DOHA, QATAR -- Qatar Foundation’s Doha Debates spotlighted the practice of high-stakes negotiation with a special live episode of its award-winning podcast with Foreign Policy, The Negotiators, at Doha Forum, following the launch of the podcast series’ fifth season on December 1.

Held in collaboration with The Negotiators’ special partner for this season, the International Peace Institute (IPI), and Doha Debates’ longstanding production partner, Foreign Policy, the episode featured a compelling conversation between Prince Zeid bin Ra’ad bin Zeid Al Hussein, president and chief executive officer of the International Peace Institute, and Dr. Robert Malley, professor and author.

Moderated live, the discussion explored the pursuit of peace between Israel and Palestine, drawing from both speakers’ extensive experience in diplomacy and conflict resolution. The conversation also examined key moments from Malley’s book Tomorrow Is Yesterday: Life, Death, and the Pursuit of Peace in Israel-Palestine, co-authored with Hussein Agha, alongside reflections on other major negotiations, including the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Prince Zeid opened the session by introducing Dr. Malley’s work in high-stakes mediation, saying, “It is my great honor to be interviewing Dr. Malley as part of The Negotiators series, produced by Doha Debates and Foreign Policy with the support of IPI. Robert is one of America’s most experienced diplomats and negotiators.”

Sharing key insights from his career, Dr. Malley offered an inside view of the challenges negotiators face and the paths toward lasting agreements. “People have to be more creative, more courageous, and more imaginative,” he affirmed.

Adding further perspective, Doha Debates’ managing director Amjad Atallah highlighted the importance of making negotiation more accessible to global audiences, noting Qatar’s unique role in supporting dialogue efforts worldwide. “Negotiations often happen out of public view, yet it personally impacts us every day and shapes the world we all live in,” said Amjad Atallah, managing director of Doha Debates. “With The Negotiators, we highlight fascinating stories of negotiators and the skills they use to try to make the world a better place.”

The latest episodes in season five of the podcast series, “How 193 Countries Agreed on the Crime of Aggression” and “Inside the ‘Impossible’ Deal That Averted an Environmental Disaster in Yemen,” are available on all major podcast platforms. New episodes will be released weekly until the Doha Forum taping debuts on February 2, 2026.

The Negotiators is part of Doha Debates’ wider portfolio of programs exploring global issues through meaningful dialogue. New debate episodes continue to roll out weekly. Additional Doha Debates programming is available on DohaDebates.com.