Browse recent stories below, or click “Older” at the bottom of the page to explore the full archive.
Twenty-seven years after boarding my first plane to Japan, I found myself speaking to hundreds of people at the Japanese Ambassador’s residence in Washington, D.C. I never could have predicted where that first trip would lead. The most consequential experiences in life rarely announce themselves in advance.
Read MoreIt was an extraordinary privilege to welcome Mary Jean Eisenhower, granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, to Fort Worth for Sister Cities International’s annual conference. Her visit reminded me that global stability is built one relationship at a time. Citizen diplomacy may not make headlines, but it creates the trust that survives everything else.
Read MorePlanning a major event in another country is exciting and terrifying at the same time, especially when it means bringing 561 people from 15 countries to Izumisano City, Japan. Behind every fireworks display and tuna-carving demonstration was a team solving problems no one in the audience ever saw. A gigantic arigato to everyone who helped pull it off.
Read MoreThe United States just established its first two sister-city partnerships with Papua New Guinea, a country of roughly 860 languages and a motto that says it all: “Expect the unexpected.” A signing ceremony is only the beginning. The real work happens through the decades of relationships that follow.
Read MoreAt the USA Pavilion in Osaka, visitors could feel what it’s like to launch into space while 230,000 people moved through the Expo that day alone. A world expo is a little like the Olympics of people-to-people diplomacy. The most important result may not be how many people walked through a pavilion, but how many left with a new idea about another country.
Read MoreThey came from 47 states and spoke 22 languages between them, all training in Fort Worth before representing the United States at Expo 2025 Osaka. What impressed me most wasn’t their talent, it was their willingness to become a stranger’s first personal connection to America. Diplomacy doesn’t belong only to governments.
Read More“Carlo, this is a Thai tie that you can tie to strengthen ties between Thailand and the United States,” Ambassador Suriya Chindawongse told me before joining a live band for karaoke. I’ll remember the tie. I’ll remember the karaoke even more.
Read More
