It is easy to take peace for granted. In this episode of the podcast I speak with John Kornblum about the hard work that diplomats do in the background to maintain peace between nations. John specializes in European and east–west relations, and played a defining role in many of the important events leading up to the end of the Cold War, and those that led to the current post-cold war security environment. These included the Quadripartite negotiations on Berlin, the Helsinki Final Act, the stationing of nuclear weapons in Europe, President Ronald Reagan's historic 1987 speech at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, German reunification, the Dayton Agreement on the Balkans, enlargement of NATO, the post-Cold War security settlement with Russia and Ukraine and the agreement on compensation of slave laborers and establishment of the Reconciliation Foundation of German Industry. John also served as US Special Envoy to the Balkans and directed two dramatic prisoner and spy exchanges on the Glienicke Bridge in Berlin in 1985 and 1986.

►Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/tU0q0C0jTUw

►For more information about John: https://www.csis.org/people/john-c-kornblum


These conversations are supported by the Andrea von Braun foundation (http://www.avbstiftung.de/), as an exploration of the rich, exciting, connected, scientifically literate, and (most importantly) sustainable future of humanity. The views expressed in these episodes are my own and those of my guests. This episode covers the maintenance of international relations, the rule of international law, and world peace.