Podcasts about senior foreign service

No pleasant introductions, or quaint toast at the end of this one folks. We may have moved past the brink, and into the abyss, but that's to discuss in later episodes....Today, three long-term USAID staffers  now retired and free to talk describe their anger over how  the foreign aid  program has been gutted and colleagues maligned, their fear about global suffering and losses that will result ,and their hope for a  come back  in the future.Francisco Bencosme was formerly the China Policy Lead for USAID, the principal advisor on issues relating to China and Taiwan. Prior to joining USAID, he was deputy to the Special Presidential Envoy for Compact of Free Association talks, helping conclude agreements with the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau in the Pacific Islands. He was at the same time senior advisor to the assistant secretary for East Asian and the Pacific Affairs.Before joining the Biden/Harris administration, he was a senior policy advisor at the Open Society Foundations covering Asia and Latin America. During his time at Amnesty International USA, Bencosme led the US human rights policy and advocacy program towards the Asia Pacific.  In 2018, he was named one of The Hill's Top Lobbyist for a campaign on Myanmar Rohingya issues. He also has served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff.Ann Posner spent more than 32 years working in USAID missions in the Czech Republic, Russia, Albania, Bosnia and the West Bank-Gaza.  As a Foreign Service Executive Officer she led local administrative staffs and helped manage programs involving issues ranged from crop marketing in the Eastern Caribbean, anti-corruption and free election laws in Russia, and agricultural aid in Albania to investigation journalism and judicial reform in BosniaSusan Reichle is a retired Senior Foreign Service officer of USAID and former president and CEO of the International Youth Foundation — global non-profit working to equip and inspire young people everywhere to transform their lives. Before joining IYF, Susan spent 26 years in leadership positions at USAID missions overseas and in Washington, D.C. During her last three years at USAID, she served as the Counselor to the Agency, USAID's most Senior Foreign Service Officer, and advised the administrator and senior leadership on global development policies and management issues. She served in Haiti, Nicaragua, Russia, Colombia and her last assignment in USAID/Washington she led the Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance bureau.

Chapter 48 of Armao on the Brink- On the Brink of Global Indifference: The Dismantling of USAID Three long-term USAID staffers now retired and free to talk describe their anger over how the foreign aid program has been gutted and colleagues maligned, their fear about global suffering and losses that will result ,and their hope for a come back in the future. Francisco Bencosme was formerly the China Policy Lead for USAID, the principal advisor on issues relating to China and Taiwan. Ann Posner spent more than 32 years working in USAID missions in the Czech Republic, Russia, Albania, Bosnia and the West Bank-Gaza. And, Susan Reichle is a retired Senior Foreign Service officer of USAID and former president and CEO of the International Youth Foundation.

Henry Haggard is the founding partner of Seekonk LLC. Following a twenty-five-year career at the U.S. State Department during which he attained the rank of Counselor in the Senior Foreign Service, From 2021-2023, he served as Minister Counsellor for Political Affairs at the United States Embassy in South Korea. Prior to that, he served as Director at the National Security Council under both the Trump and Biden administrations. His talk, "US-Korea Relationship in Transition", was recorded for broadcast on February 10, 2025.

The Dr. Rod Berger Show with Gary Grappo Join us for a deeply engaging conversation with Ambassador Gary Grappo, as we travel through his illustrious career and profound experiences from his early days in the Air Force to his impactful years in diplomatic service. Gary Grappo is a former US ambassador and a distinguished fellow at the Center for Middle East Studies at the Korbel School for International Studies, University of Denver. He possesses nearly 40 years of diplomatic and public policy experience in a variety of public, private, and nonprofit endeavors. As a career member of the Senior Foreign Service of the US Department of State, he served as Envoy and Head of Mission of the Office of the Quartet Representative, the Honorable Mr. Tony Blair, in Jerusalem. Grappo held a number of senior positions in the State Department, including Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at the US Embassy in Baghdad, US Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, and Charge d'Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. From 2011–13, he was President and CEO of The Keystone Center. He currently serves as CEO of Equilibrium International Consulting, providing analysis and policy guidance on foreign affairs to businesses, institutions and the media. Grappo is the former chairman of the Board of Directors at Fair Observer.

The State Department is the oldest Cabinet-level agency in the United States, with over 250 U.S. diplomatic posts worldwide and 70 to 80 thousand employees, almost half of whom are U.S. citizens. The structure of the State Department and career tracks for our nation's diplomats both at home and abroad can sometimes be opaque for understanding the full range of activities and missions it serves. Unpacking these matters are Dr. Mary Thompson-Jones, professor and chair of Women, Peace and Security at the U.S. Naval War College and retired career diplomat in the Senior Foreign Service, and Walter Braunohler, Minister Counselor in the Senior Foreign Service and professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College.About the Speakers:Dr. Mary Thompson-Jones is a career diplomat, professor, and published author on U.S. foreign policy and the practice of diplomacy. Her book, To the Secretary: Leaked Embassy Cables and America's Foreign Policy Disconnect (Norton 2016), was praised by Joseph Nye as “a fascinating account of how diplomacy really works from the bottom up.” Her diplomatic experience spans a 23-year career as a foreign service officer in leadership roles in the Czech Republic, Canada, Guatemala, Spain, and Washington, D.C. She retired with the rank of Minister-Counselor and is the recipient of several Superior and Meritorious Honor awards. Before coming to the USNWC, she directed a master's program at Northeastern University.Walter Braunohler is the State Department's senior faculty advisor at the U.S. Naval War College. A U.S. foreign service officer for over 20 years, Mr. Braunohler was most recently the counselor for public diplomacy at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine from 2020-2022. Prior to that, Mr. Braunohler was the U.S. consul general in Krakow, Poland from 2015-2018 and the spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to Thailand, Bangkok. He has also served in Sudan, Australia, Iraq and Washington, D.C. A graduate of the University of Michigan and the U.S. Naval War College, Mr. Braunohler speaks Thai, Polish and Ukrainian, and is originally from western Michigan.The views presented by the faculty or other guest speakers do not reflect official positions of the Naval War College, DON or DOD.

