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Join us in The Delegates Lounge, an independent podcast on world affairs based in New York City at the United Nations, the hub of global insights in plain sight. We hope you’ll come back often to listen in on some fascinating conversations hosted by J. Alex Tarquinio, a veteran journalist who writes essays for Foreign Policy from her office across the hallway from the UN Security Council chamber.
We’ll wade into the rising tide of global threats to peace and security in our discussions with the denizens of high-level diplomacy, as well as assorted scholars, scientists, soldiers, spies, and other influencers. From time to time, we’ll hit the road for sit downs with the world’s movers and shakers, whether it be at NATO’s 75th Anniversary Summit in Washington, D.C. or to parts as yet unknown.
This podcast is solely a production of The Delegates Lounge LLC, which was co-founded by the host and her husband and executive producer, Frank Radford.
As we’re a small team, we can’t respond to every message, but we promise to read your messages if you contact us at:
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28 Episodes
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Want to watch the episode? Check out our video interview on our NEW YouTube channel! Drama unfolds at the United Nations this week, as the 80th session of the UN General Assembly gets underway with leaders from more than 150 countries gathering in New York. At The Delegates Lounge podcast, we're beginning our coverage of what is known as either the "high-level week" of the General Assembly, or, more simply, "UNGA." We held our first conversation with the former U.S. Deputy Permanent Rep...
The Trump administration made an about-face on sanctions after the Alaska Summit between United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15. Washington now appears reluctant to bolster sanctions as a means of coercing the Russian leader to the peace table, in part, because Putin's regime portrays Russia as an economic juggernaut weathering Western sanctions with ease. Our guest in this episode, Yale's Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, challenges that Russian narrative. J...
Join us for our talk with Eloy Alfaro de Alba, Panama’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Ambassador de Alba is serving in the monthly rotating presidency of the Security Council for the Month of August, and for this exchange, we sat down with him in the Security Council President’s office. From time to time, you may hear the roar of seaplanes landing on New York’s East River right outside of the expansive picture window. Some 100,000 commercial vessels are plying through ...
Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan's envoy to the United Nations, joins us in The Delegates Lounge as his country holds the rotating monthly presidency of the UN Security Council. July is typically a sleepy period here at the UN. But not this year! That’s because a UN General Assembly conference to discuss Palestinian statehood, originally scheduled for June, will now land at the end of this month. The ambassador articulates Pakistan's support for a two-state solution based on pre...
Nataliya Gumenyuk takes us behind the headlines to reveal the stark reality of Ukraine's resistance to Russian aggression. Having embedded with drone operators near the frontlines, she offers rare insight into evolving military tactics. "Before, drones were supplementary," she says, "but now they're used instead of artillery." A Ukrainian journalist based in Kyiv, she describes The Reckoning Project, which collects testimonies that may serve as journalistic material or evidence for future pro...
Welcome to the third edition of "Dining with Diplomats," a series that explores the intersection of food, culture, and diplomacy. In this edition, we'll journey across Europe to discover the diverse celebrations marking the summer solstice. Swedish Consul General in New York Erik Ullenhag takes us through the significance of the Midsummer holiday in Sweden, where the celebration rivals Christmas in importance. After enduring months of winter darkness, Swedes embrace the nearly endless dayligh...
Welcome to the third edition of "Undercurrents," an ongoing series in The Delegates Lounge podcast about the oceans and seas that unite us, and sometimes, divide us. In this episode, we're continuing our conversation with Michelle Wiese Bockmann, a former longtime analyst with Lloyd's List, one of the world’s oldest continuously running journals that has provided shipping news from London for centuries. Beneath, above, and at the surface of global shipping lanes, a new era of mari...
Welcome to the second edition of "Undercurrents," an ongoing series in The Delegates Lounge podcast about the oceans and seas that unite us, and sometimes, divide us. In this episode, we're joined by Michelle Wiese Bockmann, a former longtime analyst with Lloyd's List, one of the world’s oldest continuously running journals that has provided shipping news from London for centuries. Michelle expounds on the explosive growth of what she calls "the Dark Fleet," also commonly called "...
Welcome to the first edition of "Undercurrents," a new ongoing series in The Delegates Lounge podcast about the oceans and seas that unite us, and sometimes, divide us. In this episode, we're joined by Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur. He explains what's happening beneath the surface of maritime confrontations in the Baltic Sea. Rising tensions have transformed this crucial waterway into a geopolitical flashpoint, with Russia deploying military assets to escort its so-called...
