By Program
Smart Diplomacy for the 21st Century: People Are As Important As Concepts
March 2, 2011 | 12:00:00 | Bass Lecture Hall, LBJ 2.104
The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law welcomed Ambassador Ronald E. Neumann, President of the American Academy of Diplomacy, to discuss smart diplomacy for the 21st century on March 2, 2011. Strauss Center Associate Director, Celeste Ward Gventer, introduced Mr. Neumann and welcomed audience members.
Mr. Neumann began by describing the challenges facing U.S. diplomacy, including the drop in foreign affairs staffing and training opportunities and the continued erosion of State Department responsibilities within Security Assistance Programs. He said that now is the moment to rebuild and rebalance our civilian toolkit by increasing staffing in crucial areas.
Rather than a separate discretionary function, Mr. Neumann emphasized that diplomacy is part of national security. He noted that development is key to avoiding failed states, less costly than military intervention, and crucial for engaging with 21st century problems (including terrorism, multilateral trade and climate change).
Mr. Neumann concluded by acknowledging that everyone is going to be affected by the current budget crisis. If cuts are necessary, he advised that they should be made towards programs, rather than people, saying “diplomacy is part of national security, handicap it at our peril.”¬ù
Questions from the audience covered issues regarding training for diplomatic professionals, diplomatic options for Iran and the Middle East, and the on the ground perception of U.S. embassies abroad.
Ronald E. Neumann served three times as Ambassador; to Algeria, Bahrain and finally to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Before Afghanistan, Mr. Neumann, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, served in Baghdad with the Coalition Provisional Authority and then as Embassy Baghdad’s principal interlocutor with the Multinational Command, where he was deeply involved in coordinating the political part of military action.
Ambassador Neumann is the author of The Other War: Winning and Losing in Afghanistan (Potomac Press, 2009), a book on his time in Afghanistan. He is the author of a number of monographs and articles. He served as an Army infantry officer in Viet Nam and holds a Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal and Combat Infantry Badge. In Baghdad, he was awarded the Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal.
Watch the full presentation below:
