About

So much of modern-day diplomacy still takes place behind closed doors, away from cameras and prying eyes. So what does this vital role really look like in today’s world – and what does it take to do it well?

From 2009 to 2014, Catherine Ashton was the EU’s first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, effectively Europe's foreign policy supremo responsible for coordinating the EU's response to international crises. Arriving in Brussels as a relative novice to international diplomacy, she faced the challenge of representing the views and values of 28 nations during one of the most turbulent times in living memory. Decades-old certainties were swept away in days. Hope rose and fell, often in a matter of hours.

From the frozen conflict of Ukraine to the Serbia-Kosovo deal, there were challenges, failures and moments of success. She encountered dictators and war criminals, and witnessed the aftermath of natural disasters, military action, and political instability. Working with US politicians and counterparts including John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and Bill Burns, she negotiated historic settlements, such as the Iran nuclear deal. An ‘honest broker’, she navigated the needs of opposing politicians to chart a path towards collaboration and stability.

Now she takes us behind the scenes to show us what worked and what didn’t, and how it felt to be in ‘the room where it happened’. From Serbia to Somalia, Libya to Haiti, she offers essential insight into how modern diplomacy works, examining the tools needed to find our way through the many challenges we face today.

Baroness Ashton served as the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and First Vice President of the European Commission in the Barroso European Commission from 2009 to 2014. A Labour politician, she was Lord President of the Council in Gordon Brown’s first cabinet in 2007. It was during this period that she played a pivotal role in passing the Treaty of Lisbon, an international agreement which forms the constitutional basis of The European Union, through UK parliament.

John Kampfner is an award-winning author, broadcaster and foreign-affairs commentator. He began his career reporting from East Berlin (during the fall of the Wall) and Moscow (during the collapse of communism) for the Telegraph. After covering British politics for the Financial Times and BBC, he edited the New Statesman. He is a regular TV and radio pundit, documentary maker and author of six previous books, including the bestselling ‘Blair's Wars’. His previous book, ‘Why the Germans Do it Better’, was a top ten bestseller, Book of the Year in the Guardian, Economist and the New Statesman, and sold over 150,000 copies in all editions.

A Q&A Session will follow.