At 'Corridors of Power,' speakers explored insider views on U.S. diplomacy

“Corridors of Power: Law & Diplomacy in D.C. and Global Repercussions,” an event held Tuesday evening in Graham Memorial Hall, featured three speakers who shared insider knowledge about policy, compromise and the secrets of D.C. diplomacy.

The event was held from from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The three speakers were Robert Pearson, former U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Bob Kyle, former White House special assistant to the president under Bill Clinton and Jack Quinn, former White House counsel to President Clinton.

Kyle was the first to speak, and emphasized what he believes to be the three most important qualities in government and public service: honesty, integrity and character. 

“Being a person who can be trusted for their word, is reliable and has character and integrity will serve you well,” Kyle said. “The people I know that did the best did that over their career.”

Kyle said if someone is working in government, they should have the ability to understand the importance of process, specifically in the context of developing and implementing federal policy.

“Policy is starting to come too much from the top at the beginning," Kyle said. “In most White Houses, this stuff percolates up, the agencies work through differences, and it comes up to the president in a well thought-out way. That leads to a better result than if the president just sits in his armchair and says, ‘This is what I would like to have,’ and just sends the message down.”

Kyle said someone working in government should also understand the importance of inspiration. Kyle referenced a time when President Clinton went off-script during a speech on the North American Free Trade Agreement, but ended up profoundly inspiring his audience. 

“The big issue with NAFTA was whether as a nation we were going to be confident and compete against the world, and go out there and look at our future and grab it and seize it, or if we were going to crawl into a shell and hope we could go back to the years of yesteryear," Kyle said. "It was the inspiration of that speech that made the difference.”

Quinn was next to speak. He said he mourns the loss of civility between political parties.

“All the things that are going on in Washington now are historic — to some people shocking, others depressing,” Quinn said. “It’s really troubling to see our country so divided, with two political parties basically accusing each other of criminal conduct on a daily basis.”

The final speaker was Pearson, who discussed what he has learned working in foreign service. Pearson emphasized the importance of honesty in the field of diplomacy. 

“One of the things we emphasize the most is telling the truth," Pearson said. If you don’t tell the truth, there’s no possibility that Washington will make the right decision. And if you do tell the truth, there is some possibility that Washington will make the right decision."

The event was sponsored by The Gillings Global Series; UNC’s Peace, War, and Defense curriculum; and the Transatlantic Forum for Education and Diplomacy, or TFED. The event was moderated by TFED President Ted Leinbaugh, also a professor of English and comparative literature at UNC.

TFED’s mission is to develop programming that connects the world of international diplomacy to university communities. The forum works to bring internationally-recognized diplomats and global leaders to UNC and other partnering institutions. TFED primarily focuses on transatlantic relations and how the humanities can foster cultural literacy, preserve cultural heritage and contribute to global understanding.

Toward the end of the event, Pearson said regardless of what other countries think of the U.S., people around the world have a sense of American values. 

“It sounds very simple, but I promise you that in every country I’ve ever been in — except for the leadership — people understand what life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is, and it means something to them,” Pearson said. “Even if they don’t like the United States, it means something to them.”

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