The Diplomacy Podcast

Nicholas Kralev

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

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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

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