Portrait of David Miliband
Reading List
David Miliband
President and CEO, International Rescue Committee · International Rescue Committee
David Miliband is president and chief executive of the International Rescue Committee, the humanitarian organisation founded at Albert Einstein’s suggestion to assist people displaced by conflict and disaster.
Before moving to the IRC in 2013 he served as the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary from 2007 to 2010, and as Member of Parliament for South Shields. He is the son of refugees from Belgium and Poland, a fact that runs through much of his writing and advocacy on displacement.
His book Rescue: Refugees and the Political Crisis of Our Time (2017) makes the case that the response to mass displacement is a test of both practical policy and national character.
Little Bee
by Chris Cleave
“It’s about ‘Little Bee,’ a Nigerian refugee. The opening page says, “Britain is proud of providing a safe haven for people fleeting [sic] persecution and conflict.” That’s from Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship, UK Home Office 2005, a guide given to those preparing for the citizenship exam. The book is about the relationship between two women, Little Bee and Sarah, a mother who becomes a widow.” — via Interview, May 2016
Not in God’s Name
Confronting Religious Violence
by Jonathan Sacks
“Jonathan Sacks explains the roots of this dual identity of religion, its ability to unite, its ability to separate. He looks at the three Abrahamic faiths and tries to diagnose why they have been such a source of conflict and what can be done about it. It’s an extremely erudite book. I’m not a religious person myself, so it was an education for me, but it’s also quite inspiring.” — via Interview, May 2016
The New Threat
The Past, Present, and Future of Islamic Militancy
by Jason Burke
“Equally, as some of the politics in America shows at the moment, it’s easy to get it wrong. That’s why it’s very important that people understand the deep roots of some of the convulsions that are taking place at the moment. Burke weaves together the history of militancy in the twentieth century, the significance of 1979, and the roots of the current conflict in Syria and elsewhere.” — via Interview, May 2016
City of Thorns
Nine Lives in the World's Largest Refugee Camp
by Ben Rawlence
“This is a book about the world’s largest refugee camp, Dadaab. It’s a camp of about 350,000 people in eastern Kenya, full of Somali refugees. It’s been there for thirty years. It’s a tale of nine visits to the camp. Although most refugees are in urban areas, long-term refugee status is often associated with refugee camps. This is the world’s largest one and it shows the problems.” — via Interview, May 2016
Prague Winter
A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948
by Madeleine Albright
“Refugees are often talked of as a burden. Madeleine’s story shows that refugees don’t just become patriotic citizens, they become incredibly productive ones as well. Albert Einstein, who founded the IRC, was a refugee to the US. Andy Grove, who founded Intel, was a refugee to the US. Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google, was a refugee to the US. Refugees who come here know the value of this country.” — via Interview, May 2016