Episode Details

Jen talks to longtime diplomatic correspondent Paul Richter about his book, The Ambassadors: America's Diplomats on the Front Lines.

Paul talks about four diplomats - Ryan Crocker in Afghanistan, Anne Patterson in Pakistan and Egypt, Robert Ford in Iraq and Syria, and Chris Stevens in Libya - who “do the hardest things in the hardest places.” Paul talks about the role of America’s diplomats in the wars in the Middle East, from running local government, directing drone strikes, nation-building, and risking their lives on the front lines. Jen also asks Paul about the hollowing out of the State Department and the implications for foreign service.