The Delegates Lounge

• Exclusive: The United Nations Ambassador for Pakistan and Security Council President

  Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan's envoy to the United Nations, joins us in The Delegates Lounge as his country holds the rotating monthly presidency of the UN Security Council. July is typically a sleepy period here at the UN. But not this year! That’s because a UN General Assembly conference to discuss Palestinian statehood, originally scheduled for June, will now land at the end of this month. The ambassador articulates Pakistan's support for a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders, saying, "there is a clear understanding among the majority of the membership that we need to move forward on Palestinian statehood."The conference was pushed back because of the strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Pakistan swiftly criticized the bombing by the United States. As a nuclear state, Pakistan is not a signatory to the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, but the ambassador says that Iran, as a signatory, should abide by it. His most ardent remarks relate to the recent Pakistan-India conflict over Kashmir. Pakistan has nominated President Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize for his role in concluding a ceasefire. Regarding Ukraine, Pakistan abstained on UN resolutions calling on Russia to leave Ukraine — until a recent twist in February.This conversation took place at the UN headquarters in New York shortly before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's confirmation hearing of Mike Waltz to become UN ambassador. We did, however, discuss the mood at the UN as it faces budget tightening and calls for reform.Listen Up!: We recently launched a new YouTube channel, including our previous episodes since creating The Delegates Lounge last year. For our regular listeners, we’ll keep up our playlist on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the other apps. But YouTube lets you watch videos and subtitles translated into a variety of languages — from Arabic to Ukrainian. Find us on YouTube and hit the “Subscribe” button!Speakers:J. Alex Tarquinio (host) is a resident correspondent at the United Nations in New York and co-founder of The Delegates Lounge podcast. @alextarquinio of @delegateslounge on X and @thedelegateslounge on Instagram.Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad (guest) is Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of July. @Asimiahmad of @PakistanUN_NY, @ForeignOfficePk on X and @pakmission_un, @foreignofficepk on Instagram.Credits:Music: Intro/Outro, Adobe Stock — Roads loop 6/Stefan Kartenberg; Awkward Mystery/Ionics; Water of the Moon/MusicLFiles. Walla tracks captured and mixed by The Delegates Lounge LLC/J. Alex Tarquinio.Photo: Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of July, chairs the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East (Yemen). UN Photo/Manuel Elías; July 9, 2025, 10:03 a.m. 

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• Ukrainian Journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk on Russia's Invasion

  Nataliya Gumenyuk takes us behind the headlines to reveal the stark reality of Ukraine's resistance to Russian aggression. Having embedded with drone operators near the frontlines, she offers rare insight into evolving military tactics. "Before, drones were supplementary," she says, "but now they're used instead of artillery."A Ukrainian journalist based in Kyiv, she describes The Reckoning Project, which collects testimonies that may serve as journalistic material or evidence for future prosecutions. This work inspired “The Reckoning,” a recent limited-run theatrical production at the Arcola theater in London, produced in cooperation with Dash Arts.When discussing her colleague Victoria Roshchyna — who died in Russian captivity, and whose mutilated body was ultimately returned to Ukraine — Nataliya asks what more could be done for those still held by Russia. Reporters Without Borders has profiled 29. The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine says the figure is at least 30, while Nataliya puts it at 35.As our interview concludes, an air raid alert sounds on Nataliya's phone — a striking reminder that for Ukrainians, the war is everpresent.Speakers:J. Alex Tarquinio (host) is a resident correspondent at the United Nations in New York and co-founder of The Delegates Lounge podcast. Subscribe to our new YouTube channel. @alextarquinio of @delegateslounge on X and @thedelegateslounge on Instagram.Nataliya Gumenyuk (guest) co-founded the Public Interest Journalism Lab and The Reckoning Project. She's a frequent contributor to The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, and The Guardian. @ngumenyuk of @PIJLab and @TRPforJustice on X and @ngumenyuk on Instagram.References:We discussed Nataliya’s recent article about drone warfare in The Atlantic. Here’s a gift link for nonsubscribers.We talked about the description of drone warfare in a well-known decade-old article about drone pilots in the Nevada desert.Nataliya mentioned this Vanity Fair article about Ukrainian children. The Reckoning Project was credited with help on this story.Credits:Music: Intro/Outro, Adobe Stock — Roads loop 6/Stefan Kartenberg; Awkward Mystery/Ionics; Water of the Moon/MusicLFiles. Walla tracks captured and mixed by The Delegates Lounge LLC/J. Alex Tarquinio.Photo: Nataliya Gumenyuk

