https://ricochet.com/podcast/q-and-a/man-middle-east/
I listened to this 43 minute interview last night and found it full of information and insight. The Ricochet blurb introduces the Crocker interview this way:
Ryan Crocker is one of the outstanding U.S. diplomats of our time. In addition to his other posts, he was ambassador to Lebanon, Kuwait, Syria, Pakistan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He has had some of the most challenging assignments on offer. George W. Bush, in the last days of his presidency, hung the Presidential Medal of Freedom around Crocker’s neck.
In this “Q&A,” Jay asks Crocker about the State Department today. Along with others, Crocker has sounded the alarm about cuts to the Foreign Service. He and Jay also take a tour of Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and other countries, discussing matters past, present, and future.
One of the dismaying things I learned is that presently the U.S. has no Ambassador in Saudi Arabia!