Dave Eberhardt, PhD.

Thursday, August 21, 2025  4:00 p.m.
Location: International District Library
7601 Central Ave NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108

NATO originated in 1949 after the second World War as a component of America’s containment strategy against the Soviet Union.  Over the last 76 years NATO has expanded and played a key role in European security.  Throughout that time, the evolution, purpose, and even NATO’s existence, have been openly debated. With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, both the future of European security and NATO itself have been challenged. The West generally has attributed Russia’s invasion to imperialism, a disrespect of Ukraine’s sovereignty, humanitarian concerns, or a struggle between democracy and authoritarianism that cannot go unchallenged. The speaker will review these common narratives and present his own analysis of what he believes are the primary reasons behind Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the current uncertain future for European security.

Dave Eberhardt studied at the University of Denver’s Jozef Korbel School of International Studies, where he received a PhD in International Studies with concentrations in Security and International Political Economy. He began his professional career teaching in the Department of Political Science at the University of Colorado at Denver and then spent a semester at Moscow State University as a Visiting Instructor. Later he joined the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service and worked there for over two decades before retiring and working as a security and risk consultant for Bechtel in Saudi Arabia.  During his career, Dave completed assignments as a security officer in Moscow, Bishkek, Taipei, Karachi, Nairobi, Erbil, and Riyadh. He served domestically as the Special Agent in Charge for the Chicago Field Office and as Deputy Regional Director for Europe and Eurasia.

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