Lech Walesa predicts "United States of Europe" and Asia

Poland's first democratically-elected president, Lech Walesa, spends a few moments signing posters with another president, Nykia Perez, head of RIT's Student Government. On Feb. 16, Walesa spoke at RIT about the state of labor relations in the world and NATO expansion.

On Feb. 16, Lech Walesa, Poland's first democratically-elected president and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, enlightened the RIT community with thoughts of the future as the world enters the next millennium.

RIT's Student Government sponsored Walesa's visit to the packed Ingle Auditorium as part of The Horton Speaker Series. An afternoon press conference and evening presentation echoed themes of placing the fate of the world in the hands of the younger generation as Walesa expressed hopes for achieving a peaceful world without military rule. He also predicted that other parts of the world would soon unite and include the "United States of Europe" and the "United States of Asia." In a question-and-answer session following his presentation, Walesa addressed the controversial subject of NATO expansion, among others.

Nearly 18 years ago, Walesa burst into the world spotlight poised as a freedom fighter for incensed Polish workers demanding the right to organize free, independent trade unions. An electrician long active in the underground labor movement in Poland, Walesa founded Solidarity, which began as a strike and eventually became a social revolution. Under his leadership, Solidarity continued to thrive as an underground organization and, in 1983, Walesa won the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1990, Walesa became Poland's first-democratically elected president, winning more than 74 percent of the votes cast. Retired from politics, he now heads the Lech Walesa Institute which aims to advance the ideals of democracy and free market reform throughout eastern Europe and the rest of the world.

His appearance at RIT kicked off a week-long tour of colleges and universities across the country.