March 2009 Ethical Hero – Stanley Sheinbaum

Published: March 12, 2009

By Jim Lichtman
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Stanley SteinbaumStanley Sheinbaum is the epitome of a world citizen.

He spoke out forcefully against the Vietnam War and was the defense strategist for Daniel Ellsberg during the Pentagon Papers trial. When a coup in Greece imprisoned his friend, Andreas Papandreou, Sheinbaum took great personal risk to save Papandreou’s life. In a bold move, Stanley led a group of American Jews to meet with Yasser Arafat and persuaded him to denounce terrorism against Israel.  At the request of US President Bill Clinton, Sheinbaum traveled to Damascus to set up a summit with Syria. His life story holds lessons for all who are interested in peace and understanding the world.

Born June 12, 1920. An indifferent student in his early years, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and With Great Distinction from Stanford University in 1949, doing his postgraduate work in Economics there as well as teaching. A Fulbright scholar in the 1950s, he is one of the few people on the planet who was a fellow of both the Hoover Institute and the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions (in Santa Barbara). A networker with remarkable reach, and a negotiator with remarkable diplomatic skills, he has often brought opposing groups together and found common ground where there was once only enmity. He is the founding (and current) publisher of the journal New Perspectives Quarterly.

In November 2008, Stanley received the 2008 Nucelar Age Peace Foundation’s World Citizenship Award for his sustained and courageous efforts to forge peace and create new dialogue between old adversaries.

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