brat. My dad was a fighter pilot. I like to say his first assignment was the Korean War, flying F-86s and his last flight was in an F-4 over Hanoi. Now, didn't get shot down, but that was his last flight. So, I grew up traveling around both country and the world and went to a bunch of different elementary schools and then three high schools before I ended up at the Air Force Academy.   Naviere Walkewicz 02:27 Wow. I can imagine some of our listeners have also been some kind of service brat. As I always say, I was an Air Force brat as well. Are you an only child? Do you have siblings?   Burt Field 02:37 I have three sisters. I have one older sister and two younger sisters, which irritated me to no end when I was a kid, but now we couldn't be closer.   Naviere Walkewicz 02:49 So did you get special benefits because you were the only boy of all the girls?   Burt Field 02:53 Of course not. Now, their stories are a little different, but of course not.   Naviere Walkewicz 02:57 Understood. And did they also serve as well.   Burt Field 03:01 They did not. None of them did. My older sister's a doctor. My next down is an accountant and CFO, and the one below that is a bunch of different medical community things and a nutritionist.   Naviere Walkewicz 03:15 Wow. So, you are the one who followed in the military family footsteps.   Burt Field 03:18 I was, but interestingly enough, I never really thought about it growing up. My dad just happened to be in the Air Force. He just happened to fly airplanes. And you know, whoever you were, your dad was a doctor, lawyer, plumber, dentist, truck driver, whatever, and now let's go play ball. And that's pretty much the extent of it. But when I was in high school, I knew that I needed to start figuring out what I was going to do, because I'm pretty sure my dad wasn't going to let me just lay around the house after I graduated. And I was definitely afraid of being bored, and nothing really sounded good — doctor, lawyer, dentist, plumber, truck driver — none of it was good. So, I came into the house one day in my junior year, and I attribute this to the Air Force Association: The magazine was laying on our coffee table, and it was face down, and on the back was a picture of the F-15, which was one of the brand new airplanes that was coming out. And I looked down at it, and for whatever reason, it clicked, and I said, “That does not look boring.” And I went and talked to my dad, because I figured he might know how to do this. So, he did some research for me, and he said, “Well, to go to pilot training…" And this was 1974 and that's the wind down of the Vietnam War and letting a lot of people out of the Air Force, “…to go to pilot training, you have to be an Air Force Academy graduate, or distinguished graduate from ROTC.” Well, my dad had retired, or was about to retire, and we were going to move to Florida for my senior year, and I was going to go to the University of Florida, like everybody in my family did, except for two, and so I knew that the Air Force Academy would provide me an avenue, and the University of Florida would provide me an avenue to be a bellboy down in a Key West hotel when I graduated.   Naviere Walkewicz 05:18 So you chose the Air Force Academy, of course. So, that's interesting. Forty-five years later, you are now the president and CEO of the Air & Space Forces Association, which was what kind of caught your eye in high school.   Burt Field 05:34 It's really kind of amazing. And the editor of the magazine — they have a bunch of back issues at our headquarters building, and he found that magazine.   Naviere Walkewicz 05:47 Oh my goodness, I hope that's framed in your office now.   Burt Field It is.   Naviere Walkewicz Oh, that's amazing. What a story. And we're going to talk more about that. I really want to hear more about that role, but let's stay in the childhood range a little bit. So you were going to go to the Air Force Academy. Were you already involved in sports? Was that something—   Burt Field 06:06 Yeah, so, I played baseball growing up. We moved around a lot, so it was hard to play a lot of other sports. I did Pop Warner football, played basketball, you know, on teams growing up. And I was a good athlete but not a great athlete, and so I wasn't recruited for going to come here to the Academy. But I played football, I wrestled and played baseball until my sophomore year, when I blew up my shoulder and couldn't throw anymore. Then I just wrestled and played football for the rest of my high school career, and then when I came here, I just played intramurals until a friend of mine that was a couple years older was on the rugby team, and so he kind of said, “Hey, come on out, you'll like this.” And so it was the rugby club back then, and it was a way to get out of stuff in the afternoons when you're a freshman. So I came down and I played on the rugby team for a few years.   Naviere Walkewicz 07:10 I have a lot of rugby friends, and it definitely is, it's a family, for sure.   Burt Field 07:15 It is. And it was really that way back then. It was all local Colorado sports teams. You know, the guys who were 45 and over down to other colleges around the state.   Naviere Walkewicz 07:28 Your extended family.     Burt Field Right.   Naviere Walkewicz So, speaking of family, how did your — I think I know how your dad felt about you wanting to come to the Air Force Academy. How about your mom?    Burt Field 07:37 She was pretty proud of me. Both of them were mad because I only applied to one place.   Naviere Walkewicz 07:44 So, it was here or a bellboy.   Burt Field 07:48 It was here or a bellboy somewhere. But they were pretty proud of me, and they were really proud, obviously, when I graduated.   Naviere Walkewicz So, you came into the Academy. You had a little bit of an idea of what to expect, because your dad had been the military, right?   Burt Field 10:06 Well, no, nobody is prepared for the Academy.   Naviere Walkewicz That's true.   Burt Field I mean, your dad went to the Academy and…   Naviere Walkewicz They were classmates.   Burt Field And you were not prepared.   Naviere Walkewicz That's true.   Burt Field Because you are immediately thrown into the deep end of a very cold, murky pool and told to start swimming. But the interesting thing: I came out with a few guys from my local area, and the way we did it back then is, you told the Academy what hotel you were gonna stay at, and they came and picked you up in a bus and they drove you onto the Academy and dropped you off at the base of the ramp, and you jumped off the bus, and all your newfound friends started telling you all the things that were wrong with you personally, with your family, your genetics, your upbringing, and how you would never amount to anything ever in your entire life. And then they take you — I wasn't really good with authoritarian figures.   Naviere Walkewicz 11:10 Well, I can imagine, with three sisters, you probably chose your own path, right?   Burt Field 11:15 So, you can imagine — as we're most of my classmates. We all are kind of like that. So, I wasn't sure that this was for me, but it was 1975 and everybody had long hair. So as soon as I got my head shaved, I said, “Well, I'm staying here at least until I get my hair back.”   Naviere Walkewicz 11:37 That was a good thing then.   Burt Field 11:39 That kept me here. And so then I kept staying. But that first day was a bit of a shock, as it is with everybody around here. But, I have a great memory. I was standing in line getting something issued to me, and the guy behind me and I started talking, and he actually graduated from the high school that I spent my ninth and 10th grade in in Las Vegas, Nevada. His name's John Pickitt. And so we became friends, and he's the godfather of our oldest child, along with Tom McCarthy, who you met earlier today.   Naviere Walkewicz 12:16 Wow. I mean, it really is… We talk about family a lot in our podcast, and family spans way beyond blood.   Burt Field 12:26 Yep, it sure does, especially with graduates of the Air Force Academy.   Naviere Walkewicz 12:31 Yes, 100%. Wow. So you jumped into that murky pool and making friends along the way. What was life like for you as a cadet? Were you really strong in your academics? I mean, obviously you were an athlete, because you were doing everything.   Burt Field 12:45 I mean, everybody did that kind of stuff. So, I got good grades in high school, and I got good grades here, except for one semester. So, I was on the supt's list every semester except for one. That's just the way it was.   Naviere Walkewicz That's amazing.   Burt Field I would do it different now, if I had it to do over again, because I got on the dean's list by cramming instead of doing my homework. And so every young person that goes to the Air Force Academy, I tell them, “There's one way to success and happiness at the Air Force Academy…” I don't tell them this, not that they're going to be happy, because they're not. But I tell them, “Do your homework every night.”   Naviere Walkewicz 13:32 That's right. I think there was a saying: “If you wait to the last minute, it only takes a minute, but then you get to see…   Burt Field You really reap the results.   Naviere Walkewicz 13:42 Exactly, exactly.   Burt Field So, that's no different than a lot of my friends. And back then, you're pretty restricted to the Academy, especially your first year, and then gradually you get out more and more. So, it wasn't like we were out and about very much.   Naviere Walkewicz Right.   Burt Field We stayed around here. We worked out a lot. We played games, sports on the weekends, and that was it.   Naviere Walkewicz 14:07 And were you 1 and 3? What was the squadron change like? Was it 2 and 2 back then?   Burt Field 14:13 And so 1 and 3. So, I was in 35 as of Doolie, and the only squadron— 35 and 38, they're still together, but it was carpeted, and we had carpeting, and so we took a lot of heat from people just because of that.   Naviere Walkewicz Because you had it nicer?   Burt Field Yeah, then I went into 27 and graduated from 27.   Naviere Walkewicz 14:38 OK, and your son is also a graduate from your legacy squadron, 27.   Burt Field 14:42 He is. He graduated in 2008.   Naviere Walkewicz 14:43 Love that legacy. Great. What a wonderful legacy. So your cadet time sounds like it was pretty pleasant, or…   Burt Field 14:50 Oh yes, just like everybody's. Everybody leaves here with a love-hate relationship with the Air Force Academy and it changes over time from mostly hate to mostly love. So, that was no different with us. I had a group of great friends, both in my squadron and outside my squadron, from the rugby team and a couple other places. And so it was like — I tell everybody, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th grade.   Naviere Walkewicz 15:24 I love that. That's a great way to put that into an analogy, yes, because you're still developing.   Burt Field 15:31 Classes, you know, five or six classes a day. I play sports after school. I go home and do homework or avoid homework and go to bed so I can't go out during the weeknights. Can't go out very often on the weekends. And, there you go.   Naviere Walkewicz 15:45 That's right. That's very much like high school, absolutely. So we like to talk about how you developed as a leader, even early on. And so we're getting to know you a little bit better. While you were cadet, did you hold any leadership positions in particular?   Burt Field 16:02 Well, I was the — what did I do? I did something as a third-classman. Oh yeah, chief of training? Or whatever.   Naviere Walkewicz 16:11 Sounds like it could be accurate.   Burt Field 16:12 Back in the day, the the guy that was in charge of training for the freshman. I was an ops officer when I was the, I mean, op sergeant when I was a junior, squadron commander when I was a senior. So nothing hugely out of the ordinary. I like that kind of role and that kind of challenge, but I wanted to stay inside my squadron. So, when I got offered a chance to, “Hey, do you want to be on a group staff or wing staff?” I declined.   Naviere Walkewicz Tell me more. Why?   Burt Field Because my brothers were my squadron.   Naviere Walkewicz OK, I love that, yes.   Burt Field So, I didn't want to leave that for six months or four months, or whatever the time period was back then.   Naviere Walkewicz 17:05 So, leadership in your squadron, and this is interesting, and this is a good topic, because some of our listeners, some of the challenges that they experience in leadership is on a peer level, or maybe, you know, how do you lead someone that you're really close with? How do you earn that trust? So maybe you can share some lessons that you have learned about yourself during that time.   Burt Field 17:24 Well, I always tell people that the hardest leadership challenge that we face is when you have no authority and you still need to lead, and regardless of what we say about cadet squadron commanders, you know, we can all think we're in charge, but we're not that in charge. And so what you had to do is you had to lead by influence and by doing the right thing. And so whether we agree with that, it's the right thing, because I don't want to do it, because it's no fun, because I'd rather do something else. Everybody knows what you have to do at the Air Force Academy on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, on the way through the week. And so we just went and did it. And I encouraged people to come and do it all with me, whether it's doing drill, whether it's playing intramural sports, whether, “Hey, it's your turn to be the referee for this season,” whether we want to go to these whatever it was. So you just encourage people to do that, and then you talk to people and try to empower them so that they can figure that out on their own, and then later pass that on as leaders themselves.   Naviere Walkewicz 18:44 No, those are really great examples. And I think just leadership tidbits that some of our listeners can take, and it really is some of the best ways, just leading by example and then inviting them to join you on that, absolutely. OK, so your cadet career was, I think, really important to you, because it formed you, and it formed you like you said your brothers, because you were the last class of all men cadets together. So how did that translate? And if I may be so bold, you started having women cadets there while you're at the Academy as well. Can you share some of the dynamics of that then at the Academy, and maybe some of the stories that you saw of how that really evolved into a stronger Academy that we have today?   Burt Field 19:26 Yeah, let me put some of this in perspective, and I'll start with a story. I get a large ration of crap from my friends that are in '80 and '81 that I'm really close with because of my role in terrorizing the women of the Class of '80, which I said, “Exactly, what role was that?” Basically, these guys considered us the source of all evil. My perspective was different, and it's just my perspective. When I talked to my classmates, most of them — I'm talking about most of them, not all of them — we were children that grew up and came of age in the late '60s and early '70s, which was basically that whole protest movement, grow your hair long, protest the Vietnam War, and we really didn't care that much that women were coming into the Air Force Academy, because most of us were smart enough to know that the only reason that women were not in my class and they were in that class was an accident of birth and the accident of when the legislation passed to do the right thing in the United States of America. So there's nothing special about being the last all-male class. There's nothing special about being the first class that had women in it, other than, you know, it was the end of one way of doing business and the beginning of another way of doing business. To your point, I think it makes the Air Force stronger. It certainly makes our Academy better. While they were here, the first semester, all the women were in one part of the state, in one part of the Academy over in Fairchild Hall. And they were only in 20 squadrons, so 1 through 20.   Naviere Walkewicz In Vandenberg?   Burt Field In Vandenberg, I'm sorry. So we're they were only in 1 through 20 the first semester, for whatever reason. Then they came the next semester to our squadron, and you know, well, one of them I'm still friends with, so, to me, it was a no brainer. I wish I was more profound on this. This is one of the things that my friends from later classes yell at me about. But I didn't consider it to be that big of a deal. I didn't, at the time, think that this is some big historical event and change in the Air Force or the military, or anything else that we could all maybe talk about better today than I could back then. So for me and my friends that I knew, it was not an issue. I don't think I treated women any different than I treated men, and I don't think I treated women or men badly, regardless of my role and their role at the Academy.   Naviere Walkewicz I really appreciate that perspective.   Burt Field Yeah, so, you know, bluntly, most of us just didn't care.   Naviere Walkewicz 22:50 You were there just trying to get through the Academy, right?   Burt Field 22:53 That sounds terrible, but, I mean, I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about social implications of race, sex, gender, however you want to put it. I was just trying to get through the day without getting yelled at, like everybody else.   Naviere Walkewicz 23:12 Thank you for sharing that, because I think it's sometimes a question that people have, and it's really helpful to hear a perspective that really is, “We're all just trying to get through the Air Force Academy, we all come in, and we hope that we all graduate.”   Burt Field 23:23 Yeah, and some of them, very impressive, had huge careers. You know, Susan Helms, just one of my heroes, frankly, as a person, as an officer, that have nothing to do with her role in space. That just makes me more in awe of her. But, you know, there's a lot of great, great people out there, and a lot of them are women.   Naviere Walkewicz 23:49 Yes, thank you. Thank you for sharing that, and I appreciate that you said that. You know, Gen. Holmes is one of your heroes as well. Let's talk about some of those that maybe inspired you in leadership roles. It could be while you're a cadet, or maybe early in your career as an officer after you graduated. Maybe talk about some of those influencers.   Burt Field 24:09 Well, I had some great AOCs. My freshman AOC was a guy that was a Fast FAC in Vietnam, and actually was the guy that gave me a ride in a T-37, which was fantastic and really solidified what I wanted to do. My sophomore and junior year, my AOC was not that guy.   Naviere Walkewicz We learned from those leaders too.   Burt Field We'll probably talk about leadership philosophy later, and if you'll remind me, my last bullet on my leadership philosophy partly came from him. And then my senior year, we had a great guy named Ken Lawrence that came in that several of us are still in touch with. And he was both a welcome relief and a great role model for us as we spent that last year here at the Academy, before we went off. I went out in the Air Force and my first two squadron commanders, the first one was a guy named Tiny West, 6-foot-5, 270 pounds, barely fit into an F-16, and taught me how to fly fighters.   Naviere Walkewicz 25:21 I totally understand his call sign then.   Burt Field 25:24 Just a great guy. A second squadron commander was a guy named John Jumper, who ended up being the chief of staff of the Air Force and is still kind of like a second father to me.   Naviere Walkewicz Oh, wow.   Burt Field Let's see. And then multiple people along the way that you know, from crusty old majors and young captains that taught me how to fly the F-16 and in what we called RTU at the time, now, FTU in how we kind of learn together. Because when my class showed up at Hill in the B course, we went into the 34th at the time, tactical training fighter squadron. We were their first class, and the high-time guy in that squadron with F-16 time had 30 hours. So they were teaching all of us second lieutenants how to do this. Went from there down to Nellis and served under Tiny and John Jumper. So, that was how I started. And there's lots of great people in that time frame that obviously I'm still in touch with, and taught us how to fly. There's my squadron commander in Korea, which was my second assignment, another great role model. And then just on and on. When I came back to Nellis on my third assignment, I worked for a guy named Sandy Sandstrom. Sandy was one of my RTU instructors, also, and we became really lifelong friends. And he and his wife, Jeannie, have sadly passed away, but we, Lisa and I keep in touch with both their children to this day. Yeah. But anyway, there's a lot of great leaders, both above us in squadron commander roles, and then you watch your fellow officers and brothers and sisters, and see and you learn stuff, watching them, how they develop relationships, how they train, how they identify what's important, how they communicate, how they focus, how they connect. All of those things are important, and you can learn something from everybody around you. And if you don't, you're probably missing out.   Naviere Walkewicz 27:48 I appreciate that perspective. I think, especially as someone who is more experienced in leadership, the fact that you are looking to continue to learn and see what you can kind of pick up from those even that support you and serve under you. Can you share an example? Is there one that sticks out in your memory of someone that you're like, “Wow, that's something I really took back”?   Burt Field 28:08 Are you talking about somebody that served under me?   Naviere Walkewicz Mmm-hmm   Burt Field Oh, yeah, so, there's thousands of these. I'll tell you two stories. So I'm a squander commander, and I had a friend, a very close friend of mine, who was a squadron commander, and one of his guys was coming to our squadron, and he said, “This is a great guy. You're going to love him. Really good pilot…,” blah, blah, blah. It's his second assignment. And so he shows up in the squadron and we have about four or five guys about that that time in their career, and they're ready to become flight leads, which is leading flights in the fighter community. And so I put him in without really thinking this through, and one of the other guys came up and said, “Hey, I need to talk to you.” And he came in my office, and he explained to me how I wasn't looking at everybody through the same lens and was probably missing some of the things other people were seeing. And I mean, pretty blunt, pretty focused, not yelling, and just a straightforward conversation. And I sat back and thought for about five seconds, and I said, “Holy cow, Bruce Fisher is totally correct. I have missed the boat on this, and I'm never going to do that again.”   