Podcasts about us diplomacy

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the Middle East this week for the fifth time since October 7. There were hopes he could seal a truce for Gaza. But by the end of his trip, Israel had stepped up attacks on Palestinians in southern Gaza, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed no end to the war without ‘victory.' So what progress has the US made? In this episode:  Ali Harb (@Harbpeace), Al Jazeera Senior Producer Kimberly Halkett (@KimberlyHalkett), Al Jazeera White House Correspondent  Episode credits: This episode was produced by Sarí el-Khalili and Miranda Lin with our host, Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan and Sonia Bhagat fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad is our engagement producer. Alexandra Locke is The Take's executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and YouTube

With the start of war in Gaza, the Houthi movement in Yemen decided that it would also do what it can to provide support to the people of Palestine. It decided the best thing that it could do was to attack commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea, of the coast of Yemen. They have fired missiles, launched drone attacks, attacked ships by sea, boarded ships and taken people hostage. On 11 January, the UK and US decided that they should do something and launched a flurry of airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. This week, we look at the impact and reasoning behind the Houthi attacks on shipping lanes, the retaliatory strikes by the US and UK, and what this means for the ceasefire that only recently halted the war in Yemen. To help us understand the Houthi motives in the Red Sea, we're joined by Abdulghani al-Iryani (@AbdulGhani1959), a senior researcher at the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies (@SanaaCenter) where he focuses on the peace process, conflict analysis and transformations of the Yemeni state.And to help us understand what the US hopes to achieve in Yemen, we speak with Gerald M. Feierstein, Distinguished Senior Fellow on US Diplomacy and Director of Arabian Peninsula Affairs at the Middle East Institute (@MiddleEastInst) and former US Ambassador to Yemen.Sign up to our newsletter here. This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Theme music by Omar al-Fil. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've made it to our final episode of 2023! Please enjoy as we highlight a few of the blue flame thinkers who joined us on the pod this year.  Episodes in order of guest appearances: Conversation with Mustafa Suleyman — The Proliferation of AI & the Next Wave of Technology The Promises and Perils of Neurotechnology – with Nita Farahany Behind the Scenes of SVB's Collapse + A Vision for America — with Ro Khanna The State of Play: Markets, Economy, and Ukraine & China's Growing Power, US Diplomacy, and Ukraine's Counteroffensive — with Ian Bremmer Conversation with Fareed Zakaria — The Conflict in Israel and the State of Foreign Affairs Capitalism, Private Equity, and the Seven Deadly Sins — with Stephen Dubner The Psychology of Money — with Morgan Housel Conversation with Jennifer B. Wallace — What to Do About Toxic Achievement Culture How to Get Unstuck — with Adam Alter Conversation with Jennifer Cohen — Building Healthy Habits and Staying Confident Understanding AI's Threats and Opportunities — with Mo Gawdat Masculinity, Media, and How to Citizen – with Baratunde Thurston Conversation with Simon Sinek — Finding Your Why, Feeling Stuck, and Building Strong Leaders Scott closes by thanking YOU for supporting the Prof G Pod in 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After violence erupted between Hamas and Israel, President Biden flew to Tel Aviv to offer his ‘staunch' ally US support. In a very public embrace of Israel, he reinforced a relationship that goes back decades to Israel's foundation. But does the US have the diplomatic influence to bring peace to the region? This week on the Inquiry: what can US diplomacy achieve in the Middle East. Contributors: David Sanger, White House and national security correspondent and senior writer for The New York Times Steven Cook, senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations Emma Ashford, senior fellow at the Stimson Center Brian Katulis, vice president of policy at the Middle East Institute Presented by Gary O'Donoghue Produced by Louise Clarke Researched by Matt Toulson Co-ordinated by Jordan King Image: (Photo by GPO/ Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

President Biden visited Israel as a show of U.S. support and announced new humanitarian aid to Gaza, but subsequent Arab leader summit fell through in the wake of the al Ahli hospital bombing. Jeffrey Feltman weighs in on how Biden's show of empathy - but also caution - was received by Israelis, the urgent need for humanitarian relief in Gaza, and the dangers of escalation from Hezbollah in Lebanon. Show notes and transcript: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/biden-in-israel-and-us-diplomacy-on-the-israel-gaza-crisis Follow The Current and all Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to podcasts@brookings.edu. The Current is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

