Meet Kenneth Dekleva.
A psychiatrist, a former senior US Dept of State diplomat, a geopolitical risk analyst, a Salzburg global fellow, a senior fellow at the George HW Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, the founder and CEO of a concierge telepsychiatry and business intelligence consulting firm, and a spy novelist.
You got it, a great and fascinating human.
I recently had a very interesting conversation with Kenneth: our talk centered around the Grey Zone, of course: a world inhabited by enigmatic people who influence behind the scenes, without holding official titles or visible authority.
Kenneth is an expert psychological profiler.
The goal of this conversation was to create the "ideal" psychological profile of a master of the Grey Zone.
Diplomats, intelligence operatives, business people, lobbyists, intepreters, strategic consultants with strange titles, sometimes journalists and more.
Introduction
This conversation is particularly interesting NOW, and let me explain you why...
We are living in a confusing moment.
The distinctions between politics, business, and information have always been porous, but since the inconsistent responses during COVID, these once-hidden overlaps became undeniably visible.
This is precisely why understanding the Grey Zone is more important now than ever.
Consider recent global developments: political figures openly accompanied by powerful business and tech leaders, negotiating deals that blend geopolitical strategy with commercial interests.
Don't get me wrong, these interactions have ALWAYS existed behind the scene.
It's just that their current visibility challenges our old assumptions about power, influence and intelligence.
Observing what I call the "Grey Zone operators" provides a lens - or maybe even a framework - through which we can interpret the current global landscape.
As Kenneth put it:
In this new geopolitical landscape - shifting alliances, digital warfare, back-channel diplomacy - we’ll see more of these people. They’re not here to shine, they’re here to shift the balance.
So let’s learn from them. Or perhaps… become one of them.
A bit of context: HOW this conversation started.
I posted a text on Linkedin, a reflection about the intellectual/field operator, and how - those who master both world - are fascinatingly "dangerous".
Ken sent me an email. What I love about Ken is that he's always enriching the debate and conversation with personal experiences, anecdotes and stories from the Cold War and beyond.
He's a person I profoundly respect and admire. For his expertise, his experience, and yes - I am fascinated by polyglots too. Add to this, that Ken is a very good person, and with no doubt - a Grey Zone master.
We started to exchange a few emails about the necessary "attributes" to be able to thrive in the Grey Zone. This conversation was so exciting that we organized a visiocall, and... this gave birth to the next 8 parts you're going to read.