Listener Reviews

I don’t doubt the courage or good intentions of Paul E. White or of the Laotian people whose lives intersected with his. But at times, the podcast sounded less like an exploration of soft power than a retrospective justification for CIA subterfuge during the U.S. war in Laos. Under those circumstances, I can understand why International Voluntary Services eventually withdrew. In fact, I admired Paul White more in the earlier episode when he described building swing sets and teaching Laotians how to make school furniture — work rooted not in covert strategy, but in practical human solidarity. White also spoke movingly about the accomplishments of many Lao and Hmong refugees in the United States who rebuilt their lives after unimaginable upheaval. But those achievements reflect not the righteousness of the war so much as the resilience of people forced to survive its consequences, along with the help of individuals like Paul White who genuinely cared about the Laotian people themselves. What also haunted me while listening was the knowledge that the war’s consequences did not end when the Americans left. Laos still bears physical and economic scars from the bombing campaign, with unexploded bombs, land mines, and other hidden explosives continuing to threaten farmers and children decades later. Against that backdrop, stories of courage and friendship become not less meaningful, but more morally complicated.

I don’t doubt the courage or good intentions of Paul E. White or of the Laotian people whose lives intersected with his. But at times, the podcast sounded less like an exploration of soft power than a retrospective justification for CIA subterfuge during the U.S. war in Laos. Under those circumstances, I can understand why International Voluntary Services eventually withdrew. In fact, I admired Paul White more in the earlier episode when he described building swing sets and teaching Laotians how to make school furniture — work rooted not in covert strategy, but in practical human solidarity. White also speaks movingly about the accomplishments of many Lao and Hmong refugees in the United States who rebuilt their lives after unimaginable upheaval. But those achievements reflect not the righteousness of the war so much as the resilience of people forced to survive its consequences, along with the help of individuals like Paul White who genuinely cared about the Laotian people themselves. What also haunted me while listening was the knowledge that the war’s consequences did not end when the Americans left. Laos still bears physical and economic scars from the bombing campaign, with unexploded bombs, land mines, and other hidden explosives continuing to threaten farmers and children decades later. Against that backdrop, stories of courage and friendship become not less meaningful, but more morally complicated.

I was filled with both wonder and admiration for Paul E. White as I listened to his stories, but I was aghast by the "welcome" he did not get when he arrived in a deserted spot in Laos, later waking up to what made him (and me) think of the Ku Klux Klan. I can see what his story requires more than one episode. I'm looking forward to the second part!

"What's the Peace Corps" and "What's a social worker?" were two questions Diane Raleigh found satisfying answers to after leaving her New Jersey neighborhood most notable for its cabbage patches, and it was no Cabbage Patch Doll that she informally "adopted" for a year. I enjoyed hearing how her experience in International Living in Italy led to her living in Somalia and Nigeria, where being entrusted with a baby whose mother had died led her to help found a home for motherless babies--just one of her accomplishments. But maybe her greatest accomplishment was an enthusiasm and appreciation for the people with whom she always felt a commonality.

Because I'm horrified by the ongoing war-mongering and the $1.5 trillion proposed U.S. military budget for fiscal year 2027--especially when peace-keeping organizations are being diminished or abolished-- I cringed at the thought that Keith Mines' talents, curiosity, and empathy would be wasted in such actions as "Liberating Grenada." Of course, he had a lot of other overseas experiences--as a missionary in Colombia and in peace-focused organizations--and his empathy made him effective in working with people in Iraq. He clearly has his heart in the right place--with people and peace. It's good to learn that Keith Mines closed his career with peace-making. I'm sorry that this institute was abolished by DOGE. But listen to the end for all he's done.

Glenn Ivers exudes enthusiasm, smashes negative stereotypes, and fuels hope as he speaks with host and producer Chris Wurst about his experience living in Liberia and traveling in other parts of Africa. I’m making this review short so I can look up his documentaries “Soul of a Refuge,” “Literacy Saves Lives,” “Hope Is a Literate Woman,” and “The Angels of Bastogne."

