The Foreign Service Journal, March 2003

M A R C H 2 0 0 3 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 23 istry has never worked so well. An episode comes to mind, when the secretary was even teaching his Russian partner the art of … self- promotion. Here’s the story: On a visit to Washington, Mr. Ivanov was pre- senting his new book at a think tank. When Secretary Powell was invited to the microphone, he asked his friend to pass him a copy of the book to hold up to the cameras. Apparently Foreign Minister Ivanov hadn’t thought about this, and didn’t have the book ready. “Oh, Igor, you’ve still got so much to learn,” Powell chided him affectionately. Affable but Tough From a few personal meetings with the secretary, I know that he treats journalists in the same kind of jovial but invariably courteous manner. It’s certainly a welcome change from the days when the top brass at the State Department seemed to be too preoccupied with taking care of all of humanity — including Russia — to bother with explaining their grand designs to reporters, especial- ly international ones. In the past two years we at ITAR- TASS have had incomparably better access to the leaders of the department than in the previous eight. The secre- tary even did a one-on-one interview with us — a foreign wire service! You can bet we greatly appreciated it. Probably the biggest scoop we’ve had in all this time was breaking the news on the impending announcement of the American withdrawal from the ABM treaty in December 2001. A few days later, I met Secretary Powell at a reception and was surprised that he not only recog- nized me but also joked good-naturedly about TASS stealing his thunder. All this affability notwithstanding, Secretary Powell can be very tough and unapologetic in defending his country’s position. Our interviews provided ample evidence of that. For example, he flatly rejected all suggestions that the U.S. should place its servicemen under the juris- diction of the International Criminal Court to avoid an appearance of double standards. I still think he was wrong on that one, but Secretary Powell did not mince words in expressing his belief that American laws are equal to or better than international norms and that only these laws will apply to the American military abroad. The secretary’s own military background — at least in my opinion — is ever present in his upright posture, pre- cision and straightforwardness in speech (even if he sometimes cuts his answers short at the most interesting point, as befits a true diplomat), and the distinct aura of authority he projects. His civility can never be mistaken for weakness; his patriotism and personal integrity are unquestionable. I think that’s one reason why this officer and gentleman has probably accomplished more as sec- retary of State in the current administration than would have been possible for any other person. Multilateral Solutions There is a saying that the task of a diplomat is to tell the truth to foreign governments without offending them and to tell the truth to one’s own government even at the risk of giving offense. We can only guess at what’s hap- pening behind closed doors, but judging by the results, Secretary Powell is effective in both areas. Internationally, aside from helping to navigate the shoals in relations with Russia, he’s been instrumental in building an unprecedented global coalition to fight ter- rorism. Domestically, he’s credited with shifting the administration’s policies toward multilateral solutions. Charges of unilateralism and ignoring international insti- tutions have abated, especially since Washington turned to the United Nations to help resolve the crisis with Iraq. With the U.S. being the only superpower in today’s world, the efforts to act in concert with others may seem redundant to some. But the tragedy of Sept. 11 has shown that America, even if invincible, is not invulner- able. And in the Russian view, Secretary Powell, with his incessant telephone calls, is probably doing more F O C U S In the past two years, we at ITAR-TASS have had incomparably better access to the leaders of the department than in the previous eight. Andrei Sitov is the Washington bureau chief for ITAR- TASS, the Russian News Service. A graduate of the Maurice Thorez Moscow State Institute of Foreign Languages, he joined TASS as a translator in 1981, and was transferred to the American desk in 1984. He spent five years covering the U.S. from the TASS New York office before becoming Washington bureau chief.