Diplomatic Immunity

Season 5, episode 5. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has posed an existential crisis for numerous multilateral institutions, worsening several ongoing global issues such as food insecurity while also upending the architecture of European Security. Few organizations understand that or deal with that more than the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. For this week's episode, we chatted with Allison Hart, Senior Advisor and Chief of Staff to the OSCE Secretary General, Helga Maria Schmid. She shared how the organization operates, the unique challenge of having one of its member states upend the issue they are most focused on, how they worked to ease tensions between Russia and Ukraine before the invasion, and how they can be part of the solution to the current crisis.    Allison Hart is the Senior Advisor and Chief of Staff to the OSCE Secretary General, Helga Maria Schmid. She took up this role in Vienna in February 2022. Prior to joining the OSCE, Allison served in a number of roles at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, including as Special Advisor to the Deputy Secretary General, Executive Officer of NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division, and most recently as Head of the Human Security Unit. Allison began her career as an entrepreneur in Chicago where she launched and managed two successful businesses before pursuing international relations. In Washington, she coordinated a foreign policy team for a major political campaign and spent several years at The Brookings Institution on projects related to national security and transatlantic relations.    Allison holds a Bachelor of Arts in Middle East Language & Civilization from Northwestern University and a Master of Arts in European Studies & International Economics from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.   NOTE: Any views expressed are strictly her own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the OSCE or any member state.   And as a special treat for this episode, the interview was conducted by ISD Dean and Virginia Rusk Fellow Nathanial Haft. Nate Haft is a career Foreign Service Officer. He most recently served as a senior policy advisor on the U.S. delegation to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague. Nate's prior overseas assignments include covering rule of law and counternarcotics issues in Pakistan, human rights in Albania, and consular affairs in Taiwan. In Washington, he served as a multilateral affairs officer in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs. Nate is a recipient of the Thomas R. Pickering Fellowship in Foreign Affairs. Prior to joining the State Department, he was a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru as well as a research assistant at the Brookings Institution. Mr. Haft graduated summa cum laude from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and earned an MPP from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.   NOTE: While Nate is a career U.S. diplomat, his views are also his own and do not reflect the view of the U.S. State Department or the U.S. government.   Episode recorded: March 3, 2023   Produced by Daniel Henderson   Episode Image: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sits among his counterparts on December 8, 2016, as he attends a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. U.S. State Department on Wikimedia Commons   Diplomatic Immunity: Frank and candid conversations about diplomacy and foreign affairs   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 Twitter @GUDiplomacy. Send any feedback to diplomacy@georgetown.edu.

Season 5, Episode 4: How does one tell the story of multilateralism in times rife with conflict, misinformation, and mistrust? How does one communicate with a world as vast and diverse as our own? What's it like to advocate for the United Nations on the global stage?   We here at Diplomatic Immunity don't have the answers to those important questions, so for this episode, we sat down with the man who does. The chief spokesperson for the Secretary General of the United Nations Stéphane Dujarric joined Dr. Kelly McFarland to discuss these questions as well as the secretary-general's priorities for 2023 and his personal outlook for multilateralism in a world defined by great power rivalry.    Mr. Dujarric became Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on March 10, 2014. Prior to his appointment, he served as Spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan from 2005 to 2006 and then as Deputy Communications Director for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon from 2006 to 2007.  Immediately prior to his current appointment, Mr. Dujarric was the Director of News and Media for the United Nations Department of Public Information and he also served as Director of Communications for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).     Episode recorded: February 8, 2023   Produced by Daniel Henderson   Episode Image: Stéphane Dujarric (left), Spokesperson of the Secretary-General, opens the floor to questions from journalists during a press conference by Secretary-General António Guterres on the occasion of World Refugee Day. United Nations Photo on Flickr   Diplomatic Immunity: Frank and candid conversations about diplomacy and foreign affairs   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 Twitter @GUDiplomacy. Send any feedback to diplomacy@georgetown.edu.

