From Cold War to Cold War

Join Ambassador George Krol in a conversation with Dr. Lawrence Modisett, a long-time analyst of the Soviet Union and Russia at the Central Intelligence Agency. Two concerns framing the discussion will be the challenges facing analysts in times of political turmoil, at home or abroad, and whether the current resurgence of U.S.-Russian hostilities was inevitable. A time for audience questions will follow.

Ambassador George Krol retired from the U.S. State Department in 2018 concluding a 36-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service where he served in several capacities, including ambassador to Belarus, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan as well as deputy assistant secretary of state for Central Asian Affairs and director of the State Department’s Office of Russian Affairs. George currently serves as an adjunct professor at the U.S. Naval War College. He is also an associate of Harvard’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies

 Lawrence Modisett, Ph.D., began his career in international affairs at the American Embassy in Prague. He earned a Ph.D. in modern European and Russian history from Georgetown University and joined the CIA. During his 19-year CIA career, which encompassed the climax of the Cold War and subsequent dissolution of the USSR, Lawrence became one of the senior analysts following Soviet politics and policies. He spent many a late evening at CIA headquarters helping prepare briefings for the President and other senior leaders. Lawrence eventually joined the faculty of the U.S. Naval War College, where he chaired a department that supported Navy strategic planning and force structure development. Since retiring in 2008 Lawrence has devoted himself to reading, travel and language study.