On Friday, June 3, 2022, Dr. A. Wess Mitchell delivered the Annual Botstiber Lecture in the atrium of the Austrian Embassy in Washington, DC. As one of the leading specialists on Europe and Russia, Dr. Mitchell discussed the war in Ukraine and its effect on U.S.-Austrian relations.

The lecture was organized by the Botstiber Institute for Austrian-American Studies (BIAAS) in cooperation with the Austrian Embassy. BIAAS was established by the Dietrich W. Botstiber Foundation in 2008 to promote an understanding of the historic relationship between the United States and Austria, including lands of the former Hapsburg empire.

Guests were welcomed by the Austrian Ambassador to the United States Martin Weiss and Professor Siegfried Beer, Chairman of the Board of BIAAS. Dr. Mitchell’s lecture was followed by a Q&A session with the audience and a wine reception.

Dr. Mitchell served as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia from 2017 to 2019. In this role, Mitchell oversaw U.S. policy toward NATO, the EU, OSCE, Russia, the Caucasus and the Eastern Mediterranean. He currently serves as principal and co-founder at The Marathon Initiative, a think-tank dedicated to the study of great power competition. Prior to his government service, Dr. Mitchell was president and CEO of the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), which he co-founded in 2005. He is a fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center and a senior advisor at the US Institute of Peace. His most recent book is The Grand Strategy of the Habsburg Empire, published in 2018 by Princeton University Press.

Photo Gallery:
All photos courtesy of BIAAS/ Elizabeth Leitzell