Congress is probably going to send approximately $50 billion more, most of that for weapons, to continue the war in Ukraine. In November, high ranking officials from the State Department testified about how the Biden administration intends to use our money and why. In this episode, hear the highlights of their testimony and decide for yourself if you think their goals are worth sacrificing more American money and Ukrainian lives. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via Support Congressional Dish via (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Background Sources Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes WTF is the World Trade System? Naomi Klein. Picador: 2008. Nicole Narea. October 13, 2023. Vox. Offshore Technology. Ukraine: How We Got Here Branko Marcetic. February 7, 2022. Jacobin. Stanley Reed and Andrew E. Kramer. November 5, 2013. The New York Times. Marieke Ploegmakers. February 5, 2012. All About Feed. Arseniy Yatsenyuk Official Website. Retrieved on December 16, 2023. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. The Ukraine War, by the Map Defence Intelligence, UK Ministry of Defense. December 15, 2023. GlobalSecurity.org. Visual Journalism Team. November 16, 2023. BBC News. Josh Holder. September 28, 2023. The New York Times. @war_mapper. December 31, 2022. GlobalSecurity.org. U.S. Support for Ukraine Karoun Demirjian. December 6, 2023. The New York Times. The IMF in Ukraine Oleksandra Betliy. May 5, 2023. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. March 31, 2023. International Monetary Fund. Estelle Nilsson-Julien and Ilaria Federico. March 5, 2023. Euronews. December 21, 2022. International Monetary Fund. Diplomacy Connor Echols. December 1, 2023. Responsible Statecraft. Seymour Hersh. December 1, 2023. Seymour Hersh on Substack. Olena Roshchina. November 24, 2023. Ukrainska Pravda. The Toll of War Jonathan Landay. December 12, 2023. Reuters. John Mazerolle. December 8, 2023. CBC News. Inae Oh. November 8, 2023. Mother Jones. Oleg Sukhov. September 28, 2023. The Kyiv Independent. Israel-Palestine Ian Black. Narrated by Michael Page. Tantor Audio: 2018. Darryl Cooper. The Martyrmade Podcast. Audio Sources November 8, 2023 Senate Foreign Relations Committee Witnesses: , Assistant Secretary of State, European and Eurasian Affairs , Assistant Secretary of State, Energy Resources , Assistant Administrator, Europe and Eurasia, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Clips 1:55 Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD): The supplemental funding will strengthen governance and anti-corruption systems. It will improve the resilience of our economies and our energy supply. It will support efforts to come out of the other side of this. We're ready for Ukraine to join EU and also NATO. But this investment in Ukraine goes far beyond its borders. By degrading Russia's military capabilities, we're also degrading the capabilities of those who Russia works with, like Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah. 10:30 Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD): First Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien. Assistant Secretary O'Brien assumed his role just last month after serving as sanctions coordinator at the State Department. He is a former career employee of the department receiving numerous performance awards and serve to previous US administration's as Special Presidential Envoy for hostages and for the Balkans. 11:00 Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD): The next will be Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources, Jeffrey R. Pyatt. No stranger to this committee, career diplomat Assistant Secretary Pyatt has been in his current role since September 2022. He served as US Ambassador to Greece and Ukraine. He has held numerous leadership positions through out the department and has won numerous awards. 11:25 Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD): And our third witness is Assistant Administrator Erin McKee, who serves as the Assistant Administrator in the Bureau of Europe and Eurasia at USAID. Prior to this position, she was the US Ambassador to Papua New Guinea and to the Solomon Islands. Prior to her Ambassador appointments, as a member of the Senior Foreign Service she served in numerous leadership roles throughout USAID and the embassies abroad. Before her US government career she developed private sector experience including throughout the former Soviet Union. 14:40 James O'Brien: This is around the Black Sea and Crimea. Ukraine has, through its own ingenuity and with weapons that have been provided, loosened Russia's grip. Russia tried to blockade the ability of Ukraine to export, but now Ukraine is starting to export more grain, more metals. And this is enabling it to pay for more of its war itself. So just a few numbers as we go through this. Ukraine is hoping to get about 8 million tons of grain and metals out through the Black Sea over the course of the next year. If it does that, it will provide about $5-6 billion more for its tax base than it has now. That helps to make up the shortfall that our supplemental will cover for the meantime. But it also then provides the employment for millions of its citizens to work within Ukraine. Now, that is a path to victory where we help Ukraine by providing assistance to have its energy grid strengthened, air defense over its employment centers, and the export routed needs so that it is able to fight this fight over the long term and to hold Russia off thereafter. 15:50 James O'Brien: The military assistance in the supplemental is about $45 billion. That goes to acquire American equipment that Ukraine will then use to pay for American service people to support Ukraine and to pay other countries to acquire American equipment after they provide equipment to Ukraine. 16:05 James O'Brien: The direct budget support that we provide to Ukraine enables Ukraine to put all of its tax dollars to support the war. Ukraine pays for about 60% of the costs of this war right now. The direct budget support pays for hundreds of thousands of educators, first responders, firefighters, and health care professionals to work within Ukraine. 16:55 James O'Brien: The next question is, who's with us? We have more than 40 countries. They provide much more assistance to Ukraine than we do. It's about $91 billion to our $70 billion so far. They've hosted 4.5 million Ukrainian refugees at a cost of around $18 billion. They are proposing another $50 billion in assistance just from the European Union. 17:30 James O'Brien: Right now, Ukrainians are willing to do this job because it's in their territory. If we abandon them, then somebody else is going to have to do this job later and it's likely to be us. So I'd rather confront Russia and its destabilizing attitudes right here, right now, and we can finish the job with the supplemental that we've proposed for your consideration. 18:45 Geoffrey R. Pyatt: For Ukraine, this coming winter promises to be even more challenging than the last. Ukraine's generation capacity has degraded about 50% since the start of the war. Ukrainian energy workers have labored day and night, often under fire, to repair, restore, and harden grid and generation facilities, often by cannibalizing parts from elsewhere. But most spare parts by now have been consumed, and Russia has recently resumed its bombardment of power plants and refineries, including just this morning in eastern Ukraine. 20:50 Geoffrey R. Pyatt: The World Bank has estimated that after last winter, Ukraine needed at least $411 billion to rebuild its infrastructure. That was eight months ago. Every day that number grows. Electricity grid damage alone amounted to $10 billion in 2022. Ukraine's economic future depends on investment by the private sector, and energy is key to unlocking that industrial recovery. 21:25 Geoffrey R. Pyatt: American energy companies like Halliburton, GE, and EQT have been active partners in this effort, providing vital equipment to Ukraine and actively exploring future commercial opportunities. We're working together to build a better future for and with Ukraine -- modern, cleaner, and with a more decentralized power sector that is fully integrated with Europe, even serving as a power exporter to the rest of the European Union. 22:10 Geoffrey R. Pyatt: After the full scale invasion, US LNG producers stepped up to surge supplies to Europe, as our allies turned away from Russia as an energy source. Since 2022, US exporters have supplied the EU with approximately 90 million tons of LNG -- three times as much as the next largest supplier. Last year, 70% of US LNG exports went to Europe. Europe's shift away from Russian energy has happened much faster than predicted, and marks a permanent shift in the International Energy map. 25:30 Erin McKee: In response to the immediate crisis, USAID has provided nearly $2 billion in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since February of 2022. The generosity of the American people has supplied emergency health care, agriculture and energy support to Ukraine's most vulnerable populations. And thanks to the Congressional appropriations, USAID disbursed reliable, sustained direct budget support to the Ukrainian government, along with unprecedented levels of oversight. This enabled first responders, health care workers, teachers and others to continue their vital work and sustain Ukraine's economy and institutions while they defend their country's freedom and sovereignty. 26:10 Erin McKee: To respond to Russia's weaponization of hunger, USAID launched the Agriculture Resilience Initiative to keep farmers afloat. USAID also works very closely with the private sector to improve Ukraine's energy security and transform Ukraine's energy sector into a modern engine of growth. Side by side with our agriculture and energy efforts is USAID's support to small and medium enterprises, helping Ukraine increase jobs and generate revenue. 26:45 Erin McKee: At this time, there is no funding left for direct budget support. Without further appropriations, the government of Ukraine would need to use emergency measures such as printing money or not paying critical salaries, which could lead to hyperinflation and severely damage the war effort. USAID has also exhausted all of its supplemental humanitarian assistance funds. Additional funding is critical in the face of what remains an enormous need. If Congress does not approve supplemental funding, our partner organizations in Ukraine would have to either reduce the number of people getting this humanitarian assistance by up to 75% or suspend our humanitarian programs entirely. 27:30 Erin McKee: USAID also looks to the future to building resilient infrastructure and institutions that will support Ukraine's path towards European Union integration. For decades, USAID has buttressed Ukraine's progress towards transparent, inclusive and accountable governance. The United States continues to help Ukraine carry out judicial reform, institutionalized transparent financial systems, and respond to the people of Ukraine's zero tolerance for corruption. 33:15 Erin McKee: They have not skipped a beat in advancing the reform agenda. The EU report just came out this morning and both Ukraine and Moldova, and a variety of other countries, received support for continuing and opening chapters of recession talks. That's because our support to strengthening and deepening the institutions fighting corruption in Ukraine have received the top priority from the President. They had to pass and meet conditionality that we put on our direct budget support and did so without blinking. So while they're fighting a war and fighting for their survival, they are 100% dedicated to ensuring that the political economy model that they inherited during the Soviet Union is dismantled, which reflects the will of the Ukrainian people. 34:35 Geoffrey R. Pyatt: And one of the real success stories amid the tragedy of this war is that Europe has turned decisively away from its dependence, up until 2022, on Russian gas in particular. I see that as a permanent change in the landscape. It's reflected in the billions of dollars that European countries have invested in regasification facilities. It's reflected in the contracts that are being signed with American LNG producers. And it's also reflected in Europe's renewed and doubled commitment to accelerating the pace of its energy transition. So ironically, Putin's weaponization of his energy resource has induced Europe to break its vulnerability there and I think that is a permanent change in the landscape. That is also a positive benefit for American energy producers in our leadership on the energy transition. 35:55 Sen. James Risch (R-ID): I want to talk about the nuclear reactors we have in the United States, of which there are 95, give or take a few. Would you tell the committee, please, where does the fuel come from to operate these nuclear facilities? Geoffrey R. Pyatt: So, Ranking Member, about 20% of the fuel that operates our nuclear fleet here in the United States still comes from Russia. The President has included in his latest supplemental request for about $2.2 billion to help rebuild the nuclear enrichment capacity that we need here in the United States to end that dependency. And the administration has also stated its support for a ban on the import of Russian nuclear fuel. 43:30 Erin McKee: Right now Ukraine is able to spend all of their national budget in the fight. They are paying their soldiers salaries, they are dedicated to defeating Putin on the front lines. That means they don't have any resources to take care of their people and govern, which is as vital to keep up the unity of purpose and the resilience that we've seen from the Ukrainian people, because they're all in, both on the civilian and the military side. So the types of services that would be suspended are first responders who rush into the building and save lives, medical care to make sure that inoculations stay up so that the Ukrainian population stays healthy, particularly children's routine immunizations. We heard reports of polio outbreaks and some other concerns during the early days of the mass emigration of folks fleeing the conflict. We also are supporting teachers and continuing education so that they don't lose a generation as a result of Putin's attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure so that the kids can stay in school, and that those families — Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE): Am I correct that the direct budget support requested gradually goes down over the next year, as the economy becomes more vibrant and we assess Ukraine is able to generate more revenue? Erin McKee: Correct. The direct budget support and their fiscal stability is also vital for the IMF program and other donors stepping in. Our leadership in this space -- and yes, we were first -- unlocked the other support that we've seen mobilized from the EU and other donors, as well as boosting the confidence in the multilaterals to be able to contribute to Ukraine's economic stability, which is as vital as winning the war. If their economy collapses, Putin will have won. 47:55 Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY): As Harvard's Graham Allison points out, if Putin is forced to choose between humiliating defeat on the one hand and escalating the level of destruction, there's every reason to believe he chooses the latter. There's a great deal of evidence that the war in Ukraine has come to a stalemate. Even Ukraine's Commander in Chief of the armed services has admitted as much. In Graham Allison's view, the Ukraine war has escalated far enough to see how bad things would become if we end up in a world where nuclear weapons are used. Allison believes that where we are now, both for Putin's Russia and for the Biden-led US and the Western alliance, it's time to search for an off ramp for all the parties. What is being done at the State Department to search for an off ramp. James O'Brien: Thank you, Senator. A few points. I mean, I can speak to the foreign policy implications. My belief is if we don't stand with Ukraine now, we'll be spending much more on defense in the future. Much of this supplemental goes to reinvest in the United States, so far from rot and ruin, we're actually shoring up the foundations in our energy sector as Assistant Secretary Pyatt — Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY): So your argument is that war and funding war around the world is good for our armaments industry. James O'Brien: I'm saying this supplemental is good for our economy — Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY): For the armaments industry. So really, it's a justification of war. To me, that's sort of reprehensible -- and this is coming from my side as well -- the idea that "Oh, glory be, the war's really not that bad. Broken windows are not that bad, because we pay people to fix them. Broken countries are not so bad, because hey, look, the armaments industry is gonna get billions of dollars out of this." I think that's a terrible argument. I wish y'all would go back to your freedom arguments or something. But the idea that you're going to enrich the armaments manufacturers, I think is reprehensible. James O'Brien: Well, Senator, I'm not making the argument war is good. I'm making the argument, in this case, war is necessary. