Colonel (Retired) Robert E. Hamilton, PhD, is the Head of Research at the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Eurasia Program. In a 30-year career in the US Army, spent primarily as an Eurasian Foreign Area Officer, he served overseas in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Germany, Belarus, Qatar, Afghanistan, the Republic of Georgia, Pakistan, and Kuwait. Hamilton also worked as an Associate Professor of Eurasian Studies at the US Army War College.
He is the author of numerous articles and monographs on conflict and security issues, focusing principally on the former Soviet Union and the Balkans.
He is a graduate of the German Armed Forces Staff College and the U.S. Army War College and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy, a Master’s Degree in Contemporary Russian Studies, and a PhD in Political Science, both from the University of Virginia.
Hamilton's presentation title will be Ukraine and US National Security.
What is at stake for the US in Ukraine? Over three years and two US presidential administrations, the US has attempted to answer this question and craft policies to protect US national security interests from the war's effects. While the Biden Administration gave rhetorical and material support to Ukraine, it was also mindful of the risk of Russian escalation, leading to an incremental policy that helped keep Ukraine in the war but limited its ability to do damage to Russia. In its early days, the Trump Administration has prioritized a quick end to the war, even holding direct talks with Russia without including Ukraine or our European allies.
Is either approach likely to produce a sustainable end to the war that enhances US national security, or is there a third way that promises more success?
