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By Glen Sparks
From the dust-clogged battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, to the hate-filled, tangled networks of international terrorism, America’s interests are seemingly threatened from every direction. Perhaps more than ever, the U.S. Foreign Service must stay close to those who claim to be our allies—and even closer to those who don’t.
From St. Louis comes three men who have played, and are playing, no small role in the fight to keep America secure: Herbert “Bert” Walker III, Stephen Brauer and John Danforth—three individuals who, at the request of the President of the United States, put their personal lives on hold to take on the demanding, and sometimes thankless, task of representing the United States overseas.
Walker, who currently serves as U.S. ambassador to Hungary, is a critical link between America and the budding economies of Eastern Europe. His decades of financial experience make him an invaluable resource for Hungary’s reconnection to the Western world.
 Secretary of State Colin Powell with U.S. Ambassador to Hungary Bert Walker. |
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Brauer, recently returning from his successful 27-month assignment as the U.S. ambassador to Belgium, was invaluable in stating America’s case to an often hostile European press. In the chaotic months after 9/11, with the United States lobbying for European support, Brauer’s post took on a heightened importance.
As for Jack Danforth, his recent confirmation as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is one more feather in an already eminently-distinguished career.
Walker and Brauer have different stories to tell, while Danforth’s experience as an ambassador has just begun. But each man has contributed in unique and powerful ways to the efforts overseas...while never forgetting their roots in the St. Louis region.
Goulash Diplomacy, Midwestern Style
Admirers call Budapest the “Pearl of the Danube” for good reason. Bridges span the city from one end of the river to another. To the right lies hilly Budda. On the left is the flat, but busy, Pest sector. Castles rise, offering a panoramic view of the Hungarian capital. Theatre, cafes and opera houses sparkle at night.
“Budapest is without a doubt one of the most beautiful cities in the world,” says George Herbert “Bert” Walker III, the U.S. ambassador to Hungary. “It is absolutely spectacular.”
Walker, the former president of St. Louis’s Stifel Nicolaus Financial Corp., and now chairman emeritus of that firm, spoke recently about his role as ambassador. His cousin, President George W. Bush, appointed him to the prestigious post in early 2003.
In years past, Walker had spoken to another cousin, former President George Herbert Walker Bush, about joining the diplomatic corps. “I think it’s a time in our history when it’s increasingly important to make sure our relations with other countries are strong,” Walker says, speaking from his vacation home in Kennebunkport, Maine. “That’s why I wanted to serve. I didn’t want to go to the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) or the Treasury Department.”
Not that Walker couldn’t handle either of those assignments. Indeed, he brings considerable business savvy to his diplomatic role. The son of Mary and George Herbert “Herbie” Walker II, Bert Walker graduated from Yale University and Harvard Law School. He built Stifel Nicolaus from a small, private firm into a large regional firm that is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Walker was president and CEO from 1978 to 1992, and chairman from 1982 to 2001.
“I decided that at 73, I still have something left to offer,” he says. “I didn’t want to retire. It’s like (former Senator and U.S. Ambassador to Japan) Howard Baker said, not too many people at this age get to still go out and do something this important and this worthwhile.”
The St. Louis native oversees an embassy in Budapest that numbers 420 workers. Diplomats promote U.S. interests abroad, interact with local officials, become familiar with their host country and help U.S. citizens with visa or passport problems. Ambassadors work under the charge of the U.S. State Department and serve at the pleasure of the President, who can recall them at any time. Thus, ambassadors are a mix of political appointees and career diplomats.
Before going to Hungary, Walker and his wife, Carol, spent time in Washington completing a crash course he calls “Ambassadorship 101.” There, future diplomats learn about the history and customs of their assigned countries. For example, Hungarians relish their wine and food (chefs liberally use sour cream, and dessert after a big dinner is mandatory), giving Budapest the reputation of being a “20-pound post.”
Tom Lantos, a Hungarian native and Democratic congressman from California, gave Walker some advice. Don’t bother to learn the language, he said, because the typical diplomat serves for only three years—not long enough to master Hungarian.