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY): And that we can make a little profit on the side. It's not so bad since the armaments guys who make a lot of profit on this, right. James O'Brien: Senator, I think you're proposing a kind of false choice that Ieither have to say that or say nothing. What I'm saying is that our economy rests on a foundation of innovation. And in the supplemental, we're investing in our energy sector — Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY): But the money is borrowed. We're borrowing the money. We don't have it. We don't have a pot of money. So what you're arguing is, in essence, that we borrow the money from China, we send it to Ukraine, Ukraine, sends it back to buy arms from us, and that's a win-win. How do we win when we're borrowing money to pay people. See this is this false sort of argument that "oh, look, we'll create five jobs for every dollar we spend," but we're borrowing the money. It doesn't make any sense. It's coming from somewhere where it would be a productive use, into the use of basically fomenting a war and continuing on a war. James O'Brien: No, that's not the choice in front of us, Senator. And I'm sorry that you feel that that's the way you want to frame it. The choice in front of us is do we invest in the capacities that allow this war to be won? Those include capacities in energy, in defense, in IT, and they include — Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY): Let's get away from funding the armaments people. You know, I'm not for that. But the original question is, what are you doing to develop an off ramp? You know, when I listen to your presentations, it sounds like the Department of War, I don't hear the Department of diplomacy in front of me. Where are the diplomats? Is anybody talking about negotiation? Do you really believe that Ukraine is gonna push Russia out of out of Ukraine, they're gonna push them out of Crimea, push them out of the East, and that Zelenskyy's is position, "we will not negotiate till they're gone from Ukraine," is viable? And that there's not going to have to be some negotiation beforehand? If you believe that, though, the meat grinder continues and Ukraine will be in utter destruction and tens of thousands more people will die if there is no negotiation. You would think that as a superpower, we would be involved somewhat with encouraging negotiation. But I've heard nothing from you, and nothing from anyone in your administration, frankly, that talks about negotiating. James O'Brien: Well, Senator, then I hope you would sit down and talk with me about what we're doing in this regard. Here, I'll give you a little sense of it. All wars end with a negotiation. We've made clear we'll do that with Ukraine, not over Ukraine's head. It takes two parties to negotiate the end of a war. President Putin is not serious about negotiating the end of the war. He has said he wants to wait and see what happens in November 2024. We're preparing for that eventuality so we can have a negotiation that will actually stick as opposed to the track record of broken agreements that President Putin has made with a whole range of his neighbors up until now. So that's successful diplomacy, not mere diplomacy. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY): There are actually some who say we're back to about where we started as far as negotiating and tens of thousands of people have died on both sides, and we haven't been successful. But I still hear only war and I don't hear diplomacy. James O'Brien: No but I think what we're looking at is successful diplomacy. I just spent last weekend with 66 countries talking about the basis of a successful peace in Ukraine. Russia didn't show up. That, again, is the problem. You don't have a willing partner on the other side, so simply saying that there must be talks is -- you're asking for a monologue, not diplomacy. 55:00 Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR): You know, I'm really struck by the parallel to the journey of Chamberlain to Munich to say, "Okay, Hitler, you can take a third of Czechoslovakia" and then he declared peace in our time, under the assumption that somehow this would not whet Hitler's appetite. Did Chamberlain's strategy work? James O'Brien: No. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR): Will this strategy now, of us bailing on Ukraine to appease Putin, work? James O'Brien: No, it'll invite more aggression. 1:01:40 Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE): Do you think we should condition US aid to prevent US tax dollars from supporting PRC-owned or controlled entities from providing the reconstruction? James O'Brien: Senator, we do. That's why it's so important to have the supplemental so that we remain in the game and can set the conditions that make it impossible for opaque, illegitimate contractors like the Chinese to enter. And I know my colleagues can speak at some length about how in energy, telecomms, and other sectors we do exactly that. But if we're not there, then we can't we can't provide the guarantees you want. 1:05:35 James O'Brien: There are about $2.2 billion to go to both the energy supply and to the economic activity that's needed for Ukraine to begin to repair its access to the outside world. That's also important to us. When Russia invaded Ukraine, grain prices went up six times in many places around the world, because Ukraine is an incredibly important part of the global grain trade. The work that AID does to help Ukrainian farmers get their products to market, in the supplemental, the $100 million that is for demining will help farmers get their product to market. All of that directly benefits the markets in which our consumers are a part. So if we do all that, if we can get them to about pre-war export levels, that's an extra $6 billion a year in tax revenue just from the exports, as well as what the industries pay and what happens around the society. Now, Secretary Pritzker, and she should come and testify this herself, she's doing an outstanding job at building a strategy that lets us focus our efforts in key places, so that Ukraine's economy will begin to work and contribute to the global economy, even while this war is going on. All of that works together to make sure that Ukraine can succeed and has the leverage needed when we get to a negotiation, as Senator Paul wants. 1:13:55 Geoffrey R. Pyatt: So I would point out that the greatest threat to the energy grid today are the Shahed drones, which Russia is now beginning to industrialize the production of those. We can talk about that in a classified setting, but there is a direct Iran-Russia nexus in the attacks on Ukraine's energy system. 1:24:10 Geoffrey R. Pyatt: We are working as hard as we can to accelerate that trend. We do that through two mechanisms. One is by accelerating our energy transition, both here in the United States, but also globally, as the Biden administration has done through the Inflation Reduction Act to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. But the other aspect of this is what we are doing systematically to reduce Russia's future energy revenue. Just last week, for instance, we leveled new sanctions against a project in the in the Arctic, Arctic LNG 2, which is Novatek's flagship LNG project, which Novatek set in motion with the aspiration of developing Russia as the largest LNG exporter in the world. Our objective is to kill that project, and we're doing that through our sanctions, working with our partners in the G7 and beyond. 1:26:00 James O'Brien: Russia is losing its lucrative markets. That's what got it rich enough to afford this war. It's losing out in the sectors of innovation that are going to drive economic development in the future. So we look at this and say, "Does it put pressure on Putin to get to the table?" Well, yes, it does. It's going to take a little time. He started the war with 640 billion in a rainy day fund. By the start of this year, despite record profits last year, he was down around 580, we immobilized 300 of that, and he spent down further from there. So that gives them a year, two years maybe, of run room on that rainy day fund that all came from selling oil and gas. So that's gone. The second thing is that we don't see Russia able to play in the sectors that are going to drive innovation and economic growth in the future. The areas of quantum mechanics, artificial intelligence, the energy transition, including the new nuclear technologies that are coming on board, and Senator Risch, your work on this I really appreciate, because Russia entangled countries in these long term networks of corruption, with generation-long Rosatom contracts. We're now competing for those again, and taking those sectors away from Russia. That changes the long term prospect from what it was. The result of all this is we anticipate that Russia's GDP is going to be at least 20% smaller by 2030 than it would be if Putin had not started this war. So it's a long term strategic loss for him, and it creates a great opportunity for us in a number of important sectors. 1:35:30 Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL): I understand, and this is not critical. I agree that we can't allow borders to be changed unilaterally and we have to stand with our allies. I'm not diminishing any of those things. But those arguments are too vague. They make sense here, but I'm just telling you they're too vague. This notion that we need to do whatever it takes for however long it takes, is also misguided. Not because that's not necessarily what we need to do, but because that's not going to be enough for people who are asking these questions. I would just say if you had an opportunity, any of you three, or all you three to talk to someone, say someone that came up to me a week ago and said, "Why are we still putting all this money in Ukraine. I hate Putin, I hate what he's done, but we've got all these other things domestically and in other parts of the world that are more important, including China, and now what's happening in the Middle East. How are we going to be spending $60 billion every six months? For how long? Given the debt that we already have?" What would you say to them? And how would you explain to them that this fits into their national interest in that perspective I've just outlined? James O'Brien: That's really well framed, Senator, so I'll do my best here. I think the first thing I'd say is you got to shore up your own base. If we're going to confront China over the next decades, it's 1.4 billion people, that's looking to write the rules that the world economy will run on. We go at them with a coalition of 50-odd countries, Europe is about 600-700 million of that, we're 350 million. With that already, we're set to compete really effectively. Ukraine, though, is a challenge by Putin trying to fray that foundation. So we have to shore that up if we're going to have the heft to compete with China over time. The battle over Ukraine also allows us to reinvigorate our own industrial base, we're creating new energy technologies and putting them in place around the world. We're building new defense technologies, the work that's being done in IT, all of that's included in this supplemental, and that's going to make us better able to defend Taiwan, to work in the South China Sea, than we have otherwise. The final point I'd make is, this is the wrong time to walk away because Ukraine's winning. It's already taken back half the territory Putin seized since February 2022. It opened up the Black Sea grain lanes that Putin tried to shut down in July, did that mostly with its own creativity around a whole set of interesting drones and other technologies that are going to contribute to our security as Ukraine gets closer to NATO. So those are all reasons you don't walk away when you're partway through the job. 1:41:10 Geoffrey R. Pyatt: Ukraine is not a charity case. In economic and development terms, it's an opportunity. Developing that opportunity depends on restoring a level of peace. But as we look to the future, you're going to have a Europe which has decoupled from Russian energy supplies, which means that there's a hole of about 130 BCM per year in energy supply that Europe is going to have to fill. Over the short term, some of that is American LNG, but that's a very expensive option. Ukraine has fantastic resources on wind, on solar, on biomass. It has Europe's second largest civil nuclear industry. It has developed and has demonstrated an extraordinary technological acuity. Just look at how clever Ukrainian soldiers have been in the application of drone technology. These are all the skill sets that Ukraine will need to prosper as a member of the European Union. My colleague, Assistant Administrator McKee, referred to the statement which European President Vanderlaan delivered today welcoming the significant progress that Ukraine has made on its reforms, and her and the Commission's determination to move ahead with Ukraine's accession to the European Union. And I would say as somebody who served as an American ambassador in the EU for six years, what Ukraine represents is a demographically young population, a population which is fantastically committed to the values of the European Union. Ukraine is the only place in the world where people have fought and died under the flag of the EU for the values that are represented in the European constitutions. So I think these are the investments in the leadership that Secretary Pritzker is providing to help our companies and companies around the world begin to make plans for the day after and to work with Ukrainians to keep pushing forward the reforms, which are fundamental to creating the environment where American energy companies, renewable energy companies can come into Ukraine, where we can use Ukraine to help to fill the huge challenges that our global supply chain faces. In the Soviet Union, Ukraine was the center of Soviet metallurgy, the center of Soviet petrochemicals industries, all of those latent skills are still there. You talked about nuclear, Ukraine has a company in Kharkiv, Turboatom, which is one of the few facilities in all of Europe that has the industrial capacity to produce the large steel enclosures that are part of building modern nuclear reactors. So I applaud your focus on this and I know I speak for all three of us and how systematically we're focused on trying to lay the foundation for that better future that the Ukrainian people so richly deserve. 1:53:55 James O'Brien: Ukraine has won back 50% of the territory Russia took since February of 2022. The second piece that's important: Putin is playing a waiting game, like many Muscovite rulers before him. So it's difficult to get a decisive battle. So what we need is what's in the supplemental that has the ability to fight this fight over some time, and we do see real success. So in the Black Sea, Russia attempted to stop Ukraine from exporting. In July, exports were down 2-2.5 million tons; they're already more than doubled, and expect to see them go up substantially more. That's because of what Ukraine has done with its technology and its new weapons systems, more of which would be provided by the supplemental. February 4, 2014 On Demand News on YouTube Speakers: Victoria Nuland, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, 2013-2017 Geoffrey Pyatt, United States Ambassador to Ukraine, 2013-2016 Clips Victoria Nuland: Good. So I don't think Klitsch [Vitali Klitschko] should go into the government. I don't think it's necessary, I don't think it's a good idea. Geoffrey Pyatt: Yeah, I mean I guess, in terms of him not going into the government, just sort of letting him stay out and do his political homework and stuff. I'm just thinking in terms of, sort of, the process moving ahead, we want to keep the moderate Democrats together. The problem is going to be Tyahnybok and his guys and I'm sure that's part of what Yanukovych is calculating on all this. Victoria Nuland: I think Yatz [Arseniy Yatsenyuk] is the guy with the economic experience, the governing experience. He's the guy. What he needs is Klitsch [Vitali Klitschko] And Tyahnybok On the outside, he needs to be talking to them four times a week. You know, I just think Klitsch [Vitali Klitschko] Going in he's going to be at that level working for Yatsenyuk it's just not gonna work. Geoffrey Pyatt: We want to get someone out here with an international personality to come out here and help to midwife this thing. And then the other issue is some kind of outreach to Yanukovych. We'll probably regroup on that tomorrow as we see how things fall into place. Victoria Nuland: So on that piece, Jeff, I wrote the note, Sullivan's come back to me saying “you need Biden,” and I said probably tomorrow for an attaboy and get the deets to stick, Biden's willing. Geoffrey Pyatt: Great. December 19, 2013 The Atlantic Council Speaker: John McCain, U.S. Senator from Arizona, 1987-2018 Clips 16:45 Sen. John McCain: If Ukraine's political crisis persists or deepens, which is a real possibility, we must support creative Ukrainian efforts to resolve it. Senator Murphy and I heard a few such ideas last weekend—from holding early elections, as the opposition is now demanding, to the institution of a technocratic government with a mandate to make the difficult reforms required for Ukraine's long-term economic health and sustainable development. Decisions such as these are for Ukrainians to make—no one else—and if they request our assistance, we should provide it where possible. Finally, we must encourage the European Union and the IMF to keep their doors open to Ukraine. Ultimately, the support of both institutions is indispensable for Ukraine's future. And eventually, a Ukrainian President, either this one or a future one, will be prepared to accept the fundamental choice facing the country, which is this: While there are real short-term costs to the political and economic reforms required for IMF assistance and EU integration, and while President Putin will likely add to these costs by retaliating against Ukraine's economy, the long-term benefits for Ukraine in taking these tough steps are far greater and almost limitless. This decision cannot be borne by one person alone in Ukraine. Nor should it be. It must be shared—both the risks and the rewards—by all Ukrainians, especially the opposition and business elite. It must also be shared by the EU, the IMF and the United States. All of us in the West should be prepared to help Ukraine, financially and otherwise, to overcome the short-term pain that reforms will require and Russia may inflict. April 20, 1994 Southern Center for International Studies Speaker: Arthur Dunkel, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, 1980-1993 Clips 26:55 Arthur Dunkel: If I look back at the last 25 years, what did we have? We had two worlds: The so-called Market Economy world and the centrally planned world; the centrally planned world disappeared. One of the main challenges of the Uruguay round has been to create a world wide system. I think we have to think of that. Secondly, why a world wide system? Because, basically, I consider that if governments cooperate in trade policy field, you reduce the risks of tension – political tension and even worse than that." Music by Editing Production Assistance

