Nancy Brinker United States Ambassador


T


Art and Culture Bring Our World Together


wenty-two years ago this month, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks changed our world forever.


In the years that followed, we deliv-


ered justice to those who threatened our safety and way of life. But I also know many of us continue to confront the sadness of that fateful day. Each year on 9/11, our thoughts


return to New York City, the Penta- gon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. We remember those who died, grieve alongside the loved ones they left behind, and resolve to never forget. While this solemn anniversary car-


ries a unifying presence with it each year, we are also a nation and world that remain deeply divided. Perhaps one lesson from my time as ambas- sador to Hungary off ers perspective into how we can overcome and dis- cover strength in our diff erences, both across and between nations. In the 1960s, at the height of the


Cold War, President John F. Kenne- dy understood that sharing art and culture brought people together and established a powerful connection that tran- scended policies and politics. JFK knew then that


art could go a long way toward expanding plural- ism, democratic ideals, and multiculturalism among American allies. In 1963, the Kennedy administration founded the “Arts in the Embas- sies” program, a pub- lic/private partnership between the U.S. State Department and more than 20,000 partners


28 NEWSMAX | SEPTEMBER 2023


from museums, galleries, collectors, and others that enabled more than 4,000 artists to share and show their art in U.S. embassies around the world.


Every president and secretary


of state has embraced this program since. It has become an important part of American foreign policy. Having served as the Hungarian ambassador from 2001 to 2003, I can attest to the program’s success. I have learned the power of using


the arts as a tool of diplomacy. When I arrived in Hungary in the


days following the attacks in 2001, our embassy was advised that enhanced security and safety concerns would delay approvals to get American art. So instead of waiting to outfi t the ambassador’s residence with cre- ations from the U.S., I invited artists from Budapest to loan their works to adorn the walls. That gesture created a bond between the art community and the U.S., and it went a long way toward gaining the appreciation of the Hungarian government.


My interest in the art and culture of


Hungary also heightened my under- standing of the Hungarian people and their government, and it helped me carry out my offi cial responsibilities to strengthen ties with American allies among NATO member states and Eastern Europe. I knew where they were coming


from, and I had great success working with the Hungarian government to accomplish America’s goals. We established better security cooperation; we resolved commerce transparency issues; and we hosted the fi rst conference on human traf- fi cking and the exploitation of work- ers. We bridged divides and struck a cultural chord between nations that put people before politics. Although I am no longer an ambas-


sador, my work to educate the Ameri- can people about Eastern European art and culture continues. The ongoing plight and devastation


facing the brave people of Ukraine is cause once again for our nation to rally in defense of those who stood by us. The Ukrainian culture is one of the


9/11 WE WILL NEVER FORGET


most beautiful in the world. The work of artists such as Maria Prymachenko, Ivan Marchuk, and Kazimir Malevich carries with it the weight of a strong and proud nation. The world, decades removed from


Sept. 11, would be a more peaceful place if we took the time to learn, appreciate, and understand one another. Art and culture are good places to start. May this lesson, along with the freedoms we hold dear, long endure.


Nancy Brinker is a former U.S. ambassador and founder of Susan G. Komen and The Promise Fund of Florida.


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