Naviere Walkewicz Wow.   Burt Field And so that was one guy. The second example I have is in Japan when I was a 3-star general. I was there during the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster, and it was a wild time. It started on a Friday. On Monday, so Friday was the earthquake and the tsunami. Saturday was the first explosion in one of the nuclear reactors. Monday was the second explosion in another nuclear reactor. On Monday, I also went up with the Japanese minister of defense and the head of their military to a place up near the epicenter, or the center of where the disaster area was, and they stood up, for the first time, a joint task force in Japan to take to take on the role of trying to work through all the things they had to work through. So we tried to land at the airport and could not. We tried to land at one of the air bases and barely could in a helicopter, in a helicopter. So I flew over Sendai Airport, where we couldn't land, and it was totally flooded, and it looked like when you tell your 5-year-old son to pick up his room and he shoves everything over into the corner, so there's trucks and cars and toys and giraffes and boxes over in the corner of the room and he says, “I'm good.” That is exactly what this airport looked like, except those were real cars, those were real cranes, those were real age equipment that was working on airlines, all swept away into the corner. So came back, and that night, met a guy named Rob Toth. Now we were getting a lot of people in to help, and Rob Toth had actually, he was the commander of the special ops group that was down at Kadena that we had brought up to Yakota. And he said to me, “Sir, my name is Rob Toth.” He's a colonel. And he said, “My guys have been up to Sendai, and I think we can open Sendai in about two weeks.” And I looked at Rob, and I said, “Rob, no way,” except I added a word in between “no” and “way.” And he said, “Sir, I know how you feel, like, I knew you'd feel like that, but just listen to me.” And I said, “No, that thing's not gonna be open until the summer.” And he said, “Sir, hold on. Let me tell you something.” Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I'm starting listening to him, I'm thinking, “OK, here's a special ops guy telling me how his experts think that they can go up and solve an enormous problem for us. They know how to do this. And I am telling him no, because I flew over it in a helicopter and it was flooded. Why don't you just ignore your opinion and say yes to a good idea?” Because all I have to do is say yes, and the worst that can happen is I'm going to be right. The best that can happen is he's going to be right and they're going to open the airport. Well, guess who was right? Not me.   Naviere Walkewicz He was right. Oh, wow.   Burt Field So, three weeks later, the first airplane, well, two weeks, a week later, the first airplane landed on it, and three weeks later, the first commercial airplane landed there.   Naviere Walkewicz Wow.   Burt Field Just say yes to good ideas.   Naviere Walkewicz 33:14 I think that's a leadership nugget right there.   Burt Field 33:16 And it's all from somebody that, you know, he had never met me before. I'm a 3-star general. He's a colonel. Took a lot of courage to tell me that, and keep persisting when I said, “Forget it,” because I was busy and didn't believe it, and I had just been there, so if you're not listening to people, you're probably not gonna make the best decisions.   Naviere Walkewicz 33:38 That's an incredible story. Thank you for sharing that.   Burt Field You bet.   Naviere Walkewicz Oh, that's fantastic. So, your career was outstanding. I mean, I think you had the opportunity to really lead and impact a lot of lives by the time you put on your third star. Had you known that was your destiny? When you graduate the Academy you want to be pilot. We knew you went into the Academy to fly.   Burt Field 34:01 To fly fighters.   Naviere Walkewicz To fly fighters.   Burt Field Actually, to fly F-15s.   Naviere Walkewicz 34:07 OK, OK, so very specific.   Burt Field 34:08 Yeah. So I ended up going to third lieutenant to Langley Air Force Base. And I kind of, I was fortunate enough, because I traded with a guy that was from California. I was going to George. He was from California. He had the Langley slot, so we switched, and I went out there because I wanted to fly in an F-15 to make sure I liked it, because it was after sophomore year, before junior year. And I knew that I wasn't all that fired up about the Air Force Academy at the time. It was not the most fun place I'd ever been. And so I wanted to ensure that this was something I really wanted to do. Fortunately, I went to a great squadron, great people. They welcomed us with open arms, and I flew three or four times, five times during that third lieutenant and just loved every second of it. Now, of course, I didn't fly the F-15, except in the back seat a couple times later on. But I was lucky enough to get an F-16 out of pilot training. So 1980, F-16, go through that RTU with those guys, and we're all learning this together and into a squadron where we're all learning this together. Cool part about the first squadron I was in is we had… there was a squadron, which means that we had 25 people in the squadron. So squadron commander, an ops officer, and 23 other folks. And when I went in there, 12 of us were lieutenants and classmates.   Naviere Walkewicz Oh, my goodness.   Burt Field And so it was really cool to go through that experience with people like that. But it's 1980, the Cold War is in full swing. We're pretty sure that we're going to be in a fight with the Soviet Union, and basically I didn't want to die in that fight. And so I figure what you need to do to not die is be the best there is. And I was went to work with a bunch of other guys that felt the same way, and so we helped each other. We competed with each other. We pulled people along. We got pulled along. And we all became really good at what we did. And it was just that drive to be really good at what was important — which was flying — that drove me, and that's what drove me to try to go to the Weapons School. That's what drove me to go back as an instructor. That's what drove me to train people to be the best that they could be, so that when we went to combat, we would all come back, because anybody can lead men and women into combat. I want people that lead them home.   Naviere Walkewicz I'm so glad that—   Burt Field Anyway, so that's what drove me. That's what drove me. You know, because I had friends that didn't come home.   Naviere Walkewicz 37:27 So part of what you've shared with us today, and I think we're really appreciative of how much you're sharing, because I think it gives us a sense of really who you are, and the family aspect with your brothers, the family aspect with your extended family at the Academy, on your teams. When did your family come into play? Because I had the opportunity to meet your wife, Lisa, and she's lovely. When did she come into your life?   Burt Field 37:54 Well, I like to tell everybody that I met her at a bachelor party, which I did. But, we were in pilot training at Willie Air Force Base in Phoenix, and somebody was getting married, and we're going to have a bachelor party, but it already required way too much planning, and somebody had to host it, and that meant somebody had to go buy stuff for it. And basically we just went down to where we went every Friday night, and that was the bachelor party. And I met her that night, and then we just started talking on the phone, and we started dating, and then we got married. And so we got married in 1981 and she's still putting up with me.   Naviere Walkewicz 38:48 Wow. She's literally been part of your life since the Academy.   Burt Field 38:53 Oh, yeah, so I married her a year and a half after I graduated, and so we have two sons, and both of those boys are in the military. My oldest son is a University of Florida grad.   Naviere Walkewicz 39:06 So he did follow the family footsteps.   Burt Field 39:09 But he's smart. He graduated with a high GPA, and anyway, he's a maintenance officer in the Air Force. And my youngest son is a C-130 pilot in the Air Force, and he's the 2008 grad from the Academy, and he's married to our daughter-in-law, Natasha. And right now, both David and Natasha fly C-130s for the Alaska Air Guard up in Anchorage in Elmendorf.   Naviere Walkewicz 39:36 That's amazing.   Burt Field So, it's the family business.   Naviere Walkewicz So, dad, you and your son?   Burt Field 39:39 Not only that, well, one of the reasons, when we bring up Lisa, when I met her, she said, we started talking, and I have short hair, because most people, have long hair. She goes, “Obviously, you're in the Air Force.” And she had told that to her roommate, and I said, “Yeah.” And she said, “Oh, my dad was in the Air Force.” And we said, “Where'd you all live, and what'd your dad do?” Well, her and my dad flew together and so stationed in the same places, sometimes at the same time. And when we went home and called our parents and said, “Hey, do you know this guy or this guy?” Without hesitation, both of them said, “Oh yeah, I know Dave.” “I know Burt,” and so they were in the other squadron. They didn't really hang out together, but they knew each other. So both my dad and my father-in-law were F-100 pilots and fighter pilots. And so Lisa is also an Air Force brat. So both of us are — we call ourselves nomads because we've never really lived anywhere longer than five years.   Naviere Walkewicz 40:44 I used to say that, and now I actually can. But can you claim anywhere longer than five years now?   Burt Field 40:52 No, getting close though. So I've been in five years, five years in a couple places, but never longer.   Naviere Walkewicz 40:58 Oh my goodness, what an incredible story.   Burt Field 41:00 Yeah. So anyway, this is one of the things we're doing in AFA now. And I think the Air Force is Air Force and Space Force are recognizing that if you want strong and resilient airmen and guardians, you need strong and resilient families behind them. And you need to have that kind of family dynamic that's supportive of what you do with your life and what the country is asking of you and your family to be all in and if we can work with the families to change that dynamic, to make sure that we're focused on building strong and resilient families, then the strong and resilient guardian and airmen will come out of that effort. So both the Air Force and the Air & Space Forces Association, that's part of what we're doing these days.   Naviere Walkewicz Before I get into the last couple of questions I want to ask you, what is the best way that anyone that's listening can learn more about the Air & Space Forces Association?   Burt Field  Well, we can go to afa.org, simple as that, and do that. That shows you how to contact us. For another thing, you can join, which is what I would like you to do, and become a member, and then you get access to all of that information. And you can find out how to do that again, on that website. But joining gives you access to that information. It gives you access to what we do. It tells you where the chapters are that are close to you, that are similar-minded people doing similar things. And we have about 120,000 members right now. We have about 230 chapters in every state except Maine, and in several foreign countries where we have airmen and guardians stationed. Those chapters can do a lot of this work, whether it's working with your local government officials, with your state officials, like your congressmen or your senators, and it arms you with the things that you can deliver these messages with. It also arms you with how can I get access to these kind of programs that help with my family, my friends' family, the people I work with, their family. Where can I direct an airman when she needs some help? Where can I put a guardian in touch with somebody that can help him get through something that he's got a problem with? So, you have a lot of resources at your disposal that can help both you and your brothers and sisters you work with   Naviere Walkewicz  That is outstanding. So I mentioned two questions. I'll start with the first and then we'll come back after a short break. The first one is, some of our listeners aspire, at some point to be a C-suite executive. What's the coolest thing that you've done, or that's happened for you since being CEO?   Burt Field  Oh, man, that's a hard question.   Naviere Walkewicz  Well, take a minute to think about that. But first we're going to take a moment and thank you for listening to Long Blue Leadership. The podcast publishes Tuesdays in both video and audio, and is available on all your favorite podcast platforms. Watch or listen to all episodes of Long Blue Leadership at longblueleadership.org. So have you had a chance to think about something cool that's happened since you've been CEO?   Burt Field  I would say that the coolest thing about this job is that you get some pretty good access. Because of what we try to do in support of the Space Force and the Air Force, I've been able to spend some time with the chief, the CSO and the secretary. And you know, the vice chief, the vice CSO, chief master sergeant of the Air Force, chief master sergeant the Space Force. So that part has been really interesting to me. Next week, I'm going to something with Secretary Austin, and so that that's kind of interesting. And then we do some work up on the Hill. And so I've been able to go up there and meet a few of the members up at the Hill. The good news, though, is that I knew a lot of those guys already, so, you know, because I'm old and. But it's still good to be able to listen directly from a leader on what he or she really is trying to communicate, as opposed to get it interpreted by somebody else or through some rumor or, “Here's why their vision doesn't match up with what I know we should be doing.” So, it helps us in our mission to kind of advocate for those strong forces when you know exactly what the leadership is thinking and what they're driving at.   Naviere Walkewicz  No, that's powerful, and that's transparency that you're able to bring to the members of your organization and all of their families. So, we like to leave our listeners with kind of leadership lessons, and I wanted to go back earlier in our conversation. You said, “Remind me to tell you about a leader that's shaped one of my bullets, maybe on how not to lead.” Or something to that effect. So what are your lessons of leadership that you want our leaders to take away today from you?   Burt Field  Well, so first off, you can never stop learning. You have to learn. And whether it's leadership or anything else— when I was in Japan during that disaster, I didn't know the first thing about nuclear power plants. Virtually nothing. I knew that there's some kind of nuclear reaction. They put something in water. It made steam power to turbine. Viola, you have electricity, period. There's a chance I might not even know that. So, I found a couple books that in the three or four hours a day that I didn't have work, I read so I could learn about nuclear power plants, the effect of nuclear radiation on the human body. What we can with withstand, what makes you sick and what kills you. So you have to always learn. And that goes double for being a leader, and you can never rest on your laurels. And so, I have been fortunate to be in a lot of different leadership positions and work for a lot of great leaders, most of them military, but some of them civilian as well, like Richard Holbrooke, a completely different leadership style than most military people. In fact, when I was working for Richard, my direct report was the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Mike Mullen. And I talked with Adm. Mullen virtually daily, and my other virtual three-times-a-week conversation was with Dave Petraeus, who was running Afghanistan at the time, because of what a Richard's job was and they always want to know what he was thinking. So, it was interesting to watch all three of those who have three distinct leadership styles and learn from take the best from all of that. It was a learning experience. But the upshot of it is, having been exposed to people like that and being able to ask them questions about leadership, why they did things, helped shape my leadership philosophy. So, one of the things that I think everybody should do is kind of define what they think leadership is and have a leadership philosophy. And so, the way I look at leadership, it's, how how do you empower people? How do you inspire people? How do you get people to get the job done? Because you can't do it yourself. You're not going to win the war, you're not going to make all the sales, you're not going to get all the gross profit, you're not going to reduce all the expenses, you're not going to fight all the fights. You're going to be part of a team if you're going to be successful. So, how do you inspire that to happen? And how do you ensure that that team that you're building has the resources that they need? And resources come in all shapes and sizes. Some of it is equipment, some of it is money, some of it is the people that are in those roles? Do they have the education, the training, the experience and access to what they need to be successful? So that's what your job is, in my opinion, as a leader. And then how you go about doing that? You need to have a list of things that you do. So I start with values. You should have a set of values. For the cadets listening, and you're going to go into the Air Force, the Space Force, and if you cross commission into something else, every one of our services has a set of values, which are your values. Now you can have more, but your values include those. But at my stage of life, I have about five, and it's integrity, which everybody knows, and most people say, “Hey, that's when you do the right thing when no one is looking.” In the last four or five years, I added a second one to that, and I call it “fortitude.” Fortitude is when you do the right thing when everybody is looking. Then excellence. You know, from Excellence in All You Do. Teamwork and service. So those are my five values. And so when I make leadership decisions, or when I look at how we're going to move forward, or how we're going to accomplish the mission, it should reflect those values in my decisions, how I act, how I from the biggest thing of creating a here's the strategy, or in objectives on what we're going to accomplish, to the smallest things, like how I conduct a meeting. So, that that's the second thing. So everything comes from that. I think you need to be really good at something. If you want to be a really good leader, you need to be really good at something. So, you got to put in the work when you're young to be really good and understand how hard it is to be really good at something. Normally, when we “grow up,” in quotes, and become leaders of large organizations, there's a whole bunch going on in that organization that you will have little or no expertise in, but you know how to recognize excellence, and you know how to recognize effort that it takes to become excellent. And so you can look for those because you've seen it in yourself. So, that's the other thing. The next one is communication. You cannot communicate enough, and you cannot communicate well enough. So I use this example all the time. I come up with a message, I craft it, I think about it, I write it down, I practice it, and then I deliver it, and it's awesome. I was perfect. Nobody could have misunderstood me. When I'm done with that, and I really think that I have hit the mark with maybe 20%. I probably got to say that again that way or differently, about another 10 or 15 times when I can barely stand to hear myself talk anymore, and I'm still not going to get everybody. So, one of the things that you have to recognize as a leader is you're probably miscommunicating. So, you have to check and recheck to make sure that the message is going out the way you think it should be heard. So, communication is really important, and probably one of the biggest things that infects an organization is somebody misperceiving what somebody else is communicating, and then they get mad, and everybody's feelings get hurt, and on it goes. And we've all seen that. I told you about the “say yes to good ideas.”   Naviere Walkewicz  That was fantastic. Burt, is there anything that I didn't ask you that you would really like to leave with our listeners today?   Burt Field  I think we pretty much covered it, and I appreciate the opportunity to come on and chat with you and watch your act, because you're very comfortable doing this, and I need to take some lessons from you.   Naviere Walkewicz  Thank you so much for that compliment. And I must just say it has been a pleasure being on Long Blue Leadershipwith you. I can't wait for our listeners to hear more about your story and the way that you will, I think, affect great change for our Air and Space Force leaders.   Burt Field  Thank you, Naviere, it's really an honor to be on here and I appreciate the opportunity to share some of the lessons that I've been able to learn throughout my career, and also what the Air & Space Forces Association brings to the table, and why our cadets and our grads and all those out there who care about strong Air Forces, strong Space Forces, a strong national security and defense in the future.   Naviere Walkewicz  Thank you so much.   KEYWORDS Air Force brat, leadership philosophy, Air Force Academy, rugby team, squadron commander, family dynamics, career progression, leadership challenges, communication importance, resilience, Space Force, education programs, family support, military service, leadership lessons       Long Blue Leadership is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the United States Air Force Academy Association of Graduates and Foundation    