Season 5, Episode 8: Our tour through the many fora of multilateral diplomacy is coming to an end. To help us wrap up season five, ISD's own Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis and Tressa Finerty join Dr. Kelly McFarland to explore key themes, re-examine the tough questions, and look forward to the future of consensus-driven multilateral diplomacy. Ambassador (ret.) Jeffrey DeLaurentis is currently Acting Deputy Representative of the United States to the United Nations. During his 28-year career in the Foreign Service,  he worked almost exclusively on Western Hemisphere issues and served as a multilateral diplomat at the United Nations. He served as the first Chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Havana following the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba. Prior to taking up his Cuba post in August 2014, he was Ambassador/Alternate Representative for Special Political Affairs at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Previously, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, and as Minister Counselor for Political Affairs and Security Council Coordinator at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. He is a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and Columbia University Graduate School of International and Public Affairs. Tressa Rae Finerty is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with more than twenty years of experience at the Department of State, most recently serving as Deputy Executive Secretary. A specialist in multilateral diplomatic engagement and negotiation, Tressa led teams at U.S. Missions to the United Nations in New York and Geneva.  An expert in humanitarian and refugee policy, she taught courses on international refugee practices at NYU, led emergency humanitarian operations to welcome freed politician prisoners from Nicaragua in 2023, and created the Dulles Afghan Refugee Transit Center, which rapidly brought nearly fifty thousand Afghans to safety in 2021.  She built the first-ever in-country refugee processing center, for Iraqis fleeing the war there (2008-9). Tressa has also served at U.S. embassies in Malaysia, Iraq, Armenia, and Thailand, in Washington in the office for North Korea Policy, and as a board member of Executive Women @ State, supporting women for senior leadership positions.   Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Tressa was a business strategy and change management consultant.  She holds a BA and MBA from The George Washington University and is a member of the Board of Directors of Up With People, an international youth leadership organization.     As a disclaimer that our listeners know well - The opinions expressed in this conversation are strictly those of Jeff and Tressa and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Government.   Episode recorded: May 2, 2023 Produced by Daniel Henderson Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world.  Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.  For more, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter @GUDiplomacy. Send any feedback to diplomacy@georgetown.edu.  

