Off Duty Diplomat

Chuck Park and I finish our conversation about why he decided to leave the Foreign Service and why he did it publicly. Chuck also offers some advice for current FSOs in the event there is another Trump Presidency. Look out for his anecdote about himself, Tom Shannon, and for Secretary Tillerson going into a meeting about North Korea...

Alexis and Fallon are back with a part 3 on the Israel explainer series!

We'll go deep on how the global nuclear order came to exist, and how it's impacting the situation in Israel. We also talk about the online advocacy that's taking over social media.

TW for sexual violence.

This will be the first in a two-part installment on former-FSO Chuck Park. Chuck and I worked together at the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico for only a week. The next time I heard of him, he was being interviewed by Anderson Cooper about the "Deep State" and why he decided to resign from the Foriegn Service. Chuck is something of a legend, both for his reputation as a consummate professional and for his very public departure from the Department of State. Enjoy!

Welcome back to the Off Duty Diplomat Bonus episodes! In the last installation, you met my friend and former diplomat Kharmika Alston.

In this episode we are still with Kharmika as she discusses how the Trump presidency impacted her in her work at the U.S. Consulate in Amsterdam and her decision to leave the diplomatic service. Please note, she’s originally from Greensboro, North Carolina (it'll come up in the episode).

Alexis and Fallon are back with an Israeli- Palestinian conflict explainer part 2! We discuss the one- and two-state solutions, the diplomatic manuevering taking place, and how the Biden administration is fighting for the return of the hostages. If you enjoyed part 1, this will add to your knowledge of the surrounding context of the conflict and its potential resolution(s).

Welcome to another bonus episode for the Off Duty Diplomat Podcast! 

In this episode, we will hear from my friend and former colleaue Kharmika Alston. Kharmika served as a political and economic officer in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico from 2012-2014. She directly worked on facilitating the $403 billion in trade between the U.S. and Mexico despite the constant and very real threat of cartel violence from the Sinaloa and Zeta criminal organizations. This will be the first of two installments on her story.

Kharmika is currently a successful commercial and residential real estate agent in North Carolina.

In light of the events unfolding in Israel since Saturday, Oct 7th, Alexis and Fallon are doing a (sort of) quick, (nuanced) overview of the historical events that have played a role in the lead up to what is happening now. Alexis also provides some context on the diplomatic angles at play and speculates on possible next steps from the international community and the Israeli govt. This episode was recorded on Oct, 10th.

We're closing out Season 1 of the Off Duty Diplomat! Heather and I will discuss how events in the U.S. created tension between our identities as Black women and as diplomats. Then Fallon and I wrap up her experience of adjudicating visas and reflect on our decision making philosophies. Big thanks to Fallon, Heather, and Michael for participating in this project!

Also included- a sneak preview of Season 2!!

Alexis and Heather are back to tell you about some of the cases they'll never forget... We also discuss what it was like to be deciding who "gets" to be an immigrant to the U.S.

Fallon takes on making her own visa decisions in this episode of cases based on some of the laws we have discussed thus far (and a few surprises). Play along and see what it actually takes to make a decision in just 3 minutes!