For months, Iran and Israel have seemed to be on the brink of outright war. Although tensions are lower than in April—when the countries exchanged direct attacks—they remain dangerously high. Vali Nasr has tracked these dynamics since long before October 7. He is the Majid Khadduri professor of international affairs and Middle East studies at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center. He served as the eighth dean of Johns Hopkins SAIS between 2012 and 2019. During the Obama administration, he served as senior adviser to the legendary diplomat Richard Holbrooke. He warns that as long as war rages in Gaza, the Middle East will remain on the verge of exploding. Yet it is not enough for Washington to focus just on ending that war. It must also put in place a regional order that can free the Middle East from these cycles of violence. You can find transcripts and more episodes of The Foreign Affairs Interview at https://www.foreignaffairs.com/podcasts/foreign-affairs-interview.

Today's episode is about the controversial life and legacy of Henry Kissinger, who died last week at the age of 100. First as Nixon's National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, and then as an author and diplomacy whisperer in almost every subsequent administration, Kissinger's life is overstuffed with achievements and disasters and breakthroughs and catastrophes—many of which continue to shape the world we live in. Today's guest is George Packer, an Atlantic staff writer and the author of several books, including ‘Our Man,' a biography of Richard Holbrooke: another towering American diplomat who was Kissinger's rival and partner in diplomacy. If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com.  Host: Derek Thompson Guest: George Packer Producer: Devon Manze Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join America's Roundtable (https://americasrt.com/) radio co-hosts Natasha Srdoc and Joel Anand Samy with former Senior FBI Official Debra LaPrevotte, a principled leader fighting international corruption, adversely impacting America and its trusted allies. Debra LaPrevotte is the Senior Investigator for The Sentry (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI_1l_8qTiE). The Sentry is an investigative and policy organization that seeks to disable multinational predatory networks that benefit from violent conflict, repression, and kleptocracy. Debra LaPrevotte served as a Supervisory Special Agent on the International Corruption Unit at FBI Headquarters. Debra was instrumental in initiating the FBI's Kleptocracy program and seized more than $1 billion dollars from foreign corrupt officials. Debra retired after 20 years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Prior to her FBI career, Debra LaPrevotte worked for the Department of Defense for five years. Debra has an undergraduate degree from George Mason University and a masters degree in Forensic Science from George Washington University. Key Topics on America's Roundtable Radio: — The significant impact of international corruption on America and the rest of Western democracies. — Each year corruption and illicit financial flows cost the global economy US$3.6 trillion. — Croatia, the only European Union member put on international money laundering and terrorism financing "grey list." (https://leaderssummit.medium.com/croatia-the-only-eu-member-state-put-on-money-laundering-and-terrorism-financing-grey-list-by-2fa16381c026) | Croatia is also a NATO member receiving US aid via the Pentagon, USAID, and US taxpayer funds backing the World Bank's grants and loans to the Balkan nation. | “U.S. military assistance to Croatia has reached nearly a billion dollars in the form of training, equipment, infrastructure construction, and specialized military education, including $140 million in support just this year for the Croatian Armed Forces” — U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Mark Fleming, US Embassy in Zagreb. — US aid and the West's assistance versus principled efforts to strengthen the rule of law and reform weak judiciaries in poor countries and aid-dependent post-communist Eastern European nations facing rampant corruption. — Focusing on principled solutions. Further reading: Croatia — The Only EU Member State Put on Money-Laundering and Terrorism Financing ‘Grey List' by FATF (https://leaderssummit.medium.com/croatia-the-only-eu-member-state-put-on-money-laundering-and-terrorism-financing-grey-list-by-2fa16381c026) “Yugoslavia's tragedy was not foreordained. It was the product of bad, even criminal, political leaders who encouraged ethnic confrontation for personal, political and financial gain. Rather than tackle the concrete problems of governance in post-Tito era, they led their people into war.” — Richard Holbrooke, US diplomat and author of “To End a War” Take a Listen! | A Nation for Thieves with Debra LePravotte | Lionsgate Sound (https://lionsgatesound.com/shows/a-nation-for-thieves) Trillions of dollars derived from corruption are moved around the world every year. Justin Shenkarow sits down with FBI veteran Debra LaPrevotte, who has spent the last 25 years chasing down kleptocrats and corrupt officials all around the world. Debra single-handedly built the FBI's Kleptocracy division from the ground up - tracking, tracing and seizing over one billion dollars worth of assets. She is one of the world's leading anti-corruption experts. Debra's career began at Quantico, the FBI's prestigious training academy. A Nation for Thieves is a Lionsgate Sound podcast, engineered by Pilgrim Media americasrt.com (https://americasrt.com/) https://ileaderssummit.org/ | https://jerusalemleaderssummit.com/ America's Roundtable on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/americas-roundtable/id1518878472 Twitter: @DebraLaprevotte @ileaderssummit @AmericasRT @NatashaSrdoc @JoelAnandUSA @supertalk America's Roundtable is co-hosted by Natasha Srdoc and Joel Anand Samy, co-founders of International Leaders Summit and the Jerusalem Leaders Summit. America's Roundtable (https://americasrt.com/) radio program - a strategic initiative of International Leaders Summit, focuses on America's economy, healthcare reform, rule of law, security and trade, and its strategic partnership with rule of law nations around the world. The radio program features high-ranking US administration officials, cabinet members, members of Congress, state government officials, distinguished diplomats, business and media leaders and influential thinkers from around the world. Tune into America's Roundtable Radio program from Washington, DC via live streaming on Saturday mornings via 65 radio stations at 7:30 A.M. (ET) on Lanser Broadcasting Corporation covering the Michigan and the Midwest market, and at 7:30 A.M. (CT) on SuperTalk Mississippi — SuperTalk.FM reaching listeners in every county within the State of Mississippi, and neighboring states in the South including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee. Listen to America's Roundtable on digital platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, Google and other key online platforms. Listen live, Saturdays at 7:30 A.M. (CT) on SuperTalk | https://www.supertalk.fm

