A Seat at the Table

Women, Diplomacy, and Lessons for the World

Susan Sloan

• Publisher: New Degree Press
• Year: 2020
• eBook ISBN: 9781641375795
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Diplomacy & Treaties
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Many countries face challenges of migration, terrorism, climate change, and the spread of fast-paced technology. Those who are sitting around the table will change the course of history and redefine how we solve critical problems. A Seat at the Table: Women, Diplomacy, and Lessons for the World shares the impact of gender-diversified leadership and why variedvoices lead to stronger resolutions and enhanced team dynamics.Research proves that when women are involved in peace processes, an agreement is 35% more likely to last at least 15 years. Additionally, higher levels of gender equality are associated with a lower tendency for conflict. Women ambassadors, deputy chiefs of mission, and government officials, spanning all the regions of the world, share their stories and provide insight into developing a unique leadership style. You’ll learn from women who helped combat ISIS, negotiated major treaties, set standards for cybersecurity, worked through intense conflicts, balanced family and career, and endured double standards as they rose in the ranks of leadership.

PART 1

DIPLOMACY: THE SHORT AND LONG OF IT

CHAPTER 1

BEING FIRST

“I think the truth of the matter is, people who end up as ‘first’ don’t actually set out to be first. They set out to do something they love, and it just so happens that they are the first to do it.”

—Condoleezza Rice First African American Woman U.S. Secretary of State

Though many people strive to be the best in their field, being first isn’t easy. With no predecessors, there is no precedent and little guidance. It can seem there’s nothing to reach for nor a goal post to surpass. However, this also presents the freedom for trailblazers to create their own destinies.

In reflecting back on the history of diplomacy, I asked myself: when was the first time I learned about it? My mind traveled to Egypt and the biblical story of Moses. Moses approaches the pharaoh in a diplomatic mission of sorts, asking for his people to be set free. There is no declaration of war—just the simple “ask.” As is depicted in the timeless and epic film The Ten Commandments, Moses simply says, “Let my people go.” It is a simple ask, albeit a big ask. This was a diplomatic request, but where are the women in this mission?

In retrospect, maybe the entire diplomatic mission was actually set in motion by women. The mother of Moses cast her son into the Nile, and pharaoh’s daughter rescued Moses and raised him as her own. Without the bravery and confidence of those women, who knows what might have happened?

While gender parity in the foreign service is on the rise, acknowledging how we got here will help us continue to progress. There are roadblocks to being first, but courageous women have and will bulldoze through them. As the former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Barbara Bodine says, hearing “no” all the time can free you, because you have no other option but to turn it into “yes.”

Bodine graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1970 with a concentration in Political Science and East Asian Studies. She earned her master’s degree at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where she was one of nine women in the program. Bodine’s straightforward approach means business. Her take-no-prisoners attitude comes from inner self-reliance. She entered the foreign service with assignments in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of East Asia and eventually became one of the first woman political-military officers.

Around 1974, while in her mid-twenties, Bodine received a diplomatic posting in Bangkok, Thailand. It was her second tour and she was one of nine political-military officers, but she was the only woman in the role. The group served under the third-ranking person in the Embassy—the Political-Military Counselor. Although the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok was one of the largest U.S. embassies, Bodine knew she had no status, no power, and no influence as a junior officer. This was apparent when her boss, the Counselor, told the Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission, “I’m not sure about the women in the foreign service thing, and I’m not sure about this woman political-military officer thing. There is no way in G-d’s Earth I am having a woman in my political-military section.” Fortunately, the Ambassador and the Deputy Chief of Mission were not swayed, and the Counselor was strong-armed into having a woman officer in his section, whether he liked it or not.

After arriving in Bangkok, the Counselor walked Bodine into her “office.” She slowly looked around the small windowless room and saw a coffee pot, one hot plate, and a small refrigerator. “He literally put me in the office kitchen. It lacked a certain subtlety,” she said with a tinge of humor. Bodine is memorable in this way—she speaks with a fiery precision while also being down-to-earth.

She quickly realized her boss was not going to give her anything to do. With no portfolio and no responsibilities, she read and learned about everything going on in the office. Bodine’s fellow officers would support her by bringing her to meetings. She then reported the situation to the Head of Management for the Embassy. Bodine asked if she could be transferred to another political section or another consulate in Thailand so she could grow her portfolio and pursue State Department tenure.

Within a few months of her posting, along the famous scenic Chao Phraya River, Bodine was invited to a diplomatic dinner party on a small wooden boat with the Embassy Chief of Staff, the Ambassador, and the Deputy Chief of Mission. The Ambassador asked Bodine how the posting was going. She responded blandly without mentioning her lack of duties, not wanting to rock the (literal) boat. The Chief of Staff looked at her and said, “Barbara, tell the Ambassador what’s happening.” Remaining as measured and composed as possible, Bodine explained the situation. The Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission listened politely but did not respond. Nothing further on the topic was said, and the group enjoyed the rest of the dinner along the river.

