#47 - Baktash Ahadi

Forget the idea of going "full circle," I feel like the life and career of Baktash Ahadi is doing laps. As an Afghan refugee, finding his way in the United States, the massive reverberations from 9/11 hit Baktash from all sides, and started him on a journey of service and empathy that led him to the Peace Corps, back to Afghanistan as a civilian interpretor with U.S. special operations, an instructor at the Foreign Service Institute, training outgoing U.S. diplomats on their way to Afghanistan, and finally as a filmmaker, using his remarkable life experiences to help frame stories of shared humanity. And, as of a month or so ago, you can also count him as a two-time Emmy Award winner. All this, and I feel like he's still just getting started.

'SoftPower/FulStories' uses first-person stories to explore why U.S. engagement in the world matters. Through conversations with diplomats, aid workers, Peace Corps volunteers, authors and artists, influencers, businesspeople, and more, SP/FS highlights how soft power and foreign aid and assistance strengthen America's security, prosperity, and global standing. But forget politics, policy, or punditry; this is all about the stories.