Join America's Roundtable (https://americasrt.com/) radio co-hosts Natasha Srdoc and Joel Anand Samy with former Senior FBI Official Debra LaPrevotte, a principled leader fighting international corruption, adversely impacting America and its trusted allies. Debra LaPrevotte is the Senior Investigator for The Sentry (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI_1l_8qTiE). The Sentry is an investigative and policy organization that seeks to disable multinational predatory networks that benefit from violent conflict, repression, and kleptocracy. Debra LaPrevotte served as a Supervisory Special Agent on the International Corruption Unit at FBI Headquarters. Debra was instrumental in initiating the FBI's Kleptocracy program and seized more than $1 billion dollars from foreign corrupt officials. Debra retired after 20 years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Prior to her FBI career, Debra LaPrevotte worked for the Department of Defense for five years. Debra has an undergraduate degree from George Mason University and a masters degree in Forensic Science from George Washington University. Key Topics on America's Roundtable Radio: — The significant impact of international corruption on America and the rest of Western democracies. — Each year corruption and illicit financial flows cost the global economy US$3.6 trillion. — Croatia, the only European Union member put on international money laundering and terrorism financing "grey list." (https://leaderssummit.medium.com/croatia-the-only-eu-member-state-put-on-money-laundering-and-terrorism-financing-grey-list-by-2fa16381c026) | Croatia is also a NATO member receiving US aid via the Pentagon, USAID, and US taxpayer funds backing the World Bank's grants and loans to the Balkan nation. | “U.S. military assistance to Croatia has reached nearly a billion dollars in the form of training, equipment, infrastructure construction, and specialized military education, including $140 million in support just this year for the Croatian Armed Forces” — U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Mark Fleming, US Embassy in Zagreb. — US aid and the West's assistance versus principled efforts to strengthen the rule of law and reform weak judiciaries in poor countries and aid-dependent post-communist Eastern European nations facing rampant corruption. — Focusing on principled solutions. Further reading: Croatia — The Only EU Member State Put on Money-Laundering and Terrorism Financing ‘Grey List' by FATF (https://leaderssummit.medium.com/croatia-the-only-eu-member-state-put-on-money-laundering-and-terrorism-financing-grey-list-by-2fa16381c026) “Yugoslavia's tragedy was not foreordained. It was the product of bad, even criminal, political leaders who encouraged ethnic confrontation for personal, political and financial gain. Rather than tackle the concrete problems of governance in post-Tito era, they led their people into war.” — Richard Holbrooke, US diplomat and author of “To End a War” Take a Listen! | A Nation for Thieves with Debra LePravotte | Lionsgate Sound (https://lionsgatesound.com/shows/a-nation-for-thieves) Trillions of dollars derived from corruption are moved around the world every year. Justin Shenkarow sits down with FBI veteran Debra LaPrevotte, who has spent the last 25 years chasing down kleptocrats and corrupt officials all around the world. Debra single-handedly built the FBI's Kleptocracy division from the ground up - tracking, tracing and seizing over one billion dollars worth of assets. She is one of the world's leading anti-corruption experts. Debra's career began at Quantico, the FBI's prestigious training academy. A Nation for Thieves is a Lionsgate Sound podcast, engineered by Pilgrim Media americasrt.com (https://americasrt.com/) https://ileaderssummit.org/ | https://jerusalemleaderssummit.com/ America's Roundtable on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/americas-roundtable/id1518878472 Twitter: @DebraLaprevotte @ileaderssummit @AmericasRT @NatashaSrdoc @JoelAnandUSA @supertalk America's Roundtable is co-hosted by Natasha Srdoc and Joel Anand Samy, co-founders of International Leaders Summit and the Jerusalem Leaders Summit. America's Roundtable (https://americasrt.com/) radio program - a strategic initiative of International Leaders Summit, focuses on America's economy, healthcare reform, rule of law, security and trade, and its strategic partnership with rule of law nations around the world. The radio program features high-ranking US administration officials, cabinet members, members of Congress, state government officials, distinguished diplomats, business and media leaders and influential thinkers from around the world. Tune into America's Roundtable Radio program from Washington, DC via live streaming on Saturday mornings via 65 radio stations at 7:30 A.M. (ET) on Lanser Broadcasting Corporation covering the Michigan and the Midwest market, and at 7:30 A.M. (CT) on SuperTalk Mississippi — SuperTalk.FM reaching listeners in every county within the State of Mississippi, and neighboring states in the South including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee. Listen to America's Roundtable on digital platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, Google and other key online platforms. Listen live, Saturdays at 7:30 A.M. (CT) on SuperTalk | https://www.supertalk.fm

