ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Due to the overwhelming positive feedback received at last year’s event, Discussing The Diplomat: Fact or Fiction?, which unpacked key scenes in Netflix’s political thriller “The Diplomat,” World Affairs is bringing it back for the release of Season 2. The program focuses on the realities that American diplomats face when serving our country. Alexander Vershbow, Former US Ambassador to Russia, will dive into a conversation about the show, followed by a robust audience Q&A. Discussion points will include how “real” the show is and questions about negotiations, staffing, resource availability, whether diplomats really get their phone taken away, how elaborate diplomatic breakfasts really are, whether they can pack their own bags, how often they can call the President, and much more.Â
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
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.