American Diplomat

Michael Ratney, a career U.S. diplomat and former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, reflects on rapid social reforms and changing public life in Saudi. He discusses Riyadh’s complex calculus on normalization with Israel and its concerns about Iran and regional security. He also shares personal stories from living and working across the Middle East.

For many of us, the Middle East is a place of intractable conflict and endless complexity. Ambassador Stuart Jones lived those complications for much of his diplomatic career. Whether studying maps with Iran-backed militia leaders in Iraq, arguing troop withdrawals at the salad bar with John McCain, or sneaking food for hungry refugeess over the Syrian border, Stu Jones was there when it mattered. His insights may not end the current war — but will surely help you understand it better!

Mark Storella, a Career U.S. diplomat and former Ambassador to Zambia, reflects on using health and democracy support as tools of influence. He discusses PEPFAR’s origins and impact in Zambia. He recounts presidential visits, election support, China’s contrasting approach, and how public health opened doors to broader cooperation and strategic gains.

Henry Haggard, former Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs in Seoul and NSC director who created 25 Year Apprenticeship to guide aspiring diplomats. He explains why practical apprenticeship matters. He shares vivid tradecraft stories from North Korea and Ukraine. He stresses mentoring, getting in the room, and translating diplomatic skills beyond government.

Is the Gen Z drive for authenticity exactly what the country needs now? Our guests ASU Barrett Honors Students Kate Kelley and Sophia Agelastos elucidate how they parse fact from fiction. Join Pete Romero, Ambassador Deborah McCarthy and our student guests to hear what really matters to the Zs.

John Bass, a career U.S. diplomat who served as ambassador to Afghanistan, Turkey, and Georgia, reflects on why diplomatic tradecraft matters in an age of business-style appointees and social media noise. He explores how AI can aid reporting and translation without replacing persuasion, why confidentiality and impartiality remain essential, and how diplomacy adapts to combat disinformation and build coalitions.

You probably thought that an ambassador's job was to help Americans and work with local governments. And so did Ambassador Dan Rosenblum! But to his amazement he discovered that he was in charge of bioweapons campaigns designed to infect populations and plots to overthrow governments and destabilize society overseas! Not true, of course, but the disinformation machinery is hard at work. At what cost? And what can we do to combat this form of warfare? Listen to Dan's personal experience in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Dan Smith, career Foreign Service officer and former U.S. ambassador to Greece, brings institutional history. Phil Goldberg, four-time ambassador, offers deep diplomatic and analytic experience. They explore the tiny Bureau of Intelligence and Research, its OSS origins, real-time crisis watches, independent analysis and dissent, how diplomatic reporting shapes intelligence, and risks from cuts to analytic capacity.

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

Joel Rubin, a Jewish-American political analyst and former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs, dives deep into the alarming rise of anti-Semitism. He shares personal insights from his Pittsburgh roots and the impact of the Tree of Life massacre on Jewish fears. Rubin connects recent global attacks and highlights a troubling normalization of anti-Semitic rhetoric. He discusses the role of online culture in amplifying violence and critiques major Jewish organizations for their focus on Israel over domestic issues, calling for greater unity across communities.