1. You received international acclaim as the key mediator in the Balkans conflict and are seen as a visionary of Europe and an expert on world affairs. Do you find working in the international side of politics more challenging and rewarding than focusing purely on domestic affairs?

These days they are closely connected, and in particular in a country as dependent in the outside world as Sweden. Geopolitical tensions, economic trends or technological change impact on us all much faster and more profoundly than in the past.

And there is little doubt that after a couple of decades where the positive was far more important than the negative, we have now entered a more challenging and perhaps even dangerous period.

Globalisation is still a powerful force. But geopolitics is coming back with a vengeance. And we see sectarianism and identity issues tearing societies apart.

2. With greater levels of unrest in Europe and further afield how important do you feel strong, political leadership is in the world today?

It’s both more important and more difficult. We face an array of challenges that test the ability of even the most astute leader. But this makes it even more important to try to understand the important trends, and to formulate the policies that will be needed.

3. What do you believe are the current and future challenges in the governance of the internet and can they be successfully overcome?

The politics of the net is becoming increasingly important. The net has rapidly become the most important global infrastructure and, with what we now see, it will soon also be the infrastructure of all other global infrastructures.

But there is a trust deficit building up that could become dangerous in that it might fuel policies that risk disrupting the net. We see it in suspicions of mass surveillance, or fears over how large corporations will use big data. But we also see how geopolitical tension and the fear of regimes for their stability are driving efforts to undermine the open and global nature of the net.

4. Since leaving office you have joined more advisory boards and organisations with a wide range of remits. Do you see this type of involvement increasing over the coming years and do you find it as fulfilling as holding political office?

In many ways it is dealing with the same issues and challenges, although of course in different ways. But I do believe that it is increasingly important to be part of the global dialogue on the challenges we face, and naturally it is an advantage to do that with the background of having had different political offices for a longer period of time.