Iran, North Korea, Syria, Brexit, Paris Agreement, China. Prime Minister Abe, Macron, Merkel, Xi, a fellow named Putin. At a time when U.S. foreign policy – when diplomacy itself – requires as much clarity and coordination and skill as it has in decades, ours has been going through – to put it diplomatically – a major transition.
You know the headlines: Thousands of State Department positions unfilled. Budgets slashed. Tillerson fired. One day we have the world’s biggest button; the next, we’re ready to travel across the world for a summit with a leader who just months ago was a madman.
How’d we get here?
That’s what Ronan Farrow has pieced together – through exceptional storytelling and just plain reporting – in his new book “War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence.” Farrow did the work, talking with every living Secretary of State. And what he’s pulled together is the story of not only the shrinking, but also the militarization, of U.S. foreign policy. And to be clear: It didn’t start with Trump.
You might have heard of Farrow. He’s a bit ubiquitous and, if you ask me, extraordinary. He just won a share of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for public service: his The New Yorker articles helped to uncover the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations and played an important part in fueling the #MeToo movement. He has been a lawyer, diplomat, journalist, and a Rhodes Scholar. He worked in the Obama State Department as Special Adviser for Humanitarian and NGO Affairs in the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, among other roles.
And as you’ll hear, he’s also extremely gracious, which is not a bad quality, even if you’re no longer a diplomat.
Philip Mudd: Trump & the Attack on U.S. Intelligence
Tim Alberta: How Trump Filled the GOP Leadership Vacuum
Robert Tsai: Is Justice Possible? Your Supreme Court Questions Answered
Adam Liptak: How Far Did Trump Tip the Supreme Court Balance?
Angela Stent: Explaining Putin’s World
Jared Cohen: Accidental Presidents
Joseph Stiglitz: Saving Capitalism From Itself
We're Back: New Season, New Name
Sen. Maggie Hassan: 'No More Medical Surprises'
Live from Harvard's Kennedy School
Richard Clarke: Democracy Is On the Ballot
Michael Lewis: Who’s Actually Running Our Government?
Rebecca Traister: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger
Major Garrett: What’s It Like to Cover the Trump White House
Doris Kearns Goodwin: Trolling Trump on Leadership
David Kaplan: The Most Dangerous Branch of Government
Michael D’Antonio and Peter Eisner: Who Is Mike Pence?
Jason Kander: Lessons In Everyday Courage
Rick Wilson: A GOP Strategist on the 'Worst President Ever'
Catherine Rampell: What, Exactly, is Trumponomics?
Join Podbean Ads Marketplace and connect with engaged listeners.
Advertise Today
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free