Susan Thornton, former senior U.S. diplomat, returns to the Sinica Podcast this week. This conversation was recorded during the Princeton U.S.-China Coalition virtual event on August 1, 2020. Kaiser and Susan discuss the value of American diplomacy with China and if such engagement can help salvage what remains of a deeply strained bilateral relationship between China and the United States.
9:27: Swapping diplomacy for machismo at the State Department
23:06: The sharp falloff in candidates entering the U.S. Foreign Service
28:29: Fatalism and China
34:08: Distrust and vilify, Washington’s new China policy
Recommendations:
Susan: Mr. X and the Pacific: George F. Kennan and American Policy in East Asia, by Paul J. Heer.
Kaiser: The TV show Better Call Saul, available on Netflix.
This podcast was edited and produced by Kaiser Kuo and Jason MacRonald.
