Highlighting the strength of the Marshall Center’s alumni network and the expertise it brings into the plenary, we were pleased to host Marinela Petkova, Bulgarian ambassador and head of the East Asia Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during Day 8 of Strategic Competition and Russia.
Drawing on experience from Europe and East and Southeast Asia, her discussion on the role of middle powers and regional organizations helped frame the day’s training and follow-on conversations.
The session underscored how institutions, norms, and collective tools—such as economic statecraft, diplomacy, and regulatory power—enable states to act collectively and shape outcomes in a competitive international environment.
Petkova’s participation highlighted the enduring value of the Marshall Center’s alumni network in advancing the Center’s mission, even as we prepare the next cohort of security professionals to join that network.