2025 Sumners Civics Lecture featuring former U.S. Ambassador to Russia John J. Sullivan; moderated by the Bradford M. Freeman Managing Director of Global Policy, the George W. Bush Institute Igor Khrestin.
On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. James Sullivan, U.S. Ambassador to Russia, recalls being awakened in the middle of the night to a prearranged code when Russian troops crossed the border into Ukraine. He had been warning others that this was a possibility. Why had no one taken the whispers seriously? Could this war have been stopped? The geopolitical atmosphere has since shifted; democracies around the world have clamored, reliant on Ukraine successfully keeping Russia at bay. On March 20, join the Council to hear Ambassador Sullivan’s insider perspective.
Ambassador John J. Sullivan, former U.S. deputy secretary of state and former U.S. ambassador to the Russian Federation, is a partner in Mayer Brown’s DC and New York offices. His career spans four decades in public service under five U.S. presidents and in private law practice at Mayer Brown. Before rejoining the firm in January 2023, he was the U.S. ambassador to Russia from December 2019 to October 2022.
Prior to his post in Moscow, Ambassador Sullivan served for almost three years as the deputy secretary of state following a bipartisan Senate confirmation in 2017. He was responsible for both the formulation and conduct of U.S. foreign policy and the management of the State Department’s global operations.
Ambassador Sullivan has been a member of the Supreme Court and Appellate practice and was a co-founder of the National Security practice. From 2010 to 2016, he served by appointment of the Obama Administration as chair of the U.S.-Iraq Business Dialogue. He previously held senior positions in the Departments of Justice, Defense, and Commerce in two prior administrations; until January 2009, he was the deputy secretary of commerce under President George W. Bush, following his service from 2005 to 2007 as the general counsel of the department. In President Bush’s first term, he was appointed deputy general counsel of the Defense Department by Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. In the George H.W. Bush Administration, Ambassador Sullivan was counselor to Assistant Attorney General J. Michael Luttig in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel.
Ambassador Sullivan received his bachelor’s degree from Brown University and his law degree from the Columbia University School of Law, where he was Book Reviews Editor of the Columbia Law Review. Additionally, he is a Distinguished Scholar at the school of Foreign Service of Georgetown University and a Distinguished Fellow at the School of International and Public Affairs of Columbia University. He serves as a Contributor to CBS News, is quoted frequently in international media as a leading authority on foreign affairs, and has written a book on his experiences as ambassador, Midnight in Moscow, published in August 2024.
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Do you believe in the importance of international education and connections? The nonprofit World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth is supported by gifts from people like you, who share our passion for engaging in dialogue on global affairs and building bridges of understanding. While the Council is not currently charging admission for virtual events, we ask you to please consider making a one-time or recurring gift to help us keep the conversation going through informative public programs and targeted events for students and teachers.
Donate: https://www.dfwworld.org/donate
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2025 Sumners Civics Lecture featuring former U.S. Ambassador to Russia John J. Sullivan; moderated by the Bradford M. Freeman Managing Director of Global Policy, the George W. Bush Institute Igor Khrestin.
On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. James Sullivan, U.S. Ambassador to Russia, recalls being awakened in the middle of the night to a prearranged code when Russian troops crossed the border into Ukraine. He had been warning others that this was a possibility. Why had no one taken the whispers seriously? Could this war have been stopped? The geopolitical atmosphere has since shifted; democracies around the world have clamored, reliant on Ukraine successfully keeping Russia at bay. On March 20, join the Council to hear Ambassador Sullivan’s insider perspective.
Ambassador John J. Sullivan, former U.S. deputy secretary of state and former U.S. ambassador to the Russian Federation, is a partner in Mayer Brown’s DC and New York offices. His career spans four decades in public service under five U.S. presidents and in private law practice at Mayer Brown. Before rejoining the firm in January 2023, he was the U.S. ambassador to Russia from December 2019 to October 2022.
Prior to his post in Moscow, Ambassador Sullivan served for almost three years as the deputy secretary of state following a bipartisan Senate confirmation in 2017. He was responsible for both the formulation and conduct of U.S. foreign policy and the management of the State Department’s global operations.
Ambassador Sullivan has been a member of the Supreme Court and Appellate practice and was a co-founder of the National Security practice. From 2010 to 2016, he served by appointment of the Obama Administration as chair of the U.S.-Iraq Business Dialogue. He previously held senior positions in the Departments of Justice, Defense, and Commerce in two prior administrations; until January 2009, he was the deputy secretary of commerce under President George W. Bush, following his service from 2005 to 2007 as the general counsel of the department. In President Bush’s first term, he was appointed deputy general counsel of the Defense Department by Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. In the George H.W. Bush Administration, Ambassador Sullivan was counselor to Assistant Attorney General J. Michael Luttig in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel.
Ambassador Sullivan received his bachelor’s degree from Brown University and his law degree from the Columbia University School of Law, where he was Book Reviews Editor of the Columbia Law Review. Additionally, he is a Distinguished Scholar at the school of Foreign Service of Georgetown University and a Distinguished Fellow at the School of International and Public Affairs of Columbia University. He serves as a Contributor to CBS News, is quoted frequently in international media as a leading authority on foreign affairs, and has written a book on his experiences as ambassador, Midnight in Moscow, published in August 2024.
.
.
Do you believe in the importance of international education and connections? The nonprofit World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth is supported by gifts from people like you, who share our passion for engaging in dialogue on global affairs and building bridges of understanding. While the Council is not currently charging admission for virtual events, we ask you to please consider making a one-time or recurring gift to help us keep the conversation going through informative public programs and targeted events for students and teachers.