The U.S. ambassador’s residence is in a rural part of Buda, about a 30-minute drive from the embassy in Pest. (Budapest did not become a unified metropolis until 1873,
the date that Hungarian leaders completed the unification of the tri-cities Buda, Pest
and Obuda.)
“(It’s) not posh, but very comfortable,” Walker says. “The Austrian ambassador has a much splashier residence.”
Relations between the United States and Hungary are strong, Walker says. Once a part of the Warsaw Pact, Hungary is now a member of NATO. Hungary also is a biotech center, much like St. Louis, and a major product distribution center for much of Europe. General Electric is one of the many large U.S. companies that are expanding in Hungary.
“This is a country that has great potential and that really has a strong economy,” Walker says. “It is in a tremendous position to take off.”
America bashing is not as popular a pastime as it is in Belgium, France or Germany, Walker reports. One reason might be history. Hungarians suffered under both the Nazis in World War II and, in its aftermath, the Soviet Union. Red Army tanks bolted into Budapest in 1956 to crush a revolution. In 1968, government leaders introduced a series of market reforms under “goulash communism.” But real economic reform did not begin until the Soviet Union broke up in 1991.
“The stories that you hear about life under the Nazis and the Soviets are just heart-breaking,” Walker says. “I think people in Hungary are more understanding of the war in Iraq because they know what life is like under a brutal dictatorship. The people are still excited to be independent and free.”
About 10 million people live in Hungary, a country about the size of Indiana. The national holiday is Aug. 20, St. Stephen’s Day, and the climate is similar to St. Louis. One of the country’s most popular resort areas is 50-mile long Lake Balaton, or the “Hungarian Sea.”
Budapest boasts the largest parliament in Europe, the largest functioning synagogue and the first underground railway on the continent. Tourists can visit 237 monuments, 223 museums and galleries, 90 cinemas and 35 theatres. Hungarians flock to the Budapest Summer Opera and Ballet Festival every August; in the winter, they enjoy the nearly 100 thermal springs and medicinal baths inside the city limits.
The Walkers plan to see more of Hungary during their stay, of course. They may go by Koszeg, where 800 citizens battled 60,000 Turks intent on conquering nearby Vienna. Or they may go to a 13th-century synagogue in Sopron. In Szigliget, an 800-year-old castle sits atop a 720-foot hill, not far from another castle that workers completed in the 1400s.
“It really is amazing to see so many buildings that are so old,” Walker says. “In the United States, if a building is 100 years old, that’s a big deal. In parts of Europe, that’s nothing. We want to see a lot more. We enjoy going out and talking to the people.”
Walker uses one word—“terrible”—to describe his Hungarian. No matter, though. Enough people speak English and, if not, translators are easy to find. Sometimes, the citizens of a particular community learn that Walker is a cousin of the current president and the cousin of a former president.
“Usually, though, the respect that I get comes from being the United States ambassador, not from being a relative of the President,” he says.
After his diplomatic stint ends, the Walkers plan to return to St. Louis and their home in the Central West End. Besides being active in Republican politics, Walker is a board member of the Missouri Historical Society, the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and Webster University. He serves on the Siteman Cancer Center Advisory Board and is the former chairman of Downtown St. Louis, Inc.
In 1993, former Mayor Freeman Bosley Jr. appointed Walker to chair a committee on city finances. Later, Walker founded the Citizens for Home Rule, which hopes to reform
St. Louis city government. A testament to Walker’s collaborative style, several former
St. Louis mayors—all Democrats—also work on the effort and support its mission.
“It was frankly non-partisan,” Walker says. “It was a natural issue for everyone to stand together on.”
Diplomacy seems to come easy to Walker. He likes to set goals and avoid the bickering and infighting that prevents problem solving. Not surprisingly, he has tremendous respect for the embassy staff and for the entire U.S. Foreign Service.
“It’s not a career that people get into to get rich,” Walker says. “It’s a career people get into because of a great sense of service.”
REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY
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Hungary was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed during World War I, and the country fell under Communist rule following World War II. In 1956, a revolt and announced withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact were met with a massive military intervention by Moscow. Under the leadership of Janos Kadar in 1968, Hungary began liberalizing its economy, introducing so-called “goulash Communism.” Hungary held its first multiparty elections in 1990 and initiated a free market economy. It joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in early 2004.
