rom the Chinese spy balloon causing a rift in U.S.-China relations to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visits to several European capitals, diplomatic news has made some of the biggest headlines these past few weeks. In Turkey and Syria, where the countries’ governments are dealing with the aftermath of an earthquake and aftershocks, international politics have had an impact on humanitarian aid delivery. Much of diplomacy takes place behind closed doors. Even when it makes headlines, the public is left in the dark about the day-to-day work that goes behind easing tensions between and within countries in crisis. Former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HRVP) Catherine Ashton gives us a rare look into this mysterious world with her newly published book, “And Then What?” Recounting vignettes from her EU career, Ashton offers a rare glance into the process, not just the final product, of diplomacy.
Making Things Up Along the Way
As her title rightfully reveals, being a diplomat—especially the very first to represent the European Union—is about thinking on your feet. Ashton speaks candidly about this—over and over she admits to the immense uncertainty of her work. In her five years as HRVP, Ashton lived out of a suitcase. Her travel schedule was regularly cleared on the fly so that she could attend to the ever-evolving geopolitical context. The EU response to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti differed from its response to the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan’s coast two years later. Ashton’s book emphasizes how in diplomacy there are no easy, reproducible solutions. Each case brings new history, political and economic situations, and human relationships to navigate. Ashton’s success as HRVP was largely due to her ability to accept that she didn’t know the right path. Through navigating the varying personalities of political figures and other diplomats and drawing from the wealth of experience of other foreign service members, she both led and helped to invent the EU response to everything from Somali pirates to nuclear proliferation in Iran.
Creating New Normals
While discussing the talks she led between Kosovo and Serbia in 2014, Ashton highlights how she created a “new normal.” After years of grave conflict in the region, she managed to keep prime ministers Hashim Thaçi and Ivica Dačić of Kosovo and Serbia, respectively, in the same room for long stretches of time, several times over. Each played pivotal roles in their respective countries’ fight against the other. And yet, Ashton noticed one evening “how commonplace being together had become. When I think about what it took for both men to reach this point, it never ceases to amaze me how quickly life can feel normal,” she writes. Ashton’s book never suggests that her work was perfect, but she shows time and again that international politics is just as interpersonal as it is strategic. During her tenure as HRVP, she followed her instincts and used the very human emotions she and her colleagues felt to her advantage.
In a sense, Ashton was, herself, creating a new normal while serving as the first HRVP between 2009 and 2014. She concludes her book “with a reflection on being the first.”
“The main challenge that the first takes on is to make sure there is a second: the responsibility of ensuring that your appointment is not seen as an aberration, a case of having slipped through the net as a ‘one off’, not to be repeated easily, if ever.”
Ashton was the first person, not to mention the first woman, to serve as the head diplomat for the EU. It is thanks to her dedication to making the HRVP an enduring role that the EU’s involvement in international affairs, development, and aid now seems normal.
Diary Meets History Book
Much of Ahston’s book reads like a diary, capturing both the mundanity and the excitement of being a diplomat. The reader feels as though they are in the room with Ashton, which in principle achieves her goal to reveal the obscure work of diplomats; however, it is easy to get lost in the weeds. She introduces numerous actors, giving the impression that they are critical to the story, only to never mention them again. Though they may have been pivotal in the real unfolding of events, this unabridged writing style makes it hard to follow the overarching developments.
Each chapter provides ample historical context. This serves as an engaging refresher on contemporary political history, especially in the latter half of the book. In her early chapters, the historical overview can come across as euphemistic or toeing the line of white saviorism. In her chapter on natural disasters, Ashton dedicates several paragraphs to imagery of the political and economic challenges in Haiti that made the EU’s response in the country differ from its response in post-tsunami Japan. This certainly paints a picture of the immense suffering that struck the country, but the reader finds themself in a position of passive observation and sympathy. Ashton admits that she was not trained to meet Haiti’s needs one month after the earthquake, describing how she instead played a purely political role. You get the sense that she parachuted into the country to shake hands, hug babies, and leave.
This chapter was missing a link: there was a description of the structural challenges in the country but barely any mention of why. Ashton referenced France’s “connections with Haiti” but never colonialism and the 150 million francs (20-30 billion USD today) Haiti had to pay to former slaveholders after the Haitian Revolution. It is negligent to ignore the impact this debt had on the country’s economic and political development.
In later chapters, Ashton’s historical narrative improves and her utility in the situation becomes evident. She plays a much more active and collaborative role, drawing from her own expertise and that of local civil servants.
Ashton’s work is an impressive attempt at giving readers a sneak peek into the covert and complicated work of diplomats. But it is not just applicable to foreign policy buffs. Its lessons on being first, managing uncertainty, and the power of interpersonal interactions are salient to a broad audience.
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A Behind the Scenes Look at How Diplomacy Happens
Photo by Chris Nguyen on Unsplash
March 7, 2023
Diplomacy holds a specific place in the popular imagination, full of intrigue and excitement. This image is bolstered by how much of diplomacy takes place behind closed doors. Catherine Ashton gives us a peek behind the curtain in her latest book, "And Then What?", writes Millie Brigaud.
