Ronald D. Asmus
Encyclopedia
Ronald Dietrich Asmus was an United States
diplomat and political analyst. He, as U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (1997–2000), was instrumental in the expansion of NATO to include former members of the Eastern bloc
and acted as a leading policy designer in the U.S.–Europe relations.
immigrants who came to Milwaukee, Wisconsin
after World War II
. He grew up in Milwaukee and Mequon, Wisconsin
graduating from Homestead High School
. Asmus was an early and strong proponent of expanding NATO into Eastern Europe
. He was U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs in the Clinton Administration from 1997 to 2000. He played an important role in the 1999 Washington summit
of NATO, when Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary joined the Alliance. He was also a senior analyst and fellow at Radio Free Europe
, RAND
and the Council on Foreign Relations
. For his diplomatic work, Asmus was decorated by the US Department of State and the governments of Estonia, Georgia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden.
Asmus held a PhD in European Studies, a Master’s degree in Soviet and East European studies from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
of the Johns Hopkins University
, and a BA in political science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He was the Executive Director of the Brussels-based Transatlantic Center and was also responsible for strategic planning at the German Marshall Fund
of the United States.
Asmus authored Opening NATO's Door: How the Alliance Remade Itself for a New Era (Columbia, 2002), about the push to open NATO to Eastern European countries, and A Little War that Shook the World (Palgrave Macmillan, January 2010), about the conflict
between Russia
and Georgia
in 2008. Being one of the most persistent advocates for the integration of Georgia into the European Union and NATO, Asmus viewed the conflict in terms of a larger Russia–West relations and argued that it was Georgian independence, and its Westward orientation, which angered Russia and set the groundwork for war.
Asmus died of a long cancer-related illness in Brussels on April 30, 2011. The U.S. Department of State, governments of the Baltic states
and Georgia expressed their condolences over the death of Asmus.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
diplomat and political analyst. He, as U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (1997–2000), was instrumental in the expansion of NATO to include former members of the Eastern bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
and acted as a leading policy designer in the U.S.–Europe relations.
Biography
Asmus was born to the family of GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
immigrants who came to Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He grew up in Milwaukee and Mequon, Wisconsin
Mequon, Wisconsin
Mequon is a city in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It had a population of 21,823 at the 2000 census, and an estimated population of 23,739 in July 2009...
graduating from Homestead High School
Homestead High School (Mequon, Wisconsin)
Homestead High School is a four-year public high school located in Mequon, Wisconsin, a northern suburb of Milwaukee. It is part of the Mequon-Thiensville School District, and serves a area including the city of Mequon and the village of Thiensville. Homestead High School is accredited by the...
. Asmus was an early and strong proponent of expanding NATO into Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. He was U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs in the Clinton Administration from 1997 to 2000. He played an important role in the 1999 Washington summit
1999 Washington summit
The 1999 Washington summit was the 15th NATO summit and was held in Washington, D.C. on April 24-25, 1999.Held at the height of the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, the summit commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of NATO and reiterated the "determination to put an end to the repressive actions" by...
of NATO, when Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary joined the Alliance. He was also a senior analyst and fellow at Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...
, RAND
RAND
RAND Corporation is a nonprofit global policy think tank first formed to offer research and analysis to the United States armed forces by Douglas Aircraft Company. It is currently financed by the U.S. government and private endowment, corporations including the healthcare industry, universities...
and the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
. For his diplomatic work, Asmus was decorated by the US Department of State and the governments of Estonia, Georgia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden.
Asmus held a PhD in European Studies, a Master’s degree in Soviet and East European studies from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies , a division of Johns Hopkins University based in Washington, D.C., is one of the world's leading and most prestigious graduate schools devoted to the study of international affairs, economics, diplomacy, and policy research and...
of the Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, and a BA in political science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He was the Executive Director of the Brussels-based Transatlantic Center and was also responsible for strategic planning at the German Marshall Fund
German Marshall Fund
The German Marshall Fund of the United States is a nonpartisan American public policy and grantmaking institution dedicated to promoting greater cooperation and understanding between North America and Europe....
of the United States.
Asmus authored Opening NATO's Door: How the Alliance Remade Itself for a New Era (Columbia, 2002), about the push to open NATO to Eastern European countries, and A Little War that Shook the World (Palgrave Macmillan, January 2010), about the conflict
2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
between Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
in 2008. Being one of the most persistent advocates for the integration of Georgia into the European Union and NATO, Asmus viewed the conflict in terms of a larger Russia–West relations and argued that it was Georgian independence, and its Westward orientation, which angered Russia and set the groundwork for war.
Asmus died of a long cancer-related illness in Brussels on April 30, 2011. The U.S. Department of State, governments of the Baltic states
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
and Georgia expressed their condolences over the death of Asmus.