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American Diplomat

Nov 29, 2018

Ambassador Joe Sullivan has known a lot of dictators.  Who are they?  What are they like?  How do they do it?  "All I want to do is make this a prosperous, democratic country," is a good thing to say to Americans, these charming men have found.  


Nov 23, 2018

Diamonds, Petroleum, widespread human suffering and a decades-long civil war.  Ambassador Joe Sullivan talks about the U.S. role as monitor of the peace and demobilization process: "It was time to choose, and choosing was not between the angel and the devil; we had to chose the less bad option."


Nov 21, 2018

Turkey, Russia, Venezuela:  In what ways is the rise of strongmen in those countries similar and different from what we're seeing in the United States?  What role do press freedom and demonizing adversaries play in the rise of a dictator?  


Nov 15, 2018

November 18 is the anniversary of the Jonestown massacre (40th, can you believe it?).  Chuck English walks us through his experience as the first American diplomat to witness the aftermath.  With bonus discussion about Congressman Leo Ryan, an "experiential congressman", whose arrival on the scene immediately preceded...


Nov 8, 2018

Populism and religiosity:  Erdogan begins as a reformer, then builds a corrupt government that leads Turkey into economic peril and total political control through a narrative that stokes fear of victimization at the hand of external enemies.  Bob Pearson shows us how Turkey got where it is today in the second part of...