How The US Makes and Breaks Global Deals | Ep263: John Kerry

Since Donald Trump returned to the Presidency in 2025, the US has become increasingly isolationist. It has pulled out of the Paris climate agreement and the IPCC, left the World Health Organisation, as well as a whole host of other international organisations and agencies. So, when President Trump leaves the White House, will the US be able to rebuild trust on the international stage?

This week on Cleaning Up, former US Secretary of State and Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry sits down with Michael Liebreich and reflects on some of the defining diplomatic efforts of his career, from negotiating the Iran nuclear deal to helping secure the Paris Climate Agreement.

Secretary Kerry explains how years of relationship-building and behind the scenes diplomacy helped bring Iran to the negotiating table and why he believes the original nuclear agreement succeeded in limiting Iran's nuclear programme. He also shares his frustration at what he sees as the dismantling of agreements and relationships that took years to build, and the challenge of restoring trust in US leadership on the global stage.

Secretary Kerry also shares his perspective on working with China, the importance of international cooperation, and the role diplomacy still has to play. They also discuss rebuilding trust in US leadership, and the shifting balance between the US and China in clean energy.

Topics Include:

• How the Obama administration negotiated limits on Iran's nuclear programme
• The diplomacy behind the Paris Climate Agreement
• The meaning of "common but differentiated" in climate diplomacy
• Lessons from Kyoto, Paris and Dubai on international climate agreements
• Why engaging adversaries matters more than isolating them
• How can the U.S. rebuild trust on a global stage?
• Petrostate vs electrostate: the shifting US-China dynamic

Leadership Circle:

Cleaning Up is proud to be supported by its Leadership Circle. The members are Actis, Alcazar Energy, Arup, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Cygnum Capital, Davidson Kempner, Ecopragma Capital, EDP, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, Schneider Electric, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information about the Leadership Circle, visit cleaningup.live

Links:

• John Kerry’s bio: https://galvanizeclimate.com/team/secretary-john-kerry
• Galvanize https://galvanizeclimate.com/
• Our Ocean Conference https://www.ouroceanconference.org/
• Todd Stern on Cleaning Up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffnZzO6CMI8
• Ernie Moniz on Cleaning Up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0shzlRv4MTY

Acronyms:

• ADNOC - Abu Dhabi National Oil Company
• LNG - Liquified Natural Gas
• OPCW - Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons
• ESG - Environment, Social and Governance
• IRGC - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps