WWU to Host Oct. 27 Discussion of the ‘New Cold War’ with Former U.S. Ambassador John Koenig
Western Washington University will host former U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus John M. Koenig for a discussion about Russia, Europe, and the “New Cold War” from 4-5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27 in Communications Facility 125 on Western’s campus.
A New Cold War is under way between Russia, on the one hand, and the U.S. and European Union on the other. While the New Cold War lacks the concentration of military forces and clear territorial division that characterized the period before 1989, it increasingly bears markers of the earlier conflict between the Soviet Union and the West. How did we get to this point, what started the deterioration of relations between Moscow and Western capitals, and who has driven the process forward? How dangerous is the present situation and will the New Cold War have the global reach of the last one?
Koenig’s experience in the U.S. Foreign Service spans three decades. He has served as political advisor to the NATO Joint Forces Command in Naples, Italy; as deputy chief of mission in Berlin, Germany; and as deputy permanent representative to the U.S. Mission with NATO. Most recently Koenig served as U.S. ambassador in Nicosia, Cyprus. In 2011, he received the Presidential Distinguished Service Award in recognition of the policy and leadership roles he has played in Berlin and with NATO.
Ambassador Koenig’s talk is co-sponsored by the Western’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences and Political Science Department. For more information contact Amir Abedi, Western Washington University professor of Political Science and chair of the Political Science Department, at amir.abedi@wwu.edu.