Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor will discuss Russia’s threat to stability and peace in the world during a virtual presentation to the Alabama World Affairs Council on March 16. 

The virtual event, which will be offered through Zoom, is part of an Engage America series sponsored by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), a nonpartisan, independent institute founded by Congress and dedicated to the proposition that a world without violent conflict is possible, practical and essential for U.S. and global security. This enables the Council to offer the event free to the public.

“We’re grateful to the United States Institute of Peace and the World Affairs Councils of America for their assistance in making this possible.  There is no one more qualified to comment on these matters than Ambassador Bill Taylor, and we look forward to a rich conversation with him,” said Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Walter D. Givhan, president of the Alabama World Affairs Council and Senior Vice Chancellor for Advancement and Economic Development at Troy University.

For registration and additional information, visit https://alwac.org/. The Zoom event will be open from 5:30 p.m. CST for social time. The speaker’s presentation will begin at 6 p.m.

Ambassador Taylor currently serves as the vice president for strategic stability and security at USIP. He served as the sixth U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from 2006 to 2009, under the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and as acting ambassador to Ukraine from June 2019 to January 2020.

Taylor is a former captain and company commander in the U.S. Army. He served in the Vietnam War and received a Bronze Star and an Air Medal with a V device for valor. He proceeded to work in the U.S. Department of Energy and then the Department of Defense.

From 1992 to 2002, Taylor carried out diplomatic work for the U.S. with Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Quartet on the Middle East.

The Alabama World Affairs Council presents nationally and internationally known speakers from both civilian and military life with the mission of promoting public awareness and understanding of international affairs as they relate to the interests of the U.S.