On political grace and diplomacy
Friday, 1. June 2007, 12:01:29
The president of Chile is in town and I happened to score an invitation to a lecture she gave last night at the Nobel Institute. President Bachelet's address described a framework for strengthening multi-lateral institutions (she is adamant that medium-sized countries like Chile and Norway have an important role to play in this arena) and touched on the themes of globalization, equality, peace and security.
I often find it difficult to have much faith in what politicians say but I found myself quite inspired by President Bachelet's comments. Among her very progressive views on equity and social justice, she had some remarkable things to say about the environment. She rejected the notion that there is a tradeoff to be made between economic growth and environmental sustainability, and advocated for immediate global action toward meeting Kyoto targets because
But the most amazing part of the evening came after President Bachelet's prepared comments when the floor was opened to questions. This was astonishing to me since my president (Bush, the lesser) barely fields questions from the media, let alone the public at large. While I scored a VIP seat in the audience, the lecture was in fact opened to the general public and there were all sorts of people present so the questions ranged all over the place, from the composition of the UN Security Council to Chile's technology policy with regard to developing an infrastructure for broadband internet access. There was really only one question that was framed in a way that it could actually be answered; the others seemed posed more for the thrill of speaking directly to a world leader. Yet President Bachelet treated each question with respect and found something meaningful — and substantive! — to say in response everyone. It was an amazing display of grace and diplomacy, and as I watched her performance I knew one thing for sure: I will never be a politician as I simply do not have the patience for engaging with the public like that.
I often find it difficult to have much faith in what politicians say but I found myself quite inspired by President Bachelet's comments. Among her very progressive views on equity and social justice, she had some remarkable things to say about the environment. She rejected the notion that there is a tradeoff to be made between economic growth and environmental sustainability, and advocated for immediate global action toward meeting Kyoto targets because
climate change is a threat to universal well-being.I am currently organizing a workshop on climate change and human security (a.k.a. human well-being) so this was music to my ears. While the consequences of climate change seem evident to most of us who follow the news, I rarely hear politicians (let alone a head of state) speak so candidly about impacts and solutions. Perhaps that is a prerogative afforded when one comes from a region (South America) that emits only 0.2% of global greenhouse gases (in contrast to, for example, the European Union which contributes about 24% of greenhouse gases globally).
But the most amazing part of the evening came after President Bachelet's prepared comments when the floor was opened to questions. This was astonishing to me since my president (Bush, the lesser) barely fields questions from the media, let alone the public at large. While I scored a VIP seat in the audience, the lecture was in fact opened to the general public and there were all sorts of people present so the questions ranged all over the place, from the composition of the UN Security Council to Chile's technology policy with regard to developing an infrastructure for broadband internet access. There was really only one question that was framed in a way that it could actually be answered; the others seemed posed more for the thrill of speaking directly to a world leader. Yet President Bachelet treated each question with respect and found something meaningful — and substantive! — to say in response everyone. It was an amazing display of grace and diplomacy, and as I watched her performance I knew one thing for sure: I will never be a politician as I simply do not have the patience for engaging with the public like that.
