The Negotiators

The Afghan Impasse, Part 7: Talking to the Taliban Sep 24, 2024

Since taking power, the Taliban have cracked down on human rights and deprived Afghan women and girls of fundamental freedoms. The outlook for productive engagement is dim. Yet there may have been a window, in the early months after the fall of the republic, to do things differently. Researcher Ashley Jackson speaks to aid workers and activists involved in direct negotiations with the Taliban as well as representatives from the U.S. and Taliban governments. And she takes a look at two intertwined questions: What might have been done differently then? And what should, or could, be done now?

The Afghan Impasse, Part 6: Digital Dunkirk Sep 17, 2024

Once it became clear that U.S. troops were leaving Afghanistan, the situation on the ground turned to panic. In August 2021, radio reporter Shirin Jaafari found herself in the middle of the effort to find safe passage for Najiba Noor, a 27-year-old Afghan policewoman who was the target of threats and harassment by the Taliban. For this episode, Shirin reconnects with Noor and speaks with other people directly involved in Digital Dunkirk—a mostly online, grassroots effort to help vulnerable Afghans get to safety.

The Afghan Impasse, Part 5: The Envoy Speaks Sep 10, 2024

When a diplomatic deal goes bad, the blame usually falls on the politicians. Often, we don’t even remember the names of the negotiators. But in the wake of the return of the Taliban, a lot of people have blamed one man: Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation. Khalilzad was born in Afghanistan but had served in the U.S. government since the 1980s. He was at Bonn, and he later served as the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the United Nations. Khalilzad sat down with reporter Andrew North to discuss what went wrong—and right—during the negotiations for peace in Afghanistan.

The Afghan Impasse, Part 4: History Repeats Sep 03, 2024

As soon as the Doha Agreement was signed, the clock started counting down to May 1, 2021—the day the United States had agreed to withdraw all troops. That gave the Afghan Republic and the Taliban 14 months to negotiate a power-sharing deal. That’s not a lot of time, even under the best of circumstances. Afghan American reporter Ali Latifi has an insider’s look at how friction within Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s administration delayed and derailed the negotiations. But there’s enough blame to go around, with the Taliban playing a waiting game and Washington refusing to intervene.

The Afghan Impasse, Part 3: The Art of the (Separate) Deal Aug 27, 2024

As a candidate for the U.S. presidency, Donald Trump vowed to end the war in Afghanistan. But seven months after his inauguration, he changed his mind, saying that the United States should “fight to win.”

A year later, with the Taliban controlling or contesting more territory than at any point since 2001, representatives from the Trump administration traveled to Doha, Qatar, to open direct negotiations with the Taliban. Finalized in February 2020, the Doha agreement was hailed by the Taliban as a victory. The Afghan government called it a historic betrayal.

Veteran Middle East correspondent Sebastian Walker has the story.

The Afghan Impasse, Part 2: Secret Talks Aug 20, 2024

By 2006, the United States and the Afghan Republic had been fighting the Taliban for five years. Neither side was poised to win. That’s when U.S. political scientist Barnett Rubin received a phone call from a Taliban intermediary that would mark the beginning of a four-year, clandestine process of “talks about talks”—even as fighting was intensifying on the ground and as U.S. troops found and killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. Veteran Afghanistan reporter Andrew North talks to some of the key players involved for a behind-the-scenes look at the negotiations.

The Afghan Impasse, Part 1: Original Sin Aug 13, 2024

All manner of the rich and powerful have passed through the doors of the mountaintop Hotel Petersberg in Bonn, Germany. But perhaps never as motley a cast as the one that arrived on November 27, 2001 to negotiate an end to the wars in Afghanistan. Warlords, exiled monarchists, intellectuals, and enemies so fierce, some had already been trying to kill each other for decades. But a key element was missing; The Taliban was not invited. Australian Iranian investigative journalist and author Soraya Lennie got the story from some of the negotiators who were in the room.

Season 4: The Afghan Impasse Trailer Aug 13, 2024

We all remember how the story ends, with the fall of Kabul and the return of the Taliban. But in this special seven-episode season of The Negotiators, we’re going back to the beginning, to try to understand why some of the world’s smartest and most experienced negotiators failed for 20 years to mediate a peace deal in Afghanistan.

