My childhood was shaped emotionally, politically and physically by the Cold War. The Iron Curtain stood a 20-minute drive from my childhood home. The borders adjacent to my small village in the eastern Alps changed during my grandfather's lifetime, that of my father and during my own. Now, thanks to the collapse of communism and the expansion of the European Union, there is no border.
In my professional life, I have journeyed from the Hindu Kush to the shores of the Mediterranean, mostly during times of war. The most constant component of this journey across borders invented by past generations has been change. Change is also the most difficult aspect in political leaders’ vision, for change means the unknown, and the unknown requires courage. Yet, only those who have the courage to walk into the unknown can build a better tomorrow.