Suzanne Nossel is the CEO of PEN America, a non-profit dedicated to protecting free speech at home and abroad. She's also served at the highest levels of American foreign policy, first as the Deputy to the UN Ambassador under Richard Holbrooke, and later as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under Hillary Clinton. Nossel joins Preet to discuss the recent rise of book bans, the Biden administration's human rights record, and how to balance the value of free speech with other progressive values, like diversity and inclusion. Plus, the audio recording of Donald Trump's 2021 meeting in Bedminster, NJ — where he indicated that he possessed secret documents that he had not declassified — is now public. Will the FBI end up searching Bedminster? Preet weighs in. Don't miss the Insider bonus, where Preet and Nossel talk about how AI will impact issues of free speech and censorship. To listen, try the membership for just $1 for one month: cafe.com/insider. For show notes and a transcript of the episode head to: https://cafe.com/stay-tuned/book-bans-free-speech-with-suzanne-nossel/ Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with the hashtag #AskPreet, email us your questions and comments at staytuned@cafe.com, or call 669-247-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tensions continue to escalate between Turkey and Greece over territorial disputes in the Aegean Sea. In the past, such tensions have been defused by US or European leaders, but this time there are fears they could be distracted by the Ukraine conflict. Addressing supporters earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a fiery speech against Greece, accusing it of threatening Turkey with its militarisation of islands close to Turkish shores and promising to respond. "We don't care about you occupying the islands," Erdogan said, referring to Greek Aegean islands with military bases. "When the time, the hour, comes, we will do what is necessary. Like we always say: we may come suddenly one night." The nationalist crowd cheered.  Ankara claims Athens's building of military bases violates an international agreement that stipulates some Aegean islands should remain demilitarised. Athens says it's only protecting its people from the growing Turkish military threat. 'More than the usual tit-for-tat' Greece and Turkey are no strangers to tensions, but some analysts warn this time could be worryingly different.   "I think this is significant and potentially very dangerous. It's quite a bit more than the usual tit-for-tat we're used to in terms of political accusations by both side," warned Asli Aydintasbas, a visiting fellow of the Washington-based Brookings Institute think tank. "Clearly, both sides feel the other country is a threat. We are seeing Turkey and Greece accusing each other of airspace violations, but also Turkey accusing Greece of building military bases and arming the Greek islands that are adjacent to mainland Turkey, and Greece accusing Turkey of questioning Greek sovereignty over the islands. Potentially these are dangerous accusations."  Turkish and Greek forces went to the verge of war in 1996 over the contested uninhabited islet of Imia, or Kardak in Turkish. In the last few years, Athens has embarked on a major rearmament programme that has closed the military gap with Turkey, emboldening Greece to stand up to Turkish threats.  "A madness can happen anytime, like in Imia, way back in the '90s. Of course it won't last, but they are prepared for this possibility," said Cengiz Aktar of Athens University. "They are taking all the necessary military, political, diplomatic measures to make sure that nothing will happen."  Greece has powerful diplomatic allies. French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged full support to Athens. The two countries have recently developed strong military ties.   Greece takes delivery of first Rafale jets from France Greece and US expand defence pact as tensions mount between Turkey and Europe The United States, building a series of bases across Greece, has also criticized Ankara's stance. A useful distraction?   Erdogan, who's facing a difficult re-election next year with the Turkish economy in trouble, is accused of seeking to provoke a crisis with Greece to distract the electorate.  Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also goes to the polls next year and, like Erdogan, faces a challenging election, embroiled in a scandal over the phone tapping of political opponents.  "There will always be potential for politicians on both sides to exploit those issues, either in promoting their national interests or promoting their personal political interests at home," said international relations professor Serhat Guvenc of Istanbul's Kadir Has University. "Because this much tension probably will help them domestically." Yet "crossing the threshold may lead to unintended consequences and Erdogan especially cannot afford to deal with the unintended consequences of an escalation with Greece in such a critical period of time," Guvenc added.  France condemns Erdogan's 'provocative' two-state comments on Cyprus Turkey risks slipping off diplomatic tightrope as tensions between Russia and Ukraine grow Analysts warn that any confrontation would almost inevitably trigger European Union sanctions against Turkey, dealing a hammer blow to its weakened economy. But for now, neither Athens nor Ankara appear ready to step back, with their evenly matched militaries facing off across the Aegean Sea. Overshadowed by Ukraine Analyst Aydintasbas says that in the past, similar tensions were defused by the diplomatic intervention of the US or a European leader. But this time, she says, they may be distracted.  "There are no interlocutors; in Europe and the US, they're focused on the war in Ukraine and in containing Russian aggression. You don't also have a dedicated US role. "I'm old enough to remember [US diplomat] Richard Holbrooke, who stepped in during the Clinton administration and was designated to prevent a similar escalation between Turkey and Greece. I don't see a figure as such, nor do I see a focus from Washington on keeping good neighbourly relations between these two countries. So it's quite problematic that there are no meditators or interlocutors in this current flare-up," said Aydintasbas. The Turkish-Greek tensions turned fatal this month with the deaths of six refugees, including two babies who drowned in the Aegean while crossing from Turkey to Greece. Turkish authorities accused the Greek coastguard of forcibly sending the refugees back to sea, while Athens blames Ankara for failing to stop the crossings. With bilateral tensions showing little signs of abating and neither leader seemingly interested in stepping back, the fear is these latest deaths in the Aegean may not be the last. 

Veteran Democratic media consultant Neil Oxman is one of the most interesting people working in politics. In addition to his years helping elect Democrats at all levels, he caddies on the PGA tour for golfing legends including Tom Watson. In this discussion, Neil talks the history of political ad-making from the 1950s to today and goes deep inside several of his own high-profile races including PA Governor Ed Rendell, Philadelphia's first Black mayor Wilson Goode, Al Gore's 1988 presidential campaign, and more throughout his career that show the ways TV can help win (and lose) political campaigns. Neil's full presentation on the history of campaign ads was recorded by C-Span in 2016 and can be found here. IN THIS EPISODE…Neil's Philly roots and unusual law school experience at Villanova…Neil gets his foot in the door in politics in the summer of 1976…What leads to Neil opening his own media firm in 1980…Neil talks the roots of television advertising in political campaigns…The 1969 television ad that Neil believes kicked off the rise of political ads in non-presidential campaigns…Neil compares ads from the 70s/80s to political ads of today…The races on which Neil starts to come into his own as a media consultant…Neil helps Wilson Goode beat Frank Rizzo to become Philadelphia's first Black mayor…Neil's role on the Kentucky Senate race in 1984 and the strategic mistake that led to Mitch McConnell's first win…Neil's role as ad-maker on the Al Gore 1988 presidential campaign…Neil's connection to then-mayor of Cincinnati Jerry Springer…Neil helps Ed Rendell become Philly Mayor and Governor of Pennsylvania…The last ad that Neil thinks actually mattered in a presidential race…Neil talks his habit of watching 100s of movies a year…Neil talks moonlighting as a caddy on the PGA tour for greats like Tom Watson…Who's the best golfer in politics?Neil's advice for those who want to get into political media…Neil's recommendation for the best political movies…AND 215 media markets, Roger Ailes, Altoona, Doug Bailey, Birch Bayh, Abe Beame, Homero Blancas, Ed Brooke, Pat Caddell, Frank Capra, Hugh Carey, Bob Casey Jr, Bob Casey Sr, Frank Church, Citizens United, cocktail parties, the Columbus Dispatch, Bob Colville, the Daisy ad, John Dierdorf, David Doak, Mike Dukakis, Dwight Eisenhower, Mike Ford, David Garth, gerontocracy, gigantic piles of polls, Wilson Goode, Bob Goodman, Bill Green, Michael Harrington, Anita Hill, Richard Holbrooke, Dee Huddleston, HUT levels, Andi Johnson, Lyndon Johnson, Julian Kanter, Robert Kennedy, Ed Koch, John Lindsay, the Louisville Courier Journal, Willie Maples, McDonalds, George McGovern, Jack McGregor, Mark Moskowitz, Ralph Nader, Jack Nicklaus, Dan Quayle, process questions, Mark Putnam, Robert Redford, regional agoraphobia, Rosser Reeves, Jim Rhodes, Frank Rizzo, Nelson Rockefeller, Buddy Roemer, Nolan Ryan, Rick Santorum, Mike Schmidt, Allyson Schwartz, Joe Sestak, Bob Shrum, Mark Singel, Arlen Specter, Bob Squier, Clarence Thomas, Danny Thomas, Lee Trevino, troglodytes, Harry Truman, Paul Tsongas, Paul Tully, WASPy establishments, Doug Wilder, Tiger Woods, Tom Wolf, Lynn Yeakel & more!

