2015 – The EU and The NATO Alliance: Friends, Enemies & Issues
Spring 2015 Omaha Ambassadors Forum
The EU and The NATO Alliance: Friends, Enemies & Issues
Monday, April 6th 2015
11:30 am to 2 pm
UNO Scott Conference Center
The Ukrainian crisis has made it evident that early visions of Russian-European-American cooperation are not feasible. Which policies now make sense?
Organized by the UNO International Studies Program and The Burlington International Group, the event featured four former U.S. ambassadors who have collectively served in half a dozen countries, who examined the issue from multiple perspectives. Former Ambassador to NATO Robert Hunter w looked at the situation from the US and NATO perspective. Former Ambassador to Russia James Collins examined it from the Russian angle and Allan Wendt, the former Ambassador and Special Representative for Strategic Trade and Technology, looked at the intertwining economic issues of the European Union.
Conference agenda and Biographies
About the Ambassadors
Ambassador James F. Collins served as U.S. ambassador to the Russian Federation from 1997 to 2001. Before his appointment, he served as a special advisor to the Secretary of State for post-Soviet Union states in the mid-1990s. He has also served in various roles in the U.S. embassies in Amman, Jordan and Izmir, Turkey.
Ambassador Robert Hunter is currently a Senior Fellow and Visiting Scholar at the Center for Transatlantic Relations and Senior International Consultant to Lockheed Martin Oversees Corporation. Prior to these roles, he served as Senior Advisor at the RAND Corporation (1998-2011) and U.S. Ambassador to NATO (1993-1998). He also served on President Jimmy Carter’s National Security Council staff in charge of West European Affairs and Middle East Affairs.
Ambassador Allan Wendt is currently an international affairs consultant based out of Washington, D.C. and since 2001 has provided public diplomacy work for the U.S. government. Wendt served as the first U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia from 1992 to 1995 and, prior to that, filled various roles within the U.S. Department of State from 1975 through 1988.
Ambassador Ronald Neumann is a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for President Bill Clinton and has served three times as an ambassador, to Algeria (1994-1997), Bahrain (2001-2004) and Afghanistan (2005-2007). Neumann frequently returns to Afghanistan and writes extensively about his time there and current events regarding the area. He is the author of “The Other War: Winning and Losing in Afghanistan,” which was published in 2009.
About the University of Nebraska at Omaha
Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.