The Freewheeling Diplomat
The Freewheeling Diplomat -- Colin Cleary -- served for over three decades in the U.S. Foreign Service. Free now to speak for himself, he offers a practitioner's perspective on key U.S. Foreign Policy challenges. Drawing on his years at U.S. Embassies in Ukraine, Russia and Poland -- as well as other postings -- he has been devoting particular attention to Russia's war on Ukraine. As the podcast moves forward, the Freewheeling Diplomat will be expanding to other topics. Colin Cleary is an Adjunct Professor of U.S. Foreign Policy at George Washington University.
The Freewheeling Diplomat
War Next Door: Romania's Security Challenges
Romania plays an often under-appreciated role as a bulwark for NATO on its eastern flank. I spoke with Black Sea security expert and George Washington University Professor Iulia Joja on June 14 about Romania's security challenges amid Russia's war on neighboring Ukraine. Among the topics covered were: traditional Romanian attitudes toward Russia; issues in Romanian-Ukrainian bilateral relations; the changing NATO and US military presence in Romania; the threat to Moldova from Russia; the centrality of Crimea to the future security of Ukraine; the "Bucharest 9"; and the outlook at the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius for signals on future Ukrainian membership in NATO.