The Delegates Lounge

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and candidate to become the next secretary-general of the United Nations, recently dropped by The Delegates Lounge podcast (technically, recorded in UNHQ's East Lounge). He was in New York for the start of the review conference of the parties to the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT), which...

From the office of the United Nations Security Council president, we sit down with Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon to unpack how a small state navigates big political storms. The conversation addresses Gaza’s fragile ceasefire and Russia's war in Ukraine—where her recent visit revealed the human cost of the war. The discussion delves into European defense resi...

J. Alex Tarquinio, your host and a journalist based at the United Nations in New York, guides you through what to expect on the show. Launched in 2024 with her husband and executive producer, Frank Radford, the podcast is available on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and now in video on Instagram Reels and our new YouTube channel ! Comments or questions? Email us at info@thedelegateslounge.com.

Want to watch the episode? Check out our video interview on our NEW YouTube channel ! While in New York for the 80th Session of the General Assembly, Estonia’s foreign minister sat down with The Delegates Lounge podcast at Estonia's Mission to the United Nations. He had recently addressed an emergency session of the UN Security Council on the threats of Russia's air incursions into NATO...

Romania’s Foreign Minister Oana Toiu sat down with The Delegates Lounge podcast on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly. From an official Romanian office overlooking the East River, she spoke candidly about Eastern European security and the calculations that went into Romania's decision making when a Russian drone recently transited their territorial airspace for around 50 minut...

Want to watch the episode? Check out our video interview on our NEW YouTube channel ! Drama unfolds at the United Nations this week, as the 80th session of the UN General Assembly gets underway with leaders from more than 150 countries gathering in New York. At The Delegates Lounge podcast, we're beginning our coverage of what is known as either the "high-level week" of the General...

The Trump administration made an about-face on sanctions after the Alaska Summit between United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15. Washington now appears reluctant to bolster sanctions as a means of coercing the Russian leader to the peace table, in part, because Putin's regime portrays Russia as an economic juggernaut weathering Western sanctions...

Join us for our talk with Eloy Alfaro de Alba, Panama’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Ambassador de Alba is serving in the monthly rotating presidency of the Security Council for the Month of August, and for this exchange, we sat down with him in the Security Council President’s office. From time to time, you may hear the roar of seaplanes landing on New York’s East River right o...

Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan's envoy to the United Nations, joins us in The Delegates Lounge as his country holds the rotating monthly presidency of the UN Security Council.  July is typically a sleepy period here at the UN. But not this year! That’s because a UN General Assembly conference to discuss Palestinian statehood, originally scheduled for June, will now land at the end o...

Nataliya Gumenyuk takes us behind the headlines to reveal the stark reality of Ukraine's resistance to Russian aggression. Having embedded with drone operators near the frontlines, she offers rare insight into evolving military tactics. "Before, drones were supplementary," she says, "but now they're used instead of artillery." A Ukrainian journalist based in Kyiv, she...

Welcome to the third edition of "Dining with Diplomats," a series that explores the intersection of food, culture, and diplomacy. In this edition, we'll journey across Europe to discover the diverse celebrations marking the summer solstice. Swedish Consul General in New York Erik Ullenhag takes us through the significance of the Midsummer holiday in Sweden, where the celebration riv...

Welcome to the third edition of "Undercurrents," an ongoing series in The Delegates Lounge podcast about the oceans and seas that unite us, and sometimes, divide us.  In this episode, we're continuing our conversation with Michelle Wiese Bockmann, a former longtime analyst with Lloyd's List, one of the world’s oldest continuously running journals that has provided shipping news...

Welcome to the second edition of "Undercurrents," an ongoing series in The Delegates Lounge podcast about the oceans and seas that unite us, and sometimes, divide us.  In this episode, we're joined by Michelle Wiese Bockmann, a former longtime analyst with Lloyd's List, one of the world’s oldest continuously running journals that has provided shipping news from London for centu...

Welcome to the first edition of "Undercurrents," a new ongoing series in The Delegates Lounge podcast about the oceans and seas that unite us, and sometimes, divide us.  In this episode, we're joined by Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur. He explains what's happening beneath the surface of maritime confrontations in the Baltic Sea.  Rising tensions have transformed this cru...

In pursuit of economic understanding, we speak with Jason Furman, the Harvard economist who co-teaches the university’s core course in the discipline, “Principles of Economics,” Harvard’s most popular course. The conversation tackles President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariff announcement that sent markets nosediving, that is, until the president hit the pause button. The Harv...

The Delegates Lounge podcast commences our third season in a timely conversation with Victor Cha, the well-known Korea watcher who is both president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a foreign policy think tank based in Washington, D.C. He served in an advisory role to the secretary of defense in the Joe B...

As President Donald Trump's self-proclaimed "Liberation Day" approaches on April 2nd, bringing with it a wave of new tariffs, we're joined by an expert who can help us parse rhetoric from reality.  Moody's Chief Economist Mark Zandi explores the potential economic impact of broad-based tariffs on American consumers, farmers, and business owners. As chief economist, he over...

In this episode, we explore the seismic shifts reshaping global diplomacy with Richard Gowan, the International Crisis Group's UN expert and our first-ever return guest, or "friend of the pod." Recorded at UN headquarters while Trump and Putin conducted a phone call to discuss the war in Ukraine, our conversation captures a pivotal moment in international relations. The timing could...

As the world marked the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Monday, competing resolutions at the United Nations brought tensions within the international community to the forefront. This episode dives deep into the diplomatic maneuvering and dueling agendas, revealing the complexities that reshape alliances and influence decisions made at the United Nations. As our host...

Get ready to explore the turbulent waters of transatlantic relations with our guest, French political scientist Célia Belin. Discover how the Trump administration's controversial actions, including remarks from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance, have sent ripples across Europe, particularly in response to the tensions over Ukraine. With President Macron at the helm, r...

We’re beginning our second season in conversation with Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations, Sergiy Kyslytsya. As listeners will recall, he challenged Russia’s representative to the United Nations during a late-night emergency session of the UN Security Council three years ago, when Russia launched a predawn invasion of his country during the meeting. We sat down with the Distinguished Repre...

Welcome back to the second part of our culinary special podcast miniseries: “Dining with a Dozen Diplomats.” Discover how joining together over a simmering pot of gumbo or carving a roast lamb can bridge cultural divides and foster diplomacy. Above all, get ready for some practical tips on hosting with warmth and creativity, even when things don't go according to plan. In the first episode, i...

Embark on a culinary exploration with us as we uncover the cherished comfort foods and cultural tales shared by diplomats from an assortment of countries. These twelve diplomats offer insights into how food can serve as a bridge between peoples both past and present. For the “Dining with a Dozen Diplomats” culinary special episode, our host J. Alex Tarquinio chatted with foreign ministers, with pe...

Join us for a firsthand account of life on and near the battlelines in Eastern Ukraine by Dave Smith, a former Canadian infantry officer who resigned to fight for Ukraine. This is the third episode in our multi-part series where Dave explores the evolving tactics and motivations that define the conflict. He offers listeners a deep dive into the experiences of soldiers and citizens that’s brimming...

Join Dave Smith, a former major in the Canadian Armed Forces, fighting alongside Belarusian Partisans for Ukraine. From the intense battlegrounds North of Kharkiv to the life-saving professional efforts within its hospitals, Dave offers a raw and authentic soldier's viewpoint of what it is to fight up close on the line of engagement - the Zero Line. The conversation sheds light on the grim re...