President’s Note
Diplomacy has been under heavy fire this year. The U.S. president’s policies, appealing to a strongly conservative and nationalist base, have unsettled allies and confused (and perhaps encouraged) adverseries. Our own magazine began its third decade this year facing … Read more
Confusing Signals: The Impact on U.S. Diplomats’ Mission to Effectively Implement U.S. Foreign Policy
by Amb. (ret.) William A. Rugh There is an unwritten code of conduct among American diplomats that says they should never say anything that is untrue or inaccurate. They are not required to say everything they know because they must … Read more
Tom Countryman’s Farewell
Tom Countryman’s Farewell, Department of State, January 31, 2017 Thank You! When I entered the State Department, I never intended to rise high enough to merit a retirement ceremony. And when it occurred to me that I had, I pictured … Read more
Let’s Not Get Distracted by “Shiny Objects,” President Trump’s “America First” Foreign Policy is Out of Sync with the Problems of the 21st Century
by Dr. John R. Murnane The 2016 election of President Donald J. Trump has certainly heightened public interest in national politics, sparking debate about American values, social justice, and the role of the United States in world affairs. Arguments have … Read more
Diplomatic Amateurism and Its Consequences
Remarks at the Ralph Bunche Library of the U.S. Department of State Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr. (USFS, Ret.) Senior Fellow, Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown University Washington, DC, 9 October 2015 Twenty years ago, I gave a book … Read more