George Mitchell

George Mitchell

When George Mitchell stepped onto the international stage, he had already represented the State of Maine in the United States Senate for 14 years, the last six as Majority Leader. In those years he enjoyed almost universal respect in Washington. At the request of the British and Irish Governments, George Mitchell served as Chairman of the International Commission on Disarmament in Northern Ireland, and as Chairman of the subsequent peace negotiations. Under his leadership the governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom agreed to an historic accord, ending decades of conflict. The agreement was overwhelmingly ratified by the voters of Ireland, North and South. George Mitchell subsequently chaired an international fact finding committee on the crisis between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and later served as President Obama's Special Envoy to the Middle East. For his service in the cause of peace, George Mitchell has received numerous awards and honors, including the United Nations Peace Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor the U.S. Government can bestow. In this podcast, recorded at the 2002 International Achievement Summit in Dublin, Ireland, Mitchell speaks briefly about his experience forging the peace agreement in Northern Ireland. In addition to international affairs, he discusses his own life and the satisfactions of public service. He challenges the Academy's student delegates to prove the truth of the American Dream.