The Diplomacy Podcast

Nicholas Kralev
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How diplomacy shapes our world — and our lives nicholaskralev.substack.com

  1. 12/17/2025

    2025: The Year in Diplomacy

    Guest: Marc Grossman, former U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs and ambassador to Turkey The world looks very different at the end of 2025 compared to the beginning of the year. How did diplomacy contribute to that difference, and what were the major diplomatic successes and failures? On this episode of “The Diplomacy Podcast,” we discuss the Trump administration’s diplomacy, its highs and lows, and their impact on the world. My guest is Marc Grossman, former U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, assistant secretary for European affairs, director-general of the Foreign Service and ambassador to Turkey. He spent 32 years in the Foreign Service. Having served as the State Department’s third-ranking official under Secretary of State Colin Powell, Grossman talks about what he learned during their daily 5 p.m. meetings. He also discusses the recent loss of expertise in the department, as a result of mass firings. As always, my guest’s opinions don’t necessarily represent my own views. Watch or listen to the episode above, or on one of these platforms: YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nicholaskralev.substack.com

    27 min

  2. 12/03/2025

    The Loss of International Students in the U.S.

    Guest: Kate Byrnes, former U.S. ambassador to North Macedonia and deputy chief of mission in Greece The Institute of International Education reported last month that new enrollments of foreign students at U.S. colleges and universities decreased by 17 percent this fall compared to the same time last year. On this episode of “The Diplomacy Podcast,” we discuss what that means for the future of U.S. education, science, economy and soft power. My guest is Kate Byrnes, former U.S. ambassador to North Macedonia and deputy chief of mission in Greece. She spent 32 years in the Foreign Service, most recently as a senior foreign policy adviser to the commandant of U.S. Europe Command in Stuttgart, Germany. Byrnes also talks about the tension between free speech and visa policies. She explains the historical role of educational and cultural exchanges in U.S. public diplomacy, and their impact on foreign publics’ perceptions of and trust in the United States. As always, my guest’s opinions don’t necessarily represent my own views. Watch or listen to the episode above, or on one of these platforms: YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nicholaskralev.substack.com

    24 min
  3. From Soldier to Diplomat: Overcoming Culture Shock

    11/19/2025

    From Soldier to Diplomat: Overcoming Culture Shock

    Guest: Charles A. Ray, former U.S. ambassador to Cambodia and Zimbabwe and former deputy assistant secretary of defense. The U.S. military and the Foreign Service are two parts of the same national-security apparatus, but that may be where their similarities end. Their cultures, missions and approaches to those missions are very different — and often exactly the opposite. On this episode of “The Diplomacy Podcast,” we discuss those differences with someone who has experienced both — first as a soldier in the U.S. Army for 20 years, and then as a career diplomat for three decades. My guest is Charles A. Ray, a former U.S. ambassador to Cambodia and Zimbabwe, and former deputy assistant secretary of defense. He now teaches at the Washington International Diplomatic Academy and chairs the Africa program of the Foreign Policy Research Institute. Ray also talks about the U.S. strikes that have killed dozens of civilians on boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific, which the Trump administration claims are smuggling drugs to the United States, though it hasn’t provided proof. As always, my guest’s opinions don’t necessarily represent my own views. Watch or listen to the episode above, or on one of these platforms: YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts. To support the podcast with a donation, click here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nicholaskralev.substack.com

    30 min

  4. 11/05/2025

    Sleeper Threats to U.S. and Global Security

    Guest: Tom Countryman, former U.S. assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation The Trump administration has done an excellent job inundating us with all kinds of news, pronouncements and orders. But lately, I’ve found myself wondering what sleeper threats to U.S. and global security are not making headlines. So I asked an expert. On this episode of “The Diplomacy Podcast,” we discuss hidden risks for both the United States and the world. My guest is Tom Countryman, former U.S. assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation. He spent 34 years in the Foreign Service and currently chairs the board of the Arms Control Association, a Washington think tank. Countryman worries that we are not practicing the diplomacy necessary to avert an armed conflict with China, and to preempt an erratic reaction by Russian President Vladimir Putin should he lose his war against Ukraine. Countryman is also concerned about the Trump administration’s air strikes on boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific without evidence to back its claim that they were smuggling drugs. As always, my guest’s opinions don’t necessarily represent my own views. Watch or listen to the episode above, or on one of these platforms: YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nicholaskralev.substack.com