Donate: https://www.dfwworld.org/donate
2024 Elections - Challenges Facing U.S. Foreign Policy
Global I.Q. Podcast
1 hour 20 seconds
1 year ago
2024 Elections - Challenges Facing U.S. Foreign Policy
The 2024 election has ramifications that extend beyond our border. As the country approaches a Trump vs. Biden rematch, the two candidates have opposite views on foreign policy, particularly on NATO, tariffs, and China. The 2024 election will be consequential for many reasons; however, the current state of European and Eastern volatility makes foreign policy the most crucial issue. Join the Council for the International Perspective Series with George W. Bush Institute Executive Director David Kramer.
Part of the International Perspectives Series.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
David J. Kramer serves as the Executive Director of the George W. Bush Institute. Prior to joining the Bush Institute, he taught at Florida International University’s Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs, where he also was Senior Fellow in the Václav Havel Program for Human Rights and Diplomacy and Director for European and Eurasian Affairs.
Before moving to Miami, Kramer worked in Washington, DC for 24 years, including as Senior Director for Human Rights and Democracy with The McCain Institute for International Leadership; President of Freedom House; and Senior Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Kramer also served eight years in the U.S. Department of State during the George W. Bush administration, including as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs (responsible for Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus affairs as well as regional non-proliferation issues); Professional Staff Member in the Secretary’s Office of Policy Planning; and Senior Advisor to the Undersecretary for Global Affairs. He also was Executive Director of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy in Washington. He is author of the book, Back to Containment: Dealing with Putin’s Regime.
Kramer chairs the board of the Free Russia Foundation and serves on the board of the International Republican Institute. A native of Massachusetts, Kramer received his M.A. in Soviet studies from Harvard University and his B.A. in Soviet Studies and Political Science from Tufts University.
ABOUT THE MODERATOR
Jason J. Galui is the Director for Veterans and Military Families at the George W. Bush Institute, CEO of 4 Liberty Consulting LLC, and a Professor at SMU’s Cox School of Business. He served in combat, taught at West Point, and advised in the Pentagon and two White Houses. Notably, he was Deputy Executive Secretary of the National Security Council and Senior Advisor for National Security at the Council of Economic Advisers. He holds an M.S. in Economics from The University of Texas at Austin and a B.S. in Economics from West Point. Galui is actively involved in various boards and committees. He and his wife Samantha, both combat veterans, have two teenage children. To read Galui’s full bio, click here.
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Do you believe in the importance of international education and connections? The nonprofit World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth is supported by gifts from people like you, who share our passion for engaging in dialogue on global affairs and building bridges of understanding. While the Council is not currently charging admission for virtual events, we ask you to please consider making a one-time or recurring gift to help us keep the conversation going through informative public programs and targeted events for students and teachers.
Donate: https://www.dfwworld.org/donate
Global I.Q. Podcast
2025 Sumners Civics Lecture featuring former U.S. Ambassador to Russia John J. Sullivan; moderated by the Bradford M. Freeman Managing Director of Global Policy, the George W. Bush Institute Igor Khrestin.
On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. James Sullivan, U.S. Ambassador to Russia, recalls being awakened in the middle of the night to a prearranged code when Russian troops crossed the border into Ukraine. He had been warning others that this was a possibility. Why had no one taken the whispers seriously? Could this war have been stopped? The geopolitical atmosphere has since shifted; democracies around the world have clamored, reliant on Ukraine successfully keeping Russia at bay. On March 20, join the Council to hear Ambassador Sullivan’s insider perspective.
Ambassador John J. Sullivan, former U.S. deputy secretary of state and former U.S. ambassador to the Russian Federation, is a partner in Mayer Brown’s DC and New York offices. His career spans four decades in public service under five U.S. presidents and in private law practice at Mayer Brown. Before rejoining the firm in January 2023, he was the U.S. ambassador to Russia from December 2019 to October 2022.
Prior to his post in Moscow, Ambassador Sullivan served for almost three years as the deputy secretary of state following a bipartisan Senate confirmation in 2017. He was responsible for both the formulation and conduct of U.S. foreign policy and the management of the State Department’s global operations.
Ambassador Sullivan has been a member of the Supreme Court and Appellate practice and was a co-founder of the National Security practice. From 2010 to 2016, he served by appointment of the Obama Administration as chair of the U.S.-Iraq Business Dialogue. He previously held senior positions in the Departments of Justice, Defense, and Commerce in two prior administrations; until January 2009, he was the deputy secretary of commerce under President George W. Bush, following his service from 2005 to 2007 as the general counsel of the department. In President Bush’s first term, he was appointed deputy general counsel of the Defense Department by Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. In the George H.W. Bush Administration, Ambassador Sullivan was counselor to Assistant Attorney General J. Michael Luttig in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel.
Ambassador Sullivan received his bachelor’s degree from Brown University and his law degree from the Columbia University School of Law, where he was Book Reviews Editor of the Columbia Law Review. Additionally, he is a Distinguished Scholar at the school of Foreign Service of Georgetown University and a Distinguished Fellow at the School of International and Public Affairs of Columbia University. He serves as a Contributor to CBS News, is quoted frequently in international media as a leading authority on foreign affairs, and has written a book on his experiences as ambassador, Midnight in Moscow, published in August 2024.
.
.
Do you believe in the importance of international education and connections? The nonprofit World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth is supported by gifts from people like you, who share our passion for engaging in dialogue on global affairs and building bridges of understanding. While the Council is not currently charging admission for virtual events, we ask you to please consider making a one-time or recurring gift to help us keep the conversation going through informative public programs and targeted events for students and teachers.
Donate: https://www.dfwworld.org/donate