The UN Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the worsening humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, or Artsakh, as a result of Azerbaijan's blockade of the Lachin corridor. For over eight months, the region's 120,000 indigenous Armenians have been deprived access to food, medicine, fuel, electricity, and water. Gev Iskajyan, the Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of Artsakh, joins Thanos Davelis from Artsakh to look at the humanitarian crisis that's unfolding on the ground as a result of Azerbaijan's blockade, and discuss his latest op-ed which explores how US diplomacy is currently failing the people of Artsakh and Armenia. Read Gev Iskajyan and Alex Galitsky's latest op-ed: U.S. Diplomacy is Failing ArmeniaYou can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Weapons infrastructure upgrade urgentMigrant and refugee border crossings down 29%

Ian Bremmer, the president and founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media, joins Scott to discuss why China has a spy base in Cuba, where the US struggles and excels on the global stage, and what to expect now that Ukraine's counteroffensive has begun. Follow Ian on Twitter, @ianbremmer.  Scott opens by discussing how former President Trump exudes corruption and stupidity.  Algebra of Happiness: what made you? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1:25 Sam's Foreign Affairs piece on the importance of Ukraine diplomacy 10:14 What's Biden's endgame in Ukraine? 20:06 Sam: Russia has already suffered a strategic defeat 39:59 Did the West play a role in Ukraine's 2014 revolution? 46:39 Putin says the West is Russia's real enemy. Does he believe it? 50:26 America's lack of diplomatic urgency before Putin invaded 57:22 How much pro-Russia sentiment is there in Ukraine?Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Samuel Charap (RAND Corporation, Everyone Loses). Recorded November 01, 2022.Comments on BhTV: http://bloggingheads.tv/videos/65133 Twitter: https://twitter.com/nonzeroPods Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloggingheads/ Podcasts: https://bloggingheads.tv/subscribe This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nonzero.substack.com/subscribe

Sam's Foreign Affairs piece on the importance of Ukraine diplomacy ... What's Biden's endgame in Ukraine? ... Sam: Russia has already suffered a strategic defeat ... Did the West play a role in Ukraine's 2014 revolution? ... Putin says the West is Russia's real enemy. Does he believe it? ... America's lack of diplomatic urgency before Putin invaded ... How much pro-Russia sentiment is there in Ukraine? ...

Thomas Farr of the Religious Freedom Institute American Diplomacy Abandons Religious Freedom Religious Freedom Institute