GOVERNMENT TYPE: parliamentary democracy
CHIEF OF STATE: Ferenc Madl
HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy
CAPITAL: Budapest
POPULATION: 10,032,375 (July 2004 est.)
LANGUAGES: Hungarian 98.2 percent, other 1.8 percent
RELIGIONS: Roman Catholic 67.5 percent, Calvinist 20 percent, Lutheran 5 percent, atheist and other 7.5 percent
ETHNIC GROUPS: Hungarian 89.9 percent, Roma 4 percent, German 2.6 percent, Serb 2 percent, Slovak 0.8 percent, Romanian 0.7 percent
CLIMATE: temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers
TERRAIN: Mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on the Slovakian border
Currency: Forint
EXCHANGE RATES: Forints per U.S. dollar—224 (2003), 258 (2002), 286 (2001), 282 (2000), 237 (1999)
EXPORT PARTNERS: Germany 35.5 percent, Austria 7.1 percent, Italy 5.8 percent, France 5.7 percent, UK 4.7 percent, Sweden 4.3 percent, Netherlands 4.2 percent (2002)
IMPORT PARTNERS: Germany 24.2 percent, Italy 7.5 percent, Austria 6.9 percent, Russia 6.1 percent, China 5.6 percent, France 4.8 percent, Japan 4.2 percent (2002)
source: The World Factbook 2004 (U.S. CIA)
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"Voice of America”— stating our case to Western Europe
“It sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?”
Stephen Brauer remembers President George W. Bush saying that to him only a few days after the inauguration, in response to Brauer calling him “Mr. President.”
“I had previously called him ‘George,’” says Brauer, a long-time leader in the Republican Party.
The president nominated Brauer as U.S. ambassador to Belgium in early 2001. He and his wife, Camilla, left for the small, but prosperous European nation a few months later, after attending the ambassador training program in Washington, and getting the requisite confirmation from the U.S. Senate.
| U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Stephen Brauer presents credentials to King Albert II. |
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The Belgium post, like most in Western Europe, is normally filled by a political appointee, versus a career diplomat. The list of former U.S. ambassadors to Belgium includes John D. Eisenhower, son of former president Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Douglas MacArthur II, nephew of the famous general.
Now, back in St. Louis from his 27-month tour, Brauer is once again running Hunter Engineering Co., located adjacent to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. Sitting in the main conference room at Hunter, Brauer recounted his tour in Belgium. Behind him, photographs of Brauer and late President Ronald Reagan hang on the wall, as do pictures of his step-father, Lee Hunter, with Dwight Eisenhower. Clearly, this is a man who has an affinity for politics.
“Why wouldn’t I find it interesting?” he wonders. “It plays such a large part in everyone’s life, and is so crucial to the future of our country.”
He had run Hunter—founded in 1946 by Lee Hunter—since 1981. His step-father invented the first rapid battery charger and on-the-car wheel balancer. In the early 1980s, the company developed digital electronics, microprocessors and display units to improve automotive technology. Hunter engineers also built the first four-wheel alignment system.
Today, Hunter has about 1,200 workers worldwide, and 400 in the St. Louis area. The company has major accounts with all U.S. and most foreign car builders, including Ford, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler and VW/Audi.
Before joining Hunter, Brauer did a tour in Vietnam, building a 50-kilometer (31-mile) stretch of highway along the Mekong Delta. The young lieutenant supervised 40 men and several million dollars in construction equipment.
“It was an absolutely invaluable experience for someone in his mid-20s,” says Brauer, a graduate of St. Louis Country Day School and Westminster College in Fulton, Mo.
Brauer began working at Hunter in 1971, focusing on sales. The company grew 500 percent in the 1980s. Confident that Hunter could run smoothly while he was thousands of miles away, Brauer accepted the diplomatic appointment from President Bush and put together a management team to make decisions in his place. “They did an outstanding job in my absence,” Brauer says. “I didn’t have any involvement with the company during my time in Belgium. Actually, it’s a bit deflating discovering the company can do just fine without you.”
