Mickey Bergman

With over 17 years in various aspects of strategic diplomacy, Mickey Bergman coined the term Fringe Diplomacy to describe the new field he is forging, an innovative discipline exploring the space in international relations just beyond the boundaries of States and Governments’ capacity and authority. He manages relationships and private diplomacy efforts in North Korea, Cuba, Myanmar, Russia, Middle East, Venezuela and Africa. Nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize (2019 & 2023) alongside former Governor Bill Richardson; Mickey has led his team at the Richardson Center to facilitate the release of more political prisoners than any other organization. Mickey creates new political capital by leading professional exchange programs to frontier countries such as North Korea, Myanmar, Cuba, Lebanon, and others. Mickey is Vice President and Executive Director at Governor Richardson Center for Global Engagement; was Executive Director of the Global Alliances Program at the Aspen Institute; is a professor at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, where he teaches about emotional intelligence in international relations, and was consultant to the Clinton Global Initiative. Mickey has published numerous articles and opinion pieces in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, Foreign Policy Online, and HuffPost. He was recently honored with the 2023 James W. Foley Legacy Foundation American Hostage Freedom Award and serves on the Center for Strategic and International Studies Commission on Hostage Taking and Wrongful Detention. His upcoming book: IN THE SHADOWS; True Stories of High-Stakes Negotiations to Free Americans Captured Abroad is coming out in June 2024. Mickey is a native of Tel Aviv and former combat officer in the Israel Defense Forces. He holds a master’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University.