Peace in the Middle East starts in Gaza and the West Bank.  But beautiful parks and fountains and casinos…the Riviera of the Middle East, a beautiful vacation spot in what is now rubble?  And somehow the US would own it.  But what about all those Gazans, walking home along a highway, carrying all of their belongings, some with donkeys, on their way back to rubble.  Enter USAID.  In asymmetric warfare nothing, absolutely nothing, can defeat hearts and minds, and no one can impact those more effectively than USAID, at a minute financial cost.  And this is how you neutralize the seduction of bad actors.

How many "Mar-a-" conquests will there be?  US Ambassador (ret) to Panama John Feeley breaks it all down, with a quick review of the relevant past, and substantive, yet richly candid view of Trump’s foray into the Canal Zone today.  Get smart on what is true and what is not true at all.  

The Arctic is a serious US national security issue. NATO, particularly Denmark, agree and have offered significant resources to better secure the area from China and Russia.  Will Trump accept these or hold out for Mar-a-Greenland?  Can we divide the policy rhetoric from the policy outcomes?  Luke Coffey, former adviser to the British defense minister and prior to that a US service member, now a fellow at the Hudson Institute, knows his brief!  Bonus: Who was Eric the Red?

Was Trump’s big showdown with President Petro of Colombia a show of might and power, or was there another reality behind the smoke and mirrors?  Pete has a thing or two to say about optics, policy and human lives, from the standpoint of the practice of diplomacy.

Ambassador (and ASU professor) Ed O’Donnell offers a close look at the economic impacts of Trump’s foreign policies "Tariff is a beautiful word”, “The Chinese are going to take over the Panama Canal!” and "Drill, baby, drill."  What’s the reality beneath the bombast, globally and in American households?

Predictive data help make us aware of conflicts and atrocities we can anticipate.  Keith Noble, Director of the Office of Advanced Analytics in State’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, shares his work with State's Academic Centers for Conflict Anticipation and Prevention. How do students, undergraduates and graduates, work with State to inform solid policy?  How can a young, passionate, smart person get involved?  Go get ‘em, tiger!  Uncle Sam needs you.

Welcome to 2025 from AmDip!  Amb. Patrick Theros unpacks Syria for us, from the Halcyon 1970s of mini-skirts and old cars on the streets, to the chaos of the present day.  What was the West’s role in Syria’s changes, and what should the US do now? 

Ambassador Dick Hoagland, having served many years in Russia and former Soviet republics, has had ample opportunity to consider the high-stakes drinking game of vodka diplomacy. Bottoms up and happy New Year!  

Pete and Laura look back on their favorite episodes of the past year, covering cybercrime, space diplomacy and gangsterism among others.  And what's to come in the new administration?  Borders north and south, changes in the Middle East, and Ukraine.  We expect challenges with adversaries, but more importantly, how will the new administration engage our friends?  

Ambassador Luis Arreaga, Senior Advisor at the Partnership for Central America, brings companies such as Meta, Mastercard, Microsoft, together with the World Bank, NGOs and civil society organizations to address one of the root causes of immigration: lack of economic opportunity.  The result speak for themselves: 90,000 jobs.