Chat Club with Christoph Heusgen
‘I love the diplomatic life,’ admits Christoph Heusgen in our Chat Club podcast - and you can hear that in every sentence when he talks about his time in the German Foreign Service.
He worked in Chicago and Paris, was foreign and security policy advisor to German Chancellor Angela Merkel for many years and then became Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Nations. After retiring from the Foreign Service in 2021, he became Chairman of the Munich Security Conference.
41 years in the diplomatic service
After 41 years in the diplomatic service for Germany, you obviously have a lot to share, and this is what you can now hear in our Chat Club.
Christoph Heusgen tells me about his royal title and why football plays such an important role in diplomacy. He talks about experiences that have changed his life and admits that he sees Russia's attack on Ukraine as a personal defeat. Referring to Putin, he warns: ‘There is someone who is completely unscrupulous’.
Advisor to the Chancellor
In his role as advisor to the Chancellor, Heusgen had a variety of tasks, from strategic planning of international relations to direct crisis management. Heusgen particularly emphasises the importance of the personal level in negotiations and diplomacy. He shares anecdotes about the importance of building trust and personal relationships with negotiators.