'Our standing in the global democratic community has been deeply damaged,' former American diplomat says

EVANSTON, Ill. — Ian Kelly, former U.S. Ambassador to Georgia and ambassador (ret.) in residence at Northwestern University is available to comment on how the capitol riots yesterday may affect America’s standing in the world.

Quote from Ian Kelly:
"The violent attempt yesterday to subvert the will of people was an experience that was all too familiar to me from my service as a diplomat overseas. Our standing in the global democratic community has been deeply damaged by yesterday's events. A hallmark of democracy is the peaceful transfer of power. We can restore much of that standing if we allow that to happen January 20 and bring those who tried to thwart that process to justice."

About Ian Kelly
Kelly is a retired senior foreign service officer who most recently served as the U.S. ambassador to Georgia from 2015 to 2018. Previously he served as the U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) from 2010 to 2013.

Prior to these ambassadorships, Kelly held a variety of high-level positions at the U.S. State Department, including serving as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s spokesperson (2009-2010). He has extensive experience working on issues relating to NATO, Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Balkans. Media interested in interviewing Ambassador Kelly should reach out to Mohamed Abdelfattah at mohamed@northwestern.edu.