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• Dining with Diplomats: Midsummer Edition 2025

  Welcome to the third edition of "Dining with Diplomats," a series that explores the intersection of food, culture, and diplomacy. In this edition, we'll journey across Europe to discover the diverse celebrations marking the summer solstice.Swedish Consul General in New York Erik Ullenhag takes us through the significance of the Midsummer holiday in Sweden, where the celebration rivals Christmas in importance. After enduring months of winter darkness, Swedes embrace the nearly endless daylight with maypole dancing, traditional songs about jumping frogs, and a feast featuring fresh potatoes, herring, and sweet summer strawberries. Later in summer, communities gather for crayfish parties, a tradition deeply rooted in Sweden's lake culture.Our voyage continues to Romania, where Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Andreea Mocanu reveals how geographical diversity shapes regional cuisines. Mocanu shares childhood memories of her grandmother's dawn-to-dusk black cherry jam making and age-old food preservation techniques.In Bulgaria, UN diplomat Svetozar Dimitrov guides us through a progression of seasonal celebrations, from March's Baba Marta Day to the ancient practice of barefoot walking on hot coals in the Strandzha mountains. Bulgaria's refreshing summer cuisine features a cold yogurt-cucumber soup and kyopolou, a roasted eggplant spread that captures summer's bounty.Greek and Spanish traditions round out our Mediterranean exploration, with the ancient origins of spanakopita and the cooling comfort of Córdoba's salmorejo, described by one cultural officer as "sunshine in a bowl."Speakers: J. Alex Tarquinio (host) is a resident correspondent at the United Nations in New York and co-founder of The Delegates Lounge podcast. @alextarquinio of @delegateslounge on X and @thedelegateslounge on Instagram.Erik Ullenhag (guest) is the Consulate General of Sweden in New York. He was formerly a Swedish politician and ambassador to Jordan and Israel. @erikullenhag of and @swedennewyork and @SweMFA on X and @erikullenhag of @swedennewyork and @swedishmfa on Instagram.Andreea Mocanu (guest) is the Deputy Permanent Representative of Romania to the United Nations in New York. @andreea_mocanu1 of @RomaniaUN_NY and @MAERomania on X and @mfaromania on Instagram.Svetozar Dimitrov (guest) is First Secretary at Bulgaria’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations. @BGmission and @MFABulgaria on X.Credits:The pieces of music introducing and concluding the Bulgarian segment are mentioned by the guest.“July Morning” by Uriah Heep"Izlel je Delyo Hagdutin" sung by Valya Balkanska on NASA’s “golden record” sounds and music of earth on the Voyager spacecraft.All other music: Adobe Stock

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• A Maritime Expert on Perils at Sea: Undercurrents Part 3

