The Foreign Service Journal, December 2022

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2022 25 returned abroad to serve as chief of mission in Pakistan (2007- 2010), where she navigated the crisis surrounding the removal of President Pervez Musharraf. Then, as U.S. ambassador to Egypt (2011-2013), she led the U.S. mission through the Arab Spring and the election and subsequent overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi. Finally, she served as assistant secretary of State for Near Eastern affairs (NEA) at the Department of State from 2013 until 2017, when she retired with the rank of Career Ambassador after more than four decades in the Foreign Service. Throughout her career, Ambassador Patterson has been a pathbreaker and an example of what a career of service means. A model of the best nonpartisan traditions of the Foreign Service, she served eight American presidents and their administrations with a commitment to excellence, doing her utmost to achieve our nation’s objectives. She broke through glass and other ceilings and navigated through constant crises during her time as NEA assistant secretary and in all four of her ambassadorial postings. A superb negotiator, she demonstrated confidence and skill in dealing with some of the world’s most difficult lead- ers and situations. In the course of her own outstanding career, Ambassador Patterson also trained and brought up several generations of FSOs who looked to her not only as an icon of American diplomacy, but also as a deeply caring and generous leader who never sought the limelight and who never acted as though her advancement should come at the expense of others. One of our best Foreign Service leaders of the past half-century, she is also a beacon, exemplifying what integrity, excellence, and decency look like at the heights of our profession. Ambassador Patterson was named one of Foreign Policy ’s 100 Top Global Thinkers in 2011. She is a two-time recipient of the State Department’s Dis- tinguished Service Award. She received the Depart- ment of State’s Superior Honor Award in 1981 and 1988, its Meritorious Honor Award in 1977 and 1983, and a Presidential Award in 1993. Since retiring from the Foreign Service, Ambassa- dor Patterson has continued to make important con- tributions to our country and our profession. She has been appointed to two congressional commissions: the Commission on National Defense Strategy in 2017 and the Syria Study Group in 2019. Since 2017 she has taught international relations and diplo- macy as a Kissinger Senior Fellow at the Yale University’s Jackson School of Global Affairs. She is a trustee of the Cox Foundation and the current chair of the Board of Directors at the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. Ambassador Patterson is married to David R. Patterson, a retired Foreign Service officer. She has two sons, Edward and Andrew, and two stepdaughters, Rachel and Jessica. FSJ Editor in Chief Shawn Dorman conducted the following interview with Ambassador Patterson via email in October. ON BECOMING A DIPLOMAT FSJ: What led you to join the Foreign Service? Ambassador Anne W. Patterson: My mother saw an adver- tisement in a magazine that said “The Foreign Service needs Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson speaks at a ceremony launching the construction of the new U.S. consulate building in Karachi, May 8, 2008. REUTERS/ALAMY