Empathy, Discipline, and Staying Neutral (with Rafael Grossi)

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 on what Europe must learn as the transatlantic relationship enters a new era. Looking back on a career that spanned the Cold War, the post-Cold War optimism of the 1990s, and today’s increasingly fragmented international order, Ischinger offers a candid assessment of what has been lost—and where diplomacy must go next. In a fitting conclusion to the first season, the conversation explores what it really means to practice the art of diplomacy in an age of uncertainty.

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 them—or even trusting them. Sherman also shares behind-the-scenes stories from the Iran negotiations, including how long diplomatic processes test not only relationships between countries, but also the resilience of the teams conducting them. Looking at today’s renewed tensions with Iran, Sherman argues that military power alone cannot resolve complex conflicts and explains why diplomacy remains indispensable, even in moments when it appears least likely to succeed. For the introduction to this episode of The Art of Diplomacy, Joshua Yaffa is joined by Benedikt Franke, Vice Chairman and CEO of the Munich Security Conference.

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 of the war: whether Western support successfully “boiled the frog” by increasing pressure on Russia step by step, or whether it amounted to “killing Ukraine softly” by providing enough aid to survive, but not enough to win decisively. Schmidt also discusses Germany’s efforts to keep Europe united, the diplomacy that led China to publicly oppose nuclear threats by Russia, and the prisoner exchange that secured the release of Evan Gershkovich and other political prisoners held in Russia. Drawing on his experience at the center of German government, Schmidt reflects on the realities of decision-making under uncertainty and on what diplomacy can achieve when every option carries risks. For the introduction to this episode, Florence Gaub is joined by Joshua Yaffa, who conducted the conversation with Wolfgang Schmidt on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

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

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 history, but also the role diplomacy can still play in preventing societies from sliding into violence. Prince Zeid speaks candidly about the realities of dealing with governments accused of abuses, the limits of international institutions, and the psychological burden of speaking on behalf of people suffering under war, repression, and injustice. He argues that human rights are not abstract ideals, but practical restraints designed to protect humanity from its own worst instincts. The conversation also turns to the United States, the erosion of postwar norms, the rise of exclusionary politics, and the question of whether the current global order is entering a dangerous new phase. Throughout, Prince Zeid remains both unsentimental and deeply committed to the idea that diplomacy, when practiced skillfully, can still produce extraordinary outcomes.