Former Secretary of State Richard Armitage, who passed away this week at the age of 79, was not an ideologue. In fact, he couldn’t stand them.
He was a realist, but his realism was not based on academic theory. Instead, he operates on the instinctive understanding of the national interests of foreign interlocutors, and inevitably he does well with them even if he negotiates to protect American interests.
When I joined the Department of Defense in 1981, I first met Rich, and he was the deputy director of Asia Affairs. He was a staff member of Senator Bob Doll and was widely respected on Capitol Hill.
Rich was so strong that his entire last name was sewn into his shirt clothes upper arm. And he was dull. Certainly, his extremely dullness, and his colorful vocabulary has made him very effective even for the most stable diplomat.
That’s not to say he was effective. He was trusted. He won leadership trust in both Beijing and Taipei. That was why he played a major role in the 1982 negotiations. Third Shanghai Communityreaffirmed America’s commitment to selling arms to Taiwan while deepening its cultural, economic and scientific ties with China. He maintained excellent relations throughout East Asia, but was particularly close to the leaders of Japan and Singapore.
The assistant secretary is the most advanced of the medium-sized staff. Their power depends on the trust their boss places within them. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger implicitly trusted the rich. When Bing West, the Secretary of Defense of Bing West, or Bing West, the world except for NATO, Europe and weapons control, departed the Pentagon, Weinberger appointed Rich at his place. Rich was also Lieutenant General Colin Powell, Senior Army of Weinberger. They will serve together a few years later when Powell becomes Secretary of State.
Shortly after he took over his new position, including the always troublesome Middle East, Rich told me, “I don’t know any shit about the Middle East. I don’t know any Israelites, and I don’t know any Arabs, but I don’t side.”
He exaggerated his ignorance, but he was seriously serious about not lining up. He called them as if he had always seen them. And therefore, no matter how much the Israelites and Arabs were hostile to their relationship. He was particularly close to King Hussein of Jordan and Major General Amos Yaron of Israel, who once again worked with Rich when he became the director of the Ministry of Defense a few years later and was deputy director of the Secretary of State.
Rich was fiercely protecting his staff. Anyone who dresses up one of his people must face the most unpleasant experience: Rich’s rage. He also disliked being blind, and he applied it to his staff. When asked to guide America’s efforts to block Israel’s production LAVI Fighterthe issues that Rich might have normally addressed given his scope were still very supportive as long as he and his staff did religiously.
Rich and I were in the “Vulcan,” the national security and foreign policy adviser to Gov. George W. Bush. Like everyone else, Bush felt a preference for the rich. On his part, Rich wanted to be appointed Deputy Secretary of Defense. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the job Donald Rumsfeld offered him when they met. Instead, Rumsfeld offered him a service secretary. For various personal reasons, Rich slightly declined to Rumsfeld’s surprise and instead accepted Powell’s offer to serve as a representative of the State Department.
The rift between Rumsfeld and Powell, and their respective policy staff (as Secretary, I shunned what was effectively a civil war) is well documented. Armitage was deeply influenced by Powell’s frustration and was unable to hide his rage. He once told me, “If I see him in a dark alley, I’ll crush his balls.” I didn’t want to meet the rich in the dark alley.
Rich Armitage began with his service at the Naval Academy and Vietnam, particularly when he heroically rescued thousands of Vietnamese people when war effort collapsed, serving almost his life with devotion. But despite his strict appearance and more strict language, Rich was the most decent man. He rarely mentioned the fact that he and his wife raised many children of colour. My kids took him with me when they welcomed them in his pentagonal office. Forty years later, they are still talking about the day.
May his memory be a blessing and inspiration for all.
Dov S. Zakheim is a senior advisor Strategic and International Research Center Vice-President of the Board Institute of Foreign Policy Studies. He was the Secretary of Defense (Director) of the Department of Defense from 2001 to 2004 and the Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Defense, and the Deputy Director from 1985 to 1987.
