Everyday Ambassador

This week on Everyday Ambassador, I spoke with Zsofia Banuta, co-founder of Unhack Democracy, a grassroots organization working to protect democratic institutions across Central and Eastern Europe. Don’t miss our live follow-up event on May 8th on Substack with Zsofia and her co-founder Elliot Goat, where they’ll answer your questions and share more about their work.

Annelise Riles speaks with Austin Bryan, an anthropologist and soon-to-be professor of global health, about his ten years of research with LGBTQ+ communities and healthcare workers in Uganda. Bryan offers a behind-the-scenes look at how international HIV funding has shaped not only access to care but also the emergence of activist networks in a country facing severe anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Their conversation explores the human cost of defunding, the resilience of marginalized communities, and why long-term, ground-level research matters.

Thank you for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Annelise Riles speaks with Dr. Bilqis Alatishe-Muhammad, a Nigerian physician and public health advocate working to improve maternal health and champion gender equity across Nigeria. From treating vulnerable communities to challenging cultural norms and policy gaps, Dr. Bilqis shares her deeply personal and powerful mission to bring healthcare to those who are often forgotten. Her story is a reminder that small acts of care can drive global change.

When we think of a traditional path to global influence, few would imagine starting out on tour with the Grateful Dead. But Stephen Greene, co-founder and CEO of RockCorps, has built a trailblazing career doing just that—blending the power of music, the passion of young people, and a bold new approach to social change.

In the latest episode of Everyday Ambassador, host Annelise Riles reconnects with her high school classmate for a conversation that spans decades, continents, and some of the most pressing generational challenges of our time.

Learn more about RockCorps: https://rockcorps.com or https://ibisrockcorps.fr/

What do you do when you see human rights violations—but you don’t have the power to stop them?

That’s the challenge many of us face today. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, furious, or hopeless. But what if there were a way to channel that frustration into real impact?

This week, we’re heading to Europe to see how one European Union diplomat handles the treatment of migrants at its borders—and what we can learn from him.

Meet the Human Rights Diplomat at Europe's Borders

Meet Jonas Grimheden, the Fundamental Rights Officer at FRONTEX, the EU’s border control agency (Europe’s version of ICE). His job? To make sure that migrants' human rights are respected—a near-impossible task when facing governments that don’t want oversight.

Jonas is a Swedish human rights lawyer and a skilled diplomat who has taken on some of the world’s toughest assignments, including representing his country in North Korea. He spent years at the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, ensuring that human rights shape EU foreign policy.

In this week’s podcast interview, Jonas reveals the high-stakes challenges of defending human rights at Europe’s borders. His work is harrowing, inspiring—and strikingly different from the approach taken in the U.S.

Pushbacks, Beatings, and Strategic Silence

Grimheden’s team spends thousands of days each year in the field—on boats, at airports, even on deportation flights—observing procedures and speaking with migrants directly. Many reveal they were beaten or turned away illegally in a previous attempt. These reports trigger formal investigations, roughly one per week, though Grimheden believes they could be doing one a day.

Still, he knows the limitations. “I’m not the FBI. I can’t order anyone to act,” he said. “But I do have access, data, and leverage. And I use them.”

His team investigates what are known as pushbacks—when migrants are expelled without due process, often violently. In some countries, border guards are accused of beating migrants, stealing their possessions, and forcing them back across borders, often in the dead of night.

“It doesn’t take a lawyer to know that’s illegal,” Grimheden said bluntly. “I’ve even filed a criminal complaint myself with a national prosecutor’s office. That case is still pending—three years later.”

Despite evidence, some member states deny wrongdoing outright. “They tell me their police aren’t that stupid,” he said. “Unfortunately, I think they are.” Convincing national authorities to allow independent monitoring, particularly along green borders—remote stretches of forest or coastline—is an uphill battle.

In one case, officials claimed monitors couldn’t patrol due to wild bears. “I think the bears were always there,” Grimheden quipped. “What changed was a year of persistence and public pressure.”

