International Advisory Board
Václav Havel - Playwright, poet, political activist, former President of Czechoslovakia, and the first President of the Czech Republic. Among the best-known and most influential Communist-era dissidents, Mr. Havel’s unfaltering and selfless dedication to the principles of justice, dignity, and human freedom have made him a symbol of liberty to the world. Top
Elie Wiesel - Author, Chairman of the President’s Commission on the Holocaust, recipient of the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal of Achievement, and Nobel laureate (Peace Prize in 1986). A survivor of the Holocaust, who has brought that epic human tragedy to life for countless millions of people, Mr. Wiesel has become one of the great figures of conscience of our time. Top
R. James Woolsey — Lawyer, former Director of Central Intelligence, Ambassador to the Negotiation on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, and former Under Secretary of the Navy. Mr. Woolsey’s extensive background in the fields of national security and intelligence establishes him as one of the world’s preeminent experts on strategic studies and global security issues. Top
H.R.H. Prince El Hassan bin Talal — Prince of the Jordanian Hashemite Royal Dynasty, writer, philosopher, and economist. He is President of the Club of Rome and a member of a number of international organizations and institutes, for several of which he serves as chairman. Prince Hassan is one of the most prominent advocates of a tolerant co-existence of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. He is also one of the strongest advocates of democratic processes in the Islamic world. Top
Adam Michnik — Essayist, historian, former Polish dissident, deputy of Poland’s first non-communist parliament, founder and currently editor-in-chief of Poland’s most respected newspaper, Gazeta Wyborcza. Mr. Michnik is a principal architect of Polish freedoms and a leading figure in ending the Cold War. Top
Alexandr Vondra — Signatory to, and spokesman for, Charter 77, co-founder of the Civic Forum Movement, former Foreign Policy Advisor to President Václav Havel, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Czech Ambassador to the United States, Czech Government Commissioner to the Prague Summit, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affaires for Security Policy. Mr. Vondra brings a wealth of experience in the security community of the Czech Republic to PSSI and the founding of its Program of Atlantic Security Studies. In September 2006, Mr. Vondra became the foreign minister of the Czech Republic. Top
Dorothy Stapleton — A former corporate executive, veteran of U.S. government service, an active participant in political campaigns and a nonprofit educational organization, and wife of former U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Craig Stapleton. Mrs. Stapleton’s broad background and familiarity with the Czech Republic will serve as an important resource for our Security Scholars Program. Top
Michael Žantovský — Former press secretary and spokesman for President Václav Havel, former Czechoslovak Ambassador to the United States, Czech Ambassador to the U.S., Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security of the Czech Senate, President of the Civic Democratic Alliance (a political party), and currently Czech Ambassador to Israel. Mr. Žantovský contributes his leadership skills and experience to both PSSI’s International Advisory Board and the founding of its Program of Atlantic Security Studies. He currently holds the post of the Czech Ambassador to Israel. Top
Robert Pfaltzgraff — Advisor to key U.S. government officials on military strategy, defense modernization, NATO, proliferation and counterproliferation issues, and arms control policy, founder and President of the Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis, and a professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Dr. Pfaltzgraff is an internationally recognized expert on national security and strategic studies and is a valued resource for PSSI’s program development. Top
Timothy Garton Ash — Historian, author, Director of the European Studies Centre at St. Antony’s College, Oxford, and a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution. Mr. Ash is a modern historian widely known for his books based on his experiences living and traveling on both sides of the Iron Curtain and is an expert on Central European transformation. Top
Michael Novak — Theologian, author, former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Commission, Ambassador to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, and currently Director of Social and Political Studies at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. Mr. Novak’s rich background in the humanities is recognized worldwide. Top
Nobuya Minami — Former President of the Tokyo Electric Power, Inc., biggest electricity producer in Japan. Mr. Minami is also a Vice Chairman of the Japanese Association of Corporate Executives and Chairman of the Federation of Electric Power Companies in Japan. Top
Madeleine Albright - She was the 64th Secretary of State of the United States. In 1997, she was named the first female Secretary of State and became, at that time, the highest ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government. Top
Karel Schwarzenberg - Head of the Presidential Office of Václav Havel (1990-1992). At present, he is Senator of the Czech Parliament and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. Top