The Maestro of Mediation Nov 21, 2023

William Ury is one of the most famous negotiation experts in the world. He co-wrote the classic book Getting to Yes and co-founded Harvard’s Program on Negotiation.

On today’s episode of the Negotiators, our last of the season, Ury describes his role in mediating some of the world’s most difficult conflicts.

His forthcoming book, Possible, includes lessons from a long career as an international troubleshooter.

The Negotiators is a partnership between Doha Debates and Foreign Policy.

From Humanitarian Catastrophe to Peace in Yemen? Nov 14, 2023

After nine years of war in Yemen, a peace deal finally seems at hand. Representatives of the Houthis met with the Saudis in Riyadh in September, in their first official visit since the war in 2014 began.

On today’s episode of The Negotiators, we talk to Yemeni mediators about how they have advanced the peace process and what they think is needed to end the war. First, host Jenn Williams speaks with Maeen Al-Obaidi, one of the most successful local negotiators in Yemen, about how she has helped facilitate hundreds of prisoner exchanges. Then we hear from Farea Al-Muslimi, a Gulf regional expert at Chatham House and co-founder of the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies.

Why Israeli-Palestinian Peace Plans Fail Nov 07, 2023

The staggering violence between Israelis and Palestinians over the past month has rekindled a question long vexing professionals in the negotiating business: Why have efforts to mediate peace between the two sides failed again and again?

To explore that question, we look back to an initiative 20 years ago known as the road map, which seemed to hold particular promise. Sponsored by some of the world’s major players—The United States, Russia, The United Nations and the European Union—the road map sketched out a two-year path to peace that included independence for the Palestinians and security assurances for Israel.

But, like previous peace plans, this one also was never implemented.

Peter Bartu was a political adviser to the United Nations in Jerusalem at the time and helped mediate between Israelis and Palestinians. The story he tells on the show this week provides a forensic analysis of one particular plan that failed. But it also helps explain a broader history of diplomatic failures in the region.

One of Bartu’s revelations: British Prime Minister Tony Blair pushed the United States to accept the road map in exchange for supporting the United States’ invasion of Iraq. But once the invasion got underway and troops became bogged down, the U.S. lost interest in the road map.

Bartu is now a Senior Research Scholar at the University of California Berkeley Center for Middle Eastern Studies and a Lecturer in the school’s Global Studies program.

The Negotiators, hosted by Foreign Policy’s Jenn Williams, is a collaboration between Doha Debates and Foreign Policy.

The Water Agreement That Helped Avert a Monumental Resource Crisis Oct 31, 2023

The Colorado River provides water to about 40 million people in seven U.S. states, 30 Native American tribes, and northern Mexico. But because of climate change, the river has become significantly drier in recent decades.

On today’s episode of The Negotiators, we hear how the U.S. states and Native American tribes reached a historic agreement in May to reduce water consumption by 13 percent—after an excruciating negotiation. This is Part 2 in our look at negotiations over the Colorado River. Reporter Luke Runyon, who covered the talks for NPR member station KUNC, is our guest on the show. He also hosts Thirst Gap, a podcast about the Colorado River.

Runyon interviewed some of the key negotiators for our podcast. He shares his insights with host Jenn Williams.

The Negotiators is a collaboration between Doha Debates and Foreign Policy.

How Negotiators Navigated the Thorny Issue of Water Rights Between Mexico and the U.S. Oct 24, 2023

You may have heard about the Colorado River negotiations that ended in May. In a monumentally important agreement, several U.S. states along the Colorado River agreed to cut water use. We will cover that deal in next week’s show.

But for today’s episode of The Negotiators, we hear about an earlier round of Colorado River talks between the United States and Mexico. These binational talks from 2007 to 2012 tell us something about resource scarcity and the delicate negotiations required to address the issue.

Bruno Verdini, a negotiation expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, followed the talks closely and interviewed just about everyone involved for his book Winning Together: The Natural Resource Negotiation Playbook. Host Jenn Williams talks to Verdini about how the agreement not only reduced water consumption but also benefited each side in multiple ways.

The Negotiators is a collaboration between Doha Debates and Foreign Policy.

