This week, Kelly looks back on the major events of 2024 with Amy Mackinnon and Ellen Laipson. Amy Mackinnon is an award-winning national security and intelligence reporter at Foreign Policy. She has reported from across Eastern Europe and was previously based in Moscow and in Tbilisi, Georgia, as senior editor for the crisis reporting site Coda Story. Mackinnon is a recipient of the duPont-Columbia award for her reporting on homophobic vigilantes in Russia. She is a regular commentator for BBC World Service radio and television and her work has been published and broadcast by Coda Story, Slate Magazine, Vice News, and CNN among others. Ellen Laipson is the Director of the International Security Program at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. She joined GMU after a distinguished 25-year career in government and as President of the Stimson Center (2002-2015). Her last post in the US government was Vice Chair of the National Intelligence Council (1997-2002). She also served on the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff, the National Security Council staff, and the Congressional Research Service. She was a member of the CIA External Advisory Panel from 2006 to 2009, President Obama’s Intelligence Advisory Board from 2009 to 2013, and the Secretary of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board from 2011 to 2014. Ellen currently serves on the ISD board of advisers. Amy and Ellen's recommended books for the holidays: The Ecology of Nations by John M. Owen IV The Achilles Trap by Steve Coll The Cure of Troy by Seamus Heaney The opinions expressed in this conversation are strictly those of the participants and do not represent the views of Georgetown University or any government entity. Produced by Freddie Mallinson and Theo Malhotra. Recorded on December 16, 2024. Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world. Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For more, visit our website, and follow us on Linkedin, Twitter @GUDiplomacy, and Instagram @isd.georgetown

This week, Kelly talks with former British Ambassador Leigh Turner about a wide range of topics, from crisis and safety issues facing embassies around the world to how technology is transforming the role of the diplomat, and how he sees European, Russian, and British foreign policy developing in the next few years. Leigh Turner is a writer based in London. He was the UK ambassador to Austria and UK permanent representative to the United Nations in Vienna from September 2016 to September 2021. Leigh's previous roles were as Her Majesty’s consul general in Istanbul and director general for trade and investment for Turkey, Central Asia and the South Caucasus; Her Majesty’s ambassador in Kyiv, Ukraine, and director of Overseas Territories in London, responsible for territories including St Helena, the Falklands and Bermuda.  https://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Diplomacy-Politics-Power-Parties/dp/1447373928  https://rleighturner.com/  The opinions expressed in this conversation are strictly those of the participants and do not represent the views of Georgetown University or any government entity. Produced by Freddie Mallinson and Theo Malhotra. Recorded on December 9, 2024. Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world. Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For more, visit our website, and follow us on Linkedin, Twitter @GUDiplomacy, and Instagram @isd.georgetown

This week, Kelly talks with the French Ambassador for Sports, Samuel Ducroquet, about the growing role of sports in diplomatic efforts. Samuel Ducroquet was appointed French ambassador for sport in February 2023. He joined the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs in 2007 as an International Civilian Volunteer at the French Permanent Mission to the EU in Brussels, and has since worked as a political advisor at the French Embassy in Qatar. His experience as an Olympic attaché at the French Embassy in Tokyo allowed him to develop a real expertise on sports diplomacy, reinforced by his position as senior manager in charge of the dignitaries programme in the International Relations Department of the Paris 2024 Games organizing committee, from 2022 to 2023. The opinions expressed in this conversation are strictly those of the participants and do not represent the views of Georgetown University or any government entity. Produced by Freddie Mallinson and Theo Malhotra. Recorded on December 2, 2024. Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world. Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For more, visit our website, and follow us on Linkedin, Twitter @GUDiplomacy, and Instagram @isd.georgetown

Interview with Dan Byman on Israel — 14:36 This week, Kelly speaks with Georgetown Professor Dan Byman for an update on Israel and Lebanon, days before a ceasefire was announced in the year-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Before that, Kelly and Freddie talk through the recent elections in Georgia and Venezuela, and the negotiations at the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan.  The opinions expressed in this conversation are strictly those of the participants and do not represent the views of Georgetown University or any government entity. Produced by Theo Malhotra and Freddie Mallinson.  Recorded on November 22, 2024. Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world. Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For more, visit our website, and follow us on Linkedin, Twitter @GUDiplomacy, and Instagram @isd.georgetown

On November 13, ISD Director Ambassador (ret.) Barbara Bodine awarded New York Times correspondent Edward Wong with the Edward Weintal Prize for diplomatic reporting.  Ed's lecture, "Empires in Extremis," covers his family's story as it intertwines with the rise of the CCP and Xi Jinping, leading into his own career as a diplomatic correspondent and NYT Beijing Bureau Chief for nine years. He concludes by comparing and contrasting the Chinese and U.S. models of empire, and the dangers they face as the two countries become more adversarial. Q&A with Ambassador Bodine covers US-China relations, the incoming Trump administration, and the journalistic profession. Find his new book, "At the Edge of Empire A Family's Reckoning with China," here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/602734/at-the-edge-of-empire-by-edward-wong/ The opinions expressed in this conversation are strictly those of the participants and do not represent the views of Georgetown University or any government entity. Produced by Freddie Mallinson and Theo Malhotra. Recorded on November 13, 2024. Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world. Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For more, visit our website, and follow us on Linkedin, Twitter @GUDiplomacy, and Instagram @isd.georgetown

