Ian Bremmer and Dan Kurtz-Phelan on Platforms of Diplomacy | The Art of Diplomacy

Description

In this second episode of "The Art of Diplomacy," Florence Gaub is joined by journalist and New Yorker writer Joshua Yaffa to explore diplomacy as it unfolds in real time—at the Munich Security Conference. Together, they reflect on the unique nature of the conference itself: a space where global politics is not only discussed on stage, but shaped and processed in hallways, over coffee, and in countless informal encounters. Through two conversations recorded in Munich, Yaffa examines how this process works from different angles. With political scientist Ian Bremmer, he explores how diplomacy adapts to a moment of geopolitical rupture—when long-standing assumptions about cooperation and power are no longer stable, new alliances have to be shaped and policymakers are forced to recalibrate in real time. In his second conversation, with Foreign Affairs editor-in-chief Daniel Kurtz-Phelan, the focus shifts to interpretation: how ideas, signals, and strategic shifts are translated into language, analysis, and ultimately into policy. What does it take to make sense of a world where meaning is contested, and where tone can shape reality as much as substance? This episode was recorded on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in mid-February 2026. Glossar: A G‑Zero world refers to a global order in which no single country or group of countries is both willing and able to provide effective international leadership. Coined by Ian Bremmer and Nouriel Roubini, it describes a leadership vacuum in which major powers are constrained by domestic priorities, leading to fragmented governance and weaker cooperation on global challenges. A G-Zero World | Foreign Affairs