F
rom the Chinese spy balloon causing a rift in U.S.-China relations to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visits to several European capitals, diplomatic news has made some of the biggest headlines these past few weeks. In Turkey and Syria, where the countries’ governments are dealing with the aftermath of an earthquake and aftershocks, international politics have had an impact on humanitarian aid delivery. Much of diplomacy takes place behind closed doors. Even when it makes headlines, the public is left in the dark about the day-to-day work that goes behind easing tensions between and within countries in crisis. Former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HRVP) Catherine Ashton gives us a rare look into this mysterious world with her newly published book, “And Then What?” Recounting vignettes from her EU career, Ashton offers a rare glance into the process, not just the final product, of diplomacy.
Making Things Up Along the Way
As her title rightfully reveals, being a diplomat—especially the very first to represent the European Union—is about thinking on your feet. Ashton speaks candidly about this—over and over she admits to the immense uncertainty of her work. In her five years as HRVP, Ashton lived out of a suitcase. Her travel schedule was regularly cleared on the fly so that she could attend to the ever-evolving geopolitical context. The EU response to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti differed from its response to the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan’s coast two years later. Ashton’s book emphasizes how in diplomacy there are no easy, reproducible solutions. Each case brings new history, political and economic situations, and human relationships to navigate. Ashton’s success as HRVP was largely due to her ability to accept that she didn’t know the right path. Through navigating the varying personalities of political figures and other diplomats and drawing from the wealth of experience of other foreign service members, she both led and helped to invent the EU response to everything from Somali pirates to nuclear proliferation in Iran.
Creating New Normals
While discussing the talks she led between Kosovo and Serbia in 2014, Ashton highlights how she created a “new normal.” After years of grave conflict in the region, she managed to keep prime ministers Hashim Thaçi and Ivica Dačić of Kosovo and Serbia, respectively, in the same room for long stretches of time, several times over. Each played pivotal roles in their respective countries’ fight against the other. And yet, Ashton noticed one evening “how commonplace being together had become. When I think about what it took for both men to reach this point, it never ceases to amaze me how quickly life can feel normal,” she writes. Ashton’s book never suggests that her work was perfect, but she shows time and again that international politics is just as interpersonal as it is strategic. During her tenure as HRVP, she followed her instincts and used the very human emotions she and her colleagues felt to her advantage.
In a sense, Ashton was, herself, creating a new normal while serving as the first HRVP between 2009 and 2014. She concludes her book “with a reflection on being the first.”
“The main challenge that the first takes on is to make sure there is a second: the responsibility of ensuring that your appointment is not seen as an aberration, a case of having slipped through the net as a ‘one off’, not to be repeated easily, if ever.”
Ashton was the first person, not to mention the first woman, to serve as the head diplomat for the EU. It is thanks to her dedication to making the HRVP an enduring role that the EU’s involvement in international affairs, development, and aid now seems normal.
Diary Meets History Book
Much of Ahston’s book reads like a diary, capturing both the mundanity and the excitement of being a diplomat. The reader feels as though they are in the room with Ashton, which in principle achieves her goal to reveal the obscure work of diplomats; however, it is easy to get lost in the weeds. She introduces numerous actors, giving the impression that they are critical to the story, only to never mention them again. Though they may have been pivotal in the real unfolding of events, this unabridged writing style makes it hard to follow the overarching developments.
Each chapter provides ample historical context. This serves as an engaging refresher on contemporary political history, especially in the latter half of the book. In her early chapters, the historical overview can come across as euphemistic or toeing the line of white saviorism. In her chapter on natural disasters, Ashton dedicates several paragraphs to imagery of the political and economic challenges in Haiti that made the EU’s response in the country differ from its response in post-tsunami Japan. This certainly paints a picture of the immense suffering that struck the country, but the reader finds themself in a position of passive observation and sympathy. Ashton admits that she was not trained to meet Haiti’s needs one month after the earthquake, describing how she instead played a purely political role. You get the sense that she parachuted into the country to shake hands, hug babies, and leave.
This chapter was missing a link: there was a description of the structural challenges in the country but barely any mention of why. Ashton referenced France’s “connections with Haiti” but never colonialism and the 150 million francs (20-30 billion USD today) Haiti had to pay to former slaveholders after the Haitian Revolution. It is negligent to ignore the impact this debt had on the country’s economic and political development.
In later chapters, Ashton’s historical narrative improves and her utility in the situation becomes evident. She plays a much more active and collaborative role, drawing from her own expertise and that of local civil servants.
Ashton’s work is an impressive attempt at giving readers a sneak peek into the covert and complicated work of diplomats. But it is not just applicable to foreign policy buffs. Its lessons on being first, managing uncertainty, and the power of interpersonal interactions are salient to a broad audience.
