Dame Jillian Sackler, the FPA’s
chairman (the first woman to
hold the position) noted, “For
100 years, the FPA has been a
leader in the United States’
foreign affairs community and
played an essential role in
developing awareness,
understanding, and informed
opinion on the issues of our
time…As we look to the next
century the non-partisan FPA is
in a unique position to bring
together disparate points of
view from around the world.”
Daisy Soros introduced the
evening’s key note speaker, her
friend of many years, The
Honorable William J. vanden
Heuvel. He told of Franklin
D. Roosevelt’s trip to New York
on October 21, 1944, when he
addressed two thousand members
of the FPA at the Waldorf
Astoria: “Enduring Peace in the
world does not have a chance
unless the Nation, our Nation,
our America, is willing to
cooperate in winning and
maintaining it …Peace, like war,
can succeed only where there is
a will to enforce it.” vanden
Heuvel explained that this was
one of the most significant
speeches of his presidency.
Then, he added his own
sentiments, “I believe that the
greatest threat to American
Democracy is endless war. I
believe that America should use
its great power to stop war and
preserve the peace…There is so
little talk of peace in our
society today. Even at the
United Nations, where the
prevention of war is a primary
mission, there is a sense of
fatalism as valiant efforts are
reduced to failure….” After his
speech Mrs. Soros presented him
with the FPA’s Centennial Medal.
Noel V. Lateef, the FPA’s
President and CEO, presented the
Centennial Medal to Kristina
M. Johnson, Chancellor of
The State University of New
York. Dame Sackler bestowed the
Centennial Medal on Daniel H.
Weiss, President and CEO of
The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Sana H. Sabbagh, FPA
Director, presented the
Centennial Medal to Roger W.
Ferguson, Jr., President and
CEO of TIAA.
Music was also a great part of
the evening. UN Music Society performed
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
Concertos. Sana Sabbagh
arranged for the leading
mezzo-soprano, Isabel
Leonard, to sing a series of
remarkable pieces.
The evenings Co-Chairmen were Judith
L. Biggs, David L. Coulter,
Brendan Dougher, Nina Henderson,
Intesa Sanpaolo, Elbrun
Kimmelman, Robert C. Miller,
Lois B. Pope, Irene Pritzer,
Hugh R. Roome III, and Michael
Sabia.
Guests included Ambassador
Katalin Bogyay (Hungary), Ambassador
François Delattre (France), Ambassador
Jan Kickert (Austria), Maj.
General Robert Latiff (USA), Ambassador
Diego Gomez Pickering (Mexico), Ambassador
Karen Pierce (UK), Ambassador
Marco Suazo (Honduras), Ambassador
Maria Theofili (Greece), Ambassador
Jarmo Viinanen (Finland), Consul
General Phyllis Yaffe (Canada), Ambassador
Mariangela Zappia (Italy) as
well as Marifé Hernández and
Joel Bell, Kenneth Buckfire,
Congressman Chris Gibson, Leila
and Henry Heller, Dean Fenwick
Huss, Anne and William Nitze,
Jill Spalding, Barbara and
Donald Tober, Monica and Ali
Wambold, and Donna Zilkha.
The Foreign Policy
Association works with a
broad cross-section of the U.S.
public and U.S. leaders to
expand awareness, understanding,
and informed opinion on global
issues and U.S. foreign policy
challenges. Since 1918, FPA has
provided programs engaging local
community members, educators,
students, business
professionals, and key public
officials. These programs build
knowledge of current
international developments,
offer tools for continued
learning, and facilitate
connections between program
participants and peers abroad.
With balanced, authoritative,
nonpartisan programs, FPA
encourages effective citizen
participation in the U.S.
foreign policy process.
Says president Noel Lateef, “The
Foreign Policy Association’s
mission today—as it has been
throughout its 100-year
history—is to contribute to a
more vibrant democracy through
citizen participation in the
foreign policy process. A
private, nonprofit, nonpartisan
educational organization, FPA
serves as a catalyst for
developing awareness,
understanding of and informed
opinion on U.S. foreign policy
and global issues. It is the
nation’s oldest organization
devoted to citizen education in
international affairs.”