Stephen Bosworth: Outstanding diplomat and true friend

Upon learning of Ambassador Bosworth’s death, Secretary of State John Kerry said “I’ve known Ambassador Bosworth since the mid-1980s, when I was a young senator and he was a young diplomat. We were trying to help restore democracy in the Philippines, and Stephen wound up playing a key role in that historic transition. Steve’s unique brand of diplomacy blended the gravitas of a statesman and the timing of a comedian. He was an unfailingly genuine and nice person, a straight-forward man who was quick with a kind comment or a self-deprecating joke.” 

For us in the Philippines, we regarded him as one of the heroes of the EDSA Revolution. I will not elaborate on his role because many will write about it. A very detailed account of his involvement in this important chapter of our history can be found in an interview he did as part of an oral history of US foreign policy. Clearly, many of us regard him as the true friend of the Philippines because of his sustained support even after his tenure as ambassador to the Philippines. As the IBM Philippines chief executive and board member of AMCHAM, I participated in regular dialogues with him during the difficult Marcos years (post-Ninoy Aquino assassination). When I was Secretary of Foreign Affairs, I often sought his advice on how to push the envelope of the Philippine cause. In his typical candor, his response was at times painfully objective, but always substantive and sincere.

If President Corazon Aquino were alive, she would have attended the memorial service planned for him at the end of February. No doubt many Filipinos will be in attendance.

Beyond the Philippines, he was an influential participant in Asian affairs, whether it was as a special envoy to North Korea or ambassador to South Korea, or as a distinguished thought leader in prestigious think tanks. The depth of his perception of the evolving nature of history is illustrated by his uncanny knack for predicting outcomes of decisions taken now well into the future. Last year, he expressed his concern the policy of accommodating North Korea being pursued by South Korea then would not yield positive results. Just this week, North Korea confirmed they had successfully tested their first hydrogen bomb, substantiating his concern.  In 2007, he and Mort Abramowitz authored a book which predicted that America’s benign detachment from Southeast Asia, following decades of peace in the region, would lead it to a situation where it will have to scramble to take free the power vacuum that other rising powers – China in particular – would be eager to fill, and not necessarily in America’s interest. Unfortunately, their advice was not taken seriously by the Bush or Obama administration until belatedly.  

My wife Olivia joins me in expressing our deepest sympathy to his wife Christine and family.