Joseph “Joschka” Fischer is a German political activist, politician and member of political group Alliance ’90/The Green Party of Germany. A leading figure in German politics, he has been a dominant force for The Greens since the 1970s, leading them into government during the 1990s. He held the positions of Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor of Germany when serving on the coalition Cabinet of former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. He is widely considered to be one of modern-Germany’s most popular politicians.

As Foreign Minister, Fischer oversaw a significant period in the history of German foreign affairs, including Germany’s first active military engagements since World War II, and was the longest-serving Foreign Minister in German post-war history. Fischer was a high-profile voice in his Government’s critical stance on the war in Iraq, and a leading figure in the EU negotiations with Iran regarding its nuclear programme.

Since leaving office in 2005, Fischer has remained a pre-eminent figure in public debate on major political and economic issues, particularly on European politics and EU integration. He is a member of the Spinelli Group, a europarliamentarian initiative founded with a view to reinvigorate efforts to federalise the European Union. He also serves on the Board of the International Crisis Group and is a Co-Chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations. He remains active in international foreign affairs, and since 2008 has been a Senior Strategic Counsel of the Albright Group. Additionally, he has held positions as senior fellow at the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination, and as visiting professor at Princeton University.