In pursuit of economic understanding, we speak with Jason Furman, the Harvard economist who co-teaches the university’s core course in the discipline, “Principles of Economics,” Harvard’s most popular course. The conversation tackles President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariff announcement that sent markets nosediving, that is, until the president hit the pause button. The Harvard economist methodically dismantles the logic behind targeting countries with bilateral trade deficits, using ...
The Delegates Lounge podcast commences our third season in a timely conversation with Victor Cha, the well-known Korea watcher who is both president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a foreign policy think tank based in Washington, D.C. He served in an advisory role to the secretary of defense in the Joe Biden administration and served on the National Security Council in the George W. Bush administrat...
As President Donald Trump's self-proclaimed "Liberation Day" approaches on April 2nd, bringing with it a wave of new tariffs, we're joined by an expert who can help us parse rhetoric from reality. Moody's Chief Economist Mark Zandi explores the potential economic impact of broad-based tariffs on American consumers, farmers, and business owners. As chief economist, he oversees Moody’s global economic forecast. Mark is a frequent guest on American network news shows and hosts the podcast ...
In this episode, we explore the seismic shifts reshaping global diplomacy with Richard Gowan, the International Crisis Group's UN expert and our first-ever return guest, or "friend of the pod." Recorded at UN headquarters while Trump and Putin conducted a phone call to discuss the war in Ukraine, our conversation captures a pivotal moment in international relations. The timing couldn't be more significant as we analyze how the Trump administration might transform the United States of America...
As the world marked the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Monday, competing resolutions at the United Nations brought tensions within the international community to the forefront. This episode dives deep into the diplomatic maneuvering and dueling agendas, revealing the complexities that reshape alliances and influence decisions made at the United Nations. As our host explains, the anniversary this week was Act One in a three-act tragedy that culminated in the Ov...
Get ready to explore the turbulent waters of transatlantic relations with our guest, French political scientist Célia Belin. Discover how the Trump administration's controversial actions, including remarks from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance, have sent ripples across Europe, particularly in response to the tensions over Ukraine. With President Macron at the helm, rallying European leaders to counter these shifts, Celia provides a nuanced perspective on the strategi...
We’re beginning our second season in conversation with Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations, Sergiy Kyslytsya. As listeners will recall, he challenged Russia’s representative to the United Nations during a late-night emergency session of the UN Security Council three years ago, when Russia launched a predawn invasion of his country during the meeting. We sat down with the Distinguished Representative of Ukraine earlier this month at his country’s mission to the United Nations for an exc...
Welcome back to the second part of our culinary special podcast miniseries: “Dining with a Dozen Diplomats.” Discover how joining together over a simmering pot of gumbo or carving a roast lamb can bridge cultural divides and foster diplomacy. Above all, get ready for some practical tips on hosting with warmth and creativity, even when things don't go according to plan. In the first episode, in our playlist below, our host J. Alex Tarquinio elicited recipes and reminisces from foreign minister...
Embark on a culinary exploration with us as we uncover the cherished comfort foods and cultural tales shared by diplomats from an assortment of countries. These twelve diplomats offer insights into how food can serve as a bridge between peoples both past and present. For the “Dining with a Dozen Diplomats” culinary special episode, our host J. Alex Tarquinio chatted with foreign ministers, with permanent representatives, so-called because they lead their country’s Permanent Mission to the U...
Join us for a firsthand account of life on and near the battlelines in Eastern Ukraine by Dave Smith, a former Canadian infantry officer who resigned to fight for Ukraine. This is the third episode in our multi-part series where Dave explores the evolving tactics and motivations that define the conflict. He offers listeners a deep dive into the experiences of soldiers and citizens that’s brimming with insights into how the geopolitical climate —including the election of former American Presid...
Join Dave Smith, a former major in the Canadian Armed Forces, fighting alongside Belarusian Partisans for Ukraine. From the intense battlegrounds North of Kharkiv to the life-saving professional efforts within its hospitals, Dave offers a raw and authentic soldier's viewpoint of what it is to fight up close on the line of engagement - the Zero Line. The conversation sheds light on the grim realities of capturing Russian conscripts and subsequent efforts at prisoner exchanges, exploring the ...
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