Diplomacy at Large
Dr Antony Stokes LVO OBE 2 episodes Nov 10, 2026
Diplomacy at Large features ten remarkable women and men from high-level diplomacy sharing personal stories of high-pressure moments and the tradecraft they learned. It is aimed at international professionals and hosted by Dr Antony Stokes LVO OBE, a four-time British Ambassador. The podcast offers first-hand insights into diplomatic practice and crisis decision-making. More content is available at ambatlarge.substack.com.
Episodes
Negotiating with difficult counterparts: Ann Linde
“Our adversaries on some issues might be our friends on others”Ann LindeWhat do you do when your country’s NATO application, with your signature, is suddenly blocked?I’m honoured to bring you Ann Linde, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in 2021, discusses how a mid-sized country defends its interests when bigger powers want a return to spheres of influenc
Life Or Death Decisions: Sir Laurie Bristow
Sir Laurie Bristow, President of Hughes Hall, Cambridge, former British Ambassador to Russia and Afghanistan, discusses what diplomacy demands when the stakes are human lives, and why it is mostly about people.In this episode of Diplomacy at Large, he tells me about the terror warning that reached him while he was helping organise the evacuation from Kabul in 2021, and the decision he had to take
Who Gets to Be a Diplomat? High Commissioner to Singapore Nikesh Mehta OBE
HE Nikesh Mehta OBE, British High Commissioner to Singapore, discusses what it takes to represent the UK abroad when you don't fit the traditional image of a diplomat. In this episode of Diplomacy at Large, he tells me about returning as a British diplomat to Uganda, the country his mother was expelled from under Idi Amin, and taking his grandmother back to the village where she grew up.Nik reflec
Leading when crisis strikes: High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott
With Her Excellency Jane Marriott CMG OBE, British High Commissioner to Pakistan.She has led under pressure with the military in Iraq, at US State Department with Richard Holbrooke, in Iran where a mob came over the embassy wall, as British Ambassador to Yemen and British High Commissioner to Kenya.Listen for leadership lessons learned in crisis:0:00 Introduction1:17 How Jane got into diplomacy08:
Facing the World’s Media: UN Secretary-General’s Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric
Every day at noon, the UN Secretary-General’s Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric steps up to the podium, faces the world’s media and speaks for the United Nations.One wrong word can undermine a field mission, unbalance a negotiation or damage the UN’s reputation.He tells us what it takes to walk that high wire, why it’s the best job in the building, how it's the perfect role for a procrastinator, and
Diplomacy at Large: the Trailer
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