Past Event: Wednesday 4th September 2024

Following the David Hume Institute's successful EICC Live conversation early this year, Baroness Cathy Ashton returned to Edinburgh to share more insights into successful negotiation, a subject she now lectures on at Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington DC.

From 2009 to 2014, Baroness Ashton was the EU’s first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, effectively Europe's foreign policy supremo responsible for coordinating the EU's response to international crises. Arriving in Brussels as a relative novice to international diplomacy, she faced the challenge of representing the views and values of 28 nations during one of the most turbulent times in living memory.

From the frozen conflict of Ukraine to the Serbia-Kosovo deal, there were challenges, failures and moments of success. Baroness Ashton encountered dictators and war criminals, and witnessed the aftermath of natural disasters, military action, and political instability.

Working with US politicians and counterparts including John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and Bill Burns, she negotiated historic settlements, such as the Iran nuclear deal. An ‘honest broker’, she navigated the needs of opposing politicians to chart a path towards collaboration and stability.

In March Baroness Ashton took us behind the scenes of modern diplomacy and how it felt to be in ‘the room where it happened’. This masterclass, hosted at the Scotch Whisky Experience on the Royal Mile, shared key lessons that worked for achieving successful outcomes.

This event was in-person only, and was not recorded.