Season 5, Episode 3: Multilateralism is so often thought of as a means and method for groups of states to tackle common issues or resolve disputes. But what happens when a multilateral institution is called on to help support sub-national issues within states? That's precisely what we wanted to know when we chatted with Gerardo de Icaza, the director of of the Department of Electoral Cooperation and Observation at the OAS. Gerardo chats with Dr. Kelly McFarland about the issues that the OAS and his department handle, the challenges and opportunities of election support from a multilateral institution, partnerships with other organizations and civil society, and the future of multilateralism in the Americas. Gerardo has been the director of the Department of Electoral Cooperation and Observation since March 1, 2014. In his years as director, he has led more than 80 electoral observation missions in more than 27 countries. In 2018, he served as acting secretary for strengthening democracy from February to July. Previously, at the National Electoral Institute of Mexico (INE) he served as deputy legal director for overseas voting and as coordinator of the technical committee of specialists on overseas voting. He was a law clerk, and then head of the International Affairs Unit in the Electoral Tribunal of Mexico. His most recent publication "International Law of Democracy" coordinated with Luis Almagro, is one of his numerous publications on democracy and electoral systems. If you enjoy this podcast, check out the recently released working group report from the institute for the study of diplomacy. Working group members analyzed the threat corruption and kleptocracy pose to democracy around the world and provide recommendations for the United States to begin cleansing this dark and festering underbelly of global politics. Read the report here.   Episode recorded: December 19, 2022 Produced by Daniel Henderson Episode Image: The front facade of the Organization of American States in Washington, DC. Ian Hutchinson on Unsplash Diplomatic Immunity: Frank and candid conversations about diplomacy and foreign affairs 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 Twitter @GUDiplomacy. Send any feedback to diplomacy@georgetown.edu.

Season 5, Episode 2: This season we are talking about multilateralism. What it is, what it's good for, and also what it's not. After looking at the big picture through the lens of the United Nations in episode one, this episode takes us to the regional level. U.S. Ambassador to the African Union Jessica Lapenn joined Dr. Kelly McFarland to explain how the African Union (AU) functions, why the U.S. was the first non-African nation to establish a permanent mission to the AU, how the AU tackles issues of peace and security differently than the UN, and where regional institutions and the United Nations can best work together.    Ambassador Lapenn was sworn-in as the U.S. Ambassador to the African Union and the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa on August 27, 2019. She most recently served as the Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Mission in South Africa. Prior to this, she served as the Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights at the Department of State in Washington, D.C. She was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kigali from 2012-2014. Ambassador Lapenn entered the U.S. Foreign Service in October 1994. Her overseas tours have included Jeddah, Riyadh, Paris, Tbilisi, Baghdad, and Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, she was the Chief of the Political Section at the U.S. Consulate General, and at the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, she was responsible for regional refugee assistance and policy in the South Caucuses and Central Asia.   Episode recorded: November 16, 2022 Produced by Daniel Henderson and Kelly McFarland.  Episode Image: African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Solen Feyissa on Unsplash Diplomatic Immunity: Frank and candid conversations about diplomacy and foreign affairs 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 Twitter @GUDiplomacy. Send any feedback to diplomacy@georgetown.edu.    

Bonus Episode: 2022 has proven to be a year of incredible foreign policy stories. To help us look back at the year of surprises, joy, and disappointment in international affairs, Kelly sat down with Amy Mackinnon of Foreign Policy Magazine. They discussed the war in Ukraine, U.S. competition with China, the long-awaited National Security Strategy, events in Afghanistan, the stories lost in the shuffle, and look ahead to what's in store in 2023.    Amy's book recommendation, Chip War by Chris Miller can be found here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Chip-War/Chris-Miller/9781982172008   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 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia award for her reporting on homophobic vigilantes in Russia. She speaks Russian and has a master’s degree in journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY and a dual master’s in Russian, Central, and East European studies from the University of Glasgow and Corvinus University of Budapest.   This episode was recorded Tuesday, December 6.   This episode was produced by Daniel Henderson and Kelly McFarland   Diplomatic Immunity: Frank and candid conversations about diplomacy and foreign affairs   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 Twitter @GUDiplomacy. Send any feedback to diplomacy@georgetown.edu.

Season 5, Episode 1: This season, Diplomatic Immunity is exploring the depths of multilateralism to learn how consensus-driven diplomacy survives in an era of renewed great power competition. For the first episode, ISD Director of Research and Programs Kelly McFarland talked to two experts with experience at the United Nations. First, Kelly chatted with ISD alumni Alistair Somerville to walk through the history of the 77-year-old institution.  Alistair Somerville is a staff assistant at the UN Secretariat's office in Washington, the UN Information Centre, where he coordinates the Secretariat's work with academic institutions, think tanks, and the media in Washington and around the United States.  To dig deeper into the issues affecting the United Nations today, Kelly talked to Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman who has served as a high-ranking diplomat with both the United States and the United Nations. Ambassador Feltman explains why he has been pleasantly surprised by the UN's efforts in light of the war in Ukraine and is cautiously optimistic about the future of the institution.  Jeffrey Feltman is the John C. Whitehead Visiting Fellow in International Diplomacy in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings and a Senior Fellow at the UN Foundation, both based in Washington, D.C.   Ambassador Feltman was appointed as the first U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, a position he held from April 2021 until January 2022.  From July 2012 until his April 2018 retirement, he served as United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs.  From 2009 until 2012, Ambassador Feltman was the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.  Prior to his 2004-2008 tenure as U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, he served as a U.S. diplomat in Erbil, Baghdad, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Tunis, Amman, Budapest, and Port-au-Prince. Episode recorded: October 10, 2022 (interview with Alistair Somerville) and November 30, 2022 (Interview with Ambassador Feltman) Produced by Daniel Henderson and Kelly McFarland.  Episode Image: Flags at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Mathias Reding on Unspalsh Diplomatic Immunity: Frank and candid conversations about diplomacy and foreign affairs 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 Twitter @GUDiplomacy. Send any feedback to diplomacy@georgetown.edu.

