ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Following the success of last year’s Discussing The Diplomat: Fact or Fiction?, World Affairs is bringing the program back to mark the release of Season 3 of Netflix’s The Diplomat. Former U.S. Ambassadors Alexander Vershbow (Russia) and Gerald Feierstein (Yemen) will explore the real-life challenges American diplomats face—and how accurately the show reflects them. From negotiations and staffing to resource constraints, presidential access, and even diplomatic breakfast etiquette, the conversation will blend humor, insight, and audience engagement.
Light refreshments will be provided.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Alexander Russell “Sandy” Vershbow (born July 3, 1952) is an American diplomat and former Deputy Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
From October 2005 to October 2008, he was the United States Ambassador to South Korea. Before that post he had been the ambassador to the Russian Federation from 2001 to 2005 and the ambassador to NATO from 1997 to 2001. For his work with NATO he was awarded the State Department’s Distinguished Service Award.
In March 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Vershbow as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, a position that holds responsibility for U.S. policy toward NATO, coordination of U.S. security and defense policies relating to the nations and international organizations of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He was confirmed in April 2009.
After almost three years with the U.S. Department of Defense, in February 2012, Vershbow moved back to Brussels where he took the position of Deputy Secretary General of NATO, becoming the first American to hold the position.
Amb. (ret.) Gerald Feierstein previously served as director of MEI’s Arabian Peninsula Affairs Program and a distinguished senior fellow on US diplomacy. He retired from the US Foreign Service in May 2016 after a 41-year career with the personal rank of Career Minister. As a diplomat he served in nine overseas postings, including three tours of duty in Pakistan, as well as assignments in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Lebanon, Jerusalem, and Tunisia. In 2010, President Obama appointed Amb. Feierstein US Ambassador to Yemen, where he served until 2013. From 2013 until his retirement, Amb. Feierstein was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.
In addition to his career-long focus on the Near East and South Asia, Amb. Feierstein also played a prominent role in developing and implementing State Department policies and programs to counter violent extremism. As Deputy Coordinator and Principal Deputy Coordinator in the State Department’s Counter-Terrorism bureau, Amb. Feierstein led the development of initiatives to build regional networks to confront extremist groups as well as to counter terrorist financing and promote counter-terrorism messaging. He continued to focus on defeating terrorist groups through his subsequent tours as Deputy Chief of Mission in Pakistan and as Ambassador to Yemen.