When you look at the major diplomatic events of the last thirty years, Derek Chollet has experienced them all. He's worked with legends like James Baker, Strobe Talbott and Richard Holbrooke and served in some of the highest echelons of the White House, the Pentagon and the U.S. Department of State. From Bosnia to Syria — and now Russia — Chollet has helped to shape America's approaches to its policy abroad. Today, Playbook co-author Ryan Lizza sits down with Chollet, who's currently the Counselor of the Department of State, to dig into Foggy Bottom's approach to helping Ukraine and handling Putin. Ryan Lizza is a Playbook co-author for POLITICO. Derek Chollet is the Counselor of the U.S. Department of State. Kara Tabor is a producer for POLITICO audio. Carlos Prieto is a producer for POLITICO audio. Brook Hayes is senior producer for POLITICO audio. Jenny Ament is executive producer for POLITICO audio.

Anastasia Kapetas speaks to Elmira Bayrasli, Co-Founder of Foreign Policy Interrupted and Director of Bard College's Global and International Affairs program about gender, geopolitics and national security. They discuss the importance of women in national security and the critical contributions they make to global security, and what motivated Elmira to co-found Foreign Policy Interrupted. Elmira Bayrasli is the author of From the Other Side of the World: Extraordinary Entrepreneurs, Unlikely Places, a book that looks at the rise of entrepreneurship globally. She is also the CEO and co-founder of Foreign Policy Interrupted and a professor at Bard College's Global and International Affairs program and teaches at the City College of New York's Newmark School of Journalism. She has lived in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina where she was the Chief Spokesperson for the OSCE Mission. From 1994-2000 she was presidential appointee at the U.S. State Department, working for Madeleine Albright and Richard Holbrooke, respectively. Guests (in order of appearance): Anastasia Kapetas: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/anastasia-kapetas Elmira Bayrasli: https://www.elmirabayrasli.com/#!/bio

Few travel books have had as big a real-world impact as Balkan Ghosts: A Journey Through History by Robert Kaplan. Published in 1993, this account of Kaplan's travels through Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Serbia in the late 1980s and 1990 purportedly influenced President Clinton's policy in the region during the wars of Yugoslav dissolution. Kaplan's portrayal of the relations among the peoples of former Yugoslavia created “the sense that nothing could be done by outsiders in a region so steeped in ancient hatreds” (Richard Holbrooke). The ancient hatreds thesis, which holds that Yugoslavia disintegrated in war because its constituent peoples have always hated and killed each other, has become a trope of explaining the place. It has also been dismantled over and over by generations of scholars and policy wonks. Balkan Ghosts is one of those books you read so much about you might get a feeling you no longer need to read it because you already know it through and through from all the reviews and critiques.What does Robert Kaplan think about the criticisms leveled at his famous book over the past nearly 30 years? About how his book has been utilized? Has he ever defended his work and what does he have to say? Does he care about the book's impact? How have his views evolved?With Robert D. Kaplan. The Remembering Yugoslavia podcast explores the memory of a country that no longer exists. Created, produced, and hosted by Peter Korchnak. New episodes two to three times per month.Shownotes/transcript: RememberingYugoslavia.com/Podcast-Balkan-Ghosts/Instagram: @RememberingYugoslaviaSUPPORT THE SHOW ›Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/rememberingyugoslavia)

Jonah's sailed the seas and seen the world over, but everything always draws him back to good ol' New York, New York. Still, although today's Ruminant ends with a discussion of the Big Apple's terrifying floods (which may or may not have dealt a blow to the local rodent population), it also covers the Supreme Court's controversial abortion ruling, the pervasive myth that big corporations are right-wing, and “closet normals” in the GOP who pretend to hold crazy views. With shameless book-plugging, Jonah also digs into how the definitions of left and right in politics have changed over time. If you're a loyal listener, stick around until the end for a proposition you won't be able to refuse.  Show Notes: - David French breaks down the Texas abortion ruling - Jonah's previous ruminations on abortion - Virginia's late-term abortion bill - Advisory Opinions takes a deep dive into abortion law - Matt Continetti on the politics of abortion - A disappointing August jobs report - Richard Holbrooke's damning diary - The latest Dispatch Podcast on Afghanistan - The Dispatch's Afghanistan editorial - The Remnant with Graeme Wood - “Come home. America” - Gabriel Kolko - The Big Ripoff, by Tim Carney - The pandemic's effect on women in the workforce - Ron Johnson says the quiet part loud - Leatherhead's revenge - Someone call the Shredder See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nick Reed talks about a variety of topics in the news, including: In 2010, Joe Biden told Richard Holbrooke, Obama's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, that the U.S. had to leave Afghanistan regardless of the consequences for women or anyone else. According to Holbrooke's diary, when he asked about American obligations to Afghans like the girl in the Kabul school, Biden replied with a history lesson from the final U.S. withdrawal from Southeast Asia in 1973: “F— that, we don't have to worry about that. We did it in Vietnam, Nixon and Kissinger got away with it.” New transcripts between President Biden and Ashraf Ghani have emerged. In the call, Biden offered aid if Ghani could publicly project he had a plan to control the spiraling situation in Afghanistan. There was also a conversation about a "perception problem"

Nick Reed talks about a variety of topics in the news, including: On July 8th, President Biden said that he didn't trust the Taliban...  Six weeks later, he's now TRUSTING the Taliban to give evacuating Americans "safe passage" to the Kabul airport. ALSO - In 2010, Joe Biden told Richard Holbrooke, Obama's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, that the U.S. had to leave Afghanistan regardless of the consequences for women or anyone else. According to Holbrooke's diary, when he asked about American obligations to Afghans like the girl in the Kabul school, Biden replied with a history lesson from the final U.S. withdrawal from Southeast Asia in 1973: “F--- that, we don't have to worry about that. We did it in Vietnam, Nixon and Kissinger got away with it.”

George Packer is one of the most insightful thinkers on American Culture and Politics. His new book is Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal. You can buy it here. A long time writer at The New Yorker and now for The Atlantic, his previous books include a biography of Richard Holbrooke and The Assassins'' Gate: America in Iraq.Today's Bill Press Pod is supported by the Laborers' International Union of North America. It's members ready to get to work on America's infrastructure. More information at LIUNA.org. Privacy Policy and California Privacy Notice.

Poor people are upset with Joe Manchin. but what happens when they find out why their vote is being suppressed? Is it time for poor and working class Americans to join West Virginians and March on Manchin? Pam Garrison is a member of the Poor People's Campaign and has been challenging Manchin over the conditions of poor people in the WV community where she lives. Bishop Barber would like to elevate her voice. Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan joins Thom for a progressive town hall to theorize with callers the fate of the Infrastructure Bill and strategies for Dems.

Atlantic Council, neo-liberal order, 1961, Cuban Missile Crisis, JFK, Bay of Pigs, De Gaulle, coup attempt in France, Suez Crisis, Cold War, 9/11, Global War of Terror, Pentagon, pipeline to Pentagon, Obama administration, Richard Holbrooke, Chuck Hagel, Susan Rice, Council for National Policy, Le Cercle, Henry Kissinger, détente, containment, rollback, Dean Acheson, George Keenan, Wise Men, Hunter Hunt, Ray Lee Hunt, Hunt family, James L. Jones, Call of Duty, cyber attacks, Russiagate, Trump administration, Michael Flynn, China, Cold War 2.0, the Longer Telegram

Journalist and writer George Packer’s Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century is an enduring account of the force behind the Dayton Accords which famously ended the Balkan wars. Packer’s sweeping diplomatic history is based on Holbrooke's diaries and papers and gives a peek into the life of man both equally admired and detested. Packer’s other works include The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America, The Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq and Blood of the Liberals. In conversation with journalist and writer Basharat Peer, Packer dives into the life and career of an extraordinary and deeply flawed man and the political and social circles he inhabited.

This week on Sinica, Kaiser and Jeremy chat with Jude Blanchette, the Freeman Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, to talk about the faulty assumptions that American analysts and policymakers continue to make about politics in China — and the flawed policy built on those problematic assumptions. Despite much recent academic research into the behavior of authoritarian states that offer better models for understanding China’s politics, several older and less accurate heuristics persist. Jude deftly skewers these and offers useful approaches to thinking about Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 and the CCP leadership. 4:57: “Collapsism” and China’s political system10:45: The shortcomings of engagement with China24:21: “Xi besieged” 34:26: The “hidden reformer” fallacyRecommendations:Jeremy: The Plague Cycle: The Unending War Between Humanity and Infectious Disease, by Charles Kenny, and The War on the Uyghurs: China's Internal Campaign Against a Muslim Minority, by Sean R. Roberts.Jude: Cabin Porn: Inspiration for Your Quiet Place Somewhere, by Steven Leckart and Zach Klein. Kaiser: Two essays by Thomas Meaney: The canonization of Richard Holbrooke and The limits of Barack Obama’s idealism.

Thom Hartmann carries Joe Biden's inauguration with callers and commentary. How long will it take for all of us to collectively recover from the Trump trauma?

