Ambassador Peter Bodde shares a Christmas Eve tale of rescue and relief as the walls of Communism fell like snow in Eastern Europe, 1989.
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The authritarian psychology, with Ken Dekleva, our (fascinating) Foreign Service psychiatrist. Dictators respect only strength, negotiating with maximalist demands, getting as much as they can by giving as little as they can. As they grow older...
Dr. Ken Dekleva, former foreign service psychiatrist, explains that for diplomats stressors are always high but especially so in places like China, where US diplomats are subject to Covid lockdowns that separate children from their parents, or...
Laura’s great old pal Andy Mertha, SAIS professor and China expert, contextualizes recent Chinese protests against Covid policies in the immense time-space continuum of Chinese political and cultural history.
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Our Thanksgiving special featuring pie at the Hague and Turkey in Uzbekistan – Thank you to you, each and all! Have a wonderful holiday!
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A licenced architect in Cuba, our friend Maikel was forced to leave in order to avoid being jailed by the Cuban state. In a perilous, many-legged journey, here he is, after planes and boats, jungles and rivers, detention centers and now free...
Can you imaine discovering that your best friend for years, with whom you shared milestones of your life, was in fact a traitor and a spy? Some time ago, the news covered the case of Ana Montes, called by CNN “the most damaging spy...
Since the morality police arrested and murdered 22-year-old Mahsa Amini – allegedly for wearing her hijab incorrectly – protests have gained intensity. We’ve seen protests in Iran before. How and why is it different this time...
April 7, 1994, Rwanda. Not a good day to be mistaken for the acting Prime Minister. Linda Thomas-Greenfield (now US Ambassador to the UN) shares the tale of her escape from the anti-government militia, while millions of others perished in the...
The story of our very own Pete turns out to be interesting to our intern Lauren! For Hispanic Heritage Month, Lauren (and Laura) interview Pete about the challenges he faced as a Latino when he joined the Foreign Service, and how he overcame...