now feels compelled to start treating Moscow as an adversary. "Clearly the Russians have declared NATO as an adversary, so we have to begin to view Russia no longer as a partner but as more of an adversary than a partner," he said, adding that Russia's annexation of Crimea and its apparent manipulation of unrest in eastern Ukraine have fundamentally changed the NATO-Russia relationship. Near the end of his tenure Vershbow was awarded the 'Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown' in recognition of his years of distinguished service for the Alliance. Atlantic Council Following his career in public service, Vershbow joined the Atlantic Council as Distinguished Fellow, Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security. He has become a frequent media commentator on national security affairs and predicted the Russian government would not respond militarily to the Trump administration's bombing of Syria in response to the Asad regime's use of chemical weapons in 2017. Rasmussen Global Vershbow also acts as a senior advisor to Anders Fogh Rasmussen's political consultancy firm Rasmussen Global where he offers advice on transatlantic relations and foreign policy. Personal life Vershbow's wife, Lisa Vershbow, is a designer of contemporary jewelry. They have two sons together. Honours : Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2016) : Order of the Golden Fleece (2016) : Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Crown, 2016. References External links Alexander "Sandy" Vershbow at Atlantic Council Vershbow's profile at the U.S. Department of Defense About ambassador (embassy biography page in Seoul, 2008) USA Embassy in the Russian Federation Audio/Video recordings of Alexander Vershbow discussing "The Current Security and Economic Situation on the Korean Peninsula," from the University of Chicago's World Beyond the Headlines series |- |- |- 1952 births Ambassadors of the United States to Russia Ambassadors of the United States to South Korea 20th-century American Jews American Ashkenazi Jews Buckingham Browne & Nichols School alumni Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Living people People from Boston Permanent Representatives of the United States to NATO Recipients of the Order of the Golden Fleece (Georgia) School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University alumni United States Assistant Secretaries of Defense Yale College alumni 21st-century American Jews