0:00 Bestie intros 4:09 Assessing SBF bailing out major crypto players & the state of the market 18:24 Classifying crypto assets, high-yield crypto lending 34:17 Zendesk sells for $10B, accounting for stock-based comp, evergreen standard in tech 1:01:24 Buyout targets, public market "regime change" 1:08:21 Russia/Ukraine impact on markets, could US diplomacy have prevented the war? 1:28:35 Science Corner: Friedberg breaks down the newest breakthrough AlphaFold application Follow the besties: https://twitter.com/chamath https://linktr.ee/calacanis https://twitter.com/DavidSacks https://twitter.com/friedberg Follow the pod: https://twitter.com/theallinpod https://linktr.ee/allinpodcast Intro Music Credit: https://rb.gy/tppkzl https://twitter.com/yung_spielburg Intro Video Credit: https://twitter.com/TheZachEffect Referenced in the show: https://www.wsj.com/articles/crypto-fund-three-arrows-ordered-to-liquidate-by-court-11656506404 https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/22/sam-bankman-fried-rescues-crypto-lenders-blockfi-voyager.html https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/06/25/morgan-creek-is-trying-to-counter-ftxs-blockfi-bailout-leaked-call-shows/ https://twitter.com/ForbesCrypto/status/1541893168152690690 https://californiahealthline.org/news/article/tech-titans-want-the-richest-californians-to-pay-for-pandemic-preparedness/ https://twitter.com/DavidSacks/status/1540732780501381121 https://www.marketwatch.com/story/gensler-labels-bitcoin-a-commodity-as-crypto-prices-stabilize-11656340239 https://www.coinbase.com/price/bitcoin https://www.coinbase.com/price/ethereum https://www.blockchaincenter.net/en/altcoin-season-index/ https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/24/zendesk-drama-concludes-with-102-billion-private-equity-acquisition https://techcrunch.com/2022/02/11/zendesk-spurns-17b-private-equity-takeover-offer/ https://investor.zendesk.com/ir-home/press-releases/press-releases-details/2022/Zendesk-Announces-Fourth-Quarter-and-Fiscal-Year-2021-Results/default.aspx https://investor.zendesk.com/ir-home/press-releases/press-releases-details/2022/Zendesk-Announces-First-Quarter-2022-Results/default.aspx https://cloudedjudgement.substack.com/p/clouded-judgement-62422 https://techcrunch.com/2022/02/25/zendesk-terminates-4-1b-surveymonkey-acquisition-after-its-own-investors-reject-deal/ https://www.google.com/finance/quote/CRM:NYSE https://www.google.com/finance/quote/WDAY:NASDAQ https://www.google.com/finance/quote/NOW:NYSE https://www.issgovernance.com/library/resurgence-of-evergreen-features-in-ipo-equity-plans-restrict-investor-say/ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-25/jana-partners-pulls-zendesk-proxy-fight-after-9-5-billion-deal https://cdn.manscaped.io/assets/investor-relations/manscaped-investor-presentation-slides-2022.pdf https://investor.onepeloton.com/node/9271/html https://investors.buzzfeed.com/node/7426/html https://kalshi.com/events/CPI-22JUN/markets/CPI-22JUN-T0.9 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/06/17/long-war-ukraine/ https://twitter.com/missy_ryan/status/1537944064703619074 https://www.reuters.com/world/kremlin-says-nato-expansion-ukraine-crosses-red-line-putin-2021-09-27/ https://www.reuters.com/markets/stocks/putin-warns-russia-will-act-if-nato-crosses-its-red-lines-ukraine-2021-11-30/ https://theconversation.com/ukraine-war-follows-decades-of-warnings-that-nato-expansion-into-eastern-europe-could-provoke-russia-177999 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/16/world/europe/biden-putin-geneva-meeting.html https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/wireStory/us-officials-land-solomons-discuss-china-pact-concerns-84238211 https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/09/01/politics/ukraine-volodymyr-zelensky-biden-white-house/index.html https://www.state.gov/u-s-ukraine-charter-on-strategic-partnership/ https://apnews.com/article/moscow-russia-europe-ukraine-belarus-6d9818ff922a2650de107734a7c3faf5 https://news.yahoo.com/blinken-says-no-change-nato-193615967.html https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3182517/does-chinas-demotion-its-deputy-foreign-minister-signal https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abm9326 All-In E79 on RvW leaked draft: https://youtu.be/qH696z3ml1Q

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Urgent US Diplomacy in the Balkans, A high-profile Foreign Espionage case in Ohio? and an Assassination attempt on a major head of state. All this and more

Martin Indyk has spent the last four decades thinking and working towards better arrangements within the Middle East, being posted twice as the US Ambassador to Israel and being involved in peace talks under various US Presidents. He describes diplomacy as the art of moving political leaders to places they are reluctant to go. In this discussion, he talks about the current state of politics in both Israel and Palestine, the lack of trust and political will to find a solution. He also discusses the US diplomat Henry Kissinger and his desire for order as he distrusted peace. Martin is writing a book on Herny Kissinger, The Master of the Game which will be published in October this year.

Journalist Abby Martin discusses the recent Israeli atrocities in Gaza and Jerusalem. She also talks about the US media’s bias towards the Israeli narrative. Her documentary, “Gaza Fights for Freedom,” is now available on YouTube. Jess and Jamal discuss American attempts at resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict while the US ignores Apartheid and human rights violations by Israel.

China-US Diplomacy Turns Aggressive

Ambassador Robert B. Zoellick has served as Deputy Secretary of State, US Trade Representative and President of the World Bank. In his new book America in the World: A History of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy he looks at the twists and turns of American foreign policy since its inception, and the lessons that the past might hold for the US and its allies today.

Ambassador Robert B. Zoellick has served as Deputy Secretary of State, US Trade Representative and President of the World Bank. In his new book America in the World: A History of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy he looks at the twists and turns of American foreign policy since its inception, and the lessons that the past might hold for the US and its allies today.

Former Deputy Secretary of State, US Trade Representative and President of the World Bank, Robert B. Zoellick, shares lessons from the history of US diplomacy and foreign policy.

