All episodes

After a lifetime spent at the center of international diplomacy, Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger joins Florence Gaub and Joshua Yaffa for the season finale of The Art of Diplomacy.
From the Dayton Peace Accords to German reunification, from the United Nations during the Yom Kippur War to his years as Germany’s ambassador in Washington and as chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Ischinger reflects on more than five decades of diplomacy at the highest level.
He shares lessons from negotiating peace in Bosnia, explains why trust remains diplomacy’s most valuable currency, argues for the return of quiet backchannel diplomacy, and reflects...

In this episode of The Art of Diplomacy, Joshua Yaffa speaks with Wendy Sherman, former US Deputy Secretary of State and the lead American negotiator of the Iran nuclear agreement.
Drawing on decades of experience, from negotiations with North Korea to the marathon talks that produced the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Sherman offers a candid look at what diplomacy requires when trust is in short supply and the stakes are exceptionally high.
She reflects on the importance of preparation, the role of back-channel diplomacy, and why understanding an adversary’s interests, history, and political constraints matters more than liking...

In this episode of The Art of Diplomacy, Josh Yaffa speaks with Wolfgang Schmidt, former Head of the German Chancellery and one of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s closest advisers during the first years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Schmidt offers a rare behind-the-scenes account of how Germany navigated the most consequential foreign policy crisis in Europe since the end of the Cold War. He reflects on the origins of the Zeitenwende speech, the difficult decisions around military support for Ukraine, and the challenge of balancing solidarity with the risks of escalation.
The conversation explores one of the central strategic debates...

In this episode of The Art of Diplomacy, Florence Gaub speaks with former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin.

Leading a country through a pandemic, an energy crisis, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Finland’s historic accession to NATO, Marin faced a series of decisions that challenged long-held assumptions about security, leadership, and political strategy.

In this conversation, she reflects on the role of trust in resilient societies, the importance of listening in negotiation, and why effective leaders must be willing to change course when circumstances shift. Drawing on her experience steering Finland through one of the most consequential periods in...

In this episode, Joshua Yaffa speaks with Prince Zeid bin Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein, one of the central architects of the modern international human rights system. From helping to establish the International Criminal Court to serving as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid has spent decades confronting the tension between moral ideals and political power.
At a moment when international law, human rights, and multilateral institutions appear increasingly fragile, he reflects on what these systems were actually built to do—and why they were never guaranteed to survive. The conversation explores fear, nationalism, authoritarianism, and the recurring cycles of...

In this third episode of The Art of Diplomacy, co-host Florence Gaub travels to Paris to talk to Benjamin Haddad, French Minister Delegate for European Affairs. Haddad is one of the key figures shaping France’s role in Europe at a moment of geopolitical upheaval. He describes a role that sits at the intersection of European politics, security, and economic strategy, where building coalitions and moving quickly are often more important than perfect processes. Drawing on his path from think tank analyst to government diplomat, he reflects on the shift from observing decisions to taking responsibility for them. At the heart...

In this second episode of The Art of Diplomacy, Florence Gaub is joined by journalist and New Yorker writer Joshua Yaffa to explore diplomacy as it unfolds in real time—at the Munich Security Conference.
Together, they reflect on the unique nature of the conference itself: a space where global politics is not only discussed on stage, but shaped and processed in hallways, over coffee, and in countless informal encounters.
Through two conversations recorded in Munich, Yaffa examines how this process works from different angles. With political scientist Ian Bremmer, he explores how diplomacy adapts to a moment of geopolitical rupture—when...

In this first episode of The Art of Diplomacy, Florence Gaub speaks with Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. At the center of some of the most sensitive diplomatic efforts today, Grossi operates in a world where pressure is constant and stakes are existential. In this conversation, he reflects on what it takes to stay focused and effective under these conditions, both physically and mentally. And why discipline, restraint, and self-awareness are essential tools of the trade. Grossi speaks about the challenge of remaining impartial in highly polarized conflicts, and the loneliness that can come with...

The Art of Diplomacy takes you inside the world of international politics: through personal conversations with those who practice diplomacy at the highest level. What does it really take to negotiate, manage crises, and find common ground under pressure?