Mircea Geoana: From Communist Romania to Deputy Secretary General of NATO | E61

My guest today is Mircea Geoana, the Deputy Secretary General of NATO, who has had a successful political and diplomatic career for more than three decades.At the age of 36, he was appointed as an ambassador to the U.S. and became the youngest ambassador in Romania’s history.  He later served as a president of the Romanian Senate, Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Deputy Prime Minister.In 2009, he narrowly lost the elections for the president of Romania when he received 49.6% of the votes. He is a board member of several organizations, including the World Economic Forum, The Aspen Institute, and the European Council for Foreign Relations. He is also a published author and has written several books on foreign policy and international relations.00:00 Family Background and CommunismBorn in communist RomaniaHis dad (an engineer) and mom (transportation company)Growing up in communism and feeling oppressedWhen communism collapsed, immediately went to see the WestHis fascination with AmericaApart from the U.S., dreamed of visiting France and Italy09:25 U.S. Immigration America is the land of immigrantsPeople should be welcomed, but it’s not easy to receive too many peopleThe USA was an inspiration for him on how to rebuild RomaniaThe transition from communism to the capitalistic systemWanted to transfer back home the best ideas from the West 12:00 EducationGetting his Ph.D. in Economics and studying in Romania and FranceHow important is education?America is an abundant example of success without formal educationNever be satisfied with what you know (education should be ongoing learning of new things)Many things are available onlineLearning how to learn and understanding learning is a constant processChoose whatever you want, but know you never know enoughThe importance of building a social network in college18:34 What Does NATO Do?NATO creates the foundation of peace, stability, and securityInsurance policy for 1 billion citizensExamples NATO efforts 23:05 Russian Invasion of UkraineNATO tried very hard to prevent invasion (in January 2021, tried to dissuade Russia but failed)How did Russia get it so wrong?Russian leadership lives in a different reality than the rest of the worldHe hopes that Russians will realize that their leadership is in wrongDoubts that Russian citizens have real informationHow is this war going to end (both sides need to compromise)?What makes a successful invasion (pre-conditions for counteroffensive)?Ukraine requested to join NATO when Crimea was takenThoughts on Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and Sweden38:32 Nuclear Weapons and WW3Russia has hypersonic missiles9 countries have nuclear weaponsThree NATO countries have nuclear weaponsNuclear weapons are very dangerousThe risks of nuclear war43:47 Punishment for War CrimesSooner or later, every crime is going to be punishedWe have conventions that regulate the warAttempt to organize a war trial tribunalIt’s not easy but, in the end, justice will be servedAbout Randall Kaplan: Randall Kaplan is a serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, executive coach, co-founder of Akamai Technologies, founder and CEO of JUMP Investors, and host of In Search of Excellence. Through his Extreme Preparation™ methodology, he helps founders, executives, business owners, and ambitious professionals improve strategy, communication, decision-making, and execution.Coaching and Staying Connected:1-on-1 Coaching | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | LinkedIn | X