Former career diplomat Elizabeth Shackelford recounts how her experiences working for the State Department caused her to grow disillusioned with U.S. diplomatic policy. She emphasizes the advantages of adopting a more diplomatic rather than militarized foreign policy and offers policy prescriptions to help make that transition. Show Notes Elizabeth Shackelford bioElizabeth Shackelford, The Dissent Channel: American Diplomacy in a Dishonest Age, (New York City: Hachette Book Group, 2020). See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A keynote conversation featuring Robert Zoellick, World Bank president (2007-2012), U.S. Deputy Secretary of State (2005-2006), U.S. Trade Representative (2001-2005), and author of "America in the World: A History of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy." This event is part of the Pacific Council's First 100 Days Memo on U.S.-Mexico Policy, offering policy recommendations to the Biden administration to strengthen U.S.-Mexico relations. Featuring: Robert Zoellick, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University Robert Zoellick is Senior Counselor at Brunswick Geopolitical, an advisory service of Brunswick Group, and a Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. In addition, Zoellick serves on the boards of Temasek, Singapore’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, and Twitter, Inc., chairs the International Advisory Council of Standard Chartered Bank, and is on the Advisory Board of Swiss Re. He is a member of the boards of the Peterson Institute for International Economics and the Carnegie Endowment, chairs the Global Tiger Initiative, and is a member of the Global Leadership Council of Mercy Corps, a global humanitarian agency. Zoellick was the President of the World Bank Group from 2007-12, U.S. Trade Representative from 2001 to 2005, and Deputy Secretary of State from 2005 to 2006. From 1985 to 1993, Zoellick served as Counselor to the Secretary of the Treasury and Under Secretary of State, as well as White House Deputy Chief of Staff. He published his book, “America in the World: A History of US Diplomacy and Foreign Policy” in August 2020. Zoellick is a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award, the Department of State’s highest honor, the Alexander Hamilton Award of the Department of the Treasury, and the Medal for Distinguished Public Service of the Department of Defense. The German government awarded him the Knight Commanders Cross for his achievements in the course of German unification. The Mexican and Chilean governments awarded him their highest honors for non-citizens, the Aztec Eagle and the Order of Merit, for recognition of his work on free trade, development, and the environment. Zoellick holds a J.D. magna cum laude from the Harvard Law School, a master's degree in public policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, and a bachelor's degree (Phi Beta Kappa) from Swarthmore College. Moderator: Kimberly Breier, Senior Advisor, Covington Kimberly Breier has more than 20 years of experience in foreign policy, primarily focused on Western Hemisphere affairs. Prior to joining Covington, Breier, a non-lawyer, was Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. She also served as the Western Hemisphere Member of the Policy Planning Staff. Breier was previously the founder and Director of the U.S.-Mexico Futures Initiative, and the Deputy Director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She also was Vice President of a consulting firm, leading country risk assessment teams for private clients in Mexico, Argentina, and Chile.

Arab Digest editor William Law in conversation with Jon B Alterman director of the Middle East Program and senior vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. With Joe Biden in the White House American diplomacy is back in fashion but is diplomacy enough to solve the MENA region's myriad challenges?

Georgina Godwin speaks to Robert Zoellick, a man whose experience in the US government spans six presidencies. Having served in a number of roles such as deputy secretary, counsellor of the State Department and as US trade representative, his illustrious career also includes stints as deputy chief of staff at the White House and president of the World Bank. Now a senior fellow at Harvard University, his latest book is ‘America in the World: A History of US Diplomacy and Foreign Policy’.

In this episode, HCA director Welf Werner welcomes Robert Zoellick back to the HCA podcast. A distinguished U.S. diplomat whose many posts included leading the U.S. delegation to the Two Plus Four Talks on German unification, Zoellick also served as president of the World Bank from 2007 to 2012. Their talk about his new book America in the World: A History of US Diplomacy and Foreign Policy highlights episodes in twentieth century U.S. foreign policy that had major ramifications for Germany and Europe.