How Kofi Annan Mediated a Volatile Political Crisis in Kenya Oct 17, 2023

Former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, who passed away five years ago, was one of the most famous diplomats of his time. On today’s episode of The Negotiators, we hear about Annan’s mediation of a Kenyan political crisis in 2008—which stands out as one of his most impressive acts of diplomacy.

A disputed election in late December 2007 spurred violence and displacement across Kenya. A number of diplomats tried to mediate an end to the conflict. But ultimately, Kofi Annan along with Graça Machel, politician and wife to the late Nelson Mandela, and Benjamin Mkapa, former President of Tanzania, were asked to negotiate an end to the violence and a peaceful transition of power.

Meredith Preston McGhie was an aide to Annan during this mediation. She was also the Africa director at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. She describes how Annan approached the negotiations, including garnering Kenyan and international support for the process. McGhie, currently the Secretary General for the Global Center for Pluralism, told her story to our senior producer Laura Rosbrow-Telem.

The Negotiators is a collaboration between Doha Debates and Foreign Policy.

Top Negotiator for Hollywood Writers Traces Steps That Led to a Deal With Studios Oct 10, 2023

The Writers Guild of America struck a deal recently with Hollywood studios, ending one of the longest strikes in the union’s history.

Ellen Stutzman, Assistant Executive Director of the Writers Guild of America West, was the union’s chief negotiator in the talks. She is our guest this week on The Negotiators.

The interview, conducted by our senior producer Laura Rosbrow-Telem, is the most extensive one Stutzman has given since the deal was reached.

The Negotiators is a collaboration between Doha Debates and Foreign Policy.

Negotiating a Truce to End Gang Violence in Los Angeles Oct 03, 2023

Gang violence in Los Angeles surged dramatically in the 1980s. Over a seven-year period beginning in 1985, more than 4,000 people died from gang-related clashes. That’s more than the death toll in some high-profile conflicts around the world, including the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

On the latest episode of The Negotiators podcast, we look at the Watts truce in 1992—a peace agreement between rival gangs in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. It had a significant impact: Gang-related murders reportedly dropped 44 percent in Watts in the first two years after the treaty was signed.

Aqeela Sherrills grew up in Watts and was one of the key negotiators of the truce. He is currently the co-founder and leader of the Community-Based Public Safety Collective, and recently partnered with the White House on preventing gun violence. He shared his story with Negotiators host Jennifer Williams.

The Negotiators is a collaboration between Doha Debates and Foreign Policy.

The Lawyer Behind U.S. Women’s Soccer’s Equal Pay Deal Oct 02, 2023

This bonus episode from the podcast The Closer is a complement to our recent episode about the U.S. Soccer equal pay negotiations. While the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team is among the most decorated teams in the game, until recently, its players were paid only a fraction of what the men took home.

On The Negotiators, you heard from Cindy Parlow Cone, the president of the U.S. Soccer Federation, about the role she played in the fight for equal pay. On this episode of The Closer, you’ll hear from sports attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who built a career out of representing some of the most high-profile athletes in labor disputes with professional leagues. He takes us inside the team’s strategy and reveals how they got the deal done.

The Closeris a show from our talented friends at Project Brazen. While The Negotiators tends to focus on diplomacy, The Closer spotlights the world of business. Hosted by Aimee Keane, an award-winning financial journalist, The Closer reveals the inside story of the deals that changed the world, as told by the people who know how they all went down. Their next season starts airing in a few weeks, so go ahead and follow them wherever you get your podcasts.

The Hard Road to Equal Pay in U.S. Soccer Sep 26, 2023

For the first time in U.S. soccer history, the men’s and women’s national teams are getting paid at the same rate. That’s the result of a grueling negotiation that ended last year, led by Cindy Parlow Cone—a former professional player who became the U.S. Soccer Federation President.

On the latest episode of The Negotiators podcast, Cone describes how far apart the two sides were at the start and how they reached an agreement. She spoke with producer Karen Given.

The Negotiators is a collaboration between Doha Debates and Foreign Policy.

How the Good Friday Agreement Ended Decades of Violence in Northern Ireland Sep 19, 2023

Our podcast The Negotiators launches its third season this week with a look at one of the most famous diplomatic deals ever: the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland.