Ashley Fairbanks relates what it's like to grow up with the pressure and privilege of a special identity and great expectations and to be now and forever a proud Minnesotan. At a time when this state is getting our attention as it defends against the weirding of America, I learned more about Minnesota as well as what it takes to be an organizer with a huge impact.

Mike Tidwell didn't grow up in privilege, but he certainly made the most of volunteer opportunities that made him "rich" ($70 a month, more than anyone else around him got) and "famous" as a Peace Corps Volunteer and educated people, sometimes running up against the village ethos that meant sharing rather than building on capital. He has also educated readers on climate change, starting with the trees on his own block, inspiring others in our "global community."

I so admire the Peace Corps volunteers who served in African countries. Mike Tidwell’s work in introducing fisheries projects in Zaire, and his environmental work since is truly inspirational. Another well-produced and educational episode! Thanks Chris.

I first learned about his work through a correspondence he had with one of my favorite writers, Moritz Thomse in Ecuador. But I now appreciate the influence of those early years with the Peace Corps in Zaire, his leadership of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and his excellent memoir, The Ponds of Kalambayi: An African Sojourn and now in his latest book, The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue. Tidwell’s story is a reminder that Peace Corps service doesn’t end when the assignment does; sometimes it becomes the engine for a lifetime of writing, advocacy, and bearing witness.

John Berry, who served in both the Peace Corps and USAID, tells an astonishing tale about the time he (plot spoiler) fell into a well in Niger, but all's well that ends well! He also describes how striking Rwanda's beauty was--before the genocide began, leading to the deaths of 800,000 people. He relates the horrendous story of Sister Gertrude's complicity in the killings. This episode compelled me to look further into what soft power might have done if the US, chastened by its unsuccessful intervention in Somalia, hadn't weakened the United Nation 's mission in Rwanda.

This is a very timely episode with Paul Barker, who was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Iran for five years and understands and appreciates this ancient culture. It's fascinating that his best student there in the days of the Shah became one of the revolutionaries who overthrew the shah and wound up being a captor of a former Peace Corps Volunteer in the 444 days following the taking of hostages in 1979 . Paul Barker emphasizes the importance of understanding the people and culture of the countries targeted by military powers and laments the fact that those negotiating for a peace pact before the war on Iran were in the real estate business and couldn’t even understand what the Iranians were offering. It’s clear from this podcast that overthrowing the democratically elected leader of a country to put in someone who will do the bidding of our country is more likely to foment a revolution than to lead to long-lasting peace.

Thank you Christopher for always having a podcast that speaks to whichever country our government is meddling in at the time. Being reminded of how gracious and hospitable the Iranian poeple are makes the bombing of them and their schools even more tragic. Equally sad is how much more of our tax dollars go towards weaponry and military might than towards diplomacy. Is it because our leaders don't have the patience for learning about other cultures? Diplomacy takes time, skill, and an intellectual curiosity for those different from oneself. Values nowhere in evidence in our current US leadership.

Another timely interview on what principled diplomacy is, as well as an informed appreciation of the Persian culture--generosity and poetry rarely highlighted in today's news cycle. His comment on the consequences of the US sending two real estate agents to negotiate peace when there is nothing about diplomacy or Middle Eastern culture would be comic if it weren't so dangerous. Paul's service through the Peace Corps, CARE, Save the Children, and Mercy Cops is a testament to the impact of the Peace Corps experience.

This episode provoked both admiration and frustration in me. John "Dink" Dinkelman, after serving 37 years in diplomacy , was laid off in a mass firing of 1300 civil service employees and diplomats of the American Foreign Service Association in 2025, and from this podcast, I see that he is an admirable man. The frustration I feel comes from the administration's withdrawing peace-keeping people while waging wars that may mean the kids at Aunt Deb's Thanksgiving table may be killed or injured--or kill or injure -- in war. The firing was called an RIF: Reduction in Force. It's frustrating that military force is the only area in which there's never a reduction unless we count a reduction in lives. But I feel hope as long as people like "Dink" Dinkelman exist and persist and people like him and Chris Wurst tell their stories.

