The Delegates Lounge

Discover why the traditional military doctrines are being upended as we engage with Dave Smith, a former major in the Canadian Armed Forces who made the extraordinary leap to volunteer as a fighter in Ukraine. Listen to Dave's compelling narrative about leaving a secure military career to join the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment, a unit of Belarusian Partisans opposing Alexandr Lukashenko and figh...

Join us for a succinct conversation with Finland's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elina Valtonen, as she shares her deep views on the Pact for the Future straight from the United Nations General Assembly Week. Minister Valtonen emphasizes the pressing need for equitable funding access for developing countries and the critical role of public-private partnerships and transparent tax systems in ac...

Listen in on our conversation with Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia, as he explains the intricate connections between global diplomacy and digital innovation. We caught up with Estonia's foreign minister during the United Nations General Assembly week. Our discussion touched on the Pact for the Future and Estonia's leadership in digital innovation an...

Join us as we sit down with Ambassador Robert Wood, the Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations, for an exclusive conversation about the effort to get the Pact for the Future approved and the expectations from it to include the critical need for Security Council reform to make the UN system more effective and legitimate. As we shift focus to some of the world&apo...

While at the NATO 75th Anniversary Summit in Washington, D.C. in July we had the good fortune to cross paths with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of the Belarusian opposition in exile. In our exclusive interview, she highlighted the moral duty of democratic nations to support both Belarus and Ukraine. Sviatlana frames this commitment as a crucial investment in global security.   We asked her...

Join us as we sit down with Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide to discuss the emerging significance of the Arctic region in today's geopolitical landscape. He asks the crucial question: What if the melting Arctic ice could reshape global power dynamics? From the creation of new sea routes to the evolving strategic challenges in the Arctic, Minister Eide offers an in-depth look at...

Hear directly from the defense minister of Estonia and the foreign ministers of Spain and Czechia. We caught up with these high-level ministers on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s 75th Anniversary Summit in Washington, D.C. this summer. Our conversation highlights the urgency for NATO allies to increase military spending and support Ukraine amidst the ongoing conflict with...

Welcome to a new world affairs podcast! When world leaders descend on New York in September, they’ll gather for a “Summit of the Future,” an eleventh-hour attempt to make the United Nations system more credible in the public eye. Ahead of that high-level debate, join us in The Delegates Lounge as we delve deep into the world body’s response to the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine; the great power riv...