The Impossible Job: Fighting for Migrants’ Rights with Little Real Legal Power

Jonas’ mission is daunting. He confronts violence and human suffering daily—migrants who are beaten, raped, drowned, or tricked by smugglers. Governments often turn a blind eye. Politicians exploit fear for votes. And border guards often see human rights enforcement as an obstacle, not a duty.

And here’s the catch: Jonas has little power to enforce change. His job is to observe, document, and report. He can’t force border guards to stop abuse. Each EU country controls its own borders and isn’t always receptive to outside oversight. Worse, some of the worst abuses happen beyond the EU’s jurisdiction, in countries that don’t answer to European laws.

He faces impossible ethical dilemmas.

* Spotting a migrant boat in distress: If Jonas alerts authorities, migrants might be rescued—only to be captured and abused in Libyan detention centers. If he says nothing, they might drown.

* Documenting police violence: He uncovers that border police in a “nice” European country are beating migrants and stealing their property. When he reports it, officials often deny everything.

The Secret Weapon: Aikido Diplomacy

How does Jonas make an impact with so little direct power? His secret weapon is Aikido—a Japanese martial art focused on non-violent conflict resolution.

Aikido isn’t about overpowering an opponent; it’s about redirecting their energy. As Jonas explains:

"If you try to confront someone directly, it takes a great deal of force. But if you move with them, as they turn in a certain direction, you can harness their own force for your purposes—and flip them."

That’s exactly how he deals with nationalist politicians and hostile border guards. He doesn’t yell. He doesn’t fight. He listens, understands their motivations, and then finds ways to shift their behavior.

For example, he discovered that migrant beatings mostly happened late at night, near the end of border guards’ shifts. Why? The guards were exhausted and just wanted to go home. By understanding this, Jonas found a way to introduce policies that reduced their workload and, in turn, the violence—without condoning their actions.

Grimheden sees his job not as shouting from the sidelines, but persuading from the inside. “I have to be stubborn and patient,” he said. “Yelling doesn’t help. Strategy does.”

Lessons for Everyday Ambassadors

Jonas’ approach offers a roadmap for all of us who care about human rights but lack formal power. Here’s how we can apply his strategies:

* Be a Diplomat, Not Just an Advocate

Don’t just talk to people who already agree with you. Seek out those who don’t. Changing minds is part of changing the culture.

* Control Your Emotions

Ranting in private is fine. But yelling or exaggerating in a debate doesn’t work—it just makes opponents dig in.

* Understand the Other Side

Jonas assumes that people don’t want to be cruel—something in their situation leads to their behavior. If you can understand their motivations, you might be able to flip them.

* Be Meticulously Factual

Facts are your strongest tool. Do your research. If someone has questions, take the time to get real answers.

* Be Clear and Firm

Jonas never yells, but he also never backs down. When he tells border guards that a law is being broken, he does so calmly and clearly. **Clear is kind.**

* Do the Right Thing, Even Outside Your Mandate

Jonas sometimes reports crimes as a private citizen or helps NGOs bring lawsuits—even if it’s not technically in his job description. His reasoning?

"My mandate doesn’t say I can't."

* Be Patient and Persistent

Change doesn’t happen overnight. Some of Jonas’ biggest wins took months or even years. But persistence pays off.

The Challenge: Put Diplomacy Into Practice

Jonas calls his approach "a bit of a strategy game." And we can all play it.

This week, I challenge you: Find one or two people who don’t believe in the human rights of migrants, people facing violence abroad, or sexual minorities. Engage them. Apply these diplomatic strategies. See if you can shift their thinking—even a little.

Because when the culture changes, politics will follow.

To learn more about Jonas Grimheden’s work, visit Frontex’s official site

In this episode, Annelise Riles speaks with Felecia Maxfield-Barrett, CEO of Utah Global Diplomacy, about how global diplomacy is taking root far beyond embassies and government offices—right in communities like Utah. From her upbringing in American Fork to her leadership in international exchange programs, Felecia shares how shared humanity and storytelling can build bridges across cultures and borders.

To learn more about Utah Global Diplomacy and how you can get involved in citizen diplomacy, visit utahdiplomacy.org. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anneliseriles.substack.com

I am a scholar of private international law. I weigh in here.