Claire's story is most timely and a needed reminder of the human cost we’ve let fade from view. Ukrainians have endured four relentless years of war, yet global attention has swung almost entirely to the Middle East. Claire—a young woman from Texas—was transformed by the resilience, grief, and stubborn hope she witnessed in Ukraine. The people she met didn’t just shape her reporting; they reshaped her sense of purpose, pushing her toward work grounded in empathy, truth‑telling, and standing with those whose suffering slips out of the headlines. Their struggle deserves to stay in our line of sight.

Claire's story is most timely and a needed reminder of the human cost we’ve let fade from view. Ukrainians have endured four relentless years of war, yet global attention has swung almost entirely to the Middle East. Claire—a young woman from Texas—was transformed by the resilience, grief, and stubborn hope she witnessed in Ukraine. The people she met didn’t just shape her reporting; they reshaped her sense of purpose, pushing her toward work grounded in empathy, truth‑telling, and standing with those whose suffering slips out of the headlines. Their struggle deserves to stay in our line of sight.

Claire's story is most timely and a needed reminder of the human cost we’ve let fade from view. Ukrainians have endured four relentless years of war, yet global attention has swung almost entirely to the Middle East. Claire—a young woman from Texas—was transformed by the resilience, grief, and stubborn hope she witnessed in Ukraine. The people she met didn’t just shape her reporting; they reshaped her sense of purpose, pushing her toward work grounded in empathy, truth‑telling, and standing with those whose suffering slips out of the headlines. Their struggle deserves to stay in our line of sight.

Somehow I missed this episode when it first aired, but it's one of the best! Marian Rivman from the Bronx was sent not to one of the 7000 islands in the Philippines but to an inland spot where she had the test of endurance described by host and producer Chris Wurst until a murder that made the New York Times prompted her father to make a call that led to a transfer. But through it all, she showed a sprit of openness and friendship that led to the rich experiences that got her in quite a few rooms "where it happened." With frankness, warmth and humor she describes how soft power changed her life.

What particularly resonated with me about Kate Byrnes' experience as a diplomat is how American popular culture resonated with those in other countries where the textbooks depicted American history in what she considered a distorted way, and singing together became a way of connecting and sharing cultures. Those of us who've served in the Peace Corps and International Voluntary Services have shared that experience as well as her realization that we have everything to gain when we connect with people in other countries in peaceful, life-affirming ways and too much to lose when we don't.

With diplomacy unraveling in Ukraine and Iran, her clarity about what real service looks like cuts through the noise. Amb. Byrnes followed her father into the Foreign Service and spent 32 years on the front lines of U.S. diplomacy, earning the Presidential Rank Award for her leadership. Her insights remind us why steady, principled engagement still matters—something every RPCV understands instinctively. For those of us who care about America’s role in the world, and the people who uphold it quietly and courageously, this interview is essential listening.

This podcast poignantly illustrates what it's like to be a law-abiding citizen married to an immigrant whose efforts to get legal status have been to no avail, causing anguish in the family and in the community because of ICE's excesses. "Jane" comes across as very intelligent, well-educated, and caring as she describes their harrowing experience.

I'm glad we didn't have to wait a full week for Part 2 of Mark Ward's story! One remarkable aspect of his humanitarian work was being able to eavesdrop on two former presidents, George HW Bush and Bill Clinton, traveling as they worked together in the early aughts to help tsunami victims and sharing stories about the campaign strategies they had against each other! Mark Ward relates this with humor and other shared experiences with poignancy. He expresses the belief that the US benefits from a more stable world, one we can help create through humane involvement with other parts of the world.

I laughed when I heard that his majoring in African History and applying to the Peace Corps to go to some African country led to the PC inviting him to train for South Korea! (We RPCVs know all about that phenomenon.) I laughed more nervously when I heard that he managed to get to Kenya and was immediately made the headmaster of a girls' school where they only funding came from the girls themselves. By the end of Part 1 of this podcast, I was full of admiration for Mark Ward and sorry that everything changed after September 11th, 2001, making it impossible for him to continue to take his family to the countries where he served. I'm looking forward to Part 2!