Alexis Ludwig

Alexis Ludwig is a retired Senior Foreign Service Officer who served in the US Department of State from January 1994 to September 2023. He was promoted to Assistant Professor of National Security Strategy while serving as a civilian faculty member at the National War College from 2020- 2022. He spent his final diplomatic tour launching the Core Skills for Diplomats course at the Foreign Service Institute.

Mr. Ludwig served from 2018-2020 as Deputy Permanent Representative and senior career official at the U.S. Mission to the Organization of American States, managing relationships with the hemisphere’s premier multilateral organization, its 33 other member states, and partners. A Foreign Service Officer with a functional specialization in political affairs and a geographic focus on the Western Hemisphere, Mr. Ludwig served as Counselor for Political Affairs, successively, in our Embassies in Lima (2006-2010), Buenos Aires (2010-2013) and Brasilia (2013-2016.) Prior to that he was Deputy Economic-Political Counselor in U.S. Embassy La Paz (2003-2006.)

He has a secondary professional focus on the East Asia and the Pacific, and served as Human Rights officer in Kuala Lumpur (2000-2003), Indonesia desk officer in the State Department (1998-2000), and Political-Military Officer in Tokyo (1996-1998). His first Foreign Service tour was as vice-consul in Guatemala City (1994-1996).

Since retiring from the Foreign Service, Mr. Ludwig has returned to his first love, writing. He has been published in the Catamaran Literary Reader, the Kansas City Star, American Purpose, the Foreign Service Journal, and (prior to joining the diplomatic corps) the San Francisco Examiner. He launched the Substack Newsletter Unbreaking News featuring a former diplomat’s “abroad, at home” perspective on past episodes and current affairs.