Barack Obama appointed him U.S. ambassador to Iraq. The U.S. has made progress in Iraq after a shaky start, he said. "When you invade a country, you shouldn't do it only because you want to get rid of a dictator. We didn't ask all the right questions. If we had asked why (Saddam Hussein) was there, we might have understood the need for a stronger role after the invasion." His diplomatic efforts left him with the conviction that brandishing a big stick is less important than speaking softly and with clarity, he said. He is critical of the Bush administration's refusal to negotiate with North Korea during its first four years in office. "You should never fear to negotiate. You can't just talk to guys you like," he said. But Bush "corrected for that error" in his second administration, authorizing Hill to meet directly with his North Korean counterpart and taking other actions to coax Pyongyang toward disarmament. The subsequent negotiations won him few friends among administration hard-liners, led by then-Vice President Dick Cheney. "I certainly had direct discussions where he did convey his lack of enthusiasm." Cameroon RPCV Christopher R. Hill is presently US Ambassador to Iraq and formerly served as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and U.S. ambassador to South Korea.
Former ambassador to Iraq takes up peaceful post
Former ambassador to Iraq takes up peaceful post at DU
By Tom McGhee
The Denver Post
Posted: 10/21/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT
A circular piece of steel, part of the gyroscope that guided a rocket into Christopher Hill's front yard in Baghdad, sits on the desk in his University of Denver office.
On the wall, a collection of photos includes a hair-raising reminder of the day Macedonian protesters battered the door of the U.S. Embassy in Skopje with the embassy flagpole.
He offers a wry take on that day in 1999, when his daughter accompanied him to the embassy: "It was an ill-fated 'Take Your Daughter to Work Day.' "
The 58-year-old career diplomat retired in August and is now dean of DU's Josef Korbel School of International Studies.
Denver's temperate climate and lack of gunplay is a pleasant change from conditions in Baghdad, where temperatures soared above 100 degrees and he required a military escort. "I've had enough of that stuff."
He had planned to join academia after leaving his government job and had been offered a position as a fellow at a school in the East, he said. When he heard that Korbel was looking for a dean, he applied.
"We had lots of interest in this position, both among academics and practitioners," said DU Chancellor Robert Coombe. "But Chris, who has this incredible record as one of the top diplomats, is the type of professional that we are trying to graduate from the Korbel School."
Hill's father was a diplomat. After graduating from Bowdoin College in Maine with a degree in economics, he joined the Peace Corps and worked with credit unions in Camaroon.
In 33 years with the government, he has worked in Republican and Democratic administrations. Under Bill Clinton, he was ambassador to Macedonia and special envoy to Kosovo. He took part in the Bosnian peace talks.
In 2000, he became ambassador to Poland.
In 2004, George W. Bush appointed him ambassador to South Korea and later assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
Barack Obama appointed him U.S. ambassador to Iraq.
The U.S. has made progress in Iraq after a shaky start, he said.
"When you invade a country, you shouldn't do it only because you want to get rid of a dictator. We didn't ask all the right questions. If we had asked why (Saddam Hussein) was there, we might have understood the need for a stronger role after the invasion."
His diplomatic efforts left him with the conviction that brandishing a big stick is less important than speaking softly and with clarity, he said.
He is critical of the Bush administration's refusal to negotiate with North Korea during its first four years in office.
"You should never fear to negotiate. You can't just talk to guys you like," he said.
But Bush "corrected for that error" in his second administration, authorizing Hill to meet directly with his North Korean counterpart and taking other actions to coax Pyongyang toward disarmament.
The subsequent negotiations won him few friends among administration hard-liners, led by then-Vice President Dick Cheney. "I certainly had direct discussions where he did convey his lack of enthusiasm."
The polarization that marks the nation's politics hinders diplomatic efforts, causing officials in foreign countries to play American officials against one another, Hill said.
"Whether we like it or not, people care about what we do and say," Hill said. "It would be helpful if Americans could try to leave some politics at the water's edge."
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
