The Weiser Diplomacy Center at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and the American Academy of Diplomacy will co-host a discussion with four former ambassadors on the global implications of the war in Ukraine. Ambassador Susan Elliott will consider the war’s implications for NATO and the future of Europe, including whether NATO’s new unity and strength will hold and what the future security architecture of Europe will look like. Ambassador Robert Cekuta will discuss implications for Central Asia and Russia’s “near abroad,” discussing how the war relates to Russia’s imperial history, what it means for the former states of the Soviet Union, and the economic and energy questions it raises. Ambassador Richard Boucher will discuss implications for Asia, including China’s position in this evolving world and how the war in Ukraine will change China’s calculus for Taiwan. Ambassador Ronald Neumann will moderate the panel and provide a perspective on implications for the Middle East.

This event will be live streamed.
From the speakers' bios:

Ambassador (ret.) Susan M. Elliott has held a variety of leadership positions at the U.S. Department of State, including Civilian Deputy and Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commander of the United States European Command, Deputy Executive Secretary and Director of the Executive Secretariat Staff for former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs.

Ambassador (ret.) Richard A. Boucher has served in numerous leadership positions at the U.S. Department of State, including Ambassador to Cyprus, U.S. Consul General in Hong Kong, and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia. In his later career he became the longest serving spokesman in the history of the State Department, serving six Secretaries of State. After retiring from the State Department Ambassador Boucher served as Deputy Secretary-General for Global Affairs at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris.

Ambassador (ret.) Robert Cekuta served in the U.S. Department of State as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy, Sanctions, and Commodities, and U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan. He established the Economic Policy Analysis and Public Diplomacy Office in the State Department’s Bureau for Economic and Business Affairs, and served on the boards of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and the International Energy Agency.

Ambassador (ret.) Ronald Neumann is President of the American Academy of Diplomacy, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, and former Ambassador to Algeria, Bahrain and Afghanistan. Ambassador Neumann served in Baghdad with the Coalition Provisional Authority and as liaison with the Multinational Command. He also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near East Affairs and Director of the Office of Northern Gulf Affairs.