We welcome Prof. Christian Lequesne (SciencePo, Paris) in this first episode. You may recognize our guest as editor for the recently-released special issue of the journal entitled Ministries of Foreign Affairs: Institutional Responses to Complexity Diplomacy. Expanding on this special issue, Prof. Lequesne explains why studying the MFA is vital to gauging the climate of modern diplomacy. Host Ilen Madhavji, and Prof. Lequesne discuss a variety of topics, such as diversity, public diplomacy, social media, and the less central role of the MFA within the developing world of diplomacy. The resulting conversation sheds light on an institution that no longer has the monopoly on diplomacy, yet still strives to be a major player. This is a podcast created by The Hague Journal of Diplomacy: http://www.haguejournalofdiplomacy.org