Jonathan Powell was UK Prime Minister Tony Blair’s chief negotiator for the Good Friday Talks. He was also Blair’s newly appointed chief of staff. In an interview on the podcast, he describes the painstaking negotiations that led to the deal—followed by years of additional diplomacy over its implementation.

Powell now advises other groups and governments about resolving their conflicts, with his nonprofit Inter Mediate. He told his story to our senior producer, Laura Rosbrow-Telem.

As with all peace talks, there are multiple perspectives to the Good Friday negotiations. We encourage listeners to seek out other sources. We’ve included some links in our show notes.

The Negotiators is a partnership between Doha Debates and Foreign Policy and is hosted by Jenn Williams.

https://www.amazon.com/Say-Nothing-Murder-Northern-Ireland/dp/0385521316

https://www.politico.eu/podcast/inside-the-room-the-good-friday-agreement-25-years-on/

Coming Soon: Negotiators Season 3 Sep 12, 2023

The Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland. U.S. soccer negotiations for gender parity. How Kofi Annan mediated a political crisis in Kenya.

The Negotiators podcast is back on Sep. 19 with all new stories from people resolving some of the world’s most dramatic conflicts. Hosted by Jenn Williams, the Negotiators is a production of Doha Debates and Foreign Policy.

ENCORE: What It Took to Negotiate a Nuclear Arms Treaty With Russia Feb 24, 2023

President Vladimir Putin recently announced that Russia would suspend its participation in the New START agreement with the United States. Putin’s move puts the last remaining nuclear arms deal between the two countries into question.

Last season, we spoke with the chief U.S. envoy to the New START talks, Rose Gottemoeller. She shares the grueling process of negotiating that treaty—which was finally signed in 2010. Even as Putin threatens to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Russia continued to abide by that same New START deal. Till now.

In case you missed it the first time, here is an encore presentation of that episode.

The Art of Hostage Negotiations—When You’re the Hostage Nov 22, 2022

Earlier this year, a British Pakistani man took several people hostage at a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas—including the congregation’s rabbi, Charlie Cytron-Walker. During the 11-hour saga, FBI negotiators posted outside tried to persuade the gunman to come out quietly. Meanwhile, another kind of negotiation was happening inside the temple’s walls: between the rabbi and the hostage taker.

This week on our podcast The Negotiators, Rabbi Cytron-Walker describes how he tried to humanize himself and the other congregation members in order to stay alive. Cytron-Walker told his story to our show’s senior producer, Laura Rosbrow-Telem.

This is our last episode of the season. We’ll be back soon with more negotiator stories. If you have an idea for a Negotiators episode, feel free to email us at podcasts@foreignpolicy.com.

The Negotiators is a partnership between Doha Debates and Foreign Policy.

Inside the Turbulent Negotiations Over Brexit Nov 15, 2022

The negotiations that led to the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union lasted more than four years. During that grueling process, three different prime ministers came and went in Britain, shifting positions and occasionally roiling the talks. The one constant was Michel Barnier, the European Commissioner in charge of Brexit talks.

This week on our podcast The Negotiators, Barnier tells host Jenn Williams about challenges he faced in the talks, including one that couples often confront in divorce proceedings: how to dismantle the partnership and still retain a measure of goodwill.

Barnier has published a diary he kept during Brexit. For his full story, we recommend reading My Secret Brexit Diary: A Glorious Illusion.

The Negotiators is a partnership between Doha Debates and Foreign Policy.

Inside the Youth-Led Fight for Peace in Libya Nov 08, 2022

The uprising in Libya that ended Muammar Qaddafi’s long reign in 2011 was supposed to provide a path to stability. Instead, the country descended into civil war, with regional powers vying for influence and resources. An election brokered by the United Nations last year was called off at the last moment and the sides to the conflict remain at an impasse.

But while official negotiations have stalled, one peace group decided this past summer to bring opponents together in Norway, where they would try to find a way forward. The group, Together We Build It, has been working on peace and security issues since 2011, in part by engaging more women and young Libyans in the process. While the Norway talks were held largely behind closed doors, reporter Amira Karaoud attended the conference and interviewed the participants.

Karaoud, who is originally from Tunisia, is featured in the latest episode of The Negotiators, a collaboration between Doha Debates and Foreign Policy.

