The Foreign Service Journal, September 2008

Instead, he devoted himself night and day to securing the safe return of the hostages. Only in his memoirs did Newsom publicly acknowledge his personal opposition to the shah’s entry. I kept in touch with David through- out his remarkable 27-year post-retire- ment career as a teacher and author. His six books and numerous case studies in foreign affairs, and his work at Georgetown University and the University of Virginia, where he was often given the “best teacher” award, add up to an achievement rivaling that of George Kennan. A re-reading of his frequent columns in the Christian Science Monitor provides an educa- tion in foreign affairs. Known for discretion during his career, David was outrageously out- spoken in retirement when the occa- sion demanded. He got a kick out of provocatively writing that the only way he could understand the decision to invade Iraq — which he vigorously opposed — was that it was the result of an internal coup d’état within the Bush administration by the neocons. I would like to end by quoting the final paragraph of my friend’s mem- oirs. It gives a fine insight into David Newsom’s greatness: This book is being written in 2008, when the force of an aggressive nation- alistic ideology has temporarily side- tracked a more studied approach to international relations. It has always been my belief that the United States has within it a balancing wheel that saves it from the danger of suspicion, hatred and conflict that ravage other countries. It is my hope that the bal- ance wheel will again be lubricated to save us from this fate. I would be deeply disturbed to feel that my gener- ation was passing on to those who will follow a nation vulnerable to the trag- ic instability I have observed in so many other societies in the six decades of my adult life. David, we — and your country — will miss you dearly. Editor’s Note: The obituary for Amb. Newsom appeared in the July- August issue of the FSJ. n S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 67 David often said he found it more meaningful to sip tea in a Bedouin tent than to swell about in the salons of the capital.