    28 min
  5. The Diplomacy Behind the Gaza Deal

    10/22/2025

    The Diplomacy Behind the Gaza Deal

    The Trump administration has won much praise for brokering a deal between Israel and Hamas to stop the war in Gaza. The ceasefire has proven very fragile, and three senior U.S. officials are currently in Israel to bolster it, following Trump’s visit there last week. On this episode of “The Diplomacy Podcast,” we discuss the deal’s chances of full success, and what it means for the future of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. My guest is Danielle Pletka, distinguished senior fellow in foreign policy and defense studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. “By itself, architecturally, it’s a great deal,” Pletka says. “Execution-wise, there is nothing to it. But of course, that’s not Donald Trump’s problem. That’s the problem with every single deal that’s ever taken place in the Middle East that has involved the Palestinians, that has involved terrorist organizations, which is, execution doesn’t happen. The ceasefire is already falling apart. I suspect that the rest of this goes in fits and starts — fundamentally nowhere.” She also believes that the deal would not have happened had Israel not bombed a site in Qatar where it thought Hamas leaders had gathered. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nicholaskralev.substack.com

    26 min
  6. Five Europeans Ponder Trump's America

    10/15/2025

    Five Europeans Ponder Trump's America

    Educated everyday people, not members of the elite or foreign-policy experts, share their views. The United States still receives more attention by the world’s media than any other country, and the average citizen on every continent is fairly well informed about what happens in Washington. What do they think about the Trump administration’s actions in the last nine months, and how are they affected by those actions? During a recent trip to Europe, I posed these questions to people in several countries, and you can hear the responses of some of them on this episode of “The Diplomacy Podcast.” Not everyone I spoke with agreed to go on the record, and those interviews weren’t recorded. My conversations took place before Trump announced on Oct. 9 that Israel and Hamas had accepted the first phase of his proposed deal to end the war in Gaza, for which he has won much praise. The Europeans — and one American who has made Austria his home for the last quarter-century — focused on developments in the United States and Trump’s handling of Europe, and didn’t discuss his Middle East policies. I plan to travel to the Middle East and other parts of the world in the coming months, as I wrote in September, so you will hear from people there as well on future episodes. Watch or listen to this episode above, or on one of these platforms: YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nicholaskralev.substack.com

    22 min

  7. 09/03/2025

    The U.S. Military Posture Amid Domestic Deployments

    Guest: Michael O'Hanlon, chair in defense and strategy at the Brookings Institution. Understanding the relationship between diplomacy and military force is essential in designing and implementing national security policy. At a time of domestic deployments of armed service members and a breakdown of the traditional interagency policy process created after World War II, what are the dynamics in that relationship? On this episode of “The Diplomacy Podcast,” we discuss the state of the U.S. defense posture more than seven months into the second Trump administration. My guest is Michael O’Hanlon, director of foreign policy research and chair in defense and strategy at the Brookings Institution. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nicholaskralev.substack.com

    30 min
  8. The Shock in Transatlantic Relations

    08/27/2025

    The Shock in Transatlantic Relations

    Guest: Gabrielius Landsbergis, former foreign minister of Lithuania. The relationship between the United States and Europe has been quite shaken in the last seven month — from diverging worldviews to disagreements about Russia to punishing tariffs. How do things look from Europe? On this episode of “The Diplomacy Podcast,” we discuss the impact of the Trump administration’s policies and actions on transatlantic relations. My guest is Gabrielius Landsbergis, who served as Lithuania’s foreign minister from 2020 to 2024. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nicholaskralev.substack.com

    29 min
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How diplomacy shapes our world — and our lives nicholaskralev.substack.com

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  • Creator
    Nicholas Kralev
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Nicholas Kralev
  • Show Website
    The Diplomacy Podcast