Nine years ago, when Richard Holbrooke came to Denver to speak for UCD, one of our reporters attended what was supposed to be a hurried press conference at a Denver hotel.
After making brief comments on what was then the earliest stage of the US invasion of Afghanistan this was just a few weeks after 9/11 Holbrooke proceeded to ignore his scheduler and spent nearly an hour going back and forth with the press.
The topic of the day, not surprisingly, was the Middle East. Various reporters wanted to discuss Afghanistan, others Israel and the Palestinians, others Saddam Hussein and Iraq, still others Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Holbrooke was clearly in his element, not only politely answering every question, but obviously relishing the opportunity to discuss the subjects he so exuberantly cared about diplomacy and foreign relations.
He did so with uncommon insight and erudition, with clear articulation and a broad perspective, and with something that has been little mentioned in the tributes that have appeared since he died earlier this week: compassion and an inherent instinct for the relative rights and wrongs in situations and issues.
A diplomat who served every US Democratic president since Kennedy, a one-time ambassador to Germany, and most recently President Obamas special envoy to Afghanistan, Holbrooke never achieved his ambition to become secretary of state, but he did become one of the best American diplomats of the past century. For his success in Bosnia alone, he will be remembered better than many secretaries of state.
His intelligence was only part of the reason. Our reporter in 2001 wrote that listening to him speak gave the impression that one could throw a dart at a globe and no matter where it landed Holbrooke could comment intelligently and in detail on the spot.
His knowledge was encyclopedic and easily encompassed the disciplines of political science, history, geography, economics, religion and war.
His logic was sharp and deft, allowing him to navigate diplomatic waters that had frustrated or defeated many other emissaries. Always quick on his feet, sometimes brusque and demanding, he was a formidable and effective negotiator.
His skills were remarkable, best exemplified by his understanding both of the importance of power and the value of compromise, and how to make those two dynamics work together to reach a solution to difficult international disputes.
Holbrookes work to hammer home a solution to the bloody and complicated conflict between Serbia and Bosnia in the 1990s his signature achievement is the best example of how he put those assets to good use.
That memorable work also underlined what we believe to be Holbrooks strongest asset: his determination to inject a universal sense of morality into his diplomacy. He viewed solutions to problems not only from the perspective of their practicality and effectiveness, but from their rightness.
He took issue with Israel from time to time, criticizing the particular decisions of certain leaders and the the wisdom of certain policies, but consistently voiced support for the idea of Israel the basic right of Israel to exist as a secure Jewish state.
By the same token, he always spoke out for the right of Palestinians to self-determination, but never excused them when it came to unreasonable demands or the use of terrorism.
No solution to the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians will ever be achieved, Holbrooke believed, until each side not only wants to make peace, but fully backs a solution that respects the rights and dignity of the other.
One can safely assume that similar criteria were applied to the other conflicts that crossed Holbrookes desk during his career.
That moral clarity and consistency even more than his formidable mind are what made Richard Holbrooke such an effective master of diplomacy. He will not be easily replaced.
Copyright © 2010 by the Intermountain Jewish News