A few months into Brauer’s diplomatic tour, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 changed the world. Soon, the United States was fighting in Afghanistan and, later, Iraq. Brauer presented the U.S. case to an often hostile media in Brussels, the Belgium capital.
“There was plenty of America bashing, coming from crowds in the streets and from the newspapers and radio,” Brauer remembers. “I couldn’t believe how one-sided the media coverage was, but you do your best to explain America’s position as a force for liberty and the rule of law in the world.”
Belgium is about the size of Maryland, but it has twice the population. The Dutch-speaking Flemings live in the flat, northern part of Belgium and the French-speaking Walloons reside in the hillier, more rugged, south. Antwerp, with its access to the North Sea, is one of the world’s busiest and most prosperous ports. Brussels, a city of jazz festivals and cafes—not to mention the headquarters of the European Union and NATO—has a very cosmopolitan feel.
In the south of Belgium is the Ardennes Forest. For a few cold months in the winter of 1944-45, U.S. and German troops bled there during the Battle of the Bulge. As ambassador, Brauer presided at all of the annual ceremonies that honor the 14,000 American soldiers buried in U.S. military cemeteries there.
“As an ambassador, you represent America at these events,” he says.
| President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush visit U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Stephen Brauer and his wife, Camilla Brauer. |
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The U.S. embassy is a six-story building near the heart of Brussels. Next door is the ambassador’s residence, built in 1780. Like most ambassadors, a large part of the Brauers’ duties involved interacting with Belgian civic, business and government leaders. “Camilla played an equal part in most aspects of the job,” Brauer says. “We traveled and worked together to get the American story across.”
Other times, the Brauers simply observed the culture. Of particular interest were the Belgian elections. The country boasts a mix of Green Party candidates, Socialists, Christian Democrats, Liberals and Catholic Labor Unionists.
“It was fascinating to watch,” Brauer says. “There’s so much wheeling and dealing, or else the coalitions just collapse. From the standpoint of being an American, it’s great theater.”
Now that he is back in St. Louis, Brauer is back to business—literally—and following his beloved baseball Cardinals, of which he is part owner. “I became a fan during the days of Enos Slaughter,” he says. “I did follow the team on the Internet, and have enjoyed
seeing them again at Busch Stadium—particularly in a winning season.”
KINGDOM OF BELGIUM
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Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830 and was occupied by Germany during World War I and II. It has prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the European Union. Tensions between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy.
GOVERNMENT TYPE: Federal parliamentary democracy
CHIEF OF STATE: King Albert II; Heir Apparent Prince Philippe
HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt
CAPITAL: Brussels
POPULATION: 10,348,276 (July 2004 est.)
LANGUAGES: Dutch 60 percent, French 40 percent, German less than 1 percent
RELIGIONS: Roman Catholic 75 percent, Protestant or other 25 percent
ETHNIC GROUPS: Fleming 58 percent, Walloon 31 percent, mixed or other 11 percent
CLIMATE: Temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy
TERRAIN: Flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
CURRENCY: Euro
EXCHANGE RATES: Euros per U.S. dollar - 0.89 (2003), 1.06 (2002), 1.12 (2001), 1.09 (2000), 0.94 (1999)
EXPORT PARTNERS: Germany 18.6 percent, France 16.3 percent, Netherlands 11.6 percent, UK 9.6 percent, United States 7.9 percent, Italy 5.4 percent (2002)
IMPORT PARTNERS: Germany 17.2 percent, Netherlands 15.6 percent, France 12.8 percent, UK 7.3 percent, Ireland 7 percent, United States 6.4 percent, Italy 4 percent (2002) |
Making a Difference...Again
The latest—but certainly not the last—stop for John C. Danforth in a long career of public service is the United Nations. Danforth, a former U.S. Senator from Missouri, is now working in New York as the U.S. ambassador to that world body.
