YPIN: The Future of Kosovo: International Politics & National Identity

Join YPIN and the Rainier Institute for Foreign Affairs on April 9th, 5-7 pm, at the University of Washington’s Husky Union Building, Room #250, for an in-depth discussion on one of Europe’s most complex and unresolved geopolitical challenges.

The Future of Kosovo: International Politics & National Identity brings together leading practitioners with firsthand diplomatic and military experience to examine Kosovo’s contested sovereignty, evolving security landscape, and the broader implications for regional and global stability.

Moderated by Tin Pak, President of YPIN and the Rainier Institute, this panel features Ambassador Jeff Hovenier, Colonel Rick Lorenz, and Captain Benjamin White. Together, they will explore key questions surrounding U.S. and allied policy, NATO’s future role, Kosovo’s military development, and the prospects for long term peace between Kosovo and Serbia.

Following a moderated discussion, attendees will have the opportunity to engage directly with the panelists during an audience Q&A and open dialogue session.

About our Speakers:


Ambassador Jeff Hovenier

Ambassador Jeff Hovenier is a senior U.S. Foreign Service officer who most recently served as United States Ambassador to Kosovo during the Biden Administration. Over a distinguished diplomatic career, he has held high-level positions, including Senior Director for Central and Eastern Europe at the National Security Council, and Director for Southeastern European Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. He has also served in key diplomatic postings across Europe, including Croatia, Greece, Germany, and Turkey.

Colonel Fredrick Lorenz (Ret.)

Frederick Lorenz served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 27 years as a judge advocate, including a tour as an infantry company commander. He was the senior legal advisor for the United Nations during the authorization of military intervention in Somalia in 1992, returning there as senior legal advisor for the U.N. evacuation in 1995. In 1996, he served in Bosnia as a legal advisor for the NATO implementation force and went on to teach Political Science at the U.S. National Defense University. After his retirement as a colonel in 1998, he served as a U.N. legal affairs officer in Kosovo, working in the U.N. Civil Administration.

Captain Benjamin White

Benjamin White is the Battalion Executive Officer for the U.S. Army’s 3rd Battalion; 1st Special Forces Group (A). He previously served as a Team Leader in the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade, deploying to Kosovo in 2024 with the NATO-led peacekeeping force. Captain White is a graduate of the John. F Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, where he specialized in Russian. He served with the U.S. State Department during the 2023 APEC meetings as a liaison officer for the Russian delegations.