Ambassador Brzezinski Visits Pepperdine MPP Students to Discuss European Diplomacy Amid Ukraine- Russia Conflict
This week, the School of Public Policy welcomed former US ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski for the latest installment of the graduate course How to Run the World. Concluding his three year ambassadorship to Poland under the Biden Administration just over a month ago, the ambassador came to Pepperdine’s Malibu campus following a special event on Wednesday, February 26, at the California Commonwealth World Affairs in San Francisco, which was co-hosted by Pepperdine University.
Crafted and orchestrated by Taube Family Chair of International Relations and Politics, Kiron Skinner, How to Run the World is an unmatched graduate course for international relations specialization students that blend theoretical knowledge with practical leadership insights to tackle contemporary challenges in public service. In the place of lectures, students engage in open dialogue with a variety of notable political and national security experts each week.
During the class, Ambassador Brzezinski shared a global perspective on the latest geopolitical events and directly engaged with students on topics including Poland's political interests and challenges, NATO, and the deeply felt implications of the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in January of 2022, the interwoven partnerships between the transatlantic countries were tested by their offer of initial and continued support. Poland received 8 million Ukrainian refugees and, since then, has continued to transition 1 million of those refugees into their community and economy.
Ambassador Brzezinski applauded Poland’s rapid and effective answer to this European crisis, describing scenes he witnessed, such as community members collecting financial support to house families with children and individuals who used their personal vehicles to transport refugees from the Ukraine border.
This response, Brzezinski believes, was motivated by the country’s collective aversion to indifference that is grounded in the region's history of the holocaust. Brzezinski rightly noted that the day of the discussion marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, which was located in Poland.
“To the Poles, this was 1939,” said Brzezinski. “But this time, they could do something about it.”
Brzezinski’s interest in Poland began during his time living there as a Fullbright Scholar from 1991-1993. He testified to the value of such experience being there 30 years prior and described the state of Poland then as “a gray starting point, now, with a booming economy with local roots and global reach.” In additional to championing many US-Polish initiatives including an agreement leading to Poland's first nuclear plant and encouraging the start of mental health programs, Brzezinski held a record-breaking 250 representational visits to his embassy and in doing so contributed to his vision to make the location “an American' people’s home in which they were invited” and a place that would be “in tune with the challenges of our time.”
A significant theme of his talk was the competitive advantage of having experience in both the public and private sectors. He recognized the importance of allowing private business leaders to transition into public service and commended the United States for operating in this manner. “Most governments in the world don’t do that,” said Brzezinski.
“The lessons I learned in the private sector are incredibly useful in the public sector,” he said. Having witnessed a large difference in the people who have had multi-sector experience, Brzenzinski stated, “they have a skill-set and a go-for-it approach that people who are [in government] all their professional lives don't bring.”
The class session ended with dialogue between students and the ambassador on topics such as upcoming peace talks with Russia and Ukraine, foreign policy changes with the new Trump Administration, and the future of NATO.