WASHINGTON – July 9, 2024 – As the NATO Alliance prepares to mark its 75th anniversary and gathers for a pivotal summit in Washington, DC this week, the International Spy Museum and the One Decision podcast brought together distinguished panels of American and global leaders hosted on-site at the Spy Museum for a look at what can be expected out of the summit. One Decision co-host, the former U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, was joined by Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs, Congressman Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, and Estonia’s Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, along with former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović. Spy Museum Historian and Curator Dr. Andrew Hammond and One Decision Executive Producer Christine Baratta served as moderators and Spy Museum’s Executive Director Chris Costa provided opening and closing remarks informed by his own work with NATO.
“With the NATO alliance commemorating its 75th anniversary in the city in which it was signed, we are thrilled to host world leaders for a critical discussion at the Spy Museum about the shifting threat landscape in this constantly changing world," shared International Spy Museum’s Executive Director Chris Costa. "In partnership with One Decision Podcast, the Spy Museum sees this discussion as a natural extension of its educational mission to be at the forefront of the global conversation and inform the public of the past, present, and future of the world of intelligence and espionage.”
Photo Credit: Brendan Kownacki/Global Situation Room Inc at the International Spy Museum.
The International Spy Museum (SPY) is an independent nonprofit museum in Washington, DC dedicated to the history and impact of espionage. Known as one of the most popular museums in the nation’s capital, the Museum has the largest collection of international espionage artifacts ever placed on public display, a slate of high-profile programming, and a strong educational mission. The Museum reaches its audience on site and through its virtual offerings including its popular weekly podcast SpyCast hosted by Historian and Curator Dr. Andrew Hammond exploring all things espionage and intelligence. The Museum offers the public an objective and apolitical forum for exploring global conversations and engaging critically with the world around us.
“It is extraordinarily important to get leaders together on the margins of these major summits,” said One Decision Executive Producer Christine Baratta. “Tonight’s discussion raised a number of critical questions and issues that NATO needs to tackle in the coming days. The partnership with the International Spy Museum allowed us to create this really powerful platform that brought together hundreds for the live recording and following online.”
One Decision has previously organized virtual programs and receptions from prior NATO summits and UN General Assemblies, but this is the first time the show was recorded in front of a live studio audience. The sold-out gathering included a number of top diplomats, Members of Congress, and over 100 journalists from around the globe. It comes as the podcast, which also counts former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove among its co-hosts, has become the most popular podcast in the world for diplomatic discussions.
An audio recording of the discussion will be released jointly on the SpyCast and One Decision podcasts and will be on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.
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