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 has forged: an innovative discipline exploring the space just beyond the boundaries of states’ and governments’ capacity and authority in international relations.

At its foundation is Mickey’s belief that non-state actors – businesses, philanthropists, non-profit organizations, academia, and individuals – have as much to gain from a prosperous, stable world as governments do. As our world becomes increasingly globalized and complex, Fringe Diplomacy expands what is possible in international relations between communities and nations by occupying the open space where governments cannot go.

In Mickey’s view, traditional diplomacy is cluttered with the trappings of political choreography and protocol hampered by bureaucratic inertia and resource constraints failing to successfully share and collaborate with others on the issues most important to us all. This failure to engage and collaborate is propelled by the “hats we wear” with its attendant organizational, cultural, and national biases.

Fringe Diplomacy operates freely in the neglected dimension of official government relations – the human one: no scripted talking points, no deliverables designed solely for the photo op, no watered-down staff work. Exercised correctly, Fringe Diplomacy creates an additional layer of access and personal relationships that help overcome political, business, and societal crises between communities and nations.

Mickey has managed relationships and private diplomacy efforts in North Korea, Cuba, Myanmar, Russia, Middle East, Venezuela, and Africa. Nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 and 2023 alongside former Governor Bill Richardson, Mickey previously led his team at the Richardson Center as its as Vice President and Executive Director to facilitate the release of more political prisoners than any other organization. Mickey has created new political capital by leading professional exchange programs to frontier countries such as North Korea, Myanmar, Cuba, Lebanon, and others.

Mickey is currently a professor at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, where he teaches about emotional intelligence in international relations. Previously Mickey was Executive Director of the Global Alliances Program at the Aspen Institute and was a 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 naturalized U.S. citizen, a native of Tel Aviv, and a former officer in the Israel Defense Forces. He holds a master’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University.