Bates College: Citation of Richard C. Holbrooke

Citation of Richard C. Holbrooke by Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty Ann B. Scott.

Mr. President, I am honored to present Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke.

As we approach a new millennium, ours is an ever-shrinking world. Our society is no longer just local or even national; it is also global. We must each, in our own way, contribute as engaged and responsible citizens of the world. Richard Holbrooke has said: "The world's richest nation, one that presumes to great moral authority, cannot simply make worthy appeals to conscience and call on others to carry the burden." In accordance with that conviction, he has devoted much of his life to the pursuit of international peace through diplomacy and mediation.

Richard Holbrooke's long and distinguished career as a diplomat began soon after his graduation from Brown University, when he entered the Foreign Service in 1962, serving first in Vietnam.

He then went on to join President Johnson's White House staff on Vietnam issues and participated in the Paris peace talks. Following a stint in the early 1970s as a Peace Corps director in Morocco, he was appointed by President Carter as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. He later served as ambassador to Germany. As Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs with special responsibility for Balkans policy, he played a critical role in engineering the Dayton peace accords. Willing to challenge centuries-old hostilities and unwilling to accept a stalemate, he was able to bring bitter factions to an agreement, an achievement that earned him a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. Hoping to build on this successful negotiation and dealing with the same players, Holbrooke sought to negotiate, albeit unsuccessfully, an agreement in Kosovo that would avoid NATO bombing. Leading a double life as an investment banker, Holbrooke currently awaits confirmation as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

For his patience, willingness to listen and tolerance for compromise; for his timely assertiveness, ability to take risks and pursuit of goals with dogged tenacity; and for his determination to act according to conscience, I present Richard C. Holbrooke for the degree Doctor of Laws.