Ralph D. Anske is a retired U.S. Foreign Service officer. During his career he was assigned primarily to economic and political matters, in Mali, the Philippines, Mexico, Pakistan, Guatemala, and Kenya. He also worked on energy, democracy, and human rights issues at the Department of State and was an analyst for Central American affairs at the Bureau of Intelligence and Research. Anske earned the equivalent of a bachelor’s of science degree in economics at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center and he did doctoral work at Carnegie-Mellon University. He has a MA in history and a BA in history, political science, and English from St. Mary’s University.