May 26, 2011
Lionel Rosenblatt
Peacekeeping
When I heard that "General" Ratko Mladic had been arrested to be sent for trial at the International Court at the Hague, I was very happy.
My first thought was how happy Richard Holbrooke would have been!
For me, and I believe for Richard, Mladic was the man with the very most innocent blood on his hands. He seemed to have great gusto for killing civilians and commanded the forces who followed his lead.
December 14, 2010
Lionel Rosenblatt
Richard Holbrooke
From our early Vietnam connection, I knew Richard Holbrooke in many of his groundbreaking roles.
Richard could be rough on colleagues and friends -- of which I was both -- but at the end of the day, I have worked with no one else who has had the same life-saving impact as Richard.
It is sometimes overlooked, because Richard was the master diplomatic strategist and global historian, but he was also a man of intense compassion who used all his skills to alleviate human suffering. Richard didn't advertise this; his political and negotiating skills dominated his public persona, but he thrived on using all of his experience and wits to help some of the most marginalized people in the world -- refugees, displaced people, victims of AIDS and others on the bottom rungs of the global ladder.
July 13, 2010
Lionel Rosenblatt
About RI
At first glance, one might have had the impression that Patricia Cronan, at best, tolerated her daughter Trish's passion for refugees.
Pat could seem blunt-- puffing on her cigarette, with a skeptical, "I've seen most of life" expression which was true, having raised six daughters and two sons, while also supporting her husband's work.
August 16, 2009
Lionel Rosenblatt
Ken Bacon
Almost a decade ago, Ken Bacon picked up the Refugees International reins from me. My objective, drawing on RI's experience with Indochinese refugees, had been to take our early warning voice worldwide.
But it was under Ken's leadership, that RI's voice in the media and via the RI website resounded, becoming the leading voice for displaced people around the world. And it was Ken who built RI into a wider-stanced, more durable organization.
August 06, 2009
Lionel Rosenblatt
Anniversary Blogger Series
The Serbian noose was tightening around Sarajevo, forcing one of Europe’s most cosmopolitan cities back to the Middle Ages. Fred Cuny, the legendary humanitarian disaster specialist, offered a strategic use of the rest of the Soros funds that would help the struggling city, and Refugees International suggested the fund be used for his projects. In January 1993, I returned to Sarajevo with Fred, whose massive frame made him seem to take up half the space in the UN armored personnel carrier bringing us in.