On this episode of Going Underground, we speak to Barnett Rubin, ex-State Department official and author of ‘Afghanistan: What Everyone Needs To Know’. He discusses the rise of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda out of the Mujahideen after a brutal conflict with the Soviet Union, how the communist government fell to the Islamist forces following the collapse of the USSR, the role of Ayman al-Zawahiri, Richard Holbrooke and his role in the NATO intervention in Yugoslavia, the assassination of Osama Bin Laden under the Obama Administration and why it has not changed much on the ground, the Trump administration’s agreement with the Taliban, and why it has not yet guaranteed peace in Afghanistan despite a framework established for US withdrawal, and much more!

La figura de Richard Holbrooke es paralela a la idiosincrasia del país que representa, EEUU. La biografía escabrosa del diplomático nos deja no solo sus logros obtenidos de su carrera, sino detalles morbosos y lúbricos de su vida personal y una personalidad con la que era difícil lidiar. Navegar por su biografía es como navegar por la biografía del país que representó. Publicado en luisbermejo.com en el enlace directo: https://www.luisbermejo.com/2020/07/origen-de-los-fantasmas-el-ev3nto.html Puedes encontrarme y comentar en https://www.luisbermejo.com. En la página de Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ElEv3nto/ O en mi Twitter/Instagram: @LuisBermejo

La figura de Richard Holbrooke es paralela a la idiosincrasia del país que representa, EEUU. La biografía escabrosa del diplomático nos deja no solo sus logros obtenidos de su carrera, sino detalles morbosos y lúbricos de su vida personal y una personalidad con la que era difícil lidiar. Navegar por su biografía es como navegar por la biografía del país que representó. Publicado en luisbermejo.com en el enlace directo: https://www.luisbermejo.com/2020/07/origen-de-los-fantasmas-el-ev3nto.html Puedes encontrarme y comentar en https://www.luisbermejo.com. En la página de Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ElEv3nto/ O en mi Twitter/Instagram: @LuisBermejo

As the country reeled under the weight of one shock after another—first the pandemic, then levels of mass unemployment not seen since the Great Depression, and most recently an unprecedented wave of protests against racism and police brutality—the June issue of The Atlantic magazine ran a cover story with the provocative title, “We Are Living in a Failed State.” The author was George Packer, one of the preeminent long-form journalists writing in the US today. His last three books—The Assassins Gate about the invasion of Iraq, The Unwinding about the economic and social transformation of America since the 1970s and Our Man, a biography of the larger than life American diplomat, Richard Holbrooke—each in its own unique way, tried to provide a window into the big challenges America has faced, both abroad and at home, over the last twenty-five years. In this episode, George talks with Liaquat Ahamed, a board member of the Sun Valley Writers Conference about where we are as a country, how we got here, and how a writer of non-fiction like him is able, using techniques drawn from the great novelists, “to wrap his arms around America.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Richard Holbrooke is one of the most important diplomats of the last 50 years. Equally admired and detested, he was the force behind the Dayton Accords that ended the Balkan wars, considered by some to be America's greatest diplomatic achievement in the post-Cold War era. From his days as a young adviser in Vietnam to his last efforts to end the war in Afghanistan, Holbrooke embodied the postwar American impulse to take the lead on the global stage. But his sharp elbows and tireless self-promotion ensured that he never rose to the highest levels in government that he so desperately coveted. Holbrooke's story is thus the story of America during its era of supremacy: its strength, drive and sense of possibility, as well as its penchant for overreach and heedless self-confidence. In Our Man, drawn from Holbrooke's diaries and papers, journalist George Packer gives us a nonfiction narrative that is both intimate and epic in its revelatory portrait of this extraordinary and deeply flawed man and the elite spheres of society and government he inhabited. NOTES This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GEORGE PACKER's recent Atlantic essay, We Are Living in a Failed State, was already being quoted a lot - before George Floyd's death and the ensuing days of rage. Packer is the author of 2013's THE UNWINDING, which reported on a country vulnerable to a demagogue like Trump, and 2019's Richard Holbrooke biography OUR MAN, just out in paperback. He's a staff writer at The Atlantic and I reached out after reading two of his recent essays The President Is Winning His War on American Institutions and We Are Living in a Failed State. We talk about how it all fits together.

GEORGE PACKER’s recent essay in the Atlantic, We Are Living in a Failed State, was being quoted a lot - before George Floyd’s death and the ensuing days of rage. Packer is the author of 2013’s THE UNWINDING, which reported on a country growing vulnerable to a demagogue like Trump, and 2019’s Richard Holbrooke biography OUR MAN, just out in paperback. He’s a staff writer at The Atlantic and I reached out after reading two of his recent essays The President Is Winning His War on American Institutions and We Are Living in a Failed State. We talk about how it all fits together.

George Packer is a staff writer for The Atlantic and a former staff writer for The New Yorker. He is the author, most recently, of Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century. He has published five other works of non-fiction, including The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America, which won the National Book Award for nonfiction in 2013, as well as two novels and a play. The late American diplomat Richard Holbrooke was brilliant, wholly self-absorbed, and possessed of almost inhuman energy and appetites. He embodied the postwar American impulse to take the lead on the global stage, and his story is the story of America during its era of supremacy: its strength, drive, and sense of possibility, as well as its penchant for overreach and heedless self-confidence. George will discuss his new biography Our Man, drawn from Holbrooke's diaries and papers–a non-fiction narrative that is both intimate and epic in its portrait of this extraordinary and deeply flawed man and the elite spheres of society and government he inhabited. Thomas is the author of Losing My Cool and Self-Portrait in Black and White. He is a contributing writer at the New York Times Magazine, a contributing editor at the American Scholar and a 2019 New America Fellow. His work has appeared in the New Yorker, the London Review of Books, Harper's and elsewhere, and has been collected in The Best American Essays and The Best American Travel Writing. He has received support from Yaddo, MacDowell and The American Academy in Berlin. He lives in Paris with his wife and children. Recorded 21 November 2019

A book talk with George Packer, journalist at The Atlantic

A book talk with George Packer, journalist at The Atlantic

A book talk with George Packer, journalist at The Atlantic

In this episode, I meet Ambassador Mark P. Lagon, Chief Policy Officer of Friends of the Global Fight, and explore how to build strategies to strengthen bipartisan alliances for global health, particularly in AIDS, TB and Malaria. Friends of the Global Fighthttps://www.theglobalfight.orgThe Global Fundhttps://www.theglobalfund.org---Facebook: @shotarmpodcast - http://bit.ly/asita_fbvideosYouTube: @shotarmpodcast - http://bit.ly/asita_youtubeA Shot in the Arm Podcast Webpage - https://www.ashotinthearmpodcast.comApple Podcasts - http://bit.ly/asita_appleGoogle Podcasts - http://bit.ly/asita_googleSpotify - http://bit.ly/asita_spotifyiHeart Radio - http://bit.ly/asita_iheartStitcher - http://bit.ly/asita_stitcherTuneIn (and Alexa enabled devices) - http://bit.ly/asita_tunein

Richard Holbrooke was Clinton’s Ambassador to the UN. He opposed the Vietnam war early on. He helped end the war in Bosnia. But his character was deeply flawed. Holbrooke’s biographer George Packer tells Jim Zirin the inside story.

The impeachment inquiry has exposed some of the ways in which the US diplomatic corps feels undermined and undervalued by the Trump administration. We visit two US universities training a future generation of US diplomats to find out whether students there are reconsidering their career choice. Also, Samantha Power reflects on some of the toughest decisions she had to make while US Ambassador to the UN; we visit the Museum of the Palestinian People that is just blocks away from the White House; the rise and fall of Richard Holbrooke, a statesman known for his diplomatic breakthroughs and outsized ego; and beatboxers on a musical mission to bring the world together. (Photo: A view of the Washington Monument and the US Department of State's flag in Washington, DC. Credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

A healthy Shadi and a sick Damir chew over Richard Holbrooke’s complicated legacy, as well as the moral imperatives and political limits of humanitarian intervention.

You know Susan Rice as President Obama's national security adviser and UN ambassador. But there's a lot about her you don't know — like the time Donald Trump hugged her and said she was treated unfairly about Benghazi; or the moment she, as a young Clinton administration official, flipped off Richard Holbrooke; or her time helping lead America's foreign policy despite being a 32-year-old with a baby on her hip; or what it was like having a dad who grew up in segregated South Carolina, and whose daughter was few black kids growing up in Washington DC's most elite schools.

A former war correspondent and UN ambassador, Samantha Power has had her share of tough assignments. But writing a memoir about it all is also a daunting prospect. The format itself is a challenge: how do you convince the reader you’re worth spending time with? How do you paint a relatable portrait without oversharing and losing your dignity? For Samantha the answer was settling upon a purpose for her memoir and ruthlessly cutting out everything not in service of that. Tyler and Samantha discuss that purpose and more, including what she learned as an Irish immigrant, the personality traits of good diplomats (and war correspondents), relations with China, why democracy is so rare in the Middle East, the truth about Richard Holbrooke, what factors mitigate against humanitarian intervention, her favorite memoir, how to get NATO members to spend more on defense, and whether baseball games are too long. Transcript and links Follow Samantha on Twitter Follow Tyler on Twitter More CWT goodness: Facebook Twitter Instagram Email

A longtime staff writer for The New Yorker now writing for The Atlantic, George Packer has reported extensively on global unrest, from Bosnia, to the Iraq War, to the civil war in Syria. In his new book “Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century,” Packer writes about one of America’s greatest diplomats. He compares Holbrooke’s larger than life character, utterly self-absorbed, in turns revered and reviled, to an era of enormous global influence. On May 23, 2019, George Packer came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater talked with Clara Jeffrey about Richard Holbrooke, the slow deterioration of American influence, and the country’s retreat into nationalism.

Longtime US diplomat Richard Holbrooke was many things: Ambassador to Germany, Assistant Secretary of State, the man who resolved the intractable war in Yugoslavia, and, to many… a womanizing, social-climbing jerk. While the storied career statesman saw “power the way an artist sees color,” as one former military leader put it in 2009—the year before Holbrooke died at 69—another former colleague described him as the “diplomatic equivalent of a hydrogen bomb,” leaving few survivors after being deployed. On this week's episode of the Mother Jones Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery sits down with award-winning journalist George Packer from the Atlantic, whose new book, "Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century," chronicles the life of this American foreign policy giant, whose career and trajectory extended from Vietnam to Afghanistan. His story is particularly timely, just as Trump's GOP pulls the country ever-further into isolationism and nativism, alienating allies and praising dictators. In a narrative that manages to toggle between being deeply learned and a beach-book page-turner Holbrooke is revealed as an undeniable icon of America's global influence, but also as a flawed operator who often let his ego get in the way amid bouts of “dick-swinging diplomacy.” This conversation was recorded in front of a live audience at City Arts and Lectures in San Francisco in May, and is featured here as part of the Mother Jones Podcast's summer series of fascinating conversations with journalists, artists, and activists about how their work interacts with some of the biggest debates of the day.

Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins reflects on the historic mission which saw Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the moon. Then, Charles Fishman tells Christiane Amanpour about the hundreds of thousands of Americans that made the Apollo 11 mission possible, which he details in his book "One Giant Leap". Finally, author and journalist Kati Marton tells our Walter Isaacson about her journey from communist Hungary to America, and the legacy of her late husband, the legendary diplomat Richard Holbrooke.

Yascha Mounk talks to George Packer about Richard Holbrooke, American foreign policy, and how superpowers can (and can't) use their might to advance liberal democracy. Email: goodfightpod@gmail.com Twitter: @Yascha_Mounk Podcast production by John T. Williams Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From his days as a young adviser in Vietnam to his last efforts to end the war in Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke embodied the postwar American impulse to take the lead on the global stage. Journalist George Packer took Town Hall’s stage to relate Holbrooke’s ambitious, headstrong narrative in Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century. Through Holbrooke, Packer shared the story of America during its era of supremacy: its strength, drive, and sense of possibility, as well as its penchant for overreach and heedless self-confidence. With insight drawn from Holbrooke’s diaries and papers, Packer offered us an intimate narrative about this extraordinary and deeply flawed man and the elite spheres of society and government he inhabited. George Packer is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America, which was a New York Times bestseller and winner of the 2013 National Book Award. His other nonfiction books include The Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq, a finalist for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize, and Blood of the Liberals, winner of the 2001 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award. Recorded live at The Forum at Town Hall Seattle on May 22, 2019.

Today on Boston Public Radio: It seems like just yesterday that Joe Biden was against the Hyde Amendment. Oh wait…that’s because it was *yesterday. We opened up the lines and asked you about Biden’s change of heart, but also more broadly about how you feel when people you know *change their minds. Then we examined a species on the verge of extinction: the American diplomat. Author George Packer shared his new biography of Richard Holbrooke, “Our Man.” Emily Rooney, host of Beat the Press, shared her famous list of observations and frustrations. Food writer Corby Kummer explained what it is about working in an office that turns people into snack fiends. Boston Globe business reporter Shirley Leung looked at the slew of store closings in Harvard Square. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko explained YouTube’s new anti-harassment policies. Will they be enforced? Former U.S. ambassador to Spain and Andorra Alan Solomont and Susan Lewis Solomont, author of “Lost and Found In Spain,” faced off on our Friday News Quiz.

Former US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke was brilliant, utterly self-absorbed, and possessed of almost inhuman energy and appetites. From his days as a young adviser in Vietnam to his last efforts to end the war in Afghanistan, Holbrooke embodied the postwar American impulse to take the lead on the global stage. But his sharp elbows and tireless self-promotion ensured that he never received the promotion to the cabinet-level position he so desperately wanted. In this installment of “Leonard Lopate at Large” on WBAI, author George Packer discusses his latest book “Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century” about this important figure in 20th century politics.

Packer’s biography of Richard Holbrooke (1941-2010) is also the story of the United States from the Vietnam War, where Holbrooke gained his first experience as an advisor, to the conflict in Afghanistan, which Holbrooke, by then a seasoned diplomat, sought to end. For both the man and the nation, the period was a series of crises, frustrations, and victories that showcased both strength and heedless self-confidence. Drawing on Holbrooke’s journals and letters, diaries of key government officials, and interviews with figures including Hillary Clinton, Hamid Karzai, David Petraeus, and Bosnian war criminals, Packer, an Atlantic staff writer and author of the National Book Award-winning  Unwinding, not only portrays a brilliant and complicated man but shows how his ideas and temperament helped shape several decades of U.S. foreign policy.https://www.politics-prose.com/book/9780307958020Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the podcast: George Packer, in conversation with Stephen M. Walt, on America’s long-serving diplomat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

George Packer won the 2013 National Book Award for The Unwinding, a biographical examination of the seismic shifts in economics and politics over the past three decades that have brought the United States to the brink. A longtime New Yorker staff writer possessed of a ''far more coherent worldview than most reporters'' (The New York Times Book Review), he was honored with two Overseas Press Club awards in 2003 for his coverage of the war in Iraq and his reporting on the civil war in Sierra Leone. His books include the bestselling The Assassin's Gate: America in Iraq, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; and Blood of the Liberals, winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award. In Our Man, Packer charts the rise and fall of diplomat Richard Holbrooke, the brilliant but self-absorbed architect of the Dayton Peace Accords that ended the Balkan wars. Meelya Gordon Memorial Lecture (recorded 5/14/2019)

George Packer joins Cameron Munter to discuss how the career of the late distinguished diplomat Richard Holbrooke has informed the last several decades of U.S. foreign policy—as well as his latest book, "Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century."

When President Obama appointed Richard Holbrooke to manage the U.S. relationship with Afghanistan and Pakistan, the assignment seemed like a perfect challenge for the veteran diplomat. Instead, the two men could not see eye to eye before Holbrooke's untimely death in 2010. George Packer, author of a new biography of Holbrooke, explains the fundamental differences between the president and diplomat.

Thom takes a look at the recent televised town halls of Democratic candidates- and considers their surprising statements. Who supports advancing toward an impeachment posture of our obstructionist head of state. And why is the media is not taking a more serious stance on Trump's disregard of Congressional subpoenas? ---------- Talk Media News' Luke Vargas just watched America water down a U.N. resolution against rape during times of war. And what is happening with the arrested reporters in Myanmar? -------- The latest developments in Trump's lackluster re-negotiation of NAFTA with the executive director of Public Citizen's 'Global Trade Watch', Laurie Wallach. ----------- Thom reads from the evocative new book 'Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the end of the American Century.' ----------- News from the ground on France's yellow vest movement from Parisian and Jacobin reporter Cole Stangler. ------------ Is Netflix related to the low birth rate? Trump's online ad spending targets old people. Also, details on Elizabeth Warren's student debt relief plan. ----------- Thom gets some thoughtful callers on the horn- What's up with that darn Mueller?- Trump's 'Promises Broken.' And how did the Democratic candidates do in CNN's town hall?

JUNE 15, 2018 - It's THE DAILY SHOW WEEKLY, hosted by Vic Shuttee (@VicShuttee) and Chandler Dean (@chandlerjdean)! With Halloween and Bio-Terrorism on us in equal measure, it’s only natural that the show is a little loopy. We get Steve Carell’s realistically spooky Haunted House (featuring a naked Matt Walsh), Colbert is a festive gas mask and future child predator Kevin Spacey! Lot to like, a lot to fear. The Daily Show Weekly is produced by Vic Shuttee, with album artwork designed by Felipe Flores Comics! #FeelTheTurn

Ronan Farrow is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The New Yorker, former State Department official under President Barack Obama, and author of the new best-selling book War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence. He joins David to discuss his experiences growing up in a famous family with 13 siblings, his formative years working in the State Department under the wing of legendary diplomat Richard Holbrooke, and his near-thwarted efforts to publish the blockbuster account of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers—credited with spawning the international #MeToo movement.

The war in Afghanistan is the longest war in U.S. history and it has cost roughly 1 trillion dollars, left over 170,000 dead, and displaced another 4 million people. In this episode, we examine how to end wars through the lens of Afghanistan with Vali Nasr, the dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and former senior advisor to Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke.  Vali Nasr brings unique insight into how the conflict has played out, how the US foreign policy apparatus failed to effectively end this war, and what lessons there might be for ending war in Syria. This conversation not only provides an intellectual architecture for understanding conflict termination, but also explains the dynamics between Afghanistan, Pakistan and other regional actors. This is the conversation you should listen to if you want to understand what options there are for ending wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before joining the German Marshall Fund, as executive vice president and senior advisor for security and defense policy, Derek Chollet held senior positions in the Obama administration—in the White House, State Department, and the Pentagon. He most recently served as US assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, and most recently authored the book The Long Game: How Obama Defied Washington and Redefined America’s Role in the World. A fellow at the American Academy in spring 2002, Chollet returned as a Richard C. Holbrook Distinguished Visitor on February 15, 2018, when he joined a panel of foreign-policy experts to discuss the state of US-German relations one year after the election of Donald Trump. We sat down with Chollet to discuss the most salient issues facing US security, the state of the transatlantic relationship, and one of his mentors and former bosses, Academy founder Richard Holbrooke. Host: R. Jay Magill Producer: William Glucroft Photo: Ralph K. Penno

A gripping chronicle of the work and impact of legendary US diplomat Richard Holbrooke through 50 years of US foreign policy

A gripping chronicle of the work and impact of legendary US diplomat Richard Holbrooke through 50 years of US foreign policy

Episode 37- Barney Rubin (Yoni's uncle) & Josiah Wolf (brother). Barney shows up in Cincinnati to record a rap song he wrote as a farewell speech of sorts/ tribute to his former boss and friend, Richard Holbrooke, at the state department where he held a position as senior advisor on Afghanistan and South Asia. The three bearded gents discuss the song, Barney's experiences in and around South Asia, working in government, his current position as director of the Center on International Cooperation at NYU, Barney's early life, and his passion for music, wine and food.

Mark Leon Goldberg speaks with Suzanne Nossel, author of the influential Foreign Affairs article "Smart Power." Nossel served as a deputy assistant secretary of state during president Obama's first term, and has served in leadership roles in high profile human rights NGOs. Suzanne tells Mark about how familty connections to South Africa shaped her dedication to human rights; how a cold call to Richard Holbrooke lead to a career in public service; and what American leadership can accomplish at the United Nations.    

Zach Messitte, Suzette Grillot, and Joshua Landis discuss the legacy of the late Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, who served as U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan until his death on Dec. 13, 2010 following marathon surgery to repair an aortic tear. The University of Oklahoma's Diplomat-in-Residence Ed Wehrli joins the panel for a conversation about career opportunities in the U.S. State Department, as well as what the next generation of ambassadors and diplomats face in the 21st Century.

President Obama's hope that direct talks would bring Middle East peace in a year seems less likely than ever.  The US failed to persuade Israel to freeze settlements in East Jerusalem, and no talks are occurring at all.  We ask what might happen next. Also, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange makes bail, and a remembrance of Richard Holbrooke.

This morning's Early Word: Af-Pak envoy Richard Holbrooke dead at 69; Beth Fertig on changes to NYC teacher tenure; Bloomberg budget cuts hit FDNY, CUNY; Ilya Marritz on Gov. Paterson's split-the-difference move on natural gas fracking.

A $789 billion stimulus package is likely to pass the House and the Senate. We look at what's in the bill and what's not. Did Republicans force enough compromises to tarnish a victory for President Obama?  Also, Richard Holbrooke arrives in Kabul as security in the capital worsens, and today's celebration of Lincoln's 200th birthday.