Association for Diplomatic Newsletter Studies and Training Spring 2010 Hagel, Koppel, Turner Honored at Tribute to Excellence Dinner Message from the Chairman I extend deep thanks to all who made ADST’s 2010 Tribute to Excellence a great success, including the leading sponsors recognized later in this newsletter, all who attended or sent contributions, and our hardworking staff, particularly President Ken Brown and Business Manager Marilyn Bentley. We were especially grateful for the presence of our awardees, presenters, and other eminent guests. These John Limbert and Ted Koppel Jim Kimsey and Kathy Ron Neumann and Chuck included Under Secretary of State Calvin Hagel Patrick Kennedy, Acting Inspector General Harry Geisel, Atlantic ADST’s seventh gala dinner, held on including its founder Stephen Low, Council President Frederick Kempe, February 25 to recognize outstanding Delavan Foundation Director William Foreign Affairs Council Chairman accomplishments in international affairs, Harrop, Cox Foundation President Dian Tom Boyatt, American Foreign was a stellar occasion. Almost 200 ADST VanDeMark and Executive Director Service Association President Susan members, friends, sponsors, and guests Clyde Taylor, U.S. Institute of Peace Johnson, Mrs. Lilibet Hagel, and gathered in the ballroom of the L’Enfant officer Robert Perito, DACOR President the ambassadors of the Phillippines, Plaza Hotel to honor former Senator Edward Rowell, Foreign Service Institute Madacascar, the Slovak Republic, and Chuck Hagel, television journalist Ted Director Ruth Whiteside, and Brandon Slovenia. Koppel, and media innovator Ted Turner. Grove, who was instrumental in securing Our biennial gala not only recognizes At this biennial “Tribute to Excellence,” FSI’s permanent campus. excellence; its proceeds are crucial to Ambassador Ron Neumann presented In his acceptance remarks, Chuck Hagel enabling ADST to support training the Ralph J. Bunche Award for Diplomatic stressed the importance of questioning past of our nation’s diplomats at the Excellence to Senator Hagel, while Mr. assumptions and of understanding new Foreign Service Institute and to tell Koppel received the Cyrus R. Vance Award international frames of reference in facing the Foreign Service story through for Advancing Knowledge of Diplomacy new challenges. He called for a spirit of oral histories, books, exhibits, and our from Ambassador John Limbert. consensus and compromise among our instructional Web site at Unable to attend because of unsafe flying national leaders on difficult issues and for www.usdiplomacy.org. We also help conditions, Mr. Turner was represented by accommodating common interests among prepare young Americans for careers Kathy Calvin, Chief Executive Officer nations in unpredictable and unstable times. in international affairs, most notably of the United Nations Foundation, who Ambassador Limbert noted the the talented interns whose efforts are accepted ADST’s International Business importance of ABC-TV’s Nightline so important to the success of ADST’s Leadership Award on his behalf from broadcasts to the morale of American work, including the awards dinner. James V. Kimsey. hostages in Iran and mentioned Henry Until the next Tribute to Excellence, Initiating the award ceremony, ADST Kissinger. Ted Koppel then began his we look forward to the continuing Board Chairman Jim Dandridge extended acceptance remarks in Dr. Kissinger’s engagement and support of all our a warm welcome to all, and particularly voice, to the audience’s delight. On a members and friends as we pursue the to special guests associated with ADST, serious note, Koppel espoused the value mission of ADST. of calm, insightful news reporting instead of hasty dissemination through advanced technology, and of reliable, verifiable information instead of partisan posturing. Accepting the business leadership award for Ted Turner, Ms. Calvin cited his strong belief in diplomacy and his commitment to the resolution of three major issues: nuclear proliferation, climate change, and excessive Sincerely, population growth. Excerpts from the acceptance speeches Jim Dandridge are on the following pages. 2 The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Spring 2010 Excerpts from Award Acceptance Remarks Ted Koppel I must tell you it has been a particular pleasure for me to meet viable business model, however, there is an inclination to cater to John Limbert, one of the people who, albeit inadvertently and the baser instincts of our audience. But that’s an old and familiar without their permission in any respect, changed my life in ways I problem. could not have possibly imagined back in November 1979. At the There is today an even greater danger that afflicts my profession. very least, John, I must say to you, “thank you.” Partisanship. News you can choose. The corrosive assumption that During the mid-1970s, when I was a diplomatic correspondent