The United States charges nearly 8,000 people with being good at relationships. These are our diplomats, or Foreign Service Officers. These are the people who make us look good, make sure the world gives us what we want and need and try to keep tensions at a minimum. To try to understand how this nuanced job actually works, we speak with Alison Mann, Public Historian at the National Museum of American Diplomacy and Naima Green-Riley, soon-to-be professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton and former diplomat.

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To see Civics 101 in book form, check out gV4ZTnupzh9kEv4AEpX7jHVhvqqXVSZmOAryjrgo.MKpOMk22W8ZBn4vph5XOhdkQKfDGhDHp_JT2GsIHBws&dib_tag=se&keywords=a+user%27s+guide+to+democracy&qid=1730151470&s=audible&sr=1-1-catcorr">A User's Guide to Democracy: How America Works by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice, featuring illustrations by Tom Toro.