A couple weeks later, Bodine ran into the Ambassador in the hallway. He quietly asked her, “Oh, Miss Bodine, can you hold on for another couple of weeks?” She was sure she was going to be transferred. Surprisingly, the Counselor was sent back to Washington to retire. Bodine’s response was “holy tadpoles!” The new Political-Military Counselor included her in the work and made her his unofficial Chief of Staff in addition to ensuring her tenure and promotion. This change allowed Bodine to work on assignments and advance her negotiation skills. That’s when she realized it was possible—she could excel in the foreign service. Allies had supported her and wanted her to succeed.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case for all women, especially in the 1970s. Many U.S. career diplomats from that era recall the famous Palmer Case. Alison Palmer originally joined the U.S. State Department in 1955. In 1968, she filed the first equal employment opportunity complaint in the foreign service. Bodine reflects that she did not sign on to the complaint, as she felt the majority of her colleagues aimed to help her succeed. Palmer won the complaint and then took on another class-action lawsuit challenging discriminatory criteria for women in the foreign service, inspired by the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The American Foreign Service Association states, “Today’s impartial entrance criteria, evaluation and promotion policies, and assignments processes all stem in large part from ‘the Palmer Case,’ which was fought in various phases over more than 30 years.”10

In our conversation, Bodine notes that before the Palmer Case, men allies had increased opportunities for women by hiring them for non-conventional jobs and bureaus. The status quo was shifting, and there were men allies stepping forward to encourage young women officers in spite of systemic resistance.

Bodine claims the U.S. Foreign Service shifted when the State Department reversed a rule banning women diplomats from getting married, but she qualifies that it was much more than that. Technically, in the 1970s, the marriage law had evolved and allowed women to marry someone who was retired or from another profession. However, women still couldn’t marry another active duty foreign service officer. The rule didn’t bother Bodine as much as the “truly insidious restriction” that women officers couldn’t get advanced language training or get a “hardship post.”

“If you can’t learn Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, and a few of the other hard languages that are key for either allies or competitors, and you can’t go to dangerous or difficult posts, you restrict women officers to Western Europe and a few places in Latin America,” remembers Bodine. It was a road with no end. If women couldn’t learn Arabic, they weren’t going to be posted to the Middle East. If women couldn’t learn Chinese or other Asian languages, they would be excluded from diplomatic postings in Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Singapore. For Bodine, the change of the language training rule “really blew the foreign service open for women,” allowing them to work anywhere in the world.

Along with many other interviewees, Bodine identifies the awareness of gender dynamics as the central difference between men and women. She says men don’t tend to notice when other women aren’t in the room. “Guys generally are kind of clueless about the treatment of women and women’s opportunities. I mean, even if they’re not hostile or aggressively trying to block [progress], they are just clueless. They just don’t see it. They do not notice if there are no women in the room, whereas a woman would notice immediately.”

The same statement is made about minorities—noticing inequities is half the battle. To be an ally of women or marginalized voices, we must look around the table. How many women are present? Are there people of color? Are more than three religious groups represented? Gender parity and diversity will only progress when everyone notices the absence of certain groups around the table.

Bodine also shares this story with her students at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. “I think I use this story to [demonstrate] how to handle a problem. You don’t have to accept the situation, but you must handle it [wisely].” Using internal wisdom to determine when to speak up and when to stay silent is a balancing act. She mentions the value of finding allies and supporters to help make a reasonable request. To own your career, you must take responsibility. Bodine says, “You don’t have to passively accept” something that isn’t working. When she thinks back to her time in Bangkok, she realizes that she couldn’t assume everybody knew what was happening. Being responsible for oneself by setting a solution in motion is important. If you can’t solve an issue by yourself, the first step is letting other people know and finding allies who can help you solve it.

With more than thirty years in the foreign service, Bodine’s story is one of many. From 1980 to 1983, Bodine served as the deputy principal officer at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Later in 1990 to 1991, she served as the number two in Kuwait as the Deputy Chief of Mission during the Iraqi invasion and occupation. She is the recipient of the U.S. Secretary of State’s Award for Valor for her work in occupied Kuwait. Part 4 of this book will dive deeper into Bodine’s work in Kuwait and how it saved lives and protected many vulnerable people.

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Table of contents

• DEDICATION
• PROLOGUE
• PART 1. DIPLOMACY: THE SHORT AND LONG OF IT
• PART 2. POWER: VOICES AROUND A TABLE
• PART 3. STABILITY: DIVERSITY BUILDS PEACE
• PART 4. BALANCE: PERSONAL VS. PROFESSIONAL LIFE
• EPILOGUE
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• WITH GRATITUDE
• APPENDIX