As a career foreign service officer, Elizabeth Shackelford was seen as a rising star in the US State Department, a recipient of the Barbara Watson Award for Consular Excellence. But in 2017 she resigned from public service, publishing a stinging indictment of a letter which brought to light the extraordinary mismanagement and strategic drift under then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. In Shackelford's new book, "The Dissent Channel: American Diplomacy in a Dishonest Age," she takes the reader inside the collapse of the U.S. diplomatic effort in South Sudan, which had fallen into a pernicious civil war with Washington left backing a murderous dictator. "The role of diplomacy in our national security toolbox has really been downgraded and diminished in recent years, really over the past 20 years as the military's role has become the primary tool we are using," says Shackelford. "We aren't just ineffective. We're counterproductive." Shackelford says that the picture of the coronavirus pandemic would be entirely different if we were leading with diplomacy. "It is costing Americans dearly that we are not integrated with the global response," she says. "We would be well-coordinated with our European and Asian allies in terms of the supplies we need and how we manage things like our totally intertwined economies and trade. But instead, we've really cut off all those opportunities."

Guests:Stephanie Schwartz is an Assistant Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California.Anne C. Richard served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration in the Obama Administration (2012-2017). She is currently an Adjunct Professor at the Walsh School of Foreign Service’s Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University.International Security Article:This podcast is based on Stephanie Schwartz, “Home, Again: Refugee Return and Post-Conflict Violence in Burundi,” International Security, Vol. 44, No. 2 (Fall 2019), pp. 110-145. Additional Related Reading:Stephanie Schwartz, “Sending Refugees Back Makes the World More Dangerous,” Foreign Policy, November 27, 2019.Anne C. Richard, “US Diplomacy on Refugees and Migrants: Inside Recent History,” Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 20 (Fall 2019), pp. 42-50.Megan Bradley, “Rethinking Return: Defining Success in Refugee Repatriation,” World Politics Review, December 3, 2013.Kevin Sieff, “‘What Other Choice Do I have?’: How Debt-Ridden Refugees Are Being Forced to Return to a War Zone,” Washington Post, December 15, 2017.Kathleen Newland and Brian Salant, “Increased Focus on Forced Return of Migrants and Asylum Seekers Puts Many in Peril,” Migration Policy Institute, December 12, 2017.“Tanzania: Burundians Pressured into Leaving,” Human Rights Watch, December 12, 2019.Louisa Loveluck, “Assad Urged Syrian Refugees to Come Home. Many Are Being Welcomed with Arrest and Interrogation,” Washington Post, June 2, 2019.

The life of Ralph Bunche, recently celebrated by the State Department as a Hero of US Diplomacy, as relayed by his grandson, Ralph Bunche III and UCLA professor Kal Raustiala. Bunche, academic, pathbreaker, civil rights activist, and early planner of the United Nations, handled crises occurring in the newly independent African nations and brokered the first armistice in the Middle East.  He was the first African American to be awarded the Nobel Prize.  

Brand new to the job, Lizzie Slater arrives at Embassy Dar es Salaam ready to begin work on embassy communications of every kind. Then the bomb falls. She is buried and seriously injured. But once pulled from the rubble, does she stop working? Many of us would, but Lizzie climbs trees to place satellites and does every task needed to ensure communications between the embassy and the US. 

In this episode of That’s Interesting, we talk to Consul General Timothy Eydelnant.Originally from Belarus, Timothy Eydelnant assumed duty as US Consul General in the states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia in July 2017. He previously served as Syrian humanitarian assistance coordinator for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration. Before that, he held various positions in Austria, Iraq, and Brazil.In the first part of our conversation, Tim explained the US Mission to Mitteldeutschland, what makes it special, and what his job as the representative of the US government looks like.We also talked about how he experienced the fall of the wall in the midst of making his way from the Soviet Union to the US … and how his life story prepared him to be a diplomat – or a bridge-builder, as he called it.Finally, we talked about the current state of transatlantic relations between Germany and the US and what the future holds for this partnership in Mitteldeutschland.Our conversation was recorded on October 2 at the US Consulate General in Leipzig.

Dr Charles Edel is a Senior Fellow at the United States Studies Centre.He was the Associate Professor of Strategy and Policy at the U.S. Naval War College, advised the Secretary of State John Kerry on political and security issues in the Asia-Pacific and was a Henry Luce scholar at Peking University.Charles is the co-author of ‘The Lessons of Tragedy: Statecraft and World Order (2019)’ and his editorials regularly appear in The New York Times and other publications.Misha Zelinsky caught up with Charlie for a chinwag about Mike Pompeo’s visit to Australia, the ongoing US-China tensions, whether we are seeing a repeat of the gathering storm of the 1930s, the brave protesters of Hong Kong, how democracy can revitalise itself, the dangerous polices of the Chinese Communist Party and why it’s so important that we learn from historic tragedy. It was a wide ranging chat and we hope you enjoy it!

