A New Chapter in a Lifelong Quest for Truth
In a world where headlines blur into noise and global crises test the resolve of democracies, Christiane Amanpour—a woman who has stared down dictators and documented revolutions—will step onto a new battlefield: the Harvard Kennedy School stage. On May 28, 2025, the veteran journalist will address graduates not as a detached observer, but as a battle-hardened chronicler of history, urging them to wield truth as their sharpest tool in public service.
From Tehran to Tahrir Square: The Making of a Global Sentinel
Amanpour’s story reads like a geopolitical odyssey. Born to an Iranian father and British mother, her childhood in pre-revolution Tehran was upended by the 1979 uprising, forcing her family to flee to America. That rupture, she once said, ignited her “obsession with the human cost of power.” After graduating from the University of Rhode Island, she clawed her way from a CNN desk assistant to the frontlines of the Iran-Iraq War, her lens capturing the visceral chaos of conflict.
Her career became a map of the world’s fractures: the fall of the Berlin Wall, the siege of Sarajevo, and the Arab Spring. Colleagues dubbed her “the correspondent who wouldn’t blink,” whether interviewing Putin or standing in rubble during the Gulf War. “I don’t do ‘he said, she said’ journalism,” she famously declared. “I do ‘what is.’”
A Call to Arms for the Next Generation
Dean Jeremy Weinstein’s invitation to Amanpour is no accident. At a time when trust in institutions frays and autocracy spreads, her message—forged in war zones and whispered in the halls of power—resonates deeply. “Christiane doesn’t just report history; she demands accountability from those who shape it,” Weinstein said. “Our graduates will face a world where facts are contested and leadership is tested daily. Who better to guide them?”
Amanpour’s speech is expected to confront the “existential crossroads” facing democracies, drawing parallels between her coverage of Bosnia’s ethnic cleansing and today’s global retreat from human rights. “You’re entering public service in an era where the very idea of truth is under siege,” she plans to say, according to aides. “But remember: Courage is contagious.”
Legacy of a Rebel with a Cause
With 16 Emmys, four Peabodys, and a reputation as journalism’s “moral compass,” Amanpour’s accolades are legion. Yet her proudest title remains “honorary citizen of Sarajevo,” bestowed after she exposed the horrors of the Bosnian War to a skeptical world. Her return to CNN in 2012—with dual platforms on PBS—solidified her role as a bridge between mainstream and global audiences, a trait HKS hopes will inspire graduates to think beyond borders.
A Fitting Heir to Kennedy’s Torch
Amanpour joins a pantheon of HKS speakers who’ve shaped global policy, from UN leaders to Nobel laureates. But her edge lies in raw, unfiltered storytelling. As one former grad remarked, “She’s not here to pat our backs. She’s here to remind us that leadership means staring into the abyss—and still choosing to act.”
Event Details:
The address will stream live on May 28 at www.hks.harvard.edu/commencement. For a generation poised to inherit a fractured world, Amanpour’s words may well become their first battle cry.