Bonus Episode: Kelly Shannon, associate professor of history and executive director of the Center for Peace, Justice, and Human Rights at Florida Atlantic University, joins Kelly McFarland to discuss the ongoing protests in Iran. They discuss the catalyst for these regime-shaking protests, the response from ruling elites and international actors, and ultimately look forward to what this movement may accomplish.  Kelly J. Shannon, Ph.D. specializes in the twentieth century history of U.S. foreign relations, with a particular focus on the Islamic world, Iran, and women’s human rights. She is the author of the book U.S. Foreign Policy and Muslim Women’s Human Rights. Her other publications include book chapters and journal articles on President Harry Truman and the Middle East, the international movement to end female genital mutilation (FGM), U.S. encounters with Saudi gender relations during the first Gulf War, U.S. relations with Iran, and state of the field essays. She has spoken in many academic and public settings, authored op-eds in venues like the Washington Post, and has been interviewed by NPR and other media outlets. Episode recorded: October 26, 2022 Produced by Daniel Henderson and Kelly McFarland.  Episode image: Protestors in Canada march in solidarity with the Iranian protestors calling for change [Image from Taymaz Valley on Flickr] Diplomatic Immunity: Frank and candid conversations about diplomacy and foreign affairs 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 Twitter @GUDiplomacy. Send any feedback to diplomacy@georgetown.edu.

Season 4, Episode 8: In the current series of Diplomatic Immunity, ISD Director of Programs and Research Dr. Kelly McFarland looks back at the first year of the Biden administration's foreign policy and looks forward to the next.  In the final episode of the season, Kelly is joined by Ambassador Maria L. Yovanovitch, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine (2016-2019), to discuss her recent book Lessons from the Edge: A Memoir as well as the threat corruption poses to national security and the importance of history. Additionally, Ambassador Yovanovitch explains her motivation to describe and extol the work of foreign and civil service officers when she testified during President Trump's first impeachment trial, and shares her insights into the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine.  Ambassador (ret.) Marie L. Yovanovitch is a Senior Fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She first joined ISD as a Senior State Department Fellow in the spring of 2019 after three years as the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine (2016-2019). She previously served as Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia (2008-2011) and the Kyrgyz Republic (2005-2008). From 2012-2013, Ambassador Yovanovitch was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, where she was responsible for policy on European and global security issues. She also served as the Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from 2004-2005. She retired from the Department of State as a Career Minister in January 2020. Ambassador Yovanovitch served as the Dean of the Language School at the Foreign Service Institute, as well as International Advisor and Deputy Commandant at the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy at the National Defense University, where she also taught national security strategy. She began her career in Ottawa, followed by overseas assignments in Moscow, London and Mogadishu, and at the Department of State as Deputy Director of the Russian Desk. A graduate of Princeton University with a master’s degree from the National Defense University, Ambassador Yovanovitch received numerous Presidential and State Department awards, including the Secretary’s Diplomacy in Human Rights Award. Episode recorded: April 19, 2022 Image: Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III visit Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 24, 2022. [Public Domain] Hosted and produced by Kelly McFarland. Audio editing by Aaron Jones. Production assistance by Kit Evans.  Diplomatic Immunity: Frank and candid conversations about diplomacy and foreign affairs 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 Twitter @GUDiplomacy. Send any feedback to diplomacy@georgetown.edu.

