George Krol is a retired U.S. Foreign Service officer, who spent the bulk of his 36-year career dealing with the states that emerged from the Soviet Union, including serving as U.S. ambassador to Belarus, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan and as deputy assistant secretary of state for Central Asian affairs. Krol teaches as an adjunct professor at the U.S. Naval War College. His research interests focus on the national development and challenges facing the states of the former USSR. He participates actively in the life of the Davis Center, particularly in its Program on Central Asia.