Jolyon Naegele

Jolyon Arthur Naegele (born April 19, 1955) From 2003 to 2017 he was a political affairs officer with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), eventually heading its Office of Political Affairs.

Early life and education Naegele was born in New York City. He studied international relations at the City College of New York (BA, 1976) and earned an MA in international relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Bologna and Washington (1978). He also studied Czech language and literature at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies in London. He speaks Czech, German, Russian, Polish and Italian. Among his professors were political scientists Ivo Ducháček, John Herz, and historians Randolph Braham and Vojtech Mastny.

In 1988 he received the United States Information Agency Superior Honor Award for his work as VOA’s Vienna correspondent.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty From 1996 to 2003 Naegele worked as an editor at RFE/RL in Prague, focusing on Slovakia, the Western Balkans, Turkey and the Caucasus.

United Nations Mission in Kosovo In 2003 he joined the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) as a political affairs officer. He later became head of the Office of Political Affairs, contributing to the UN Secretary‑General’s regular reports to the Security Council and serving as UNMIK’s first coordinator for the Pristina–Belgrade dialogue. His role and responsibilities are documented in UNMIK’s official leadership profiles.

Public reception BBC journalist Misha Glenny wrote in The Listener that Naegele’s impact on Czechoslovak politics during the late 1980s “was greater than most journalists can dream of in a lifetime,” noting his fluency in Czech and his ability to convey the nuances of local political life.

Publications Co‑author: Velvet Revolution After 30 Years (Karolinum, 2019).

Awards

United States Information Agency Superior Honor Award (1988)

Personal life Naegele has one daughter. He lives in the Czech Republic.