Natalie E. Brown is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister Counselor. In 2019, she was nominated to be the Ambassador to Uganda, and her nomination was confirmed on August 6, 2020. She arrived in Uganda the weekend of October 31, 2020 and presented her credentials on November 17, 2020. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/capitalfmuganda/support

ADST has the world's largest collection of U.S. diplomatic oral history. They have over 2,500 oral histories at ADST.org Susan Rockwell Johnson is the president of ADST since November 2016. She is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service (retired) with over three decades of distinguished service in a broad range of bilateral and multilateral assignments in and out of the State Department. Margery B. Thompson directs ADST's book-related programs, advises diplomats and others on editing and publishing matters, and coordinates the ADST-DACOR Diplomats and Diplomacy Series. Before joining ADST in 1995, she was director of publications and editor at the Georgetown University Institute for the Study of Diplomacy (ISD) from 1980 to 1994. Caleb Zakarin is the Assistant Editor of the New Books Network (Twitter: @caleb_zakarin). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

ADST has the world's largest collection of U.S. diplomatic oral history. They have over 2,500 oral histories at ADST.org Susan Rockwell Johnson is the president of ADST since November 2016. She is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service (retired) with over three decades of distinguished service in a broad range of bilateral and multilateral assignments in and out of the State Department. Margery B. Thompson directs ADST's book-related programs, advises diplomats and others on editing and publishing matters, and coordinates the ADST-DACOR Diplomats and Diplomacy Series. Before joining ADST in 1995, she was director of publications and editor at the Georgetown University Institute for the Study of Diplomacy (ISD) from 1980 to 1994. Caleb Zakarin is the Assistant Editor of the New Books Network (Twitter: @caleb_zakarin). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

ADST has the world's largest collection of U.S. diplomatic oral history. They have over 2,500 oral histories at ADST.org Susan Rockwell Johnson is the president of ADST since November 2016. She is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service (retired) with over three decades of distinguished service in a broad range of bilateral and multilateral assignments in and out of the State Department. Margery B. Thompson directs ADST's book-related programs, advises diplomats and others on editing and publishing matters, and coordinates the ADST-DACOR Diplomats and Diplomacy Series. Before joining ADST in 1995, she was director of publications and editor at the Georgetown University Institute for the Study of Diplomacy (ISD) from 1980 to 1994. Caleb Zakarin is the Assistant Editor of the New Books Network (Twitter: @caleb_zakarin). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

ADST has the world's largest collection of U.S. diplomatic oral history. They have over 2,500 oral histories at ADST.org Susan Rockwell Johnson is the president of ADST since November 2016. She is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service (retired) with over three decades of distinguished service in a broad range of bilateral and multilateral assignments in and out of the State Department. Margery B. Thompson directs ADST's book-related programs, advises diplomats and others on editing and publishing matters, and coordinates the ADST-DACOR Diplomats and Diplomacy Series. Before joining ADST in 1995, she was director of publications and editor at the Georgetown University Institute for the Study of Diplomacy (ISD) from 1980 to 1994. Caleb Zakarin is the Assistant Editor of the New Books Network (Twitter: @caleb_zakarin). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ADST has the world's largest collection of U.S. diplomatic oral history. They have over 2,500 oral histories at ADST.org Susan Rockwell Johnson is the president of ADST since November 2016. She is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service (retired) with over three decades of distinguished service in a broad range of bilateral and multilateral assignments in and out of the State Department. Margery B. Thompson directs ADST's book-related programs, advises diplomats and others on editing and publishing matters, and coordinates the ADST-DACOR Diplomats and Diplomacy Series. Before joining ADST in 1995, she was director of publications and editor at the Georgetown University Institute for the Study of Diplomacy (ISD) from 1980 to 1994. Caleb Zakarin is the Assistant Editor of the New Books Network (Twitter: @caleb_zakarin). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when you pursue your dreams?  What if we all embraced an intentional approach to life and went after our goals?  Well, you may end up living around the world, working within different cultures, and impacting hundreds, maybe thousands of people across the globe!  My guest this week dreamed of being a diplomat at age 15 and she has worked to make that dream a reality, as a career foreign commercial service officer. Camille Richardson is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Middle East and Africa for the International Trade Administration. Camille describes her job and the role she plays in helping U.S. businesses explore international opportunities and create export strategies. She shares her 30-year career journey from serving as a Presidential Management Fellow to her current role, how she found her purpose, and the personal and professional challenges she faced along the way.We also touch on the following: Intentional mindset and overcoming self-sabotage Embracing change and connecting peopleMentoring and coachingDiversity in the workplace The WELLTI Initiative (Women Empowered Lead Legacies Through Trade and Investment) Opportunities for small and medium businesses relative to international trade Resources available to help entrepreneurs engage in international tradeListen to Episode 503 to learn more!Other Resources Mentioned:WELLTI Initiativehttps://www.trade.gov/contact-us Trade WindsContact usTake Control of Your Life: How to Silence Fear and Win the Mental Game by Mel RobbinsThriving Points:You're not going to be everybody's cup of tea and that's okay. As long as you treat people with respect,  and command the same respect for yourself - you give it, you get it. - Camille RichardsonIt's a good idea just to not just have a mentor, but even a circle of advisors, and trusted people that you can turn to for different perspectives. - Camille RichardsonYour dreams are out there and sometimes you have to defy gravity, the weight of other people's expectations, or even your own fears to reach them. - Camille RichardsonA lot of people talk about fear of failure,  but a lot of us have a fear of success because to succeed, then you have to be different. - Nikki RogersGet to Know the Guest:Camille Richardson is a tenured Senior Foreign Service officer with the U.S. Commercial Service. She began her career in government with the International Trade Administration (ITA) at the U.S. Department of Commerce in 1993 and became an accredited diplomat with the U.S. Commercial Service in 1998.  Camille has served in Miami, FL; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Nairobi, Kenya; Mumbai, India, and Sao Paulo, Brazil facilitating commercial partnerships between U.S. and local companies. In 2021, she was appointed as Commerce ITA's new Deputy Assistant Secretary for the MEA region.A native of Washington, D.C., Camille earned a B.A. in International Relations from Brown University and an M.A. in International Relations from Johns Hopkins/SAIS. She speaks Portuguese and Portunhol along with a bit of Hindi, Swahili, and French.Connect with Camille:LinkedIn