  Welcome to the third edition of "Undercurrents," an ongoing series in The Delegates Lounge podcast about the oceans and seas that unite us, and sometimes, divide us. In this episode, we're continuing our conversation with Michelle Wiese Bockmann, a former longtime analyst with Lloyd's List, one of the world’s oldest continuously running journals that has provided shipping news from London for centuries. Beneath, above, and at the surface of global shipping lanes, a new era of maritime threats is emerging with potentially devastating consequences for world trade, communications, and security. Our conversation with Michelle plunges immediately into the rise of cable cutting incidents in the Baltic Sea, where vessels have severed critical undersea infrastructure connecting nations and communications networks. She describes how difficult it is to prove sabotage in these cases, even as NATO deploys artificial intelligence to track suspicious vessel movements. The shadowy "dark fleet" of vessels operating outside international norms presents a particular challenge, with ships engaged in deceptive practices that make monitoring difficult.Drone warfare has changed maritime security calculations. From the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea using unmanned explosive boats to targeted strikes against commercial vessels, these relatively inexpensive weapons have forced shipping companies to abandon crucial trade routes. The economic impact is staggering. Rerouting around Africa's Cape of Good Hope adds approximately one million dollars in fuel costs per container ship journey, costs ultimately shouldered by consumers worldwide.Most concerning is the growing inability of international governance frameworks to address these evolving threats. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) was drafted long before modern drone warfare and cable cutting incidents, while Michelle says the International Maritime Organization has become paralyzed by geopolitical divisions. As she sees it, the United States has retreated from its traditional leadership role in these forums, leaving critical environmental and security decisions in limbo.From the Arctic's opening passages to the complexities of Panama Canal operations, this conversation offers rare insights into the vulnerabilities of our ocean-dependent global economy. Join us for this essential exploration of maritime security challenges that affect everything from the products on our store shelves to the internet connections powering our digital lives.Subscribe to The Delegates Lounge for more critical insights into the maritime undercurrents shaping global politics, economics, and environmental security.Speakers:J. Alex Tarquinio (host) is a resident correspondent at the United Nations in New York and co-founder of The Delegates Lounge podcast. @alextarquinio of @delegateslounge on X and @thedelegateslounge on Instagram. ‪Michelle Wiese Bockmann (guest) is a maritime analyst and former longtime writer with Lloyd’s List, one of the world’s oldest continuously running journals. @Michellewb_ on X.References:Recent articles by our guest include this opinion piece in the Financial Times.https://www.ft.com/content/7a89f7ae-cf3b-4e53-88bb-b87916f3eeefOur host mentions in this episode that she interviewed Michelle for an article in The New York Times when the sanctions were relatively new.https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/15/business/energy-stock-market.html

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• Shadow Fleet is Russia's Dark Gambit: Undercurrents Part 2

  Welcome to the second edition of "Undercurrents," an ongoing series in The Delegates Lounge podcast about the oceans and seas that unite us, and sometimes, divide us. In this episode, we're joined by Michelle Wiese Bockmann, a former longtime analyst with Lloyd's List, one of the world’s oldest continuously running journals that has provided shipping news from London for centuries. Michelle expounds on the explosive growth of what she calls "the Dark Fleet," also commonly called "the Shadow Fleet," a parallel shipping network that transports sanctioned oil from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela while shippers and receivers thumb their noses at the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).What began as just a small number of vessels in 2018 has mushroomed into more than 700 tankers, by her estimation, roughly 18% of the globally trading tanker fleet. Michelle reveals the elaborate deceptions employed by these vessels: so-called "flag hopping" between opportunistic registries, using Byzantine ownership structures to hide beneficial owners, spoofing location data, conducting ship-to-ship transfers at sea, and operating with questionable or fraudulent insurance that couldn't possibly cover a catastrophic spill.The environmental and safety risks are staggering. These elderly, poorly maintained vessels, averaging 22 years old, sail through environmentally sensitive areas like the Baltic Sea carrying millions of barrels of oil. "The Dark Fleet is a very serious accident waiting to happen and I'm literally surprised there hasn't been one by now, simply because the condition of these ships is so terrible," Michelle warns, describing a potential billion-dollar environmental disaster waiting to happen. Meanwhile, approximately 25 seafarers per vessel often find themselves unwitting participants in sanctions evasion, with vessel abandonment rates reaching record highs.A recent Baltic Sea confrontation between Estonian authorities and an unflagged tanker, which we spoke with the Estonian defense minister about in our latest episode, reveals the escalation of geopolitical tensions and limited options available to coastal governments. As sanctions and price caps on Russian oil show mixed results, Michelle says that some privately-owned shipping companies have begun returning to the Russian trade as prices fall below sanction thresholds – potentially improving safety but complicating policy objectives.Subscribe to The Delegates Lounge for more critical insights into the maritime undercurrents shaping global politics, economics, and environmental security.Speakers:J. Alex Tarquinio (host) is a resident correspondent at the United Nations in New York and co-founder of The Delegates Lounge podcast. @alextarquinio of @delegateslounge on X  and @thedelegateslounge on Instagram. ‪ Michelle Wiese Bockmann (guest) is a maritime intelligence analyst and former longtime writer with Lloyd’s List, one of the world’s oldest continuously running journals. @Michellewb_ on X.References:Recent articles by our guest include this opinion piece in the Financial Times.https://www.ft.com/content/7a89f7ae-cf3b-4e53-88bb-b87916f3eeefOur host mentions in this episode that she interviewed Michelle for an article in The New York Times when the sanctions were relatively new.https://www.nytimes.com/2

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