The global economic landscape is undergoing a profound transformation. How does diplomacy operate at the intersection of geopolitical crises, international competition, and bilateral trade relations? In this issue of Diplo International, Austrian top economic diplomat Michael Scherz (Austrian Trade Council in Berlin) takes stock of his four decades of service in foreign trade on the occasion of his upcoming retirement. Following postings in Bucharest, Johannesburg, and New York, as well as the challenging reconstruction of the trade office in Sarajevo after the Dayton Agreement, he headed Austria's economic diplomatic missions in Munich and Berlin for a total of 12 years.