![]() ![]() It was not a given that Germany would unify peacefully until Bush supported Chancellor Helmut Kohl in uniting a Germany embedded in the NATO alliance. Bush’s solid, trusted relationships with Gorbachev and Yeltsin reassured them and Russians that we would not take advantage in the Soviet Union’s final months. Soviet nuclear weapons might have fallen into the hands of warlords or criminals, or cabals might have obstructed the freedom of former satellites in Eastern Europe. KGB and Red Army leaders tried overthrowing Gorbachev and Yeltsin in 1991. The Cold War was never predestined to end peacefully. Together, they represent an extraordinary legacy of successes for America and the world. Each achievement would be consequential for any president. He began hemispheric-changing NAFTA negotiations. That year, he created the contemporary, two-track Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. He organized a unique global coalition to defeat Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War. He was the central figure unifying Germany after the Berlin Wall fell. I am convinced Bush was one of the greatest global leaders in foreign policy of all our presidents, certainly with achievements exceeding those of any president in 50 years. I worked at the National Security Council in the White House for the last half of his presidency. Bush rank among American presidents? I admit to bias. ![]() Nickolas Burns: NSC Director, Senior Director and Special Assistant to the President for Russian Affairs (1990-95) Professor of Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics at Harvard ‘s Kennedy School of Government That vision should go down as part of the growing positive history of his presidency. This was part of his personality and leadership. Bush worked for a world order of equality, fairness, justice, and democracy. Just as when the Soviet Union fell, Bush remained calm and avoided doing too much. These steps also assured he would not be hounded into fighting on in to Baghdad. He understood that the Security Council gave legitimacy to the 1991 Gulf War coalition and it was essential to Democratic support of a Congressional resolution for U.S. Although Margaret Thatcher argued against going to the UN in response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, Bush insisted on UN approval to use force. As his successor at the UN, I worked closely with him when he was president. Thanks to Bush’s earlier experience as ambassador to the United Nations, he knew the organization very well. His words and demeanor suppressed death squad murders for a time. ![]() He ended his short, sharply-worded talk and surprised everyone by threatening that unless death squad killings ended, Ronald Reagan and he could do nothing with the American Congress to preserve assistance programs. Addressing 50 senior military officers, through an interpreter with me next to him, Bush brilliantly varied his tone and content to fit his purpose and audience. Hoping to squelch this death squad activity, I asked Vice President Bush to visit and read the riot act to Salvadoran military leaders. The military’s death squads reacted by capturing suspected FMLN sympathizers and murdering them in a vain attempt to stifle rebellion. That nation suffered from civil war and a recent offensive by Marxist guerrillas that decimated several military units and destroyed an important bridge, cutting the country in half in 1983. When I was ambassador to El Salvador, I was fortunate to work with George H.W. Pickering: Ambassador to El Salvador (1983-85) Ambassador to the UN (1989-92) Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (1997-2000) What all share is a deep admiration for the nation’s forty-first president, a great statesman and a wonderful person, who loved the country he served so well. Others are career diplomats who collectively served under eleven presidents. Some came into government from other professions and returned to them afterwards. What follows are reminiscences of over a dozen of his team, who worked closely with him in different situations in those twelve years. Those of us who worked closely with him on foreign issues during his twelve years as vice president and president came to know and respect him and his international expertise. In his international accomplishments, Bush was, arguably, the most successful and consequential one-term president, and surpassed most two-term presidents. After serving as ambassador to the United Nations, chief of the Liaison Office in Beijing, and eight years as vice president, Bush had exceptional understanding of foreign policy and diplomatic practice, and personal relationships with the most important world leaders. Bush entered the office with more extensive foreign affairs experience than any other president except John Quincy Adams. ![]()
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