Summer 2003
From glasnost to global diplomacy
Unless you’re a student of global political geography, the odds of your finding Azerbaijan on a map are probably slim. And unless you’re a policy wonk, chances are even slimmer that you know that the U.S. Ambassador to the oil-rich central Asian nation is Ross Wilson, B.A. ’77, international relations.
A career diplomat with master’s degrees from Columbia University and the National War College, Wilson, 47, has served as ambassador to Azerbaijan since 2000. This winter, the Edina native was back in Minnesota as the featured speaker in the Minnesota International Center’s Ambassador Series. His talk focused on the need for maintaining strong relations with the governments of the region.
Azerbaijan, which borders the Caspian Sea between Iran and Russia, is about the size of Indiana and is home to some 8 million people. The majority-Muslim country is rich in natural resources, including oil, but its average citizen brings home just $700 a year. In the early 1990s, Azerbaijan was torn apart by a civil war between Azeri Muslims and Orthodox Christians with ethnic ties to nearby Armenia. A cease-fire has been in effect since 1994, but the war left at least 550,000 refugees.
The political situation in Azerbaijan remains sensitive, and Wilson believes that the role the U.S. plays in this region will be key to maintaining the peace. In January, Wilson spoke with free-lance writer Andy Steiner about the life of a diplomat. Here are excerpts from that conversation:
What makes an effective ambassador?
First of all, you have to be friendly. You have to be comfortable
spending a large percentage of your time with government officials,
but you also have to enjoy getting to know the public. And you have
to know a little bit about a huge breadth of subjects. I give lectures
at universities in Azerbaijan, and the questions I get asked range
from politics to the U.S. economy to American popular culture to
studying at universities in this country.
What does your average day look like?
I manage U.S. relations with Azerbaijan, and I serve as
a spokesman for the U.S. government to the local media. I also meet
daily with government ministers. And then there is a large amount
of public speaking. On an average day, I devote significant portion
of my time to promoting American business, and on maintaining good
relations with the Azerbaijan oil and gas sector.
Did you always want to be an ambassador?
No. I started out with the idea of being in music. During my freshman
year, I started in music, and right off I got a D in ear training.
It was the first time in my life that I’d gotten a D, and
I drew the logical conclusion from that.
So how did you make the transition from music to foreign
affairs?
For me, it was actually a natural switch. From a relatively early
age, I was interested in policy and history and what was going on
in the world. And then at some point during my freshman year, someone
from the state department came to speak to one of my classes. That
made a big impression on me.
What are some of the highlights of your Foreign Service
career?
When I started in 1979, I was assigned to the Soviet Desk. I worked
there for eight months, then I went to the Soviet Union right before
the 1980 Olympics. The domestic situation was really tense at the
time, and in Moscow, U.S./Soviet relations were tense as well. I
was in Moscow until 1981. I also served in Moscow from 1987 to 1990
during the Gorbachev-glasnost era, and that time it was almost the
reverse of what I had experienced the last time I was in the country.
Now the Russians wanted to talk to us. They wanted advice.
Why should we care about Azerbaijan?
If September 11 taught us anything, it’s that maintaining
good relations with relatively small countries is of great importance
to our national security. We can’t afford to have states like
Azerbaijan fail. It is in our best interest to help this country
succeed in terms of environmental protection and human rights, and
in maintaining peaceful relations with their neighbors. For 70 years,
this region was closed to the world. We need to play a key role
in its transformation.
A big part of your job is building a positive impression
of the United States in your host country. Is America a tough sell
in Azerbaijan?
Anti-American sentiment is less of a problem in my part of the world
than it is in others. Azerbaijanis are basically very pro-American.
They are wary of Russians, and in their eyes we represent the opposite
sort of values and governance. We’re trying to introduce Azerbaijanis
to this country by building an exchange and study program. Over
the last 10 years, we’ve brought about 1,400 Azerbaijanis
to the United States to study at American universities. This is
the best way for them to get to know what life in our country is
really like.