Ukraine crisis in spotlight

A former US Ambassador to the Soviet Union will deliver the 2015 Fulbright Lecture.

During the event, Jack Matlock will suggest that Western policies have exacerbated Ukraine’s internal problems and estranged Russia.

Mr Matlock, who was also Special Assistant to the President for National Security, will argue that if such policies are not altered, they could produce a nuclear arms race similar to the Cold War.

The lecture is part of an initiative by the Fulbright Commission and the University to enhance mutual cultural understanding between the UK and US through educational exchange.

Expert in international affairs

Jack Matlock was US Ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1987 until 1991.

He was Special Assistant to the President for National Security from 1983 to 1986 and Ambassador to Czechoslovakia from 1981 to 1983.

During his 35-year career in the Foreign Service, Mr Matlock served in Moscow, central Europe and Africa.

He was also Deputy Director of the Foreign Service Institute, the US government's training institution for the foreign affairs community.

Transatlantic relations

The Fulbright Commission was established in 1948 to foster cultural and social understanding between the UK and US.

Jack Matlock’s lecture will continue The Fulbright Commission’s links with the University, which began in 2012.

The initiative is led by the University’s College of Humanities and Social Science.