Elizabeth Jones Interview: Conversations with History; Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

U.S. Foreign Policy: Continuity and Change after 9/11: Conversation with A. Elizabeth Jones, Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, October 22, 2002, by Harry Kreisler

Photo by Jane Scherr

Page 4 of 9

Foreign Policy in a Democracy

What about gathering information, listening, reporting; what about the problem of people back home in Washington not listening well, misinterpreting what they are hearing, or not acting? Talk about that set of the problems, and the frustrations that go with that.

There's always a tension between the field and headquarters. There is in every business, and there is in our business as well. But one of the things that it's important to keep in mind in working overseas (since I'm now one of those Washington people), is that it's not just the overseas perspective that is the only element of the policy mix. There's also attitudes in Congress, policies coming out of Congress, and the policies that are brought in by the particular administration who is in the White House. So all of that is very important to the development of policy. The critical job for all of us in Washington is to bring those pieces together in a way that serves the American people and produces policies that we can all be proud of.

What adjective would you apply to this kind of democratic process? Is it messy, but exciting? What is it about making the policy of our external relations in a pluralistic setting, with all of the flaws of democracy (as Churchill said, "but it's still the best system")?

I would honestly say it's very energizing. Some people call it messy. It looks messy, maybe, from the ground floor. But when we end up with a policy that is a good one, it's a very energizing, very positive way to do business. Getting ready for NATO enlargement is an example of that, where the Congress is very supportive of it, our allies are very supportive of it, the countries that are possibly going to be invited to join NATO are extremely excited, they are over the moon about it, and it's a very positive aspect of the work that all these elements of the foreign policy establishment have contributed to. And that's very fun.

Next page: NATO