“The General and the Ambassador” focus on Latin America and the Caribbean

This month “The General and the Ambassador: A Conversation” dropped another two-part interview, this time featuring guests Admiral Kurt Tidd and Ambassador Liliana Ayalde. The two joined Ambassador (retired) Deborah McCarthy for discussions about the United States’s role in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Part one centers on Tidd and Ayalde’s partnership with USSOUTHCOM and their relationships with nations in the region. In this part of the interview, McCarthy and her guests discuss shifting military and diplomatic focus from drugs to global criminal networks, partnering with Colombia, the challenge of Brazil, and re-engaging with Ecuador.

In part two, McCarthy, Tidd, and Ayalde discuss Venezuela, Cuba, Central America, Iran, Russia, and China. McCarthy, Tidd, and Ayalde also talk about Venezuelan migrants, the use of the SS Comfort, disaster relief to the Caribbean, and the opening to Cuba, among other topics.

The interviews are part of Ambassador McCarthy’s podcast series “The General and the Ambassador: A Conversation.” The podcast promotes interagency cooperation and is produced by the American Academy of Diplomacy.

McCarthy was the 2018 DACOR Visiting Professor of Diplomacy for the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC). The DACOR Visiting Professor of Diplomacy Program is conducted in partnership with the Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired, Inc. (DACOR) organization located in Washington D.C., and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Foundation. Several times a year retired senior officials, usually Ambassadors with extensive diplomatic experience, come to Fort Leavenworth to interact with the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College students and faculty to provide a Department of State and Chief of Mission perspective to the curriculum. During their visit they also interact with area universities and civic organizations discussing policy, regional, and political expertise, as well as speaking about careers in the Foreign Service.

To learn more and listen to the podcast, please follow the links below.
U.S. Security Interests in Latin America & the Caribbean Part I: Admiral Kurt Tidd and Ambassador Liliana Ayalde Discuss Their Partnership at U.S. SOUTHCOM and Working With Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador
U.S. Security Interests in Latin American & the Caribbean Part II: Admiral Tidd and Ambassador Ayalde Discuss Venezuela, Cuba, Central America, Iran, Russia and China