The War in Ukraine and U.S. Foreign Policy: Strengthening NATO and (Re)establishing American Influence in Europe

Please join us for the Dr. Edwin H. Fedder Annual Lecture in Foreign and International Affairs. This annual event, endowed by the friends and family of the late Dr. Edwin Fedder, founder of the Center for International Studies at UMSL (known today as UMSL Global), brings experts to campus to discuss matters of significance to U.S. foreign policy and international relations.

This year, we welcome UMSL alumnus - and one of Dr. Fedder's former students - Timothy White, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science at Xavier University.

Event description:
After World War II, the US established and fostered extensive economic, political, and military relations with Western Europe. Abandoning its historic policy of isolationism, the US committed to a military alliance with European states as it formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949. President Trump’s foreign policy frequently questioned American interest in NATO and his support for the British withdrawal from the European Union (Brexit) defied a historic bipartisan consensus in American foreign policy. President Biden sought to restore relations with European allies even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, the threat Russia posed to not only Ukraine but to NATO members like the Baltic states and historical neutral states like Sweden and Finland resulted in a renewed solidarity among NATO members and Western European states more generally. Americans increasingly find states interested in pursuing a common agenda based on security, national self-determination, liberal policies regarding personal freedoms, trade, investment, and cultural exchanges. The war in Ukraine allows the US to refocus its attention to Europe after a pivot to Asia and confronting China in recent decades.

This event will be held in person in the Summit Lounge (J.C. Penney Building) and will also be livestreamed on Zoom.

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