Richard Holbrooke: The pragmatist by Wesley Clark

[elleng]

Richard Holbrooke was more than America’s premier diplomat — he was a “force” in world affairs. His values, energy and commitment helped shape the post Cold War world as much as any individual of the age.

Over Labor Day weekend of 1994, while hosting the vice president as U.S. ambassador in Germany, he fought one of his battles — this one for NATO enlargement. The Pentagon said, “No, too much risk of offending Russia, too many uncertainties,” while Holbrooke said, “Yes, extend NATO’s zone of security eastward.” As the vice president’s speech drafts flew back and forth between the State Department, the Pentagon and the White House, I kept rewriting the offending passages and Holbrooke kept reinserting them. The outcome was inevitable: Holbrooke won. NATO would expand to encompass all of Eastern Europe, the Baltics and the Balkans.

http://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/133649-richard-holbrooke-the-pragmatist

[mia]

1. Great words from a man who saw Holbrooke in action. n/t