He will present the U.S. perspective on international issues to nations that may be hostile to the foreign policy of the United States. Colleagues and political experts say that Danforth brings unique experience and integrity to the job. Thomas Eagleton, a longtime friend and former Democratic senator from Missouri, says “Jack Danforth is one of the finest public servants I have ever known. (He) will do a great job.”
| Two beloved Senate Colleagues: Thomas Eagleton and John Danforth. |
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President Bush nominated Danforth in early June to replace John Negroponte, who is now the top U.S. envoy to Iraq. The Senate voted unanimously to confirm Danforth by voice vote later in the month. Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond, a Republican, told his fellow senators, “This is a man of great integrity, as well as dedication, compassion, even a dry sense of humor when appropriate.” Sen. Joseph Biden, a Democrat from Delaware, called Danforth the “ultimate professional diplomat. He knows how people think and feel and move.”
Sen. Jim Talent (R) said, “(Danforth) knows the importance of bipartisanship. He is, in short, a considerate man with character and diligence whose abilities qualify him to represent our nation.”
Outside the Senate, political experts also raved. Tim Lomperis, a political science professor at Saint Louis University (SLU), said, “Danforth should be one of the better (ambassadors) we’ve had. I think he may go down as one of the best appointments that Bush has made.”
Besides serving with distinction in the Senate from 1976 to 1995, Danforth has held several other key positions. Former President Bill Clinton appointed him to lead an independent inquiry into the 1993 deaths of 80 Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas. Three years ago, Bush chose Danforth to mediate the long and bloody civil war in Sudan. Jean-Robert Leguey-Feilleux, also a political science professor at SLU, says, “If anyone deserves credit for putting that war to an end, it is John Danforth.”
Considered a moderate Republican in the Senate, Danforth appealed both to conservatives and many Democrats. Those diplomatic talents should hold him in good standing at the United Nations. Both Leguey-Feilleux and Lomperis predict that Danforth will spend most of his time trying to improve the situation in the Middle East—especially Iraq.
“Danforth carries some of the cachet of a Colin Powell, and I think that he will be a prominent member of the Middle East peace team,” Lomperis says. “Probably 90 percent of his time will be spent on the Middle East.”
Leguey-Feilleux believes Danforth will use his personal integrity in an attempt to build coalitions with other world leaders. But the French native warns, “Nobody should expect anything out of the Middle East. It’s always unpredictable.”
Eagleton says Danforth’s relative lack of diplomatic experience should not be a
problem. He points out that former Senator Warren Austin served as the first U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and that President Jimmy Carter appointed former Congressman Andrew Young to be U.N. ambassador during his administration.
Still, Danforth needs to be a quick study, Leguey-Feilleux says—and he needs to win over some of the countries that are openly skeptical of the Bush administration: “There is a feeling among some countries that the United States is not playing ball. Danforth is capable, though, of doing a good job. He is not ideological, which is good. It all depends on what orders he is asked to carry out.”
Lomperis suspects the role of U.N. ambassador might not be the last one that Danforth holds in the political arena. Some reports indicate Danforth might be nominated for secretary of state if Bush wins re-election and Powell steps down.
“It’s unusual for one person to serve two terms as secretary of state,” Lomperis says. “I think Danforth would be a logical choice.”
UN FACTS
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FOUNDED: Oct. 24, 1945, by 51 countries. “United Nations” was coined by Franklin D. Roosevelt
HEADQUARTERS: New York
MEMBERSHIP: 191 countries
SECURITY COUNCIL: 15 members, including permanent members, Republic of China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States. All others elected to two-year terms by the General Assembly. Nine votes are required to approve a motion. Any permanent member may veto a motion
SECRETARY-GENERAL: Kofi Annan (Ghana). Seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, he began his first five-year term on Jan. 1, 1997. His second term ends Dec. 31, 2006. There is no term limit on Secretary-Generals, but none has served more than two terms
GENERAL ASSEMBLY: Main deliberative organ of the United Nations. All 191 nations have one equal vote
FUNDING: Contributions of the member states, which are assessed primarily on the basis of their share of the global economy
The U.S. pays 22 percent of the UN's regular budget and about 27 percent of the peacekeeping budgets. It also pays about 25 percent of the costs of the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and Former Yugoslavia (updated December 2003)
sources: United Nations and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations |
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