We start off this episode speaking with Dr. Andrew Bacevich, Professor Emeritus of International Relations at Boston University, about the United States conflict with Iran and other Middle Eastern conflicts. He also shares how his own perspective on war and international relations has changed since the Cold War. Dr. Bacevich is the author of many books including, "The New American Militarism: How Americans are Seduced by War", "American Empire: The Realities and Consequences of US Diplomacy", and "America’s War for the Greater Middle East." In our mailbag segment we discuss "Integral Ecology" and MN Catholic Conference's teaching resource, "Minnesota Our Common Home," which helps place Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato si' into a local Minnesota context. You can order/download your own copy of that document by going to www.MNCatholic.org/OurCommonHome. We round out the show with our Bricklayer segment, which provides you with practical tips on how to build bridges between faith and politics. This week we discuss how to become well informed on political issues in a media society that thrives on division.

The title is long and lays out the case before the readers as it prematurely reveals the verdict of the writer. Let us not beat around the bushes and call a spade a spade. US diplomacy in the Middle East has historically been wobbly and fretted with more defeats and disappointments than successes, at the exception of the peace treaties between Egypt, Jordan and, Israel. Before and after such milestones, US diplomacy has been hovering between standoffs, tensions and the occasional wars at great losses in treasure and lives. Letting-down allies and rewarding foes, is how a cynical person would characterize, or caricature, the US diplomatic record in many nations between the Persian Gulf and the Eastern Mediterranean. Each administration dispatches its ‘newly minted' team with no collective memory or consistent script except for undoing the job of the previous one. A kind of blood sport in Washington that has seen policies folded in great pomp and unfold in greater hurry, all in the space of 4, sometimes 8 years.  Unlike their counterparts from the former colonial powers of Great Britain and France, US ambassadors and political advisers who roam the Middle East give the impression that they are visiting for the first time, or maybe the second. They look bewildered by the beauty of the place, the abundance of its resources and; the rich and diverse culture of its people. While the beauty of the place is exaggerated (save Oman, Morocco, and Mount Lebanon), and the richness of resources overplayed (compared with the dearth of modern-day innovations), it is the cultural part that puzzles the most. The next appointed US diplomat, or visiting Senator (during a recess period), or former President (and wife) seeking a pledge for a foundation, need not screen a ton of data to understand what motivates people in the Middle East. Watching ‘Laurence of Arabia' directed by David Lean, reading ‘The Dream Palace of the Arabs' written by Fouad Ajami, and listening to hours of Egyptian comedy by Adel Imam, would permit them to capture Arab culture, in a week. Reviewing US policy papers for background, is counter-productive. Any diplomatic issue, from the crisis of the Western Sahara, to the Arab Israeli conflict, to how best to deal (if at all) with the Kurds, has its counter-policy paper and counter-papers, sometimes drafted by the same US administration, albeit at different presidential terms. The US backed the Shah till his fall and welcomed the Iranian Revolution upon its advent, only to be faced with the takeover of its Embassy in Teheran for 444 days. Since, it has been downhill. The US sided with Gamal Abdel Nasser against Britain and France during the Suez crisis of 1956, only to do an about face and back Israel in the 1967, and 1973 wars against Egypt. The PLO was a terrorist organization in the 1970s-1980s, that turned into a peace partner in the 1990s-2000s, then into a foe at present time. The US was with Mubarak till its fall from grace, then with Morsi till the coup, then with SiSi ever since. Libya under Kaddafi was a pariah State responsible for such atrocities as the downing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, till it morphed into the darling of roving diplomats and private equity tycoons, till it was no more again during the Arab Spring.  What lessons have been drawn? Maybe being gullible about wooing avowed foes who declare explicitly that they want to destroy the US is not such a good policy after all. Or, favoring long-term allies who share fundamental interests (not opportunistic ones) despite their dubious domestic records is not such a bad idea, when contrasted with chaos and the loss of a valuable friendly nation? There is no method to this chaos except for the US diplomatic corps to realize, once and for all, that this region is viscerally tribal and fractious, under-developed politically, rich with egotistical leaders that demand foreign powers to take sides. Granted,