Season 4, Episode 7–Part 3: In the current series of Diplomatic Immunity, ISD Director of Programs and Research Dr. Kelly McFarland looks back at the first year of the Biden administration's foreign policy and looks forward to the next.  In the final episode of this three-part series, Kelly continues his conversation with Carolyn Brehm and Francine Lamoriello to discuss how the recent escalation of Russia's occupation of Ukraine to a full-scale military invasion has affected global trade, including how it has slowed down the COVID-19 economic recovery, accelerated decoupling of trade, and the long-term impact on globalization.  Carolyn Brehm retired from The Procter & Gamble Company as Vice President for Global Government Relations and Public Policy where she created and led P&G’s team of sixty government relations practitioners based in key markets across the globe. She was responsible for public policy and legislative advocacy to protect and grow P&G’s business, advising three Company CEOs over her seventeen years at P&G. She also oversaw a $24 million P&G Fund supporting initiatives in the communities where P&G operates. During a 13-year stint with General Motors Corporation, Ms. Brehm served as Director of International Trade and Investment Policy, supporting GM’s international operations. During two overseas assignments with GM, she established an office in Shanghai in 1984 to conduct countertrade deals and returned to the region in 1996 as Director of Asia-Pacific Trade Policies and Strategy, supporting joint venture projects. She too is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service. Francine Lamoriello is Executive Vice President of Global Strategies for the Personal Care Products Council and directs all international activities and issues. Prior, Francine served as Senior International and Business Strategy Advisor at Baker, Donelson, PC, where she counseled clients on international business strategy and regulatory affairs, and international trade policy. Previously, she served for seven years as Director of International Trade and Investment Services at KPMG Peat Marwick where she led international strategy and marketing studies for a wide variety of U.S. companies. Lamoriello has also held positions at the U.S. Department of Commerce as Director of the European Community Single Market Program and specialized in US-EU trade policy affecting technology companies. And she too, is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service.  Episode recorded: April 15 & 20, 2022 Image: Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, along with Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai, and EU officials, participates in a virtual stakeholder roundtable, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, before the start of the inaugural U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) Ministerial on September 29, 2021. [State Department Photo by Ron Przysucha/ Public Domain]. Hosted by Kelly McFarland. Produced by Alistair Somerville and Kelly McFarland. Audio editing by Aaron Jones. Production assistance by Kit Evans and Eleanor Shiori Hughes.  Diplomatic Immunity: Frank and candid conversations about diplomacy and foreign affairs 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 Twitter @GUDiplomacy. Send any feedback to diplomacy@georgetown.edu.

Season 4, Episode 7--Part 2: In the current series of Diplomatic Immunity, ISD Director of Programs and Research Dr. Kelly McFarland looks back at the first year of the Biden administration's foreign policy and looks forward to the next.  In the second episode of a three-part series, Kelly continues his conversation with Wendy Cutler, Carolyn Brehm, and Francine Lamoriello to discuss how the Biden administration has approached trade with allies including the European Union, and the administration's engagement with the business community. Wendy Cutler joined the Asia Society Policy Institute as Vice President and Managing Director of the Washington DC Office in November 2015. She focuses on building ASPI’s presence in Washington — strengthening its outreach as a think/do tank — and on leading initiatives that address challenges related to trade and women’s empowerment in Asia. She served for nearly three decades as a diplomat and negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). Most recently she served as Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, working on a range of U.S. trade negotiations and initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region. In that capacity, she was responsible for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, including the bilateral negotiations with Japan. She is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service. Carolyn Brehm retired from The Procter & Gamble Company as Vice President for Global Government Relations and Public Policy where she created and led P&G’s team of sixty government relations practitioners based in key markets across the globe. She was responsible for public policy and legislative advocacy to protect and grow P&G’s business, advising three Company CEOs over her seventeen years at P&G. She also oversaw a $24 million P&G Fund supporting initiatives in the communities where P&G operates. During a 13-year stint with General Motors Corporation, Ms. Brehm served as Director of International Trade and Investment Policy, supporting GM’s international operations. During two overseas assignments with GM, she established an office in Shanghai in 1984 to conduct countertrade deals and returned to the region in 1996 as Director of Asia-Pacific Trade Policies and Strategy, supporting joint venture projects. She too is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service. Francine Lamoriello is Executive Vice President of Global Strategies for the Personal Care Products Council and directs all international activities and issues. Prior, Francine served as Senior International and Business Strategy Advisor at Baker, Donelson, PC, where she counseled clients on international business strategy and regulatory affairs, and international trade policy. Previously, she served for seven years as Director of International Trade and Investment Services at KPMG Peat Marwick where she led international strategy and marketing studies for a wide variety of U.S. companies. Lamoriello has also held positions at the U.S. Department of Commerce as Director of the European Community Single Market Program and specialized in US-EU trade policy affecting technology companies. And she too, is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service.  Episode recorded: February 10, 2022 Image: USTR Ambassador Tai gives keynote in Geneva on the future role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the global economy and how it can deliver broad-based inclusive growth with the U.S. Mission in Geneva on October 14th, 2021. [U.S. Mission photo/ Eric Bridiers] Hosted by Kelly McFarland. Produced by Alistair Somerville and Kelly McFarland. Audio editing by Aaron Jones. Production assistance by Kit Evans and Eleanor Shiori Hughes.  Diplomatic Immunity: Frank and candid conversations about diplomacy and foreign affairs 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 Twitter @GUDiplomacy. Send any feedback to diplomacy@georgetown.edu.