The Negotiators

Mickey Bergman, an Israeli-American hostage negotiator, and Majid al-Ansari, a senior Qatari mediator, dive into the intricate negotiations that secured hostage releases and brokered a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. Mickey reveals the emotional toll of negotiating amid trauma, while Majid discusses the significance of Qatar's mediating role and how trust was built between opposing sides. They share insights on the delicate balance of political dynamics and the urgent need for collaborative solutions in the region.

Vanessa Frazier, Malta's former UN Permanent Representative, shares her insights on negotiating humanitarian pauses during the Gaza conflict. She highlights Malta's unique approach as a small state advocating for multilateralism. Frazier reveals the subtle language manipulations crucial for gaining consensus within the Security Council, such as avoiding the word 'ceasefire.' She also discusses the importance of children's welfare in her negotiations and the successful outcome, which resulted in aid deliveries and the release of hostages, showcasing the power of diplomacy amidst crisis.

David Gressly, the former UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, shares his gripping experience of averting an environmental catastrophe from the FSO Safer oil tanker. He discusses the daunting negotiations with Houthi leaders and the Yemeni government to secure a plan for oil transfer, emphasizing the dire regional implications of a spill. Gressly reveals how he navigated local skepticism, orchestrated funding, and managed operational hurdles while ensuring the safety of the salvage crew. His story highlights resilience amidst a humanitarian crisis and the complexities of diplomacy in conflict.

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, a seasoned diplomat and human-rights lawyer, shares his experiences from leading negotiations on the crime of aggression in Kampala. He discusses the challenges of reconciling political divides among 193 countries and the complexities of defining aggression. Zeid reveals how time pressure and a motivational pep talk from Nuremberg prosecutor Ben Ferencz helped secure consensus. He recounts pivotal moments such as peeling the UK away from P5 opposition and the dramatic late-night drafting that ultimately led to a historic agreement.

The Negotiators is back with a new host and all new stories from some of the world's most dramatic negotiations. Journalist Femi Oke takes us behind the scenes at a luxury resort in Uganda, as government representatives gather to establish the International Criminal Court's jurisdiction to prosecute leaders for unjust wars. We'll go scuba diving through endangered coral reefs in the Red Sea with the environment minister of the Maldives, as she attempts to sway US Climate Envoy John Kerry. And we'll take a peek inside the negotiations for the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that ended the war in Gaza – with one of the Qatari officials who helped make it happen.The Negotiators returns December 1, from Foreign Policy and Doha Debates -- and our special partner this season, the International Peace Institute. 

Since taking power, the Taliban have cracked down on human rights and deprived Afghan women and girls of fundamental freedoms. The outlook for productive engagement is dim. Yet there may have been a window, in the early months after the fall of the republic, to do things differently. Researcher Ashley Jackson speaks to aid workers and activists involved in direct negotiations with the Taliban as well as representatives from the U.S. and Taliban governments. And she takes a look at two intertwined questions: What might have been done differently then? And what should, or could, be done now?

Once it became clear that U.S. troops were leaving Afghanistan, the situation on the ground turned to panic. In August 2021, radio reporter Shirin Jaafari found herself in the middle of the effort to find safe passage for Najiba Noor, a 27-year-old Afghan policewoman who was the target of threats and harassment by the Taliban. For this episode, Shirin reconnects with Noor and speaks with other people directly involved in Digital Dunkirk—a mostly online, grassroots effort to help vulnerable Afghans get to safety.

When a diplomatic deal goes bad, the blame usually falls on the politicians. Often, we don’t even remember the names of the negotiators. But in the wake of the return of the Taliban, a lot of people have blamed one man: Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation. Khalilzad was born in Afghanistan but had served in the U.S. government since the 1980s. He was at Bonn, and he later served as the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the United Nations. Khalilzad sat down with reporter Andrew North to discuss what went wrong—and right—during the negotiations for peace in Afghanistan.

As soon as the Doha Agreement was signed, the clock started counting down to May 1, 2021—the day the United States had agreed to withdraw all troops. That gave the Afghan Republic and the Taliban 14 months to negotiate a power-sharing deal. That’s not a lot of time, even under the best of circumstances. Afghan American reporter Ali Latifi has an insider’s look at how friction within Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s administration delayed and derailed the negotiations. But there’s enough blame to go around, with the Taliban playing a waiting game and Washington refusing to intervene.

As a candidate for the U.S. presidency, Donald Trump vowed to end the war in Afghanistan. But seven months after his inauguration, he changed his mind, saying that the United States should “fight to win.”A year later, with the Taliban controlling or contesting more territory than at any point since 2001, representatives from the Trump administration traveled to Doha, Qatar, to open direct negotiations with the Taliban. Finalized in February 2020, the Doha agreement was hailed by the Taliban as a victory. The Afghan government called it a historic betrayal.Veteran Middle East correspondent Sebastian Walker has the story.