The Necessity of American Leadership on the Global Stage

Mon, November 17, 2025 5:30 PM at 115 International Center

MSU Political Science is co-sponsoring a visit by former U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia and Ukraine Bridget Brink to speak on "The Rise and Persistence of Authoritarianism: Is Democracy in Peril? The Necessity of American Leadership on the Global Stage."

The event is being organized by the MSU Center for European & Eurasian Studies, with other co-sponsors including the Department of History and James Madison College.

About Ambassador Bridget Brink

Bridget Brink is a proud Michigander who served her country over a 28-year career as a U.S. Foreign Service officer, including serving as the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine during Russia's full-scale invasion. She is a national security expert who dedicated her life to the fight for freedom and democracy in Europe after the fall of the Iron Curtain of Communism. She began her career during the Balkan Wars and was the junior-most member of the U.S.-led peace negotiations in Rambouillet and Paris in 1999. She went on to serve in Georgia and Uzbekistan, in multiple positions in the State Department, and as a Director in President Obama’s National Security Council. She was a two-time Ambassador: first to Slovakia (2019–2022) and then to Ukraine (2022–2025), and was twice confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate. While Ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget executed the U.S. effort to keep Ukraine free and was awarded the Ryan Crocker Award for Outstanding Achievement for Expeditionary Diplomacy in 2024.