Richard Holbrooke: an appreciation in spite of myself

Dick Holbrooke and I had a contentious relationship.  He didn’t like things I said about policy issues in private and wrote in public, and (incorrectly) thought I was disloyal and out to get him.  I thought he was too often unappreciative, egotistical and unnecessarily hard on people who had served him well, including me.

But you have to admire his gumption and achievements.  He dared to imagine bringing an end to the war in Bosnia, and he did it.  He turned around a flagging civilian effort in Afghanistan, even if it still cannot claim success.  As UN ambassador, he solved the delicate and vexing problem of US arrears.  In each of his many jobs, he got difficult things done, sometimes breaking crockery along the way.

He could also be extraordinarily charming.  I first met him in Rome, where I was deputy chief of mission.  Before a meeting with Italian bankers, he took me aside and asked me what was on their minds.  He then spun a standard briefing into an appeal to their needs–I don’t know if it won the bank he was with any business, but it was a great pitch.  And you should have heard him admire Pamela Harriman’s painting collection!

Dick was concerned–many would say obsessed–with correcting what had gone wrong in Vietnam.  He thought American power should be a force for good, and he set out to make it so.  Our odds of achieving that are lower now that he is gone.

Listen to Jackie Northam’s appreciation on NPR.