In this episode of Intuitively Rich Ani talked to Allan J “Alonzo” about how he survived incredible and unexpected dangers as a global humanitarian volunteer, who are humanitarians, Finding Spiritual Answers in the Andes Mountains, How can we encourage more young people to consider humanitarian service and more. Allan J. "Alonzo" Wind is a retired Senior Foreign Service Officer from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), having worked on and off with the Agency primarily overseas on diplomatic assignments from 1990 to 1992 and 1999 to 2019 in Peru, Nicaragua, Angola, Nigeria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and South Africa and the Southern Africa USAID Regional Missions. He provided oversight to U.S. government foreign aid development and humanitarian assistance and supported U.S. Ambassadors as their senior development officer on multiple U.S. Embassy Country Teams. In South Africa, he helped establish the Southern Africa Regional Leadership Center as part of President Obama's Young African Leadership Initiative and contributed to other youth development efforts and business incubators. He previously worked as the Global Program Coordinator for the International Save the Children Alliance Secretariat and as a Country Director and Health Sector Coordinator for different nonprofit private voluntary organizations including CARE and PLAN International in a range of countries including Ecuador, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, and the United Kingdom If you want to know more FOLLOW Allan: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lonewolfpsyc/ Website: https://lonewolfpsychologicalservices.com/ Ani Rich is a Childhood Trauma Releasing Coach, Embodiment Yoga Teacher, Mother, a Podcast Host, and a Life Coach. FOLLOW Ani: Hear Ani's Story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yWsX... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ (personal) https://www.instagram.com/ani_rich_co... Website: https://anirich.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ani-rich-... YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXAi... Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anirichcoaching Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VS7DG76 Much love Ani Rich --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ani-rich/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ani-rich/support

Allan J. Wind - Retired Senior Foreign Service Officer from the U.S. Agency for International Development (US AID), Global Development Executive, International Adventurer. Author of the book ANDEAN ADVENTURES: An Unexpected Search for Meaning and Purpose across three countries In this episode we talked about: His career as a diplomat working in underserved and underprivilege communities where terrorism, abuse and corruption is present. He shared his insights on the idea of the national service. How the youth can gain skills that are applicable in solving real world problems. How to communicate with Tribal Leaders and educate them on skills that uplift their quality of living. Getting back the idea of national service in the US. Where the government funding is being used for international relief programs, Issues on Corruption and many more.

On July 26, 2018, Craig Allen began his tenure in Washington, DC as the president of the US-China Business Council (USCBC), a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization representing over 200 American companies doing business with China. Prior to joining USCBC, Craig had a long, distinguished career in US public service.   Craig began his government career in 1985 at the Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration (ITA). He entered government as a Presidential Management Intern, rotating through the four branches of ITA. From 1986 to 1988, he was an international economist in ITA's China Office.   In 1988, Craig transferred to the American Institute in Taiwan, where he served as Director of the American Trade Center in Taipei. He held this position until 1992, when he returned to the Department of Commerce for a three-year posting at the US Embassy in Beijing as Commercial Attaché.   In 1995, Craig was assigned to the US Embassy in Tokyo, where he served as a Commercial Attaché. In 1998, he was promoted to Deputy Senior Commercial Officer. In 1999, Craig became a member of the Senior Foreign Service.   From 2000, Craig served a two-year tour at the National Center for APEC in Seattle. While there, he worked on the APEC Summits in Brunei, China, and Mexico. In 2002, it was back to Beijing, where Craig served as the Senior Commercial Officer. In Beijing, Craig was promoted to the Minister Counselor rank of the Senior Foreign Service.   After a four-year tour in South Africa, Craig became Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia at the US Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration. He later became Deputy Assistant Secretary for China. Craig was sworn in as the United States ambassador to Brunei Darussalam on December 19, 2014. He served there until July 2018, when he transitioned to President of the US-China Business Council.   Craig received a B.A. from the University of Michigan in Political Science and Asian Studies in 1979. He received a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in 1985.   On today Show we Talk about:   We Talk About What is the extent of high-tech relations between US and China? What steps are China taking to advance Chinese innovation? How does the China's 2017 Intelligence Law, have an impact on technology transfer? How has the Biden and Trump approach to China relationships been similar and how have they been different?   Connect with Craig https://www.uschina.org/ Craig Allen callen@uschina.org   CONNECT WITH SHAWN https://linktr.ee/ShawnflynnSV Shawn Flynn's LinkedInAccount Silicon Valley LinkedInGroup Account Shawn Flynn's FacebookAccount Email Shawn@thesiliconvalleypodcast.com  

Allan J. "Alonzo" Wind is a retired Senior Foreign Service Officer from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and author of “ANDEAN ADVENTURES: An Unexpected Search for Meaning, Purpose and Discovery Across Three Countries.” He has worked on and off with the USAID primarily overseas on diplomatic assignments from 1990 to 1992 and 1999 to 2019 in the Peru, Nicaragua, Angola, Nigeria, Iraq, Afghanistan and South Africa and the Southern Africa USAID Regional Missions. He provided oversight to U.S. government foreign aid development and humanitarian assistance, and supported U.S. Ambassadors as their senior development officer on multiple U.S. Embassy Country Teams. In South Africa he helped establish the Southern Africa Regional Leadership Center as part of President Obama's Young African Leadership Initiative, and contributed to other youth development efforts and business incubators. He previously worked as the Global Programme Coordinator for the International Save the Children Alliance Secretariat and as a Country Director and Health Sector Coordinator for different nonprofit private voluntary organizations including CARE and PLAN International in a range of countries including Ecuador, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic and the United Kingdom. Mr. Wind began his career as a Rural Public Health U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador from 1980-1982, where he was widely known as "Doctor Alonzo." The Alonzo nickname stuck throughout life in many countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. His recent book “ANDEAN ADVENTURES: An Unexpected Search for Meaning, Purpose and Discovery Across Three Countries” has been a best-seller on Amazon and is available in paperback and ebook formats, in Spanish translation and an upcoming audio version. Website: https://enableennoble.net

This month, the Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to host Mr. Rob Waller as our guest. Mr. Waller was the US Consul General in Erbil for one year from July 2020 and has just completed his assignment in Kurdistan.He has previously served as a career member of the Senior Foreign Service of the United States in several capacities, including the Director of the Office of Iraq Affairs and as the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iraq and Iran at the State Department. Mr. Waller discusses his key objectives and achievements as the US Consul General in Erbil and the challenges that he experienced during his tenure. He also shares his views on Erbil-Baghdad relations, the conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the Sinjar Agreement, and his personal experience in the Kurdistan Region and thoughts about the people of Kurdistan.

Tim "Timmy" Davis is an active duty Foreign Service Officer and career member of the Senior Foreign Service.  In this episode, Tim shares lessons learned on leadership, beginning with his experience as a U.S. Marine.  He also discusses how to develop strong teams, instill a work ethic, promote selflessness, encourage diversity, and increase recruitment.  Mr. Davis also shares lessons learned closing the U.S. Consulate in Basra, Iraq, and take-aways from Secretary Clinton's e-mail controversy.  Interview excerpted from the forthcoming book: Modern American Diplomacy: A Field Guide to Success in The Foreign Service. For those interested in exploring a career in the Foreign Service, please visit Careers.State.Gov. To find out more about this episode's guest or to dig further into the history and practice of U.S. diplomacy, visit ADST.org or 25YearApprenticeship.com. Special thanks to the Una Chapman Cox Foundation, the American Academy of Diplomacy, as well as Harvard's Sama Kubba and Syed Ahmed.

