It’s hard to turn on the T.V., pick up the newspaper, or look at social media without seeing something about Russia, Ukraine, sanctions, gas, oil, etc. The list goes on. There’s so much noise and so much misinformation that it’s hard to know what’s what and how the Russian invasion is and will continue to impact the rest of the world and us here at home. So, to help sift through the information overload, we’re thrilled to welcome former U.S. Ambassador to Germany, John Emerson, to the show. John works in global distribution as the vice chairman of Capital Group International, Inc. and has over 20 years of experience with the firm. He most recently served as the United States ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany. In 2015, John was awarded the State Department’s Susan M. Cobb Award for Exemplary Diplomatic Service, which is given annually to one non-career ambassador, and in 2017 he was awarded the CIA Medal and the U.S. Navy’s Distinguished Public Service award. Before accepting the ambassadorial posting, John was president of Capital Group Private Client Services. Prior to joining Capital, he was deputy assistant to President Clinton, where he coordinated his economic conferences, served as the president’s liaison to the nation’s governors, and led the administration’s efforts to obtain congressional approval of the GATT Uruguay Round Agreement and the extension of China’s MFN trading status. Additionally, he was appointed by President Obama to serve on his Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.

Interestingly enough, John was ambassador to Germany from 2013 to 2017, right when the whole Ukraine crisis started, so he’s observed the issues taking place overseas from the beginning. In this episode, we will be tackling some of the hard-hitting questions about the Russian invasion, including,

• What Putin’s trying to accomplish with the invasion
• How effective sanctions are
• How the Ukrainians have been able to hold off the mighty Russian army for this long
• If there will be serious long-term repercussions to our financial markets

And more.

While the situation is still very much unfolding, and we may have a way to go before we see an end to this crisis, we hope this episode and the insights from John will help ease your mind. We thank you for taking the time to listen or watch this episode, and we’ll catch you behind the microphone.