Storella Addresses Wellesley Club on “The Diplomat: Fact or Fiction?”
Professor Mark C. Storella met with Wellesley Club members on November 13, 2025, to talk about the TV show “The Diplomat.” While he shared that the show is over the top in many respects, he also illustrated, through his own experiences, how some of the show’s storylines accord with real American diplomatic practice.
Storella told the assembled 155 Club members that diplomatic life is not as glamorous as the cavorting of actors Kerri Russel and Rufus Sewell might suggest. But there are regular black-tie events at every U.S. embassy in honor of the United States Marines, recognizing the longstanding role of Marines in protecting U.S. diplomatic facilities. The life of an American diplomat is nowhere near as hair-raising as the fictional depiction, as more American ambassadors have been killed in the line of duty since World War II than American generals, even though there are many more American generals than ambassadors. Storella illustrated some of the more comic implications of America’s current “expeditionary diplomacy,” including during his service in Iraq.
He debunked the notion that foreigners can request asylum at American embassies overseas, which they cannot. Nevertheless, he recounted an episode in which an American embassy helped provide protection to an opposition politician facing threats overseas. Storella concluded by noting that many faithful American diplomats, USAID employees, and intelligence officers and generals have been summarily fired without cause in recent months. But he stressed that the honor of serving the American people outweighs any indignities politicians may dole out.
The well-informed Club members posed questions on the impact of cuts in U.S. HIV/AIDS programs, the dynamic of working with “political appointee” ambassadors, and what it was like dealing with Kim Jong-il.
The Wellesley Club, founded in 1889, is a reflection of the ideal of civic mindedness among New England citizens and works to promote literacy, culture, and the welfare of Wellesley 27,000 residents. Participating in the meeting were may School Committee, Select Board, and Town Meeting Members. Melissa Martin, Assistant Director of the Pardee African Studies Center, is the current club president.
Mark C. Storella is the professor of the practice of diplomacy at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies. He served as a United States Foreign Service Officer for more than three decades. Besides being an ambassador to Zambia, he was a deputy assistant secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration and dean of the Leadership and Management School of the Foreign Service Institute. Storella has several honors and awards to his name, including the Presidential Rank Award and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Excellence in Service Award. To learn more about his work and accomplishments, visit his faculty profile.