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed just how fragile the international system is, upending the global economy and dramatically affecting international relations. Julie explains how the unpredictable nature of global issues and global relations creates a future of opportunities for intellectually curious job seekers. About Our Guest Julie Chung is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. As principal deputy assistant secretary of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. State Department, she is responsible for the management and oversight of the bureau's 52 overseas U.S. diplomatic missions, 18,000 overseas and domestic staff, and a $300 million budget. About the Global Careers Podcast Series This podcast presents inspiring stories from seasoned professionals who have embraced a global role and reaped the benefits. We offer practical advice and insider tips across a broad swath of industries and fields around the world about what it is like to work globally. If you love adventure and thrive on taking risks and operating outside your comfort zone, join us as we explore the ins and outs of pursuing an international career! About GW-CIBER The George Washington University Center for International Business Education and Research (GW-CIBER) promotes the nation's capacity for international understanding and economic enterprise related to the theme of Institutions, Inclusive Globalization and U.S. Competitiveness.

In this episode of National Security Podcast, United States Chargé d’Affaires to Australia Mike Goldman joins Professor Rory Medcalf to discuss Australia’s bilateral relationship with the United States and the Biden Administration’s approach to the region.With a new administration in the White House, where should we expect continuity and discontinuity in America’s approach to its allies and the Indo-Pacific? In this episode of the National Security Podcast, and the second edition of Security Summit with Rory Medcalf, we speak to United States Chargé d’Affaires to Australia Mike Goldman on how the Biden Administration views the bilateral relationship, how the United States will respond to increasing Chinese attempts to coerce Australia, and how it is approaching the growing list of challenges to Indo-Pacific security.Mike Goldman is Chargé d’Affaires at the United States Embassy to Australia in Canberra and a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. Mike has been working in diplomacy since he joined the State Department in 2000, including on several postings throughout Asia.Professor Rory Medcalf is Head of the National Security College at The Australian National University. His professional background involves more than two decades of experience across diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks, and journalism.Chris Farnham is the producer of the National Security Podcast. He joined the National Security College in June 2015 and is currently Senior Outreach and Policy Officer. After serving as a soldier in the Australian Army, Chris has worked in roles throughout East Asia with a focus on geopolitics and regional security.We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or find us on Facebook. The National Security Podcast and Policy Forum Pod are available on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever you get your podcasts. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

President Biden declared at the Munich Security Conference on February 19, 2021 that “America is Back” and that he was concerned by China's human rights record and unfair trade practices. However, will the success of U.S. foreign policy in China depend on the Biden Administration's ability to quickly resolve racial injustice and inequality at home? How urgent is it for the Biden Administration to uproot systematic racism and white supremacy in order to retake its role as leader of the free world? What role will Black American diplomats play in advancing America's democratic ideals abroad? Join Alexanderia Haidara, Co-Host of Global Take, as we discuss these pressing global issues with Ambassador Sylvia Gaye Stanfield, President of Black Professionals in International Affairs. About Ambassador Sylvia Gaye Stanfield Ambassador Sylvia Gaye Stanfield was the U.S. Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam from 1999-2002 and a career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service. Asia was the focus of much of her 30 plus years with the Foreign Service. Her first overseas assignment was with the then American Embassy in Taipei, Taiwan. As a political track Chinese language officer, she had postings with the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and the American Institute in Taiwan in Taipei. She served on the State Department's “China desk” at the time of the normalization of U.S. relations with the People's Republic of China and later headed the Office of Taiwan Coordination Affairs. She was Director of Australian and New Zealand Affairs prior to serving as Charge d'Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand. She was Diplomat-in-Residence at Florida A&M University and at Spelman College before serving as Senior Advisor for Mentoring Coordination at the Department of State. Along with continuing involvement in mentoring activities, she is the President of Black Professionals in International Affairs (BPIA) – an organization founded in 1989 to increase African-Americans' interest and involvement in international affairs, and a member of the Association of Black American Ambassadors executive committee. A native Texan, she earned a B.A. degree in intercultural studies from Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio. While an East West Center grantee, she received a M.A. degree in Asian Studies from the University of Hawaii and continued her studies at the University of Hong Kong School of Oriental Studies and Linguistics.

Tune in as Diplomatic Security Special Agent Julie Cabus, a member of the Senior Foreign Service, discusses her career at multiple diplomatic assignments on the continent of Africa, within Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and several domestic assignments. Julie is the first active-duty special agent and the first female agent on the Off The X Podcast.

On October 31st, 2000, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1325, which reaffirmed “the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace building, the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security, and the need to increase their role in decision-making with regard to conflict prevention and resolution.” Resolution 1325 helped create the Women in Peace and Security program or WPS. A BETTER PEACE welcomes Ambassador Jean E. Manes as she shares her experience in the national security realm. She joins podcast editor Ron Granieri in the studio to explain how far the WPS program has come in the last two decades and where it needs to continue to go. Ambassador Manes is the Civilian Deputy to the Commander and Foreign Policy Advisor, U.S. Southern Command, and in this unique position she has a wealth of real world cases that have benefited from the involvement of women.   When it becomes unremarkable and we don't even have to highlight it, or it's not even anything we notice, then I think we will have met the goal. Ambassador Jean E. Manes assumed duties as Civilian Deputy to the Commander and Foreign Policy Advisor, U.S. Southern Command, Miami, FL, in October 2019. She is a member of the Senior Foreign Service with the Department of State, having joined in 1992 and has served under five Presidents. Throughout her 27-year career she led large scale operations, focusing on empowering people and prioritizing resources. Ron Granieri is an Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor of A BETTER PEACE. The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense or Department of State. Photo Description: (L) Rosie the Riveter is a widely known symbol of American women's contribution to the U.S. defense industry  of WWII.  She was the sign of changing attitudes in the nation over 70 years ago. (R) Ambassador Jean E. Manes, Civilian Deputy to the Commander and Foreign Policy Advisor, U.S. Southern Command, represents how far women in peace and security have come—and what the nation needs more of. Photo Credit: (L) J. Howard Miller, Office for Emergency Management, War Production Board. (R) U.S. Southern Command

Few alliances in the world are as storied and robust as the U.S.-Korea alliance. Building on the security relationship established at the end of the Korean War, the partnership between the two countries have since expanded to trade, science and technology, human rights, and elsewhere. And in particular, we saw the public health cooperation between the two countries in the joint effort to contain and treat Ebola during the 2014 outbreak in West Africa.  So what has the partnership looked like between the two countries in the ongoing effort to contain COVID-19? To discuss this collaboration, our guest today is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Korea and Japan Marc Knapper. A member of the Senior Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State, his previous postings have included Tokyo, Hanoi, and Baghdad - but most notably for the discussion today, he served as the Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. embassy in Seoul from 2017 to 2018 and Deputy Chief of Mission from 2015 to 2016.

Speaker: Craig Allen, President, US-China Business Council This event is part of the "China Economy Lecture Series," hosted by Professor Meg Rithmire at the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Harvard University. On July 26, 2018, Craig Allen began his tenure in Washington, DC, as the sixth President of the United States-China Business Council (USCBC), a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization representing over 200 American companies doing business with China. Prior to joining USCBC, Craig had a long, distinguished career in US public service. Craig began his government career in 1985 at the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA). He entered government as a Presidential Management Intern, rotating through the four branches of ITA. From 1986 to 1988, he was an international economist in ITA’s China Office. In 1988, Craig transferred to the American Institute in Taiwan, where he served as Director of the American Trade Center in Taipei. He held this position until 1992, when he returned to the Department of Commerce for a three-year posting at the US Embassy in Beijing as Commercial Attaché. In 1995, Craig was assigned to the US Embassy in Tokyo, where he served as a Commercial Attaché. In 1998, he was promoted to Deputy Senior Commercial Officer. In 1999, Craig became a member of the Senior Foreign Service. From 2000, Craig served a two-year tour at the National Center for APEC in Seattle. While there, he worked on the APEC Summits in Brunei, China, and Mexico. In 2002, it was back to Beijing, where Craig served as the Senior Commercial Officer. In Beijing, Craig was promoted to the Minister Counselor rank of the Senior Foreign Service. After a four-year tour in South Africa, Craig became Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia at the US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. He later became Deputy Assistant Secretary for China. Craig was sworn in as the United States ambassador to Brunei Darussalam on December 19, 2014. He served there until July 2018, when he transitioned to President of the US-China Business Council. Craig received a B.A. from the University of Michigan in Political Science and Asian Studies in 1979. He received a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in 1985.

