Recently the indigenous of the Amazon have been gifted with Starlink, but to what effect? Years ago, Pete visited a similar community, botched up a boar hunt, drank the mystery drink chicha, and received upon his departure a marriage proposal, ambiguously addressed either to himself one of the other (finer?) young gringos.  Which is worse, Pete or the Internet?  Give us your thoughts on whether Starlink is a gift or curse for the Marubo via our socials or via voicemail on our website.

Years ago, Pete visited the Amazon and made friends with some very remotely located people.  His visit raised questions: Did he do the right thing? Now others, far more remote, have been visited by Elon Musk’s Starlink – by their own request!  With an updated perspective, we repost this gem from our early days recording American Diplomat. First of two in a series. Give us your thoughts on whether Starlink is a gift or curse for the Marubo people via our socials or via voicemail on our website.  Enjoy!

What does expertise look like in diplomacy with recent rapid changes in technology?  Will AI replace diplomats?  What is AI good at, and where is it dangerous?  Large language models are great for brainstorming but can they replace relationships and judgment?  Tune into Dan Spokojny, former diplomat, now Ph.D. and CEO of the nonprofit FP21, while he breaks it down for us.

Finally, a home at State for what we have learned about global conflicts.  Will it make us smarter?  Will we demand deeper buy in from Allies and friends?  Or do we continue to treat each conflict as a “one-off”? Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Mark Iozzi joins us from State's Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations to share his story from concept to implementation of the innovative Global Fragility Act.

We talk about cultural diplomacy, but what about diplomacy in culture?  Laura (MFA, Film and Television, NYU) loves movies and TV, and best of all, Laura loves movies and TV about geopolitics.  What do the last fifty years of diplomacy in media tell us about diplomacy in society?  About society more broadly?  And why do so many movies about diplomats turn into spy movies before the second act?  Funny you should ask!  Here's a compendium of said movies for superfans like us, and once you listen to our episode, you may love movies as much as Laura does.  Get thee to the cinema!

State Department lawyer Mike Peay traces how, during a time of deep racial conflict,  black American jazz artists went overseas to promote the American experiment, winning the hearts of millions with their music and personas, but would it improve race relations at home?

“Hugs, not bullets”, that is AMLO’s mantra for the cartels. This, while homicides have risen to historic highs. Our man in Mexico, retired Ambassador Tony Wayne, is back to discuss the good fight. Will democracy or autocracy win in the June 2 elections?

Lieutenant General (Ret.) Fred Rudesheim unpacks the complexities of Gaza. Much is said of the very real moral outrages committed by Israel and Hamas. But what now? In the near term, how viable is a two-state solution? First let's look at what is and how we got here. Hint: what exactly does Biden mean when he speaks of a "revitalized Palestinian Authority"?  

Out with Wagner, in with the Africa Corps. What will happen as mercenaries continue to offer attractive alternatives to vulnerable democracies like Niger, the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso and Mali? Ambassador Hank Cohen, whose new book "Africa, You Have a Friend in Washington", offers a vision of hope via economic self-determination.  For added context, we append our earlier episode on the Wagner Group's activities in the Central African Republic.

Tom Yazdgerdi, President of the American Foreign Service Association reaches back to illustrate how far the Foreign Service has come in the last 100 years and charts how it will meet the complex challenges of the next decades.