Ambassadors Ronald Neumann and Wendy Chamberlin revealed some surprising and humorous truths about diplomatic life on Monday at the Tower Center Series: Ambassadors Unplugged.
An eager audience of students, faculty and members of the John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies fell silent as Dr. Seyom Brown, the event moderator, began an open discussion with the former ambassadors.
Chamberlin said U.S. diplomats face struggles most people do not understand. She experienced this while serving in Pakistan before and after 9/11.
“The strength of the Taliban was a lot more permeated even before 9/11 than we thought,” Chamberlin said. “We don’t understand from our media how intense the Taliban is.”
Neumann, who served as Ambassador to Afghanistan,
Bahrain and Algeria, further communicated that the press conceals a great amount.
“Life is more dimensional than you will ever know,” Neumann said about the oddities of being in the Foreign Service.
Chamberlin and Neumann both emphasized the importance of getting to know everyone around them and creating all
types of allies.
“Give people a chance, and talk to them first,” Chamberlin, who became close friends with her Pakistani chef, said.
Neumann said he was also connected with members of his staff, especially his security officers.
She even became close friends with the King of Bahrain.
Chamberlin explained how U.S. ambassadors compare to other foreign leaders.
“Their sense of what leaders do is so completely different from ours,” Chamberlin said.
Ending the discussion on a more serious note, Chamberlin said U.S. diplomats and politicians are obligated to take responsibility for their decisions.
The Tower Center is dedicated to promoting international affairs and politics.
Ambassadors Unplugged is a series that occurs several times throughout the year to in order to connect U.S. citizens with the diplomats who represent them.
“The idea is to get some insights we would not be able to get anywhere else,” Dr. James Hollifield, director of the Tower Center of Political Studies, said.
