35. Cathy Ashton: Dealing with Putin and Lavrov, Kosovo–Serbia, and ‘radical humility’

  • Podcast

  • 11 September 2023

  • Posted by Alastair Campbell

  • 0

How do we retain empathy when negotiating with a stranger who has a radically different worldview to our own?


As the former High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Cathy Ashton worked with many world leaders: Vladimir Putin in Russia, Serbia's Ivica Dacic, Kosovo's Hashim Thaci, and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.


Former Leader of the House of Lords, Cathy Ashton has also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her diplomacy. Listen to hear Rory and Alastair discuss her life, the European Union, conflicts abroad, and why empathy is so important in foreign affairs. 


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Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen

Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport

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