Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948

"Madeleine Albright has an extraordinary story but she also tells an extraordinary story, which is that when she was Secretary of State she officiated at a citizenship ceremony for refugees and a woman came up to her afterwards and said, ‘Isn’t it amazing that someone with my background can come to America and be sworn in as a citizen by the Secretary of State?’ And Madeleine Albright replied by saying, ‘It’s even more remarkable that the Secretary of State who is swearing you in is herself a refugee.’ This book tells the core of Madeleine’s story. She didn’t know her own Jewish background until the 1990s. She fled from Czechoslovakia in the 1930s and the 1940s with her family. So it’s a human story. “Albert Einstein, who founded the IRC, was a refugee to the US. Andy Grove, who founded Intel, was a refugee to the US. Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google, was a refugee to the US.” But I have a second reason for choosing it. Refugees are often talked of as a burden. Madeleine’s story shows that refugees don’t just become patriotic citizens, they become incredibly productive ones as well. Albert Einstein, who founded the IRC, was a refugee to the US. Andy Grove, who founded Intel, was a refugee to the US. Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google, was a refugee to the US. Refugees who come here know the value of this country. Madeleine’s book tells that story. It helps me see both ends of the telescope. If you’re in foreign policy, you’re looking at statistics, you’re looking at problems from a long way away. In the humanitarian sector, in the NGO sector, you’re at the other end of the telescope. You’re trying to make the world better one life at a time. I think it’s helpful to be able to see things from both perspectives. There is a temptation to just say politics is one box and humanitarian affairs is another box. It is certainly true to say there are humanitarian principles—such as neutrality and impartiality—that don’t belong in politics. But it does help to see the bigger picture. And, of course, politics and the humanitarian effort intersect, both locally and internationally. I think it’s important to be able to take the granular aspects of the humanitarian project and take it to a policy stage. For instance, I gave a speech at Georgetown University focused on what we need to achieve at the World Humanitarian Summit, which was called for by the UN Secretary General for the 23rd of May, and how that feeds into the World Summit in September on Refugees and Migration. So, my experience allows me to speak to public policy issues in a way that is timely and useful."