Ambassador Harriet Lee Elam-Thomas. She talks to us about her new book and autobiography “Diversifying Diplomacy: My Journey from Roxbury to Dakar published Potomac Books, and international diplomacy today and more. Amb Elam-Thomas is a trailblazing black ambassador and professor who continues to create history by developing a new generation of diverse diplomats. She has held numerous posts abroad over the course of her forty-two-year career, including positions in Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, France, Belgium, Mali, Senegal, and the Ivory Coast. She retired in 2005 from the U.S. State Department as a senior foreign-service officer with the rank of career minister and currently directs the University of Central Florida Diplomacy Program. Guest Amb. Harriet Lee Elam-Thomas. Host: Wuyi Jacobs Credits: Cheryl Duncan / Cheryl Duncan & Company Inc. Kathy Davis WBAI 99.5 FM Pacifica Radio Music Music: Hugh Masekela (Apr 4, 1939 - Jan 23, 2018) (1) Highlife, (2) You Told Your Mama Not to Worry Live broadcast on WBAI 99.5 FM, NYC Pacifica Radio #AfrobeatRadio

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Barbara Leaf speaks with host Michael Morell about the importance of diplomacy, the state of governance in the Middle East, and the path forward for Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Palestine. Leaf, who spent over three decades at the Department of State overseeing some of the most challenging diplomatic missions in the Middle East, explains why the United States has a "binding interest" in the region and why successful partnerships are critical to national security. She also tells Morell why she believes former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's tenure marked a period of "extraordinary destructiveness" at the State Department, and what she hopes his successor, Mike Pompeo, will do to help it recover.

J. Brian Atwood, Senior Fellow for International Studies and Public Affairs at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies #WPRO Meeting in Helsinki, President Donald Trump indicated to Russian President Vladimir Putin he would consider turning a former U.S. ambassador over to the Russians for questioning. Prof. Atwood knows Amb. Michael McFaul and talks about the issues at stake.

J. Brian Atwood, Senior Fellow for International Studies and Public Affairs at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies #WPRO Meeting in Helsinki, President Donald Trump indicated to Russian President Vladimir Putin he would consider turning a former U.S. ambassador over to the Russians for questioning. Prof. Atwood knows Amb. Michael McFaul and talks about the issues at stake.

Former US Ambassador to Cyprus, John Koenig, delivers a humorous and insightful speech to this year's Model European Union participants. His speech covers the state of US-EU relations, US Diplomacy, and his time spent working in Europe.

Admiral Jim Stavridis & Ambassador Bill Brownfield discuss their partnership, their efforts to stop the flow of cocaine to the US,  the rescue of US hostages, the transformation of Colombia and the situation in Venezuela.  

This month marks 15 years since the events of September 11th, 2001. Nearly every American who was alive during that time remembers exactly where they were and what they were doing on that day. Faisal Saeed Al-Mutar remembers as well - he was 10 and growing up in Baghdad, Iraq. His parents were Muslim and Faisal's father encouraged him to read, research and make up his own mind what he believed. When the Iraq War started, Faisal and his family were in the middle of the war zone. Faisal walked to school past dead bodies and went to bed with the sounds of fighting surrounding him. It was hell, and Faisal saw first hand not only the failings of US Diplomacy, but the intense problems with Islamic ideology. After the first Iraqi elections Faisal began speaking out against Al Qaeda, both publicly and online and received a number of death threats and close calls. But Faisal had an idea, "to unite humanists all over the world in order to bring positive change." He formed this idea into the Global Secular Humanist Movement in 2010 which is only one of Faisal's many beautiful humanitarian accomplishments, including receiving the President's Volunteer Service Award from the United States, from President Obama this past August. I sat down with Faisal a couple of weeks ago to discuss his time growing up in Iraq during the Saddam Regime, his choice to leave Islam and speak out against Al Qaeda, why the definition Islamophobia needs to change and his love for humanity, science and the universe.

