August/September 2004
Vol. X, No. 3

The Responsibilities of Greatness

When Institute research assistant Ylber Bajraktari gave the student commencement speech at the School of International Service at American University this May, it represented the culmination of a lengthy journey. Arriving in the United States as a refugee from Kosovo in 1999, Bajraktari contacted Dan Serwer, Peace and Stability Operations director for the Institute, whom he had met at an Institute training program for Kosovar political leaders and civil society in 1998, shortly before the war. Serwer hired him as a consultant for several Kosovo-related training programs and projects, and brought him on full-time as a research assistant in 2003. He became an operations coordinator for the Institute's programs in Iraq earlier this year and played a key role in Institute start-up efforts in Iraq. He will be attending the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in the fall. He is a true alumnus of Institute efforts and programs. Following are excerpts from his speech to the graduates.

I am honored to address you today on this momentous and exciting occasion for all of us: graduates, our families, and those from American University who have worked tirelessly with us over the past four years to make this day a happy reality.

I am particularly pleased for the opportunity that has been extended to me as an international student to speak on this very important day.

I think it is a testament to how hard American University works to ensure and celebrate diversity and open-mindedness that proved invaluable to my education over the course of the last four years.

And this great learning and living environment that I found at American University was in many respects representative of the greatness that America as a country has to offer and that the rest of the world should aspire toward. I first came across such greatness nearly five years ago in the refugee camps and killing fields of my home country of Kosovo. At that time, the United States led the world in ending this tragedy and ensuring that freedom reached this far and dark corner of Europe.

I was amazed at the bravery, generosity, and commitment of American soldiers and civilians from Kentucky, Iowa, Arizona, California, and many other states represented here today, who had come all the way from across the Atlantic Ocean to help us build peace and prosperity in Kosovo.

It was America trying to provide us with safety, freedom, and liberty—opportunities with which it has attracted over centuries millions of people from around the world, people like your parents or grandparents, but also other AU graduates. It was America that is not only a land of opportunities but one that tries to create them abroad.

As you go about your lives and careers as international servicemen and servicewomen, I hope that you carry with you the lessons that AU taught us: to celebrate diversity and mutual respect here at home, but help others around the world cultivate them. I hope you take with you a lesson that in addition to unique opportunities, you are bestowed with special responsibilities that have been taught here at AU.

• AU taught us responsibilities that when America trades with China, you don't forget about Tibet.
• AU taught us responsibilities that when America forges friendship with Russia, you don't forget about human rights in Chechnya.
• AU taught us responsibilities that when America engages in the Middle East, you help Israelis and Palestinians live side by side in peace.
• AU taught us responsibilities that when America helps Iraqis wage a war, you also ensure they win the peace.
• AU taught us responsibilities that when America prospers, you also think of those struggling with globalization.
• AU taught us responsibilities that when America researches AIDS, you also think of those infected in Botswana.
• AU taught us responsibilities that when America votes on its musical idols, you think of those who are banned from watching TV around the world.

I speak to you today not only as your fellow graduate, but also as an individual who is alive today because of an America that does not shy away from its responsibilities. Those of us who spent time in bomb shelters, refugee camps, and faced starvation and genocide, survived on hopes that an America that is committed to peace and freedom would act. And you did act. You said no to Hitler and fascism. You said no to Big Brother and communism. You said no to Milosevic and ethnic cleansing. You said no to brutality and the Taliban. I hope you continue to say no to repression and torture, and yes to freedom and liberty around the world, key lessons from our AU experience.

We who suffered under those regimes are comfortable with America's power and prosperity, and we admire America when it acts to help. We encourage you to be comfortable as well. But we also urge you not to shy away from responsibilities. For those that are persecuted and oppressed, you, America, and the values taught here at AU are their best hope.