Outlook and Implications for US Foreign Policy, Post-2016

Speaker Series: Michael McFaul, Former Ambassador to Russia, Director, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University

Karl Eikenberry, Former US Ambassador to Afghanistan, William J. Perry Fellow in International Security, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University

Evening Reception, Thursday, 24 June 2015, 18:00-19:39 pm, Asia Society Hong Kong Center

Co-Sponsors: The Asia Society & The Stanford Club of Hong Kong

A Dialogue with Stanford Profs/Recent ex-Ambassadors to Russia & Afghanistan

Event Details:

The Asia Society, the Stanford GSB Chapter of Hong Kong and the Stanford Club of Hong Kong are pleased to invite you to an evening dialogue with current professors and former ambassadors to two of the most important countries in the current geopolitical sphere, Russia and Afghanistan.  With the approach of the US presidential election campaign, attention is turning toward the future of US foreign policy globally and in Asia. Stanford Professor and Director of the Freeman Spogli Institute Michael McFaul, and Stanford Director of the US-Asia Security Initiative Karl Eikenberry, will address the major international security issues that will likely shape the agenda of the next US presidential administration. Dr. McFaul, the former US Ambassador to Russia, and Mr. Eikenberry, the former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, will draw on their experience in US foreign policy, diplomacy, and military strategy to consider the prospects for continuity and change post-2016.

Speaker’s Bio: 

Michael McFaul is Professor of political science, Director and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and the Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. He served for  five years in the Obama administration, first as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs at the National Security Council at the White House (2009-2012), and then as US  Ambassador to the Russian Federation (2012-2014). He has authored several books and his current research interests include American foreign policy, great power relations, and the relationship between democracy and development. Dr. McFaul received his bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Slavic Languages from Stanford University and his master’s degree in Soviet and East European Studies. As a Rhodes Scholar, he completed his D. Phil. in International Relations at Oxford University.

Karl Eikenberry is the William J. Perry Fellow in International Security at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University and Director of the US-Asia Security Initiative. He previously served  as US Ambassador to Afghanistan (2009- 2011). Ambassador Eikenberry had a 35 year career in the US Army, retiring in 2009 with the rank of Lieutenant General. His military operational posts included Commander of the American-led Coalition forces (2005-2007). Ambassador Eikenberry has received the Department of State Distinguished, Superior, and Meritorious Honor Awards, Director of Central Intelligence Award, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award. He is a graduate of the US Military Academy, has master’s degrees from Harvard University in East Asian Studies and Stanford University in Political Science, and was a National Security Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.