EP 438: Ambassador Samantha Power on Idealism, Diplomacy, and Human Rights

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power recalls her early years as a freelance journalist covering the Siege of Sarajevo, how her Pulitzer-winning book about genocide got the attention of a young Senator Barack Obama, and what it was like for her to go from being an idealistic human rights advocate on the outside of government to working for change in the White House and at the U.N. She gives an inside account of the discussions in the Oval Office over how to handle the Syrian civil war and talks about how deeply that crisis affected her. Plus Ambassador Power discusses the rise of China, America’s loss of moral authority under President Trump, and the power of empathy and understanding in politics and diplomacy.

Order Samantha Power's book The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir on Amazon, Audible, or wherever books are sold. Keep up with her at www.samanthapower.com and on twitter at @SamanthaJPower.