The San Diego World Affairs Council and World Affairs Council Inland Southern California present and are honored to host
Distinguished Speaker Series
Ambassador George A. Krol
U.S. Ambassador Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan Former Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow
Presenting:
"Thirty Years After the Fall of the USSR: A Conversation with Ambassador Krol"
Tuesday, 15 March, 2022, from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. (PST)
Due to the current and rapidly unfolding Russia-Ukraine events, Tuesday night's format with Ambassador Krol will be a "conversation" with Ambassador Krol.
After a brief introduction, Members will be able to pose their Q&As into the Chat Box right away. This will replace the standard presentation format.
About the Ambassador
Ambassador George Krol retired from the U.S. Department of State in 2018, concluding a 36-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service, during which he served, inter alia, as Ambassador to Belarus, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Central Asian Affairs, Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and Director of the State Department’s Office of Russian Affairs.
Ambassador George A. Krol was sworn in as United States Ambassador to Kazakhstan on January 8, 2015. Previously, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan for four years.
Ambassador Krol is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, holding the senior rank of Minister-Counselor and most recently served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. He joined the Foreign Service in 1982 and served as U.S. Ambassador to Belarus 2003-2006.
He has served in overseas postings in Warsaw, New Delhi, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kiev, and Minsk, and has held several domestic assignments including as Director of the State Department’s Office of Russian Affairs, and as Special Assistant to the Ambassador-at-large for the New Independent States.
He has also taught at the National War College and was a member of the State Department’s Senior Seminar. Ambassador Krol is the recipient of several State Department Meritorious and Superior Honor awards.
Ambassador Krol earned a Bachelor's degree in history, magna cum laude, from Harvard University, and Bachelor's and Master's degrees in philosophy, politics, and economics from Oxford University, England. In 2018, Ambassador Krol was awarded the Order of Dostyk (the Order of Friendship) by the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, and 2019, the Belarusian Democratic Republic 100th Jubilee Medal.
Ambassador Krol resides in Rhode Island where he teaches as an Adjunct Professor at the U.S. Naval War College and is an Associate of Harvard University’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies. He speaks Russian, Belarusian, and Polish.
