Remarks by Amb. Aldona Woś at IWP Commencement 2025

Good morning, ladies, gentlemen, distinguished guests, and graduates.

I would like to start by expressing our gratitude to all the generous supporters, including many of the parents, who made it possible for us to be here today. Our mission could not become a reality without your contributions to our school. We thank you! Our graduates stand here today as a testament that your investment has been truly worthwhile.

Thank you to our esteemed faculty. The academic and practical expertise that you shared with our graduates will leave an enduring impact on them. Through the work of these graduates, your wisdom and your knowledge will continue to influence our country in an extraordinary way. We are grateful for your dedication.

Also, thank you to our staff, trustees, and alumni. IWP would not be the elite graduate school that is so highly committed to its mission without your efforts.

Now, graduates – we are here to celebrate your hard work, commitment, and perseverance. Congratulations! You have chosen a challenging graduate program, and you are leaving with invaluable knowledge and skills. You have learned how to craft a coherent national strategy. You have studied the arts of statecraft and their integration.

And for our guests who are unfamiliar with the arts of statecraft, they include the arts of war, peacemaking, and diplomacy; public diplomacy; strategic influence and political action; economic strategy; intelligence and counterintelligence; cyber strategy; and the exercise of intangible instruments of power such as moral leadership, national character, will-power, and courage.

We believe that the integrated use of these arts can help us avoid the use of kinetic force. We at IWP call this “Winning Without War.”

But for what purpose are we winning? To seek power or control or subdue others? Not so.

At IWP, you the graduates have examined these questions – is there a moral order in the world? Is there value in the principles underlying the American founding – like the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?

Graduates, I hope that in your study of moral philosophy, American political philosophy, and history, you have concluded that there is something unique and valuable about the human person, and something sacred about our fundamental human rights and the freedom to flourish, that is worth dedicating your career to and fighting for.

I know firsthand how precious freedom is. I was born under imposed communist rule in Poland to Catholic parents who were slave labor and concentration camp survivors in WWII. My father was prisoner number 23,504 in Flossenbürg Concentration Camp. He was liberated by General Patton’s U.S. Third Army. My family suffered under Nazism and Communism – systems centered on state control and a disregard for human rights.

When we were finally able to move to America, my family’s enduring memories embedded in me an appreciation of freedom and an obligation to serve and give back.

All that America represents and what it aspires to be is deeply worthwhile. It is a place that values and protects freedom, and it provides an opportunity for all people to pursue their dreams and fulfill their God-given potential without fear of persecution or repression.

Thanks to your IWP education, you are equipped to ensure our country’s peace and freedom in the most effective ways possible. You understand where your work fits into the national strategy.

In addition to being effective practitioners, I hope you will strive to be moral leaders throughout your personal and professional lives. I hope you will do the right thing when no one is looking. I hope you continue to develop personal and civic virtue, pursue the truth, and speak the truth even when it is unpopular.

I hope that you remember that, while the arts of statecraft are essential, peace is ultimately achieved through truth, justice, mercy, forgiveness, and a love for one’s neighbors that transcends the requirements of justice.

Graduates, we are counting on you to ensure the survival of the United States as the most free, prosperous, charitable, and innovative country in history.

Congratulations on your achievements. Embrace the challenges and opportunities that come your way with confidence and enthusiasm. And may you use your education well.