Negotiating a Criminal Justice Bill Across Party Lines Nov 01, 2022

Criminal justice advocates have tried for decades to pass legislation to reduce the United States prison population. Yet somehow, at a moment when the United States felt more polarized than ever, lawmakers managed to agree on a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill during Donald Trump’s presidency. It was called the First Step Act and it reduced the sentences of thousands of incarcerated people in federal prisons.

This week on our podcast The Negotiators, we talk toJessica Jackson, a lawyer and one of the key advocates for the First Step Act. She and political commentator Van Jones co-founded the group #Cut50, which helped advocate for the legislation. In this episode, Jackson tells host Jenn Williams how she convinced politicians from both parties to support the bill.

For the full story on the First Step Act negotiations, we recommend watching the upcoming documentary The First Step, out in U.S. theaters in early 2023.

Chileans Wanted a New Constitution but Negotiators Failed Them Oct 25, 2022

When Chileans were asked in a referendum in 2020 whether they wanted a new constitution, the response was overwhelming. The current one dated back to the rule of Augusto Pinochet, the military dictator who had stepped down more than three decades earlier. Nearly eighty percent of the population voted in favor of a negotiation that would lead to a new charter for the country.

But the negotiation process—which included representatives from the left and right side of the political map, along with dozens of independents—was rocky from the start. Delegates introduced many lofty ideas but the actual give-and-take required to produce a consensus was missing. Voters rejected a draft of the new constitution in September—by a large margin.

This week on our podcast, The Negotiators, we examine what went wrong, with the help of John Bartlett, a reporter based in Santiago, Chile. Bartlett covered the constitutional convention and interviewed many of the key players.

The Negotiations is a collaboration between Doha Debates and Foreign Policy.

What it Took to Negotiate a Nuclear Arms Treaty With Russia Oct 18, 2022

In 2009, the last nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia was about to expire. The START agreement, and others like it, had helped protect people around the globe from the possibility of a nuclear confrontation between the world’s two superpowers. Barack Obama, who became president that year, was eager to get a new deal in place.

On the latest episode of The Negotiators podcast, we hear from the chief U.S. envoy to the New START talks, Rose Gottemoeller, about the grueling process of negotiating that treaty—which was finally signed in 2010. Even now, as President Vladimir Putin threatens to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Russia continues to abide by that same New START deal. Gottemoeller was interviewed by our senior producer, Laura Rosbrow-Telem.

The Negotiators is a collaboration between Doha Debates and Foreign Policy.

Negotiating with Insurgents in Burkina Faso Oct 11, 2022

Military officers in Burkina Faso seized power last month, in the country’s second coup this year. In both cases, the main justification was leadership’s failure to curb violence from groups linked to the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda. The insurgency has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced about 10 percent of the population.

This week on our podcast, The Negotiators, we tell the story of one community leader in Burkina Faso who set out to negotiate with the insurgents so that members of his community can return to their homes. His story might be familiar to people who follow conflicts in other areas—including Afghanistan—where, in the absence of a broader peace process, people at the local level engage in their own small-scale diplomacy.

Journalist Sam Mednick, who covered these community-led negotiations in Burkina Faso for The New Humanitarian, reports this episode with us.

The Negotiators is a partnership between Doha Debates and Foreign Policy.

How a Band of Activists Negotiated a CA$40 Billion Settlement for Canada’s Indigenous Children Oct 04, 2022

For decades, Canadian activists have criticized the government in Ottawa for underfunding Indigenous communities, leading to various harms and hardships. The activists, led by Cindy Blackstock of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, sued the Canadian government in 2007, claiming that federal underfunding prompted First Nations children to end up in foster care in large numbers once residential schools were closed. The court battle dragged on for 15 years.

But in January of this year, the federal government offered to pay C$40 billion to Indigenous children and families harmed by the child welfare system. It was the largest-ever proposed class action settlement in Canadian history—which some people are now calling a form of reparations.

This week on The Negotiators podcast, Blackstock sits down with host Jenn Williams to discuss the tactics used in negotiations with the government and the conditions that led to a successful settlement.

Negotiating an American Journalist’s Freedom From Myanmar, Part 2 Sep 27, 2022

This is part two of negotiator Mickey Bergman’s story about the American journalist Danny Fenster, who was serving an 11-year prison sentence in Myanmar.