This week, Kelly talks with Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky about the history of Presidential transitions, and how the Biden-Trump transition is shaping up. Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky is a presidential historian and Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential Library. Her research focuses on the development of political institutions and political culture in the Early Republic. Her first book, The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution, was published in April 2020. Her latest book, Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents that Forged the Republic, was published in September of this year. Her work has also appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The Daily Beast, Time Magazine, and the Washington Post. https://www.amazon.com/Making-Presidency-Precedents-Forged-Republic/dp/0197653847  The opinions expressed in this conversation are strictly those of the participants and do not represent the views of Georgetown University or any government entity. Produced by Freddie Mallinson and Theo Malhotra. Recorded on November 12, 2024. Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world. Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For more, visit our website, and follow us on Linkedin, Twitter @GUDiplomacy, and Instagram @isd.georgetown

This week, Kelly talks with Dr. Tristen Naylor, Founder and Managing Director of the geopolitical risk consultancy Diplomatic Solutions, about the outlooks for relationships with leaders in Europe, China, Iran, and other nations, as well as how America’s relationship with multilateral institutions like the United Nations might be impacted by either candidate’s victory.  Tristen Naylor is the Founder and Managing Director of Diplomatic Solutions, a geopolitical risk consultancy based in London. He was previously also an Assistant Professor and Lecturer in History and Politics at Cambridge University. His first book, "Social Closure and International Society: Status Groups from the Family of Civilised Nations to the G20," examines how actors compete for a seat at the table in the management of international society: https://www.amazon.com/Social-Closure-International-Society-Governance-ebook/dp/B07KY42HBK The opinions expressed in this conversation are strictly those of the participants and do not represent the views of Georgetown University or any government entity. Produced by Freddie Mallinson and Jarrett Dang. Recorded on October 15, 2024. Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world. Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For more, visit our website, and follow us on Linkedin, Twitter @GUDiplomacy, and Instagram @isd.georgetown  

Interview with Sara Moller - 13:00 This week, Kelly and Freddie talk through the UK's deal with Mauritius on the Chagos Islands, the Tunisian presidential election, and Kenya's police mission in Haiti. Kelly then talks with Professor Sara Moller about NATO's new Secretary General Mark Rutte.  The opinions expressed in this conversation are strictly those of the participants and do not represent the views of Georgetown University or any government entity. Produced by Jarrett Dang and Freddie Mallinson.  Recorded on October 14, 2024. Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world. Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For more, visit our website, and follow us on Linkedin, Twitter @GUDiplomacy, and Instagram @isd.georgetown

For our seventh season of Diplomatic Immunity, we’ll be taking a look at the role of foreign policy in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. We’ll be taking you through the key things to know about where the candidates stand on international issues, how a win for either will affect US foreign policy, and how the rest of the world is watching with bated breath. Today, Kelly talks with Emma Ashford about the relative foreign policy platforms of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.  Emma Ashford is a senior fellow with the Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson Center, where she works on a variety of issues related to the future of US foreign policy, international security, and the politics of global energy markets. Her first book, Oil, the State, and War: The Foreign Policies of Petrostates, was published by Georgetown University Press in 2022, and explored the international security ramifications of oil production and export in states such as Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Venezuela. Dr. Ashford also writes a bi-weekly column, “It’s Debatable,” for Foreign Policy Magazine. Find her recent report exploring the future of US-European defense relations here: https://www.stimson.org/2024/american-roulette-scenarios-for-us-retrenchment-and-the-future-of-european-defense/  Find her regular column in Foreign Policy Magazine here: https://foreignpolicy.com/category/its-debatable/ The opinions expressed in this conversation are strictly those of the participants and do not represent the views of Georgetown University or any government entity. Produced by Freddie Mallinson and Jarrett Dang. Recorded on October 7, 2024. Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world. Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For more, visit our website, and follow us on Linkedin, Twitter @GUDiplomacy, and Instagram @isd.georgetown

11:40 - Interview with Stéphanie Fillion This week, Kelly and Freddie discuss recent updates in Israel and the South China Sea. Kelly then talks with Stephanie Fillion, a UN correspondent, about high-level week at the UN General Assembly. Stephanie Fillion is an international reporter who covers the UN from its headquarters in New York City. Her work has been featured in Forbes Magazine, Foreign Policy Magazine, and CNN among others. Her coverage received two UN Correspondent Association awards as well as a Gracie award from the Alliance for Women in Media. The opinions expressed in this conversation are strictly those of the participants and do not represent the views of Georgetown University or any government entity. Produced by Jarrett Dang and Freddie Mallinson.  Recorded on September 30, 2024. Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world. Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For more, visit our website, and follow us on Linkedin, Twitter @GUDiplomacy, and Instagram @isd.georgetown