Explore intricate international dynamics as essays scrutinize US-Saudi ties, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and pressing domestic challenges from reform to societal shifts. Realist insights invite readers to rethink prevailing narratives and form their own measured conclusions about today's global politics.

How much do you really know about Saudi Arabia’s complex relationship with the United States? Do you fully understand why Russia invaded Ukraine? Diplomacy First Again is a collection of essays that will help you get to the bottom of these and many other complex issues in international politics today. This book will help organize your thoughts and help formulate your own conclusions. Diplomacy First Again is written by David H. Rundell and Michael Gfoeller, two distinguished former diplomats with over fifty years of political analysis experience in Washington, the Middle East, and the former Soviet Union. Rooted in realism, it challenges conventional narratives and calls for a foreign policy prioritizing American interests in our world today. The authors point out that a small nation like Ukraine is unlikely to defeat a large nation like Russia without foreign intervention on a scale that risks provoking a major war. They discuss the dramatic social and economic changes taking place in Saudi Arabia and explain why the Kingdom’s stability remains important to the United States. Turning to domestic issues, they provide insightful commentary on State Department reform, school shootings, nationwide court injunctions, and a host of other topics. Their easily digestible essays are short, clear, and witty. They are full of insights and opinions often overlooked by the discredited legacy media. Many of their predictions have already proven accurate and are well worth exploring by anyone seeking a deeper understanding of current events.