U.S. Ambassador praises FSU’s legacy, promotes global diplomacy at fourth annual D’Alemberte & Palmer Lecture
Speaking in front of a packed crowd at the Florida State University College of Law Rotunda, former U.S. ambassador Mark Brzezinski offered effusive praise for FSU’s legacy in international politics while promoting the importance of global diplomacy.
Brzezinski served as the featured speaker at the fourth annual D’Alemberte & Palmer Lecture in International Human Rights. The well-attended lecture included FSU Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs James Clark giving the welcome address to a crowd that included members of the local community as well as FSU faculty, staff and students. He was followed by FSU Law Associate Professor Tahirih V. Lee, who welcomed Brzezinski and felt a connection to his work in Poland after her own grandfather emigrated from the Central European country to the United States.
Brzezinski’s presentation, “U.S. Embassies as ‘Force Multipliers’ for Democracy and Human Rights: The Case of Poland 2021-25,” described U.S. embassies as the most effective operational tools for advancing human rights. Stemming from his time as U.S. Ambassador to Poland (2021-24) and Sweden (2011-15), Brzezinski argued that embassies are positioned to advance democracy through daily, tactical engagement.
“The broad lesson is clear,” Brzezinski said. “Embassies aren’t ancillary, they’re the operational core. For half a century, they’ve done this work in context ranging from post conflict reconstruction to stable democracies.”
Brzezinski lauded former FSU President Sandy D’Alemberte (1994-2003) and the work he did with The Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (CEELI). D’Alemberte played an essential role in creating an organization that oversaw the American Bar Association’s (ABA) programs that promoted the development of fair and open election laws in 21 countries.
“I am fortunate to have known Sandy D’Alemberte,” Brzezinski added. “He was a force of nature. Sandy was president of the American Bar Association in 1991 when the Berlin Wall was crumbling. Under Sandy’s leadership, the ABA initiated one of the most creative overseas assistance initiatives ever.”
“I am fortunate to have known Sandy D’Alemberte. He was a force of nature. Sandy was president of the American Bar Association in 1991 when the Berlin Wall was crumbling. Under Sandy’s leadership, the ABA initiated one of the most creative overseas assistance initiatives ever.”
– Mark Brzezinski, former U.S. Ambassador
Speaking in front of a packed crowd at the FSU College of Law Rotunda, Mark Brzezinski offered effusive praise for FSU’s legacy in international politics while promoting the importance of global diplomacy. (Photo provided by the FSU College of Law)
Brzezinski discussed how democracy is core to U.S. national interests – how judicial independence, press freedom and civil society protections directly support U.S. security, commerce and citizen safety abroad.
“When we advocated for judicial independence, we weren’t doing charity work — we were building the institutional foundation that makes everything else possible,” he added.
Brzezinski addressed the simple step of ‘showing up’ as a powerful human rights strategy. Whether accompanying elected leaders, attending threatened events or meeting with activists, U.S. embassy presence can alter authoritarian governments’ risk calculations.
“The most effective human rights tool is simply showing up and making it harder for bad things to happen,” he added.
Following the lecture, Brzezinski joined Middle Road Foundation Professor and Co-Director of the Public Interest Law Center Darby Kerrigan Scott for an informative question-and-answer session. He urged law students to look at the current moment as their call to action and to do their best to brush aside intimidation in the field of human rights. For students interested in international human rights, Brzezinski believes they’re “inheriting a space that needs you more than ever before in the modern era.”
Mark Brzezinski served as the featured speaker at the fourth annual D’Alemberte & Palmer Lecture in International Human Rights. (Photo provided by the FSU College of Law)
Former U.S. Ambassador Mark Brzezinski (center) stands alongside dignified members of the FSU community. (Photo provided by the FSU College of Law)The Q&A ended fittingly with Brzezinski asked about the role American universities play in advancing peace, democracy, human rights and foreign policy. He indicated that research universities like FSU provide an enormous influence and responsibility for educating people across the world.
“There is not a leader I have met in any country I have served who did not study in the United States on a foreign exchange program,” Brzezinski said. “We are so lucky in this country with the universities and colleges that we have here, our resources, our offerings and the talent that a student is exposed to here.”
Final remarks were provided by FSU Law Dean Erin O’Hara O’Connor, who announced a new memorial wall on the third floor of the Rotunda that honors the legacy of D’Alemberte.
“His leadership, his vision, and his commitment to make the world a better place continues to guide us, and this lecture series stands, I think, as a living reflection of that legacy,” she said.
By celebrating FSU’s global legacy while urging continued vigilance in the defense of democracy and international human rights, Brzezinski cast FSU as both a steward of history and an active force in shaping a more just world.
The D’Alemberte & Palmer Lecture in International Human Rights is made possible by FSU Law alumna Patsy Palmer (’07) and was established to educate the community about the critical field of international human rights, inspire FSU Law students and contribute to the global discussion on human rights issues.