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  • Nappanee's David Swartz was a former U.S. ambassador in Belarus.

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September 22, 2012

Local man recalls peaceful missions in dangerous places

appanee’s David Swartz is a former U. S. ambassador who served in Belarus

By SCOTT WEISSER THE GOSHEN NEWS

DUNLAP — Ambassadors are the face of America when abroad, according to David Swartz of Nappanee.

Swartz served as United States ambassador to Belarus from 1992 to 1994, just after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and he said he saw both good and bad sides of living life abroad as an American diplomat.

“How you’re perceived abroad depends largely on what country you’re in,” Swartz said. “I spent most of my career in Communist and post-Communist countries. In the Communist world, there is strong hostility toward America and its ideals, but that hostility was official — that’s to say, from the government. The people of these countries were generally very friendly and pro-American.”

In light of the Sept. 11 death of Chris Stevens, American ambassador to Libya, concern about American officials abroad has soared in the media. Stevens was in Benghazi when he was killed in an attack on the consulate building there. Swartz said Stevens was in a more dangerous situation, almost the reverse of what he experienced in Belarus.

“Stevens was in a country that is pro-American in the government,” Swartz said, “because America helped them throw over their dictator (Muammar Qaddafi, killed Oct. 20, 2011), but has people that are anti-American.”

Those hostile feelings could lead to dangerous altercations, Swartz said, such as the events that lead up to Stevens’ death. However, ambassadors abroad face a dilemma — protecting themselves, but also being available and open.

“There’s no point in having an embassy or an ambassador in a foreign country if you can’t connect with the locals,” Swartz said. “You have to be protected, but you also can’t have the embassy be a fortress separated from the outside area. You have to weigh the balance between safety and security and accessibility and openness with the people.”

Swartz said that ambassadors do spend much time in the public. A typical day for an ambassador would include a morning spent preparing staff and looking into operations at other embassies and news from the U.S., and an afternoon spent out in the public, either in appearances or meetings with staff from the host country.

“I was surprised how often I was stopped on the street with people saying, ‘I saw you on the television last night. Send my best regards back to your country,’” Swartz said.

The biggest single danger is physical safety, he added. Swartz was “roughed up once or twice,” but said the danger he faced in Belarus, which he called “organized confrontation,” was not as dangerous as the unorganized opposition an ambassador would face in a country like Libya.

“I have worked in countries like that, not as an ambassador, but as a staff member,” he said. “It’s an uncertain environment.”

Despite working in such a hostile environment, ambassadors are peacemakers and act as such, Swartz said. They are unarmed and act with words to establish peaceful situations abroad. And there are benefits to working abroad, including the chance to experience something new.

“You’re living in all kinds of exciting environments, expanding your world view... I never once regretted (serving as an ambassador),” Swartz said. “The benefits come in serving the country. People should know that ambassadors are hardworking, committed people dedicated to serving the U.S.”

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