The impatient diplomat: A tribute to Bill Richardson

Good diplomacy is demanding. Good diplomats often don’t accept a “no” answer. They have a kind of steely temperament, with a mix of tenacity and impatience. Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico and two-term U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, died Friday at the age of 75. He left a long legacy.

Dive deep into foreign affairs, negotiate with the toughest countries and leaders, Navigating Prison Releases and protect America’s interests. A globetrotting troubleshooter, Richardson was at the center of negotiations on nearly every continent.

Take North Korea, one of the most impenetrable and reclusive societies on earth.

Richardson first visited the area as a member of parliament in 1994 to better understand the North Korean nuclear threat. On his way to Pyongyang, Richardson learned that North Korea shot down a US military helicopter, killing one pilot and taking a second hostage. Richardson reportedly stayed for several weeks seeking a solution, returning home with the remains of the dead pilot and later securing the release of the surviving pilot.

He opened the line to that closed country, Returned in 2007 Participated with a bipartisan delegation in negotiations for the return of the remains of six US soldiers who died in the Korean War, and escorted the remains to South Korea across the demilitarized zone.

Many people may not remember the name Evan Hunziker. In 1996, an American swam from China into North Korea, where he was taken prisoner on suspicion of spying and held for three months. Bill Richardson brought him home. It was a task he would repeat over and over again.

Relationship building is important for diplomacy. Richardson’s determination and contacts in North Korea helped him free American college student Otto Warmbier, who was imprisoned in Pyongyang in 2016. Sadly, when Mr. Bill Richardson secured his freedom and flew him back to the United States, Mr. Warmbier was in a coma and has since fallen into a coma. Within a month of his release he was taken off life support.

Bill Richardson has built a globally respected diplomatic portfolio. Trained at Tufts University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, he has always been a man of service on behalf of the United States at the United Nations, as Secretary of Energy, as Governor, or as a private citizen. He never stopped working for the American people.

In 2020, he helped negotiate the release of Navy veteran Michael White, who was released by Iran.

In 2021, Richardson will secure the release The testimony of journalist Danny Fester, who spent six months in prison in Myanmar under harsh conditions. Again, Richardson had established relationships with local officials dating back to 2012 that allowed him to negotiate his release.

Bill Richardson was among the Americans detained in Russia lobby on their behalf. He made numerous trips to Moscow demanding the release of Americans such as Trevor Reed, Taylor Dudley, Britney Griner and Paul Whelan. Whelan is still in jail.

For Richardson, no one was more heinous than the dictator. He negotiated with Saddam Hussein in Iraq, negotiated on behalf of two Americans in Iraq, and used his persuasive powers to illegally enter Iraq from Kuwait and was imprisoned for months. freed people.

In 2006, he persuaded Sudan’s President Omar Al-Bashir to release American journalist Paul Salopek. He argued with Cuban leader Fidel Castro and Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

Bill Richardson was nominated several times but never won the Nobel Peace Prize. I think he should receive it after his death. he deserves our thanks.

Tara D. Sonnenschein is the Edward R. Murrow Professor of Public Diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.