Repasamos el programa en el que, tras las filtraciones de Wikileaks en su web "Public Library of US Diplomacy", los cables publicados revelan la información que manejaba el gobierno de los Estados Unidos de América respecto a la figura de Antonio García-Trevijano. En estos documentos oficiales de varias instituciones de EEUU e internacionales se puede encontrar desde la constatación rotunda de la difamación por el PSOE de la que fue víctima, sobre el asunto de Guinea, hasta el atentado del que fue víctima y todo el papel de Trevijano durante la transición. Enlace a Wikileaks - "Public Library of US Diplomacy": https://wikileaks.org/plusd/about/ Fecha del audio: 17-06-2013

Repasamos el programa en el que, tras las filtraciones de Wikileaks en su web "Public Library of US Diplomacy", los cables publicados revelan la información que manejaba el gobierno de los Estados Unidos de América respecto a la figura de Antonio García-Trevijano. En estos documentos oficiales de varias instituciones de EEUU e internacionales se puede encontrar desde la constatación rotunda de la difamación por el PSOE de la que fue víctima, sobre el asunto de Guinea, hasta el atentado del que fue víctima y todo el papel de Trevijano durante la transición. Enlace a Wikileaks - "Public Library of US Diplomacy": https://wikileaks.org/plusd/about/ Fecha del audio: 17-06-2013

Two major diplomatic changes occurred recently between the US and Iran and Cuba. Iran and the P5+1 (China, France, Russia, UK, US + Germany) completed an agreement regarding Iran's nuclear program. It is historic that the US and Iran engaged in diplomatic relations and that the sanctions against Iran will end. The agreement opens Iran up for more foreign investment and trade. Will war be averted? We speak with Professor Muhammad Sahimi, a chemical engineer who frequently writes about Iranian politics and the nuclear program to hear an Iranian perspective on this agreement. And diplomatic relations were restored with Cuba after 54 years of economic and political isolation. The Cuban embassy was reopened in Washington, DC. We speak with Miguel Fraga, the First Secretary of the Cuban Embassy about the restoration of diplomacy, what Cuba is asking of the US and how the US is responding. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

John D. Negroponte's career, spanning 50 years of unprecedented American global power, includes his service as U.S. ambassador to Honduras, Mexico, the Philippines and Iraq. Though considered the ultimate insider, he opposed Henry Kissinger in Vietnam and warned that the Iraq War could be another "Vietnam."George W. Liebmann, lawyer and historian specializing in American and international diplomatic history, delivers this incisive account of Negroponte's life and career, based on personal and shared experience.Recorded On: Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Utilizando el buscador de Wikileaks en la "Public Library of US Diplomacy" se puede encontrar documentación en la que aparece Antonio Garcia-Trevijano como máximo representante de la oposición a Franco y como coordinador de la Platajunta http://bit.ly/18SKkp4 En estos documentos oficiales de varias instituciones de EEUU e internacionales se puede encontrar desde la constatación rotunda de la difamación por el PSOE de la que fue víctima, sobre el asunto de Guinea, hasta el atentado del que fue víctima y todo el papel de Trevijano durante la transición. Conduce el programa Jesus Murciego, con la participación de Julio Arasanz (corresponsal en Londres) Pedro M. Gonzalez, el análisis de Antonio Garcia-Trevijano y el apoyo técnico de Pedro Gómez.

Utilizando el buscador de Wikileaks en la "Public Library of US Diplomacy" se puede encontrar documentación en la que aparece Antonio Garcia-Trevijano como máximo representante de la oposición a Franco y como coordinador de la Platajunta http://bit.ly/18SKkp4 En estos documentos oficiales de varias instituciones de EEUU e internacionales se puede encontrar desde la constatación rotunda de la difamación por el PSOE de la que fue víctima, sobre el asunto de Guinea, hasta el atentado del que fue víctima y todo el papel de Trevijano durante la transición. Conduce el programa Jesus Murciego, con la participación de Julio Arasanz (corresponsal en Londres) Pedro M. Gonzalez, el análisis de Antonio Garcia-Trevijano y el apoyo técnico de Pedro Gómez.

The complex foreign relations challenges facing the United States require the savvy use of American power and influence. Human trafficking, conflicts over water, transnational crime, humanitarian disasters and the myriad of problems that threaten civilian security are multifaceted and defy simplistic remedies. Only through the smart application of American power can the U.S. hope to be an effective promoter of human rights and democracy around the world.

Perhaps a third of the states in the world have failed. Their domestic governance structures are so weak (in some cases nonexistent), that they cannot effectively control activities within their own borders. (May 3, 2008)