Michael McFaul to Deliver Keynote at Peterson Literary Fund Awards Dinner

TORONTO, Oct. 1, 2026 /CNW/ — Michael McFaul, a New York Times bestselling author and former U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation, will deliver the keynote remarks at this year’s Peterson Literary Fund awards dinner on November 22, 2026. The event will welcome the five finalists for the 2026 Peterson Literary Prize for nonfiction and announce this year’s prize winner. For more information about this year’s finalists, see the earlier announcement.

McFaul served for five years in the Obama administration, first as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs at the National Security Council at the White House (2009–2012) and then as U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation (2012–2014). Ambassador McFaul has authored ten books, including his most recent, Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder (HarperCollins).

At Stanford University, McFaul is the Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor of International Studies, a Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and the Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution.

McFaul is the recipient of the Order of Merit, Third Degree from Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Order for Merits to Lithuania from President Gitanas Nausėda. McFaul earned his B.A. and M.A. at Stanford (1986) and completed his D.Phil. in International Relations at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar (1991). He appears regularly on television and is an international affairs analyst for MSNOW.

For Michael McFaul’s full biography, please see his official profile.

According to Lisa Shymko, Jury Chair and Chief Administrator of the Peterson Literary Fund, “We are honoured to welcome Ambassador McFaul to this year’s awards dinner. His deep understanding of authoritarian systems, democratic resilience, and the forces shaping the global information landscape speaks directly to the mission of the Peterson Literary Fund. Our work supports authors, translators, and publishers who confront disinformation and illuminate the realities of Russian aggression, and Ambassador McFaul’s insights strengthen and inspire that effort.”

For more information about the fund, visit the Peterson Literary Fund website.

SOURCE Peterson Literary Fund