Five years ago today, American diplomacy lost a very worthy practitioner, John H. Brown, when he resigned over the impending US invasion of Iraq. Here is his letter:
To: Secretary of State Colin Powell
March 10, 2003
Dear Mr. Secretary:
I am joining my colleague John Brady Kiesling in submitting my resignation from the Foreign Service (effective immediately) because I cannot in good conscience support President Bush’s war plans against Iraq.
The president has failed:
To explain clearly why our brave men and women in uniform should be ready to sacrifice their lives in a war on Iraq at this time;
To lay out the full ramifications of this war, including the extent of innocent civilian casualties;
To specify the economic costs of the war for ordinary Americans;
To clarify how the war would help rid the world of terror;
To take international public opinion against the war into serious consideration.
Throughout the globe the United States is becoming associated with the unjustified use of force. The president’s disregard for views in other nations, borne out by his neglect of public diplomacy, is giving birth to an anti-American century.
I joined the Foreign Service because I love our country. Respectfully, Mr. Secretary, I am now bringing this calling to a close, with a heavy heart but for the same reason that I embraced it.
Sincerely,
John H. Brown
Foreign Service Officer
Hindsight might make Brown's list of grievances look banal; we all know that "the President has failed" on a number of fronts, notably his treatment of the truth. But how many Americans - let alone how many American diplomats and senior officers - knew it at the time, AND were willing to put their careers on the line? Three diplomats (Brown and Kiesling, and Ann Wright), to be exact, part of a total of some 42 civil servants and military officers who left careers in the US Government because of opposition to Bush, many over Iraq.
I am happy to report that John Brown has continued to render patriotic service as the conscience of public diplomacy. His "Public Diplomacy Press & Blog Review" (currently in hiatus) started out as a homemade newsletter, and has disseminated a steady flow of commentary on the image of America in the world. His articles in such respected publications as The Guardian are a reflection of his experience and erudition. He is Adjunct Professor of Liberal Studies at Georgetown University, and is on the Editorial Board of "Place Branding and Public Diplomacy," a scholarly journal dedicated to the notion that countries too represent a "brand," and that just as products can trigger unwanted associations (think Kool-Aid and Jonestown), so too can countries (as in Bush, George W. and American foreign policy).
Maybe in some future administration, those who left government service under a tainted regime will be valued for their prescience and their consciences. I have no doubt that John Brown's help on "place branding" will be needed for the foreseeable future.