instead of providing an audience with the information it needs, covering Henry Kissinger, satellite technology was in its infancy. we are somehow serving the American public by catering to their My television colleagues and I recorded our reports on film, which biases, by providing them with echo chambers for their existing required processing and editing; and sometimes those reports even convictions. had to be shipped back to the United Many of you here have spent your States before they were broadcast. It lives in service to the ideals of a was primitive by today’s standards, participatory democracy. The oxygen but it allowed a certain time for re- “Today, the time available for a on which such a body survives is flection. Precisely because our report- considered response to any public reliable information. If we pollute ing was not instantaneous, it required declaration must be measured in the bloodstream of our republic with a bit of context. Today, the time avail- billions of unverifiable tweets, if we able for a considered response to any tweets.” put much of our confidence in the public declaration must be measured reliability of unedited blogs, if we in tweets. permit the marketplace to focus our Technological changes in my industry––I won’t call them advanc- constant attention on the trivial, and if we harness the horrors of es––have reduced, almost to the vanishing point, the time available a vehemently partisan press to the reach and power of cable and to remedy misunderstandings of any kind. Over the course of my broadcast television, then we make all information suspect. professional lifetime, the nature of broadcast journalism, of com- If no one is considered generally reliable by all, if we can munication in general, has undergone seismic shifts. trust only that which is presented to us through the prism of The inspiring vision of my fellow honoree, Ted Turner, remains partisanship, then we will lose our willingness to reason with for the most part unrealized. The prospect of a 24-hour news one another. We will forfeit the ability to compromise. I suggest, channel, on which there would be sufficient time to analyze the in short, that we are undermining the very foundations of a important events of our time and an inclination to put them into participatory democracy. perspective, have largely devolved into a desperate effort to be first I consider it a great honor to receive this award that carries the with the obvious. Intoxicated by its ability to transport us to the name of Cyrus Vance. He was a man who resigned high office, as far reaches of the world, instantly, television too frequently offers you all know, rather than compromise his principles. We desper- breathless technology, when the greater need is for calm, insight- ately need such men and women today, in your profession . and ful reporting. Since all journalism must accommodate itself to a in mine. Kathy Calvin, on behalf of Ted Turner Ted is disappointed not to be here tonight (and I’m sure some serious engagement. of you are thinking “Captain Outrageous”). Ted couldn’t fly up Ted has always believed in tackling really big challenges, so he here tonight; the wind warnings were really quite serious. He is so has put all of his efforts into three big issues: nuclear proliferation, disappointed not to be here. As you know, he is the founder and climate change, and population. And he believes that the United chairman of the U.N. Foundation, and as the foundation’s CEO, Nations is the best vehicle for addressing these “problems I’m honored to be here accepting this award on his behalf. without passports.” He thinks the U.N. is the most indispensable Ted is probably one of the strongest believers in diplomacy. He instrument in the U.S. diplomatic toolkit. He believed that when has always said, “Talking is better than fighting, and peace is better he first heard about the U.N., and he believed it when he was than war.” So when he created Ted Turner Broadcasting, what he inspired to give a billion dollars to create the U.N. Foundation to was trying to do was support the efforts of diplomats by improving support the U.N.’s causes. He believed it then, and he believes it global access to news and information through CNN. He believed even more firmly today. that for diplomacy to pay off, you needed public support. He felt If you’ve read Ted’s book Just Call Me Ted, you’ll know he likes to that the more people knew about the possibility of negotiating, the say, “Philanthropy [which is his new career] is the best thing I ever more support there would be for negotiated solutions; and I think did. As seen in the current recession, you never know how long he was right. You all prove that. you will have the wealth, so give it away while you can. Think big, He’s also been a longtime supporter of connecting people think small, but think. And then take that first step, it’s a wonderful through sports.