Alexander Vershbow

Alexander Russell "Sandy" Vershbow (born July 3, 1952) is an American diplomat and former Deputy Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
From October, 2005 to October, 2008, he was the United States Ambassador to South Korea. Before that post he had been the ambassador to the Russian Federation from 2001 to 2005 and the ambassador to NATO from 1998 to 2001. For his work with NATO he was awarded the State Department's Distinguished Service Award.
In March, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Vershbow as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, a position that holds responsibility for U.S. policy toward NATO, coordination of U.S. security and defense policies relating to the nations and international organizations of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He was confirmed in April, 2009. After almost three years with the U.S. Department of Defense, in February 2012, Vershbow moved back to Brussels where he took the position of Deputy Secretary General of NATO, becoming the first American to hold the position.

Early life and education

Vershbow was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He attended the Buckingham Browne & Nichols School before moving on to Yale College, from which he graduated in 1974 in Russian and East European Studies. He earned an MA at Columbia University in 1976 in International Relations and Certificate of the Russian Institute.

Career

National Security Council

Vershbow was Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council (1994–97). He was the first recipient of the Department of Defense’s Joseph J. Kruzel Award for his contributions to peace in the former Yugoslavia (1997).

Ambassador to Russia

Vershbow was US ambassador to Russia from 2001 to 2005. He is famous for ignoring the official ceremony of giving his letter of credence to Russian President Vladimir Putin, for which the reason of "a planned vacation" was given.

Ambassador to South Korea

Early in his tenure as ambassador to South Korea he generated controversy by continuing the hard line on North Korea begun by his predecessor Christopher Hill. He pressed North Korea on the issues of human rights and superdollars, calling the government a "criminal regime", and called on them to return to the Six-Party Talks. The South Korean government has asked him to tone down his rhetoric, in accordance with their Sunshine Policy, and one lawmaker even tried to have him expelled from the country. In January 2006 his attempt to meet with the Korea Internet Journalists' Association, which describes itself as 'progressive', was blocked by protestors from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions.

Together with Christopher Hill, who was the assistant secretary of State, Vershbow also pioneered a strategy of speaking directly to the Korean people through the internet and by actually appearing and speaking at street rallies.

Vershbow spoke out in favour of the expansion of the US base at Pyeongtaek. Local people demonstrated in great numbers against this expansion, although Vershbow claims that they are "out of step" with the sentiments of most residents of the area.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs

Vershbow is Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (ISA). In a July, 2010, organization chart he was shown as five ASD's serving under Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Michèle Flournoy, with the other four being Wallace Gregson, Paul Stockton, Michael Nacht, and Michael G. Vickers.

Vershbow was leading sessions for the chief of staff of Egypt’s armed forces, Lt. Gen. Sami Hafez Enan, and a delegation in Washington in January, 2011, when the visit was truncated due to concurrent Egyptian protests.

Personal life

Vershbow's wife, Lisa, is a prominent designer of contemporary jewelry.

Honours

•  Poland : Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2016)
•  Georgia: Order of the Golden Fleece (2016)
•  Belgium: Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Crown, 2016.

• "Deputy NATO chief awarded Poland's top diplomatic decoration". Radio Poland. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016. 
• "Stoltenberg tells President Margvelashvili: "Bonds between NATO and Georgia are stronger than ever"". agenda.ge. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016. 
• https://twitter.com/dreynders/status/781084216004075520
• http://www.didierreynders.be/2016/09/27/jai-remis-la-decoration-de-grand-croix-de-lordre-de-la-couronne-a-lambassadeur-vershbow/