Welcome to my Substack
Foreign affairs and political-economy as seen by a retired and disillusioned American diplomat.
I want to be a voice for empathy, restraint, and peace. I left the Foreign Service 10 years ago and began lecturing at the University of Washington 8 years ago. For me, Substack is a new form of engagement with the issues I care about: foreign policy, world affairs, and political economy. I hope this will be a place (among others, more local) where I can make a small difference. Occasionally I might throw in something about photography, art history, anthropology, or travel literature. This is a time of struggle, but we all need to cultivate the things that bring us joy, as well.
I hope to meet others here who are interested in these topics - from international relations to street photography, with an emphasis on the former. I will offer my opinions, informed by my experience - living around the world but rooted in the Puget Sound region, always a leftist but surrounded by people of all ideological stripes (including some I love). After about three decades studying and working in Europe, my soul is almost half European, but deep down I am a passionate Washingtonian (from the Other Washington).
Here I will offer hot takes, so I know what to expect in return. But when I take the time to present a bit more analysis, I hope folks will take the time to think it over. I would like this to be a space that advocates empathy, embraces diversity (including diversity of thought and ideas), and centers the value of peace.
You can expect me to post three or five times a week - and more if you include the hot takes. For now, everything is free here - I may just be too old to even imagine that there are folks out there who would pay for my stuff.
Me in Gig Harbor in 1980