August 18, 2006

The Art of Diplomacy

I think it'd be very difficult to find many people like Ambassador Ed Peck (Ret.) in the foreign service these days. There's been so much politicization of the personnel process that people with curiosity, common sense, and an open mind have largely been driven out by apparatchiks. Nevertheless, it's interesting to listen to a veteran middle east hand who calls it as he sees it, and one can only hope that such types, at some point, will again be the norm for American diplomats. It's always a pleasure to talk with Ed and I hope he'll be willing to come back. Total runtime here of about an hour and twenty two minutes. Enjoy!