Three seasoned Project Management practitioners, teachers, and authors share their insights, observations and what they consider the important issues of the day. Dr. Kenneth Smith talks about techniques and tools and why it's important for PMs to understand the underlying principles of the tools they use. John Stenbeck explains how Agile can be scaled up to the portfolio or organizational level. And Carl Pritchard shares techniques that PMs can use when they need to communicate with their managers or executives of the organization. Listen, learn, and get a free PDU! PDU Information Earn education PDUs in the PMI Talent Triangle for each podcast. Use the following information in PMI’s CCRS system to register the PDUs for this podcast: PDU Category: Online or Digital Media   Provider Number: 4634   PDU Claim Code:  4634NXANUE   Activity Number: PMPOV0058   PDUs for this episode: 1 About the Speakers Ken Smith is a long-time member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and IPMA-USA; a project management practitioner, researcher-evaluator, manager, advisor, consultant & instructor/facilitator. Initially a management intern, analyst/systems specialist with the US Department of Defense; he later was a Senior Foreign Service officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development and gained world-wide experience – at HQ and field levels -- as a management systems advisor, evaluator, project, program & portfolio manager of various sector projects, as well as an in-house trainer/facilitator. Now retired from USAID, Dr. Smith conducts workshop-seminars in various aspects of project management, monitoring and evaluation for PMI, as well as other organizations. John G. Stenbeck, PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM, CSP, is the Founder of GR8PM, Inc. (pronounced “Great PM”). He is a three-time Amazon #1 Best Selling author. His industry-leading project management books have sold almost $3 million. John has been a guest on VoiceAmerica talk radio, Good Morning America, the Today Show, Fox News and the Oprah Winfrey Show. He is a sought-after Keynote speaker because he enables executives and professionals to become powerfully productive leaders. Carl Pritchard is the principal and founder of Pritchard Management Associates, and is a recognized lecturer, author, researcher, and instructor. As a lecturer he is considered a leading authority on risk management and presents on a variety of management topics, ranging from project essentials to the complexities of network diagramming and team motivation. He has published articles on project management maturity, the international trends in PM, advances in risk management, and served as the lead chapter author for the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Risk Management Chapter (4th Edition). His work as an instructor has taken him around the world, training with some of the leading international training organizations, as well as for private clients and the Project Management Institute®. He is the U.S. Correspondent for the U.K. project management journal, Project Manager Today.      

Host: Mark Phillips  Guest: Ambassador Michael A. Hammer, Acting Senior Vice President,  NDU Bio:   Ambassador Michael (Mike) A. Hammer became NDU's Acting Senior Vice President on 27 Oct 2017. He previously served as the Deputy Commandant of NDU's Eisenhower School and was additionally dual-hatted as the Vice Chancellor of the College of International Security Affairs.  AMB Hammer is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service class of Minister-Counselor.  He most recently served as U.S. AMB to Chile from 2014-2016. He began his diplomatic career in 1988.  Prior to his appointment in Chile, AMB Hammer served as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs from March 2012 to August 2013.  He also served as Acting Assistant Secretary and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs. Before joining the Bureau of Public Affairs, AMB Hammer served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President, Senior Director for Press and Communications, and National Security Council Spokesman from January 2009 to January 2011.  He previously served at the National Security Council as Deputy Spokesman from 1999 to 2000 and as the Director of Andean Affairs from 2000 to 2001. AMB Hammer's overseas postings include Bolivia, Norway, Iceland and Denmark.  His other State Department assignments include the Operations Center and serving as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. AMB Hammer has received several awards, including a the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award, the State Department’s Distinguished Honor Award, the Department’s Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Public Diplomacy and several Superior Honor awards. AMB Hammer earned a Bachelor's degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.  He also earned Master's degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and from the National War College at the National Defense University. AMB Hammer grew up in Latin America, living in Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil.  He is fluent in Spanish and speaks French and Icelandic. AMB Hammer and his wife Margret Bjorgulfsdottir have three children.

Nobody makes it through life without allies; whether it's business or politics, everybody needs them. On this episode of AmCham's How Business Really Works podcast host Duff Watkins discusses the US Australian alliance and what its going to be like for the next 75 years with guest Consul General, Valerie Fowler. Valerie Crites Fowler is a career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, with the rank of Minister Counselor. From 2012-2015, she served in the Bureau of Public Affairs as Deputy Assistant Secretary, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, and Acting Assistant Secretary of State. Prior to her arrival in Sydney in September 2016, Valerie served as Senior Advisor to the Director General of the Foreign Service. From 2009-2012, Ms. Fowler served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, overseeing U.S. bilateral relations with Sri Lanka and Maldives. In 2008-2009, Ms. Fowler served as Director of the Provincial Reconstruction Team and Sub-National Governance Office at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, leading the U.S. civilian presence across the country. From 1989 to 2008, Ms. Fowler served in a number of positions specializing in public diplomacy and public affairs, including overseas assignments in Singapore, Pretoria, Thessaloniki, Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. Her assignments in Washington include three years in the State Department Operations Center, including as Director of Crisis Management Support from 2002-2004. She is a graduate of Stanford University and a distinguished graduate of the National War College. Her awards include the U.S. Department of the Army Superior Civilian Service Award (2009) and multiple State Department Superior Honor awards. Consul General Fowler is accompanied at post by her husband, CAPT Charles W. Fowler III, U.S. Navy (Ret). On this episode you will hear how it's a rapidly changing world so of course the US Australian alliance is changing but from what to what? Listen in to discover why the alliance is more important now than it has ever been. Thank you for your continued support of this podcast. We are constantly looking for ways to improve, so please let us know how we can do that for you. What topics are you interested in hearing about? What businesses do you think we should showcase? Let us know by sending an email to podcast@amcham.com.au  

Joining our host Duff Watkins today is guest Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. James Carouso. Mr. Carouso is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor. He arrived in Canberra in July 2016 as the Deputy Chief of Mission, and assumed the role of Chargé upon the departure of Ambassador John Berry in September 2016. This is Mr. Carouso’s second tour in Australia. As an economic officer based in Canberra in the early 2000s he was a member of the negotiating team for the Australia-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA). Today, this agreement underpins the U.S.-Australia economic relationship, which is as strong and dynamic as ever. On this podcast episode you will hear why Australia is getting so much attention from the U.S., why the U.S. is Australia's most important economic parntner and why the future looks bright for U.S. - Australia relations. Tune in to her more about The U.S. being Australia’s number one economic partner and how it will will remain that way for years to come! Thank you for your continued support of this podcast series. Please continue to let us know how we can improve this service for you by sending an email to podcast@amcham.com.au

Nov. 20, 2013. Along with a Kyrgyz delegation, Muratbek Imanaliev presented his latest book on Kyrgyzstan to Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. Speaker Biography: Muratbek Imanaliev is a professor at American University in Central Asia (AUCA). He was the Kyrgyz Foreign Minister in 1991-1992 and 1997-2002 and served as Kyrgyz Ambassador in China in 1993-1996. Imanaliev is the head of the public commission for foreign policy under Foreign Affairs Ministry of the republic and one of the leading foreign policy experts in Central Asia. Speaker Biography: John O'Keefe is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and served as the U.S. Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan from 2000 to 2003. Speaker Biography: Muktar Djumaliev is the ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to the United States. For transcript, captions, and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=6257

Meet Mike Hammer, the U.S. Ambassador to Chile. Ambassador Hammer is a career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service and entered the diplomatic corps in 1988. He has served abroad in Bolivia, Norway, Iceland and Denmark. Ambassador Hammer has received several awards, including the Department’s Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Public Diplomacy. Follow Ambassador Hammer on Twitter -> @MikeHammerUSA.

Meet Mike Hammer, the U.S. Ambassador to Chile. Ambassador Hammer is a career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service and entered the diplomatic corps in 1988. He has served abroad in Bolivia, Norway, Iceland and Denmark. Ambassador Hammer has received several awards, including the Department’s Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Public Diplomacy. Follow Ambassador Hammer on Twitter -> @MikeHammerUSA.