In the first episode, Bergman described how much work it took to getto the gatekeepers. In this second part, he and his boss, Bill Richardson, the former governor of New Mexico, are finally in Myanmar for the secret talks.

Negotiating an American Journalist’s Freedom From Myanmar, Part 1 Sep 27, 2022

Welcome back to The Negotiators, the podcast that brings you stories from mediators, troubleshooters, and negotiators around the world. The show is a collaboration between Doha Debates and Foreign Policy, hosted by FP Deputy Editor Jenn Williams.

We begin our second season with a dramatic prisoner negotiation. Danny Fenster is an American journalist who covered the coup in Myanmar in 2021. Months later, while trying to leave the country for a visit with his family in the United States, he was arrested at the airport in Yangon and eventually charged with sedition. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

In this two-part story, we hear from Mickey Bergman, who helped negotiate Fenster’s release. Bergman is the vice president and executive director of the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, a charitable organization that helps Americans who are wrongfully imprisoned around the world. On the show, he describes the grueling process of making the right connections in Myanmar and negotiating the deal—at times over the objections of the U.S. State Department.

This isn't Bergman's first time on the show. On episode 4 of season 1, he described negotiating a complicated prisoner exchange with Iran.

The Negotiators Season 2 trailer Sep 20, 2022

A nuclear arms deal with Russia. Reparations for indigenous communities in Canada. A hostage release negotiated by the hostage himself.

The Negotiators podcast is back on Sep. 27 with all new stories from people resolving some of the world’s most dramatic conflicts. Hosted by Jenn Williams, the Negotiators is a production of Doha Debates and Foreign Policy.

The Road to Repatriation Dec 21, 2021

This week, we hear from Jussi Tanner, a Finish ambassador and special envoy who negotiated the release of some 30 women and children from detention in northern Syria.

How a Motley Group of Negotiators Freed the Chibok Schoolgirls Dec 14, 2021

In 2014, members of the Islamist Boko Haram group abducted around 300 mostly Christian girls from a school in northeastern Nigeria, prompting outrage around the world and triggering an unparalleled social media campaign that included A-list celebrities and world leaders.

Despite global attention, it ended up taking three years to negotiate the girls’ release. Many of the girls had died by then or were forced into marriages with fighters.

On The Negotiators podcast this week, we hear from Zannah Mustapha, one of the key mediators in the affair. He spent many months building up contacts with the group and winning support from the Nigerian government, which ended up paying ransom money to Boko Haram.

We also hear from Joe Parkinson and Drew Hinshaw from the Wall Street Journal, who published a book about the ordeal called Bring Back Our Girls: The Untold Story of the Global Search for Nigeria’s Missing Schoolgirls. The authors analyze how the social media campaign affected the war against Boko Haram and the efforts to release the girls.

We want to hear from you! To fill out our 2021 listener survey, go to survey.fan/foreignpolicy.com

The Long Road to Libya’s Election Dec 07, 2021

Libya will hold its first-ever presidential elections on December 24th, after decades of dictatorship and years of civil war. The vote marks an important turning point for the country and is due in part to the creative diplomacy conducted there in recent years by the United Nations.

On thepodcast this week, we hear from Stephanie Turco Williams, the former head of the UN Support Mission in Libya, who oversaw much of that process.

Host Jenn Williams also speaks with Hajer Sharief, a prominent peace activist in Libya and a co-founder of the organization Together We Build It. Sharief worries that the fragile peace in the country could yet unravel.

We want to hear from you! To fill out our 2021 listener survey, go to survey.fan/foreignpolicy.com

Negotiating with the Taliban Nov 30, 2021

The Afghan government spent nearly a year trying to reach a power-sharing agreement with the Taliban—until the group’s fighters swept into Kabul this past August. Those negotiations failed to produce a deal but, in retrospect, they tell us a lot about the Taliban, about why the country fell so quickly, and about what the future holds for Afghanistan.

For an insider’s perspective, we hear this week from Fawzia Koofi, a former Afghan government official who sat across from Taliban negotiators throughout the talks in Doha, Qatar.

Later in the episode, host Jenn Williams speaks with Ashley Jackson, a researcher and author who documented a different kind of negotiation with the Taliban—one that Afghan civilians were having across the country in the past few years with members of the group. Jackson wrote about the phenomenon in her book Negotiating Survival: Civilian–Insurgent Relations in Afghanistan.

