People sat on the stairs Tuesday night in a fully packed Nelson Mandela Auditorium at the FedEx Global Center to hear noted diplomats Sir Christopher Meyer and Ambassador Richard Armitage speak about the value of their jobs in modern times.
The panel was called “Can Diplomats Justify Their Existence?” Meyer and Armitage both answered this question with a resounding “Yes.”
Meyer served as the British ambassador to the U.S. from 1997-2003. He also authored a book titled “Getting Our Way: 500 Years of Power and Intrigue: the Inside Story of British Diplomacy.” He is currently teaching a class at UNC with the moderator of the panel, Theodore Leinbaugh.
Armitage was the Deputy Secretary of State under President George W. Bush from 2001-05. He is also credited with having a pivotal role in nuclear negotiations between India and Pakistan.
Armitage began the evening with a “world tour” of sorts, taking the listeners around the world and covering the pressing diplomatic issues in each country.
He began with the growing importance of Asia on the world stage.
“The strategic center of gravity has shifted, and it’s in Asia,” he said.
Armitage then turned his attention to the Middle East, making specific mention of the situation in Afghanistan.
“It’s only taken eight years, but we’re on the right track,” he said. “Is the game over? No. Are we late in the innings? Yes.”
Meyer began his talk trying to convince the audience that diplomacy is an honest pursuit.
“If any of you are still vulnerable to the idea that diplomacy is devious, don’t believe a word of it,” he said.
He then spoke about how the role of a diplomat has expanded over the years.
“The line, which used to be very clear, between what is domestic and what is foreign, has become blurred,” he said.
Meyer finished by reminding the audience that the United States is the most important nation to world politics.
“The U.S. remains the indispensable nation,” he said. “You are still the most powerful nation in the world, and you should never lose faith in that.”
Afterward, all of the participants in the panel said they felt positively about how the event went.
“I’ve had a good time and I hope the audience had a good time,” said Meyer.
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