An intimate lunch with war correspondent, wilderness guide, and conservationist Julius Strauss
Before running a remote lodge in Canada’s grizzly bear country, Julius Strauss spent years in some of the world’s most dangerous places — Bosnia, Kosovo, Chechnya, Afghanistan, Iraq — covering wars as a front-line correspondent. He has witnessed the fall of cities, the rise of leaders, and the quiet moments that rarely make the news. Over an intimate lunch at TheMerode, Strauss will share the turning points of a life lived at the extremes.
Join us for a candid, wide-ranging conversation over a shared table — part travelogue, part survival manual, and part reflection on how to keep reinventing yourself.
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Strauss was a long-serving correspondent for the Daily Telegraph who specialised in covering wars and other foreign stories. He was based in the Balkans for nearly a decade and later served as Moscow bureau chief during Vladimir Putin’s early years.
As well as the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo, Strauss covered the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and Chechnya, as well as many revolutions, uprisings and coups. (He once masqueraded as a Russian military officer and spent 10 days on operation near Grozny with Spetsnaz, the Russian special forces.)
Later Strauss moved to north America and taught journalism for two years as a guest professor at the University of Alaska.
During the Afghan war he was recruited by the British government and posted to Helmand where he served as a political officer working with the Pashtun tribes and the US Marines.
Strauss now divides his time between Canada, where he owns and runs a wilderness lodge and various charities including one for wounded veterans, and Europe where he teaches and works as a journalist.
Strauss has written for the Telegraph, the Spectator, the Guardian, The Globe and Mail and many other outlets.
He now mostly writes his own newsletter on Substack, called Back from the Front and concentrates on writing comment, analysis and field reports on Ukraine, Russia, the Middle East and the Balkans.
Strauss recently co-directed a documentary about a family caught up in the Kosovo war.
As well as a journalist, Strauss is an experienced wilderness guide specialising in grizzly bear behaviour, a certified animal tracker, and a rafting guide. He pilots his own 1957 bush plane.
moderator
Charlie Stuart is a distinguished British diplomat with a rich background in military service, diplomacy, and security strategy. Currently the European Union’s Chief Security Advisor on Africa, Charlie plays a crucial role in shaping security policies across the continent.
Before entering diplomacy, Charlie served with distinction in the British Army. His transition into diplomatic service saw him hold senior roles, including Head of Delegation for the EU in Tanzania and Deputy Chief of Mission in both Tanzania and Iraq.
In addition to his public service, Charlie brings valuable experience from the private sector, where he served as a director of a global security firm based in the UK. He also has a background in corporate law, specializing in major projects and oil exploration.