We want to hear from you! To fill out our 2021 listener survey, go to survey.fan/foreignpolicy.com

From Gang Member to Gang Mediator Nov 16, 2021

On the show this week, we hear from a former gang member in Chicago who became an interrupter—a person who intervenes in potentially violent situations to prevent people from getting killed.

Ameena Matthews was born into violence. Her father ran a gang and her brother was killed on the streets of Chicago.

Eventually, she left that world and joined a group called CeaseFire. The idea was simple: former gang members using their street cred to mediate conflicts between warring factions.

Matthews is now the executive director of the anti-violence organization “Pause for Peace” and a candidate for U.S. Congress in Illinois’ 1st district.

We want to hear from you! To fill out our 2021 listener survey, go to survey.fan/foreignpolicy.com

Just How Close Did Israelis and Palestinians Come to a Peace Deal in 2008? Nov 09, 2021

In 2008, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas came close to outlining a shared vision of peace between their two nations—closer than the two sides had ever come. But what really happened in those meetings? And why did they fail to clinch a deal?

This week on The Negotiators, we hear from Khaled Elgindy, who served as an advisor to the Palestinian negotiating team during the Annapolis talks. Elgindy is a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, where he also directs the Program on Palestine and Israeli-Palestine Affairs. His latest book is Blind Spot: America and the Palestinians, from Balfour to Trump.

Also: Host Jenn Williams talks to Govinda Clayton, a conflict resolution expert at the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich and a co-creator of The Negotiators. They discuss Elgindy’s story as well as negotiations covered in previous episodes.

We want to hear from you! To fill out our 2021 listener survey, go to survey.fan/foreignpolicy.com

Inside the Secret Talks that Led to a U.S. Prisoner Exchange with Iran Nov 02, 2021

In 2019, when U.S. relations with Iran were at a low point, a non-governmental group called The Richardson Center mediated a prisoner swap between the two countries that brought home Xiyue Wang, a Chinese American graduate student.

Mickey Bergman, the group’s vice president and executive director, helped direct the talks. He describes the negotiation on this episode.

We want to hear from you! To fill out our 2021 listener survey, go to survey.fan/foreignpolicy.com

Inside the Grueling Negotiations That Led to the Iran Nuclear Deal Oct 26, 2021

The Iran nuclear deal is one of the most significant diplomatic agreements in recent history. This week on The Negotiators, we’ll hear the inside story from Wendy Sherman, wholed the U.S. side of the negotiations as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. She now serves as the Deputy Secretary of State.

This interview was adapted from FP's First Person podcast with Sarah Wildman.

Negotiating a Peace Deal is Hard, Implementing it is Harder Oct 19, 2021

In 2014, the government of the Philippines signed a peace deal with Muslim separatists in the southern part of the country known as the Bangsamoro. The agreement brought a gradual end to a conflict that had killed more than 120,000 people over decades.

This week on The Negotiators, we hear from the government official who navigated the talks, Miriam Coronel-Ferrer. She was the first woman ever to lead a negotiation with an armed rebel group—the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Coronel-Ferrer was a political science professor before going to work for the government in 2010. One thing that made her effective at negotiating with the rebels was that she herself had been an anti-government activist during the era of Filipino strongman Ferdinand Marcos.

Inside the Paris Climate Agreement Oct 12, 2021

These days, with the world divided as it is, it’s hard to imagine more than 195 countries coming together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Yet that’s precisely what happened in 2015 with the Paris Climate Agreement. The accord was a historic deal, but what do we really know about how it was reached?

On the first episode of The Negotiators, we hear from Tom Rivett-Carnac, who helped bring countries together in Paris. Rivett-Carnac began his adult life as a Buddhist monk and eventually became the senior advisor to Christiana Figueres, who helmed the U.N. talks that led to the climate agreement.

Coming Soon: The Negotiators Oct 04, 2021

The Paris Climate Agreement. The Iran Nuclear Deal. The Bring Back our Girls campaign. How did these deals get made? On The Negotiators, each episode will feature one person telling the story of one dramatic negotiation. Hosted by Jenn Williams, The Negotiators is a production of Foreign Policy and Doha Debates.

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