The Delegates Lounge

• 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.References: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.

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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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• Estonia's Defense Minister on Baltic Security: Undercurrents Part 1

  Welcome to the first edition of "Undercurrents," a new 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 Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur. He explains what's happening beneath the surface of maritime confrontations in the Baltic Sea. Rising tensions have transformed this crucial waterway into a geopolitical flashpoint, with Russia deploying military assets to escort its so-called "shadow fleet" of aging oil tankers. With approximately 60% of Russian oil exports traveling through Baltic waters, these maritime routes have become critical to Moscow's ability to sustain its military operations in Ukraine.The May incident involving the unflagged tanker "Jaguar," which later acquired a flag and changed names, exemplifies Russia's aggressive strategy. The incident quickly escalated to Russia violating Estonian airspace with a fighter jet. A week later, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations referred to "Baltic pirates" in a polemic during a UN Security Council session. We caught up with Minister Pevkur right before this week's meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, so we also discussed NATO's defense spending and priorities.Join us for this riveting conversation that navigates the choppy waters of Baltic security and explores how maritime tensions are reshaping the global security landscape. What happens in these northern waters could have ripple effects far beyond Europe's shores.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. ‪Hanno Pevkur (guest) is the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Estonia. He is an Estonian politician and lawyer who previously served as his country’s Minister of the Interior, Minister of Justice, and Minister of Social Affairs. @HPevkur of @MoD_Estonia on X.

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• The Trouble with Tariffs: Harvard Economist Jason Furman Weighs In

  In pursuit of economic understanding, we speak with Jason Furman, the Harvard economist who co-teaches the university’s core course in the discipline, “Principles of Economics,” Harvard’s most popular course.The conversation tackles President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariff announcement that sent markets nosediving, that is, until the president hit the pause button. The Harvard economist methodically dismantles the logic behind targeting countries with bilateral trade deficits, using unexpected examples like Madagascar’s vanilla bean exports and Lesotho's diamond exports to illustrate why the approach is fundamentally flawed. "We could eliminate our trade deficits with them," he explains, "and what would that mean? That would mean less vanilla beans and fewer diamonds." Our wide-ranging discussion touched on Trump’s big, beautiful budget bill and Moody’s downgrade of its U.S. debt rating while, along the way, exploring the linkages between global trade, clean energy, and artificial intelligence. Jason, an economic adviser to President Barack Obama, offers a refreshingly clear-eyed assessment of both the Trump and Biden administration approaches to trade and manufacturing. Despite their different methods (tariffs versus subsidies), both administrations share a nostalgic vision of American manufacturing that doesn't align with today's economic reality.Listeners are reminded of our guest's Foreign Affairs magazine article "The Post-Neoliberal Delusion" that critiqued Biden's signature economic legislation (see link below). Looking forward, his greatest economic worry is that "the tariffs come back with a vengeance," while his greatest hope lies in the potential of artificial intelligence to "raise productivity growth, raise wages, help with our deficit problems" if implemented thoughtfully.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.Jason Furman (guest) is the Aetna Professor of the Practice of Economic Policy jointly at Harvard Kennedy School and the Department of Economics at Harvard University. He is also nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and a past U.S. presidential adviser. @jasonfurman of @Harvard and @PIIE on X.References:We mention a recent article by the guest in Foreign Affairs magazine so we’re providing the link below.https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/post-neoliberal-delusion

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