The article outlines how a successful modern foreign policy career requires blending traditional diplomatic expertise with private sector acumen. Juster's career trajectory—from international law to high-stakes diplomacy (e.g., the Gulf War) and subsequently to the technology sector—demonstrates this synthesis. Key evidence includes his work managing complex negotiations under duress and his involvement in co-founding the U.S.-India High Technology Group. The implication for policy is that effective geopolitical strategy must actively integrate private sector knowledge and technological considerations to manage modern economic and security challenges.
The surreal experience of meeting Khamenei
English Summary
Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman reflects on his 2012 meeting with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, highlighting the Supreme Leader's paranoid obsession with United States 'enmity' and his conviction that America was a declining, malicious power. During the encounter, Khamenei ignored standard diplomatic topics to deliver a lengthy monologue indicting U.S. foreign policy and predicting its internal collapse, dismissing diplomatic overtures as deceptive ruses. This rigid ideological hostility drove Iran’s regional proxy warfare and nuclear ambitions, indicating that Khamenei viewed negotiations primarily as a tactical means to buy time. The reflection underscores how the Supreme Leader's unshakeable distrust shaped decades of Iranian policy, persisting through major escalations until his death in early 2026.
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