The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2010

J U LY- A U G U S T 2 0 1 0 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 39 Diplomacy, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to fostering the highest standards in the conduct of diplomacy. During the fall semester of 1998, Amb. Laingen held the Sol Linowitz Chair in International Relations at Hamilton Col- lege in New York, where he taught a seminar on the Iranian Revolution. He has received honorary degrees from Colum- bia College in Missouri, Hahneman University in Philadel- phia, the Western University of Health Sciences and the University of Dubuque. And he serves on the boards of A Presidential Classroom for Young Americans, the Mercers- burg Academy in Pennsylvania, No Greater Love and the Na- tional Defense University Foundation. Amb. Laingen is the author of three books: Yellow Rib- bon: The Secret Journal of Bruce Laingen (Brassey’s, 1992), Growing Up: Life on a Minnesota Farm , 1922-1940 (self- published, 2000), and Life in the U.S. Navy During World War II: The Philip- pines Campaign, 1943-1946 (self-pub- lished, 2005). He also has written articles and commentaries for various publications, including the Foreign Serv- ice Journal. Amb. Laingen and his wife, Penelope (Penne), reside in Bethesda, Md. They are the parents of three sons: Bill, Chip and Jim. Foreign Service Journal Editor Steve Honley interviewed Amb. Laingen on April 26. FSJ: First of all, Ambassador Laingen, congratulations on your award for life- time contributions to American diplomacy. What would you say were your chief strengths as a diplomat? LBL: It all adds up to one simple word: durability; that saw me through 38 years of proud service. My spouse, Penelope — the Yellow Ribbon Lady — was my partner during much of that. And I don’t underestimate her role in my career; she played a big part in whatever success I can claim. By the way, have you ever seen the original YellowRibbon, the one Penne hung up while the Iranians held me and my colleagues hostage? It’s at the Library of Congress, in the American Folklife Center, and you can go down there and see it anytime. When Penne presented it to them in July 1991 at the end of the Persian Gulf War, in which two of our sons took part, she told them, “Here it is. I present it to you, from my attic to yours.” By then, hanging a yellow ribbon had become what it is today: a national symbol of caring for a fellow citizen in distress. I would also say that I showed leadership as a diplomat by caring for those under my responsibility —not just my fellow hostages in Tehran, but my colleagues wherever I’ve served. Patience and optimism were required over and over again throughout my career, as well. Like a lot of folks fromMinnesota, my home state, I’ve al- ways been an optimist. I like to quote Colin Powell, who says “Optimism is a force multiplier.” He speaks as a military man, of course, but the same is true for diplomacy. In my view, op- timism is an essential quality for tackling any issue, because it is indeed a force multiplier. It can be disastrous if you don’t have some realism with it, true, but I’ve done pretty well with an optimistic spirit, a can-do attitude. Patience is also critical. While I was being held hostage, the Spanish ambassador to Iran managed to get a note to me that said: “Patience is a bitter cup that only the strong can drink.” That quality is essential for all of us dealing with un- stable situations. Finally, I have a personal faith that has worked for me. I allude to that every time I talk about my time in Tehran, because the old saying is true: “There are no athe- ists in foxholes.” Eventually, you come around to the possibility of a little help from a higher quarter. Or to put it an- other way, “Faith is what you find when you’re alone — and know you’re not.” FSJ: From your perspective, how has diplomacy changed since you entered the Foreign Service some 60 years ago? LBL: Certainly a lot has changed, as in any healthy institution. But there are some fundamentals that remain valid. All of us in the Foreign Service are en- gaged in “winning friends and influencing people,” to quote Dale Carnegie. That’s as true today as it was when I joined the Service. Diplomacy is all about conveying U.S. interests abroad, and pursuing our policy objectives, in a way that looks like you’re enjoying it. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice began important changes with her emphasis on “transformational diplomacy.” Defense Secretary Robert Gates continues to warn of State’s inadequate budget allocations. And Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks of funding “Development” with a capital D, as a sometimes neglected but essential element in the practice of diplomacy. She has also called for adopting a “National Security Budget” approach encompassing all of its components, including military force, effective intelligence and adequate resources. And I’m encouraged that the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development are currently engaged in the first-ever Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review process — not unlike the way DOD has used that process to set strategy for a long time. “Like a lot of folks from Minnesota, my home state, I’ve always been an optimist.” — Amb. Bruce Laingen