Read The Diplomat, Know The Asia-Pacific

The Diplomat | Author

Catherine Putz

Catherine Putz is managing editor of The Diplomat.

Catherine (Katie) Putz is managing editor of The Diplomat.

She manages the monthly magazine as well as writing on Central Asia and Afghanistan. She writes on politics, security and culture in former Soviet spaces, particularly where they link to greater Asia. Katie also co-hosts The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics Podcast.

Katie is a graduate of the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky, where she studied international security and Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in history with a focus on U.S. diplomatic and conflict history. Previously, Katie worked in several positions at the Atlantic Council and as a communications consultant at the World Bank. She is a member of the Military Writers Guild and the National Press Club.

Get in touch with Katie on LinkedIn, or email.

Posts by Catherine Putz

October 01, 2021

How Control of the World’s Oceans Shapes the Fate of the Superpowers

By Catherine Putz

In “To Rule the Waves,” Bruce Jones covers the broad and complex ways the oceans undergird power dynamics across the planet.

September 29, 2021

Ahmad Shah Massoud: An Afghan Napoleon

By Catherine Putz

Renowned British journalist Sandy Gall’s biography of Massoud comes at a critical time for Afghanistan.

September 28, 2021

Report: Putin Suggested US Use Russian Bases in Central Asia

By Catherine Putz

A new Wall Street Journal report suggests that Putin offered Russian bases for the U.S. to use to monitor Afghanistan. It’s not at all clear if the offer was genuine.

September 28, 2021

No One to Speak for Afghanistan at UN General Debate

By Catherine Putz

Who sits at the high table of international politics when the political arena back home is embroiled in unrest or irregular transition?

September 24, 2021

Kyrgyz Officials Meet With Taliban Acting Foreign Minister in Kabul

By Catherine Putz

Kyrgyzstan’s diplomacy with regard to the Taliban has never been as robust as that of neighboring Uzbekistan, but Bishkek is taking a practical approach to dealing with the new leaders in Kabul.

September 22, 2021

A Look at Punitive Psychiatric Detention in Uzbekistan

By Catherine Putz

A new report catalogues the use of forced psychiatric detention to repress human rights activists in Uzbekistan, laying out the cases of six individuals to illustrate the abusive practice.

September 21, 2021

A Glimpse at What Went Wrong with the Afghan SIV Process

By Catherine Putz

Two June 2020 State OIG reports illustrate some of the long-known, ever-unresolved issues stymieing the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa process.

September 14, 2021

More than $1.2 Billion in Humanitarian Aid Pledged to Afghanistan

By Catherine Putz

The Taliban’s ascension to power in Kabul has given way to an economic crisis, which in tandem with droughts has fueled a food crisis, too.

September 14, 2021

Ahead of Kyrgyz Parliamentary Elections, Elections Official Arrested on Fraud Charges

By Catherine Putz

Kyrgyzstan will finally hold parliamentary elections in late November, more than a year after a botched election spun the country into political turmoil.

September 13, 2021

What’s Next for Afghan Pilots Who Escaped to Central Asia?

By Catherine Putz

With Uzbekistan under pressure, those who landed in Termez are being moved to the UAE. Those in Tajikistan are waiting.

September 08, 2021

Taliban Announce Acting Government Lineup

By Catherine Putz

The Taliban's “inclusive” government is made up of middle-aged male mullahs, mostly.

September 07, 2021

Kyrgyzstan Effectively Suspends Visas for Pakistan, India Amid Afghanistan Stress

By Catherine Putz

A pandemic-related influx of Pakistani and other South Asian travelers mixed with Afghanistan worries to produce a xenophobic backlash on social media.