A Brazilian Story
Anyone interested in why the nomination of John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the UN is such a fiasco might want to watch a new documentary,
"En Route to Baghdad," which I saw at the Tribeca Film Festival the other night. The film's about the life of Sergio Vieira de Mello, the Brazilian diplomat killed by a truck bombing in Baghdad in August 2003. Vieira de Mello was the paradigmatic public servant and diplomat; in places such as Mozambique, East Timor, and Cambodia, he devoted his life to trying to broker peace and improve living conditions for the world's worst-off. By all accounts, he had a remarkable impact. Bolstered by a Brazilian charm and good nature, Vieira de Mello worked tirelessly, often at the risk of his own safety. Most of all, he was humble about his work. Asked to explain what best characterized him, filmmaker Simone Duarte spoke of his willingness to listen. Regardless of whether you were important or not, Vieira de Mello would listen to what you had to say—and he'd remember it.
Could there be a man more different from John Bolton? Does Bolton listen to anyone? Or does he simply tell them what to think and what to say?
You only have to learn about this inspiring
Brasileiro to understand why the nomination of Bolton to the UN is so offensive. Diplomacy does matter, and in every fiber of his being, John Bolton is not a diplomat. Sergio Vieira de Mello was irreplaceable; John Bolton should quickly be replaced.
